Food crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Food crisis - Essay Example Adverse weather condition is associated with the increasing cost of goods due to prevailing lack of supplies or production. Krugman tries to emphasize that the origin and implication of food crisis is traced back to changing climate which resulted further to droughts and floods. The intense heat is said to be the reason why there is an ample amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. This is said to result to heavy raining which causes flood in certain parts of the world especially in the tropics. Krugman believes that this slows down food production that eventually becomes the greatest contributing factor of the recent food crisis. The issue of changing climate may not be far as reason to contribute to food crisis. In fact, the very thought about changing weather condition to affect food production and supply is very relevant enough as a reason. Heavy rain, typhoon and other environmental impacts brought by changing climate all over the world may not be far enough to affect production and supply of food. However, it seems that the issue of changing weather condition is just only in addition to the problem of food crisis. It cannot be entirely considered as the root cause of the problem on the lack of food production or supply in the world. There are prior issues to this that need to be considered that eventually have contributed to global food crisis. Population increase Food crisis is caused by rapidly increasing population in the world (Grigg, 1980). This is the reason why there is a need to come up with biotechnology and other related technological innovation in order to increase production and supply of foo d. Food production is necessary in order to meet the spiraling forward demand of the people. Increasing food production is eventually the answer to the number of world’s population and the corresponding demand for food. With biotechnology for instance, it has become a good idea to promote genetic modification of some plants and domestic animals in order to enhance their characteristics to eventually ensure more production. For instance, with BT corn technology, the plant’s characteristics are enhanced and improved to fight harmful pests and diseases. The result would be to enhance growth and production. There are certainly diseases of the corn that can be prevented when some genetic modification has to be implemented. This is just one of the good promises of advancing food production through innovation with science and technology. In short, the need to come up with this or undergo this level of process is highly associated with the rising demand for food because of the increase and demand of the world as its population continues to grow in number year after year. The world’s population in 2008 is different from 2010’s or 25 years from the past. There is certainly corresponding increase in number of the world’s population and this is a great contributing factor why shortage of food has become eminent. There are more people to be fed. This contributes to social, political and economic concerns of a nation. In general, this specific event calls for social, economic and political concerns as well. The issue of distribution Some says that food crisis is caused by significantly simple political and economical issue more than anything else. There are some countries that are said to be not so willing to distribute to the world what they essentially have with them. This primarily involves the issue of food distribution. There is reputed issue about food distribution today and from the past. This makes food crisis not just a matter of availability of food but of distribution. Some countries eventually are not that willing to share what they have especially the raw materials in food production. China for instance is

Personal statement for ucas Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

For ucas - Personal Statement Example I have practiced dancing for twelve years and instructed dancing in schools like IISC. Through my dancing skills, I have managed to achieve a government award in 2007. I love concerts and seldom miss any occasion. I have participated in cultural events like at the Indus, and danced at the Indus cultural festival like the ‘Mamma Mia, and We Will Rock You Musical’. As a kid, I had the passion of becoming an engineer, which motivated me to excel in subjects like Mathematics and Physic. I have conducted a full length research on, "How the temperature affects the magnetic field of different magnets" and wrote a 4000 words essay on the research. I conducted this research in a PHD research university in my 11th grade summer vacations. As a young adult, I had asked for career advice from a motivational speaker who had visited my school. Henceforth, I have found learning Mathematic to be interesting, since it is a powerful tool for analyzing and solving problems. Mathematics has several specialization segments like pure and applied mathematics. Additionally, I love Physics since it assists in understanding the world deeply by its information. I learned about Electrical Engineering in my initial school and assistance from my bigger brother. He is a Civil Engineer doing well in his line of specialty. Furthermore, he is my role model, since we share the same dream of being engineers. In particular, I realized that my passion was in Electrical Engineering. My career master rightly advised me on the path to follow to be an Electrical Engineer, which I followed it to the latter. My college years have vastly acquired me with educational and managerial skills. My internship at the Battery Industry (Amaron Battery Industry) instilled managerial and leadership skills in me. I was exposed to dealings within the learning institution; hence I am armed with administration and managerial skills. Taking part in the science

