Information Systems Security and Ethical Issues - Finance Management Assignment

Information Systems Security and Ethical Issues - Finance Management - Assignment Example Computerized information systems are becoming the De facto way to communicate business information, especially financial information. As Whitman and Mattord (2011), say, there are however many security issues which have to be used which range from internal threats, external threats from hackers, etc. Managerial information if more of a product by the financial management department rather than what they collect. This information is derived from raw data from other sources such as POS, Inventory data, etc The sources of financial information can either be primary or secondary. Primary data is the data that derived from direct transactions such as POS data while secondary data is data that has been derived from other sources of data, such as internal financial resources which includes the cash flow statements, the trial balance, the income statement etc. Financial accounting systems and Principles are also useful in avoiding errors. They are designed in such a way that if an error is made, the error is made. However, some errors (such as compensating errors) may not be detected in this way. Timely: information must be timely in order to be of any use, the right information provided at the wrong time is not useful to anyone. For instance, if there is going to be a fall in demand for a specific product, getting this information in time to plan for this change in market is very useful to the business, however, if this information comes at the wrong time, the information will not be of any use to the business and the business will still have to suffer the consequences. Relevant: information has to be relevant to a business and to a specific situation. For instance, information about the fall in market demand for cars may not be relevant for a retail store, unless there is a direct correlation between the two.

Your work role Essay Example for Free

Your work role Essay Bi Firstly my employer expects me to attend all training, supervisions and meetings, and also to follow the policies and procedures that the home has set up. Some standard procedures set in place include ‘whistle blowing’. Staff with serious concerns about any aspect of the organisation or the work force will be supported in sharing those concerns and will be protected from reprisal or victimisation. The incident should be discussed in the first incidence with the manager or if this is not reasonably possible it should be discussed with John’s parents. This complaint should be recorded in writing and signed as a true record by both parties. ‘Gross Misconduct’, conduct or such a nature that fundamentally breaches the employees contract which justifies dismissal without warning or notice. Zero tolerance to drugs or alcohol at the workplace or for anybody who is already intoxicated at the workplace. Also no smoking inside the workplace. Pay rates set up at different rates for different times ie higher pay at weekends and nights. Time and a half for bank holidays. Health and safety procedures refer to the ‘health and safety at work act 1974’ which is up in the staff bedroom. Reporting lateness- always phone to give reasons why and estimate time of arrival. Sickness, no sick pay as such and 8 or more days requires a sick note from the doctor. see more:explain expectations about own work role as expressed in relevant standards. Bii The information that must be shown on my payslip is ‘gross pay’ and ‘take-home’ after deductions. Deductions are tax and national insurance. My tax code and national insurance number should also be shown on my payslip. Biii Change of address Change of name Biv If I wanted to raise a grievance at work I would go to my team leader first. If I felt that I needed to take the issue further, I would then go to the parents of the person I support. If the matter needed to be taken further I would go to the social worker of my client. Bv 1. Data protection: Never give the name, address, email address or phone number away unnecessarily of the person I support. 2. Grievance: Take any issues to my team leader or the clients parents for discussion. 3. Conflict management: We would manage any conflict by coming together as a team and discussing the matter further to voice our opinions so we can move on from the matter professionally. 4. Anti-discriminatory practice: As a team we believe in peoples right to respect I relation to their age, disability, ethnicity, gender, health, religious beliefs and sexuality. 5. Health and Safety: At my workplace we follow strict rules and regulations which cover, general duty of care, safety policy, tackling risks at source, training and supervision, work equipment, emergency arrangements, manual handling. 6. Confidentiality: Maintaining trust and respect is always a priority in my workplace though we will share confidential information when it is needed for the safety of my client. 7. Whistleblowing: If I needed to report an issue or a concern that I couldn’t go to my manager about I would go to M-A-S-H multi agency safeguarding hub where they can deal with my enquiry. Bvi I have a very important role at my workplace. I contribute to my clients general health and well being as I understand the importance of how he sits in his wheelchair, how to prevent pressure sores, medications given and all the little things that contribute to his physical health. I also contribute to his mental well being by giving him the independence he needs by letting him make choices about his own life. Bvii By following best practice in my work role ensures my client is  getting the best service and care he could get. By not following the correct requirements could lead to health problems, neglect or issues could arise within the team. Bviii My work must be influenced by national factors as rules and regulations are put in place for a reason and if I didn’t follow them, problems will arise in my way of working which will indeed have a big effect on my clients life. Bix Social Workers Social workers work with people to support them through difficult times and ensure that vulnerable people, including children and adults are safeguarded from harm. Their role is to provide support to enable service users to help themselves. They maintain professional relationships with service users, acting as guides and advocates. Care quality commission Their job is to check whether hospitals, care homes, GPs, dentists and services homes are meeting national standards. They do this by inspecting services and publishing their findings, helping people to make choices about the care they receive.

If real world markets can be made to resemble more closely the model :: Economics

If real world markets can be made to resemble more closely the model of perfect competition, economic efficiency will improve. Explain why Perfect competition is generally regarded as economically more efficient? Chris Simons ============ "If real world markets can be made to resemble more closely the model of perfect competition, economic efficiency will improve." a) Explain why Perfect competition is generally regarded as economically more efficient? (20 marks) The model of perfect competition describes market where there is a high degree of competition. The word "perfect" does not mean that this form of competition produces ideal results or maximises economic welfare in other words, the word "perfect" should not have any normative overtones. A perfectly competitive market must possess four characteristics. Firstly, there must be many buyers and sellers in the market, none of whom is large enough to influence price. Buyers and sellers are said to be price takers. This type of market has many relatively small firms that supply goods to a large number of small buyers. There must be freedom of entry and exit from the industry. Firms must be able to establish themselves in the industry easily and quickly. Barriers to entry must therefore be low. If a firm wishes to cease production and leave the market, it must be free to do so. Buyers and sellers possess perfect knowledge of prices. If one firm charges a higher price than the market price, the demand for its product will be zero as buyers buy elsewhere in the market. Hence the firm has to accept the market price if it wishes to sell into the market (i.e. it must be a price taker). All firms must produce a homogenous product. There is no branding of products and products are identical. There are very few industries in the world that approximate to this kind of market structure. One that might is agriculture. In agriculture there is a large number of farmers supplying the market, none of whom is large enough to influence price. It is easy to buy a farm and set up in business. It is equally easy to sell a farm and leave the industry. Farmers on the whole possess perfect knowledge. They know what prices prevail in the market, for instance from the farming press. Finally farmers produce a range of homogenous products. King Edwards's potatoes from one farm are indistinguishable from King Edwards's potatoes from another. In Europe and in many countries around the world, farming is in certain instances not a perfectly competitive market. This is because governments may interfere in the market, buying and selling to fix a price. Perfect competition is generally regarded as economically more

