God in Nature Essay

Looking at two different definitions of the word nature, I gained a better understanding of what the phrase, â€Å"God in Nature†, means. The first said that it was, â€Å"the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized† (www. wordnetweb. princeton. edu), and the other described it as, â€Å"The material world and its phenomena† (www. answers. com). The earth, and everything in it, is â€Å"God in Nature†, it has the very nature of God Himself, just as it is the nature of a flower to bloom. Nature is just one of the ways that God speaks to mankind. So, in other words, God is in nature, and nature is in God. Curtis Questions Some things are learned, and some things come natural to you, you don’t know how or when they became a part of you, but you just somehow know how to do them. I believe if we’ll listen in a little harder we can hear the voice of God instructing us on how to do things a little simpler, and a little better. Just like the farmer in Isaiah, I too have experienced God enabling me to do things I was never taught. I am a singer/songwriter, and there are times I come up with things musically, and I know it is from God because I definitely wouldn’t have normally thought to do it that way. General revelation involves God’s witness through creation itself. General revelation is open to all who will receive it, for it is all around us. One thing that I have learned through general revelation is that, experience may not always be the best teacher, but it is necessary to gain wisdom in certain things, like how to discipline your children the right way. Art has played the leading role in most of my life, especially the art of music. There are times when I am feeling down, but a song will come from within, or from someone else, and it will lift my spirit. â€Å"Most Christians are omfortable using general revelation to build a house or evaluate nutrition. They are often far less comfortable using information from disciplines like psychology or anthropology (also general revelation). † (Curtis 1996) I believe it is difficult for most Christians to accept the studies of psychology and anthropology, because it is more personal, dealing with the human mind, and behavior. Christians believe we are to be disciplined in our minds by gaining the mind of Christ through His Word, and if we study too deep into our emotions and feelings (which are natural), we miss the mark. Sometimes our human emotions can cause us to think twice about the Word of God. I used to think that people who were mentally disabled had some form of demon possession, because of stories from the scripture, but as I got older and learned more about chemical imbalances in the brain etc†¦my opinion about that was changed. The Bible says â€Å"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,† says the Lord â€Å" For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. † (Isaiah 55:8-9). This is why, as Christians, we cannot solely depend on studies of the human mind and behavior. Some people refuse to accept God for who He is because of their human experiences. I knew a man once who hated God or that thought of Him because he had lost his mother at a very early age. He became bitter and began to believe God had killed his mother, so God could not be all good. Theologians with nature & Guthrie arguments â€Å"Theologians argue that man’s universal understanding that there is a divine being stands as an indication for his existence. (Wead). Shirley Guthrie (Guthrie, Christian Doctrine, Revised Edition, pages 41-42), lists six arguments used by philosophers and theologians through the centuries: â€Å" (1) the world is not self-explanatory, (2) the universe displays purpose, (3) world history and personal experience point to God’s existence, (4) conscience bears witness to the existence of God, (5) we have spiritual awareness of a divine presence deep within, and (6) the world seems to function in a rational way. † Two areas general revelation is useful Besides man’s ability to reason that there is a God, general revelation is often employed in two other areas. First, it is used to reason that there is a basic set of moral values that all men reason to be true. †(Wead) It is always said that you don’t have to teach a child how to lie, it just comes natural for them to do it, and it is the adult’s responsibility to correct that behavior. I believe we are just born with a set of moral standards built in our conscience. The child lies to begin with, because most likely they did something wrong, and are afraid of the possible consequences. Second, we reason that general revelation provides us with insight into the nature of God that we could not appreciate through special revelation alone. † (Wead). For example, our universe bears the mark of intelligent design and purpose. God speaks to us through His creation and it is not for lack of evidence that people reject God; it is because they refuse to see. General revelation is open to anyone who will open their eyes and see. General and Special Revelation General revelation, I believe was meant to be discovered through our senses, for it is in the world around us. Some things are more apparent, and other things you have to dig a little deeper to find out. Like the body and the way that it functions, we know we have a brain that sends messages to our bodies, keeping things going, but since we don’t see those brains, we must dig a little deeper to learn from it. For it too, is a part of the world around us. Nothing about DNA or nuclear fusion is found in Scripture, yet few would deny that those constitute part of reality. †(Curtis 1996). Special Revelation is the Scriptures. † In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets, at many times and in various ways. † (Hebrews 1:1). The writers were led by the Holy Spirit to communicate exactly what God was saying. â€Å"Curtis sees general revelation as an interpreter of special revelation. In other words, when we read the Scriptures we use our experience of nature to validate what we read in Scripture. † (Wead). Summary I have gained a better understanding of how useful general revelation is to the believer. I think sometimes we as Christians, get so spiritually minded that we forget there is a whole world around us, which may not necessarily be mention in the Bible, but is meant to couple with scripture to get a better understanding of the â€Å"Bigger Picture†, so to speak.

Becoming an Informed Voter Essay

What is the Political History of your district and State? Harris County in the state of Texas was formed in the winter of 1836, and was first called Harrisburg County after an early settler named John Richard Harris. The name changed from Harrisburg County to Harris County in 1839. In the United States House of Representatives, Ted Poe, a Republican, currently represents my district (Northwest Harris County). John Whitmire was elected in 1983 as a Democrat, and he represents Northwest Harris County in the Texas Senate. There are seven major districts that are represented in the Texas Legislature. â€Å"Over the period since initial statehood in 1845, the constituencies and ideologies of the two major parties we know today have experienced profound transformations. The Republican Party didn’t even exist in the United States until just before the Civil War, and barely existed in Texas and the rest of the former Confederacy for several decades after Reconstruction. The Democratic Party evolved from a party closely identified with white racial supremacy to a coalition of groups that included African Americans and ethnic minorities, while the Republican Party slowly gained majority status as a home for social conservatives. Both parties today remain economically conservative, resisting tax increases and regulations on business, while promoting government support of business initiatives.† (The University of Texas at Austin, 2009.) The Populist Party existed from the 1880’s to the 1910’s, and was very significant on both the state and national levels. The Populist Party was formed to represent the interests of laborers and farmers in the 1890s, and was known for advocating the unlimited coinage of silver. Ross Perot, a Dallas billionaire, created the Reform Party in the late 1990s. The Reform party believes in the basic values on how the government should work today. The top priorities that the  Reform party issued to the government are: â€Å"Setting higher ethical standards for the White House and Congress, Balancing the budget, Campaign and election reform, Imposing term limits, Tax system overhaul, Revisions to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security plans, Revising trade and immigration policies to promote jobs in the U.S., and Lobbying reform.† (Elissa Haney, 2014) Other parties, such as the Libertarian party and the Green party have enjoyed the support of a small number of devoted citizens throughout the county. â€Å"Texas political culture and ideology are well described by the combination of three main philosophical streams: classical liberalism, social conservatism and populism.† (The University of Texas at Austin, 2009.) How have they voted in recent presidential and congressional elections? Presidential elections: During the 2008 presidential election, Democratic candidate Barack Obama won the majority of votes in Harris County, Texas, which includes the city of Houston and surrounding communities. It was a narrow victory in Texas’ biggest county, with Obama winning only 50.5% of the vote against the Republican candidate, John McCain. In the most recent presidential election of 2012, the margin of victory was even smaller when they elected Democratic President Barack Obama with 49.39% of the vote, over his challenger, Mitt Romney, with 49.31%. However, in the statewide vote for the presidential candidates, Mitt Romney won Texas with 57.17% of the voters, and Barack Obama only got 41.38%. Even in 2008, John McCain won Texas with 56% of the voters, and Obama only got 44%. Congressional elections: In the recent congressional elections, the majority of the district voted for Republican candidate, Ted Poe. He defeated the democratic candidate Nick Lampson by a margin of 55.5% to Lampson’s 43%. Can your district or state be considered to be leaning Republican or leaning Democratic? The major metropolitan areas of Texas, Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, have been voting for more liberal platforms (Democratic) for a number of years now, however, the state as a whole has been leaning in  a more conservative direction and voting Republican. States’ rights, the fight for the unborn and their right to life, and resistance to gun legislation, tend to be some of the top issues for conservative Texas voters. The last time a Democrat carried the state of Texas was in 1976, when Jimmy Carter won the Presidential election. During the 2004 presidential election, then President and Republican candidate, George W. Bush, won with 61.09% against 38.30% votes for the Democratic candidate John Kerry. However, in the more recent Presidential elections that were held in 2008 and in 2012, the very popular Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, did not win the majority vote for Tex as. Thus, looking at this information, it can be said that the state of Texas tends to lean more towards the Republican side. Are the parties relatively even or does one party dominate the elections? Looking at the election results derived from Texas in the past, it can be said that the Republicans have had the upper hand over the Democratic Party in this state for quite some time, but the cities tend to be very liberal. There are currently only 12 Democratic representatives and 24 Republican representatives to U.S. House of Representatives. (Govtrack.us). Since 1846, in the state of Texas, there have been 39 Democratic governors, 5 Republican, 1 Unionist, and 1 Independent, with the Republicans holding on to that position for the past 20 years. (Texas State Library and Archives Commission) Does your district have a long tradition of supporting one party or has it been changing in recent years? The Democratic Party had a majority stronghold in my district from as far back as March 30, 1846 until January 3, 2005, when Republican candidate, Ted Poe broke the line of Democratic succession. Today, he continues to represent the Texas 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. After the U.S Census in 2010, both Houses of the Texas Legislature introduced bills to redraw the state congressional and legislative boundaries. Due to this process, Texas gained four Congressional seats in the U.S House of Representatives, which was more than any other state. As a result of redistricting, the 2nd Congressional District became more conservative by a small margin, which  gave Ted Poe the advantage for re-election. The demographics have also changed quite a bit over the past 20 years. In the 1990s, the estimated number of people in Harris County was 2,818 ,199. In 2010, the number rose to 4,092,459. In 2013, there are now 4,336,853 people (U.S Census records). Demographics have changed as well. In 2010, the demographics in Harris County, Texas were as followed. Anglo= 1,349,646 Hispanic=1,671,540 Afr-Am=754,258 Asian=249,853 And Other=67,162 Total=4,092,459 How did your representative and senator come to power? (Thoroughly describe their backgrounds.) Representative Ted Poe attended Abilene Christina University, where he achieved his Bachelors degree in political science. â€Å"Ted Poe served in the United States Air Force Reserves, taught high school and college classes and earned a law degree from the University of Houston. Soon after graduation, he accepted a position as a prosecutor in Houston, Texas.† (U.S. Congressman Ted Poe, 2014) In 1973, he also received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Before entering into politics, he served in the United States Air Force Reserves’ C-130 unit based out of Ellington Air Force Base from 1970 to 1976. After serving in the military for 7 years he changed his life track and became a chief felony prosecutor in Harris County for about 8 years. He then was appointed a felony court judge in Harris County in 1981, making him on of the youngest judges in the state of Texas. â€Å"Prior to serving in Congress, Ted Poe served for 22 years as a criminal court judge in Houston where he garnered national media attention for his innovative sentences – dubbed â€Å"Poetic Justice.† Prior to that, he served for 8 years in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, where he became the chief felony prosecutor and never lost a jury trial.† (U.S. Congressman Ted Poe, 2014) Senator John Cornyn was born in Houston, Texas, and is a graduate from Trinity University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He earned his  Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1977. While he was serving as a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court, he was attending the University of Virginia School of Law where he achieved his Master of Law degree. Cornyn was elected as a Judge for Texas’ 37th District Court from 1985 to 1991. He then was elected as an Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, and served in that position from 1991 to 1997. In 1998, Cornyn decided he wanted to become the Texas Attorney General, and campaigned against Barry Williamson, defeating him by a margin of 58% to 43% in the primary. In the general election, he defeated Jim Mattox, who was the former Attorney General and a U.S. Congressman. John Cornyn is only the second Republican to become an Attorney General in the State of Texas. In a long running Senate campaign that cost each candidate over $18 million dollars, Cornyn was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, after defeating five other candidates in the Republican Primary, as well as the Democratic candidate, Ron Kirk, by an electoral margin of ten to one. Senator Cornyn succeeded Senator Phil Gramm, also a Republican. He continues to earn the respect from fellow Texans every year by successfully taking state policies and issues to Washington D.C. â€Å"Senator Cornyn now serves as Minority Whip for the 113th Congress. He serves on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which shares jurisdiction over health care legislation, and the Senate Judiciary Committee, which questions President Obama’s nominees to the Supreme Court of the United States.† (Texans for Senator John Cornyn, Inc. 2014.) How do the interest groups (ADA, ACLU, ACU, CC or FRC) rate your representative and senator? Include the exact scores from each of these groups. American for Democratic Action— -John Cornyn=0%—Ted Poe=10% Family Research Council— -John Cornyn=88%—Ted Poe=100% Christian Coalition— -John Cornyn=100%—Ted Poe=100% American Civil Liberties Union— -John Cornyn=0%—Ted Poe=0% American Conservative Union— -John Cornyn=88%—Ted Poe=88% (VoteSmart.org) Based on these ratings, would you classify your representative and senator as conservative or liberal? Justify your answer. I would say that both my senator and representative are conservative, because of the ratings from these three interest groups. The ADA and the ACLU are both liberal leaning and gave low scores. The conservative groups, ACU, FRC, and Christian Coalition all marked both men high on conservative issues. For instance, Senator Cornyn opposed President Barack Obama’s health reform legislation, and he also voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (which is known to be Obama Care). In 2007, Ted Poe received a â€Å"zero† rating from the abortion rights group, also known as NARAL, because he is firmly pro-life (which is primarily a conservative view). He also does not support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, calling it â€Å"government run health care.† (Ted Poe, 2009). I personally appreciate both my senator, and r epresentative for Texas and Harris County, as their positions line up with my values, they understand that the government is moving in the wrong direction, and will do whatever it takes to appropriately represent the people of Texas. References Stephen Witham. Becoming an Informed Voter. Liberty University, 2014. Texas Politics. The University of Texas at Austin, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services, 2009. Retrieved from http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/6_printable.html Barone, Michael. The Almanac of American Politics 2014. University of Chicago Press, 2013. Wilson Q. James. American Government, Brief Version. 11th ed. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2009, 2012, 2014. Gu, Paul. Harris County History. TX Political Almanac, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.txpoliticalalmanac.com/index.php?title=Harris_County http://www.votesmart.org About John. Texans for Senator John Cornyn, Inc. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.johncornyn.com/about-john/ Poe, Ted. Ted Poe, U.S. Congressman 2nd District of Texas. United States House of Representatives, 2014. Retrieved from http://poe.house.gov/index.cfm/biography Harris County, Houston County Website. Harris County History. CountyWebsite.com, Inc. 2014. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Populist+Party http://reformparty.org http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48201lk.html https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/TX Governors of Texas, 1846-present. Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 2014. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/governors.html Elissa Haney. Reform School: A primer on the political party founded by Ross Perot and boosted by the governorship of Jesse Venture. Pearson Education, 2000-2014. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/reformparty1.html

