Fiction and Brother Leon Brought Essay

A Wife  is a story written by  Manuel Arguilla  about a man who comes home to his province to introduce his wife from the city to his family. This short story won first prize in the Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940. Baldo  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ younger brother of Leon, fetched Leon and Maria from the road to Nagrebcan * Leon (or Noel)  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ older brother of Baldo who studied in Manila where he met his wife * Maria  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the beautiful and stunning wife of Leon from Manila * Labang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the bull whom Baldo considers as his â€Å"pet† * Norman Tabios  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Maria’s ex-boyfriend who happened to be a loro * Gagambino  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Leon’s favorite fictional character who gave him lots of guts to study in Manila * Churita  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Labang’s girlfriend/fiance Baldo and his older brother Leon were both waiting for the arrival of their visitor riding the carretela. Seeing his brother’s wife, Baldo was easily taken away by the beauty of the woman from city as he narrates their journey to Nagrebcan. The idea of meeting with Leon’s parents for the first time made Maria a bit anxious. But along their way home, Maria discovered the peculiarities of the life in Nagrebcan as opposed to their life in the city where she met and fell in love with Leon. Summary: Exposition: Maria was the first one introduced in the story – the wife of the main character Leon. She first noticed Baldo, the brother of Leon; then Labang was introduced, the family bull. Complication: On the way, Maria expressed her fear – that their father might not like her. Conflict: Leon explained to Maria that their father is the mildest-tempered, gentlest man he knew. Climax: When they got home, their father did not welcome them. He was said to be in his room; â€Å"his leg is bothering him again. † Baldo saw his mother and sister Aurelia and Maria in the kitchen who seemed like crying. His father removed the roll of tobacco in his mouth when he saw Baldo and started†¦ [continues] â€Å"How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife,† is a short story written by the highly acclaimed Filipino writer Manuel Arguilla. This award-winning story is a long-standing favorite in Philippine literature. To examine this piece, the author’s background must first be considered. Formalistic, historical, and sociological approaches can also be utilized to analyze the story further. Prominent symbols and their interpretations will also be discussed. About Manuel Arguilla Manuel Arguilla was born to Crisanto Arguilla and Margarita Estabillo in Barrio Nagrebcan in Bauang, La Union on June 17, 1911. The Arguillas were a humble, hard-working family who farmed the small piece of land they owned to make a living. In school, Manuel was a sharp student who showed promise of being a brilliant writer at an early age. He graduated as salutatorian of his high school and then left La Union to study at the University of Philippines, where he would eventually earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. Around the same time, he married fellow writer, Lydia Villanueva, and moved to Ermita, Manila. After college, he worked at the Bureau of Public Welfare and taught at the University of Manila. After working at the bureau for a few years, Arguilla was selected   to be the managing editor of The Welfare Advocate, the business’ newsletter. He served at the Bureau until 1943, when he was appointed to the Board of Censors. During this time, he was working at a Japanese propaganda agency and also as an agent of the Markings’ Guerillas, an anti-Japanese rebel movement. In 1944, the Japanese discovered Arguilla’s disloyalty and arrested him.

Bernadine Healy

There is a sea of difference in being a leader and manager of an organization. Each one of the two persona can fit in a type of organization. But in the case of the Red Cross in the US,public interest, administrative responsibility and some of the recent ethical obligations confronting public administrators in their day to day decision making. Also examine the recent trend in privatizing government functions and appeared to have not fit at all occupying the presidency.She was a victim of the position not for becoming a tough, passionate, too-driven leader, but for not coming a manager of the international Red Cross that is largely resistant to change. It has been said that managers â€Å"do things right† while leaders, on the other hand, â€Å"do the right things†. Managers are concerned primarily with managing things. Leaders, on the other hand, are show concern for leading people.Dr. Healy’s short stint in the Red Cross showed that she was more than a leader th an a manager of the gargantuan relief service organization, whose organizational grandeur, financial resources and manpower are greater than the Philippine military establishment. In fact, she was described as â€Å"a tough professional who ruffled feathers but made things happen† and â€Å"a change agent for a culture resistant to change†.But amidst controversies generated from her tough program thrusts, changes and innovations and her strong leadership in the international Red Cross, she had to cave in to pressures even as the powerful board of governors had decided to fire her out. It came to pass that the Red Cross Red is after all a conservative, non transparent organizations with heavy decentralization down in its hierarchy, with people and chapters enmeshed in turf wars and to some extent rocked with financial anomalies and a blood business that has to be rectified. It was described to have a militaristic management and a politburo-like board of governors.Dr. He aly, who came in too passionate like a savior knight in shining armor, failed these to understand. Moreover, empathy as a vital organizational trait of a leader – as espoused by US Army logistics officer William Pagonis- was evidently lacking in the upmanship and leadership of Dr. Healy. In her rush to institute dramatic changes in the international Red Cross in the wake of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing she failed to factor in the use of empathy in drawing out support of Red Cross organizations under her leadership. As she was already hounded by criticisms right even in Red Cross board of governors, unlike Pagonis, Dr.Healy failed to build up team work and design a communication structure that could complement the Red Cross chain of command, the reason why her good intents and passions were misunderstood. She failed to approach Red Cross by managing than by leading, and to pursue a long-haul of transformation process. It worth to ponder that change requires time and pro cesses. In John Kotter’s Transformation Process in his book â€Å"Change or Die†, it takes many processes to transform men and in effect the organization, and many things have to be recognized and to make and unmake. On various areas where Dr.Healy was brought down particularly in her evident over zeal to make Red Cross perform and take novel pursuits with least shoring up of empathy to the men and women across and down the line of the organization, Kotter’s organizational processes are given much rationale*. Changing the behavior of people is the most important challenge for organizations trying to compete in a turbulent world, says John Kotter, a Harvard Business School professor who has studied dozens of organizations in the midst of upheaval: â€Å"The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems.The core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people. Those people may be called upon to respond to profound upheavals in mark etplace dynamics — the rise of a new global competitor, say, or a shift from a regulated to a deregulated environment — or to a corporate reorganization, merger, or entry into a new business. And as individuals, we may want to change our own styles of work — how we mentor subordinates, for example, or how we react to criticism. Yet more often than not, we can’t. † In relevance to ours, the Philippine Army has to â€Å"Change or Die† if wanted to survive in the high-technological, constantly changing times.There have been more critiques leveled to the Philippine military in its organizational mission, efficacy and those relating organizational stresses and dysfunctions. The current thrusts and posturing of the country’s military for transformation have still a long way to go in so far as hurdling and taking tasks along the generalist processes spelled out. And let it be said now that changing the behavior of men and officers towards a m ission an ever-changing times is a daunting task of the Philippine Army.

Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Society

Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Society Larry Anderson INF103 Instructor Geathers November 21, 2011 â€Å"The goal of many computer scientists since the mid-20th century has been to create a computer that could perform logical operations. †(Bowles, 2010, 9. 2). The journey to achieving this is called Artificial Intelligence, which is considered to be the branch of computer science that is focused on creating machines that engage in human behavior, and intelligence. â€Å"The term Artificial Intelligence was first coined at the Dartmouth Conference in 1956 by John McCarthy. † (McCorduck, 2004, 2. ). â€Å"The Dartmouth conference paved the way for examining the use of computers to process symbols, the need for new languages and the role of computers for theorem proving instead of focusing on hardware that simulated intelligence. †(Krishnamoorthy & Rajeev, 1996, 9. 1). Even though this name was coined in 1956, we saw artificial intelligence 15 years earli er when the electronic computer was created in 1941. Artificial Intelligence is an exciting subject that will only get better with time, allowing humans to do things that were never thought to be reality, until the last few decades. In this paper, I will be telling you about the four main studies of artificial intelligence and their importance to our society, as well as how they are affecting our everyday lives. These four studies are expert systems, natural language, neural networks, and robotics. Mostly all artificial intelligences can be categorized under these four studies. Not only are these technologies making life easier, they are making life more enjoyable for all societies. The first study of artificial intelligence I will talk about is expert systems. Expert systems are computer programs that contain large amounts of information in a certain field. These programs use this large amount of information to solve problems that normally would require human intelligence. The great thing about expert systems is that they can process information, in seconds, which would take humans days. Every expert system is made up of two parts: knowledge, and reasoning. â€Å"The knowledge base of the expert systems contains both factual and heuristic knowledge. †(Engelmore & Feigenbaum, 1993, 1. 2). The knowledge is the information, while the reasoning is the problem solving aspect of the expert system. One common, but powerful paradigm involves chaining of if-then rules to form a line of reasoning. †(Engelmore & Feigenbaum, 1993, 1. 2). For example, if you have these symptoms, then you must have a head cold. Expert systems are affecting our everyday lives by diagnosing illnesses, and predicting the weather. â€Å"One of the first systems was a computer that could perform a medical diagnosis. † (Bowles, 2010, 9. 2). A doctor can enter symptoms into a computer, and then process a few questions for the doctor; after answering the questions the computer will make a diagnosis of the patient. This is very useful to doctors because now they can see more patients, and give promising diagnosis efficiently. The second way expert systems are affecting our lives is by predicting the weather. Meteorologists are using these systems to help predict hurricanes and tornadoes. This is very helpful to society, giving people more evacuation time during major storms. The second study of artificial intelligence is Natural Language, which is considered human language. â€Å"Natural language processing programs use artificial intelligence to allow a user to communicate with a computer in the user’s natural language. (Poole & Mackworth, 2010, 12. 6). The computer can both understand and respond to commands given in human language. The two biggest hurdles in this study are phonetic knowledge, and pragmatic knowledge. Phonetic knowledge concerns how words are realized, and how words are realized as sounds. Pragmatic Knowledge has to do with how sentences are used in different contexts and how that affects sentence interpretation. Even with the tough barriers of language, and the meaning of words computer specialists are producing helpful natural language processing programs to better society. When was the last time you made a customer service call? Natural language is affecting you when you call a customer service number, and an automated voice tells you to say a command. â€Å"Voice-recognition systems are now handling night and weekend toll-free directory assistance calls for big corporations. † (Poole & Mackworth, 2010, 12. 6). For example if you need to check your balance for a cell phone bill, a voice-recognition system can assist, without the need of a human. This allows the human customer service representatives to help customers with more complex questions. Another way natural language is being used is with Google’s real time translation application. With this application you can take snapshots of things in a different language with your phone and it will translate the words into your language in seconds. This can be useful when you are traveling in different countries, needing directions, or when you are selecting from a menu in a different language. â€Å"A neural network is, in essence, an attempt to simulate the brain. Neural network theory revolves around the idea that certain key properties of biological neurons can be extracted and applied to simulations, thus creating a simulated, and very much simplified brain. †(Reingold & Nightingale, 4. 1). The first important thing to understand is that artificial neural networks are an attempt to recreate the computing potential of the brain. However, no one has ever simulated anything as complex as an actual brain which makes it very difficult to finish the whole project. Credit card fraud is very big in the present day, because many people are not using cash; instead they are using credit cards and debit cards to make transactions. â€Å"Nearly 400,000 transactions per day are of fraudulent charges. † (Brause & Langsdorf, 1). Neural Networks are being used to detect fraud transactions with the principal of pattern recognition. Every time a credit card user uses their card there is a pattern of transaction. Neural network software uses information such as how much money a person makes, type of transactions made, and how frequent certain transactions are made to predict fraud. â€Å"Neural network based fraud detection is based totally on the human brain working principal. As the human brain learns through past experience and uses its knowledge or experience in making the decision in daily life problem the same technique is applied with the credit card fraud detection technology. † (Patidar & Sharma 2. ). The last study of artificial intelligence I will be talking about is robotics. Robots are physical agents that perform tasks by manipulating the physical world. â€Å"They perform tasks which are idealizations or extensions of human capabilities. †(Selig, 1992, 1. 1). Robots have four characteristics; sensing, movement, energy, and intelligence. First off, a robot must sense its surroundings u sing light, touch, and pressure sensors. Secondly a robot must have movement; a robot needs to move around in its in environment, whether or not the whole robot moves, or just parts. Thirdly, a robot needs power to function properly, this energy could be solar, electrical, or battery powered. Last, it must have some kind of intelligence, such as software from a programmer in order to operate. Actual robots might seem like far off science fiction, but that is not the case robots have been affecting our everyday life for years. One of the biggest uses for robots today is in the automotive industry. Over the past few decades robots have completely changed the automobile industry in many ways. Even though the use of robots has also led to many workers losing their jobs, it is very cost effective. The robots are used for welding, painting, drilling, sanding, cutting, and moving tasks in manufacturing plants. The robots have improved this industry with a job efficiency that couldn’t be duplicated by humans. These robots have made assembly lines and factories safer by handling jobs that are too dangerous and too difficult for workers to perform. Another great way that robots are working in society’s favor is by cleaning up toxic and contaminated areas that would otherwise be harmful to humans. The biggest reason that robots are able to do these jobs is that they can be easily shielded against hazardous environments and are easily replaceable, unlike humans. Robots are used to clean up nuclear waste or clean ammunition, and landmines all over the world. Robots are also an asset to the military because they can detect and diffuse bombs in a combat zone. These robots are saving lives every day because they are able to go into situations that are life threating to humans and get the job done. The studies of expert systems, natural language, neural networks, and robotics are just in their early stages of advancements, but are already showing important promising characteristics for the future of mankind. We already see these advancements being put to the test by making medical diagnosis, predicting weather, voice automated services, catching transaction fraud, building automobiles, and cleaning up hazardous wastes. There is no doubt that Artificial Intelligence is already affecting society in ways that were never imagined decades ago. Technology will continue to explode into the next few decades, excelling in Artificial Intelligence, how we embrace the advances, will define us as a society. Resources: Bowles, Mark, D. (2010). Introduction to Computer Literacy. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. McCorduck, P. (2004). Machines Who Think. Natick, MA. AK Peters, Ltd. Krishnamoorthy, C. , Rajeev, S. (1996). Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems for Engineers. CRC Press. Englemore, R. & Feigenbaum, E. (1993). Expert Systems and Artificial Intelligence. WTEC Hyper-Librarian. Poole, D. & Mackworth, A. 2010). Artificial Intelligence Foundations of Computational Agents. Cambridge University Press. Reingold, E. & Nightingale, J. Artificial Intelligence Tutorial Review. http://www. psych. utoronto. ca/users/reingold/courses/ai/ai. html Brause, R. & Langsdorf. Neural Data Mining for Credit Card Fraud Detection. J. W. Goethe-University. Frankfurt, Germany. Patidar, R. & Sharma, L. (2011). International Journal of Soft C omputing and Engineering. Jaipur, India. Selig, J. (1992). Introductory Robotics. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall International.

Muslim-Croat Alliance and War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Muslim-Croat Alliance and War - Research Paper Example The country was home to ethnic and religious groups that had been rivals in history and enemies at times, including Muslims, Croats and Serbs. World War II led to the invasion of Yugoslavia by Nazi Germany and its subsequent disintegration. The division was transient however, because as soon as Germany was defeated Josip Tito reunified Yugoslavia, inspiring the unification of Slovenia, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and two self governing provinces namely Kosovo and Vojvodina. This new Yugoslavia was inspired by Tito who was a communist leader. He was a shrewd leader who played with both the United States and the Soviet Union during the cold war and obtained financial assistance from both sides as a result. This unity, however, could last as long as Josip Tito’s life as Serbia plunged into political and economic chaos after his death. Disintegration of the New Yugoslavia and its fall out:- The death of Tito led to the rise of a new leader Slobodan Milosevic, a former communist. Milosevic believed in the principle of divide and rule to further his goals. He turned to triggering nationalism and religious hatred to gain power. His first plan of action was to set fire to the long-standing tensions between Muslims and Serbs of Kosovo. The minority populace of Serbs (Orthodox Christians) was led to believe that they were being ill-treated by the Muslim majority. The purpose of triggering this conflict was to broaden Milosevic’s power by eventually taking control of the politically broken Kosovo. Kosovo eventually lost its independence and was taken over by Milosevic. His politically twisted motives led to violence and chaos in other parts of Yugoslavia as well. Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence from Yugoslavia in June 1991. This was not met well by the leaders and populaces of the mentioned states and led to civil war. Milosevic tried to regain control by sending his Serbian concentrated army to Slovenia however his attemp ts were fruitless. This failure led to Milosevic’s shift in focus from Slovenia to Croatia. Croatia was a catholic country with people from diverse ethnic groups residing there. It was however a pro-Nazi and anti-Serb state which followed policies of fascism underlined by the Ustasha party. In 1991, the independence of Croatia led to a tilt of the country’s orientations towards doctrines of the Nazi era which involved enactment of discriminatory laws against orthodox Serbs. The Croat state consisted of a minority Serbian population of 12 %. Milosevic, loyal to his people and oblivious to territorial boundaries, was aided by Serbian guerrillas in Croatia in its invasion. The constant bombardment of the city of Vukavor turned it to ruins. The might of Milosevic’s army was too much for the Croats to handle. The arms embargo imposed by the UN on all former Yugoslavian states was of little use due to the military might of Milosevic’s Serbian forces. The fighti ng led to monumental damage for the weak Croats and the their infrastructure, military might and financial strength was significantly impaired by the time a US Sponsored ceasefire was exercised between the Serbs and Croats. The Muslim-Croat Alliance: Chronology and fall out. Bosnia had been fighting for its independence for a considerable period of time. It was a Muslim majority country. At the time Chairman of the

Law Quarterly Review 2005 Pepper v Hart and matters of constitutional Essay

Law Quarterly Review 2005 Pepper v Hart and matters of constitutional principle Aileen Kavanagh - Essay Example That is the eventual channel on concurrence with the plan and aim of legislation. Also this essay seeks to provide a statute where the understanding of the requirements results in vagueness, murkiness or results to an absurd precedence and cannot be accredited to legislative process (Zander, 2004). The task of any court becomes quite difficult in such a situation as it has to give effect to the statute under consideration and therefore Pepper v. Hart can be seen as one attempt of the Court to solve challenges and the difficult tasks of court in various situations on legislation. The Jury has the essential responsibility of decoding statutes. Generally there is ambiguity in an exceedingly meaning of the statute, either as a result of words have many understandings and explanations, differences of opinion over its rationale, or on the event of a brand new unanticipated state of affairs not lined by the law. Literature recognizes three wholly dissimilar aids, or supposedly rules of construction, the accustomed interpret rules: Mischief Rule, Golden Rule or the Literal Rule. According to Literal Rule words are plainly given their regular or factual meaning. The Golden Rule adjusts the Literal rule by aiming to avoid whichever irrationality or uncertainty (Gordon 2002). On the opposite hand mischief regulation recommends a purposive approach and permits the jury to choose to confer with the operating papers so as to explore out the trouble that the ruling was meant to correct. Though, these rules are simply guiding principle since is no outer management on the judges. Judges will various peripheral sources, glossaries, textbooks, previous statutes or perhaps on working papers as supporting materials. The popular precedent of Pepper v Hart upset the regulation that travaux prà ©peratoires cannot employed and put into thought by the adjudicators. This summarized essay offers a short scrutiny of the choice and its

