Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Web Site Development Essay Example For Students

Web Site Development Essay I propose to develop a web site for anyone in the sunglass, contact lens,colored contact lens or laser vision correction market. The most importantfeatures included in this site must be: savings, convenience and top qualityproducts. It is necessary to tie all aspects of the site together smoothly. Bythis I mean the shopper must have the ability to purchase at any point In thesite, as well as the ability to get anywhere from anywhere. We must outline ouravailable products and services in such a way as to make it a No Brainerfor anyone. Our available products must be outlined from the onset. If vendorsneed to be contacted to develop a wholesale relationship then this must be takencare of as soon as possible. We will write a custom essay on Web Site Development specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We must assess which products will maximize ourprofit, which will maximize our marketability and which are just of necessity tocarry. We must develop a database of products and maintain prices, additions andsubtractions accordingly. One service I had in mind was to develop a freeservice for anyone interested in laser vision correction. We can develop anapplication where the patient inputs his/her doctors written Rx or theircontact lens box/bottle prescription, and we can take this information anddevelop a sort of internet merge letter. By this I mean, we can send them anemail response as to their current eye condition, the best suited surgicalprocedure for their condition, history of others w/ their Rx resultsand maybe even doctors in their area. I understand this might take away from thepromotion of INSIGHT, but remember, anything free ? keeps em coming back!!This will more marketing tool to draw people in, rather than a service. Also,some production company or another could be contracted out to develop videoswhich we could sell to candidates, doctors, surgeons, etc.. . Dr. Sopher coulddevelop a video directed to practicing optometrists interested in salestechniques in the examination room.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