Demonstrative Communication Essay

â€Å"Communication is an exchange of information, verbal pr written message and is the process of sending and receiving message†. () With communication there must be a sender and a receiver for it to take place. In this paper I will provide examples how effective and ineffective demonstrative communication can be positive or negative on situations. Also I will explain how demonstrative communication involves listening and responding. Demonstrative communication is nonverbal and unwritten communication thought facial expression or body language. Effective ways for a sender and receiver to communicate in a demonstrative way would be to send the right message. Sender would want to make sure the receiver comprehends and understands the sender. For example Kinesics: â€Å"refers to the many behaviors of the body†() these would include posture, gestures, and facial expressions. To make a positive gesture one could give the sender two thumbs up letting them know they did a great job. Letting the sender know they understand the message. A negative gestures would be a frown or to raise an eyebrow. This would provide feedback to the sender letting them know you disagree. Effective communication is a two way street for the sender and receiver. Ineffective ways for sender and receiver to communicate would be if the sender was demanding or ordering the receiver for something, and persuading or lecturing them. For example, using words like â€Å"you must† this may make the receiver think you are being demanding and they may resent you. Lecturing the receiver is another negative way to communicate with them. This may cause them to feel like they are wrong. Hepatic is a powerful form of communication. This would include giving the sender a pat on the back letting them knows you understand and everything was great. A native communication result would be a slap in the face. This would lead to many problems. Demonstrative communication between the sender and receiver will be positive if the sender does not overload the receiver with to much information at one time. If the receiver provides active listening or reading, this will allow the receiver to engage in what the sender is trying to get across to them. Demonstrative communication can also be negative if the receiver has a lack of eye contact or crossing of the arms. Things like this tell the sender one may not be interested in their message they are trying to get across. Provide feedback is a part of responding and giving the sender insurances that you are listening and understood what was being said. With demonstrative communication for example, one can respond by providing feedback like, â€Å"What I’m hearing is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This lets the sender know you are listening to the message.

Informal Learning in the workplace is a more significant, effective Essay

Informal Learning in the workplace is a more significant, effective and superior form of learning to formal classroom-based learning. Critically discuss this statement - Essay Example Moreover, organizations tend to engage in a variety of activities thereby requiring extra skills among the human resources. Some of the skills may be acquired in the workplace other than incurring additional costs for formal training. For example, problem solving and effective communication are skills that can be acquired in the workplace through informal learning. This paper presents a critique of the statement that informal learning in the workplace is a more significant, effective and superior form of learning to formal classroom-based learning. It focuses the underlying principles of this kind of learning in organizations in relation to the likelihood of accomplishing productivity and competitiveness. It highlights the strengths that give it an upper hand over formal learning in classrooms and the benefits that organizations derive from the adoption of informal learning in the workplace. Nevertheless, there are a few negative aspects of this type of workplace learning. These features that make some organizations to prefer the formal classroom based learning have been discussed. Informal learning is an arrangement whereby skills are acquired without any programmed curriculum. The learner pursues knowledge without a prearranged procedure and can virtually acquire information from any source. The employees in the workplace acquire new knowledge through interacting with others, handling equipment and brainstorming with team mates in establishing solutions to emerging problems in the workplace. As Cross (2007) observes, knowledge acquired when a person knows what he/she desires to accomplish a particular goal leads to efficiency than the skills acquired through a set of courses that are mandatory for learners to undertake for them to be qualified. Most of the skills acquired through informal learning are through unexpected encounters in the workplace. The employers do not control what is to be learnt. Work

Corporate Taxation in Germany and England Essay

Corporate Taxation in Germany and England - Essay Example Over the years both countries have introduced new tax reforms and Acts to serve the same purpose: to be more competitive in the global market. Decreasing corporate taxations can be quite advantageous to any country. Reduced numbers can mean more foreign investment in the country and a highly competitive business sector and that is exactly what Germany and England had sought out to accomplish. The first reform of the 21st century in Germany was introduced in 2000 and the latest one is being launched this year. Over the years Germany has successfully decreased its tax rates from a high percentage to a medium low percentage and has reaped many benefits. England has also cut down on its corporate tax and has achieved many of its goals successfully. Although there are many criticisms on focusing too much on cutting down corporate taxes instead of other taxes both the countries have accomplished part of the goal they had initially sought out to achieve. Corporation taxes are sometimes misunderstood because of their complexity and continuous scrutiny under the law. European countries have been on a mission to reduce their corporate taxes in the past few years to appeal to foreign investors and to be more competitive in the global market. Germany started off being one of the highest corporate taxing countries and has been in a continuous battle with itself do decrease these numbers. ... Germany started off being one of the highest corporate taxing countries and has been in a continuous battle with itself do decrease these numbers. England is also jumping on the bandwagon and following the lead of other European countries to reduce its corporate taxes. Over the years both countries have introduced new tax reforms and Acts to serve the same purpose: to be more competitive in the global market and keeping their corporations from relocating to lower taxing countries. "Corporations are legally capable associations based on the membership of persons; they are organized on a membership basis and exist independent of the change of the individual members. The legal form corporation is a legal person, whose "body" exists of individual natural or other legal persons." (Definition of corporation and scope of tax liability, n.d.) Only companies registered as joint stock companies or having limited liability are considered corporations whereas partnerships are considered to be small businesses that do not have corporate taxes levied on them. Each individual though has to pay a specific amount of tax on his or her net income. ." (Definition of corporation and scope of tax liability, n.d.) How much a corporation gets taxed within a year depends on its entire net income in the operating cycle and the taxes are levied according to German Acts and laws. (Determination of taxable income, n.d.) "The corporation tax rate for retained and distributed profits is 15 percent (Flat Tax).On the level of the involved parties, a capital gains tax is levied on principle with a tax rate of 20 percent." (Corporation tax rate, n.d.) All the balance sheets and accounts are reviewed for profits and loss for the proper taxes to be levied on the corporations. (Assessment Procedure,

Review of San Francisco Conservatory of Music Percussion Concert Essay

Review of San Francisco Conservatory of Music Percussion Concert - Essay Example Bach, was the opening song. Alemande and Gigue performed this piece very musically and with great accuracy. This showcase of talent was a superior way to draw in the audience from the very start. With only two performers playing such a serious piece, this song could have easily dragged, becoming boring and losing the attention of much of the audience. Alemande and Gigue, however, did a superior job. I never thought I would hear this piece performed by percussion only – and it was great. The second song, Log Cabin Blues, by G.H. Green, provided an enjoyably light, fun contrast to the seriousness of the first piece. I couldn’t help but tap my foot along to the beat of this upbeat song. Katy La Farve, Jonathon Goldstein, Ryder Shelly and Iskandar Rashid carried away the delightful tune on the marimbas while Keaton Snyder kept the beat on the drum set. Particularly enjoyable was the part of the lead marimba, which was fast and covered a wide range of pitches. In the past I have encountered percussion and other ensembles that fail to attend to dynamics in their musical performances, especially in a fast-paced song like this that requires the performers to focus on so many other things. This group managed to include fantastic dynamic contrast, and it was delightful. These performers really got into the song – and in effect, so did the audience. After several other percussion excerpts from various composers, the final piece, Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Part, was performed.