English Renaissance Drama Essay

English Renaissance drama grew out of the established Medieval tradition of the mystery and morality plays. These public spectacles focused on religious subjects and were generally enacted by either choristers and monks, or a town’s tradesmen (as later seen lovingly memorialized by Shakespeare’s ‘mechanicals’ in A Midsummer Night’s Dream). At the end of the fifteenth century, a new type of play appeared. These short plays and revels were performed at noble households and at court, especially at holiday times. These short entertainments, called â€Å"Interludes†, started the move away from the didactic nature of the earlier plays toward purely secular plays, and often added more comedy than was present in the medieval predecessors. Since most of these holiday revels were not documented and play texts have disappeared and been destroyed, the actual dating of the transition is difficult. The first extant purely secular play, Henry Medwall’s Fulgens and Lucres, was performed at the household of Cardinal Morton, where the young Thomas More was serving as a page. Early Tudor interludes soon grew more elaborate, incorporating music and dance, and some, especially those by John Heywood, were heavily influenced by French farce. Not only were plays shifting emphasis from teaching to entertaining, they were also slowly changing focus from the religious towards the political. John Skelton’s Magnyfycence (1515), for example, while on the face of it resembling the medieval allegory plays with its characters of Virtues and Vices, was a political satire against Cardinal Wolsey. Magnyfycence was so incendiary that Skelton had to move into the sanctuary of Westminster to escape the wrath of Wolsey. The first history plays were written in the 1530’s, the most notable of which was John Bale’s King Johan. While it considered matters of morality and religion, these were handled in the light of the Reformation. These plays set the precedent of presenting history in the dramatic medium and laid the foundation for what would later be elevated by Marlowe and Shakespeare into the English History Play, or Chronicle Play, in the latter part of the century. Not only was the Reformation taking hold in England, but the winds of Classical Humanism were sweeping in from the Continent. Interest grew in the classics and the plays of classical antiquity, especially in the universities. Latin texts were being â€Å"Englysshed† and latin poetry and plays began to be adapted into English plays. In 1553, a schoolmaster named Nicholas Udall wrote an English comedy titled â€Å"Ralph Roister Doister† based on the traditional Latin comedies of Plautus and Terence. The play was the first to introduce the Latin character type miles gloriosus (â€Å"braggart soldier†) into English plays, honed to perfection later by Shakespeare in the character of Falstaff. Around the same time at Cambridge, the comedy â€Å"Gammer Gurton’s Needle†, possibly by William Stevens of Christ’s College, was amusing the students. It paid closer attention to the structure of the Latin plays and was the first to adopt the five-act division. Writers were also developing English tragedies for the first time, influenced by Greek and Latin writers. Among the first forays into English tragedy were Richard Edwards’ Damon and Pythias (1564) and John Pickering’s New Interlude of Vice Containing the History of Horestes (1567). The most influential writer of classical tragedies, however, was the Roman playwright Seneca, whose works were translated into English by Jasper Heywood, son of playwright John Heywood, in 1589. Seneca’s plays incorporated rhetorical speeches, blood and violence, and often ghosts; components which were to figure prominently in both Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. The first prominent English tragedy in the Senecan mould was Gorboduc (1561), written by two lawyers, Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton, at the Inns of Court (schools of law). Apart from following Senecan conventions and structure, the play is most important as the first English play to be in blank verse. Blank verse, non-rhyming lines in iambic pentameter, was introduced into English literature by sonneteers Wyatt and Surrey in the 1530’s. Its use in a work of dramatic literature paved the way for â€Å"Marlowe’s mighty line† and the exquisite poetry of Shakespeare’s dramatic verse. With a new ruler on the throne, Queen Elizabeth I, who enjoyed and encouraged the theatrical arts, the stage was set for the body of dramatic  literature we today call Elizabethan Drama. The Social and Political Climate In 1600, the city of London had a population of 245,000 people, twice the size of Paris or Amsterdam. Playwriting was the least personal form of writing, but clearly the most profitable for literary men since the demand was so great: 15,000 people attended the playhouses weekly. What is often exploited in the plays is the tension between a Court culture and a commercial culture, which in turn reflected the tension between the City government and the Crown. The period from 1576 (date of the first public theatre in London) to 1642 (date that the Puritans closed the theatres) is unparalleled in its output and quality of literature in English. The monarchy rested on two claims: that it was of divine origin and that it governed by consent of the people. The period was one of great transition. This period of history is generally regarded as the English Renaissance, which took place approximately 100 years later than on the continent. The period also coincides with the Reformation, and the two eras are of course mutually related. Imposed upon the Elizabethans was a social hierarchy of order and degree—very much medieval concepts that existed more in form than in substance. The society of Shakespeare’s time had in many ways broken free of these rigidities. It was not that people were rejecting the past; rather, a new more rigid order was replacing the old. This was set into motion during Henry VIII’s reign in the 1530s when he assumed more power than had hitherto been known to the monarchy. The Act of Supremacy of 1534 gave to Henry the power of the Church as well as temporal power. By Shakespeare’s time the state had asserted its right in attempting to gain authority in secular and spiritual matters alike. The so-called â€Å"Tudor myth† had sought to justify actions by the crown, and selections for the monarchy, as God-sanctioned: to thwart those decisions was to sin, because these people were selected by God. The population of the City quadrupled from Henry VIII’s reign to the end of Shakespeare’s life (1616), thus adding to the necessity for civil control and law. The dissolution of the monasteries had caused much civil unrest, and the dispossessed monks and nuns had been forced to enter the work force. Thus the employment, or unemployment, problem was severe. Puritanism, which first emerged early in Elizabeth’s reign, was a minority force of churchmen, Members of Parliament, and others who felt that the Anglican Reformation had stopped short of its goal. Puritans used the Bible as a guide to conduct, not simply to faith, but to political and social life, and since they could read it in their own language, it took on for them a greater importance than it had ever held. They stressed particularly the idea of remembering the Sabbath day. The conflict between the Puritans and the â€Å"players† of the theatre—who performed for the larger crowds that would turn out for productions on the Sabbath—was established early. The Elizabethan Worldview The English Renaissance began with the importation of Italian art and philosophy, Humanism, during the reign of Henry VIII. Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, imported and translated classical writings, such as Virgil’s Aeneid, the first English work to use Blank Verse. Surrey and Sir Thomas Wyatt in their sonnets also imitated classical writers such as Petrarch, and are credited as â€Å"Fathers of the English Sonnet.† While the â€Å"Great Chain of Being† (an idea suggested from antiquity; all that exists is in a created order, from the lowest possible grade to perfection, God Himself) was still asserted, the opposite, the reality of disorder, was just as prevalent. Not surprisingly, a favorite metaphor in Shakespeare’s works is the world upside down, much as Hamlet presents. The analogical mode was the prevailing intellectual concept for the era, which was inherited from the Middle Ages: the analogical habit of mind, with its correspondences, hierarchies, and microcosmic-macrocosmic relationships,  survived from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Levels of existence, including human and cosmic, were habitually correlated, and correspondences and resemblances were perceived everywhere. Man was a mediator between himself and the universe. An â€Å"analogy of being† likened man to God; however, the Reformation sought to change this view, emphasizing man’s fallen nature and darkness of reason. The analogy can be seen in the London theatre, correlating the disparate planes of earth (the stage), hell (the cellarage), and heaven (the â€Å"heavens,† projecting above the top of the stage). Degree, priority, and place were afforded all elements, depending on their distance from perfection, God. Because he possessed both soul and body, man had a unique place in the chain—the extremes of human potential are everywhere evident in the drama of the English Renaissance. Natural degeneration, in contrast to our optimistic idea of progress, was everywhere in evidence too—the primitive Edenic â€Å"golden age† was irrecoverable, and the predicted end of the world was imminent. With changes in the ways that man looked at his universe, disturbing discoveries suggested mutability and corruption: the terrifying effect of new stars, comets, etc., added to a pessimism that anticipated signs of decay as apocalyptic portents of approaching universal dissolution. Hierarchically, the human soul was threefold: the highest, or rational soul, which man on earth possessed uniquely; the sensual, or appetitive soul, which man shared with lower animals; and the lowest, or vegetative (vegetable; nutritive) soul, concerned mainly with reproduction and growth. The soul was facilitated in its work by the body’s three main organs, liver, heart, and brain: the liver served the soul’s vegetal, the heart its vital, and the brain its animal faculties—motive, principal virtues, etc. Man himself was formed by a natural combination of the four elements: the dull elements of earth and water—both tending to fall to the center of the universe—and air and fire—both tending to rise. When the elements mixed they shaped man’s temperament. Each element possessed two of the four primary qualities which combined into a â€Å"humour† or human temperament: earth (cold and dry: melancholy), water (cold and moist: phlegmatic); air (hot and  moist: sanguine); fire (hot and dry: choleric). Like his soul and his humours, man’s body possessed cosmic affinities: the brain with the Moon; the liver with the planet Jupiter; the spleen with the planet Saturn. Assigned to each of the stars and the sphere of fixed stars was a hierarchy of incorporeal spirits, angels or daemons. On earth, the fallen angels and Satan, along with such occult forces as witches, continued to tempt man and lead him on to sin. Familiar to Shakespeare and his contemporaries were the Aristotelian four causes: the final cause, or purpose or end for which a change is made; the efficient cause, or that by which some change is made; the material cause, or that in which a change is made; and formal cause, or that into which something is changed. Renaissance concern with causation may be seen in Polonius’ laboring of the efficient â€Å"cause† of Hamlet’s madness, â€Å"For this effect defective comes by cause† (2.2.101-03). In the Aristotelian view, change involves a unity between potential matter and actualized form. Change is thus a process of becoming, affected by a cause which acts determinately towards a goal to produce a result. Implicit in the Elizabethan worldview was the Aristotelian idea of causation as encompassing potentiality and act, matter and mind. The London dramatist’s pre-Cartesian universe, indeed, tended to retain a sense of the purposefulness of natural objects and their place in the divine scheme. Towards the mid-seventeenth century a major cleft between the medieval-Renaissance world-view and the modern world view took place, effected by Renee Descartes (1596-1650). Cartesian dualism separated off mind from matter, and soul from body—not a new idea, but reformulated so that the theologians’ doctrines became the philosophers’; the problems of Predestination were suddenly the problems of Determinism. For Descartes, all nature was to be explained as either thought or extension; hence, the mind became a purely thinking substance, the body a soulless mechanical system. Descartes’ philosophy held that one can know only one’s  own clear and distinct ideas. Objects are important only insofar as man brings his own judgments to bear upon them. Cartesian skepticism and subjectivism led to the rejection of the previous centuries’ Aristotelian perspectives, as meaningless or obscure. According to Aristotle, to know the cause of things was to know their nature. For the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, objects influenced each other through mutual affinities and antipathies. Elizabethans accepted the correspondences of sympathies and antipathies in nature, including a homeopathic notion that â€Å"like cures like.