The legalization of Marijuana Essays (869 words) - Drug Control Law

In the documentary The Union: The Business Behind Getting High, Adam Scorgie argues about the international effects of marijuana and how the citizens of the world benefit from it?s use. Scorgie compares how societies operate today with marijuana being illegal, to how the world would react to the legalization of marijuana. He uses logical and emotional arguments, logos and pathos, along with interviews of both average people and people who have a higher level of education to prove that marijuana helps economies as well as a societies. He also presents facts that the use of marijuana does not have a negative impact on the user?s mentality and behavior. Scorgie uses logos to show how the ?Union? positively benefits a community economically. In the documentary, Scorgie talks about places called Grow Ups. Grow Ups are where pot can be grown inside of a house and/or a shed. In every Grow Up community, each member has their own assigned job that they do to make daily operation run smoothly. Realtors sell homes to growers, carpenters shape the homes for the growers? convenience, and electricians install the specifically bright lights necessary for the operation and divert the energy elsewhere so that the power use is not suspicious. Even though the realtors, carpenters, and electricians are crooked, the police are still upholding their duties to catch growers and finding these Grow Ups. This shows that the Grow Ups allow for the ability everyone to have a job and a steady income to support families and themselves, if needed. It helps us realize even though it is illegal, this process involves so many people. This also puts marijuana at a higher demand since it is illegal. Scorgie also looks at the argument of marijuana causing violence. He makes it clear that it is because of the prohibition of marijuana. If one cannot sell pot and they are caught selling it, they are considered a criminal. When in reality, this person is selling something that is natural and it has not caused any deaths. Then my question to you, is why is it legal for tobacco companies to sell cigarettes when nicotine and tobacco have caused four hundred thousand deaths a year? Most people do not know that marijuana was legal at one time and that it was an agricultural crop used for many purposes; none of these purposes have ever been harmful to societies in any way. As Scorgie describes this subject, he goes on to argue that marijuana is not exactly the drug that most people make it out to be. He uses a lot of pathos to persuade his audience that marijuana does not cause lung cancer or damage brain cells by interviewing medical examiners and researchers. There was a doctor who had performed an experiment on monkeys to prove that the drug can kill brain cells and cause malfunctions. In this experiment, the doctor put masks over the monkeys? nose and mouth and pumped the amount of thirty joints into the monkeys? system. The doctor had failed to mention that he was limiting the monkeys? oxygen amount which entailed to suffocating them. This experiment shows how the dishonesty of one doctor can sway a person?s opinion to agree that marijuana cannot cause somet hing as drastic as killing brain cells or lung cancer. The leading cause deaths in the United States are drugs that do not contain marijuana but are tobacco, crack, and heroin along with aids and murder. Studies have shown that tobacco has killed up to four hundred thousand people a year and caffeine can kill up to ten thousand people a year. Marijuana is nowhere near the top in leading causes since there has never been a case where it was the cause of someone?s death. When taking these facts into consideration, it makes this argument easy to trust. Scorgie goes on to argue that marijuana is not something that can hugely harm our society and he also questions whether or not prohibition is necessary. Even after the prohibition, the demand or supply for marijuana has not changed. It is a steady source for income for organized crime. When using the underground market causes violence, eighty-eight percent of marijuana arrests are for

Natural Resources essays

Natural Resources essays Yes, the planet will survive, just as it has for millions of years. And the debate over how to save it will also go on. But one thing is certain-we are destroying our natural resources faster than they can be replaced. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a dangerous equation, an equation for disaster. The global population is increasing, and along with it the need for more food sources, cleaner water, and cheaper energy. To a poor man from a third world country who is simply trying to feed his family, the terms conservation or ecology do not mean much. He does not understand, much less care, that the yuppie upper-east-side Manhattanite who has laid out his coke lines in perfect little rows on his table made from mahogany that was harvested in razed rain forests somewhere in Malysia is contributing to the problem, by encouraging industry to pay the poor farmer a few dollars a day for years of irreversible damage to the forest. The poor farmer does not know that the forest floor he burned to plant crops to grow grain to feed cattle that are sold to packing companies to make the hamburger you or I bought yesterday at the fast-food restaurant is never going to be the same again, and is totally unsuitable for farming anyway. The time has come, and I agree with the article, to stop thinking about how to solve the problem on a global level and start thinking in terms of solving the problem at the local level, by encouraging the people who live in the affected areas to develop their own solutions, using the resources they have available to them. This is both more economical and feasible. Another idea might be to "rent" the rainforest, paying the countries involved in its destruction subsidies, much like a giant utility, thus discouraging the razing. I want my children's children, and their children, to see the world as I have seen it, before all the animals are gone and there is no clean water left, and ...

Mordecai Richler. Duddy Kravitz Apprenticeship Essay

Mordecai Richler. Duddy Kravitz Apprenticeship - Essay Example In the whole novel we see Duddy as an ambitious but greedy person who holds no value for love and friendship and considers wealth as his ultimate goal. The major theme that runs in the story is the power of negative ambition, greed and materialism which overpowers pure emotions like love, decency and affection. From the start of the story we see that the family of Duddy plays an important role in taking Duddy’s ambition to a dangerous level. His grandfather advises him that "A man without land is nobody.† His father repeatedly tells him story of a young man who progressed from rags and riches by cheating people on his way. And then he sees his uncle who is extremely rich and successful and it burns a desire in Duddy’s heart to become wealthy. Duddy, in his greed and ambition fails to value relationships and we see him as a man who cheats on her girlfriend even though she loves him truly. Duddy also mistreats his long-time friend, Virgil and even cheats him out of his money when he is confined to his bed due to paralysis.

