The Unexpected Essays (1203 words) - 9, , Term Papers

the unexpected The Unexpected by It was a Saturday morning, and I thought it would be a good time to go to the beach with my friends since I had nothing to do for the rest of the week. So I decided to call my best friend Sarah to see if she wanted to drive with me down to the beach Unfortunately, she had a wedding to go to, so she was not able to make it. I was a little disappointed, but I decided to go to the beach by myself. I left home at 3:30 p.m. and arrived at 5:00 p.m. to the beach house. Everything looked the same wa as it did last summer when I came with my sister. The only difference was now I was alone, and that was little scary. The next morning I went to one of my favorite cafes The Italian Coffee. This Cafe held good memories since last summer I worked there. The owners Mr. Roger and Mrs. Roger told me that a job was available if I wanted to work. I thanked them, but e lained that I had other plans for the summer. I told them that the restaurant looked great since it had been renovate d. It was very noisy and crowded, yet it had a wonderful atmosphere that customers like. Perhaps, it was the Italian music and the w derful smell of fresh coffee that attracted them. Suddenly a lady came over to my table and asked, '' How are you, Raquel?'' I told her, '' I'm sorry Maam I don't recognize you!. She replied, ''Oooh, Raquel , I'm Elizabeth's aunt''. I said, ''Of course, excuse me''. We started talking about h the place was crowded, and she told me that she had to meet a friend here, but she had not shown up. I told her that it was nice seeing here, but I was expecting a call and I had to go. She promised me she was going to tell Elizabeth to call me so w could get together for lunch soon. When I got home to check the answering machine, the telephone rang. It was mom. She said that Sarah was planning to come Monday, and if I needed anything to give her a call. I thanked her and said,'' You are not going to believe where I just came fr ?. She quickly replied, ''Don't eve n ask it '' The Italian Coffee''. '' You are right '' I giggled. '' The Rogers are doing great, working like crazy trying to make everything perfect '', I added. She said, '' Honey, I'll give you a call Friday n ht OK!. Good bye!''. So far my day was going great. I sat down and watched MTV. It was a re-run of '' The Real World''. I quickly fell asleep on the couch for two hours and was awakened by the door bell. It was Claudia Roger explaining that her mother had told her that was in town, so she decided to drop by. I told her , '' I'm glad you came by. Are you doing anything for lunch?''. When Claudia told me that she was available, we decided to go to the Dixie to get a cheese burger. On the way to the Dixie , we made a quick stoop by the shoe store to ask Mr. Edwards to tell his daughter that I was going to meet her at 5 o'clock so we could play volley ball with my friends. Mr. Edwards was concerned because he had eard rumors about a kidnapper in town. Since Elizabeth and I were running late , we didn't really pay munch attention to what he was saying. When we got home, Claudia left to go to work. Feeling in the mood for going to the beach, I packed all my th gs and drove there. When I got to the beach I couldn't find my friends, so I grabbed a magazine and all of the sudden felt asleep. Waking from my nap, I had a premonition that something bad was going to happen. I went back to the shoe store in the mall to tell Mr. Edwa s that I

Traditional vs. Computerized Instructions essays

Traditional vs. Computerized Instructions essays Traditional vs. Computerized Instructions Times have really change a lot, and one of the things that have change with time is the way teaching is done. The only way that teaching was done in the old days was by a teacher standing in front of a class and instructing them on what to do. Now, with technology all over the place, instructions are given through the computer. The question is which one of the methods is better. To me, each one is better than the other in a different way. By giving instruction the traditional way, the student will be able to ask question if he or she doesnt understand the lesson. The pupil will also learn by seeing the instructor actually do the work right in front of him or her. He will know what steps to take since the teacher will be explaining the process of the work step by step. The bad thing about giving instructions the traditional way is that there is always a dead line. The instructor ways says when the work is due. Also, the person instructing the lesson goes under their own pace. If the student is following behind because he or she didnt understand, they have to wait until the lesson is over. By the time the lesson is over, the pupil would have already fallen behind in many things because he was thinking about the first thing he fell behind in. By giving instructions the new way, by computerized instructions, the pupil will be able to learn at his own pace. There wont be any one to tell the pupil when the work has to be turned in. If the student happens to not understand something, he will be able to stop and go back to what they were reviewing. By computerize instruction, the learner will be able to stop at whatever time they wish and return back to the same place they left off the following day. The bad thing about computerized instructions is that you can not ask questions to the computer. You will have to ask yourself the question and try to look fo...

Explain the progressive pathophysiology leading to a myocardial Case Study

Explain the progressive pathophysiology leading to a myocardial infarction (MI) - Case Study Example Right now, â€Å"[t]he current clinical recommendation is to test for homocysteine, CRP and lipoprotein(a) levels as an adjunct to established...criteria†¦In patients with borderline high risk, test for novel cardiac markers to help determine the aggressiveness of treatment strategies.†2 After diagnosis, the patient can then move on to the next stage, which is treatment. Treatment may include a wide range of therapies. Patients may have to enroll in cardiac rehabilitation, receive drug therapy, have a stint implanted in a vessel or vessels, or undergo bypass surgery. Medication management is important, and it is imperative that appropriate to have good assessment measures and nursing management. The failure of the left ventricle to pump blood is precipitated by the body having to work much harder to perform normal everyday functions—thus placing strain upon the heart. â€Å"Neurohormonal activation leads to remodeling of the left ventricle (LV), characterized by dilatation, hypertrophy, and a more spherical appearance of the chamber.†3 The symptoms showing that a myocardial infarction has occurred can be detected by experienced, trained medical professionals. Maintaining best practices in nursing can definitely aid a patient who has suffered a myocardial infarction. With a clear diagnosis and diagnostic data, doctors and nurses can best prescribe medications or provide medical assistance, respectively—assessment and nursing management being part of the overall care plan with regard to treating a patient with myocardial

Nigeria and Oil Extraction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nigeria and Oil Extraction - Essay Example Oil industry forms a major part of the export sector of Nigeria. However, the oil drilling and oil exploration has lead to massive environmental problems, such as water pollution, land degradation and breakdown of ecosystem. These issues have created further social problems in the lives of Nigerians. It seems that Nigerians are paying a huge price for economic development. Oil forms a pertinent part of the exports of the African country, Nigeria. In fact, much of the development, which started in the 1950s in this country, has been attributed to the revenue obtained from the oil industry. Moreover, future advancement in Nigeria depends largely on this industry. Nigeria comes second to the leading African nations, exporting oil. Since the discovery of oil in 1959, the country has largely become independent on this commodity for its foreign exchange reserves. Nigeria has improved economically and socially, since this has led to better infrastructure facilities, and a better trade balan ce. Nigeria is bound to progress in every occupation, because it remains one of the nations having huge amount of oil reserves, which remains the most prized commodity. Therefore, oil exploration and drilling should have profound impacts on the lives of Nigerians, which advances their lifestyle. This could mean in terms of better living conditions, education, better agriculture, better environment and availability of food (Emiri, Deinduomo, pp.349, year). However, this has not been the case, when it comes to Nigeria. Nigeria remains one of the Third World Countries, which is crippled by the same problems such countries face. One of the common problems faced by Third World Countries includes the rapid environment degradation. Environmental degradation has been advanced by the oil industry, because of the drilling impacts. The paper largely focuses on the different environmental impacts that the oil industry has created. It has become an issue of immense concern, especially in the rec ent decades. Environmental degradation has gotten quite out of hand. This can be proved by the fact that the Millennium Development Goals, which had to be completed by various countries by the year 2012, includes the issue of environmental management. Environmental management includes areas such as the protection and the sustainable use of the elements of the environment. It also includes the reversal of those environmental problems, which humans have created (Child Development, n.p). However, Nigeria has remained far behind in this goal. Environmental degradation has multiplied; because of the increased oil, drilling that has been occurring since the past few decades. Nevertheless, that does not signify or assume that there remains no environmental awareness in Nigeria. The negative environmental effects of oil operations have largely been studied and documented by van Dessel, who used to be the environmental studies head of Shell in Nigeria. He found out that many of the environme ntal problems stem from oil spills, gas flares, oil and other waste, drilling and even during surveys. Seismic surveys create many problems, such as the cutting of lines that adversely affect the mangroves forestation. The whole ecosystem gets disturbed in this way. Therefore, one such simple example shows the numerous environmental effects of oil drilling (Frynas, pp. 158). The environmental impact has been significant particularly in one area, which includes the Niger Delta region. This region forms part of history in the way that the first oil exploration was conducted in this area in 1956. At the time of discovery, some 5000 barrels of oil were produced every day. However, now the production has extended to such a large

