Rich Con

As a president off company, Marty should have concentrated on overall management of the company and lead it to meets its strategic goals. Instead, she became intimately involved in integrating the new IT system which demanded more than 75% of her time which she did not plan for. If Sawyer had appointed a board with IT expertise as well as Individuals with industry and process expertise, she could have been moderately involved with the project with more time to spend on the operations of the company.Deliverables from this IT am would then be from selection of an IT system based on Rich-con's need to flawless implementation of the system and then follow through its effectiveness for a period of time to make sure It Is working properly for all conditions. Lack of Fit-Gap Analysis: The business requirements were not defined to the vendor. The vendor did not care to understand the structure of the company, or the IT systems that Rich-Con already has in place. They were not familiar with t he knowledge and expertise of the staff and the expectations of the customers.Marty and Rich-Con Pete for an â€Å"off-the-shelf† software package to implement in their organization. The selection process of the new IT system was based on some factors true for metal industries and some generic questions posed by Marty. By doing so, Rich-Con failed to recognize the Incompatibility risk of the replacement IT system. C. Omitting test phases and pilot launch prior to mass deployment of the new IT system: Any big change implementation should go through several testing phases with progressive maturity of features.Rich-Con failed to work with their vendor to customize the new system and test it out at multiple phases. They also did not go through a pilot launch phase to pick up a portion of its operations, rather than forcing the whole operations Into this new system all at once. With test phases and plot launch, employees would nave gotten ten opportunity to test out ten system, of fer important feedback which would have resulted in minimal disruption to overall operations, should something go wrong. D.Insufficient training for transition to the new system: Marty Sawyer relied on the vendor to train her employees to learn he new IT system. There was no incentive for the employees to learn this system since they did not understand how their Jobs would change once the new system was in place. The vendor did a very poor Job in offering training since they took a push vs.. Pull method to offer help. They waited to be asked questions on features and usage rather than establishing a standard implementation methodology and guide the customer through that.The frustration of Marty showed in her comment, â€Å"We had people come in and do training. It Just never really took on a life of its own. † e. Lack of customization of application software to fit the need: Even though the vendor indicated that they would accommodate requests to modify the software, Marty di d not take advantage of that. Rich-Con did not get the software tailored to fit its unique needs. In comparison, Marty spent time to configure the software to align with Rich-con's business needs and importing all existing information to its database.Overall, to replace Rich-con's antiquated IT system, Marty took a centralized decision making approach, rather than decentralization it to engage leads from every functional apartment of the organization. She lost important inputs from different work groups in that process. Other issues that Marty needed to manage simultaneously were to address Union problems, ensure that management of making the newly purchased Round operational, and address the reason of dropping sales figures and the inefficiency of the new management team.All these issues compounded and created a disaster for Rich-con's operations. Question 2: Which CUBIT governance processes might have prevented these problems? The CUBIT governance processes that could have prevent ed these problems lie within Planning and Organizing' and ‘Acquiring and Implementing the software implementation process at Rich-Con Steel. Although ‘Delivery and Support' and ‘Monitoring and Evaluation' are critical components following the implementation of new software, the problems could have been avoided if the two former processes were defined and followed.

Movie: Film and Book

Nowadays, when many good novels are turned into good films, it can be tricky to decide which to enjoy first, the book or the film based on it. Reading the book is an intimate experience that can challenge your mind and tickle your heart. But watching the film is often more convenient, especially if you don't have much time. Not to mention that you get to see beautiful scenery and often a fine leg and some nudity as well. † During summer vacation, I read the book the hunger games.It was a great book. The details were so well put together. In my opinion the movie was Just plain awful, I didn't think it went well with the book. The book gives you more a visual look at it. The movie Just made it seem more spasmodic then it should have. What I comprehended from the book, Catkins Evergreen, the main character, was strong and fiery. When she went into battle, she knew exactly what she was fighting for. Catkins sometimes was in some muddle situations.The dilemma was, that she had to su rvive the hunger games or die. Catkins survived along with PETA. What I comprehended from the movie, minors dying along with adults or teenagers. It made it seem like an awful environment to live in. It seems that everyone in the society was admonishing each other. Sometimes I like the movie better than the book. In this case, I liked more the book then the movie. But In my opinion, read the book first and then watch the movie.

Critically analyse the role of the board of directors and senior Essay

Critically analyse the role of the board of directors and senior management in managing enterprise risk in an energy company - Essay Example Energy and Resources companies have come increasingly under the regulatory purview. Due to brisk changes in the industry, they face stiffening regulatory requirements, ever-increasing cyber issues and rapidly changing technology. Such compliances and risks have a strong impact on the company’s operations and business strategies that makes it utterly imperative for the management to adopt approaches to manage and mitigate risks and cope up with regulations. Risk Management in the Energy Sector A good progress has been made in the past in developing comprehensive enterprise risk management (ERM) programs. ERM is set to become an industry standard for management of risk because it is probably the most effective way to manage risk internal or external to the organization (Accenture Global Risk Management, 2011). The key risk areas that have been identified for energy and resources sector can be listed as follows: 1. High competition in the industry participants: Energy industry pa rticipants have a very unique competitiveness. Each player has a different advantage within the industry. One firm may have a good resource support while the other might be a technologically strong firm and a third would have a huge market. Nowadays, competition is shifting and each firm is trying to develop on every frontier. International firms are thus facing challenges by national players reducing their market size. 2. Limited sources of alternative energy: Despite the fact that there are alternatives to limited source of non renewable energy, energy companies still haven’t been able to progress much on developing much on alternative sources. Alternate sources have an irreplaceable demand, but on the supply side, they face a lot of constraints. There hydrocarbon content on earth is enough to last a century, but the problem lies in lack of knowledge on its development and usage. These sources are limited by limitations in scale, feasibility and fitness (Holmes, 2004). 3. G overnment Interventions: Most of government regulations in the energy industry are directed towards regulating supply. Operational policies, regulations on carbon emissions and energy security norms affect both the demand as well as the supply side of energy business. Role of Board of Directors and Senior Management Post recession, the scene for energy companies has not only been tough but also challenging in terms of greater project undertakings and complex compliances. Companies have also had to venture in remotest regions simply to manage demand and supply side challenges. Management has to focus on strategy, production, enterprise risk along with operational excellence. With the advent of regulators, management has started to recognise the need for risk management to enhance business performance. With time, a lot of change has come in managing enterprise risk. New tools, better techniques and risk measuring methodologies have come up. One can only predict how enterprise risk man agement shall evolve in the coming times. As Energy sector risk officers, senior managers and the board of directors need to be have the capability to comprehend what possible risks could potentially arise in the near future and how exactly to take preventive measures that will help in combat. With such approach, all downsides that

Popper's Falsificationism versus Hempel's Confirmation Theory Essay

Popper's Falsificationism versus Hempel's Confirmation Theory - Essay Example According to Carl Hempel, deductive logic is a device for preserving truth. Therefore, positive evidence is used to confirm a hypothesis. On the other hand, Karl Popper objected that it was logically impossible to confirm or justify theories by using claims of science and observation. Hempel asserts that if the premises of a deductive argument are true, then the conclusion must also be true. Therefore, logical arguments should start from some foundation while, according to Popper, theoretical claims are known to have extended beyond the particular observations that were used to support them. According to Popper’s falsification theory, experience, more specifically, sensory experience is a foundation for arriving at a subsequent observation could always prove the best confirmed theory false. Hempel and others, who supported the confirmation theory, had a strategy of showing how claims of science might be justified by being derived from sentences that could be confirmed or inval idated by observation. On the other hand, Popper, argued in favor of an alternative in which scientists should strive to falsify hypotheses, in reference to the bold hypotheses that make strong claims about the world.... Logic of science must be universal. The scientific method must be formal, and should rest not on specific assumptions about the way the world is, but it must be sufficient. Therefore, given a set of premises rules of logic are sufficient to decide whether a conclusion follows and there is no need of other information (Kincaid 23). Always logic of science should allow us to do something similar, and that is to decide whether a hypothesis is confirmed given the data. Similarly, according to Hempel, a new law is looked by following a process, whereby a guess is made; consequences are computed about the guess to see what would be implied if this law that was guessed is right. Then, the result of computation is compared with nature to see if it works. Agreement will constitute good evidence only when it is known that there is not a more reasonable rival that predicts what ha already been observed. As much as confirmation is only one part of acceptance, and acceptance of a theory requires more than knowing whether a specific batch of data supports a particular hypothesis, multiple tests, the scope of the data, the logical and evidential ties with other hypotheses can be factored in order to make it practical (Kincaid 24). In shifting the emphasis entirely to falsification, Popper rejects the generally accepted aspect of science that experience, more specifically; sensory experience is a foundation for arriving at a subsequent observation because it could always prove the best confirmed theory false. He rejects the qualitative notion of evidence in confirmation. He argues that claims of the logic of science are generalizations from scientific practice. However, scientific practice is diverse in terms of time and fields.

