Budget Hotel

The Advantages and Disadvantages of 7 Days Inn As a typical budget hotel, Seven Days Group Holdings Limited established in 2005 and now, more than 1000 Seven Days Inn have scattered all around the China (Zhang, 2012). I registered to be a member of 7 Days Inn two years age, and have already lodged in three branch stores in different cities during my travels. Budget hotels are considered as 1 star hotel because they provide lodging at cheaper price varies from 30$-40$ per room per night.The main service is providing guest rooms with limited amenities for general tourists and business travelers(Song, 2009). In the last few years, budget hotel has demonstrated its huge market potential, especially within the key consumer groups, like backpackers and university students. Being one of the top ten budget hotels in China, 7 Days Inn has its obvious advantages, such as various reservation systems, convenient hotel locations and enthusiastic services. The primary reason for customers choosing Seven Days Inn is that it provides a complete hotel reservations system.Hotel reservation system, commonly known as a central reservation system (CRS) is a computerized system that stores and distributes information of a hotel, resort, or other lodging facilities (Zhang, 2012). A complete reservation system is important because it is assistance for hotel staffs to manage all of their online marketing and sales, where they can upload their rates and availabilities to be seen by all customers. And for the customers, they can finish their reservations through multiple channels, like internet, telephone and e-mail.Thanks to the 7 Days Inn’s complete reservation system, I could still book a room in time with my mobile phone after I suddenly changed my travel plan in Zhuhai. The second advantage of 7 Days Inn is the convenient location. During my traveling, I found it easy to get to the locations of the branch stores I had booked, because they were either near bus stations or the landmarks of the districts. Different kinds of customers choose 7 Days Inn for different purposes, some for vacations, while others for business. No matter for what purposes, locations of the hotels will surely play a big role in the overall enjoyment of the trip.That's because a well-located hotel will significantly cut down the amount of time you waste in traffic or trying to navigate an unfamiliar place. As a customer-friendly budget hotel, nearly 35% of the 7 Days Inn runs shuttles to and from popular sightseeing destinations, and the rest of its branch stores mainly locate near the metro stations or bus stations (Liu, 2008). At that point, the customers will save money as well as time on cab fare or public transportation. All the staffs trying their best to provide enthusiastic services are the most prominent advantage of the 7 Days Inn.Service quality has been reported as having apparent relationship to costs, profitability, customer satisfaction, customer retention, behaviora l intention, and positive word-of-mouth (Boltan, 1991). To provide high quality service, all staffs in 7 Days Inn are required to wear clean uniform and satisfy customers’ requirements with smiling faces to the greatest extent. Besides, high service quality also has strategic benefits of contributing to market-share and return on investment, as well as in lowering manufacturing costs and improving productivity.Accordingly, in 2011, 7 Days Inn’s annual revenue growth rate increased 28%, which illustrates the importance of high service quality (Li, 2012). Although Seven Days Inn has three aforementioned advantages, at the same time, its reputation is also devalued at a certain extent by its disadvantages, such as the deficient company website with limited information and obsolete equipments in some guest rooms. Firstly, 7 Days Inn’s company website is underdeveloped, which just with some limited or outdated information.A company website is a fairly inexpensive bus iness tool that can serve a purpose for both the company and its clients. With a thorough company website, 7 Days Inn can feature a complete electronic version of its catalog, in which describe all its products and services in greater details. For its clients, they will have the convenience of reading about the service and updated information on their own time. 7 Days Inn already had a website, but as a permanent member, I only use it for my reservation. Most of the customers can not find some more interesting and eye-catching information.Besides presenting its hotel rate and some basic hotel introductions, to well develop its company website, the 7 Days Inn’s webmasters should take measures to perfect its company website, like encouraging all the staffs and customers to publish their ideas and experiences of lodging in 7 Days Inn. On the other hand, obsolete and deficient equipments in some guest rooms also make the customers unsatisfied with 7 Days Inn. I once complained th e small and obsolete TV set in my guest room, because I even could not find CCTV-NEWS channel.Among all the problems about deficient and obsolete equipments, the dullish and yellow lighting in some branch stores is most annoying. Lighting, whose aim is to temporarily receive guests and revivify the staffs, has to be designed for different purposes in different areas. However, in two branch stores that I lodged in, the lightings in corridors were so dim during days and nights, while the lighting color and intensity in the guest rooms was unchangeable. In a hotel, during the day, people are attracted by the interior design, by furnishings, shapes and colors.But at night the hotel has a second dimension, since the guest needs to stay in a safe, comfortable and protected atmosphere, but even relaxing, clean and efficient (Cui, 2007). So the lighting system in 7 Days Inn can be perfected by installing new type of lighting which can change its color and intensity, especially in the recept ions and guest rooms. The disadvantages I mentioned above have been complained by some other customers according to the evaluation records in its website. So, it is high time for the managements of 7 Days Inn to take actions. In 2011, 7 Days Inn’s market share was 12. 3%, the second among all the budget hotels in China. During the previous three quarters, it opened 838 branch stores, 95 more when compared with the year earlier (Li, 2012). With its rapid development, 7 Days Inn will surely occupy larger market shares. But, it has to insure the environment and services quality in every branch store. Nevertheless, improving its disadvantages is the main task for managements. References Boltan, R. N. (1991). A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of Service Changes on Customer Attitude. Journal of Marketing, 20(1), 1-25. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://www. jstor. rg/stable/25061184? . Cui, D. D. (2007). An Analysis of the Developing Prospects and Strategies of Chinese Econom y Hotel from 2000 to 2007. Journal of the Postgraduate of Zhongnan University of Economics and Laws, 5(3), 5-11. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http;//dlib4. ehttp://dlib4. edu. cnki. net/kns50/detail. aspx? dbname=CJFDTEMP=ZNCZ200706018. Li, D. (2012). Analysis on Financing Development of Economic Hotel in Capital Market. Journal of Tourism College of Zhejiang, 9(3), 13-20. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://dlib4. edu. cnki. net/kns50/detail/=CJFDTEMP=LYXY20080212. Liu, M. Q.