Project #4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project #4 - Essay Example It commands the movement of the cursor on the cursor on the screen and also issues commands to the computer. The mouse can either be attached to the computer using a cable or can be connected through a wireless connection technology (Tyler, 2008). It is not hard to use since it contains only two buttons and a scrolling wheel. It is very accurate since the pointer is moved to the exact point to be selected. The movement of the mouse is minimal as compared to the movement that the cursor makes on the screen. It is, therefore, effective and increases the speed of work. It is economical on space since it requires a slight space to control the cursor on the screen. It is an input device that is similar to a mouse and is used to move the cursor on the screen. Its visual aspect is similar to that of a mouse, but it operates in a stagnant position. The cursor is moved by rotating ball using two fingers or the palm (Tyler, 2008). It also has buttons that send instructions to the computer. The trackball is easy to use since moving the cursor is done by simply rotating the ball. However, the balls rotation makes it hard to select fine details, and it may waste a lot of time in such a situation. Its accuracy is as good as that of a mouse. The space required for its operation is equal to the space it occupies even when not in use. The trackball does not require any movement in order to move the cursor and is hence economical in space. The touch pad is a pressure sensitive pointing device that is mainly found in laptops and modern external keyboards. It is a stationary pointing device just like the trackball. In real senses, it does not occupy any space since it is mounted on either a laptop or a keyboard. It is very fast in selecting items on the screen and can be efficiently used even when dealing with fine details. Its ease of use depends on the sensitivity of the touch pad. It is an input device with the shape of a pen

Different Kinds Of Trial Under CRPC Law Essay

Different Kinds Of Trial Under CRPC Law Essay Most offences in Indian criminal law were created by Statute and have a statutory maximum penalty. For the purposes of trial, offences were divided into different categories, offences triable by indictment (warrant cases) or offences triable only summarily, or offences triable either way. The most serious offences (eg: murder, rape) are triable only on indictment, at the Sessions Court. A large mass of less serious offences are triable only summarily, in magistrates courts. The middle category of offences triable either way and comprises of most burglaries, thefts and frauds. The trial is the pivotal point of a Criminal case. Sec 190 of the CrPC talks of the conditions that need to be fulfilled before proceedings can be initiated by the Magistrate (it specifically empowers a Magistrate to take cognizance of a case). It is the exclusive power of the Magistrate under Sec 204 of the CrPC to refer or reject a case from entering the stage of trial. Trial is the judicial adjudication of a persons guilt or innocence. Under the CrPC, criminal trials have been categorized into four divisions having different procedures, called Session, warrant, summons and summary trials. Sec 225-237 deal with warrant cases by a court of Session. Sec 238-250 deal with warrant cases by magistrates. Sections 251-259 provides procedure for trial of summons cases by magistrates. Sections 260-265 make provisions relating to summary trials. Warrant Case: A warrant case relates to offences punishable with death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term exceeding two years. The CrPC provides for two types of procedure for the trial of warrant cases triable by a magistrate, viz., those instituted upon a police report and those instituted upon complaint or on own information of magistrate. In respect of cases instituted on police report, it provides for the magistrate to discharge the accused upon consideration of the police report and documents sent with it. In respect of the cases instituted otherwise than on police report, the magistrate hears the prosecution and takes the evidence. If there is no case, the accused is discharged. If the accused is not discharged, the magistrate holds regular trial after framing the charge, etc. Sessions case: In respect of offences punishable with death, life imprisonment or imprisonment for a term exceeding seven years, the trial is conducted in a Sessions court after being committed or forwarded to the court by a magistrate. Summons case: A summons case consists of all cases relating to offences punishable with imprisonment not exceeding two years. In respect of summons cases, there is no need to frame a charge. The court gives substance of the accusation, which is called notice, to the accused when the person appears in pursuance to the summons. The court has the power to convert a summons case into a warrant case, if the magistrate thinks that it is in the interest of justice. Summary case: The high court may empower magistrates of first class to try certain offences in a summary way. Second class magistrates can summarily try an offence only if punishable only with a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months. In a summary trial, no sentence of imprisonment for a term exceeding three months can be passed in any conviction. The particulars of the summary trial are entered in the record of the court. In every case tried summarily in which the accused does not plead guilty, the magistrate records the substance of the evidence and a judgment containing a brief statement of the reasons for the finding.  [1]   Procedure of Magistrate on appearance of accused in warrant case: In warrant case if the Magistrate finds that the charge against the accused is groundless, he has power to discharge the accused by recording reasons. If the Magistrate has reason to believe that there is ground to proceed further, he then frame charges against accused which is read and explained and thereafter asks accused whether he pleads guilty of offence or not. If the accused pleads guilty, the Magistrate may convict the accused and proceed further to question the accused about quantum of sentence. Thereafter awards sentence. If the accused pleads to be tried, the magistrate proceeds to examine the witnesses of prosecution, hearing of prosecution and examination of accused under Section 313(1)(b) CrPC follows. The accused shall also be called upon to enter defence and produce his witnesses if any. Procedure of Court of Session: In case of offence exclusively triable by a court of Session, the Magistrate may take cognizance if such an offence and commit the case to the court of Session for trial. A court of Session cannot directly take cognizance of offence triable by it. On appearance by the accused before Sessions Court, the Judge hears the public prosecutor regarding the case. If the Judge considers that there is no sufficient ground to proceed with, he can discharge the accused, otherwise he proceeds to frame charge and examines the accused about the charge. If the accused pleads guilty the judge convicts the accused and the question quantum of sentence and award sentence by way of judgment. If the accused wishes to be tried the Judge shall fix dates for examination of prosecution witnesses and shall hear prosecution arguments and then call upon accused personally to explain any circumstances against him in evidence. If no case is made-out, the Judge shall record order of acquittal. If the Judge does not think it fit to acquit the accused, he shall thereupon ask the accused to enter on his defence. Accused can also file written statement explaining the circumstances of his involvement in the case. On hearing prosecution and accused, the Judge shall give a judgment. In case the accused is convicted, he shall be heard about quantum of sentence. Thereupon award of sentence follows. Examination of Court Witnesses:-The court has power to examine any person, at any stage, as court witness in the ends of Justice. Summons procedure:-In summons case, the accused is issued summons to appear or brought before the Magistrate. Then particulars of offence are stated and if the accused pleads guilty, he is convicted or otherwise trial follows. It shall not be necessary to frame charges in summons case. Summary and trial procedure:-Summary trial is a short-cut procedure of regular trial. Since risk is involved in short cut procedure, senior and experienced judicial officers are empowered to try certain petty cases. Though some offences under this summary trial procedure involved are warrant cases, but the involvement of punishment in summary trial being only three months imprisonment, summons case procedure is followed at the trial. In this summary trial, the Magistrate shall record substance if evidence and a judgment of brief statement of reasons for the finding follows if the accused does not plead guilty.  [2]   Guidelines: The purpose of these guidelines is to help magistrates decide whether or not to commit either way offences for trial in the Sessions Court. Their object us to provide guidance not direction. They are not meant to impinge upon a magistrates duty to consider each case individually and on its own particular facts. These guidelines apply to all defendants aged 18 and above. General Mode of Trial Considerations: When deciding whether a case is better triable as a Sessions case or a warrant case, a magistrate must keep in mind the following considerations: a) the nature of the case, b) whether the circumstances make the offence one of a serious character, c) whether the punishment which a magistrates court would have the power to inflict for it would be adequate, d) any other circumstances which appear to the court to make it suitable for the offence to be tried in one way rather than the other, e) any representations made by the prosecution or the defence. Some more observations: a) the court should never make its decision only on the grounds of convenience or expedition, b) the court should assume for the purposes of deciding the mode of trial that the prosecution version of the facts is correct, c) where cases involve complex questions of fact or difficult questions of law, including difficult issues of disclosure of sensitive material he court should consider committal for trial, e) in general, except where otherwise stated, either-way offences should be tried summarily. Problems and Suggested Reforms in Trial Procedure In cases of conviction, the sentence that may be passed is limited by (a) the procedure adopted for purposes of trial: and (b) the limits placed by S.29 Cr.P.C. on different classes of Magistrates. If the case is tried by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (or the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate), the upper limit of sentencing would be any sentence authorized by law, except a sentence of imprisonment for life or of imprisonment for a term exceeding seven years. A Magistrate of the First Class (or a Metropolitan Magistrate) may pass a sentence of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or of fine not exceeding Rs.5000 or of both.  [3]   The procedure for recording evidence varies according to the form of trial. Section 274 Cr.P.C., prescribes that in summons cases and inquiries, the Magistrate shall, as the examination of each witness proceeds, make a memorandum of the substance of the evidence in the language of the Court. The proviso enables the Magistrate to cause such memorandum to be made in writing or from his dictation in open Court where the Magistrate is unable to make such memorandum himself and records reasons for his inability. S.376 (d)., provides that no appeal from a convicted person shall lie when a sentence of fine only is passed not exceeding Rs.200/- in a case tried summarily by the Magistrate empowered under section 260. S.260 and 355 are either unutilized or under-utilized. Only those Magistrates (Other than CJMs and MMs) who are duly empowered, either by name, or by virtue of office, or under the statute creating the offence can try the cases summarily. But most of the Magistrates are not empowered. This is one among the many reasons why summary procedures is not fully utilized. As the Judge of the same status can deal with the case summarily when he is posted as a metropolitan Judge without any empowerment there is no reason why such empowerment is needed for other magistrates to deal with the cases summarily under Section 262 of the Code The Law Commission has in its 154th report also recommended enhancement of the limit of Sentence prescribed in Section 262 of the Code to three years. It has also recommended some incidental amendments to Sections 2(x) and 2(w). The researcher feels that Section 2(x) defining warrant case be amended by substituting the word three for the word two. Consequently all cases which are not warrant cases, relating to offences punishable with imprisonment lower than three years shall become Summons cases which shall be tried by following the summary procedure prescribed in Chapter XXI of the Code. Large number of cases which do not involve serious offences can be disposed of expeditiously. As the Magistrate has power under S. 260(2) to try the case regularly if he feels that it is desirable to do so in the interest of justice no prejudice would be caused. However, the researcher is of the opinion that proper training should be given to all the Magistrates about trying the cases following the summary procedure. The training should include mock trails and writing of judgments in summary trials by the trainees.