Discuss Prousts theory of memory and time using specific examples of Essay

Discuss Prousts theory of memory and time using specific examples of Time regained - Essay Example The precise aspect can be seen immediately in the lead-in of "Time regained": "I spent the whole day in my room, the windows of which opened upon the beautiful verdure of the park, upon the lilacs of the entrance, upon the green leaves of the great trees beside the water and in the forest of Msglise. It was a pleasure to contemplate all this, I was saying to myself: "How charming to have all this greenery in my window" until suddenly in the midst of the great green picture I recognised the clock tower of the Church of Combray toned in contrast to a sombre blue as though it were far distant, not a reproduction of the clock tower but its very self which, defying time and space, thrust itself into the midst of the luminous greenery as if it were engraved upon my window-pane."1. Marcel Proust ends his search of Lost Time with a seventh volume: "Time regained". This last volume shall be seen, not as a conclusion of the entire work but, as the reason the author decides to start to write. We have to consider "Time regained" as an introduction to Proust's previous volumes of "in search of Lost Time" because he finally links art - in his case literature - to memory and time. Art should be the way to represent and ultimately to regain the time which was lost. " This labour of the artist to discover a means of

Legal Questions for Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Questions for - Essay Example Effect of such a clause Ahead of signing a contract, one of the parties involved, like the Artist in the above example, is under the compulsion to construct definite warranties to the company. These can vary from being accessible to record at specific times and places, to the guarantee that a forbidden composition is completely contained by the control of the artist, to the pledge that the performer is capable to sign the accord in the original place. In other instances, the production corporation may correspond to to its dispenser that it has the right to make public a record, the right to use the name of the artist and resemblance, and the right to allocate, or certify, all of the company's privileges to the distributor. Both of the parties have fine reliance, dependability to make sure representations sincerely and by means of the purpose of performing them to the correspondence of the contract. If a corporation relies on convinced warranties and suffers a trouncing as a corollary , the party making those warranties may be obligated to make fine that trouncing below the indemnification clause. (Jacobson 1) Ans 2) As , per the statement , Such clauses require a party to the contract to

Islamic Banking and capitalism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Islamic Banking and capitalism - Research Paper Example First, globalization is commonly seen as an integration of developed and less-developed countries leading to a homogenization of sorts. For instance, the emergence of a middle-class in China and India is often mentioned as an example of globalization homogenizing the world, as is the global reach of brands such as Nike and Ford. Globalization has also lead to the increasing mobility of the population. This in turn, has sometimes not created homogenization, but differentiation. An example of this would be the development of Islamic finance—financial organizations that are based on Islamic principles rather than capitalist or Western financial models. Analysts generally identify the first of these as â€Å"a savings bank based on profit-sharing in the Egyptian town of Mit Ghamr in 1963.† (Ariff, 1988, p. 42) Many significant Islamic financial institutions then developed in the 1970s such as the Dubai Islamic Bank, the Faisal Islamic Bank of Sudan and the Baharain Islamic Bank. More recently, with the widespread immigration of Muslims to the United States banks such as the Devon Bank in Chicago have developed. Its website describes it in this way: â€Å"Devon Bank offers Islamic financing services designed to avoid conventional interest common in traditional banking products.† (http://www.devonbank.com/Islamic/) The emergence of Islamic financial services corporations is an example of globalization leading to leading to more differentiation rather than homogenization. Throughout the world, and particularly in the United States, it is a new and a different development for there to be financial institutions that offer financial services based on Sharia law (and of course compliant with the legal requirements of their host countries. Devon Bank makes this plain on its homepage: â€Å"Our products are created to meet your needs by a staff versed in both U.S. and Islamic legal requirements, and then submitted

Continuum of care for maternal,newborn,and child health in Australia Essay - 2

Continuum of care for maternal,newborn,and child health in Australia - Essay Example iscrimination that the past offenders may have a negative impact on the society, as some of them may go back to crime when they do not get employment. The community is involved directly or indirectly with probation and rehabilitation services (Del and Trulson, 2006 p. 159). Thus, it should be part of the decision-making in policies on offender re-entry programs. Rehabilitation is beneficial to everyone. It provides the ex-offenders a second chance (Robinson and Crow, 2009 p. 23). They are shaped into becoming better members of society. It is important to acknowledge that the past offenders are part of our community (Cole and Smith 2008 p. 116). They are someone’s son, daughter, grandson or even parents. They need to be re-incorporated into the society. Punitive sentences are an option, and it can create a better environment as the offenders can take part in community clean ups. However, punitive sentencing should be used in particular cases. Through its members, RPS can have to have a voice in decision making. The ideas passed through RPS are passed over to the policy makers. They get to take part in the policy-making process. Policies on how past offenders get reintroduced back to the community. Rehabilitation effects and affects everyone in the society. Let your voice be heard, become part of the RPS community by singing up

Anne the Bag Lady Essay Example for Free

Anne the Bag Lady Essay Anne the Bag Lady Every afternoon you can count on seeing Anne right at one oclock at the park, pushing her grocery cart full of her treasures. A cart overflowing with heavy-duty black garbage bags as well as an array of duffels and suitcases. The black garbage bag an ambiguous container the contents within cannot be seen or known. As she pushes her cart, the constant rattling of a wheel competes with the clanging of aluminum cans that she collects hanging in a bag on the side of her cart. Anne roceeds to her bench, constantly aware of everyone around her, but never making eye contact. She arranges herself at her bench under the old oak tree, not far from the playground. She places her cart so it is never out of her line of vision. Her eyes are constantly moving looking, watching darting likes that of a small animal sensing danger. Anne begins to eat her regular sandwich, ham and cheese on wheat that she gets from Father Tim at the local Catholic Church. As she eats her sandwich, you otice how grimy her hands are hands she had Just used digging in garbage cans for her precious aluminum. Today Anne is wearing her best dirt caked Jacket, once a bright Kerry green, now a faded sickly green, with a tear on the sleeve. Her mousy blonde wig that once may have been styled in an attractive shoulder length bob; now a tangled, grimy mess. Do you know how hard it is to get a wig to keep its shape when you carry it around in a plastic bag? Anne has put on her newest shoes, old tan olored work shoes one without laces. Her dress looked like the old flowered snap front cotton house coats, my grandmother used to wear around the house. Hers is worn, dirty and the color is faded beyond all recognition, peeking out from under the hem of her dress is an old black slip, the lace at the bottom torn. Anne is wearing stockings that go to her knees held up by some kind of yarn or string. Over her stockings she is wearing socks that are used and worn the color again impossible to know. Anne always sits alone, a solitary fgure, watching, looking, wary. She very rarely speaks to anyone except for maybe Father Tim; even then short, cryptic remarks. She is rather small in stature, not more than five feet, two or three, bent and the shoulders from age. Anne does not look fragile or tiny maybe old and rigid, but never fragile. Anne has been a part of this community for as long as can be remembered, almost a historical monument. She is a part of the community that most do not notice, but seems to miss when is not there.

