The Importance of Manufacturing Industry in Malaysia

1. Discuss the importance of manufacturing industry in Malaysia. com/chapter-practice/">Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale. Such finished goods may be used for manufacturing other, more complex products, such as household appliances, automobiles or sold town whole sellers, who in turn sell them to retailers, who then sell them to end users – the â€Å"consumers†.Manufacturing takes turn under all types of economic systems. In a free market economy, manufacturing is usually directed toward the mass production of products for sale to consumers at a profit. In a collectivist economy, manufacturing is more frequently directed by the state to supply a centrally planned economy. In mixed market economies, manufacturing occurs under some degree of government regulation. Modern manufacturing includes all intermediate processes required for the production and integration of a product’s components. Some industries such as semiconductor and steel manufacturer use the term fabrication instead.The manufacturing sector is closely connected with engineering and industrial design. Examples of major manufacturers in Malaysia include Proton, PETRONAS and Palm Oil industry. Recently, manufacturing industries in Malaysia grow very rapidly if compared to previous decades. With the rapidly grow of manufacturing industries, the government has to play its role in order to ensure every aspects of current trading policies and regulatory to be obeyed. Other than that, this will ensure that the current trading and manufacturing environment in Malaysia to be peaceful yet globally competitive.To start with, manufacturing sector in Malaysia contributes almost 80% of overall country’s export and besides, Malaysia a lso known as the 17 largest exporting nations in the world. For that reason, Malaysia’s government has to work hard in order to maintain, preserve and enhance our manufacturing sector. It is stated that products manufactured in Malaysia are accepted in developed countries such as US, EU and Japan. This shows that our manufacturing sector already achieved a level that can be proud of. As we all know, Malaysia also known for its agro-based sector.In Malaysia, some commercial-based plants are heavily grown and these plants are harvested to produce some kinds of raw materials such as palm oils, rubber, timber, rice and fiber. Unfortunately, the income that can be generated from agro-based sector is not really huge compared to manufacturing sector. For that reason, with the availability of the manufacturing sector, Malaysia does not need to rely on the agro-based sector only. Furthermore, manufacturing sector can help in boosting the development of agro-based sector by offering th e capabilities of some downstream activities such as product processing, packaging and distributing.These activities are useful in order to turn the raw material (palm oil, rubber, rice) into finished product or half-finished product. Besides, the manufacturing sector can assist in the utilization and development of R&D and ICT adoption for business and manufacturing purposes. Along the way, ICT adoption can lead to the wider usage of electronic commerce for business to business. Other than that, ICT will facilitate the utilization of RFID and product coding standards. In the education aspects, the development in manufacturing sector can help to boost Malaysia’s education sector.Manufacturing sector has the capability to offer and provide the working experience, industrial training and actual case study for education and other government sectors in Malaysia. As a matter of fact, undergraduate and postgraduate students in Malaysia can take these chances to get some exposur e of working in manufacturing sector in Malaysia. Besides, a lot of researches can be conducted in order to solve industrial problems and this can lead to the occurrence of technology transfer and the discovery of new knowledge.Despite that, Malaysia is one of the Islamic country and other than that, Malaysia also does a lot of active collaboration between other countries. Malaysia can be the â€Å"door† for other countries such as developed countries to do collaboration with other Islamic nations. In the same way, many Islamic countries have the ability to offer lower manufacturing costs especially the raw material, labor charge and business capital. From the collaboration with developed countries, the Islamic countries can enhance their economy conditions and receiving technology transfer.In Malaysia’s manufacturing sector there is no end for continuous development efforts. In order to achieve the competitiveness level and innovative capability that up to the global standard, the manufacturing sector is doing its best. For example, Malaysia is doing collaboration with Australia via Free Trade Agreement (FTA). By implementing FTA, Malaysia is trying to achieve and put herself the global manufacturing environment. Along with that, Malaysia will be a country that manages to produce a higher-tech, higher-value added and more sophisticated products and services.Similarly, joint-ventures and collaborations made with developed nations yield a lot of benefits. Next, Malaysia can go to a higher level and respected globally. In addition, through joint-ventures and collaborations, Malaysia can obtain a flow of expertise that her really need and as well as valuable technology transfer. On the other side, Malaysia can also carry out some projects abroad with the developed countries expertise and material and labor from Malaysia. This will give credits to both parties. After a while, Malaysia can be proud to be known as a successful developed country.

Comparing and Contrast the Allegory of the Cave and the Matrix

Have you ever wondered whether, Plato, if he were alive in the 20 century, would he be a brilliant movie director, with productions that earned more than $400 million? Both Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of Cave† and Andy and Lana Wachowski’s movie â€Å"The Matrix† explore the abstruse question of perception of truth. What is truth, and how do we determine what is truth? â€Å"I know this steak doesn't exist. I know that when I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it is juicy and delicious. This quote from the Matrix vividly illustrates the truth that how people perceive is the way they think, their realization of the truth is due to the world in which they live. Different people may have different perceptions of knowledge, which leads them to a distinct understanding of truth. It is about personal experience seeking the truth, in the process to knowledge – an image does not accurately reflect reality that is the challenge for both Socr ates and Neo, the protagonist in the Matrix.Considering one day there is a chicken that has lived with ducks since he was born, and never seen other chicken. Will that chicken ever know he is a chicken, or even when he sees other chicken, does he know it is a chicken? The prisoners in the cave have been chained together and have been separated from the outside world since birth. Consequently, their perceptions of objects are based on the shadows of those things, shadows produced by firelight in the cave as true representations. The environment where they have lived creates a world basic on their perception of things.Like Plato mentioned in the story: â€Å"To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images. † The prisoners form their own opinion about things they perceive as true representation. By comparison, people who live in the Matrix accept the buildings and the things around them as the truth. However, the truth they have been accepting is merely their opinion, but no necessarily an opinion formed through knowledge. â€Å"If real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then ‘real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain†.This quote identities are the result of opinions formed their brains. The tunnel in the Allegory of Cave and the red pill in The Matrix are the keys that open the door of knowledge for them. In the world of the Matrix, or the Cave, where everyone accepts objects as the truth, and real, like the shadows on the wall of the cave, this is a way to realize truth, to decide to walk through the tunnel and to pick a red pill, is a choice to enter a world of knowledge. As it is mentioned in the Matrix, â€Å"You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. † In both the story and the movie, everyone is so c lose to knowledge of the truth that they just need to put their foot across the threshold; nevertheless, it is the hardest step to enter door in their mind. It is a leap of faith into the unknown. â€Å"And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him? This quote amply illustrates that everything is decided in their mind, it is their choice, and although Socrates and Neo suffer some physical discomfort in making the journey, they are now in the world of knowledge, the world of real truth. The profound brilliance of the sun can provide another source of discomfort, it cannot be seen directly through human eyes due to the intensity of the power it emits. Similarly, Socrates and Neo experience some physical suffering, such as, pain in their eyes and muscle problems while witnessing at true light for the first time. Why does my muscle hurt? Because you never used it. † This conversation dramatizes the difficulty faced by people as they make the transition from the limited world they know to the real world. The process of accepting and being able to â€Å"see† the real world is arduous; and comes about as a result of enormous changing in their belief and challenging knowledge of what they have long accepted. Knowledge is a concept that many philosophers, over thousands of years, strive to experience.Knowledge can be extremely powerful, but it can be illusive as well; however, once into the world of knowledge, people can distinguish the real truth from what they help as true. â€Å"And the first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦,Last of he will be able to see the sun,†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ and he will contemplate him as he is. † Plato believed that, as long as there is a gradual process of adapting to the light, Socrates will be available adjust, and to see through the essence of things.In Plato’s Allegory of Cave, Socrates is fully aware of the truth after a process of adjusting to the light of real world, and then he returns to the cave and tries to teach to the others, the truth he has discovered. â€Å"Men would say of him that up he went and down†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ and they would put him to death. † In spite of his efforts, the chained prisoners reject the real world due to the pain that is brought to them by the lights, they prefer to maintain the illusion of the images they saw as truer representations than the objects in the real world. Similarly, Cypher, the character in the Matrix, has been freed to see the real world.Unlike people who accept the truth and try to fight the agents in the Matrix, Cypher wants to go back to Matrix without knowing anything about real world. â€Å"The Matrix isn't real. I disagree, Trini ty. I think that the Matrix can be more real than this world. † People who free themselves may not perceive reality, like Cypher, he chooses go back to the Matrix because there is less suffering than in the real world. The same as the prisoners in Plato’s story, they would rather accept the illusion they see as truth, than go to the real world due to the pain it brings to them.Knowledge is the place where people want to be but may not necessarily be able to be in there. Even for people in the world of truth, the real world, who may also be bogged down in their search for truth, as apart from what they accepted before; this takes people’s mind to accept the changes from the previous knowledge held. In the Matrix, Neo does not confirm the truth in the real world where he is, until he accepts the training offered by Morpheus. Moreover, near the end of the movie, he makes the simple statement: â€Å"My name†¦is Neo! in which he accepts himself in the real world instead of the name, Thomas Anderson, used in the Matrix – a world build by computer programs. In comparison to the Allegory of the Cave, Socrates accepts the truth after he adapts to the real world and sees things clearly in the real world. As it is mentioned in the story â€Å"Last he will be able to see the sun†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦; and he will contemplate him as he is† No one can enlighten anyone else toward the world of knowledge, people have to enlighten themselves in their own minds.What is truth? The truth itself is a personal definition and realization of things in the world around us. Truth is a concept that seeks deeply to be defined in people’s minds; everyone has their subjective opinion of what truth it is. In both the story and the movie, some people realize the real truth but others do not; there is no right or wrong, just different view toward knowledge. Even now, the truth that people are accepting is not truth; even truth itself may not be truth.