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Project Management - Essay Example Rapid results benefits fall into three classes. First, mini projects allow the initiators to determine the success rate of the projects in terms of the activities that require undertaking. Correction of Problems seen at early stages normally carried out as soon as there is the detection this reduces the chances of shady work. Secondly, result delivery period is short. During the implementation of the mini projects in a project, results achievement is less than a hundred days. Lastly, rapid results approach enhances motivation at work due to the quick results. Workers or employees feel a sense of reward due to quick results and hence feel that if they work more hard more results achieved. According to (Sylvester, n.d.) there are several attributes that require inclusion in rapid results for result achievement include impact variable, period, measurement, and scope. People and managers have a different perspective of Rapid results; the view is that it prevents project failure and probl em identification done at the beginning rather than waiting for the outcome at the end. According to reports, fifty percent of the projects fail, this is due to lack of use of rapid results. An example of a current workplace that lacks utilization of rapid result initiative in Kenya. A case study showing the number of people infected and living with HIV and AIDS in Kenya shows that many people have the virus, but they do not know. The lack of awareness is due to lack of use of rapid result initiatives (Mwangi, 2012). According to a survey undertaken in 2007 by Kenya Aids Indicator Survey (KAIS) and published by CDC, shows that eight out of ten infected people are unaware of their status. In the next year that is 2008, a research indicated that 6.3 percent of the adults between the ages of fifteen and forty-nine are living with HIV.

Business - International Trade Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business - International Trade - Assignment Example A safe guard restrains international trade. In 2002, the United States imposed a safe guard against steel products, (China Trade Remedy, 2011). The United States trade Representative asked the US international trade Commission (ITC) to begin an official safe guard investigation, under section 201 of the US trade laws. The request involved specifically asking the ITC to check whether steel imports were causing injury to the home steel industry. This was under 612, HTS product categories, (China Trade Remedy, 2011). In October 2001, the ITC made an announcement to the effect that it had discovered that steel imports had to a significant extent, caused injury to the domestic steel industry. In December 2001, the ITC made an announcement to the effect that a safe guard is to be imposed. This involved a relook into safe guard tariffs and quotas, (China Trade Remedy, 2011). During this period of time, the USTR began requested the US steel consuming industries and foreign steel exporters to start submitting petitions (China Trade Remedy, 2011). These petitions were meant to have their products removed from the upcoming safeguard. For this exclusion to be made they had to satisfy the USTR demand to know whether the domestic steel production was insufficient for the country. Why nations in the WTO refuse dumping: Dumping is an act of pricing that applies to international trade. ... It is a predatory practice, which is highly condemned, by the world trade organization, (WTO, 2012). This does not mean it’s necessarily prohibited. It is one of the things, which can utterly destroy domestic industries; therefore it calls for manufacturers to act with restraint. When local industries are hurt, the country has a lesser ability to do trade at the international platform. Dumping is a concern to the nations in WTO because it is an extremely expensive act to maintain, (WTO, 2012). It can take many years for it to work. The export country needs to subsidize the product that is being dumped. This can easily cause such a country to accumulate a large sovereign debt. It can even end up hurting the other aspects of the domestic trade in the export country. The other leading demerit of this predatory practice is that, it provokes retaliation from the trade partner. This leads to trade tariffs and barriers. The nations that are involved in this condemned practice can, th erefore, be censured by the WTO, (WTO, 2012). Dumping is rare, but when it happens, local manufacturers cannot avoid loses. This is because people buy the cheaper products. Are trade blocs recommended or not? A trading block is an agreement among governments whereby there is consensus to reduce or do away with tariffs and taxes that are imposed across the member states. These are sometimes referred to as free trade agreements, (Chase, 2005). They are simply intergovernmental trade pacts. Having trade blocs leads to easy and free access of goods or services, (Doole & Lowe, 2008). This easily causes the member states to specialize, which leads to quality of services being improved or better goods being delivered. Besides, at the level of the region, trade agreements lead to a variety of

Information Technology And Some Infrastructure Challenges Information Technology Essay