A Survey of Information Technologies in Logistics Management Essays

A Survey of Information Technologies in Logistics Management Essays A Survey of Information Technologies in Logistics Management Essay A Survey of Information Technologies in Logistics Management Essay A Survey of Information Technologies in Logistics Management Anil Gurung University of Texas at Arlington Department of Information Systems and Operations Management, College of Business Administration Office: Room 630 Business Building Box 19437 701 S West St. Arlington, Texas 76019-0437 Voice: 817. 272. 3528 Email: [emailprotected] edu ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the impact of information technologies (IT) on logistics by conducting a survey of literatures on academic logistics journals and practitioner journals. The literature survey and practice find that third party logistic providers have better opportunity to leverage IT since they need to have interoperable IT systems with their customers. The business philosophy of Just-In-Time (JIT) has also contributed to the impact of IT in logistics. Further, information technologies are identified that has benefited the logistics. Future directions of logistics are discussed. INTRODUCTION The proliferation of information technologies (IT) and the internet technologies have provided impetus and challenges to the logistics. New technologies present new means to manage the flow of information. IT as a productivity tool can be utilized to both increase the capability and decrease the cost at the same time (Closs et al. , 1997). It has been widely accepted that firms can achieve competitive advantage by cost reduction or differentiation with the proper implementation of IT (Porter Millar, 1985). Enabled by IT the logistics has become a source of competitive advantage for many firms. Two streams of research are identified that highlights the role of IT in logistics. First stream relates to just-in-time logistics information system (Anderson Quinn, 1986; Bookbinder Dilts, 1989; Das Handfield, 1997; Gomes Mentzer, 1988; Perry, 1988; Schwarz Weng, 2000; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1994; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1996; Takahashi Nakamura, 2000; Titone, 1996; Wafa Yasin, 1996). The other stream is the third party logistics (Lewis Talalayevsky, 2000; Peters et al. , 1998; Sauvage, 2003; Sink Langley, 1997; Vaidyanathan, 2005). Importance of IT in logistics has grown to some extent by business philosophy of Just-InTime (JIT) by firms. With the emphasis of firms on JIT, the impact of logistics has grown as it is increasingly recognized as a source of consistent, low lead time, damage free deliveries (Bardi et al. , 1994). In pursuit of competitive advantages, firms outsource their functions which are noncore competencies so that they can focus on their core competencies. A recent survey found that 83 percent of the surveyed Fortune 500 companies reported having at least one contract with a third-party logistics provider (Lieb Bentz, 2004). Over the years, the use of third-party logistics has been increasing. Similar survey of Fortune 500 companies taken in 1991 had only 38 percent of the respondents reporting the use of third-party logistics provider (Lieb, 1992). The 618 third party logistic operators attempt to harness the capability of information technology to provide superior services to their customers. The objective of this paper is to study how IT has impacted logistics. To this end, literature review of both leading academic and practitioner logistic journals is conducted. The next section will report the framework of logistics. The following section will analyze the IT enablers in logistics. Then, the implications of ecommerce are discussed followed by a section on future directions for logistics. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE A classification scheme logistics functions provides a meaningful way to study how IT has impacted the various functions of logistics. Previous research in logistics have categorized the use of information systems in logistics in different ways. A system of logistics functions can be divided into following five broad areas (Bowersox, 1974): facility location, transportation, inventory, communication and material movement. Based on the problem areas that application addresses, seven areas of logistics has been identified as facility location, inventory control, order entry, vehicle scheduling, warehouse layout planning, freight rate retrieval, and product and shipment tracing (Ballou, 1976). Another survey identified five categories as facility location, inventory control, transportation, production scheduling, and total physical distribution (House, 1978). These categories treated each category as individual entities rather than a whole system. Noting this shortcoming, Stenger (1986) proposed another classification consisting of transaction systems, short-term scheduling and inventory replenishment systems, flow planning systems, and network planning and design systems. Expanding on the framework developed by Bowersox, Novack et al (1992) divided logistics function into two categories. The first category refers to physical activities that are required various utilities of customer need. These will include inventory, transportation and customer service operations. The second category refers to flow of information or transaction activities that follow or initiate the physical activities. The physical and information flows in logistics function is well-depicted in Figure 1 that shows the categorization of logistics functions as described by Vaidyanathan (2005). As shown in the figure, information flows between logistics function are managed, coordinated and supported by various logistics technologies. 619 Inventory and Logistics Management: Freight Consolidation Freight Distribution Shipment Planning Traffic Management Inventory Management Carrier Selection Order Entry/ Management Information Flow Customer Service: Freight Payments Auditing Order Management Fulfillment Help Desk Carrier Selection Rate Negotiation Information Flow Warehousing: Packaging Product Making Labeling Warehousing Material Flow Transportation: Fleet Management Cross Docking Product Return Figure 1: Categorization of Logistics Functions (adapted from Vaidyanathan 2005) IT enablers in Logistics The literature in logistics is full of instances where information technology has been touted as a means to enhance logistics competitiveness (Bowersox, 1974; Closs et al. , 1997; Rabinovich et al. , 1999; Stenger, 1986). Yet there has been few empirical studies that relates logistics information capabilities to logistics competence (Closs et al. , 1997). A popular framework in information systems discipline put forward by Gorry Morton (1989) place logistics decisions as structured and varying from operational to strategic. The role of logistics information systems as operational and strategic enablers in different areas of the firm’s supply chain has been stated in the literature (Langley et al. , 1988). There has been a shift of IT from being an enabler of operational and material handling functions to being an enabler of decision-making and activityplanning functions within the supply chain (La Londe Auker, 1973). Logistics Information System Logistics Information System (LIS) is the application component of logistics information technology. An effective LIS facilitates the proper information flow between inventory, 20 Information Flow warehousing and transportation to realize the high level of customer service. The ability to optimize the logistics cost and service levels is affected by the LIS of the firm and its partners. Firms that provide better logistics services at a lower cost can have competitive advantage over its competitors (Bardi et al. , 1994). Two classes of LIS has been recogn ized in the literature (Closs et al. , 1997). Logistics operating systems (LOS) refer to transactional applications such as order entry, order processing, warehousing, and transportation. Logistics planning systems (LPS) refer to coordinating applications such as forecasting, inventory management, and distribution requirements planning. EDI Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has successfully enhanced the communication between firms which is essential for logistics. This technology requires firms to have common data formatting and transmission standards or protocols. Such technologies have been employed by companies to coordinate their value chain activities including logistics. Early applications of EDI has been on transmitting vehicle location information by railways to their customers. Other types of logistics information carried by EDI are purchase orders/releases and changes, advanced shipping notices, bills of lading, and invoices. Timely and accurate information is crucial in decision making about complex logistics problems. Japan Airlines (JAL) adopted EDI to manage their complex value chain logistics required for their operations, including procurement and just-in-time delivery of aircraft fuel, repair and maintenance aircraft parts, food catering and other customer requirements (Chatfield Bjorn-Andersen, 1997). The competitive advantage gained by companies employing EDI is cited in the literature. Firms utilizing EDI were better able to fulfill greater number of services to their customers (Rogers et al. , 1992). Bar coding Bar coding is one of the most IT enablers to date and has made significant impact in the practice. Starting in 1960’s some of the earliest implementation of bar codes were in rail road cars. Nowadays it is rampant in anything that needs to be identified and tracked. The different type of bar codes are available, known as symbologies, for different purposes. In practice, most firms prefer to use industry standards rather than proprietary standards for most of their bar codes on their products. By following industry standards, bar codes reduce the complications inherent in the use of multiple standards and thus provides a strong foundation for integrating the corporate logistics and the supply chain (Closs Kefeng, 2000). Real-time communications capability The logistics IT capability of real-time communications is essential for maintaining the flow of information. As noted by Dudley Lasserre (1989), one of the important roles of logistics IT is to substitute information for inventory. To make real-time tracking of goods, logistic information systems of business partners should have real-time communications capability. The business partners require an integrated messaging architecture which exchanges business data while customizing business flows and format transformation. Real-time communications also allows for schedule plans to change in dynamic routing and scheduling system when the vehicles are 621 already out on the road. Any last minute changes in routing and scheduling system or constant tracking has been possible only with real-time communications ability of the respective systems. RFID RFID helps to identify, track and locate items automatically. The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is expected to increase rapidly in coming years. Often referred to as the next step in the evolution of bar-coding, RFID is growing rapidly in the automatic data capture and identification market (Srivastava, 2004). RFID is not a new technology, in fact, its use dates back to 1940’s but only now it is starting to make a significant impact within the supply chain. The growth in use of RFID will be enhanced to some extent by mandates from large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, and the US Department of Defense, who require their suppliers to adopt this technology within the next few years (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). Among the companies that are piloting RFID in their supply chain management prominent ones are WalMart, Procter Gamble, Coca-cola and Gillette. Although the biggest driver in the popularity of RFID has been supply chain, companies are experimenting in other applications as well. Other applications are theft detection, asset tracking, mobile payments, in-process inventory tracking and luggage tracking. Dell, Seagate, Boeing and Ford are among other companies that are using RFID to track their in-process inventory in manufacturing. An RFID system includes transponders or tags that can identify items ; antennas that allows tags to be interrogated and to respond; and software that controls the RFID equipment, manages the data and interfaces with enterprise applications. RFID has lots of potential to improve the efficiency in the supply chain and reduce waste. For example, efficiency would result from automatic update of inventory system when products with RFID tags are unloaded from trucks into stores. The advantages of RFID over bar coding are as follows: RFID tags can provide longer read distances; store more data; require no direct line of sight between tag and reader; and can collect data from multiple sources simultaneously (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). There are some technical and business challenges to overcome before RFID can be ubiquitous. Technical issues include problems of interference, security and accuracy while business issues relate to costs and lack of standards. Another significant business challenge in adopting RFID faced by managers is to work out a business case for the executive board. Early adopters of these technologies are marred by problems such as possible adverse consumer outbursts to perceived invasion of privacy, reliability of the RFID system, and issues related to health, safety and IT integration. IMPLICATION OF ECOMMERCE ON LOGISTICS The growth of ecommerce pose opportunities and challenges for logistics. As internet retailing increases the companies are accepting orders from their clientele across the borders. In many instances the location of clients are not covered by any existing distribution system of the companies. On such occasions the companies have no resort but to turn towards third party logistics operators for physical flow of goods. As for the information flow, the companies need to have capabilities for ecommerce applications. The group of technologies and processes for coordinating logistics information flow has been named e-logistics. An important web 622 technology that facilitates the exchange of business data among logistics business partners across different platforms is extra markup language (XML). For example, UPS is exploiting the power of the web services to streamline its information flows for logistics activities such as RFQ, shipping and tracking. Changing Trends in Logistics Consultants are beginning to take an active part in helping out the shippers select third party logistics operators. Shippers hire consultants to help them align business processes with supply chain strategies. The newly coined term â€Å"4PL† for consultants stands for dominant role that consultants will be taking in managing the resources, the technology and the processes in the supply chain. It is yet to be seen whether the shippers will let the consultants manage all the logistics processes. Instead of handing over the authority to manage the logistics processes to the consulting firms, shippers may choose to develop alliance with the third party logistics operators and maintain the supply chain themselves. The key thing that will allow coordination between shipper firms and the third party logistics will be information technology and management skills to run the supply chain effectively. This implies that firms should also have proper logistic technologies in place to enjoy the full benefits of use of third party logistics. FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS The research directions that are available for researchers in logistics are numerous. Before companies implement new logistic information technologies such as RFID it is important to assess the viability of adopting the technology. What would be the expected benefits? What is the ROI? Researchers can come up with various econometric models to predict the outcomes of adopting logistics technologies. Modeling techniques can be used to assess the scenarios that would be beneficial for adopting new technologies. As companies are entering into ecommerce, better coordinating techniques are required to streamline logistics activities for transactions taking place on the internet. Collaborative technologies for supporting e-logistics would greatly enhance the future logistics. Multi-agent systems (MAS) provide an interesting avenue of research that is applicable for supporting logistics technologies on the internet. Intelligent software agents can be used to assess the bids offered by multiple third-party logistics operators. To support global ecommerce the companies need to have different options for global logistics. The best way to traverse the geographical distribution is through technology. What are the communication channels and technologies that would benefit the company in terms of monitoring and coordination logistics functions? More empirical evidence will be preferred to establish the direct link between organizational performance and logistics information systems. Researchers can seek to examine the complex relationships between logistics technologies and performance from different paradigms and theories. The perspective of organizational learning can be used to evaluate the performance gained by employing logistics information systems. 23 CONCLUSION The objective of this paper was to observe the impact of information technology on the logistics functions. A literature review of the academic and practitioners journals was conducted. The information technologies that have been used to support logistics functions were discussed. It is evident that academic researchers are aware of new tec hnologies in practice such as RFID. Development in technologies offer sources of competitive advantage for companies. Adoption of new technologies provide challenge and opportunities for the companies. Proper business case and calculation of ROI needs to be done to assess the expected benefits from new technologies. Changing trends in business in terms of ecommerce open new markets for firms for all sizes to expand their market share. Strategic use of information resource would bear results of competitive advantage and thus leading to success stories. The best practices in logistic information technologies need to be adopted by firms in alignment of their strategic goals. Future trends in logistics may prompt companies to rethink their logistics strategies. Firms may choose to use third party logistics in order to focus on their core competencies. However, firms need to have logistics information systems in place that is compatible with the third party operators in order to fully benefit from their services. REFERENCES Anderson, D. L. Quinn, R. J. 1986, The Role of Transportation in Long Supply Line Just-InTime Logistics Channels , Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 68-88. Asif, Z. Mandviwalla, M. 2005, Integrating the Supply Chain with RFID: a Technical and Business Analysis, Communications of the AIS, vol. 15, pp. 393-427. Ballou, R. H. 976, Computer Methods in Transportation-Distribution, Transportation Journal, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 72-85. Bardi, E. J. , Raghunathan, T. S. Bagchi, P. K. 1994, Logistics information systems: The strategic role of top management, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 7185. Bookbinder, J. H. Dilts, D. M. 1989, Logistics Information Systems in a Just-In-Time Environment , Jo urnal of Business Logistics, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 50-67. Bowersox, D. J. 1974, Logistics Management: A Systems Integration of Physical Distribution Management and Materials Management, Macmillan Publishing, New York, NY. Chatfield, A. T. Bjorn-Andersen, N. 1997, The impact of IOS-enabled business process change on business outcomes: Transformation of the Value Chain of Japan Airlines, Journal of Management Information Systems, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 13-40. Closs, D. J. Kefeng, X. 2000, Logistics information technology practice in manufacturing and merchandising firms An international benchmarking study versus world class logistics firms, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 869-86. 624 Closs, D. J. , Goldsby, T. J. Clinton, S. R. 1997, Information technology influences on world class logistics capability, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 4-17. Das, A. Handfield, R. B. 1997, Just-in-time and logistics in global sourcing: An empirical study, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 27, no. 3/4, pp. 244-59. Dudley, L. Lasserre, P. 1989, Information as a Substitute for Inventories , European Economic Review, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 67-88. Gomes, R. Mentzer, J. T. 988, A Systems Approach to the Investigation of Just-In-Time , Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 71-88. Gorry, G. A. Morton, M. S. S. 1989, A Framework for Management Information Systems, Sloan Management Review, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 49-61. House, R. G. 1978, Computer Models in Distribution Management, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 129-52. La Londe, B. J. Auker, K. 1973, A Survey of Computer Applications and Pr actices in Transportation and Distribution, International Journal of Physical Distribution, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 92-301. Langley, C. J. , Carlisle, D. P. , Probst, S. B. , Biggs, D. F. Cail, R. E. 1988, Microcomputers as a Logistics Information Strategy, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Materials Management, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 11-7. Lewis, I. Talalayevsky, A. 2000, Third-Party Logistics: Leveraging Information Technology , Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 173-85. Lieb, R. C. 1992, The use of third-party logistics services by large American manufacturers, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 29-42. Lieb, R. C. Bentz, B. A. 004, The Use of Third-Party Logistics Services by Large American Manufacturers: The 2003 Survey, Transportation Journal, vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 24-33. Novack, R. A. , Rinehart, L. M. Wells, M. V. 1992, Rethinking concept foundations in logistics management, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 233-67. Perry, J. H. 1988, Firm Behavior and Operating Performance in Just-In-Time Logistics Channels , Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 19-33. Peters, M. J. , Lieb, R. C. Randall, H. L. 1998, The use of third-party logistics services by European industry, Transport Logistics, vol. , no. 3, pp. 167-79. Porter, M. E. Millar, V. E. 1985, How information gives you competitive advantage, Harvard Business Review, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 149-60. Rabinovich, E. , Windle, R. , Dresner, M. Corsi, T. 1999, Outsourcing of integrated logistics functions, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 353-73. Rogers, D. S. , Daugherty, P. J. Stank, T. P. 1992, Enhancing service responsiveness: the strategic potential of EDI, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 22, no. 8, pp. 15-20. 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Srivastava, B. 2004, Radio frequency ID technology: The next revolution in SCM, Business Horizons, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 60-8. Stenger, A. J. 1986, Information Systems in Logistics Management: Past, Present, and Future, Transportation Journal, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 5-82. Takahashi, K. Nakamura, N. 2000, Reactive logistics in a JIT environment, Production Planning Control, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 20-31. Titone, R. 1996, Moving Beyond JIT to Logistics Planning, IIE Solutions, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 22-4. Vaidyanathan, G. 2005, A Framework for Evaluating Third-Party Logistics, Communications of the ACM, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 89-94. Wafa, M. A. Yasin, M. M. 1996, The impact of supplier proxi mity on JIT success: an informational perspective, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 23-34. 626

