Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee - 961 Words
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a story about a young girl named Louise â€Å"Scout†Finch and her older brother Jeremy (AKA Jem)’s life in the â€Å"tired old town†of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. The story starts off by Scout explaining the events that lead to her brother, Jem, breaking his arm. Scout and Jem lived with their father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Maycomb County, and their cook Calpurnia. Scout’s mother died when she was two, so she didn’t have much memory of her. One summer, when Scout was almost six-years-old and Jem almost ten, a boy, Charles â€Å"Dill†Baker Harris, comes to stay next door for the summer. All of the children become friends and have fun together by acting out different stories they had†¦show more content†¦After school one day, Scout is walking home and notices some tin-foil in the knothole of one of the Radley’s trees, she reaches in to find two pieces of chewing gum. On the last day of school, Jem and Scout found two pennies in the knothole of the same tree. After school ends for the year, Dill comes back for the summer. After becoming bored with all their normal games, Jem comes up with the game â€Å"Boo Radley,†where they all act out the Radley Family’s lives. Then one day the kids stuck a note on the Radley’s window using a fishing pole, asking Boo if he wanted to get ice cream with them. Atticus caught them and told Scout and Jem to leave the poor family alone, and they did, until Dill’s last day in Maycomb. On that day, Dill convinces the gang to sneak a peek into the Radley’s home. While trying to peer into the windows, Nathen Radley shoots at them and they run off. During the escape Jem lost his pants when they got caught on the fence. When Jem went to retrieve them the next day, they were mended and neatly hung over the fence. The next winter, Scout and Jem found more items in the knothole of the Radley’s tree. One day they went to the tree and the knothole was filled with cement. Soon after, one of the neighboring homes catches on fire. Jem starts to suspect that it was Boo that set the house on fire and tells his father everything about the gifts in the tree and his mended pants. Later,
Sunday, December 15, 2019
PG Gillette Merger Free Essays
PG-Gillette Introduction On January 28th 2005 PG agreed to buy Gillette for $57bn (? 30). Gillette was the number 1 in razor accessories and proctor gamble was number 1 in consumer products, a marriage of the best in their respective industries. The merger of the two companies created â€Å"the world’s largest consumer products conglomerate. We will write a custom essay sample on PG Gillette Merger or any similar topic only for you Order Now †Gillette was a leader in its category of razors and batteries, merging with PG provided it access to PG’s technology and marketing skills. PG added Gillette razors , Right Guard deodorant and Duracell batteries to its more than 300 consumer brands, including Ivory Soap, Head and Shoulders shampoo, Pringles, Crest toothpaste and Bounty paper towels. Company Background PG PG a fortune 500 company headquartered at down Cincinnati, Ohio. PG is manufacturer of wide range of consumer products ranging from Ivory Soap, Head and Shoulders shampoo, Pringles, Crest toothpaste and Bounty paper towels. PG reported revenue of $82. 6 billion in 201. PG was started in 1837 when William Proctor, a candlemaker, and James Gamble, a soapmaker, met in Cincinnati to become business partners and Proctor and Gamble was born. In 1858–1859, sales reached $1 million. By this point, approximately 80 employees worked for Procter Gamble. In 1880, PG discovered and marketed an inexpensive soap that floats on water called Ivory soap. William Arnett Procter, William Procter’s grandson, started a profit sharing program with the company’s workforce in 1887. This program eliminated the chances of workers going to strike. Company opened many facilities to cover up the exponentially increasing demand. In 1920’s and 1930’s when radio because popular, P;G sponsored a number of shows and soon the radio shows were known as ‘soap operas’. P;G expanded into new countries in both areas: manufacturing and product sales and with the acquisition of Thomas Hedley co. in 1930, P;G became an international corporation. Large number of products and brand names were introduced over time, and P;G branched out into new areas. â€Å"Tide†, laundry detergent, and â€Å"Prell†shampoo was introduced by the company in 1946 and 1947 respectively. First toothpaste â€Å"Crest†containing fluoride was sold by P;G in 1955. In 1957 company branched out again with the purchase of Charmin Paper Mills and began manufacturing toilet paper and other paper products. Once again focusing on laundry, Procter ; Gamble began making â€Å"Downy†fabric softener in 1960 and â€Å"Bounce†fabric softener sheets in 1972. Prior to 1960 Johnson and Johnson were manufacturing disposable diaper called â€Å"Chrux†but P;G came out with one of the most revolutionary products on the market called â€Å"Pampers†, first test-marketed in 1961. Babies always wore cloth diapers, which were leaky and labour intensive to wash. Pampers provided a convenient alternative, albeit at the environmental cost of more waste requiring landfilling. To diversify its product line and to increase profits P;G acquired a number of companies. Some of the acquisitions included Folgers Coffee, Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals (the makers of Pepto-Bismol), Richardson-Vicks, Noxell (Noxzema), Shulton’s Old Spice, Max Factor, and the Iams Company. In 1994, PG was in top headlines, the management was placed in an unusual position of testifying in front of court in engaging with interest rate derivatives which they were not much capable to understand and incurred huge losses from that leveraged position and later on they sued the Bankers trust for the fraud. In 1996, PG was again in headlines as Food and Drug Administration approved a new Product developed by company called Olestra. As the brand was called Olean, it was a lower-calorie substitute for fat used in cooking potato chips and other snacks but during its development stage it was associated with anal leakage and gastrointestinal difficulties in humans. On 28th January 2005 Gillette was acquired by PG, forming the largest consumer goods company and placing Unilever into second place. This acquisition helped PG to add new products into its product line that included brands such as Gillette razors, Duracell, Braun, and Oral-B. The European Union and the Federal Trade Commission approved the acquisition, with conditions to a spinoff of certain overlapping brands. PG agreed to sell its Spin Brush battery-operated electric toothbrush business to Church Dwight. PG also divested Rembrandt a Gillette’s oral-care toothpaste line. Official merger took place on October 1, 2005. The deodorant brands Right Guard, Soft ; Dri, and Dry Idea and Liquid Paper, and Gillette’s stationery division, Paper Mate was sold to Dial Corporation and Newell Rubbermaid respectively. In 2008, PG branched into the record business with its sponsorship of Tag Records, as an endorsement for TAG Body Spray. Gillette Gillette, originally founded as American Safety Razor Company, is a world leader in men grooming products as well as of women. It was founded by King Gillette who in 1895 came up with the idea of disposable razor after being frustrated by dulled old razors that required professional honing. He envisioned an inexpensive razor blade combination where blade can be clamped on the razor and once getting dulled can be replaced. After six years of innovation and engineering finally in 1901 after joining hands with a MIT machinist, William Nickerson, American Safety Razor Corp was born. In 1903 company was renamed as Gillette. Company paid the first cash dividend in 1906. Before First World War Gillette expanded abroad opening in London, first sales office was opened, manufacturing plants in Paris, Montreal, Berlin, and Leicester, England, and offices in France and Hamburg, Germany. By 1923, Income from foreign operation accounted for 30% of the total income. In 1910, Owner and President King Gillette decide to sell a major portion of his stake to investor John Joyce. Joyce was made the vice-president of the company. After his death in 1916 his friend, Edward Aldred, bought out the shares left to Joyce and took charge of the company. Gillett’s patent on safety razor expired in 1921 and company was ready for new change. Gillette introduced the â€Å"new improved†razor at the old price, and used the old style razor, renamed the Silver Brownie razor at $1, to enter the low-priced end of the market. Gillette transformed into the razor blade model by giving away razor handles as premiums with other products, developing customers for the more profitable blades. Abroad expansion also continued. In 1922 Gillette became royal purveyor to the prince of Wales and in 1924 to King Gustav V of Sweden. Gillette came into top headlines when its Paris office gave Charles Lindbergh a Gillette Gold Traveler after he completed the first transatlantic flight. Company named Auto Strop Safety Razor, owned by Henry J. Gaisman, filed suit against Gillette for patent infringement after Gillette produced a new blade using a continuous-strip process similar to one originally demonstrated to Gillette by Gaisman. Merging with Auto Strop solved the problem for Gillette but it gave birth to another problem. Gaisman checked the company’s financial records and found out that Gillette had over-reported its earnings by $3 million for the past five. Stock price of Gillette fell from a high of $125 early in 1929 to $18 by end of decade. This led to the reorganization of Gillette. King Gillette resigned as nominal president and Gaisman became the new chairman of Gillette and Gerard B. Lambert, son of the founder of the Lambert Pharmacal Company and a former manager there, came out of retirement to become president of Gillette. Gillette blatantly went to market and admitted the poor quality of its old blade and came up with a blade called blue blade made by continuous-strip process. Gillette entered into sports advertising and this lead to sharp increase in the sales. In 1942 sports events held by Gillette were called ‘Gillette Cavalcade of Sports’. In 1962 Gillette faced tuff competition from the English Wilkinson Sword Company as it started exporting the stainless steel blades to United States. Gillette also faced challenges from local player in stainless steel category and was left behind in the race. Gillette was left behind and latter it jumped into and developed a new blade but at that time it had lost its market share by 10%. By 1971 Gillette had four domestic divisions: the Safety Razor Division; the Toiletries Division, which featured Right Guard deodorant and antiperspirant; the Personal Care Division; and the Paper Mate division. In mid 1970’s Gillette divested its business by selling off unprofitable business such as Buxton in 1977, Welcome Wagon in 1978, and Hyponex and the Autopoint mechanical pencil business in 1979 and pumping money into the core business. In 1986, Gillette was being pursued by Ronald Perelman, who had previously taken over Revlon. He was about to make a tender offer for Gillette, Gillette responded by paying Revlon $558million in return for Revlon not making a tender offer. This exposed the Gillette vulnerability and it resulted in Gillette going with standstill agreement with 10 different companies. Gillette had responded to various takeover threats by cutting cost and thinning the workforce. Gillette also divested its weak operations and because of it stock showed a jump by 24%. By 2004 Gillette had annual sales of $10. 5 billion and net income of $1. 7 billion. The Acquisition On January 28th 2005 P;G announced the acquisition of Gillette. As per the deal, 0. 975 shares of P;G common stock were exchanged for each share of Gillette. It accounted for 18% premium to Gillette shareholders based on the closing share prices on January 27, 2005. However, the approval by the shareholders of both Gillette and P;G was required. The merger was expected to get regulatory clearance by 2005. P;G planned to buy back $18-22 billion of its common stock in around 18 months immediately after the merger. The structure of deal came out to be 60% stock and 40% cash, although on paper it was a pure stock-swap. | The extra 18% premium paid by P;G for Gillette’s stock looked like that it made 18% more difficult for the deal to pay dividends to stock holders. The problem was in buying back shares as PG would have to borrow funds to finance this transaction. In light of this move, both the companies came under the scanner of credit agency for a possible downgrade. SP considered all the rating for PG under negative umbrella watch based on the likelihood that the deal would cause PG to increase its leverage. As of September 30, 2004, PG had debts of $21. 