Essay on An Argument Against Gun Control - 773 Words

Argument Against Gun Control An Argument Against Gun Control As long ago as 1789, the creators of the Constitution realized the importance of guns in American society. The Second Amendment states,A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. No loopholes, or legal caches exist in this statement. The Founding Fathers allow for no restriction of the private ownership of firearms. Yet, in recent years anti-gun politicians have attempted to control guns in the name of crime prevention. Gun control makes no effort to control criminals, does not reduce crime, takes guns from responsible sportsmen and†¦show more content†¦Ultimately, peoples choices lead them to drive recklessly, overindulge in unhealthy food, and use firearms to commit violent crimes. So, criminals should be controlled, not the guns which they share with millions of law-abiding citizens. Gun control supporters claim that gun control lowe rs crime rate. Gun control does nothing to reduce crime. A study conducted by the Urban Institute regarding The Clinton Gun Ban Law of 1995, finds that because the banned guns and magazines were never used in more than a fraction of all gun murders, even the maximum theoretically achievable preventive effect of the ban on gun murders is almost certainly too small to detect statistically... Joseph Constance, the Deputy Police Chief of Trenton, New Jersey, states: Assault weapons are used in an underwhelming .026 of 1% of crimes in New Jersey. This means that my officers are more likely to confront an escaped tiger from the local zoo, than to confront an assault rifle in the hands of a drug-crazed killer on the streets. West Virginia stands as an example of the inaccurate thinking of gun control advocates. This state has the highest number of guns per person in the nation, yet it has the lowest number of crimes per person in the nation. Gun control has little or no effect on crime. Gun control advocates believe thatShow MoreRelatedThe Arguments Against Gun Control Essay1207 Words   |  5 Pagesfocus on the arguments against and for gun control? Gun control is a controversial topic in the United States. Therefore, the arguments against gun control are whether or not there is gun control law, and people still can find firearms from some illegal place. Second, the 2nd Amendment’s allows people have the rights to own guns for self-defense. Third, my friend gives me detailed explanation about why he likes to own a gun. On the other hand, I also research some arguments for gun control. People whoRead MoreThe Argument Against Gun Control Essay1141 Words   |  5 Pagesthis paper, I consider the topic of gun control. First, I present Dixon’s argument in support of gun control, which is that all personal guns should be banned. Second, I introduce Huemer’s argument against the regulation of guns , which is that banning personal firearms is not justified. Third, I critique Huemer’s argument against gun control on the grounds of three claims. First, the right to own a gun is nullified by its negative repercussions. Second, gun control does not violate an individual’s rightRead MoreArgument Against Gun Control1340 Words   |  6 Pages Final Paper: Argument Against Gun Control The argument on firearm regulation has been a heated discussion for many years. On one side of the debate, we have people in favor placing restrictions on guns, while, on the opposite end of the spectrum, we have people fighting the regulation of guns. People in favor gun restrictions believe gun control can reduce crime ,while, the people against gun control believe having the right toRead MoreArguments For And Against Increased Gun Control994 Words   |  4 PagesThis paper analyses data from several sources to create a more complete understanding of the arguments for and against increased gun control in the US. While this paper will not cover all of the factors that should be taken into account it does cover some of the more prominent ones are discussed. The first has to do with the effects weapons may have on people, more specifically called the weapons effect. Second is the effect of intent and the difference between aggression and violence. The thirdRead MoreAn Argument Agains t Gun Control Essay971 Words   |  4 Pagescriminals committing crimes with the use of guns infringe the national right of the innocent to possess guns. This is a question that arouses everywhere and no matter which way it is viewed the controversy will always go on. quot;A gun is a mere tool that can be used for good or evil. Our country is based on the belief that man is good until he or she is proven to be otherwise.quot;(Harris p.2) This means that only a few people are committing crimes with uses of guns and why completely remove them fromRead MoreAn Argument Against Gun Control Essay912 Words   |  4 Pageslaw to outlaw all guns would be more effective at disarming law-abiding citizens than at disarming the criminals who abuse them. If guns were outlawed, the criminals would not stop carrying guns, but the good, law-abiding citizens would. It would do nothing about the illegally obtained handguns in the possession of criminals. In The NRA is Right, Josh Sugarmann states that â€Å"One tenet of the National Rifle Association’s faith has always been that handgun controls do little to stopRead More An Argument Against Gun Control Essay1765 Words   |  8 Pages The Gun Control issue has sparked major controversy in America today. People who support gun control feel that guns are the reason for the soaring crime rate in our country. I disagree with the supporters of gun control. I feel that because of the black market, violent criminals being released from prison early, and the need to ensure personal safety, stricter gun control will have very little impact on violent crime in America. I believe that gun control works in theory, but not in real lifeRead MoreThe Debate Over Gun Laws1672 Words   |  7 Pagesthe legal right to own a weapon that could end your life? Gun control in America has been a long fought out debate. Republicans typically believe that it should be entirely legal for Americans to own guns because it is their right from the Constitution and they need it to defend themselves. Democrats typically believe that guns should not be legal because they are dangerous weapons and they can be abused by violent people. The debate over gun laws has continued to divide American because of the manyRead MoreGuns Should Be Banned1092 Words   |  5 PagesThe argument of whether guns should be banned has become increasingly popular as more and more shootings occur. Since 2006 there have been thirty-two mass shootings in the United States alone. This is one of the biggest debates going on right now and there are many people who are willing to argue both sides of i t. In Phoebe Maltz Bovys article Its Time to Ban Guns. Yes, All of Them.   she argues for gun control. Evan DePhillips and Devin Hughes also argues for gun control in their article 5 argumentsRead MoreGun Control And The Second Amendment Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesGuns, Guns, Guns. In today’s news Gun Control, has become a controversial topic. I have heard many people say that, â€Å"Guns don’t kill people, people kill people†. So, do we need gun control? People talk because they have mouths, they don’t know the extent about gun violence. About half of the country’s population is for / against gun control. Consistently, the media outlets are reporting shootings, that is accidental or intentional whichever way it is trending across the United States. Stronger gun

United States Drug Policy - 1302 Words

US Drug Policy Introduction Drug policy is a crucial topic in the country today. Substance abuse, as well as drug-related crime rates, are a huge problem. This is a fact. The way to fix the problem of substance abuse, however, is widely disagreed upon. Some think that stricter laws regarding drug possession and use would solve the problem, while others believe that loosening the restrictions would be a better option. The issue of legalizing drugs, especially marijuana, is one that is debated all the time. In fact, in 1995, a survey was conducted on the most important policy issues and eighty five percent of the country placed drugs at the top of the list (Falco 1996). Many states are actually beginning to decriminalize, and even†¦show more content†¦(Boyum and Reuter 2005) Many people do not know that so much government money is going to this, and everybody should be aware of what their government is spending their money on. Inciardi says that this issue may be so important to people becau se of the media. He says that the media portraying so much drug use brings this type of behavior to the attention of people including law officials as well as civilians. It is sort of glamorized on television, with stories of celebrities being sent to rehabilitation centers. (Inciardi 1999) Besides this, many people are concerned because of the influx of hard drugs, especially heroin, to the mainstream rather than being hidden in the poverty-stricken inner cities. In recent years, crack, cocaine, and heroin have been more prevelant than ever, especially among the wealthy. Drugs are no longer something that only gang members and bad guys do, everybody is doing them. (Inciardi 1999) Because it is so prevalent in pop culture and in the news, everybody should be up to date and aware of the current drug policy in their area. America’s â€Å"War on Drugs† The term â€Å"War on Drugs† was first used by the Nixon administration in the 1970’s, but the country has been enforcing policies against drug use, possession, and distribution since 1914, with the passing of the Harrison Act. They do this mainly through deterrence. The government makes laws and regulations against this kind of behavior andShow MoreRelatedDrug Policy, Prescription Drugs, And The United States1393 Words   |  6 PagesOne of the greatest problems we face in America today is the use and abuse of drugs in our country. It is important to find a solution that works within our country to combat the growing populations of our nation’s prisons, keep the supply of drugs under control, and have adequate prevention programs in place to help people who need treatment. Throughout reading the material for this course and the research conducted on the topics described in this paper, it is clear that the methods use d in earlierRead MoreThe United States Current Drug Policy882 Words   |  4 Pagesdeveloped nations, the United States is known for its stringent illegal drug use policy and the high percentages of its population that have consumed illegal substances. The United States has issued a drug war against millions of Americans who use and sell illegal substances. This war has cost taxpayers billions annually and continues to contribute to an incarceration rate that surpasses any other country (Walmsley 2009). Although, stringent policies have lowered the decline in U.S drug consumption sinceRead MoreEffects of the United States Failed War on Drugs Policy Essay4544 Words   |  19 Pages                      Effects of the United States Failed War on Drugs Policy Hector Arreola SSCI 306 MWF 10:40-11:50 AM March 14, 2012                                              Abstract The â€Å"War on Drugs† policy has been the approach by the United States to protect citizens from the harmful effects of illegal drugs. The article examines the failures of the war on drug policy has had on society, such as, increasing violence, increasingRead MoreThe Impact Of Black Friday On American Symbols, Values And Interests6556 Words   |  27 Pageswar† against the United States—and to a large extent, the attacks were â€Å"acts of war,† indeed. According to many critics, these attacks were â€Å"unprecedented† in American history in that they presented a direct, potential threat to the American territory. The gravity of the event was manifest not only in terms of the scale of the attacks, but also in terms of the â€Å"direction in which the guns were pointed.† As Chomsky explains [t]he last time the national territory of the United States was under attackRead MoreHealthcare Issues Facing The United States1101 Words   |  5 PagesHealthcare costs in the United States is growing at an alarming rate. For many Americans, getting sick in America is a financial death sentence. A survey of 5,700 people released by the Federal Reserve reported that 46% of working Americans cannot pay an emergency expense costing $400 or more without borrowing money or selling their property (El Issa, 2015). It is important to recognize the different factors that contribute to the rise in healthcare costs as the healthcare industry is a vital sourceRead MoreDirect Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising : Looking For The Future1261 Words   |  6 Pagesshape, or form encountered pharmaceutical advertising nearly everyday of your life. In the United States, pharmaceutical advertising has presented several concerns to consumers. Steps should be taken to reduce the negative effects of the se types of advertisements. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, such as the TV commercials or magazine ads you see telling you to â€Å"ask your doctor if such-and-such drug is right for you†, and its possible consequences has recently come under scrutiny. This aspectRead MoreThe War on Drugs1350 Words   |  6 Pages For several years the United States of America has been struggling with the problem of drug addiction of its citizens. This has led the federal government to take measures to restrain the problem of addiction in the United States. However, after observing these measures, such as the ‘War on Drugs’ and its consequences, scholars now question the effectiveness of the drug policy implemented. Some scholars even argue that the War on Drugs has been more harmful to American citizens than helpful. AlsoRead MorePolicy And Implications Of The President s Inaugural National Drug Control Strategy Essay1727 Words   |  7 PagesAssignment #1: Policy and Implications Paper Mary Marrone USC School of Social Work January 29, 2016 Section One: Choose and Research a Policy Introduction At the president’s inaugural, the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy presented an evidence-based practice that addressed reducing drug use and eliminating its consequences in the United States (National Drug Control Strategy, 2013). The president responded by having his administration draft the â€Å"third way† in drug policy, which rejectsRead MoreIllegal Drugs And The United States1589 Words   |  7 PagesJune 18, 1971, United States President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Since then the United States has focused their efforts on the criminalization and prohibition of drug use, possession, trafficking, sale, and the production of it. The issues pertaining to the War on Drugs has become a bigger issue throughout the years due to the United States being the largest market place for illegal drugs and substances. The United States has spent billions a year on drug war policies to help and tryRead MoreU.s. Drug Policy Critique Essay1708 Words   |  7 Pages U.S. Drug Policy Critique Drug Policy in the United States began under the Presidency of Richard M. Nixon, who launched the â€Å"War on Drugs† and oversaw the creation of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The sole purpose of both initiatives was to combat the copious amounts of drugs flowing out of our borders. Then First Lady Nancy Reagan, who will go down in history as the greatest First Lady of All Time, launched â€Å"Just Say No†. A campaign aimed towards the youth to refuse the vices of drug and alcohol