Thursday, November 21, 2019

BRAND LOYALTY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BRAND LOYALTY - Essay Example lty has five advantages; 1-profit, 2-reduction of new customer aquistion costs, 3-word of mouth helps marketing, 4-customer willingness to pay higher prices, and 5-higher Brand Loyalty results in higher market shares. The importance of Brand Loyalty are the same as the advantages. Brand Loyalty reduces price sensitivity for the consumer. If a consumer trusts a Brand, they are willing to pay more for a product. Loyal consumers will also recommend Brands to other people saving marketing costs. Brand Loyalty increases profits, while providing competitive advantages toward successful brands. Brand Loyalty inspires trust in consumers, raises market shares, and increases profits for the company marketing the Brand. Brand Loyalty does not have a set measureablity. A few vairables to measure Brand Loyalty are brand preference and attitude toward the brand. Different Brand manufacturers use different measurements. The measurement of Brand Loyalty is important because managers must cope with the disloyalty among customers and predict Brand Loyalty. There are six strategic Branding decisions corporations must make; 1-Brand context, 2-Brand construction, 3-Brand confirmation, 4-Brand consistency, 5-Brand continuity, and 6-Brand conditioning. After establishing these six strategic Branding decisions, Long Term strategic advantages for building Brand Loyalty are 1-improvement on return of all investment made in the brand, 2-maximising Brand growth potential, and 3-protecting the brand against consumer â€Å"disloyalty† triggers. There are four â€Å"disloyalty† triggers; 1-peer recommendations to try different Brands, 2-new products, 3- perceived shift in price-value relationship of the Brand/competitive Brand, 4-strong competition advertising. Long term strategic disadvantages include a lack of understanding of what the Brand stands for, inadequate funding/research, and private label threats. Short Term Branding challenges are 1-senior managements short-term focus

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Miriam, Naomi,Esther, and theWisdomWoman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Miriam, Naomi,Esther, and theWisdomWoman - Essay Example The Hebrew word is actually closer to the meaning of righteous than innocent. Elihu therefore explained that God does not do evil and only brings upon people what their conduct deserves (34:10-11). Further, he points out that people cry out under oppression to plead for relief yet they fail to turn to God (35:9-10). Elihu then reassures Job that God does not despise men (36:5) and "He does not take his eyes off the righteous" (36:7). The gist of Elihus talk is that obeying God is necessary so that people can then spend the rest of their years in prosperity and contentment (36:11). In effect, his attempt is to extol God in the eyes of Job and proclaim Gods magnificence "beyond our understanding" (36:26). A more open response from God himself was given in the whirlwind (38-41) after He rebukes Job for expressing words without knowledge (38:2). In the film Bruce Almighty, the problem of suffering is brought out when Sharri asks Jeff why there is so much pain in the world given that God is so gracious. Dan is even more skeptical of Gods very existence as a result of the suffering he sees. A point is made that to be God, you cannot mess with freewill. In response, Sherri asks Jeff how love and freewill relates to the pain and suffering present in the world. This explains the problem of suffering, as was experienced by Job, by highlighting the real purpose of men and their suffering. Gods perspective is that He desires to have a loving relationship with his creatures. Thus, the problem of suffering is linked directly with this desire because it is the separation that actually causes suffering. Moreover, as long as freewill exists, so too will suffering. Both the Book of Job and the movie are similar in presenting characters who question the goodness of God amid the suffering they see in the world and their own lives, and presents numerous