Save the Earth

Driving a car is the most air polluting act an average citizen commits. Air pollution is not a good idea for a variety of reasons, large and small. The right ideas for remediation of environmental degradations involve unselfish and compassionate behavior, a scarce commodity. The right ideas involve long-term planning, conservation and a deep commitment to preserving the natural world. Without a healthy natural environment, there will be few or no healthy humans. To understand air pollution you can consider a simple schematic that divides a big problem into components. 1. Local effects -e. g. poisoning humans breathing bad air. 2. Regional effects – fallout from airborne pathogens – infections, particles, chemicals. 3. Global effects – changing interactions between the atmosphere and sun, weather effects, effects on plants and oceans. Developments in the media made â€Å"green† the slogan for action to limit the adverse effects of air pollution. The media often suggested that this is a relatively new consensus that there is an environmental crisis. They excused people who have ignored the effect of greenhouse gases on climates over the past 40 years. Some know what is really going on out there, but most people do not know or know but deny the obvious for selfish reasons. Green refers to the color of chlorophyll in plants. Chlorophyll is the basis of photosynthesis that allows plants to turn the sun's energy into life energy. Human action destroys plants and replaces healthy ecosystems with concrete and asphalt. Another slogan that emerged was â€Å"save planet earth. † Humans will not save the planet. The task for humans is to stop destroying the environments that sustain us. If we fail, the planet will do just fine without us. Save the Earth Driving a car is the most air polluting act an average citizen commits. Air pollution is not a good idea for a variety of reasons, large and small. The right ideas for remediation of environmental degradations involve unselfish and compassionate behavior, a scarce commodity. The right ideas involve long-term planning, conservation and a deep commitment to preserving the natural world. Without a healthy natural environment, there will be few or no healthy humans. To understand air pollution you can consider a simple schematic that divides a big problem into components. 1. Local effects -e. g. poisoning humans breathing bad air. 2. Regional effects – fallout from airborne pathogens – infections, particles, chemicals. 3. Global effects – changing interactions between the atmosphere and sun, weather effects, effects on plants and oceans. Developments in the media made â€Å"green† the slogan for action to limit the adverse effects of air pollution. The media often suggested that this is a relatively new consensus that there is an environmental crisis. They excused people who have ignored the effect of greenhouse gases on climates over the past 40 years. Some know what is really going on out there, but most people do not know or know but deny the obvious for selfish reasons. Green refers to the color of chlorophyll in plants. Chlorophyll is the basis of photosynthesis that allows plants to turn the sun's energy into life energy. Human action destroys plants and replaces healthy ecosystems with concrete and asphalt. Another slogan that emerged was â€Å"save planet earth. † Humans will not save the planet. The task for humans is to stop destroying the environments that sustain us. If we fail, the planet will do just fine without us.

Life Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Life Science - Essay Example Such constraints directly influence their life history stage, genetic diversity, reduced gene flow, poor genetic drift, deprived genetic multiplicity of breeding, inadequate space, thereby making the population inactive. Vast space is required for the appropriate mobility as well as to establish connectivity for the perseverance of population. Human activities not only restrict the mobility and connectivity of trouts population but also create barriers. Human deeds fragment touts habitat, eventually, causing loss of trouts population. Invasion of non-native salmonids generates potential danger too. Restricted space condenses demographic and stochastic destruction hazards. Efforts to protect and restore trouts population are being performed, but appropriate study is highly essential to protect trouts population. Some conservation methods have been proposed but fortification is required at the water shed level and catchments such as streams. Conservation measures for the protection of trouts population must be taken seriously in order to preserve their natural habitat, allowing them to move freely, minimizing fragmentation of their habitat and allowing them to have genetic

The exact meaning of Europe is ambiguous and it is not possible to Essay

The exact meaning of Europe is ambiguous and it is not possible to accurately define it. Do you agree - Essay Example In Chinese, Europe is referred to as Ouzhu- which is a derivative of the word Europa. Furthermore, the continent has also been referred to as Frengistan (land of the Franks) by the Turkish civilization. Many other languages have referred to the region in similar context, but there has not been any single undisputed explanation of the meaning of the term Europe that is used for the continent (Malmborg, 2002). Studies related to history and politics have been the source of many co mbnnclusive reforms and facts for the development of thought and academia. However, in the discussions and origins of political terms and slogans, there have been many inconclusive debates due to an absence of a factual historical dictionary. Since there has been an absence of this etymological record in the form of a dictionary, any factual brief on many political terms and slogans has been hard to find. Moreover, any research that may be taken up would in turn be significantly time consuming and may never have a conclusive statement of their backgrounds (Boer, 1995). The lack in the research material and weak records of terms and their origins, has made the structured method of investigation in political expressions and education and development of ideas weak and the theories challengeable. Many revered literary works in the field relating to philological dictionaries, especially referred for the European languages, have not been of much help either in any conclusive remarks on these political terms and semantics (Boer, 1995). The main reason for this to happen is that most of the literary research ahs been the work of the esteemed scholars and critics has been entirely focused and centred on philology and literature. Hence, there has not been much concentration and attention on works related on political semantics and historical slogans. Furthermore, the links in these works present and developed internationally along with the different views

Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reporting - Essay Example k Theory (ANT) purification process with its findings based on themes such as, human and non-human actors, events and technological and regulatory initiatives (Law 1-21). The main agenda of implementing this process is to understand mobilization activities, chain of relations, conflicts and resistance, which determined integrating reporting journey of Australia. The research was undertaken with the objective to determine impact of events and manifestations on sustainability reporting and emergence of integrated reporting. The author has collected necessary data through documentation review, semi-structured reflective interviews and participant observation method (Patricia). Another qualitative approach has been included by the author that is the netnographical approach. In this research, qualitative data analysis was undertaken using Nvivo 9 research software by uploading all interview transcription in the software. The report findings present four key factors that influenced evolution of integrated reporting, namely, critical events, actors, technologies and regulatory initiatives (Richards 16). The introductory section briefly discusses factors that influenced emergence of integrated reporting in Australia. It discusses advances in reporting field because of purification processes, before introduction of International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC). The factor that motivated the author to commit to this research was to understand the shift from sustainability reporting to integrated reporting. The author demonstrated that sustainability reporting method has been in practice for quite some time and an important fact about it is that is a catalyst of Actor Network theory that has influenced evolution of integrated reporting. The social environment accounting study by Mathews (1997), along with contribution of other sustainability researchers such as, Buhr (2007), Gray (2001) and Milne and Gray (2007), show developments made in sustainability accounting

Wegmans culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Wegmans culture - Essay Example As culture determines the way of life existent within in a society, it also serves to determine the methods under which daily operations are carried out in any given company around the world, no matter how big or small they may be. In order to illustrate this important principle, this paper will take a look at the Wegmans corporation. The companies mission, values, and corporate culture will be analyzed and explained. Wegmans dates way back to 1916, when John Wegman opened the Fruit and Vegetable company in Rochester, New York. With his brother joining him a year later, this was truly a family oriented business that has withstood the test of time. The company has a long and proud history trough the Northeastern United States, as stores have been opened throughout New York State, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, among others. Entering into the 21st Century, Wegmans had risen to the level of being recognized as one of the top 100 best companies to work for in the United States, demonstrating their commitment to treeing all employees like members of the family (Wegmans 2013). Most notably, Wegmans is noted to be a regional supermarket chain in the United States, and has become one of the largest private companies in all of America. From its inception, the management of the corporation has focused on creating a supermarket that is known to provide an enhanced shopping experience when compared to competitors. They do this by striving to provide better quality good, with an abundance of different choices for the consumer, and by making available truly restaurant quality prepared food that shoppers can take home to their families. In addition, all stores are kept beautiful and modern, employees receive tremendous training in corporate culture in order to provide ready and knowledgeable assistance to all shoppers that come through the doors. While prices have