The Sonnet Essay -- English Literature

The Sonnet Explore aspects of the sonnet tradition through reference to a range of material you have studied The word ‘sonnet’ comes from the Italian word ‘sonnetto’ meaning little sound or song. A sonnet is a special type of poem. The sonnet is always 14 lines long and usually expresses the poets’ personal feelings or thoughts; most often connected with love or death, which are two of the most basic aspects of human existence. The poem generally uses rhyme and metre to organise the poet’s ideas in a formal way. There are several different types of sonnets which all accomplish this in a slightly different style. The Italian or Petrarchan sonnet was originally developed around 1350 by Petrarch, an Italian poet (1304-1374). Petrarch had fallen madly in love with a woman named Laura, but she was a married woman and refused to become his mistress. Petrarch wrote poetry expressing the idea of courtly love and conveying his own misery and his slavery to the love of Laura; a love denied. His verses contain accusations about the fickleness of love, the timeless quality of art and the hopelessness and devotion of eternal love. The Italian sonnet is divided into two sections by two different groups of rhyming sounds. The first eight lines are called the octave. This has two four line units that rhyme in the same way. A b b a, a b b a. The remaining six lines are called the sestet and can have either two or three rhyming sounds arranged in a variety of ways: cdcdcd, cddcdc, cdecde, cdeced, or cdcedc. The poem is clearly divided into two sections by the two differing rhyme groups. The change from one rhyme group to another signifies a change in subject matter. It can also be said that the octet prese... ... years of pain’ the word ‘long’ is again repeated to emphasize the time he has been away and the suffering he has experienced as a Black in a ‘White’ world. The tightness, compression and discipline of the sonnet form does not disguise but rather emphasises his love for Jamaica and his suffering since he left. In conclusion therefore, the sonnet has developed from its traditional form albeit still retaining some of the aspects Petrarch may have once used centuries beforehand such as an octave/sestet structure. It was originally a formal love ‘song’ with high ideals and a rigid format. Shakespeare transformed it and made the sonnet more accessible and fun for the common man to enjoy. The sonnet has since evolved further and can be used in a wide variety of forms and for an even wider range of subject matter and can be easily read by audiences world-wide.