Gadget Addiction

First it was ‘texter's thumb'. Now gadget addicts are coming down with ‘text neck'. Today, many patients are suffering neck pain from spending too much time hunched over phones and computers. The rise of smartphones and tablet computers has fuelled the problem. The extra capability for playing games and browsing the Internet on smartphones means they tend to be used for longer periods. And unlike laptops, tablet computers are often placed flat on the lap, meaning you crane your neck over to view the screen.Knee and hip replacement surgeon Dr Kaushal Malhan says, â€Å"Technology has made life easier, but at the same time brought in newer problems. The easy accessibility to almost any information and quick communication through the use of smartphones and laptops has made them an invaluable resource. At the same time, their indiscriminate use has brought in new health problems. † It is common to find people using their laptops for hours at a stretch. Smartphones now work as mini computers and it is not unusual to find people busy with their phones which are much more than simply a means of communication. People often complain of neck and back pain, and the cause for these can often be sourced to indiscriminate laptop use in an incorrect posture. These patients often have a good range of movements with pain mainly at the end of the day,† adds Dr Malhan. Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ashish Arbat agrees. â€Å"Today, we are observing many young patients who are into gadgets with wry neck, which is caused by continuous craning of the neck for texting, etc. † He advises that one should exercise one's neck daily and stretch the cervical and trapezial muscle, with a healthy habit of sleeping supine straight, with balanced diet to prevent wry neck.How to avoid such problems – Use a chair of correct height so that your legs comfortably reach the floor. – Table height and computer monitor height should be at your eye level so that yo u are not forced to adopt unphysiologic postures. – Elbows should be well supported on armrest or table in front of you. – Do not forget to blink your eyes intermittently to reduce eye fatigue. – Change your posture every now and then and regular breaks in between. – Stretch out all muscle groups whenever you have the opportunity. – Regular stretching exercises are a must for people who sit for long hours.In case of problems like neck pain, see a doctor to rule out other non-postural causes. Once that is ruled out, one can look at changing habits and lifestyle as advocated above. A short course of anti-inflammatory medication and hot packs with gentle massage should help. — Dr Kaushal Malhan http://articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/2012-08-03/fitness/33002266_1_neck-pain-text-neck-tablet-computers Carl Alasko: How will gadget addiction affect us? Carl Alasko On Relationships Posted: 04/08/2012 12:06:07 AM PDT Updated: 04/08/2012 12:06: 07 AM PDT Dear Dr. Alasko: Our two sons, ages 9 and 13, love technology.My husband is himself a computer geek so he thinks it's great. He says the more they know the better equipped they'll be for their future. But I worry about the human side of their lives. For instance, when they're together with their friends, all of them seem to be looking at their gadgets and doing very little talking. I worry that they won't be able to form healthy adult relationships and bond with their own children — except maybe through technology. Dear Reader: You have a right to be worried. We don't yet know if there are permanent developmental problems when children have constant access to fast-moving technology.At this point the â€Å"experts† seem divided. About half are optimistic. They believe that electronically connected youth will have the advantage of being nimble analysts and fast decision makers. The others are pessimistic. They worry that hyper-connected young people are too dis tracted by constant input to have deep-thinking capabilities. And they're not able to retain information and train their brain to remember things because everything is instantly available on their phone. Then there's the question of face-to-face relationship skills and the ability to focus on emotional issues.My personal concern is that boys who grow up completely immersed in the electronic connectivity of video games, texting and ear-buds will not be capable of the extended focus required to deal Advertisement with the complex world of emotional issues, the kind that every adult relationship requires. There's a physiological analogy with our vision. If you do a lot of reading as a child in dim light, your eyes strain to see the tiny printed words and in response your eyeballs actually become enlarged. This condition leads to extreme myopia.It seems logical to suppose that if a child's growing brain is subjected to constant fast-moving images and scattered input from video games, te xts, etc. , the child's brain will lose the ability to remain focused on one issue beyond a few seconds. From the psychological point of view, the term â€Å"deep-thinking capabilities† is the biggest area of concern. I recently read about how we are losing our ability to do long-term thinking, the kind that happens when, for instance, a person spends a few hours walking in a forest. During extended periods of rest (without media), the brain automatically sorts things out on its own.We can â€Å"think through† complex problems. Supporting this idea is the fact that we must have periods of deep sleep. Only during REM sleep does our brain recalibrate and settle down. If we consistently interrupt REM sleep the person develops a kind of psychosis. As I said earlier, you have a right to be worried. The goal would be to achieve a balanced, moderate use of technology. But promoting these behaviors in your technology-dominant family will be difficult. However, if you strongly believe in the wisdom of moderation, your belief (and common sense) should provide the energy to effect meaningful change.Carl Alasko, a licensed marriage and family therapist, is the author of â€Å"Emotional BS† and â€Å"Beyond Blame. † For information about his books, see: carlalasko. com. Contact him at [email  protected] com . http://www. montereyherald. com/carlalasko/ci_20351336 Modern menace: Society's addiction to gadgets Top ArticleAll 4 Articles 2 of 4 by Nanette Piotrowski Created on: February 19, 2013 Just ask any six year-old to put down his cell-phone or controller to a video game to come to the table to eat and you have your answer to the statement.They would rather starve to death than do it. Children no longer know what to do with themselves without them. The statement ‘go outside and play' is foreign. If you told them to play a game of tag, they would look at you like you'd lost your mind. Unfortunately it is the parents who have turned the young ones into veritable Zombies. The parents are the ones who fortunately (or unfortunately), benefited from the advancement of modern conveniences; whether it is appliances like washer/dryers, toasters, coffee pots and micro-wave ovens to cell-phones, computers and fancy cars.Somewhere and somehow with time, people have forgotten how to wash dishes and clothes by hand, cook over an open fire, use a broom and live by candle-light or lantern. Heaven forbid! Whereas modern technology has made crucial advances like medicine and surgery, time travel shorter (planes, trains, automobiles) and life easier, it has also created a decline in family time, creative thought, obesity and believe it or not, intelligence.Today a majority of the population (particularly children), cannot add, subtract, multiply and divide (without a calculator), spell (without spell check) or count back change for a dollar, balance a checkbook, change a tire, work on a car, and in a lot of cases, can't even cook. So regardless of technological advances (by a brilliant few), the remainder of the population has become inept, unproductive robots. It is a sad state of affairs to see adults and/or children sitting in a restaurant texting someone, only to find out that it is to each other.Cell-phones, while a possible convenience and safety gadget (calling for help), is also one of the main reasons for deadly car accidents. Most people can't walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone operate a motor vehicle that weighs 3,000 pounds safely while they are talking and texting. Besides these issues, there is also the fact that these modern gadgets also make it possible for government intrusion. Cameras in the television, GPS in vehicles and cell-phones, direct accessibility into your computer; every move you make can be accounted for and watched.Very real intrusions of privacy which can be very menacing. The big question to be asked here is: â€Å"How would society react if there was a complete el ectrical and satellite shut-down? † It could happen whether caused by a meteor, massive volcanic explosion, hackers or terrorists. Think about it; could you and/or your family survive without all the modern gadgetry and convenience? Would you know what to do? And what if it was the worst case scenario where it was impossible to return to the current standard of things and we were thrown back to the 1800's.Truly, society's addiction to gadgetry has become our greatest menace; that of how to cope without them http://www. helium. com/items/2422560-addiction-to-gadgets-in-modern-society Gadget Addiction Making People Crazy Gadgets and machines have become an integral part of our lives. What would we do without them These gizmos are like a necessary condition now which make our lives complete. However, we must keep in mind that everything has its own limit otherwise it can become a cause for concern and in extreme cases, fatal. Market of devices and gadgets seems to be flooded with production.Day in and day out new technologies appear in front of us. If one has bought the latest mobile phone or laptop etc then he does not have much time to feel proud on that because the next day there would be much more superior device than that in the market. This is one of the reasons of addiction. The present day is no less crazy. We are now getting addicted to those things which five years ago we had not thought of even. Earlier people would go and talk to people they know, spend time with them but now they love to talk to their gadgets.Once my friend showed me an application of speaking Tom-cat in her mobile phone which repeats everything you speak and told that she spends a long time with it.. seems crazy.. The effect of this addiction is that people even can’t resist themselves from taking calls and accessing Facebook and other social networking sites during office hours. The lure of being constantly in touch is so strong that they don’t stop sending text messages even if they are told to switch off their phones. It creates a distraction from work. The devices supposed to increase the productivity are giving an opposite effect.In fact the worst affected are the youths. In most of the schools use of cell phones is banned but many of the students carry them. Use of costly and hi-fi gadgets has become a status symbol among them. Daily on way to my work, I see children in school uniforms of age not more than 15 carrying smart phones, iPods etc. It has become a trend now. They push their parents to buy them the latest cell phone or other gizmos because their peers use it. HOW TO GET OVER THIS ADDICTION Gaining or using anything in excess frequently becomes a source of disturbance.It is very important to prevent this. There should be some time bounds to use gadgets. Getting dependent on them is harmful. We will have to learn to balance and manage time. It is important to have a balance between our different engagements such as time spent with family and friends, office work, proper rest as well on gadgets. â€Å"We are exposing brains to an environment and asking them to do things we weren’t necessarily evolved to do. We know already there are consequences. † http://writerspavilion. hubpages. com/hub/-Gadget-Addiction-Making-People-Crazy

Humanities-Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece and Roman civilization comparison The first Olympic games were held in Olympia, Greece. These games were part of the â€Å"Panhellenic Festival, instituted in 776 B. C. E in honor of the Greek gods†. The Olympic games occur in an every â€Å"four-year periods beginning with the first games in 776 B. C. E. † The Greeks had many sports such as, â€Å"200-yard sprint, footrace, wrestling, long jump, and boxing. † Greek athletes competed nude. However, women were not allowed to compete in the Olympic games. The Greeks believed that a â€Å"true sport was that which gave athletes an opportunity to rival the divinity of the gods. In contrast to Greece, the Romans had a â€Å"variety of brutal blood sports. † Gladiator fights were â€Å"introduced in Rome in 264 B. C. E. † These games would symbolize the power of the emperors. In Rome, these events were held in the Coliseum. Gladiators fought wild animals. â€Å"Most Gladiators were crimin als, prisoners of war, or slaves. † They were trained in schools and were forced to take part in the events. The Olympic games and Gladiator fights are different because in Greece it was mostly sport festivals, while in Rome it was representation to honor the emperors.Greek architecture monuments were designed to serve the living. One of the many type of Greek architectural structures is the Parthenon. It is a temple dedicated to Athena, the goddess of war. Built in glittering Pentelic marble. The Parthenon represents the â€Å"apex of a long history of post-and-lintel temple building among the Greeks. † The functions of the Parthenon, was to â€Å"display statues of the gods, for the rulers to go and sacrifice and worship in as a recognition of the protection provided by the gods. In contrast, Roman architecture reflected the practical needs of the empire. The Romans are considered one of the greatest architects of ancient times. Also the Romans made good use of the à ¢â‚¬Å"aqueducts, arches, vaults and domes. † For example, the Pantheon is â€Å"a temple dedicated to the seven planetary deities. † Its exterior is covered with a â€Å"veneer of white marble and bronze. † The Pantheon has many features such as, â€Å"a portico with eight Corinthian columns originally elevated by a flight of stairs that now lie buried beneath the city street. Greek and Roman architecture are similar because Roman architecture was based on the knowledge of the Greeks. Although there’s a difference because Greeks used single row columns for actual structural support, while the Romans were progressing technologically and using rows of concrete columns for luxury purposes. The arts in Greek were based on Humanism, Realism, and Idealism. The Greeks used the abstract geometric methods in their paintings. For example, Greek artists painted their â€Å"ceramic wares with angular figures and complex geometric patterns arranged to enhance the sha pe of the vessel. Greeks painted mythology, literature, and everyday life in â€Å"waters jars, wine jugs, storage vessels, drinking cups and bowls. † In contrast, the Roman art was based in Pictorial Realism paintings. The Romans decorated their â€Å"meeting halls, baths, and country villas that were inspired by Greek murals. † Roman art was illustrated in mosaics. This is a technique by which â€Å"small pieces of stone or glass are embedded into wet cement surfaces or plaster surfaces. † Also Romans illustrated landscapes to show affection to their pleasure of nature.It’s clear that Greek art and Roman art are different because both civilizations used different techniques for their art and showed different interested in what they were trying to portray in their paintings. Roman art was based in Realism while Greek art was more Idealistic. Greek literature was based in the Classical Style in Poetry. This is a combination of the â€Å"arts prevailed in most forms of religious ritual and in public and private entertainment. † For example, Hellenic literature was filled with passion and tenderness written in lyric poetry. In contrast, Roman literature reveals a masterful use of Latin literature.Romans use literature for the purposes of â€Å"entertainment, instruction, and record keeping. † A Roman notable style of literature is the Roman Epic Poetry style. For example, â€Å"Rome’s foremost poet-publicist, Virgil wrote the semi legendary epic that immortalized Rome’s destiny as world ruler. † Virgil’s poems were not an oral tradition but a literacy epic. His work became the â€Å"monumental impact of Latin language. † Greek literature and Roman Literature are similar because they both include comedies, poetry and epics. Also Greek literature dealt with myths while Roman Literature was based on triumphs.

Shakespeares Macbeth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shakespeares Macbeth - Essay Example The necessity of keeping social and economic order often restrains stronger ambition for power. Macbeth is destined - through the prophecy of the witches - to become Thane of Cawdor and eventually King. However, Macbeth's conscience makes the distinction that, by achieving this, he will have broken the social order. This dilemma will eventually compel him to extreme deeds in the acquisition of his desire. Lady Macbeth recognizes her husband's elevation in position and prestige and has no doubt that he will fulfill the witches prophecy with a little help from herself. As she says after reading her husband's letter, " yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o' the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way" (1.5.360-362). Lady Macbeth has launched into an analysis of Macbeth's character - how he might restrain his ambition out of loyalty to his King rather than seek the most direct route to the throne. Macbeth lacks the internal strength and deviousness a powerful man must ha ve in order to rise to king. His desire is infinite, his ambition excessive, yet his respect for social structure prevents him from committing to the murder of the king. In accusing him of being "too full o' the milk of human kindness," Lady Macbeth is observing a timidity that un-weaned from the hand that raised him - he is not man enough to act aggressively.