† Well into the seventeenth century, alchemical, hermetical, astrological, and other pre-scientific beliefs continued to exert, even on the minds of distinguished scientists, a discernible influence. Concerned with the need to believe, in an age of incipient doubt, theatre audiences often witnessed in tragedies such struggles to sustain belief: Hamlet has a need to trust the Ghost; Lear has a wracked concern for heavenly powers; and Othello feels a desperate necessity to preserve his belief in Desdemona—†when I love thee not, / Chaos is come again† (3.3.92-3). For Othello and Lear, belief is sanity. Theologically, in the later sixteenth century, divine providence seemed increasingly to be questioned, or at least to be regarded as more bafflingly inscrutable. The medieval sense of security was in a process of transformation. Those changes coincided with such circumstances as the Renaissance revival of Epicureanism, which stressed the indifference of the powers above to man’s concerns. In its place was a special personal power, which was emphasized in the works of Machiavelli (1469-1527) and other Renaissance writers. Such changes in the relations of man and his deity inevitably provided a climate for tragedy, wherein both divine justice (as in King Lear) and meaningful action (as in Hamlet) seemed equally unattainable. Lear appears to question the forces above man’s life, and Hamlet the powers beyond his death. Hamlet’s task is further complicated, for example, by his meaningless  quest for action—from a Reformation standpoint—of works toward salvation. The path to salvation, of great concern to most Elizabethans, was not through works or merit but by inscrutable divine election. The post-Reformation man, alienated from the objective structure of the traditional Church, as well as from the release of the confessional, with a burdened and isolated conscience, turned his guilt inward. The Renaissance epistemological crisis emphasized the notion of the relativity of perception, present in the appearance-versus-reality motif recurrent through Renaissance drama. The Renaissance dramatists’ works mark a transition between absolute natural law bestowed by God, and relativistic natural law, recognized by man. The Playhouses The old Medieval stage of â€Å"place-and-scaffolds,† still in use in Scotland in the early sixteenth century, had fallen into disuse; the kind of temporary stage that was dominant in England about 1575 was the booth stage of the marketplace—a small rectangular stage mounted on trestles or barrels and â€Å"open† in the sense of being surrounded by spectators on three sides. The stage proper of the booth stage generally measured from 15 to 25 ft. in width and from 10 to 15 ft. in depth; its height above the ground averaged a bout 5 ft. 6 in., with extremes ranging as low as 4 ft. and as high as 8 ft.; and it was backed by a cloth-covered booth, usually open at the top, which served as a tiring-house (short for â€Å"attiring house,† where the actors dressed). In the England of 1575 there were two kinds of buildings, designed for functions other than the acting of plays, which were adapted by the players as temporary outdoor playhouses: the animal-baiting rings or â€Å"game houses† (e.g. Bear Garden) and the inns. Presumably, a booth stage was set up against a wall at one side of the yard, with the audience standing in the yard surrounding the stage on three sides. Out of these â€Å"natural† playhouses  grew two major classes of permanent Elizabethan playhouse, â€Å"public† and â€Å"private.† In general, the public playhouses were large outdoor theatres, whereas the private playhouses were smaller indoor theatres. The maximum capacity of a typical public playhouse (e.g., the Swan) was about 3,000 spectators; that of a typical private playhouse (e.g., the Second Blackfriars), about 700 spectators. At the public playhouses the majority of spectators were â€Å"groundlings† who stood in the dirt yard for a penny; the remainder were sitting in galleries and boxes for two pence or more. At the private playhouses all spectators were seated (in pit, galleries, and boxes) and paid sixpence or more. In the beginning, the private playhouses were used exclusively by Boys’ companies, but this distinction disappeared about 1609 when the King’s Men, in residence at the Globe in the summer, began using the Blackfriars in winter. Originally the private playhouses were found only within the City of London (the Paul’s Playhouse, the First and Second Blackfriars), the public playhouses only in the suburbs (the Theatre, the Curtain, the Rose, the Globe, the Fortune, the Red Bull); but this distinction disappeared about 1606 with the opening of the Whitefriars Playhouse to the west of Ludgate. Public-theatre audiences, though socially heterogeneous, were drawn mainly from the lower classes—a situation that has caused modern scholars to refer to the public-theatre audiences as â€Å"popular†; whereas private-theatre audiences tended to consist of gentlemen (those who were university educated) and nobility; â€Å"select† is the word most usually opposed to â€Å"popular† in this respect. James Burbage, father to the famous actor Richard Burbage of Shakespeare’s company, built the first permanent theatre in London, the Theatre, in 1576. He probably merely adapted the form of the baiting-house to theatrical needs. To do so he built a large round structure very much like a baiting-house but with five major innovations in the received form. First, he paved the ring with brick or stone, thus paving the pit into a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"yard.† Second, Burbage erected a stage in the yard—his model was the booth stage of the marketplace, larger than used before, with posts rather than trestles. Third, he erected a permanent tiring-house in place of the booth. Here his chief model was the passage screens of the Tudor domestic hall. They were modified to withstand the weather by the insertion of doors in the doorways. Presumably the tiring-house, as a permanent structure, was inset into the frame of the playhouse rather than, as in the older temporary situation of the booth stage, set up against the frame of a baiting-house. The gallery over the tiring-house (presumably divided into boxes) was capable of serving variously as a â€Å"Lord’s room† for privileged or high-paying spectators, as a music-room, and as a station for the occasional performance of action â€Å"above† as, for example, Juliet’s balcony. Fourth, Burbage built a â€Å"cover† over the rear part of the stage, called â€Å"the Heavens†, supported by posts rising from the yard and surmounted by a â€Å"hut.† And fifth, Burbage added a third gallery to the frame. The theory of origin and development suggested in the preceding accords with our chief pictorial source of information about the Elizabethan stage, the â€Å"De Witt† drawing of the interior of the Swan Playhouse (c. 1596). It seems likely that most of the round public playhouses—specifically, the Theatre (1576), the Swan (1595), the First Globe (1599), the Hope (1614), and the Second Globe (1614)—were of about the same size. The Second Blackfriars Playhouse of 1596 was designed by James Burbage, and he built his playhouse in the upper-story Parliament Chamber of the Upper Frater of the priory. The Parliament Chamber measured 100 ft. in length, but for the playhouse Burbage used only two-thirds of this length. The room in question, after the removal of partitions dividing it into apartments, measured 46 ft. in width and 66 ft. in length. The stage probably measured 29 ft. in width and 18 ft. 6 in. in depth. The Staging Conventions In the private theatres, act-intervals and music between acts were customary from the beginning. A music-room was at first lacking in the public playhouses, since public-theatre performances did not originally employ act-intervals and inter-act music. About 1609, however, after the King’s men had begun performing at the Blackfriars as well as at the Globe, the custom of inter-act music seems to have spread from the private to the public playhouses, and with it apparently came the custom of using one of the tiring-house boxes over the stage as a music-room. The drama was conventional, not realistic: poetry was the most obvious convention, others included asides, soliloquies, boys playing the roles of women, battles (with only a few participants), the daylight convention (many scenes are set at night, though the plays took place in mid-afternoon under the sky), a convention of time (the clock and calendar are used only at the dramatist’s discretion), the convention of â€Å"eavesdropping† (many characters overhear others, which the audience is privy to but the overheard characters are not), and movement from place to place as suggested by the script and the audience’s imagination. Exits were strong, and when everyone departed the stage, a change of scene was indicated. There was relatively little scenery. Scenery was mostly suggestive; for example, one or two trees standing in for a whole forest. The elaborate costumes—for which companies paid a great deal of money—supplied the color and pageantry. Minimal scenery and limited costume changes made the transitions between scenes lightning-fast and kept the story moving. There was often dancing before and after the play—at times, during, like the peasants’ dance in Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale. Jigs were often given at the end of performances, a custom preserved still today at Shakespeare’s Globe. The jigs at the theatre were not always mere dances, they were sometimes comprised of songs and bawdy knockabout farces filled with commentaries on current events. Perhaps the most famous jig was the one performed by Will Kemp, the clown in Shakespeare’s company, over a nine day period in 1599, on  the road from London to Norwich. It was published in 1600 as Kemps nine daies wonder. After 1600, the bawdy jigs fell into derision and contempt and were only performed at theatres such as the Red Bull, which catered to an audience appreciative of the lowest humor and most violent action. The clowns were the great headliners of the Elizabethan stage prior to the rise of the famed tragedians of the late 1580s, such as Edward (Ned) Alleyn and Richard Burbage. Every company had a top clown along with the tragedianæ ¡ ½hakespeareæŠ ¯ company was no exception: Richard Tarleton was the clown until his death in 1588, Will Kemp was the clown until forced out of the company in 1599, to be replaced by another famous clown, Robin Armin. The clowns not only performed the aforementioned jigs, but also played many of the great comic characters; Kemp most likely played Peter in Romeo and Juliet and Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, Armin the parts of Feste in Twelfth Night and the Fool in King Lear. From contemporary documents, we know there were over a thousand actors in England between 1580-1642*. Most were poor, â€Å"starving actors†, but a few dozen were able to make names for themselves and become shareholders in their respective companies, and make a good living. The repertory system was demanding esides playing six days a week, a company would be in continual rehearsal in order to add new plays and to refresh old ones in their schedule. A player would probably learn a new role every week, with thirty to forty roles in his head. No minor feat, especially considering that an actor would only get his lines and cues (in a rolled up parchment, his â€Å"roll†, from which we get the word â€Å"role†), not a whole script! Over a period of three years, a tragedian such as Edward Alleyn, lead player for the Admiral’s Men, would learn not only fifty new parts but also retain twenty or more old roles.