4 billion and Gillette of $3. 1 billion. Synergies Gillette maintains 64 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries, and its products are sold in more than 200 countries and territories, with more than 60 percent of sales occurring outside the United States. For PG the acquisition of Gillette was an opportunity for PG to add a masculine dimension to overwhelmingly female-biased portfolio. This seems to be a merger of exactly strategically fit companies who complement each other. It was combination of two best-in-class companies creating a stronger brand portfolio, opportunities for even more innovation, faster sales growth, and cost savings. The importance of economies of scale and focus as described by analyst, PG had attempted to gain both with this acquisition. There was change in marketing sense as Gillette market was mostly towards men so PG women dominated product category have showed steep learning curve in understanding the men marketing. It was boost to its product category and therefore enhancing the top line. Both the companies have presence in different part of globe made the deal a geographical fit. Gillette has strong presence in countries such as Brazil and in India, where PG has been lagging behind Unilever. PG has excellent penetration and distribution in China, the Philippines and fast-growing Eastern European markets such as Russia and Poland. Diversification of Product Portfolio As there was little overlapping in Gillette and PG business this helped PG to broaden its product base and offer more products to men in its women dominated product category. Story Now After five years of the deal, things haven’t gone the way as expected. The boost to the top line that was expected by PG with acquisition of Gillette has been in doldrums. PG has lost the Gillette top management talent as most of senior managers (with the notable exception of current PG Vice Chairman Ed Shirley) have left. PG’s stock has lagged behind key competitors’, including Colgate-Palmolive Co. and Unilever, beaten PG 4 to 1 and 3 to 1, respectively, in the stock market. The recession has played against PG decline in sales in Gillette products have become a reason of worry for PG. PG executives and Gillette officials show an optimistic view on the deal they feel still a lot more is still to come. Gillette has helped PG to transform in different ways that aren’t always obvious. P;G has made aggressive moves in key markets such as Brazil and India; a much stronger operation throughout Europe and an even stronger showing on U. S. retail shelves; a ever growing investment which will increase the companies efficiency and help it to deliver the best with innovated products. The deal has indeed given both the companies significant advantages. Economies of scale have been brought in along with some cost cutting giving P;G increase in revenue and income. But only time will tell if this union of seemingly very compatible partners is truly a match made in heaven. Exhibits P;G balance sheet Balance Sheet| | | 29-Jun-11| 29-Jun-10| 29-Jun-09| 29-Jun-06| Assets| | Current Assets| | | Cash And Cash Equivalents| 2,768,000  | 2,879,000  | 4,781,000  | 6,693,000| | Short Term Investments| –  | –  | –  | | | Net Receivables| 7,415,000  | 6,325,000  | 7,045,000  | | | Inventory| 7,379,000  | 6,384,000  | 6,880,000  | | | Other Current Assets| 4,408,000  | 3,194,000  | 3,199,000  | | Total Current Assets | 21,970,000  | 18,782,000  | 21,905,000  | | Long Term Investments| –  | –  | –  | | Property Plant and Equipment| 21,293,000  | 19,244,000  | 19,462,000  | | Goodwill| | 57,562,000  | 54,012,000  | 56,512,000  | | Intangible Assets| | 32,620,000  | 31,636,000  | 32,606,000  | | Accumulated Amortization| –  | –  | –  | | Other Assets| | 4,909,000  | 4,498,000  | 4,348,000  | | Deferred Long Term Asset Charges| –  | –  | –  | | Total Assets | | 138,354,000  | 128,172,000  | 134,833,000  | | Liabilities| | | | | | Current Liabilities| | | | | Accounts Payable| 17,312,000  | 15,810,000  | 14,581,000  | | | Short/Current Long Term Debt| 9,981,000  | 8,472,000  | 16,320,000  | | | Other Current Liabilities| –  | –  | 7,768,000  | | Total Current Liabilities | 27,293,000  | 24,282,000  | 30,901,000  | | Long Term Debt| | 22,033,000  | 21,360,000  | 20,652,000  | | Other Liabilities| | 9,957,000  | 10,189,000  | 9,146,000  | | Deferred Long Term Liability Charges| 11,070,000  | 10,902,000  | 10,752,000  | | Minority Interest| | 361,000  | 324,000  | 283,000  | | Negative Goodwill| –  | –  | –  | | Total Liabilities | | 70,714,000  | 67,057,000  | 71,734,000  | | Stockholders’ Equity| | | | | Misc Stocks Options Warrants| –  | –  | –  | | Redeemable Preferred Stock| –  | –  | –  | | Preferred Stock| | 1,234,000  | 1,277,000  | 1,324,000  | | Common Stock| | 4,008,000  | 4,008,000  | 4,007,000  | | Retained Earnings| 70,682,000  | 64,614,000  | 57,309,000  | | Treasury Stock| | -6. E+07| -6. 1E+07| -5. 6E+07| | Capital Surplus| | 62,405,000  | 61,697,000  | 61,118,000  | | Other Stockholder Equity| -3411000| -9172000| -4698000| | Total Stockholder Equity | 68,001,000  | 61,439,000  | 63,382,000  | | Net Tangible Assets | -2. 2E+07| -2. 4E+07| -2. 6E+07| | PG Income statement FINANCIAL SUMMARY (UNAUDITED) Amounts| 2006| 2005| 2004| 2003| 2002| Net Sales| $68,222| $56,741| $51,407| $43,377| $40,238| Operating Income| 13,249| 10,469| 9,382| 7,312| 6,073| Net Earnings| 8,684| 6,923| 6,156| 4,788| 3,910| Net Earnings Margin| 12. 70%| 12. 20%| 12. 00%| 11. 00%| 9. 70%| Basic Net Earnings Per Share Common Share $| 2. 79| 2. 7| 2. 34| 1. 8| 1. 46| Diluted Net Earnings Per Common Share| 2. 64| 2. 53| 2. 2| 1. 7| 1. 39| Dividends Per Common Share| 1. 15| 1. 03| 0. 93| 0. 82| 0. 76| How to cite PG Gillette Merger, Papers
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Copyright And Intellectual Property Rights †MyAssignmenthelp.com
Question: Discuss about the Copyright And Intellectual Property Rights. Answer: Case study Analysis Copyright and intellectual property rights are very major concern in the present business environment. It is important to acknowledge the intellectual property and the copyright so that proper recognition can be made for the efforts of other individuals. In the present case study, the issue of copyright and intellectual property rights has been discussed. Courtney is a young ambitious programmer who was working for a company supporting the aboriginal community in Australia. While working there, she developed software with a special focus on the aboriginal community. She developed the software so that it can be easily used by the aboriginal community. She was also considerate not to use culturally sensitive pictures so that the feelings of the aboriginal community are not affected. The organization identified the efforts of programmer and awarded her. However, the company was also awarded by government, but the credit was taken away by Courtneys boss. Applicability of ACS Code of Ethics It is an essential responsibility of all the professionals to abide by a certain code of ethics. The ACS code of conduct of honesty states that a professional should demonstrate honest attitude in his professional life (ACS Code of Conduct, 2014). In the present case, taking the credit for someone elses work is not an honest attitude. It is an ethical issue as the credit for the efforts of Courtney was taken away by her boss. Although Courtney worked under her boss, she made efforts to develop a website individually. The company should assure to recognize the efforts of its employees. It will motivate her to perform better in near future. This initiative by the organization will also motivate other employees to go out of their way to achieve the organizations initiatives (Leathard, Goodinson-McLaren McLaren, 2007). Another code of conduct of primacy of the public interest states that the professionals should focus on the primacy of the public interest (ACS Code of Conduct, 2014). The organization should assure that there is no breach of interest of an individual. However, the current decision of the organization may breach the interest of the Courtney. However, it is also challenging for the organization to let a young employee represent it at national level. Although the website development was work of Courtney, her manager supported her throughout the way. Without the support, Courtney would not have been able to develop the website in a proper manner. Therefore, it is important for the organization to support both the employees of the organization. In the present situation, it is recommended that the organization should acknowledge the efforts of Courtney and provide her with the intellectual rights of the website. The organization should also support her in filing for the intellectual property rights legally. It will safeguard her rights in the near future. The organization will also get benefits from this initiative of Courtney. Moreover, when the government announced that it will award the organization, the management of the organization should assure to name Courtney as the recipient of the award. Even if the organization is reluctant to let a young candidate represent the company, they should assure that her name is taken at the award function (Sher, 2012). References ACS Code of Conduct. (2014). ACS Code of Professional Conduct Professional Standards Board Australian Computer Society. Retrieved 21 September 2017 from https://www.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/acs-documents/ACS%20Code-of-Professional-Conduct_v2.1.pdf Leathard, A., Goodinson-McLaren, S., McLaren, S. (2007). Ethics: Contemporary Challenges in Health and Social Care. Policy Press. Sher, G. (2012). Ethics: Essential Readings in Moral Theory. Routledge.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
One Flew Over The Cuckoo`s Nest Essays (1377 words) - Nurse Ratched
One Flew Over The Cuckoo`s Nest What is reality? The novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, written by Ken Kesey, explores living in a mental institution through the mind of a patient. As the reader begins the novel, they would naturally think that a patient found in a mental hospital would be insane. As Kesey introduces you to the patients, and you see the institution in their eyes, you believe that they are really normal people, and society is insane. The main character, Chief Bromden is a half Indian man, who is considered schizophrenic. Randall McMurray, the newest patient in the ward, causes many difficult situations for the Nurse. Nurse Ratched is the authority figure for the patients and likes everything to be run her way. A man who is known as Chief Bromden, the main character, starts as seeming to be a shy, weak man. This is shown in the first chapter on page three, when a caretaker of the institution talks of him while he is present, "Big enough to eat apples off my head an' he mine me like a baby." Chief Bromden is in the hospital because he is schizophrenic, and is considered deaf and dumb, because he never talks or acknowledges people. At the end of the novel, McMurray becomes a vegetable because of all of the shock treatments he had received. Bromden displays that he is caring by smothering him with a pillow, because he knows that McMurray would not want to live like that. One of the reasons that people find him shy is that he would much rather be quiet, and observe his surroundings. Page 26-27 (Bromden thinking of Nurse Ratched) "I've watched her get more skillful over the years. Practice has steadied and strengthened. her until she wields a sure power that extends in all directions on hair-like wires, too small for anybody's eye but mine; I see her sit in the center of this web of wires like a watchful robot, tend her network with mechanical skill, know every second which wire runs where and just what current to send up to get the results she wants" Chief Bromden is the smartest, most caring and gentle man in this novel. He is the kind of guy that many people would like to know, and associate themselves with. The Chief stands out from the rest of the men of the