A Time of Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Time of Reflection - Essay Example Military tension was culpable between the two world powers, and they even engaged in proxy wars as they tried to outdo each other. The tension created by the Cold war affected day to day lives of Americans. Between 1946 and 1964, it is estimated that some 20 million babies were born in the US. This is the generation that grew up during the tension filled years of the Cold War. It is also the generation that witnessed the Civil Movement. I am a proud member of this generation which is commonly referred to as the Baby Boomers. I grew up during a time when the politics of the United States seemed almost uncertain. There was the ever threatening return-to-war feeling among the general populace. The never-ending tug-of-war between the US and USSR created a fear among citizens. This generated into a phenomenon that came to be known as Duck and Cover as people were afraid that the enemy (that is, the USSR) would drop a nuclear bomb on any part of the country and we had to be ready to duck a nd find cover if and when that happened. This kind of tension was particularly unnerving for the young generation born after the war. I think the older generations were able to deal with the situation since they had experienced the Second World War and were used to such tension. In my understanding at that time, they were too afraid to speak out of the effects that war was having on the common citizens. But I was not. I felt that it was my right to speak out what I thought should be spoken out. If I thought that something was wrong and it needed to be corrected I was bold enough to say it. My outspokenness was a behavior I had picked up from my grandmother since when I was a child. The Civil Rights Movement In 1961 I joined college and like many other young people at the time, I had great expectations for my future. I knew I wanted a good life for myself and I understood that a college education would at least guarantee me a good job with good pay, of course. The 60s were tumultuous years, especially in regards to the Civil rights Movements and the conflicts that came with it. I had heard stories told of how Rosa Parks had defied the high and mighty to secure herself a seat in bus seat that was reserved for whites only. I grew up admiring her courage to face up to people whom she knew could do anything to her if they wanted to. The first time I heard her story, I went home and during dinner asked my mother why people hated parks so much that they did not want her to sit in a set that she had paid for in a bus. My mother tried to explain that people did not hate her, that it was just that people like her could only seat at a designated place in the bus. I was too young to understand the concept of discrimination, but something at the back of my head told me that the treatment Rosa Parks had received was not fare. I think that was the first time I really was able to develop an anti-status quo attitude which I would carry on later into my adulthood. We had an Afr ican housekeeper at home whose son, Jeremy was more or less the same age as me. We were quite good friends and even though we attended different schools (I was in an all-white school while he was in an all black one), we did our school work together. I found him to be brighter than some of the students at my own school. He practically taught me everything I needed to know in all my science subjects. After high school we both went to different colleges but we remained good friends until he

Art and gender assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Art and gender assignment - Essay Example Including my teddy bear in the assemblage, was to bring out a part of me; which every girl has. As females develop, they are showered with toys that comprise of nursing and home care (Robinson et al 132). Adding the teddy bear in the assemblage will point out that this assemblage was made by a girl. All girls have secrets, and all teenage girls have diaries where they lash out their daily experiences and crushes; that are why I included my dairy. The last item I included in my diary was my lip balm. Females tend to take care of themselves, making their images their top most priority, which is the reason of including the lip balm. I arranged the assemblage to resemble a collage with a pink background; so as to communicate gender. Females are linked with the color pink, and all the items arranged in the collage are in a circular manner, expressing that they all help females run their lives. I hope to communicate to all viewers that the female gender is sensitive, caring, loving, friendly, and compassionate from the

Scientific discoveries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Scientific discoveries - Essay Example Molecular electronics face two types of challenges. The first challenge is building molecular structures that act as switches and the second challenge is combining these molecules into a complex circuit in order that they are able to perform a specific function. These two tasks demand reproducible organic molecular conductors and insulators. Polyphenylene based molecules besides carbon nanotubes have been considered as possible candidate molecules capable of these tasks (3). In October 2009 a team of researchers led by bio-designer N. J. Tao reported success in the development of key electrical component of the diode on a phenomenally tiny molecular scale, namely the single-molecule diode. (4). Diodes constitute critical components for a wide range of applications that include power conversion equipment, radios, logic gates, photodetecters and light emitting devices. In all these applications diodes make up the components that permit current to flow in one direction, but not in the other direction in an electrical circuit. To bring this specific function down to the level of a molecule, the molecule should be physically asymmetrical, where one end of the molecule has the capacity to form a covalent bond with the negatively charged anode terminal and the other end capable of bonding with the positively charged cathode terminal. A symmetrical molecule allows current to flow in both directions, which is similar to an ordinary resistor. On the other hand an asymmetrical molecule allows current to flow in only direction similar to a diode, which is the more important and difficult component to replicate. With the size of a transistor in the field of electronics nearing a few te n nanometers or about twenty times larger than a molecule, the development of a molecular diode is exciting. (5). The Tao led research team studied conjugated molecules for the purpose of developing a molecular diode. In conjugated molecules the atoms are stuck together by alternating

Successive governments have sought to alter the meaning of ministerial Essay

Successive governments have sought to alter the meaning of ministerial responsibility by emphasising the distinction between a ministers role in creating policy - Essay Example The responsibility of Scottish Ministers: whilst planning decisions are above all an issue for local establishments, these Scottish Ministers can get involved by calling in every aspect, for their individual fortitude. To recognize applications appropriate for call in, a warning scheme is in position. This affirms that, prior to a scheduling authority, they can award permission for certain grouping of expansion, and they have got to inform the Scottish Ministers. Formerly, there were several kinds of expansions. These incorporated expansion which required ecological impact estimation, noteworthy exodus from the progress plan, enormous business and commerce growth, main retail developments in addition to development within the green strap (J, 2002). The character of policy along with policy making is diverse within the Whitehall as well as the Westminster. It is fundamentally expressive of the progression and makes no effort to bypass any decision, on whether the existing preparations are effectual in distributing the purpose of policy making or not. It is supported on the familiarity of the authors as well as information derivative from other Constitution Unit projects, reversed up by more than 19 interviews with the past Ministers in addition to equally ex- as well as existing civil servants along with counselors. Although the partitions can in standard be strained amid policy formation, the expansion as well as the delivery, these kinds of differences are hardly ever drawn in observance as well as are somewhat synthetic. The Policy is gradually more seen as concerning an incessant loop, with acknowledgment that a strapping focus on relief is essential if the policies are to be triumphant on the floor. There is no significant dissimilarity, apart from within very restricted state of affairs, amid the strategy of individual Ministers as well as Departments in addition to the policy of the

Business Idea-Franchising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Idea-Franchising - Essay Example Basis of Selection Dammam is suitable for travelling. The city is easily accessible through flights from various parts of the world. The city has its own port which is named as King Abdul Aziz Port. There are several attractive places in Dammam which are: The Heritage Village, Sports Center, King Fadhd Park, Half Moon Beach and Alkhleej Makarim. There are many museums such as The Media External Museum, The Regional Al Dammam Museum, The Saudi Museum and Abdullah Al Asmare Museum. Due to this reason, many tourists are attracted towards this city and opening a clothing store will be beneficial in the city to attract these tourists as well as local people. Market Scenario at Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has shown positive market growth. Their GDP has been registered as 3.9% in the year 2011 compared to 3% in 2010. Saudi Arabia’s non oil sector plays an important role for the good market condition. The government of Saudi Arabia has planned to spend 155 billion Dollars in the year 20 11 for education and infrastructure purposes. Saudi Arabia is one of the preferred destinations for making investment in Middle East and North Africa. Political stability, great possibility for growth in infrastructure sector, oil reserves and production capability are the major factors of good market condition. Investors will be attracted by government’s impressive policy, over the next five years, which aim to invest 1.3 trillion USD in the non oil sector. It will attract both local as well as foreign investors, who are interested in tapping into country’s market growth (Report Buyer, â€Å"Saudi Arabia Business Forecast Report†). Market Scenario at Dammam Dammam became a part of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the year 1932. Dammam remained a remote place until Standard Oil Company of California moved in the city in the year 1935 for searching oil around Dammam area. Dammam’s economy has expanded and created numerous job opportunities as its oil industry ha s been accompanied by massive boom in construction. By the growth of oil-sector, Dammam’s transportation has also improved. The city is served by King Abdul Aziz Port which handles non-oil cargos for eastern and central provinces of the country. The retail market condition at Dammam had developed in the year 2007–2008 and the retail supply had increased by 60%. Dammam represents the third largest market share in retail sector in Saudi Arabia and accounts for 20% (Colliers International, â€Å"Mena Retail Overview†). SWOT Analysis Strengths Since Dammam attract many tourists and as there is only two mega stores in the area, this will create a great opportunity to open clothing store in Dammam. Many of the residents and tourists shop in neighboring Bahrain because of limited number of clothing stores in Dammam. Thus, opening of new clothing store can retain the tourists. China excels in production and export of clothing in the world. China’s clothing indust ry mainly focuses on information, brand and fashion. The price of cotton in Chinese market is also low. Export tax of China on textile clothing is between 0.2% and 0.3% per piece and export taxes are determined by quantities. Therefore, it will be beneficial to import large amount of clothes from China because it can provide good fashionable clothes

Financial crisis and the dilemma of business ethics by focusing on the Essay

Financial crisis and the dilemma of business ethics by focusing on the element of trust - Essay Example Full Lang and Jagtiani (295-316 indicate that the desire to avoid a financial crisis is one reason that the economists tolerated ongoing financial crisis for years and continues to play its role by shifting the level trust of individuals. Meanwhile, financial crisis was caused by increase in government purchases and the massive mobilization of the resource caused by lack of corporate governance. Failure of corporate governance caused many banking institutions to lack transparency and accountability that caused the turndown of the economy. As result, the risk management and financial firms were functioning without any regulatory mechanism due to the failure of corporate governance responsibility. Prassas (40-44) claims that the reason for the crisis was caused by the distortions and incentives caused by the poor regulatory mechanism that affected the individual mortgage because banks changed the balance sheet mortgage securitization. Reinhart and Rogoff (1676-1706) claim that the investors and mortgage rating agencies failed to accurately price the risk attached with the mortgage products that resulted in the financial crisis. The reason for the current financial crisis is as result of prolonged credit expansion in most of countries that caused the increase in cyclical fluctuations in the economy market. In additional, the extravagant lending of banks that allowed greedy borrowers to purchase overpriced properties that they could not afford was one reason for financial crisis. Therefore, when these borrowers were unable to pay back their mortgage, the delinquency and foreclosures rates would not be avoided by lenders. As result, this affected the mortgage market that lead to the failure of fundamental organizations like Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to Akay (260-273), this demand led to effect on the various metropolitan places that violated the microeconomic

Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Essay 1. How do philosophical questions differ from scientific or factual questions? Philosophy specializes in questions that cannot be answered scientifically, mainly because there are not elements of the question that can be measured or tested empirically. Philosophy questions things and the answers are sought to be more opinionated and based on certain points of view. Philosophy focuses on questions similar to â€Å"how does this work. † A philosophical question that is beneficial is anything that has to do with life, death, or the universe. Philosophical questions do not possess definite answers, and they do not require measurements. For instance, a question could read, â€Å"What makes a great dad? † One person may answer the question saying, qualities that make a great dad would include spending one on one time with the child, always attending school functions and events, and always making time for the children. While this answer could be true for that individual another individual could answer the question saying, a great dad is one who provides all necessities for the family through financial stability, and actions that prove he cares. Both of these answers can possess the capability of being correct because the question is based on personal opinions and there is no definite way to define this. The science approach attempts to answer all the questions that it can empirically, but this is sometimes not possible. The reason some of the times it is not possible is because the questions increase over time and with the advances in technology. As technology expands the more questions that it rises to science and the more questions that are left without a scientific answer. The specific feature of science is to measure and weigh everything. Factual is evidence in themselves and are therefore established. Philosophy and science have much in common. Many of the greatest philosophers were also scientists, or possessed the quality to be categorized as one in his or her time period. Philosophers approach questions similarly to the way scientists do with his or her critical thinking. Scientists formulate theories and then test them against what they can observe or reason. Scientific questions implies that an individual is inquiring about the world around him or her and expecting precise answers. A scientific question possesses an independent variable and a dependent variable in it. A factual question is a question about a fact, â€Å"where did this event happen? † is factual because it is asking for facts. But a scientific or factual question are ones that possess the ability to be answered through verification which will produce some types of definite answers that are measurable and concrete proof. An example of this type of question would include, â€Å"how tall is sally? † The answer that an individual comes up with will be accurate because he or she takes the scientific measurements to answer the question to eliminate speculations. However, speculations could occur while answering how tall Sally is because one could say well is that Sally’s accurate height, because when an individual first awakens they are taller than they are in the evening. When an individual first awaken his or her body has had time to relax and stretch out for the evening sleep, and if measurements were taken during the day or at night the body has not maintained the ability to stretch out causing the individual to be shorter. Personally the way around this would be to measure Sally three times once in the morning, the middle of the afternoon, and finally in the evening. 2. How did the approaches to philosophical inquiry progress from the Pre-Socratics to Socrates, Plato, and finally to Aristotle? How do these changing approaches reflect cultural influences that affected the philosophers of ancient Greece? The philosophical inquiry process during the pre-Socrates era was based mainly on metaphysics which asks what the nature of being is. The Socrates era began to question viewpoints that began asking and answering questions to stimulate an individuals’ critical thinking and in turn illuminating ideas, this began to form a debate and inquiry between individuals’ opposing this view. The dialectical method is a process that the Socrates began and involves oppositional discussions. This method involves oppositional discussions that defend one point of view against another point of view. One individual may lead others to contract his or her point of view in turn strengthening the inquirer’s view point. Plato began to challenge the paradox dialectical method of education upon examining it, â€Å"if one knows nothing, then how will one come to recognize knowledge when he or she encounters it? † The Socrates of Plato came to a different conclusion. The Socrates began to use a slave boy and demonstrate through geometry lessons that every individual acquires even the smallest amount of knowledge, and the knowledge serves as a window into the individual’s eternal and omniscient soul. By communicating with the slave the teacher could contest the student’s false opinions until he came to a true opinion that withstood severities of critical examination. Although the individual’s soul is the warehouse of the knowledge each individual must learn how to access the knowledge and recall it. Plato began to dwindle from the Sophists by Plato distanced himself further from Sophists by separating knowledge from opinions. The scientific method came around after the introduction from Aristotle. The scientific method is the development and explanation of rules for scientific investigation and reasoning that is not clear-cut. The scientific method is a hot topic for many severe and frequent debates throughout the science’s history. Many of the natural philosophers and scientists argue for the primary of a single approach that will establish scientific knowledge. Many debates that surround the scientific method is centered on rationalism. Empiricism is the main component of scientific tradition according to Aristotle. Aristotle felt that individual can gain the knowledge of universal truth through particular things such as induction. In some measures Aristotle brings together abstract thought with observations. Aristotelian science is not empirical in form, and many individuals commonly mistake this implication. Aristotle denies that individuals develop knowledge through induction and possesses the ability to be considered scientific knowledge. The main preliminary to scientific business enquiry is induction, this provides the preliminary grounds for scientific demonstrations. The main job of philosophers was to examine and discover the truths causes and to demonstrate universal truths. Even though induction was satisfactory for discovering universals by simplification, it lacked the ability to successfully identify the causes. Aristotle sought after identifying the causes and began using deductive reasoning in the form of syllogisms. Using the syllogisms, scientists possessed the capability of inferring new universal truths from ones that have previously been established by other philosophers. Personally upon learning about these different philosophers. I think the different inquiry processes empowered each philosopher to think out of the realm of normality and not except the norm which enabled Greece and even other cultures to answer questions and in turn gain more knowledge. 3. How are philosophical opinions justified? Epistemology contains the theory of justification and struggles to nderstand justifications of proposals and beliefs. Philosophical opinions are justified because of epistemology, which is associated to philosophies including justification, beliefs, and truths. Epistemology deals with the means of the production of knowledge. According to Plato, justification is the final component of knowledge and without it individuals only have a true opinion. Belief is a state of mind on which an individual can often fickle and liable to change. Justification is the factual rationalization of true opinions, reality is the thing that grounds it (Baker, 2013). Justification based theories of knowledge are categorized into two subsections, irrationalism and panrationalism. Irrationalism is something that draws to irrational principles and authorities, including an individual’s feelings. Panrationalism is rational criteria and principles including reasoning and observation. I believe that philosophical opinions are justified in various ways. Philosophical opinions not necessarily justified but are guided by personal experiences and religious beliefs. When beliefs are justified there is always a justifier or something that justifies the belief. Different things can be justifiers for example the following three items are suggested, the first is solely beliefs, beliefs that are together with other cognizant mental states, and finally beliefs, cognizant mental states, and other realities about individuals and his or her surrounding and the environment, which individuals may or may not possess the access to. As with every philosophical ideas there is criticism following the theory of justification. Held by critical rationalists W. W.  Bartley, David Miller, and Karl Popper, non-justificational criticism is the major opposition that is against this theory. Criticism to the justificationism is trying to prove that the claims lack the ability to be reduced to the influence or criteria that it influences appeals to, it states that justification is a primary claim and the claim itself is secondary. Nonjustificational criticism strives to attack the claims themselves. The first being guided by personal experience is because individuals tend to associate his or her philosophy on the basis of experiences they have encountered. An example that one can contribute to this is old policies that an individual has seen work effectively and as a result an opinion or philosophy is developed believing that it is the only way or best way because it worked for the individual. Another way philosophical opinions are justified is through religious orientation and is believed to be the most significant majority of the time. From birth individuals are drilled about right and wrong according to his or her religious views. Religious orientation affects an individual in all philosophical areas. Some include what to eat, creation and what is acceptable or not and because it is based on faith instead of facts, religion really shapes and individuals life because it effects ones choices in life. I think that justifying an individual’s ethical and moral beliefs is unnecessary, I think that individuals are entitled to believe and have certain opinions on what they choose. If these individuals try to justify his or her moral beliefs then they are clarifying an issue and answering a question.

Ambedkar Open University (BAOU) Essay Example for Free

Ambedkar Open University (BAOU) Essay Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU), Ahmedabad was established in 1994 by the Gujarat State Legislature. It is the seventh Open University in the country in terms of their establishment. The University offers 72 programs with an enrolment of more than 1, 00,000 learners. The University has established regional centre on the campus of South Gujarat University, Rajkot and has initiated the process of another establishing regional centre on the campus of North Gujarat University, Patan. It has jurisdiction over the whole state of Gujarat. The main objectives of the university are to advance and disseminate learning and knowledge by a diversity of means, including use of any communication technology and to provide opportunities for higher education to a large segment of the population. The university encourages the Open University and distance education system in the educational pattern of the State. The university is open to all persons irrespective of classes, castes, creed or religion. Education is an important situation all over the world, and is maybe one of the most forgotten topics in the underdeveloped countries. This is the main reason why they don’t contribute to the progress of their own countries. Education is a human right, and as a fundamental right it is the responsibility of governments to provide it. The most important thing is that education influences human development, economic growth and the fundamental requirement for democracy. It is important in a country to invest a big part of the profits in education, because in many countries, governments prefer to invest in weapons without thinking that they should give another direction to the resources from the military where war and win are the most important thing. The government is blind, and they want to see first in the outside than in the inside, when there are more important things to fulfill like basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. Another important reason why it is necessary to invest in education is because children are being prepared to be poor laborers, just as the people years ago. Instead of preparing them for the future, they have been sent to the past with obsolete laws. There is a big necessity for programs that can teach the responsible use of resources, because without the right knowledge these people without education could be wasting a lot of resources and at the same time could be contributing to an unsustainable development. When speaking of development, the role of women is important in these processes, because in the countries  with the highest levels of human development it is declared that they offer equal opportunities and gender equity in their societies. It means that women can reach high positions, and they can do many of the things that were restricted to them a few years ago. When people see