Warfare among tribal societies other topics surrounding warfare, Research Paper

Warfare among tribal societies other topics surrounding warfare, conflict, or aggression - Research Paper Example Discussion Tribal Societies A tribe may be defined as a group of individuals in a barbarous or primitive developmental stage, claiming to have a common ancestor, and pledging their allegiance to a chief. A tribe may also be defined as a social group of individuals united in dialect, having affiliation to a territory, endogamous without specializing in functions, appreciating distance with other tribes and ruled by tribal chiefs (Harrow, 2005). A tribal society on the other hand may be defined as a way of life in such a way that individuals pursue their own activities as independent local communities. These communities are composed of clan and families without states or central governments. Members of tribal societies are related by their districts, to their neighbors according to Harrow, (2005). Smaller groups of tribal societies have their specific customs, local communities and languages and sometimes engage in conflicts with each other. It is for this very reason that anthropologi sts claim that such societies are not capable of defending themselves from outside forces. Majority of the tribal societies know how to deal with their environments and they have ensured their survival through organizing themselves along the lines of kinship and clans. The way the tribal society views and utilizes the environment is entirely based on the strong cultural ethos held by this tribal society (Rose, 2000). These tribal societies are prone to the pressure of nature. However, the pressure is minimized through the formation of clan systems. A clan is described as a group of family responsible for some of the aspects of the tribal life. Allegiance is offered to each of the tribe by the clan and the clan is responsible for some of the functions in the economy, society and religion. This type of diffused responsibility offers a broad-based insurance policy that ensures the survival of the tribe (Champagne, 1999). Cultures that are organized as large states have numerous cultura l concerns such as the emphasis on personal mobility, personal safety, personal freedom, individual effort and the material well-being (Rose, 2000). Chronic disputes are very common in most of the tribal societies but these disputes are usually directed externally. The normal survival of a tribal society was not very much threatened by internal conflict although within these small societies there was no clear definition between internal and external conflicts. These tribal societies lacked government and their form of rule was anarchic. They were also characterized by economic self sufficiency and self rule or freedom (Bodley, 2007). Internal order was well maintained although they lacked formal legal codes, formal political offices, and specialized law enforcement institutions. The maintenance of order by the tribal society is attributed to the cultural and social conditions. In the tribal societies, the individual self interests do not conflict with the interests of the entire soc iety. Theft, excessive conflict, hoarding of resources and the use of force in the tribal society was detrimental and lacked logic because everyone depended on each others’ cooperation and mutual trust. Other than stability and ecological success, the interests of the tribal societies have as maintained the population equilibrium. Conflicts in a low-density tribal society were minimized by extreme flexibility of the group

To what extent has Coalition Government affected the role and Essay - 3

To what extent has Coalition Government affected the role and functions of Prime Minister and Cabinet - Essay Example the Liberal Democrats and David Cameron’s Conservatives has been faced with different challenging administrative issues as compared to single-party governments that came before them. Issues of Cabinet Collective Responsibility, Individual Ministerial Responsibility, Cabinet Committees, and the Sofa Government have mostly changed the way former Prime Ministers have led a single-party government. Collective responsibility at the level of cabinet involves taking a common stand and owning up whenever a no confidence vote is passed by legislators to facilitate an en-masse resignation over government incompetence (Palmer, 2011). What follows normally is the formation of a new administration, or dissolution of parliament to pave way for a general election (Debus, 2011). In the UK, the principle is applicable to all government officials, from cabinet secretaries to lower ranking members of the executive including Parliamentary Private Secretaries (Martin, 2013). Whereas in a single-party government the doctrine may be suspended to facilitate a no-holds-barred debate on key policy issues affecting the public, a Prime Minister under a coalition government tend to be intolerant to dissenting opinion for fear that it could degenerate into a split in and an eventual collapse of government (Bawn, & Somer-Topcu, 2012). Paun (2011) suggests that even though collective responsibility was suspended in Britain in the 1930s debate about the implementation of protective taxation policies; and again in 1975 following the debate on whether the country should continue to serve in the European Economic Community, single-party Prime Ministers tend to be more democratic than their coalition counterparts when it comes to implementing collective responsibility. The isolated cases of breach of collective responsibility in majority governments and their lesser impacts could have informed Prime Minister Tony Blair’s decision in 2003 to permit Clare Short to continue serving in government,

Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations Essay Why have the soldiers actually come to the Gargery house? – They are there to get a pair of 5. handcuffs fixed. 6. When the two convicts are found, what are they doing? – They are fighting. 7. What does the second convict claim the first convict tried to do to him? – He claims he tried to 7. murder him 8. How does Joe feel toward the first convict? – He is sympathetic; he doesn’t mind him eating the 8. pork pie if it meant he wouldn’t starve. 9. Who takes the blame for stealing the food from Mrs. Joe? – The first convict takes the blame. 10. Where are the convicts taken? – They are taken back to the prison ship. Great Expectations: Chapters 6 and 7 Questions 1. Why didnt Pip tell Joe the truth concerning the convict and the theft? – He was scared he’d lose 1. Joe’s trust. 2. What is probably the reason that Joe married Pips sister? – He probably married her to help 2. raise Pip. 3. What does Mr. Wopsles great-aunt run in the evenings? – She runs night school. 4. Even though Pip attends the evening school, who actually teaches Pip how to read and write? 4. Biddy teaches him how to read and write. 5. What does Pip find out about Joes education? – He finds out Joe never attended school. 6. What is the only word that Joe can read? – He can only read â€Å"Jo†. 7. Pip agrees to help Joe learn to read and write. Why must they keep it a secret from Mrs. Joe? 7. She may think Joe will want to rise and rebel against her. 8. What news do Uncle Pumblechook and Mrs. Joe bring home to Pip? – He says Miss Havisham 8. wants Pip to play at her house. 9. What does Miss Havisham ask Pip to come there to do? – She wants him to play there. 10. Who first takes Pip to Miss Havishams house? Mr. Pumblechook takes Pip first. Great Expectations: Chapters 8 and 9 Questions 1. What is the meaning of Satis? It means â€Å"Enough†. 2. At what time have all the clocks in Miss Havishams house stopped? – They have stopped at 20 2. minutes to 9. 3. Who opens the gate to let Pip in at Miss Havishams? – Estella let’s Pip in. 4. What game does Pip play with Estella? Beggar my neighbor is the game they play. 5. How is Miss Havisham dressed? She is dressed in a fine, but aged bridal dress. 6. How does Estella hurt Pips feelings? – Estella is unkind to him and insults him. 7. Who does Pip imagine he sees hanging from a beam in the brewery? He imagines he sees Miss 7. Havisham hanging there. 