Business Writing.... Career Study Project Term Paper

Business Writing.... Career Study Project - Term Paper Example Project description This project seeks to list the challenges that MCC students have been experiencing when looking for a suitable career or major area of study at MCC Career/Job Service Center: - Overwhelming amount of unsorted information regarding an HR recruiter Lack of organization and guidelines of how and where to look for information Unawareness of Holland’s Conventional personality types, thus inability to match their personal interest and desires with career selection Lack of any summarized information specifically describing Holland’s Conventional personality type and the HR recruiter career with all pertinent information (i.e. required education, salary information, required experience, job description) To solve all the issues listed above, a concise but comprehensive study of the HR recruiter career has been produced. It includes all viable information to place in the MCC Career Center or post on your website to help interested students to make informed dec isions about their potential career path. Scope Project covers the following: The areas of focus are the following: salary progression, promotional opportunities, job security, workload, etc. Information regarding the career of an HR recruiter along with any findings related to the careers appeal and usefulness Summary of key findings and recommendations to the potential student if the career is suitable for him/her based on his/her Holland Personality Type. The information summary tables and the reference page with recommended resources Report Format Discussion of HR recruiter Conclusion and Recommendations References DISCUSSION OF HUMAN RESOURCES RECRUITER CAREER Overview This career study will help current MCC students to find the career that is the most suitable to their personality, interests, and skills, using Holland’s Personality Type model. The report also provides all detailed information regarding the particular career of their choice such as required education, sk ills, experience, current and future job opportunities, work environment, work conditions, salary, and benefits. The career study project also summarizes all gathered information for each HR recruiter career level in an easy-to-read summary table for a quick reference. Sources of the information are listed in the summary table as well. Criteria and Methodology This report targets students with Conventional Holland’s Personality Type Model, who would be suitable for the career of HR recruiter. This personality type has excellent organizational skills and prefers building relationships across diverse cultures and backgrounds. To evaluate the suitability of this career, the following topics were researched using current government and internet sources: The information regarding the career of HR recruiter is divided in the following categories: Required education, skills, and experience Conventional type person likes being precise, orderly, organizing, and paying attention to det ails, so a bachelor’s degree in labor relations, personnel, and human resources is helpful and a good knowledge of the labor law is an asset. Examples of the required skills are: effective oral and written communication skills, relationship building skills, excellent computer skills in a Microsoft Windows environment, ability to work independently

Moral laws of the jews and gentiles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Moral laws of the jews and gentiles - Essay Example Paul writes to the Roman â€Å"For when the Gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves† (Roman 2: 14). In Romans 2: 25, He writes â€Å"For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision† (Romans 2: 25). This article explains the moral law between the Jews and the Gentiles, the relationship between Romans 2: 14-15 and 25-29, and the meaning of circumcision in the last passage. The Jews believed they were holy people who are entitled to their privileges by right, while they were rebellious and unrighteous. Paul, however, reminds them that God will judge everyone in accordance to their true characters. Paul advises the Jews to do the things contained in the law by nature. Everybody will be judged by law, and only law observers will be justified. He further clarifies that the same principles applies to the Gentiles too. The Gentiles have not written and revealed laws like the Jews, therefore, they should observe, and abide by the laws contained in the moral principles of the laws of Moses. This implies that they are a law to themselves. Their moral sense and consciences are a law. Paul does not imply that this is the law among the Gentiles, but suggests that the ethics of the law should apply to some of the Gentile’s natural characters. In Romans 2: 25-29, Paul clearly prevents Jews’ objection, those who set holiness in circumcision, and the logical observation of the law. He highlights that physical circumcision is not of any significance in an individual’s spiritual life, unless its inner interpretation is considered. He condemns those who are circumcised, but do not fulfill what circumcision signifies. According to Paul, circumcision signifies cleanliness of the heart, and adherence to the principles of the commandment of the law. Any uncircumcised man, according to the flesh, who is

Supply chain management at Toyota motors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Supply chain management at Toyota motors - Essay Example However, Toyota commenced its automobile manufacturing as early as 1934 functioning under Toyota Industries (Toyota, 1996). The first product of the company was Type A engines and Toyota AA passengers car which were manufactured in 1936. The company is celebrated as one of the world’s largest automakers mainly because of the company’s stupendous sales record over the last two decades. Toyota also ventures into the financial service provision, an exercise supervised by Toyota Financial Services. The company also produces robots. Alongside the father company (Toyota Industries), Toyota forms the majority shareholders in Toyota Group. Being the Leading shareholder in Daihatsu Motors, Toyota owns the operations of Lexus, Scion, and Toyota brands. The company is also the minority shareholder in Isuzu Motors, Fuji Heavy Industries, Hino Motors, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, and Yamaha Motors and craft manufacturers. In india, Toyota established a partnership agreement with Kirloskar Group to forming Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited (TKM); a company formed with sole objectives of creating employment to the unemployed youths as well as serving the automobile industry. As at March 2012, Toyota had about 529 subsidiaries globally, and manufactured more than 11.5 million vehicles (Toyota, 1996). SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN TOYOTA            Toyota supply chain management is one of the elements of the operational strategy which is founded on Toyota Production System (TPS). The system was proposed by Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo in 1940’s as the company gained global success in the automotive industry. TPS was founded on the principle â€Å"lean manufacturing†. The two partners indentified the components of this tool as: mutual trust and understanding, interlocking structures, compatible capabilities, control systems, joint improvement activities, learning, and information sharing. As stated by Krajewski, Ritzman & Malhotra (200 9), â€Å"JIT system – a system that organizes the resources information flows and decision rules that enable a firm to realize the benefits of JIT principles† (Burnes & New, 1996). Total Quality Management, reduces waste, and inventory by involving suppliers in continuous improvement, planning process, focusing on co-operation and improving machinery. The capacity planning method adopted by Toyota was based on inventory elimination. To achieve a zero-inventory, the company heavily depended on pull systems. Toyota also pioneered an operational excellence commonly referred to as â€Å"Lean Concept†. This concept was adopted by a number of companies in the manufacturing sector. The philosophy of this principle (lean philosophy) aimed at eliminating all wastes, and prioritizes customer care (Burnes & New, 1997). Lean philosophy closed linked with the JIS inventory management system to add to the competitive edge of Toyota. Therefore, the production of new material was only possible when the existing stock of inventory is exhausted. Toyota operated under â€Å"non-value-adding waste in business and manufacturing† (Liker, 2004) which were overproduction, unnecessary transport/ conveyance, waiting, over-processing, unnecessary movement, excess inventory, unused employee creativity, and defects. The improvements in the supply chain management at Toyota are cited as the key element for the increased competitiveness of the company in the fierce motor market. Besides, the improvements made in the supply cha

Sstrategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sstrategic management - Essay Example In strategic thinking a firm primarily should concern itself with the answering of three important question, these are; where we are? Where we are headed and how we intend to get there? The first question is vital because by understanding its current position, a firm can define itself in the present tense and thus prepare strategy that can be launched from the position. The second question is in a way a continuation of the first since it can only be practically answered after the first has been determined, where is the firm headed in the market? A firm must interrogate the market and business positions it intends to hold and occupy in the, the firm also needs must consider who its potential target customers are in addition to figuring out the needs it aims to satisfy and fulfill for these customer groups. A firm should also under the question of where we are going; consider what it seeks to achieve in its particular business. After asking and answering the above question, the firm wi ll have established its position and intention, at this point the third question emerges, how are we going to get there? The next consideration of the presentation was the definition of strategy; according to the speaker, a company’s strategy is comprised of the sort of competitive moves and actions business managers engage in in order to successfully run the company. To use a sporting analogy, a strategy can be described as the game plan in which the maneuvers and plans intended to be applied in bringing eventual success are contained (courseonline3000, n.d.). This game plan comprises of information on what sort of company they want to run, the characteristics, expectations of the target customers, and the means by which they will be attracted and maintained. It is in the strategy that the firm’s market position is staked out so it may curve out for itself a niche in its particular industry in the interests of maintaining relevance. The strategy must also indicate the type of operations that management wishes to conduct, the means by which they will be completed successfully, as well as the individuals expected to work on the same. All this is done with the ultimate goal of achieving the organizational objectives and this will depend on what sort of objectives, which should have also been specified in the strategy. Business models are other critical considerations that companies make; a business model addresses the issue of how a company should make money, which is the ultimate objective of majority of firms. In the setting up of a business model, firms must determine whether the business in which they are engaged provides an equitable return in investment. To determine the effectiveness of a particular business model the managers must consider several factors in the business front; first they must consider the revenue that a particular strategy is expected to produce after implementation. Secondly, they should consider the cost involved in form s of structures and resources and compare it with the potential profit margin, finally they must consider if the resulting earning are indicative of a viable strategy and thus practical model. These are important because the resulting revenues and other benefits that follow its implementation will only determine the validity of a model. A business model and strategy work toward the same end; nevertheless, in their structure and

Information security legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Information security legislation - Essay Example Never the less, times have changed and the recent past has seen a lot of regulations and legislation which impacts information security. Some of these legislations are the European Data Protection Directive, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the Capital Adequacy Directive, just to mention but a few. In the event of these new compliance rules organization are being forced to resort a range of codes and standards to control their information systems. (Purtell, 2007) Information security is an organization problem, and not a technologically one. With increasing spotlight on information security in legislation and the media all over the world, companies are being faced with a complex need to conform to privacy and security regulations and standards. This is making information security issues to be discussed in the boardrooms and many executives and directors becoming aware of their responsibility in ensuring information security in an organization. Information security is driven by; The knowledge of issues and challenges being faced in information security currently has increased. Through, the government, the media, crimes, cyber attacks and proliferation of products that are vulnerable, information security has continued to receive more attention (Purtell, 2007) Through successful attacks for example code red and Nimrod, companies are realizing that security technology product is not the overall solution to information security. Information security is an organization problem and technology is only but a small element in the organization. (Purtell, 2007) Companies are facing complex needs and requirements to conform to numerous regulation/standards. Even those vertical organizations such as financial services organizations, complication to adhere to security measures brought about by different regulations, for example the US Gramm-Leach Biley Act, 1999 (GLBA),