Tesco The Customer Relationship Champion Marketing Essay

Tesco The Customer Relationship Champion Marketing Essay The Tesco story dates back to 1919 when Jack Cohen, an ex-army man, setup a grocery business in Londons East End. In 1924 Cohen purchased a shipment of tea from a company named T E Stockwell. He used the first three letters of this companys name, added the Co from his name and branded the tea Tesco. Reportedly, he was so enamoured of that he named his entire business Tesco. The first store under the Tesco name was opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware. The company grew rapidly in the years that followed, and evolved into a general food retailing outfit. By 1930, around 100 stores were operating under the Tesco Label  [1]  . Realising that the self-service mode of running supermarkets prevalent in the USA worked out much cheaper than the traditional mode of and enabled companies to offer their merchandise at lower prices, Cohen decided to adopt the same for Tesco stores. In 1948, the first self-service Tesco was opened in St Albans. Over the next few years, Tesco grew to 400 stores many of which were purchased by Cohen from other smaller shopping store chains in the country. In the early 1960s, the company began selling clothing, household goods and fresh food in addition to groceries. Tesco pioneered the large format stores concept in the UK with the launch of a 16,500 sq. Ft. store in Leicester in 1961  [2]  . A Master in CRM: Every three months, millions of people in the UK receive mailers from the countrys number one retailer, Tesco. Nothing exceptional about the concept all most all leading retailers across the world send out mailers/magazines to their customers. These initiatives promote the stores products, introduce promotional schemes and contain discount coupons. However what sets Tesco apart from such run-of-the-mill initiatives is the fact that Tesco mass-customises these mailers. Every mailer has a unique combination of articles, advertisements related to Tescos offerings, and third party advertisements as well. Tesco ensures that all of its customers receive mailers which contain material suited to their lifestyles. The company has worked out a mechanism for determining the advertisements and promotional coupons that would go in each of the over 150,000 variants of the mailers. This has been made possible by Tescos world-renowned CRM strategy framework. The Clubcard scheme (launched in 1995) laid the foundations of this CRM framework that made Tesco post growth figures in an industry that had been stagnating for a long time. The data collected through Clubcards formed the basis for formulating strategies that offered personalised services in a cost-effective manner  [3]  . CRM The Tesco Way: Tescos efforts towards offering better services to its customers and meeting their needs can be traced back to the days when it positioned itself as a company that offered good quality products at extremely competitive prices. Even its decision to offer premium end merchandise and services in the 1970s was prompted by growing customer demand for the same. In 1994, the company launched the One in Front scheme to reduce the time customers had to spend waiting at check-out counters. Under this scheme, Tesco store personnel ensured that if there was more than one person at any counter, another counter would be opened for the person in the line. In this way none of the customers have to wait at the check-out counters. Of course, it is not possible for Tesco to adhere this policy during peak trading hours. Nevertheless, this effort to improve customer was appreciated by customers  [4]  . The biggest customer service initiative (and the first focused CRM drive) came in the form of the Clubcard which was launched in 1995. This initiative was partly inspired by the growing popularity of such schemes in other parts of the world and partly by Tescos belief that it would be able to serve its customers in a much better (and profitable) manner by using such a scheme. Tesco knew that at any of its stores, the top 100 customers were worth as much as the bottom 4,000 (in terms of sales). While the top five percent customers accounted for twenty percent of sales, the bottom twenty five percent only accounted for only two percent. The company realised that by giving extra attention to top customers (measured by the frequency of purchases and the amount spent), it stood to gain a lot  [5]  . In May 1994, Tesco began testing the Clubcard loyalty scheme at two of its stores for a period of six months. The scheme started off like any other loyalty card scheme. Customers became members by paying a joining fee and providing personal details such as name, address, date of birth, e-mail, family composition, dietary requirements and product preferences. Impressed with the programs results over six months, the company introduced the scheme in all of its stores by February 1995. All the transactions were linked to individual customer profiles and generated over 50 Gigabytes of data every week. The analysis of the data enabled Tesco to accurately pin-point the time when purchases were made, the amount customer spent, and the kinds of products purchased. Based on the amount spent and the frequency of shopping, customers were classified into four broad categories: Premium, Standard, Potential and Uncommitted Further, profiles were created for all customers on the basis of the types o f products they purchased. Customers were categorised along dimensions such as, Value, Convenience, Frozen, Healthy Eating, Fresh and Kids  [6]  . Tesco also identified over 5,000 need segments based on the purchasing habits and behaviour patterns of its customers. Each of these segments could be targeted specifically with tailor-made campaigns and advertisements. Tesco also identified eight primary life stage need segments based on the profiles of its customers. These segments included single adults, pensioners and urban professionals among others. Another classification of customers developed from the insights generated through data mining. Using this information regarding the classification of customers, Tescos marketing department devised customised strategies for each category. Pricing information and product related decisions were taken after considering the preferences of customers. Also, customers received communications that were tailored to their buying patterns. The data collected through the Clubcard scheme allowed Tesco to modify its strategies on various fronts such as pricing, inventory management, shopping analysis, customer acquisition, new product launches, store management, online customer behaviour and media effectiveness. The data generated by Clubcard was used innovatively, e.g. special attention give to expectant mothers in the form of personal shopping assistants, priority parking and various other facilities. Tesco also tied up with airline companies and began offering Frequent Flyer Miles to customers in return for the points on their Clubcards. Reaping the benefits: The data collected through Clubcard allowed Tesco to target individual customers (the rifle shot approach), instead of targeting them as a group (the carpet bombing approach). As the customers receive the coupons which matches their buying patterns, over twenty percent of Tescos coupons were redeemed as against the industry average of 0.5 percent. Customers falling in different categories receive mailers which are specifically for them. The mass customisation of these mailers also attracted third-party advertisers, since it assured them that their products/services would be noticed by those very customers they plan to target. Naturally, Tesco recovered a large part of its investment in this exercise through revenues generated by third-party advertisements  [7]  . When Tesco discovered that around 25 percent of its customers, who belonged to the high income bracket were defecting to rival Marks Spencer, it developed a totally new product range, Tesco Finest to lure back those customers. This range was then promoted to affluent customers through personalised promotions. As planned, the deflection of customers from this segment slowed down considerably. From Customer Service To Customer Delight: To sustain the growth achieved through the launch of Clubcard, Tesco decided to adopt a four pronged approach: launch better, bigger stores on a frequent basis; offer competitive prices (e.g. offering everyday low prices in the staples business); increase the number of products offered in the Value range; and the focus on the remote shopping services (this includes the online shopping venture). To make sure that its prices were the lowest among all retailers, Tesco employed a dedicated team of employees, called price checkers. This team checked and compared Tescos prices with those of other companies on a weekly basis. The company even helped its customers to compare prices by providing the information on Tesco.com  [8]  . Recommendations: Even though Tescos CRM efforts have resulted in superior financial performance and market share, the company has to look at its customer service standards. Tesco have spent so much time improving the way their stores look, the range of products they sell and their service processes that they may have temporarily overlooked the impact that their people can make on customers through their behaviour, they need to re-address this issue. Tesco should launch initiatives like Every Customer offered Help (ECOH). As part of ECOH, all employees should be given clear instructions about the way in which they are expected to deal with customers. Employees at the check-out counters, for instance, should be asked to be very particular about greeting the customers, offering the help to the customer and finally, wishing customers a good day. Store managers should be empowered for making the ECOH initiative successful, and they should participate whole-heartedly in the scheme. Tesco should also realise that Clubcard initiatives was just one part of the overall thrust on CRM and customer enhancement is needed to survive and excel in the intensely competitive British retail industry. Tesco therefore have to take host of initiatives in its stores to further the thrust given to customer service. Tesco should also introduce new scheduling system for the store employees to increase customer satisfaction levels. Tesco should also make it mandatory for all employees (including top level executives) to spend some time every year in the stores to help them to get acquainted with the nuances of customer service. This program will help Tesco employees to ingrain customer service as a company philosophy in all employees and it will also result in the development of many innovative ideas. Unlike Asdas customer service program, Tescos program should not require employees to get too personal with customers, as Asda have posted employees at the entrance doors to greet customers. To ensure that its CRM efforts are backed by a strong operational framework, Tesco should pay special attention to controlling costs and streamlining its supply chain. In association with its suppliers, Tesco should try to remove all non-value adding costs. Tesco should also collaborate with its suppliers to develop a Lean Thinking approach, which should focus on smart and efficient working.

Realism Term Paper -- Political Science

Realism by definition is an approach to global politics derived from the tradition of power politics and belief that behavior is determined by the search for and distribution of power. [5] By using the concept of power it is easy to discuss basics of realism. Realist theories are based of beliefs that states are motivated by aggressive or defensive urges, the national interest is survival and states are unitary actors each moving towards their own national interest.[4] The first key feature of realism is statism. Statism is an idea that the state is an accurate representative of the will of its people.[4] The state is sovereign and therefore is able to govern itself as it wants. With this sovereignty that state is able to institute security. After a state has established security it is then able to continue with a communal culture. In international relationships however sovereignty does not supply security therefore a state must vie with its neighboring states to accomplish it. This can lead to a power struggle to ensure that state’s people can live in security.[5] A second key point of realism is survival. Survival to realists is rather simple; the state with the most power stands a better likelihood of survival. Naturally it is believed that survival is the definitive objective of realism. To guarantee survival a state may stray from their set of ethics because it cannot worry about moral issues. If state were to hold onto its set of beliefs, it may suffer at the expense of a more powerful state. In realism cases there are two conflicting segments, defensive and offensive realists.[5] A state with a defensive realist perspective believes they must obtain enough power to ensure security, but not so much power that their security... ... event. Works Cited 1. http://www.orsam.org.tr/tr/trUploads/Yazilar/Dosyalar/201229_ortadoguetutler_volume3_no2.pdf#page=11). Ozlem TUR. January 2012. ORSAM. 13 Apr. 2012 2. (http://www.laidi.com/sitedp/sites/default/files/The%20Arab%20Counterrevolution_0.pdf). Hussein Agha and Robert Malley. September 29 2011. The New York Review of Books. 13 Apr. 2012 3. (http://www.pomeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/POMEPS_BriefBooklet4_Syria-TEXT_WEB-1.pdf) Mona Yacoubian and Radwan Ziadeh. 4 May 2011 Project on Middle East Political Science. 13 Apr. 2012 4. Tim Dunne and Brian C. Schmidt, â€Å"Realism,† in John Baylis and Steve Smith, The Globalization of Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, 3rd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2005), pp. 162-183. 5. Mansbach, Richard and Kirsten Taylor, Introduction to Global Politics. New York: Routledge. 2008 Print