Wal-Mart Supply Chain Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart Supply Chain Essay Wal-Mart Executive Summary With over US$444 billion in 2012 sales from operations in 27 countries, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the world’s largest retailer. Wal-Mart is the world’s third largest public corporation, according to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2012 and world’s biggest private employer with 2.2 million associates worldwide. Wal-Mart serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week. Wal-Mart operates under 69 different banners. Wal-Mart’s supply chain, a key enabler of its growth from its beginnings in rural Arkansas, has long considered by many to be a major source of competitive advantage for the company. In fact, when Wal-Mart was voted â€Å"Retailer of the Decade† in 1989, its distribution costs were estimated at 1.7 per cent of its cost of sales, comparing favorably with competitors such as Kmart (3.5per cent of total sales) and Sears (five per cent of total sales). Their distribution system is generally regarded as the most emphasized visibility through the sharing of information with their suppliers. Wal-Mart slipped to No. 2 in the Fortune 500 in 2011 after holding onto the top spot for two years in a row. Wal-Marts international business continues to be a source of growth for the company revenues outside the U.S. rose by 13.1% last year, to $35.5 billion. Introduction Wal-Mart has come a long way since its inception and undergone many changes on the way. Sam Walton’s initial strategy was to target low-income families in rural areas by offering significantly lower costs. Through use of  technology in distribution and supply chain logistics Wal-Mart has been able to cut costs and lower prices for end users. Wal-Mart is one of the best supply chain operators at the moment. Using a supply chain management system that is progressively against its competitors and they don’t even stop evolving. Pushing the limits of supply chain management, searching for and supporting better technology that promises to make its IT infrastructure more efficient. The company has 4 strategies driving its operations: * Becoming a truly global company * Solving Business Challenges * Leading on social issues * Keeping its culture strong Wal-Mart has also taken various initiatives in its approach towards its operations. Some of them include following: In 1992 Wal-Mart developed Ethical sourcing program to verify the products they sell are produced in a way that provides dignity and respect for workers in the supply chain, while protecting the environment. For eight straight years, Wal-Mart U.S. Logistics’ recordable injury rates have been below industry average. This year the entire Wal-Mart U.S. Logistics Network introduced an Enhanced Behavior Based Safety Program. Wal-Mart has implemented a Supplier Development Program, in which the Ethical Sourcing Team works closely with suppliers to improve working conditions in factories. Background of Wal-Mart Inc Based in Bentonville, Arkansas and founded by the legendary Sam Walton, Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer with more than 8,500 stores worldwide, including stores in all 50 states as well as international stores in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom, as well as joint venture agreements in China and a stake in a leading Japanese retail chain. The company has over 2.2 million employees (known as â€Å"associates†). It was estimated that Wal-Mart served more than 200 million customers each week. Wal-Mart’s strategy is to provide a broad assortment of quality merchandise and services at â€Å"everyday low prices† (EDLP) and is best known for its discount stores, which offered merchandise such as apparel, small  appliances, housewares, electronics and hardware, but also ran combined discount and grocery stores (Wal-Mart Super Centers), membership-only warehouse stores (Sam’s Club), and smaller grocery stores (Neighborhood Markets). In the general merchandise area, Wal-Mart’s competitors included Sears and Target, with specialty retailers including Gap and Limited. Department store competitors included Dillard, Federated and J.C. Penney. Grocery store competitors included Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway. The major membership-only warehouse competitor was Costco Wholesale. The Development of Wal-Mart’s Supply Chain Before he started Wal-Mart Stores in 1962, Sam Walton owned a successful chain of stores under the Ben Franklin Stores banner, a franchisor of variety stores in the United States. Although he was under contract to purchase most of his merchandise requirements from Ben Franklin Stores, Walton was able to selectively purchase merchandise in bulk from new suppliers and then transport these goods to his stores directly. When Walton realized that a new trend, discount retailing — based on driving high volumes of product through low-cost retail outlets — was sweeping the nation, he decided to open up large, warehouse-style stores in order to compete. To stock his new warehouse-style stores, initially named â€Å"Wal-Mart Discount City,† Walton needed to step up his merchandise procurement efforts. As none of the suppliers were willing to send their trucks to his stores, which were located in rural Arkansas, self-distribution was necessary. The initial competitive advantage for Wal-Mart was its supply chain management. As Wal-Mart grew in the 1960s to 1980s, it benefited from improved road infrastructure and the inability of its competitors to react to changes in legislation, such as the removal of â€Å"resale price maintenance,† which had prevented retailers from discounting merchandise. A strong and efficient supply chain is the key to distribution and keeping their customers satisfied with the promise of â€Å"Everyday Low Prices.† Things within the supply chain in which Wal-Mart excelled at would include logistics, purchasing, retail decisions, and limiting the overall bullwhip effect of the supply chain. The key attributes to Wal-Mart’s hugely developed logistics department are Cross docking or direct transfers from inbound or outbound trailers without extra storage, Working with suppliers  to standardize case sizes and labeling. The cross docking system was originated by Wal-Mart, this innovation allows a distribution center to direct incoming shipments straight to a cross-docking system, products are delivered to a warehouse on a continual basis, where they are stored, repackaged, and distributed to stores without sitting in inventory. Goods â€Å"cross† from one loading dock to another, usually in 24 hours or less. While working with suppliers on labeling will increase efficiency in transporting goods from distribution centers to retail stores. Purchasing As his purchasing efforts increased in scale, Walton and his senior management team would make trips to buying offices in New York City, cutting out the middleman (wholesalers and distributors). Wal-Mart’s U.S. buyers, located in Bentonville, worked with suppliers to ensure that the correct mix of staples and new items were ordered. Over time, many of Wal-Mart’s largest suppliers had offices in Bentonville, staffed by analysts and managers supporting Wal-Mart’s business. In addition, Wal-Mart started sourcing products globally, opening the first of these offices in China in the mid-1980s. Wal-Mart’s international purchasing offices worked directly with local factories to source Wal-Mart’s private label merchandise. Private label sales at Wal-Mart, first developed in the 1980s, were believed to account for 20 per cent of 2005 sales. Private label products appealed to customers since they were often priced at a significant discount to brand name merch andise; for Wal-Mart, the private label items generated higher margins than did the suppliers’ branded products. Every quarter, buyers met in Bentonville to review new merchandise, exchange buying notes and tips and review a fully–merchandised prototype store, located within a warehouse. In order to gather field intelligence, buyers toured stores two or three days a week, working on the sales floors to help associates stock and sell merchandise. Wal-Mart wielded enormous power over its suppliers. For example, observers noted that increased bargaining clout was a contributing factor in Procter Gamble’s (PG) acquisition of chief rival Gillette. Prior to the acquisition, sales to Wal-Mart accounted for 17 per cent of PG’s revenues and 13 per cent of Gillette’s revenues. On the other hand, these two suppliers combined accounted for about eight per cent of Wal-Mart’s sales. Some viewed Wal-Mart’s close co-operation with  suppliers in a negative light. Wal-Mart dictates that its suppliers must accept payment entirely on Wal-Mart’s terms, share information all the way back to the purchasing of raw materials. Wal-Mart controls with whom its suppliers speak, how and where they can sell their goods and even encourages them to support Wal-Mart in its political fights. Wal-Mart all but dictates to suppliers where to manufacture their products, as well as how to design those products and what materials and ingredients to use in those products. When negotiating with its suppliers, Wal-Mart insisted on a single invoice price and did not pay for cooperative advertising, discounting or distribution. Globally, Wal-Mart is believed to have around 90,000 suppliers, of whom 200 — such as Nestle, PG, Unilever and Kraft — are key global suppliers. With Wal-Mart’s expectations on sales data analysis, category management responsibilities and external research specific to their Wal-Mart business, it was not uncommon for a s upplier to have several dozen employees working full-time to support the Wal-Mart business. All these steps have allowed Sam Walton’s empire to increase its company’s relationship with suppliers by using a collaboration planning, forecasting, and replenishment model. This will coincidently, along with the income smoothing of having everyday low costs, reduce the bullwhip effect, lower costs, increase capacity utilization, and improve customer service levels. The income smoothing concept is since Wal-Mart uses resourceful use of collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment it will sufficiently lower the bullwhip effect. This effect is caused by slight demand variables which are magnified as information moves back upstream from consumer back the raw materials in the supply chain. Another benefit of reducing the bullwhip effect and successful in its supply chain management techniques is reducing the uncertainty and lowering the amount of inventory needed in house. Uncertainty will have the negative effects of lateness and incomplete orders between Wal-Mart’s distribution centers. However in having a sufficient supply chain management system in place it will lower the amount of inventory needed in house and insure against supply chain uncertainty. Inbound Logistics Wal-Mart recognized the importance of controlling inbound logistics and expended considerable efforts in mastering this function. The company  acknowledged the value of controlling the inbound logistics, made it a company- wide mission, developed the technology required and teams were formed specifically to implement the mission. Today Wal-Mart has almost total inbound control of all DC-to-store shipments. Wal-Mart has decided to take this to next level by asking its vendors to directly ship to Wal-Mart DC’s. On implementation, this will provide Wal-Mart with greater control over the management of the logistics and more efficiency by taking over the vendor-to- DC leg and use those savings to further reduce prices. This will further help in better matching of demand and supply. Distribution Wal-Mart’s store openings were driven directly by its distribution strategy. Because its first distribution centre in the early 1970s was a significant investment for the firm, Walton insisted on saturating the area within a day’s driving distance of the distribution centers in order to gain economies of scale. Over the years, competitors copied this â€Å"hub-and-spoke† design of high volume distribution centers serving a cluster of stores. This distribution-led store expansion strategy persisted for the next two decades as Wal-Mart added thousands of U.S. stores, expanding across the nation from its headquarters in Arkansas. Stores were located in low-rent, suburban areas, close to major highways. In contrast, key competitor Kmart’s stores were thinly spread throughout the United States and were located in prime, urban areas. By the time the rest of the retail industry started to take notice of Wal-Mart in the 1980s, it had built up the most efficient lo gistics network of any retailer. Wal-Mart’s 75,000-person logistics division and its information systems division included the largest private truck fleet employee base of any firm — 7,800 drivers, who delivered the majority of merchandise sold at stores. Wal-Mart’s 114 U.S. distribution centers, located throughout the United States, were a mix of general merchandise, food and soft goods (clothing) distribution centers, processing over five billion cases a year through its entire network. Product was picked up at the suppliers’ warehouse by Wal-Mart’s in-house trucking division and was then shipped to Wal-Mart’s distribution centers. Shipments were generally cross-docked, or directly transferred, from inbound to outbound trailers without extra storage. To ensure that cases moved efficiently through the distribution centers, Wal-Mart worked with suppliers  to standardize case sizes and labeling. The average