The field of Image Processing refers Essay Example for Free

The field of Image Processing refers Essay The field of Image Processing refers to processing digital images by means of digital computer. One of the main application areas in Digital Image Processing methods is to improve the pictorial information for human interpretation. Most of the digital images contain noise. This can be removed by many enhancement techniques. Filtering is one of the enhancement techniques which is used to remove unwanted information (noise) from the image. It is also used for image sharpening and smoothening. Some neighborhood operations work with the values of the image pixels in the neighborhood and the corresponding values of a sub image that has the same dimensions as the neighborhood. The sub image is called a â€Å"filter†. The aim of this project is to demonstrate the filtering techniques by performing different operations such as smoothening, sharpening, removing the noise etc. This project has been developed using Java language because of its universal acceptance and easy understandability. The Image Processing is based on client-server model. A client sends a request with image that is to be processed to the server computer. The server computer receives the image and process it according to client request and sends the result back to the client machine. Keywords— Image Processing, Human Interpretation, Filtering, Smoothening \ INTRODUCTION Interest in digital image processing methods stems from two principal application areas: improvement of pictorial information for human interpretation; and processing of image data for storage, transformation, and representation for autonomous machine perception. An image may be defined as a two-dimensional function, f(x , y), where x and y are spatial coordinates, and the amplitude of f at any pair of coordinates (x , y) is called the intensity or gray level of the image at the point. When x, y, and the amplitude values of f are all finite, discrete quantities, we call the image a digital image. The field of digital image processing refers to processing digital images by means of digital computer. Digital image is composed of finite number of elements, each of which has a particular location and value. These elements are referred to as picture elements, image elements, pels, and pixels. Pixel is the term most widely used to denote the elements of a digital image. Sometimes a distinction is made by defining image processing as a discipline in which both the input and output of a process are images. Filters are one of digital image enhancement technique used to sharp the image and to reduce the noise in the image. There are two types of enhancement techniques called Spatial domain and Frequency domain techniques which are categorized again for smoothing and sharpening the images. LITERATURE SURVEY AND OUTCOME The Enhancement Techniques make information more visible. The various types of image processing techniques are as follows. A. Histogram equalization- Redistributes the intensities of the image of the entire range of possible intensities (usually 256 gray-scale levels). Unsharp masking-Subtracts smoothed image from the original image to emphasize intensity changes. B. Convolution- It is a technique in which 3-by-3 masks operating on pixel neighborhoods. Highpass filter-Emphasizes regions with rapid intensity changes. Lowpass filter-Smoothes images, blurs regions with rapid changes. C. Math processes- In this technique, It performs a variety of functions. Add images-Adds two images together, pixel-by-pixel. Subtract images-Subtracts second image from first image, pixel by pixel. Exponential or logarithm-Raises e to power of pixel intensity or takes log of pixel intensity. Nonlinearly accentuates or diminishes intensity variation over the image. Scaler add, subtract, multiply, or divide-Applies the same constant values as specified by the user to all pixels, one at a time. Scales pixel intensities uniformly or non-uniformly Dilation-Morphological operation expanding bright regions of image. Erosion-Morphological operation shrinking bright regions of image. D. Noise filtering- It decreases noise by diminishing statistical deviations. Adaptive smoothing filter-Sets pixel intensity to a value somewhere between original value and mean value corrected by degree of noisiness. Good for decreasing statistical, especially single-dependent noise. Median filter-Sets pixel intensity equal to median intensity of pixels in neighborhood. An excellent filter for eliminating intensity spikes. Sigma filter-Sets pixel intensity equal to mean of intensities in neighborhood within two of the mean. Good filter for signal-independent noise. PROBLEM FORMULATION AND METHODOLOGY The System Model We consider a cloud computing model for image processing system. The system will be designed in such a way that the processing of image is performed on server machine rather than client machine. In this, client sends the image with its required request of processing to server machine to process it accordingly. The server machine receives the request and process it and finally send back the result to client machine. Existing System: In the Existing System, A number of image processing techniques, in addition to enhancement techniques, can be applied to improve the data usefulness. Techniques include convolution edge detection, mathematics, filters, trend removal, and image analysis. The Image processing is performed to client computer itself so the overhead to client computer increases due to processing of Image. Proposed System: The proposed system can be summarized as the following three aspects: Most of the digital images contains noise. This can be removed by many enhancement techniques. Filtering is one of the enhancement techniques which is used to remove unwanted information (noise) from the image. It is also used for image sharpening and smoothening.. The Image Processing is based on client-server model. A client sends a request with image that is to be processed to the server computer. The server computer receives the image and process it according to client request and sends the result back to the client machine. The image processing is performed on server computer so there is much less overhead on client computer to process an image. Work done In Image processing methodology, we study the different types of enhancement techniques like noise filtering, image sharpening, image smoothening etc. with the help of different references. Now finally we concluded how to complete this project and we prepared some modules that will be present in our project. And to complete this project we require minimum system requirement and project specification as follows: SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENT: Operating system: windows 98/XP or later versions Tool: Java Frames HARDWARE ENVIRONMENT: Processor : Pentium III RAM : 64 MB Harddisk : 2. 1GB Processor speed : 512 MHZ Modules: User/client: In this module user selects an image through GUI. Request: It is a module that belongs to client side that generate request message for server. Process: It’s the module lying on server side that processes the image sent by the client. Reply: It is also a server site module that forward the result after processing of element to client machine. Server: In this module, server machine receives the request from client process it and reply back the result to client. CONCLUSIONS The objective of the project is to smooth and sharp the images by using various Filtering techniques. Where Filtering techniques are one of the enhancement techniques in the Digital image processing. Here in the project I had implemented few spatial domain filters and frequency domain filters. Where spatial domain filters removes the noise and blurs the image. And frequency domain filters are used to sharpen the inside details of an image. The Image Processing is based on client-server model. A client sends a request with image that is to be processed to the server computer. The server computer receives the image and process it according to client request and sends the result back to the client machine. Filters are useful in many application areas as medical diagnosis, Army and Industrial areas. REFERENCES Gonzalez, Rafael; Steve Eddins (2008). 4. Digital Image Processing (2nd ed. ). Mc Graw Hill. p. 163. Tinku Acharya and Ajoy K. Ray (2006). Image Processing Principles and Applications. Wiley InterScience. Wilhelm Burger and Mark J. Burge (2007). Digital Image Processing: An Algorithmic Approach Using Java. Springer. ISBN 1-84628-379-5. R. Fisher, K (2002). Digital Image Processing. Springer. ISBN 3-540-67754-2. Milan Sonka, Vaclav Hlavac and Roger Boyle (1999). Image Processing, Analysis, and Machine Vision. PWS Publishing. Tim Morris (2004). Computer Vision and Image Processing. Palgrave Macmillan.

