Essay on Toni Morrisons Beloved - Misuse of Language

The Misuse of Language in Beloved nbsp; In Toni Morrisons Beloved many negative methods of communication used by the white people are effectively hijacked by the black people. nbsp;The black people create a completely new message and a positive form of communication. These forms of communication, in turn, empower the oppressed black people, providing channels for the expression of ideas, thoughts, and memories. nbsp; Such was the case in the American culture of the mid 1800s as depicted in Beloved because of the gap in the social status and power of black versus white Americans. The language of the whites was not able to effectively communicate the thoughts of all and was used many times as a method of coercion. Largely, I am†¦show more content†¦He separates black people from other human beings, likening them to some sort of combination of human and animal species. Put her human characteristics on the right, her animal ones on the left. This entire ideology, comparing certain kinds of human beings with animals, devalues the people of the minority to lesser beings. It essentially dehumanizes them. No doubt, plays a large role in the later scene when the boys take Sethes milk, as if she were a cow. nbsp; This all culminates to show the true ineffectiveness and abuse of the standard forms of communication. In fact, on page 175 when Paul D is considering what made them men at Sweet Home he says they could even learn reading if they wanted to--but they didnt want to since nothing important to them could be put down on paper. In other words, the things which were really important to them, possibly emotions such as love and pain, abuse and oppression, could not be articulated through mere words. The idea of the unimportance of traditional forms of communication is illustrated again on page 53. Paul D explains that when black people met on the road they remained silent, except for social courtesies. He said they neither described nor asked about the sorrow that drove them from one place to another. The whites didnt bear speaking on. Everybody knew. In other