ward. Physically, he stands out by being half Indian, with long, black oily hair. Also, he is a very large man, standing 6'7" and having a very muscular build, from playing football when he was a teenager. He stands out mentally by being a "chronic." "Across the room are the culls of the Combine's product - the chromic. Not in the hospital, these, to get fixed, but just to keep them from walking around the streets giving the product a bad name. Chronics are in for good, the staff concedes. Chronics are divided into Walkers, like me, and the Wheelers. What the chronic are, are machines with flaws inside that can't be repaired." The Chief thinks of the outside world to be a "Combine," which is used throughout the novel. The chief is very different from the men living in the hospital alongside him. Randle Patrick McMurray is the newest addition to the ward. He is compared with two people throughout the novel. His physical traits are compared with that of Paul Bunyan's. McMurray is red headed, has long red side burns and curly hair. He has a broad chest and jaw and has a distinct red scar that runs along his nose and cheekbone. Another prominent feature of his, is a tattoo on his left hand of an anchor. McMurray's large, beat-up hands and tanned body are a result of many years working on a farm, P. 12, "His face and neck and arms are the color of ox blood leather." He is the most recent addition to the ward, and one of the reasons he was placed there was because he is obsessed with sex and committed statutory rape with a 15-year-old girl. The second person they compare McMurray to is Christ. He goes through a kind of crucifixion when he begins a series of electric shock treatments. When the attendant places salve on his temples, McMurray says, P 270, "Anointest my head with conductant. Do I get a crown of thorns?" Randall McMurray's role is obvious in the world, described to be a cross between Paul Bunyan and Christ. McMurray's personality is very
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Jihadi or Jihadist Defined
Jihadi or Jihadist Defined Jihadi, or jihadist, refers to a person who believes that an Islamic state governing the entire community of Muslims must be created and that this necessity justifies violent conflict with those who stand in its way. Although jihad is a concept that can be found in the Quran, the terms jihadi, jihadi ideology and jihadi movement are modern concepts related to the rise of political Islam in the 19th and 20th centuries. Jihadi History Jihadis are a narrow group made up of adherents who interpret Islam, and the concept of jihad, to mean that war must be waged against states and groups who in their eyes have corrupted the ideals of Islamic governance. Saudi Arabia is high on this list because it claims to be ruling according to the precepts of Islam, and it is the home of Mecca and Medina, two of Islams holiest sites. The name that was once most visibly associated with jihadi ideology was the late Al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. As a youth in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden was highly influenced by Arab Muslim teachers and others who were radicalized in the 1960s and 1970s by the combination of: The Arab defeat in the 1967 war with IsraelOppressive and corrupt Arab governmentsRapidly urbanizing and modernizing society Dying a Martys Death Some saw jihad, a violent overthrow of all that was wrong with society, as a necessary means to create a properly Islamic, and more orderly, world. They idealized martyrdom, which also has a meaning in Islamic history, as a way to fulfill a religious duty. Newly converted jihadis found great appeal in the romantic vision of dying a martyrs death. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Arab Muslim adherents of jihad took up the Afghan cause as the first step in creating an Islamic state. (Afghanistans population is Muslim, but they are not Arabs.) In the early 1980s, bin Laden worked with the mujahideen fighting a self-proclaimed holy war to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan. Later, in 1996, bin Laden signed and issued the Declaration of Jihad Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Mosques, meaning Saudi Arabia. A Jihadis Work Is Never Done Lawrence Wrights recent book, The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, offers an account of this period as a formative moment of jihadi belief: Under the spell of the Afghan struggle, many radical Islamists came to believe that jihad never ends. For them, the war against the Soviet occupation was only a skirmish in an eternal war. They called themselves jihadis, indicating the centrality of war to their religious understanding. Those Who Strive In recent years, the word jihad has become synonymous in many minds with a form of religious extremism that causes a great deal of fear and suspicion. It is commonly thought to mean holy war, and especially to represent efforts of Islam extremist groups against others. Yet, the current modern definition of jihad is contrary to the linguistic meaning of the word, and also contrary to the beliefs held by most Muslims. The word jihad stems from the Arabic root word J-H-D, which means strive. Jihadis, then, would literally translate as those who strive. Other words derived from this root include effort, labor, and fatigue. Thus, jihadis are those who attempt to practice religion in the face of oppression and persecution. The effort may come in the form of fighting the evil in their own hearts, or in standing up to a dictator. Military effort is included as an option, but Muslims view this as a last resort, and it in no way is meant to mean to spread Islam by the sword, as the stereotype now suggests. Jihadi or Jihadist In the Western press, there is a serious debate about whether the term should be jihadi or jihadist. The Associated Press, whose newsfeed is seen by more than half the world’s population every day via AP newspaper stories, television news, and even the internet, is very specific about what jihad means and which term to use, noting that jihad is an: Arabic noun used to refer to the Islamic concept of the struggle to do good. In particular situations, that can include holy war, the meaning extremist Muslims commonly use. Use jihadi and jihadis. Do not use jihadist. Yet, Merriam-Webster, the dictionary AP generally relies on for definitions, says either term- jihadi or jihadist- is acceptable, and even defines jihadist as a Muslim who advocates or participates in a jihad. The respected dictionary also defines the term jihad as: ... a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty; also: a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual discipline. So, either jihadi or jihadist is acceptable unless you work for the AP, and the term can mean either one who wages a holy war on behalf of Islam or one who is undergoing a personal, spiritual, and internal struggle to achieve supreme devotion to Islam. As with many politically or religiously charged words, the correct word and interpretation depend on your viewpoint and worldview.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Art from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance
The transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance reflects a time of great change in the way of life at the time. During the Middle Ages life was in constant turmoil and bleak. After the Fall of the fall of the Roman Empire Europe suffered a multitude of tragedies, such as the black plague, Viking attacks and looting, and barbarian invasions. Throughout these hardships, the glimmer of hope that people clung to was the church. As dark times began to fade the people found a new hope â€Å"homo Faber est quisque fortunate Suae†This phrase is saying that each man is the creator of his own future. This is a juxtaposition to the common ideal in the Roman Catholic religion â€Å"God the Creator†and also exhibits the change in ideology between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. During the Middle Ages, there was a surplus in the faith of the Roman Catholic, this was in part because the primary unifying factor between the people happened to be religion. This allowed the Church to take more of an authoritative rule over society. Church officials kept records and acted as advisors to the monarchs. They were also the largest owners of land and even collected taxes, which greater added to their power and overall influence. There was also less of an emphasis on education during this era, and as a result, it leads to a majority of the population being illiterate. Surprisingly the illiteracy of the population, lead way for art to take a rather important role within society. Where there was such a heavy influence on the Church and religion the average person had no way of reading the bible, so paintings and other outlets of art helped get the churches ideas across through another platform. This is largely why the central topic seen within the art at the time revolves around the Roman Catholic Church. Another reason for the ideology seen within the art at the time is the use of art as a propaganda tool. Throughout time and in all societies you can see that art is one of the most useful forces in getting across ideas between all classes. Gothic and Byzantine art were the main inspirations for medieval architecture. The Byzantine influence can be seen in the Hagia Sophia, a cathedral commissioned by Emperor Justinian during the sixth century. This Humongous church was built in the city of Constantinople and became one of the largest cathedrals for years to come. The Cathedral has Large Granite columns, marble pillars, and beautiful religious mosaics, and possibly the most captivating its large dome. Although the original dome was too heavy and inevitably concaved, it was later rebuilt and improved in the late sixth century. One of the best examples of gothic influence on architecture at the time is the Notre Dame. The Notre Dame was built in Paris, France and initiated by the Bishop of Paris Maurice Sully. The Notre Dame is characterized by gorgeous stained glass windows, large flying buttresses (large arched external supports), and two towers one reaching 300 feet tall. The height and grandiose of these buildings were all just a symbol for the Catholic Church. â€Å"The Cathedral is an image of the City of God, the Celestial Jerusalem, an image of Paradise, as the liturgy for the consecration of churches affirms.†â€Å"The House of God must be illuminated by the rays of the sun, resplendent with a charity like Paradise itself because God is Light, the light who gives beauty to everything that exists†. â€Å"The stained-glass windows that separate us from the storms and let the light pour over us are the Doctors.