Rhetorical Analysisi of a Technology

The internet has become the new recreational area of the present and upcoming generations. Discourse communities have evolved greatly over time allowing users to redesign computer mediated communication. Each discourse community is made possible by the use of unique commonplaces where shared values and goals are identified. Active. com facilitates communication among athletes in our nation. Their community emphasizes competition, healthy nutrition and training. Through the use of this discourse community, athletes can take part of a team outside the local environment.In 1998, the Active Network began as an online registration site for tournaments. The company mission is â€Å"to enhance the life of individuals worldwide through technology and marketing solutions that enable and encourage participation† (Dave Alberga). The network now process more than one million transactions of events each year (â€Å"Hystory†). Registration, sales, and donations are processed online w hich allows for paperless transactions, making for a more cost effective and environmentally friendly option.According to journalist S. Marks comment on this discourse community, â€Å"It's among the Web's best tickets to sports and fitness event registration, fitness advice, and more†. In the case of a charity event and fundraisers, members habitually make a decision to participate for the sole cause of serving. This allows members to support a certain event of interest in which they might not be physically participating in, but might offer their support through donations and promotional support through online networking. Members of Active. om may take advantage of numerous tools offered to assist in enhancing athletic performance and improving overall health and fitness. Diet plans are customized for specific fitness and performance goals. There are also various fitness calculators included, ranging from those that calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) to pace rate and maximum he art rate. More in dept nutritional and training support is available through customized programs tailored to an individual’s current status and goals. However, these supplemental services are not free of charge.Training advice, tips and moral support is provided without a fee among the discourse community. The operators of the website provide members with daily advice which may be linked on other discourse community feeds such as Facebook or Twitter. Newsletters are also available via e-mail providing updated information on training trends, athletic event, nutritional and injury prevention tips. There is also advice for other outdoor activities such as camping and fishing which further encourages physical activity and well being.The shared goals of the discourse community: competition, healthy nutrition, and training ultimately form the foundation for overall wellness achieved through physical activity. Online training logs are ideal for logging and tracking fitness and athle tic performance when working towards a goal or seeking overall improvement. The website is fashioned in such manner as to persuade the community to take part in sports and to seek further resources available through subscriptions for sale which are upgraded versions of the free tools offered.Provided that a member desires to have unlimited access to the vast benefits offered by Active. com, it can be acquired at the monthly rate of $9. 99/plus tax. The site is a strong athletic community which uses related advertising as a means to promote the discourse community shared goals and values. The services for sale may be of benefit to novices or athletes who have hit plateau and are seeking expert guidance for reaching their goals, otherwise the free services should suffice member’s needs. The online community unites professional athletes, beginners and fans from different parts of the nation.Users can create their own blogs which provides fans with the ability to keep track of pr ofessionals’ athletes within the community. Others that aspire to become professionals can be discovered by trainers in the same manner. The discourse community endows its members with valuable insight, including updated information, tips, and testimonials by expert coaches, trainers and professional athletes within a specific sport of interest. Members of the community value physical fitness, many of them inspiring to reach and maintain a certain level wellness.Therefore, advice from experienced athletes within the same field of interest is particularly valued within the community. Information shared among members is comprised of tournament instructions, fundraisers and charity events. When users begin a blog page, they often describe and elaborate on their personal experiences, achievements and obstacles encountered during their passionate involvement in a particular sport or activity. Language plays a crucial role in communicating among members when considering the diversi ty in sports lingo and terminology. The lingo used by the members of the discourse community might encourage individuals hat are familiar with the terminology to join and interact with other likeminded individuals. On the other hand, those who are unfamiliar with the sports lingo may be a bit hesitant in joining the discourse community. BMI, fartlek and ratio numeration used to denote training intervals are examples of sports lingo found in this discourse community. However, Active. com does offer various glossaries, articles and newsletters which allow for familiarization of specified terminology. Beginner and â€Å"newbie† selections are available for those just getting started within a particular sport.Members of the discourse community are encouraged to use sports lingo while active members of the site, this facilitates transition from novice to intermediate and so forth. People of the discourse community may browse for a team to join, a sports camp or retreat to register for or simply network with people nationwide with similar athletic interests. Millions of members visit Active. com each year to learn improvement techniques of the sport practiced and explore the website as this offers infinite number of activities available for members (â€Å"Our Communities Connect People with Things they Love to Do†).The benefits of the discourse community includes a facilitated activity calendar for athletic events where athletes are able to record times of previous competitions making their performance trends available for viewing by other community members. Members involved in this discourse community have the ability to create an online identity by creating a profile. Users are allowed to describe their interest on their profiles and write their plans which are referred to as their â€Å"status†. Blogs created by each member have the potential to inspire and motivate the rest of the community to reach and achieve their fitness/athletic goals.T he discourse community shapes the identity of users by allowing them to identify with the context of the web page at the same time the users fit into place in blogs and tournaments of their level of training. By uploading video format and pictures, members may generate a dynamic space allowing communication through a more visual means. Members of the community typically upload pictures of themselves, as well as, pictures of previous competitions in which they participated in. Occasionally, some people will upload pictures of their children participating in sports.The site is welcoming to people of all body types, genders and racial/ethnic groups. Profile pictures of members as posted vary from the very athletic physique to the not so athletic. Fans are capable of following blogs by bookmarking members or creating online friends. The friendship created among users often resembles that of a coworker which post and answer each other’s blogs. If a member is interested on having a closer friendship, private messages can be sent to arrange for chatting or other activities.The users are allowed a display name or real name along with a picture or an avatar character representation. A URL web address is provided which can be accessed by members and nonmembers of the community. The language of the discourse community is to be understood among its like minded members of the community. Common places regarding to the role of each member in the community plays are described on the website. Each member is assigned a level according to points accumulated, mimicking recognition given to professional athletes by assigned nicknames coined by fans and coaches.The lowest level is called â€Å"rookie† with zero starts, and the highest level is called â€Å"we’re not worthy† which has five starts. The starts and points are awarded by initiating posting and by replying helpful answers. The points can be interchanged by prizes to include free training subsc ription from the site. The website operates under appropriate vocabulary etiquette. Comments, posts, and blogs that do not attach to the agreed etiquette behaviors are erased by the operators of the website. The primary commonplace of the discourse community is the logo of the website followed by the common place of each particular group.Due to the wide variety of sports that the website offers, the names of the sports are displayed as a list to avoid confusion among disciplines. The main page of the website displays several pictures and related links to associated articles while the member’s and groups profiles have a plain white background with one or two pictures. People’s reasons for participating in an online community may vary from person to person. Some reasons may include convenience, a broader community network which includes participants of all levels and practicality of services and tools offered online.People functioning under unusual agendas might benefit from the online space as they have the conveniences of simply logging in from any available computer with internet connectivity. This kind of convenience allows for staying current with blog friends, as well as keeping up to par with current community news and online feeds (Uwe Matzat). Members who belong to an athletic team may communicate, plan and schedule an event through this network of communication. This kind of discourse community may also be the perfect motivational tool for a novice of prospective athlete.People of all walks of life may find inspiration and support from this community since it is comprised of a diverse target population. The social status of the target audience is primarily middle class to upper class and the age targeted might vary according to articles, blogs, and groups that member belong to. For example, a mother of a family might find joy reading articles related to getting her children more involved in outdoor activities that involve the whole family , such as camping. In the same manner a teenage boy may find it more appealing to participate in group events such as marathon running.Residential and non-residential training camps are available for children and adult alike. A residential training camp consists of lodging for training session lasting more than one day, whereas non-residential involves a one day session. This unique social form of networking allows for athletes of all levels to come together in sharing advice, anecdotes and experiences related to a common athletic interest. The website ideology shapes people to be better athletes and eat healthy as the affinity group ideology is based on competition, healthy nutrition and training. Enthusiastic and inspirational individuals are found within the numerous communities which promote and support physical activity and wellness through participation in the various existent sports.Works CitedDave Alberga. â€Å"About Active Network†. 2008. Active Network. Accessed Oc tober 15, 2010 from http://mediakit. activenetwork. com/About_Active_Network. htm â€Å"History†. 2010. Active Network. Accessed October 15, 2010 from http://www. activenetwork. com/about/corporate-overview/history. htm Susan J Marks. â€Å"Clicks and misses†. 2002.Bloomer Business Week. Accessed October 16, 2010 from http://www. businessweek. com/technology/content/apr2002/tc20020419_3319. htm â€Å"Our Communities Connect People with Things they Love to Do†. 2010. Active Network. Accessed October 15, 2010 from http://www. activenetwork. com/online-communities. htm Uwe Matzat. â€Å"Reducing problems of sociability in online communities: Integrating online communication with offline interaction†. 2010. American Behavioral Scientist. Accessed October 16, 2010 from http://www. umatzat. net/matzat_ABS. pdf