Information Technology And Some Infrastructure Challenges Information Technology Essay To successfully implement an information technology infrastructure into an organization, it is critical that all levels work and plan together, and that the planning performed be proactive and strategic. Some components of the infrastructure may require an upgraded or be deleted; however, some components may not. Certain information about information systems, interaction, and processes, once collected, organized, and comprehended, can form an essential component of infrastructure which will outlive many of the upgrades to equipment and software. The focus of this paper is to explain what managerial roles does information system support, how has the Internet improved supply chain problems, list and describe the components of IT infrastructure that firms need to manage, name and describe the management challenges posed by IT infrastructure, and finally define Open-Source software. Management Roles Managers continue to perform critical roles in todays organizations. They have a wide variety of responsibilities ranging from decision making, compiling data, making reports, to coordinating meetings. To understand managerial role better, we must look at both the classical and contemporary models of managerial behavior. Classical Model Henri Fayol was one of the most significant providers to modern concepts of management, having stated that the five primary functions of management were planning, organizing, coordinating, deciding, and controlling (Rushing, 2010). Fayol believed management theories could be developed and then taught. Henri Fayol proposed that it is important to have unity of command. This concept that suggests there should be only one supervisor for each person in an organization. Fayol also suggested that management is a common human activity that applies equally well to and organization as it does to a family. This type of management theory was basically unchallenged from the 1920s through 1990s. The terms associated with Fayols management theory were of a formal nature rather than describe what a manager actually does in the performance of his job (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Contemporary Models The contemporary behavioral scientists had discovered that managers do not typically behave as the classical models had first implied. Behavioral models state that actual behavior of managers appear to be less systematic, more informal, less reflective, more reactive, less well organized, and much more frivolous than students of information systems and decision making generally expected it to be (Laudon Laudon, 2006, p. 87). Analyzing managers daily behaviors, Henry Mintzberg discovered that these actions could be classified into 10 managerial roles. Managerial roles can be described expectations of duties that should be performed by a manager in an organization. Mintzberg discovered that these roles could be broken down into three categories: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. Interpersonal Roles In general, interpersonal roles will be established by the type of position you hold in an organization. For example, lower level managers will have dissimilar interpersonal roles than middle management. The Interpersonal roles of a manager can be broken down into three categories: figurehead, leader, or a liaison. Figureheads within an organization speak for their companies to the outside world and carry out symbolic duties such as passing out awards to employees (Rushing, 2010). Additionally, there are numerous administrative tasks and they are also in the public and professional limelight. As a leader you are responsible for ensuring a safe and productive environment for your employees. The development of your department and your employees lies on the figureheads shoulders and they must be able to promote growth while at the same time steering clear of conflict. As a liaison you must be prepared to correspond with others. Liaisons not only report to upper management but will have to work with peers from other factions within an organization such as vendors, and even clients. The liaison is responsible for knowing who to get in touch with to get to the bottom of any situation. Informational Roles A monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson are the three informational roles that a manager may assume (Hartman, n.d.). These informational roles are created as a result of enacting the set of interpersonal roles already described. A network of interpersonal contacts with both subordinates and individuals outside the work unit serves to establish the manager as an informational nerve center of the unit, responsible for gathering, receiving, and transmitting information that concerns members of a specific department. A manager takes on the monitor role by constantly scanning the environment for information or activities and events that may identify opportunities or threats to the organization. Much of the managers gathering of information is accomplished through the network of contacts established through the interpersonal roles. The information a manager gathers as a monitor must be evaluated and transmitted as appropriate to members of the organization. The transmittal of information by a manager activates the disseminator role. Privileged information may be disseminated to subordinates, peers, or superiors in the organization. Occasionally, a manager must take on the role of a spokesperson by speaking on behalf of the department to people inside or outside the organization. This might involve lobbying for critical resources or appealing to individuals who have influence on activities that affect the work unit (Wren, 2005). Decisional Roles Both interpersonal and informational roles are really preludes to what are often considered to be a managers most important set of roles: the decisional roles of entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator (Laudon Laudon, 2006). The entrepreneur role comes into action when the manager seeks to improve the work unit (Rushing, 2010). This can be accomplished by adapting new techniques to fit a particular situation or modifying old techniques to improve individual or group activity. Managers usually learn of new or innovative methods through information gathered in the monitor role. Whereas the entrepreneur role establishes the manager as the initiator of change, the disturbance handler role establishes the manager as a responder to change. Organizations, unfortunately, do not run so smoothly that managers are never called upon to respond to unwelcome pressures. In these cases, the manager is required to act quickly to bring stability back to the organization. When a manager is placed in the position of having to decide to whom and in what quantity resources will be dispensed, the resource allocator role is assumed. Resources may include money, time, power, equipment, or people. During periods of resource abund ance, this role can be easily performed by a manager. In most cases, however, organizations operate under conditions of resource scarcity; thus, decisions on the allocation of resources can be critical for the success of the work unit, division, or organization. As a decision maker, the manager must strive not only to appropriately match resources with subordinates but also to ensure that the distribution of resources is coordinated to effectively complete the task to be performed (Rushing, 2010). In addition to decisions concerning organizational changes, disturbances, and resources, the manager must enact a negotiator role. The process of negotiation is possible only when an individual has the authority to commit organizational resources. Hence, as managers move up the managerial hierarchy and obtain control over more resources, they become more involved in the negotiator role. Supply Chain Management Supply chain management (SCM) combines the art and science that goes into improving the way an organization discovers the components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to its customers (Laudon Laudon, 2006). The idea of Supply Chain Management is built around two principal ideas. The first is that just about every product that reaches a customer represents the collective effort of multiple organizations. Together these organizations are referred as the supply chain. The second idea is that although supply chains have been around for a long time, many organizations have only paid attention to what was happening within their own organization. Few businesses understood and managed the entire chain of procedures that eventually delivered products to the final customer. The result was disorganized and often ineffective supply chains Internet and Supply Chains Supply chains in almost every business are at the start of a startling reinvention produced by the growth of the Internet. The change extends beyond performance advancements and efficiencies acquired from computerization and communication to incorporate brand new possibilities to create value. This new value results from coordinated supply chains that can extend to larger markets and shape goods and services to meet the customers needs and new products and services that adjust to the highly competitive and increasing environmental needs. The Internet alters the way in which supply chains are managed, designed and controlled. The information, choices and practices that form Supply Chain Management are shifting to the Internet, breaking old ideas and widening company boundaries. This common ground will be where entire supply chains truly can be synchronized. New unknown specialist providers of both virtual and physical activities will create their own exclusive roles in the new infrast ructure. In this ever changing environment, supply chain capabilities will be essential. But gaining those crucial competitive resources will not take place through the typical supply chain ideas of today (Challenges facing supply chain management, 2008). Internet Technology for Integrating Business Processes Information technology (IT) has always been utilized to handle exchanges of goods, services, and information between organizations. With the arrival of Internet-based business-to-business (B2B) electronic markets, on the other hand, real opportunities for online transactions have begun to open up (Samson, 2010). The emerging internet was definitely an unpredictable development. All the same, important operating criteria such as reliability, local structures and robustness always came to the fore. As a result, users had the opportunity to get access to a highly available international data network that stays operative even in case of a breakdown of some single nodes. One important aspect of globalization is concentration. As a logical consequence, international companies have to merge or to collaborate with each other to meet the requirements for a global distribution of their goods and services. In a networked economy, these enterprises are bound to unseal some parts of their IT infr astructure to allow the engaged parties an exchange of product and accounting data as well as current status information in order to sustain the supply chain. Furthermore, employees need improved business applications with enhanced functionalities to manage their all-day work. These applications replenish existing legacy systems by degrees. Long-ranging, these enhancements result in a heterogeneous network of computers and applications, as all those components require each other and have to be consolidated. In the context of integrating distributed business application systems, the vision of redundancy and robustness was not resumed consequently: A changing business environment results in new technical developments and increasing demand of IT supported execution of business processes (Needle, 2009). IT Infrastructure Information technology infrastructure can be defined as the tangible hardware used to link computers and users (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Infrastructure may include transmission media and other instruments that direct transmission paths. Infrastructure can also consist of the software that is used to send, receive, and manage transmitted signals. Additionally, infrastructure can refer to interconnecting hardware and software and not to computers and other devices that are interconnected. On the other hand, to some IT users, infrastructure is regarded as everything that maintains the continual flow and management of information. IT infrastructure today is comprised of seven major components: computer hardware platforms, operating system platforms, enterprise software applications, data management and storage, networking/telecommunications platforms, internet platforms, and consulting and system integration services (Samson, 2010). Computer Hardware Platforms The physical part of the computer is referred to as the computer hardware. This includes the digital circuitry, which is different than the computer software that executes within the hardware (Laudon Laudon, 2006). The hardware of a computer is rarely changed as compared to the computer software and data, which are soft in the sense that they are quickly created, tailored or deleted from the computer. The microprocessor is the core of any computing device. The two major companies that manufacture most microprocessing chips are Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Standard tests of the AMD chip alongside the Intel Celeron chip have shown that the AMD chip was better in performance. Operating System Platforms An operating system is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by a boot program, manages all the other programs in a computer. The other programs are called applications or application programs. The application programs make use of the operating system by making requests for services through a defined application program interface (API). In addition, users can interact directly with the operating system through a user interface such as a command language or a graphical user interface (GUI) (Greer, 2009). Enterprise Software Applications The goal of enterprise software applications is to integrate applications into seamless processes throughout an organization. The two most popular applications in this group are customer relationship management and supply chain management systems. Business processes that have traditionally been optimized for internal efficiency can now add the element of superior customer service, tailored to each customer, inspiring the skills of trained agents in the call center. Back office processes are greatly improved with better information from the customer. Additionally, agents can slowly decrease the flow of paper, in favor of more efficient communication avenues such as e-mail and the web (von der Weth Starker, 2010). Data Management and Storage Organizations are collecting increasingly more data on its customers, employees, and even the organization itself. Being able to manage and storing the data so that it is readily accessible and supply meaningful information to the organization is developing into a discipline in and of itself (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Storage area networks (SANs) provide an organized, cost-effective way to combine data from across any system within the organization. Online users want direct access to data and SANs help organizations with a way to provide it. Networking/Telecommunications Platforms As we continue towards a completely digital world, networking and telecommunications platforms will begin to merge together. Instead than having a platform for networking computers and devices and a separate platform for telecommunications, we will begin to see businesses providing a combination of computers and peripheral devices, handheld PDAs telephone services, cell phone services, and wireless services all packaged together into one. A myriad of telecommunications companies have already merged with Internet service providers to provide complete digital service packages (Eren, Subasi, Coskun, 2008). Internet Platforms The Internet and subsequent technology continue to develop the services businesses are able to offer their employees, customers, suppliers, and other business partners (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Intranets and extranets constructed on Internet technologies provide businesses an easy and economical way of providing services that were extremely expensive just a few years ago. Many small and medium-sized businesses are using Web hosting services instead of purchasing new hardware necessary to support Web sites, intranets, and extranets. Its more cost effective and easier to have these service-providers manage hardware, software, and security issues, leaving the organization to concentrate on its primary processes. Consulting and System Integration Services Systems used in many large organizations are so complicated that its almost impossible to manage them by alone. Integration services offered by the companies like IBM and Hewlett-Packard are essential in keeping up with all the changes. In various ways it makes more sense for a company like Nike to focus on its core processes of making sports apparel and let a company like IBM take care of the technology issues. These services become more vital as many organizations combine their old legacy systems with newer technologies such as wireless networking. The old legacy systems merely cant be thrown away but must work flawlessly with todays newest technologies. Some organizations prefer not to completely replace legacy systems because its not cost effective, requires large amounts of training, and causes too much change in the organization. Its simpler to use middleware and other technologies to combine new and old systems (Schmidt, Otto, Osterle, 2010). Management Challenges Developing and managing a sound IT infrastructure raises multiple challenges: making wise infrastructure investments, coordinating infrastructure components, dealing with scalability and technology changes, and management and governance. Infrastructure Investments Just like investments in home remodeling often fail to provide a significant return on investment (ROI), it is frequently the case with investments in superior IT infrastructure components. IT Managers are constantly under the gun to decrease costs in order to fund new projects or to meet cost-reduction goals. Managers should make decisions to prevent overspending on component parts of the organizations computer systems. For example, high reliability storage, will offer little value if matched with servers or network connections of lower reliability. A string of high reliability components may surpass the necessities of the service they support. Any time the performance of any component notably goes above the requirements the incremental savings is pointless (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Coordinating Infrastructure Components Todays organizations develop IT infrastructures by choosing a variety of wholesalers, people, and technology services and fit them together so that they work as a whole (Samson, 2010). Because each part of the whole IT infrastructure has its own priorities, managing them collectively can be quite difficult. Some components of infrastructure will need to be upgraded or are subject to upgrade or replaced, as is with most components of computing systems. However, some components are not. Specific information about information systems and associated processes can form an essential component of infrastructure which will outlive many upgrades of equipment or software. Dealing with Scalability and Technology Changes In general terms, scalability refers to the ability of a system to maintain, if not improve, its average performance as the number of clients grows (Laudon Laudon, 2006). As an organization continues to grow, it can quickly out grow its infrastructure. On the other hand, if an organization downsizes, they may be stuck with an infrastructure that is too big and expensive to keep running. Every component of the infrastructure has some kind of management or operational overhead associated. Therefore, it is imperative that the organization recognizes these changes and takes appropriate actions to keep the organization moving forward. Management and Governance One of the most vital tasks for successful information management is developing the business governance over its program and related projects (Wren, 2005). Governance will apply a priority to the often-conflicting organizational pressures. It will take organizational plans and goals and help to form them into bounded endeavors. However, many organizations battle to get their governance programs up and running. They cant acquire interest, and they are in need of ideas to discuss after the initial objective is created. Information Systems and Ethical Issues Information systems introduce new and often complex ethical issues (Carroll Buchholtz, 2006). This is very true today because of the challenges created by the Internet and e-commerce to the safeguard of privacy and intellectual property. New ethical issues caused by vast use of information systems include creating accountability for the consequences of information systems, establishing standards to safeguard system quality that look after the safety of individuals and society, and upholding values and establishments considered vital to the quality of life in an information world. Whether you manage your own company or work in a large business, youll be facing these issues, and youll need to know how to handle them. Open-Source Software Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is created by a cooperation of several thousand programmers worldwide (Chan Husted, 2010). Some open source software is accessible within the public domain. The term open-source software was derived as part of a marketing campaign for free software. Open-source software is based on the premise that it is superior to commercially produced proprietary software because thousands of programmers around the world working for no pay can read, perfect, distribute, and modify the source code much faster , and with more reliable results , than small teams of programmers working for a single software company (Laudon Laudon, 2006, p. 209). Advantages Open-source software experts have identified several advantages and disadvantages. The key advantage for an organization is that open-source software is an excellent way for companies to attain better market penetration. Organizations that present open-source software are able to create an industry standard and, therefore, gain an advantage over its competition. Additionally, it has helped create loyalty to the developers. In turn, the developers feel a sense of empowerment and ownership of the end product. Furthermore, less marketing and logistical services costs are required for OSS. Also, it helps organizations to keep up on of all technology developments. Another advantage is that it is an excellent tool to market an organizations image, incorporating its commercial products. The open-source software development method has produce reliable, high quality software rapidly and at a much lower cost. Likewise, it offers the promise for a more adaptable technology and quicker improveme nt. The mix of different perspectives, business objectives, and personal goals helps speed up innovation. Additionally free software can be developed in concurrence with entirely technical requirements. Open-source software does not entail considering about commercial demands that tends to degrade the software quality (Chan Husted, 2010). Disadvantages On the other hand, it can be argued that the open-source development process may not be as clear and that some system testing and documentation may be overlooked. Nonetheless this is usually only true for smaller jobs. Bigger, successful jobs tend to define and impose, as a minimum, some rules because they are needed to ensure good teamwork. In the most complex projects these rules may be as strict as reviewing even minor change by two independent developers. Even though many companies like IBM and Sun Microsystems support open source software there are no great financial interest involved.   A majority of the developers and advocates of free source software tend to believe in an unrealistic society that does not involve intellectual property rights   Therefore most of the applications are not dependable and you cannot run essential business operations on them. Another disadvantage is that once you choose to use open-source software you are on your own.   Although there is a lot of help available on the Web, there is no real skilled support available.   Basically, you have to learn how to install and use applications on your own, without damaging your data and hardware. There are no documents and manuals made available to help you since the software is being constantly being changed (Chan Husted, 2010). An additional drawback is that most of the open-source applications are not compatible with some of todays devices (Chan Husted, 2010). For example, there is no such thing as plug and play hardware when you are using open-source operating systems.   Occasionally it is hard to get modems to work with open source operating systems. Finally, technical support is more expensive compared to commercial software (Chan Husted, 2010). People who offer support for open-source software count on earning lots of money to provide support and in fact this is the only income model alleged in support of the open source software movement.