†These are all but a few quotes that characterize the symbolism seen in the architecture at the time. At the end of the 11th Century, there was a campaign organized by the Western European Christians to reclaim the holy land, in particular, Jerusalem, from the Muslims who had conquered it at the time. The Crusades had a lot of positive effects on the western world as communication and supplies were reignited with the Middle East as it lead way for a lot of new technology and ideas in the west. Such as gunpowder, cotton, new spices, silk, and much more. The Crusades also began to use old Roman roadways to travel during the crusades and as trade routes as well. During the time of the Crusades feudalism also fell. The fall of feudalism gave way to more people becoming merchants because of the recent boom in commerce between the west and the Middle East. As the Merchant business boomed it also allowed for new career opportunities for prior serfs and peasants. It created jobs like bookkeepers, money exchangers, managers, and the making system. This newfound class mobility allowed the serfs to lead a better middle-class life as opposed to being at the bottom of the social pyramid within the feudal system. This change and exchange of new ideas and technology due to the crusades and also the Middle Ages as a whole was the catalyst for the renaissance. The Renaissance was a period in European history also known as the â€Å"rebirth†of European culture following the Roman Empire. This â€Å"rebirth†began in Italy of course. It began in Italy most obviously because of their geographic location. Italy being the boot of Europe was surrounded by water, which made it an excellent hub during the expansion of trade. Italy was the commerce capital between Europe and Eurasia, during this time period, from the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. Painters, sculptors, and architects exhibited a similar sense of adventure and the desire for greater knowledge and new solutions. During the Renaissance, the artist was no longer regarded as mere artisans, as they had been to the medieval past, but for the first time emerged as independent personalities, compared to poets and writers. Many artisans merged mathematics with art, in order to become more precise in their measurements and to make sure an object was supported both rational ly and proportionally. However, Renaissance artists also placed human concerns and feelings at the center of their works. Such optimism combined with intellectual curiosity and increasing worldliness made it possible for art to be valued. Overall, the Renaissance art movement completely discredited the Middle Ages as being dead both intellectually and artistically, thus rendering the Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic style art as being without value. The Renaissance came from a revival of the Classical ideas, concepts, and knowledge. What had once been forgotten was once again the focus of society. It was also found that in Classical times artists enjoyed a much higher level of prestige than they did during the Middle Ages. Artists wanted to enjoy this status once again. The Renaissance took place over a long period of time. Maybe this is an indication of its immense popularity both then and now. However, the Italian Renaissance can be divided into three distinct periods known as Ea rly, High, and Late respectively. These stages were preceded by the Gothic art movement, which acted as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and was followed by Mannerism, which bridged the gap between the Renaissance and the Baroque. Mannerism hardly had an effect on the popular arts of the time and was not fit into the already neatly categorized art periods when historians looked back upon the era. Early Renaissance art took up most of the 15th century and was characterized by inspiration from antiquity. The movement was focused in Florence, Italy because this local had brought attention upon itself through various conflicts within the church and with its neighbors. The art form focused on the human body, space, and the laws of proportion when it came to architecture. The belief was that progress and development were the backbones of the evolution and survival of art. The primary painter of the time was Masaccio. His work was religious in nature and his inspiration came not from other painters but from the sculptor Donatello and the architect Brunelleschi. High Renaissance art was characterized by creating physical presence, drama, and balance than on the behavior and personality that were the focus of Early Renaissance art. The major painters of the time were numerous. There was Leonardo da Vinci, Donato, Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. This period was short-lived, lasting from about 1495-1520 and served as a transitional period between early and late Renaissance. Howe ver, although brief, the art that flowed from this period was exceptional and some of the most famous artists ever produced work during this time. After all, these artists had such a command over their talents that they were able to produce any natural effect they desired and they had an intellect that allowed for balance and harmony along with fine detail, also was created a term for some of them, Renaissance man. The term Renaissance man has come to mean someone with exceptional skills in a wide range of fields. The description applies to many people during the Renaissance, but there are two outstanding candidates for the title. They are Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The older man, Leonardo, is exceptional in that he excels in two entirely different disciplines, experimental science, and the visual arts. But on the artistic side alone, Michelangelo must be the man. He creates works, all of the highest quality, in the four distinct fields of sculpture, painting, architecture, and poetry. The late Renaissance began with the sack of Rome in 1527. Artists had to scramble to relocate throughout Italy, France, and Spain. This period led to what is now called Mannerism. Mannerism artists turned to produce paintings of people, often nudes, that were portrayed in strange poses and looking somewhat grotesque while odd themes were used and emotion looked horrifying. Michelangelo was the only painter from the High Renaissance to make into the late period. The growing emphasis on individualism during the Renaissance began a change of status for composers of music in society. Unlike their medieval predecessors, Renaissance composers were recognized more often during their lifetimes. The technology of printing permitted a much wider distribution of their works and enabled a larger public into the study of music. Even when spiritual music was still in a dominant position, secular music was becoming more common and its forms more cultivated than in the previous era. The repertoire of instrumental music became more varied, along with the i nvention of new instruments and many of the instruments of the period were improved. Humanism is considered to be the most significant intellectual movement of the Renaissance. As its name implies, humanism was a philosophy that was characterized by blending concern with the history and actions of all human beings, and their influences on the world with religious duty. Prior to Renaissance thinking, Medieval Europe considered life to be sinful that people should only be concerned about their duty to God and the afterlife. The humanists thought that every person has respect and worth and therefore should command the respect of every other person. The humanistic movement began during the early Italian Renaissance with the rediscovery of the writings of classical Greeks and Romans, which were not only models of literary style, but considered to be guided to the understanding of life. The Renaissance movement ushered in the use of oil paints. This was a boon to artists as, due to the sl ow drying time of oil paints, they could edit their paintings, making adjustments over a period of months. They could now focus more on the quality of light on their paintings and were also more in tune with the architectural accuracy of the buildings in the background of their work. Themes centered on Greek and Roman mythology as well as Biblical characters and the Madonna was a pre-eminent figure. When it came to depictions of the human body, the emphasis was often put on the nude form and the perfection of the body. Another important result of the Renaissance was that painters began to communicate more with poets, essayists, philosophers, and scientists. The boundaries between these disciplines began to blur and they began to share ideas with one another and recognized one another for the visionaries they truly were. What caused this rebirth of the visual arts is still unclear; the fourteenth century in Europe witnessed several catastrophic harvests, the Black Death (1346), and a continuing war between England and France. Hardly ideal conditions for an eruption of creativity let alone a sustained birth of paintings, drawings, sculptures and new buildings. Moreover, the Church, the biggest patron of the arts, was racked with disagreements about spiritual and secular issues. Prosperity was also coming to Northern Europe, as evidenced by the establishment in Germany of the Hanseatic League of cities. This increasing wealth provided the financial support for a growing number of commissions of large public and private art projects, while the trade routes upon which it was based greatly assisted the spread of ideas and thus contributed to the growth of the movement across the Continent. Allied to this spread of ideas, which incidentally speeded up significantly with the invention of printing, there was an undoubted sense of impatience at the slow progress of change. After a thousand years of cultural and intellectual starvation, Europe and especially Italy, was anxious for a re-birth. Overall, the Renaissance produced some of the most well-known art ever created in human history. It was a time of revival, of going back to something from the past that worked and bringing that past into new light. After more than five hundred years we still marvel at the works of artists such as Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Humanism downplayed religious and secular dogma and instead attached the greatest importance to the dignity and worth of the individual. This period was unique in its portrayal of the human body and in its enmeshment of art and science. It was proof that the old and the new can come together in harmony.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
D.C. hospital reports high rate of black women seeking treatment for Coursework
D.C. hospital reports high rate of black women seeking treatment for advanced breast cancer - Coursework Example b. As a member of the community of promoting awareness against breast cancer, I would prepare certain questions in relation to mammograms. It is very effective for every woman who is having misconceptions relating to mammography (Sun, 2014). The questions to be framed are provided hereunder. c. Contextually, as a prime responsible person of health promotional program, I will prepare three stage of health prevention camp. Initially, I will suggest all the black American and African women to opt for physical screening, which includes full body examination. After that in the second stage, I will suggest for doing a clinical breast examination with mammography treatment. Finally, I will suggest doing an overall medical screening, if the person is having symptoms of breast cancer (Sun, 2014). d. It can be stated that African-American women belongs to Ward 5 are having lower knowledge regarding the treatment process of breast cancer through mammogram. In this regard, In order to enhance health precautionary promotion, the women are to be provided with appropriate health education program, so that they have knowledge about the importance screening and treatment in the early stage of cancer. In addition, acute measures should be adopted for making them knowledgeable about the treatments to be offered (Sun,
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Value Alignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Value Alignment - Essay Example For example, plagiarism is a short cult most of the students undertake in order to get good grades in their examinations. However these people will fail miserably in their real life when they face real life problems. Real life problems cannot be solved with the help of short cuts. It doesn’t mean that hard work alone may bring better results in life. According to modern life philosophies only those who work smarter may taste the success compared to those who work harder. For example, an accountant who is manually preparing the balance sheets may not be as good as an accountant who is computer software to prepare the balance sheets. In other words, the accountant who was smart enough to use the computers for solving a particular problem may do it faster than an accountant who is solving the same problem manually. Responsibility is the third element of success in life. Only responsible persons will take things seriously. Responsibility always attaches a person emotionally to a p articular thing. For example, a responsible father will always give more focus to the wellbeing of his family and the children. The success of his children will be taken as his own success and the failures of his children will be taken as his own failures. Responsibility will always motivate a person to work hard again and again till the success is attained.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Wernicke’s Area and Speech Production Essay Example for Free