distance from distribution centre to stores was approximately 130 m iles. Each of these distribution centers was profiled in a store-friendly way, with similar products stacked together. Merchandise purchased directly from factories in offshore locations such as China or India was processed at coastal distribution centers before shipment to U.S. stores. On the way back from stores, Wal-Mart’s trucks generated â€Å"back-haul† revenue by transporting unsold merchandise on trucks that would be otherwise empty. Wal-Mart’s backhaul revenues — its private fleet operated as a for-hire carrier when it was not busy transporting merchandise from distribution centers to stores — were more than US$1 billion per year. Because its trucking employees were non-unionized and in-house, Wal-Mart was able to implement and improve upon standard delivery procedures, coordinating and deploying the entire fleet as necessary. Uniform operating standards ensured that miscommunication between traffic coordinators, truckers and store level employees was minimized. Wal-Mart improve the efficiency of its private fleet by almost 69 percent in 2012 compared to its 2005 baseline. Throughout their network they delivered 65 million more cases, while driving 28 million fewer miles, by increasing their pallets per trailer and managin g their routes. The heavier loads have minimal impact on their fuel efficient equipment, which includes an average tractor age of three years and the addition of more than 13,000 skirted trailers. The network efficiency improvement equates to avoiding nearly 41000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of taking about 7900 cars off the road. Continued enhancements in routing and scheduling software, coupled with advancements in GPS and mobile technologies are helping in better management of routes. Wal-Mart has also shown improved efficiency by focusing on the problem of backhauls. In 2011 alone with focusing on backhauls, the practice of picking up a load from a vendor and delivering to the distribution centers, rather than running an empty truck between the store and distribution center, saved more than 56000 trips. From 2005 to 2008 Wal-Mart increase the fuel efficiency in the private fleet by 38%. Much of this fuel efficiency was achieved through technology and the use of more aerodynamic trucks. They looked at alternative fuels, auxiliary power units and aerodynamic fairings on both tractors and trailers. Wal-Mart not only uses the technology to track the location of the rigs, they track the fuel  burn and monitor the driver’s right foot, gear selection and other driver decisions. Altering driver behavior is the next frontier of driving more fuel efficiency. Wal-Mart’s published goal is to double the truck fleet efficiency by October of 2015, so in 5 years they expect to almost double what they achieved between 2005 and 2008. Theres many ways to skin the fuel efficiency cat. One clear methodology is to run fewer empty miles. According to Wal-Marts own press their efforts to reduce empty miles and optimizing how merchandise is stacked in the trailers the private fleet logged 87 million fewer miles in 2008 while transporting 161,000 more cases, allowing the comp any to save 15,000,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Investments in GPS-based routing applications, strong load optimization tools for load planning and cube utilization, developing new loading practices, all will help improve costs. Reducing package size and increasing â€Å"value density† helps reduce miles. Wal-Mart is working hard to reduce packaging by 5% by 2013. But packaging does not even touch on the impact of improved value density. As the product mix changes and the cost of products continue to decline, Wal-Mart is challenged to get even more product into less space, not only of transport, but for warehousing and store space. Detergent formulations that reduce the water content, package redesigns that change the shape of the cartons to increase the count loaded onto the truck, carton designs that reduce the â€Å"dead space† around the product but sill provide the protection needed, all of these efforts will directly reduce transit cost and carbon footprint. Retail Strategy Wal-Mart’s first stores were filled with merchandise that had been bought by Walton in bulk, as he was convinced that a new trend — discounting merchandise off the suggested retail price — was here to stay. In the 1960s, Wal-Mart grew rapidly as customers were attracted by its assortment of low-priced products. Over time, the company copied the merchandise assortment strategies of other retailers, mostly through observation as a result of store visits. To generate additional volume, Wal-Mart buyers worked with suppliers on price rollback campaigns. Price rollbacks, each lasting about 90 days, were funded by suppliers, with the goal of increasing product sales between 200 and 500 per cent. The company also ensured that its store-level operations were at least as efficient as its logistics  operations. The stores were simply furnished and constructed using standard materials. Efforts were made to continually reduce operating costs. For example, light and temperature settings for all U.S. stores were controlled centrally from Bentonville. As Wal-Mart distribution centers had close to real-time information on each store’s in-stock levels, the merchandise could be pushed to stores automatically. In addition, store-level information systems allowed manufacturers to be notified as soon as an item was purchased. In anticipation of changes in demand for some items, associates had the authority to manually input orders or override impending deliveries. In contrast, most of Wal-Mart’s retail competitors did not confer merchandising responsibility to entry-level employees as merchandising templates were sent to stores through head office and were expected to be followed precisely. To ensure that employees were kept up-to-date, management shared detailed information about day/week/month store sales with all employees during daily 10-minute-long â€Å"standing† meetings. The display of merchandise was suggested by a storewide template, with a unique template for each store, indicating the layout of Wal-Mart’s various departments. This template was created by Wal-Mart’s merchandising department, after analyzing historical store sales and community traits. Associates were free to alter the merchandising template to fit their local store requirements. Shelf space in Wal-Mart’s different departments — from shoes to household appliances to automotive supplies — was divided up, each spot allocated to specific SKUs. Each Wal-Mart store aimed to be the â€Å"store of the community,† tailoring its product mix to appeal to the distinct tastes of that community. Thus, two Wal-Mart Stores a short distance apart could potentially stock different merchandise. In contrast, most other retailers made purchasing decisions at the district or regional level. In order to harness the knowledge of its suppliers, key category suppliers, called â€Å"category captains,† were introduced in the late 1980s, and they provided input on shelf space allocation. Information Systems Walton had always been interested in gathering and analyzing information about his company operations. As early as 1966, when Walton had 20 stores, he attended an IBM school in upstate New York with the intent of hiring the smartest person in the class to come to Bentonville to computerize his  operations. Even with a growing network of stores in the 1960s and 1970s, Walton was able to personally visit and keep track of operations in each one, due to his use of a personal airplane, which he used to observe new construction development (to determine where to place stores) and to monitor customer traffic (by observing how full the parking lot was). In the mid-1980s, Wal-Mart invested in a central database, store-level point-of-sale systems, and a satellite network. Combined with one of the retail industry’s first chain-wide implementation of UPC bar codes, store-level information could now be collected instantaneously and analyzed. By combining sales data with external information such as weather forecasts, Wal-Mart was able to provide additional support to buyers, improving the accuracy of its purchasing forecasts. In the early 1990s, Wal-Mart developed Retail Link. At an estimated 570 terabytes — which Wal-Mart claimed was larger than all the fixed pages on the Internet — Retail Link was the largest civilian database in the world. Retail Link contained data on every sale made at the company during a two-decade period. Wal-Mart gave its suppliers access to real-time sales data on the products they supplied, down to individual stock-keeping items at the store level. In exchange for providing suppliers access to these data, Wal-Mart expected them to proactively monitor and replenish product on a continual basis. In 1990, Wal-Mart became one of the early adopters of collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPRF), an integrated approach to planning and forecasting by sharing critical supply chain information, such data on promotions, inventory levels and daily sales.15 Wal-Mart’s vendor-managed inventory (VMI) program (also known as continuous replenishment) required suppliers to manage inventory levels at the company’s distribution centers, based on agreed-upon service levels. The VMI program started with PG diapers in the late 1980s and, by 2006, had expanded to include many suppliers and SKUs.16 In some situations, particularly grocery products, suppliers owned the inventory in Wal-Mart stores up to the point that the sale was scanned at checkout. To support this inventory management effort, supplier analysts worked closely with Wal-Mart’s supply chain personnel to co-ordinate the flow of products from suppliers’ factories and resolved any supply chain issues, from routine issues such as ensuring that products were  ready for pickup by Wal-Mart’s trucks, and arranging for the return of defective products, to last-minute issues such as managing sudden spikes in demand for popular items. When Wal-Mart buyers met, on a frequent basis, with a supplier’s sales teams, two important topics of review were the supplier’s out-of-stock rate and inventory levels at Wal-Mart, indications of how well replenishment was being handled. Suppliers were provided with targets for out-of stock rates and inventory levels. In addition to managing short-term inventory and discussing product trends, Wal-Mart worked with suppliers on medium- to long-term supply chain strategy including factory location, co-operation with downstream raw materials suppliers and production volume forecasting. Wal-Mart’s satellite network, in addition to receiving and transmitting point-of-sale data, also provided senior management with the ability to broadcast video messages to the stores. Although the bulk of senior management lived and worked in Bentonville, Arkansas, frequent video broadcasts to each store in their network kept store employees informed of the latest developments in the firm. In an effort to emulate Wal-Mart’s ability to share information with suppliers, Wal-Mart’s competitors relied on a system similar to Retail Link. Agentrics LLC, a software service provider, developed, in conjunction with several of global retailers, a software platform called â€Å"Retail Interface,† which collectedstore level sales data which could then be shared with suppliers. Agentrics’ customer base included many of the world’s top retailers – including Carrefour, Tesco, Metro, Costco, Kroger and Walgreen’s – who were also investor s in Agentrics. Human Resources By visiting each store and by encouraging associates to contribute ideas, Walton was able to uncover and disperse best practices across the company in the 1960s and 1970s. To ensure that best practices were implemented as soon as possible, Walton held regular â€Å"Saturday morning meetings,† which convened his top management team in Bentonville. At 7 a.m. each Saturday, the week’s business results were discussed, and merchandising and purchasing changes were implemented. Store layout resets were managed on the weekend, and the renovated stores were ready by Monday morning. Walton and his management team often toured competitors’ stores, looking for new ideas to â€Å"borrow.† Wal-Mart believed that centralization had numerous benefits, including lower  costs and improved communications between different divisions. All of Wal-Mart’s divisions, from U.S. stores, International, Sam’s Club, to its logistics and information systems division were located in Bentonville, a town of 28,000 people in Northwest Arkansas. Regional managers and in-country presidents were the few executives who were stationed outside of Bentonville. Another key to Wal-Mart’s ability to enjoy low operating costs was the fact that it was non-union. Without cumbersome labor agreements, management could take advantage of technology to drive labor costs down and make operational changes quickly and efficiently. Being non-union, however, had its drawbacks. As its store network encroached on the territory of unionized –grocers, unions, such as the United Food and Commercial Workers’ Union, started to become more aggressive in their anti-Wal-Mart publicity campaigns, funding so-called grassroots groups whose goals were to undermine Wal-Mart’s expansion. Wal-Mart’s size also made it a target for politicians: every stumble was magnified and played up in the press. Two of Wal-Mart’s key supply chain improvement initiatives included â€Å"Remix† and RFID (radio frequency identification tags).