An analysis of how dikh (‘justice’) and its associated values are Essay

An analysis of how dikh (‘justice’) and its associated values are presented and translated in two passages from Sophocles: Electra. What broader issues are raised and how would these be investigated further? The concept of dikh, or ‘justice’ has many subtle meanings and variations in Ancient Greek ranging from the primary definition given in LS (Liddell and Scotts, ‘Greek-English Lexicon’, Intermediate, 1889, page 202) of custom to right, judgement, lawsuit, penalty and vengeance. The OCD (Hornblower S, Oxford Classical Dictionary, 1996, Page 469) reference to Likh describes it as the, ‘personification of justice’ and the daughter of Zeus that, ‘reports men’s wrongdoing to Zeus’. Sophocles’ rendition of the tragic play Electra forms a useful focal point for the analysis of how dike and its associated values are presented and translated. As Kitto (Kitto, H.D.F, ‘Greek Tragedy’, 1997, Routledge Page 131, Section 4) pointed out, this play’s, ‘central problem is a problem of ‘dikh’ (‘Justice’). The play itself examines both the desire for justice by the children of the murdered Agamemnon as well as the arguments of justice by his wife (Clytaemnestra for his murder). All of this takes place under the watchful eye of Apollo, the God of both reason and prophecy, both of which play a part in the story that is told. The first extract is that of the argument between Clytaemnestra and Electra (Sophocles, Translator Watling, E.F., ‘Electra and other plays’, pg 84-56, lines 518-543) concerning her justification for the murder of Agamemnon. In this extract we are presented with a selection of references to justice and how Clytaemnestra explains how she was right in her murder of her husband. At line 518 (Ibid.,) she complains at her portrayal as ‘an unjust tyrant’, presumably implying that she was not within her right or custom to kill him. Between lines 524-526 (Ibid.,) she says that justice and duty are tied together and that her duty was to seek justice whilst Electra failed in this area. At line 535 (Ibid.,) she says, ‘why should he not be brought to justice for killing what was mine?’. In modern terms this could be considered simple revenge, or dikhn. She is does not justify her action because of tradition or precedent, purely because he took something of hers. In lines 539-541 (Ibid.,) she argues that Agamemnon love might ... ... study ties in perfectly with the idea of moral dilemmas, duty and especially justice. In ‘Electra’ we find our idea of our own values and those of the period to be challenged, this study may assist here. Williams. B, ‘Moral Luck’, 1981, Cambridge Williams. B, ‘Problems of the self’, 1973, Cambridge Williams. B, ‘Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy’, 1985, Cambridge Williams’ work covered a wide range of ethical and morals areas and his research is relatively recent. ‘Moral Luck’, though not directly related will almost certainly have a few useful ideas concerning fate and possibly justification. Plato, Translator Guthrie, W.K.C. ‘Protagoras and Meno’, 1956, Penguin Books Plato discusses the idea of virtue in great depth in the ‘Protagoras’ and this could shed further light on the ideas of virtue, honour, duty and possibly justice. Aeschylus, Translator Fagles, R, ‘The Orestia’, 1977, Penguin Books Euripides, Editor Ferguson, J , "Medea and Electra", 1987, Bristol Classical Press Another version of the story of Electra would be of great use, especially by another tragedian, in this case Euripides. This version is written as more of a melodrama.

Herodotus :: Ancient Greece Greek History

Herodotus Herodotus (484-424 BC ?) a Greek historian, known as the father of history, who was the first historian to apply critical evaluation to his material, while also recording divergent opinions. He made his prose style resemble the finest poetry by its persuasiveness, its charm, and its utterly delightful effect. Although his writings have been praised, their trustworthiness has been questioned both in ancient and modern times. After four years in Athens, he traveled widely in Egypt, Asia and the Black Sea region of E. Europe, before settling at Thurii in S. Italy in 443 BC. He wrote accounts of his various travels for the people of Greece. He read his, "History" publicly to the Athenians and was rewarded for this historical work. He contrived to set before his fellow citizens a general picture of the world, of its various races, and of the previous history of those nations which had one. He also was very careful to diversify his pages by scattering among his more serious matter tales, a necdotes, and descriptions of a lighter character, which are very graceful additions to the main narrative. Two men are famous contemporaries of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon, who were both from Athens. Thucydides (460 BC - 400 BC?) was a better historian than Herodotus and his critical use of sources and research made his "History of the Peloponnesian War" a significant influence on later generations of historians. Xenophon (430 BC - 355 BC?) began his "Hellenica where Thucydides ended his work about 411 BC and carried his history to 362 BC. His writings were superficial in comparison to those of Thucydides, but he wrote with authority on military matters. Herodotus believed that many Greek rituals and customs were inherited from the Egyptians as the Greek civilization developed. He recorded the wide range of religious practices he encountered in his travels, comparing the religious observances of various cultures, such as sacrifice and worship, with their Greek equivalents. He quite possibly followed the cult practices of Serapis, which is the Greek Name for Osiris the embodiment of goodness, who ruled the underworld. He identified Isis with Demeter, the Greek goddess of earth, agriculture, and fertility. About two centuries later, under the Greco-Egyptian Empire, which was created by Alexander the Great, the worship of Osiris (Serapis) was developed as a means of uniting the Greeks and Egyptians. He observed that the Egyptians strongly opposed the acceptance of foreign customs.