Letter From Birmingham Jail And Nonviolent Protests Essay

â€Å"Letter from Birmingham jail† and Nonviolent Protests In Martin Luther King Jr’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham jail†, King talks about his imprisonment for his involvement in a nonviolent protest and defends his rights and moral grounds for organizing nonviolent protest activities. In this essay, I will look at his views on nonviolent protest and how they differ from todays violent protests. To understand King’s views on nonviolent protest, I will start by summarizing some of the main points in his â€Å"Letter from Birmingham jail†. In spite of the fact that the Letter† is verifiably worried with justice all through, King likewise addresses the question specifically at a few focuses. In actuality, he places that justice maintains the poise of the human soul, while injustice conflicts with it. By talking about this idea by and large, he builds up criteria by which to obscurely assault both segregation and silence it. He at last suggests that the man who sees injustice and does nothing to stop it is actin g unjustly also. Taking after this thought, he contends that laws must be permeated with an ethical sense so as to be just; as such, law and morality can not be viewed as independent interests or areas. The best way to really enact change and help humankind rise above its confinements is to act with as well as grasp â€Å"extremism†. According to Mott, â€Å"That this action had been termed â€Å"extreme† King admits â€Å"initially disappointed† him.† But King decides that if loyalty to good principlesShow MoreRelatedLetter From Birmingham Jail Essay. â€Å"Letter From Birmingham1148 Words   |  5 PagesLetter from Birmingham Jail Essay â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is still remembered today as one of the greatest letters ever written. This letter was penned on April 16, 1963 by Dr. King, as a response to the clergymen who opposed his nonviolent campaigns in Birmingham, Alabama. The clergymen had recently wrote â€Å"A Call for Unity† to express their opinions on what was going on in the town. They did not approve of how Dr. King was handling the situation in BirminghamRead MoreNonviolent Protests: An argumentative essay1411 Words   |  6 Pages From the Boston Tea Party of 1773, the Civil Rights Movement and the Pro-Life Movement of the 1960s, to the Tea Party Movement and Occupy Wall Street Movement of current times, â€Å"those struggling against unjust laws have engaged in acts of deliberate, open disobedience to government power to uphold higher principles regarding human rights and social justice† (DeForrest, 1998, p. 653) through nonviolent protests. Perhaps the most well-known of the non-violent protests are those associated with theRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1132 Words   |  5 PagesLuther King Jr. wrote â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† April 16, 1963, while he was in the Birmingham City Jail in Birmingham, Alabama, the world King lived was different form today. A world where blacks and whites where segregated from everything around them. The people of color were treated unequally. The laws during the time was unjustified. The treatment towards the people of color were brutal and very different than the world today. When King wrote the letter, he was in the jail cell because he wasRead Moreï » ¿An Analysis of Letter from a Birmingham Jail1204 Words   |  5 PagesLetter from Birmingham Jail was written by Martin Luther King Jr. As he states in the title, in a Birmingham, Alabama jail. Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed because he participated on a nonviolent protest of segregation in public places such as lunch counters and public restrooms. During his jail time, Martin Luther King Jr. read a criticism about a protest made by a group of white ministers, accusing King of being an outsider, of using extreme measures that incite hatred and violence, that hisRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail812 Words   |  4 PagesAfrican American’s rights using nonviolent resistance; however, during a protest in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King was thrown into jail. While in his jail cell, Dr. King wrote a letter to clergymen from the Birmingham jail claiming his stance on peaceful confrontation on defending African American’s human rights. In his letter, Dr. King uses rhetorical devices to strengthen his argument in his letter to the clergymen. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, Dr. King uses biblical allusionsRead MoreLetter From The Birmingham County Jail844 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Letter from the Birmingham County Jail† Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement was a time in which African Americans were setting out to end segregation, specifically in the south. During this time period, African Americans were treated unequally from the white people. African Americans were unable to eat in the same restaurants, shop in the same stores, or even drink out of the same drinking fountain. Dr. King had a vision that one dayRead MoreDr. Martin Luther King Jr s The Civil Rights Movement Essay1126 Words   |  5 PagesAs Dr. Martin Luther King Jr sit in a jail cell writing a letter to clergymen, there is civil unrest in the nation. In 1963, the Civil Rights Movement is well underway. Alabama is one of the most segregated states in the union and being in the Deep South, is prone to more racial injustices than others. Dr. King points out his feelings of telling his daughter she can’t go to a new place as it is whites only, the pain of his children and their unconscious feelings of being inferior while not understandingRead MoreAn Analysis of Letter from a Birmingham Jail Essay1090 Words   |  5 Pages Letter from a Birmingham Jail was written by Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. in April of 1963, as he sat, as the title states, in a Birmingham, Alabama jail. King had been jailed for his participation in a peaceful protest of segregation in public places such as lunch counters and public restrooms (Berkley, 2003). While jailed, King read a criticism of the protest by a group of white ministers, who felt such demonstrations â€Å"directed and in part led by outsiders† were â€Å"unwise and untimely†Read MoreSociological Analysis of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail1214 Words   |  5 Pagesof Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail Abstract The paper analyses Martin Luther King, Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† from a sociological point of view and shows how three major theories (structural functionalism, social conflict, and symbolic interactionism) are treated in the letter. The paper shows different appreciation of King’s ideas and works by his contemporaries and modern people. It also explores the concepts of â€Å"nonviolent direct action† and â€Å"natural law†Read MoreBirmingham Jail Functional Theory1638 Words   |  7 PagesKing Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1965) is important from both historical and sociological points of view. It is an example of self-sacrifice as in idea for the of equality of all people. Formally, King addresses this letter that he wrote while in Birmingham jail at the clergymen who opposed his protests. In fact, he applies it to everyone who approves of racism, and considers the methods of nonviolent struggle to be too radical an d far fetched from achieving an actual goal. From a sociological