Wernicke’s Area and Speech Production Essay Wernicke’s Area Wernickes area is the region of the brain where spoken language is understood. Neurologist Carl Wernicke is credited with discovering the function of this brain region. The Wernickes area is located on the temporal lobe on the left side of the brain and is responsible for the comprehension of speech (Brocas area is related to the production of speech). Language development or usage can be seriously impaired by damage to this area of the brain. Functions of Wernicke’s Area includes: ââ€" Language Comprehension ââ€" Semantic Processing ââ€" Language Recognition ââ€" Language Interpretation Speech Production Speech production is the process by which spoken words are selected to be produced, have their phonetics formulated and then finally are articulated by the motor system in the vocal apparatus. The production of spoken language involves three major levels of processing. The first is the processes of conceptualization in which the intention to create speech links a desired concept to a particular spoken word to be expressed. Here the preverbal intended messages are formulated that specify the concepts to be verbally expressed. This is a competitive process in which an appropriate word is selected among a cohort of candidates. The second stage is formulation in which the linguistic form required for that words expression is created. This process involves such processes as the generation of a syntactic frame, and phonological encoding which specifies the phonetic form of the intended utterance. At this stage a lemma is picked that is the abstract form of a word that lacks any information about the sounds in it (and thus before the word can be pronounced). It contains information concerning only meaning and the relation of this word to others in the sentence. The third stage is articulation which involves the retrieval of the particular motor phonetics of a word and the motor coordination of appropriate phonation and articulation by the lungs, glottis, larynx, tongue, lips, jaw, and other parts of the vocal apparatus. 2.2 Wernicke’s Aphasia The brain also can be impaired. Suharno (1982) identified one of the brain disorder that causes language disorders, namely CVA (Cerebral Vascular Accident) which means to damage blood vessels in the brain, is an example of local brain damage, and damage spread that attacks the brain. One of the brain disorders is Wernicke’s aphasia. Aphasia is partial or total loss of the ability to articulate ideas or comprehend spoken or written language, resulting from damage to the brain caused by injury or disease. Wernickes aphasia is a language disorder that impacts language comprehension and the production of meaningful language. The disorder is related to damage to the Wernickes area. Individuals with Wernickes aphasia have difficulties understanding spoken language but are able to produce sounds, phrases, and word sequences. While these utterances have the same rhythm as normal speech, they are not language because no information is conveyed. 2.3 Case Example According to YouTube that uploaded by squirtofmylife on Feb 20, 2012 which titled â€Å"Wernicke’s aphasia Interview with Amelia Carter. She had stroke and know she has aphasia. In this video shown that Amelia is difficult to understanding what the speaker say to her. First, when the questioner (while showing bottle, bell, ball,  hunger, and notebook) asked her â€Å"Amelia what is this?†she always gives answers that doesn’t match with what questioner shown. Second, the questioner said that she has to repeat what the questioner said, but she answers with different word. And the last test the questioner said â€Å"Amelia finished this song ‘Marry had a little lamb’†then she continues the song â€Å"little lamb little lamb Marry had a little lamb its fleece was white as snow†. When she wants to answer the question she needs more times to understand the speech. Based on the analysis about speech production and the case about Amelia Carter, it passes the several process to do something that we can see from the model below. So, the process of speech is succeed. But, when the brain has a damage, especially in the part of producing language in the Wernicke’s area on the temporal lobe on the left side of the brain because it is responsible for the comprehension of speech, the process of speech production can be hampered. As the result, what is taken out can not match, what we thinking about is not appropriate with what we say. The example is the case of Amelia Carter, she had stroke and it strikes the part of producing language in her brain. She loss the abillity to understand language. She can speak clearly, but the words that are put together make no sense. This way of speaking has been called word salad because it appears that the words are all mixed up like the vegetables in a salad.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Dinosaur Family Values: The Real Monsters in Jurassic Park :: essays papers
Dinosaur Family Values: The Real Monsters in Jurassic Park "The striking moral exhibited in this story, is the fatal consequence of that presumption which attempts to penetrate, beyond prescribed depths, into the mysteries of nature." Playbill for the first stage production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein(1826) In a recent PBS special about the possibility of cloning dinosaurs a la Jurassic Park, Steven Speilberg reveals that he felt his film version of Michael Crichton's novel had been a success because "There's such a reality to it."Later, one of the scientists interviewed during the show admits that the idea of resurrecting dinosaurs is so imaginatively compelling because every paleontologist "wants to see the real thing."In fact, throughout the PBS documentary the criteria used to evaluate all possible schemes for cloning dinosaurs is always framed as a question: How "real" would the resulting dinosaurs be?The most scientifically credible method discussed would involve injecting dinosaur DNA into bird eggs with the hope that several generations later the birds would become "dinosaur like."Yet every one of the scientists interviewed evidences a clear lack of enthusiasm toward this method because, as one of the paleontologists puts it, "of course, it wouldn't be a real dinosaur."Meaning, we can only conclude, that only a dinosaur born of dinosaur parents can be a "real" dinosaur.The program ends with two quotes, one from the novel's author, Michael Crichton, and the other from actor Jeff Goldblum, who plays scientist Ian Malcolm in the film.First Crichton informs us that Jurassic Park is, above and beyond all else, a "cautionary tale about the hazards of genetic engineering"; and secondly, Goldblum ends the program by expanding on Crichton's warning and advising us that we are "better off marveling at the past rather than tampering with the future." The PBS program very tidily echoes and summarizes the central ideology of both the Jurassic Park films (Jurassic Park and The Lost World), which seems to me to be an obsession with the difference between natural and unnatural breeding practices, and how natural breeding results in and from traditional parenting, and unnatural breeding results in and from non-traditional and therefore unsound or inpure or, to put it as simply as possible, unnatural parenting. In other words, I beieve both of these films make basically the same argument: that there is a difference between natural and unnatural parents, and thus natural and unnatural families.The metaphor the films use as a cinematic stand-in for this quite conservative take on parenting is science, or rather natural vs unnatural science.
Monday, November 11, 2019
8051 Microcontroller Based
RF BASED REMOTE CONTROL INTODUCTION-: The Project Long Range Remote Control can be used to remotely control a number of Electrical or Electronic Gadgets connected to it. Unlike Infra Red remote control, this Project employs FM transmission and Reception, and hence it can be used for comparatively longer range. Any gadget can be switched on/off by keying the number allocated to it. The Receiver is made up of the famous 8 bit Microcontroller from Atmel. The Microcontroller is used as the Master in the receiver end which is used to control all the devices.It decodes the Signal from the transmitter and control the relays according to the signal. For transmission we are using frequency modulation at the frequency of 433. 92Mhz. A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO 8051 MICROCONTROLLER-: When we have to learn about a new computer we have to familiarize about the machine capability we are using, and we can do it by studying the internal hardware design (devices architecture), and also to know about the size, number and the size of the registers.A microcontroller is a single chip that contains the processor (the CPU), non-volatile memory for the program (ROM or flash), volatile memory for input and output (RAM), a clock and an I/O control unit. Also called a â€Å"computer on a chip,†billions of microcontroller units (MCUs) are embedded each year in a myriad of products from toys to appliances to automobiles. For example, a single vehicle can use 70 or more microcontrollers. The following picture describes a general block diagram of microcontroller.AT89S52: The AT89S52 is a low-power, high-performance CMOS 8-bit microcontroller with 8K bytes of in-system programmable Flash memory. The device is manufactured using Atmel’s high-density nonvolatile memory technology and is compatible with the industry-standard 80C51 instruction set and pinout. The on-chip Flash allows the program memory to be reprogrammed in-system or by a conventional nonvolatile memory programmer. By combining a versatile 8-bit CPU with in-system programmable Flash on a monolithic chip, the Atmel AT89S52 is a powerful microcontroller, which provides a highly flexible and ost-effective solution to many, embedded control applications. The AT89S52 provides the following standard features: 8K bytes of Flash, 256 bytes of RAM, 32 I/O lines, Watchdog timer, two data pointers, three 16-bit timer/counters, a six-vector two-level interrupt architecture, a full duplex serial port, on-chip oscillator, and clock circuitry. In addition, the AT89S52 is designed with static logic for operation down to zero frequency and supports two software selectable power saving modes. The Idle Mode stops the CPU while allowing the RAM, timer/counters, serial port, and interrupt system to continue functioning.The Power-down mode saves the RAM con-tents but freezes the oscillator, disabling all other chip functions until the next interrupt The hardware is driven by a set of program instructions, or software. Once familiar with hardware and software, the user can then apply the microcontroller to the problems easily. The pin diagram of the 8051 shows all of the input/output pins unique to microcontrollers: The following are some of the capabilities of 8051 microcontroller. ? Internal ROM and RAM ? I/O ports with programmable pins ? Timers and counters ? Serial data communicationThe 8051 architecture consists of these specific features: ?16 bit PC &data pointer (DPTR) ?8 bit program status word (PSW) ?8 bit stack pointer (SP) ?Internal ROM 4k ?Internal RAM of 128 bytes. ?4 register banks, each containing 8 registers ?80 bits of general purpose data memory ?32 input/output pins arranged as four 8 bit ports: P0-P3 ? Two 16 bit timer/counters: T0-T1Two external and three internal interrupt sources Oscillator and clock circuits THEORY-: Radio Frequency remote control) A handheld, wireless device used to operate audio, video and other electronic equipment using radio frequency (RF) transmissi on.Unlike the more common infrared (IR) remotes, RF remotes do not require line of sight and do not have to be aimed at the equipment. In fact, RF remotes can be operated. RF Receivers (Base Stations) Are Required Since most equipment is IR based and comes with an IR sensor located on the front panel, the RF must wind up as IR. This is accomplished with an RF receiver, which is a base station and antenna, that accepts RF signals and converts them to IR. For use inside equipment cabinets, the receiver typically has an â€Å"IR blaster†that showers IR signals to all components by reflecting off the closed cabinet door.The RF receiver also has sockets for several IR emitters (IR flashers) that are wired to, and pasted directly over, the IR sensors in the equipment for precise aiming. See IR remote control and RF. References-: The 8051 microcontroller and Embedded systems using assembly and C Muhammad Ali Mazidi, Janice Gillespie Mazidi 1. Keil Software, dScope Debugger, http:// www. keil. com/ 2. National Instruments Multisim 10. 0 www. ni. com/multisim 3. www. 8051projects. info 4. www. 8051projects. net 5. www. dnatechindia. com 6. AT89c51 datasheet available at www. alldatasheets. com
Saturday, November 9, 2019
The Monkey’s Paw: the Light Footprint of British History