Sunday, November 17, 2019

How China Grew Rich Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How China Grew Rich - Research Paper Example This is because these companies are usually export-import oriented. On this basis, the integration of foreign direct investment with the labor force of the domestic country has an effect of creating a positive development of an economy of a country1. Globalization is a factor in the emergence of this international trade, and more so after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. This is because the Soviet Union was a country that was advocating for communalism. On this note, all countries under its influence had a closed economy. However, after its disintegration, majority of the nations within the world began to create an export promotion policy. They began to open their market system for purposes of promoting free trade. In developing these policies, developing countries of the world took an example of the Asian tiger economies compromising of Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong. These countries managed to improve their economies because of insisting on exports, instead of imports. This policy involved the removal of trade barriers, and encouraging direct foreign investments. On this basis, local companies within the country will participate in international trade by associating with these multi-national companies2. This export promotion strategy was successful in developing countries, and China began to experiment with it in the periods of 1970s. It is important to denote that China had one of the closest economies of the world, prior to the 1970s. The various regimes in the country regulated its economy, and they never encouraged any direct investments within the country. On this basis, their market system was closed. This made the country to be very poor, contributing to its low economic development. However, after opening up its market system to foreign companies, China was able to attract a large percentage of foreign investments and capital3. In 1990s, the country became the second largest nation to host foreign direct investments after

Friday, November 15, 2019

Agencies in the Criminal Justice System

Agencies in the Criminal Justice System The common thread binding the agencies of the criminal justice system is centred upon crime and the control of crime. (Garland 2001; 5-8). It can be argued that the agencies of criminal justice including, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the courts, the prison service and the probation service all have separate and distinctive functions but operate towards a common overarching goal crime control. (Maguire et al 2007; 139-141). It is the structure and organisation of criminal justice that is characterised by fragmentation, differential roles and aims amongst institutions forming parts of the criminal justice system, coupled with the absence of a single Governmental department charged with responsibility for criminal justice policy and its implementation which accounts for a differential of functions all aimed towards the common goal of crime control. (McConville and Wilson 2002; 5). It is argued by McConville and Wilson (2002) that determining what constitutes an inst itution of the criminal justice system in any country will be complex due to the nature and operation of a system entailing great multiplicity. (Ibid). However, Sanders et al (2010) identify that the core agencies of the criminal justice system in England and Wales can be identified as follows: (1) The Police, which can be divided further into three distinct groupings. Firstly the local branches of police throughout England and Wales. Secondly the national police bodies such as the Organised Crime Agency and the British Transport Police. Thirdly specialist agency watchdogs such as the Health and Safety Executive which focus on particular types of criminality. (2) The CPS which is primarily responsible for deciding whether cases prepared by the police should proceed to prosecution. (3) The Courts which can be divided further into lower courts and higher courts. The lower courts are composed of the magistrates courts where all criminal offences will start off. The higher courts are composed of the Crown Court which deal specifically with more serious forms of offences. The division between the magistrates court and the Crown Court will be by the initial classification of the offence as either being summary giving exclusive jurisdiction to the magistrates court or of indictable offences giving exclusive jurisdiction to the Crown Court. (4) The Prison Service which is charged with dealing with offenders convicted and sentence to a custodial sentence. Their role within criminal justice is arguable dual, firstly to deprive dangerous offenders of their liberty acting as a deterrent to offenders and secondly to rehabilitate offenders back to society. (5) The Probation Service which is charged with dealing with offenders coming out of prison and their aftercare with integration into society. (Sanders et al 2010; 2-6). In order to determine whether these agencies have both common and distinctive functions they will be discussed in detail below and the paper will then draw conclusions on their role and aims within criminal justice. The Police: Policing in England and Wales is decentralised to local police forces which operate through the country in approximately 43 forces. The powers provided to the police can be characterised by the right to stop and search people and their property, the right to arrest a suspect, the right to detain a suspect at the police service for interrogation, the right to collect evidence and the right to compile reports for the CPS to allow them to determine whether a case should proceed to trial. (Sanders et al 2010). The discretion afforded to police officers in exercising their public duty is a characteristic of the nature of how criminal laws operate, in that discretion underpins the operation of the police officers role within criminal justice. (Clarkson et al 1994; 6-8). The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) provide the main statutory framework for the operation of the police in conducting criminal investigations. The Act is supplemented with Codes of Practice which set out goods standards for policing in conducting their business of detecting and investigating crime . PACE 1984 allows the police powers of stop and search, arrest, detention and the collection of evidence. The role and function of the police can be identified as the primary role in managing and dealing with crime. (Sanders 1986; 303). They will be the first agency of the criminal justice system which come into contact with suspected offenders. Their role as distinct from the other agencies will primarily be based around detecting and investigating crime in addition to the collection of vital evidence as proof of the commission of the offence. (Ibid). The common function to all other agencies of criminal justice is to manage and control crime. The Crown Prosecution Service: One of the CPSs roles within the criminal justice system is to exercise a public interest in determining which cases should be prosecuted through the courts. (Moody and Tombs 1982; 44-52). It is the control mechanism within criminal justice to filter out cases which can be considered inappropriate to proceed to the next stage within the criminal justice system. It is the value judgements made by the CPS that allows an assessment to be made on the strength of the evidence collected by the police and the public interest in bringing the case which can be identified as being the distinctive functions of the CPS. It is therefore possible to identify that there is a linkage between the first agency of policing to the second agency of prosecuting where there is an inter-dependency for success in controlling crime. The CPS will only be able to bring cases which have compelling evidence to succeed in the prosecution. Therefore the distinctive role the prosecution attains within the criminal j ustice system is that of deciding which cases to allow proceed to court based upon the work of the police in collecting evidence. The Courts: The courts occupy a special terrain within the criminal justice system in that they allow the facilitation of evidence to be tried and tested to a standard of beyond all reasonable doubt. (McConville 1994; 228). They occupy the neutral position of being able to afford both sides equality to put their case in a fair and just manner. The secondary role is focused very much on determining a case, deciding which side present the strongest arguments on the evidence. The final role is centred upon sentencing an offender in accordance with the law and gravity of the offence before the court where a conviction is founded on the evidence. The core function of the courts is to facilitate the presentation of evidence in a fair and balanced way, to adjudicate according to the laws of England and Wales and finally to sentence in accordance with sentencing principles. It is arguable a very special and distinctive position within criminal justice in that it allows the full operation of the law in p ractice in determining an offenders culpability for a charged offence. However, it is also possible to establish that the courts service have the common function of dealing with crime and controlling crime through its sentencing regimes. The Prison Service: The prison service deals exclusively with offenders convicted and sentenced to a custodial sentence. Their role within criminal justice is to facilitate a judicial decision to deprive an offenders liberty in order to fulfil the sentence of a court. The role is distinctive because it is primarily directed to controlling and managing the offenders behaviour throughout their sentence. However, it is common to the other agencies within criminal justice in that it facilitates crime control and contributes to an offenders rehabilitation into society. The Probation Service: The probation service will also occupy a special position within criminal justice in that they will become involved with offenders during sentencing at the trial stage but also when an offender is released from prison in their integration back into society. Therefore they provide the key transition support for offenders allowing their integration back into society to live lives without crime. Conclusion: Although there are other criminal justice agencies such as the Criminal Defence Service, the Criminal Cases Review Commission and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, the focus of this paper has been primarily directed at the core agencies within criminal justice dealing with the progression of an offender through the system. It is identifiable that the very nature of the fragmentation of crime and criminal justice necessitates an array of agencies to deal with the specific nature of criminal offending. Each of these agencies occupies a particular space within criminal justice in dealing with crime and in contributing to the overall control and management of crime. Further, it is clear that each agency has a distinctive role in that the police are the initial gatekeepers of criminal justice by deciding which cases to investigate and how they collect evidence. Similarly the prosecution have a specific role in deciding to prosecute and executing a prosecution. The courts also occupy a special function of delivering justice and facilitating a trial of an offender. It is clear that all of the agencies of the criminal justice have very specific roles and functions which serve particular goals and aims of criminal justice at particular points when dealing with offenders. Each role contributes to the overall aim of managing and controlling crime in society. In final conclusion it can be argued that each agency within criminal justice have distinctive but yet common goals within the criminal justice system.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Afternoons by Philip Larkin Essay -- English Literature