The Problem of Unwanted Births and the Awarding of Damages on a Public Essay

The Problem of Unwanted Births and the Awarding of Damages on a Public Policy Basis - Essay Example case a blessing.3 The circumstances posed to the Court of Appeal in Emeh required that it find some form of reconciliation between the two different stances of Udale and of Thake, though it was distinct from these two cases because the child had been born with disabilities. As a result, the damages awarded were restricted to those extra costs incurred as a result of the unwanted child’s disabilities, though the court claimed that it had awarded full costs. The approach as contained in Damages for the Birth of a Child4 suggests that Emeh was a result of the equation of unwanted pregnancy with consequential economic loss, and the damages were thus calculated according to â€Å"reasonably foreseeable financial loss directly caused by the unexpected pregnancy†.5 This approach was arguably taken too far in the decision of Benarr & Another v. Kettering Health Authority6in which it was held that damages could extend to private education of the unwanted child. ... the courts in relation to the decision of Emeh, and Ognall J in a subsequent similar case expressed his discomfort with a law that awards damages to the mother of a child, particularly if it is healthy; he said: â€Å"but there it is: that is the law†.8 Although the approach of the courts appears to be undecided on this matter, it is argued by some that awarding damages for both healthy and disabled unwanted children is perfectly acceptable according to principles of tort law,9 though decisions of the court have disagreed with this contention.10 There appears to be a major problem surrounding the distinction between unwanted healthy children and unwanted disabled children, and whether full or partial damages are to be awarded to both.11 It is suggested that the failure of the court in McFarlane to restrict its application to disabled children has caused an array of confusing exceptions to be created by subsequent cases on the topic.12 Yet what is the public policy behind the a pproach of the courts? It was claimed in Rees v Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust13 that there are major public policy implications for making public bodies that are funded by the public to pay large sums of money to parents of healthy children.14 Such an approach has claimed that awarding damages for healthy unwanted children simply takes the law of tort â€Å"too far†.15 While this would seem to be a reasonably grounded policy which aims to establish the importance of causing healthy unwanted pregnancies and unhealthy unwanted pregnancies, highlighting the graver financial (and psychological) inconvenience of the latter, it has attracted much criticism.16 Such criticism is however warranted if one is to view the normal application of tort law which functions to award damages to healthy

Facilities Maintenance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Facilities Maintenance - Essay Example The facilities maintenance has to estimate the size and area of the facility and the number of facilities established. The preventive maintenance has to be planned on how to address the immediate requirement and the facilities to be installed to meet the needs in requirement. The facilities components life has to estimate to know the performance factors of the individual components. The facilities maintenance has create a periodical review to estimate the robustness of the components and devices to initiate timely renovation process and to keep the facilities well updated. The facilities are to well set to restore the aftermath affect of any disasters. The renovation time has to be reduced to regulate the operational losses due to the sudden incidents occurring in the work station. The probable scale of effect and the restored systems required are to be estimated and has to placed for immediate requirements. The horizon of the responsibilities spreads to an extent to keep the working environment safe, make the employees feel comfort in executing the profiles. Being informative in case of any suspects and externals dangers and responding in no mean time to decrease the impact of the danger. Keeping the facilities of the campus well updated and regular inspections on their working conditions enhance the performance of the facility like the cooling systems, the security systems, the fire equipment services. The visitors can be a form of treat carriers as we cannot predict the dangerous intention. The persons entering into the campus are to be thoroughly checked and are to be send to the reception area only after the concerned person from company is accompanying him. His luggage has to isolated at the campus entrance with restrictions on certain materials and to kept at separate cloak room facility. The work stations should be located at a distant area away from the visitors lounge. The visitors' information has to be recorded for any further clarifications. The surrounding areas of the campuses are to be monitored to avoid any miscreant entering into the campus. The movements of the road side vehicles should be captured to know the traffic discrepancies and any dangerous moves. The vendors and support staff have to be thoroughly checked before allowing them to their shifts. The surrounding areas are to be kept clean to avoid the hidden explosives and harmful material. The staff is to careful monitored to observe their behavior and their movements in the restricted areas. The accessories should be used with care to avoid mishandling and to avoid explosions. The other entry areas like the back doors, kitchen areas, the stores room areas are to monitored for any doubtful transfer of materials. The parking vehicles are to be carefully

Comment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comment - Essay Example As we naturally breathe in and out to live, the animals hunt prey to survive. Natural law may not be clearly defined by boundaries and concrete concepts, however, it does exist. As human beings, we have the natural right to defend ourselves and our property; these are rights which exist with or without the state granting said rights. Natural law is a method of behavior; just as man naturally manifests certain behavior, so do the animals. â€Å"We must know nature in order to follow nature’s law: the universal law is the law of nature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Crowe, 31). There is no quick and easy way to identify and recognize the mandates of natural law, but in knowing the natural and universal laws, it is possible to understand the principles that govern natural law. Natural law should play a vital role in society. It should help determine the rights we naturally have and the same rights we should recognize in others. According to Covey (p. 129), natural laws may be applied to different issues in society. These issues include educational, social, and political reform. By letting our lives and decisions be governed by our natural laws, â€Å"it is possible for our deep, inward sense of knowing-our own moral or ethical sense of natural laws or principles to-become changed, subordinated, even eclipsed by traditions or by repeated violation of one’s own conscience† (Covey, 130). In recognizing and following natural laws, members of society can live in harmony with each other, without being told by a specific law or mandate what to do and what not to do. Natural law should also help dictate the laws to be passed by our legislators. Our customs and traditions cannot be the only source of legislation. When something has been established a s acceptable practice through repeated usage, it does not mean that it should automatically be passed as a law. Customs and traditions can be immoral or against the natural laws of man and still be deemed as lawful.

Soil Properties Practical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Soil Properties Practical - Essay Example There are different and diverse characteristics of soil; (1) Particle Size, (2) Bulk Density, (3) Consistence, (4) Texture and (5) Water-holding Capacity. This lab will concentrate in determining 4 different types of solid from the 4 samples provided using the mechanical analysis technique. This technique is founded on the concept that different sizes of soil particles fall out of suspension at different speeds. Mechanical analysis of the texture of soil places a mixture of soil and water in a glass cylinder which is shaken to the point where suspension particles appear. These suspension particles gradually settle to the bottom of the cylinder once placed on a flat surface and is undisturbed. According to Stokes Law, different sizes of particles fall out of suspension at different speeds. These speeds are clearly defined by this law. This law fundamentally states that larger particles will tend to settle faster out of suspension as opposed to smaller particles. Therefore, due to the fact that sand particles are larger than clay or silt, they will tend to form a distinct layer at the bottom once its settles out of suspension. This method uses a hydrometer. Step 3: Added 5 ml of a dilute Calgon solution. The Calgon was to help disperse the soil particles so that they would fall independently of each other. This is necessary because this is a fundamental assumption of Stokes law. Step 4: Filled the blender cup with distilled water so the top of the suspension is about 10 cm from the top. Placed the top on the blender and blend for about 5 minutes. This step is designed to thoroughly disperse the soil particles. Step 7: Placed a rubber stopper over the end of the cylinder and re-suspended the mixture by turning the cylinder end to end several times vigorously. Then set the cylinder back down and recorded the exact time (to the second). Step 8: Immediately after setting the cylinder down, carefully inserted the hydrometer into

