Monday, December 30, 2019

Comparison of Oedipus the King and Death of a Salesman Essay

The elements of a play are setting, irony, plot, characters, and theme, which will be discussed in the essay. Oedipus the King opens in a Greek amphitheatre depicting the front of a Theban palace. Throughout the play, the setting remains constant. This changes to a more fast-paced play with different settings in different places in Death of a Salesman. Dramatic irony in Oedipus the King is evident throughout, which is similar to the latter play, but in a different form. In here, the irony is evident. Oedipus the King revolves around characters attempts to change their destiny (which fails) - Jocasta and Laiuss killing of Oedipus and Oedipuss flight from Corinth. Each time somebody tries to avert the future, the audience knows†¦show more content†¦Willy Loman is a troubled and misguided man - a salesman and a dreamer with an extreme preoccupation with his own definition of success. Willy feels that physical impact is greater than the elements of his self-defined success. However, it is apparent that Willy Loman is no successful man, even by the audiences standards. He is still a travelling salesman in his sixties with no stable location or occupation, but clings on to his dreams and ideals. He compares his sons with Bernard, using him as a gauge of success. Nonetheless, he stays in the belief that his sons are better than B ernard. Willy recollects the neighbourhood years ago, and reminisces working for Frank Wagner, although he was also in the same condition then as now. He feels that the older Wagner appreciated him more, yet it was himself who voted Howard in. Arthur Miller presents Willy as a man with great bravado but little energy left to support it. He is always tired and has dementia, contradicting himself in his conversations and showing some memory loss, living in his world of illusions and delusions. He argues with Biff, both men without knowing why. The two sons of Willy display the physical appearance of adulthood, but their talk and attitude displays immaturity. Billy finds that he is a failure because of his lack of `success, while Happy thinks he is unfulfilled because he lacks failure. The plot of Oedipus the King is straightforward, whichShow MoreRelatedComparison Essay Between Oedipus the King and Death of a Salesman1402 Words   |  6 Pagesgoes an old saying, â€Å"All anyone asks for is a chance to work with pride.† Well, it seems that some people work with almost too much pride. In order to consider the extent to which pride applies to Sophocles Oedipus The King and Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman, consider the following: Oedipus and Willy both take extreme pride in their professions, their pride blinds them from seeing the truth of their situations, and their pride ultimately leads to their own demise/downfall, all of these invokingRead More Comparing the Tragedies of Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman1023 Words   |  5 PagesComparing the Tragedies of Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman The tragedies Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman have strikingly different plots and characters; however, each play shares common elements in its resolution. The events in the plays’ closings derive from a tragic flaw possessed by the protagonist in each play. The downfall of each protagonist is caused by his inability to effectively cope with his tragic flaw. The various similarities in the closingRead MoreComparing Shakespeare s Oedipus The King And Death Of A Salesman 1738 Words   |  7 Pagessorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror. Two such examples of literary tragedies are â€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles and â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller. Although written over 2000 years apart, there are many similarities between the two literary works, but with varying degrees of differences as well. Some of the key areas to be examined when making this comparison are: the social status of the main charac ters, the psychological mindsets the characters are in, their respectiveRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Tragedy Essay1428 Words   |  6 Pageschanges one’s viewpoint on how to handle situations. The two stories that we will compare and contrast are Oedipus the King by Sophocles and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Comparison In these two epic tragedies, there are a few commonalities or similarities that I feel are important to the reactions of the main characters or tragic heroes, Oedipus the King and Willy the Salesman. Throughout both stories, the reader can follow that the two characters are strong and proud family menRead MoreQuest For Literary Form : The Greeks Believed That The Tragedy1742 Words   |  7 Pages(Miller, Pp. 1831) He explained reasons for publishing â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and claimed that he instilled his character with a combination of feelings and experiences such as grief, unhappiness and little heroic acts. He represented the typical American common man with his tussles to achieve his American dreams that becomes his tragedy. (Miller, Pp. 1832) Miller considers that the common man is as suitable as kings were the focus for tragedies in its uppermost sense. (MillerRead More Willy Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesWilly Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman       Willy Loman, the title character of the play, Death of Salesman, exhibits all the characteristics of a modern tragic hero. This essay will support this thesis by drawing on examples from Medea by Euripedes, Poetics by Aristotle, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and Shakespeares Julius Caesar, while comments by Moss, Gordon, and Nourse reinforce the thesis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Death of Salesman, by Arthur Miller, fits the characteristics of classicRead MoreWilly Loman as a Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman1218 Words   |  5 PagesWilly Loman as a Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Should Willy Loman of Arthur Millers classic, Death of a Salesman be regarded as a tragic hero, or merely a working-class, socially inadequate failure? Described by Miller as a self-destructive, insecure anti-hero, it seems almost impossible for Loman to be what is known as a tragic hero in the classical sense, but with the inclusion of other factors he maybe a tragic hero, at least in the modernRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 Pagesunderstanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. You may select a work from the list below or another novel or play of comparable literary merit. Alias Grace Middlemarch All the King’s Men Moby-Dick Candide Obasan Death of a Salesman Oedipus Rex Doctor Faustus Orlando Don Quixote A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man A Gesture Life Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Ghosts The Scarlet LetterRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesSUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL 24 Diagnostic Survey and Exercises 24 Personal Assessment of Management Skills (PAMS) 24 What Does It Take to Be an Effective Manager? 28 SSS Software In-Basket Exercise 30 SCORING KEY AND COMPARISON DATA 42 Personal Assessment of Management Skills 42 Scoring Key 42 Comparison Data 42 What Does It Take to Be an Effective Manager? 43 SSS Software In-Basket Exercise 43 PART I 1 PERSONAL SKILLS 44 45 DEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS SKILL ASSESSMENT 46 Diagnostic Surveys for

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Guns, Kill Or Protect, What s Your Choice Essay

Guns, Kill or Protect, What s Your Choice? Christy Donley Columbia College Foundations of Communications Abstract It’s becoming a daily news event; another mass shooting where innocent lives are taken by a crazed gunman. It occurs so often that these news stories seem to just be part of the nightly news programs we are used to seeing. Yet, the repeating theme in all these stories is none of the victims had the means to defend themselves by way of a firearm. There is never mention of any of these innocent victims having been shot while having a gun in their possession. These stories never end with the assailant being shot by one of those he tried to murder just minutes before. If more Americans would exercise their Second Amendment rights to own and bear arms, there would be less violent crimes in the United States that involve guns. Guns, Kill or Protect, What s Your Choice? Introduction On a quiet summer night on June 17, 2015 a 19 year old young man, wearing a gray sweatshirt, dark jeans and Timberlands, walked into a historic, pre-civil war era church. Once inside he sat quietly as the regular attendees held a small prayer service. He was welcomed and sat with the small group as they read the word of God. And without provocation or warning he began to shoot one unarmed person after another, after another. The armed gunman was not concerned he would be stopped by any of those inside Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. He was not concernedShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Essay On Gun Control1742 Words   |  7 Pagesbreaking into your home with the intentions of hurting you and your family and trying to take all your valuables that you own in your house, and not having anything to protect your loved ones. Without the protection of a firearm, the intruder could injure or kill all members within the household easily. In the United States, according t o the Bill of Rights, a citizen has the right to bear arms, however, recently people have started to believe that guns only incite violence and therefore gun laws needRead MoreIs The Government Restricting Our Rights?1077 Words   |  5 Pages Is The Government Limiting Our Rights â€Å"If we ever forget we are one nation under god, then we will be a nation gone under† - Ronald Reagan. Gun control, free speech and social media, some of the most controversial topics of this century, many believe they limit our rights, others think they’re useless and need to be gotten rid of. I, on the other hand, just think they’re exaggerated. Our government may be corrupt in some places, and really almost any spot of power or wealth is corruptRead MoreGun Control Laws Should Not Be Prohibited897 Words   |  4 Pagesif they were carrying a gun. The possibilities of protecting themselves would be greater than if they did not. Obviously, having a legal weapon can help protect you and your love ones from a dangerous situation. Throughout history, men have been using and keeping weapons in their homes, which the 2nd Amendment claim that citizens have the right to bear arms. Gun control laws should not be prohibited, but in this case, more strict. Have you, as a citizen, ever wondered what would happen if a burglarRead MoreGun Control Laws Essay1133 Words   |  5 Pagesbelieve it is their right to bear arms to protect themselves and their families. This has been a very controversial issue over the past recent years. Especially since Barack Obama was inaugurated. Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting really set a fire underneath the feet of liberals to secure more gun control laws. Is it really effective to take away guns from law abiding citizens? What about the gun running by the gangs and cartel? Who will take their guns away? Will the ATF? It’s nearly impossibleRead MoreAre Schools Safe? Essay757 Words   |  4 Pageswants to know what to do to protect the kids in this country. Many schools have gotten increasingly stricter on their policies, especially the schools that have more money. What about the schools that cant afford metal detectors and security officers? American public schools are not safe, and need to have greater security measures to ensure the students safety. The news of Columbine was all over the TV, newspapers, and in every social aspect of life. This left parents no choice but to discussRead MoreGun Control: Are Guns Really The Problem?1697 Words   |  7 PagesGun control is a very controversial topic, but banning every gun will not stop all the shootings that occur. Gun control can go in either direction of the debate. There is something that needs to be done to try to reduce as many shootings as possible, whether it is background checks for every gun purchase or required classes after buying a firearm. Banning every weapon, though that is classified as an â€Å"assault† rifle or has a magazine that carries more than ten rounds is not fair to gun lovers whoRead MoreEssay The Donkey and the Elephant555 Words   |  3 PagesBlack suit, red tie, and polished shoes. Slander, propaganda, cheating, lying, and extortion following him every step. He’s not your 1920’s gangster. He’s more. He’s a politicia n. By definition a politician is any individual active in government, usually an elected official. Their views are varied, but to most it’s either democrat, or republican. Classified by political party. Judged by social views. America is a diverse country; surrounded by countless ethnicities, languages, and social viewsRead MoreLord of War1742 Words   |  7 PagesNew York and survive without condemnation. I think this is where his life takes a downward spiral. Childhood is what molds you and if you see that your parents are lying and they teach you to lie and not have value for who you are and where you came from then that ‘s the values that you will carry into adulthood. Don’t get me wrong I understand that they were doing this to protect the family but the father actually took on the role of a Jewish man in his everyday behaviors. His brother neverRead MoreHow The Gun Control Laws Should Be Less Restrictive? Essay2526 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Å"The United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people, or about 270,000,000 guns, which is the highest total and per capita number in the world, (Gun Control - ProCon.org). Since there are numerous people in the country who have guns, people need t o learn about these weapons to decrease shootings and other tragedies. Creating gun laws that are more strict would not solve the problems, but create more crime. The gun control laws should be less restrictive because guns can protect innocent civilians from peopleRead MoreLaw Enforcement Officers Should Be Strict1529 Words   |  7 Pagesand people s health is at risk. I also believe officers should try and teach you what is against the law before you are punished, like warnings should be issued when no one is in harm’s way. Some officers think they are unforgettable when they put on a badge, sometimes officers forget what they re there for and go too far. There are many cases when people have been falsely abused by officers for no reason. All people have rights, even when you have committed a crime. You are read your rights when