Afternoons by Philip Larkin. A poem which reflects on the subject of marriage is 'Afternoons' by Philip Larkin. The poem deals with Larkin's view on young mothers watching their kids playing in a playground and on this he concludes that marrying young and having children young, lead to the mothers losing their identity and destiny. The techniques used by the poet such as theme, imagery and tone deepened my understanding of the issue. The structure of the poem is simple; there are three stanzas with eight lines in each. However, unlike every other poem by Larkin this layout has no direct meaning. The lines are unrhymed. The first stanza deals with Larkin's rather cynical view of marriage and deals with the idea that the young mothers are isolated. Larkin's brilliant use of language emphasis the recurring theme of emptiness within the young mothers and how regimented their lives have become; 'In the hollows of afternoons' and 'young mothers assemble'. In the second stanza Larkin moves from the general view into the individual and describes the mother as belonging to a middle class background. Their husbands are described as working in 'skilled trades' and being 'behind them'. The husbands are not literally standing behind the women but are metaphorically. They provide support financially, emotionally and phycologically. On a closer inspection of the poem we realise Larkin has taken an everyday situation and made a universal message out of it. The image of the mothers life being dull is further emphasised when Larkin describes the 'Wedding Album' being near the television. This image suggests that the televsion is more of a central concern in the couples lives rather than their marriage vows etc. ... ...heir identity and are dominated by responsibility, they have lost control of what is truly their own. 'something is pushing them to the side of their lives'. The poem 'Afternoons' by Philip Larkin made me think considerably about having children young especially at my age, 17. The idea that Larkin portrays, that young parents, in particular young mothers lose control of their lives as soon as they have a child. Personally I believe that Larkin's message is made more effective and memorable because he tells it in a very simplistic manner in which the reader can clearly understand. However, Larkin likes the reader to be challenged and tells his ideas via a very implicit manner. His use of theme, imagery and tone deepened my understanding of the issue and I believe the poem provides a great thinking point to any young teenagers considering having children.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Philosophy metaphysics Essay