The Monkey's Paw: The Light Footprint of British History by M. Lutfi / 1104391 Written in 1906, â€Å"The Monkey's Paw†is a story about Whites' family who received a dried â€Å"monkey's paw†, dubbed as a magical item which will grant their three wishes, from one of their friend, Sergeant-Major Morris. Taking it as a joke, they wished for two hundred pounds, which they later get in the expense of the death of their son, Herbert. Hopeless, they then wished for their son to come back into life, only to realize that those wish won't become true.This story is particularly interesting because the author chose to portray the life of an average English family life, and how they deal with issues such as death of a family member, while still talking about the larger issues in the Victorian age, such as Industrial Revolution, the belief to the spiritual or mythical deity, and cultural issues related to the imperialism. In the start of this story, the reader is presented with the visit of Sergeant-Major Morris to the Whites' family villa, with a â€Å"souvenir†which happened to be a â€Å"magic†monkey's paw from India.After this scene, readers can infer that there's a cultural exchange from the colonized country (as India is one of the country that was colonized by England). The â€Å"magic†monkey paw might be a souvenir or a charm given by locals – at that age, giving a charm to people going overseas was considered to be a symbol of tribute. By accepting the paw, Sergeant-Major Morris successfully brought a piece of Indian culture relic to the UK, and it also could be read as the writer's attempt to say that behind the colonialism, there's some hope of peace and understanding left.Then the story moves forward to the act in which they doubted the effect of the charm. The act could be read as an attempt to introduce how people tend to question the spiritual belief system. In the age where new ideas, founding in science, and inn ovations were praised a lot, people started to question everything – how things work, how the earth functions, and so on. Peoples tend to believe things when they see the â€Å"proof†, especially when the social situation also pledged uncertainty. After they wished to the monkey's paw, they had their wish come true, but in the expense of their son passed away.If the readers read critically to the story, they can find two issues being addressed here by the writer; how one's life revolves, and another bigger issue: the darker side of Industrial Revolution. From the aforementioned scene, the writer hides the message about how one's life revolve; we gain one thing in our life, then we also lose another. You can't be greedy and wish for everything in this life to be picture-perfect; it's a given. This way, the writer addressed, and criticized, eloquently the greediness of imperialists. Another thing to note from this scene is that the Industrial Revolution is not all that f riendly to the humanity.The movement, which starts in the middle of 19th century and ends before World War, is a movement which focused to change the manufacturing process from manual to automatic, using machines to achieve such goal. However, it caused significant damage to the society and labor issues is not an exception. Lots of people became victim; either became dead, lost their job, or got below-average wages. In this story, the cruelness of Industrial Revolution is depicted subtly, but it did leave an impression to the readers. The story reached its end by the couple wishing their son come back into life to the monkey's paw, but their wish was unfulfilled.In this scene, it can be concurred that the writer's trying to remind people to remain rational when times went rough – doing irrational things won't help the situation at all, as depicted in this scene. â€Å"The Monkey's Paw†is a good read for those interested in the British history. The story flows nicely, the character was depicted vividly, and the diction is not too hard to understand. The issues discussed here are also explained in a way that won't make anyone frown, even though the story talks about one of the darkest part of the world history.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Alternate Ending to Life as We Knew It. by Susan Beth Pfeffer Essays
Alternate Ending to Life as We Knew It. by Susan Beth Pfeffer Essays Alternate Ending to Life as We Knew It. by Susan Beth Pfeffer Paper Alternate Ending to Life as We Knew It. by Susan Beth Pfeffer Paper Life As We Knew It ALTERNATE ENDING I told my mother that I was going to the post office hoping to have a letter from my father. My mom said â€Å"Miranda, I heard that things should get better soon and this will be all over with, please be quick and be safe, it will all be over soon. †That gave me some hope. I left my skis in the house, knowing what I was going up against. I stepped outside into the blizzard, expecting the worst and not returning home. When I finally got to the post office, I realized that it was closed. Feeling hopeless, I was ready to give up and let the elements take me. But suddenly a flyer blew by me. I snatched the flyer and it said there is a food drive going on at the town hall. I managed to get there; I looked up, strained of all energy. The mayor explained how he was proud of me because I was getting food for my family and thinking of everyone else before myself. Being so exhausted, I looked up at the sky; a patch of blue peeked out at me. I jump up in excitement, an energy rush running through my body. I jump up and down, knowing that things are only going to get better from here knowing that my little brother Johnny and the rest of the family have a chance to survive. The mayor asks what all the excitement was about; I said â€Å"look up; there is hope in the air! †He looked up with the rest of the people at city hall in awe, looking hopeful. I had received a ride home to inform my family on the news. Once I told my mother, she cried tears of joy, knowing that everything should be over soon. Johnny screamed in joy, knowing that we all made it. Life will only get better now. This will soon be the life as we knew it.
Monday, November 4, 2019
Designing and implementing questionnaires and interviews Essay
Designing and implementing questionnaires and interviews - Essay Example The following questionnaire is for teachers, parents and students (both members of the study group and the control group) designed by just encircling the number to indicate the degree of agreement or disagreement to the statements provided: 17.) With the emergence of unethical materials and illegal and prohibited information in the internet (e.g. pornography and other clandestine ways of conducting business using the web) do you think this will affect the students’ learning process? Information and data collection are one of the exciting parts of research, though they can be tiring. But this is not to say that they are difficult. When you put a lot of effort in it, data collection can be challenging. You have to earn the cooperation of your respondents; you’ve to build a close rapport with them. In the initial part of the information gathering, some doubts and negative thoughts entered my mind as to how the whole thing can be quite successful, to say the least. Gathering all the data together, doing all the things that seemed to be countless tasks, and executing what I had in mind, seemed impossible to do all at the same time. Then, a lot of ideas also entered my mind which seemed not to point to a particular direction. Aside from the preparations for the interviews and questionnaires, I had to do a lot of research from previous studies, and opinions of experts, teachers, and parents, not only on the contents of the questionnaires but on the actual conduct of the interviews. After you have tried the techniques of brainstorming, branching, or making up journalistic questions and flowcharts, you may also find it useful to try discovery writing. This step can be helpful, especially once you have formulated a thesis statement. (69) This is putting ideas into writing without first arranging or editing them. Just put them down into writing, and then later you’ll discover what and how they’ll come out. Langosch says this is known as â€Å"free
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Marketing Plan of Red Bull Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Marketing Plan of Red Bull - Research Paper Example Naturally, with respect to the different product offerings and individualized geographic sales strategies and formulations that the energy drink giant puts forward, there are only a few comparisons between the parent company and many of the product offerings that exist within smaller and more diversified markets. However, regardless of the differentials that exist, the main product offering that has proven to be the defining success of the brand is nonetheless equally represented in every single market that the firm operates within. Mission Statement â€Å"We are dedicated to upholding Red Bull standards, while maintaining the leadership position in the energy drinks category when delivering superior customer service in a highly efficient and profitable manner. We create a culture where employees share best practices dedicated to coaching and developing our organisation as an employer of choice†Products and Services Although it is ultimately the intention of Red Bull to engag e in a broad marketing plan that will see each and every one of its sectors grow in overall sales, the purpose of this specific strategy is with regards to seeking to leverage a degree of the health supplement market that is currently experienced such a high level of growth. In such a way, introduction of a new product line and effective marketing of this will depend mainly upon focusing and refocusing the attention of any and all marketing activities into a process of rebranding and integration within such a market. Financial Feasibility With regards to the financial outlook and the means by which the firm can seek to recover in the eventuality that such a marketing plan is a failure, the approach... Prior to any degree of success due to the introduction of a new product, the firm in question must research the market as well as the potential consumers of whatever good or service they are attempting to integrate with the consumer base. As a function of this level of research presented in the essay, it is possible for the firm to gain key insights into the best ways in which a given product is able to be integrated and prove to provide an overall increase in profitability. The researcher also analyzed it as a function of understanding for the need of marketing research and understanding with regards to the markets and the consumer tastes. This essay provides brief summary that will detail the market as it exists for Red Bull energy drinks. By providing an overview of the geographical markets, overall sales and market share, expectation for future sales growth, profitability potential, and seeking to analyze and understand the firm’s geographic growth strategy, the reader and the researcher are able to determine a great deal with regards to what may take place within the future without ever having to suffer the risk and danger of blindly testing a highly costly product line in a market or with a given demographic of the consumer base that would ultimately reject it. In conclusion, the researcher presented marketing program of the Red Bull company, it's most common strategies, such as product strategy, price and promotion strategies, which has vaulted Red Bull to such a worldwide level of the claim success.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
In your own words, define group communication in three to five Essay
In your own words, define group communication in three to five sentences - Essay Example Each member of the group is also encouraged to provide a feedback or to share in the brainstorming session to enrich the collective ideas and arrive at a more suitable outcome. An individual communication refers to the transmission of ideas to another without a need of requiring another person to collaborate or add up to the idea being communicated. The ideas are formulated by the communicator alone in order to implement a plan in accordance to one’s goal. There are approaches that can be used to promote individual and group communication. In individual communication and group communication anyone can be both a communicator and a listener. The participants in communication will be a speaker at one time and a listener at another. Thus, they must both possess the good qualities of a speaker and a listener. As a speaker, it is necessary to speak clearly and organize the idea logically. At the same time, the speaker should be patient to explain one’s thought and the listene r request for further explanation. The strategies are commonly used individuals in face-to-face interaction as well as in the use of social networking platform. Successful communication is facilitated when the communicators are at ease. This will enhance receptivity and allow full comprehension of the message being transmitted.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Analysing a web page written in the style of a memorandum Essay - 1