Saturday, December 14, 2019

World economy and global competitive strategies Free Essays

string(331) " are the products of the competitive environment in the highly volatile knowledge-based sector and are expected to create greater economic impact moving into the next millennium as the services sector becomes tempered more with tightening capital and equity base as globalization gives way to a more complex type of globalization\." The services sector industry is among the more active sectors in every economic unit growing at a faster rate than the rest of the components in every economy. The financial and professional services component for one are among the more strategic professionals tht provide clients with strategic analysis, focused direction, competitive market positioning and portfolio assessments across all segments of an economy. This sector, being one of the most active economic drivers in recent memory, has the in-depth industry resource, experience and clout in bringing the hands-on knowledge of making economic investments and positioning decisions in a dynamic and highly competitive manner in the markets. We will write a custom essay sample on World economy and global competitive strategies or any similar topic only for you Order Now The services sector has grown by leaps and bounds during the last twenty years, integrating deep knowledge and proficiency of every markets they serve, international and national clout and influence in the major corporate management decision making in the primary industries specifically in the capital and labor intensive financial services sector, energy, property, communications, technology and tourism areas aligning strategies and projects, providing clients with forward-looking market analysis and scenarios which model both demand from every market and supply from competitors. With the intensive use of technology and knowledge-based proprietary databases and the dynamic, interactive analytical models of the globalization phenomena, the services sector is able to analyze and project the directional details of the markets, competition, capacity, risks and uncertainties of the global economy. Developing innovative strategies based on a detailed knowledge of demand, technology and competition in all sectors of the economic value chain, the unprecedented growth of the services sector ironically characterizes its own periodic collapses triggered by the sheer heavy weight of its strategic competitive responses to every demand emanating from the other sectors, primarily the agriculture and the manufacturing components. It is not to be underestimated that the influences of the services sector in the two other areas are significant, pervasive and encompassing and this alone has driven the globalization of the services industry to an extent never before imagined. For example, the influences of the professional services of big auditing and consulting firms in the services sector contributed and assured much to its stable growth during the last fifty years that this services area became one enabling force for globalization not only of its own sector, but the entire economic drivers from the agriculture and manufacturing territories. The series sector advise and consult with corporate and business unit executives to evaluate corporate performance; optimize resource and equity portfolios under different future scenarios and uncertainties and risks; assess competitive behavior, outcome and economic implications; and measuring business strategies against overall corporate objectives at the micro level and economic goals at the macro level. This paper therefore analyzes the world economy and makes a strategic competitive economic scenario forthcoming. In the process, this paper seeks answers to the following issues: 1) What are the tell-tale signs that are predictive of favorable and unfavorable global economic and financial scenarios? (2) What new competitive models are tempered by the new forms of economic and financial framework? (3) What is the sustainability of these models in face of the appurtenant risks and uncertainties of the emerging economic environment? (4) What relevance are these emerging strategic competitive models are to the concept of strategy mapping and in the realm of the balance scorecard? Scope and delimitation This study aims to cover the emerging global competitive scenarios and strategies in the services sector and does not include analysis of the agriculture or manufacturing sector. Likewise, this discussion limits itself to the current economic scenario of the first stage of post-2008 global meltdown and their implications towards the succeeding uncertainties of the ongoing turmoil in the financial sector. In addition, discussion extends to every financial market as Britain and Europe, United States, Australia, Singapore, Tokyo and Hongkong and even the emerging capital market in the Middle East. Similarly, discussions aims to center on the major economic drivers that dominate the competitive market place mentioned earlier. Significance of the study This study aims to analyze the economic, political, environmental, social, technological and legal viewpoints that impact the strategies prevailing in the competitive markets. Thus, this paper is determined to clarify the inputs that enable political units to craft economic policies aimed at stabilizing and enhancing the growth of the business sector. Business modeling is a sector that helps clarify the forces that create a phenomenon. Thus, this study will enhance the descriptive relationship among models and seeks to gather enough documented models to help predict phenomena . Thus, this will help allow optimization and maximization necessary to address a continuing environment of competition and the other problems that impacts upon every market phenomenon. Because of the increasing importance of the services sector in the global marketplace, this study will provide a synthesizing prediction of the emerging models of competition in the face of the growing complexity of every economic activity. The services sector and its unique contribution to global economic fundamentals The services sector provides the intangibles that characterize the qualitative directional guide and radar for all other sectors. These services are unique in the sense that corporate judgments and decisions are based on the cost-benefit analytical models that guide entrepreneurs and every unassuming captain of every industry to effective alternative options. When decisions are made, they are tempered with the competitive factors that mitigate or eliminate the risks while enhancing the success rates of choosing the most appropriate solutions. Examples of advisories and consulting projects distinct in the services sector include: (1) integrated corporate strategy development and financial modeling of old and emerging business issues; (2) market analysis and forecasts; (3) project concept optimization and advanced financial modeling; (4) capacity and value chain analysis; (5) risk management systems; (6) global marketing; (7) technology modeling; (8) educational technology, accreditation and certification; (9) quality assurance; (10) logistics planning and management; (11) reengineering consultancy; (12) off-shoring, outsourcing and multi-sourcing; and, (13) economic forecasting, strategic planning and strategic human resource management, among others. These services are the products of the competitive environment in the highly volatile knowledge-based sector and are expected to create greater economic impact moving into the next millennium as the services sector becomes tempered more with tightening capital and equity base as globalization gives way to a more complex type of globalization. You read "World economy and global competitive strategies" in category "Papers" Globalization at this point, shall have become more efficient but predatory. The unending shift of the markets in favor of those companies that are heavily underwritten by the services sector will continue to pervade every market making it even more sensitive and uncertain. Just like the appearances of the recessive depressions of the 1930s, the 1997 Asian financial crisis and 2008s, the unpredictability of the services sector is always a warning to its adherents – that the potentials of this sector is as open and lethal as the crises that are spawned by its a buses. Among the industries: manufacturing, services and agriculture, the services sector appears to have pervaded more the impact of the other sectors in the same way the GATT and WTO, the Asia Pacific Cooperation (APEX) agencies and the NAFTA that have influenced the markets of the developing countries in the process of protecting the interests of the developed states. Understandably, this protectionist groupings is expected to bring and create a leveling of the playing fields in business, but at whose terms? †¢ This sector advises many companies and economic units as well as governments on the implications of geopolitics and economic development for global and regional industry investments, whether foreign direct capital or the portfolio type that characterize television game showed. Our economic analysts combine a rigorous analysis of country, regional and global political and economic factors with in-depth understanding of how the markets operate. There is the assessment and impact modeling on companies and markets of economic importance and change, the sensitivity impact of OPEC decisions, economic developments and global supply/demand patterns. The services industry is an industry leader in understanding the dynamics of the energy sector. Using a unique methodology and framework to predict country and regional developments, there are provided commercially-relevant scenarios which enable clients to evaluate risk, assess opportunities and plan strategy accordingly. Examples of advisories and other consulting projects include: (1) assessment of the long-term investment risk in a new country compared with other assets in an independent’s portfolio basis; (2) formulation of a global competitive strategy for every small and medium sized international company; (3) development of future political and economic scenarios and implications for every industry giving the accurate and genuine investment opportunities for a major players in the economy; and, (4) development of a regional access strategy for every major integrated company. The services strategies group offers advisory and consulting services primarily as well as real time online membership services to meet the needs of clients. The services industry is highly dependent on global competitive costs and demands explanations and implications from the services analysts. The business sector cannot afford not to know every economic driver? For more than two decades, 25 years to be exact, The services sector’s economic and political risk experts have woven their deep understanding of the energy sector into a keen understanding of geopolitics. Thus, unique insights are provided into the economies of major economic producers, their development strategies and the sustainability of those strategies. The sector is responsible for advising many clients on business opportunities and entry strategies in emerging markets, leveraging their understanding of political risk and country politics. Thus, the services sector have benefitted from the importance it has given to the following industries: aerospace and defense, automotive and transportation, banking, chemicals, construction consumer products, energy and utilities, financial services, government, industrial manufacturing, insurance, metals and mining and pharmaceuticals The expertise of the services sector goes well beyond consulting and financial services. Using a unique methodology and framework to predict country and regional developments, the sector provides commercially-relevant scenarios which enable clients to evaluate risk, assess opportunities and plan strategy accordingly. Thus, competition in this area continuous to become stiff, hence extremely important. Thus, built with a combination of regional politics, economics, markets and global trends and technology, this analytical study is applicable to the business environments of the diverse industries and clients that benefit from their advisory system. Similarly, the sector’s and market experts provide clients an integrated approach to country, regional, local and global market trends resulting in probabilistic scenarios that help them manage the value of such undertaking. There is a need to combine the in-depth knowledge of the every sector with the ability to build and construct vertical and forward-looking geopolitical and economic risk models, such as the political and economic analysis of key producing markets, the wide and extensive power-mapping of key economic and political decision makers in the strategic sectors of the economy, getting insights into energy-intensive, value added sectors of the economy, national development goals, plans and capabilities, unconventional wisdom regarding complex markets, innovative approaches to interpreting country risk and identifying under-explored opportunities Strategic Competitive Functional Practices of the Services Sector The service industry, while still comparatively young compared to the other sectors will continue to grow and expand as the global economy gradually makes progress in the midst of the global financial turmoil which has stalled all momentum towards expected growth. The complexity and importance of their services to the business sector will determine the competitiveness with which this sector grown by leaps and bounds. To name a few, the business process outsourcing and offshoring sectors expands at a dizzying pace than before as corporate organizations continue to adopt reengineering measures to reduce cost to remain competitive. The fluidity of the professional services sectors in the health area represented by the nurses and other health experts have pervaded the manpower market all over and remains an extremely bright prospects for sustainability of countries with a high degree of services training to its people. Mutual regional agreements for the practice of professionals beyond borders are relevant issues being considered by regional economic summits and groupings such as Apec, Asean, Nafta and follows the pattern advocated by the GATT and the WTO. Thusm advanced form of services will replace traditional schemes: (1) global coverage with regional expertise where the services team of regional experts offer in depth expertise and collectively create an integrated, global perspective; (2) energy dynamics which helps maintain relationships with key sector delegations and provides insight into the effect on markets and local sectors by the services component; (3) industry leadership in understanding the dynamics of the energy sector. Using a unique methodology and framework to predict country and regional developments, the sector provides commercially-relevant scenarios which enable clients to evaluate risk, assess opportunities and plan strategy accordingly. In addition, its industry players are considered the strong backbone of the sector as they have steered the industry from nothing. Experience-wise service experts have previous background experience in the government and provide clients with insight on United States foreign policy formation, future policy directions and economic impact on various industries. Somehow, the framework of global competitiveness for the sector will continue to be governed by technology-based innovations and cost-efficient systems sustainable over the long term. Here, the impact of an important consideration as Climate Change Policy, our understanding of climate change policy that stems from the broad expertise in national and global regulatory regimes, and the interaction of long-term trends in politics, economics and technology. Regional Issues for Investors in the Services sector In Africa, the services sector provides consulting and advisory services to companies and governments on African geopolitics, political risk to investments, market strategies and competitive positioning in the region. Likewise, it also offers assessments of key linkages between Africa and other regions and the resulting implications to the economic environment prevailing. In Asia, the industry provides an on-the-ground expertise to clients focused on the region itself along market risks and strategies, competitive issues and regional geopolitics. In Europe, where the services sector is among the fastest growing component, the series sector maintains consulting advice with companies and governments on regional politics, the impact of regulatory changes and policies, market strategies and competitive issues. In Latin America, the services sector focus on tourism ands draw from their extensive knowledge of politics, economics and regulatory trends as well as on-the-ground experience to help clients anticipate policy shifts and improve strategic planning. Latin America’s largest markets also offer major asset-liability resource-holders and grounds for clients to benefit from recognized expertise in geopolitics, economic markets, US foreign policy as it relates to the region and in-depth knowledge of the primary economic drivers of the industry. In providing integrated risk assessments and laying out future scenarios, the role of the services sector is to assist its clients to devise robust coordinative and competitive strategies unique for the region. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the strategic focus is more on the uniqueness of the Middle East which recognizes services technology experts for the region. The market in Bahrain allows for greater interaction with clients in the MENA region along geopolitics, the economic impact of US foreign policy, the developmentalist strategies of the Gulf States and investment opportunities and political risks which are considered high in the region as they become more volatile in terms of strategy. A special emphasis of the services sector in the area is the government consulting efforts that is directed towards sustainable development and one that will allow governments to leverage their natural resources, diversify their business ventures and enhance human capital. In North America, the services sector continue to dominate the economic landscape at enhancing extensive knowledge about the impact of US energy, economic, climate change and foreign policy, allowing clients to benefit from our interaction with key government officials. In Russia and the Caspian area, the services sector which are heavily technology-based, experts write, consult and speak on regional oil and gas developments; regional energy strategies; economics and politics; MA trends in the Russian oil sector; US foreign policy as it relates to the region; entry strategies; competitive trends and other associated issues that impact investments in the region. Service consultant and advisors regularly participate in senior-level delegations with representatives from both US and regional governments and private industry but mostly oil companies. Methodology The study requires a primarily qualitative approach of the descriptive types that brings and illustrates scenarios that accurately depict the answers the questions and issues earlier propounded. The first statement of the issue on the tell-tale signs that are predictive of a favorable and unfavorable global economic and financial scenarios require am inventory of the manifestations of market indicators that may likely result to either scenarios. The predictive validity of indicators is the subject of analysis and correlation. In the second statement, on what new competitive models are tempered by the new forms of economic and financial framework, the methodology explores specific or merging theories that explains and clarifies the new relationships of marketing, competitiveness, quality, pricing, technology and the buyer’s behavior. In the third statement on what the sustainability of these models are in the face of the appurtenant risks and uncertainties of the emerging economic environment requires the analysis of the stability of the models presented and their sensitivity to the changes occurring in the environment in the form of risks and uncertainties and are expressed in terms of low or high degrees in a scale of five. On the fourth issue on what relevance these emerging strategic competitive models are to the concept of strategy mapping and in the realm of the balance scorecard, require the matching of the competitiveness models with the functional models currently prevailing such as the Kaplan and Norton (2004) concept of strategy maps and balanced scorecard. Thus, the findings are expected to explain the competitiveness, the prospects of growth and the emergence of a new globalization model of the prevailing services sector. Documentary and situation analysis, economic cause and effect relationships, financial modeling and analysis are likely to show cause for explaining the competitive scenario for the service industry. Key informants, representing authorities in the area of economics, competitiveness and marketing contribute to the analytical processes that zeroed in on the phenomenon. An in-depth analysis is required to link instances with growth, emerging manifestations with symptomatic issues. Findings and Data Analysis The issue statements are again enumerated below to determine the results of the study as well as the implications and conclusions being propounded and established. Here, the research questions are reiterated and provided with analytical findings that support current economic theories. Telltale signs Tell-tale signs that are predictive of favorable and unfavorable global economic and financial scenarios are those manifestations that are likely to result in bullish or bearish market sentiments and may provide upbeat optimism or gloomy pessimism towards the future. Favorable economic scenarios are manifested by the following factors: (1) price stability of the product or services which implies a good balance of demand and supply of such product and services. This further explains the general stability of the supply chain applicable to the services sector such as the availability of an adequate number and quality of labor matching the industry needs. For instance, the outsourcing and the off shoring services sectors are steadily growing at a rate indicative of the normal growth in gross domestic product. These should be supported in addition by manifestations in the other areas of the supply chain such as political order and situation is a major supply area such as the Asian continent which are primarily the supply market for the services sectors especially the BPO manpower needs. In the professional services sectors, the availability of nurses, engineers, accountants, doctors, teachers, hospitality industry workers, IT programmers and web designers and other professionals is a significant factor in stabilizing the long-term prospect of the services sector. Thus, the participation of the educational sector especially the higher education institutions are critical in maintaining the steady and balanced flow of manpower to the industry in terms of quantity and quality provided. Any form of imbalance is likely to create a demand and supply gap that is likely to translate into price differences and either to the advantage or disadvantage of the employer and employee. Growth areas in the services sector will continue to be dominated by the BPO industry which includes back office services provided by the accountants and financial services providers, health care workers, hotel, restaurant, tourism and culinary experts. Geographically, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is likely to become a prominently rich areas for the services sectors tempered only by sporadic issues of conflicts between and among the native Arab constituents which will concentrate the services sectors in the more politically stable Arab nations such as the Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt which are becoming the favorite destinations of service professionals due to its lucrative compensation packages. Other growth areas considered include the American services market which serves as the area expect to pump prime and jumpstart back the economic stimulus packages provided by the US administration. In addition, the Australia-New Zealand market is likely to dominate the Asian region next to India primarily driven by efficiency factors while India’s competitive advantage is its low-cost technical service providers in the dominant BPO industry. Although China and Korea are fast becoming the hub of pr ofessional teachers and education providers, the Asian market is expected tube the primary beneficiary of its own competent manpower supply. This is similarly the case of Europe and South America which adequately provide and supplies its own service providers primarily in the tourism and professionals sector. The North American market will likely be dominated by the Canadian demand as the country opens up its doors to professionals from all over the world. Nevertheless, off-shoring and outsourcing services are expected to continue its upbeat growth rate over the long-term. However, it is likely that the shifting from outsourcing to the off-shoring area will be more pronounced as labor costs offer competitive advantage to a host country. Nonetheless, the primarily considerations for the BPO industry is similarly shifting from the cost factor to the quality factor. Emerging Competitive Models The new competitive models tempered by the new forms of economic and financial framework are expected to be along the cost-quality market factors. Traditionally, cost considerations have been the primarily competitive factor in the services sector. However, the growing matching of cost and quality character of providers is becoming the defining standard in the competition. It appears here, that the cost considerations are slowly becoming a secondary option for buyers of services as the industry shifts its priorities towards the quality dimension. Thus, the Asian services market has slowly adopted the cost-quality model which is attributed to be factors in further stabilizing the services. On the other hand, the cultural factors of manpower providers are slowly gaining adherents in the industry considering the ability of the cultural dimension to enhance or denigrate the quality dimension in the delivery of services in the sector. Thus, certain preferences have started to be a consideration in terms of hiring. Filipinos, for instance, are becoming favorite preferences for teachers in China and Korea because of their cultural background in the languages that enabled them to become the fourth largest English speaking country in the world. India so far has dominated the BPO industry because of its technology-driven educational sector that is consistently being developed by the government. Sustainability versus risks and uncertainties Risks and uncertainties similarly will characterize all moves in the competitive services market. The cost-quality-culture model of competitiveness is likely to dominate during the medium to long-term as markets start developing their niche in the services sector. Incidentally, the services industry has been primarily driven by the ability of the providers to integrate the values of their culture with the value-needs of the sector. Slowly, the cost-quality-culture model is being enhanced and made more marketable by the cross-cultural and social migration factors that gradually demands the quality of immigrants or permanent residents admitted in a host country like Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the MENA region. Other emerging models indicate the growing preferences for the language and skills qualifications of professionals as they are slowly absorbed by the host country. However, the risks and uncertainties faced by the services sector include the factor of cultural resistance as migrants and overseas workers assimilate themselves into the society of the host country. Formal ethnic groupings are likely to increase which will likewise increase the racial tensions and discriminations inherent in the host country. Thus, the social cost of the services sector is likely to cause short-term cultural irritants especially for ethic groups with high militancy backgrounds. Relevance of Models vs Strategy Maps and the Balance Scorecard The emerging strategic competitive models and the concept of strategy mapping and the balance scorecard principle (Kaplan Norton, 2004) are heretofore being matched to create relevance and purpose in the models emerging in the economy. The balanced scorecard and strategy map concepts appears to be where the services sector is heading form refinement. These concepts defines strategies along four perspectives: the financial, which assures corporate profitability for shareholders; customer satisfaction which assures clients on the quality of the services; learning and growth, which provides investments in training and development to the human capital; and the internal business processes that demands the use of appropriate technology processes in providing services. Here, the prospects of the models have the making of an extremely positive framework for rendering services in the industry. The stakeholder concept of management and decision making demands that business decisions be tempered with the interests of all stakeholders in mind, such that no sector or perspective becomes underserved and neglected. Fairness and impartiality is paramount and immortal. These models, perhaps is the best road map the services sector can design and sustain. The services sector is likely destined to become a very potent sector in the next generation employing a large majority of the working age population at the least and the highly intellectual sector at the most. Henceforth, this economic component stands to be the most productive resource in any economic unit. The fluidity of the world economy will always welcome new shifts in thinking as well innovation in the way services are being delivered. In due time, the delivery services will concentrated through information technology processes that may reduce the physical component of the industry, that is, investment in physical assets will shift to the burden of the worker as services are rendered from home areas and no longer from fixed buildings and offices. In fact, off-shoring is virtually an outsourcing done away from the country. The situs of work is becoming mobile. This implies the intensive use of technology as man opts to become more multitasking and productive in the most feasible ways than ever. Although many sectors in the service industry will continue to be in the actual place of business, but the change in the configuration of how services are delivered in some areas will likely create a new industry or a form of industrial revolution that allows doctors to treat their patients miles away, accountants analyzing clients’ financial statements from another country, bank clients interacting with their banks in all financial transactions that virtually makes use solely the ATM equipment, nurses automating and teleconferencing with in-patients and outpatients on home care, call center agents investing in their own VOIP and serving the company in the comfort of their homes, teachers using high-end technology in virtual contact with his or her students through teleconferencing in a virtual room, engineers designing and monitoring projects through rooms filled with LCD monitors projecting all possible angles of the project, or computer programs and website developed in the worker’s own laboratory. All these components of the service industry realigning to form a new form of services sector that are home-based or away from the usual work sites—called the offsite services sector. The potentials of this emerging sector becomes tremendous when one considers the effects in terms of less manpower and capital expenditures outlay on the part of the company and less personal expenses in moving to and from work such as gasoline, clothing, meals, work stress, travel risks and more of family time, leisure and quiet healthy decision making processes away from the chaos of the company premises. The services sector has a unique characteristic, and that is the substance of the services is intellectually conceptualized, hence there is no need for physical presence. The other half of the services sector definitely requires physical presence like the tourism and the hospitality industry, the traditional hospital and medical care services, accountants on actual hands-on supervisory work, managers that physically supervises handling of the movements of logistics and resources, etc. Conclusion The potentials of the services sector are one that virtually creates unlimited prospec ts for the economy. The industrial revolution expanded man’s opportunities that practically opened new doors for other industries to be born, such as the technology revolution, the knowledge age, the atomic era, the period of corporate social responsibility as an inescapable perspective in the conduct of business. Managing the world economy through the next generation is one gigantic responsibility that demands a new form of working with tasks and people. The sensitivity of every stakeholder in the conduct of business similarly demands impartial attention to their expectations which should not be left to the corporate background and be given lesser priority. Likewise, managing the services sector of the economy demands investments in the human capital and the peripherals of services. Thus, considering the high degree of volatility and fluidity of the services sector, the future of the industry remains as upbeat as any optimist can be. Man’s responsiveness to the emerging models of the services sector should enable him to reconfigure his thinking, shifting not simple paradigms but merging those old thinking with innovative components that not only redesigns old ideas, but keeps them to create balance between technology of the past and the emerging innovations of the present. Man is not likely to stop reinventing himself. The services sector is the vehicle of that reinvention. Thus, it is the core of this thesis that the various industries, the services sector especially, need to reconsider currently existing models such that these gradually matches man’s need for identity, relevance, dignity and immortality in terms of innovation gratitude. How to cite World economy and global competitive strategies, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Globalization Commercialization of Caribbean Music free essay sample