8. Why does Pip lie to Mrs. Joe and Uncle Pumblechook about his day at Miss Havish ms? He 8. wouldn’t be believed, he didn’t understand everything there himself, and he didn’t want to talk 8. about it with Mrs. Joe. 9. Pip cannot lie to whom? – Pip can’t lie to Joe. 10. On what subject does Joe lecture Pip? – He lectures him about telling lies. Great Expectations: Chapters 10 and 11 Questions 1. What does the mysterious stranger at the Three Jolly Bargemen stir his drink with? He stirs it 1. with a file. 2. What does the stranger give to Pip? He gives Pip two pounds. 3. How does Estella treat Pip in these two chapters? She is very unkind and insulting. 4. What is the Three Jolly Bargemen? – It is a pub. 5. Who are the people waiting with Pip in the large room at Miss Havishams? – They are relatives 5. of Miss Havisham 6. On what occasion are these people visiting Miss Havisham? It is Miss Havisham’s birthday. 7. Describe what Pip sees on the bri dal table. – He saw a bridal cake (though he didn’t know at 7. first) covered with cobwebs. 8. Where does Miss Havisham want to be laid when she is dead? She wants to be laid on the 8. bridal table. . What does Miss Havisham ask Pip to do on this visit? She asks him to play cards again with 9. Estella. 10. What do Pip and the pale young gentleman do? They fight. Great Expectations: Chapters 12 and 13 Questions 1. What does Pip worry about before he returns to Miss Havishams? He worries about being 1. punished for fighting. 2. What do Miss Havisham and Pip do every visit? – Pip pushed her in her wheelchair around her 2. Room. 3. Why does Miss Havisham ask Pip to bring Joe to her house? She wants Pip to become Joe’s 3. apprentice. 4. What does apprenticeship mean? It means to be bound to master to learn a trade. 5. What does Miss Havisham pay Joe for Pips apprenticeship? She pays him 25 pounds. 6. How does Joe embarrass Pip at Miss Havishams? -He has a crude appearance and rough speech. 7. Who does Pip confide in? Pip confides in Biddy. 8. What does Miss Hav isham instruct Estella to do? She instructs her to â€Å"break their hearts†. 9. Who takes the credit for Pips apprenticeship? Mr. Pumblechook takes credit for it. 10. How does Pip feel about his apprenticeship to Joe? – Pip is disappointed in it. Great Expectations: Chapters 14 and 15 Questions 1. Why does Pip want to educate Joe? He wants to educate Joe so that â€Å"he might be worthier of 1. my society and less open to Estella’s reproach. † 2. What is the reason Pip gives Joe for wanting to return to Miss Havishams? –He says he wants to 2. thank Miss Havisham 3. What is the real reason he wants to return to Miss Havishams? He wishes to see Estella. 4. Who meets Pip at Miss Havishams gate? He meets Sarah Pocket. 5. Where is Estella? She is â€Å"Abroad†. 6. When does Miss Havisham invite Pip to return? She invites him to return on his birthday. 7. What is the name of Joes journeyman at the forge? The journeyman is Dolge Orlick. 8. Who causes the fight between Orlick and Joe? Mrs. Joe causes the fight. 9. Who joins Pip and Mr. Wopsle on their walk home? Orlick joins them. 10. What happens at home while Pip is in the village? – Mrs. Joe was attacked. Great Expectations: Chapters 16 and 17 Questions 1. What important piece of evidence w as left beside Mrs. Joes body? – A leg iron was next to her. 2. Mrs. Joe lives, but how is she afflicted? – She has brain damage and is unable to talk. 3. What does Mrs. Joe repeatedly draw on her slate? – She draws a T shape. 4. When Mrs. Joe draws this figure, who does she want to see? She wants to see Orlick. 5. What does the T represent? – It represents a hammer. 6. Who are the two people Pip suspects could be Mrs. Joes attacker? –Orlick or the strange man 6. he saw at the pub. 7. Who comes to live at the forge and cares for Mrs. Joe? –Biddy comes to live at the forge. 8. When Pip returns to see Miss Havisham on his birthday, what does she give him? – He is given a 8. guinea 9. Who does Pip confide in that he wants to be a gentleman? – He tells Biddy. 10. What is the reason that Pip wants to be a gentleman? – He says he is unhappy with his place in 10. life Great Expectations: Chapter 18 and 19 Questions 1. Who informs Pip that he has Great Expectations? – Pip is informed by Mr. Jaggers. 2. What are the three stipulations of the inheritance? – He will be raised as a gentleman, cannot 2. know the identity of the person giving him his fortune, and his acceptance of the other conditions. 3. Who is to be Pips guardian while he is in London? – Mr. Jaggers is to be Pip’s guardian. 4. Who is to be Pips tutor while he is in London? – Pip’s tutor is to be Matthew Pocket. 5. When Mr. Jaggers offers Joe money to compensate for the loss of Pips services, what does the blacksmith do? Joe declines it. 6. Who does Pip believe is his benefactor? –He believes it is Miss Havisham. 7. Why does Pip visit Mr. Trabb, the tailor? – He visits Mr. Trabb to get a suit for London. 8. How does the reader know that Biddy understands Joe better than Pip does? – She asks Pip if he 8. ever consider that Jo e may be proud when he asks her to help Joe. 9. How has the behavior of Mr. Pumblechook and Mr. Trabb changed toward Pip? – They treat him 9. considerably better. 10. Where is Pip going at the end of Chapter 19? – He is going to London. Great Expectations: Chapters 20 and 21 Questions 1. What is the name of Mr. Jaggers clerk? – Mr. Wemmick is Mr. Jaggers clerk. 2. What is the name of the pale young gentleman? – The gentleman’s name is Herbert. 3. What is Pips impression of London? – He sees it as ugly, crooked, and dirty. 4. What is the name of the inn where Pip is to live? –He is to live at Barnard’s Inn. 5. What does Mr. Jaggers give to Pip? – He gives Pip’s his allowance. 6. Who walks Pip to Barnards Inn? – Mr. Wemmick walks Pip to the inn. 7. What kind of lawyer is Mr. Jaggers? – He is a criminal defense lawyer. 8. Where have Pip and Herbert Pocket met before now? – They met at the Satis House’s garden, 8. here they fought 9. What is Pips impression of Mr. Jaggers? – He is a frightening person. 10. What is the name of the prison located near Mr. Jaggers office? – It is called Newgate Prison. Great Expectations: Chapters 22 and 23 Questions 1. How does Herbert feel about Estella? – He is also attracted to her, but also knows about her 1. true character. 2. What name does Herbert give to Pip? –He names him Handel. 3. Why is Pip named Handel? – He names him after Handel’s The Harmonious Blacksmith. 4. What is one of the first lessons Herbert teaches Pip? – He teaches him table manners. 1. What relation is Estella to Miss Havisham? – Miss Havisham adopted her. 2. Does Miss Havisham have any brothers or sisters? – She has a half-brother. 3. Who did Mr. Havisham leave his vast fortune to after his death? – He left his fortune to Miss 3. Havisham’s fiance 4. What two men conspired to swindle Miss Havisham out of her money? – Her half-brother and 4. her fiance. 5. Which character is obsessed with peerage, titles, and nobility? – Mrs. Pocket is obsessed with 5. peerage, titles, and nobility. 6. Who are the other two students living at Matthew Pockets home? – They are Bentley Drummle 6. nd Startop. Great Expectations: Chapters 24 and 25 Questions 1. When Pip is invited to Mr. Jaggers home, who does Wemmick want Pip to notice? Does Pip go to see Joe, Biddy, and his sister while he is in town? –Pip doesn’t visit them. 3. Who rides on the coach with Pip? – Two convicts ride with Pip. 4. What does Pip overhear the convicts discussing? –How the convict Pip helped asked him to 4. deliver money to Pip. 5. When Pip arrives in his village, who does he find has taken all the credit for his good fortune? 5. He finds Mr. Pumblechook has taken all the credit. 6. Who admits Pip into Miss Havishams gate and is now working for her? –Orlick now works for 6. her. 7. How has Estella changed since the last time Pip saw her? Pip describes her as a ravishing young 7. woman. 8. What does Miss Havisham tell Pip to do to Estella? –She tell Pip to love her. 9. How does Pip recognize Estella when he first arrives? –Pip recognizes her by her eyes.