Sales Ethics free essay sample

Individual Assignment : Sales Ethics is an Oxymoron It is often disputed amongst business enthusiasts whether ‘sales ethics is an oxymoron? ’ A few decades ago, understanding and fostering ethical decision-making in the business world wasn’t as complicated as it is today. It is argued that although individual factors play a significant role in the ethical practice of day-to-day business, ultimately it is up to management and the top-level hierarchy of a firm that ultimately sets the standards when it comes to trading ethically. This paper discusses why sales ethics is not an oxymoron and why management is the key source of guidance for ethical behavior within an organization. The presence of business scandals has increasingly become the focus of the media that draws our attention to the ethical policies and the practice of leaders of our corporate world. Scandals such as ENRON and MCI are just a few of the business demonstrating lack of ethical codes and guidelines at the top of many organizations. The Economist stated in 2007 that out of 165 business, over 65 sales executives were under investigation for violation of ethical behavior in the U. S alone (Mulki, Jaramillo and Locander, 2008, 125). Sales people are the main function of a business that are continuously under pressure to produce results and so are more susceptible to unethical practice. Furthermore, research shows that the general public find sales people the most untrustworthy function of a business and describe them as having low ethical standards. Corporate bodies have responded to this by implementing a set code of ethics and policies which each employee, either at top or bottom level hierarchy must abide by. For example the pharmaceutical industry has undergone much scrutiny, in regards to questionable promotional tactics such as lavish gifts in order to have their medicines prescribed over competitors. Recognizing these concerns, the industry trade association created a set of industry guidelines for sales people in order to regulate salespersons interactions with physicians. However the level of commitment to these voluntary guidelines rest with senior management and if they are put into practice. The path-goal theory examined by (Mulki, Jaramillo and Locander, 2008, 126) demonstrates that management is in fact responsible for goal setting, clarifying oaths to achieve these goals and implementing rewards systems dependent on achieving these goals. Most would agree that the face of any organization is undoubtly its sales force, so unfortunately the manner in which a sales person behaves in crucial in determining a companies reputation amongst customers and also other business. Schwepker and Good, 2009, 609) describe the results of a recent study that showed sales managers ethical attitude influence hiring and training decisions which in turn impacts each sales person’s ethical behavior. In the twenty-first century business are expanding globally, and so the ‘black and white’ of decision making is becoming increasingly complex, especial ly for employees in the lower levels of management, across different cultures. Literature suggests that overall, on a national level employees with lower incomes are directly related to high corruption, or, as a person progresses higher in the organizational hierarchy, money assumes lesser importance (M. Sui and Lam, 2009). This is a significant factor for top management to consider, as they enforce the actions and procedures of the firm and ultimately decide whether each employee, whether top tier or bottom tier, in any culture will perform in an ethical manner. writing services agreement Therefore it is even more imperative for lower level management to strictly enforce the expectations of their employees and possibly even have ‘extra’ supervision in those areas where the norm or social expectations are significantly different. From the above points it is therefore important to examine an ‘ethical climate’. This term is defined as ‘those aspects of work climate that determine what constitutes ethical behavior at work’. Mulki, Jaramillo and Locander, 2008) states that individual employees use their own values and personal beliefs as a reference in making ethical decisions, but frame these against