Operation Strategy(Dell, Amazon.Com & Ibm) Essay

Question: Discuss operations strategies of three companies. Answer: Operational Strategy: Amazon.com Introduction: Amazon.com has become the largest customer friendly online retailer and provides one click purchase facility to its wide range of products including books, music, toys, gifts, electronics etc. For 2011 Amazon’s net sales documented the value of $48077 million to earn net income of $631 million (Annual Report, 2011). Currently, Amazon is serving more than 137 million of its customers with its 56200 employees all over the world. Moreover, International traffic also ranks Amazon at 16th position. However, Amazon achieved this milestone through deploying its three fold strategy of limitless inventory, customer convenience and low price. The purpose of current study is also to explore that how Amazon achieved its objective by using its digital channel. 1. Mass Customization: Primary difference between a physical retailer and Amazon is its online operations that allow Amazon to adopt mass customization. Amazon.com provides an opportunity to offer huge collection of books, music or other products without keeping them physically on shelf. Millions of books are available at Amazon for purchase while a large brick and mortar store is required to keep such huge inventory. In 1999 Amazon consistently added new product line or capabilities after every six weeks to increase its sale revenue. Currently, its product range can be divided into 34 broad categories. Such product customization differentiates Amazon with its competitors. It is argued that product customization is a critical source of competitive advantage even as compared to price competitiveness as it allows customers to select products according to their needs and wants at one place. So, one can attribute such mass customization to the success of Amazon.com. 1.1 Amazon Operating Models: However, to provide such mass customization Amazon follows its three  operating models. First, it sells its own inventories and manages customer relation and supply chain on its own through Amazon.com. Second, Amazon also act as third person and allow other companies to place their products at Amazon.com for sale. However, Amazon only manages front end customer relations while logistic issues are controlled by sellers. In 1999 Amazon offered Z shop facility that allows small companies to sell their product through Amazon.com. His strategy was to compete with e-bay who was also providing similar services of auction. At last Amazon has also introduced its e-commerce solutions and design web sites and offer hosting services to its customers. In other words these three operating models provide huge collection of products that is consistent to its business strategy limitless inventor y. 2. Integrated Business Operations: Success of Amazon strategies lay within its integrated business operations. Figure 1 illustrates that how Amazon fulfill its customers order through integrating its operations. Amazon.com server uses the supply chain optimization software to predict demand and also optimize its supply chain. In first step customers’ data for credit card is processed to finalize their orders. Amazon warehouse is also information about customer order in this respect for coordination. This is done to find out stock information at Amazon warehouse. However, in case of shortage at Amazon warehouse appropriate suppliers are selected. This information is transferred to publishers, music companies and electronic OEM for further process. After receiving order information publishers, music companies and electronic OEM dispatch required products physically to the nearest Amazon warehouse. At Amazon warehouse these items are packed and also send to customer place through UPS or US postal services. In this way Amazon develop integrated business operations that share information over its network for effectiveness. Figure 1: Amazon Network of Fulfillment Amazon integrated system speeds up the process and customers can receive their product at same or next day. This will positively contribute to customer’s loyalty. Moreover, Amazon also made required changes to its fulfillment system when needed especially for huge order fulfillments. For instance Amazon received record advance order of 275000 for single volume of Harry Porter. This challenged information staff at Amazon. During such event  Amazon mailed to its customers for confirmation of delivery information. Moreover, before shipment data regarding each package was updated. For Shipment purpose Amazon contracted with FedEx for shipping 250000 orders at released date that scheduled 100 flights to fulfill orders. In this way, Amazon successfully met such huge order fulfillment on released date. 2. Low Cost Strategies: Porter (1980) argued that firms can gain sustainable competitive advantages through adopting differentiation, cost leadership or focus strategies. While on the other hand Loudon & Loudon, (2006) argued that firms can gain cost leadership through online operations as it reduces ordering and inventory cost. Mass customization at Amazon also augmented its profitability through high activity with low variable cost. Fixed cost per unit decreases with the increase in activity as compared to variable cost per unit (Drury, 2006). While in case of Amazon fixed cost of system dominates as comp ared to nominal variable cost. Cost of technology, many parts of fulfillment cost and advertisement costs are fixed in nature. On the other hand Amazon is bearing nominal variable cost. This indicates that high activity will lead to low fixed cost per unit cost that Amazon can use to settle for low prices. So, this mass customization will also lead to high productivity that ultimately will optimize profits through decreased fixed cost per unit. Moreover, Amazon also reduces its costs through cross docking shipments. For instance Amazon place its different items like books, toys, electronic etc simultaneously in single order to the closest warehouse located near to customers. To do so, Amazon uses its â€Å"12 technologies† to optimize solutions and to predict demand. 3. Customer Fulfillment Network (CFN) Strategy: On the other hand Amazon has also adopted the customer fulfillment networking (CFN) strategy that emphasize to augment gross profit margins through purchasing books directly from publishers rather than involving distributors who add their profits. CFN strategy was developed to integrate customer relationship management and order fulfills management applications. CFN system compares customers’ demand with their capabilities to recognize that whether Amazon can fulfill their orders with reasonable profits or not. It also allows predicting dynamic demand that ultimately reduces the carrying cost and transportation cost at Amazon warehouse. Moreover, it also allows improving their cash flow as less cash is tired up in inventory and increase inventory turnover that ultimately augments firm’s  profits. 4. Customer Centric Strategies: One can also explain Amazon’s success in respect of its ability to extract and use of customer information. Amazon keeps a complete record of all of its customers. Amazon main a data base that knows that when and what a customer orders. If a customer has not been placing order for some time then Amazon sends him an e-mail coupon containing information regarding entirely different or related product line to stimulate customers for reordering. For instance it is possible that you will receive an e-mail regarding computer equipments products if you last purchased a notebook. 4.1 personalized Options: Similarly, Amazon.com also provides convenience in selecting products over its website through customization. Web pages are customized according to the liking of their customers. One can easily personalize his selection when he login as a customer at Amazon.com. All the Amazon products are divided into 34 broad categories. A person can select and search within these 34 broad categories easily. It is consistent with their strategy of providing convenience to customers. 4.2 Customer Review: It is argued that digital means of information can be used to communication product quality and also creates a bond between buyers and sellers especially within online markets (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2006). Amazon also stimulates its customers to write editorial and review of book they purchased. This option of book review communicates positive information to other potential customers and increases the like-hood of purchase. It is also consistent with Chevalier and Mayzlin, (2006) who also argued that improvement in scores obtained by a book through book review contributes to purchase intentions and lead to high sales revenue. 4.3 Quick Shipment: Providing hassle-free fulfillment of customers’ order is also viewed as one of the key success areas of Amazon. For most of the product Amazon offers same or next day fulfillment. This is what makes different Amazon with other online retailers. However, Amazon does this through its integrated order fulfillment process as demonstrated in figure 1. Operation Strategy: Dell Introduction Dell is a technological sales company which performs their business in the whole world as is possible to see in the following diagram. With net revenue of $61,133,000,000 is the second largest computer manufacturer company in the word and the number one in United States. Dell focuses on Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C) commerce to satisfy their business and individual customers. Dell differentiates between classes of customers because the needs of their business customers, who buy large quantities of computers, are different than the individuals who want to configure a single unit. The present document is oriented to analyze Dell just since the point of view of operations management starting with a review of the company, after a look over Product design process, the internal process and the technology associated, how Dell forecast the coming productions rates, how Dell manages their inventory, which is the quality model followed by the company, which is the human resource strategy to finalize with conclusions and reflections. 1. Operations Strategy Identify the operations strategy of Dell is go almost in all the main activities of the company where operations is relevant. Under this perspective, the list of strategies is related to some areas of operations inside of the company: * Be the greenest technology company on the planet and the first computer company to achieve carbon-neutral operations by the end of 2008. * Continue leadership with the climate strategy and global recycling programs. * Partner with customers in energy-efficiency and climate-protection initiatives. * Broaden the Global Citizenship commitment. * Recommit efforts to improve sustainability governance. 2. Product design process For Dell, Globalization has impacted directly in the management of the product life cycle involving more stakeholders during the process of product development; thereby the complexity of this process has become more complex  as well. The most important factor introduced in the product life cycle is the environmental issue. For Dell, the design products have to be energy efficient, to avoid unnecessary materials and to be easy to use, which is supported by rigorous business controls and supplier audits that consider (Dell, 2008): * Energy Efficiency: Dell delivers optimized performance per watt, and help customers deploy systems efficiently. In this way, IT is an important avenue to decreasing cost of ownership and enhancing productivity while reducing a customer’s carbon footprint. * Precautionary Chemicals and Materials Use: Dell design to eliminate the use of unregulated substances if we believe they possess hazard characteristics similar to other, regulated substances. If alternatives are not yet viable, Dell works to develop reliable, environmentally sound and commercially scalable solutions. * Supply Chain Sustainability: We expect suppliers to uphold the same commitment to environmental responsibility as we do, as a condition of doing business with them. Dell design activities are compliant with this internationally recognized standard for environmental management system criteria (ISO 14001 certification program) Other main stream of definition of what Dell is doing in terms of product design rely on the participation of their own customers. The website â€Å"Dell Idea Storm† (http://www.ideastorm.com) where customers participate directly in the conceptualization of products giving their own ideas of develops, voting for another ideas already posted or simply criticizing products from the company. This website is a very comprehensive platform to cover an appropriate SWOT analysis of products design due to the huge variety of post and group discussion on it. 3. Processes and Technology 3.1 Production process The well known operation model of Dell called ‘Dell Direct’ base its value added in just work on demand eliminating intermediaries in procurement, manufacturing and distribution processes. The technology used by the company in the manufacturing process is the base of success and therefore play a very important role in its operations. Dell’s technology allow to the company to combine its resources, its relationship with suppliers and its consumer communication capabilities, developing one big advantage over its competitors. Dell