Biometric Passport With Rfid Information Technology Essay

Biometric Passport With Rfid Information Technology Essay Radio-frequency identification is the use of an object typically referred to as an RFID tag applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. Radio-frequency identification comprises interrogators (also known as readers), and tags (also known as labels). The RFID device serves the same purpose as a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card or ATM card; it provides a unique identifier for that object. And, just as a bar code or magnetic strip must be scanned to get the information, the RFID device must be scanned to retrieve the identifying information. RFID Works Better Than Barcodes: A significant advantage of RFID devices over the others mentioned above is that the RFID device does not need to be positioned precisely relative to the scanner. Were all familiar with the difficulty that store checkout clerks sometimes have in making sure that a barcode can be read. And obviously, credit cards and ATM cards must be swiped through a special reader. In contrast, RFID devices will work within a few feet (up to 20 feet for high-frequency devices) of the scanner. For example, you could just put all of your groceries or purchases in a bag, and set the bag on the scanner. It would be able to query all of the RFID devices and total your purchase immediately. RFID technology has been available for more than fifty years. It has only been recently that the ability to manufacture the RFID devices has fallen to the point where they can be used as a throwaway inventory or control device. Alien Technologies recently sold 500 million RFID tags to Gillette at a cost of about ten cents per tag. One reason that it has taken so long for RFID to come into common use is the lack of standards in the industry. Most companies invested in RFID technology only use the tags to track items within their control; many of the benefits of RFID come when items are tracked from company to company or from country to country. Figure 2: Types of RFID tags Figure 3: RFID scanners History and technology background: Mario Cardullos U.S. Patent 3,713,148 in 1973 was the first true ancestor of modern RFID; a passive radio transponder with memory. The initial device was passive, powered by the interrogating signal, and was demonstrated in 1971 to the New York Port Authority and other potential users and consisted of a transponder with 16 bit memory for use as a toll device. The basic Cardullo patent covers the use of RF, sound and light as transmission media. The original business plan presented to investors in 1969 showed uses in transportation (automotive vehicle identification, automatic toll system, electronic license plate, electronic manifest, vehicle routing, vehicle performance monitoring), banking (electronic check book, electronic credit card), security (personnel identification, automatic gates, surveillance) and medical (identification, patient history). An early demonstration of reflected power (modulated backscatter) RFID tags, both passive and semi-passive, was performed by Steven Depp, Alfred Koelle, and Robert Freyman at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1973. The portable system operated at 915Â  MHz and used 12-bit tags. This technique is used by the majority of todays UHFID and microwave RFID tags. The first patent to be associated with the abbreviation RFID was granted to Charles Walton in 1983. Miniaturization: RFIDs are easy to conceal or incorporate in other items. For example, in 2009 researchers at Bristol University successfully glued RFID micro transponders to live ants in order to study their behavior. This trend towards increasingly miniaturized RFIDs is likely to continue as technology advances. However, the ability to read at distance is limited by the inverse-square law. Hitachi holds the record for the smallest RFID chip, at 0.05mm x 0.05mm. The Mu chip tags are 64 times smaller than the new RFID tags. Manufacture is enabled by using the Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) process. These dust sized chips can store 38-digit numbers using 128-bit Read Only Memory (ROM). A major challenge is the attachment of the antennas, thus limiting read range to only millimeters. Potential alternatives to the radio frequencies (0.125-0.1342, 0.140-0.1485, 13.56, and 840-960Â  MHz) used are seen in optical RFID (or OPID) at 333 THz (900Â  nm), 380 THz (788Â  nm), 750 THz (400Â  nm). The awkward antennas of RFID can be replaced with photovoltaic components and IR-LEDs on the ICs. Figure 4: Miniature RFID tag Modular Decomposition Our system requirements are very clearly and not expect to change frequently. So, we will use in our system Waterfall model. And because the requirements are well understood. Project Activities Task# Duration (week) Description T1 2 -Feasibility study of the system T2 2 -Requirement analysis -Requirement specification T3 6 -System design -Code programming -Interface design T4 2 -System testing -Feedback on system testing -validation of system Risks Management Risk type Possible risks Technology Not all system familiar with RFID hardwares and softwares. People -Key staff is ill and unavailable at critical times (Only one employee work in this system). Requirements -Customers fail to understand the impact of Requirements changes. Estimation -The time required to develop the software is underestimated. -The rate of defect repair is underestimated. -The size of the software is underestimated. Risks Analysis Risk Probability Effects Technology Low Serious People Low Catastrophic Requirements High Serious Estimation Moderate Serious Risk Management Strategies Risk type Strategy Technology Will choose the software hardware Carefully. People -Gave every task over-days, and some days will Have overtime of work. Requirements -After every task there is a feedback, The costumer will see it. -Investigate buying-in components. Estimation -Replace potentially defective components With bought-in components of known reliability. RFID Tools: Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, and other specialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal. There are generally two types of RFID tags: 1. Active RFID tags An RFID tag is an active tag when it is equipped with a battery that can be used as a partial or complete source of power for the tags circuitry and antenna. Some active tags contain replaceable batteries for years of use; others are sealed units. (Note that it is also possible to connect the tag to an external power source.) Advantages of an active rfid tag: 1- It can be read at distances of one hundred feet or more, greatly improving the utility of the device 2- It may have other sensors that can use electricity for power. 3- Longest communication range of any tag. 4- The capability to perform independent monitoring and control 5- The capability of initiating communications 6- The capability of performing diagnostics 7- The highest data bandwidth 8- Active rfid tags may even be equipped with autonomous networking; the tags autonomously determine the best communication path. Disadvantages of an active RFID tag: 1- The tag cannot function without battery power, which limits the lifetime of the tag. 2- The tag is typically more expensive, often costing $20 or more each. 3- The tag is physically larger, which may limit applications. 4- The long-term maintenance costs for an active RFID tag can be greater than those of a passive tag if the batteries are replaced. 5- Battery outages in an active tag can result in expensive misreads. 2. Passive RFID tags: A passive tag is an RFID tag that does not contain a battery; the power is supplied by the reader. When radio waves from the reader are encountered by a passive RFID tag, the coiled antenna within the tag forms a magnetic field. The tag draws power from it, energizing the circuits in the tag. The tag then sends the information encoded in the tags memory. Advantages of a passive tag: 1- The tag functions without a battery; these tags have a useful life of twenty years or more. 2- The tag is typically much less expensive to manufacture. 3- The tag is much smaller (some tags are the size of a grain of rice). These tags have almost unlimited applications in consumer goods and other areas. Disadvantages of a passive rfid tag: 1- The tag can be read only at very short distances, typically a few feet at most. This greatly limits the device for certain applications. 2- It may not be possible to include sensors that can use electricity for power. 3- The tag remains readable for a very long time, even after the product to which the tag is attached has been sold and is no longer being. Figure 5: Active and Passive RFID tag Current uses of RFID: 1- Biometric passport: A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport (hence the e-, as in e-mail) that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers. It uses contactless smart card technology, including a microprocessor chip (computer chip) and antenna (for both power to the chip and communication) embedded in the front or back cover, or center page, of the passport. Document and chip characteristics are documented in the International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) Doc 9303. The passports critical information is both printed on the data page of the passport and stored in the chip. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is used to authenticate the data stored electronically in the passport chip making it virtually impossible to forge when all security mechanisms are fully and correctly implemented. Note that the USA Passport card is not a biometric passport. The passport card does not follow the ICAOs Doc 9303, can only be used in a limited number of countries and uses a simple RFID chip instead of the contactless smart card technology that is used for biometric passports. Contactless smart card technology includes a microprocessor, data access control, communications security and other functionality as programmed. 2- Microchip implant (human): A human microchip implant is an integrated circuit device or RFID transponder encased in silicate glass and implanted into a humans body. A subdermal implant typically contains a unique ID number that can be linked to information contained in an external database, such as personal identification, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information. Hobbyists: The first reported experiment with an RFID implant was carried out in 1998 by the British scientist Kevin Warwick. As a test, his implant was used to open doors, switch on lights, and cause verbal output within a building. The implant has since been held in the Science Museum (London). Since that time, at least two additional hobbyists have placed RFID microchips implants into their hands or had them placed there by others. Amal Graafstra, author of the book RFID Toys, asked doctors to place implants in his hands. A cosmetic surgeon used a scalpel to place a microchip in his left hand, and his family doctor injected a chip into his right hand using a veterinary Avid injector kit. Graafstra uses the implants to open his home and car doors and to log on to his computer. Neither implant was the VeriChip brand. Medical records use: The PositiveID Corporation (previously known as The VeriChip Corporation; Applied Digital Solutions, Inc.; and The Digital Angel Corporation) distribute the implantable chip known as the VeriChip. The company suggests that the implant could be used to retrieve medical information in the event of an emergency, as follows: Each VeriChip implant contains a 16-digit ID number. This number is transmitted when a hand-held VeriChip scanner is passed within a few inches of the implant. Participating hospitals and emergency workers can enter this number into a secure page on the VeriChip Corporations website to access medical information that the patient has previously stored on file with the company. Building access and security: The VeriChip Corporation has also suggested that the implant could be used to restrict access to secure facilities such as power plants. Microchip scanners could be installed at entrances so locks would only work for persons with appropriately programmed chips. The downside is the relative ease with which the 16-digit ID number contained in a chip implant can be obtained and cloned using a hand-held device, a problem that has been demonstrated publicly by security researcher Jonathan Westhues and documented in the May 2006 issue of Wired magazine, among other places. A nightclub in Barcelona offered a chip implant for identifying VIP guests. Figure 6: Biometric passport with RFID tag Figure 7: Microchip human implant Technical problems with RFID: Problems with RFID Standards: RFID has been implemented in different ways by different manufacturers; global standards are still being worked on. It should be noted that some RFID devices are never meant to leave their network (as in the case of RFID tags used for inventory control within a company). This can cause problems for companies. Consumers may also have problems with RFID standards. For example, ExxonMobils SpeedPass system is a proprietary RFID system; if another company wanted to use the convenient SpeedPass (say, at the drive-in window of your favorite fast food restaurant) they would have to pay to access it an unlikely scenario. On the other hand, if every company had their own SpeedPass system, a consumer would need to carry many different devices with them. RFID systems can be easily disrupted: Since RFID systems make use of the electromagnetic spectrum (like WiFi networks or cellphones), they are relatively easy to jam using energy at the right frequency. Although this would only be an inconvenience for consumers in stores (longer waits at the checkout), it could be disastrous in other environments where RFID is increasingly used, like hospitals or in the military in the field. Also, active RFID tags (those that use a battery to increase the range of the system) can be repeatedly interrogated to wear the battery down, disrupting the system. RFID Reader Collision: Reader collision occurs when the signals from two or more readers overlap. The tag is unable to respond to simultaneous queries. Systems must be carefully set up to avoid this problem; many systems use an anti-collision protocol (also called a singulation protocol. Anti-collision protocols enable the tags to take turns in transmitting to a reader. RFID Tag Collision: Tag collision occurs when many tags are present in a small area; but since the read time is very fast, it is easier for vendors to develop systems that ensure that tags respond one at a time. Security, privacy and ethics problems with RFID: The following problems with RFID tags and readers have been reported: The contents of an RFID tag can be read after the item leaves the supply chain: An RFID tag cannot tell the difference between one reader and another. RFID scanners are very portable; RFID tags can be read from a distance, from a few inches to a few yards. This allows anyone to see the contents of your purse or pocket as you walk down the street. Some tags can be turned off when the item has left the supply chain. Zombie RFID Tags: One of the main concerns with RFID tags is that their contents can be read by anyone with an appropriately equipped scanner even after you take it out of the store. One technology that has been suggested is a zombie RFID tag, a tag that can be temporarily deactivated when it leaves the store. The process would work like this: you bring your purchase up to the register, the RFID scanner reads the item, you pay for it and as you leave the store, you pass a special device that sends a signal to the RFID tag to die. That is, it is no longer readable. The zombie element comes in when you bring an item back to the store. A special device especially made for that kind of tag re-animates the RFID tag, allowing the item to reenter the supply chain. RFID tags are difficult to remove: RFID tags are difficult to for consumers to remove; some are very small (less than a half-millimeter square and as thin as a sheet of paper) others may be hidden or embedded inside a product where consumers cannot see them. New technologies allow RFID tags to be printed right on a product and may not be removable at all. RFID tags can be read without your knowledge: Since the tags can be read without being swiped or obviously scanned (as is the case with magnetic strips or barcodes), anyone with an RFID tag reader can read the tags embedded in your clothes and other consumer products without your knowledge. For example, you could be scanned before you enter the store, just to see what you are carrying. You might then be approached by a clerk who knows what you have in your backpack or purse, and can suggest accessories or other items. RFID tags can be read at greater distances with a high-gain antenna: For various reasons, RFID reader/tag systems are designed so that distance between the tag and the reader is kept to a minimum. However, a high-gain antenna can be used to read the tags from much further away, leading to privacy problems. RFID tags with unique serial numbers could be linked to an individual credit card number: At present, the Universal Product Code (UPC) implemented with barcodes allows each product sold in a store to have a unique number that identifies that product. Work is proceeding on a global system of product identification that would allow each individual item to have its own number. When the item is scanned for purchase and is paid for, the RFID tag number for a particular item can be associated with a credit card number. Goals of the project: Many students skip more than 20% of their lectures, and using an embed RFID tags in their student card will help to keep track of attendance. It can be a reference to the doctor in keeping records of attendance. It can also be used to provide any extra information to the doctor or the department without the need to type in the student number. It can be upgraded to include money amounts to be used around the university campus. Provides better management for the doctor in his lecture. Reduce the use of paper to keep track of the students. User Requirements: Any user can use the system. Students are able to see their attendance online and almost in real time. Ordinary student cards can be implanted with an RFID tag. DATA Flow Diagram: Figure 8 Scenario Diagram : The first step , the user scans his card The user opens the website. { For example Just website } The user chooses if he will log-in like member or visitor. Figure 9 If he clicks sign in Button, the system asks him to insert his ID and the Password, and then the system checks the validity of the inserted information and then asks him to rescan his card to match it with that ID. Figure 10 If the password valid and is a match with the card, the system redirect him to the member page. Figure 11 If a doctor has logged in , the system ask him if he would like to open the attendance list of his lectures , or opens the student list of a certain lecture to have the students check for attendance . If a student has logged in, the students will be able to view a list of his lecture absence or check for a certain lecture attendance By rescanning the card, the member signs out of the system. If he clicks the Visitor button, He can view a guide on how to obtain an RFID tagged card. Figure 12 Information sources: RFID tags are a new technology and few companies support it, one of these companies that provide support to RFID tags is TOUCHATAG. So we tried to collect as many information from the touchatag website about it and about the RFID hardware before we start using it and these resources are: 1- Touchatag webpage: we entered Touchatag webpage to read about how to use touchatag device, tags. 2- Taking the website tour: we took a tour about touchatag DIY. 3- Reading books and tutorials: we read many tutorials and online books about RFID tags and hardware. Software Requirements: To do this project we needed some hardware to help us in the building: 1- Touchatag RFID scanner: we must have touchatag rfid scanner to do this project, so we obtained it. 2- RFID tags from Touchatag Company: these tags are used with the scanner to have a working RFID environment. 3- A programming software: Programming software is required to implement the project, then uploading it to the touchatag website and attach it with the account associated with the RFID scanner. System Requirements: As Touchatag application is a software attached to the touchatag server, client must satisfy these requirements to run the application, here we are using this application under Windows (requirements vary depend on OS machine): Windows Minimum requirement Recommended Internet Connection: Cable or DSL Cable or DSL Operating System: 2000, XP, or Vista XP or Vista Computer Processor: 800 MHz Pentium III or Athlon, or better 1.5 GHz (XP), 2-GHz (Vista) 32-bit (x86) or better Screen Resolution: 1024768 pixels 1024768 pixels or higher Graphics Card for XP/2000 NVIDIA GeForce 2, GeForce 4 MX or better NVIDIA Graphics cards GeForce Go Series: 7600, 7800, 7900 ATI Graphics Cards X2600, X2900 X3650, X3850 Graphics Card for Vista (requires latest drivers) NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better OR ATI Radeon 9500 or better OR Intel 945 chipset NVIDIA Graphics cards GeForce Go Series: 7600, 7800, 7900 ATI Graphics Cards X2600, X2900 X3650, X3850 Implementation: For the implementation part, and due to the lack of possibility to develop my application directly on the Touchatag device, I took the approach of developing two things and link them together, first Ive created the website and the data base using ASP.net and C#, stored the data and performed the operation that Ill explain later on, and the second part was creating a visual basic script, that is attached to each tag and performs the task needed when it is called by the tag. ASP.net : Ive started the project with programming on ASP.net using C#, to accomplish the following tasks: Create a Doctor ID for login. Create a Doctor Password for login. Save the Doctor ID and Password in the database. Login as a Doctor and open the Student attendance system page. Check lectures where this function do the following : Upon clicking the button the system checks the time on the system and then scan the database for any lectures that is in this time and then return the tables ID which matches the time of the system and then store it in a hidden label, then the program checks the hidden label for the ID of the lecture and goes to the database to retrieve the students who are attached with that ID, along with two fields for the Time in and Time out. Upon clicking one of the four buttons which are labeled {Open Sign in, Close Sign in. Open Sign out, Close Sign Out} the values of a hidden label are changed to specific values. When the student types in his Student ID and Student Password , then press the login button , the system checks the student ID and the password if they are stored in the data base , once he found the data it checks which button of the four was clicked by the doctor first by checking a hidden label that stored the values of the button that was clicked , then based on that value it stores the time when the Login button was clicked, and by doing so it also updates the Database at the same Time. Visual Basic Script : The visual basic script is what links the ASP.net website to the Touchatag card; it is implemented through statements that do the following: Each Tag is assigned to a script of its own. The Tag when scanned activates the script that is assigned to it. The script is constructed with few simple statements that opens the web page, writes the user ID and Password in the cross ponding field, and the press the login button. Touchatag reader and Tags : The Touchatag reader is connected to the Touchatag server which does the specific task you have assigned it already on the Touchatag Server, and by scanning each tag the specific Tag ID goes to the Server and retrieves the function that is assigned to that specific Tag. Screen Shots: Asp.net Doctor Login Page : Figure 13: ASP.net Student Login Page , with Check Lectures and other Prompts: Figure 14: ASP.net Visual Basic Script: Figure 15: Visual Basic Touchatag: Figure 16: Touchatag Figure 17 Figure 18 : Touchatag Figure 19: Touchatag Testing Security: Rfid ID tags provided by touchatag have several security measures which include: 1- Accounts password: Every user has a password to access his account in the webpage and the server. This password is created when the user signs up. 2- IPs: touchatag server changes its IP from time to time to avoid hacking. 3- Report Abuse: This feature allows any user to report any object or person if they abused them. 4- Unique tags ID: each tag has a unique tag provided by the tag itself. Copyrights: The touchatag RFID tags are copyright protected and cant be used without a reference from touchatag. Performance Testing: Each tag is scanned effortlessly without any problems, the website might crash sometimes but it is restored without any problems. Unit Testing: Ive tested the tags, they work fine even after being placed in a wallet for more than 6 months and the wear and tear process is slow, and the tags are durable. Conclusion This project is the first step towards building Jordan University of Science Technology fully automated attendance system; JUST administration can take this step further, build on it to reach a better-enhanced project and can add more features and services to staff, officers, and students. Furthermore, the administration can also use this new technology to improve students attendance services and activities. I faced many problems during this project. The first problem is when I have to work in this system alone. Really, this problem gave me a big challenge to complete the project, but with the help of Dr. Qutaiba Al Thebyan, Dr. Qusai Abu Ein, Mrs. Alaa Mestarihi and the department, I could complete it. Finally, RFID tags is the future and every day services now a day require more interaction , but with those tags , many services and jobs can be done effortlessly without the ever getting your hand out of your pocket.