Analysing a web page written in the style of a memorandum - Essay Example 7. The website requires a plugin to be installed into the user’s computer in order to access some of its content. This may not fare well with some users who are keen to protect their computers from malicious programs. Some will opt to leave the website rather than risk the safety of their computers by downloading unfamiliar plug-ins. The website has the potential of capturing the attention of new visitors. However, to achieve this, it requires a complete makeover. To start with, the links found on the homepage all need to be followed through in order to make sure that they lead a user to a new page. The main reason for doing this lies in the fact that some users may be discouraged from going further if the links cannot function. It may make a visitor assume that the website in general does not function. It actually came as a surprise to me that you can login and find that the website has content. Other new users may not have the time, patience or the adventurous nature which may lead them to discovering other parts of the website that happen to be operational. Another point of concern revolves around the titles of all the pages. When logged in and with most of the content available, the title of most pages happens to be the same. This question the seriousness behind the website and the level of professionalism involved. Every page of the website accessed by the user should have a title coinciding with the topic. For example, if a user clicks on a link called â€Å"Blog†, the user should be directed to a page that has blogs with the title â€Å"Blog†. In a case whereby a user can be using different tabs and the main tab happens to be other than the one accessing pages in this website, a lot of misinformation can occur. The main reason for making this statement lies in the fact that when the page accessing this website loads, the Title bar will read â€Å"Site Error†or
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Animal Testing Pros and Cons Essay
Animal Testing Pros and Cons Essay 1.0 Introduction The Greeks believed that animals were a lesser form of life because animals could not think like humans did. Furthermore, this thought was continued by Christians who claimed that animals were less significant because they had no soul (Vivisection, 2002). Animal testing is the use of live animals for research in order to better understand the effect of certain substances towards human health. This application has been widely carried out in many industries. Numerous animals have been used for animal testing, such as guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs and mice. The issue of animal testing has become a worldwide focus these days due to arguments brought up by those who are against animal experimentation. Unquestionably, the practice of animal experimentation has increased tremendously compared to the past. According to Shandilya (2008), it is estimated that 20 million animals are used for animal experimentation yearly for the purpose of medicine and for testing other products. Findings from studies indicate that less than 10 percent of pure psychological researches use animals as test subjects, which do not include animal subjects used for cross-over medical experimentation (American Psychological Association, n.d., cited in Harding, L. , 2001). However, there are some who state that animal experiments are cruel and immoral, besides violating an animals rights. This has caused many individuals to agree with the movements of anti-vivisection organisations due to brutal treatment towards animals. Although there are laws regarding animal testing enforcing the reduction in the use of animals for vivisection, opponents of animal experimenting are still debating about the subject of legalizing it. If we view this subject from a broader perspective, it can be seen that animal testing should be legalized as it aids scientist in the discoveries of new drugs and treatments to make health and medicine better, an animals life does not hold as much value as a humans, and it is the most precise way to find out the effects of substances on a living organism. This research paper will explain why animal testing should be legalized. Research findings are confined to the United States of America, since the subject of animal testing is highly debated there and the progress of this issue in the US is relative to other countries. 2.1 Animal testing helps in the development of drugs and treatments. Currently, humans are often exposed to various diseases which are life threatening, which includes existing diseases or new forms of diseases due to mutations and changes in the environment. Hence, researchers are working hard in finding cures for all these illnesses. From here, it can be seen that animal testing is essential in the sustenance of human health. Animals will be used to study the effect of newly invented drugs, whether it will help in curing the disease. Speaking of the positive outcomes of animal testing, this includes the development of new medicine and treatments. Derbyshire (2004) mentioned that many medical advances used animal testing; dogs were used to develop the production of insulin, whereas primates were utilized in the manufacture of a powerful anti-rejection drug, cyclosporine. Besides this, discoveries of various vaccines have evolved through animal experimentation. From here, it can be seen that animal testing can guide us to discoveries of new knowledge about living organisms. Many drugs have been invented to fulfill the aim of remedying diseases. However, the side effects of newly invented drugs remain unknown. Therefore, animal testing allows the evaluation of the danger of drugs before being used upon humans which will greatly reduce the risk before any human based trials are carried out (About Animal Testing, n.d.). Drugs that are tested safe can then be used to save millions of valuable human lives. The future of medical science still relies on animal testing, and this clearly shows a need in legalizing animal testing. There are some people who claim that the effects of drugs tested on animals may not be the same to humans. Arthritis drug Vioxx, which caused 140 000 heart attacks and strokes in United States of America, was withdrawn from the global market even though it appeared to be safe when tested in animals (Archibald, 2004). However, scientists have proven that animals are extremely alike to humans and experiments done on them would produce similar results obtained through future human experiments (About Animal Testing, n.d.). Hence, carrying out animal testing on drugs would improve the quality of human life indirectly. Therefore, to sum it all up, animal testing should be legalized because it assists researchers in medical treatments besides drugs discovery, improves health and medicine and is able to test the safety of drugs. Alternatives of animal testing are not as plausible as they are not as accurate as the results obtained from tests conducted upon animals. Hence, animal testing should be encouraged instead of being suppressed. 2.2 The importance of human lives is given priority over animal lives. Differences existing between humans and animals cause animals to receive treatments which are different and unequal although both of them are alive. As animals differ from humans as they do not have conscience, they are considered inferior to humans when it comes to the value of life. Seeing that the lives of humans are viewed as more valuable than animal lives, animals will have to be sacrificed in animal experimentation. The pros and cons of animal testing were debated with both sides being able to produce solid reasons for their stands. From the view of sentiency, it is mentioned that all living things are morally equivalent. However, the lives of humans are superior over the lives of animals (Garner, 2005). Authorities have to make a choice between the welfare of humans and the welfare of animals. Which one is more important, the life of a human or the life of an animal? As Archibald (2004) points out, most people are willing to sacrifice the lives of animal in animal testing to save human lives. Even though human welfare is the main concern, the welfare of an animal is still taken into account by minimizing the suffering of animals when conducting animal experimentations. The Animal Welfare Act had been formed and reviewed constantly to protect animals and decrease the number of vivisections carried out (Monamy, 2000). Every experiment involving the usage of animals is normally administered with anesthesia. In conjunction with this, the experiments will not be repeated or animals used will be euthanized when brutal treatment is involved. Animal testing can be accepted as it allows the improvement of human life quality without the suffering of animals (Garner, 2005). Those who are against animal testing argued that animals have the right to live peacefully. Animal testing is regarded as unkind treatment towards animals as it violates animal rights as their lives are valuable as well (Le Fanu, 2003). Nevertheless, their arguments are weak because animals lack the sense of judgment, and therefore are not subjected to moral claims and animal rights (Cohen, 1986). Hence, they cannot be compared with human life. As long as the animal is experimented upon without pain, the welfare of the animal is not violated. Therefore, it is acceptable to legalize the activity of animal testing as human life should be prioritized. Although there are many who are against animal experimentation, the points asserted are not h3 enough to discontinue the activity of animal testing. Supporters of animal testing affirm that animals should not have equal rights with humans as both of these cannot be compared. Animals lack the sense of judgment, thus human lives always come first before animal lives. Animals are considered to be protected as long as animals receive minimum amount of suffering. So animal testing should be legalized in order to save more human lives. 2.3 Animal testing is helpful for studying the effects of substances. Many new chemical substances are produced every year to meet the demand of the global market such as in agriculture, medicine and cosmetic products. The credits should be given to animal testing. The effect of that particular substance has been studied to produce countless helpful products. This can increase the longevity of humans besides improving the human standard of living. By conducting experiments on animals, the researcher can gain invaluable information from the living specimen. Winston (2006) mentioned that 70% of the Nobel prizes for physiology or medicine are contributed from animal testing. Hence, it is clearly shown that by performing researches on animals by studying the effects of a substance can bring a huge impact upon the world. The discovery of knowledge will be delayed or remain undiscovered if animal testing is not carried out. As stated by Le Fanu (2003), primates offer the best experimental models as they have 99% similarity in genes with humans. Animal testing can be carried out on primates to ensure the safety of some drugs before being tested on humans. The chance for both organisms exhibiting the same effect is high due to the similarity of their genes. This in turn can reduce the risks faced by humans when commencing the trials. Hence, animals are good tools for learning the effects of various substances. In spite of this, people who are in opposition to animal testing argue that it must not be legalized just because animal experimentation leads to medical breakthroughs and the outcome is more rewarding. This statement is insufficient to justify the drawbacks of animal testing (Derbyshire, 2004). On the other hand, it is proven that the beneficial outcome outweighs its drawbacks, so it is rational to legalize the activity of animal testing. Without studying the effects of substances using animal testing, most of the major vaccines against disease like polio, rubella and hepatitis B used today would not exist (Derbyshire, 2004). New drugs undergo in vitro research, computer modeling and animal testing before being tested on humans. Thus, every step is vital in this process of studying the effects before a drug is introduced into the market. In short, the effects of a substance can be study by carrying out animal testing which can provide invaluable information besides the anatomy of some animals are similar to humans. Even though animal experimentation its disadvantages, there are still many benefits that can gain by carrying out animal testing. Thus, legalization of animal testing must be accepted. Moreover, it can be a good tool for education and research purposes. 