The Typical American Essay Example for Free

The Typical American Essay Donald Trump has done much for the image of the typical American through his show, â€Å"The Apprentice,† and its focus on brand marketing to an individual. Throughout time, especially when it comes to advertising, the focus has been to nail down, specifically, what it is that makes a typical American a typical American. But are those traits just stereotypical of Americans as they used to be? Or do they suggest something much deeper about the American public—that behavior as a consumer can be actually be targeted, without much overall difficulty, using a combination of internal and external marketing by focusing on stereotypical beliefs, psychological profiles, and an understanding of basic human intelligence. To begin with, internal marketing focuses exclusively on the individual â€Å"you† of a company, striving to spotlight on their motivations and beliefs while gaining trust and reputation. For example, Ford Motor Company would use internal marketing to evaluate the needs of their employees and to become a better employer for those needs. This can be seen in media advertising as well, as more and more commercials focus on the audience â€Å"you.† Everyone can relate to the stressed out mom with the Renuzit spray as she cleans up her kid’s soccer mess. While the consumer here is not part of the Renuzit company, they feel, by the method of advertising, that they relate to the message presented. External marketing is more about the business itself and how they manage to position themselves in front of the consumer. This medium of marketing is more difficult to qualify because it is in the presentation itself that makes this mode effective. For example, Ford Motor Company is advertising at a dog show and at a car show. At the dog show, they will surely be overlooked as anything more than annoying sales people because their method of presentation holds no true meaning for them, while the car show would explode with excited consumers because they are positioned in front of their target audience. So, to be honest, the factor that has the greatest influence on an average consumer (like me) is both internal and external marketing. It would be hard to feel the deep Renuzit â€Å"homey† vibe when watching a stressful horror flick on the Sci Fi channel, but it would be a much more well received bit of advertising if the Learning Channel was on and Martha Stewart was cooking something yummy in the kitchen. Even in something so small and simple as random household commercial, both internal and external marketing are essential to see decent results. Moreover, the internet has taken this idea to a whole new level in advertising. It used to be that a basic site could attract visitors simply because it existed out there in the vast world wide web. But things have changed. Now, for a website to have any luck, whatsoever, they have to not only have targeted content, but also targeted keywords. Whole businesses have sprung up claiming to be able to properly optimize a website for the search engines—their philosophy: target a consumer based on stereotypical beliefs, psychological profiles, and an understanding of basic human intelligence in how people go about searching for the information they are hoping to find (Word Partners Ink). This process is just as complicated as it is for traditional advertisers because the potential visitors have to be exclusively targeted to get any results. This means that if a website is selling cat food, they have to use keyword rich content illustrating the most common search terms for cat food. Maybe name brands, or maybe even breed. The fact is that even as technology grows and looking at Americans as â€Å"typical† by using stereotypical methods sounds politically incorrect, it is still the only method for effective sales, even in the online media. According to the article by Anne Cronin (written more than a decade ago) the â€Å"typical American† exhibits certain identifiable traits. Since some of the traits are so outlandishly true, it’s best to go over each set and compare to the â€Å"typical American† now. Cronin begins with a â€Å"white woman who is 32.7 years old, [who is] married and a mother, owns a home in the suburbs with three bedrooms, two telephones, no answering machine, with two TV sets, cable, and a VCR.† This woman is the woman of â€Å"Stepford Wives.† Her home is her castle and she is still young enough to feel beautiful while she keeps things clean. This woman could still exist today, but with a few modifications. It would be hard to find a household without two TV’s (most probably have four, with two computers), but the telephones would be cell phones, as even kids as young as nine are getting them now that companies like Disney and Verizon have hit on that need, and the woman would probably be divorced with two kids while still living in the suburbs off a nice alimony check. Cronin continues with the woman’s lifestyle: â€Å"she works for a private company as a clerical worker, she (and probably her husband) does not own a gun, does not smoke, does not know anyone with AIDS, spent two hours driving yesterday (probably errands, maybe work), and she read a newspaper today.† The hilarious part is that this woman probably does not exist today. If she doesn’t smoke, she probably knows someone who either has AIDS or has died from AIDS, and if she isn’t a clerical worker, she probably didn’t read the newspaper today. Cronin’s article attempts to pinpoint the â€Å"typical American† woman from the early nineties. Things have definitely changed, but her reasoning is sound. And, her theories could still be applied to identify the traits of the typical American today by focusing on beliefs, psychological profiles, and an understanding on basic human understanding. The world has changed drastically in the last decade. War, tragedy, terrorism, and disease are vastly more prominent than they were just ten years ago. With the hit on 9/11, not only was security throughout the nation revamped, but so was the American consciousness; meaning that men and women had to take a broader understanding of their world if they wanted to survive it. And, perhaps that understanding is a bit more cynical than it used to be. Suburbia has essentially been replaced with powerful business women and internet entrepreneurs. Analyzing and pinpointing the typical American has become something of a carnival game on the internet on OK Cupid’s website. Here, a visitor can take the â€Å"Are you a Typical American test† to find out how they rank as a typical American. The questions are quite illuminating, as are the results. There are 25 questions in all (and a screen name must be chosen at the end to view all results), much reminiscent of the questions found on the â€Å"Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader† TV show hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. But this doesn’t mean that they are easy. In fact, many of the questions have more to do with lifestyle than outside knowledge (though many United States history questions are asked), which makes for interesting criteria for the â€Å"typical American.† After taking the test, despite being somewhat mortified by the results, it became clear just how easy it is to call a typical American a â€Å"typical American.† Even shows like â€Å"Millionaire† and â€Å"Identity† (to the far extreme) hit on this ideal: that the typical American exhibits particular traits, mainly targeted by how much they weigh, how much fast food they eat, how much they watch television, and how much they know about their country. Sadly, that’s all it takes. A marketing genius would be hard pressed to find any other determining factors (they might throw in homey comfort and hobbies, but that’s about it). Overall, pinpointing the traits of the typical American has become something of a pastime for â€Å"typical Americans.† With the rise of the internet and TV game shows, this ideal has hit a new high. But, so has the effects on the marketing and advertising world. As the world changes, and the typical American changes with it, so must advertising and how those traits are analyzed and determined. However, while these things change, even drastically, the methods for identifying the traits of the typical American have not. Still, no matter the mode, the method must focus on beliefs, psychological profiling, and a basic understanding on how the average American thinks. Works Cited. Cronin, Anne. â€Å"Typical American.† New York Times. 1992, pg ES5. OK Cupid. â€Å"Are you the Typical American Test.† 2007 Human Rainbow. http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take Word Partners Ink. â€Å"Search Engine Optimization.† 2007 Word Partners Ink. http://wordpartnersink.tripod.com/searchengineoptimization

Urban trends in developing countries Essay Example for Free

Urban trends in developing countries Essay The urban trends in the world’s poorest countries have recorded an impressive growth in the last few decades. As a continuous process, urbanization in many developing countries is attributed to a number of factors. These include population growth, transformation of rural areas into small towns, poverty and unemployment, environmental degradation, lack of the basic infrastructure, increasing international immigration among others (Cohen, 2006, p 7). In Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, the history of urbanization dates back to the colonial era. Historical causes and factors like over population in the rural areas of the country led to an increased mobility of people with an expectation of urban development. As well, increased trade which favored some geographical areas of the country led to urbanization in Nairobi. Subsequently, the administrative and industrial centers were favored by colonialists thus giving rise to improvement of infrastructure that encouraged urbanization in Kenya’s capital city (Baker, 1989, p. 53) In the year 1948, the total number of urban centers in the country was 17 with over 100,000 people. However, both the number of urban centers and size of population significantly increased by the year 1979 to 91 centers. Nairobi, with its low agricultural activities accounted for nearly 17. 8% of the total urban population during this year (Baker, 1989 p. 56). Currently, the population has doubled since 1978. It is also projected that the population will increase by 77% within 2007-2050 (Yin Kent, 2008). Among the implications of urbanization in Nairobi which grows approximately by 10% each year include an increased poverty, shortage of housing which has resulted to slums, inadequate transportation and infrastructure, water supply, increased danger of epidemic diseases, environmental degradation among others (NY, 1988). Reference Baker, J. (I989). Small Town Africa: Studies in rural-urban interaction. (pp. 53-56). Nordic Africa Institute, 1990. Cohen, B. (2006). Urbanization in developing countries: Current trends, future projections, and key challenges for sustainability.Retrieved October 25, 2008 from http://www7. nationalacademies. org/dbasse/Cities_Transformed_World_Technolo gyInSociety_Article. pdf. New York Times. (1988). Nairobi slum: Urbanization as a cancer. Retrieved October 25, 2008 from http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=940DE7D71F38F93AA35755C0 A96E948260 Yin, S. Kent, M. (2008). Kenya: The demographics of a country in turmoil. Retrieved October 25, 2008 from http://www. prb. org/Articles/2008/kenya. aspx