Wavelength Of 10 Or Higher And 11 Down. Gamma Rays Are Produced In Lab :: essays research papers

Wavelength of 10 or Higher and 11 down. Gamma Rays are produced in labs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gamma Rays are Waves on the electromagnetic Spectrum that have a Wavelength of 10 or Higher and 11 down. Gamma Rays are produced in labs through the process of nuclear collision and also through the artificial Radioactivity that accompanies these interactions. The high energy nuclei needed for the collisions are accelerated by such devices such as the Cyclotron and synchrotron.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are also many uses for Gamma rays in Medicine. Gamma Rays are used in medicine to kill and treat certain types of cancers and tumors. Gamma rays passing through the tissue of the body produce ionization in the tissue. Gamma rays can harm the cells in our body. The rays can also detect brain and Cardiovascular Abnormalities. These are some of the many uses of Gamma Rays in Medicine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gamma Rays are also Used a great deal in modern day industries. Gamma Rays can be used to examine metallic castings or welds in oil pipelines for weak points. The rays pass through the metal and darken a photographic film at places opposite weak points. In industry, Gamma rays are also used for detecting internal defects in metal castings and in welded structures. Gamma rays are used to kill pesticides and bugs in food. Gamma rays are also used in nuclear reactors and atomic bombs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gamma rays are often used in the food industry. The radioisotopes preserve foods. Although the rays never come in contact with the food, Beta radiation kills various organisms such as bacteria, yeast, and insects. Gamma rays are sometimes used in science. They are used to detect Beryllium. They also played a very important role in the development of the atomic bomb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gamma Rays can be very dangerous to use or be in contact with. Gamma rays bombard our bodies constantly. They come from the naturally radioactive materials in rocks and soil. We take some of these materials into our bodies from the air we breath and the water we drink. Gamma rays passing through our bodies produce ionization in the tissue. High levels of gamma Radiation can produce ionization of the tissue and cause skin cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many ways in which we can protect ourselves from these harmful affects Protection from gamma rays can be obtained Using a sheet of iron that is a 1/2 inch thick. This kind of shielding will block only 50% of 1 million electron volts of Gamma rays. We can also protect ourselves from gamma rays with 4 inches of water. Lead provides the most protection from gamma rays.

Expository Paragraph Essay

Time travel which everybody thinks scientists will make it happen someday would give us a lot of informations about past if it’s exist. First of al lif time travel is really exist I would definetely g oto the era which dinosaurs lived and ruled the World so that I would be able to see how they lived and maybe contact one or two of them if they are small enough for me to handle. For example Hypsilophodon which is a name of a dinosaur that is so small that it’s not even trying to eat meat or another dinosaur. On the other hand there is T-Rex which means â€Å"Tyrant Lizard King† was the most fearful dinosaur in the World. Secondly I would be glad to go and see if humans we evolved or it is just a theory. For instance people seperated in two about this some say we evolved in time and others say we were like this even in the very begennig of the human race spesifically Charles Darwin has made some researches about this and eventually came up with this theory. After those two for the third time I would go to end of the 15. Century so I could try to meet Leonardo Da Vinci and ask him about his studies, paintings and Works. Like â€Å"Mona Lisa† everybody is curous about her smile and eyebrows another thing the society wonders is how dd he find so much time to search so much thing. To sum up if I could use a power that can help me travel in time I would do it to understand and answer some questions which scientists and people research into for many years.

Function of Education Essay

1. The definition of Education Education is defined as the process of educating and learning, which involves the teacher and the student. The teacher will convey the message to the student, and the student will try to understand and applying what is being taught. Educate is further defined as to develop knowledge, skill and the character of somebody. Educate is also to give someone information about a particular subject, or to show them a better way to do something. Knowledge is the information that we are going to instill and give out. We can see the importance of education in the terms of someone’s development. 2. Function of Education 2. 1. Education as Continuation Process The process of education begins in the cradle and continues throughout the life. When people live, they continually grow and develop. In going through all the developments, they have this ongoing education. They are being introduced by new skills and knowledge from time to time. The education can be formal, where it requires us to attend school or institutions for lectures. This is where we learn about particular subjects like Languages, Science and Mathematics. Informal education can be something that is being taught at home or from our own experience. As we grow up, the thing that we learn will become more complex and complicated. For instance, we are taught of basic skills of mathematics when we are in primary school, then we are in secondary school, another new complex formula is introduced to us. We are expected to grasp more when we are maturing. This process persists throughout their lifetime. As we go along, we learn and apply more and more knowledge. We also learn many new things when we encounter every stages of our life. For example, when are already an adult, we got married and have children. This can only be experienced when you are fully grown, not when you are a baby or a mere child. 2. 2. Education as Moral Development Tools Moral development means the expanding and improvement of someone’s manner, character and proper behaviour. This entails the development in someone’s physical, spirit, mentality and believes. Here education acts as a tool where it helps to inculcate the sense of morality in the society. Education is not just about imparting the information, but it is also intended to show someone of which is right and which is wrong. For example, we introduced to the people about the code of dressing ethics. This ethics demands them to follow the rule of clothing. Here in Malaysia, moral development is implemented through the subject like Islamic Education and Moral Education. Education helps in imbibing moral and ethical values in the individuals and their education, in turn, helps in the creation of a healthy society that bears a deep understanding of principles and the philosophy of life. Having a high morality is paramount in a society for it deters somebody from immoral and bad doings like cheating and being not responsible. 2. 3 Education as Integrated Indicative. Education indicates the integrity in education as it comprises all the elements of one’s development. It entails the improvement on the physical, emotional, spiritual, skills (psychomotor), mental (coordinative), and behaviour. Education helps an individual to thrive in society, to interact with other social animals and helps a person attain and maintain a certain degree of social well-being. The abilities of an individual as a part of society is an apparent result of social development, which can only make realize by the means of education. In school or college, we are taught holistically. The learning processes don’t only occur in class, but also outside there. Students are exposed with clubs and sports activities, which help in brushing up their leadership skills and suchlike. Learning is also be made practical, as theories only never enough. Our syllabi also show the sense of integration from the subjects taught in school. We learn languages such as Malay, English, Mandarin, Tamil and many more but at the same time, we include the logics learning, like Science and Mathematics. As for spiritual enhancement, subjects like Islamic Studies and Moral Studies are also included. We can see that the studies not only focus only one part. In fact, it is thorough and complete for the intelligence must go along with good morals and believes. An integrated education is one that encourages students to seek connections between different ways of knowing and being in the world, between different forms of knowledge, and between new knowledge and that which preceded it. In order to provide an integrated educational experience, we must offer a curriculum and other learning experiences whose content and pattern combine the acquisition and creation of knowledge with the quest for meaning and purpose. 2. 4. Education as Practices Process Education occurs continuously and as it goes, we learn something repeatedly, many times in our life. It depends on one’s ability, to catch what is taught. Some may take their time in grasping the information, and some may get it quickly. Usually, people can’t easily understand something at first, but they keep learning and practicing, and in the end, they manage to understand that something. This process of repeating in learning is what we call as practice – you keep doing it until you are finally good at it. Take for instance the case of reading. We started off with the basic, knowing all the 24 alphabets in ABC. Then, after we get all that, we move on to two-syllable words and suchlike. We don’t get to read so easily. There are processes to be gone through which need a lot of practices. Education provides practices in certain areas of studies like medicine and teaching. They have this practical part in which they need to apply those theories they have learnt. Taking education is also to bring about progress in practical fields to enable each educated individual of society to earn a living. Education of the various practical fields produces productive human resources, who can contribute to the creation of wealth for a country. While the people earn for their work, they are also creating something for their organization to make money on. 3. Conclusion In conclusion, education is very crucial in our life, especially in the sense of development. All these developments like social, economic and attitude in every individual are responsible for the cultivation of civilized society. Education is mainly intended for the want to generate high quality, educated, skilled, and capable citizens. Knowledge and information are imparted so that a person and the society can live a good life. Not only in the sense of physical, but also in terms of spiritual and good morals. Education is the key of success throughout one’s life. References Abdul Rahman Ariff, Zakarie Kasa, 2002. Falsafah dan Konsep Pendidikan Edisi Kedua. Kuala Lumpur: Penerbit Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd. Annad, J. B. 1977. Education for Self-Discovery. Britain: Houder and Stoughton. Hirsch, E. D. Jr, 1987. Cultural Literacy. England, UK: Houghton Miffin Mok Soon Sang, 2003. An Education Coursefor K. P. L. I Theme 1, 1st Edition, Subang Jaya: Kumpulan Budiman Sdn. Bhd. Muhammad Shamsul Huq, 1976. Education, Manpower and Development in South and South East Asia. India: Praeger Publisher. Sufean Hussin, 1996. Pendidikan di Malaysia: Sejarah, Sistem dan Falsafah. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. Dr. Tajul Ariffin Noordin. â€Å"Pengamalan Prinsip Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan menyekat Pemikiran Liberal†. Pendidik Isu 67. Disember 2009:60-62 Prof. Dr. Sidek Baba. â€Å"Pemahaman dalam Menerima Ilmu Lahir Insan Ihsan†. Pendidik Isu 67. Disember 2009:58-59 Integrated Education, http://www. scu. edu/strategicplan/2001/integrated. cfm Practical Education, http://chestofbooks. com/crafts/scientific-american/sup5/Practical-Education. html Purpose of edu, http://www. teachersmind. com/pdfdirectory/Education. PDF http://quadium. net/school/purpose_education. html http://www. buzzle. com/articles/beliefs-about-the-purpose-of-education. html Morality, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Moral_development#Psychological_perspectives Moral development, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Moral_development.