Are Asains Becoming White Essay Example for Free

Are Asains Becoming White Essay 1) Asian Americans have been stereotyped under the image of being a model minority from the mid-1960s to our present day (Macionis 2010:278). Being a model minority means â€Å"overcoming extreme hardships and discrimination to achieve success (Macionis 2010:278). † Success â€Å"economically, socially, and educationally†¦without resorting to confrontation with Whites (Schaefer 2009: 252). † Asian Americans have done this and the public has â€Å"attributed their winning wealth and respect in American society to hard work, family solidarity, discipline, delayed gratification, non-confrontation, and eschewing welfare (Macionis 2010:278). † Being labeled a model minority might appear to bring only prestige but in fact it brings consequences as well. One such consequence is that being a â€Å"model-minority holds Asian Americans to higher standards (Macionis 2010:279). † Situations that may be accepted for some aren’t accepted from them. They are â€Å"judged by standards different from average Americans (Macionis 2010:279). † Also because of the expectations placed upon them they are channeled to â€Å"specific avenues of success, such as science and engineering (Macionis 2010:279). † This leads up to another consequence of parents â€Å"often discouraging their children from entering fields they regard as unlikely to offer financial security, such as the arts (Schaefer 2009:252). † A child may have a gift as an astounding writer, yet the parents will still discourage it due to worries about job outlook and income in the future (Macionis 2010:279). Another consequence the label causes is that it â€Å"reinforces the myth that the United States is devoid of racism and accords equal opportunity to all (Macionis 2010:279). † This implies that â€Å"those minorities that do not succeed are somehow responsible for their failure†¦this attitude is yet another instance of blaming the victims (Schaefer 2009:252). † Although, not all bad, an advantage of the stereotype is that Asian Americans are more likely to attain a high-paying job. It is common to see â€Å"Asian Americans are concentrated near the top in professional and managerial positions†¦(Schaefer 2009:251). † Simply due to what they are known for Asian Americans are allowed more opportunity and they prove themselves over and over again; with the highest median household income of all racial groups, and the lowest poverty rate of all racial groups (Macionis 2010:278). 2) Min Zhou asks the question, â€Å"Are Asian Americans becoming white? † First off, what does it mean to be White? â€Å"White is an arbitrary label having more to do with privilege than biology (Macionis 2010:276). † Being white means different things to different people. To some becoming white â€Å"can mean distancing oneself from â€Å"people of color† or disowning one’s ethnicity (Macionis 2010:276). † To others becoming white is something to strive for because it means attaining a privileged status (Macionis 2010:280). The most common view accepted by Asian Americans is â€Å"that â€Å"white† is mainstream, average, and normal, and they look to whites as a frame of reference for attaining higher social positions (Macionis 2010:279). † Asian Americans are becoming white as I see it. They are gaining prestige, they working hard and they strive for something greater. Especially since being white is commonly associated with being an American (Macionis 2010:280). â€Å"Asian immigrants tend to believe in the American Dream and measure their achievements materially (Macionis 2010:279). † They share common interests with most Americans such as, â€Å"to own a home, to be my own boss, and to send my children to the Ivy League (Macionis 2010:279)†, as one Chinese immigrant stated. Of course, being an American is more than just these items, but it is a generalized American mentality that shows common ground. If Asian Americans choose to marry a partner of a different racial background, 87 percent of those marry whites (Macionis 2010:280). There are thoughts that some Asian Americans hold, such as, â€Å"You can certainly be as good as or even better than whites, but you will never become accepted as white (Macionis 2010:280). † I believe this to be incorrect. â€Å"According to a new Purdue University study, more than 94 percent would say that having United States citizenship makes someone truly American. http://phys. org/news64938913. html: 3)† If we were to relate being white to being American, most Asian Americans are already there. With the mentality, dedication and perseverance that Asian Americans display, I would say, Yes, Asian Americans are becoming white. 3) The Jews and Asian Americans had two different experiences that could be seen to relate in certain aspects despite the large difference in events. The Jews were intelligent and successful though looked down upon in the United States and they were seen as â€Å"members of an inferior race (Macionis 2010: 266). † It wasn’t until after World War II those things drastically changed. â€Å"Before the war, most Jews, like most other Americans, were working class. Already upwardly mobile before the war relative to other immigrants, Jews floated high on this rising economic tide, and most of them entered the middle class (Macionis 2010:272). † Like Asian Americans, Jews were always ahead of the other races. They were given difficult roads to face and large obstacles to climb, yet they achieved success, following the definition of the model minority. Similarly they struggled with the dilemma of being considered white. Before the war, â€Å"Columbia University took steps to decrease the number of entering Jews by a set of practices†¦(Macionis 2010:269). † It wasn’t until the war that there were â€Å"changes set in motion during the war against fascism that led to a more inclusive version of whiteness (Macionis 2010:270). † Though the struggle was different, it was still there for both groups. The Jews compared to Asian Americans benefited most from government programs that spurred upward mobility because after the war the government was in need of a rise in the economy and they created great programs to assist in that matter (Macionis 2010:270). The â€Å"Jews’ and other white ethnics’ upward mobility was the result of programs that allowed us to float on a rising economic tide (Macionis 2010:273). † Asian Americans on the other hand, upward mobility wasn’t based off of programs as much, as their heritage and culture. Instead, â€Å"In spite of these obstacles, Asian Americans students soldier on with strong support from their parents (Schaefer 2009:252). † As for comparison with African Americans and Asian Americans they are in two completely different categories. Both are minority groups, though they are on opposite sides of the court. Asian Americans have higher income rates than Whites, African Americans on the other hand, have their â€Å"household income of Blacks is still 60 percent that of Whites, and the unemployment rate among Blacks is more than twice that of Whites (Schaefer 2009:250). † Still to this day Blacks â€Å"remain significantly underrepresented, despite Senator Barack Obama†¦(Schaefer 2009:520). † Asian Americans are well represented due to being the model minority. Asian Americans are a very diverse group of people. â€Å"Their diverse origins include drastic differences in languages and dialects, religions, cuisines, and customs (Macionis 2010:278). † Because of this â€Å"all of these differences create obstacles to fostering a cohesive pan-Asian solidarity (Macionis 2010:278). †

Literature Review on Sustainable Construction

Literature Review on Sustainable Construction Literature Review Literature review consists of providing the author knowledge about the research area that is being undertaken. It shows what authors have to say about the research area and to criticise works done previously, this is to be related to the topic area and to identify the central issues as part of the study. According to Dr S.G. Naoum (2007) there are five main activities involved in undertaking a literature review: Knowing the sources of information. Understanding how the library works. Collecting existing knowledge on the subject, reading and note-taking. Systematically organising the literature. Appraising and writing up the literature review. The literature review is conducted through primary and secondary research. Research can be conducted by using textbooks, journals, newspapers, magazines and websites and also on-line databases. Following structured and extensive literature reviews, key issues to sustainable construction and construction SMEs studied which result in identification of barriers associated with implementing sustainable construction by SME contractors. Such barriers are divided into six categories. These are cost, time, people, technology, market and law. The literature review is two separate topics of sustainable construction and construction SMEs. Both topics provide the author with in depth knowledge about development and issues concerning sustainable construction, as well as the nature and characteristics of construction SMEs and their approaches to construction innovations. Combining the understanding and knowledge from both perspectives, the author carry out deeper exploration into the barriers faced by the construction SMEs in implementing sustainable construction techniques and practices. The barriers found in the literature are categorized under 6 key barriers of cost, time, people, technology, market and law. These will form main questions in primary research. Sustainable Construction Within the UK construction industry, the concept of sustainable construction has emerged as a result of growing concerns on the environmental and social impacts created by the construction activities. By definition, sustainable construction is (Khalfan, M.M.A, 2002: 15): The creation and responsible management of healthy built environment based on resources efficient and ecological principles. In general, sustainable construction is used to describe the application of sustainable development within the context of the built environment. The discussion and practise around sustainable construction often focus on the efficient processes of construction, use of materials, availability of technology and other technical side, which does not compromise the health of the environment or the associated health of the building occupants, builders, the general public or future generations (Rhydin, Y. Vandergert, P, 2006: 5) The Triple Bottom Line of Sustainable Construction It is important to acknowledge and identify the other aspects of sustainable construction. As a whole, sustainable construction comprises of three broad themes of people, planet and profit often known as the triple bottom line. The objectives of these three themes are (Constructing Excellence, 2004): People To recognise the needs of everyone impacted by construction, from inception of a project to demolition. The list includes construction site workers, local communities, the supply chain and people that will use the finished product. Planet To protect the planet from the impact of emissions and waste matter and where possible, to enhance it and use natural resources, carefully. Profit To increase profitability by making more efficient use of resources including labour, materials, energy and water. (Source: http://www.gcbl.org/economy) Sustainable construction takes account of these objectives in a balanced way at all stages of a construction project. However, within the context of this research, emphasis will be given the environmental aspect of sustainable construction, at production/construction phase. Strategies and Drivers for Sustainable Construction Strategies for sustainable Construction There are many compulsory strategies as well as voluntary. These are aimed to encourage and enforce sustainable construction practices in the construction industry. One of the earliest strategies for changes in the construction industry has started with the publication of Rethinking Construction in July 1998, which is famously known as The Egan Report. This report has criticised the under-achievement of the construction industry and hence, has urged for changes and improvements in delivering construction projects. Following the Egan Report, the UK Government has ten an initiative in promoting sustainable construction through the publication of Building A Better Quality of Life publish by DETR in 2000. Within the publication, the government has suggested the following key themes for action on sustainable construction strategies by the construction industry: Re-use existing building assets. Design for minimum waste. Aim for lean construction. Minimise energy in construction. Minimise energy in use. Do not pollute. Preserve and enhance biodiversity. Conserve water resources. Respect people and local environment. Set targets (i.e. monitor and report, in order to benchmark performance) Later in March 2005, the government has further emphasised its commitment towards sustainable construction through the publication of Sustainable Development Strategy, Securing the Future. As a substitute to the previous strategy, this publication has proposed four key themes for action, as follows: Sustainable communities. Natural resources protection and environmental enhancement. Climate change and energy. Sustainable consumption and production. Drivers for Sustainable Construction In promoting and encouraging the take up of sustainable construction, the UK Government has introduced more tough legislation and economic policies such as Revision to Building Regulation Part L, Landfill Tax, Quarry Tax, Aggregate Levy and Climate Change Levy. It has been acknowledged that legislation is the main driver for change towards sustainable construction. However, there are also other drivers, which play significant roles as well. These other drivers include (Vetter, A et al, 2006; DBA, 2002) Improved technology The new technology and innovation such as Modern Method of Construction and Lean Construction could offer a lot of benefits such as increase speed of construction, costs savings and better delivery of products and services. Requirements from funding bodies Funding bodies are laying more stress on the risks associated with unsustainable development. The risks will affect future profitability and shareholder value. Business advantage In highly competitive field, sustainability is becoming a potent differentiator, capable of providing a vital competitive edge. On-site Practices for Sustainable Construction With regards to the activities on construction site, there are five main practices of environmental sustainable construction that need to be addressed carefully. The construction team must understand and implement these practices throughout the construction phase in order to achieve the objectives and benefits of sustainable construction. These practices are waste management, energy consumption efficiency, water consumption/efficiency, use and procurement of materials, and protection of natural environment (biodiversity/ecosystem). Waste Management In 2001, construction site and demolition waste in Britain was 94 million tonnes (24% of all waste generated). Each year there are around 13 million tonnes of materials that are delivered to site but never used. (Constructing Excellence, 2004: 2). Considering these facts, waste management on-site is extremely important to minimising the waste produced on the construction site. The first step required is to segregate or separate the waste, as it is being produced. The next step is to recycle or reuse the waste or alternatively, the waste can be sent or sold to waste management centre to be recycled ore reused for other applications. At the same time, waste due to materials that arent being used and packaging can be returned to the suppliers through purchasing policy. Waste Segregation An effective way to deal with waste is to separate it at the point it is generated. This eases separation for recycling and is therefore more valuable to the merchants of recycled materials. Waste can be segregated into different skips under categories of plasterboard, plastic, timber, cardboard stones bricks and slates can be recycled for use in construction. Wood materials such as off-cuts can be reused as woodchip for landscaping or in stud walls. Similarly, substances such as debris, rubble and earth can be reused for land reclamation and site formation. Perry (2003) argues that waste segregation helps to make sure that percentage is high of recycled materials and saves money, also provides a greater return. The increased rate of return virtually always offsets the higher costs of training and labour involved in on-site waste segregation. Waste Recycling and Reusing Construction waste can be minimised by avoiding making waste, reusing waste without reprocessing and recycling materials. (WRAP) Waste and Resources Action Programme advises that up to 30% recycling and reusing can be achieved in construction, at no additional cost for some projects. (Kent Design Guide, 2006). Re-used and recycled materials during construction include aggregates, insulation, plasterboards bricks, concrete roof tiles, particleboard blocks and reclaim timber. The most effective recycling opportunity of materials can be derived from the re-use of the existing site infrastructure element where possible. These include materials that are salvaged from existing construction or demolition job such as steel and concrete. Meanwhile, other waste such as timber, cardboard, paper and also green waste can be composed within a recycling area on-site. The compost produced can be used to enhance topsoil suitability for use within the landscaping. Wood chipping mulch produced from timber pallets. Also off-cuts and topsoil can also be re-used when possible within the landscaping to further minimise waste. Purchasing Policy with Suppliers Integration collaboration with suppliers can help to minimise waste through purchasing policy. Unused materials and waste from packaging can be returned to the suppliers to be reused or recycled. The adoption of (JIT) Just-in-Time delivery will also contribute to minimise waste this is because so materials are ordered and delivered to demand. This will avoid waste resulting from unused materials and improper handling/storage. Energy Reduction/Efficiency Energy consumed on construction site is mainly for site services such as the site office and site lightings, use of plain, machineries and equipment also transportation mainly for materials delivery to and from the site. Reduce Energy Consumption for Site Services In order to reduce the energy bills for site services especially for site office and site lighting, more energy efficient approach methods are encouraged. This includes using energy efficient lighting and heating equipments, as well as the monitoring and controlling the energy use according to requirements. Maximise Efficiency of Plant, Equipments and Machineries Plant, equipment and machineries used on-site should be chosen for their high energy efficiency. Through good site management and construction planning, sharing of plant, machineries and equipment among subcontractors and site workers can be achieved. This will help to reduce energy as well as construction costs. Reduce Transportation for Materials Delivery Transportation accounts for 25% of UK CO2 emissions and about 10% of national energy consumption us used in the production and transport of construction products and materials. Two ways of reducing transportation used in construction is through local sourcing for materials with other suppliers and efficient deliveries. Number of materials delivered to site should be reduced by making sure that full vehicle loads are achieved through sharing deliveries. Sourcing materials and labour locally will also help to reduce transportation and bring cost and time savings as well. (Constructing Excellence, 2004). At the same time, reusing demolition waste and materials can help to reduce transportation and hence reduce costs and pollution. Water Conservation/minimisation Use of water on-site can be reduced through application of water conservation techniques and Dry Construction methods. Water Conservation According to Kibert (2005), techniques such as the use of low-flow plumbing fixtures, water recycling, rain water harvesting and potable water can help to minimise the use of water. Water used for workers hygiene and sanitary can also be reduced efficiently through systems such as cistern misers which is boiler collecting water and water board Hippo for urinal flushes. These techniques have been used successfully during the construction of Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon. Dry Construction The most effective method for dry construction is to use Modern Method of Construction such as pre-fabricated cladding systems and pre-manufactured units (e.g. bathroom and kitchen pods). Innovative techniques under Lean construction such as using ready mix cement/concrete and dry plaster linings can also contribute to minimising water used on-site. Use and Procurement of Construction Materials and Components Materials in construction make up over half of all resource use by weight. A sustainability issue gaining momentum in construction industry therefore, is the use of reclaimed and recycled materials. Pressures on landfill also mean it is becoming increasingly costly to dispose of excess material acquire in construction.

Prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Essay -- To Kill a Mo

Prejudice is the preconceived opinion of a person or thing. There are three main types of prejudice: racial prejudice, social prejudice and religious prejudice. These three are the types of prejudice most dominant in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. The setting for the novel is a fictitious town called Maycomb. This town is situated in Alabama, south USA. The racial prejudice shown in the novel has a lot to do with the town being situated in the southern United States. This is because there was a lot of racism in the southern United States in the 1930’s. This racism mainly originated from the civil war, which lasted from 1875 to 1883. The northern, more progressive states declared slavery illegal, but slavery was a vital part of the southern economy as the labour was cheap for the cotton plantation owners. Although the northern states made it illegal to have slaves the south still kept slaves illegally. This was the main cause of the civil war. The northern states won the war and the United States was formed. Even though they lost the war, the south passed their own ‘Jim Crow Laws’ in the 1900’s making racial segregation legal. The backwardness and narrow-mindedness of the community fuelled racism in Maycomb. These negative qualities account for the social and religious prejudices in the novel. The community’s narrow-mindedness is formed because the population has been unchanged for many decades with the same families occupying the town. This causes prejudice towards anything that is different from the norm. Maycomb is very backward and isolated due to the town being far from the river, which was the main form of transport in the early days. This confines the town’s development and leads to the social conditioning of the people this in turn helps to explain why there is social and religious prejudice. Maycomb people have very inward looking views and so these views are passed on from generation to generation. Maycomb town is described well in chapter 1 as it tells us why the people are so insular and inward looking. â€Å"Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town.† This statement puts a negative light on Maycomb and its people. The personification of the word tired emphasises the lack of enthusiasm, about everything, the people of Maycomb have. It also suggests an unwillingness and lack of desire to change this fact. ‘Tired’... ...ters in the novel such as Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond and to a lesser extent Miss Maudie. These people are often excluded by the society. This social prejudice leads to the exclusion of families such as the Ewells and the Cunninghams because they don’t conform to Maycomb’s belief of normality. They are treated like outsiders with suspicion and are stereotyped. The religious prejudice in Maycomb leads to the persecution of Miss Maudie Atkinson by the foot washing Baptists. Racial prejudice in Maycomb is constantly displayed by the white community toward the black community. The most glaring example of racism in the novel is when Tom Robinson is convicted of raping Mayella Ewell just because he dared to feel sorry for her. The result of this racial prejudice leads the people of Maycomb to be very hypocritical and have double standards. They say they have sympathy for other races in other countries but then they treat the ethnic minority in their town with great disrespect. The prejudice of the town is produced from fear, historical context and their social conditioning. They are afraid because of ignorance and not being able to understand new and different things.

The Friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu Essay -- The Epic of Gilgamesh,

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a historic story of the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh. The story depicts the short lived friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The story begins as Shamat the harlot seduces Enkidu and convinces him to go to the city of Uruk and meet Gilgamesh. From that moment on, the two were very close. They planned a trip to the forest of cedars to defeat the monster known as Humbaba so that Gilgamesh could show his power to the citizens of Uruk. However, Enkidu tried â€Å"vainly to dissuade† (18) Gilgamesh in going to the forest. Despite Enkidu’s plead, the two continued on their voyage to the forest where Humbaba lives. Once they arrived, they found the monster and killed him. They cut down trees, â€Å"then Enkidu builds a gigantic door†¦as a gift to Enlil.† (44) Upon their arrival to Uruk, Ishtar the goddess of sex, love and warfare wanted to wed Gilgamesh. In spite of this, Gilgamesh did not feel the same and did not wish to marry her. Ishtar was so upset with the decision of Gilgamesh that she sent down the â€Å"Bull of Heaven† (50) to kill him. The bull ultimately met its’ demise when Gilgamesh and Enkidu killed it. Of all of the events that occurred, the gods were not pleased. After the bull was killed and the cedar trees were cut, Enkidu had to be seen by the gods in council. Thus, the decision that Enkidu must die because of these acts was established. (53) The death of his friend is unreal to Gilgamesh. Thorkild Jacobsen points out that â€Å"†¦it touches him in all its stark reality, and Gilgamesh refuses to believe it.† (Thorkild Jacobsen, â€Å"And Death The Journey’s End,† 191) Gilgamesh goes on to seek eternal life. Death had never been a topic he had to deal with. Jacobsen explains, â€Å"death, fear of death, has become an ob... ...ves after him. There is a measure of immortality in achievement, the only immortality man can seek.† (Jacobsen, 196) The whole reason Gilgamesh takes this journey to search for eternal life is due to the death of Enkidu, with whom he was close with. Before all of the events occurred, Gilgamesh had never thought about the topic of death. It’s as if it never crossed his mind; as though he would live forever. He went through phases along his journey. The first was not accepting reality, the second was fighting for eternal life, and the last was accepting reality. Now, his aspirations for immortality are no longer apparent as he enters the last stage. Works Cited Thorkild Jacobsen, "'And Death the Journey's End': The Gilgamesh Epic" â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh,† trans. and ed. Benjamin R. Foster, A Norton Critical Edition, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001

Banning Tobacco Essay -- Smoking Cigarettes Cigarette Smoker Smoke

Tobacco Tobacco has been around for many years, and it should be stopped, but can the economy handle it. The tobacco is reaching young children, and not to mention the nonsmokers as well. The medical effects alone should convince people to stop smoking. Even if the people wanted to quit, it's hard because they are already addicted. If the health doesn't stop people from smoking the cost should because this year the tax on tobacco has gone up dramatically. So now the cost is weakening our pockets. The only ones that win in the tobacco field are the Tobacco Company, because they make all the money. If profits fall, all they have to do is advertise a little harder and profits will roll in. But the Tobacco Company does employ a lot of people and is a huge part of the economy. There are a lot of smokers and rising, but today more then ever the smokers are the children. "By the age 18, about two-thirds of the young people in the United States have tried smoking."(Elders 1994) We must not let this happen, the kids are our future, and we should want the best for them, but this will help the tobacco company because "Most people are going to smoke are hooked by the time they are 20 years old."(Elders 1994) This will keep the young people from smoking for a long time. We must protect the children from smoking or we are put them in to an early grave. "Tobacco is estimated to have caused around three million deaths a year in the early 1990'a and rising."(Mccuen 1997) Pretty soon the smokers will get younger and young, we must save the children, or who will. Smokers are not the only ones that are effected by tobacco smoke. "Cigarettes don't only kill the smoker, they also kil... ...inors In Your Community, 1992, Stanford CRDP 5. Gold, Mark S. Tobacco, 1995, plenum 6. Hyde, Margaret O. Know About Smoking, 1990, New York 7. Kessler, David A. Smoking; Regulating Nicotine as a Drug be Necessary, 1995, San Diego 8. Mackenzie, Thomas D. Smoking; Smoking Should Be Regulated. 1995, San Diego 9. Marketguide (1996) http://www.marketguide.com/mgi/snap/7043N.html 10. McCuen, Gary E. Tobacco; People Profits and Public Health, 1997, Wisconsin 11. Pringle, Laurence. Smoking; A Risky Business, 1996. New York 12. Robertson, Brian. Smoking; Cigarette Tax Increase Would Be Harmful, 1995, San Diego 13. Waxman, Henry A. Smoking; Smoking Should Be Banned in Nonresidential Building, 1995, San Diego 14. Wilson, Catherine. The Orange County register; Secondhand smoke linked To more illnesses Health, 1997, Miami