Introduction To Computer Components Computer Science Essay

Introduction To Computer Components Computer Science Essay A keyboard is a computer hardware input device. keyboard is similar to the mechanical typewriter design, if we compare to keyboard with other computer hardware it is technological advance.New ergonomic keyboards can cost as much as a central processing unit or quality computer monitor. Instead of mouse the keyboard is often the principal input device on home and office computers.the basic functions of keyboards are it is used for text input,keyboards are also used to precise image, interface manipulation such as sending special commands to the operating system even controlling characters and objects in computer games. Due to advance technology now adays some keyboards includes other input and output devicessuch as card reader,usb ports or integrated trackballs. Although there are pseudo-standards regarding key arrangement, the manufacturer of keyboards are free to create original arrangements and designs. While most keyboards intended for use in English-language environments use the QWERTY layout, many keyboards are available with alternative layouts such as Dvorak. Some specialty keyboards have two or more layouts or languages printed on the keys, while others have no layout printed at all. The blank keyboards are designed for a specific purpose such as this can be use by the touch typists only, who have no need to look at the keyboard while entering informationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..till here Most conventional keyboards are built using dome-membrane technology. In these models, keys are mounted on a tray which affords them up and down movement only. The keys are supported in the up position by rubber membrane domes on which they rest. The domes are easily collapsible, and quickly return to their upright positions when released from the collapsing force. The underside of each dome houses a graphite bullet, which completes an open circuit underneath the dome when the dome is collapsed. Special circuitry senses the completed circuit, and translates this to a key press which is then transmitted to the computer. Complex circuitry grids and patterns allow most keyboards to support over one hundred different keys with only about two dozen different circuits. In fact, careful layout of specific meta keys allows two- and even three- key-press combinations to be registered. More complex key-press combinations require very specialized circuitry, which few keyboards today support. Special features of the keyboard include: Numeric keypad: In numeric keypad is a portion in keyboard whichs allows to use keyboard like a calcuclator and input numbers into application program.it has an option of numlock key when this key has been pressed it activates the portion of the keyboard so that numbers can be entered in the computer. When the num lock key is not on, there are arrow keys on the keyboard which then work to move the cursor in different directions. The NUM LOCK key is a toggle key which switches back and forth between these two modes. Caps Lock: The CAP LOCKS key works in this same manner as the NUM LOCK key. If the Caps Lock is pressed on the keyboard whatever alphabets type from keyboard will type only in capital letters. If the Cap Lock light is not lit it will type only in small letters. Function Keys: The function keys are used to initiate commands on help menus or database programs especially before the development and use of computer pointing devices. They are still used extensively today as options on the keyboard to pull down menus or to be programmed to do specific functions in application programs. Ctrl or Shift keys also work with Function keys to add more commands to programs and what are called shortcuts, ways to operate functions like saving and deleting without going through elaborate features and steps. Short cuts speed up typing and input into the computer. Escape Key: One of the most important keys is the escape key. It usually use to cancel the command or to takes you back to the previous step ina a program. Main Types Of Keyboard: Keyboards are available in various shapes and sizes . they can be large and small almost like a custom car. They come in various colours and can be designed specifically for the user especially in a case of disabledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦done QWERTY: The most popular is the standard QWERTY keyboard. The newer keyboards can have a trackball built into the keyboard. This allows the user the convenience of a built in pointing device. The trackball acts as the mouse and saves time and space in the work area. Ergonomic: This keyboard is built so that the keyboard is divided into two parts. One half fits the right hand and the other half fits the left hand. This split keyboard arrangement is built to fit the natural positioning of the hand and to help with repetitive motion hand injury which occurs when a job is carried out over and over again, such as in keyboarding. History of the Computer  Keyboard Keyboarding has 2 references nowadays; the first being typing with an alpha-numeric keyboard or typewriter, and the second of playing a piano, organ, or electronic keyboard. Keyboarding (typing) started in form with the invention of the Printing Press in the 1600s. Manual typewriters came some time later (with the keyboard layout of letters that we are accustomed to now). Additionally, there was another simple form of mono-keyboarding in electronic for with the advent of the telegraph (developed by Samuel Morse Morse Code) wherein a series of dots and dashes created letters, which spelled out words, which then composed a telegram to someone. There is another niche of keyboarding, which involves a courtroom recorder using a stenography machine. This machine has less character than a standard keyboard, and involves a system of shorthand in conjunction with fewer keys. A good example of shorthand is the use of abbreviations, such as Mfr stands for manufacturer. The invention of the computer keyboard begins with the typewriter The invention of the modern computer keyboard began with the invention of the  typewriter. Christopher Latham Sholes patented the typewriter that we commonly use today in 1868. The Remington Company mass marketed the first typewriters starting in 1877. Sholes and Glidden Type-writer: The first typewriter to be commercially successful was invented in 1867 by C. Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden and Samuel W. Soule in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, although Sholes soon disowned the machine and refused to use, or even to recommend it. The working prototype was made by the machinist Matthias Schwalbach. The patent (US 79,265) was sold for $12,000 to Dens more and Yost, who made an agreement with E. Remington and Sons (then famous as a manufacturer of sewing machines) to commercialize the machine as the Sholes and Glidden Type-Writer. This was the origin of the term typewriter. Remington began production of its first typewriter on March 1, 1873, in Ilion, New York. It had a QWERTY keyboard layout, which because of the machines success, was slowly adopted by other typewriter manufacturers. Because the type bars of this typewriter strike upwards, the typist could not have seen characters as they were typed. This was the case in most early keyboard typ ewriters, however, as the type bars struck upward against the bottom of the platen and what was typed was not visible until a carriage return caused it to scroll into view. The difficulty with any other arrangement was ensuring that the type bars fell back into place reliably when the key was released. This was eventually achieved with various ingenious mechanical designs and so-called visible typewriters, such as the Oliver typewriter, were introduced in 1895. The older style continued in production to as late as 1915. Inventions Leading to the Computer Keyboard A few key technological developments created the transition of the typewriter into the computer keyboard. The teletype machine, introduced in the 1930s, combined the technology of the typewriter (used as an input and a printing device) with the  telegraph. Elsewhere, punched card systems were combined with typewriters to create what was called keypunches. Keypunches were the basis of early adding machines and IBM was selling over one million dollars worth of adding machines in 1931. Early computer keyboards were first adapted from the  punch card  and teletype technologies. In 1946, the  Eniac computer  used a punched card reader as its input and output device. In 1948, the Binac computer used an electromechanically controlled typewriter to both input data directly onto magnetic tape (for feeding the computer data) and to print results. The emerging electric typewriter further improved the technological marriage between the typewriter and the computer. Typewriter/printer hybrids: Towards the end of the commercial popularity of typewriters in the 1980s, a number of hybrid designs combining features of printers were introduced. These often incorporated keyboards from existing models of typewriters and printing mechanisms of dot-matrix printers. The generation of teletypes with impact pin-based printing engines was not adequate for the demanding quality required for typed output, and alternative thermal transfer technologies used in thermal label printers had become technically feasible for typewriters. IBM produced a series of typewriters called Thermotronic with letter-quality output and correcting tape along with printers tagged Quiet writer. Brother extended the life of their typewriter product line with similar products. DEC meanwhile had the DECwriter. The development of these proprietary printing engines provided the vendors with exclusive markets in consumable ribbons and the ability to use standardized printing engines with varying degrees of electronic and software sophistication to develop product lines. Although these changes reduced prices and greatly increased the convenience of typewriters, the technological disruption posed by word processors left these improvements with only a short-term low-end market. To extend the life of these products, many examples were provided with communication ports to connect them to computers as printers. The increasing dominance of personal computers, desktop publishing, the introduction of low-cost, truly high-quality, laser and inkj et printer technologies, and the pervasive use of web publishing, e-mail and other electronic communication techniques have largely replaced typewriters in the United States. Typewriter erasers: The traditional erasing method involved the use of a special typewriter eraser made of hard rubber that contained an abrasive material. Some were thin, flat disks, pink or gray, approximately 2 inches (51 mm) in diameter by 1à ¢Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾8 inches (3.2 mm) thick, with a brush attached from the center, while others looked like pink pencils, with a sharpen able eraser at the lead end and a stiff nylon brush at the other end. Either way, these tools made possible erasure of individual typed letters. Business letters were typed on heavyweight, high-rag-content bond paper, not merely to provide a luxurious appearance, but also to stand up to erasure. Typewriter eraser brushes were necessary for clearing eraser crumbs and paper dust, and using the brush properly was an important element of typewriting skill; if erasure detritus fell into the typewriter, a small buildup could cause the type bars to jam in their narrow supporting grooves Computer Keyboards Send Direct Electronic Impulses Earlier computer keyboards had been based either on teletype machines or keypunches. There were many electromechanical steps in transmitting data between the keyboard and the computer that slowed things down. With VDT technology and electric keyboards, the keyboards keys could now send electronic impulses directly to the computer and save time. By the late 70s and early 80s, all computers used electronic keyboards and VDTs. Nevertheless, the layout of the computer keyboard still owes its origin to the inventor of the first typewriter, Christopher Latham Sholes who also invented the QWERTY layout. However, the computer keyboard does have a few extra function keys. Present Keyboard technologies Solar Keyboard: Two solar panels at the top of the keyboard work to keep the internal battery charged, even in low indoor ambient light. When I took it out of the box, the battery was more than 50 percent charged after spending just 15 minutes in direct sunlight. After dark, the light from a 100-watt overhead bulb was able maintain the charge. The thing is anorexic when it comes to power consumption Wireless keyboard: (With Bluetooth Device) The Apple Wireless Keyboard is a wireless keyboard built for Macintosh computers and the iPad. It interacts over Bluetooth wireless technology and unlike its wired version, it has no USB connectors or ports. Both generations have low-power features when not in use. Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard This is tiny device laser-projects a keyboard on any flat surface, it can type away accompanied by simulated key click sounds. It really is true future magic at its best. With 63 keys and and full size QWERTY layout the Laser Virtual Keyboard can approach typing speeds of a standard keyboard. in a size a little larger than a matchbook. Gaming Keyboard When it comes to video game input devices, the keyboard is probably the furthest from ideal. Lets face it, keyboards were not designed to serve as game peripherals. However, PC gamers have bent their gaming habits to fit the restrictions of the standard keyboard for so many years that most prefer keyboard controls to a gamepad. The WASD control scheme for shooters has long been the default but as games have become more complex shooters especially the need for quick access to the surrounding keys has become more and more evident. Hardware manufacturers recognized the need for faster, smoother and more-precise mice as gaming became more popular and many felt they could improve on the keyboard design as well. The problem is that the keyboard is not a finesse device. Either the keys are there or they arent and either you can reach them or you cant. Multimedia Keyboard A multimedia keyboard is designed to make it one-touch simple for the user to access often-used programs. There are special keys used to access the Internet, music, and other frequently used programs such as email. A typical multimedia keyboard contains buttons that control various computer processes, such as turning on the computers power, putting the CPU to sleep, and waking it up again.

On the Road Essay: The Motif of Inadequacy of the Language

The Motif of Inadequacy of the Language in On the Road  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Henry Glass, a kid fresh out of a penitentiary in Indiana who takes a bus to Denver with Sal Paradise, tells him about his brush with the Bible in jail, and then explains the dangers of the phenomenon of signification (I firmly believe that Kerouac intended no deconstructionist subtext in the passage; nor is it likely to be an neo-Marxist attempt to explicate the class conflict between the signifiers and the signified): Anybody that's leaving jail soon and starts talking about his release date is 'signifying' to the other fellas that have to stay. We will take him by the neck and say, 'Don't signify with me!' Bad thing, to signify--y'hear me? (256) The use of the learned word by an eighteen year old jail-bird is truly funny. The comic effect here is based on the discrepancy between the standard meaning and contextual use of the word "to signify." There is a number of episodes in the novel with the same kind of humor: in the opening chapter of the novel, which describes his first visit to New York, Dean comes up with some absolutely moronic tirades. E.g., talking to Marilou, he mentions the necessity to "postpone all those leftover things concerning our personal lovethings and at once begin thinking of specific workplans. . ." (Kerouac 5). Or, when asked directly by Sal, whether he needed to con him for a place to stay, he starts talking about "Shopenhauer's dichotomy inwardly realized" (ibid.).    Dean's (mis)use of language can be somewhat redeemed by his intellectual virginity and his genuine desire to be like his high-browed friend; indeed, being earnest is important, and can excuse almost anything. But what should one think about the way Carl... ...rist--the heroes of the generation--never published (Krupat 407). Neither did Neil Cassidy, the silent genius behind the movement; but he by the example of his life provided the ideal which made Kerouac's gospel true.       Works Cited Ashida, Margaret E. "Frog's and Frozen Zen." Prairie Schooner 34 (1960): 199-206. Blackburn, William. "Han Shan Gets Drunk with the Butchers: Kerouac's Buddhism in On the Road, The Dharma Bums, and Desolation Angels." Literature East and West 21.1-4 (1977): 9-22. Suzuki, D.T. An introduction to Zen Buddhism. Ed. Christmas Humphreys; fwd. C.G. Jung. London: Rider, 1983. Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. Ed. Scott Donaldson. New York: Penguin, 1979. Krupat, Arnold. "Dean Moriarty as Saintly Hero." On the Road. Text and Criticism. By Jack Kerouac. Ed.Scott Donaldson. New York: Penguin, 1979. 397-411.      

Paper -- essays research papers

In the 1790s members of the industry in both Paris and London were working on inventions to try to mechanise paper-making. In England John Dickenson produced the cylinder machine that was operational by 1809. Although useful for smaller enterprises, this lacked the large scale potential of the machine resulting from the invention of Nicholas-Louis Robert in Paris, which had a more complicated incubation period. The last of the early improvements to this machine were financed by the Fourdrinier brothers in London, and it was after these brothers that the machine was named. The Fourdrinier could produce paper of virtually any size for the very first time, limited only by the width of the continuous wire mesh upon which the paper was made. It has been estimated that this machine could produce 40,680 14"x 18" sheets in 12 hours - the production equivalent of 8 hand-operated vats - thus reducing the price of some papers by about two-thirds. A watershed had been reached which le d to a rapid increase in other mechanical developments and improvements.The change-over to new technologies was, however, gradual. A few mills using the old hand-made methods continued to function until relatively recently. One mill, Wookey Hole in Somerset, still operates on a small scale but this is largely for tourist purposes. This is slightly counterbalanced by one or two new hand-operated mills that have opened in recent years.The scarcity of paper-making materials had been a problem from th...