The London Ambulance Service Computer Information Technology Essay

The London Ambulance Service Computer Information Technology Essay This paper will analyze one of the most prominent computerized system failures in the past 10 years- the failure of the London Ambulance Service Computer Aided Dispatch system-hereafter referred to as LASCAD. Unlike the common one dimensional explanations for system failure that view Information systems as mainly a neutral technical artifact ( Klein and Hirscheim, 1987), this paper will attempt to explore the more multi-faceted nature of systems failure which is closer to the reality that system exist in. This analysis will be anchored in the concepts of holism and emergent properties as described by Francis and Roland Bee (2005), Managing Information and Statistics, 2005, whereby the approach taken to analysis emphasizes the system relationships and processes and results of its interactions. References will be made to existing frameworks used to investigate system failure in particular the Sauer model Sauer (1993). Details of the description of the system and the failure will be dra wn mainly from a paper on Information System failure and risk Assessment by Paul Beynon Davis (Computer studies technical report University of Glamorgan, 1994b).From this investigation existing methods of preventing or solving software systems failure will be explored in the context of the LASCAD system to look into recommendations and lessons learnt to prevent such failures .This will particularly focus on risk handling as proposed by B.W Boehm ( 1991) and the Goal Question Metrics by Solingen and E. Berghout (1999). Summary of the LASCAD System Failure Case Study The LASCAD system was a computer aided ambulance dispatch system established at the head quarters of the London Ambulance Service. According to Page et al (1993), the expected functions of the system are described below: Call taking: Acceptance of calls and incident details Resource Identification: Particularly which ambulance to send to an incident Resource Mobilization: Communicating details of an incident to the appropriate ambulance Resource Management: The positioning of suitably equipped and staffed vehicles to minimize response times Management Information: This involves the collation information to assess performance, resource management and planning. This system was supposed to solve the problems related to manual dispatch systems including time consuming and error prone identification of the precise incident location, paperwork and maintenance of current vehicle status information. The LASCAD system objective was to automate these manual human intensive tasks by using an events based and ruled based approach and integrating a Geographical Information System (GIS) to provide location details. In this system the callers, incident and patient details would be recorded and transmitted to the dispatchers. Through the use of radio signals and GIS the system is able to determine the ambulance nearest to the patient. After dispatch the ambulance crew was expected to acknowledge the dispatch message and the system would then detect whether the ambulance was headed in the right direction. Finally the system would alert the controller on the ambulances arrival to the scene, hospital and when it becomes free again. Figure1: LASCAD flow chart (Paul Beynon Davis, 1994) This explanation of expectations of the systems functionality is pretty linear and even simplistic but on closer examination one is able to construe the complexities that are involved in delivering such expectations. This will become more apparent in the following section highlighting the system failure and later on the events leading to the failure. Between 26th and 27th October 1992 (Paul Beynon Davis, 1994), the system started to fail. It was reported that as a result of a flood of emergency calls bogged down the system and this resulted in erratic behavior of the system involving calls being wiped off the screen and automatic alerts indicating unacknowledged calls to ambulances. According to the Guardian newspaper, 1992, it was claimed that 20-30 people may have lost their lives due to ambulance delays. Indeed the impact of this failure was tremendous and as expected triggered various responses as to what was the cause of the failure. According to Donaldson and Jenkins (2000) in their paper on System Failures: An Approach to understanding what can go wrong, the causes of system failure are complex and interact with each other and in some cases a single factor may single out the problem while in others a combination of many small and apparently insignificant factors are to blame. This merely says that it is difficult to analyze causes of systems failure which would only be closely understood through multi cause analysis stemming from the soft systems methodology. It also becomes apparent that everything is not always as it seems, a good example is the Arriane V rocket (ESA Press release Nr 33-96-July 1996) which failed courtesy of its navigation software bein g inappropriate for the rockets design. This was not actually a software failure as may have been though in the outset but a problem with the overall incorrect assembly of the rocket. As it were the software performed to its specification. This is akin to expectation failure which Lyytinen and Hirscheim (1987) describe as the inability of an IS system to meet specific stakeholder groups expectations, they signify a gap between an existing situation and a desired situation for members of a particular stakeholder group. This is further enhanced by Donaldson and Jenkins (2000) system failure analysis detailing high public expectancy of computer technology, Fashion/popularity of systems obscuring its basic objectives and the varying stakeholder interests creating different perceptions of the system. Analysis of the LASCAD System failure Following the above outline of the system failure and prelude of expected challenges in analyzing system failure this section will attempt to shed detailed insight into the failure. The analysis will follow Sauerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s model (Sauer, 1993), of investigating system failure which is based on a triangle of dependencies between: Project organization Information system Supporters The multi-faceted nature of systems failure alluded to in the introduction would mean that even this triangle is not a closed system but is affected by other contextual factors of which according to Sauer consists of cognitive limits-(e.g. limits of communication), technical process-( constraints from structured nature of computerized systems or development methodology), environment-(constraints by customers, suppliers, competitors, regulators), Politics, internal project structure and history associated with previous information system projects. Project organization In light of the LASCAD project failure the project organization from inception is very wanting. Firstly following a public inquiry report on the failure (Page et al, 1993), it is claimed that the London Ambulance Service (LAS) management put price before quality and committed to an over ambitious project timetable. This was evidenced by the selection of a supplier who has no experience in building ambulance dispatch systems but had significantly underbid a more established supplier. This was made worse by the management putting the supplier under immense pressure to deliver the system quickly. Secondly the project management team did not follow the PRINCE (Projects in Controlled Environments) project management method prescribed for public sector projects. Thirdly it was found that the system was incomplete and unstable and particularly the emergency backup system was untested. This was further compounded by inconsistent and incomplete user training. Information system In terms of the information system dimension the report of the public inquiry (Page et al, 1993) suggests that the failure was not a result of technical issues since on overall the system did what it was designed to do. It goes further to explain that at the onset the loads on the system were light and the control staff could easily cope with various problems associated with ambulance crews pressing wrong buttons, radio black spots, communication hand-shaking problems etc. When these incidents increased incorrect vehicle location and status information received by the controllers also increased resulting in the failure to cope with the load leading to fewer resources to allocate to incidents and subsequent delays in response times. Supporters/stakeholders As defined by Paul Beynon Davis (1995), supporters/stakeholders defined as people sharing a pool of values that define what the desirable features of an information system and how they should be obtained. The stakeholders have different views and expectations of the system of which such a mismatch in perceptions in this case contributed to the failure. This is depicted below: Figure 2: LASCAD system perceptions rich picture LAS Management: The London Ambulance Service (LAS) management viewed the system as a way to improve service to patients by putting in place mechanisms that would ensure objective and impartial resource mobilization through automation. The LAS management was also influenced by a past experience involving a failed computerized dispatch system project and pressure from organization-wide restructuring that put them under immense pressure to succeed Control room staff: The staff in the control room found the system to be too complicated and did not trust the motives behind implementing a computerized system Ambulance staff: The ambulance crews were more comfortable with the radio call systems that they had been used to and did not have confidence in the new system as they did not see the need for it and found it too complicated Union: The staff union found that there were no requisite consultations done before making the decision to acquire the system and as such the already strained relationship between management and staff was worsened. Hardware and software suppliers: The system suppliers were not sure how to implement the system in the first place and this was compounded by tight deadlines from what they thought to be a disorganized client. Related to these perspectives are contextual factors concerning political environment courtesy of the overarching influence of the National Health Service (NHS) on the London Ambulance Service which is the LAS oversight body (Beynon-Davis 1994).The NHS is characterized by the lack of a unitary power structure and is made up of a network of different health organizations. The implication on a new information system is a very careful political balance in the impact the impact the system will have on the relationships in this network (Checkland and Scholes, 1990). As posit by page et al, (1993), the LASCAD project was greatly affected by internal tensions in within the NHS which had commissioned major reforms in the London Ambulance Service including restructuring that resulted in the reduction of middle management from 263 to 53. It is clear that this resulted in strained relationships and an environment of mistrust and obtrusiveness when it came to any changes, which affected the LASCAD project. So far what is clear is the multifaceted nature of the failure that results from various causes of the failure that is common in computerized information systems, which Paul Beynon-Davis describe as web-like in nature. It has been reported that 92% of all system failures involved failures of technical interaction with cognitive /organizational factors (Mackenzie, 1994). This as it were it is essential to trace the true causes of the system failure. One way of doing this is through multi cause diagrams as mentioned in the section above or Petri nets which use state and event oriented graphs. The LASCAD project failure is depicted below using a multi cause diagram to explore the events and states on why the failure occurred: Figure 3: LASCAD system failure multi-cause diagram Ideas, Recommendations and Lessons Learned As expressed above using Sauerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s model (Sauer, 1993) of investigating system failure, the dependencies between the project organization, information system and its supporters have come out very clearly. Using the information system dimension the failure is not attributed to technical issues at all, which goes against common place failure attribution of computerized information systems. This begs the question, what constitutes a system failure? Lyytinen and Hirschein (1987) categorize system failure into four: Correspondence failure: There is a disjoint between the design objectives of the system and what is practically being met by the system. Process failure: This is characterized by runaway projects that either do not provide a workable system or overrun budgets and time. Interaction failure: This focuses on utilization of the system i.e. a highly utilized system is considered a success and one that is hardly used is a failure. Expectation failure: As stated earlier this is the inability of the system to meet a specific stakeholder groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s expectations. The LASCAD system falls into this category as it appears it did not meet various stakeholder group expectations. Donaldson and Jenkins (2000) talk about a 3 dimensional picture where a system totally fails, partially fails or temporarily goes down. In the case of LASCAD it is taken as a partial failure resulting from a number of flaws that are rectifiable and as such this is not a total failure. The rectification will mainly involve a reassessment of the entire project taking mainly focusing on the role of risk assessment. Risk is the probability of a negative outcome. Negative outcome is in essence a relative concept as Wilcocks and Margetts (1994) suggest the risk of a negative outcome only becomes a salient problem when the outcome is relevant to stakeholder concerns and interests. Different settings and stakeholders will see different outcomes as salient. The proposed framework to use in risk assessment follows Wilcocks and Margetts (1994) who put across the following categories to be used in analyzing the development, introduction and use of information systems, these are: History: Past experiences with information system development. Outer context: The environment in which the organization is operating e.g. economy, markets, government Inner context: The characteristics of the organization e.g. structure, strategy Content: For example project size and difficulty Processes: For example project management and staffing Outcomes: Planned and anticipated results. The proposed risk assessment framework would be implemented through out the development, introduction and use of information systems. This will be used to complement an overarching software management methodology such as the Goal Question Metrics (GQM) mentioned in the introduction and the Capability Maturity Model which outline good practices in project management to ensure project success. In the context of LASCAD the GQM will particularly address the aforementioned failure characteristics in the analysis section through the following stages in development: Setting specific goals in light of purpose perspective and environment Refine goals into quantifiable easy to understand questions Derive requisite metrics and data to answer the questions There are various methods that can be used in preventing or solving computerized system failure the Capability maturity model and Goal Question Metrics mentioned above are by no means exhaustive nor are they prescriptive. Organizations are different contextually and individual projects also vary in size and complexity and as such would require approaches the methodologies to be customized and scaled for specific organizations and projects. The Capability Maturity model is a prime example that targets improvement in software processes toward a specific target- maturity level that the organization is working toward. On the other hand there is need to put emphasis on risk management outside of the one dimensional technical orientation to encompass the complexities of computerized systems as seen through the lens of Wilcocks and Margetts (1994) risk management framework. Conclusion: The LASCAD system is a good example that portrays the reality of the complex and multi-faceted nature of systems failure. The different perspectives of the system and congruent expectations make even the very definition of the failure unclear. This particular case highlighted the political and social causes of the failure, what has been described as contextual factors. References to various frameworks have been made in the analysis of the failure -Lyytinen and Hirscheim (1987), particularly expectation failure and dependencies in the 3 dimensional Sauerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s model (Sauer, 1993). The failure analysis provided the distillation of the system failure characteristics which describe the true causes of the failure. This was done using rich pictures to accommodate varying perceptions and expectations and multi cause diagrams to explore the various causes of the failure. Lessons learnt and future remediation of systems failure is centered on risk management and project methodologies ensuring good practice in the development, introduction and use of information systems. As recommended in this paper these should take into consideration contextual/ organizational issues apart from technical aspects of the system.

The Definitions and Arguments of Literacy :: Technology Literary Works Essays

The word â€Å"literacy† conveys different meanings to different people. Some people may accept a single definition, while others may develop complex, multi-faceted meanings of the word. This essay explores a broad range of literary definitions, arguments and statistics to convey a clearer picture of how people embrace literacy. Throughout this essay, we will focus on three sources: the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently published â€Å"Reading at Risk† report, and two pieces by Nancy Kaplan, Professor and Director of the University of Baltimore’s School of Information Arts and Technologies. The â€Å"Reading at Risk† report published in June 2004, proclaims the findings of a Census Bureau survey performed in 2002. Survey participants were asked questions over the telephone about their reading habits, participation in civic activities, TV watching and the like. The NEA holds that a gradual decline in reading over the past twenty years has occurred. Even more recently, they claim that a 10% decline has occurred within the past 14 years suggesting a more rapid decline in the years to come (NEA, 2004). According to this report, literacy is defined as the ability to read high quality works, which require increased intellectual capacity, dependent upon a reader’s education, culture and social skills. The report doesn’t mention that reading online, whether news or novels, is acceptable; therefore, it would seem that they are ignoring a large percentage of where and how people are doing reading today. In fact, it appears that the NEA supports the notion t hat with the rise of the Internet, literacy declined as people began â€Å"surfing† in favor of reading literary works, which supposedly require more detailed cognitive skills to absorb. One of the things â€Å"Reading at Risk† does well is offer statistics: People who read are 3 times more likely to go to a performance event and 4 times more likely to visit a museum; People who watch no TV are 1.475 times more likely to read 12+ books per year; 59.4% of people who make over $75k a year are literate (NEA, 2004). Yet it discounts modern mediums, such as the internet, other hypertexts and online publications, a bone of contention for people such as Kaplan. Kaplan holds that traditional society might harbor some ill will toward these online publications and consider them threats, but she goes on to further assert that these texts are growing up with the times—fast-paced, ubiquitous and evolving dynamically (for the better).