How to Conjugate the Verb Stare in Italian

How to Conjugate the Verb 'Stare' in Italian â€Å"Stare† is used to talk about all things, from how you’re doing to where you’re at in Italy, so it’s best if you feel comfortable using this word in all its forms. What’s more, it’s an irregular verb, so it doesn’t follow the typical -are verb ending pattern. Below, you’ll find all of its conjugation tables as well as examples, so you can become more familiar with using stare. Definitions of Stare To beTo stayTo remainTo standTo be situatedTo liveTo be about to Stare in Italian It’s an intransitive verb, so it does not take a direct object.The infinito is â€Å"stare.†The participio passato is â€Å"stato.†The gerund form is â€Å"stando.†The past gerund form is â€Å"essendo stato.† Indicativo/Indicative​ Il presente io sto noi stiamo tu stai voi state lui, lei, Lei sta loro, Loro stanno Esempi: Sto bene, e tu? I’m good, and you? Maria sta buttando la pasta, ti fermi a pranzo con noi? Maria is about to cook pasta, are you going to have lunch with us? Il passato prossimo io sono stato/a noi siamo stati/e tu sei stato/a voi siete stati/e lui, lei, Lei à ¨ stato/a loro, Loro sono stati/e Esempi: Sono stata a Bologna ieri sera. I was in Bologna last night. Marco e Giulio sono stati davvero carini! Marco and Giulio were extremely nice! L’imperfetto io stavo noi stavamo tu stavi voi stavate lui, lei, Lei stava loro, Loro stavano Esempi: Che stavi facendo? What were you doing? Stavamo per partire quando ci ha chiamato Giulia. We were about to leave when Giulia called us. Il trapassato prossimo io ero stato/a noi eravamo stati/e tu eri stato/a voi eravate stati/e lui, lei, Lei era stato/a loro, Loro erano stati/e Esempi: Ho vissuto in Italia per 12 anni e non ero mai stato a Roma. I lived in Italy for 12 years and I had never been to Rome. Ero stato anche all’aeroporto, ma era gi partita. I also was at the airport, but she had already left. Il passato remoto io stetti noi stemmo tu stesti voi steste lui, lei, Lei stette loro, Loro stettero Esempi: Nel 1996, stetti a Londra per due settimane. In 1996, I stayed in London for two weeks. Stettrero ospiti a casa di Sandra durante il loro soggiorno a Milano. They stayed at Sandra’s during their stay in Milan. Il trapassato remoto io fui stato/a noi fummo stati/e tu fosti stato/a voi foste stati/e lui, lei, Lei fu stato/a loro, Loro furono stati/e This tense is rarely used, so don’t worry too much about mastering it. You’ll find it only in very sophisticated writing. Il futuro semplice io starà ² noi staremo tu starai voi starete lui, lei, Lei star loro, Loro staranno Esempi: Sà ¬, infatti, lui à ¨ malato, perà ² star bene fra un paio di giorni. Yes, in fact, he is sick, but he will be better in a couple of days. Starà ² pià ¹ attento, te lo prometto. I will pay more attention, I promise. Il futuro anteriore Io sarà ² stato/a noi saremo stati/e tu sarai stato/a voi sarete stati/e lui, lei, Lei sar stato/a loro, Loro saranno stati/e Esempi: Ho dimenticato di prenotare i biglietti? Sarà ² stato davvero stanco ieri sera. I forgot to book the tickets? I must have been really tired last night. Dov’era Giulia a sabato? Sar stata con suoi amici. Where was Giula on Saturday? She must have been with her friends. Congiuntivo/Subjunctive​ ï » ¿Il presente che io stia che noi stiamo che tu stia che voi stiate che lui, lei, Lei stia che loro, Loro stiano Esempi: Non so perchà © lui stia qua. I don’t know why he is here. Non penso che tu stia preparando abbastanza piatti. I don’t think you’re preparing enough dishes. Il passato io sia stato/a noi siamo stati/e tu sia stato/a voi siate stati/e lui, lei, Lei sia stato/a loro, Loro siano stati/e Esempi: Penso sia stato meglio cosà ¬. I think it was for the best. Credo proprio che siano stati accompagnati in taxi all’aereoporto. I really think they had been taken by taxi to the airport. L’imperfetto io stessi noi stessimo tu stessi voi steste lui, lei, Lei stesse loro, Loro stessero Esempi: Non pensavo che lui stesse alla festa. I didn’t know that he was at the party. Pensavo che stesse a dormire a casa tua. Sarei stato molto pià ¹ tranquillo! I thought she was sleeping at your place. I would have been a lot more relaxed! Il trapassato prossimo Io fossi stato/a noi fossimo stati/e tu fossi stato/a voi foste stati/e lui, lei, Lei fosse stato/a loro, Loro fossero stati/e Esempi: Se quel giorno fossi stato con lui, non sarebbe stato cosà ¬ triste. If I had been with him that day, he wouldn’t have been so sad. Se fossimo stati amici in quel periodo, ci saremmo divertiti un sacco! If we had been friends during that time, we would have had so much fun! Condizionale/Conditional​​ Il presente io starei noi staremmo tu staresti voi stareste lui, lei, Lei starebbe loro, Loro starebbero Esempi: Se io abitassi in Italia, starei meglio. If I were to live in Italy, I would be better. Se aveste finito i vostri compiti a quest’ora stareste al mare! If you had finished your homework, by this time you would be at the seaside! Il passato io sarei stato/a noi saremmo stati/e tu saresti stato/a voi sareste stati/e lui, lei, Lei sarebbe stato/a loro, Loro sarebbero stati/e Esempi: Sarei stata contenta se lui mi avesse regalato dei fiori. I would have been happy if he had given me some flowers. Non sarebbe stato possibile senza l’aiuto di Giulia. It wouldn’t have been possible without Giulia’s help. Imperativo/Imperative​​ Presente stiamo sta/stai/sa’ state stia stiano Stai zitto! Be quiet (informal)! Stia attenta! Pay attention (formal)!