In order to clearly answer the first question, it is important first to answer the question – â€Å"what is the soul for Aristotle† and as such give an account of how he views substance and separability. Aristotle posits in de Anima that the soul is the substance in the sense which corresponds to the definitive formula of a thing’s essence. That means that it is â€Å"’the essential whatness’’ of a body of the character just assigned. (Book II, 412b). As such, the soul is the essence of being and the essence of being is its substance. By being, Aristotle refers to the thing itself while by essence he refers to the primary essence of the thing itself wherein one is treated as the subject in its own right i. e. the good itself is treated as the essence of the good. It can be deduced then, using hypothetical syllogism that if soul is the essence of a being and the essence of being is its substance, then the soul is the substance of a being. He argued further that whatever is has a being, whatever has a being has a substance – this as the grounding of his epistemology. Hence, whatever is has a substance. This implies then that being is identical to substance. If such is the case, then using the principle of excluded middle, being is also identical to soul. Now, let us elucidate the concept of separability. Aristotle first distinguished the difference between the body and the soul. The body as he stated corresponds to what exists in potentiality, it being the subject or matter of a possible actuality. Soul, on the other hand, is a substance (actuality) in the sense of the form of a natural body having life potentially within it; it is the actuality of the body. Aristotle, Book II, 421b) As he delineates the dissimilarity between the body and soul, one should not be mislead in regarding the two as separate entities. They are at some point seems to be separate for in the former we are talking about a corporeal body in its spatio-temporal existence while in the latter we are talking of an incorporeal body transcending in the spatio-temporal world. However, their separability in terms of space and time does not mean they are separate as whole – that is an entity having life. As Aristotle argues â€Å"the soul is inseparable from its body, or at any rate that certain parts of it are (if it has parts) for the actuality of some of them is nothing but the actualities of their bodily parts†. (Aristotle, Book II, 413a). He argues further that â€Å"body cannot be the actuality of the soul; it is the soul which is the actuality of a certain kind of body. Hence the soul cannot be without a body, while it cannot be a body; it is not a body but something relative to a body. That is why it is in a body and a body of a definite kind†. (Book I, 421a). It can be deduced then that soul and the body are inseparable with each other. It is because the essence of both their existence lies in the interdependency of their telos – the soul actualizing the potential life in the body while the body providing an entity for the soul to actualize itself in the material world. Since the soul is the actuality of natural body, then naturally it would have certain functions which it can actualize. Aristotle has identified these functions to be the following: (1. ) powers of self-nutrition or the nutritive function; (2. powers of sensation which includes the sensory and appetitive function; (3. ) the power of movement and rest or the locomotive function and (4. ) the power of thinking. With these functions, he posited a psychic power of hierarchy. He claimed that of the psychic powers mentioned above, some kinds of beings posses all of these, some possess less than all while others posses only one. As such, evidently, the plants possess the p ower of self-nutrition wherein they can grow up or down and increase or decrease in all direction as long they can find nutrients in the soil. It is through their own means that they continue tolive. Even though the plants possess only one function of the soul, it is a great wonder how they continuously subsist on their own. Next is the power of sensation, which is possessed by all animals. All animals possessed the power of sensation because they all have the primary form of sense, which is touch. Aristotle defended and further elaborated this notion in de Anima. To wit: if any order of living things has the sensory, it must also have the appetitive; for appetite is the genus of which desire, passion, and wish are the species; now all animals have one sense at least, viz. ouch, and whatever has a sense has the capacity for pleasure and pain and therefore has pleasant and painful objects present to it, and wherever these are present, there is desire, for desire is just appetition of what is pleasant. (BookII, 414b) From the arguments stated above, it can be evidently inferred not just how Aristotle proven that all animals possess at least one sense, the touch, but also how he sci entifically deduced that all animals by virtue of their sensory function, possess appetitive function, too. From all these animals, there are some which possessed the power of locomotion, advancing them to a higher stratum. These are animals which can execute any kind of movements together with the capacity to halt such movement. Lastly, the human beings possessed all of the above-mentioned functions placing them on the top of the hierarchy. They posses the power of thinking, which is the essential feature of the human beings and which separates them apart from all other species. Analyzing the theoretical framework Aristotle succumbed to, it can be construed then that for him every being has a soul. This is evidently manifested in his attempt to prove the groundings of his epistemology extending his claim to the psychic hierarchy wherein he posited that every kind of living thing – any entity for that matter possesses certain function/s of the soul It should be put in mind, however, that even Aristotle posited the different functions of the soul; they are in essence, inseparable. An example of this is the function of nutrition (by eating) which human beings in particular do in order to properly and clearly think. The latter being also a function of the soul. Evidently, every function of the soul is interconnected with each other especially in the case of the Homo sapiens, who possessed all the enumerated functions of the soul. Aristotle notions of intellect can be rooted in his conception of knowledge – in his epistemology. It is from his conception of knowledge arises his other assertions on how he views the world. It is common sensical then to claim that his conception of the mind or any other things transcending from their spatio-temporal existence, his metaphysics, is grounded on his epistemology. As such, it is with utmost importance to first answer how Aristotle regards the nature of knowledge and how does one able to acquire knowledge so as to provide an answer on his notion of intellect. Knowledge for him can only be found within the material world – that is things, which are intelligible by senses. It is then through our experience with this objects in their spatio-temporal existence that we come to know them. He mentioned the processes of how we can arrive to know these objects – by perception, discrimination and thinking. By perception here, I mean the process of how our senses operate to recognize things in the material word. Discrimination then comes simultaneous with perception in order to give a concrete description of the thing being perceived. In example, upon the perception of a certain plant, we can able to distinguish its structure and other ontical features as the mind started to categorized. As a corollary, we arrived at the conclusion that what we perceived is indeed a plant. From there, we judged that what we perceived is indeed a plant and hence, arriving in the state of thinking. It can be deduced then that through thinking, one can able to comprehend the ontical features of an object and by virtue one’s reason, its primary essence. By primary essence, I mean the telos or the end itself of a thing. Since reason for Aristotle is innate in human beings so is intellect. It is because for Aristotle, reason is an essential property of the mind – that is of the intellect. If that is the case, then reason for Aristotle is relatively tantamount to the intellect. Husserl, on the other hand regarded the process of intuition as the first level of cognition wherein the objects are grasp in its original thru experience. This is also the case when one is cognizing objects of mere representations which includes but not limited to pictorial intuitions and any means of symbolic indications. To wit, experiencing is consciousness that intuits something and values it to be actual; experiencing is intrinsically characterized as consciousness of the natural object in question and of it as the original: there is consciousness of the original as being there â€Å"in person. The same thing can be expressed by saying that objects would be nothing at all for the cognizing subject if they did not â€Å"appear† to him, if he had of them no â€Å"phenomenon. † Here, therefore, â€Å"phenomenon† signifies a certain content that intrinsically inhabits the intuitive consciousness in question and is the substrate for its actuality valuation. (Husserl, p. 3) It is only but logical to infer that experience plays a vital role in the cognition of a certain object. As such, it is only upon experience, can one theorized and moved to a higher level of cognition. A thing must first be intuited before one can theorize about them. And after theorizing, comes the process of reflection. Evidently, both Aristotle and Husserl believed in the value of experience in which the former calls perception and the latter intuition. From these processes arises higher forms of cognition wherein the end result for Aristotle is thinking through the use of reason while for Husserl, it is pure reflection as a result of phenomenology. It is then with utmost importance to first clarify, what does Husserl meant by intellect and Ego. As such, in what process does a person uses his intellect. Furthermore, what is the difference of reflection from pure reflection and of the empirical Ego to the transcendental Ego? Also, one should answer the question â€Å"what is phenomenology? † and â€Å"why it is only through this process one can arrive at pure reflection? † For Husserl, intellect is identical with consciousness as Ego is identical to Self. As such, when one speaks of intellect, one is referring to consciousness and vice-versa. Such is also the case with the Ego and the Self. Reflection is the process wherein one is looking not towards the act of reflection itself but rather in the direction of the objects one is conscious of. As such, one is absorbed in reflecting how these objects exist rather than asking how they come into being or essentially, enquiring on their primordial existence. If the consciousness is moving towards this kind of reflection, then the Ego is only in his/her ontical (empirical) status. Pure reflection, on the other hand, is the process wherein the consciousness is reflecting his consciousness – that is the act of reflection per se. This is the case wherein the Ego transcends from his ontical stage by describing the events i. e. relating, referring, combining, et al in his consciousness. And this can only be done thru the process of phenomenology. What is phenomenology then? Phenomenology is defined as the science of consciousness. (Husserl, p. 5) It is the process of describing the things and events themselves in their primordial sense through the use of phenomenological reduction. Phenomenological reduction then is the process wherein one suspends his/her preconceived notion of things in order to objectively describe the objects and events as what it appears to them. It only thru this process that we can arrive at pure reflection because this is the only method wherein objects and events are describe as themselves without concurring to any established principle or assumption. Evidently, Aristotle’s notion of intellect and Husserl’s notion of Ego posited the strength of mind in general – transcending from space and time. If that is the case, then the conception of a person is not only confined within the physical realm – that is he can do things beyond the limit of his physical existence in his journey to unravel the primordial existence of objects and any discipline for that matter. However, what sets them apart from each other is their notion on how one can really grasp the ontological state of an object or in the words of Kant –their intentionality. Aristotle believed that one can only know the ontological state of a thing by referring to its primary essence, its telos as the context clue in able to grasp the object’s primary essence. For Husserl, on the other hand, it is only through the use of phenomenological method can one comprehend the ontological state of objects. In Being and Time, Heidegger attempted to know the meaning of a Being – that is the Dasein, by starting to ask and redefine the fundamental question of â€Å"What is a Being? † He further continued this method by asking the ontological question of Being – that only a being can know his Being because he is consciousness to his Being by his being. His starting point is the fact that a being is a Being-in-the-World. He is a being situated in this world. As such, it is only him who can know his being by virtue of his ontic-ontological character. If that is the case, then it is only him who can determine his possibilities by virtue of being a spatio-temporal entity. Since no other entities can determine his possibilities as a being conscious of his existence, then the Dasein solely can ascertain his existentiall. It can be deduced then that the task of Dasein is to transcend to his existentiell in order to arrive at his ontological status. He can only do this by maximizing his possibilities to know himself thru the things which are ready-at-hand – things which can help him to reveal his being to him. It should be kept in mind that this process of knowing the Dasein does not go in hermeneutic circles rather on a back and forth condition Dasein as a spatio-temporal entity is facing a hard time to know his being because there is a tendency that he might be too absorb in his world or fall. Yet what Heidegger wants to emphasize is that he as a Dasein should not conceive his being as a spatio-temporal entity an encumbrance to his Being. It is because it is only through this world he can have his possibilities. This separates him from other entities and makes him a Dasein. Evidently, Heidegger’s notion of Dasein greatly gives importance to the relationship of the Being and the world which is also apparent in Aristotle notion of intellect and Husserl’s notion of Ego. However, what separates the former from the latter is that it focused on providing an answer on how one can transcend to his facticity in order to ontologically know his Being. The latter, on the other hand, focuses in discovering the essence and the ontological existence of the objects in the material world. Transcendental phenomenology is defined in general as the study of essence. It designates two things: a new kind of descriptive method which made a breakthrough in philosophy at the turn of the century, and an a priori science derived from it; a science which is intended to supply the basic instrument for a rigorously scientific philosophy and, in its consequent application, to make possible a methodical reform of all the sciences. (Husserl, p. 15) Essentially, transcendental phenomenology then is a description of phenomena. Husserl, then, laid down the method to achieve the objective of reforming all the sciences. The first step is the use of phenomenological epoche or reduction or bracketing wherein one suspends or take away all his/her biases and prejudices in order to â€Å"objectively describe† a phenomena. By doing this, we can arrive at a universal description of a phenomena. This will be followed by the compare and contrast method which one will have to undertake in order to arrive at the pure data of things. It appears then that by suspending one’s judgment and undergoing the intersubjectivity test, we can arrive at the â€Å"pure data of things†. In relation to this, Husserl claims that this method should be followed by all sciences in order to answer their primordial condition. It is held that sciences cannot escape their dogmas because it fails to question how they come to be. What they are just doing is a mere adaptation of established principles proven in the past to be true. Since these established principles were proven in the past to be true, scientists or people who work in the sciences do not make any attempt to further verify the truthfulness of their established principles – that is how and why is it the case that such principles were held to be true. For indisputably, things cannot just come into being without any rationalization, scientific explanation for that matter. Sciences have constructed ready-made answers to all things – their nature, existence, feature, et al; grounded on the preconceived notion that sciences have already provided sufficient answers to the primitiveness of these objects. While sciences are busy in explaining these things [the ready-made answers], they failed to realized that they were not able to arrived at the Isness of these objects, on how they come into being. However, since the sciences had already deceived the people, that in the past, it already provided sufficient answers to the primordial existence of things, it appears then they are seemingly contented and satisfied by what the sciences have achieved. This is what phenomenology wants to deconstruct – it wanted to create a paradigm shift by destroying the â€Å"tradition† institutionalized by science and overcoming relativism and subjectivism by the use of phenomenological reduction. From these, one can arrive at the pure data of consciousness. It is in this sense, that phenomenology becomes transcendental. Phenomenology is different from descriptive psychology because it draws upon pure reflection exclusively, and pure reflection excludes, as such, every type of external experience and therefore precludes any co positing of objects alien to consciousness. (Husserl, p. 7) Descriptive psychology then does not depend upon pure reflection exclusively; it needs psychological experiencing which would result to the reflection of the external experience. As such, consciousness itself becomes something transcendent, becomes an event in that spatial world which appears, by virtue of consciousness, to be transcendent. (Husserl, p. 7) It can be inferred then that phenomenology focuses solely on the consciousness per se of a being making it the science of consciousness while descriptive psychology focuses on the consciousness of a being in his psychic experiences. Transcendental idealism states that â€Å"everything intuited in space and time, and therefore all objects of any experience possible to us, are nothing but appearances, that is, mere representations which, in the manner in which they are represented, as extended beings or as series of alterations, have no independent existence outside our thoughts. † (Kant, p. 1) As such, it posits that one cannot have the knowledge of the realm beyond the empirical – that is one cannot experience objects outside space and time. It is because the mind as Kant argues having certain constraints [in reference to space and time] – can only grasp the noesis of the object but not its noumena – the object’s intentionality. It can be inferred then that transcendental idealism’s fundamental assertions lies on two grounds: first, objects by themselves exudes intentionality; and secondly, we can never know their intentionality [or noumena] because our mind can only grasp the noesis or what is appearing to us. Phenomenology believes on Kant’s first claim that indeed objects have their own intentionality but vies the second assertion. As such, its emergence as a domain of study in philosophy is grounded on its thrust to prove that indeed the mind can know the noumena of objects. Phenomenology believes that this can be done using eidetic reductionism proving to all that the mind can transcend beyond the physical realm – beyond space and time. Essentially, all the philosophies which were tackled in this paper seek to explain and interpret the world – including the objects within it and the beings living in it; from the primordial existence of things up to the authentication of one’s Being.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Wright Brothers First Fatal Airplane Crash