Critical success factors of cable tv (pay-tv) against other competitors in hong kong.

Critical success factors of cable tv (pay-tv) against other competitors in hong kong. Abstract In this proposal, we hope to learn the real business strategies though the finding from research. And try to give some suggestion for these companies to increase their sales and profit. There are the flows of the research proposal. First, to introduce the background of Pay-TV Limited and its industry. Let you have a basically knowledge of this industry in the pass and now. Secord, to list the objectives to help myself to achieve the proposal aim. Third, to have a critical review of relevant literature from books, articles, internet, or magazine. Discussing the business theory how to apply in the real business world, and in the case, we can see which strategies the company is using and what success factors here. Most important, what we can understand clearly the marketing strategies in a real situation from the result of the research. Additionally, to describe the research method which I had used. Including the data collection method, sampling method and the size of sample. By using questionnaire, 100 to150 people will be asked, in order to find out the competitive advantage of Cable TV. Relationship between factors (the quality of TV programme, the price, customer supporting service) and the attitude of people towards which Pay-TV will be found. Aim This works aims to point out the attractive and competition of Pay-TV and though the research to find out their success factors (competitive advantage with main competitor), and to treat the finding as business strategies learning. Besides, to provide some suggestions and evidences how to get more potential customers, in order to increase the sales and profit of these companies. Background Some may not understand why Pay-TV can exist in Hong Kong a long time and have a stable marketing share. In fact, the major choose to watch Free charge TV such as TVB and ATV. However, this free-charge TV programme can not satisfy some people. But, Pay-TV programme focus on this market, they produce special TV programme and buy copyright of overseas TV programme, which free-charge TV have not provided. Besides, another selling point of Pay TV is that provide sport direct seeding such as football and NBA. In recently years, the more fierce competition was caused by more and more pay-TV service Company had entry to this market. However, the Cable Pay-TV which was the first Limited successfully obtaining a Subscription Television Broadcasting Licence from the Government and can also maintain a stable marketing share these year. And its main competitor is NOW-TV which is subsidiary Company of PCCW. (REVIEW OF PAY TV MARKET) The following are the background of Cable Pay-TV and Now-TV. I-Cable The Pay-TV service is operated by Hong Kong Cable Television Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group. The Group successfully obtaining a Subscription Television Broadcasting Licence from the Government in 1993 which Pay-TV service launched in the same year set the trend of multi-channel pay-television service for Hong Kong. Hong Kong Cable currently produces over 10,000 hours of programming a year, which is the largest television programs producer in Hong Kong. Throughout the years, it has successfully established a leading position in News, Movies and Sports television programming and will continue to introduce innovative local and international programmes for customers. (http://www.i-cable.com) Now TV Now TV is a 24-hour pay-TV service provider in Hong Kong. It is transmitted through the companys Netvigator broadband network via an IPTV service. It is transmitted through the companys Netvigator broadband network via an IPTV service, with a total of 175 channels, of which 156now Broadband TV Channels, including eight high-definition channels and 15 music channels and 19 pure TVB PAY VISION Channel, and another 17 categories and VOD service. Launched in September 2003, the service is operated by the leading Hong Kong fixed-line telecom operator PCCW, through its subsidiary, PCCW VOD Limited. As of June 2009, the user up to 990,002 1000, 700,005 of them in 1000 to paying customers. However, I-Cable is like to success maintain their market share against the challenge of Now TV. In order to know clearly the success factors of I-Cable (business strategies, promotion, price, the programme quality, supporting service) we need to ask a number of questions. (http://www.now-tv.com) CableTV VS Now TV Why people choose Pay-TV? What channel of people in contact Pay-TV? Which one is more famous? What is the relationship between factors and the attitude of people towards watch Cable-TV/Now-TV? How do people needs changing? Can Cable-TV/Now-TV meet these changing needs? The answer will be found in the following. Objective and research questions Below are the main points of the objectives of this research Study the general demographic of target customers. Study the TV watching behavior of customers. Determine the customers, performance on various kinds of TV Programme. Identify the reason of choosing Pay TV. Evaluate which attributes of Pay TV are important to customers. Identify which is the most effective promotion channel. Examine the channel people how to get the Pay-TV information. Examine the reasons why they buy Pay-TV services from that channel Examine the impact of price, sport direct seeding of customers towards Pay-TV. Examine the Supporting service of Pay-TV. Well analyze the market theories such as 7Ps of market strategies form the results of research. The answers of the above are based on the relevant literature, and the sampling interview. The all detail as follows. Critical review of relevant literature There are 5 parts of critical review, the first 4 parts are the finding form the relevant literature. The last 2 parts are the introduction of market strategy of them, and the review of this part. 1. The main difference between free-charge TV and Pay-TV According the literature, Free-charge TV offer mainly entertainment programme, and the major of programme are made by themselves. and their programme focuses on popular habit. However, Pay-TV offer over 100 overseas TV channel and Sport direct seeding, and some of this programme is information programme what offers professional knowledge, the information of special habit to people. (Kotler, P. and G. Armstrong (2008)) In these years, more and more people are willing to pay money watching Pay-TV. The reasons are easy to understand, the two local free-charge TV cant satisfy the people, and young people who aged around 20, their needs of watching TV are changing. In the pass, people treat TV as their main entertainment everyday. However, the young have much other entertainments, and they watch TV in order to watch sport competition, get information. It means Pay-TV still has a great potential market in the coming years. 2. The current competition of Pay-TV market in Hong Kong 3. The promotion strategies of two Pay-TV limited The promotion strategies of them is similar, their promotion focus the potential customers who have special needs such habit (cooking, religion, drama) or want to watch non-local TV programme (Discovery Channel, CC TV). And their promotion are also similar, the number of TV programme and sport direct seeding are their selling points. Now TV is more emphasize their promotion to attract the potential customer now, but Cable TV just keep quality of their original service. In fact, people used to watch Cable TV because their longer history and people know their quality of TV programme more. In marketing, Cable-TV is like a cash-cow, 4. The famous TV programme Cable TV has the excellent news TV programme, and English league direct seeding. It is one of the reasons why Cable TV can maintain market share. Although English league may be not the highest level football league (many people agree Spain league is becoming the highest league in recently years and the Spain league direct seeding is offered by Now-TV in the future 3 years.), However, anyone know that major of Hong Kong people like to watch English league more than others. Additionally, Cable TV has also the direct seeding of champions of league and World Cup in 2010. It is a great competitive advantage with Now-TV in this year and the coming 3 years. (The newest situation of people needs change) 5. The relationships between factors and the attitude of young people towards I-Cable/Now-TV There are some factor will influence young people how to choose which Pay-TV. a) Price(extend) Cable TV adopt non- selectivity Price(packaging of service), we need to buy a number of channel at the same time; Now TV offers selectivity Price, we can pay a basic free, then the extra-charge are based on each channel, but Now TV are also offer a price for the packaging of all services. According one news, a great number of people are unsatisfying because Cable TV increase the basic charge from $239 to $259, and the extra-charge of football direct seeding. (http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091124/4/fbx5.html) b) Promotion c) Sport direct seeding (extend) It is one important factors why Cable TV success and they can increase the price in a bad economy. Cable TV spend a high cost to get the right of footfall direct seeding, and increase the price to cover the cost. It is their strategy. However, they may ignore the young people needs change. In recently years, English League is successful in Hong Kong, it has many factors such as the time of competition, and football player stars. However, the Spain League are willing to start early in the next year, and many stars transfer from English league to Spain League. It may make people prefer watch Spain league more. (http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091120/4/fa0e.html) d) Technique supporting and customer service (extend) Cable TV had a developed supporting system early, but they dont improve anything. However, Now TV usually improves their Technique supporting system. I believe Now TV will have a developed system what is better than Cable in the coming several years. 6. Market strategies(extend) Pay-TV adopts the Concentrated Marketing (Kotler, P. and G. Armstrong 2008)(Where the organization concentrates its marketing effort on one particular segment. The firm will develop a product that caters for the needs of that particular group). The all detail marketing theory and suggestions will describe after the sampling interview. Research methods/ Methodologies Category Options The degree to which the research question has been crystallized Exploratory study Formal study The method of data collection Monitoring Communication Study The power of the researcher to produce effects in the variables under study Ex post facto The purpose of the study Reporting Descriptive Causal-Explanatory The time dimension Cross-sectional The topical scope Breadth and depth of the study Statistical The research environment Field setting The participants perceptional awareness of the research activity Actual routine The main purpose of our study is needed to find out the comparison of Cable TV and Now TV. We need to collect the primary data and secondary data to analysis the success factors each other. First, we collect the secondary data from internet to know backgrounds, histories, and the annual reports of each Pay TV Limited. and collecting other useful information on the internet, articles or relevant literature. Second, to use â€Å"Personal Interview† (Questionnaire) collecting the primary data. Indeed that information is related to our objective. We will design a set of questionnaire about 7ps. The method is taken by samples in Hong Kong (different regions in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territory), a half of male and female. It can be avoided unfair saturation. The sample size will be 100 to 150. The age distribution limits are around 18 to 65. Our survey method is face-to-face interview, after the interview well give them a little gift. (Such as coupon) We can understand the competitive advantage each other through the result of information and make the recommendations how to maintain market share and what service they need to improve. However, secondary data is limited, so we will get the information mainly come from primary data. Project Plan Refer to the page15 or Excel [project plan]

The Invention of Air Conditioning :: essays research papers

Willis Haviland Carrier invented the first air conditioner in 1902. This was designed to boost the working process control in a printing plant. Carrier’s invention controlled temperature and humidity. The low heat and humidity helped keep the paper dimensions and ink alignment the same. Later his invention was used to populate productivity in the workplace. The Carrier Air Conditioning Company of America developed for the increasing demands. Gradually, air conditioning was used to help increase comfort in homes and cars. Residential sales increased rapidly in the 1950's. Carrier lived from 1876-1950. He graduated with a Masters in Engineering from Cornell University. One of Carrier’s first patents was awarded to him in 1906,â€Å"The Apparatus for Treating Air†. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers was given Willis Carrier’s formula for the Rational Psychrometric Formulae. The Carrier Engineering Corporation was formed in 1915. The factors for exponential growth for air-conditioning are the HVAC Market, energy, environment, communication, societal, political, preparing for the future, looking ahead, and the conclusion. Buildings of the U.S. use approximately 35% of the nation’s precise total of energy consumption. The worth of shipments by U.S. HVAC manufacturers was over $28 billion of 1996. Since there are 52,000 CHC chillers needed to be replaced among the U.S., there’s a large opportunity for new chillers, new technology for the HVAC industry. The ozone depletion is an international issue in which is currently being resolved. The 3rd world countries are still allowed to manufacture CFC’s. Illegal imports of CFC’S to the U.S. is a consistent concern. Many illegal imports are virgin CFC’s. Those whom have a political overtones are specifically the ones whom create a protectionism of local commerce, having a negative impact on those inside and out of the country.