Victor Frankenstein’s Obsession in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay

The most prevalent theme in Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein† is that of obsession. Throughout the novel there are constant reminders of the struggles that Victor Frankenstein and his monster have endured. Many of their problems are brought upon by themselves by an obsessive drive for knowledge, secrecy, fear, and ultimately revenge. From the onset of Victor’s youth, his earliest memories are those of â€Å"Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember† (ch. 4) This is the first example of obsession that we see in the novel. This drive to learn the ‘hidden’ laws of nature is the original driving force that sets the plot in motion. Without this, Victor would have never embarked on his unholy quest to overcome mortality, thus leading to his creation of his monster. â€Å"Dr. Victor Frankenstein feels uncontrollably compelled to create animation in the lifeless body† (Storment) this obsession with the creation of life alienated him from his loved ones. His impending marriage to Elizabeth was one aspect of his life that he sacrificed. In chapter 22, Elizabeth writes to him â€Å"Tell me, dearest Victor. Answer me, I conjure you by our mutual happiness, with simple truth-- Do you not love another?† Elizabeth’s concern about his faithfulness is based on his neglect of their relationship. He simply did not allow any other aspect of his life to impede his goal. Victor Frankenstein is ultimately successful in his endeavor to create life. This, however, does not stop the underlying theme of obsession. Shelley’s shift from Victor’s never-ending quest for knowledge is replaced with an obsession of secrecy. â€Å"I had worked har... ...his mental strength, taking its toll, leaving him incapacitated for months on end. The final compulsion to destroy his daemon takes him to the end of existence. Exhausted from his relentless pursuit, he dies without ever obtaining the closure that he was searching for. â€Å"Victor Frankenstein’s life was destroyed because of an obsession with the power to create life where none had been before† (Moring) Shelley leaves us pondering the question, when does obsession cross the line into insanity? Works Cited Moring, Patrick. Who is the Monster? California State University, Northridge. n.d.Web. 31 Oct. 2014. Storment, Suzanna. Frankenstein Commentary. Washington State University. n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Page By Page Books. Read Classic Books Online, Free. n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.