the guidelines received by co-workers and managers. Unlike individual factors, the decision making process is greatly influenced by organizational factors. Strict guides should be put in place in reference to conflict, training, supervision, rewards and punishment in order to successfully implement organizational policies and procedures. Studies also show that sales managers be consistent in implementing their own standards with that of the industry so there is no variance amongst employees from other competitive businesses (Mulki, Jaramillo and Locander, 2008,). Competitive sales environments, increasing customer demands, high pressure to hit sales targets may be the cause of unethical performance in the business. Thus, management can use appropriate pressures and standards to ensure ethical policies are complied with or individuals will be prompted to behave unethically. Furthermore, findings from (M. Sui and Lam, 2009, 167) report that managers have political power to somewhat shape the organisations culture and behavior of subornates. In saying so, when managers demonstrate a stronger belief in integrity their employees feel a higher sense of job satisfaction and are hence more committed to not only their job, but the values and beliefs of the organization. The findings state that hiring and training ‘morally upstanding’ employees, managers gain a greater importance and employees are encouraged to work harder for the business. We can thus summarize that training employees to behave ethically not only is regulatory in most business, but is also highly profitable for both company and employee. As a salesperson, your professional reputation is the most important asset you possess, much like an organization. Individuals do have their own inputs into each action, however if management themselves follow a well structured set of ethical policies and procedures, employees will follow in the same ethical manner. Ethical performance in sales is therefore achievable, if implemented and carried out by corporate bodies. As Boe (2009, 16) states, the importance of impeccable business ethics and professional character are key considerations when selecting a sales person. The most sought after traits include integrity, trustworthiness, competency and reliability. It can be argued that all these priceless character traits also apply to the identity of an organization. Thus, in order for a company to build and maintain strong customer relationships, it is imperative that management themselves set the standards for behaving in an ethical manner in order for the whole company to be successful. References Schwepker Jr,Charles H and David J. Good. 2009. â€Å" Moral Judgement and its Impacts on Business-to-Business Sales Performance and Customer Relationships. † Journal of Business Ethics 98: 609-625. http://proquest. umi. com. dbgw. lis. curtin. edu. au/pqdweb? index=0did=2275299331SrchMode=1sid=1Fmt=6VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1301305986clientId=22212 Schwepker and Good, 2009 Mulki, Jay P, Jorge Fernando Jaramillo and William B. Locander. 2008. â€Å"Critical Role of Leadership on Ethical Climate and Salesperson Behaviors. † Journal of Business Ethics 86: 125-141. ttp://proquest. umi. com. dbgw. lis. curtin. edu. au/pqdweb? index=55did=1675577171SrchMode=1sid=2Fmt=6VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1301292572clientId=22212 Mulki, Jaramillo and Locander, 2008 M. Siu, Noel Y and Kit-Chun Joanna Lam. 2009. â€Å"A Comparative Study of Ethical Perceptions of Managers and Non-Managers. † Journal of Business Ethics 88: 167-183. http://proquest. umi. com. dbgw. lis. curtin. edu. au/pqdweb? index=57did=1711327301SrchMode=1sid=2Fmt=6VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1301293094clientId=22212 M. Sui and Lam, 2009 Boe, John. 2009. â€Å" The Ripple Effect. † Burlington 54 (6): 15-17. http://proquest. umi. com. dbgw. lis. curtin. edu. au/pqdweb? index=8did=1730425281SrchMode=3sid=2Fmt=3VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1301306952clientId=22212aid=1 Boe 2009 Dubinsky, Alan J, Rajan Nataraajan and Wen-Yeh Huang. 2004. â€Å"The Influence of Moral Philosophy on Retail Salespeoples Ethical Perceptions. † The Journal of Consumer Salespeople’s Ethical Perceptions 38 (2): 297-320.