Essay on Morality Research of Moral Pluralism Based on 3 Principles

Essay on Morality Research of Moral Pluralism Based on 3 Principles The greatest gift of human rationality is morality. The establishment of morality is based on the recognition that every human has a general set of basic needs to lead a life free of physical and psychological suffering. In Moral Relativism, Moral Diversity and Human Rights, James Kellenberger addresses different sorts of theories of morality, such as moral absolutism, moral pluralism, and moral relativism. Before I take any position on the issues raised by the differences between these various approaches, I need to offer a definition of morality. Morality, in the context of these different kinds of theories, can be defined only descriptively in relation to its purpose and to its function. Metaphysical questions such as Is morality an absolute truth? (which are not in the scope of this essay) are in fact, beyond comprehension by mere reasoning and argumentation. People can only try to provide different answers based on their own assumptions, faiths, experiences and intuitions. Thus, morality, in the most practical sense, is a tool or way of life used to promote the common good of human beings and eliminate harmful actions that bring negative consequences in life, goals based on the principle of reciprocity and empathy, and a set of universally recognized human needs and capabilities. In line with such grounding, I find that among different types of moral theories, moral pluralism can best serve the universal needs and well being of human kind. Pluralism recognizes that there is a plurality of moral points of view, and affirms that, among many moral points of view, no one is clearly superior to another. Yet, it insists on a certain set of context-independent values and an objectivity in judging value conflicts that is not determined by groups conventions or individual attitudes. However, the pluralistic nature of this theory and the fact that no complete objectivity is possible could be sources of its fallacies when it is put into practice. No one can be completely objective in their judgments because every human being possesses different perceptions and principles of life that contribute to personal bias. Thus, to avoid these possible sources of error, moral pluralism needs to be governed by three principles: 1) an unambiguous categorization of moral values, 2) the establishment of a minimalist common ground, and 3) a flexibility with regard to the prioritization of moral values. A clear and unambiguous categorization of values that are strictly moral in nature is essential as the founding basis of moral pluralism. Moral values should be strictly distinguished from other categories of values such as cultural norms or community values. Moral values, in their essence, should be geared only towards the goal of fulfilling universal needs of well being that are not governed by cultural practices or norms. For example, the prohibition against arbitrary killing can safely be categorized as a moral value. However, values such as that women are supposed to wear dresses can only be categorized as cultural norms. Even socio-political values like unity and collectivity are only conventional and cannot be strictly termed as moral values. The lack of strict categorization of moral values, I believe, is one of the biggest problems to be resolved even before the debates between different moral theories can continue. One common flaw among several forms of moral relativism is the failure to draw such clear distinctions between different categories of values. For instance, conventionalist relativism claims that secondary values are considered as relative and are dependent on conventions or social norms. In this context, secondary values are no longer strictly moral, but adulterated by other categories of values which are non-moral. Similarly, perspectivist relativism proposes that primary values have associated benefits and harms' that may be physiological (e.g., food and nature), psychological (e.g., love and humiliation), and social (e.g., respect and exploitation). It is easy to see that there are very blurry lines between physiological needs, social values, and moral values. In Problems of Moral Philosophy, Ralph Barton Perry addresses the phenomenon of arbitrary categorization of values by pointing out a distinction between the question: What does value mean? and the question: What things have value? Analogously, the statement that peace is a condition in which societies abstain from the use of violence in settling their disputes is different from the statement that the world is (or is not) now at peace. Too often, because of such an ambiguity in distinguishing the nuances between definitions, cultural beliefs and physical needs are arbitrarily lumped into subcategories of moral values. Equivocal overlapping of cultural values, community values, and moral values only jeopardizes the applicability of moral pluralism. Such a failure encourages abuse of the theory to justify actions for pure individual interests or social conventions. For example, in Jordan, women are tortured in the name of committing immoral acts when they are found to be talking to male strangers, even though the action of talking to male stranger could be intrinsically non-moral. Thus, it is important to draw a clear boundary between pluralistic moral values and other categories of values, such as cultural pluralism or religious pluralism. The establishment of a minimalist common ground is another important principle in the application of moral pluralism. A minimalist common ground requires that ethics be reduced to its most basic elements, those that are required for every human to behave ethically. Such a methodology is crucial especially in response to a pluralist society today. Before I further reinforce my claim, it is important to recognize a limit of the theory of minimalist ethics. One of the possible fallacies of minimalist ethics is that it implies that an action is ethical as long as it does not hurt anybody. The simplistic and consequentialist nature of this school of ethics provides loopholes for actions done for pure self-interest that indirectly bring negative consequences for others. Thus, the minimalist approach should only be interpreted as a methodology, not as a moral guidance. It is imperative that the minimalist ground should not be manipulated as the sole justification for all kinds of actions. How should a minimalist common ground be established to reinforce the applicability of moral pluralism? We should recognize that no single individual or group has precisely the same perception of truth and reality due to the differences in religious faith, personal experience and other factors. Just as cognitive relativism embraces moral relativism, cognitive diversity promotes different applications of moral values. In moral pluralism, the stress on certain context-independent values requires a certain level of cognitive agreement. To achieve such an agreement, it is pertinent to use a minimalist approach to establish a limit to the scope of acceptable moral grounds among diverse cultures. Such a limit signifies the line between ungrounded perspective (such as superstitions) and rational logic that is based on empirical examination and truths. The truths that are derived empirically, when combined with rationality and universally recognized moral values, form a solid minimalist grou ndwork. William James, a modern advocate of pragmatism, synthesizes the best elements of Empiricism and Idealism. He opposes the prevailing notion of his academic colleagues that only scientific methods can lead to an understanding of the human condition, yet, criticizes any extreme reliance on logic as the sole basis of philosophical truth. In line with his philosophy, the powerful combination of empirical truth and philosophical logic excludes ungrounded practices that are against common humanity. For example, in Southern Sudan, the practice of sacrificing the spear master by the Dinkas became completely unjustified when the tribe survived after the practice was outlawed. Thus, cognitive or cultural perceptions, which deviate from the examined truth and accepted rationality, should be excluded from the common ground. Apart from that, to ensure moral progress, the common ground requires that context-independent values not only supercede cultural practices, but also serve to reform the culture itself. Such a purpose should not be misunderstood as a form of ethnocentrism, which is the point of view that ones own way of life is to be preferred to all others. As John Kekes explains, for pluralism, moral progress occurs with a closer approximation of valued possibilities not just for one particular point of view but for humanity as a whole. Thus, in conclusion, moral pluralism needs a realistic common ground that is based on human beings basic needs, rationality and empirically examined truth. A flexibility with regard to the prioritization of moral values is another principle that should be emphasized to ensure that the goal of the common good be achieved. In Morality, Diversity and Human Rights, Kellenberger explains, For monismtheres only one and only one true ranking. For pluralism, there is a plurality of reasonable rankings in the light of different equally reasonable conceptions of good life. Thus, values that are prioritized in moral pluralism should be distinguished from the pre-established overriding values in moral absolutism or moral monism. The central claim of moral pluralism that there is not a single moral value that is superior to others, should not be seem as justifying the claim that there is no possibility of assigning priority among different moral values according to different contexts. The prioritization of moral values requires an ability to perceive the greatest good and act wisely. Admittedly, such an approach tends to borrow a shade of pragmatism the doctrine that a statement is true and meaningful according to the practical results that would be experienced if that statement were acted upon. However, it is important to recognize that such a flexibility should not be equalized with the extreme form of pragmatism, which normally involves an attempt to wipe out the distinction between different kinds of truths. For a pragmatist, an action is not true because it corresponds to reality; therefore, there is no need to worry what sort of reality that makes that action the right one to perform. Moral pluralism has its metaphysical forms and does not deny the distinction between objective reality and ultimate reality. A flexibility in prioritizing moral values is an antidote of the Kantian principle of the absolute moral law or the assumption of an absolute moral law. The French  utilitarian Benjamin Constant asks Kant to consider whether, in Kants mind, it would not be right to lie to a murderer who asks whether ones friend, who he means to kill, is hiding in ones house. Kant sticks with his opinion and responds that To be truthful (honest) in all declarations, therefore, is a sacred and absolutely commanding decree of reason, limited by no expediency,16 including human life. Such an over-rigid adherence to a single moral  value. Truthfulness defeats the whole purpose of  morality to promote good and eliminate evil. In Absolutism and Its Consequentialist Critics, Joram Graf Haber holds the position that one should be truthful to the murderer under whatsoever circumstances. He argues: If by telling a lie you have prevented murder, you have made yourself legally responsible for all the conseq uences; but if you have held vigorously to the truth, public justice can lay no hand on you, whatever the unforeseen circumstances may be. To me, it is not reasonable to cause an atrocity simply to avoid public responsibility. In fact, to achieve the greater good, it is justified that an individual ould prioritize his or her responsibilities to prevent inhumane acts and protect the good (innocence), with due consideration of the risks and possible consequences. It is important to make a clear distinction between the concept of the greater good, as employed in this theory of ethics, and that of the same term in utilitarianism. In utilitarianism, no actions are intrinsically right or wrong as long as the goal of an action is to achieve the greatest happiness. John Stuart Mill, in Utilitarianism, says, The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. In the concept of prioritizing moral values, one important basis is preserving the goodness and eliminating the evil. Happiness or pleasure is not the sole and ultimate motivation of action. In conclusion, moral pluralism stands out among all types of moral theories presented by Kellenberger. Understanding Kants concept that we will never be able to see the noumena but can only base our principles upon phenomena, I refuse to embrace moral absolutism. This theory leaves the question of what absolute moral command is founded on open and unanswered. Yet, the nature of moral relativism as over-tolerating (all perspectives are equally valid), makes it unrealistic and dysfunctional in reaching the goal of the common good of human kind. This theory denies the fact that judgements are crucial in ensuring social order and harmony. Among all categorizations of moral theories, only moral pluralisms reasonable balance of objectivity, diversity and universality ensures its survival in different cultural, social and spiritual contexts. However, there are still some possible sources of error when moral pluralism is applied in daily life, such as the impossibility of claiming total obje ctivity and the lack of a clear categorization of values that are intrinsically moral. Thus, the three principles proposed above, namely, the unambiguous categorization of moral values, the establishment of a minimalist common ground, and a flexibility with regard to the prioritizing of moral values, must be understood and integrated, to increase the applicability and universality of moral pluralism.

Critical Essay Editing

Critical Essay Editing Critical Essay Editing Critical Essay Editing If you wrote the first draft of your wonderful essay, make a small break. Let draft lie down for a couple of days until you gather your thoughts. Sometimes, pause can be extremely useful to give you new ideas on the issue. Once you relaxed, you have to start critical essay editing. In the process of critical essay editing, you will rewrite some paragraph change their sequence, add or remove words and phrases, change the structure, add new ideas, etc. Your critical essay should be very different from the first draft. Critical essay writing is a wearisome process. It's still very difficult to meet the standard of 500-odd words, under condition that you need to describe your live and yourself, for example. Critical essay editing is not the same as proofreading. Proofreading is changing sentence structure and correcting mistakes. While critical essay writing editing requires your full attention and you have to focus on style, wording, formatting, referencing, flow of ideas, presentation, etc. But do not rush to tear in pieces the draft if you have found many mistakes and do not send an electronic version to the basket. According to academic research, the first draft is very valuable because it contains your personal ideas and thoughts. Critical Essay Editing Tips Editing a critical essay is a process of making your writing better. While critical essay writing is over, critical essay editing begins. You should be aware that sometimes writing and editing require equal time. Not fair? The process of writing is about putting your thoughts on a paper, while the process of editing is about making your thoughts readable. Editing of the written work should be done very carefully taking into account grammatical, spelling and stylistic rules. Make sure that there are no repetitions and misunderstanding between sentences. Paper Editing Tips You should not submit a critical essay without editing! Well, you can, however, your should be ready to get the grader lower than your expected. In the process of critical essay editing, try to give answers to the following questions: Do you understand the question (topic)? Have you worked out argumentation? Have you made an outline covering stages of argumentation? Did you carefully read the literature on the topic? Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Are the paragraphs logically connected? Do you use effective evidence? Did you make references to the sources? Is critical essay conclusion concise and relevant to the case? If you have already written a critical essay, however, you feel that it is hard to read, you are welcome to request critical essay service at .com. We will make your critical essay perfect. Moreover, we have the best prices on editing service!