The Use of Force :: essays research papers

The doctor in "The Use of Force" is very unprofessional. He describes the patient in a very infatuated way. The doctor also abhors the way the parents of the patient referred to him. And the doctor treats the patient aggressively. From the moment the doctor enters the house. He introduces the girl to us in an infatuated sense. He saw her as a "very attractive little thing" and he described her to have "magnificent blonde hair†¦ one of those picture children often reproduced in advertising leaflets and the photogravure sections of the Sunday papers." Throughout the process of the examination we see that he "had already fallen in love with the savage brat.† The doctor forces the examination on the girl for the sense of self-enjoyment. As he said, "it was a pleasure to attack her." The doctor seemed very unprofessional when he detested the way the mother, referred to him. When the mother told her daughter that he is a â€Å"nice man† and that he won't hurt her, he became very impatient and mad. This is very ironic because all parents usually tell their kids that doctors are nice people. Why did he become angry with that comment? Ironically enough, doctors are supposed to be nice to their patients and the parents of the patients, at least the professional ones. Doctors are usually extra tolerant towards kids, and are trained to handle kids like this specific patient, who do not wish to cooperate. In attempt to examine the patient, the doctor acted extremely unprofessionally. The doctor was very forceful and harsh. When the young patient wouldn’t allow the doctor to look into her throat, the doctor forced the wooden tongue depressor between her teeth, and the patient broke the tongue depressor. The doctor at that point had become violent, and decided upon continuing the examination with additional power towards the young patient. While the young patients’ mouth was bleeding because of the broken wooden depressor, the doctor forced the handle of a smooth metal spoon into the patient’s mouth.

Irresistible Lab Report Chem 109

Abstract A buffer is a solution that resists changes in pH when H+, OH-, or H20 is added. By using standard lab equipment, a lab pro diagnostic tool, and acidic and basic solutions, the pH can be found. By recording the pH while adding a base or an acid gradually to a buffer solution you can find the capacity of each buffer to resist drastic changes in pH. The best buffers will keep a solution from becoming either too acidic or basic with the addition of a strong base or acid. IntroductionThe objective of the Irresistible lab is to determine the capacity of each solution (unbuffered and buffered both) and how much they resist changes to pH. This is accomplished by having ten graduated beakers: two containing pure water, two with . 1 M Sodium Chloride, two with 1 gram of solid sodium acetate dissolved in acetic acid, two with 5 grams of solid sodium acetate dissolved in acetic acid, and two with 10 grams of solid sodium acetate dissolved in acetic acid. These are split into two groups of five containing one of each solution.The pH of each solution is then measured and a pipette is used to distribute 1 mL of HCl, a strong acid, at a time to each solution in the first set, with the pH being measured and recorded until a drastic change is recorded. The procedure will be repeated with the other set of solutions using NaOH, a strong base. I would predict that the pure water and sodium chloride solutions would not have a very strong buffering capacity and therefore would almost immediately drop or raise the pH level depending on whether a base or acid was added.As far as the mixture of sodium acetate and acetic acid, I would predict that they would be a better buffer than the previous solutions. There are varying amounts of sodium acetate, but I don’t predict that they will have much different results as far as buffering solutions goes. This is because they all have the same amount of acetic acid, which will act as the main buffer. I predict that this will be t he limiting reagent out of those solutions. Method I began by preparing ten beakers, labled 1-10 and added 50 mL of water to numbers 1 and 6. In 2 and 7 I added 50 mL of . 1 M NaCl.I added sodium acetate to the rest of the beakers: 1 gram to 3 and 8, 5 grams to 4 and 9, and 10 grams to 5 and 10. I then filled the beakers that contained the solid sodium acetate with 50 ml of . 10 M acetic acid. Specifics can be found on page 84 of the lab manual. Though the lab manual instructed to use a pipet, we did not have an accurate 1 mL pipet or a graduated pipet, so we instead prepared two graduated burets with 1 M Sodium Hydroxide and 1 M hydrochloric acid. Using a standardized pH probe with a Lab Pro to measure changes in pH, we added 1 mL of HCl at a time and recorded the changes.The same was done for the NaOH. Results We only added a small amount of HCl to the water and sodium chloride. We did not continue to add more HCl after a significant drop in pH was recorded. We added a total of 2 mL of HCl to both H20 and NaCl before the pH changed. The 1 gram solution of sodium acetate and acetic acid changed after a 8 mL, and the other two never dropped before we reached our total of 10 mL HCl. The Effect of Acidon Solutions 50 ml H2050 mL . 1 M NaCl1 g CH3COONa5 g CH3COONa10 g CH3COONa TrialpH 07. 516. 374. 745. 75. 97 11. 591. 384. 545. 455. 88 21. 121. 184. 375. 355. 75 3 4. 185. 245. 68 4 3. 985. 155. 59 5 3. 765. 075. 51 6 3. 455. 015. 46 7 2. 984. 935. 41 8 1. 634. 865. 34 9 4. 815. 31 10 4. 775. 26 We repeated the procedure with the second set of solutions, but replaced hydrochloric acid with sodium hydroxide. Like the last set, both sodium chloride and water changed pH almost instantly. It took one mL to reach a significant rise in pH. The other three solutions all took a total of 4 mL to rise to a pH of a little over 13. 6. The Effect of Base on Solutions Trial50 ml H2050 mL . 1 M NaCl1 g CH3COONa5 g CH3COONa10 g CH3COONa 06. 777. 34. 845. 6255. 934 112. 9913. 135 5. 7836. 164 2 5. 366. 1456. 444 3 6. 267. 9557. 53 4 13. 0613. 1413. 14 5 Discussion The point of this lab was to determine the capacity of each solution as a buffer. By adding a strong acid to the solution we were essentially measuring the amount of hydrogen atoms that could be absorbed by the solution (buffered) before the limit was reached and they were abundant in the solution (pH).The same was measured by lack of the hydrogen atoms and abundance of hydroxide ions in solution when the base was added. As seen in the graph above, water has little to no buffering capacity. Because it contains a hydrogen and hydroxide ion, it should have some buffering capabilities, but I suspect that the fact that the acid was strong quickly overcame the capacity. Similar results with the sodium chloride show that it’s buffering capacity is not good. The 1 gram of sodium acetate reached its capacity at 8 mL of HCl, and the other two never dropped off.This shows that they were continuing to buffer past the 10 mL of HCl. The graph above shows the same solutions with the addition of Sodium Hydroxide. Once again water and NaCl do not buffer well and at 4 mL of NaOH all three sodium acetate solutions reached capacity. In a lab like this, errors are very likely. There is the absence of ionized water, for one, to consider. This could easily skew results because the water could be contaminated. Unfortunately the equipment is old and could be faulty. And also those doing the experiment could have bad techniques because we are so new at this.The lab was also open, and the contaminates could easily mess up the results. If I were to do this lab again, I would do more with the varying concentrations of sodium acetate to acetic acid solutions. Obviously they were the best buffers, but I would test different ratios and concentrations along with different volumes of acetic acid. With more experimentation, conclusions could be more easily drawn between the relationship of these two. C onclusion Buffers are very important in all aspects of life. In the body they keep the blood from becoming too acidic or basic, for example.I’ve learned that not all solutions make good buffers, water for example, did not stand up to the strength of the sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid. In conclusion: without buffers, our whole world would be acidic and basic, no neutrals around. References Kautz, J. , D. Kinnan, and C. McLaughlin. 2011-2012. Chemistry 110 Laboratory Manual â€Å"Taking things apart†¦ Putting things together†. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil Publishing. Gilbert, T. R. , R. V. Kriss, N. Foster, G. Davies. 2004. Chemistry The Science In Context. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company