Police B Essays - Criminology, Misconduct, Police Misconduct

summer night in 1995 in New York City, teenager Rance Scully and three of his friends were walking home from a party when they noticed a police car following them. The four teenagers were doing nothing wrong, so Scully convinced his friends that they should turn around and go talk with the officers. When they headed for the patrol car, the officers suddenly blinded them with a police light and ordered them to stop and spread their legs. Three cops jumped out of the car with guns drawn and surrounded the frightened teens. After aggressively interrogating and searching Scully and his friends, the police released them. In New York City, police arrested two teenage boys and a young woman who repeatedly raped and tortured a thirteenyear- old girl, and then hung her up in a closet; fortunately, the girl escaped. A five-year-old in Chicago was not so lucky. Two boys?one twelve, the other thirteen?were arrested and convicted of dropping him out of a fourteenth-story window, killing him. Teens and young adults are increasingly involved in encounters with police. The frightening ordeal experienced by Scully and his friends can cause many young people to fear law enforcement, yet police contend that they need to monitor teens more closely due to the brutal nature of some crimes committed by teens. Teen-police conflicts are escalating as teen crime rates rise. According to the Heritage Foundation, teenagers are responsible for most of the violent crimes in the United States. In response to the high incidence of teen crime, police often increase their presence where crime occurs. For example, New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani ordered the New York City Police Department to control security at the city?s schools after several shootings by teens occurred on school grounds. Another example of stronger police presence can be seen in the creation of gang-control units that patrol the streets on a regular basis. Since up to 90 percent of gang members are juveniles, run-ins between police in gang-control units and teens are increasingly common. Many teenagers argue, however, that they are being unfairly harassed and brutalized by law enforcement just because some teens commit violent crimes. Alex Stephen, sixteen, of New York City, said her cousin was beaten by police officers in 1989. Nagib Nabi, seventeen, claims that New York City police stopped and frisked him even though he had not done anything wrong. ?They tried to intimidate me by calling me ?sp-c? and other insulting names,? he contends. ?And they threw me on the wall, and as I turned around they hit me with the baton on the back of my head.? Gia Minetta, another teen from New York City, claims that during a police sweep, officers ?grabbed my arm, twisted it behind me . . . and threw me up against the police van.? According to Minetta, she and her friends had done nothing to provoke the brutal treatment by police. Statistics show that police are focusing more on teens and juvenile crime. Kim Nauer, a writer for City Limits, reports that in New York City juvenile arrests jumped almost 30 percent in the first year under Mayor Giuliani. In 1984, she claims, ?police arrested 98,413 children and teenagers on everything from loitering to murder.? Almost half of those arrests were for ?non-fingerprintable offenses,? meaning minor crimes like public drinking or disorderly conduct. Community activists who want to protect teens from police harassment protest the extent of those arrests. Joyce Hall, executive director of the Greater Brownsville Youth Council in New York City, claims that the arrests create a ?cycle? in which teens who feel that they are treated disrespectfully by police ?lash back, getting themselves into even deeper trouble with the law.? But police see the teen crime situation very differently. More than one-third of all murders are committed by offenders under the age of twenty-one, guns are used in juvenile crimes at almost twice the rate they were in 1984, and teen drug and alcohol use?factors that contribute to juvenile crime?are on the rise. In 1995, nearly 11 percent of juveniles admitted to using illicit drugs; in the period between 1995 and 1996, 31 percent of twelfth-graders admitted to consuming alcohol to get drunk.