Should Community Service be Mandatory free essay sample

Community Service Albert Einstein, one of the smartest men to ever live, Is quoted saying Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. This Is achieved through striving to uplift those around you with volunteering. Anything from cleaning up garbage to offering companionship to elderly and disabled people Is a way to change the world, bit by bit. However, no single person can change the world on his or her own. There must be a constant effort from all of those that support this belief. Some believe that the best way for this to be accomplished Is through mandatory community service Implemented through schools, Charles or churches. Although community service can be extremely valuable In the development of both character and academics, some believe the negative effects of forcing students to participate by making a set amount of service a requirement for graduation could offset the benefits. Today, a majority of high schools require so many hours of community service in order for high school seniors to graduate. We will write a custom essay sample on Should Community Service be Mandatory? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In 1984, only 17 percent of high schools offered a community service program. This number increased 66 percent in just 15 years. By 999, 83 percent of all high schools offered, and many required participation in, a community service program. Two thirds of high schools today require students in all grades to participate in community service activities (Howe and Strauss), but is this taking it too far? Community service is being forced upon students all over the country. Students who are forced to do community service will grow to resent it, making them less likely to volunteer in their communities after college. Our country needs people to volunteer, and more than Just the young adult high school population. Also, if students are forced to do community service, the quality of the help they give is probably not going to be very good because they dont really want to do it. Requiring community service takes the volunteerism out of the equation and soon many of those who volunteer are those who dont even want to be there. Forcing students to participate in community services will cause them to resent voluntary services for the community later in life. In most communities, community service is used as a punishment for those who step out of line. For teenagers, community service came to mean punishment for drunk drivers and Breakfast Club crescents (Howe and Strauss). In addition to students coming to resent community service, mandatory service takes away the benefits that actual volunteers would receive. If community service Is not required, volunteerism carries more weight on a college application. Aside from the collegial benefit, volunteering helps to build the moral center of oneself. In the article, Community Service Mission Statement, the writer states that Community Service situates our moral center; also that It teaches us through experience ”about the relationship between empathy and responsibility, about what It takes to be a part of a community. The strength of a community is found within the hearts of those who make the area a home. However, should not be limited to the classroom and that community service is a learning experience. While this may be true, many other experiences are educational yet should not be mandatory for high school students. For example; sports. Not all students are meant to be athletes. Sports are encouraged throughout high schools, but not required. This gives students the opportunity to experience what it meaner to work hard as a team. If all students were required to play sports, it would ruin sports for those who love to play. The same goes for volunteering: service is a growing and a learning experience, yet if unwilling students are required to participate in service activities, they spoil the experience for everyone else. Critics support their idea with a great argument; however, it isnt logical. Community service is without a doubt a learning experience, but the choice to partake in such an experience should be left to the student. Community service isnt for everyone Just as sports arent for everyone. Its up to more than Just the high school student to change the world, and this can be achieved by activities other than community service.

The Beatles Impact On The Worl Essay free essay sample

, Research Paper Why the Impression that the Beatles Changed the World is a Misconception The Beatles had a minimum consequence on the universe # 8217 ; s class of events. They jumped on the hippy bandwagon at the perfect clip to capitalise from it. Their celebrity did non make as far nor did non unite every bit much as some people would believe and they are simply an icon through which baby-boomers reminisce about the # 8220 ; good old yearss # 8221 ; . The Beatles are credited with touching off the revolution of the 1960ss. In world, it was the hippy epoch that influenced them. They knew that it was something that the childs were going interested in. The following program of action was to make the semblance to the multitudes that they were portion of something bigger. This worked good and still does with the adolescent who are particularly susceptible to going brush up. Through this, they were able to sell more records than conceivable. We will write a custom essay sample on The Beatles Impact On The Worl Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They made their net income from selling doctrine. Many people claim that the Beatles won world-wide celebrity. Even John Lennon claimed that he was # 8220 ; bigger than God # 8221 ; . The world is that every civilization would non fall to the British influence. They have adequate self-identity to non be so easy taken by four cats with music. By the manner, the Gideon Bible entirely has been published in 170 states, and 90 0 million transcripts have been circulated. This dwarfs the measly broadcast of All You Need is Love in 24 states and no Beatles album could of all time come near 900 million gross revenues. Last, anyone can plainly see that the organic structure of Beatles fans is comprised overpoweringly of babe boomers and early Generation X-ers. The lone ground that people still speak about or listen to the Beatles is because it is a agency by which 40-somethings can reminisce about the Flower Power epoch. Anyone can mount aboard the Beatle bandwagon as the Beatles did aboard the hippy bandwagon. The Beatles are generous and nice people, I am certain. And, it is true, they created good music and opened the door for the Rolling Stones, who are one of the greatest sets of all time. But the bottom line is that without the Beatles, there would still hold been the Civil Rights motion, the Apollo missions, the revolutions in music and other events associated with the Beatles. To state otherwise is a discrediting thing to state about the leaders in each field. The celebrity of the Beatles is overblown. To state that they are bigger than the Lord is non merely profane but besides an straight-out prevarication. The lone celebrity they receive from the media today is because the media is making what the Beatles did over 30 old ages ago # 8211 ; selling emotions to a big demographic.

Essay Sample on Free and Fair Elections The Basic Standards

Essay Sample on Free and Fair Elections The Basic Standards Election is the process by which members in a given community or nation choose there leaders in democratic society, therefore such kind of an election should be free and fair to ensure that the leaders era acceptable to all members of the society therefore an election should give basic freedom to citizens in order to have full participation in the elector process example people should be around to join a political party of there choice without fear of intimidation, they should have access to political and elector information through civic education they should also have the right to vote secretly without coition or vote buying. Therefore fair elections must have a process which is impartial and satisfies the basic in the national standards. However, it within the process of free and fair elections that citizen express there will through the elected representatives, hence such leaders are expected to elected in a free and fair elections and can only to removed from the office through the same process, therefore a person who intimidates, corrupt and threatens the citizens before or after election becomes an enemy of democracy. Free and fair elections must be open to adults and the losers are expected to accept the results. The body conducting the election exercise must be impartial, transparent and able to enforce the elector rulers especially the elector code of conduct, all parties and candidates should be treated equally without discrimination or favorer as such gives the public trust and confident. the election body should ensure that all contestants or candidate offering themselves for elections should have equal opportunity especially in use of public resources during the complains. Its therefore important to note that the party in power will certainly enjoy certain advantages in fields of government resources use of existing administrative structures and use of public media in this regard such advantages should be checked and remitted to try and ensure that all interested parties in the political arena enjoy the same privileges. Finally its the responsibility of every voter to ensure that election is a success. Such can only be achieved when the election process is free from barebelly intimidation and violence hence, making it transparent, free, fair and credible election. To close-up being a Kenyan citizen which is currently under going a process of national election its my wish and great desire to see my county being a model of a county with free and fair elections.