Modern Political Theory

Freedom, one of our most common and powerful concepts, is used (and misused) with extraordinarily little appreciation of its significance. Not only is freedom poorly understood, but we are falsely confident that we do understand it (Dudley 24). One of my main goals in this paper, therefore, is to explain it. In order to do so, freedom ought to be understood or conceived by comparison.In preparation for these interpretations, the paper will consider very briefly the two most important conceptions of freedom on which Mill and Nietzsche build. The first and less comprehensive of these two is that of liberalism. The second, which is more comprehensive than that of liberalism, is that of Nietzsche. The purpose of this paper is to consider the relationships between the conceptions of freedom developed by Mill and Nietzsche. These conceptions, while undeniably different, are complementary.Nietzsche believed that freedom is one of the fundamental problems. But not freedom understood in conve ntional or political terms. Freedom for Nietzsche depends upon both moral virtue and intellectual virtue, yet it is neither exercised in or nor achieved through political life. That does not mean that Nietzsche's account of freedom is devoid of political implications. To the contrary, his peculiar identification of freedom with philosophy and mastery reflects a rank order of values in which political liberty and legal slavery are essentially indistinguishable—both, from the perspective afforded by the commanding heights above political life where the free spirit dwells, are equally forms of unfreedom.Addressing a â€Å"serious word† to â€Å"the most serious,† Nietzsche connects freedom to devotion to the truth (BGE 25). While he warns â€Å"philosophers and friends of knowledge† about the temptation to martyrdom involved in â€Å"suffering ‘for the truth's sake'!† (BGE 25), he nevertheless indicates that the truth is worth seeking for those fit for freedom and solitude. Whereas scientific knowledge serves life by fostering ignorance, philosophical knowledge seems to undermine life by estranging the knower from society.Whereas the scientist, a lover of ignorance from Nietzsche's perspective, is destined to a pleasant unfreedom, the philosopher, in Nietzsche's sense of the term a lover of truth, achieves an excruciating freedom through fidelity to his vocation. This fidelity consists in a measured skepticism directed toward all doctrines, accompanied by a prudent withdrawal from political life.The free spirit's knowledge and freedom are not the highest of which human beings are capable. The highest awaits the advent of a â€Å"new species of philosophers† (BGE 42-44). These future philosophers are especially characterized by the risky experiments they undertake. They probably will be â€Å"friends of ‘truth†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ and very likely will love â€Å"their truths,† but, Nietzsche insists, they â₠¬Å"will certainly not be dogmatists† (BGE 43).By this he does not mean that the new philosophers will lack beliefs they hold to be true, but rather that they will refrain from insisting that what is true for them must be â€Å"a truth for everyman.† Yet so far from reflecting a leveling doctrine that celebrates the equality or dignity of all opinions, Nietzsche's understanding of dogmatism is rooted in the deeply aristocratic view that only the â€Å"higher type of man† is fit to hear, and to live in accordance with, the highest insights (BGE 30).While the free spirit remains the new philosopher's herald and precursor (BGE 44), there is a chasm on the opposite side between the freedom of the free spirit (der Freie Geist) and the freedom of the â€Å"falsely so-called ‘free spirits,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ that is, the freethinkers (Freidenker), the democrats, all the â€Å"goodly advocates of ‘modern ideas†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (BGE 44). Free thinkers reveal their un freedom in their â€Å"basic inclination† to see aristocratic political life as the root of all suffering and misfortune.Nietzsche discovers in the democratic interpretation of political life the same offense against truth that he claims Plato perpetrated, for it is â€Å"a way of standing truth happily up on her head† (BGE 44). Democratic freethinkers, wishing to spread material prosperity, guarantee comfort and security, establish universal equality, and most characteristically abolish suffering, are blind to the rank order of human types and hence enslaved to ignorance.What is so terrible from Nietzsche's point of view in the promotion of democratic, bourgeois notions of the good is not simply that the democratic interpretation of man is false but rather that, like Socrates' theoretical interpretation of reality and Christianity's religious interpretation of the world, the democratic interpretation cripples those of high rank by poisoning the air that free spirits b reathe.The free spirit is educated and elevated not by material prosperity but by deprivation, not by comfort and security but by fear and isolation, not by equality but by slavery, not by the abolition of suffering but by the release of â€Å"everything evil, terrible, tyrannical in man,† and not by happiness but by â€Å"malice against the lures of dependence that lie hidden in honors, or money, or offices, or enthusiasms of the senses† (BGE 44). Nietzsche knows of no interest that supersedes, recognizes no right that limits, and sees no good beside that of the higher type. This is not a matter of calculation but of principle.Embracing as his own the struggle to return truth to her feet and restore her dignity, Nietzsche defends truth's honor by challenging not only Plato but Christianity, the form in which Platonism has conquered Europe. The struggle against Christianity has opened up tremendous new possibilities; it â€Å"has created in Europe a magnificent tensio n of the spirit, the like of which has never yet existed on earth.†Note that Nietzsche not only makes philosophy, and its political reflection in Christianity, responsible for the worst, most durable, and most dangerous of all errors, but, in proclaiming that â€Å"with so tense a bow we can now shoot for the most distant goals,† he also finds in philosophy the source of his highest hope (Dudley 31). That most distant goal, which he speculates is only now coming into view for â€Å"good Europeans, and free, very free spirits,† among whom he classes himself, is a philosophy of the future.Platonism and Christianity granted human beings a sense of security as individuals. Christianity did this by promising a beatific afterlife as a reward for the proper conduct of this life. Platonism gave the individual the hope that individual limitations could be transcended by rational insight which, when fully developed, could transport the soul to an experience of the ultimate , atemporal reality. Christianity and Platonism offered the individual a sense that the activities of this life were meaningful by referring them to unchanging realities outside life.The Platonic-Christian interpretation of individual existence is, in a sense, already dead, according to Nietzsche. The members of the modern world do not really experience their lives as meaningful as a consequence of these traditions' extraworldly visions. But modern human beings who have come to believe that this world is the only world, this life the only life the individual will ever experience, are likely to be disturbed by this insight. Our Platonic and Christian background has given us the sense that our activities have meaning, yet the ground of that meaning no longer seems available.Nietzsche's version of this critique of liberalism is implicit in his discussions of decadence. For the decadent subject, it turns out, is precisely one whose will fails to be self-determining. Free willing is rese rved for, and is the determining characteristic of, the noble subject, with whom Nietzsche contrasts the decadent. Nietzsche's discussions of decadence and nobility can thus fruitfully be understood as addressing the question of the necessary requirements of a free will.Nietzsche also recognizes, like Mill, that even the most freely willing subject remains incompletely free, and that an adequate account of freedom must therefore discuss the activities that provide a liberation that willing cannot. Nietzsche's account of the limitations of willing is implicit in his critique of nobility. The noble subject manages to will freely, but nonetheless remains externally determined and so incompletely free.This incomplete freedom of nobility is overcome only by those individuals and communities able to develop the stance that Nietzsche characterizes as tragic. Nietzsche understands the development of the tragic stance required by freedom to depend upon philosophy. He thus agrees with Mill th at freedom is not only treated in philosophical works, but also produced through philosophical practice.Mill’s discussion of liberty focuses on when society may impose constraints on individuals, rather than on the nature of constraint. Accordingly, his discussion generally refers to intentional, rather than unintentional, constraints on individuals. Nevertheless, Mill believes that customs and traditions are constraining. To the extent that these are the unintentional results of human life, he is committed to the view that some constraint is unintentional.Mill has argued that the social tyranny of others which takes place in moral coercion, custom, and tradition is one of the most important constraints that people face today (Mill 1956: 7). For instance, if people express their views that homosexuality or polygamy ought to be allowed, but their neighbors and employers strongly disagree (even though the government does not), they may be constrained in their actions and lifest yles. Finding work may be more difficult; access to housing may be blocked. They may feel themselves compelled to move to other cities or countries to live. Thus, though early liberalism placed great emphasis on the limitation of freedom by physical constraint, it is false to maintain that it has only done this.Mill is simply much more sensitive than Nietzsche in recognizing that social pressure may be â€Å"more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself† (Mill 1956: 7). Further, Mill’s view has been dominant amongst liberals. Morality, custom, tradition, and the law are viewed as constraints on people’s freedom. One is less free to the extent that he or she is constrained by any of these institutions.The implication of the preceding expanded concept of constraint is that any n arrow or restricted model of liberal freedom can no longer be defended. Once the Pandora’s box of constraints is opened, the thrust and momentum of this view is not to be detoured. The burden will always be placed on the person who claims not to see an obstacle by those who claim to see the obstacle and claim that their activity is hindered, retarded, or impeded by that obstacle.Some liberals have tried to stem this tide, but they fight an overwhelming flood. The thrust of liberalism is such that if an obstacle can be humanly removed, then it will be seen as inhibiting someone’s freedom if it is not removed. The upshot is an enormous extension in the number and kinds of constraints to which people are thought to be subject. The implications of this are of the first importance.There remains one essential aspect of the liberal determination of when constraints may be imposed on other individuals. How directly or indirectly may individuals impose injuries on themselves or others without being legitimately subject to restraint in the name of freedom? To decide this issue is part and parcel of the liberal attempt to define a sphere of privacy as opposed to publicity – a private realm of freedom, in which people may act, think, and relate to consenting others without constraints imposed by others. In this private realm, and only in this private realm, may that ideal of complete freedom be most fully realized.Mill refers to such a sphere of personal, private life, where society may not legitimately interfere as â€Å"the appropriate region of human liberty† (Mill 1956: 16). In this realm, Mill says, â€Å"in the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute. Over himself, over his body and mind, the individual is sovereign† (Mill 1956: 13).Nietzsche's philosophical practice, however, is quite obviously not the same as Mill's. Mill’s philosophy is always systematic philosophy. Nietzschean philosop hy is resolutely unsystematic. And thus, although Mill and Nietzsche agree that philosophy has a role to play in our liberation, the liberating roles that they envision for philosophy, and consequently their conceptions of freedom itself, are significantly different.Works CitedBeyond Good and Evil, trans. Walter Kaufmann, New York: Vintage, 1966.Dudley, Will. Hegel, Nietzsche, and Philosophy: Thinking Freedom. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2002.Mill, J. S. On Liberty, Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc, 1956.