Changes in Soil Physical, Chemical, and Biological Properties Caused by

Changes in Soil Physical, Chemical, and Biological Properties Caused by Artificial Drainage of Wetlands Wetland soils are extremely varied. They are found from the tropics to the subarctic. They can be seasonal or year-round, freshwater or saltwater, organic or mineral. The one thing that all of them have in common is that for at least part of the year they are saturated with water. This saturation has a significant impact on the soil's physics, chemistry, and biota. However, over the past century more than half of all the wetlands in the United States has been drained for agriculture and other uses such as construction. When the soils are drained the physics, chemistry, and biota are drastically changed. This paper is an attempt to describe the changes in artificially drained soils and to consider a few of the consequences of these changes. The physical properties of saturated soils vary somewhat from wetland to wetland but are characterized by certain processes. One is the interaction of the soil with the watertable. Three patterns of possible groundwater flow have been considered: water could flow into the saturated areas from the surrounding area (discharge), making the saturated area the focal point; water could flow through swamps because of local relief (flow-through); or water could flow from the saturated zone into surrounding areas (recharge) possibly due to differential water use by plant communities or pumping (Crownover et al, p. 1199). There can also be vertical exchange of water between the groundwater and saturated soil. For example, capillary effects pull water upward into the soil from the water table. Besides the vertical and horizontal flow of water, the area of the soil taken up by water is important.... ...ater flow patterns through a cypress swamp-pine flatwood landscape: Soil Science Society of America Journal, 59, p. 1199-1206. Fausey, N.R., Brown, L.C., Belcher, H.W. and Kanwar, R.S., 1995, Drainage and water quality in the Great Lakes and cornbelt states: Journal of Irrigation Drainage Engineering, 121, p.283-288. Leventhal, E., 1990, Alternative uses of wetlands other than conventional farming in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska: EPA/171/R-92/006, 145 p. McBride, M. B., 1994, Environmental Chemistry of Soils: New York, Oxford University Press, 406 p. Mitsch, W.J. and Gosselink, J.G., Wetlands: New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 537 p. Schipper, L.A., Harfoot, C.G., McFarlane, P.N., and Cooper, A.B., Anaerobic decomposition and denitrification during plant decomposition in an organic soil: Journal of Environmental Quality, 23, p. 923-928.

Requiem for an Aristocrat :: essays research papers

Requiem for an Aristocrat   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It’s lonely at the top,† a cliche that Faulkner reaffirms in his classical short story, â€Å"A Rose for Emily.† In this southern tale, a social class structure separated the â€Å"high and mighty Griersons† from the rest of the town. After the Civil War, the southern upper class society was dwindling with the northern industrialists rising in national influence. Emily Grierson was the product of an overprotective single father raising a high society child. During this era the southern high society type was considered a dying breed. Emily’s father instilled values and morals that only an arrogant aristocrat could set in a child. Emily’s inability to involve herself in social settings, her blatant disregard of the law, and her radical approach to intimate relationships all stem from her father’s upbringing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The town was filled with people Emily had no desire to interact with. She kept herself locked inside her house and sent Tobe, her servant, to take care of mostly all obligations that required social interactions. She spent the greater part of her life inside this fortress of solitude she considered home. During Emily’s years as a young lady, she was led to believe none of the young men deserved her. The young men did not measure up to her father’s expectations so he dismissed them. Even at thirty years of age, Emily remained single because her father would limit her social interaction. So it was common for the townspeople to refrain from associating with such distinguished people. The entire town attended Emily Grierson’s funeral without knowing her beyond her name. This type o f upbringing left Emily isolated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emily held an â€Å"above-the-law† attitude that was common amongst aristocrats in the southern states at that time. Once Emily’s father died, the mayor felt obligated to allow Emily to refrain from paying taxes. When Emily visited her druggist for arsenic, he allowed her to purchase the poison without having to give reason for its use even though the law states that you must. Emily even disregarded the unwritten laws of high society. It was unheard of that a person of her stature would date a Yankee laborer. She went against even the most fundamental of social laws and gave a laborer, by the name of Homer Barron, an opportunity to court her. This shocked the entire town and â€Å"reaffirmed her imperviousness† (429).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emily was unable to produce a healthy relationship with a person because her father kept her single to her thirties, making her feel as though no man deserved her hand.

Having a Healthy Life

Health is the optimal aim that every person is looking for. However, having a healthy life is not easy. Researchers believe that more than half of disease is linked to individual's behaviors (Ryan ; Sawin, 2009). People can reduce the probability of being sick or living with chronic symptoms by engaging in health behavior and controlling their desires and habits (Ryan ; Sawin, 2009). From this perspective and by reviewing a ten years peer-reviewed published papers, Ryan, a post-doctoral student, was thinking of developing a theory that assists individuals to reach a sustainable change in their unhealthy behaviors.Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change (ITHBC) is an example of descriptive midrange theories that concentrate on practice. In contrast, grand theories are more generalized and not focused on practical section (Ryan ; Sawin, 2009). ITHBC is compiled from multi concepts from deferent theories. For instance, the theory of reason Action which focus on intention, health belief model, and social cognitive theory that consider environmental factors to impact behavior change (Ryan ; Sawin, 2009). ITHBC is a patient-centered intervention that is more effective than standardized interventions in facilitating health behavior change.ITHBC assumed that behavior change is a repeated, changeable theory. Also, it is mandatory to have a desire and to be motivated by behavioral change. In addition, self-evaluation maintains progress and social support influences individual's desire. The theory has a short-term outcome which is engagement in healthy behavior, and it has a long-term outcome which is health improvement (Ryan & Sawin, 2009)The Primary constructs of ITHBC are knowledge and beliefs, self-regulation skills and abilities, and social facilitation. All the three components assist to emerge in a behavior of self-management which is the proximal outcome in order to reach the distal outcome which is good health status. Knowledge and beliefs construct is composed of behavior-specific knowledge, self-efficacy, outcome expectancy and goal congruence. The construct of self-regulation skills and abilities comprises the processes of decision-making, planning for and engaging in specific behaviors, self-monitoring and reflective thinking, self-evaluation, goal setting, and the management of physical, emotional, and cognitive responses associated with health behavioral change. Social facilitation contains the concepts of social support, social influence and active collaboration related to health outcomes among individuals, relatives and health practitioners (Ryan & Sawin, 2009). The study of testing the Integrated Theory of Health Behavioral Change for postpartum weight management aimed to investigate the relationship between the constructs of the ITHBC and how they influence weight self-management of women after giving a birth. (Ryan et al., 2011). The sample size was 250 postpartum women. Only 179 women completed the follow-up questionnaire and they were, African American, Latina, and White women, and they were classified based on their weight into normal weight, overweight, and obese.The strength of this paper is by giving a view of weight self-management after having a baby requiring active engagement and management. Further, The THBC is a good tool in framing weight self-management in the context of health behavior self-management, and it supports the impact of race on weight self-management. In contrast, the weak points are the study constructs need a tool to measure the components of the theory for postpartum weight management. In addition, it did not test the whole theory constructs like the distal outcome.

Meet food and safety requirements when providing food and drink for individuals Essay