Economics and Globalization Essay

Everyday you hear it on the news, you read it in the papers, you overhear people talking about it†¦and in every single instance the world globalization seems to have a different meaning. So, what is globalization?, there were a lot of debate about this issue. At a top political and economic level, globalization is the process of denationalization of market, political and legal systems. The consequences of this political and economic restructuring on local economies, human welfare and environment are the subject of an open debate among international organizations, governmental institutions and the academic world. (7, www.globalization.com/intro.cfm) â€Å"What is globalization? Is it the integration of economic, political, and cultural systems across the globle? Or is it Americanization and United States dominance of world affairs? Is globalization a force of economic growth, prosperity, and democratic freedom? Or is it a force for environmental devastation, exploitation of the developing world, and suppression of human rights?†( www.globalization101.org) Globalization is not a phenomenon it is not just some passing trend. today it is an overarching international system shaping the domestic politics and foreign relations of virtually every country, and we need to understand it as such†. Globalization is much like fire. Fire itself is neither good or bad. Used properly, it can cook good, sterilize equipment, from iron, and heat our homes. Used carelessly , fire can destroy lives, towns and forests in an instant. As friedman says :†globalization can be incredibly empowering and incredibly coercive it can democratize opportunity and democratize panic. It makes the whales bigger and the minnows stronger. It leaves you behind faster and faster, and it catches up to you faster and faster. While it is homogenizing cultures, it is also enabling people to share their unique individuality farther and wider†.*+(web) But the question here what is driving globalization?, globalization â€Å"Is driven by the strategic responses of firms as they exploit market opprtunties and adapt to change in their technological and institutional environment, and attempt to steer these changes to their advantage. The O E C D groups the factors shaping globalization into four general categories, which are inter-linked: -firm behavior : Strategic , pre-emptive and imitative behavior. Exploitation of competitive advantages: use of superior technology , organization, production or marketing. Consolidation of competitive advantages: gain access to highly skilled people, advanced technological and commercial infrastructure, lower Labour costs, and raw material. Organizational changes; adoption of lean production methods and more horizontal internal and external organizational structure. -Technology Related factors† declining computing, communication, co-ordination and transport costs. Increasing importance of R &D , coupled with rising R & D costs. Shortening product lives. Shortening of limitation time lags. Rapid growth of knowledge -intensive industries. Increasing customization of both intermediate and finished goods. Increasing importance of customer oriented services. Economic factors Availability of key production factors Productivity differentials. Fluctuations in exchange rates. Differences in the business cycle. Catching up by lagging economies.† (changing paradigms , Thomas Claake and stewaat clegg, p90)). But according to Thomas Friedman in his book Lexus and the Olive tree he explains three major factoes for the spread of globalization: Which are -the democratization of tecngology. – the democratization of finance. -the democratization of information. International expansion has been driven by firm strategies based on their technologies and organizational advantages shaped by a number of factors of government policies,  technological factors driving expansion include the rapid growth of knowledge intensive industries which are foreign investment intensive industries which are foreign investment intensive use intra firm trade intensively and  collaborate externally in development the need to recop growing R & D costs find highly trained and skilled workers and organize production more efficiently underpinned by declining communication and transport costs. Increase importance of customer sevice. Macroeconomic factors include market development in different countries and region. Avalibility of key production factors, product differentials, fluctuation in exchange ates, differences in business cycle, catching up by lagging economies. Government policies , significant influence firm strategies by liberalizing capital investment and trade flows, promptly regional integration and promptly competitiveness. Trade policy of liberalization of trade and invested are enabling factors which have driven global expansion and increased the integration of production and markets.competiton policies(changing paradigms , Thomas Claake and stewaat clegg, p90)). Second, the techmolgy, people have been able to travel the world for the past 500 years, the difference now is that they are connected immediately.Th internet boom in 1990 made people relaise that business could operate more or less unconstrained by geography, 24 a day , 7 days a week , 365 day a year. This new faster moving changing business environment have driven companies of all sizes to organize themselves into smaller more responsive , focused unti. The faster that drives globalization is making behavior is more tribal. John Nasibih, author of global pardox argues that the more we become economically interdependent the more we hold on to what constitute our core basic identity. Implementing a homogenized western culture, such countries as indousia , Russia , france have passed laws to preserve their identity. Matters are further complicaty by the shift from trdational nation states to network. The role of diasporas in developing the economic and political fortunes of many counties is significant . See the role of the chiness  dispopora in driving the economic development of many asian states. Technology is driving a global changing in many other areas, affecting the context of strategic decisions.Laura D’Sndrea Tyson, dean of London Bsuiness School and a leading economic adviser to Bill Clinton from 1996 to 2000, highlighted the main forces driving globalization: The basic factor driving is technology .its trite to day but its true ./ the two major development taking place in the world are demographic and interconnectedness. Interconnectedness is about transportation and communication and that driven bytechnolgy. Demographic is actually about biotechnolgyical science. (Kourdi, BUSINESS STRATEGY) Tecnhlogy did not inevent a new business paradigm but it has transformed business opening up a multi trade of ways to add value, increase sale, reduce costs and manage more efficiently. Understanding the nature of this transformation is valuable for decision making. An information firestorm rages in most business and how it is manges is crucial to success. A consequenceas of the increase in line activity is that information can be leverages to create new sources of value . it is important to combine the power of information and technology qwith common sense approach to management. So tech. And infor, are very importat factor what also effect the economy which also cause globalization. (Kourdi, Business strategy).