is in â€Å"Mass Production† process category due to mainly the stable demand of products, the assembly work as a main line of production and with a good level of efficiency. To consider Dell as a manufacturing or assembly company is a constant discussion even for the employees of the company. Due to the nature of the products (mainly computers) they build new products that do not exists in the market, in this sense they are manufactures. But in another sense they just assemble component which production is on suppliers, in this sense could be considerate that dell â€Å"buy to sell†. In this document the company will be considered as a manufacturer company. The generation of innovative ideas for the production line is pulled due to the necessity of new kind of products defined basically due to the interaction with suppliers and customers. All the Dell manufacturing centers use the same processes enable by the same systems and are measured in the same way. This insurance consistency award quality across the global network and also allows identifying and implementing best practices. The standardized process of manufacturing is divided as is illustrated in the following diagram. Final Test and labeling Order accumulation area Software Installation and Testing Customer Order Pull Kiting Boxing Build These processes are described as follow: * Customer order pull: receive the electronics orders closer to the ship destination. In this point the order is transferred from Dell order management systems to the Manufacturing scheduling system. The servers of the facility keep the track of order process associating serialized parts with unique codes. * Kitting: the build to order process of Dell generate request for materials which is delivered to the factory. Since there are no warehouses the inventory system is very important and every part is serialized and labeled since this is received from suppliers (which are basically important for Dell quality system). The scanning of these tags associated to the order indicates to the personnel which components should be part of a specific order, and at the end of the kidding line, all the parts of a single unique order are ready for the next step. * Build: the scan of the code associated to the single order gives to the personnel specific instructions to builders based in the customer requirements. In this step, Dell associates every single component using bar codes to the order allowing a better quality control for the company. * Software Installation and Testing: Directed by the main brain, the central gives specific instruction to ensure all the components are presents and operating properly before to install any software in machines. * Boxing: This process ensures all the components required by the user are properly stored and ready for the ship. Once finished the boxing, the order goes straight for shipping or the order accumulation area. * Order accumulation area: When the client creates and order, all the required products start at the same time but not all of them finish at the same time due to process variability. Once all of them are finished the shipping process starts. * Depending form the order, there is an external synchronization with others manufactures as monitors or printers manufacturers for example, which allow to Dell to reduce inventory with extern products to the production line. 3.2 E-business E-business is central to Dell’s entire operations and Dell uses e-business extensively across its entire value chain to deliver high levels of service to its customers and suppliers. Dell basically does trades with two of the four main kind of e-business (B2B, B2C, C2B and C2C) and both of them based in the internet architecture * B2C: the main stream is represented by direct communication between Dell and their customers. Internet allows this direct communication avoiding intermediaries. This guarantees a good quality service for the customers, efficient processes, decision makers in real time, higher customer expectations and globalization. * B2B: this stream of communication connects Dell with their suppliers allowing and efficient process of communication with the same benefits described in B2C. Also, the when big corporations and governments are clients, the definition of relation is established in a very particular way treating them as a special customers that need a special attention. 3.3 Technology In terms of technology, Dell in all its experience in all the manufacturing centers has implemented a large number of solutions in order to accomplish a constant improvement in the value chain. Basically, the main source of constant improvement has been Internet, helping Dell to establish good relations with both their suppliers and their customers. The high level of integration that this technology has allowed is on simple evidence through the corporate website (www.dell.com) where for example suppliers are allowed to follow their material as it used throughout Dell’s operations. They can log-on, drop off invoices, check engineering change orders; review negotiated and forecasted cost reports, and track their overall performances and progress. The â€Å"Dell i2 Supply Chain Management (i2SCM)† is the name of the solution implemented to cover communications necessities with suppliers. This implementation enabled to Dell to reduce costs providing component suppliers and Dell planners with global views of product demand and material requirements. In partnership with IBM, both have managed to maintain high employee productivity. The join in between companies to design the productions lines provide near unlimited availability to their IT infrastructure. Another outcome of this partnership is the use of electronic catalog with appropriate search functionality. As an example time ago, Altiris Recovery Solution was selected by Dell for integrated delivery of backup and disaster recovery. Altiris along with Dell Open Manage Client Administrator (OMCA) will provide â€Å"Direct integration of Altiris backup and recovery technology with Dell OMCA which helps ensure business continuity and helps provide additional cost savings for Dell customers through proactive IT management†. These factors implemented into a concrete disaster recovery plan provide Dell and IBM with the confidence to scale and complex IT network. 3.4 Production Layout Dell is by definition an assembly manufacturer company, where basically the process is only one and the assembly line as well. Dell does not build any part or piece of the computers, lodging basically in their own suppliers which have the necessary expertise and commitment with dell’s production line. If we consider Dell and their suppliers as a unique company it will be represented as typical â€Å"Process Layout†, and Dell will be of course in this exercise the assembly department. The main advantages of the â€Å"Product layout† (or assembly line production layout) are: * The amount of time for a product to be ready is faster in general if it is compared with other kind of process layout. * The set up cost of the product layout is low due to the facilities does not vary in position and functionality. * Due to the tasks of every stage are very specific, the efficiency of this kind of distribution (production layout) is higher than others types of layouts. This very related with the high continuity of the assembly line. * The necessary planning in order to be concern about matters like synchronization is very low if it is compared with other layouts, this because is just one continue line. * The required level of expertise is not so important as well considering that the main task is to assemble. There is no much hard production processes to take care about. * For Dell the level of inventory is very low, maybe too much low considering the average industry in â€Å"Products Layout† companies. This is because the technological advantage of Dell using Internet. As negative point in Dell layout oriented to product, it is possible to say that the required infrastructure is more expensive than other layouts because the high degree of cohesion that should exist in the assembly line which it demands a high technology and dedicated machinery. 4. Supply Chain As is possible to appreciate, Dell Company is in the middle of all the operations since suppliers till the final customer. The simplicity of this model put on evidence the absence of intermediaries in the supply chain, which is synonymous of low cost, fast answer to client’s orders. The communication between Dell and suppliers is by Internet, and in real time which it means that the suppliers are constantly monitoring the status of components in order to prepare new orders and negotiate the prices on demand. Usually suppliers have warehouse building nearby Dell’s Manufacturing Centers in order to reduce the risk of lack of components in the main assembly line of Dell and assuming at the same time the inventory costs that Dell is avoiding. The suppliers usually feed the starting point of the Dell’s assembly line, but as the illustration show, it is possible to have some suppliers after the production line of Dell (even out of Dell facilities). Partnership with screen or printer manufacturers, allow to the final user to order for products that are absolutely out of Dell’s production lines, and it is just necessary to complete the order in their warehouses to finally ship the order to the client. Is important to recognize that the use of Internet is the blood of this system, without this technology would be impossible to coordinate such value system. In order to make the service easier for customers within this supply chain, Dell has divided their home page into a number of major customer groups: * Home & Home Office, * Small Business * Medium and Large Business and * Government, Education & Healthcare 5 Forecasting, Planning and Scheduling 5.1 Forecasting As a forecasting method Dell, as many other big companies, base their analysis on the records stored on the internal Customer Relationship Manager system (CRM). This system stores every registry made by customers in order to analyze the tendency of the actual behavior and predict demand for certain products in the future. Now considering daily operations on Dell, there is a â€Å"Short Range Forecast† process that operates constantly. Dell uses state of the art production planning programs that forecast the quantities of components needed to build  the computers. After those forecasts are made, supply chain systems pass those forecasts to suppliers, who respond with cost estimates and plan their production as a result. As the CRM, the mentioned i2SCM (technology section) is another provider of forecast information as well, providing real-time factory scheduling and inventory management. These methods used by Dell are considerate â€Å"Quantitative Forecast Methods†, leaving for decisions makers, the forecast that comes from â€Å"Qualitative Forecast Methods†. 5.2 Scheduling Dell bases its scheduling process in the system i2SCM system output. One of the basic tasks of i2SCM is to streamlines the supply chain in order to keep a constant flow of component in the starting point of the assembly line, and considering this, as a consequence is in charge of provide a manufacturing schedule the whole plant. This scheduling process is refreshed every 2 hours. 6. Inventory Management Dell has implemented â€Å"Just-In-Time Inventory System† which operates on only 6 days of inventory. This simple number implies a huge benefit for Dell because this enable to the company to reduce the warehousing costs, also is not necessary to hire people to put in charge and maintain the inventories and though technology become obsolete very quickly, for Dell this is not a problem because they don’t hold obsolete technology in its small inventory. The way how Dell controls, in terms of basic definition its inventory and the costs that this means is being a â€Å"Demand Pull Company† (used as well as a Lean system method), whereas one of its top competitors (Compaq HP for example) is strictly a supply-push company and operates in a more traditional manner. 7. Quality model Since several years, Dell has been operating their manufacturer plants using the production standards ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 (Dell). Dell operations in China have been distinguished by Ministry of Information Industry (MII) and China Quality Management Association for Electronics Industry (CQAE) receiving wards such as â€Å"Excellent Quality Management Corporation†, â€Å"Excellent Quality Management Team’s and â€Å"Excellent Quality Management Individual†. It demonstrates Dell’s commitment to providing high-quality products and superior customer experience (Dell). The main support behind this award is the constant focus in the customer-centric strategy, and the will for a constant improving in the quality management system. In Dell, the quality control process starts from engineering design and the early testing stages during which design for reliability is the priority. Been conscious of quality standards in early analysis of failure mode, the product design is based on typical customer profile and operation requirement. It is important to consider that reliability test and improvement are also keys factors to ensuring the best quality. In addition, Dell has extended the â€Å"quality chain† putting great emphasis on suppliers’ quality management, as the company always regards the quality of the components as crucial factors for product quality. According to this, Dell has established a set of scientific and complete management process, which ensures final product quality through rigid selection and process control of industry-leading suppliers. Considering the whole process, the Quality Management during manufacturing process is the strongest guarantee of Dell products’ quality. Engineering pilot and employee training are conducted before any new product launch. Through Statistic Process Control Quality Analysis, Dell is able to detect and improve incoming material and process issues, which guarantee the best manufacturing quality. 