3.0 Recommendation Normally, the usage of animals for animal testing delineated as cruelty towards animals and should not be legalized. However, it is impossible to ban the practice of animal experimentation due to the benefits brought by animal research towards mankind. Animal testing is a noble action to sustain the welfare of humans. Since the practice of animal testing cannot be stopped, the welfare of animals can only be protected by another approach. The principle of Three Rs, that is refinement, reduction and replacement can be practiced. The researchers are pledged to reduce the number of animals used when performing a research. To use the least number of resources to obtain the fastest results, researchers have the tendency of using a smaller number of animals during their research. This is an act that showed the willingness of mankind to reduce the cruelty towards the animals. Besides this, scientists were asked to lessen the degree of suffering of the animal. This can be attained by exclude some needless harmful actions involving the animals. Lastly, alternative methods should be used whenever possible to replace the usage of animal testing (Derbyshire, 2006). For instance, the welfare of animals can be secured by doing so. The practice of animal experimentation should compromise between the welfare of humans and animals so that harmony can be achieved. Animal experimentation still can be practiced, and the laws should be strictly enforced so that it is not violated by irresponsible people. 4.0 Conclusion Due to the increased usage of animal testing, the issue of animal experimentation is getting highly debated and remains relentless. After examining several points, it has revealed that animal testing should be legalized as it helps in the progress of medicine and health, human life is more valuable than animal life, and helps to learn the outcome of a substance on a living organism. Day by day, anti-vivisectionists try to rule out animal testing by looking at this issue from the animals point of view. Concurrently, supporters of animal experimentation were able to refute their arguments, by claiming the welfare of humans should always come first before animals. They viewed the subject of animal testing from a broader perspective and the long term advantages that come from animal experimentation. Life is never perfect, some sacrifices have to make to achieve success for a better future. Nonetheless, animal research should be carried out as its advantages are more significant than the disadvantages.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Pilgrimage for Christians :: Papers
Pilgrimage for Christians This question has a lot or arguments for both sides, which will be discussed here. The Christian Church itself is not entirely sure of whether or not pilgrimage should be practised, and different denominations have different views. Pilgrimage can help Christians a great deal. Pilgrims grow closer to God during pilgrimage and pilgrimages can inspire them to spread the word of God when they return from the trip. If there are having doubts over their faith in God, pilgrimages can make them feel close to God, and they can believe in him without doubt again. It is difficult to find arguments against pilgrimage in terms of what could be done in the time taken up by the trip, because pilgrimages do not take a long time now. A person's life could be dramatically changed by a pilgrimage and it could make them view the world in a completely different way, after only a few days of devotion to God. In defence of pilgrimage, it has happened for a very long time, since the start of the Christian faith, even though there is no reference to it in the Bible. Some branches of the Christian church, particularly the Roman Catholic church, judge matters on the Bible and on church traditions, which would make pilgrimage a good thing for the one reason that it has been going on for so long. There are also many reasons why pilgrimage is not considered a necessary thing for Christians to embark on. Some would argue that Christians' time should be spend helping people, preaching and encouraging other to adopt Christians beliefs. Some Protestants would also say that there is no real evidence of pilgrimage in the Bible, so it is not a Christian idea and should not happen. With the exception perhaps of the Holy Land, sites of pilgrimage are defined sometimes by only one witness who claims to have had a vision or a miracle. These sources cannot always be trusted, which makes some Christians critical of Pilgrimage. Others would argue, however, that
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Barco Projection Systems – 1
Barco Projection Systems – Case Study, Assignment 1. Describe the product line strategy of the Barco Projection Systems Division? BPS has followed a market segment based product line. BPS differentiated these segments based on the scan rate of the projectors. Video segment projectors had scan rates of 16 kHz, data projectors had scan rates ranging from 16 to 45 kHz and graphics projectors at the higher end had rates from 16 to above 64 kHz. BPS was the leader in the graphics projection segment which was a niche market.Historically, Barco entered the projections market with the lower-end scan rates for video applications and has been adding depth to its product line by improving the scan rates. Thus, subsequently BPS created data projectors and ultimately graphics projectors. However, BPS had been limiting the projector scan rates in each of these three segments thereby clearly differentiating the products in terms of the segments. 2. On page 12 of the case, Dejonghe comments t hat â€Å"all of our projections, however were based on the assumption that Sony would respect our vision of the market place’. What does this mean?When does one competitor accepts another’s vision of the market? Traditionally, BPS’s competition had followed its practice of segmenting the projections market by the scan rates. By strong commitment to R&D, BPS had brought about continuous improvements in the projector scan rates and thus established itself as a comprehensive player with presence in all the segments. Based on this, BPS had a vision that it will continue to drive the technology improvements in the market (in terms of the scan rates). Also, Sony had always positioned its projectors below that of BPS in terms of performance.This made BPS assume that Sony will follow its vision of the market. Generally, a competitor might accept another company’s vision of the market if the other company – a. Is a clear market leader and has a good under standing of the market needs b. Is the front-runner in bringing new technology to the market 3. Why did Sony decide to reject BPS’s vision of the market in August 1989? Although BPS had been a technology leader, since 1985 BPS had been continuously watching and incorporating the tubes used by Sony on its projectors.This was a clear transition of BPS from being a technology leader to a follower of Sony’s technology. Further, there were no suppliers apart from Sony components that produced tubes with the quality necessary for high-end graphics projection. As a result, BPS had to heavily rely on Sony for the tube technology. Sony perhaps believed that BPS did not innovate at a fast enough rate to capture the growth potential in the market. So Sony decided to put itself ahead of BPS in terms of the market vision. 4. How serious a threat is the Sony 1270? What are Sony’s objectives?On the performance scale, 1270 is positioned above BPS’s BG400, so the image of BPS as a high-end player in the projectors’ market is under serious threat. Also, the 1270 is targeted at the U. S. and European markets from which BPS had 83% of its graphics revenues. This will significantly affect share of the BG400 in these markets. If the 1270 is priced at the lower end ($15,000), it can also eat into the market share of BD600. Further, at this price level, the 1270 has the potential to serve both the data and graphics segment which will destroy BPS’s segmentation practice.The huge growth potential (~40%) expected in the graphics segment has perhaps prompted Sony to drive the technology change in this segment and develop the 1270. In addition, by pricing it lower Sony aims at merging the data and graphics segment and thereby achieving economy of scale. Sony aims to eventually make the graphics segment a commodity market rather than a niche market. 5. Did Barco make a mistake somewhere along the way or do things like this ‘just happenâ€℠¢ when competing in high technology business on a global scale? Sony’s release of the 1270 is not an incidental event.BPS’s failure to continuously innovate and update the technology of their projectors made them lose their technology leadership position to Sony. Following Sony’s tube technology was a direct conflict with BPS’s belief that Sony will accept their vision of the market. As a result, BPS did not foresee that Sony could be ahead of their own projections in terms of the scan rates and prices in the graphics projector segment. BPS also failed to realize that niche markets are always prone to be commoditized eventually. 6. What should Barco do with respect to Price?Since there is only market speculation on the Sony 1270’s price, Barco should wait for Sony to announce the actual price of the 1270. At two different pricing levels ($20,000 and $15,000) of Sony 1270, various pricing levels of BG400, the associated revenue loss (assumed % for t he reduced prices) and the margins are calculated below. Scenario 1: Sony 1270 Priced at $20,000| | | | | BG400 Pricing| Price per unit $| Marigins %| Cost per unit $| Est. Revenue Loss| Estimated Revenues $Millions| Total Marigins $Millions| No Reduction| 24,000| 29%| 17,040 | 30%| 8. 6| 2. 6| Reduced Price| 23,000| 26%| 17,040 | 25%| 9. 60| 2. 5| | 22,000| 23%| 17,040 | 20%| 10. 24| 2. 3| | | | | | | | Scenario 2: Sony 1270 Priced at $15,000| | | | | BG400 Pricing| Price per unit $| Marigins %| Cost per unit $| Est. Revenue Loss| Estimated Revenues $Millions| Total Marigins $Millions| No Reduction| 24,000| 29%| 17,040 | 60%| 5. 12| 1. 5| Reduced Price| 23,000| 26%| 17,040 | 55%| 5. 76| 1. 5| | 22,000| 23%| 17,040 | 50%| 6. | 1. 4| In the first scenario, with pricing reduction of BG400 the total margins are clearly reducing. So, the current pricing should be retained. In the second scenario, a price reduction in the range of $23,000 may be considered to achieve slightly better reve nues with the same total margins. Even at the $15,000 pricing level of Sony 1270, changing the price of BD600 would not do any difference to its total margins. So the pricing of BD600 should be retained at the current levels in both scenarios. 7.What should Barco do now with respect to its product development plan? Short-term plan: Since BD700 is clearly inferior to Sony 1270 in terms of performance, it cannot be positioned higher. Hence, the development of BD700 should be put on hold immediately and BPS should instead focus on developing the BG800. The cost of developing the BG800 in time for the InfoComm should be compared against the cost of a BPS initiated marketing campaign to promote the BG800 and the pace of its development should be decided accordingly.The BG800 should be priced above the 1270 and BG400. Long-term plan: BPS should re-examine its vision for the future and plan for continuous technology updates to create more depth in the product line. BPS should also develop other suppliers for its projector tubes and reduce its dependence on Sony. After the release of BG800, BPS should realign the pricing of BD600 and BG400 to maintain the segment differentiation. Eventually, the data and graphics segments are likely to be commoditized and so BPS has to look at product line extensions in terms of width as well.
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