5 steps to make sure your company is diverse and inclusive

5 steps to make sure your company is diverse and inclusive Diversity and inclusivity are major buzz words these days, but for good reason. Culturally, it means embracing differences and understanding that life experience is shared, but varied. Professionally, a diverse employee base can help your organization stay agile and productive, rather than stagnate with the same old ideas and viewpoints.Let’s look at five steps you can take to enrich your diversity hiring initiatives.1. Reconsider what â€Å"diversity† and â€Å"inclusivity† mean to your organization.We all know the textbook definition of diversity pretty well by now- people from a broad range of cultural, gender, or religious backgrounds. But if you’re looking to truly up your diversity factor, it’s time to broaden that definition and think about what it means for your company. Consider other types of diversity: different educational backgrounds, different experience levels, different physical abilities, etc. Hiring for diversity and inclusivity ma y not mean much in the long run if you end up hiring people who technically tick the diversity box because they are in particular racial or ethnic groups, but are in the same educational or experience mold as everyone else in the company. Think about how you can really diversify the perspectives and skill sets in your employee pool.2. Use a committee approach.How do you get more diverse voices in your organization? Start by allowing more diverse voices to help make the decisions. Opening up the process to a committee, instead of putting it all on one person or department, can really help enhance your diversity strategy. If you include team members from various departments or parts of the company, you’re also adding a level of perspective diversity as well. Your committee may also bring fresh ideas about where to look for different kinds of talent, helping you move outside the standard job ad.3. Commit to the process.It’s one thing to say, â€Å"yeah, it’s our s trategy to hire for diversity,† but it’s another to carve out the time and resources to do that, given that both are at such a premium. If you’re prioritizing diverse and inclusive hiring, you need to commit extra time to seek out alternative hiring and marketing methods to recruit that diverse talent. This may mean stepping outside your comfort zone to place ads or do outreach to non-mainstream job boards or resources.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});4. Eliminate as much hiring bias as possible.Just about all of us think that bias is something other people do, and that we never would discriminate against someone for non-professional reasons. But the unfortunate reality is that as, you know, humans, we’re susceptible to all kinds of unconscious biases. Acknowledging that and taking steps to overcome any temptation of bias is the key to any strategic hiring initiative. Studies have found that blind hiring (or eliminating p articular personal details from the hiring process) results in significantly more diverse hires.AI programs can do this at the initial application stage by screening incoming candidates without regard for things like name (which can trigger cultural or gender bias), geographic location, age, or school name. This is also a place where having a committee, or multiple people weighing in during the hiring process, can help, as it creates an open system of checks and balances to limit certain biases- whether they’re conscious or unconscious.5. Broaden your job descriptions.Is everything in your job description an absolute must for the position? If a candidate has two fewer years of experience than the ad calls for, but has other skills, would you consider hiring that person? If someone didn’t have a full B.A., but instead had years of experience doing pretty much the same work, would you consider hiring that person? Your job ads could be turning away qualified applicants fr om the start and you’d never know. Yes, you’ll want to make sure that the ads are reflective of what the position actually demands. But if there are elements that aren’t hard-and-fast requirements, consider leaving them out or making it clear that they’re flexible.A more diverse and inclusive organization tends to be a more productive one, but it also leads to higher employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention. Putting time and resources against this priority and making sure that it’s a solid part of your organizational strategy moving forward will better prepare your company for the needs (and workforce) of the future.

Compare and contrast the values, institutions and actions of the Essay

Compare and contrast the values, institutions and actions of the city-states of Sparta and Athens - Essay Example Athenian citizens had enjoyed strong constitutional rights in political and legal aspects. This made them strong, materially and psychologically, which was envied by many non-citizens and these aspects were not compromised upon for anything else. At the Funeral Oration of Pericles, it was declared that the Greek Constitution was unique in its laws and is an example for others. It is meant for all people of the State and hence is democracy. The laws provide equal justice to all in their private differences; no form of discrimination is allowed based on social status or race and creed and not even by economic status. Any citizen serving the State will not be hindered by the obscurity of his position. This freedom extends from government to ordinary life (Butler, K; 18). Political organizations in Athens and the surrounding cities differed in specific instance conflict, as well as cooperation among groups. Athens was always in a better position than other States and tend to dictate to t he smaller states with which it was in league. Failure to meet Athenian expectations, whether reasonable or unreasonable, sometimes resulted in harsh treatment and other sorts of vindications announced. The impact of Greek concepts spread extensively through the Roman jurisprudence and philosophy, particularly the idea of ‘rights’ that the Greek government had announced. On the other side, Sparta was also admired by the Ancient World for different reasons. It was a military prowess and had a stable political system. Military, in Sparta, was different in that it was strengthened to cause repression of the majority of the internal population instead of defense against external aggression. This is treated as an early example of the conscious creation of state institutions for massive, ongoing repression of the kind Hobbes’ absolutist governor would have to have. Contrast to the Athenian ideology,

Management Practice of the 21st Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Management Practice of the 21st Century - Essay Example decentralized command-and-control, and so forth. (Manager2006) To some extent they have experience managerial behaviour in different tastes and concerns. For example in business concerns sales: Today do we deploy the same patterns of selling behaviour as it was some decades ago Does that pattern is aligned by product, geography, or industry Does technology have some impact in the marketing of that product Many twenty-plus year sales veterans recall that they have witnessed all three models implemented within the same firm, seen them come, and go, and come back. However, managers, and especially senior executives, are increasingly learning that relying solely on memory of past experiences to make decisions is also problematic. If an industry or market is changing, prior experience and personal memory may be outdated, irrelevant to the new circumstance. An incorrect lesson can also be drawn from prior experience. Coca-Cola's senior management appeared quite affected by this when they decided to retire the firm's premier product the Coca-Cola drin k and replace it with a new variant. The results were disastrous and the firm had to bring back its main product, now called Coca-Cola Classic. The episode has gone down in business history as a classic misjudgement. Smart people just drew the wrong lessons from past events. That is why the rigors of knowledge management and analysis of market conditions must exist side-by-side with personal expertise and experience. (Manager2006) According to Winchester John, organizations that adopt e-business practices make use of electronic networks to transform their processes and exchange value, including money, goods and services. The model for these new kinds of companies has evolved from websites through e-commerce and e-channels to an all-pervasive use of electronic means to interact, collaborate and transact business. The significant investment that is being made by enterprises in this sector is accelerating the pace at which transactions and information can be moved across the world's communications networks and in turn is transforming more customers into e-consumers. In addition to the development of the market itself, advances in technology are enabling these solutions to perform more business functions and services than ever before. (Winchester, 2006) Managing Supply Chain 21st century business environmentis defined byrapid change on a global scale, in terms