He Is a member of the International Association for the study of popular music ASSAM), a co-producer, an author, a professor and an editorial board member of the journal Popular Music Society, etc. Having created innovative commercial music for television and radio, he has also had Interviews with Influential artists and producers ranging from members of Public Enemy to renowned record producer Nile Rodgers.His name is Mike Allen and he specializes in popular music research, where his career emphasis Is on the Caribbean, and with this In mind, there Is no reason this gentleman with a PhD in English/Cultural Studies wouldnt have his recent work included in Popular Music History and World Music: Roots Routes entitled Globalization and commercialisms In Caribbean Music which will be critically reviewed within this essay.Firstly, The Levin Institute from The State university of New York (SONY) defines globalization as a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies , and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and Investment and aided by Information technology and elaborates that the process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic velveteen and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world. With the latter elaboration In mind. E can further go on to define centralization as offering a product in the market, modernizing it and have it start making the BIG bills. For example, its taking a small town kid with singing abilities and turning them Into a musical Mega-Star with the right artist and product development team. These two terms plays a vital role in Allens article as they relate to Caribbean Music. Allen begins his article by expressing how the Identification of globalization by developing nations have proven to present major challenges and stands as a threat to their continued existence.In regards to Caribbean popular music, he goes on the mention that a central concern of most distorting the content and representation of the local. Exactly what does mean? If one should deduce this statement, it simply boils down to how best to represent your culture in the international market without losing any essence at all but still being attractive to the foreign market. And to agree with Allen, in the recording industry immemorial enthusiasm have often been more about making money than representing culture.How then can countries from the Caribbean logically represent their music without commercialisms weakening their art to a point where it becomes only a product? To this date at most times, impossible. The renowned author and professor in his discussion attempts to enlighten us on the historical and textual aspects of Anglophone Caribbean music where he pays particular attention to the reggae era and the marketing of the legendary Bob Marled and speaks of corporations and authenticity.He explains that the Caribbean and the exoticism that is associated with it had suffered a great deal of being diluted by music corporations especially the colorful genre such as calypso. Where instead of marketing the genre based on the artistic and cultural strengths it possesses, it is reconfigured to appeal to the larger markets. He goes on to explain that even t hough the artistes of the genre may have yielded from this reconfiguring also known as commercialisms, the foundation that it is built on is not suitable for career prolonged existence.Take for instance, Nature a not so affluent young lady desires o purchase a Louis Button leather bag but does not have $ISSUED to buy it authentically but purchases rather a less authentic version for $91ST. The knock- off is quite similar to the authentic version but it fails to withstand the time as it is not real leather and is therefore depleted in 3 years, if so much. Even though Nature did get to flaunt her Louis Button bag without anyone guessing it wasnt authentic, it was short-lived.Should Nature have invested in the authentic one, there would have existed longevity maybe even up to her daughters 20th birthday! This only boils down to how much and exactly what value is actually seen in and placed on or in a product. Moving along, Allen uses a shocking yet still understandable comparison by referring to the Euro-Americans way of taming Caribbean music as the old-school exploitation of sugar plantations and labor within our Caribbean region. This process only cements the notion that culture and commerce creates conflict.As he highlights that reggae music subcultures have been developed in different countries other than Jamaica and there exists successful local interpretations suc h as an album by Twilight Circus from Holland entitled Volcanic Dub (2001). Allen has said that it contains dubs authentic trademark: organic sonic textures created through progressive remixing accentuated by echo, delay, revere, various inversions of sound. In agreeing with the author, one needs to differentiate between music embracing and divorcing the very structure of reggae.Further into discussion, Allen noted the Pre-Marled Era where 1912 is the year cited for our first international recording of Caribbean Music. Calypso seemingly belonging o Trinidad began to be commercialese in ways that one could not envision. The decades after World War II is the most apparent when it comes to the American appropriation and commercialisms of calypso. For example, one of the most famous calypso songs Rum and Coca Cola depicts the American presence on the ere Andrews Sisters.However, the song was originally published by Lord Invader in a pamphlet in March 1943 but the Barbarian-born arranger of the original version Lionel Balance successfully sued in 1947 for plagiarism (Cooley 1985, 9-28). Reported o have sold over five million copies in The Andrews Sisters version, lyrics have been altered significantly to appeal to more Western cultures beyon d our Caribbean Natters. Even another one of Trinidad own Harry Flatten has suffered from diluted Caribbean music due to globalization and centralization.Allen goes on to discuss the rise of reggae in the article and mentions that Jamaican popular music lacked strength in its identity until the sass along with critical credibility as an album-based genre until the marketing of The Wailers in the early sass. It is evident that this led to the metallization of Bob Marled, the genres first superstar. Even then have Bob suffered by the hands of commercialisms as l Shot the Sheriff has been recreated by Eric Clayton and the Catch a Fire album, once again lacking reggae authenticity to appeal to the wider market.For instance, Time Magazine declaring Exodus as the Best Album of the Century over an album such as Legend, Inch can be deduced that Exodus is more appealing to the audience beyond our Caribbean waters. With this in mind, to agree with the author one must ask, exactly owe does one distinguish authenticit y and if without the capitalist channels used if some of us would even know of our legendary Bob Marled? In the case of Barbados, Allen points out that there has been significant impact regionally but seldom any on the international market until recently.Historically, one of Barbados most important musical icons is the late Jackie People the developer of a rhythm called spouse, which was scheduled to be their popular music but never flourished due to Peoples early passing. Even the band ivory, with intentions to make the band popular hey have incorrectly stated to originate from Australia. How tragic. Only until recently have a Barbarian artist (Iranian) achieved major album sales in America Inch began in 2005. Rupee has also deemed to be a U.S Chart success but nowhere close to the accomplishments achieved by Iranian. But even then, Airmans music style does not represent Barbarian musical culture. Allen refers to this case as an example of alocalization of the global, which the text is returned to the primary source of its commercial influence, America. The question left to be asked, is there anything that ties Iranian to Barbados? Her first album, Music of the Sun does appeal to the aura of the Caribbean but that is as far as it goes as there is no evidence in the music.She has even be incorrectly identified to be Jamaican and in efforts to show her nationality, the Barbarian trident symbol has been placed strategically in her If its loving that you want music video. This is as much Barbarian culture that is instilled into the image of Iranian. To conclude, Allen further expresses accomplishments of other Caribbean artists emerging in the world racket but continues to indemnify the challenges faced as centralization plays a major role in Caribbean Music being globalizes.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Maximizing Profits in Market Structures free essay sample