1.1 food safety hazards when preparing, serving, storing and cleaning away food and drinks are of three types, namely, biological and chemical hazards. 1.2 this is important because it prevents food poisoning for the individual for e.g. if i don’t take all the necessary precautions when preparing food or drink, the service user may get food poisoning which could end with the service user going into hospital. food poisoning is caused when contaminated food is eaten, it can be extremely unpleasant, and in worst case scenarios it can be fatal, particularly in high-risk group clients. the most common cause of illness from food is bacterial contamination. 1.3 personal protective clothing must be used when handling food and drink because dust and bacteria from our clothes can contaminate the service users food and drink. for e.g. we go out in break and have a coffee in a coffee shop, when someone at the next table is sneezing , after going in the service users home we have to use protective clothing because bacteria from our own clothes may contaminate the food and drink we prepare. 1.4 surfaces, utensils and equipment must be clean before beginning a new task because bacteria from the left over pieces of food will contaminate the freshly cut/handled food, also chopping boards used for chopping vegetables must be washed before chopping meat if separate boards are not available in a service users home. 1.5 some of the cooked food products gets extremely quickly contaminated, as food waste promptly and safely. meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, cooked pasta and rice are perfect for bacteria to grow. that’s why we must dispose or clear meals leftovers immediately. for e.g. if the service user left some rice or meat in the pan, we must cover it immediately after the meal and store it in the fridge but only for a few hours (e.g. lunch till supper, but not till next days lunch) if that leftover is not consumed at supper, we must dispose it in the bin for food waste. also we must wash up the pans, plates, cutlery etc after clearing the food to not leave time for bacteria to grow and develop. 1.6 when storing food we must follow some guidelines to ensure its safety, for e.g. to keep apart raw and cooked food, keep apart dairy product, meat products, eggs and vegetables because this is the way of preventing cross contamination. 2.1 hands should be washed quite regularly when handling food, they should be washed before preparing food, in-between dealing with raw and cooked foods also if you were to come in contact with a service user you should then wash your hands. 2.2 step 1 – wet hands thoroughly under warm running water and squirt liquid soap onto the palm of one hand. step 2 – rub your hands together to make lather. step 3 – rub the palm of one hand along the back of the other and along the fingers. then repeat with the other hand. step 4 – rub in between each of your fingers on both hands and round your thumbs. pay particular attention to your nails. you many need to use a nail brush. step 5 – rinse off the soap with clean water. step 6 – dry hands on thoroughly on a disposable towel. 2.3 every person working in a food handling area must maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and wear suitable clean and where appropriate protective clothing. clothing is a common source of contamination of food and may arise form: – foreign bodies e.g. buttons, fibers and debris – pathogenic (harmful) micro-organisms via cross-contamination from dirty clothing. clothing must be clean and should be changed regularly to maintain hygienic standards and protect food from the risk of contamination where open high risk foods are being prepared or handled, protective clothing must be worn. 2.4 surfaces, utensils and equipment must be clean before beginning a new task: – removing matter on which bacteria grows – reducing the risk of foreign matter in food – preventing cross contamination e.g. direct, indirect 3.1 practices to control hazards when preparing and serving food and drink using seperate boards and utensils for different types of food e.g. raw meats and vegetables, using colour-coded chopping boards, making sure that food is thoroughly cooked according to guidelines e.g. not reheating more than once, following microwave instructions, ensuring frozen meat and products are thawed before cooking. cooking or reheating immediately before serving, washing ready-to-eat product, serving foods e.g. keeping hot or chilled food at correct temperature, nott topping up sauces, excluding staff with food poisoning symptoms. 3.2 prepare and serve food and drink in ways that minimise risks to own safety and that of others: – other e.g. children and adults who eat the food – staff preparing food – following good food handling and serving practices – maintaining personal hygiene – keeping any cuts or lesions completely covered – wearing protective clothing – minimising food handling e.g. using log handled servers – importance of cleaning as you work – replacing covers over food in preparation areas and serving areas – keeping preparation and serving areas clean and tidy 3.3 – check that individuals have finished eating before removing utensils and crockery – you encourage individuals to wash their hands and clean themselves at the end of the meal. – remove or assist individuals to remove used utensils and crockery – follow organisations policies and practice to dispose of stale or unusable left-over food – you clean work surfaces after use with appropriate cleaning materials – clean and store cooking utensils and equipment correctly or return them for cleaning – wash your hands and ensure your own cleanliness and hygiene after cleaning utensils, crockery and equipment 4.1 – following recommended time limits for food at room temperature – not leaving food and drink to accumulate in food areas 4.2 – not leaving food waste near foods or preparation areas – replacing bin lids correctly – keeping bins away from food areas – hand washing after handling waste foods – regular emptying and cleaning food waste bins – keeping external refuse areas clean 4.3 – using seperate sinks for cleaning and food preparation – thorough cleaning and disinfecting – disposing of cleaning cloths or disinfecting – disinfecting cleaning materials 4.4 – all utensils to be stored seperately on a rack – place them upside down – once dry put it in clean, dry storage shelves 5.1 – high risk food e.g. ready to eat, storing immediately after delivery – checking packaging – regular cleaning of food storage areas and refrigerators – separating ready to eat and raw foods – stock rotation – correct temperatures e.g. store rooms , refrigerators, freezers – suitable packaging and pest proof containers – not storing foods in opened cans – cleaning spills in storage areas immediately 5.2 – using covered containers – keeping raw food separate from high risk foods e.g. raw food at the bottom of the fridge – storing perishable foods in dry conditions – using clear labeling – checking use-by dates 6.1 – government agencies e.g. food standards agency – policies and procedures in own setting – legislation – food packaging 6.2 – own job description – line manager – food hygiene qualifications – tutor/assessor

High School Dropouts Reflection Essay

I believe the dropout rate is so high because, as stated in the article â€Å"High School Dropouts: Costly to American Economy†, â€Å"the teachers [don’t] care, the students [don’t] care.† I believe that lack of interest on both the student’s and the teacher’s part impacts whether a student might drop out. I also believe that factors like, problems at home, bullying at school, etc., also plays an enormous role on the results stated in the articles. Knowing that one of the main reasons of having a job includes, earning money, it leads me to assume that those who drop out do not want to earn less, or be among the 12% of jobless individuals that do not have a high school diploma. Furthermore, I believe that it is evident that a high number or drop outs implies that there are important factors behind what causes an individual to decide to drop out of high school. Looking at the statistics that dropouts cost taxpayers $8 billion annually, and $300 billion dollars in earnings are lost every year due to the decrease in pay of those who do not have a high school diploma, has led me to believe that our state/federal government should eliminate the option of dropping out of high school. It makes no sense that they have not done so, seeing that they have the right, and it is within their power and right to do so. Also, after seeing the statistic that the incarceration rates were 63 times higher among high school drop outs within the ages of 16 and 24, and in an effort to solve two problems: the number of kids that drop out of high school and kids who are behind bars, I believe there should be a greater effort to achieve mass awareness about the negative effects of dropping out of high school early, the same magnitude as the programs and advertisements on breast cancer, and the effects of smoking cigarettes. This plan, although costly, would in turn decrease the amount of high school dropouts, people behind bars, and jobless individuals in this nation. Presidential Election Reflection I believe that out of the five factors listed in the article, the debates are the most important. I believe the debates are important because it allows you to look at each candidate side by side and hear not only their plan on how they plan on turning the economy around, creating jobs, and leading this country on a path that will allow us to decrease this nation’s debt but also to see each candidate’s tactics on using the opposing opponent words or ideas to bash/ or blatantly state why they are wrong. I also believe it is important because you get to actually hear their own words and beliefs, unrehearsed, without a teleprompter, and without being warped in the game of telephone by social media and propaganda. I think that the presidential debates are more important than the electoral map, because the electoral map for the most part generally stays the same and predictable. The ads and messages used to attack the other candidate, or twist the words of another candidate in my opinion are effective, but very childish, immature, and not anything I would imagine a â€Å"president† taking a part of. Propaganda is a very effective way of spreading a message, and getting everyone’s attention, so it’s also important, although not in the same way as the debates are. In my opinion, money is the second most important part of the presidential race. The amount of money a party raises, shows how much they are supported. In the article, it states that â€Å"the Republican Party presidential committees had about $186 million on hand, compared with about $124 million for Mr. Obama and the Democrats.† This shows how both each candidate is supported. I actually have watched one of the debates, as an extra credit assignment for U.S History, and I thought that the debate was interesting, and I liked how the debate was set up.

JPMorgan Finance Group Essay

1. Why do you think JPMorgan and Merrill Lynch were selected to underwrite and book-run all $23.3 billion in financings (all debt, common stock, and convertible), instead of sharing the underwriting with additional firms? JPMorgan and Merrill Lynch had positive reputations after they both ranked highly in convertibles and common stock underwriting. These trustworthy banks had well-established ties to FCX. Also, these two firms agreed to issue a bridge loan to FCX prior to the acquisition. 2. What was the role of the leveraged finance group at JPMorgan and why was its involvement important to the acquisition? The leveraged finance group was responsible for the analysis behind making the bridge financing commitment to FCX. This was important to the acquisition because the bridge loan enabled FCX to show Phelps Dodge that they were committed to financing them. 3. Describe the forms of risk that an investment bank must consider in relation to acquisition and underwriting transactions. Describe what it means for a firm to set aside capital when it completes underwriting transactions. Capital Risk-financial risk a bank takes on when it agrees to finance an acquisition. Reputation Risk-comes from associating the investment firm with the company for which it is raising capital for or funding. When a bank sets aside capital when completing underwriting transactions it is usually cash invested in risk-free securities to hedge their risk. 4. Describe the role and importance of credit rating agencies in the Freeport-McMoRan transaction. Which group within an investment bank has the primary responsibility to work with companies regarding rating agency considerations? The credit rating agencies were important because they were needed to secure the highest possible ratings on the upcoming bond offerings. This determines how much a bank can borrow and at what cost. The debt capital markets group works with the credit rating agencies. 5. Describe the role of equity research at JPMorgan in the transaction. How has the role of equity research changed since 2003? Equity research groups provide investment ideas to the institutional salespeople who take these ideas to portfolio managers. Equity research analyst provided the institutional sales force an overview of the equity and convertible offerings. Then, a presentation was done by the FCX’s sales team to explain the acquisition of Phelps Dodge and gave information to convince employees of the acquisition. The role of equity research has changed since 2003  because now analysts are able to give investment opinions. 6. Who are the clients of the institutional sales team at JPMorgan? What is meant by a â€Å"limit order,† and what is its impact on the sales function? Describe the role of an Equity Capital Markets Syndicate group. The clients of the institutional sales team are portfolio managers of large assets. A limit order is the highest price in whi ch is willing to pay for stock in the primary stock market. Its impact on the sales function is that firms have to set a good limit order so that the price of the newly issued stock is neither too high nor too low. The role of an equity capital markets syndicate group is to track investor’s worries and concerns and their feedback about the transaction. This group helps the firm properly price stock and convertibles to better keep investors happy. 7. Assume the following fees were paid: M&A fee of 0.5 percent of the transaction value; debt fees of 0.75 percent on all debt and loan financing; equity fees of 3 percent on all equity and convertible financing. Calculate the estimated total fees for both JPMorgan and Merrill Lynch. Indicate whether you think these fees were justified and support your views. These fees represent paying for risk and also for commissions. These fees are justified because of the long process of acquiring another business and what goes into this process to make sure that it is done without error. A lot of equity research is done prior to the investment and credit rating companies need to be paid too. These fees are valid because it took so many groups within JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch, and FCX to make an informed decision to acquire Phelps Dodge. This totals 4.25% in fees for both JPMorgan and Merrill Lynch.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 2