Kenya Timeline essays

Kenya Timeline essays 1000 BC Many different types of African people started to settle in Kenya. 5000B.C. The first great civilization in Africa began in the Nile Valley. 700 AD The Arabs established coastal settlements. 1500-1700 The Portuguese ruled all of the coastal area. 1895 Kenya became a colony of Britain. 1901 Britain completed a railroad in between Mombassa and Lake Victoria. 1950 Nairobi became the capital of Kenya. 1920s The Europeans controlled all of Kenyas government. 1929 Jomo Kenyatta went to Great Britain to argue for Kenyas freedom. 1940 Kenyans began a movement against British rule. 1944 The Kikuyu and other Kenyans formed a political party called the Kenyan 1947 Jomo Kenyatta became the leader of KAU. (Kenya Africa Union) 1953 The British declared state of emergency and sent 80,000 Africans to 1956 Kenya began the process of self government. 1963 Kenya gained independence from Britain, and became a free nation. 1978 President Jomo Kenyatta, Kenyas first leader, died. Vice President Daniel T. 1982 KANU officially became Kenyas only illegal political party. 1990 Riots broke out in Nairobi to support of a multiparty system. 1991 Kenyas constitution was amended to allow for a multiparty system. 1992 Moi became the president of the KANU. ...

Biography of Aristotle, Influential Greek Philosopher

Biography of Aristotle, Influential Greek Philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was one of the most important western philosophers in history. A student of Plato, Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great. He later went on to form his own Lyceum (school) in Athens, where he developed important philosophical, scientific, and practical theories, many of which had great significance during the Middle Ages and are still influential today. Aristotle wrote on logic, nature, psychology, ethics, politics, and art, developed one of the first systems for classifying plants and animals, and posited significant theories on topics ranging from the physics of motion to the qualities of the soul. He is credited with developing deductive (top-down) reasoning, a form of logic used in the scientific process and highly valued in business, finance, and other modern settings. Fast Facts: Aristotle Known For: One of the greatest and most influential philosophers of all time, as well as a tremendously important figure in the history of science, mathematics, and theaterBorn: 384 BCE in Stagira, GreeceParents: Nichomachus (mother unknown)Died: 322 BCE in Chalcis, on the island of EuboeaEducation: Academy of PlatoPublished Works: Over 200 works, including Nichomachean Ethics, Politics, Metaphysics, Poetics, and Prior AnalyticsSpouse(s): Pythias,  Herpyllis of Stagira (mistress with whom he had a son)Children: NicomachusNotable Quote: Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny. Early Life Aristotle was born in 384 BCE in the city of Stagira in Macedonia, a seaport on the Thracian coast. His father Nichomacus was the personal physician to King Amyntas of Macedonia. Nichomacus died while Aristotle was still young, so he came under the guardianship of Proxenus. It was Proxenus who sent Aristotle, at age 17, to complete his education in Athens. Upon arriving in Athens, Aristotle attended the institution of philosophical learning known as the Academy, which was founded by Socrates pupil Plato, where he stayed until Platos death in 347. Aristotle was an outstanding pupil and soon began giving his own lectures on rhetoric. Despite his impressive reputation, however, Aristotle often disagreed with Platos ideas; the result was that, when a successor to Plato was selected, Aristotle was passed over in favor of Platos nephew Speusippus. With no future at the Academy, Aristotle was not at loose ends for long. Hermeas, ruler of Atarneus and Assos in Mysia, issued an invitation for Aristotle to join his court. Aristotle remained in Mysia for three years, during which he married the kings niece Pythias. At the end of the three years, Hermeas was attacked by the Persians, leading Aristotle to leave the country and head to the island of Lesbos. Aristotle and Alexander the Great In 343 BCE, Aristotle received a request from King Phillip II of Macedonia to tutor his son Alexander. Aristotle agreed to the request, spending seven years working closely with the young man who would later become the famous Alexander the Great. At the end of seven years, Alexander was crowned king and Aristotles work was complete. Though he left Macedonia, however, Aristotle stayed in close touch with the young king, corresponding regularly; it is likely that Aristotles counsel had a significant impact on Alexander for many years, inspiring his love of literature and the arts. The Lyceum and Peripatetic Philosophy Leaving Macedonia, Aristotle returned to Athens where he set up The Lyceum, a school that became a rival to Platos Academy. Unlike Plato, Aristotle taught that it is possible to determine the end causes and purposes of existence and that it is possible to figure out these causes and purposes through observation. This philosophical approach, called teleology, became one of the major philosophical concepts of the western world. Aristotle divided his study of philosophy into three groups: practical, theoretical, and productive sciences. Practical philosophy included the study of fields such as biology, mathematics, and physics. Theoretical philosophy included metaphysics and the study of the soul. Productive philosophy focused on crafts, agriculture, and the arts. During his lectures, Aristotle would constantly walk back and forth around the Lyceums exercise grounds. This habit became the inspiration for the term peripatetic philosophy, meaning walking around philosophy. It was during this period that Aristotle wrote many of his most important works, which had profound impacts on later philosophical thinking. At the same time, he and his students conducted scientific and philosophical research and amassed a significant library. Aristotle continued to lecture at the Lyceum for 12 years, finally selecting a favorite student, Theophrastus, to succeed him. Death In 323 BCE when Alexander the Great died, the Assembly in Athens declared war against Alexanders successor, Antiphon. Aristotle was considered an anti-Athenian, pro-Macedonian, and so he was charged with impiety. Bearing in mind the fate of Socrates, who was unjustly put to death, Aristotle went into voluntary exile to Chalcis, where he died one year later of a digestive ailment in 322 BCE at the age of 63. Legacy Aristotles philosophy, logic, science, metaphysics, ethics, politics, and system of deductive reasoning have been of inestimable importance to philosophy, science, and even business. His theories impacted the medieval church and continue to have significance today. Among his vast discoveries and creations are included: The disciplines of natural philosophy (natural history) and metaphysicsSome of the concepts that underlie Newtonian laws of motionSome of the first classifications of living things based on logical categories (the Scala Naturae)Influential theories about ethics, war, and economicsSignificant and influential theories and ideas about rhetoric, poetry, and theater Aristotles syllogism is at the basis of deductive (top-down) reasoning, arguably the most common form of reasoning used today. A textbook example of a syllogism is: Major premise: All humans are mortal.Minor premise: Socrates is a human.Conclusion: Socrates is mortal. Sources Mark, Joshua J. Aristotle. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 02 Sep 2009.Shields, Christopher. â€Å"Aristotle.†Ã‚  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 09 July 2015.