Profits in Market Structures Market Structures are described as a particular relationship between the buyers and the sellers of goods and services in a specific market (Mathias, 2000). Three different types of market structures are competitive markets, monopolies, and oligopolies. Each of these market structures has a particular set of characteristics that identify it and separate it from the others. These categories are also separated by the way they each use pricing and output to calculate and maximize their profits. We will write a custom essay sample on Maximizing Profits in Market Structures or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another difference between these three categories is the presence of barriers, which may be present to encourage current companies to exit, as well as new comers to enter that market. Also, each of these three structures has a different effect on the economy, some having more control on the market than others. With all these differences the specific market structures all have one thing in common, they all rely on supply and demand to determine how to maximize their profits. Competitive markets have two primary characteristics that separate it from other market structures. The first characteristic is that, within a competitive market, there are a large number of buyers and sellers. Second is that the product being sold is the same among all companies, making the products completely interchangeable. These factors make the market competitive by insuring that no single buyer or seller can control the market price. Therefore, in order for companies within a competitive market to maximize profits, they must maintain an equilibrium between the price charged for a product and quantity that they produce. This means that a company must take the price being charged for a product and subtract the cost of making the product to figure out where they are equal. As the price of a product in a competitive market is controlled by the market as a whole, the seller must adjust its output to maintain maximum profits. This is important because the company’s revenue is in direct correlation with the price, so if the price goes up $1. 00 per unit then the revenue also will go up the same amount. For example, if a product has a fixed cost of $1. 0, and the variable cost of $3. 00 and the product sells for $5. 00 then the company has to adjust its output to balance that amount, so that it does not cost over $5. 00 for each product sold. One factor that can affect the output of a product, is the lack of barriers that are present for anyone wanting to begin or exit a company. If the amount of sellers change but the demand does not then current companies will need to decrease the output or risk the price dropping below the profitable levels. The competitive markets can have a positive impact on the economy because the competition helps control the cost of products. If there was little or no competition, then companies would have the ability to raise prices as high as they wanted to, especially in the case of items that are necessities (Mankiw, 2007). The characteristics of a monopoly are first, that there is only one company selling a product and there are no substitutions. Second, there is no competition, the product is exclusive to one company. Third, in a monopoly the company completely controls the pricing of its products and can charge as much as they believe a customer will pay (Mathias, 2000). In contrast to a competitive market, a monopoly can chose what to charge for its product. However, the price must be set according to what consumers are willing to pay, while still maintaining a profitable level of production. It is important to control the output of product so, the price must be set to where the company will still be able to sell a large amount of product while maximizing its profits . There are substantial barriers to entering a market that has a monopoly. One barrier is the inability to compete in the market that is controlled by one company. A small business starting out in completion with a large monopoly would incur substantial costs to begin production and they would have to increase their prices to make a profit. This could also be a problem if the monopoly holds the rights to the raw materials that it takes to make a product. Therefore, entering a market that is controlled by a monopoly is very difficult. However, it is possible for a market to be controlled by a small number of companies, similar to the way that a monopoly controls a market. The economic impact that monopolies have can be outrageous prices or limited availability of goods and services to many people (Mankiw, 2007). An Oligopoly is when a limited number of companies control a specific market, with little competition (Mathias, 2000). Some characteristics of an oligopoly are that the companies all make the same or similar items, so they are substitutable, and there are only a few companies that produce this good. As there are a limited amount of producers these oligopolies are also able to set the price of their goods, using things like advertisements and warranties for competition between businesses. Because there are only a few companies making a product the members of an oligopoly have to control the production of their goods in order to control the pricing. If one of the companies decides to increase production then there will be an abundance of supply without the necessary increase in demand. This means that the cost of the product will have to go down to try to increase demand. These companies have to maintain a steady level of output in order to maintain price, giving them the best profits. The companies that are in this small circle of businesses, try very hard to erect barriers in front of anyone who may think about entering their market. By stopping the emergence of new companies the oligopolies can continue to control the market. The affect that oligopolies have on the economy is the ability to control pricing and supply of products, similar to the impact that a monopoly has (Mankiw, 2007). In conclusion, each market structure plays a role in the economy with the focus of these companies centering on profits. They monopoly can be beneficial if the lowest price for consumers comes from having only on producer but in many cases a monopoly means high prices and limited supply. An oligopoly does have less control over pricing only because they are sharing the demand and antitrust laws prevent them from gathering together as one monopoly, to maximize profit. The competitive market is the most economically friendly market because it has to compete to get customers and this helps keep prices affordable and does not limit the availability of goods to the public.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Artificial Intelligence Essays - Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Essays - Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence Recently, the media has spent an increasing amount of broadcast time on new technology. The focus of high-tech media has been aimed at the flurry of advances concerning artificial intelligence (AI). What is artificial intelligence and what is the media talking about? Are these technologies beneficial to our society or mere novelties among business and marketing professionals? Medical facilities, police departments, and manufacturing plants have all been changed by AI but how? These questions and many others are the concern of the general public brought about by the lack of education concerning rapidly advancing computer technology. Artificial intelligence is defined as the ability of a machine to think for itself. Scientists and theorists continue to debate if computers will actually be able to think for themselves at one point (Patterson 7). The generally accepted theory is that computers do and will think more in the future. AI has grown rapidly in the last ten years chiefly because of the advances in computer architecture. The term artificial intelligence was actually coined in 1956 by a group of scientists having their first meeting on the topic (Patterson 6). Early attempts at AI were neural networks modeled after the ones in the human brain. Success was minimal at best because of the lack of computer technology needed to calculate such large equations. AI is achieved using a number of different methods. The more popular implementations comprise neural networks, chaos engineering, fuzzy logic, knowledge based systems, and expert systems. Using any one of the aforementioned design structures requires a specialized computer system. For example, Anderson Consulting applies a knowledge based system to commercial loan officers using multimedia (Hedburg 121). Their system requires a fast IBM desktop computer. Other systems may require even more horsepower using exotic computers or workstations. Even more exotic is the software that is used. Since there are very few applications that are pre-written using AI, each company has to write it's own software for the solution to the problem. An easier way around this obstacle is to design an add-on. The company FuziWare makes several applications that act as an addition to a larger application. FuziCalc, FuziQuote, FuziCell, FuziChoice, and FuziCost are all products that are used as management decision support systems for other off-the shelf applications (Barron 111). In order to tell that AI is present we must be able to measure the intelligence being used. For a relative scale of reference, large supercomputers can only create a brain the size of a fly (Butler and Caudill 5). It is surprising what a computer can do with that intelligence once it has been put to work. Almost any scientific, business, or financial profession can benefit greatly from AI. The ability of the computer to analyze variables provides a great advantage to these fields. There are many ways that AI can be used to solve a problem. Virtually all of these methods require special hardware and software to use them. Unfortunately, that makes AI systems expensive. Consulting firms, companies that design computing solutions for their clients, have offset that cost with the quality of the system. Many new AI systems now give a special edge that is needed to beat the competition. Created by Lotfi Zadeh almost thirty years ago, fuzzy logic is a mathematical system that deals with imprecise descriptions, such as new, nice, or large (Schmuller 14). This concept was also inspired from biological roots. The inherent vagueness in everyday life motivates fuzzy logic systems (Schmuller 8). In contrast to the usual yes and no answers, this type of system can distinguish the shades in-between. In Los Angeles a fuzzy logic system is used to analyze input from several cameras located at different intersections (Barron 114). This system provides a smart light that can decide whether a traffic light should be changed more often or remain green longer. In order for these smart lights to work the system assigns a value to an input and analyzes all the inputs at once. Those inputs that have the highest value get the highest amount of attention. For example, here is how a fuzzy logic system might evaluate water temperature. If the water is cold, it assigns a value of zero. If it is hot the system will assign the value of one. But if the next sample is lukewarm it has the capability to decide upon a value of 0.6 (Schmuller 14). The varying degrees of warmness or coldness are shown through the values assigned to it.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Three Reasons Companies Move Jobs Either to or from the USA Assignment