Societys Influence On Morals Essay -- essays research papers fc

Society's Influence on Morals   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The atrocities of the Holocaust have prompted much inquiry by researchers to understand how humans can behave so cruelly toward their fellow man. Theories have been formed that cite the men of Battalion 101 as â€Å" exceptions† or men with â€Å"faulty personalities,† when, in fact, they were ordinary men. The people who attempted to perform a genocide were the same people as you and me with the only difference being the environment in which they worked. The behavior of the men in Battalion 101 was not abnormal human behavior, rather, their actions are testament to the premise that when humans are exposed to certain environmental and psychological conditions, extreme brutality is highly apt to occur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The members of the Police Battalion 101 had the same ideas and influences as the rest of the German citizens. Because of the racist teachings produced by the German government, the entire German society was uniform under the belief that they were the master race. The German were taught that anyone different from their own kind (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant) needed to be removed from their society in order for it to prosper. The Police Battalion men shared the same beliefs as everyone else, but they had to perform the dirty work of killing approximately 83,000 Jews. Christopher Browning states in his book, Ordinary Men, that, â€Å"...the men of Reserve Police Battalion 101, like most of the German society, was immersed in a deluge of racist and anti-Semitic propaganda† (Browning 184). Unless placed in the Battalion men's situation, one can not fathom how a population of people can so evilly turn against another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People in every culture are susceptible to the ideas and beliefs brought upon them by propaganda. Whenever an idea is accepted as the ‘norm', people will find a way to justify it and follow it despite the evil implications it might entail. Humans have faced these situations throughout the last two centuries numerous times. For example, the American slave trading was totally acceptable to the southerners because the blacks were perceived to be lesser human beings. The slave owners did not mind controlling and abusing a slave like it was an animal since in their mind the slave was comparable to an animal. This was true in Germany with the only diffe... ...g's book, Ervin Staub made the assertion that â€Å"'cruelty is social in its origin much more than it is characterological'...most people ‘ slip' into the roles society provides them...† (167). Evil ideas and beliefs are molded onto a person by their surroundings rather than inherent in their personalities. With such a strong influence on our behavior, propaganda can lead a society to think and belief the unimaginable. The men of Police Battalion 101 are a testament to the idea that people are capable of not only thinking the unimaginable, but they can act upon it. Works Cited Bortnick, Rachel Amado. â€Å"Dallas Honors a Righteous Nation.† Dallas Jewish Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nov. 1993. Browning, Christopher R. Ordinary Men. New York: Aaron Asher Books/HarperCollins  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Publishers, Inc., 1993. Fogelman, Eva. Conscience and Courage. New York: Anchor Books Doubleday,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1994. Jacobs, Mike. Speech to Class. Dallas, 31 Mar. 1997. Reich, Walter. â€Å"The Men Who Pulled the Triggers.† The New York Times 12 Apr.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1992. Weapons of the Spirit. Writ./Dir. Pierre Sauvage. The Friends of Le Chambon. 1988. Societys Influence On Morals Essay -- essays research papers fc Society's Influence on Morals   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The atrocities of the Holocaust have prompted much inquiry by researchers to understand how humans can behave so cruelly toward their fellow man. Theories have been formed that cite the men of Battalion 101 as â€Å" exceptions† or men with â€Å"faulty personalities,† when, in fact, they were ordinary men. The people who attempted to perform a genocide were the same people as you and me with the only difference being the environment in which they worked. The behavior of the men in Battalion 101 was not abnormal human behavior, rather, their actions are testament to the premise that when humans are exposed to certain environmental and psychological conditions, extreme brutality is highly apt to occur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The members of the Police Battalion 101 had the same ideas and influences as the rest of the German citizens. Because of the racist teachings produced by the German government, the entire German society was uniform under the belief that they were the master race. The German were taught that anyone different from their own kind (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant) needed to be removed from their society in order for it to prosper. The Police Battalion men shared the same beliefs as everyone else, but they had to perform the dirty work of killing approximately 83,000 Jews. Christopher Browning states in his book, Ordinary Men, that, â€Å"...the men of Reserve Police Battalion 101, like most of the German society, was immersed in a deluge of racist and anti-Semitic propaganda† (Browning 184). Unless placed in the Battalion men's situation, one can not fathom how a population of people can so evilly turn against another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People in every culture are susceptible to the ideas and beliefs brought upon them by propaganda. Whenever an idea is accepted as the ‘norm', people will find a way to justify it and follow it despite the evil implications it might entail. Humans have faced these situations throughout the last two centuries numerous times. For example, the American slave trading was totally acceptable to the southerners because the blacks were perceived to be lesser human beings. The slave owners did not mind controlling and abusing a slave like it was an animal since in their mind the slave was comparable to an animal. This was true in Germany with the only diffe... ...g's book, Ervin Staub made the assertion that â€Å"'cruelty is social in its origin much more than it is characterological'...most people ‘ slip' into the roles society provides them...† (167). Evil ideas and beliefs are molded onto a person by their surroundings rather than inherent in their personalities. With such a strong influence on our behavior, propaganda can lead a society to think and belief the unimaginable. The men of Police Battalion 101 are a testament to the idea that people are capable of not only thinking the unimaginable, but they can act upon it. Works Cited Bortnick, Rachel Amado. â€Å"Dallas Honors a Righteous Nation.† Dallas Jewish Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nov. 1993. Browning, Christopher R. Ordinary Men. New York: Aaron Asher Books/HarperCollins  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Publishers, Inc., 1993. Fogelman, Eva. Conscience and Courage. New York: Anchor Books Doubleday,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1994. Jacobs, Mike. Speech to Class. Dallas, 31 Mar. 1997. Reich, Walter. â€Å"The Men Who Pulled the Triggers.† The New York Times 12 Apr.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1992. Weapons of the Spirit. Writ./Dir. Pierre Sauvage. The Friends of Le Chambon. 1988.

Book Report on “The Interview” by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Essay

The story entitled â€Å"the Interview† by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is a depiction of a man’s character in the eyes of the people around him. Even if this story is in first person point of view, the narrator itself accepted and proclaimed the fact of being lazy and egoistic. The way he perceived his life is unpredictable in a sense of negativity because he could not able to appreciate things and could not live his life for the betterment of his own self and his wife.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"The last time I had an interview, it was very unpleasant for me. One of the people who was interviewing took a dislike to me and shouted at me very loudly† (Jhabvala 267). This part of the story showed that the narrator or the persona of the story finds different flaws and inaccuracy to the places and situation that he used to have in order to refuse and become unable to obtain the situation. It is a form of escape for the character from the different situations that occurs in him. Despite of having a notion of completeness and advantages, he still perceived that he is empty and unhappy to his situation but he did not accept the fact of his psychological problems that only him could understand and determine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ending of the story is simple a representation of laziness of the character but the author did not stated any transformation of the character’s point of view. It means that the character is full of anxieties and insecurities within him that he did not want to recognize because it will lead him into an uncertain situation that he himself would not eventually obtain. Therefore, the character is flat and static because he did not change all throughout the story that made him incapable of understanding his own self. Reference Jhabvala, R. P. The Interview. pp. 259-271

Community Service Essay

Being a nominee, I realize that the National Honor Society is an honor to be in itself. Since The National Honor Society is dedicated to helping the needy, children, the elderly and non-profit organizations. I feel that this is the right society for me because since I was a child, I have been noted for my exceptional empathy. My parents have always instilled in me a sense of responsibility and care for others. I feel obligated to utilize my gifts in an organization as prestigious as the National Honor Society. Over the past years as a scholar, I believe that I have demonstrated all four principles: scholarship, leadership, character, and service. During my high school career, I have put a lot of effort into my schoolwork and have challenged myself with many advanced courses. I have successfully been competing with other students for the top position in certain subjects since elementary school. I have received the Honor roll every year since I moved to the United States. Being selected as a potential candidate for the NHS proves my academics but what makes me a great candidate is not just my average. It is difficult to narrow down the many instances where I have showed great leadership but many can be found in my involvements in teamwork. I have been looked to as a leader and have taken responsibility for various group projects. I have discovered much about fairness, compromise, and responsible qualities that are required to be a â€Å"good† leader. Often, I have had to sacrifice my own free time and personal desires for the benefit of the group. I believe this is the most important part of being a leader, the ability to sacrifice individual time and desires for the overall gain of the people that you are leading. I haven’t had much involvement in the local community but I have been a benefit to the internet community. I design and maintain web sites at my own cost and time and hold administrator and moderator positions in several popular online forums related to technology and computers. I spend over 20-hours a week on maintaining the sites. My main role is to answer people’s questions and help them with technological problems. My skills are broad in  this category. I have knowledge of several programming languages, including HTML, BASIC, PHP, and VB and also do graphic design. Part of my requirement, is to use those skills and help people that need it. The only payment I receive out of this is the pleasure and self satisfaction of helping others. There are great qualities in my character and the following are only a few of the many. I have discovered that I have a lot of empathy towards the needy. I uphold principles of morality and ethics. I am very cooperative. I try very hard to be completely honest and reliable. I am not judgmental towards my peers’ differences. I also am a very curious person by nature. Due to my abilities and previous experience, I can be considered a valuable candidate because I demonstrate the qualities of leadership, scholarship, service, and character. I also feel that if I am fortunate enough to earn inclusion in the NHS, that I would do nothing detract from the prestige and respectability that is associated with the National Honor Society.