Sylvester Stallone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sylvester Stallone - Essay Example His mother, Jackie Stallone, was of two origins. She was half-Russian and half French. He has a younger brother, Frank Stallone and both were both named after their paternal grandfather. Since his baptism, he has been a Catholic. During his childhood, he suffered a lot from his parents’ hostility. His parents were so hostile that their relationship ended in a divorce in 1957. This led to Sylvester moving to Philadelphia with his mother and a foster father. Due to environmental and social changes, Sylvester suffered academic and emotional changes. He became very troubled in school and this led to his expulsion in most of the schools that he joined. His mother enrolled him to a special high school for the troubled and mischievous youth. While at Philadelphia, he spent most of his time at foster care but this changed after joining Devereaux High School where he joined the gym class and started lifting weights (Sanford, Carl and Howard 15). After his graduation, he won an athletic scholarship program at an American College located in Switzerland. He became a coach of a girls’ athletic club and after a short time gained interest in drama. He starred in of the school productions in the college. This motivated him to join the world of drama and he could not wait to go back to the United States of America where he joined the University of Miami and studied drama. It is in 1969 when he decided to pursue his dream in drama and acting. He went back to New York where he had to work in different low paying workplaces to make ends meet. He became an usher at a New York theatre and worked part time jobs at the Central Park Zoo. He made his first appearance in the film industry after acting a soft-core porn film by the name ‘A party at kitty studs’. He frequently auditioned and soon became famous in the industry due to his role as a tough person in most films paralyzed (Sanford, Carl and Howard 12). However, the industry became more competitive and h e became discouraged after being turned down for the film ‘The Godfather’ in 1971. This led to Sylvester turning his attention to writing screenplays and it bore fruit in 1973 after he starred in the movie Rebel. Sylvester’s first major role in the film industry was in 1976 after he wrote the movie’s script. A fight between Chuck Wepner and Muhammad Ali form, which he wrote the script, had motivated him (Dunn). He wanted to play the role himself and after a long struggle with producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler, he was assigned the role. The film became very successful and was nominated for best actor and best original screenplay at the Academy Awards. Stallone earned lots of profits from this film. In 1982, he had the role of writing and directing Rocky II that became a major success after grossing over $200 million. This became the turning point for his career in the film industry. All the films he directed from this point on gained lots of money irrespective of the presence of critics to his films (Celebrity Net Worth). These films include Rambo, The specialist, Cash, Tango, Cobra, Demolition Man among others (Stallone 15). The new millennium did not pose a good start to Sylvester’s career since the movies that he stared in or produced did not sell as expected. However, a re-production of Rambo in 2008 and later The Expendables made him rise in chats at the film

Intro to Macroeconomics Assignment(7 Questions) Assignment

Intro to Macroeconomics (7 Questions) - Assignment Example In comparison, the investment curve determines how much money a consumer will invest at available interest charges. This is determined by the expected net profits from the available investments. One main determinant of this is the non-changing non-interest rate determinants, which are the same as the determinants of the consumption schedule. The investment schedule is considered less stable than the consumption schedule since it is determined by the interest rates as compared to the income of the individual. Built in stabilizers refer to government policies that cause budget deficits to grow during economic downtimes, or cause surpluses to increase due to increased economic recession. Two examples of built-in stabilizers are tax structures and government spending. In the computation of the Gross Domestic Product of a country, the gros private investment (Ig) is an important factor. This is because the gross private investment provides a measure of the future financial state of the country. The gross private investment is calculated as the sum of the replacement purchases of the population and the investments done to gain inventory. The net private investment is calculated as the above figure less depreciation experienced in the country. An increase in the gross private investment serves to increase net GDP since the factors of the sum are also included in the factors of the GDP. The bearing of the marginal propensity to consume and the marginal propensity to save (MPC and MPS), both have bearings on the spending multiplier since they are both factors of the formula for the multiplier. When the MPS is given, the multiplier is calculated as the reciprocal of the MPS. When the MPS is 0.6, the multiplier is 1.667, when the MPS is 0.75, the multiplier is 1.333, and when the MPS is 0.8, the multiplier is 1.25. The open economy multiplier is given by the equation, 1/(1-MPC + MPM), while the closed economy multiplier is given by 1/(1-MPC). Built in

Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 23

Business - Essay Example It is vital for tracking supply components and management’s communication to workers. Another prominent way in which workers may utilize tablets or smart phones regards the system of instant messaging. It was previously regarded as personal. However, it proves as a fast and a cost-effective way of communicating. As regards to this system, managers and fellow workers can be aware of the workers that are assigned at their desks. It proves as an effective way of attaining crucial and fast information. There are two security concerns that a business may have with employees that communicate outside a network. A crucial concern pertains to the issue of confidentiality (Salomon, 2003). This regards the concept whether information is available to the right entities’ or owners. An example regards the aspect of a credit card transaction. Such information should only be available to the buyer and seller. In this aspect, credit cards require encryption in order that it remains inaccessible to other networks and others individuals. Another critical issue concerns with the aspect of data integrity (Salomon, 2003). In data integrity, the same should not be modified in an undetectable way. The breach of integrity occurs when another force modifies data during its transit. Users can attain harm on the breach of data. This regards the alteration of personal information that may implicate an individual fraud or

Determinants of Job Perfomance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Determinants of Job Perfomance - Essay Example Once the employee possesses the basic requirement of knowledge and skills, the level of performance can be set against the standards provided by the office and, therefore, it becomes a determinant of job performance. According to the explanations by University of Human Resource Services (Feb. 2005), job performance is the kind of expectations for a particular duty of the employee. It is the expected outcome of how the job is to be done. It is the observed behavior of the personnel on how they performed the work assigned to them. Job performance is often described on the basis of results whether it is very satisfactory, satisfactory, unsatisfactory or very unsatisfactory. I believe that knowledge and skills are the primary requirements in determining job performance because it is the regular requirement expected from everyone. Knowledge and skills are the set of common standards and behaviors that are expected from all personnel. For instance, all supervisors or employees are expected to do similar work or everyone in the unit may be expected to perform similarly around several functions, sales agents are expected to make sales for the company, customer service agents or call center representatives are required to respond to customers, and they should have the basic knowledge in performing of what is expected of them. Knowledge and skills are in line with the expectancy theory that is based on the perceived effort relationship. Quick MBA (n.d.) explains work performance is based on past experiences, self confidence and difficulty of the performance goal. Sheridan, Slocum and Byung, (Feb. 1975) concluded in their study that the expectancy theory model is a valid indicator of job performance. When an employee believes that he is working at a significant project is and contributing to its successful completion, he is inspired to work better. Another author, A. Grant (2008), said in his study that the significance of the task increases work performance. This leads m e to conclude that mental ability to understand the work assigned to the employee is an indicator of job performance. Knowledge of the job is further divided into two categories. These are the declarative knowledge, and procedural knowledge. For instance, declarative knowledge includes knowledge of principles, facts, ideas, etc. (Turban, E., and J. Aronson, 1988). This becomes an indicator of job performance because the employee can apply to the work situations his particular knowledge of the principles. A manager should have the ability to see the big picture be able to create innovative ideas. A manager is expected to integrate concepts, apply different solutions, methods and approaches to the day to day operations. A manager thinks horizontally and simultaneously, and knows how to ask and answer questions. He should know how to challenge and to innovate strategies. In the same way, individual personnel are expected to give their utmost skills and competency in the process. As dif ferentiated from declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge is the type of knowledge someone has and demonstrates it by doing the actual job (Wise Geek, n. d.). For instance, as demonstrated in Wise Geek, procedural knowledge is knowing how to do things. In accounting, balancing of accounts has some procedures and is called procedural method that has a

Social networking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social networking - Research Paper Example However, the use of these sites has caused many concerns especially due to the privacy risks involved. At this point the following issue has appeared: should the use of social networking sites be free from limitations or not? Six academic studies have been identified and are presented below for showing that social networking sites are valuable in terms of communication and exchange of information, both at individual and at business level, but their use should be set under monitoring so that the privacy of users is not threatened. Lewis (2010) explored the role of social media in a particular business sector: public relations. He found that for the specific sector the use of social media is quite important, at the level that public relations practitioners consider social media as a unique tool of communication (Lewis 1). However, this role of social media may not be clear to their users. For example, the research developed by Lewis proved that the individuals who study public relation s are not aware, at least not fully, of the potential value of social media in public relations (Lewis 17). It should be noted that most of the participants were proved to be heavy users of social networking sites (Lewis 17). ... These people, even if they do not state it clearly, prefer communication than trust; such view is verified by the fact that the existence of trust among millions of people who are unknown to each other is not feasible (Dwyer, Hiltz and Passerini 2). In the survey conducted among the members of two, popular, social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace it was revealed that the members of Facebook feel that their privacy is protected at higher level than the members of MySpace (Dwyer, Hiltz and Passerini 5). In other words, privacy in social networking sites can be protected, at least up to a level, even if the members of these sites actually set ‘the development of new relationships and the exchange of information’ (Dwyer, Hiltz and Passerini 3) as priorities. The above studies verify the first of this study’s hypothesis, i.e. that social networking sites are quite popular as tools of communication and for promoting business activities. The second of the ab ove studies reveals a critical fact: the involvement of social networking sites in privacy risks does not seem to discourage the users of these sites. The privacy risks related to the use of social networking sites are further analyzed below. Zilpelwar et al. (2012) highlight the popularity and the risks of social networking sites. According to Zilpelwar et al. (2012) a high range of social networking sites has been established for meeting the different needs of people. Indeed, apart from Facebook which is popular worldwide, there are also other social networking sites that address specific categories of people, such as Bebo, for people living in UK and Ireland, LinkedIn for professionals and Ning for those who wish to develop their own

Class student dicussions answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Class student dicussions answers - Assignment Example You also provided a simple ‘what to do’ measures in order to eliminate the risk of viruses affecting the computer. It is a good insight that you gave about training the new users on how to detect scam emails and not click on the provided unknown links, and also executing an anti-malware or anti-virus scan whenever accessing an external memory drive. You could have also added not auto-executing flash drive programs or executables. Another thing that I feel should be a part of training for novices should be proper usage of trusted sites for downloads security features available in the browsers. Brain, you defined what Kevin said. You explained how a honeypot is implemented outside the main network and it sacrifices itself for the protection of the main, critical network. The best things that you told about the honeypot networks in general, are the disadvantages of implementing them. Cost was always a default factor but yes it would take more toil on the system administrator to monitor and look after this network’s resources. I would partially agree with the last comment you made on comparing advantages and disadvantages. For critical data organizations, we do need these honeypots but for smaller organizations, we cannot afford to have such a high cost. You also specifically mentioned what intrusion detection systems and firewalls we can use for information security. As opposed to Kevin, you have provided specific details on three main techniques of ensuring information security within the organization. You also made good points on differentiating how software and hardware security systems work in unison to provide maximum security to the organizational data. I completely agree that software based security is either algorithmic or rule based but hardware based security is almost rule based. The explanation of how routers work