5 Mixed-Up Malapropisms

5 Mixed-Up Malapropisms 5 Mixed-Up Malapropisms 5 Mixed-Up Malapropisms By Mark Nichol It’s almost impossible to speak or write English without dodging a misnomer or a malapropism at least once in your lifetime. A misnomer (the word is derived from the Latin for â€Å"incorrect name†) is forgivable usually, it’s merely a matter of retaining an obsolete description, as in â€Å"pencil lead† for the graphite used in writing instruments, or referring to the United States as a democracy, when it’s technically a federal republic but a malapropism is a bald sign of carelessness or overreaching for elephants. Eloquence. I meant eloquence. Sometimes, of course, it’s used for comic effect. (That’s where we get the word malapropism. It comes from malapropos, the Latin for â€Å"inappropriate,† entering the English language when playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan used it as the name of a character who, out of ignorance, uttered humorous inanities.) Here are some examples of malapropisms to avoid: 1. â€Å"Her plans didn’t jive with his ambitions.† Jive means â€Å"to deceive†; the writer meant jibe, â€Å"to coincide†: â€Å"Her plans didn’t jibe with his ambitions.† 2. â€Å"Who was the first Englishman to circumvent the globe?† In one sense, circumvent means â€Å"to go around,† so it superficially works here, but the most common meaning is â€Å"to evade,† so, unless the Englishman was a fugitive astronaut, circumnavigate is the word the writer is looking for: â€Å"Who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe?† 3. â€Å"In outrage, she responded vehemently to the anti-Semitic epitaphs at the rally.† An epitaph is a commemorative inscription or comment about a deceased person. The correct word is epithets (an epithet, in this context, is an insult): â€Å"In outrage, she responded vehemently to the anti-Semitic epithets at the rally.† (Epithet can also mean a substituting word or phrase such as â€Å"the Father of Our Country† or, in biology, a term in a taxonomic name.) 4. â€Å"I awaited her arrival with baited breath.† Baited means â€Å"lured† or â€Å"teased† (or â€Å"attacked,† â€Å"harassed,† or â€Å"persecuted†). The writer should have written bated (â€Å"withheld†): â€Å"I awaited her arrival with bated breath.† 5. â€Å"I wouldn’t step foot in there if you paid me.† This substitution of step for set is a minor flaw, but the latter word is the standard idiom: â€Å"I wouldn’t set foot in there if you paid me.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of Phrases50 Diminutive Suffixes (and a Cute Little Prefix)

Great Quotes From the Glass Menagerie

Great Quotes From the Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is often called a memory play. We learn about a small American family, that would probably be considered rather normal or everyman family. The play is also popular because there are autobiographical elements. Scene 1 In memory everything seems to happen to music. Tom Wingfield is speaking as narrator. Theres an interesting quality that seems to associate itself without memories. It sometimes feels as though we are watching the events unfold before us (on a stage) or watching a replayed movie- of someone elses life- thats been set to music. It doesnt always seem real. And, even if we know that it happened, theres that feeling that were all pawns in some huge, but very artificial menagerie. Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion. Here, in Scene 1, Tom Wingfield is speaking as narrator. Hes one of the characters in the action of this play, but hes also a twist on the concept of a magician. Scene 2 Mother, when youre disappointed, you get that awful suffering look on your face, like the picture of Jesus mother in the museum. Laura Wingfield is talking to her mother (Amanda). The interplay could be described as a rather-typical mother-daughter interchange. I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who arent prepared to occupy a position. Ive seen such pitiful cases in the South- barely tolerated spinsters living upon the grudging patronage of sisters husband or brothers wife!- stuck away in some little mousetrap of a room- encouraged by one in-law to visit another- little birdlike women without any nest- eating the crust of humility all their life! Is that the future that weve mapped out for ourselves? Amanda Wingfield has tied herself into the fortunes (and futures- good and bad) of her children, which explains some of her manipulative mentality toward them. Why youre not crippled, you just have a little defect- hardly noticeable, even! When people have some slight disadvantage like that, they cultivate other things to make up for it- develop charm- and vivacity- and- charm! Note: Amanda Wingfield is manipulating her daughter, Laura. Girls that arent cut out for business careers usually wind up married to some nice man. Amanda Wingfield has learned that her daughter, Laura, has dropped out of business school. Scene 3 I took that horrible novel back to the library- yes! That hideous book by that insane Mr. Lawrence. I cannot control the output of diseased minds or people who cater to them- BUT I WONT ALLOW SUCH FILTH BROUGHT INTO MY HOUSE! No, no, no, no, no! Amanda Every time you come in yelling that Goddamn Rise and Shine! Rise and Shine! I say to myself, How lucky dead people are! But I get up. I go! For sixty-five dollars a month I give up all that I dream of doing and being ever! And you say self- selfs all I ever think of. Why, listen, if self is what I though of, Mother, Id be where he is GONE! Tom Scene 4 I know your ambitions do not lie in the warehouse, that like everybody in the whole wide world- youve had to- make sacrifices, but- Tom- Tom- lifes not easy, it calls for- Spartan endurance! Amanda Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter, and none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse! Tom as he argues with his mother Amanda about his career This was the compensation for lives that passed like mine, without any change or adventure. Adventure and change were imminent in this year. They were waiting around the corner for all these kids. Tom Scene 5 You are the only young man that I know of who ignores the fact that the future becomes the present, the present becomes the past, and the past turns into everlasting regret if you dont plan for it! Amanda to Tom No girl can do worse than put herself at the mercy of a handsome appearance. The Glass Menagerie Amanda, referring to the bad choice she made in marrying a handsome man, Scene 5. She lives in a world of her own- a world of- little glass ornaments. Tom, about Laura. Scene 6 He was shooting with such velocity through his adolescence that you would logically expect him to arrive at nothing short of the White House by the time he was thirty. Toms impressions of Jim OConnor when they were both in high school All pretty girls are a trap, a pretty trap, and men expect them to be. This is a perfect representation of a modernist perspective on marriage and relationships. Amanda is trying to make her daughter, Laura, as attractive as possible. Its jaded and does not seem to have the idea of love as part of the equation. People go to the movies instead of moving! Hollywood characters are supposed to have all the adventures for everybody in America, while everybody in America sits in a dark room and watches them have them! Yes, until theres a war. Thats when adventure becomes available to the masses. Tom I know I seem dreamy, but inside- well, Im boiling! Whenever I pick up a shoe, I shudder a little thinking how short life is and what I am doing! Whatever that means, I know it doesnt mean shoes - except as something to wear on a travelers feet! Tom All of my gentlemen callers were sons of planters and so of course I assumed that I would be married to one and raise my family on a large piece of land with plenty of servants. But man proposes- and woman accepts the proposal! To vary that old, old saying a bit-I married no planter! I married a man who worked for the telephone company! This is an example of Amanda, and her brand of Southern-belle sentimentality and charm- high in volume and heavy on the flourish. Scene 7 People are not so dreadful when you get to know them. Jim is giving his sister words-of-wisdom (to help with shyness). You think of yourself as having the only problems, as being the only one who is disappointed. But just look around you and you will see lots of people as disappointed as you are. Jim to Laura I believe in the future of television! I wish to be ready to go up right along with it. Therefore Im planning to get in on the ground floor. In fact Ive already made the right connections and all that remains is for the industry itself to get under way! Full steam- Knowledge- Zzzzzp! Money- Zzzzzp!- Power! Thats the cycle democracy is built on. Jim Most of them are little animals made out of glass, the tiniest little animals in the world. Mother calls them a glass menagerie! Heres an example of one, if youd like to see it! ... Oh, be careful- if you breathe, it breaks! ... Hold him over the light, he loves the light! You see how the light shines through him? This is part of the interaction between Laura and Jim, who accidentally bumps the table (while they are dancing). The glass unicorn breaks. Glass breaks so easily. No matter how careful you are. Laura is talking to Jim, but its an ironic reference to Laura (and to her whole family). They are all fragile, and will break apart. I wish that you were my sister. Id teach you to have some confidence in yourself. The different people are not like other people, but being different is nothing to be ashamed of. Because other people are not such wonderful people. Theyre one hundred times one thousand. Youre one times one! They walk all over the earth. You just stay here. Theyre common as- weeds, but- you- well, youre- Blue Roses! Jim is talking to Laura Things have a way of turning out so badly. Amanda is being her ole pessimistic self, thinking the worst in every situation! You dont know things anywhere! You live in a dream; you manufacture illusions! Amanda is criticizing Tom yet again. In reality, he has a better, more firm, grasp of reality than she does. She exists in a glass menagerie of her own making, and wants to control every aspect of it. Thats right, now that youve had us make such fools of ourselves. The effort, the preparations, all the expense! The new floor lamp, the rug, the clothes for Laura! all for what? To entertain some other girls fiancà ©! Go to the movies, go! Dont think about us, a mother deserted, an unmarried sister whos crippled and has no job! Dont let anything interfere with your selfish pleasure I just go, go, go- to the movies! Amanda I didnt go to the moon, I went much further- for time is the longest distance between two places. Tom I left Saint Louis. I descended the steps of this fire escape for a last time and followed, from then on, in my fathers footsteps, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space. . . . I would have stopped, but I was pursued by something. . . . I pass the lighted window of a shop where perfume is sold. The window is filled with pieces of colored glass, tiny transparent bottles in delicate colors, like bits of a shattered rainbow. Then all at once my sister touches my shoulder. I turn around and look into her eyes. Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be! I reach for a cigarette, I cross the street, I run into the movies or a bar, I buy a drink, I speak to the nearest stranger- anything that can blow your candles out!- for nowadays the world is lit by lightning! Blow out your candles Laura- and so goodbye. This is the closing scene in the play. Tom is giving an update on what has happened in his life, in the intervening years.