Delorean Motor Company

DeLorean Motor Company Examining a Business Failure Michael Smith Organizational Leadership 531 September 5, 2011 Examining a Business Failure Stainless Steel. Sleek. Gull-wing doors. Back to the Future. The DMC-12 is one of the most recognizable cars in history. John DeLorean, a former engineer and executive for General Motors, founded the DeLorean Motor Company in October of 1975 (Woron, 1982). DeLorean gained popularity for designing the Pontiac GTO and the Pontiac Firebird.Many thought that John DeLorean was well on his way to being president of General Motors when he left the company in 1973 to start his own automobile company (Woron, 1982). DeLorean needed around $175 million to finance the company, yet only put up around $700,000 of his own money. For the rest, he used over 100 investors to finance his dream, including Johnny Carson and Sammy Davis Jr. (Manning, 2000). He also put over $12 million into a partnership for research and development while the British government pro duced $156 million in grants and loans in return for DeLorean locating the DMC factory in Northern Ireland (Manning, 2000).The DeLorean factory created over 2000 jobs in an area with high unemployment rates. DeLorean had multiple million-dollar homes and paid himself a large salary. When it debuted in 1981, the DMC-12’s sales could not foot the bill. The sports car had a lot of competition and was priced $8,000 higher than the Corvette (Manning, 2000). In February 1982 the British government shut the factory down, John DeLorean began a drug-smuggling scheme to save his company and was busted by the FBI. John DeLorean’s dream was over and left everyone with no return on their investment.Robbins and Judge (2011) define leadership as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals. Trait theories of leadership focus on personal qualities and characteristics (Robbins and Judge, 2011). John DeLorean had every characteristic of an effectiv e leader. He was charismatic, highly successful, courageous, and influential. However, DeLorean had no emotional intelligence and without emotional intelligence a person can have outstanding training, a highly analytical mind, compelling vision, and an endless supply of great ideas, but still not be an effective leader (Robbins and Judge, 2011).DeLorean’s lack of emotional intelligence could have predicted the fall of the DeLorean Motor Company. DeLorean was not self aware, was unable to listen to what followers said, and did not read into the reactions of others. Big executives began leaving the company for a variety of reasons. Many accused DeLorean of being arrogant, disloyal, and distrustful (Woron, 1982). One executive, Robert Dewey, said, â€Å"John would surround himself with fairly intelligent people, but he wanted ‘yes' men. You can get clones to do that. When you challenged him on a point, he felt you were challenging him.You didn't have a dialogue with John. † (Woron, 1982). The fall of the DeLorean Motor Company could have potentially been prevented had John DeLorean listened to his followers. Management theories could have also predicted the failure of the DeLorean Motor Company. The contingency theory suggests that when management makes a decision they take into consideration all aspects of the current situation and act on those aspects that are key to the situation at hand (McNamara, 2011). John DeLorean failed to take all aspects into consideration.DeLorean was starting a new automobile company, yet priced his car higher than the Chevrolet Corvette, Porshe 944, and Mazda RX-7, despite it having less power (Woron, 1982). All of these cars already had a reputation, DeLorean’s DMC-12 did not. He also based the company in Ireland at a time when foreign cars were generally less expensive than those made in the United States. The downfall of the DeLorean Motor Company is largely due to its organizational structure. The comp any’s organizational structure was very centralized, all the power rested at a single point (Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn, and Ghoshal, 2003).John DeLorean wanted to be that single point of power in his organization, but had over 100 investors. The company also had an innovative strategy, striving to achieve meaningful and unique innovations (Robbins and Judge, 2011). DeLorean chose to build his factory in Northern Ireland to take advantage of low worker wages and for easy access into the European market (Woron, 1982). However, the location of the factory proved to be more an obstacle for DeLorean as he struggled to spend time in Ireland.Delorean’s other innovations included gull-wing doors and stainless steel body panels, but the cars ultimately had to be shipped to U. S. quality control centers to have the door fix the doors and realign body panels. The car ultimately received bad reviews stating the car was heavy, overpriced, and easily showed dirt (Woron, 1982). John D eLorean failed to break-even with the DMC-12 and the factory shut down in 1982. John DeLorean was acquitted of all drug trafficking charges. In 1998 and New York jury ruled that DeLorean’s accounting firm owed investors $46 million, plus $65 million in interest.A man that was once a pioneer had hit rock bottom largely due to excessive spending and his imagination far exceeding his execution. Today, the DeLorean Motor Company is based out Texas with no ties to John DeLorean or his family. The Texas based company acquired all rights to the name and the inventory that was never used (DeLorean Motor Company, 2011). The car is one of the most recognizable in history and has developed a cult following. Had John DeLorean done things differently, his company could have been much more successful. References DeLorean Motor Company. 2011). Retrieved from http://www. delorean. com/q;a. asp Manning, J. (2000). The rise and fall of John DeLorean. Retrieved from http://eightiesclub. tripod. com/id305. htm McNamara, C. (2011). Management help. Retrieved from http://managementhelp. org/management/theories. htm Mintzberg, H. , Lampel, J. , Quinn, J. B. , ; Ghoshal, S. (2003). The strategy process: Concepts, contexts, cases (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Woron, W. (1982). Dreaming the impossible – The DeLorean and its predecessors . Automobile Quarterly, 21(2).