Ikea Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Ikea - Research Paper Example According to a research made in 2008, the company has been considered as the largest furniture retailing firm in the world. Overtime, proportions of discretionary spending of consumers in most economies have increased with rise in per capita. Such changes in composition of consumers’ expenditure have helped to enhance revenues of comfort product producing companies like, IKEA (Peng, 2010). Even so, it is also true that since the global financial crisis, aggregate income generated from the retail sector in the international market has fallen due to recessionary trails in economies. A very strong rival of IKEA, MFI Group Limited (a furniture retailing firm in U.K.) was forced to shut down its business during such critical conditions. So, since 2008, IKEA is facing strategic issues in business. The aggregate sales of the firm were recorded as 20.9 billion in 2009 and annual growth was approximately 1.4% since then (IKEA Group, 2013c). Rather, due to financial crunches, IKEA had t o cut down almost 5000 jobs in 2009 (IKEA Group, 2013b). Thus, from the above analysis, it can be claimed that the company needs to frame appropriate productive strategies in business which will help it to expand the scope of business internationalization and increase revenue in the long run. The following context of the paper will study the strategic initiatives that are already undertaken by IKEA as well as suggest ways through which the company would be able to strategically grow in the long run (Twarowska and Kąkol, 2013). From the above context, it is evident that IKEA is facing problems since emergence of the financial crisis. The company lacks adequate manpower to enhance its overall productivity. Moreover, aggregate demand experienced in company’s domestic market has also fallen. This is evident from the annual report of the company. The gross revenue of IKEA was recorded as US$ 2583982 in 2012 and US$ 2406539 in 2011 (IKEA Group, 2013a). Even so, the liabilities in business

The Meaning of Integrity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Meaning of Integrity - Essay Example In some cases, integrity has been used to refer to the work of art, a defense system, or a computerized database. When used on objects, integrity refers to the purity, intactness, and wholeness of a thing. Many different facets of integrity help people understand its different meaning. Various aspects and facets of a person’s life are attributed to integrity. In most cases, people speak of attributes such as artistic, intellectual, and professional integrity. Although the term has different facets that explore on its meaning, the most philosophical aspect of it is that it relates to the general character. Specifically, philosophers have attempted to understand what it is for an individual to demonstrate integrity throughout life. Many have tried to answer the question of what it is to be a person of integrity. In summary, the philosophers’ discourse about integrity revolves around two fundamental elements. The first element is the formal relation that an individual has to oneself and secondly, the aspect of acting morally, no matter what the environment is. A person of integrity is one that does what is right despite the pressures or challenges he finds himself into. Such an individual is not moved by emotions, but by a strong character that stands for moral purpose. One of the integration outlooks of integrity is the act of keeping self uncorrupted and self-intact. It is important to note that an individual is subject to many conflicting desires. If an individual acts towards the conflict desires, then he or she acts without integrity. Integrity requires one to destroy the sinful nature that is to fulfill human desires such as greed, corruption, and immorality just to name a few. Integrity requires one to make a sober decision between doing what is right and what is wrong. For example, one may endorse the desire to outlay and study, a desire to party or go to church, and a desire to be unfaithful or faithful. The decisions that human beings make depend so much on integrity that one possesses. A person of integrity is one that is not determined by the environment he is in, but chooses to do what is right in spite of the cost or challenge. Fully integrated people do not fall into victims of immorality, corruption, or greed. Rather, they try to do the best they can to live an appealing life. A person of integrity bases judgment on positive desires and commitments. Personal integrity demands one to stand for something. This explains why an individual chooses to do the right thing regardless of being in the midst of something or an environment that would push one to make the wrong choice. As philosophers view it, integrity is having regard on one’s role and respect over what is worth and valuable doing. It means doing the right thing at all circumstances and times regardless of whether someone is watching or not. It takes the courage for an individual to do the right thing at the right time, independently on the consequen ces. For years, many people have believed that it takes years to build integrity, but it only takes seconds to ruin and lose it. With this, it is important for one to safeguard his personal life to preserve integrity, which is costly to have. Every individual should strive to attain the reputation of integrity. At all cost, one should avoid people that ruin one’s reputation. A person should be conscious of his or her action as there are consequences that follow. Success may come and go, but integrity remains forever. Thus, as people work hard to be successful in life, they should also strive hard to attain integrity that helps one to achieve his intended goals. In workplace, integrity is a word that reflects on an employee’