Wright Brothers First Fatal Airplane Crash It had only been five years since Orville and Wilbur Wright made their famous flight at Kitty Hawk. By 1908, the Wright brothers were traveling across the United States and Europe in order to demonstrate their flying machine. Everything went well until that fateful day, September 17, 1908, which began with a cheering crowd of 2,000 and ended with pilot Orville Wright severely injured and passenger Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge dead. A Flight Exhibition Orville Wright had done this before. He had taken his first official passenger, Lt. Frank P. Lahm, into the air on September 10, 1908, at Fort Myer, Virginia. Two days later, Orville took another passenger, Major George O. Squier, up in the Flyer for nine minutes. These flights were part of an exhibition for the United States Army. The U.S. Army was considering purchasing the Wrights aircraft for a new military airplane. To get this contract, Orville had to prove that the airplane could successfully carry passengers. Though the first two trials had been successful, the third was to prove a catastrophe. Lift Off! Twenty-six-year-old Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge volunteered to be a passenger. A member of the Aerial Experiment Association (an organization headed by Alexander Graham Bell and in direct competition with the Wrights), Lt. Selfridge was also on the Army board that was assessing the Wrights Flyer at Fort Myers, Virginia. It was just after 5 p.m. on September 17, 1908, when Orville and Lt. Selfridge got into the airplane. Lt. Selfridge was the Wrights heaviest passenger thus far, weighing 175 pounds. Once the propellers were turned, Lt. Selfridge waved to the crowd. For this demonstration, approximately 2,000 people were present. The weights were dropped and the airplane was off. Out of Control The Flyer was up in the air. Orville was keeping it very simple and had successfully flown three laps over the parade ground at an altitude of approximately 150 feet. Then Orville heard light tapping. He turned and quickly looked behind him, but he didnt see anything wrong. Just to be safe, Orville thought he should turn off the engine and glide to the ground. But before Orville could shut off the engine, he heard two big thumps, which gave the machine a terrible shaking. The machine would not respond to the steering and lateral balancing levers, which produced a most peculiar feeling of helplessness. Something flew off the airplane. (It was later discovered to be a propeller.) Then the airplane suddenly veered right. Orville couldnt get the machine to respond. He shut off the engine. He kept trying to regain control of the airplane. . . . I continued to push the levers, when the machine suddenly turned to the left. I reversed the levers to stop the turning and to bring the wings on a level. Quick as a flash, the machine turned down in front and started straight for the ground. Throughout the flight, Lt. Selfridge had remained silent. A few times Lt. Selfridge had glanced at Orville to see Orvilles reaction to the situation. The airplane was about 75 feet in the air when it started a nose-dive to the ground. Lt. Selfridge let out a nearly inaudible Oh! Oh! The Crash Heading straight for the ground, Orville was not able to regain control. The Flyer hit the ground hard. The crowd was at first in silent shock. Then everyone ran over to the wreckage. The crash created a cloud of dust. Orville and Lt. Selfridge were both pinned in the wreckage. They were able to disentangle Orville first. He was bloody but conscious. It was harder to get Selfridge out. He too was bloody and had an injury to his head. Lt. Selfridge was unconscious. The two men were taken by stretcher to the nearby post hospital. Doctors operated on Lt. Selfridge, but at 8:10 p.m., Lt. Selfridge died from a fractured skull, without ever regaining consciousness. Orville suffered a broken left leg, several broken ribs, cuts on his head, and many bruises. Lt. Thomas Selfridge was buried with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. He was the first man to die in an airplane. Orville Wright was released from the Army hospital on October 31. Though he would walk and fly again, Orville continued to suffer from fractures in his hip that had gone unnoticed at the time. Orville later determined that the crash was caused by a stress crack in the propeller. The Wrights soon redesigned the Flyer to eliminate the flaws that led to this accident. Sources Howard, Fred. Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers.  Alfred A. Knopf, 1987, New York.Prendergast, Curtis. The First Aviators. Time-Life Books, 1980, Alexandria, VA.Whitehouse, Arch. The Early Birds: The Wonders and Heroics of the First Decades of Flight. Doubleday Company, 1965, Garden City, NY.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Converting Numbers Into Words Using JavaScript