Ethical Implications of Cloning and Stem Cell Research Essay

Bio-medical breakthroughs in the fields of genetic and tissue engineering hold great promise. However, as modern medicine advances, it often poses major ethical issues on which people are seriously divided. The argument in favor of proceeding with research at unrestrained pace is mainly advocated by scientists and medical experts who would like to see some fantastic therapeutic benefits that science promises in the form of stem cell technologies. Scientists are absolutely thrilled by the possibilities looming on the horizon (Thompson, Harrub 2001c). On the other side of the debate are people, sometimes led by religious groups, who are concerned we may going too far too fast, using unacceptable means and in unknown directions. Stem cell research has the greatest potential for saving lives, but is controversial for its research based on embryos and fetuses (Rickard 2002). Stem cells are immature and unspecialized cells that that possess both the capacity to renew themselves indefinitely as well as the capability to differentiate themselves into specialized and mature cells. Mature cells, such as the heart’s myocytes or the liver’s hepatocytes, stop dividing after several dozen divisions, while stem cells can keep on dividing indefinitely, either renewing themselves or bringing out specialized cells. There are four types of stem cells in the human body 1) adult stem cells, 2) fetal stem cells 3) embryonic stem cells, and 4) nuclear transplant stem cells. For the first three months of pregnancy, a fertilized cell, or zygote, divides and grows in the mother’s womb and is referred to as an embryo. The embryo’s stem cells are the precursors of the development of a complete human baby. They produce all of the body’s various 100 trillion cells. It should become possible to use embryonic stem cells to regenerate any type of cell that the body needs. When the embryo assumes an apparent human body form, it becomes a fetus. Because the fetus is growing rapidly, all tissues and organs, including the brain, contain stem cells. It is for this reason that stem cell researchers are interested in studying fetal tissues. Studies suggest that human embryonic stem cells have immense potential in terms of developing into multiple tissue types and long-term self-renewal. Therefore, stem cell research entails the intentional creation of human embryos in the highly artificial context of an IVF clinic, using cloning techniques, and discarding them after their use for research is exhausted (Thompson, Harrub 2001a). The question to be resolved is whether research on embryonic stem cells constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights, in particular the principle of respect for human dignity and the right of life. However, many believe that conception/fertilization is not a moment but a process, and the early development does not indicate true individuality in any sense of the word, and therefore there is violation of human rights. The promise of embryo research, liberal-minded people tend to think, is too real to ignore any longer by sticking to conservative attitudes that stand in the face of pragmatism. And yet, even they would flinch at the possibilities of reproductive cloning. The difference between therapeutic cloning using embryonic stem cells (stem cell research) and reproductive cloning is the distinction between creating cloned body tissue or organs for therapeutic purposes and creating cloned human beings. Reproductive cloning is generally viewed as morally abhorrent because it is seen as unnatural and a â€Å"commodification† of human life, and it captures public fears about the power of science to pursue a eugenic agenda. When governmental organizations of today debate ban on human cloning, the main issue in such debates would be whether to ban outright all forms of embryo cloning, which a number of countries seem to support, or to permit the cloning of embryos for research purposes (therapeutic cloning/ stem cell research) while outlawing human reproductive cloning. Besides reproductive cloning, there is another untoward ramification to therapeutic cloning, which is cloning for enhancement. The issue of using advances in stem cell research for the purposes of enhancement, as against solely therapeutic purposes, opens up a Pandora’s box of all kinds of complications, ethical, social, psychological, philosophical and practical. For instance, stem cell approaches might help to cure Parkinson’s patients, but, in the not too distant future, they could also be used to improve brain functions. Rich people would be able to afford this therapy and poor people would not. This could create a most undesirable stratification of the society. But where does therapeutic cloning end, and enhancement cloning begin — even if cloning was advanced for purely therapeutic purposes, it would soon spread into the domain of enhancement. This is the argument of â€Å"slippery slope† commonly advanced against all biomedical research involving genetic and cellular manipulation. Last but not least, thanks to the promise that genetic engineering and human cloning research hold, the prospects of achieving capabilities for indefinite life extension even within the next twenty to thirty years are very high (Thompson, Harrub 2001b). The consequences of physical immortality for whole populations are simply inconceivable. But today, the possibility of human race becoming permanently deathless looms uncomfortably close to us. Therefore it becomes imperative that something be done to stem the advances of genetic and cloning research before the situation goes out of hand. A number of states have already enacted specific cloning-ban legislation, either banning the cloning of humans or imposing a moratorium on cloning within the state. Other states have taken action at least to consider formally similar legislation. At federal level, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2003, which bans the process of human cloning for any purpose and the importation of any product derived from an embryo created via cloning, was passed by the U. S. House of Representatives on 27 February 2003. It was not ratified by the senate though. The Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2005 bans only reproductive cloning while allowing therapeutic cloning. To date, federal regulations only prohibit federal funding for research into human cloning (Cash 2005). Though the science of bio-medical engineering is making rapid strides, and offers the promise of unveiling radical new therapies, simply the fact that a technology exists does not imply that anyone who can pay for it can be automatically allowed to use it. This is because the emerging genetic and cellular techniques and technologies raise all kinds of issues, ethical, philosophical, social, psychological and so on. They carry with them implications very difficult even to comprehend.