Three Reasons Companies Move Jobs Either to or from the USA - Assignment Example The USA, being the world’s biggest economy, does not operate in isolation and effectively companies have moved jobs out and into the country. Conversely, there are different reasons for companies to move jobs out and into the country. While the key reasons for companies moving jobs out of the USA range from labor arbitrage and avoidance bureaucratic regulations, companies moving jobs into the country cite high inflation on wages as the main reason of moving their plants and operations back to the country. This expose therefore elucidates three reasons companies move jobs either from or to the USA. One of the reasons that companies move their jobs overseas, especially the manufacturing processes, is to take advantage of lower wages abroad especially in poor countries. Labor arbitrage is the process of taking advantage of lower wages in any type of business operation (â€Å"Moving back to America†). China is one of the countries that offer cheap labor and essentially companies from the USA move their manufacturing plants to the country in order to lower the cost of production and improve their profit margins. A study conducted in 2002 to determine the manufacturing industry’s compensation of workers in China, showed that factories in China labor compensated their employees 64 cents an hour. In comparison, the same study found out that a similar compensation in the USA job market stood at $21.11. In this case, companies with manufacturing plants in the USA would want to take advantage of the low labor wages in China and in other countries offering cheap labor. It is crucial to note that companies expect to have a high return on investment (ROI). In effect, one way to ensure that they achieved this objective is through a reduction in the cost of operation. Therefore, cheap labor ensured that the cost of operation remained low and therefore companies achieved the objective of having a high return on investment. However, the USA job market does not offer cheap labor, as most companies would like. While the study only covered the hourly-wages only, a further study with scanty data available in China indicated that this figure of 64 cents rose to $1.06 when considering other benefits and insurance (â€Å"Just How Cheap is Chinese Labor?†). This figure is still relatively low in comparison to the USA labor and explained company’s preference for the Chinese labor marke t. Labor arbitrage might be the main reason that American based companies cut their workforce in the country in order to expand abroad in the 2000s. In this regard, the Chinese job market witnessed 260% additional jobs by America based companies that translated into 943,900 jobs since 1999 to 2009 (Wessel). In this case, it is imperative to point out that cheap labor might be the key reason that attracted these multinationals to the Chinese job market. To prove this point, these US based multinationals decreased their job levels in Germany by 2% while jobs in the UK and France labor markets increased by 8% and 2% respectively (Wessel). It is crucial to note that, the same study that showed the average labor wages for china as $1.03 showed that he same wages paid to a factory worker in these three countries averaged $14.22 (â€Å"Just How Cheap Is Chinese Labor Market?†). The availability of cheap labor is not the only reason that makes USA based

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

A Review of Immidration Policy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Review of Immidration Policy - Research Paper Example America is affected by immigration and is the state with the largest number of immigrants. The government is working in outlining guiding principles that will control the immigration in the country. Immigration has both negatively and positively affected the country. America’s immigration policies are created to control the number of individuals coming in and out of the country. Immigration Preemption, Federal Plenary Power, Employer sanctions on Immigration and E-Verify are four subjects that highlight immigration policy in America. Immigration Preemption The problems regarding America’s immigration policy engage in criminalizing of immigration laws to dispirit the illegal passage of the boundary without the states permission. Immigrants in America that are unlawfully staying will face judgment for unlawfully existing in the country. The creation of the acts and laws are to discourage the individuals who are not documented and to stay in the country. It is predicted th at few states and local immigration policies will be preempted by INA. The state governments are allowed to determine whether a person is lawfully or unlawfully allowed in the country by the second provision of SB 1070. Exclusionary immigration laws were difficult to find the unlawful settler in America. Arizona laws use state and local officials such as local police administrator to search and hunt down the illegal immigrants. The state laws are using discriminatory way of making laws aim at the immigrants crossing the border. The conflict between the federal and state law is because of the effectiveness it has in regulating the undocumented settler. The state and localities are given the ability to suspend and arrest employers that employ the immigrant workers. The increasing problem that exists between the federal and state laws is because of nationalization clause and states. Laws that interfere and conflict with the federal immigration regulations and policies are under preempt ion doctrine. Hence, the challenges facing the two authoritative groups are caused on the effectiveness it has in controlling the illegal immigration. The constitution does not go into detail in distinguishing the federal and state laws in defining the laws. Immigration in America has raised many debates that concern the security and populace of the country (McKanders, 2011). State law that interferes with the constitution is not imposed in regulating illegal migration in the country. Federal law is capable to preempt the state law when it is necessary by the following steps; through obscuring clash preemption, articulating preemption, and obscuring turf preemption. Federal immigration and state laws find it difficult in defining the immigrant’s employment. The state of law has the responsibility in ruling the housing and service for the aliens. The government and the constitution explain and try to solve the conflicts between the federal and state laws. There are policies th at are formed to guide immigration of people across the border in America. The problems faced by the state, and the immigrants are watched out and solved by the federal. State laws are faced with the threat of being preempt. Immigration emphasizes also in overturning the state and federal laws. The congress was not allowed to replace and remove the state law from issuing out guidelines for immigrants in the city. Federal Plenary Power Federal law has matured from a foreign policy into

Monday, November 18, 2019

Case study on BMP DDB advertising company Essay

Case study on BMP DDB advertising company - Essay Example e consumers throughout the day, allows the researcher to identify why an individual's habits may vary according to unsystematic factors such as their mood, the time of day, and the weather. It critically shows the peculiarity in the customers’ behaviour that market researchers are desperately searching. For instance, a customer’s store purchase data may reveal that they buy foodstuffs, but cannot tell the combinations of the stuff the customer eats (Agbonifoh, 2002:97-116). The company’s first marketing research put ethnographic research into prospective. This approach was tested with a family group. The results obtained were then compared with more traditional approaches of profiling buyers. It was then established that the outcomes of the research revealed something about the buying behaviour of the family, using their lifestyle and buying patterns. The outstanding concern that the research needed to answer was whether this behaviour bore any authenticity (Bake r and Bass, 2003:90-210). The amount of data gathered by the researcher regarding the family’s behaviour, within the research period, depicted a lot about the family. However, the recorded information about the family, although exhaustive and often precise, did not completely capture the habits and information that comprise the personality of the family. The research identified that the family held high value of money than the average people. On the contrary, though the data on family properly suggested that they enjoy lavish goods like high-quality foods and foreign holidays, it could not reveal any presence of life factors that influenced their purchasing decisions. Moreover, the information about the family clearly showed that though the family liked quality foodstuffs, they diverse their purchases... This essay "Case study on BMP DDB advertising company" outlines the research of the consumers' behavior which was conducted by the BMP DDB advertising company. The amount of data gathered by the researcher regarding the family’s behaviour, within the research period, depicted a lot about the family. However, the recorded information about the family, although exhaustive and often precise, did not completely capture the habits and information that comprise the personality of the family. The research identified that the family held high value of money than the average people. On the contrary, though the data on family properly suggested that they enjoy lavish goods like high-quality foods and foreign holidays, it could not reveal any presence of life factors that influenced their purchasing decisions. Moreover, the information about the family clearly showed that though the family liked quality foodstuffs, they diverse their purchases between superstores and local discount shops (Baker and Bass, 2003:90-210). This suggested that the family also went shopping for products whose prices were discounted and cheaper. The family was able to show the researcher one of the products brought from the discount store. The family explained the reasons for such option, and the cost that could be incurred had they shopped from the supermarket. The family was able prided on their ability to hunt down bargains, and sometimes went shopping for luxurious goods when their financial muscle was adequate (Baker and Bass, 2003:90-210).