Marco Polo

Marco Polo was no doubt one of the most influential explorers in the world. His tales of the East opened the minds of the Europeans, and his tales were a catalyst for the Age of Exploration in Europe. His influence on geographical exploration was so pivotal that many years later Christopher Columbus used Marco Polo’s book on his voyage to the New World. Marco Polo’s book, The Travels of Marco Polo, was widely published and thousands of copies were printed in different languages. However, many skeptics believe that Marco Polo never actually set foot in China, but used other traveler’s accounts of China as his own.Despite Marco Polo’s huge influence on Europe, the false and wildly exaggerated claims and the amount of Chinese Culture he failed to mention in his book made it evident that Marco Polo was really a fraud and never really made it to China. Historians have questioned Marco Polo’s credibility with his many dubious claims in his book, suggestin g that he also fabricated his story about setting foot in China. One false claim Marco Polo made was that he assisted Kublai Khan as a military advisor during the siege of Hsyiang-Yang.According to records, the Chinese siege ended on January 1273, which was two years before Marco Polo actually got to northern China. Another doubtful claim Marco Polo made was that he was the governor of Yangzhou, and served as an ambassador under Kublai Khan. Yet despite his high-ranking positions, his name does not appear in any of the Chinese records. Historians have argued that Marco Polo’s publisher, Rusticello, might have exaggerated his stories to make it more interesting, but that just furthermore questions the credibility of Marco Polo’s book.If Marco Polo and Rusticello exaggerated and lied about so many things, they might have lied or exaggerated about Marco Polo even setting foot in China. In addition to his questionable claims, Marco Polo also fails to mention important aspe cts of 13th century Chinese life and culture. Marco Polo also omits many important aspects of Chinese life and culture from his book, The Travels of Marco Polo , which would have been hard to leave out as an European if he really set foot in China. Marco Polo claimed that he spent many years traveling around China, serving as â€Å"The Eyes† of Kublai Khan.Yet during the time he spent traveling South China, he fails to mention anything at all about tea drinking, which was popular in southern China during Polo’s time. He also fails to mention the binding of a woman’s feet, which would have fascinated the Europeans due to how strange and different it was. This raises suspicion, since Marco Polo vividly describes other aspects of Chinese culture and life with so much detail; yet he fails to mention the slightest bit about tea drinking and feet binding, strongly proving that he only borrowed descriptions from other travelers.Other aspects of Chinese Culture and life he omitted from his book were the use of chopsticks, Chinese writing, Chinese books and printing, and porcelain; all important aspects of Chinese life and culture. However, the most alarming thing Marco Polo failed to mention was the Great Wall of China. Though some historians might argue it was in tatters during this period of time, it still remained China’s greatest architectural achievement, and shouldn’t have been missed out from Marco Polo’s book if Marco Polo actually went to China.Marco Polo may have missed out on many aspects of Chinese culture and life, but his book never ceased to amaze the Europeans from the moment it was published. Marco Polo’s book told of a land to the east never known to the Europeans before, and opened up the Europeans’ medieval minds whether or not those accounts of China actually belonged to him. At first, Europeans found his tales hard to believe, but instead of rejecting Marco Polo’s stories, they embrac ed it as a romantic fantasy.Nonetheless, The Travels of Marco Polo became Europe’s most widely read book, due to the fascinating and detailed descriptions of Kublai Khan’s wealth and his magnificent empire. His descriptions of China was that of a country with thriving towns, and with cities far richer than any place in Europe in terms of goods, services and technology. Marco Polo may not have included everything about Chinese culture, but he still managed to amaze the Europeans with descriptions of paper money, at the same time introducing Europe to coal, a substance they had never heard of before.Marco Polo may have opened up the minds of European and his stories may have been a major cause of the Age of Exploration, but in the end evidence proves that he was merely a useful â€Å"recorder of Information†, as deemed by Frances Wood, Marco Polo’s No. 1 critic. Despite Marco Polo’s book about China, which fascinated readers all around Europe, the am ount of false and dubious claims in Marco Polo’s book combined with the amount of important aspects of Chinese life and culture omitted from the book strongly proves that Marco Polo was not a credible source and never really set foot in China.His false statements and wild exaggerations in his book have caused historians to question his credibility, and the amount of omissions in Marco Polo’s book are simply too great to confirm that he really set foot in China. Nonetheless, Marco Polo was a huge influence to Europe, whether or not his tales were fabricated from other travelers, and remains one of the most famous explorers to this day. Marco Polo Marco Polo was no doubt one of the most influential explorers in the world. His tales of the East opened the minds of the Europeans, and his tales were a catalyst for the Age of Exploration in Europe. His influence on geographical exploration was so pivotal that many years later Christopher Columbus used Marco Polo’s book on his voyage to the New World. Marco Polo’s book, The Travels of Marco Polo, was widely published and thousands of copies were printed in different languages. However, many skeptics believe that Marco Polo never actually set foot in China, but used other traveler’s accounts of China as his own.Despite Marco Polo’s huge influence on Europe, the false and wildly exaggerated claims and the amount of Chinese Culture he failed to mention in his book made it evident that Marco Polo was really a fraud and never really made it to China. Historians have questioned Marco Polo’s credibility with his many dubious claims in his book, suggestin g that he also fabricated his story about setting foot in China. One false claim Marco Polo made was that he assisted Kublai Khan as a military advisor during the siege of Hsyiang-Yang.According to records, the Chinese siege ended on January 1273, which was two years before Marco Polo actually got to northern China. Another doubtful claim Marco Polo made was that he was the governor of Yangzhou, and served as an ambassador under Kublai Khan. Yet despite his high-ranking positions, his name does not appear in any of the Chinese records. Historians have argued that Marco Polo’s publisher, Rusticello, might have exaggerated his stories to make it more interesting, but that just furthermore questions the credibility of Marco Polo’s book.If Marco Polo and Rusticello exaggerated and lied about so many things, they might have lied or exaggerated about Marco Polo even setting foot in China. In addition to his questionable claims, Marco Polo also fails to mention important aspe cts of 13th century Chinese life and culture. Marco Polo also omits many important aspects of Chinese life and culture from his book, The Travels of Marco Polo , which would have been hard to leave out as an European if he really set foot in China. Marco Polo claimed that he spent many years traveling around China, serving as â€Å"The Eyes† of Kublai Khan.Yet during the time he spent traveling South China, he fails to mention anything at all about tea drinking, which was popular in southern China during Polo’s time. He also fails to mention the binding of a woman’s feet, which would have fascinated the Europeans due to how strange and different it was. This raises suspicion, since Marco Polo vividly describes other aspects of Chinese culture and life with so much detail; yet he fails to mention the slightest bit about tea drinking and feet binding, strongly proving that he only borrowed descriptions from other travelers.Other aspects of Chinese Culture and life he omitted from his book were the use of chopsticks, Chinese writing, Chinese books and printing, and porcelain; all important aspects of Chinese life and culture. However, the most alarming thing Marco Polo failed to mention was the Great Wall of China. Though some historians might argue it was in tatters during this period of time, it still remained China’s greatest architectural achievement, and shouldn’t have been missed out from Marco Polo’s book if Marco Polo actually went to China.Marco Polo may have missed out on many aspects of Chinese culture and life, but his book never ceased to amaze the Europeans from the moment it was published. Marco Polo’s book told of a land to the east never known to the Europeans before, and opened up the Europeans’ medieval minds whether or not those accounts of China actually belonged to him. At first, Europeans found his tales hard to believe, but instead of rejecting Marco Polo’s stories, they embrac ed it as a romantic fantasy.Nonetheless, The Travels of Marco Polo became Europe’s most widely read book, due to the fascinating and detailed descriptions of Kublai Khan’s wealth and his magnificent empire. His descriptions of China was that of a country with thriving towns, and with cities far richer than any place in Europe in terms of goods, services and technology. Marco Polo may not have included everything about Chinese culture, but he still managed to amaze the Europeans with descriptions of paper money, at the same time introducing Europe to coal, a substance they had never heard of before.Marco Polo may have opened up the minds of European and his stories may have been a major cause of the Age of Exploration, but in the end evidence proves that he was merely a useful â€Å"recorder of Information†, as deemed by Frances Wood, Marco Polo’s No. 1 critic. Despite Marco Polo’s book about China, which fascinated readers all around Europe, the am ount of false and dubious claims in Marco Polo’s book combined with the amount of important aspects of Chinese life and culture omitted from the book strongly proves that Marco Polo was not a credible source and never really set foot in China.His false statements and wild exaggerations in his book have caused historians to question his credibility, and the amount of omissions in Marco Polo’s book are simply too great to confirm that he really set foot in China. Nonetheless, Marco Polo was a huge influence to Europe, whether or not his tales were fabricated from other travelers, and remains one of the most famous explorers to this day.

Science was born and survives only by questions. Essay

Science was born and survives only by questions. The whole foundation of science is questioning. And as parents and teachers well know, children are the source of unending questions. Hence, ‘child is the first scientist’. It is very important for every parent to be willing to make the effort to guide children to be good human beings – enlightened and hardworking. The teacher, the child’s window to learning and knowledge, has to play the role model in generating creativity in the child. This triangle is indeed the real role model I can think of. I would even go to the extent of saying that if parents and teachers show the required dedication to shape the lives of the young, India would get a new life. As it is said: Behind the parents stands the school, and behind the teacher the home. A proper education would help nurture a sense of dignity and self-respect among our youth. These are qualities no law can enforce – they have to be nurtured ourselves. A nation’s wealth is the young generation of the country. When they grow up, who can be the role models? Mother, father and elementary school teachers play a very important part as role models. When the child grows up, the role models will be national leaders of quality and integrity in every field including the science, technology and industry. I hope that e-techno teachers who teach and inspire the young students will continue their unmatched and noble services in the years to come, thus ensuring the march of Indian brilliance in every field. Role of students in removing illiteracy In our country is by far the most serious problem. We all recognize that illiteracy is bed, that it prevents the cultural growth of a people. But illiteracy in our country continues to exist on an appalling scale. Even today among ten in India about five are illiterate. Nor is there any organized effort to do away with this deplorable state of backlog. We tinker at the problem instead of tackling it thoroughly. We made experiments. The States have ambitious programmes of setting up primary schools in every village, but these are yet in the cold shade of neglect. But illiteracy can be removed and that quickly, if concerted efforts are made both by private organizations and the states. Within a decade, the Russians got rid of ignorance as colossal as ours; and now the Chinese have also achieved it. They took at once a total war against illiteracy for which the services of all educated men and women were conscripted. Gurudev Rabindranath also praised efforts of the Russians. For this, education must be made free and compulsory at least upto the age of fourteen. That is the plain directive of our Constitution. Recently a bill was adopted in the Parliament of India to make primary education a fundamental right. But even where education is free in India, it is not compulsory; and it is free only at the lower primary stage here and there. The result is that most of those who give up learning after this stage, are the drop-outs, lapse back, into ignorance. Of course, making elementary education compulsory demands money. Children of workers and peasants have to think of earning before they can think of learning. Mahatma Gandhi recognized this basic difficulty and he suggested a scheme by which children would begin to earn while they were learning. In that scheme, known as basic Education scheme, it is not only craft-centered, but the crafts are so chosen as to have a profit basis. The scheme however did not make much headway in free India.