8. Human Resources Strategy Dell’s direct business model influenced an organizational structure that fosters direct communication and open-minded listening. As an strategy to  accomplish this objective is to listen employees, and this is done through â€Å"Tell Dell† program, a voluntary and confidential employee opinion survey. This program is developed to encourage employees to speak frankly and privately about Dell’s principles, values, strategies, policies, managerial effectiveness and employee engagement. In this way the HRM department, after taken the measurement, is able to act in direct response to surveys. Some responses to these kind surveys were for example in the past: * Implementation of an employee purchase program * Greater work-life flexibility * Streamlined decision-making processes * Increased focus on employee development * Improved customer solutions Less formal but equally important strategy to get employees feedback is Employee Storm. A tool that enables every Dell employee to bring experiences and creative solutions to Dell and our customers. With the objective to reduce mistakes and its consequences, Dell has implemented a strategy related to ethic tools. This strategy defines for example policies of communication in order to allow employees approach the company when they feel is necessary according to the defined Dell Code of Conduct. These policies are: * Open door policy * Global Ethics and Compliance Team * Ethic helpline Since Dell is committed to inclusion and diversity, their mission is to succeed in the marketplace by fostering a winning culture in which Dell employees are highly talented, committed, reflective of our global customers, and recognized as our greatest strength. For Dell â€Å"diversity† is the core of their values and winning culture. For this Dell has implemented the following activities: * Employees networking groups. A program that connect employees that share the same nationality, gender, ethnicity, etc. * Diversity Education and Training. Providing quality professional development opportunities to all employees. * Work/Life Effectiveness. Committed to balance the employees contribution to the company with their personal lives. Other areas of strategy where Dell has been working on are: * Global talent management * Employee health and wellness * Employee sustainability engagement Conclusions It is very interesting to remark that Dell, a multinational company with a big size, is successfully capable to repeat basically the same formula of manufacturing process in every manufacturing center that the company has. Dell has been able to repeat the best practices across the borders around the world which by definition represent a big challenge for any company. Never the conditions will go to be the same: restricted markets, cultural shocks for employees, different cost structure are some of the factor that usually affect multinational companies with operations in many countries around the world. Dell strategy found its success in basically the correct and optimums use of technology; Internet is practically the blood of Dell system, or the base of Dell success. Dell’s business model bases its success basically in Information technology. There is not a revolutionary change in the way how to do business, is just a perfect example of how to take advantage of technology to become the most efficient competitor in the computer sales industry. Even though Dell business model is very well know, has been a model very difficult to imitate basically because the huge investment that companies should do together with their suppliers. The supply chain structure in this case is the key of success. Is not a matter of investment coming just from Dell to have success, is a sacrifice coming from Dell, suppliers and partners that in some way are trusting in Dell way of doing business. Trust in the value chain, is definitely a very big competitive advantage for Dell. The product mix from Dell is not as broad as directs competitors are doing it, which in one way has allowed to Dell specialization, focus and expertise in the field. But is a risk at the same time because depending basically on a very limited amount of product and services it does not open many alternatives to explore new markets or develop innovative solutions amount the products and services. Even though Dell is considered a very successful business model, the company has been having problems. These problems are reflected in financial reports which indicate that Dell is not reaching the rate of growing that they were expecting. Although Internet is the base of its success, it has been a big problem for Dell as well, since the point of view that important bloggers has been complaining in the net about the pour quality of services and this has spread quickly between users a non god image of the company. Dell is working on this blog phenomenon taking care of every comment done in the net about their products and services. Another problem faced by Dell is that Dell is becoming victim of its size because they are trying to keep the rate of growing in a market where the value of their products fall significantly every year , this means that to keep the rate of growing is necessary to have a higher rate of sales. As a final weak point in the way how Dell is approaching businesses, Dell is relaying increasingly on new markets which it means that Dell is just applying best practices and knowledge in the field rather than go deep with a study of the new entrance. This could be a risk considering the diversity and cultural matters in between their customers. Operation Strategy: IBM Introduction: IBM or International Business Machines is a well known American computer manufacturer, founded by Thomas J. Watson (born 1874-02-17). IBM is also known as â€Å"Big Blue† after the color of its logo. The company has made  everything from mainframes to personal computers and has been immensely successful selling business computers. Drawing on the strength of the full strategy and change practice: Operations Strategy is one of the four competencies within IBM’s larger Strategy and Change team. The three parallel competencies are Business Strategy, Organization Change Strategy and Technology Strategy. Operations Strategy helps clients resolve a variety of critical issues from strategy and planning to day-today operational improvements. IBM practitioners specialize in identifying the capabilities that are required to execute business strategies and in defining how operational models should be configured, implemented, and continuously improved. With deep experience in operations strategy, IBM provide clients with the support needed to address the operational issues that are crucial to success. Helping clients with critical business issues: Clients look to Operations Strategy for help with these critical business issues: * Cost efficiency and performance improvement * Focus on company’s core business * Increasing shareholder value * Continuous process improvement * Maintaining competitive edge * Improving customer service quality * Migration to new technology * Product innovation management * Merger synergy realization. IBM experience in successfully formulating and implementing operations strategies lies in three main areas: * Helping clients formulate operations strategies that align corporate and business strategy with organization, technology and process strategy. * Providing process expertise for business process change, reengineering and operational improvement, cost reduction, Six Sigma, innovation management, and post-merger integration. * Assisting clients with outsourcing strategies and their execution, including make/buy/partner decision strategies, domestic and global outsourcing, and creating scalable operations. Utilizing a proven, consistent approach: All Operations Strategy engagements incorporate the following key elements: * Mobilization – Utilizes preparation and planning to help increase the odds of successful and timely project completion. * Situation assessment – Establishes a shared assessment of the current and future situation with senior client management. * Strategy development – Defines strategic options and specifies strategic initiatives which are Designed to create significant value for the client. * Implementation planning– Determines critical success factors and establishes change programs to implement the strategic initiatives. * Learning – Measures and adapts the strategic management process in real time utilizing key Performance indicators. Providing a full suite of offerings: Operations Strategy has a diverse range of capabilities, including: Rapid process change: * A solution for rapidly identifying and delivering a step change in process, organizational and systems performance. Rapid process change focuses on achieving tangible operating improvement results in an accelerated time frame. Six Sigma/Lean Sigma: * Strives to create both operational excellence and a strategic change in the culture of a corporation, division or business unit. These engagements  are designed to increase customer satisfaction and drive out costs by helping to improve processes linked to company strategy and key performance indicators. Six Sigma also helps build an enduring capability within the organization that can create and sustain competitive advantage over the long term. Design for Six Sigma: * Extends Six Sigma principles to the development of new products, services, processes, and plants that are designed to precisely meet client current and future needs. Strategic profit improvement: * A framework designed to deliver improved financial performance, including: increasing revenues and margin, reducing costs and assets, strengthening infrastructure, and positioning for future growth. Service after the sale: * Helps clients lower their customer service costs and find new sources of revenue and value-added differentiation. Product innovation management: * Supports the business decision making component of product development. These engagements are designed to reduce time-to market and product development costs and they help increase the pace of innovation. Enterprise focus: * Determines which components of a business are strategic and critical to success of the enterprise and which are not. Then identifies opportunities for improvement and transformation by comparing critical business requirements and operational capabilities. Shared services implementation: * Our team builds a business case for the transition to a shared services operational model, designs a custom shared services solution, and then works with the client to successfully implement the change. Outsourcing governance: * Helps organizations establish a program management office capable of supporting outsourcing Initiatives throughout their lifecycle, from qualification and assessment to development and Operation. Demonstrating success at numerous clients: At one client, a leading consumer electronics manufacturer, benefits of the project included: * Reduction of overhead costs due to redundant / inefficient overhead services and infrastructure in Corporate HQ and five worldwide product divisions. * Annual savings of over $400 million, including: agreements in infrastructure sharing and Governance, shared services and elimination of cost drivers and redundant resources, and establishment of a project management office for active savings tracking and reinforcement. At a large manufacturer of aluminum products, we developed and implemented a new operating model. The scope and results included: * Analyzed operations for 15 business units in 10 countries * Creation of global process models * Over $300 million in annual savings, including improved processes, continued focus on cost Controls, and adoption of best practices across business units. Finally, we developed an outsourcing strategy for a leading manufacturer of semiconductor equipment. The scope Included: * Working with client executive team to develop a vision and operating model * Implemented the model, focusing new investment in core business processes and developing and implementing the roadmap to outsource all non-core processes to save client significant cost and increase competitive advantage. IBM Clients: A small sample of IBM clients includes leaders of every industry and all levels of Government: ABB| Ford Motor Company| Motorola| Aetna| Goodrich Corporation| Novell| Alcoa| Halliburton| Panasonic| America Online| Honda Motor Co.| Raytheon| Ashland| IKON Office Solutions| Royal Philips Electronics| Atkins Nutritionals| International Truck and Engine Corporation| Selectron| Bloomberg| Lam Research| Siemens| BP| Lexmark International| Sony| Chevron Texaco| MCI| Tyco International| Circuit City Stores| McKesson| United States Department of Agriculture| Dupont| Medtronic| Verizon Communications|