Social networking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social networking - Research Paper Example However, the use of these sites has caused many concerns especially due to the privacy risks involved. At this point the following issue has appeared: should the use of social networking sites be free from limitations or not? Six academic studies have been identified and are presented below for showing that social networking sites are valuable in terms of communication and exchange of information, both at individual and at business level, but their use should be set under monitoring so that the privacy of users is not threatened. Lewis (2010) explored the role of social media in a particular business sector: public relations. He found that for the specific sector the use of social media is quite important, at the level that public relations practitioners consider social media as a unique tool of communication (Lewis 1). However, this role of social media may not be clear to their users. For example, the research developed by Lewis proved that the individuals who study public relation s are not aware, at least not fully, of the potential value of social media in public relations (Lewis 17). It should be noted that most of the participants were proved to be heavy users of social networking sites (Lewis 17). ... These people, even if they do not state it clearly, prefer communication than trust; such view is verified by the fact that the existence of trust among millions of people who are unknown to each other is not feasible (Dwyer, Hiltz and Passerini 2). In the survey conducted among the members of two, popular, social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace it was revealed that the members of Facebook feel that their privacy is protected at higher level than the members of MySpace (Dwyer, Hiltz and Passerini 5). In other words, privacy in social networking sites can be protected, at least up to a level, even if the members of these sites actually set ‘the development of new relationships and the exchange of information’ (Dwyer, Hiltz and Passerini 3) as priorities. The above studies verify the first of this study’s hypothesis, i.e. that social networking sites are quite popular as tools of communication and for promoting business activities. The second of the ab ove studies reveals a critical fact: the involvement of social networking sites in privacy risks does not seem to discourage the users of these sites. The privacy risks related to the use of social networking sites are further analyzed below. Zilpelwar et al. (2012) highlight the popularity and the risks of social networking sites. According to Zilpelwar et al. (2012) a high range of social networking sites has been established for meeting the different needs of people. Indeed, apart from Facebook which is popular worldwide, there are also other social networking sites that address specific categories of people, such as Bebo, for people living in UK and Ireland, LinkedIn for professionals and Ning for those who wish to develop their own

The factors that influence the well being of children and young people Essay Example for Free

The factors that influence the well being of children and young people Essay The well being of children can depend on many things. Having a good positive mental attitude to life is very important and there are many factors that can determine how we feel and how we think. Building good relationships with family members and friends can have a good outcome on how children feel and can help build a good self esteem and a good sense of who they are. Having emotional security is beneficial to a child so that they know they are loved , wanted and needed. We need to promote a well balanced diet so that children are well nourished with plenty of exercise. Make sure we teach children about good hygiene like everyday things such as washing and brushing teeth regularly. Making sure dentist and doctor appointments are made and kept so that their general health is kept up to date and promote a good sleep pattern so that they have plenty of rest. Explain the importance of resilience for children and young people Read more: Explain how children and young peoples development is influenced by a range of personal factors essay A resilient child is often a child who is strong and unaffected by changes around them unless they choose to be. They will become unaffected by different or new situations and will be able to handle them better. A child who has come from a loving family with strong emotional attachments are given a good sense of security. They will have good knowledge of their culture and will tend to know who they are and where they have come from. They will be more resilient toward negativity and winning or being good at everything will not be a priority to them but a bonus if achieved. If a child feels insecure about things they will find it difficult and may not experience everything they need to experience to get on in life. The well being of a child can be affected by resilience so a good sense of well being is needed and should include their physical and emotional health.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) at Doctors Surgery