The Principal Legacies of Imperialism for the Contemporary World Economy

Abstract This study explores the principal legacies of imperialism for the contemporary world economy. The findings indicate that although colonialism ended many years ago, its effects and policies still remain in the global economy and it is being aided by globalisation. The developed economies use foreign aid and multinationals to control the economies of the developing countries. Introduction The modern world economy has been influenced by both imperialism and the experience of colonialism. Western imperialism dominated the global history in the last 200 years and it transformed both the third world and western nations in terms of culture, economy, politics and socialisation (Dutt, 2006). The term imperialism was derived from a Latin word imperator meaning autocratic power and centralised government (Smith & Dawson Books, 2008). As such imperialism involves one country dominating another country or other countries in ways that benefit it and not the latter. The impact of Europe on the world economy is significant because it has shaped the economic sphere. The legacy of imperialism exists in the form of communication networks, economic structures and ties to metropolitan economies typifying former colonies. Principal Legacies of Imperialism on the Contemporary World Economy Imperialism was the precursor of globalisation that characterises the contemporary world economy (Chattopadhyaya & Das, 2007). This legacy is not entirely benign and the effects of the restructuring of economies of the former colonies have led to dependency on the metropole’s economies. Colonialism had to be stopped because it was exploitative, displaced people from their natural status and transferred wealth from one country to the other. However, globalisation came up to replace imperialism by achieving the same results but this time legitimately and in a manner that is politically correct (Ramana & Observer Research Foundation, 2008). The World Trade Organisation and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade legitimised this legacy of imperialism through putting in place trade agreements to eliminate trade barriers. This ensures that countries participate in their own subjugation and in the process transform themselves into neo-colonial states (Hont, 2005). Globalisation has not led to economic equality and interdependence as it is often claimed. It has instead made the lesser developed countries dependent on the developed countries (Dunning & Lundan, 2008). In addition to this, it has also led to indebtedness to the International Financial Institutions owned by the west. In some cases it has also led to unfair competition, greater debt and increased poverty. Although globalisation has created wealth for some countries, it has also increased poverty for others. Dutt (2006) adds that it is a more efficient way of exploiting other nations with the help of established international institutions and mechanisms designed to entrap the lesser developed countries through creating economic dependency, debt, and increasing poverty. However unlike colonialism these countries cannot revolt against the loss of their sovereignty. This is because any attempts to revolt could make them lose economic aid that would result in economic and human crisis. T his is a huge risk that these countries are never willing to risk. All these are consequences of the structuring of the economies of the former colonies making them dependent on exports, monoculture and fluctuations in the global market. Imperialism created a political economic reality of dependency and exploitation because most of the lesser developed economies do not have full control of their economic affairs (Hont, 2005). There are counterarguments that political economies have lives of their own which make them not fully controllable or that globalisation has taken away such control from all countries. However this perception does not take into account the fact that there is a huge difference in the extent of control. The northern nation states have a relatively strong position because of the financial institutions and multinationals which give them higher control over their political economies (Tester, 2010). The southern nation states on the other hand are impoverished, indebted and dependent on foreign investment and foreign aid. Therefore neo-colonialism steps in because these nation states have reduced control. The contemporary world economy is organised around capitalist imperialism characterised by systematic accumulation of capital through organised labour exploitation and penetrating overseas markets. The capital imperialists make investments in the other countries, transforms and then dominates their economies. Additionally, they integrate their productive and financial structures into the international system of capital accumulation (Chattopadhyaya & Das, 2007). Expansion is the central imperative of capitalism because investors only pursue business ventures when they see opportunities for extracting more than they invest. These firms only increase their earnings when their enterprises grow. As such the capitalists keep searching for ways of generating more money. They have to invest in order to generate profits and gather strengths to be able to beat off competition and unpredictable markets. Owing to its expansionary nature, capitalism has to keep exploring other opportunities away from home. It is this expansion that ends up destroying whole societies as people are forced to transform into disfranchised wage employees (Smith & Dawson Books, 2008). Consumer societies, mass market and mass media replace folk cultures and indigenous societies. Agribusiness factory farms supplant cooperative lands, centralised autocracies supplant autonomous regions and desolate shanty towns replace villages. European and North American corporations have acquired and now control over 75% of mineral resources in Africa, Asia and Latin America (Dunning & Lundan, 2008). However, the pursuit for natural resources is not the only reason for expanding operations overseas. They also need to lower the cost of production and maximise profits through investing in economies with cheaper labour markets. They make over 50% profits in the lesser developed countries compared to their home countries because of factors like low wages, weak labour unions, low taxes, weak or non-existent environmen tal and occupational protections and non-existent work benefits (Guo & Guo, 2010). For instance Citibank which is one of the largest US firms makes about approximately 75% of its profits from its operations overseas (Ramana & Observer Research Foundation, 2008). Imperialism has made it possible for the multinational firms to continue growing even at a time when their home markets are sluggish because of the dramatic growth in the foreign markets which still remain unexploited. Currently some 400 transnational companies control approximately 80% capital assets in the free global market (Hobson, 2005). These companies have developed global production lines across the lesser developed countries. Multiple sourcing allows these transnational companies to overcome strikes in one country by increasing production in the other countries. By playing the workers of different countries against each other, they discourage them from making demands on wage and benefit increments which undermine the strategies of labour unions. These firms find cheap labour, natural resources and other profitable conditions in the less developed countries. This is what enables them to generate huge profits which they then repatriate back to their home countries. Both national and local governments often compete in attracting multinational companies with huge expectations in terms of employment provision, tax revenues and economic activity (Sharp, 2009). These governments offer the companies incentives in terms of lax labour or environmental regulations, pledges of government assistance, tax breaks and other subsidies. Other than offering these governments a promise of economic growth, these companies exert power over government through their technical and intellectual property. For instance Microsoft has software patents and Adidas has patents on shoe designs. The patents allow these corporations to exercise their monopolistic powers in the local economy and in the process inhibit the growth of the local enterprises. Additionally, this monopoly helps them maintain low costs of labour and at times even exploitative. Owing to the size of these corporations, they often influence government policies using threats of withdrawal from the market (L ouis, 2006). This forces the governments of the lesser developed states to make polices that benefit the corporations rather than protecting the rights of the citizens. Therefore these corporations exploit the local labour force and funnel the important resources away from these countries into their home countries. In this way globalisation has made the lesser developed economies to be dependent on the developed countries. The multinational companies also cause uneven distribution of benefits because the resources are diverted from the local people into foreign markets (Louis, 2006). For instance land that could have been used to produce food for the local populations is used by these corporations to grow cash crops for their operations. This leads to high costs of food for the local populations as they are at times forced to import what they could produce locally if their natural resources were effectively utilised. In addition to this, fresh produce are packaged for the international markets where they will fetch more money rather than feeding the local populations. This is the reason why foreign dependency has led to widespread malnutrition in many lesser developed economies (Tester, 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, this study has explored the principles legacies of imperialism on the contemporary world economy. The findings indicate that the developed economies still manage the economies of former colonies and the developing economies using different mechanisms like aid and multinational companies with the aid of globalisation. Economic globalisation has also led to unequal economic relations between the developed and the developing economies. The governments of the lesser developed economies act more in the interests of the multinationals and other economies that provide them with aid instead of acting independently on behalf of the citizens. This creates a feeling of economic connection with the lesser developed economies feeling that they cannot survive on their own. Therefore the dependent relations that were established under colonialism still continue to dominate the world economy through economic imperialism or neo-colonialism. References Chattopadhyaya, D. P., & Das, G. J. B. (2007) Science, technology, imperialism and war. New Delhi: Pearson Longman. Dunning, J. H., & Lundan, S. M. (2008) Multinational enterprises and the global economy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Dutt, S. (2006). India in a Globalized World. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Guo, S., & Guo, B. (2010). Greater China in an era of globalization. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield. Hobson, J. A. (2005). Imperialism: A study. New York: Cosimo. Hont, I. (2005). Jealousy of trade: International competition and the nation state in historical perspective. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Louis, W. R. (2006). Ends of British imperialism: The scramble for empire, Suez and decolonization : collected essays. London: I.B. Tauris. Ramana, P. V., & Observer Research Foundation. (2008). The Naxal challenge: Causes, linkages, and policy options. New Delhi: Pearson Education. Sharp, J. P. (2009). Geographies of post-colonialism. London: SAGE. Smith, D., & Dawson Books. (2008). The dragon and the elephant: China, India and the new world order. London: Profile. Tester, K. (2010). Humanitarianism and modern culture. University Park, Pa: The Pennsylvania State University Press.

Breast Cancer Information Essay Essay

Breast cancer is the malignant form of tumor that develops from the breast cells and is the most common form of cancer invasive in women worldwide. This is considered second in malignancy after skin cancer in women. It starts from the inner lining of the milk ducts and spreads to the surrounding tissue. Breast is composed of microscopic cells, which multiply in an orderly manner with older cells being replaced by new cells. Uncontrolled multiplication of cells in a progressive manner is the phenomenon in cancer. Milk duct is the most common spot for the cancer to begin and this form is also known as â€Å"ductal carcinoma. While most breast cancer cases occur in women, male breast cancer is also rarely present. Breast cancer has two forms: invasive and non-invasive. Invasive form of breast cancer is where the cancer cells reach the nearby tissue from inside the lobules. In such cases, cancer cells reach the lymph nodes and reach other organs through metastasis. Liver, lungs and bones may get affected. The cancer cells may even reach other body parts by traveling through bloodstream or lymphatic system. Non-invasive form of breast cancer is where the cancer cells are limited to the origin i.e. inside the lobules. It is usually the pre-cancerous stage where cancer cells haven’t actually spread outside the place of origin and are â€Å"in situ†. This over a period of time develops into invasive breast cancer. The type of breast cancer determines the treatment to be carried out in each case. For breast cancer to be diagnosed it is important that its symptoms be known. The signs of breast cancer that are evident to the patient include headache or pain. Sometimes a rash or swelling may develop. Symptoms are what the doctor can detect like thickening of the tissue in the woman’s breast. Presence of lumps is not a sure sign of cancer as lumps need not be cancerous every time. It is important to get a health check up done by professional in case of lumps. Here are some known signs and symptoms which women report before the detection of breast cancer and need be diagnosed for analysis: 1. Redness of skin 2. Lump formation in the breast 3. Pain in armpits or breast not during menstrual cycle but otherwise 4. Swelling in the armpits(lumps) 5. Nipples of breast turning sunken or inverted 6. Change in size and shape of breast 7. Rash present around the nipples 8. Thickened tissue of breast 9. Discharge which may be that of blood from the nipples 10. Peeling, scaling or flaking of skin of nipples or breast It must be noted that these symptoms are not confirmatory indicators of breast cancer but are only a possible sign of malignancy. It may rather be a cyst or infection that causes such symptoms. In cases where diagnosis gives positive results, further treatment and course of action needs to be started by the medical professional. Determination of cancer type and its grade and also if genetic mutation is responsible for it or if it is hormone receptive is to be done. Positive breast cancer determination gives rise to the need for determining whether the cancerous cells have spread to other organs, tissues or bones. Effective treatments can cure the cancer or prevent it from spreading further. Local or systematic treatment based on the size, nature and extent of tumor is carried out post diagnosis. Surgery and radiation are means of local treatment where cancer cells are tried to be destroyed without affecting the other body parts or remaining body. Breast-sparing lumpectomy or mastectomy in aggressive form where the entire breast may have to be removed can be done as a part of the surgery. Systematic treatments involve targeting of bloodstream in the entire body and are given through mouth to reach target cancer cells. Toxic drugs such as cyclophoshamide or methotrexate may be used in such treatments. Biological treatment is the most recent form where therapy is used to strengthen the immune system to fight the cancer cells and curb the growth of cancer cells which have protein in higher levels. Which treatment regimen is adopted for a patient depends upon the age, type and stage of cancer. Since women over 50 years of age are most likely to develop cancer, early diagnosis can prevent cancer from happening altogether in many cases. Breast cancer screening tests are recommended in women over 40 years of age which are tests done without the  presence of any symptom. Detection is done by self exams, check up by medical experts or clinical mammography. Women who have family history of cancer must undergo the early screening tests as they are at higher risk of developing the malignancy through genes. Although causes of breast cancer are not ascertained, there are many factors that can be considered for its likelihood in females. As age progresses, the risk of developing breast cancer grows. Genetics also play a major role. Breast cancer is more common in such women whose close relative had ovarian cancer. If a woman had developed the non-invasive problem ever in her life, she is quite likely to develop breast cancer again in lifetime. Breast lumps at some stage can turn into cancer later on. For women with dense breast tissues, the chance of developing breast cancer is always higher. It is very crucial that a breast cancer gets diagnosed for the treatment to begin. The doctors have wider range of options to begin and judge the patient’s progress and prevent metastasis from occurring. Staging of cancer, i.e. the extent to which cancer has evolved in patient’s body can be determined only after its diagnosis. Further survival rates are highly dependent upon the type, stage and location of cancer. Women can keep away breast cancer by eating healthy diet, drinking less alcohol and breastfeeding their children besides being physically active in their routines. Breast cancer can be managed through surgery or chemotherapy or both in case needed. Risk of reoccurrence is a prominent factor during treatment and thus prevention is always better than cure.