Natural Science Essay

The relevance of this test question is to determine which brand of leading paper towels is the best most absorbent. Consumers want to use the product that is most effective at meeting their needs. A more expensive product may actually be more cost effective if you can use less of it than a brand that costs less. Literature Review Many experiments have been conducted to test the strength and absorbency of paper towels. While the steps of the experiment vary from test to test, all of experiments are testing the same two factors; how much water can each paper towel brand absorb and how strong are each of the paper towels. Below I have reviewed the process and results from three experiments that are similar to the one I will be using. In the first experiment, the tester uses five brands of paper towels to test for absorbency, using paper towels of the same size to ensure the accuracy of the results. He draws a two inch circle in the center of a sheet of paper towel from each brand represented and placing the paper towel in an embroidery hoop to maintain stability. He then drops fifteen drops of water into the center of the circle draw on the paper towel, repeating the process for each brand, and measures the amount of time it takes the paper towel to wick the moisture outside of the circle. This test concludes that Bounty has the greatest absorbency. The next experiment tests for both absorbency and strength. As in the first test, several different brands of paper towels were used. In this experiment, to test the absorbency, the tester takes a sheet of each of the towels an inserts it into a glass with two ounces of water and leaves each sit for twenty seconds. After the twenty seconds expired, the tester removed the paper towel from the glass and rang out each paper towel into a measuring cup to see how much water each towel had absorbed. The second part of the experiment is conducted by stretching sheets of each paper towel through an embroidery hoop, placing 25 pennies in the center of the paper towel, and adding water to the towel drop by drop until the pennies fall through. The strongest paper towel in this test was Brawny Brand. The final experiment that I reviewed also tested for absorbency. The theory behind this experiment was the faster that water moves through the towel, the more absorbent it is. The experimenter cut strips from each paper towel, one inch wide and six inches long. A mark is drawn on each paper towel one inch from the end using a waterproof marker. The strip is then held in a glass of water with the bottom inch submerged, timing how long it takes for the water to travel the length of the strip. The process is then repeated for each brand that is being tested. The most absorbent brand in this test was Brawny. Experimental Design A. Steps in Experimental Procedure The absorbency of the towels will be tested by the speed the water moves through the paper towels, the faster the water moves, the more absorbent the towel is. I will be using the following brands of paper towels in my experiment: Brawny, Bounty, Sparkle and Scott. Other supplies necessary to complete the experiment are: a waterproof marker, and a sixteen-ounce glass of water, and a timer that registers tenths of a second. 1. Prepare three samples of paper towel from each brand by cutting strips of each that is 2 inches wide and six inches long. 2. Using a water-proof marker, draw a line across each paper towel one inch from the bottom. 3. Fill a sixteen ounce glass with water and prepare timer. 4. Take the first strip of paper towel and submerge it up to the line in the glass of water while holding it vertical to the glass while starting the timer. 5. Allow the timer to run until the water is absorbed through the paper towel and reaches the end of the towel not submerged. 6. Stop the timer and record the time in tenths of seconds. 7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for all three strips of each brand. B. Reasoning for Choosing my Experimental Design Plan The reason I chose this design for my experiment is because it seemed to be more accurate than other testing methods I found during my literature review and could be performed with items I already had in my home. The experiment where the tester rang out the paper towels and measure the water that they had absorbed is less accurate because there is no guarantee of exerting the same amount of force each time you ring out a towel. There is no way to completely drain the towel of all of the liquid it absorbed. Stretching the paper towel samples across the embroidery frame is sound way to perform the experiment but it would have required the purchase of additional materials. C. Sequence of Events to Collect Quantitative Data I will begin the collection of quantitative data by cutting the paper towel samples from each brand into strips that are one inch wide by six inches long, to ensure that all of the samples will be equal. I will use the same glass of water for each test to ensure the water composition is the same for each test. I have created a spreadsheet in excel with a column listing each of the brands being tested and three columns for the time in tenths of a second to be entered upon completion of the experiment. During the experiment, I will make notes on a tablet of the brand name and the time recorded to be entered into the spreadsheet upon completion of the entire experiment. D. Describe Tools, Technologies, and Measurement Units that are used to Collect the Data To collect the data for this experiment I will use one inch wide by six inch long strips of paper towel from each of the brands being tested, a black water-proof marker to mark the strips of paper towel, an eight ounce glass of water, my hand to hold the strip vertical to the glass once submerged as indicated in the experimental procedure, a timer that measures tenths of a second, and a pad and pencil to record the initial results. Once the experiment is complete I will transfer the results of the experiments to the spreadsheet that I have created using Microsoft Excel. I will also use excel to create the graphic representation of the experiment results. Dependent, Independent and Controlled Variables of the Experiment The independent variable in my paper towel experiment is the one inch by six inch strip of paper towel taken from a roll of each brand of paper towel used in the experiment. The dependent variable in the experiment is the amount of time it takes the water to travel the length of the strip of paper towel measured in tenths of a second. The controlled variables of the experiment are using the same glass of water, same size sample of paper towel, and same timer for each test in the experiment. Threat Reduction to Internal Validity To reduce internal threats to validity I will use the same size piece of each paper towel from each brand for each test to conduct the experiment, marking each piece with a line at exactly one inch from the bottom. I will use the same water sample to ensure the liquid being absorbed by each sample strip is identical; the same timer will be used for each test to ensure the accuracy of the time recorded for each test. I will also monitor my results for outliers in the time required to absorb the water through each test towel to ensure the results are valid for each test. Hypothesis The sample of Bounty paper towels will soak up the water through the length of paper towel faster than the other brands because it is thicker than the other brands being tested. I have arrived at this conclusion because the dual layers of towel that are present in the sample of Bounty create a greater surface to absorb water. The other brands are much thinner and have less thickness to soak up water.