buy custom Ethical Issue essay

buy custom Ethical Issue essay Working with people is not an easy task because every person requires a personal approach and wants to be listened to and understood. It can be very difficult working with many different people in a big organization, where every single employee requires individualistic approach. Inability to build strong communication and good relations with employees forming a team of A players often leads to complications and failures for the company. This proves the necessity to be able to cooperate with every single employee and make them follow ethical norms and rules of the organization. Being a mechanical engineer in the Operation and Maintenance in the Ministry of Defense showed how important it was to have a team which respected and worked well with each other, and was focused on performing a task together. The experience allowed me to solve certain ethical issues and create an ethical conduct for the organization, so it was able to work more effectively and have the same vision. There was a certain ethical issue in Operation and Maintenance sector that contradicted professional ethics; it was discrimination that some workers felt as a result of harsh treatment by their colleagues. A problem was about senior workers being unwilling to help and explain anything to those just entering the working field. I experienced such situations very often when workers with a lot of experience did not want to communicate or help those less experienced. Interns or new workers felt like there was no one they could consult in case they had questions. That was why they felt insecure while performing their tasks which was unacceptable in Operation and Maintenance. Everything connected to engineering had to be done precisely, and there was no place for mistakes. Hence, it was expected from every worker to be a great professional who knew everything about his or her duties. Although the workers entering the field were well prepared and knew almost everything to perform their tasks well, there still were some things they did not know. As a result, they needed extra help. Basically, new workers needed their experienced colleagues to explain them more about milestones of the job, as well as its special nuances in order to do well on the working place. Hence, it was expected from senior workers to be there to support the new employees. Unfortunately, experienced workers did not fulfill this role. They did not help interns or new workers when they asked for their help. Even more, they tried to communicate with new workers as little as possible, avoiding them and not talking unless necessary. Whenever young employees asked them for something, seniors would say that they had many tasks to do and not help. The same happened many times, so young employees were left to themselves to figure out many challenges. As a result, they did not feel any support or interest toward their work from other people, which left them frustrated and unhappy with their jobs. They also di d not learn the way they had to. As a mechanical engineer, I saw many people come and leave the Ministry of Defense simply because of their relationship with coworkers. They could not communicate with them properly as well as exchange ideas, and they felt that the job was too depersonalized and they could no longer do it. As a result, this sector of Ministry of Defense had a constant flow of employees coming and leaving without staying for a long period of time. Only veterans remained for a long time, but there was a negative side to it since only few new people entered a working field, and there was no fresh blood or bright ideas coming into work. Basically, discrimination of younger workers made them feel uncomfortable with their jobs. Those who did stay did not feel like they belonged with the rest of the workers, so they did not communicate with experienced colleagues. Basically, the whole team of workers was split into two parts, one consisting of experienced colleagues unwilling to talk to younger group. It was a very bad situation for the entire organization, and it was also against professional ethics with one group discriminating the other. As a result, the organization could not work well with Operation and Maintenance sector not performing their tasks properly. This division had a lasting influence on the entire team. With the division into two groups, people simply stopped communicating; they were focused on their tasks only. Although perfectionism many employees expressed was beneficial for the organization, the lack of teamwork brought many disadvantages for the sector. The first disadvantage which was mentioned before was the fact that it was more difficult for the new employees to learn. They did not know everything needed about the job in the very beginning, and it had a negative impact on their performance; as a result, it had a negative impact on the entire sector. Another negative consequence was the attitude many people developed toward their jobs. Younger workers felt like there was little that depended on them, so they did not care much about their performance. They felt like their job did not matter, since all of the important tasks were performed by the senior workers. As a result, new employees and interns did not try to lear n a lot by themselves or surprise everyone with their knowledge and devotion to the job. Although there were some people truly eager to learn, their enthusiasm did not last for long. After being surrounded by passive coworkers for some time and with no chance of talking to other employees, enthusiastic workers lost their eagerness and became passive as well as the rest. Experienced workers, on the other hand, were more passionate about the job, viewing it as the most important thing they had to do. Nevertheless, despite their perfectionist attitude to the things they were doing, they were often very arrogant and competitive with each other to the point that they did not help their fellow workers even when it was essential. Buy custom Ethical Issue essay

Matt Groening Essays

Matt Groening Essays Matt Groening Paper Matt Groening Paper Matt Groening spent his child life in Portland, Oregon USA. His father was a Cartoonist and a film producer of surfing films. He had a mother called Margaret, a father called Homer and two little sisters called Lisa and Maggie. This is where the Simpson characters got their names. He grew up watching TV sitcoms like Leave It To Beaver about a boy called Beaver who got up to all sorts of adventures; Aussie and Harriet and Dennis the Menace. When He became a teenager he started to draw Charlie Brown from Peanuts as he read them so frequently. These were hisfirst cartoons. At School he was an under achiever. He got terrible test results and unfair grades. So he swore never to take another test again. He was very lucky, as he found a college with no tests or grades and he studied what he wanted when you wanted. This was the Evergreen State College. All the great art and music minds went there and Matt started real cartooning. He had friends there who also cartoo ned and so he was not unusual in any way. Then he started to draw Joe. He was a version of Charlie brown with a big nose and eyes on one side of his head only. Later on he started to wear a fez and Matt called him Akbar. Then Akbar got a brother called Jeff who looked exactly the same. He started to draw comic strips with them but you couldnt tell who was who. They would have fights about certain things and you would not be able to tell who had which idea. ;A Life in Hell; was only with a rabbit called Binky. Matt would draw him in his attic with police sirens and helicopter buzzing and wailing out side so his tension would be high, hence the title, and would send them off to various newspapers to be printed in them. This was hisfirst job. Later on again Sheeba, Binkys girlfriend was introduced. So he introduced Akbar and Jeff into A Life in Hell and everyone was happy.