A Single Needle; Single Handily Changing the Game Essay

America’s Pastime has been the true root of sports in the United States of America. Baseball blew up in the late 19th century towards the end of the American Civil War. Before there were TV’s, internet, or DVD’s, baseball is what kids did for fun. It became the thing to do if you were a white male going into the 20th century, and that was just the beginning of a long bittersweet road of the game of baseball. Up until the 1990’s many greats had walked in between the lines showing off their pure god given talent, then an era came along that makes every baseball fan cringe, the â€Å"Steroids Era.† Steroids started to spread throughout the league like wildfire, and sadly no one was doing anything about it. The only thing administration, owners, authorities, and fans had were suspicion no one knew for sure if these record breaking seasons were real or all just a fluke. The greats like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Lou Gehrig, and Ted Williams all have been being surpassed in the record books by Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGuire, and plenty more players due to the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. The use of illegal Steroids in baseball has single handily degraded and disgraced the great game that once was proud to be known as America’s Pastime. The man who started it all and really brought Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’s) to the baseball scene in the late 1980’s was Oakland Athletics outfielder, Jose Canseco. Once Canseco starting showing his teammates how influential these drugs were to their performance through his own personal achievements it wasn’t long before a large amount of players were using PEDs. Canseco states in his book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big that, â€Å"About 85% of Major Leaguers have used it† (Canseco). The MLB rarely, if at all tested for steroids during this time of the â€Å"Steroids Era† and if they did there was no penalty for testing positive. At the time it was virtually a win win for the players, they could juice up, exceed the stats they could only dream about, and never get in trouble during the process. Performance Enhancing Drugs became an epidemic in the world of baseball, but not only was it enhancing players performance, it was enhancing every aspect of revenue a ball club could ever imagine. The Record books were once again open and ready for business. Athletes such as Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Mark McGuire, and so forth were smashing homeruns and going up on the charts little by little for the all time homerun record holder, Hank Aaron. This excitement on the field attracted more fans through these steroid years than baseball had ever seen, and when there are fans there is money, and when there is money there is no concern. The Major League of Baseball had been oblivious to the illegal use of Steroids over the years. Until 2002 there were no penalties for testing positive for PEDs. The new rules stated, â€Å"A first time offense would only result in treatment for the player† (Baseball-Almanac). Not one player was sentenced to any suspensions for this crime, until the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) steroid scandal came to light, and brought out many of the All-Stars of the MLB to the top of the list. Victor Cante the founder of BALCO was a god to the sports world. He was the guy that not only supplied athletes wit h their steroids, but also had ways to cheat the tests so they could come up clean. Testing companies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S Anti Doping-Agency (USADA) are always trying to improve the efficiency of the tests to make cheating near impossible if not totally full proof, but as those agencies are working to stop the cheaters workers at BALCO labs are finding ways once again come up with a new way to slide by the new and improved tests on the market (Quinn). So in 2005 The MLB created a new testing policy that was accepted by the players and owners that said, â€Å"The first positive test will result in a suspension of up to ten days. The second positive test will result in a suspension of thirty days. The third positive test will result in a suspension of sixty days. The fourth positive test will result in a suspension of one full year. Finally, the fifth positive test will result in a penalty at the discretion of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Players will be tested at least once per year, with a chance that several players can be tested numerous times per year† (Baseball-Almanac). That wasn’t the last adjustment Bud Selig, the Commissioner of the Major League of Baseball, was going to make to the steroid testing policy. On December 13, 2007, Greg Mitchell, an investigator who was appointed by Bud Selig in 2006 to investigate the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in the MLB, presented a 409 page report to Selig showing his investigation and revealing 89 alleged players who used steroids during their career (Healey). Once Bud Selig had been shown the report, his 3rd written drug testing policy came in to play which was known as the â€Å"Three strikes and you’re out approach† (Verhaeghe). This final policy stated that, â€Å"The first positive test would result in a fifty game suspension. The second positive test would result in a one-hundred game suspension. Finally, the third positive test would result in a lifetime suspension from Major League Baseball† (Baseball Almanac). Bud Selig and the rest of the administration inside of the Major League of Baseball had finally seen the light, and properly taken action on how to cut down the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs throughout the MLB. Once the â€Å"Mitchell Report† was released many super stars and role models for fans all around the world were printed in black under the category of the illegal use of steroids throughout their career. The most popular player named in the Mitchell Report due to his court and trial issues would have to be 7 time Cy Young winner, Roger Clemens. Once he saw that his name had been brought to light in the report he went to Capitol Hill to clear his name off the list that he felt he didn’t need to be on. Little did he know that when made the statement, â€Å"I appreciate the opportunity to tell this Committee and the public-under oath-what I have been saying all along: I have never used steroids, human growth hormone [HGH], or any other type of illegal performance enhancing drugs. I think these types of drugs should play no role in athletics at any level, and I fully support Senator Mitchell’s conclusions that steroids have no place in baseball. However, I take great issue with the report’s allegation that I used these substances. Let me be clear again: I did not.† (Healey) That he was entering a world of charges when committing perjury in a court of law. Many of the players claimed their innocence like Clemens did, but in the end they all served the types of charges. The original group of all time Baseball greats like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Cy young, etc. set a high standard for the Players after them to strive for and gave them something to achieve. Never in their minds would they of thought that the game of baseball would have turned out the way it is today. These modern day All-stars who cheated and used Performance Enhancing Drugs for a shortcut just to go ahead of someone’s hard work and love for the game as well to achieve their personal and selfish desires should be punished and have their awards and accolades stripped from them and taken out of the record books as if they were never there to begin with. The use of Performance Enhancing Drugs has put a permanent stain on the name of Baseball and what it is truly about. Bud Selig and the Major league of Baseball has come a long way regarding minimizing the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs by enforcing harsher penalties and consequences for testing Positive for steroids. As the years have gone by thanks to the leagues stricter policies on testing positive for PEDs the amount of players getting suspended for steroid use has decreased on a year to year basis. The Major League of Baseball will never be able to completely take Performance Enhancing Drugs out of the game, but with the right consequences, and appropriate policies they will be able continue to keep the use of Steroids at a very low rate and never re-enter the once dreaded time known as the â€Å"Steroids Era† ever again. Works Cited Healey, Daniel. â€Å"FALL OF THE ROCKET: STEROIDS IN BASEBALL AND THE CASE AGAINEST ROGER CLEMENS.† Marquette Sports Law Review 19.1 (September 2008): SPORTDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. Roger â€Å"The Rocket† Clemens is known to be one of the best of all-time to step on the rubber in the game of Major League Baseball. The Seven-time Cy Young winner was ultimately unstoppable in the last half of his career. He was just another great phenom in the baseball world until December 13, 2007 when the â€Å"Mitchell Report† was released, revealing a 409-page report that was sent to the commissioner of baseball (Bud Selig) that investigated the illegal use of steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs used by players in Major League Baseball. There were over 80 players put on this report, but the one who stood out the most was Roger Clemens himself. On February 13th 2008 he went to Capitol Hill to argue the allegations against him saying, â€Å"I appreciate the opportunity to tell this Committee and the public-under oath-what I have been saying all along: I have never used steroids, human growth hormone [HGH], or any other type of illegal performance enhancing drugs. I think these types of drugs should play no role in athletics at any level, and I fully support Senator Mitchell’s conclusions that Steroids have no place in baseball. However, I take great issue with the report’s allegation that I used these substances. Let me be clear again: I did not.† Once Clemens had stated that it put a rather large target on his back not only by investigators but also the judicial system. They were trying to get him to admit using illegal steroids, but now as well they were going after him on counts of perjury. After 2 years of gathering enough evidence and testimonies on August 19, 2010 a Federal Grand Jury Indicted Roger Clemens on six counts, one count of obstruction of congress, three counts of false statements, and two counts of perjury. On July 13, 2011 Clemens’ first trial began, but on the second day the judge ruled a mistrial due to prosecutorial misconduct. For now Roger Clemens is a free man, but legal sources say that he will be retried. I will be using the â€Å"Mitchell Report† and the Roger Clemens trial to portray that not only is the use of steroids extremely risky and unhealthy but also that it’s against the law and you will get caught one way or another. 1991 to 2002 was known as the â€Å"Steroid Era† in professional baseball. Over those years particularly in 1995 after the cancellation of the 1994 playoffs and World Series the statistics of a majority of the players skyrocketed, which in retrospect played a huge role in filling the empty seats back up after the 1994 strike. I’ll be explaining that up until to this point in time the MLB did not have strict regulations on testing for the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) Kuenster, John. â€Å"Major League Player Records Dishonored by Steroid Users.† Baseball Digest. 62.2 (March 2008): SPORTDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. John Kuenster touches on a very valuable subject when it comes to records, and honors given in the MLB. Back in early in mid 1900’s the greats of the game like, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, and Ernie Banks. They all set legitimate records that should never be shadowed by the players who eventually broke them. These few players all had something in common. That was hard work and love for the game. They didn’t use PEDs to up there stats or to get to a higher number in a certain category. These historic greats earned their records off pure talent that was god given and worked hard to mature. The greats of our time such as, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, or Mark McGwire also hold records like men mentioned earlier. The only difference between the past greats and the current greats is that these new all-stars were accused of using Steroids to achieve their records. Not only are the players the ones to blame for the whole â€Å"Steroid Era.† Stricter steps should have been taken from the get go through the league to enforce steroid testing to ensure the safety and fair play in professional play of baseball before the use of steroids spread like wildfire through the MLB. Will records and awards be stripped from players who’ve been tested positive for performing enhancing drugs? We don’t know for now, but who knows what the future holds. This article about dishonoring the awards given to players who have achieved them unfairly will allow me to voice my opinion on the topic of record breakers involving steroids. I personally am against the use of steroids solely because all it does it degrade the great game of baseball. Even though these cheaters didn’t use PEDs their whole career and achieved some of their record off pure talent doesn’t change the fact they broke the rules that is stated in the contract that’s signed by every professional player. It’s not fair that history’s greatest baseball players prior to the steroid era should be passed up in the record books by players that made themselves better by an illegal drug. Not only is it a disgrace to the violators name, but more importantly it’s a disgrace to the game of baseball. Rutecki, Jared. â€Å"A Study of Media Impact on Public Opinion Regarding Performance Enhancement in Major League Baseball.† Open Sports Sciences Journal 3 (2010): SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. A chart in the article, A study of Media Impact on Public Opinion Regarding Performance Enhancement in Major League Baseball shows the percent of the coverage on specific sports and PEDs through 1968 to 2006 in Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, and Time. Baseball ranks number one in all 3 magazines with 43 percent, 39 percent, and 39 percent. Coming in second was football with a significant lower percent of 19, 14, and 15. Over the year’s magazine articles about PEDs have increased by a huge amount due to the popularity in steroid use among professional athletes. With the widespread use of steroids in sports particularly baseball, it’s apparent that the talk of it in magazines and media in general has shot up too. When something isn’t a public issue the media obviously isn’t interested in it which is why steroids in the earlier years weren’t written and talked about much. When the â€Å"Steroid Era† came into play that’s when the number of articles in magazines skyrocketed year by year and it all of sudden became a huge topic in our society. I will also be touching on the fact that even when people knew that steroids were an issue media didn’t start writing about it like crazy until the 104 MLB players tested positive for PEDs in 2003. From that year on the number of articles per year were above 49. The media writes what sells and in this day and age information and insider news about the world of baseball and steroids will always sell. Solberg, Joe. â€Å"Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Baseball: The Impact of Culture.† Ethics and Behavior 21 (April 2011): 91-102. Philosopher’s Index. Web. 8 November 2011. Joe Solberg explains that once the steroid era of baseball blew up and became steady that it wasn’t out of the norm anymore, it became part of the culture. Once everyone was doing it the person below them had to use PEDs in order to get to the next level. The use of Steroids is a ladder that started in the pro’s and worked its way down to the minors. Major League Contracts are more than less based off offensive performance rather than defensive performance. To be more specific on offensive performance homeruns are what really can land you a big money contract. Over the years the biggest category that PEDs have helped is homeruns. Of course players want a lot of money, and in order to get that money is to hit homeruns, and in order to increase the amount of homeruns is to take performance enhancing drugs. Players will do what they have to do in order to make the money that they are satisfied with, and as a result for most players it is to partake in using steroids to increase their status as an all-star. The information I gathered in this article will help me explain the player’s motives for wanting to use PEDs. It’s not only used just to break records and be known as an all-star even though that is a plus that comes with it, but it’s the fact that if the person above you is using these substances then in order for you to excel above him and potentially take his spot you almost feel obligated to take PEDs as well. It was once a bad thing to be associated with the group known to take steroids back when it was a rare thing to do. Now days it’s such a common thing to partake in its part of the culture, it’s fairly normal in the MLB now to use PEDs. Sommers, Paul. â€Å"The Changing Hitting Performance Profile in Major League Baseball, 1966-2006.† Journal of Sports Economics 9.4 (August 2008) SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. Paul Sommers showed charts over the decades of average years played by an average starter in the pros. It went from 5.2 years in the 60’s to 6 in a half years in 2006. That shows that the use of steroids in the MLB increased a player’s career by almost 2 years. He also explains that the use of PEDs in baseball lets you peak at a higher level of skill. A persons overall skill level will increase by a big number while using steroids. Someone hitting .267 without the use of steroids could jump anywhere from a .324 to .378 average depending on the person. With all the statistics shown throughout the article it’s proven that Performance enhancing drugs increase a player’s batting average, peak, years played, MPH, and overall skill level. Before the 1960’s after a player’s peak their batting average tended to decline steadily due to falling off from their prime, but after the 1960’s a large amount of players started to excel past their peak year and raise their batting averages past their prime which was unusual. As we know now the reason for that was the use of PEDs. After 2004 the statistics seemed to start trending again like the 1960’s due to the random and mandatory drug tests which disabled the players to partake in using Anabolic Steroids of HGH. I will be using this information to show how all PEDs have been proven in many to not only better athletes, but make them more durable and tack on extra years of successful productivity past their prime. PEDs aren’t physically making them younger, but they sure are making them produce younger aged stats in a past prime aged body. Stone, Brad. â€Å"Another Poison Pill† Newsweek 146.7 (August 15 2005): Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 November 2011. The MLB is by far the top sport when it comes to the abuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs, but yet it holds the weakest punishment in the sports world for testing positive. Rafael Palmeiro in 2008 tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs in early August of 2008 just months after he testified before a U.S congressional committee stating that he had never used PEDs in his life. Not only did he test positive for steroids, he failed the test after lying under oath in a court of law, and all he was punished with through the MLB was a 10-day suspension and a $164,000 fine. Due to the particular steroid Palmeiro took, Stanozonol, which travels through your digestive system within 2 weeks, makes it hard for the court to prove that Palmeiro was lying when he testified. Baseball wants to stop the abuse of Steroids, but at the same time it seems like all these players that test positive these substances just get slaps on the wrist and are told not to do it again. If you want a problem to come to a halt you have to go the extra distance in order to get the results you’re looking for. PEDs have been persistent in the MLB for decades now; telling a player to stop will ultimately not stop them. There needs to be an ultimatum put into action to make the abusers consider that these PEDs aren’t worth the loss of their career. Every other sport that has extremely harsh penalties if tested positive for PEDs don’t have a very high percent of positive tests because the players don’t want to take the risk to put their career on the line. In the MLBs case they aren’t putting a severe enough consequence for the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. My main point I’ll be using from this article is that if you want the use of PEDs to lower then you have to put consequences that the players don’t want to deal with out there in order to produce more negative resulting drug tests. Quinn, Tom â€Å"BASEBALL’S STEROID ERA.† Men’s Fitness 23. (August 2007): SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011 Throughout the history of baseball testing for either steroids or street drugs really hasn’t been a big part of the games policy. Player’s played the game and what they did off the field was their own business. Once the early 80’s hit, and PEDs came on the scene the use of them among players got out of hand. It became an almost regular regime for a majority of the MLB. Tests were eventually being given, but that didn’t stop the players. When there’s motive to do illegal substances there’s always the backup plan to keep these athletes out of trouble. There were plenty of ways to come up clean on a test, and when the testers would find a way to stop it, Victor Cante and his crew at BALCO labs would just simply find another way to cheat. Even when the few unlucky players’ get caught all they have to do is admit it and simply explain they were told it was something else. For Example, Barry Bonds, when he spoke in front of the BALCO grand jury he came clean about all the PEDs he had taken, but the catch was he stated that he was oblivious to what he was actually using. People of this stature will make their illegal decisions, but don’t think they don’t have all the answers for when the going gets tough. I’ll be using Quinn’s article â€Å"BASEBALL STEROIDS ERA† to inform how little baseball can really do to not only catch these users, but to actually put a stop to the Performance Enhancing Drugs. If not cheating tests to save their own ass’ these professional athletes will just find a perfect window of time to where they know they won’t be tested in the offseason to fit in a couple cycles here and there to maintain the gains through using PEDs. Testing companies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S Anti Doping-Agency (USADA) will never stop trying to improve the efficiency of the tests to make cheating near impossible if not totally full proof, but as those agencies are working to stop the cheaters don’t think the cheaters at BALCO labs aren’t finding ways to break through and find loop holes in their tests. Verhaeghe, Dan. â€Å"Bud Selig Lays Down the Hammer on Performance Enhancing Drugs†. Bleacher Report. (January 2008): Web. 30 November 2011