Exam practice question and answer Essay Example for Free

Exam practice question and answer Essay Marketing can be defined as an organization function and a set of process foe creating, communicating and delivering value to the customer and for managing customer relationship in a way that it benefits the organization and its stakeholders. In order to understand the marketplace and customer needs and wants, marketers need to identify the needs of the consumer, which is defined as the state of felt deprivation, such as hunger and self-actualization needs. Next, it advanced into wants, which is defined as the form of human need that is shaped by culture and individual personality. To satisfy ones hunger, they may opt to eat either rice or noodles depending on their preference. Demand, the human wants that are backed by buying power indicates a person’s financial ability to buy their wants. Organizations need to identify its microenvironment and macroenvironment to identify forces or actors in the business environment that can have effect on the organization’s marketing and business activities. Microenvironment of a company is made up of the company itself, its competitors, the suppliers, customers, marketing intermediaries and the publics. The publics are those people or organization that affect the operations of the organization. There are seven publics in total, which is made up of financial publics, media publics, citizen-action publics, government publics, local publics, general publics and internal publics that affects the marketing operation of an organization. Financial publics are banks and insurance companies that affect the company success in obtaining loan. Macroenvironment is the larger societal force that affects the whole environment. In an organizations macroenvironment, it consist of demographic environment, economic environment, natural environment, technological environment, political environment and cultural environment. Demographic environment is mainly made up of the changing age structure in the population, the changing family, geographical shift in population, better educated and white collar population and increased in ethnic diversity. A changing age structure means that as a person’s age grows, their needs and wants for a certain product will change according to their life cycle. After identifying the environment, marketers will undergo marketing research process. The first step of marketing research process is to define the problem and research objectives, which contains of exploratory, descriptive and causal research objectives. Next, the process will be continued by the development of the research plan from secondary source and primary source. Then it will decide on the research approaches it will utilize whether it is observational, experimental, ethnographic or survey type of research. Then, it researcher will decide on the contact method through mail, telephone, personal and group interviews or online marketing research. Then it will proceed to sampling plan and research instruments like mechanical devices and questionnaire. The processes are completed by implementing the plan and report it to the management. After research, marketers need to identify the factors that influence a consumers purchasing behavior. The factors that determine the buyer decision are personal factors, social factors, psychological factors and cultural factors. Social factors consist of age and life cycle, reference groups and roles and status in the society. For example, according to the age and life cycle of everyone, the needs and wants of an individual differs as their age grows, an old man require a walking stick. In buying a product, consumer may display one of the four buying behavior, which consist of complex buying behavior, dissonance-reducing buying behavior, habitual buying behavior and variety-seeking buying behavior depending on the involvement and the perceived brand difference from the consumers. In buying an item, consumers may go through stages such as problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post-purchase behavior. Then, marketers will move on to the next step of the marketing process of designing customer-driven marketing strategy. To create a marketing strategy, marketers need to identify the segments in a particular market. A market is a set of potential and actual buyers of a product. Market segmentation can be divided into four variables, which consist of geographical, demographic, psychographic and behaviorial. But then, there are some criteria in assessing the effectiveness of the segmentation by looking into the measurable, accessible, substantial, differentiable and actionable in the segmented groups. After segmentation, marketers will proceed to market targeting, defined by evaluating segment attractiveness and selecting one or more segments to enter. In evaluating market segments, marketers need to look into the segment size and growth, the structural attractiveness of the segment and the company’s objectives and resources. The companies can decide to use a range of market-coverage strategies such as differentiated marketing, undifferentiated marketing, concentrated marketing or micromarketing depending on the product they offers. After targeting, the company can differentiate their offering by giving superior value from several aspects, product, service, image or personnel differentiation. Customer value is the difference between the benefits gain from using and owning a product and cost of obtaining it. Thus consumer tend to purchase what they perceived as the highest value. Marketer will make their offering superior than of competitors by offer more value in its current offering to justify high price or lower price to compensate for low perceived value. Organizations need to have its own marketing offering in order to deliver value to customers. Marketing offering is a combination of product, service, information and experience that is offered to a market to satisfy a need or wants. Product is anything that can be offered into a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need of wants. Products are classified into three different levels, which consist of core products, actual product and augmented products. Next, marketer will determine whether the product falls into the different categories of the consumer markets such as convenience goods, shopping goods, specialty goods and unsought goods. Or if it is industrial goods, the category of materials and parts, capital items and supplies and services. In service, its characteristic is intangible, inseparable, perishable and variable. Price is sum of value that the customer exchanges for the benefits from using or having a product or services. The internal factors that affect pricing are the marketing objectives, the marketing mix strategy, cost and organizational consideration while the external factors are market and demand, competitors price and offer and other factors such as economic conditions and government regulations. Some of the approaches in pricing are cost-based pricing, value-based pricing and competition-based pricing and price skimming and penetration for new innovative products. Promotion is an act that persuades the publics about the products or brands merits. In influencing the consumers to buy its products, marketers can utilize integrated marketing communication tools such as advertising, direct marketing, personal selling, sales promotion and public relation. For example, marketer can use sales promotion in the form of tools such as coupons, rebates and discounts that act as sort-term incentives to build add-in value to encourage people to buy it products. The next tool is place where it describes how the product is made available to customer. Marketer can examine the number of marketing intermediaries where it consists of intensive distribution, exclusive distribution and selective distribution. For example, the goods that run on intensive distributions are normally fast moving consumer goods that are stocked in as many outlets as possible. It is available anywhere and anytime. Process involves the process that is part of the service. For example, if a car owner who experience poor customer service during one of his regular service, then he or she will not recommend the company to others and is less likely to rebuy the brand. People in an organization determine the success of the organization’s process in delivering superior value and satisfaction. Example, a lack-trained employee may mislead a customer into buying the wrong needs. Physical evidence is the quality of services in physical feature the customer can see, such as brochures and facilities. Without the presence of lecture halls, one could doubt the presence of the university whether it is a place for academic learning. In building profitable customer relationship, one must look into the customer satisfaction, which is defined as customer evaluation of the product or service feature, or the product or service itself. Customer satisfaction prompt repeat purchase thus is important. Satisfaction is influenced by the customer’s past buying experience from the company or its competitors, the information given and promises by the company or its competitors and what the customer thinks of a fair value in the price they paid. Feedbacks, mystery shoppers and exit interviews set a platform to improve the customer satisfaction which then strengthens the bond between the company and the customer thus leading to higher customer loyalty. After accessing satisfaction, marketers need to concern by building and maintaining profitable customer relationship by delivering superior customer value and satisfaction. Retaining current customer relationship is cheaper than to attract new customer. In retaining customers, marketers can implement club and frequency marketing program to strengthen bonds with the customers. By building strong customer relationship, a company can capture value from customer in the form of loyalty, profits and the spread of word of mouth from them. When the company produces superior value to the customers, most likely it will generate high customer satisfaction. High satisfaction lead building long lasting relationship with the customer gaining the loyalty of these customers in a long period, profits will eventually grow. Companies aim to achieve lifetime customer value, share of customer and customer equity from the customers.. All in all, by creating, delivering superior value and developing a strong customer profitable relationship, one can achieve returns like profits and sales, a monetary return and brand loyalty from the loyal customers. Q3. The six forces in an organization’s macroenvironment is cultural environment, political environment, economic environment, technological environment, demographic environment and natural environment. Demographic environment is based on the utility of demography, which is defined as the study of human population in terms of size, religion, occupation, age, sex and education. The changing age structure of the population is one of the factors that affect the macroenvironment. People of different age have different wants and needs and will continue to change as their age varies. The increase in aging population because of low birth rates and higher life expectancy has change the demand for certain products in the market. For example, youths wants products that match their lifestyle of cool and adventurous like game consoles, skateboards and smartphones while those baby boomers typically in their 50s now wants products like vacation, massage chair and antique vase. Geographical shift in population is also one of the factors. It can be categorized into movement between states, movement from rural to urban areas and movement from city to suburbs and back again. For example, the need for air-conditioning is more likely to be in demand in the Northern Territory, which is very hot than the demand in Sydney, which is cooling. A better-educated and more white-collar population has trigger the demand for formal attires such as a suit and corporate skirt. Next, an increasing of ethnic diversity in Malaysia has trigger the rising demand for wasabi and rice from the Japanese population that migrated to Malaysia. Every group of people has their specific wants depending on their attitude, behavior and buying habits too. Q6. Consumer product is made up of convenience products, shopping products, specialty products and unsought products. Convenience products are consumer products and services that the customer usually buys frequently, immediately and with minimum comparison and buying effort. It can be relate to habitual buying behavior too when the purchase of a product is made without much consideration and it is cheap despite widely available. Examples are washing powder and broom. Shopping products are less frequently purchased consumer products and services that customers compare carefully on suitability, price, quality and style. Consumers spend considerable amount of time and effort to access information about the products. It is classified as in complex buying behavior. Examples are television and laptops. Specialty products are consumer products and services with unique characteristics or brand identification for which a significant group of buyers is willing to make a special purchase purpose. It is classified under the buying behavior of complex buying behavior and dissonance reducing buying behavior. This kind of product is purchase without much comparison with other brands. Examples are a Gucci handbag and a luxury car. Unsought goods are consumer products and services that the consumers either doesn’t know about it or knows but do not consider buying it. These products need intensive marketing such as promotions and advertising. Examples are funeral services and life insurance.

The History and Composition of Great Musical Pieces :: Music Musicians Composers Essays

The History and Composition of Great Musical Pieces Music is the most intangible art form. You cannot grasp or hold it, as you can other art forms. It is there for a minute, and it vanishes as soon as the last chord fades away. The great works of music are timeless. They remain with us after all the instruments have been packed away and the players have all gone home, in our heads, playing over and over. We hear them everywhere from shopping malls to commercials, even after their composers have been dead for hundreds of years. However, as technology grows and our lives get seemingly busier in this new millennium, the appreciation for this amazing art form has waned considerably. With digital synthesizers and greedy producers, the music that makes people feel their true existence has vanished. And I, being a devote musician, have grown up with the desire to recreate such music, to give people the chance to get swept off the dance floor and evoke great emotion. In order to do so, I am exploring the history of great musical pieces, so th at the facts behind the composers’ melodies, and their process in creating masterpieces will be as timeless as the music they made. I began exploring the musical world in second grade, when I begrudgingly started piano lessons following in my older sister’s footsteps. What began as a struggle turned out to be an ongoing experience I find in both my exploration of piano and viola (started in 5th grade). I am not a prodigal player, and whether I am a talented composer remains to be seen, but I find unexpected yet comforting roots among the musical world. With each day I learn more about various composers and get to know them and their styles. From Mozart’s pure melodies, Beethoven’s harmonies, to Chopin’s ability to seamlessly modulate from key to key I find finesse, detail and ease. I am fascinated by their abilities to pull a melody out of thin air and embellish it. I feel that I am not the only one gripped by the music composers create; the whole human race enjoys listening to music, whether it is classical, jazz, rap or one of the many other forms of music the world has to offer toda y. Music has always been an integral part of human life. Not only has it followed us throughout our history, but it has its own history.