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Digital Forensic Methodology and Strategy

Digital Forensic Methodology and Strategy Introduction Digital forensic can be described as the cyber security mostly used to secure to identify, preserve, analyze and present digital data evidence in the manner it will be legally accepted   in any legal process. Digital forensic is mostly applied in recovering that involves investigation of materials on a digital media platform and network. (Britz, 2013 ) This forensic uses the method of scientific research  Ã‚   where the evidence is mostly grounded on the fields of forensic science. The certification of the forensic science requires a code of conduct of neutral and decent approaches to examinations.   This digital forensic has a good history since it was discovered by the original people who saw the need to protect the data in any digital gadget. It is estimated to be over 40 years old with the first gadget making the first show up around 1970. This was due to a demand made by the community to the court of law. The first claim was about finance which was done using a computer. The hackers used the computer to steal money hence there was a need to come up with a strategy.   The hacking does not only involve stealing but also getting access of the information from a computer without the authority from the owner. In 1980s, training courses for digital forensic were developed aimed at equipping the learner with the knowledge of forensics. Organizations such as Certified Fraud Examiners, High Technology Crime Investigational Associations (HTCIA) among other digital forensic companies were formed to deal with those frauds. (Britz, Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime, 2010) Currently, there are so many courses in the universities to offer degrees in the fields such as computer forensics and also digital investigations. In those early days, forensic tools like MACE and Norton came up with the basic resurgence abilities such as unformat and undelete, the investigation was under individual stationed in a specific workstation. (Janczewski, 2010) Today some software have been formed to do the same and effectively. Government has come up with the standardization of the same as from 1984. On the same year, the FBI came up with a structured body, Computer Analysis Response Team (CART), assigned with the responsibility of examining the evidence as per the law. Digital forensic methodology Obtaining authorization for investigation. There first methods involve getting authority so as one can start the investigation. This is so because nobody can allow one to enter into another without permission, once the permission is granted, the investigations kick off. The person mandate to do the investigation must be experienced with the full knowledge of the forensic investigation and examining. The investigation will be carried out clearly and the fraud should be met and amended. The investigator also is expected to use the current methods of digital forensic due to rapid growth in the technology, meaning advanced methods should apply. Determining evidence locations After investigation, the investigator will provide the evidence locations. This means that the investigator will determine where the location at which the fraud has occurred, then go to those places and find out what might have happened. Different locations will contain different kinds of frauds; this will lead to different kinds of locations. (Dawson, 2015) Each evidence will also contain different measure of resolving it. Digital forensic differ from one country to another and the measure taken to deal with such frauds is still different. The evidence depending on the location   will also   entail different kind of data which will call for a specific way of investigating it. The location also will contain different kind of population which will mean that that population has a certain way of dealing with the forensic frauds. Determining and confirming techniques to find and interpret significant data In this method, the investigator is required to validate techniques to find and interpret significant data. There are so many techniques used to determine find data and consequently interpret the same data. Some techniques used are, histogram, random number generation, descriptive statistics and many others. When the data has been found, then it is interpreted using different methods. The forensic data will differ from one fraud to another and also from one location to the next.   The collected data which is well analyzed will give the best result. Summarize and provide explanation of conclusions After doing all what is required, the data summarized and the conclusion is provided. The investigator of the fraud makes the explanation and it should be correct without any mistake to avoid wrong conclusion. Depending on the nature of the fraud, the explanation given should provide a clear answer of what might have gone wrong. (Gladyshev, 2015) The data must be given correctly for the future reference if need be. As per the client, the explanation can be taken to the court of law alongside the sampled data as the evidence. The importance of using forensic tools to collect and analyze evidence. Many organizations have adopted forensic tools and have achieved many things. Forensic tools have collected protected and analyzed digital evidence and applied it where applicable. Can be in legal matters, disciplinary matters or even in employment tribunals. The forensic tools have been useful in the following circumstances; It has been useful in disputed transactions in an organization. Widely used in allegations pertaing to employee misconduct Used to show legal and regulatory compliance Widely used in a court of law to assist in law enforcement investigations Supporting insurance claims when a loss occurs in an organization. It is a tool to meet disclosure requirement in civil claims. Hashing in the context of digital forensics Hash values are used in cases of the electronic evidence.   Mostly used in the examination of process of computer forensics. The hash values are used to make sure that the original copy is not altered. During the process, an image is made of the original.   (Bossler, 2014) The original hard drive will be taken as a hash value also. The examination is done before the hash value is taken. In the case where the values are the same the copy is treated as the original while where the values are different, then the copy is put in a question. As the examination is concluded, a third value s commonly taken. The three hash values which include, original hard drive, imaged hard drive before the examination and imaged hard drive after the examination, must match. Again the hash values can be used in the court of law to validate evidences In another circumstances hash value can be used in discovery process. The discovery process where the hash value has been mostly applied is in court of law. How do you ensure that the evidence collected has not been tampered with (i.e., after collection)? Avoid contamination of the data- the specimen /data collected should be original and not contaminated with other materials. (DeFranco, 2014) Handle appropriately-make sure that the data collected is packed, stored and ferried correctly. Label accurately-the evidence collected should be labeled correctly to avoid confusion such that even if there can be any claim, it can be clearly produced. Ensure total security- the evidence which has been collected should be secure and tamper proof Maintain continuity-handling of the evidence should be recorded, also when the evidence pass from one person to another should also be recorded, this maintenance will ensure that the evidence is purely maintained. Why and how is this important to prove in a court of law? The collected data as per the explanation above is original. It can be proven in the court of law because there will be a full evidence that the evidence was well maintained. References Bossler, A. M. (2014). Cybercrime and digital forensics : an introduction. New York: Routledge. Britz, M. (2013 ). Computer forensics and cyber crime : an introduction . Boston: Pearson. Britz, M. (2010). Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime. Berlin: Springe. Dawson, M. (2015). New threats and countermeasures in digital crime and cyber terrorism . Hershey: An Imprint of IGI Globa. DeFranco, J. F. ( 2014). What every engineer should know about cyber security and digital forensics. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Gladyshev, P. (2015). Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime . Heidelberg: Springer. Janczewski, L. (2010). Cyber warfare and cyber terrorism. Hershey: Information Science Reference.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

What is Special Education? Essay -- Education Educating Teaching Essay

Before covering the main idea behind how technology can enhance learning of special students, it is important to discuss what qualifies a student as ?special?. Special Education is identified as, ?the education of children who deviate socially, mentally, or physically from the average to such an extent that they require major modifications of usual school practices,? (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 2005, p.1). According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, ?students with disabilities include those with mental retardation, hearing impairments, speech or language impairments, visual impairments, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities,? (Warger, 1999, p.1). Since there are so many different types of disabilities, each student needs to be assessed to determine the best type of learning environment for them (Ralabate, 2002, p. 13-14). This is a very important part of help ing special education students from the very beginning of their education. With the right leadership from teachers, and knowing what works best with teaching each unique student, they can reach their full potential in learning. Inclusion ?Children who learn together, learn to live together? (Renaissance Group, 1999, p.1). Resurfacing the issue of different teaching methods in Special Education, many schools educate students in an Inclusive environment. Inclusion refers to the placement and participation of students with special needs into a general education environment such as classrooms and extra curricular programs (Lewis & Doorlag, 1999, p.5). Many find the use of inclusion in schools very beneficial to both special and general education ... ....gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=Thesaurus&_nfls=false This an online ERIC thesaurus defining assistive technology. ?Special education.? Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online. 2005. This is an online encyclopedia definition of special education. Internet Resources Internet for Education. (2005). Retrieved on April 27, 2005 from http://www.vts.rdn.ac.uk/tutorial/education?sid=4740639&op=preview&manifestid=82&itemid=7126 This site contains information on the ways the internet can enhance education. Renaissance Group. (1999, October, 14). Inclusive Education. Retrieved April 20, 2005 from http://www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion/ . This site contains a lot of current information concerning the importance, philosophy, and future of education in an inclusive environment.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER SIX EARTH