How to Write a Patent Claim

How to Write a Patent Claim Claims are the parts of a patent which define the boundaries of patent protection. Patent claims are the legal basis for your patent protection. They form a protective boundary line around your patent that lets others know when they are infringing on your rights. The limits of this line are defined by the words and phrasing of your claims. As the claims are key to receiving complete protection for your invention, you may wish to seek professional help to ensure that they are properly drafted. When writing this section you should consider the scope, characteristics, and structure of the claims. Scope Each claim should have only one meaning which can be either broad or narrow, but not both at the same time. In general, a narrow claim specifies more details than a broader claim. Having many claims, where each one is a different scope allows you to have legal title to several aspects of your invention. Here is an example of a broad claim (claim 1) found in a patent for a collapsible tent frame. Claim 8 of the same patent is narrower in scope and focuses on a specific aspect of one element of the invention. Try reading through the claims for this patent and notice how the section begins with broad claims and develops towards claims that are narrower in scope.​ Important Characteristics Three criteria to take note of when drafting your claims are that they should clear, complete, and supported. Every claim must be one sentence, as long or as short a sentence as required to be complete. Be Clear Your claim must be clear so that you do not cause the reader to speculate about the claim. If you find yourself using words such as thin, strong, a major part, such as, when required, then you are probably not being clear enough. These words force the reader to make a subjective judgment, not an objective observation. Be Complete Each claim should be complete so that it covers the inventive feature and enough elements around it to put the invention in the proper context. Be Supported The claims have to be supported by the description. This means that all the characteristics of your invention that form part of the claims must be fully explained in the description. In addition, any terms you use in the claims must be either found in the description or clearly inferred from the description. Structure A claim is a single sentence composed of three parts: the introductory phrase, the body of the claim, and the link that joins the two. The introductory phrase identifies the category of the invention and sometimes the purpose, for example, a machine for waxing paper, or a composition for fertilizing soil. The body of the claim is the specific legal description of the exact invention which is being protected. The linking consists of words and phrases such as: which comprisesincludingconsisting ofconsisting essentially of Note that the linking word or phrase describes how the body of the claim relates to the introductory phrase. The linking words are also important in assessing the scope of the claim as they can be restrictive or permissive in nature. In the following example, A data input device is the introductory phrase, comprising is the linking word, and the rest of the claim is the body. Example of a Patent Claim A data input device comprising: an input surface adapted to be locally exposed to a pressure or pressure force, a sensor means disposed below the input surface for detecting the position of the pressure or pressure force on the input surface and for outputting an output signal representing said position and, an evaluating means for evaluating the output signal of the sensor means. Keep in Mind Just because one of your claims is objected to does not mean that the rest of your claims are invalid. Each claim is evaluated on its own merit. This is why it is important to make claims on all aspects of your invention to ensure that you receive the most protection possible. Here are some tips on writing your claims. Decide which are the essential elements of your invention that you want to claim exclusive rights to. These elements should be the ones that distinguish your invention from known technology.Begin with your broadest claims and then progress to narrower claims.Start claims on a new page (separate from the description) and number each claim using Arabic numbers starting with 1.Precede your claims with a short statement such as I claim:. In some patents, this reads as The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:Check to see that each claim consists of an introduction, linking word, and body. One way of ensuring that specific inventive features are included in several or all claims is to write an initial claim and refer to it in claims of narrower scope. This means that all the features in the first claim are also included in the subsequent claims. As more features are added the claims become narrower in scope.

In what ways might the state be considered to be 'gendered' Essay

In what ways might the state be considered to be 'gendered' - Essay Example The status of women in this generally patriarchal world is a discussion that has passed, at least two centuries. It has been a sociologically proven fact that â€Å"historical construction of the state [†¦] represents a gendered masculine model†. Women who â€Å"constitute half the world’s population, perform nearly two-thirds of its work hours, receive one-tenth of the world’s income, and own less than one-hundredth of the world’s property† (cited in Bubeck, 1995: 2). It is this injustice and inequality that prompts discussion on the possibility of gendering the state. In different countries, women as individuals and as groups have been engaged in attempts to gender the state that govern them. Men who have internalized gender politics have also been partners in such attempts. To assess whether and to what extent a state is gendered, is to be able to scrutinize the actions, attitudes and policies of the state. And this assessment has to be base d on the notion that â€Å"any meaningful conception of equality must provide all women with political, social and economic rights† (Cornell, 1993: 162). From this reasoning and the discussion made above, it can be seen that just like there is no gendering of the state possible without the gendering of the society, no political change is possible without corresponding social and economic changes. But still, for the sake of convenience while making a gendering intervention, the state can be compartmentalized into different segments. like executive, legislature, media, informal political sphere, public space, etc. Gendering the processes of state The communist, capitalist and democratic forms of state, have been criticized by feminist scholars, for being hierarchical when it comes to gender relations (Abu-Laban, 2009: 7). The gender power relations within each of this system of rule were found to be typically an extension of family and its gender relations (Abu-Laban, 2009: 8). Some feminist scholars (cited in Abu-Laban, 2009) have debated whether nationalism is â€Å"progressive or reactionary† in terms of a gender perspective (12). The duality and contradiction involved with the role of women as citizens and as inferior members in a family has to be addressed if the gendering process of the state is to gain stability by finding roots in the society (Abu-Laban, 2009: 13). True (2003) has drawn attention to the need of â€Å"gendering socialist state† by which it becomes clear that even a state establishment that addresses certain inequalities like class and race cannot be considered as gender-sensitive (28). In such a scenario, the gendering of state is viewed as to include: Election [of women] to legislatures, the appointment of women to public office as ministers and bureaucrats, the presence of women’s policy agencies, and the potential for these women and agencies to promote women-friendly policy outcomes (McBride and

Marketing of Art Products Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing of Art Products - Assignment Example This analysis focuses on the various aspects of arts marketing and evaluates whether the different conduits for arts sales could be considered as efficient in their sales and marketing approach. The sales outlets for marketing of art products largely depend on direct consumers, festival or exhibition visitors and also on sponsors. Olkonnen et al (2000) argue that there is little or no academic interest or research studies on the phenomenon of commercial sponsorship on arts, sports and media events. Sponsorship as a study of marketing management is largely defined by marketing mix and mass communication and Olkonnen et al claim that sponsorship could be better defined by applying the approach towards networking and interaction. Networking in marketing of arts focuses on understanding the dynamics of sponsorship as a method of networks and relationships and also interpersonal communication rather than sponsorship as a measure of effects on the audience or consumers. The art festival is one of the major marketing tools through which a large number of art enthusiasts could be assembled to focus on both the academic and the commercial aspects of art. Waterman (1998) writes that despite the prominence and ubiquity of such art festivals these festivals have not been studied or researched to an appropriate degree. These art festivals serve as a platform for new artists and also from a social perspective transform places and settings into environments thriving with the production and processing ad even consumption of the very essence of culture which seem to be available within a specific location. The way a particular culture in manifested and projected becomes very obvious in festivals and festivals play a major role in highlighting cultural aspects of art apart from being a major conduit for the sale and marketing of arts. Waterman (1998) goes a bit further in discussion the implications of these festivals and suggests that support for arts is a pro cess used by elites to distance themselves from the other classes of society. Thus being a patron of arts marks out someone as member of refined or higher social class. However the changing nature of festivals is obvious as from being traditionally innovative and being controlled by artistic directors, these festivals are now increasingly controlled by marketing managers and agencies who have been transforming arts into an industry with a strong potential for marketing and attracting consumers at a large scale. Arts festivals are now seen as serving the dual purpose of marketing the arts products as also advertising the place in which such festivals are held and thus tend to attract sponsors and agencies that have many different marketing approaches and motivations. Waterman (1998) suggests that the concept of festival for arts and economics may be related to tensions between culture and cultural politics. Direct marketing of art objects is one of the more traditional and common ways of marketing and selling art products. Arnold and Tapp (2003) suggest that direct marketing is being increasingly used by non profit organisations to reach consumers, raise sales and revenues and improve long term consumer relationships. In case of selling of arts

Apple vs samsung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Apple vs samsung - Essay Example The content of this report concentrates determining the main reasons behind the increasing competitiveness of both the companies and the reasons behind the recent success of Samsung in comparison to Apple in the smartphone segment. From the findings, it is determined that Samsung has significantly focused on availability, after-sales service and use of media to lure the consumers as compared to Apple. The presented findings of this report also discuss about the pertinent views of the general managers of both companies who highlight their opinions regarding the changing competitiveness in the industry and their future endeavors with the offered smartphones . It concludes with the assessment that despite possessing impeccable brand image Apple has slightly remained behind Samsung in the smartphone segment due to the lack of availability, after-sales service and a reduced focus on ensuring utmost consumer satisfaction of ease of purchase. Thus, certain recommendations including focusing of untapped consumer segment and reducing price of the smartphones have been offered to Apple. Conversely, Samsung has been recommended to increase its market share in the segment of smartphone through sustained focus on augmentation of brand awareness and product promotion. I hope this report will prove to be satisfactory. If you should have any questions concerning my project and report, please feel free to contact me â€Å"Sumaya Ali â€Å" at Samyaa0202@hotmail.com. Sincerely, Fatima Ali Attachment : My report on Smartphone Comparison Table of Contents NU SUBJECT PAGES 1 Summary of the Report 4 2 Introduction 5 3 Procedure 6 4 Overview About Apple And Samsung 6 5 SWOT Analysis 9 6 Findings 14 6.1 Questionnaire Findings 14 6.2 Interview Findings 21 7 Conclusion 24 8 Recommendations 25 9 Appendix 26 9.1 Survey Questionnaire 26 9.2 Interview Questionnaire 28 10 References 29 1- Summary of the Report The report intends to provide a comparative study of the smartphones of two of t he world’s leading manufacturer’s i.e. Apple and Samsung. From the perspective of technology and innovation, both the companies are superior in this field. However, there are a number of pertinent parameters based which Samsung can be stated to be noticeably ahead of Apple in terms of sales as well as market share. Therefore, as a part of this report a consumer feedback questionnaire has been designed and feedbacks from the smartphone users have been accumulated accordingly. In addition, a set of interview questionnaire is also designed for taking the interview of the Chairman/CEO/General Manager of Apple as well as Samsung. Based on the feedbacks obtained as a part of this report, a set of relevant recommendations has been offered to both the companies. 2- Introduction Over the past decade in the field of technology segment, Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics have been two of the major players as well as rivals. Apple Inc is an American based multinational organisation (MNC), founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs (Apple, 2013). Samsung Electronics is a South Korean based MNC founded in 1938 by Lee Kun-hee (Samsung, 2013). Although Apple came into the market later but in the course of focusing on sustained technological innovation it has turned into one of the preferred and respect brands in the world, thus in turn creating an immense challenge for the competitors to match up to the offerings of Apple. In

Argumentive essay on Higher Education Research Paper

Argumentive essay on Higher Education - Research Paper Example eholds present in modern times are boasting of having at least one member who has attained higher education, and is now well-equipped to deal with the ever-changing job market. There are reasons for and against higher education, and individuals will always have an opinion about the changing or shifting paradigm that is higher education (Jedding 76). However, it is crucial to note some of the vital issues that arise as a result of higher education. The advancement or graduation of an individual from one level of education to the next is always something that brings satisfaction to all the people involved. This is a clear indicator that there is a growing and intensifying need to understand the value of education among most people. Families are gearing up to the fact that their children will have to acquire a certain level of education in order to have a fighting chance in some of the world’s leading institutions, and have some sense of security. This pushes individuals to try and excel in the different fields they find themselves in, and try to make it regardless of the challenges present (Jedding 81). As mentioned above, there are reasons for and against higher education and this paper will examine some of them, and try to indicate why higher education is a vital element in the security and future of a region. One of the most crucial and best arguments for higher education is the fact that no individual can be over-educated. Once people reach a certain level in their quest for education, the might try to look for excuses to stop or quit by claiming that they have had enough of it. This may be a wrong assumption, especially when one considers that education never stops. Education is a means to learn something new every day, and use that to improve one’s life and problem solving skills. Higher education is just a means to acquire experience through what someone else has already discovered, so as to make life easier and less complicated (Jedding 84). It is vital