Marie Antoinette, Queen Executed in French Revolution

Marie Antoinette, Queen Executed in French Revolution Marie Antoinette (born Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna von Ãâ€"sterreich-Lothringen; November 2,  1755–October 16,  1793) was the queen of France, executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. She is most known for supposedly saying Let them eat cake, although the French quote translates more precisely as, Let them eat brioche, and there is no proof that she said this. She was reviled by the French public for her lavish spending. Until her death, she  supported the monarchy against reforms and against the French Revolution. Fast Facts: Marie Antoinette Known For:  As the queen of Louis XVI, she was executed during the French Revolution. She is often quoted as saying, Let them eat cake (there is no proof of this statement).Also Known As:  Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna von Ãâ€"sterreich-LothringenBorn:  November 2, 1755  in Vienna (now in Austria)Parents: Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Austrian Empress Maria TheresaDied:  October 16, 1793 in Paris, FranceEducation: Private palace tutors  Spouse: King Louis XVI of FranceChildren: Marie-Thà ©rà ¨se-Charlotte, Louis Joseph Xavier Franà §ois, Louis Charles, Sophie Hà ©là ¨ne Bà ©atrice de FranceNotable Quote: I am calm, as people are whose consciences are clear. Early Life and Marriage to Louis XVI Marie Antoinette was born in Austria, the 15th of 16 children born to Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. She was born on the same day as the famous earthquake of Lisbon. From birth, she lived the life of wealthy royalty, educated by private tutors in music and languages. As with most royal daughters, Marie Antoinette was promised in marriage in order to build a diplomatic alliance between her birth family and the family of her husband. Her sister Maria Carolina was married to Ferdinand IV, King of Naples, for similar reasons. In 1770 at age 14, Marie Antoinette married the French dauphin Louis, grandson of Louis XV of France. He ascended the throne in 1774 as Louis XVI. Life as Queen Marie Antoinette was welcomed in France at first. Her charisma and lightness contrasted with the withdrawn and uninspiring personality of her husband. After her mother died in 1780, she became more extravagant, which led to growing resentment. The French were also suspicious of her ties to Austria and her influence on King Louis XVI in attempting to foster policies friendly to Austria. Marie Antoinette, formerly welcomed, became vilified for her spending habits and her opposition to reforms. The 1785–1786 Affair of the Diamond Necklace further discredited her and reflected poorly on the monarchy. In this scandal, she was accused of having an affair with a cardinal in order to obtain a costly diamond necklace. After an initial slow start at the expected role of child-bearer- her husband apparently had to be coached in his role in this- Marie Antoinette gave birth to her first child, a daughter, in 1778, and sons in 1781 and 1785. By most accounts, she was a devoted mother.  Paintings of the family stressed her domestic role. Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution After the Bastille was stormed on July 14, 1789, the queen urged the king to resist the Assemblys reforms, making her even more unpopular and leading to the unproven attribution to her of the remark, Quils mangent de la brioche!- often translated as Let them eat cake! The phrase was actually first seen in print in Jean-Jacques Rousseaus The Confessions, written before Marie Antoinette was queen. In October 1789, the royal couple was forced to move from Versailles to Paris. Two years later, the attempted escape of the royal couple from Paris was stopped at Varennes on October 21, 1791. This failed escape was reportedly planned by Marie Antoinette. Imprisoned with the king, Marie Antoinette continued to plot. She hoped for foreign intervention to end the revolution and free the royal family. She urged her brother, the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, to intervene, and she supported a French declaration of war against Austria in April 1792, which she hoped would result in the defeat of France. Her unpopularity helped lead to the overthrow of the monarchy when Parisians stormed the Tuileries Palace on August 10, 1792, followed by the establishment of the First French Republic in September. The family was imprisoned in the Temple on August 13, 1792, and moved to the Conciergerie on August 1, 1793. The family made several attempts to escape, but all failed. Death Louis XVI was executed in January 1793, and Marie Antoinette was executed by the guillotine on October 16 of that year. She was charged with aiding the enemy and inciting civil war. Legacy The role Marie Antoinette played in French governmental affairs, both domestic and foreign, was likely greatly exaggerated. She was particularly disappointing to her brother, the Holy Roman Emperor, for her inability to further Austrian interests in France. Her lavish spending, furthermore, did not significantly contribute to Frances economic troubles before the revolution. Marie Antoinette, however, remains an enduring symbol, around the world and across history, of the extravagance of monarchy and aristocracy- against which revolutionaries define their ideals. Sources Castelot, Andrà ©. Queen of France: A Biography of Marie Antoinette. Harper Collins, 1957.Fraser, Antonia.  Marie Antoinette: The Journey. Anchor Books, 2001.Thomas, Chantal The Wicked Queen: The Origins of the Myth of Marie-Antoinette. Zone Books, 1999.

Fashion and style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fashion and style - Essay Example The essay "Fashion and style" talks about fashion and different styles. Women began to use dresses to express their identity. â€Å"Fashion and style may be regarded as expressive or oppressive, but nobody could argue that fashion reflects expression of woman’s identity, creativity and sensuality, and is connected to a sense of personality on the levels of class and gender†. (The Fashion Plate and the Rise of Consumer Culture) This fashion had features of modern urban culture, which percolated into the contemporary fashion magazines. They focused on brightness, sophistication, metropolitan culture and commerce. There were some famous UK magazines that represented a French world of haute couture - The London and Paris Ladies’ Magazine of Fashion, Le Follet and The World of Fashion. The women’s clothing in the early nineteenth century is the reflection of their persistent watch over their own public identities, and that of other women. Because clothing and a dornment has always been a means of identifying tribe, status and awareness, it is not surprising to discover fashion emerged as a dominant force within the city. â€Å"A whole range of exciting yarns, new fashion fabrics, protective materials and engineered fabrics became widely available after 1960. New materials and fabric finishing techniques are at first exclusive and expensive. Initially, they are offered to the world of haute couture. A couple of years later they filter to the mass market†. In addition, women had more need to present themselves.... se the areas in which women can take up public residence, but, while this led to increased interaction and increased pressure for women's rights, this does not necessarily mean women were quick to accept each other or other classes.With the addition of more women to the workforce who had some degree of control over the money they earned, retailers began to recognize a tremendous new market. During the last part of the nineteenth century women were targeted for successful development of consumerism. Accordingly, pictures in fashion magazines either for advertising purposes or images were as the prototype of a show window. The models on these pictures never looked into the eyes of the reader, representing a feeling of superiority, and expressed sexuality, modesty and self-consciousness at the same time. (Brewer) Development of department stores in the 70s and 80s provided women an escape from their dull living of housewives, and in the 90s the process of shopping was "sexualized". All this was complemented throughout with various genres of advertising. These tendencies in marketing and advertising flourished in the modern world. Myra Macdonald notes in her book "Representing Women: Myths of Femininity in the Popular Media": "As evidence grew in the early decades of the twentieth century that the developing arts of retailing and advertising were attracting a predominantly female clientele, marketers and advertisers became significant definers of twentieth century women's desires and aspirations. " (p. 180) Women as potential consumers are studied now with the help of numerous market researches and surveys. The power of consumer decision-making is changing, and advertising now describes a woman as the person who decides how to spend her money on herself and her family.

Case Study Ethical Practice Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Study Ethical Practice Paper - Essay Example Social therapists and medical practitioners often face the predicament of having to make critical decisions in their experiential practice. Critical scenarios that pit the practitioner's decision making procedures and systems with other factors extrinsic to the logic of the medical and psychological therapy practice often culminate in ethical dilemmas. This paper presents a case study of one such case featuring an ethical dilemma setting characterised by the dissonance between my socio-cultural values and the subject's predicament. The exploration of the ethical dilemma will take the form of a case study. A case study is naturally a qualitative study. A phenomenological study is "the type of research that examines the human experience (Beauchamp, T, & Childress, J, 1983, pp 43). The emphasis is on "experience and interpretation" (Neil T. Anderson 1998). Parton N (1998) continues "In the conduct of a phenomenological study, the focus would be on the essence or structure of an experience (phenomenon)". As such the case study model is perceived to be an ideal study model to meet the core objectives of this paper which entail illuminating the dynamics of an ethical dilemma scenario in a social therapy professional practice setting. The anticipated scenario culminating in dilemma i... The crux of the scenario stems from the fact that I'm strongly against abortion and the client is very dependent on me as her close associate. What characterizes the ethical dilemma is that I need to spell out my values on abortion to her yet for objectivity reasons I must refer her to some one who can take a neutral stand on the issue and yet she views me as her anchor in the predicament that she is facing. Systems Theory Application The featured scenario has entailed the application of the Systems Social Therapy Theory by a practitioner dealing with substance abuse related case. The core tenet and perspective of the Systems Approach; in close relation to the subject of depression related social therapy dwells on that the problem has to be placed within the broader precincts of the factors (social, political, economic, etc) that characterise the environment of the affected individual. The practical application of the model employs among other aspects the thrust of bolstering the subject's morale and self-concepts and recommending perceived solutions and remedies for the client. The external factors surrounding the subject/client are identified and used to map a framework that constitutes the source of the individual's problems culminating in substance abuse. This perspective argues for the interventions that will focus on reducing the environmental and extrinsic stresses and pressures that push people to making certain decisions that may not suffice for the curtailing of ensuing problems and for the objective of coping with external forces. The systems approach strives for the contextualization of the subject's problems within the broader precincts of