International Business - Essay Example Because of this technological advancement and penetration, the access to information have increased and consumers are becoming more aware in terms of their needs and wants. Well informed consumers in the markets of the developing as well as the developed nations are becoming more demanding in regards to their needs for various products and services. Witnessing a strong business opportunity, organizations around the world are increasingly focusing on catering to the needs of the well informed consumers in various markets and hence are naturally venturing into many foreign markets. In this particular assignment, the focus is on US based retailer Wal-Mart and its outcomes when it ventured into different foreign markets. Wal-Mart is a US based retail giant, which started its business operations in the year 1962, in Arkansas, USA. The company had a humble beginning under the Sam Walton, who started the retail business from a very basic level. With the passage of time, the firm has grown expansively in the domestic American market as well as the multiple international markets. The company is widely known in its business markets for its implementation of a every day low pricing (EDLP) model. In regards to the current times, the company’s financial performance is highly impressive. As of the year 2013, net sales for the US market stood at over 274 billion USD while for the international market, it stood at over 135 billion USD (Walmart.com, 2013). In this particular assignment, the focus is on the US retailer’s mode of expansion into the various international markets around the world, and the associated successes and failures in those markets. The US based retail organization Wal-Mart has grown steadily over the years and in the course of responding to different dynamics in its domestic market, has ventured in to multiple international markets around the world. It is important to highlight that for a business organization to

Wk 10 (67) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wk 10 (67) - Essay Example Beverly is upset because her surgery is next week and although she will not stop it, she is not sure how to talk to Sally about this final situation. From the conversation it seems that Beverly is asking the counselor to help her help Sally. The first strategy may be to explore the idea that Sally is grieving the loss of someone she dearly loves. This final step is the last identification that Sally has with Beverly as a man. This is now going to go away and Sally is probably going through the various phases of grief; this would be something to explore. According to Carroll and Gilroy (2002) counselors must first understand this issue and move part their own transphobia (p. 235). Certainly a man who is turning into a woman who legally married a woman can be cause for concern for the counselor, so they would need to deal with their own problems with the situation before counseling Beverly. Carroll and Gilroy also suggest getting more information through novels, films, biographies and periodicals (p. 235). In terms of counseling a client centered approach seems to be best because many transgendered people have challenges with trust in someone who is not transgendered because of ill treatment in the past (p. 238). Carroll, Gilroy and Ryan (2002) suggest that counselors should also have a growing knowledge of terminology that is evolving in the transgendered community along with "local, regional and national support networks (p. 134). This information can assist the client and give more information. Mark is a 35 year old male of mixed heritage. His father was black and American Indian and his mother identifies as "white" because her parents were Jamaican and Scotch Irish. Mark grew up in a home where he had no real understanding of any heritage because his family did not identify with any one group. As Mark grew older and left the family he has tried to interact

How can the concept of customer orientation be translated into Essay

How can the concept of customer orientation be translated into e-commerce site design - Essay Example Organizations should ensure that satisfying customer needs and expectations becomes a priority (Kahawatte, 2010, p. 4). Communication is a crucial aspect that contributes to customer satisfaction, as it is possible to get feedback from the clients. This essay discusses how customer-orientation can utilized in an e-commerce set up. The increased accessibility of Internet access has led to the increased demand for e-commerce in a broadened customer base. Most of the local websites are designed to address the major population, not considering the individual customers. Therefore, this leads to poor utilization of e-commerce applications resulting in reduced profits (Senarathna, et al., 2010, p. 56). E- Commerce has increasingly grown even after the collapse of the dot-com era. E- Commerce developers and researchers have become more focused and cautious on the customer’s requirements and needs, as well as customer differentiation. This customer-oriented technique has led to redefining business practices and processes placing the consumer at the center. Customer behavior is determined by factors such as presentation styles, use of colors, use of language, familiarity with business processes, trust, and acceptance presented by the website. A successful E-Commerce system should incorporate social and cultural differentiation (Herhausen, 2011, p. 130). A customer behavior is influenced and affected cultural and social environment. These factors are essential to the success of E-Commerce application. The social-cultural features that should be examined for an E- Commerce application includes demographics, legal characteristics, and social characteristics (Huemer & Lops, 2012, p. 220). In regards to demographics, human behavior differs according to age and gender. Demographic affects the E-Commerce system performance and design. The project manager and the engineer must design the E-Commerce application in consideration of the targeted population. In

Investment proposal report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Investment proposal report - Essay Example Contextually, the mission of this particular business will be to operate with the deliverance of high quality products and services to the customers so that it can ensure maximum productivity that further shall ascertain the growth of the business. The business will also take into consideration the interests of the stakeholders while framing its strategies. The business idea, which will be focused in this context, will be multi-cuisine restaurant. A multi-cuisine restaurant is a particular sort of restaurant, which uses cooking methods of different nations of the world. This kind of restaurants often serves customers with diverse sorts of foods that have resemblance of any specific nation or region. However, establishing such business requires a considerable amount of investments. This particular business will require funds for various purposes including equipment and vehicles, marketing, land purchase, purchase of machinery, setting up of infrastructure and startup capital among others. These aspects are mandatorily required to set up multi-cuisine restaurant in any part of the UK. Hence, the need for investors is quite apparent in this particular business. It is known that investors are the people who invest their money in any business and earn profit for the same in return. For this particular business, funds will mainly be acquired from sources preferably the financial institutions of the UK. Funds will be acquired from these institutions against the payment of interest at a particular rate. It can be affirmed that acquiring funds is not only the sole step in setting up investment plans for the business rather financial planning is also considered to be important. Observably, financial planning is a set of financial goals and objectives of any business on which the profitability or the stability of the entire business is dependent.

Exam Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exam Skills - Essay Example If the teacher does not provide notes that are clear enough to understand, it is the student's responsibility to go and ask the teacher for clarification. Most reasonable teachers are happy to provide clarification for the student. Students must ask questions until everything is completely and one hundred percent clear. Once the student knows and understands what needs to be revised, he or she can then proceed to the next step in the process. The second part of the revision process is to go forth with the revision. The student should not rush through the process. He or she must look over the work carefully and take care to revise every mistake that is outlined. . Paying attention to detail is crucial in this step of the process because if the student misses anything, then the revision will prove to be ineffective. The third part of the revision process is to look over the work carefully another time. Just because the actual revising of the work is complete does not mean that the entire revision process is complete. To insure that the work is free of any sort of common mistakes, such as in the areas of grammar, mechanical, or spelling, it is important to run the work through a spellchecker. ... The spell checker will catch most common mistakes, making the work to be a masterpiece. While spell checkers are wonderful, innovative inventions that allow for the best results, but it will not pick up everything. Because this is the case, it is important for the student to look over the work again, being careful to spot anything that the spell checker may have missed. The student may also may want to have others look over the work to spot anything that the student his/herself did not see. Once this has been done, it is safe to say that the revision is complete. Now that the revision process is complete, it is safe to turn it into the teacher. The work will be of high quality, and the student will be able to look forward to scoring high marks on the assignment, since the student followed this revision strategy closely. The work is free of all errors. As result, the student can feel good about what he or she has accomplished. 3.1 Allocate a proportion of the time available that reflects the proportion of the total marks allocated to each question. When it comes to allocating the correct amount of time to answering questions, it is important to allocate enough time to effectively and efficiently answer each question. Doing this will insure that everything is done in a proper manner, meaning that sufficient time will be provided. This is critical, especially when doing tests or quizzes. When the proper amount of time is allocated to answering questions, everything goes well, and when the proper amount of time is not allocated, a disaster usually ensues. Allocating the proper amount of time to answer questions insures that everything will run smoothly. Properly time

Healthcare System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Healthcare System - Research Paper Example The earliest ones only offered coverage against accidents related from travel by rail or steamboat. The plans did, however, pave way for more comprehensive plans covering all illnesses and injuries. The first group policy giving comprehensive benefits was offered by Massachusetts Health Insurance of Boston in 1847. Insurance companies issued the first individual disability and illness policies in about 1890 (www.neurosurgical.com). What we recognize as modern medicine, Cohn writes, began in the 1920s, wherein doctors and hospitals, having only during the previous decade learned enough about disease that they could be reliably helpful in treating sick people, began charging more than most individuals could easily pay (qtd. in Noah). This demand on expensive medical and hospital assistance paved way for the first modern group health insurance plan in 1929. A group of teachers in Dallas, Texas, contracted with Baylor Hospital for room, board, and medical services in exchange for a monthly fee (www.neurosurgical.com). This was well known as the Blue Cross. The Blues were essentially non-profit health insurers who served local community organizations. In exchange for a tax break, Blue Cross organizations kept premiums reasonably low (Noah). As the modernization continued so did the sophistication of medical knowledge and technology. This led to healthcare assistance to cost more and for private insurers to be interested in the business of healthcare insurance. The competition between several insurers broke down the non-profit advantage of the Blues. Private insurers went to a direction where they go for healthier, less risk customers resulting to difficulty for people much in need of the services to afford getting healthcare insurance. There have been many attempts to solve the problems on the cost of healthcare assistance. One of which was the Committee on the Cost of Medical Care or the CMCC. Karen Palmer stated that the committee