Human Resources Staffing Plan with Three Year Forecast by Quarter Essay

Human Resources Staffing Plan with Three Year Forecast by Quarter - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the management has discovered that restaurant profits are growing at a very low rate of about three percent annually and the trend is worrying. The first section of the plan shall deal with the essential matter of task identification. An effective human resources management team will be judged based on its competencies. The appropriate behaviors that employees ought to have to work are competencies. A competent framework entails a structure that defines and lays down the employee competency. The human resources must operate within a specified framework in order to view employees and restaurant s as being synonymous. The human resource team must develop a better working environment and terms for the employees to be effective at work. The aim of the company as Miss Cutter put it is business. However, people conduct the business. In other words, human resources must have what will make the employees do their work effectively. This begins wi th appreciating that employees are human and not just tools. The team should then proceed to put the right structures. Following these basics will determine the competence of the human resource framework. Most companies reduce the human resources department to handling payments and being involved in the recruitment exercise while at the same time handling salary omission complains that arise from the staff. The reason is that the human resource has limited its scope of operations by neglecting other roles. The most significant remains ensuring employees is in a perfect psychological state to increase efficiency at work. The human resources ought to carry out an evaluation of the staff based on their efficiency. By doing this, the human resources department will assume a new but rightful passion within restaurants.

Argumentive essay on Higher Education Research Paper

Argumentive essay on Higher Education - Research Paper Example eholds present in modern times are boasting of having at least one member who has attained higher education, and is now well-equipped to deal with the ever-changing job market. There are reasons for and against higher education, and individuals will always have an opinion about the changing or shifting paradigm that is higher education (Jedding 76). However, it is crucial to note some of the vital issues that arise as a result of higher education. The advancement or graduation of an individual from one level of education to the next is always something that brings satisfaction to all the people involved. This is a clear indicator that there is a growing and intensifying need to understand the value of education among most people. Families are gearing up to the fact that their children will have to acquire a certain level of education in order to have a fighting chance in some of the world’s leading institutions, and have some sense of security. This pushes individuals to try and excel in the different fields they find themselves in, and try to make it regardless of the challenges present (Jedding 81). As mentioned above, there are reasons for and against higher education and this paper will examine some of them, and try to indicate why higher education is a vital element in the security and future of a region. One of the most crucial and best arguments for higher education is the fact that no individual can be over-educated. Once people reach a certain level in their quest for education, the might try to look for excuses to stop or quit by claiming that they have had enough of it. This may be a wrong assumption, especially when one considers that education never stops. Education is a means to learn something new every day, and use that to improve one’s life and problem solving skills. Higher education is just a means to acquire experience through what someone else has already discovered, so as to make life easier and less complicated (Jedding 84). It is vital

Security of Information in Government Organizations Essay

Security of Information in Government Organizations - Essay Example Whatever format government organizations store their information, it needs to be protected properly (Aoufi, 2011). ISO 27002 claims that information safety is the central aspect of government’s information security that guarantees three features which are: integrity, availability and confidentiality of asset (Aoufi, 2011). Integrity is about protecting the truthfulness and extensiveness of information. This feature denotes to the necessity that information is secured from improper change Availability is certifying that only approved employers have access to information and associated assets when needed. This property refers to the protection of information from denial of service Confidentiality guarantees that information is accessible merely to those approved employers. This feature denotes to the security of information from illegal leak (Aoufi, 2011) There are no priorities regarding the importance about those three features. The importance of each of the features relies on the perspective of how they are implemented in government organizations. For example, information which is categorized as public is needed to assure availability and integrity and confidentiality is not needed (Aoufi, 2011). Information Security In Government Organizations Information security in government organizations are the promise that information, resources and facilities are protected against concession and people are secured in contradiction of workplace violence. Through information security government can guarantee its own security that supports the health, protection, economic welfare and safety of citizens. Security arises by forming trust among government, citizens and people within government organizations. Within government organizations there is need to certify that people... This essay stresses that in any government organization, the resources and operations are highly reliant on information technology to achieve the objectives and targets. Considering the high reliance, information becomes a strategic enabler for success of government organizations. Thus, defending information is main concern for any government establishments This paper makes a conclusion that through information security, government organizations can protect their information system from illegal accessing, leaking, distraction, alteration, inspection, coping or damaging. Government organizations possess several intimate information regarding nuclear operation, military operation, business deals, and employees. Most of those data are processed electronically and shared across organizations’ internal network. As the use of internet and computer increases and develops, the risk of leaking and stealing those high priority information has also increased. There are internal as well as external threats of government information. Thus, information security has become highly important and technologically advanced expressively in recent times. Government organizations are required to provide a great deal of effort for protecting information asset from external as well as internal threats. Through proper security measures government, organiz ations are able to ensure the integrity, availability and confidentiality of information.

Public communication Ethics Case studies Essay Example for Free

Public communication Ethics Case studies Essay The International Smart Tan is a global synergetic consortium that has been committed to promoting as well as researching on responsible skin care for people who develop sunburns and tans. It teaches on methods of minimizing the risks that are associated with too little or too much sunlight (Tanning, 2008). Ultra Violet Radiation has been widely recognized as being carcinogenic thus causing various types of skin cancer. Exposure during the early years during adolescence and childhood are crucial as far as risks of skin cancers are concerned. Traditionally the major source of UVR exposures in the tanning purposes have been rays from the sun though tanning equipments have now represented amplified importance to sources of exposure mostly to the young adults and adolescents. This exposure amplifies the risks of melanoma. Most of the suns scare activists profit through marketing the distorted sun abstinence message to the public. Therefore grassroots health is the main organization that is fully committed in offering education on Vitamin D through launching a global public health campaign in order to solve the epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency. Therefore it is imperative to discuss how potter’s model is applicable in this case study, the ethical theories behind it and how I would communicate my position as far as the case study is concerned. Constant changes in the public health and the society have forced most health professionals to engage into some new roles and develop new competencies. Public health practitioners ought to be trained in order to respond to such challenges. Porter’s model of pure competition implies on the fact that the risks rates ought to be constant across industries and firms (Strategic management, 2010). His framework model assumes that industries are usually influenced by some forces. These forces are rivalry, threat of substitutes, buyer power, supplier power and threat of entry. Smart Tanning in order to pursue some advantage over its rivals had to improve on their communication strategies. They emphasized on the importance of vitamin D and its sufficient risks. They also exploited relationships with the other counterparts like the public health practitioners. As far as the buyer power is concerned, the relationship that the public have with Smart Tanning is amplifying and almost to monopsony level. Also there is a concept of supplier power as Smart tanning has some relationships with the hospitals thus suppliers are concentrated. They also face barriers because of government regulations that prompt them to offer the right information in order to uplift right health communication on causes of skin cancers and how effectively it can be solved. Strategy in Smart Tanning can be formulated on business, functional and corporate level. The business level is the major context as far as industry rivalry is concerned thus focus, differentiation and cost leadership ought to be implemented in order to create a competitive advantage. The generic strategies will help Smart Tanning to leverage its main strengths and defend on the serious effects of the forces. Some of the ethical theories that can be applied are the moral theory, utilitarian, virtue theories and others. Smart tanning has applied the utilitarian theory as it has focused on making everybody concerned and mostly the consumers happy. It has demonstrated that they have high standards when it comes to consumer education, employee training as well as the public welfare against fighting skin cancer. The moral and virtue theory has been used on the grounds that the tanning association has come with moral strategies to make sure that the public is not affected but rather are being helped. It has amplified the comprehension of professional tanning that moderates ultra-violet exposures from outdoor and indoor tanning that does recognize the manageable risks as well as benefits that are associated with the ultraviolet exposures of the light. The other is rational theory as tanning industry is quite effective on teaching about the prevention of sunburn than those who are after promoting sun avoidance. My personal take on this case study is that tanning industry is imperative as it will help in reducing skin cancers. However, there is loss of perspective that there are other psychological and physiological benefits that are also associated with sunlight that needs more research and the fact that most risks bare manageable for all people who have got the aptitude of developing a tan and for most people benefits of sun exposure do outweigh most risks that are associated with being overexposed. Also to a large extent it is crucial as smart tanning means comprehending both risks and benefits of sunlight. B. Right to Know vs. Personal Privacy (Ch. 5, Case 19, the Controversial Patriot Act) Tensions between public information and personal privacy will undoubtedly never ebb. Privacy issues do revolve on the conflict between the right of the public to know about something and the citizens’ right to keep the information to themselves (Joseph. , Robert Lucinda, 2008, pp. 121). It is therefore crucial to give limelight to some of the controversies that emerged in the Patriot Act which most address on information sharing. The Patriot Act was initially designed in order to enhance the investigations on federal anti-terrorism. However, the opponents of the senate asserted that the changes in the Act have failed to sufficiently address on the concerns of civil liberties with the raise of provisions. Section 203 (b and d) allows for information from the criminals to be shared with the intelligence agents as well as other government’s bodies (NPR, 2010). However, the major controversy is that most critics believe that the unrestricted sharing might lead to development of intense databases on citizens who are not the main targets of crime. The supporters however assert that the provisions will enhance sharing of information within the intelligence community as well as the FBI. Section 206 (NPR, 2010) allows for the wire tap authorization in order to cover many devices and eliminates the need for court authorizations to a suspect’s PC, cell phone as well as blackberry. The critics affirm that the language in the Act might lead to violations of privacy to anybody who might come into contact with a suspect. On the other hand, the government asserts that roving wiretaps are needed in order to deal with the sophisticated technological terrorists. Section 215 allows for easy access of business records (NPR, 2010). However, the critics attack this provision saying that the law can be used to order for reading records of bookstore patrons or library. On the other hand, the supporters allege that the provision will allow the investigators in obtaining documents that are connected to terror. Section (213) allows for the sneak and peek warrants where critics aver that the provision allows for search even for minor crimes apart from the espionage and terror crimes. The supporters assert that this provision allows investigators to search houses of criminals. Porter’s five competitive forces model are to a large extent applicable in this case study. As far as entry of competitors is concerned, it is very difficult for the government to implement on the provisions and receive full support with the major controversies that are emerging in the sections of the provisions. The critics will easily continue to criticize the provisions as long as there are questionable loopholes that raise concerns on mistakes, misuse and invasion of privacy. The Patriot Act is also under threat of being substituted or implemented to another that fits every citizen if it not properly defined by the government. The bargaining power of the buyers who are public in this case is quite strong and it will be difficult for them to work together unless the provisions are changed to adapt to everybody’s preference and for the good of all. There is a strong competition and argument between the government supporters and the critics because of the barriers created by critics. One of the ethical theories that are in relation to this is the utilitarian theory which seeks the happiness of the majority. The provisions should be implemented in a way that suit everybody and brings happiness to the majority if not to all people. The controversial issues are immense as they touch on privacy concept that ought to be reinforced and respected. The other is consequentialist or teleological theory that views on what ought to be done determined by the consequences. The government should analyze on some of the effects of these provisions. The other is moral duty. Any act of rule is proper as long as it satisfies all the demands of the overriding or non consequentialist principles of morality. The deontology theory also stresses that any value of any action does lie in motives instead of the consequences. All these theories do apply the issue as the government should aim at maximizing happiness, acting morally, focus on the consequences of the actions as well as make their motives known to the public to create acceptance. As far as am concerned, under the guise of the Patriot Act and in the name of defending freedom and fighting terrorism, The Act is doing neither. It is suppressing the rights of the Americans to dissent as it gives the government power to go ahead and conduct some secret trials as well as executions. For all who seek in preserving the democracy in USA, it is vital to consider all people rationally. Defense on democracy starts at home and there ought to be realization of democracy and freedom which the Act is quite antithetical to all. Since the inception of the Act, it has been shrouded with controversies and it is fair to have a clear and closer look to the consequences of the Act. This is an Act that will abuse access of private information as no one is in a position to define what suspicious behavior constitutes. The Act is a mere unpatriotic way of limiting the civil rights, infringing on the free communication or speech, interfering with freedom and infringing the citizen’s privacy rights. C. Media Interests vs. Community Interests; Ch. 9, Case 39, Gatekeepers II: Opening the Door) The broad concept of public interest is quite familiar to most people and is usually considered as defense from media intrusion of people’s privacy under certain circumstances. Most things constitute the public interest in a vulnerable rather than what can be deemed as strong sense. Where something or an information might be seen to affect only one person, it might be in public interest incase the effect usually involves other principles that will have adverse effect on the population for example the abuse of power or a grave crime. The media do try to maximize and equalize their audiences thus livening stories which would in the long run overstep the regulation guidelines. It is therefore imperative to give some facts about Gate Keeper’s II: opening the door is concerned. This is a story about a protest and the Horowitz advertisement. It offers background on Horowitz advertisement and his main idea of running the advertisement in the college newspapers. It offers critically friendly view on the purpose of the advertisement. Horowitz happens to be a neoconservative journalist who attempted to go ahead and publish an advertisement entitled â€Å"ten reasons why reparations for slavery are a bad idea for black people and racist too†. Most college newspapers like Columbia and Harvard rejected the advertisement since the editors thought it was racist and offensive. The newspapers pointed out on the fact that they were not in any position to accept all advertisers who are in a position to buy an advertisement. Few newspapers ran the advertisement and only the University of Chicago ran the advertisement without much hostility (Anthony, 2001). Most people view the rejection of the advertisement as evidence of a politically correct censorship in the American campuses but others have aired concerns on freedom of expression in USA. Some of the ethical theories that Horowitz should have focused on are virtue and moral theories that entails of behaving ethically without attacking any race. He should have also focused on utilitarianism theory to make sure he writes something that will bring maximum happiness to the majority. In my view, the Horowitz argument and essay was quite offensive to some extent. This is not because it was racist but he doesn’t deny on the fact that slavery did occur or Africans who were enslaved were seriously wronged. He attempts to set an argument purportedly ascertain on which groups did benefit from the slavery and how they did. He contends that Blacks benefited from the slavery. His arguments are to a certain extent offensive as his contention that the blacks benefited from slavery reduces the slavery wrongs. Also the argument that the blacks would be better in America than they would be in Africa sounds almost like justifying the brutal kidnappings on grounds the victim’s children might end up in countries with high living standard. References Indoor tanning: Smart tan. 2008. Retrieved 23, Aug 2010 http://www. tanningtruth. com/index. php/indoor_tanning/ Porter’s five forces. 2010. Strategic management. Retrieved 23, Aug, 2010 http://www. quickmba. com/strategy/porter. shtml Sebok, Anthony. 2001. The Horowitz slavery AD controversy, and the problem with conceptualizing human rights violations as property based. Retrieved 23, Aug, 2010 http://writ. news. findlaw. com/sebok/20010326. html Straubhaar, Joseph. , LaRose, Robert Davenport, Lucinda. 2008. Media now: Understanding media, culture and technology. USA: Cengage Learning The Patriot Act : Key controversies. 2010. Retrieved, 23, Aug 2010 http://www. npr. org/news/specials/patriotact/patriotactdeal. html