Biological security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biological security - Assignment Example Both the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Response Framework (NRF) have and continue to enhance the federal government’s ability to coordinate efforts between state and local governments in the event of terrorist attacks or national disasters. The NRF outlines guidelines that help in the alignment of key responsibilities and roles of different agencies involved in disaster relief efforts (Homeland Security 8). In addition, the NRF describes best practices for the different authorities it furnishes with the responsibility of mitigating disasters be it on a small or large scale. It is important to note that the NRF is very flexible whereby the guidelines outlined are designed to cater for the different types of disasters (Homeland Security 8). NIMS complements the NRF by further outlining a systematic, proactive approach, which helps to guide departments in the government, private, and non-governmental sectors as they disburse emergency relief supplies and services to victims of natural disasters or terrorist attacks (FEMA). Dealing with a biological attack in the US or in any other country cannot be haphazard. The RAIN concept is a simple outline of the four steps that emergency respondents should follow in a systematic manner when dealing with biological attacks. The first step calls for the recognition of the hazard or threat. More often than not, medical personnel who deal with medical emergencies; for example, EMTs are often the first point of contact with the biological hazard.

Money & Banking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Money & Banking - Assignment Example The name ‘Exeter’ will be more appreciated since it relates the business to the locality. In the instance that the success probability of the fish restaurant is higher than that of its failure, I would recommend that the sandwich restaurant is started instead. This is because in light of the discrepancy of the earnings, the partnership will still stand to gain from McExe. The fish restaurant Exeter is yet to break even as such, the viability of the business is pegged on an improvement of the marketing strategy; the 4 Ps of marketing. Without that the Bank’s proposal for the sandwich restaurant McExe seems to be the better option. In this instance I would recommend that the option since it is more viable than the previous two be given priority over the other two. It stands to profit them more than the fish and sandwich restaurant proposals. The Sushi restaurant should be owned by the Chef X since he has more earnings and as such stands as the ‘majority shareholder’. Consumption planning by the model (considering that a short term investment at date 1 is not available) they should focus on the model which has a higher return and so short term investment at date 0 with a return of r1 = 1 at date 1. This therefore, is the best model to use since it guarantees you a100% of earnings in the business. If I chose a long term investment today over a short term investment at date 0 (Yesterday) returns will be lower but being a long term investment, you can persist and hope for more gains in the future. This is because business is about risks; we risk to get a returns (Hellwig) Obviously if r2 is low at the moment agents will not invest it at date one because it is not promising. It will scare potential investors who agents are targeting to invest later. It will be a loss making investment to agents. They will not be exposed to fractuation in interst rates which can be brought by inflation,