EARTH Trevize was hot and annoyed. He and Pelorat were sitting in the small dining area, having just completed their midday meal. Pelorat said, â€Å"We've only been in space two days and I find myself quite comfortable, although I miss fresh air, nature, and all that. Strange! Never seemed to notice all that sort of thing when it was all round me. Still between my wafer and that remarkable computer of yours, I have my entire library with me – or all that matters, at any rate. And I don't feel the least bit frightened of being out in space now. Astonishing!† Trevize made a noncommittal sound. His eyes were inwardly focused. Pelorat said gently, â€Å"I don't mean to intrude, Golan, but I don't really think you're listening. Not that I'm a particularly interesting person always been a hit of a bore, you know. Still, you seem preoccupied in another way. – Are we in trouble? Needn't be afraid to tell me, you know. Not much I could do, I suppose, but I won't go into panic, dear fellow.† â€Å"In trouble?† Trevize seemed to come to his senses, frowning slightly. â€Å"I mean the ship. It's a new model, so I suppose there could be something wrong:† Pelorat allowed himself a small, uncertain smile. Trevize shook his head vigorously. â€Å"Stupid of me to leave you in such uncertainty, Janov. There's nothing wrong at all with the ship. It's working perfectly. It's just that I've been looking for a hyper-relay.† â€Å"Ah, I see. – Except that I don't. What is a hyper-relay?† â€Å"Well, let me explain, Janov. I am in communication with Terminus. At least, I can be anytime I wish and Terminus can, in reverse, be in communication with us. They know the ship's location, having observed its trajectory. Even if they had not, they could locate us by scanning near-space for mass, which would warn them of the presence of a ship or, possibly, a meteoroid. But they could further detect an energy pattern, which would not only distinguish a ship from a meteoroid but would identify a particular ship, for no two ships make use of energy in quite the same way. In some way, our pattern remains characteristic, no matter what appliances or instruments we turn on and off. The ship may be unknown, of course, but if it is a ship whose energy pattern is on record in Terminus – as ours is – it can be identified as soon as detected.† Pelorat said, â€Å"It seems to me, Golan, that the advance of civilization is nothing but an exercise in the limiting of privacy.† â€Å"You may be right. Sooner or later, however, we must move through hyperspace or we will be condemned to remain within a parsec or two of Terminus for the rest of our lives. We will then be unable to engage in interstellar travel to any but the slightest degree. In passing through hyperspace, on the other hand, we undergo a discontinuity in ordinary space. We pass from here to there – and I mean across a gap of hundreds of parsecs sometimes – in an instant of experienced time. We are suddenly enormously far away in a direction that is very difficult to predict and, in a practical sense, we can no longer be detected.† â€Å"I see that. Yes.† â€Å"Unless, of course, they have planted a hyper-relay on board. A hyperrelay sends out a signal through hyperspace – a signal characteristic of this ship – and the authorities on Terminus would know where we are at all times. That answers your question, you see. There would be nowhere in the Galaxy we could hide and no combination of jumps through hyperspace would make it possible for us to evade their instruments:† â€Å"But, Golan,† bald Pelorat softly, â€Å"don't we want Foundation protection?† â€Å"Yes, Janov, but only when we ask for it. You said the advance of civilization meant the continuing restriction of privacy. – Well. I don't want to be that advanced. I want freedom to move undetected as I wish – unless and until I want protection So I would feel better, a great deal better, if there weren't a hyper-relay on board.† â€Å"Have you found one, Golan?† â€Å"No, I have not. If I had, I might be able to render it inoperative somehow.† â€Å"Would you know one if you saw it?† â€Å"That's one of the difficulties. I might not be able to recognize it. I know what a hyper-relay looks like generally and I know ways of testing a suspicious object – but this is a late-model ship, designed for special tasks. A hyper-relay may have been incorporated into its design in such a way as to show no signs of its presence.† â€Å"On the other hand, maybe there is no hyper-relay present and that's why you haven't found it.† â€Å"I don't dare assume that and I don't like the thought of making a jump until I know.† Pelorat looked enlightened. â€Å"That's why we've just been drifting through space. I've been wondering why we haven't jumped. I've heard about jumps, you know. Been a little nervous about it, actually – been wandering when you'd order me to strap myself in or take a pill or something like that.† Trevize managed a smile. â€Å"No need for apprehension. These aren't ancient times. On a ship like this, you just leave it all to the computer. You give it your instructions and it does the rest. You won't know that anything has happened at all, except that the view of space will suddenly change. If you've ever seen a slide show, you'll know what happens when one slide is suddenly projected in place of another. Well, that's what the jump will seem like.† â€Å"Dear me. One won't feel anything? Odd! I find that somewhat disappointing.† â€Å"I've never felt anything and the ships I've been in haven't been as advanced as this baby of ours. – But it's not because of the hyperrelay that we haven't jumped. We have to get a bit further away from Terminus – and from the sun, too. The farther we are from any massive abject, the easier to control the jump, to make re-emergence into space at exactly desired co-ordinates. In an emergency, you might risk a jump when you're only two hundred kilometers off she surface of a planet and just trust to luck that you'll end up safely. Since there is much mete safe than unsafe volume in the Galaxy, you can reasonably count on safety. Still, there's always the possibility that random factors will cause you to re-emerge within a few million kilometers of a large star or in the Galactic core – and you will find yourself fried before you can blink. The further away you are from mass, the smaller those factors and the less likely it is that anything untoward will happ en.† â€Å"In that case, I commend your caution. We're not in a tearing hurry,† â€Å"Exactly. – Especially since I would dearly love to find the hyperrelay before I make a move. – Or find a way of convincing myself there is no hyper-relay.† Trevize seemed to drift off again into his private concentration and Pelorat said, raising his voice a little to surmount the preoccupation barrier, â€Å"How much longer do we have?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"I mean, when would you make the jump if you had no concerns over the hyper-relay, my dear chap?† â€Å"At our present speed and trajectory, I should say on our fourth day out. I'll work out the proper time on the computer.† â€Å"Well, then, you still have two days for your search. May I make a suggestion?† â€Å"Go ahead.† â€Å"I have always found in my own work – quite different from yours, of course, but possibly we may generalize – that zeroing in tightly on a particular problem is self-defeating. Why not relax and talk about something else, and your unconscious mind – not laboring under the weight of concentrated thought – may solve the problem for you.† Trevize looked momentarily annoyed and then laughed. â€Å"Well, why not? – Tell me, Professor, what got you interested in Earth? What brought up this odd notion of a particular planet from which we all started?† â€Å"Ah!† Pelorat nodded his head reminiscently. â€Å"That's going back a while. Over thirty years. I planned to be a biologist when I was going to college. I was particularly interested in the variation of species on different worlds. The variation, as you know – well, maybe you don't know, so you won't mind if I tell you – is very small. All forms of life throughout the Galaxy – at least all that we have yet encountered – share a water-based protein/nucleic acid chemistry.† Trevize said, â€Å"I went to military college, which emphasized nucleonics and gravities, but I'm not exactly a narrow specialist. I know a bit about the chemical basis of life. We were taught that water, proteins, and nucleic acids are the only possible basis for life.† â€Å"That, I think, is an unwarranted conclusion. It is safer to say that no other form of life has yet been found – or, at any rate, been recognized – and let it go at that. What is more surprising is that indigenous species – that is, species found on only a single planet and no other – are few in number. Most of the species that exist, including Homo sapiens in particular, are distributed through all or most of the inhabited worlds of the Galaxy and are closely related biochemically, physiologically, and morphologically. The indigenous species, on the other hand, are widely separated in characteristics from both the widespread forms and from each other.† â€Å"Well, what of that?† â€Å"The conclusion is that one world in the Galaxy – one world – is different from the rest. Tens of millions of worlds in the Galaxy – no one knows exactly how many – have developed life. It was simple life, sparse life, feeble life – not very variegated, not easily maintained, and not easily spread. One world, one world alone, developed life in millions of species – easily millions – some of it very specialized, highly developed, very prone to multiplication and to spreading, and including us. We were intelligent enough to form a civilization, to develop hyperspatial flight, and to colonize the Galaxy – and, in spreading through the Galaxy, we took many other forms of lifeforms related to each other and to ourselves – along with us.† â€Å"If you stop to think of it,† said Trevize rather indifferently, â€Å"I suppose that stands to reason. I mean, here we are in a human Galaxy. If we assume that it all started on some one world, then that one world would have to be different. But why not? The chances of life developing in that riotous fashion must be very slim indeed – perhaps one in a hundred million – so the chances are that it happened in one life-bearing world out of a hundred million. It had to be one.† â€Å"But what is it that made that particular one world so different from the others?† said Pelorat excitedly. â€Å"What were the conditions that made it unique?† â€Å"Merely chance, perhaps. After all, human beings and the lifeforms they brought with them now exist on tens of millions of planets, all of which can support life, so all those worlds must be good enough.† â€Å"No! Once the human species had evolved, once it had developed a technology, once it had toughened itself in the hard struggle for survival, it could then adapt to life on any world that is in the least hospitable – on Terminus, for instance. But can you imagine intelligent life having developed on Terminus? When Terminus was first occupied by human beings in the days of the EncycIopedists, the highest form of plant life it produced was a mosslike growth on rocks; the highest forms of animal life were small coral-like growths in the ocean and insectlike flying organisms on land. We just about wiped them out and stocked sea and land with fish and rabbits and goats and grass and grain and trees and so on. We have nothing left of the indigenous life, except for what exists in zoos and aquaria.† â€Å"Hmm,† said Trevize. Pelorat stared at him for a full minute, then sighed and said, â€Å"You don't really care, do you? Remarkable! I find no one who does, somehow. My fault, I think. I cannot make it interesting, even though it interests me so much.† Trevize said, â€Å"It's interesting. It is. But – but – so what?† â€Å"It doesn't strike you that it might be interesting scientifically to study a world that gave rise to the only really flourishing indigenous ecological balance the Galaxy has ever seen?† â€Å"Maybe, if you're a biologist. – I'm not, you see. You must forgive me.† â€Å"Of course, dear fellow. It's just that I never found any biologists who were interested, either. I told you I was a biology major. I took it up with my professor and he wasn't interested. He told me to turn to some practical problem. That so disgusted me I took up history instead – which had been rather a hobby of mine from my teenage years, in any case – and tackled the ‘Origin Question' from that angle.† Trevize said, â€Å"But at least it has given you a lifework, so you must be pleased that your professor was so unenlightened.† â€Å"Yes, I suppose one might look at it that way. And the lifework is an interesting one, of which I have never tired. – But I do wish it interested you. I hate this feeling of forever talking to myself.† Trevize leaned his bead back and laughed heartily. Pelorat's quiet face took or: a trace of hurt. â€Å"Why are you laughing at me?† â€Å"Not you, Janov,† said Trevize. â€Å"I was laughing at my own stupidity, Where you're concered, I am completely grateful. You were perfectly right, you know,† â€Å"To take up the importance of human origins?† â€Å"No, no. – Well, yes, that too. – But I meant you were right to tell me to stop consciously thinking of my problem and to turn my mind elsewhere. It worked. When you were talking about the manner in which life evolved, it finally occurred to me that I knew how to find that hyperrelay – if it existed.† â€Å"Oh, that!† â€Å"Yes, that! That's my monomania at the moment. I've been looking for that hyper-relay as though I were on my old scow of a training ship, studying every part of the ship by eye, looking for something that stood out from the rest. I had forgotten that this ship is a developed product of thousands of years of technological evolution. Don't you see?† â€Å"No, Golan.† â€Å"We have a computer aboard. How could I have forgotten?† He waved his hand and passed into his own room, urging Pelorat along with him. â€Å"I need only try to communicate,† he said, placing his hands onto the computer contact. It was a matter of trying to reach Terminus, which was now some thousands of kilometers behind. Reach! Speak! It was as though nerve endings sprouted and extended, reaching outward with bewildering speed – the speed of light, of course – to make contact. Trevize felt himself touching – well, not quite touching, but sensing – well, not quite sensing, but – it didn't matter, for there wasn't a word for it. He was aware of Terminus within reach and, although the distance between himself and it was lengthening by some twenty kilometers per second, contact persisted as though planet and ship were motionless and separated by a few meters. He said nothing. He clamped shut. He was merely testing the principle of communication; he was not actively communicating. Out beyond, eight parsecs away, was Anacreon, the nearest large planet in their backyard, by Galactic standards. To send a message by the same light-speed system that had just worked for Terminus – and to receive an answer as well – would take fifty-two years. Reach for Anacreon! Think Anacreon! Think it as clearly as you can. You know its position relative to Terminus and the Galactic core; you've studied its planetography and history; you've solved military problems where it was necessary to recapture Anacreon (in the impossible case – these days – that it was taken by an enemy). Space! You've been on Anacreon. Picture it! Picture it! You will sense being on it via hyper-relay. Nothing! His nerve endings quivered and came to rest nowhere. Trevize pulled loose. â€Å"There's no hyper-relay on board the Far Star, Janov. I'm positive. – And if I hadn't followed your suggestion, I wonder how long it would have taken me to reach this point.† Pelorat, without moving a facial muscle, positively glowed. â€Å"I'm so pleased to have been of help. Does this mean we jump?† â€Å"No, we still wait two more days, to be safe. We have to get away from mass, remember? – Ordinarily, considering that I have a new and untried ship with which I am thoroughly unacquainted, it would probably take me two days to calculate the exact procedure – the proper hyperthrust for the first jump, in particular. I have a feeling, though, the computer will do it all.† â€Å"Dear me! That leaves us facing a rather boring stretch of time, it seems to me.† â€Å"Boring?† Trevize smiled broadly. â€Å"Anything but! You and I, Janov, are going to talk about Earth.† Pelorat said, â€Å"Indeed? You are trying to please an old man? That is kind of you. Really it is.† â€Å"Nonsense! I'm trying to please myself. Janov, you have made a convert. As a result of what you have told me, I realize that Earth is the most important and the most devouringly interesting object in the Universe.† It must surely have struck Trevize at the moment that Pelorat had presented his view of Earth. It was only because his mind was reverberating with the problem of the hyper-relay that he hadn't responded at once. And the instant the problem had gone, he had responded. Perhaps the one statement of Hari Seldon's that was most often repeated was his remark concerning the Second Foundation being â€Å"at the other end of the Galaxy† from Terminus. Seldon had even named the spot. It was to be â€Å"at Star's End.