Effects of Weather on Aircraft Accidents

Effects of Weather on Aircraft Accidents EFFECTS OF VISIBILITY ON AIRCRAFT MISHAPS IN NIGERIA Efe, S. I. Geography and Regional Planning Department Delta State University, Abraka. ABSTRACT This paper is an assessment of the effects of weather on aircraft mishaps in Nigeria. This was investigated with the aid of data collected from the Meteorological Service Office, Oshodi and the use of questionnaire. The data were analyzed with the aid of mean and multiple regression models. Results suggest that poor visibility (less than l000m) have a significant effect on aircraft mishaps in Nigeria, other casual factors of aircraft. Old age of the aircraft, lack of safe landing equipment amongst others factors of aircraft mishaps. INTRODUCTION There have been several cases of air transportation problems due to poor aviation weather at both international and national airports worldwide. For example, in U.S.A. the weather is responsible for about 33 percent of all aviation accidents while thunderstorms are the commonest cause of flight delays (26 percent). Also, unfavourable winds and wind shear are responsible for 19 percent of flight hold-ups (Hayward and Oguntoyinbo, 1987). But Critchfield (1966) and Smith (1975) have noted the effects of poor visibility on flight operation. For instance. Smith (1975) opined that despite the increasing sophistication of automatic landing equipment, poor visibility from fog and low cloud ceilings is probably the major impediment to air operation throughout the world. In Nigeria, there has been a series of aviation accidents related to poor weather. But the worst aviation fatality occurred in November 1973, when 183 people died in an air crash at Kano airport during the landing approaches o f a pilgrim flight from Jeddah as a thick dust haze persisted. Also Nigeria airways, suspended its flights for one week in January 1983, due to widespread dust haze, and was reported to have lost about 15 million U.S. dollars as a result (Adefolalu, 1984). Studies in this area have been neglected over the years, rather there are concentrations of studies on Harmattan dust haze as seen in the works of Biglestone (1958), Burns (1961), Ireland (1962), Samray (1974), Adefolalu (1968 and 1984); and Dear and Bokop (1996). Even the study by Adefolalu (1984) which appeared more recent in Nigeria only focused on the Bioclimatological aspect of Harmattan dust haze in Nigeria to the neglects of the effects of visibility on flight operations in Nigeria,. In fact, while vagaries of poor visibility on flight operation in Nigeria continued unabated, as highlighted in the Nigerian Guardian November 1996, December 1998 and the Comet February 2000. There are a dwindling number of studies in this area . The reason is not unconnected with the paucity of visibility data as well as inadequate records of flight accidents, delays and cancellations in most Nigerian airports and Meteorological services departments. Even when available, exorbitant fees for their purchase scare researchers away. Thus, there is dearth of information in this aspect of climatology. This study is therefore carried out in Nigeria that is located at the intersection of latitude 4 °N and 14 °N, and between longitude 3 °E and 15 °E. It is characterised with wet and dry season. However, in the coastal belt of Nigeria, wet season spans for 11 — 12 months. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY This study is aim at assessing the effects of visibility on aircraft mishaps and identifying other factors that causes aircraft mishaps in Nigeria and recommend ways of reducing aircraft mishaps in Nigeria. CONCEPT AND METHODOLOGY The study is based on the concept of visibility. Visibility is the highest distance an individual can see with an unaided Hayward and (Oguntoynibo, 1987). However, in the context of the aircraft operation, it is the highest distant a pilot can see on board (airborne) when taking off with the aid of an unaided eye. Visibility is said to be poor to aircraft operation, when it 100 metres and below (Efe, 1997). There are probably two main source areas for dust harmattan haze that precipitated in poor visibility in West Africa and Nigeria in particular. One is the plains between Bilma and Fays Largeau in Niger and Chad, where fine dust particles are fed to the area by seasonal streams from the Tibesti upland replenishing the dust that is stripped from the surface by the winds. The second originates west of the Ahaggar massif, Tonezrouft in Algeria. From the ‘former’ source is derived the haze that may extend across Nigeria (Hayward and Oguntoyinbo, 1987). It reaches the Niger ian border about 24 hours after leaving the Fays Largeau source Region (Burns, 1961). Reduction of horizontal visibility invariably marks the onset of a spell, which lasts up to 3 — 5 days (Adebayo, 1980). But some spells may persist for up to 10 days, when the adduction of dust is from a â€Å"line† rather than a â€Å"point† source. In such a situation, clearance of the haze may be delayed to an extent that the arrival of another dust spell is not obvious. Persistence of dust haze for more than two weeks may be classified as due to only one spell whereas it could have been due to overlapping spells. This pattern of occurrence is more conspicuous in the southern limits of the dust â€Å"front† which according to Adefolalu (1968), is a feature of Harmattan dust to the South of the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (ITD). The in-flight observation on four trips between Kano and Lagos made by Adefolalu showed that the dust layer is shallower but thicker in the extreme north (where visibility is poorer) and coastal parts of Nigeria. But higher to t he south of the surface ITD where dynamic instability associated with the monsoon trough (Adefolalu, 1983), at about the 900mb level leads to rising motion which help to distribute the dust within a deeper layers. Over the greater part of Nigeria, however, especially north of the forest zone, the prevalence of mist, most noticeably in the dry season, cannot be explained with reference to atmospheric moisture. In fact, it is more accurate to refer to haze rather than mist, the former term being used to describe visibility impaired by presence of solid aerosols, not liquid. In West Africa, particularly during the pre-rains period, such aerosols may be contributed by bush fire (Crozat et al, 1978), but by far the greater proportion of atmospheric pollutants is dust from the north, associated with the harmattan. The influence of this dust-laden north — easterly airflow, reaches even the Guinea Coast in the period December to February. The data used for this study were extracted from the archives of the Accident Unit of Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, (1987 — 1998) and the use of questionnaire. For this data collection, 1000 metres visibility upper limit is used as visibility induce for aircraft operation, the reason being that visibility higher than 1000 metres though affect aircraft operation, but its effect will not bring the desired delays, cancellation and accidents of aircraft in Nigeria. In Nigeria, there are a total of 14 airports, out of which the Murtala Mohammed Airport Ikeja formed the Central collating centre of aircraft accidents, delay and cancellation. This gave the impetus for the choice of the Ikeja Airport. Other reasons for the choice of Ikeja airport, and the years 1987 — 1998 include reliability, consistency; continuity of records and long range of data. For each year, the total daily, monthly and annual aircraft accident as well as those accidents that are weather relate d was scrutinized. The seasonal occurrence of aircraft accidents was adopted by dividing the months of the year into Wet (April-September) and Dry (October — March) seasons. A total of 14 questionnaires were administered to the 14 accident units of the 14 major airports in Nigeria. This was done to elicit information responses on the major causes of aircraft mishaps in Nigeria. One questionnaire each was therefore, posted to the 14 airports and same number was filled, returned and used for the study. The multiple regression analysis is used to determine the effects of poor visibility on aircraft mishaps, while line graph was used to depict the seasonal pattern of aircraft accidents in Nigeria. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS The result of aircraft accidents from 1987 — 1998 are presented and discussed below. From the table above, a total of 89 cases of aircraft accidents were reported, out of which 45 were weather related; and the total number of casualties were 498. During the period under investigation, the year 1988 recorded the highest rate of aircraft accidents of 14 cases, out of which 9 were caused by poor visibility. This was followed by 1992 (10 cases), 1990, 1991 and 1995 (9 cases each), 1998. (8 cases), 1989 (7 cases); and the lowest rates of accidents occurred in 1993 and 1977 (3 cases), poor visibility was the major causes of 2 cases in the year 1997. Over these years, poor visibility was known to be an inducement of these accidents as shown in the weather related column of table 1. In 1988, the 9 weather related cases of accident out of the 14 total cases reported. occurred during the dry season when the hamattan dust haze was said to be highest in the country. Fog, mist, rain, and strong winds are other weather factors that have contributed to the accident rates over the y ears. Most especially those that happened during the months of April — September, are as a result of foggy and misty weather that could sometimes reduce the visibility to 50m in the morning. For instance as a result of foggy and misty weather on June 26th and 11 July 1991; the Nigeria Airway â€Å"Airbus 310† and Ashaka Cement Cessna Citation 550† crash landed at Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos, and Company Al — 1. Airport in Bauchi respectively. Causalities were said to be 4 and 261 respectively. This was the worst aviation mishap during the period of this study. It was gathered that 5 airports (Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Bauc1à ±, and Lagos) have reported cases of visibility — related accidents. This gives 36% percent of the 14 Nigerian airports. Sokoto recorded the highest accident records of 28 cases, while Lagos with 8 cases, recorded the lowest accidents during the period of study. Looking at the casualty trends, 1991 recorded the highest (267), this was followed by 1996 (168), 1995 (26), 1988 (14), 1993 (9) 1997 (7), 1998 (5), and 1989and 1992 (1 each) being the lowest. However, no casualty was recorded in 1990 and 1993 though there were reported cases of 9 and 3 aircraft accidents. The ADC B727 airline that crashed into the Ejinrim water on November 6, 1996, claiming the lives of 146 passengers and crew recorded the second worst casualties during this period. Experts say fears of blackmail or sanction; poverty and fear of being accused of trying to sabotage the airline and government are part of causes of such dare devil attempts that propel a pilot to fly an aircraft when he knows it is unsafe to do so. Other factors that led to these high accidents rate include mechanical problems pilot errors, faulty landing facilities in our airports; absence of floodlights; and unreliable air control facilities. In fact the control system is so poor that sometimes pilot have to communicate (relate) to each other on weather (visibility and wind speed) situation instead of using the control tower. The result of the correlation analysis model showed that there is a high relationship between poor visibility and aircraft accident reported during these period of study. This is evident from a calculated value of 0.85 (72%) and critical table value of 0.51 at 0.01 Confidence level. Hence one can now say that poor visibility did not only inhibit aircraft operation, but has resulted in most of the aircraft accidents recorded in Nigeria as shown from the 72% explanation of the correlation. While the rest 28% is accounted for by human errors; and unreliable air control facilities and Mechanical problems. Figure 1 depicts the Seasonal Occurrence of aircraft accident from 1987 — 1998. While there were double maximum of aircraft accident occurrence (13) in the month of April and September there is no accident recorded in the month of May. The concentration of fog and mist in the lower surface during the morning hours, in July — September, at times reduces visibility to 50m in Bight of Guinea and Coastal areas (Hayward and Oguntoyinbo, 1987), Human errors form the explanation to the highest accident recorded in the season. However the concentrations of aircraft accidents are more in the dry season (October — March). This is evident in 9, 7, 6, 8, 9 and 5 recorded during this season. In fact while there is virtually no month during the dry season that has less than 5 cases of accidents, there is in the wet season (April — September). This is evident in 13, 0, 4, 6, 9, and 13, recorded during this season. The highest cases of 13 occurrences of aircraft accidents were in the month of September. It is attributed to poor visibility related to heavy rainfall. Causes of Aircraft mishaps in Nigeria Table 2 shows the number of responses to the major causes of aircraft mishaps in Nigeria. Out of the 14 respondents interviewed, all the respondents indicated that poor visibility is a regular cause of aircraft mishaps in Nigeria. This indicates 100% of the respondent. Thus, this is a conformation of the earlier result which show that poor visibility have a significant effects on aircraft accident in Nigeria other factors in decreasing order of responses areas. Lack of regular maintenance (12 respondents); old age of the aircraft (10 respondents); lack of safe landing equipment (9 respondents); human errors (6 respondents) improper reporting system (5 respondents) and fear of blackmail (4 respondents) this showed that all these factor are the major factors that causes aircraft’s mishaps. The result of the multiple regression analysis shows that poor visibility induced 72% of aircraft mishaps in Nigeria. The effects of poor visibility on each of the 5 airports however show that the highest effect was at Sokoto airport with calculated r-value of 0.68, and thus representing 47%. Banchi Kano, Kanduna and Lagos airports, with r-values of 0.67. 0.49 and 0.48, followed this respectively. These shows that poor visibility has exerted 45%, 37%. 24% and 23% effects on the prevalence of aircraft mishaps at Banchi, Kano, Kaduna and Lagos airports respectively. However, summary of ANOVA from the multiple regression analysis shows that poor visibility has strong significant effects on aircraft mishaps in Nigeria during the period of study. This is evident from a calculated F value 4.98 that is greater than the critical table value of 4.39, with 5 under 6 degree of freedom at 0.05 significant level (see table 3). CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION The study revealed that poor visibility has significant effect on aircraft mishaps in Nigeria over the period of study. Apart from poor visibility, other causal factors of aircraft mishaps identified are lack of regular maintenance, old age of aircraft, lack of safe landing equipment, human errors, improper reporting system and fear of blackmail of the pilot. Viewing the monumental loses from aircraft accidents; accident prevention should be a goal sought by everyone in the aviation industry, as well as by the government. The Meteorological Services Department of the Federal Ministry of Aviation should continue to recognise the enormous impact of weather on flying operation, particularly civil and general aviation, and provide services tailored to meet the specific needs of this important part of the aviation sector. Increasing reliance should be placed on automated systems, as opposed to face-to-face briefing services, to deliver meteorological information for flight planning and pilot documentation. It is also essential that up-to-date training and educational material be made available to enable pilots to enhance their knowledge and understanding of aeronautical meteorology and aeronautical meteorological services, so that they can use that information to fly safely and efficiently. Government should encourage the aviation industry by creating an effective incident-reporting programme. This is done by having reporting systems both at the local (i.e. airline, air traffic facility etc.) and national levels, with the local sources forwarding information to the national system. For a more co-ordinated level of operating the Nigerian National Voluntary Incident Reporting System (NNVIRS) should share information at a global level. The modern instrument landing system (ILS) should be installed in major airports in Nigeria. The 19 new Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), very high Omni-directional radio range (VOR) on Doppler VOR and locator Beacons installed at two run ways of the Lagos airports should also be installed at all Nigerian domestic and International airports to boost domestic and international flights. Also, routine maintenance of aircraft should be carried out as and when due. Accidents hardly ever happen without warning. The combination or sequence of failure and mistakes that causes an accident may indeed be unique, but the individual failure and mistake rarely are. Hence poor visibility was identified as a major casual factor that was responsible for the above aircraft accidents in Nigeria. Other contributing factors include; Human error, absence of safe landing equipment, fear of blackmail and lack of regular maintenance of aircraft before they embark on any journey or flight. Finally, it is recommended that accident prevention should be the responsibility of everyone in the aviation industry. REFERENCES Adebayo. S. 1. (1980): Pronounced Dust haze Spell Over Nigeria, 2-11 March, 1971 Pre-WAMEX Symposium. Lagos, 270— 300. Adefolalu, D, 0. (1968): Two Case Studies of the Vertical Distribution of Dust during occurrence of Harmattan Haze over Nigeria. Technical Notes No 21, Met. Department, Lagos, Nigeria, 13 pp. Adefolalu, D, 0. (1983): Weather Forecasting and the Role of Scale hizteraction in West Africa. Arch. Met. Geoph. Bioci. Ser. A32, 103— 117 pp. Adefolalu, D, 0. (1984): On Bio-climatological Aspects of Harmatlan Dust haze in Nigeria. Arch. Met. Geoph. Bioci. Ser. B 33 387 — 404pp. Biglestone, H.J. (1958): Harmattan Haze At Kano British West African Meteorological Services Technical Note. No. 10. Burns, F. (1961): Dust Haze in Relation to Pressure Gradients. Technical Note, No. 11. Nig. Met. Department. 5p. Critchfield, H.J. (1966): General Climatology (2’’ ed.) Prentice — Hall Inc. New Jersey. 420p. Crozat, C. Domergue, J.I. Bandet, J. and Bogui, V. (1978): Influence des Feux de Brousse stir la Compition Chmique des aerosols Atmospheriques en Afrique de l’ouest. Atmos. Envir. 12, 1917 — 20. Dear, J. and Bokor, L. (1996): Meteorological Support to General aviation W.M.O. Bulletin vol. 45, No.2, 151— 156 pp. Efe, S.I. (1997): Analysis of cloud covers over South Western Nigeria. M.Sc. Dissertation in the Department of Geography, University of Ibadan. 1 — 50 pp. Hayward, D. and Oguntoyinbo, J. (1987): Climatology of West African. Hutchrison, London 78 — 81 pp. Ireland, A.W. (1962): Incidence of Harinattan Air at the Surface iii Lagos Area. Tech. Note. Nig. Met. Services. Sarnways, J. (1975): A Synoptic Account of an Occurrence of Dense Harmattan Dust at Kano in February 1974. Savana. Vol. 4, No. 2 187-190.