Converting Numbers Into Words Using JavaScript Lots of programming involves calculations with numbers, and  you can easily format numbers for display by adding commas, decimals, negative signs, and other appropriate characters depending on the kind of number it is. But youre not always presenting your results as part of a mathematical equation. The Web for the general user is more about words than it is about numbers, so sometimes a number displayed as a number isnt appropriate. In this case, you need the equivalent of the number in words, not in numerals. This is where you can  run into difficulties. How do you convert  the numeric  results of your calculations when you need the number displayed in words? Converting a number into words isnt exactly the most straightforward of tasks, but it can be done using JavaScript that isnt too complex. JavaScript to Convert Numbers Into Words If you want to be able to do these conversions on your site,  you will need a JavaScript code that can do the conversion for you. The simplest way to do this is to use the code below; just select the code and copy it into a file called toword.js. // Convert numbers to words// copyright 25th July 2006, by Stephen Chapman http://javascript.about.com// permission to use this Javascript on your web page is granted// provided that all of the code (including this copyright notice) is// used exactly as shown (you can change the numbering system if you wish) // American Numbering Systemvar th [,thousand,million, billion,trillion];// uncomment this line for English Number System// var th [,thousand,million, milliard,billion]; var dg [zero,one,two,three,four,five,six,seven,eight,nine]; var tn [ten,eleven,twelve,thirteen, fourteen,fifteen,sixteen,seventeen,eighteen,nineteen]; var tw [twenty,thirty,forty,fifty,sixty,seventy,eighty,ninety]; function toWords(s){s s.toString(); s s.replace(/[\, ]/g,); if (s ! parseFloat(s)) return not a number; var x s.indexOf(.); if (x -1) x s.length; if (x 15) return too big; var n s.split(); var str ; var sk 0; for (var i0; i x; i) {if((x-i)%32) {if (n[i] 1) {str tn[Number(n[i1])] ; i; sk1;}else if (n[i]!0) {str tw[n[i]-2] ;sk1;}} else if (n[i]!0) {str dg[n[i]] ; if ((x-i)%30) str hundred ;sk1;} if ((x-i)%31) {if (sk)str th[(x-i-1)/3] ;sk0;}} if (x ! s.length) {var y s.length; str point ; for (var ix1; istr.replace(/\s/g, );} Next,  link the script into the head of your page using the following code: var words toWords(num); The final step is to call the script to perform the conversion to words for you. To get a number converted to words you just need to call the function passing it the number you want to convert and the corresponding words will be returned. Numbers to Words Limitations Note that this function can convert numbers as big as 999,999,999,999,999 into words and  with as many decimal places as you like. If you try to convert a number bigger than that it will return too big. Numbers, commas, spaces, and a single period for the decimal point are the only acceptable characters that can be used for the number being converted. If it contains anything beyond these characters, it will return not a number. Negative Numbers If you want to convert negative numbers of currency values to words you should remove those symbols from the number first and convert those to words separately.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Islamic Art Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Islamic Art - Research Paper Example The main topic of the essay "Islamic Art" is the profound analysis of islamic architectural style and mosques in particular. For example, The Selimiye Mosque (1569-75), an Ottoman mosque in the city of Edirne in Turkey, has been one of the most magnificent illustrations of Islamic architecture and the mosque was commissioned by Sultan Selim II. Selimiye has been the most important monument in the historic city of Edirne, which was the capital of the Ottoman Empire before the conquest of Istanbul. In conclusion the author considers that, a reflective exploration of the various processes in the construction of the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne confirms that it is one of the most magnificent illustrations of Islamic architecture in general and Ottoman architecture in particular. It is the masterpiece by the celebrated Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan who has been effective in both outdoing the size and grandeur of the venerable Byzantine monument and in continuing a dialogue with his own Suleymaniye Mosque that was built twenty years earlier. In a profound understanding of the architectural and technological quality of this magnificent mosque, one comes to recognize why most modern historians regard it as the culminating achievement of Sinan’s distinguished fifty-year career as the chief architect of the Ottoman court. In short, the Selimiye Mosque can best be considered as the most important mosque in the city of Edirne which is well-known for its mosques, the elegant domes and minarets.

Friday, November 1, 2019

The Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg - Essay Example In fact, some scholars would estimate that without the Civil War the United States might never have become the country that it became. More so, if it were not for two definitive battles of the Civil War, the Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, then the United States we built would be very different from the one we have today; if we survived at all as a nation. That said understanding the importance of these battles will help us to comprehend why these battles are so significant and if they were such definitive â€Å"turning points† in the war, then why did the war continue on, nearly, another 2 years? By finding the answers to these questions will grant us a greater, broader, picture of how the United States became the country we are today. History . The definitive battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg did not occur until 1863, the Civil War began 2 years earlier. The causes of the Civil War can be summarized in 5 specific contributory elements. In fact, these tensions had been growing since the founding of this country in 1776. 1. The Economic & Social Differences between North and South. By the late 1700s cotton crops were incredibly valuable and profitable. The South developed an agricultural, one crop economy. They were exclusively dependent on the success and sail of their cotton crops and on the inexpensive slave labor that tended them. The North was focused on city life and industrialization. They could already compete with the South’s ability to clean, process, and manufacturer cotton goods. 2. State vs. Federal Rights. Many in America pushed for the supremacy of state’s individual rights and that they should have the right to determine what federal involvement they would accept. While others pushed for greater federal government to unify and force the hand of states. 3. Slave and Non-Slave State Proponents. The argument over whether new states formed would be slave states, free states, or would have the right to choose for themselve s was a heated one. This created serious division between supporters and opposers of slavery in the United States. 4. Growth of the Abolition Movement. The Abolitionist movement, further inspired by the publishing of â€Å"Uncle Tom’s Cabin† and the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act, fueled Northern disdain and hatred for Southern slave-owners. 5. The Election of Abraham Lincoln. Although tensions were already high, Lincoln’s election inspired South Carolina to submit its intention to secede from the United States because Lincoln favored northern interests, and was opposed to slavery. Even before Lincoln took the office, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia, also, intended to join South Carolina (Kelly 2013). By 1861 Fort Sumter, in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor, contained the last federal holding within the Southern seceding states. Cut off from supplies and reinforcements, the men of Fort Sumter were suffering. On April 11, 1863 Conf ederate soldiers led by Jefferson C, Davis, no relation to the Confederate President, ordered the evacuation of Fort Sumter, delivered personally to Union Major Robert Anderson. Although Anderson thanked the envoy for the courteous and respectfully presented request, he declined to obey the order. As the Confederate envoy left the Fort, it would be only a few short hours before, at 4:30 in the morning; the first battle of Civil War would be fought. Confederate General Pierre Gustavo Beauregard ordered his men to open fire