A Look At Eliyahu Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints Essay

Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Theory of Constraints was devised by Eli Goldratt. It states that in every organization there is a constraint that slows down its performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper will delve on the Theory of Constraints of Eli Goldratt.   A Look At Eliyahu Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Theory of Constraint is a management philosophy originally developed by Eliyahu Goldratt and discussed in his book, The Goal. The basic concept behind the theory is that a chain will always have its weakest connection. In any organization or any complicated system for that matter, there will only be one component of that system that will restrict its capacity to attain its objectives. In order for such system to have any significant progress, the constraint must be located and the entire system must be manipulated with it in consideration (Thomas Group, n.d). Application of the Theory of Constraint   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the Theory of Constraints, profit-oriented organizations should have at least one constraint that hinders the system from achieving improved performance in connection with its goal. The Theory of Constraints is founded on the premise that the rate of income generation is restricted by at least a single constraining process. Only by enhancing the throughput during bottleneck will the overall process be improved (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In summary, the main components of the Theory of Constraints are: Complex systems should have at least one constraint otherwise it would be earning unlimited income. Constraint, therefore, is defined as anything that restricts the system from improving its performance compared to its goal (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006). Constraints provide systems with an opportunity to develop and improve (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006) Theory of Constraint versus Lean Manufacturing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lean manufacturing is a concept that is often compared with Goldratt’s Theory of Constraint. Lean manufacturing was derived from the successful method being used by Japanese car maker Toyota. The method received international acclaim through the Womack & Jones book The Machine That Changed The World. Lean manufacturing is focused on elimination of waste (Moore, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While TOC and Lean have varying principles, there are certain areas wherein the two philosophies have a commonality (Moore, 1998). In both lean and TOC, the perception of the customer as value is critical. In Lean manufacturing, it is the customer who determines value. In TOC, there is no throughput until the payment for a certain product has been cleared by the bank (Moore, 1998). Lean and TOC both acknowledge the fact that the ultimate goal of any organization is to convert inventory into throughput(Moore, 1998) TOC and lean underscores the importance of flow throughout the system. Both philosophies believes that the flow plays an important role in the system (Moore, 1998). For both TOC and lean manufacturing, the pull of the market dictates the needs for manufacturing. In lean marketing, manufacturing of goods or services will not take place unless there is a demand for it by the customer. In TOC, the pull is the driving force behind the Drum-Buffer-Rope method (Moore, 1998). Lean manufacturing and TOC drives the workers to aspire for perfection or improving their efforts. The role of the workers in the improvement of the system cannot be discounted (Moore, 1998). During the past 25 years, there were three TOC paradigms that were developed namely logistics, global performance measures, and thinking processes. Recently, Boyd and Gupta changed these paradigms into decision making, performance measurement, and organizational mindset (Moss, 2007). The Logistics Paradigm   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The logistics paradigm was derived from the scheduling program called Optimized Production Technology (OPT) which has nine rules (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006): Flow should be balanced rather than capacity The utilization level of non-bottleneck resources is not dependent on its potential but on other constraints within the system Use and activation of a resource are not synonymous to each other One hour lost during the bottleneck translates to an hour lost for the entire system An hour lost at a non-bottleneck is just minor Bottlenecks determine throughput and inventory The transfer batch may not, and in most instances, should not be the same with the process batch. The process batch should vary, not constant Schedules should be determined without looking at all the constraints at the same time. Lead times are the outcomes of a schedule and cannot be determined in advance The Major Steps in the Logistics Paradigm Identifying the constraint. These may involve physical barriers such as physical or managerial (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006). Exploiting the constraint by increasing utilization and efficiency. For instance, physical constraint can be utilized by making it as effective as possible (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006). Subordinating all other processes to the constraint process. This implies that other aspects of the system must support the total effectiveness of the constraint. If the resources that are not causing the constraint are utilized beyond their productivity level, they will not increase the throughput but increase unwanted inventory (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006) Elevating the constraint. If the present constraints are the most crucial elements of the system, implementing rigorous improvement measures will enhance its performance. Improved performance leads to better realization of the potentials of the nonconstraint resources which would lead to an improvement in the overall performance of the system (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006) Rinse and repeat (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006). The implementation of the logistical paradigm is best exemplified in the drum-buffer-rope methodology. There are three concepts worth explaining in this method. The drum refers to the pace at which the constraints operate. The rope establishes the communication between the critical control chains to ensure that they are synchronized. The buffer is the strategically positioned inventory to safeguard the output of the system from that differences that may take place within the system (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006). The drum-buffer-rope technique is a simplified version of its predecessor the Optimized Production Technology (OPT) and the newer Advanced Planning and Scheduling Systems (APS), which are utilized in firms engaged in manufacturing and production (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006). Using the Drum-Buffer-Rope method leads to the synchronization of resources as well as the utilization of materials in an organization. It is worth knowing that resources and materials are used only in a degree that would lead to the capacity of the organization to attain their throughput (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since random disruptions are likely in any organization, the drum-buffer-rope method will provide a tool for securing total throughput by using Time Buffers, which contains inventories and safeguards constraint schedules from the impact of disruption at non-constraint resources (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The process of using time buffers as a mechanism for effective management and improvement of throughput is called buffer management. It provides details based on planned and actual performance and is utilized for checking the inventory of a protected resource as a comparison for actual and planned performance (Mahapatra & Sahu, 2006). Application of the Logistics Paradigm in Service Firms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The logistic paradigm or five step processes is applied to various processes and procedures of a service firm. The advantage of a service firm is that it is used to enhance service time, flow of information, as well as in re-engineering administrative functions (Moss, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the military as well as in the medical field, the logistics paradigm is being utilized to generate more sales (Moss, 2007). Drum-Buffer-Rope Method Applied to Manufacturing and Service Firms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The drum-buffer-rope method of scheduling is applicable in both manufacturing and services sector. In the field of manufacturing, the drum-buffer-rope technique is useful in scheduling equipments. For the service sector, DBR is applicable in scheduling personnel within the organization, setting appointments with customers, and forecasting lead-times for customers (Moss, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Schragenheim and Ronen, DBR should be used in determining problems and flaws that will disrupt the flow of the system. There are suggestions that the drum-buffer-rope method should be used in the management of supply chains (Moss, 2007). Global Performance Measures   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the global performance measure of the Theory of Constraints, all company performance efforts are geared towards the objective of earning money now and in the future. In order to accomplish this, there are three things that should be done. First, increase the throughput. Second, reduce inventory. Third, minimize operation costs (Moss, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughput refers to the rate at which the system earns a profit through sales while inventory is the term used to denote the money which the system will invest in buying things which they plan to market and sell. Finally, operational expense which is the money spent by the system in converting inventory to throughput (Moss, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From these concepts, three global measures have been derived namely net profit, return of investment, and cash flow. Net profit is determined by deducting the operating cost from the throughput. Return of investment or ROI is obtained from the ratio of net profit and inventory. Cash flow, on the other hand, is used as a survival tool. As long as the company has money, they will survive (Moss, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most companies prefer to have only a few operational measures since this will provide convenience to the company as far as the assessment of the effects of various decisions (Moss, 2007). The Thinking Process   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When it comes to constraints existing in the company, Goldratt identified three important decisions: What to change? What to change to? How to effect the change? In order to provide solutions to these problems, Goldratt devised the thinking process. During the last 10 to 15 years, managerial processes have been at the helm of corporate constraints. This is the purpose of the thinking process (Moss, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the strengths of the Theory of Constraint is that it provides various tools and techniques to help companies solve a certain problem. Although each method can be used separately, they can likewise be integrated in order to better answer problems concerning Consensus and Focus, Construction of a Complete Solution, and Communication and Collaboration. For each process, there are different tools that can be used (Focused Performance, n.d). Consensus and Focus The Current Reality Tree (CRT) is a series of logical steps that describes present situations. The aim of CRT is to come up with a cause-effect relationship among unwanted symptoms as well as core conflicts that the company would like to remove (Focused Performance, n.d). Construction of a Complete Solution The Evaporating Cloud. The evaporating cloud or conflict resolution diagram is a logical tool which aims to determine aspects of conflict that generates non-compromise win-win solutions. While its validity is acknowledged, the purpose of the evaporating cloud is to unearth underlying assumptions which turns out to be invalid (Focused Performance, n.d). While the evaporating cloud is already useful by itself, this tool can be integrated with a CRT since the seemingly difficult problems pointed out in the CRT are often the results of underlying conflict (Focused Performance, n.d). Future Reality Tree. The FRT is an effect-cause-effect logic structure which aims to show how recommended changes would have an impact on reality particularly how and why these proposals are expected to create a positive result. It is a paper-based simulator that assesses the ability of the proposed change to produce the desired outcome. Likewise, it is used to test the propensity of the proposed change to generate new and unwanted outcomes (Focused Performance, n.d).   Communication and Collaboration Negative Branch Reservations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are instances when undesirable effects are treated as potential results of a proposal and are often detected by another individual other than the originator of the proposal (Focused Performance, n.d).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With Negative Branch Reservations (NBR), logical expressions are used to address certain reservations through additional actions that would complete the original proposal and cutting down the â€Å"negative branches† from the proposed FRT (Focused Performance, n.d). Prerequisite Tree.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The prerequisite tree or PRT is a logical structure that describes all the barriers to accomplishing a goal as well as the alternative courses of action. The PRT likewise depicts how certain actions when combined with current reality will achieve new and expected results and why these actions would achieve the required outcomes (Focused Performance, n.d).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Categories of Legitimate Reservation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Categories of Legitimate Reservation is a group of tests used for verifying the cause-effect logic which is at the heart of the Thinking Process. CLRs serve the purpose of scrutinizing and modifying the logical trees (Focused Performance, n.d). The Thinking Process Applied to Manufacturing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The thinking process can be effectively applied to the manufacturing and service sector. For the service sector, the guiding management philosophy should center on improving process. The problem-solving tools of the thinking process provide most of the benefits to the service sector (Moss, 2007). Throughput Accounting   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughput accounting, which is based on Eli Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints, plays a major role in management decision making. It changes an organization’s view of income recognition as well as costs and profitability. Thus, throughput accounting is responsible for refining the figures used for making decisions which potentially modifies Management Accounting (Goldratt, n.d). Advantages of Throughput Accounting   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Using throughput accounting as a measurement and decision making tool, organizations can have the following advantages (Goldratt, n.d): Shift their sales efforts on products that will generate more income Make better decisions on which investment will generate more income Come up with decisions that are determined by real effects on the bottom line Develop a clear understanding of the role of sub-systems in the entire system Make realistic efforts regarding the effectiveness of the entire system relative to the goal of the company which is to gain a profit. Most of the distortions that are present in traditional management accounting can be corrected with throughput accounting. Distortions arise as a result of traditional management accounting using similar measures used in judging an entire system or organization as well as daily decisions by dividing the system into sub-systems and activities (Goldratt, n.d).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughput accounting is a substitute to cost accounting. It is not derived from standard costing or Activity-Based Costing. It is not concerned with costing or allocation of costs to products and services but rather as a strategy for maximizing profits. The main objective of throughput accounting is to hasten the velocity at which products are moved in a company by removing bottlenecks (Puthran, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughput accounting helps enhance a company’s profit performance through improved management decisions (Puthran, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Usually management decisions are based on assessing the impact of proposals on the throughput, investment, and operating expense. In a traditional management accounting, the cost of any proposal is commonly the initial and sometimes the only thing being considered, which results to poor decisions on the part of the management (Puthran, 2006). The Basis of Throughput Accounting   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughput accounting is based on the fact that there are bottlenecks in organizations. Microsoft Encarta defines bottleneck â€Å"a delay in progress due to one part of the process or system being slower than the others which results to the delay in the overall process.† (Microsoft Encarta) What are the Factors used by throughput accounting in computing income and expenses? Throughput is the rate at which the process or system generate â€Å"goal units.† When the â€Å"goal units† involves money, the throughput is derived by deducting the price of raw materials with the income generated from the sale. However, throughput is only applicable to activities that involves selling products or services. Warehouse manufacturing is not included in throughput accounting (Puthran, 2006). Investment is the money associated with the process or system. It includes inventories, equipments, infrastructure or facilities, and other assets and liabilities (Puthran, 2006). Operating expenses refers to the money which the system uses in purchasing â€Å"goal units.† In the case of tangible products, the operating cost includes all the expenses with the exception of the price of raw materials. Operating expenses includes cost of maintenance, utilities, rental expenses, taxes, payroll, among others (Puthran, 2006).   Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eli Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints states that in a complex organization, there will be instances when constraints will slow down the entire process. In order to for the system to achieve its overall performance, the constraint hindering the entire system should be removed from the equation. References Mahapatra, S.S., & Sahu, A (2006 July 27). Application of Theory of Constraints on Scheduling of Drum-Buffer-Rope System. The Apache Jakarta Project. Retrieved August 9 2008 from http://dspace.nitrkl.ac.in:8080/ Moore, R (1998). Theory of Constraints and Lean Manufacturing: Friends or Foes? Chonnam National University. Retrieved August 9 2008 from http://pm.chonnam.ac.kr Moss, H (2007 March 1). Improving Service Quality With The Theory of Constraints. All Business.com. Retrieved August 9 2008 from http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/operations-customer/5508402-1.html Problem Solving with the TOC Thinking Processes – Consensus, Construction, Communication and Collaboration (n.d). Focused Performance. Retrieved August 9 2008 from http://www.focusedperformance.com/toctp1.html Puthran, S (2006 December 17). Throughput Accounting. Management Accountant. Retrieved August 9 2008 from http://managementaccountant.blogspot.com/2006/12/throughput-accounting.html Theory of Constraints (n.d). Thomas Group. Retrieved August 9 2008 from http://www.thomasgroup.com/enterprise-solutions/tools/theory-of-constraints.aspx Throughput Accounting (n.d). Goldratt. Retrieved August 9 2008 from http://www.goldratt.co.uk/resources/throughput_accounting/index.html   