Organizational Security Plan Essay

For every organization and business, physical security is a necessary aspect of protecting its facility, properties and employees against unwanted criminal activities. To choose the best organizational security plan possible, the organization must first conduct a thorough risk and threat assessment to assist in developing physical security plan. Basic physical controls focus on three levels of protection, which is the outside perimeter, the inside perimeter and the interior of a building. Each of these security levels must include at least two to three forms of security measures to make physical controls effective. An organization that is pursuing physical security should follow the recommended security best practices and implement the necessary steps to ensure the most effective physical security possible. At its core, physical security helps achieve protection of the personnel and assets by keeping the theft and other malicious criminal activities. Outer, Inner and interior Perimeter Security To better understand how to effectively implement security measures on the three basic levels of protection, there must be a clear distinction between the outer, inner and interior perimeter security. The outer perimeter of a property is usually defined by the property lines. The facility’s outer perimeter is fenced with a distinctive access point of entry, such as gate. The main purpose of establishing the outer perimeter security is to control all the traffic entering and leaving the property, meaning only authorized personnel and visitors should be granted the access pass the entrance gate. For an organization to decide which type of outer perimeter security is the most suitable one for its purposes, it needs to weigh the pros, cons and the cost of an intruder entering the property versus the physical security available. External Building Security External Security is the next line of defense, right after the perimeter security. External Security must take into consideration various factors that can potentially influence the security measures’ settings, such as weather and natural events. The organization must evaluate the value of what needs to be secured and protected in order to better apply appropriate external security measures. Such assessment of valuables should be objective; there is a difference between external security of high tech laboratories and the one of a small business owner. Each facility has very specific security needs, financial resources and abilities to implement appropriate measures of protection. Many large scale organizations and business use fencing and a gate as a primary source of external building security. Fencing is a clear sign of the property’s perimeter and it means the property is private and any unauthorized trespassing will be reported to local law enforcement authorities. Some private residence owners even use dogs as an external building security. There are various ways to find the most suitable tools, and it should be done so after a thorough consideration of the risk and threat assessment. Lighting is another great security tool to scare intruders or at least make their work more difficult and exposed to the surrounding. Nowadays, there are many sophisticating lighting systems that can be configured to fit exactly the building’s needs. Some lights can be turned on at all times during dark hours. Such approach is however more used for internal lighting and implemented by various companies and their office branches such as UPS, Pet Supermarkets or other retailers. Exterior lighting is extremely important for large outside perimeter, where the facility is fenced, has a main entrance point and even is guarded by a security officer. That security officer cannot have good visual perspective at night, however with the fence being lightened and the building exterior having lighting set up throughout, it allows the security officer to better view suspicious activities and therefore reacts quicker if an intruder trespass the facility. â€Å"PIR motion detector sensor so that it will switch the light on when movement is detected. Some lighting has a handy override feature to allow the light to stay permanently on and is useful if there is a need for light outside the property for a length of time. † (Secure Home, 2012) Modern lighting systems are also sustainable to severe weather such as snow storm, heavy rain storms and other extreme weather conditions. Security Alarms and CCTV Security alarms are very popular and useful security tools that are commonly found in both private residences and organizational facilities. Although they are mostly used for internal security, those that wish to secure their premises with the state of the art technologies, outside security alarms can provide just that. They work very similarly to interior security alarms; they get triggered once the intruder gains an entry without proper authorization. They can be either silent or loud and notify the property owner, management or local authorities directly. Closed Circuit TV cameras are also used for both external and interior security and it depends on the organization’s needs to select in what way to use them. The bright side is that CCTV used to be quite expensive in the past and became rather affordable in the past years. Inner Perimeter Security Inner perimeter security takes care of all the entrance points to a building, including windows, doors and other points of entrance. They all should be secured with some type of lock, whether it is a regular bolt lock or more sophisticated keypad lock. Some entrance points may be guarded by security officers who check employees’ and visitors’ ID’s to ensure only authorized individuals get inside the building. At some instances, biometric scanning devices are used to scan finger prints, eyes or other body parts to protect against intrusion with stolen ID. What type of security measure an organization chooses solely depends on the organizational security plan. Inner perimeter security system should be assessed and updated periodically to ensure the highest efficiency possible. Internal Building Security Internal building security can be perhaps the most challenging when it comes to the overall facility’s security. Especially with large scale buildings with multiple floors, numerous rooms and a large number of employees and staff, an intruder can easily blend in. The purpose of internal security is detecting any type of activity that is out of ordinary and may signalize a possible intrusion or security breach. The organization must also closely follow and adhere to privacy laws to avoid any potential law suits or legal issues. Interior security covers everything that is inside a building or property. There are several ways that an organization can provide security to the building. There are high tech quality cameras such as the Closed Circuit TV cameras that monitor the entire inside, record, and store these movements for certain period of time for a later review. These cameras can work simultaneously with motion detectors to add an extra benefit. Video surveillance is proven to be a highly efficient security measure, especially when the physical security is not able to monitor the entire interior at all times. Not only would it be costly, but quite impractical. With a well configured surveillance system, every floor, every section or even every room within the building can be set up with a Closed Circuit TV camera. Then, there must be designated security personnel to monitor such footage from either a remote location or a specific room within the building to respond if any suspicious activity is detected. They can monitor and view every part of the building without being physically present. If a suspicious activity is noticed, which is of course very likely during the course of time, a trained professional such as the active security officer on duty, must quickly evaluate the occurring situation and decide on action. This approach is often used by many large organizations such as hospital facilities, large retailers or casinos. One of the most important and often difficult parts of the surveillance is to go through the footage and filter out what movement is irrelevant and what may be a signal of security breach. Access Control The major objective of access control is to whom grant authorization to enter certain restricted areas that are not open to the entire personnel. Access control is the foundation of interior security, whether it is access to the internal offices, storage rooms and other areas, IT rooms, and other secure areas in the building. Governmental agencies and institutions conduct thorough background investigations for various job positions to hire only those individuals who able to receive a security clearance, such as industrial clearance or top security clearance, that automatically allow these individuals to work in certain buildings and areas, but not necessarily view all confidential documents, unless specifically permitted. Private organizations can choose their own way how to grant access. One of the possibilities is to issue special ID badges that must be scanned prior to entering certain areas within the building. Another way is to install keypad locks or issue special keys to the authorized personnel. It is up to the security manager and the project manager to decide, which way is most suitable for their organization. These access control measures do not eliminate the presence of a security officer, but rather add an extra layer to the overall security. Every organization must keep in mind that an intrusion does not always happen from the outside, but also from the inside; by the employees and staff, who try to obtain materials they would not be able to get otherwise. Estimated Budget Every organization has very specific needs that are based on various factors. To properly assess those needs and what security measures to implement, there must be specific facts considered. Besides what was already discussed in this paper, such as the size of the building, the capacity, the surroundings and location and the valuables of the inside, there is one factor that ultimately determines what security measures an organization can apply towards its organizational security plan and that are the estimated budget and costs of these security tools. In the present time, there are numerous options, various brands and large number of providing contractors that are competing to get the organization’s business. After a thorough research, an organization can decide what are the pros and cons of these security measures and if they ultimately provide the needed benefit the facility needs. Annually, there are hundreds of millions of dollars spent in the US alone on security measures by private organizations, such as alarm systems, deadbolt locks, keypad locks, surveillance systems and other tools. When it comes to the Federal government, the numbers are even higher. â€Å"Funding for homeland security has risen from $16 billion in FY2001 to $71. 6 billion requested for FY2012. Adjusted for inflation, the United States has spent $635. 9 billion on homeland security since FY2001. Of this $163. 8 billion has been funded within the Pentagon’s annual budget. The remaining $472. 1 billion has been funded through other federal agencies. †