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) at Doctors Surgery Proposed Working Title Does Customer Relationship Management (CRM) build stronger bonds with the customers and help provide quality services in a doctors surgery at Camden? - A case study of NHS Research Background and Context I have chosen this topic in order to find out what are the key issues that are important for successfully running a doctors surgery. We have been seeing that there are always patient dissatisfaction and complain about the services, both clinical and non-clinical. Hypothesis The hypotheses that will be tested in this research are as follows: To analyze what aspects of CRM strategies are missing in running this doctors surgery. To identify what benefits can be attained by completely implementing CRM at PPCC To what extent the employees are playing their role according to CRM strategies. To look in various models, strategies, theories and methods that can be used to make the services effective at doctors surgery. Organisation Background – Partnership Primary Care Centre (PPCC) The Surgery has been established in 1973 for the people who are living in the housing. It was named Fairweather House Surgery. Initially it had 250 patients from the housing. Dr. Morris Davies was founder General Practitioner (GP). In 1976, Dr. Diane Rosenthal, Dr. Jonathan Rosenthal, Dr. Enid Greenbury and Dr. Wil Cupola took over from Dr. Morris Davies and this Surgery was under Camden and Islington Primary Care Trust (PCT). In 1976 Camden and Islington PCT allocated more patients and gave a practice boundary that is a catchment area. In 1976, GPs appointed a practice nurse who used to do child immunisation, dressing, and cervical smear. In 1988 Dr. Wil Cupola left the surgery and Dr. Ian Hopkinson joined the surgery as a partner and there were 8 sessions of doctors and 5 sessions of nurses. GPs decided to register more patients and in 2003 total registered patients were 1900. It was difficult to offer more services from the small premise, so GPs had several meeting with the PCT to move to a bigger building. During this time, Camden and Islington PCT divided into two and this surgery came under Islington PCT who decided to move the Surgery in a bigger premises. Meanwhile, one of the local GP died and another GP went for retirement. In 1st October of 2003, Fairweather House Surgery shifted to newly built premises and named the surgery as Partnership Primary Care Centre (PPCC). After moving to this new premise, there are now 16 consulting session of doctors, 10 nurses session and 5 health care assistant sessions. Now the total registered patient is 3300 and growing everyday. (Source: Mr. Rashidul Hasan: Practice Manager and Mrs. Heather Johnson: Ex-Practice Manager at PPCC) Services Offered at PPCC Services that are offered by PPCC are personal doctoring, urgent medical problems, out of hours emergencies, home visits, talking to a doctor or nurse on the telephone, family planning services , antenatal care , child health surveillance, screening and health promotion, travel immunisations advice, sexual health for teenagers adults, quit smoking advice, alcohol advice , advice on drug problems, test results, repeat prescription service, interpreting services, careers needs and special nurse-led clinics available that include asthma/COPD clinics, diabetic clinic, cervical smears, childhood immunisation, family planning, heart disease/stroke prevention, well person checks. (Source: PPCC leaflet) Customer Relationship Management System at PPCC The surgery uses patient data storage system called VISION that is the most popular GP data storage system in the country. It has been maintained by the company called INPS. It holds all the information about the patients who are registered with PPCC. It holds the name, date of birth, address, telephone numbers and obviously the medical information. This system is also linked with the Whittington Hospital in order to receive test results including X-rays that are transferred electronically to the surgery. Rationale for the chosen topic I have selected Customer Relationship Management (CRM) because it is one of the best and most popular methods of developing stronger bonds with customers (in this research my customers are the patients who come to the doctors surgery). It can be said that if there is no patients then there is no need of doctors surgery, that is – no patient, no business. By the implementation of CRM strategies, PPCC can become one of the role model for other doctors practices. Customer satisfaction is the core of any business and when it comes to patients, it is a must. Research Questions- Formulation of researchable questions Like all research, my research also has an objective and to achieve that objective I have prepared a researchable question. The most important question to me is: ‘How effective will be customer relationship management strategies in providing quality services in doctors surgery? I will be focussing on this question through out my analysis of this research. Some of the important concerns that will arise while answering this question are as follows: †¢ What is CRM? †¢ Usage of CRM? †¢ What are the organisational benefits of CRM? †¢ How successful CRM can be in providing quality services? †¢ To what level can customer satisfaction can be achieved? †¢ How the organisation can achieve competitive advantage by CRM? Research Aim The aim of this research is to determine the relationship between the CRM and the quality of services and does it build a stronger bond with customers. Research Objectives The main objective behind this research is to understand and identify the root cause of customer dissatisfaction with the services provided at the doctors surgery. This research will focus on the real life example of a London based doctors surgery called Partnership Primary Care Centre (PPCC). I will discuss about the implementation and benefits of CRM to PPCC. In order to achieve the above aim, the following research objectives have been set: †¢ To understand and identify the root cause of customer dissatisfaction with the services provided by the doctors surgery, †¢ To determine the variable factors that could influence customer satisfaction level, †¢ To determine how CRM can bring a positive change in the quality of service, †¢ To identify how implementation of CRM can benefits PPCC. Literature Review A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period. For the purpose of this research, the literature review is on Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Customer Relationship Management (CRM) The better a business can manage the relationships it has with its customers the more successful it will become. In order to have a better understanding and knowledge about the customers needs and demands, customer relationship management strategies can be used. Customer relationship management (CRM) is not just the application of technology, but is a strategy to learn more about customers needs and behaviours in order to build up stronger relationships with them. As such it is more of a business philosophy than a technical solution to assist in dealing with customers effectively and efficiently. (www.xicom.biz , Accessed: 21/08/09) According to Armstrong and Kotler (2005) customer relationship management (CRM) is managing detailed information about individual customers and carefully managing customer â€Å"touch points† in order to maximize customer loyalty. CRM involves all of the corporate functions (marketing, manufacturing, customer services, field sales, and field service) required to contact customers directly or indirectly. The term â€Å"touch points† is used in CRM to refer to the many ways in which customers and firms interact. (Gray and Byun, 2001) The foundation of customer relationship management CRM is based upon identifying; understanding and being able to provide a better service to customers. CRM allows build a better relationship with customers, improving customer satisfaction and maximising profitability. It is about understanding, anticipating and responding to the exact needs of customers with a constant eye for making the services to them the best it can possibly be. The main target of CRM is to improve long-term growth and profitability through a better understanding of customer behaviour. (Source: www.customerrelationshipmanagementcrmuk.co.uk, Accessed: 21/08/09) CRM consists of three basic components: customer, relationship and management. (Roberts-Witt, 2000) Customer If there is no customer then there will be no profit now or in the future. But a good customer, who provides more profit with less resource, is always scarce because customers are knowledgeable and the competition is fierce. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish who is the real customer because the buying decision is frequently a collaborative activity among participants of the decision-making process (Wyner, 1999). Information technologies can offer the skills to distinguish and manage customers. CRM can be thought of as a marketing approach that is based on customer information (Wyner, 1999). Relationship The relationship between a company and its customers involves continuous bi-directional communication and interaction. The relationship can be short-term or long-term, continuous or discrete, and repeating or one-time. Relationship can be attitudinal or behavioural. Even though customers have a positive attitude towards the company and its products or services, their buying behaviour is highly situational (Wyner, 1999). Management CRM is not an activity only within a marketing department. Rather it involves continuous corporate change in culture and processes. The customer information collected is transformed into corporate knowledge that leads to activities that take advantage of the information and of market opportunities. CRM required a comprehensive change in the organization and its people (Wyner, 1999). Specific software to support the management process involves: Field Service, E-Commerce Ordering, Self Service Applications, Catalogue Management, Bill Presentation, Marketing Programs, and Analysis Applications. They can be used to take the advantage of CRM, but keeping in mind that CRM is not about just technology but more about quality service. (Source: http://www.tupublicas.com/docs/12-44-15-02-2004-leyva.pdf, Accessed: 17/08/09) The core components of customer relationship management The content of a CRM strategy consists of six mutually dependent criteria (Donaldson and OToole, 2002) Emphasis on quality: if we provide poor service we will lose our customers and ultimately business. The core product alone is no longer sufficient, and service quality is considered as the key to successful business. Measure customer satisfaction but manage customer service: This implies understanding and defining the various benefits that a prospect expects prior to purchase and the management of the gap between expectations and performance after the purchase process. Invest in people: Both internal and external relationships are important. Implementation of a relationship orientation can only come from the people in the organisation understanding the objectives set and meeting the required standards. Maintaining dialogue with customers: Building long-term relationships is the key issue in CRM. Companies that listen and adapt to preferences of individual customers have a higher chance to retain them and make them loyal. Setting realistic targets and assessing performance: Organisations must have an understanding of customer views of the various elements in the offering and the elements important to each individual customer. Relationship-based interfaces: This means being in touch with both internal and external customers in a responsive and flexible manner. In practice, there is a gap between what firms do, what they should do, and what is most desirable to do. The means of communication should be adapted to the needs of the individual customer. (Donaldson and OToole, 2002) Types of Customer Relationship Management There are different variations in CRM approaches and they are all in different software packages focusing on different aspects. Some of the main types of CRM are as follows: Operational CRM Operational CRM is for â€Å"front office business processes. It interactions with customers to gather and stored customer information, so that later staff can retrieve customer information as necessary. The reasons for storing this information are as follows: Managing campaigns Enterprise Marketing Automation Sales Force Automation Sales Management System Analytical CRM Analytical CRM makes strong use of data mining and other techniques to create useful results for decision-making Analytical CRM analyzes customer data for a many reasons and they are: Designing and executing targeted marketing campaigns Designing and executing campaigns, Analyzing customer behavior in order to make decisions relating to products and services Management information system In this stage the importance of fully integrated CRM software becomes most apparent because the more information the analytical software has available for analysis, the better is the predictions and recommendations are. Sales Intelligence CRM Sales Intelligence CRM is more or less like Analytical CRM, but is intended as a more direct sales tool. Features include alerts sent to sales staff regarding: Cross-selling/Up-selling/Switch-selling opportunities Customer drift Sales performance Customer trends Customer margins Customer alignment Campaign Management Campaign management includes elements of Operational and Analytical CRM. The functions include: Target groups formed from the client base according to selected criteria Sending campaign-related material to selected recipients using various channels. Tracking, storing, and analyzing campaign statistics, including tracking responses and analyzing trends Collaborative CRM Collaborative CRM consists of a companys dealings with customers that are handled by various departments within a company, such as sales, technical support and marketing. Staff members from different departments can share information collected when interacting with customers. Collaborative CRMs main focus is to use information collected by all departments to improve the quality of services provided by the company. (Edwards, 2007) Consumer Relationship CRM Consumer Relationship System is mainly for a companys dealing with customers handled by the Consumer Affairs and Customer Relations contact centers within a company. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management, Accessed: 24/08/09) Benefits of Customer Relationship Management Exceptional customer service is about being aware of customer needs and reacting to them effectively. CRM facilitates to understand, anticipate and respond to customers needs in a consistent way, through out the organization. Practicing CRM requires an efficient and integrated internal business system. Many businesses benefit from the organizational discipline CRM imposes, as well as from the technology itself. CRM will help business if we view it as a set of tools that let us do more for, and get more from, our customer. CRM can: Develop better communication channels Collect vital data, like customer details and order histories Create detailed profiles such as customer preferences Deliver instant, company-wide access to customer histories Identify new selling opportunities To better serve customers, organizations must ensure that information can be accessed through one single source throughout the enterprise. (Source: http://www.is4profit.com/business-advice/it-telecoms/crm-customer-relationship-management_2.html, Accessed: 16/08/09) Business benefits of CRM Setting customer relationship management (CRM) solution in practice requires substantial time and expense. However, there are many potential benefits. A major benefit can be the development of better relations with the existing customers that leads to: Increased sales through better timing due to anticipating needs based on historic trends, Identifying needs more effectively by understanding specific customer requirements, Cross-selling of other products by highlighting and suggesting alternatives or enhancements, Identifying which of the customers are profitable and which are not. This can lead to better marketing of the products or services by focusing on: Effective targeted marketing communications aimed specifically at customer needs, A more personal approach and the development of new or improved products and services in order to win more business in the future. Finally this leads to: Enhanced customer satisfaction and retention, ensuring that the good reputation in the marketplace continues to grow, Increased value from existing customers and reduced cost associated with supporting and servicing them, increasing overall efficiency and reducing total cost of sales, Improved profitability by focusing on the most profitable customers and dealing with the unprofitable in more cost effective ways. Once the business starts to look after its existing customers effectively, focus can be shifted on finding new customers and expanding the market. The more we know about our customers, the easier it is to identify new prospects and increase our customer base. (Source: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/, Accessed: 16/08/09) Customer privacy is an important issue in CRM. CRM deals with large amounts of customer data throughout various touch points and communication means. The personalization process in CRM requires identification of each individual customer and collections of demographic and behavioural data, this is the very information that most customers consider personal and private. The individual organisation gets into an ethical dilemma as it wants to collect as much information as possible about each customer to further its sales. It is a must to have the customer consent to avoid any future problems. Authorized personnel should only have the access to the stored information and data. Drawbacks of CRM As of any other topic there are some negative sides about CRM. According to a research study released in March, 2001 by the Meta Group (cited in Connor 2001), between 55% to 75% of CRM projects fail to meet management objectives. However, research undertaken by CRM Guru (The Blueprint for CRM Success 2002) indicates that the failure rate of CRM projects is 35 %. About 50 % of projects get a payback within 18 months. Research Methodology The two most common methods of data collection for any research are qualitative and quantitative. It is important to define qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative data is the term given to data that can be quantified where as qualitative data is the term given to data based on meanings which are expressed through words and language (Anderson, 2004). Both these methods will be used to gather data and information for this research. Interviews will be conducted with the staff members to learn about their ideas and opinions on what they can add to the existing services that they provide. If possible and permitted, then a group of patients will be selected and will be interviewed about what their expectations from the doctors surgery. A questionnaire will be prepared for conducting this research which will be given to the patients who come to take service to the surgery. All these descriptive, exploratory, ethnographic, qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to fulfill the requirements of this research. Data Collection Methods This study draws on both primary and secondary data, such as past customer satisfaction levels, as well as both qualitative and quantitative data. The main focus will be on the qualitative approach as well as observation. This is because my data analysis will be based on words rather than figures. In addition to this, an interview will be conducted on a focused group of patients as primary data source. Primary Data Collection Methods Primary sources are original works of research or raw data without interpretation or pronouncements that represent an official opinion or position. Included among the primary sources are memos, letters, complete interviews or speeches (in audio, video, or written transcript formats), laws, regulations, court decisions or standards, and most government data, including census, economic, and labour data, (Cooper and Schindler, 2003). For the purpose of my research, qualitative method of data collection is more appropriate. Qualitative research is centrally concerned with the understanding rather than the measurement things (Hague Jackson, 1996). Moreover it is believe that qualitative research provides data that is open to interpretation and argue. (Brassington Pettitt, 1996). The search will use a combination of structured and unstructured questionnaires during face-to-face in-depth interview that provide a mixture of closed and open-ended questions for ease and for the acquiring opt imum data. The interviews will be with the parties, the service providers and the service receivers that is the patients. Questionnaire and Interview Questionnaire will be one of the most important approaches that would be used in this research as it provides the simplest and fastest way of primary data collection. A questionnaire will be design to handout to all interviewees and this will give me the data I need to base my theories on. Interviews will be taken to collect data in which selected participants are asked questions in order to find out about their activities, thoughts or feeling about relative issues. The sample size will be 50 plus and of both sexes and of different age groups. Secondary Data Collection Methods Studies made by others for their own purposes represent secondary data, (Cooper and Schindler, 2003). This will include both qualitative and quantitative data as well as descriptive and exploratory research. Books, magazines, articles, journals and other kinds of publications will be used to gather the data. The libraries that will be used for resources are London School of Commerce Library, the British Library, City Business Library and Online Library of University of Phoenix. As this report is a case on NHS (National Health Service), the web sites of the NHS and PPCC will be used to get information about the doctors surgery. The information gathered on the secondary research will be presented in the literature review part of this research. Data Analysis The primary data that will be gathered through questionnaire as a form of quantitative analysis will be analysed by using the Microsoft Excel spread sheet. To have a better understanding of the data, they will be presented in Pie chart and Bar charts. The findings will be also put as percentage of the total sample size. The interview will be analysed as qualitative data as there will be opinions, suggestions and views of the participants. Resource Requirements Some of the expenses that would incur during the primary data collection would be for light refreshments for the interviewees and the expenses for secondary data would be for buying the referral books, magazines, printing and binding of the research. There will be also some additional transportation cost for travelling to the libraries. Time Scale Time is a crucial element for any kind of work and I believe that the dissertation can be completed according to the following time scale. Time Scale Week Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Submission of the Proposal Literature Review Interviews Updating Literature Review Data Collections and Questionnaire Data Analysis First draft of dissertation Revising draft Second draft of dissertation Final editing and preparing Final report ready