What advantage does Zara gain against the competition by having a very responsive supply chain?

Q. What advantage does Zara gain against the competition by having a very responsive supply chain? A. In an industry where the customer demand is unpredictable, Zara having a responsive supply chain has enabled it to enjoy greater customer turnover due to its 5 to 6 weeks cycle time leading to more profits as mostly the products are then sold at full price. Moreover being responsive has also enabled Zara to reduce its inventories and also the forecast error. Q. Why has Inditex chosen to have both in-house manufacturing and outsourced manufacturing? Why has Inditex maintained manufacturing capacity in Europe even though manufacturing in Asia is much cheaper? A. To be responsive in the rapid changing world, Inditex opted for both outsourced manufacturing, for the production of products with predictable demand, and in-house manufacturing, for the production of products with highly uncertain demand. Inditex has maintained large fraction of manufacturing capacity in Portugal and Spain (Europe) despite the higher cost there because this allows Zara to respond quickly to changing fashion trends in Europe. Q. Why does Zara source products with uncertain demand from local manufacturers and products with predictable demand from Asian manufacturers? A. Zara’s main competitive advantage is responsiveness and to retain it Zara source products with uncertain demand from local manufacturers because local manufacturers offer fast and flexible sourcing and such products are to be delivered quick instead of at low-cost (with greater lead time as it is manufactured in Asia). Whereas products with predictable demand are sourced from Asian manufacturers because outsourcing is cheaper that is products are manufactured at a low-cost. Q. Why is Zara building a new distribution centre as its sales grow? Is it better to have the new distribution centre near the existing one or at a completely different location? A. New distribution centre (DC) is being built by Zara in response to the increase in sales because the stock turnover is increasing and in order to cater the growth of sales and avoid any declination in it due to mismanagement of stock availability and customers’ demand. Q. What advantage does Zara gain from replenishing its stores twice a week compared to a less frequent schedule? How does the frequency of replenishment affect the design of its distribution system? A. Frequent replenishment allows Zara to match supply and demand more effectively than the competitors. The frequency of replenishment affect the design of its distribution system in a way that the more frequent the replenishment will take place, the more responsive and up to date the distribution system will be while on the other hand delayed replenishment will also make the distribution system delayed and slow with respect to customer’s demand. Q. What information infrastructure does Zara need in order to operate its production, distribution, and retail network effectively? A. In order to operate the production, distribution and retail network effectively, Zara should have an information infrastructure which is highly responsive and provides timely and accurate information that helps in better decision making as well as planning and forecasting. TOYOTA: A GLOBAL AUTO MANUFACTURER Q. Where s hould the plants be located and what degree of flexibility should be built into each? What capacity should each plant have? A. The location of the plants should be such that it complements the assembly plants and maximum profitability of Toyota. Plants operating locally can be cost prohibitive, while plants that operate globally can only reduce the interest in local markets. Logically, Toyota should apply the â€Å"global complementation† strategy to turn plants, and locate plants in areas that minimize costs (currency exchange, transportation, inventory holding, etc). This will allow them to achieve local/regional agility and remain flexible enough to supply non-local factories/assembly plants however necessary. The capacity of the plant should not exceed the projected demand for local / regional manufacturing sites / assembly plants that each plant will be part of supply. The ability to adequately supply factories is essential, and each plant must be designed with the ability to supply factories in the region. Q. Should plants be able to produce for all markets or only specific contingency markets? A. It depends upon the location and production capacity of each plant. Furthermore, since Toyota follows the strategy of global complementation, plants must be able to supply at least one more market/region than it’s normally responsible for supplying. Depending on the requirements of global parts, it may be appropriate for plants to be able to supply to all markets. But in the case that markets are so differentiated that the ability for a plant to provide global supply is cost prohibitive, then a specific contingency market should be designated for each regional plant. A plant in a certain region should only serve markets in that specific region; otherwise costs will inevitably go up. Q. How should markets be allocated to plants and how frequently should this allocation be revised? A. The allocation of markets to plants should be as efficient as possible. The standard allocation should be optimized during the planning phase. However, as markets mature, currency rates fluctuate, and demand changes, it is possible that an adjusted allocation will provide more efficiency and higher returns for Toyota. For this reason allocation should be adjusted when necessary, reviewed either annually or bi-annually, and optimized to increase efficiency and take advantage of the part plants flexibility. Q. What kind of flexibility should be built into the distribution system? A. The distribution system should closely monitor the flexibility of the global complementation strategy. The regional distribution should be optimized between the factories and supply of parts. However, when adjustments are made to the allocation, it will be necessary for cost-effective distribution to occur between plants and factories to non-local markets. Q. How should this flexible investment be valued? A. The flexible investment should be highly valued as this will lead Toyota to capture the demand and the income of non-local markets where the local cost, demand, etc declines. The flexible production and distribution will prevent idle facilities and reduced profits during economic downturns. And moreover, through the integration of flexible production and distribution, supply chain of Toyota will have greater access to markets and has the potential to capture greater value. Q. What actions may be taken during product design to facilitate this flexibility? A. There should be uniformity between global products which will provide the most cost effective means to facilitate flexibility between local plants and factories. During the product design, engineers must prepare the elements that maximize both the uniformity and meet local needs. This flexibility will help the plants and factories looking for the pieces to produce for non local markets and reducing dependencies and vulnerabilities of operating in specific local markets.