Komatsu Case Study Analysis

Komatsu Case Study Contents Executive Summary2 Evolution and Strategic Drivers of Komatsu (EME)3 Organizational Culture4 Five-Force Analysis: The EME Industry:5 SWOT Analysis8 Resource Based Competitive Advantage8 Financials & Future Course9 Company on The Right Path11 References12 Executive Summary Komatsu, the Japan based earth moving equipment taking on Caterpillar manufacturer has been studied by management students around the globe for years now. This story of David vs Goliath provides us an insight about the strategies followed by David in bringing down Goliath.Komatsu’s evolution and its strategies were studied in comparison with that of Caterpillar. Responses to each other’s moves in the global earth moving equipment industry have been analysed in the context of their international business strategies. An industry to analysis was done to understand the environmental factors that affected the competition between the giant and the emerging. A SWOT analysis identif ied the internal resources and capabilities of Komatsu that aided it to develop its distinctive competitiveness.How Komatsu achieve a sustained profitability, higher than the industry average despite the volatile international EME market was studied under the financial analysis. The role of organizational culture in enabling Komatsu to succeed in the highly competitive industry was also studied in the case analysis. Through all the above mentioned analysis, it was found out that the company was in the right track. Measures to ensure that the company continues to stay in the high profitability section have been discussed in the concluding part of the report. Evolution and Strategic Drivers of Komatsu (EME)Komatsu Limited  or  Komatsu  is a multinational corporation that manufactures construction mining, and  military  equipment, Industrial equipments such as press machines, lasers and  thermoelectric generators. Komatsu is the world's second largest manufacturer of  con struction and  mining equipments  after  Caterpillar. However, in some areas (Japan, China), Komatsu has a larger share than Caterpillar. It has manufacturing operations in Japan, Asia, Americas and Europe. Komatsu was especially dangerous to Caterpillar due to the fact that it was the second largest EME company worldwide.The 1920s to the 1930s marked major developments for Komatsu and prominent growth. The company stressed that the management should have two important perspectives * Overseas orientation * User orientation During World War II, Komatsu thrived by producing for the Japanese military surplus of products (military tractors,  bulldozers,  tanks,  howitzers etc. ). After the war, the company introduced commercial bulldozers and forklifts to its equipment line up meanwhile experiencing exponential growth precipitated by strong market demand in a post-war construction era. The company brought a wide range of new products to market by the late 1960s.The company c ontinued to expand through the 1970s but sales began to steadily decline as early as 1982. Komatsu now understood the competition it faced but still held a 60% market share within Japan. With the threat of the Caterpillar/Mitsubishi venture taking place Komatsu decided to attempt a revitalization of the company. Since Komatsu mainly exported whole machines, the company soon realized that needed to also expand into other markets and set up assembly plants. Unable to persuade dealers to sell its equipment, the company set up its own branch sales offices and authorized small repaid shops to be Komatsu service agents.The company set two goals during the 1960s. * The acquisition of the necessary advanced technology from abroad * The improvement of product quality within the company. In the early 1970s, Komatsu started to recognize its distributor network worldwide, aiming to supplement the direct sales offices with more servicing dealers (similar to CAT’s). The company entered lic ensing agreements with two major EME manufacturers in the United States – International Harvester and Bucyrus-Eric. They also launched quality upgrading programs in its factories.The program was used to reflect the Total Quality Control (TQC) concept. All personnel were expected to strive for TQC. In 1964, the company started Project A which aimed to upgrade the quality of the small and medium-sized bulldozers. In 1972, the company launched project B which focused on exports. In 1979 the company launched Project called â€Å"F and F† which stood for â€Å"Future and Frontiers† and its objective was to develop new products and new businesses. The project encouraged suggestions from all its employees by asking them to consider both the need of society and the technical know-how of the company.The company also began to focus more towards its Research and Development during the early 1970s. Efforts continued with some attention to basic research as well as product d evelopment. It had the distinction of introducing the world’s first radio-controlled bulldoze, amphibious bulldozer and remote-controlled underwater bulldozer. The management decided to focus on improving the competitiveness of its products. A four- part cost reduction plan was initiated. During the same time the company also accelerated its product development program.In 1981, they launched EPOCHS (Efficient Production Oriented Choice Specifications) whose main purpose was to allow the company to respond to the diverse market needs without compromising its cost position. Also, by the end of 1983, the company’s manufacturing had become fully integrated, producing all of its parts in-house. Komatsu has been a leader in innovative quality-control initiatives ever since President Yashinari Kawai decided to leverage MITI’s opening of the EME industry in 1963, and fight back in the face of the Caterpillar/Mitsubishi joint venture.The company had managed to overcome v olatile market fluctuations over the last few years, particularly in key construction markets, as a result of aggressive organizational restructuring and corporate mergers and joint ventures. Organizational Culture We can analyze the organizational culture on the basis of the following parameters: 1. Strength/Weakness of the Culture: Komatsu’s culture can be classified as a strong culture because of their strong alignment to organizational values, which makes them respond to stimulus and help the firm operate in a highly efficient manner. 2.Power Distance: Due to hierarchy being a very important aspect of the culture in Japan, the power distance is quite high in Komatsu with a well defined hierarchy though the interactivity between different levels of the organization is also fairly high. The power is also mainly concentrated in the hands of the chairman who maintains a tight control. 3. Individualism vs Collectivism: Again in line with Japanese culture, the organizational cu lture is more collectivistic with every employee striving towards a common goal. Yet certain individualistic natures are also encouraged to satisfy the intrinsic needs of the workers. . Goals and Objectives: The culture of Komatsu underlines the clear goal it has, i. e. beating Caterpillar and becoming the number one in the EME industry. In fact Komatsu’s internal slogan is Maru-C, which when roughly translated means encircle Caterpillar. 5. Employee relations and empowerment: Komatsu maintains very strong employee relations and ensures that each employee has satisfaction in terms of work, cooperation with colleagues and winning approval from others, making them feel that they’re contributing to the organization greatly while ensuring that they’re in line with the organization values and goals.Five-Force Analysis: The EME Industry: I. Threat of New Entrants| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Economies of scale is low | X| | | The industry is based on ‘Build to Orderâ⠂¬â„¢ and the machine specs differ from customer to customer. | 2. Experience effects are high; therefore| | | X| Experience in running the business in this industry is vital because huge capital is invested. | 3. Product differentiation is medium| | X| | Differentiation in the product quality and the customer requirements is moderate during the time of sales but the differentiation factor lies in the after sales service & availability of spares| 4.Brand identification is high| | | X| Customers blindly rely on branded equipments. E. g. Caterpillar (55% market share)| 5. Capital requirements are very high| | | X| Because of the capital intensive nature of the product/ industry, new entrants would stand weak comparatively| 6. Incumbents control of distribution channels is high| | | X| Access to distribution channel for new entrants is difficult because the branded players maintain strong relationship with the partners| 7.Incumbents proprietary knowledge is high| | | X| Ease of startin g business in this industry is low for an individual. It demand high degree of prior knowledge| 8. Incumbents control of access to raw materials is low| | X| | Procurement of raw material (basically steel) is not too difficult as there is cut throat competition in the steel industry| Overall Threat of New Entrants| Low| | 6. II. Bargaining Power of Buyers| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Buyer concentration is low | X| | | Not many are involved in buying these equipments. Even the amount is high but the distribution is concentrated. 2. Buyer purchase in small volume, and less frequently| | X| | The number of transactions is low (non-recurring) but post-sales the dependence on the vendor increases due to spares & support| 3. Buyer switching costs are high| | | X| Because of the huge initial investment, high life span of the product & the dependence for the after-sales support makes the buyers immobile| 4. Buyers have good information| X| | | The buyers are well experienced in their particular b usiness and hence have full knowledge of the product| 5.Buyers’ ability to integrate backward is low| | | X| It is almost impossible for a retail customer to start up such a business (capital intensive, knowledge based)| 6. Close-substitute products are rarely available| | | X| A tractor cannot be replaced by other equipments or a bullock-cart| 7. Product differentiation of suppliers is low| X| | | Players tend to match the product quality is very low because of the cut-throat competition| 8. Buyers’ profitability is very high| | | X| EMEs in these industries (mining, forest, agriculture) holds high importance | Overall Bargaining Power of Buyers| Medium| | . III. Bargaining Power of Suppliers| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Concentration of suppliers is low | X| | | The number of suppliers is less. | 2. Availability of substitute products is moderate| | X| | Raw Materials involved are normally irreplaceable except in highly innovative product. | 3. Importance of customer to the supplier is moderate| | X| | Steel industry has other customers also (automobile, real estate/housing, other mfg. industries) but due to lower margins the volume is also important for them. Thus, moderate. | 4.Differentiation of supplier’s product & service is low| | | X| Basic raw materials required are almost of equal quality from other suppliers. | 5. Switching costs of the buyer are moderate| | X| | Due to strong relationships and credit dependence, the buyers would resist switching very often. | 6. Threat of forward integration by the supplier is low| | | X| A steel supplier is least likely to start the EME business. | 7. Importance of the input to the quality of the buyer’s product is high| X| | | The quality of the raw materials determines the quality of the final product. 8. Cost of the input, relative to the total product cost is high| X| | | The raw material contribution to the final product comprises of ;50% of the total cost| Overall Bargaining Power of Su ppliers| Medium| | 8. IV. Threat of Substitute Products| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Profitability of industry producing substitute is NA | | | X| There seems to be no substitute industry for EMEs| 2. Rate of improvement in price-performance relationship of substitute product is NA| | | X| NA for the same reasons as above| 3. Buyers switching costs are high| | |X| As mentioned earlier, dependence for after sales support and big life span of the product makes it difficult for the buyers to switch| Overall Threat of Substitute Products| Low| | 9. V. Competitive Rivalry & Barriers to Exit| 1| 2| 3| Remarks| 1. Concentration of competitors is high | X| | | There is close competition among the existing players. There are around 10 competitors in the industry. | 2. Industry growth rate is moderate| | X| | The growth rate of the industry is moderate (6%-7%) because of maturity in the industry (more competitors coming in and depleting margins)| 3.Fixed Costs are high| X| | | The CAPEX involved in setting up facilities is high and this is lowered by JVs to an extent. | 4. Product differentiation is low| X| | | There is not much difference in the main equipments the competitors make except the after sales service| 6. Switching costs are high| | | X| Because of the huge initial investment, high life span of the product & the dependence for the after-sales support makes the buyers immobile| 7. Exit barriers are high| X| | | Asset specialization is high & huge investment makes it difficult to quit| 8.Strategic stakes are high| X| | | Caterpillar was exposed to loss in Europe due to Komatsu eating up its market share. | Overall Intensity of Competitive Rivalry| High| | 10. *1-High 2-Medium 3-low 11. SWOT Analysis STRENGHTS * Wide range of products – Full Line offered * Excellent quality levels in terms of products and processes with Total Quality Control (TQC) being adopted for all practices and supplemented by the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle. * Price advantage with r espect to major competitors. Large international presence and market leaders in its home country as well as a few other countries, especially in the eastern bloc. * Low cost and highly productive nature of the labor force. * Excellent R & D facilities and development of breakthrough and specialized products and adaptation of products to suit user requirements in various countries. * Able to respond to diverse market needs without compromising on the cost position (EPOCHS project). * Fully integrated manufacturing with production of all components and parts in house. WEAKNESSES * Centralized production system which will lead to less flexibility on account of changing competitive factors like protectionism, exchange rate fluctuations etc. * Logistical difficulties in shipping and high landed cost. * Weaker sales and distribution network as opposed to that of Caterpillar. * CAT still has wider brand recognition and a larger brand value * Product range still smaller than that of Caterpi llar. | OPPORTUNITIES * Increase in infrastructure development in developing countries in Asia and Latin America. * Mining boom in Australia. A number of unique products in its kitty like amphibious and remote controlled bulldozers which can be used for specialized purposes such as working at toxic dump sites and underwater mining. * Ever increasing usage of robots in manufacturing will give a large market share for its industrial robots. | THREATS * Reduction in demand for EME equipment due to the decline of the construction boom, especially in developed countries. * Fluctuating nature of the Yen. * The rise of trade frictions between the US and European Community and Japan. The rise of smaller domestic companies in the international market. | Resource Based Competitive Advantage Let us now analyze Komatsu on the basis of its Physical, Reputational, Organizational, Financial and Intellectual resources. 1. Physical: The physical resources of Komatsu are quite valuable and some of it is quite rare such as its unique products such as the amphibious bulldozer but is not hard to copy and is substitutable. In fact CAT still has advantages over it in terms of sales and distribution and factory locations. 2.Reputational: The reputation of Komatsu is quite valuable and is widely known as a maker of good quality EME machines at competitive prices but CAT still has a higher reputational advantage over it. 3. Organizational: The organizational set up of Komatsu is highly efficient and it is one of its most valuable resources. It has one of the best labor relations in the industry. 4. Financial: The financial position of the company is quite stable at the moment but is subject to a lot of risks on account of various factors like the fluctuating Yen, decreasing demand for EME equipment etc. . Intellectual: The intellectual resources of Komatsu is one of the best in the industry, making it highly valuable and rare, leading to the development of its excellent R & D infrastru cture and highly productive nature of its labor force. Financials & Future Course From the limited and abridged version of the financial performance of Komatsu, we can see that the company has shown consistent growth. Yet, there has been considerable fluctuation in the sales revenue and net income over the years. Plotting the data in a graph gives us a clear picture of this trend.The above three figures show that the market-share of Komatsu, in the global EME market, has steadily grown between 1978 and 1984. It is interesting to note that the net sales and net income of the company does not correspond to the steady growth in the market share. These ups and downs can be explained in a case by case basis. In the early 1970s, the company started focusing on upgrading the quality of its products to compete in the global market. MITI’s decision to open the EME industry to foreign investments led to an obsession for quality and acquisition of advanced technology.Licensing technolog ies from International Harvester and Bucyrus-Eric and implementation of quality improvement programs led to high costs but they started paying off in the late 1970’s in terms of increased market penetration and lower cost of manufacturing. Aggressive exports to Western Europe and other parts of the world in the early seventies led to the sustenance of growth in market share and sales. But poor dealer network and lack of global servicing facilities led to a overkill of inventories and parts in international subsidiaries that led to substantial decrease in net income.Pricing its products at 30-40% less than that of CAT’s products enabled Komatsu to sell high number in LDCs. Komatsu’s ratio of exports grew from 20 % to 55 % in 1975. Late 1970s saw an increased investment in R to facilitate the V-10 program to reduce cost by 10 %, reduce the number of part of by 20 %, focus on value engineering and rationalizing the manufacturing process. This dented the balance she et. Rapid appreciation of Yen against many major currencies led to further constraints. Though the engineers used pessimistic internal yen/dollar exchange rate, the volatile nature of Yen had an impact on the net income.Buying its way out of the licensing contracts between International Harvester and Bucyrus-Eric again led to a major expense in the early 1980s, but they saved the company a great deal of trouble and licensing fees. This led to the unrestricted introduction of products like hydraulic excavators and wheel loaders to the world market. This led to a spike in the net income and net sales of the company in early 1980s. The rise of trade friction between European community and USA on one hand and Japan on the other slumped Komatsu’s international sales after 1982.Subsequent freight costs from shipping heavy earth moving equipment with poor volume to value ratio, simultaneous initiatives such as EPOCH, PDCA and increase in R spending to 5. 8 % in 1983 pulled down the net income figures. These are temporary downtrends which will be turned in to rapid up swing once these efforts start to paying off. Company on The Right Path The company is on the right track. Results of R efforts like superior cast iron development, 1000 bhp bulldozer, and diversification to arc-welding robots, heat systems etc have ensure the future of the company.It has spread its risk and has capitalized on changing trends like the embargo by Reagan’s administration which got Komatsu the Siberian natural resource project. Through it initiatives like F, it has identified the future course of the organization with the participation of its employees. But a competitor like CAT will definitely bounce back stronger than ever. CAT has its distinctive competitiveness built through strong dealership, huge financial reserves, global learning and experience. Innovation, operational efficiency, quality and consumer responsiveness are the key factors in achieving distinctive competit iveness.Komatsu has already addressed the needs of innovation, quality and operational efficiency. But there is a big gap in the consumer responsiveness aspect. CAT offers service and spare parts in 24 hours in any part of the world. Inventory overkill is a not a sustainable solution, hence the company’s immediate concern should be of improving the consumer responsiveness to ensure repeat purchase and nurturing customer loyalty. Company’s internal exchange rate has kept it buoyed during turbulent times in the money market, but initiatives like hedging revenues from international business will reduce forex risk.Innovation is vital, but innovation should be backed by organization commitment. If these innovations are not deftly handled, the sunk cost in R will scuttle the company. Komatsu should hence avoid falling in to the ‘Chasm’ between the early adopters and early majority of its new products. This can be achieved by sensing the different needs of the ea rly majority and perfecting the design of the products, adopting the distribution network to commercialization and revamping its business model based on the new requirements.If Komatsu fails in these fronts, it will fall in to the ‘Pioneers’ category of the Icarus paradox Danny identified by Miller. References * http://www. cat. com/about-the-company * http://www. komatsu. com/CompanyInfo/profile/ * C. W. L. Hill & R. Jones, ‘Strategic Management- an integrated approach’(2009). Bizantra, New Delhi. * C. W. L. Hill & Arun. K. Jain, ‘International Business – competing in the global market place’ (2009). Tata McGrawHill, New Delhi.