† This had been included in Gaal Dornick's account of the day of the trial before the Imperial court. â€Å"The other end of the Galaxy† – those were the words Seldon had used to Dornick and ever since that day their significance had been debated. What was it that connected one end of the Galaxy with â€Å"the other end†? Was it a straight line, a spiral, a circle, or what? And now, luminously, it was suddenly clear to Trevize that it was no line and no curve that should – or could – be drawn on the map of the Galaxy. It was more subtle than that. It was perfectly clear that the one end of the Galaxy was Terminus. It was at the edge of the Galaxy, yes – our Foundation's edge – which gave the word â€Å"end† a literal meaning. It was, however, also the newest world of the Galaxy at the time Seldon was speaking, a world that was about to be founded, that had not as yet been in existence for a single moment. What would be the other end of the Galaxy, in that light? The other Foundation's edge? Why, the oldest world of the Galaxy? And according to the argument Pelorat had presented – without knowing what he was presenting – that could only be Earth. The Second Foundation might well be on Earth. Yet Seldon had said the other end of the Galaxy was â€Å"at Star's End.† Who could say he was not speaking metaphorically? Trace the history of humanity backward as Pelorat did and the line would stretch back from each planetary system, each star that shone down on an inhabited planet, to some other planetary system, some other star from which the first migrants had come, then back to a star before that – until finally, all the lines stretched back to the planet on which humanity had originated. It was the star that shone upon Earth that was â€Å"Star's End:† Trevize smiled and said almost lovingly, â€Å"Tell me more about Earth, Janov.† Pelorat shook his head. â€Å"I have told you all there is, really. We will find out more on Trantor.† Trevize said, â€Å"No, we won't, Janov. We'll find out nothing there. Why? Because we're not going to Trantor. I control this ship and I assure you we're not.† Pelorat's mouth fell open. He struggled for breath for a moment and then said, woebegone, â€Å"Oh, my dear fellow!† Trevize said, â€Å"Come an, Janov. Don't look like that. We're going to find Earth.† â€Å"But it's only on Trantor that – â€Å" â€Å"No, it's not. Trantor is just someplace you can study brittle films and dusty documents and turn brittle and dusty yourself.† â€Å"For decades, I've dreamed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You've dreamed of finding Earth.† â€Å"But it's only†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Trevize stood up, leaned over, caught the slack of Pelorat's tunic, and said, â€Å"Don't repeat that, Professor. Don't repeat it. When you first told me we were going to look for Earth, before ever we got onto this ship, you said we were sure to find it because, and I quote your own words, ‘I have an excellent possibility in mind' Now I don't ever want to hear you say ‘Trantor' again. I just want you to tell me about this excellent possibility.† â€Å"But it must be confirmed. So far, it's only a thought, a hope, a vague possibility.† â€Å"Good! Tell me about it!† â€Å"You don't understand. You simply don't understand. It is not a field in which anyone but myself has done research. There is nothing historical, nothing firm, nothing real. People talk about Earth as though it's a fact, and also as though it's a myth. There are a million contradictory tales†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well then, what has your research consisted of?† â€Å"I've been forced to collect every tale, every bit of supposed history, every legend, every misty myth. Even fiction. Anything that includes the name of Earth or the idea of a planet of origin. For over thirty years, I've been collecting everything I could find from every planet of the Galaxy. Now if I could only get something more reliable than all of these from the Galactic Library at†¦ – But you don't want me to say the word.† â€Å"That's right. Don't say it. Tell me instead that one of these items has caught your attention, and tell me your reasons for thinking why it, of them all, should be legitimate.† Pelorat shook his head. â€Å"There, Golan, if you will excuse my saying so, you talk like a soldier or a politician. That is not the way history works.† Trevize took a deep breath and kept his temper. â€Å"Tell me how it works, Janov. We've got two days. Educate me.† â€Å"You can't rely on any one myth or even on any one group. I've had to gather them all, analyze them, organize them, set up symbols to represent different aspects of their content – tales of impossible weather, astronomic details of planetary systems at variance with what actually exists, place of origin of culture heroes specifically stated not to be native, quite literally hundreds of other items. No use going through the entire list. Even two days wouldn't be enough. I spent over thirty years, I tell you. â€Å"I then worked up a computer program that searched through all these myths for common components and sought a transformation that would eliminate the true impossibilities. Gradually I worked up a model of what Earth must have been like. After all, if human beings all originated on a single planet, that single planet must represent the one fact that all origin myths, all culture – hero tales, have in common. – Well, do you want me to go into mathematical detail?† Trevize said, â€Å"Not at the moment, thank you, but how do you know you won't be misled by your mathematics? We know for a fact that Terminus was founded only five centuries ago and that the first human beings arrived as a colony from Trantor but had been assembled from dozens – if not hundreds – of other worlds. Yet someone who did not know this could assume that Hari Seldon and Salvor Hardin, neither of whom were born on Terminus, came from Earth and that Trantor was really a name that stood for Earth. Certainly, if the Trantor as described in Seldon's time were searched for – a world with all its land surface coated with metal – it would not be found and it might be considered an impossible myth.† Pelorat looked pleased. â€Å"I withdraw my earlier remark about soldiers and politicians, my dear fellow. You have a remarkable intuitive sense. Of course, I had to set up controls. I invented a hundred falsities based on distortions of actual history and imitating myths of the type I had collected. I then attempted to incorporate my inventions into the model. One of my inventions was even based on Terminus's early history. The computer rejected them all. Every one. To be sure, that might have meant I simply lacked the fictional talents to make up something reasonable, but I did my best† â€Å"I'm sure you did, Janov. And what did your model tell you about Earth?† â€Å"A number of things of varying degrees of likelihood. A kind of profile. For instance, about 90 percent of the inhabited planets in the Galaxy have rotation periods of between twenty-two and twenty-six Galactic Standard Hours. Well – † â€Å" Trevize cut in. â€Å"I hope you didn't pay any attention to that, Janov. There's no mystery there. For a planet to be habitable, you don't want it to rotate so quickly that air circulation patterns produce impossibly stormy conditions or so slowly that temperature variation patterns are extreme. It's a property that's self-selective. Human beings prefer to live on planets with suitable characteristics, and then when all habitable planets resemble each other in these characteristics, some say, ‘What an amazing coincidence,' when it's not amazing at all and not even a coincidence.† â€Å"As a matter of fact,† said Pelorat calmly, â€Å"that's a well-known phenomenon in social science. In physics, too, I believe – but I'm not a physicist and I'm not certain about that. In any case, it is called the ‘anthropic principle': The observer influences the events he observes by the mere act of observing them or by being there to observe them. But the question is: Where is the planet that served as a model? Which planet rotates in precisely one Galactic Standard Day of twenty-four Galactic Standard Hours?† Trevize looked thoughtful and thrust out his lower lip. â€Å"You think that might be Earth? Surely Galactic Standard could have been based on the local characteristics of any world, might it not?† â€Å"Not likely. It's not the human way. Trantor was the capital world of the Galaxy for twelve thousand years – the most populous world for twenty thousand years – yet it did not impose its rotation period of 1.08 Galactic Standard Days on all the Galaxy. And Terminus's rotation period is 0.91 GSD and we don't enforce ours on the planets dominated by us. Every planet makes use of its own private calculations in its own Local Planetary Day system, and for matters of interplanetary importance converts – with the help of computers – back and forth between LPD and GSD. The Galactic Standard Day must come from Earth]† â€Å"Why is it a must?† â€Å"For one thing, Earth was once the only inhabited world, so naturally its day and year would be standard and would very likely remain standard out of social inertia as other worlds were populated. Then, too, the model I produced was that of an Earth that rotated on its axis in just twenty-four Galactic Standard Hours and that revolved about its sun in just one Galactic Standard Year.† â€Å"Might that not be coincidence?† Pelorat laughed. â€Å"Now it is you who are talking coincidence. Would you care to lay a wager on such a thing happening by coincidence?† â€Å"Well well,† muttered Trevize. â€Å"In fact, there's more to it. There's an archaic measure of time that's called the month†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I've heard of it.† â€Å"It, apparently, about fits the period of revolution of Earth's satellite about Earth. However – â€Å" â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Well, one rather astonishing factor of the model is that the satellite I just mentioned is huge – over one quarter the diameter of the Earth itself.† â€Å"Never heard of such a thing, Janov. There isn't a populated planet in the Galaxy with a satellite like that.† â€Å"But that's good,† said Pelorat with animation. â€Å"If Earth is a unique world in its production of variegated species and the evolution of intelligence, then we want some physical uniqueness.† â€Å"But what could a large satellite have to do with variegated species, intelligence, and all that?† â€Å"Well now, there you hit a difficulty. I don't really know. But it's worth examination, don't you think?† Trevize rose to his feet and folded his arms across his chest. â€Å"But what's the problem, then? Look up the statistics on inhabited planets and find one that has a period of rotation and of revolution that are exactly one Galactic Standard Day and one Galactic Standard Year in length, respectively. And if it also has a gigantic satellite, you'd have what you want. I presume, from your statement that you ‘have an excellent possibility in mind,' that you've done just this, and that you have your world.† Pelorat looked disconcerted. â€Å"Well, now, that's not exactly what happened. I did look through the statistics, or at least I had it done by the astronomy department and – well, to put it bluntly, there's no such world.† Trevize sat down again abruptly. â€Å"But that means your whole argument falls to the ground.† â€Å"Not quite, it seems to me.† â€Å"What do you mean, not quite? You produce a model with all sorts of detailed descriptions and you can't find anything that fits. Your model is useless, then. You must start from the beginning.† â€Å"No. It just means that the statistics on populated planets are incomplete. After all, there are tens of millions of them and some are very obscure worlds. For instance, there is no good data on the population of nearly half. And concerning six hundred and forty thousand populated worlds there is almost no information other than their names and sometimes the location. Some galactographers have estimated that there may be up to ten thousand inhabited planets that aren't listed at all. The worlds prefer it that way, presumably. During the Imperial Era, it might have helped them avoid taxation.† â€Å"And in the centuries that followed,† said Trevize cynically. â€Å"It might have helped them serve as home bases for pirates, and that might have, on occasion, proved more enriching than ordinary trade.† â€Å"I ‘wouldn't know about that,† said Pelorat doubtfully. Trevize said, â€Å"Just the same, it seems to me that Earth would have to be on the list of inhabited planets, whatever its own desires. It would be the oldest of them all, by definition, and it could not have been overlooked in the early centuries of Galactic civilization. And once on the list, it would stay on. Surely we could count on social inertia there.† Pelorat hesitated and looked anguished. â€Å"Actually, there – there is a planet named Earth on the list of inhabited planets.† Trevize stared. â€Å"I'm under the impression that you told me a while ago that Earth was not on the list?† â€Å"As Earth, it is not. There is, however, a planet named Gaia.† â€Å"What has that got to do with it? Gahyah?† â€Å"It's spelled G-A-I-A. It means ‘Earth.'† â€Å"Why should it mean Earth, Janov, any more than anything else? The name is meaningless to me.† Pelorat's ordinarily expressionless face came close to a grimace. â€Å"I'm not sure you'll believe this. – If I go by my analysis of the myths, there were several different, mutually unintelligible, languages on Earth.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Yes. After all, we have a thousand different ways of speaking across the Galaxy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Across the Galaxy, there are certainly dialectical variations, but these are not mutually unintelligible. And even if understanding some of them is a matter of difficulty, we all share Galactic Standard.† â€Å"Certainly, but there is constant interstellar travel. What if some world was in isolation for a prolonged period?† â€Å"But you're talking of Earth. A single planet. Where's the isolation?† â€Å"Earth is the planet of origin, don't forget, where humanity must at one time have been primitive beyond imagining. Without interstellar travel, without computers, without technology at all, struggling up from nonhuman ancestors.† â€Å"This is so ridiculous.† Pelorat hung his head in embarrassment at that. â€Å"There is perhaps no use discussing this, old chap. I never have managed to make it convincing to anyone. My own fault, I'm sure.† Trevize was at once contrite. â€Å"Janov, I apologize. I spoke without thinking. These are views, after all, to which I am not accustomed. You have been developing your theories for over thirty years, while I've been introduced to them all at once. You must make allowances. – Look, I'll imagine that we have primitive people on Earth who speak two completely different, mutually unintelligible, languages. â€Å"‘ â€Å"Half a dozen, perhaps,† said Pelorat diffidently. â€Å"Earth may have been divided into several large land masses and it may be that there were, at first, no communications among them. The inhabitants of each land mass might have developed an individual language.† Trevize said with careful gravity, â€Å"And on each of these land masses, once they grew cognizant of one another, they might have argued an ‘origin Question' and wondered on which one human beings had first arisen from other animals.† â€Å"They might very well, Golan. It would be a very natural attitude for them to have.† â€Å"And in one of those languages, Gaia means Earth. And the word ‘Earth' itself is derived from another one of those languages.† â€Å"Yes, yes: ‘ â€Å"And while Galactic Standard is the language that descended from the particular language in which ‘Earth' means ‘Earth,' the people of Earth for some reason call their planet ‘Gala' from another of their languages.† â€Å"Exactly! You are indeed quick, Golan.† â€Å"But it seems to me that there's no need to make a mystery of this. If Gaia is really Earth, despite the difference in names, then Gala, by your previous argument, ought to have a period of rotation of just one Galactic Day, a period of revolution of just one Galactic Year, and a giant satellite that revolves about it in just one month.† â€Å"Yes, it would have to be so.† â€Å"Well then, does it or doesn't it fulfill these requirements?† â€Å"Actually I can't say. The information isn't given in the tables.† â€Å"Indeed? Well, then, Janov, shall we go to Gaia and time its periods and stare at its satellite?† â€Å"I would like to, Golan,† Pelorat hesitated. â€Å"The trouble is that the location isn't given exactly, either.† â€Å"You mean, all you have is the name and nothing more, and that is your excellent possibility?† â€Å"But that is just why I want to visit the Galactic Library!† â€Å"Well, wait. You say the table doesn't give the location exactly. Does it give any information at all?† â€Å"It lists it in the Sayshell Sector – and adds a question mark.† â€Å"Well, then – Janov, don't be downcast. We will go to the Sayshell Sector and somehow we will find Gaia!†