ITALIAN IMMAGRANTS essays

ITALIAN IMMAGRANTS essays In the1920s the United States of America welcomed thousands of immigrants every day. They came to the United States looking for opportunity and a better life. From 1920 to1930, 4,652,115 people immigrated to the United States. 5550,460 of these were Italian. Italians like other immigrants faced many hardships when they arrived in the U.S. Most hardships were caused by racisms and naturism. Americans were not used to the immigrants and thought less of them. Italians were also blamed for many of the nations problems. The government raided many of the immigrants homes because the feared they were communist. The Sacco and Venzetti trial proves the blame the Americans put on immigrants. There was no substantial evidence in the case. They were still convicted because they were immigrants and there were prejudices against them and their beliefs. At first people didnt realize the art and culture that Italian immigrants brought with them. I think that if people werent scared of the new culture coming they would of learned from them. The Immigrants brought with them things that we now experience every day. Enrique Caruso was opera tenor who was one of the first musicians to commercialize Italian operas in America. The Italian Immigrants also brought their love of food with them. This leaves us today with many foods that are common to people who dont realize they didnt exist in this country until the Italian immigrants brought them. Food such as pizza, pasta, cheeses, and cold cuts are on Americans diets because of the immigrants. Paranoia struck the government in 1941. In the months immediately following Pearl Harbor. About 250 Italian Americans were interned. They were considered by the U.S. government to be security risks. By June 1942, the FBI interned 1,521 Italian Americans. They were sent to interment camps in Montana, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Most were released shortl ...

Biography of Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft

Biography of Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft Bill Gates (born Oct. 28, 1955) is the principal co-founder of Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest personal-computer software company and one of the largest and most influential technology companies in the world. Since he stepped down as chairman of Microsoft Corp., he has focused on and contributed billions of dollars to several charities, especially the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, the worlds largest private charitable foundation. Fast Facts: Bill Gates Known For: Co-founder of MicrosoftAlso Known As: William Henry Gates IIIBorn: Oct. 28, 1955  in Seattle,  WashingtonParents: William H. Gates Sr., Mary MaxwellPublished Software: MS-DOSSpouse: Melinda French GatesChildren: Jennifer, Rory, PhoebeNotable Quote: I think its fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool weve ever created. Theyre tools of communication, theyre tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user. Early Life Bill Gates (full name: William Henry Gates III) was born on Oct. 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, the son of William H. Gates Sr., an attorney, and Mary Maxwell, a businesswoman and bank executive who served  on the University of Washington Board of Regents from 1975 to 1993. He has two sisters. Gates wrote his first  software  program at 13 and in high school  was part of a group, which also included childhood friend Paul Allen, that computerized their school’s payroll system and developed Traf-O-Data, a traffic-counting system that they sold to local governments. Gates and Allen wanted to start their own company immediately, but Gates parents wanted him to finish high school and go on to college, hoping he eventually would become a lawyer. In 1975 Gates, then a sophomore at  Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, joined Allen, who was working as a programmer for Honeywell near Boston, to write software for the first  microcomputers, later called PCs. They started by adapting  BASIC, a popular programming language for large computers. Starting Microsoft With the success of this project, Gates left Harvard during his junior year and, with Allen, moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, planning to develop software for the newly emerging personal computer market. In 1975 they started what Allen named Micro-Soft by combining micro from microcomputers and soft from software. The hyphen later was dropped. In 1979, they moved the company to Bellevue, Washington, just east of Seattle. Microsoft became famous for its computer operating systems and killer business deals. In 1980, Gates and Allen licensed an  operating system  called  MS-DOS  to IBM, at the time the worlds largest computer maker, for its first microcomputer, the  IBM PC. They were smart enough to retain the right to license the operating system to other companies, which eventually made them a fortune. Finding Success By 1983, the year Allen left the company for health reasons, Microsofts reach had become global with offices in Great Britain and Japan and 30% of the worlds computers running on its software. A few years earlier, Gates had developed a partnership with Apple to work on some shared projects. Gates soon realized that Apples graphics interface, which displayed text and images on the screen and was driven by a mouse, appealed to the average user more than Microsofts text-and-keyboard-driven MS-DOS system. He launched an ad campaign claiming that Microsoft was developing an operating system that would use a graphic interface similar to Apples products. Called Windows, it would be compatible with all MS-DOS system software. The announcement was a bluff- Microsoft had no such program under development- but it was sheer genius as a marketing tactic: It would encourage people using MS-DOS to wait for new Windows software releases instead of changing to another system, such as Apples Macintosh. In November 1985, nearly two years after his announcement, Gates and Microsoft launched Windows.  Then, in 1989, Microsoft launched Microsoft Office, which bundled office applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel into one system. Perils of Success All the while, Gates was defending Microsoft against lawsuits and Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice investigations of claims charging unfair dealings with computer manufacturers. Yet the innovation continued. Windows 95 was launched in 1995 and in 2001 Microsoft debuted the original Xbox gaming system. Microsoft appeared untouchable. In 2000, Gates stepped down as Microsoft CEO and was succeeded by Harvard friend and longtime Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer. Gates assumed the new role of chief software architect. In 2008 Gates left his daily job at Microsoft but retained his position as board chairman until 2014, when he stepped down as chairman but retained a board seat and began serving as technology adviser. Marriage and Family On Jan. 1, 1994, Gates married Melinda French, who has an MBA and a bachelors degree in computer science and met him while she was working at Microsoft. They have three children- Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe- and live in Xanadu 2.0,  a  66,000-square-foot mansion overlooking Lake Washington  in  Medina, Washington. Philanthropy Gates and his wife founded the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation with the mission of improving the quality of life for people around the world, primarily in the areas of global health and learning. Their initiatives have ranged from funding tuition for 20,000 college students to installing 47,000 computers in 11,000 libraries in all 50 states. In 2005, Bill and Melinda Gates and rock star Bono were named Time magazine persons of the year for their charitable work. According to the foundations website, in 2019, the foundation had made nearly $65 million in grants by mid-April to recipients around the world. The foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Legacy Back when Bill Gates and Paul Allen announced their  intention to put a computer in every home and on every desktop, most people scoffed. Until then, only the government and large corporations could afford computers. But within only a few decades, Gates and Microsoft had indeed brought computer power to the people. Gates also has had an impact on millions of people throughout the world with his charitable efforts, especially with the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, and he has made large personal donations to a number of educational institutions. Sources About Bill. Gatesnotes.com.Bill Gates: American Computer Programmer, Businessman, and Philanthropist. Encyclopedia Britannica.Bill Gates Biography: Entrepreneur, Philanthropist. Biography.com.Awarded Grants. Gatesfoundation.org.

Various Assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Various Assignments - Essay Example The Balkans’ invasion was meant to open up borders to facilitate the Axis’s invasion of the Soviet Union. However, resistance from two main ethnic groups in the Balkans and ethnic conflicts in the Balkans complicated the Axis’s efforts and these incidents culminated to hold the Axis at bay until the Red Army arrived holding the Axis back until Germany finally surrendered (Bishop, 2008). Pearl Harbor The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor secured a major advantage for the Axis during World War II. The surprise attack achieved its intended purpose: to destabilise the Allies’ Pacific Fleet and to give Japan the time and space it needed to invade South-East Asia. Although the Allies would ultimately defeat Japan and the Axis, the Axis were able to take advantage of the damages to the Pacific Fleet and did indeed invade South-East Asia (Fuller, 1993). Battle of the Coral Sea The Allies gained a significant advantage in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War d uring the Battle of the Coral Sea against the Axis. During the Battler of the Coral Sea, both the Axis and the Allies would sustain significant damages. However, the damages sustained by the Axis were far greater than the Allies and as a result severely limited their participation in the Pacific Theater against the Allies (Henry, 2003). Battle of the Midway The Battle of Midway provided the Allies with its most important advantage during the Second World War in the Pacific Theater against the Axis. Japan sustained major damages to its navy from which it did not fully recover during the Battle of Midway. From this point on, Japan remained on the defensive rather than on the offensive. Thus the Battle of Midway was a turning point for the Axis during the Second World War in the Pacific Theater (Isom, 2007). Part 2: Fidel Castro: Annotated Timeline 1959: Through a guerrilla war, Fidel Castro overthrew Cuba’s military dictator Batista and was sworn in as Cuba’s Prime Minis ter (History Television, 2012). 1960: Castro immediately set the stage for the creation of a communist state, the first in the Western Hemisphere. In setting the stage for establishing a communist state, Castro nationalised businesses owned by the US which included oil refineries, casinos and factories. This lead to the US terminating diplomatic relations with Cuba and implementing trade sanctions (History Television, 2012). 1961: Castro made a public announcement that he was a Marxist-Leninist. This announcement coincided with Cuba’s increasing economic and military dependence on the Soviet Union (History Channel, 2012). October 1962: The US learned that Cuba was in possession of nuclear weapons and this led to a confrontation which was ultimately resolved by an agreement between the Soviet Union and the US. This was an agreement that Castro did not consent to. December 1962: Castro freed Cuban exiles who having been trained and supported by the CIA landed near the Bay of Pi gs with the intention of ousting Castro. The exiles were unsuccessful and were captured by Castro’s army. Castro released the exiles for â€Å"medical supplies and baby food worth about US$ 52 million† (History Channel, 2012). 1965: Castro merged his revolutionary parties with Cuba’s Communist Party and appointed himself the amalgamated party’

Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Business ethics - Essay Example This explains the principles of courtesy and respect. Despite the diversity that exists amongst many people concerning the acceptable ethical standards, it all boils down to societal expectations and provisions for good and bad (Shaw, 2011, p. 99). All ethical standards subscribe and should entangle with the society’s guidelines about what is right and wrong and the legal framework. The ethical standards at workplace should align with the societal moral principles such that when work ethics are breached, it directly go against the society’s moral guidelines. This essay aims at describing and analyzing, with reference to the ethical principles, a personal experience in which an issue with a moral gravity in business was resolved in order to bring out a comprehensive outlook into the decision. I witnessed a challenging situation in which an organization’s management decided to fire an employee on grounds that the employee had breached ethical of code of conduct. The employee in question, one Mr. Livingstone was a sales manager in an insurance firm. He had signed a contract to work for the firm in assisting it to restore market dominance that the firm had lost about 5 years ago due to the increased competition. The insurance industry in the last half decade had seen increased entry of organization that ended up stirring the competition. The firm Mr. Livingstone was working for had, in the process, greatly recorded low sales volume. Mr. Livingstone, a reputably popular sales manager with great success stories was hired to help transform the condition of the company. After 3 years of dedicated hard work, the organization’s performance in the highly competitive market greatly escalated to a point that they could hardly attend to all the clients or rather customers. The facilities and resources they had could not meet the demands of the customers because the number was extremely big. The organization was making great profits since they slightly raised

Immigration personal letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Immigration personal letter - Essay Example I didn't have many savings, and I didn't even have a checking account in an American bank! I had to get an apartment for my first few months here. Every week I would buy groceries, and I had a hard time just keeping afloat. Actually, it was only a few weeks after I got to America that I found a decent job working as a System Admin with an electronics company that needed someone to oversee their software department. Basically I was making sure that everything operated smoothly. If there was a problem on my job, people would usually come see me about it because I was the computer expert. "Saurabh, what's the matter with this program Saurabh, why won't this window close Saurabh, how do I do this How do I do that" As you can see, this was a very demanding job. But I had to work hard in order so that I could send some money back to India until I could afford to bring the rest of my family over here while I was on my work visa. Finally, when I had saved up about ten-thousand dollars, I brought my wife Padma to the United States with our baby girl Dharti. Airfare from India costs quite a bit, so I had to save up for that, as well as the expenses we would have here in the U.S. after Padma and Dharti came over. In order to earn that ten-thousand dollars I had to work overtime at my job for weeks on end. But I did it because I loved my family and I really wanted them to be with me here in the United States. James Madison, one of the founding fathers of the United States, once was quoted. He said that "America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity."1 This is partially the truth, because, America is not only responsible for my success. I am also partially responsible for the success of America. Now... For awhile I thought I wasn't going to be able to make it in the United States. When I first came to the U.S., I had little money, was without my nuclear family, and didn't really speak English as well as I would have liked. Actually, it was only a few weeks after I got to America that I found a decent job working as a System Admin with an electronics company that needed someone to oversee their software department. Basically I was making sure that everything operated smoothly. If there was a problem on my job, people would usually come see me about it because I was the computer expert. "Saurabh, what's the matter with this program Saurabh, why won't this window close Saurabh, how do I do this How do I do that" As you can see, this was a very demanding job. But I had to work hard in order so that I could send some money back to India until I could afford to bring the rest of my family over here while I was on my work visa. Finally, when I had saved up about ten-thousand dollars, I brought my wife Padma to the United States with our baby girl Dharti. Airfare from India costs quite a bit, so I had to save up for that, as well as the expenses we would have here in the U.S. after Padma and Dharti came over. Now I have an even better job since I got my Master's degree, and work as a consultant with an

Counterculture Paper: Hackers

Counterculture Paper: Hackers Throughout history countercultures have emerged that challenge the established norm. Whether they are a group of Hippies or the Russian Mafia, they are still considered to be a counterculture which rejects the pre-established norms of the larger cultures and replace them with their own values and practices (Thomas). One modern counterculture is hackers. There are three different kinds of hackers, black hat, gray hat, and white hat. All groups defy the norm, but black hat hackers are more well-known and are often what people associate with the word hacker. The word hack first appeared in the English language around 1200 (Yagoda). At that point in time, it did not refer to technology. Hacking began being associated with technology and machines in 1955 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology when it was used to describe someone who used unconventional and creative ways to solve problems (Yagoda). This continued on until the Jargon Files released eight definitions of the word hacker, the last one referring to a person with malicious intent (Yagoda). When self-proclaimed teenage hackers accessed forbidden information and were subsequently arrested, hacking gained a negative connotation (Yagoda). Since the 1970s hackers have infamously stolen money, information, and more from unsuspecting people and companies. There have been a few hackers who have stood out from the rest. Vladmir Levin, a Russian hacker, stole nearly $10 million from Citibank without the use of a computer in 1995; he served three years in prison for his crime (Weissman). Albert Gonzalez stole millions of credit and debit card numbers to execute one of the largest identify theft schemes to date; he was apprehended and sentenced to 20 years in prison (Weissman). Another Scottish hacker by the name of Gary McKinnon was a computer prodigy by the age of 14 and managed to hack 97 American military networks in the early 2000s; despite the U.S.s attempts to extradite McKinnon, he has found asylum in the UK (Weissman). An unidentified Greek hacker who goes by the name Astra accessed confidential information about jet fighters and military-grade aircrafts; he then proceeded to sell the stolen information over the span of five years, adding up to $360 million lost by Dassault Group (Weissman). One of the most infamous hacktivist group is known as Anonymous. Founded in 2003, Anonymous is known for leading online campaigns to voice their opinions on political and social events (Weissman). Anonymous is open to anyone who wants to voice their opinion and includes people of all races, religions, political standings, sexual orientations, nationalities, and genders (Sands). With no specific agenda, Anonymous aims to call attention to censorship, government control and freedom of speech; anyone is allowed to propose ideas, and members will voice their opinions which leads to the idea being accepted or rejected by the group as a whole (Sands). With the proper connections, anyone can gain access to chat groups where Anonymous members discuss ideas and their beliefs (Sands). Once an idea is accepted, the group will persistently attack its target in an effort to gain support from the public and bring about change (Sands). Since its birth, Anonymous has grown into one of the most recog nizable hacktivist groups that spans the globe, yet has no known leader; with their abilities, they have carried out some of the most well-known hacks targeting groups like the Church of Scientology, the KKK, and PayPal (Sands). There are three primary classifications for hackers: white hat, black hat, and gray hat. White hats are normally security researchers; they are hired by companies to find security vulnerabilities and report them to the company to be fixed (Zetter). Black hats are what people normally think of when hearing the word hacker. They are malicious and use their extensive knowledge of operating systems to steal information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or data (Zetter). After stealing information, they often use it to their advantage to blackmail people or receive money, or they sell it to other hackers or groups for large sums of money (Zetter). Gray hats are a mix of white and black hat hackers. They may sell their information to the government so that they can hack the systems of other criminals or enemies; these people may work alone or in groups to accomplish their tasks (Zetter). Over the past few decades, hackers have become increasingly public with their stances and are usually motivated by money and/or the prospect of having their voices heard by people all over the world. Using the sociological perspective, which is the ability to look at the hidden meaning behind peoples actions, allows people to analyze why hackers do what they do (Thomas). For hacktivists, like Anonymous, they want to influence social and political events. For example, they recently targeted Donald Trump by releasing his personal information; this act gives the public insight into their opinion of the current president (Sands). Other people may use hacking to voice their opinions on animal cruelty or other controversial topics, like abortion. Sociological imagination, which involves seeing the connection between ones life and the larger world, can also be applied to observing hackers (Thomas). Some hackers work on a large scale, but their actions have encouraged changes that affect us every day. For example, hackers motivate companies to install strong firewalls to prevent people like Kevin Mitnick from hacking government organizations, like the NSA (Weissman). This indirectly effects our lives, even if we do not see the consequences. Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are both used to make judgements about a culture. Ethnocentrism involves comparing one culture to another, while cultural relativism involves making judgments about a culture using their own standards (Thomas). Larger society sees hackers as a counterculture because they compare their norms to hackers norms. When doing this, they automatically view their culture as superior and look down on hackers, which aided in the negative connotation associated with the word. Hackers, however, employ cultural relativism, which does not involve comparing themselves to another culture, to judge whether or not their actions are acceptable. This can explain why black hat hackers do not look at their actions as being punishable; this could also be why groups like Anonymous are so motivated and do not see anything wrong with targeting groups and organizations that do not agree with their views. Exploring the world of hackers has allowed me to see the world through their eyes if only for a moment. I can understand why hackers exploit people and organizations, but I do not agree with their views. I believe in freedom of speech, but I do not believe in secretly hacking companies to voice their opinions. It almost seems like cheating, and I believe that there are legal ways to start a movement and bring about change that do not involve stealing information. As for black hats that are simply in it for the money, I do not support their actions in the slightest. I believe that they could use their talents to get a job that would still pay enough money to live comfortably. Hackers have played a significant role in molding modern society, and I do not see them going away soon. However, I am glad that they have kept the government on their toes. With that being said, hacking has evolved, and will continue to evolve as technology becomes more advanced. I am excited to see what the fut ure holds and what role hackers play in it. Works Cited Sands, Geneva. ABC News. 19 March 2016. 10 March 2017. Thomas, W. LaVerne. Sociology: The Study of Human Relationships. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2003. Weissman, Cal Guthrie. Business Insider. 10 April 2015. 9 March 2017. Yagoda, Ben. A Short History of Hack. The New Yorker 6 March 2014. Zetter, Kim. Wired. 13 April 2016. 11 March 2017.