Policing Domestic Violence Essay Example for Free

Policing Domestic Violence Essay Domestic violence can be considered to be an act of violence which has been observed to occur in every socio-economic class as well as within all cultures. Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of coercive control that one individual intermittently exerts over another by means of spiritual, emotional, sexual, physical or economic abuse (http://www. dvvap. org/i). This form of exploitation has victimized mostly the women and children and men in much fewer cases and it continues to be perpetrated all over the world. In some regions or nations of the world, domestic violence has become a daily occurrence. Domestic violence leads to very drastic effects on the family, especially if perpetrated on both women and children. When this form of violence is done through physical harm, it results to injury, disability or even death in victims. Mental problems that may also occur usually make the victims feel unloved, lonely and have low self-esteem. Depression occurs in many victims of psychological abuse, which in turn may cause severe isolation of the victims from family and friends. Sexual violence and incest are other forms of domestic violence. In some regions of the world, domestic violence causes continue to rise due to patriarchal, cultural and religious traditions, (Human Rights Watch, 2005. , pp 12). All over the world, different governments handle domestic violence in many ways due to differing views on violence Different proposals have been presented to encourage the governments to have certain views on this form of violence. According to Lisa, domestic violence should be treated as a political and public problem. It should also be viewed as a breach of the human rights. It is a violation of human rights which every individual is entitled to. Those who perpetrate actions of violence against the others should be stopped, (Lisa, H. 78-79). Policing domestic violence refers to a scientifically developed application that aims at solving the domestic violence problem. In the past, it has involved testing of hypothesis in relation to the classification, prediction and the domestic violence prevention. Policing domestic violence policing as a tool of solving domestic violence also experiences several challenges as a crime prevention strategy (Hoctor, M. 53). In order to identify more effective policing strategies for domestic violence prevention and control, a culture of science is very necessary where the strategy integrates trial and error as a norm in crime prevention. The domestic violence policing programs aim at offering support to victims of domestic violence while at the same time preventing domestic violence. However, the public has raised concern about the domestic violence public policy. Lawrence et al states that in the past, the public has been concerned about the domestic violence policy. This is because it is sometimes based on ideology and it lacks evidence based on science. The public advocates for an effective domestic violence policing which should be practical and also be implemented appropriately. This would be a very good measure in preventing domestic violence (Lawrence S. et al, 24). In the last decade, police response to domestic violence has been criticized with a claim that the police did not take violence incidents seriously. However, effective measures to curb domestic violence are being developed and implemented through better policing. In this paper, the domestic violence policing issue will be discussed. The ethical stance of domestic violence in policing will be looked at, as well as the police departments’ responsibility of policing. The past system and current issues arising due to violence will be evaluated. Discussion For effective policing in domestic violence, a cultural evolution in policing needs to be developed in order to support the scientific revolution in order to solve the domestic violence problem. The cultural evolution rapid movement requires a growing partnership between the police and criminologists, public health community officers and professional scientists. Coherence of approach by the different police units to domestic violence is promoted by policy statements or documents where the Police officers introduce the policy documents with varying extent and content. With the increasing reports of domestic violence to the police, the police service has been required to utilize their limited resources to improve domestic violence service delivery to the people. Domestic violence is a great concern for the community where the police intervene in many cases. Whenever the police receive an initial call for assistance, it is their responsibility to provide immediate protection to the victim due to the fact that the police have certain powers which allow them to respond to domestic violence incidents. Whether the victims feel confident in contacting the police departments later in future will depend on how the police perform their tasks when the victim makes the initial contact (Lawrence, S. 126). The police have a major role in arresting criminals or offenders with the perpetrators of domestic violence considered as criminals because they undermine the human rights of the victims. The suspects are usually arrested and charged if there is enough evidence of violence against the victim. However, law enforcement officers should ensure that the suspect’s rights are not violated until the truth is established much later as one of the requirement in the police departmental policy. The police forces have domestic violence policy documents which contain written aims and priorities that are expected to assist them either solve, prevent or reduce domestic violence incidents. The policy documents normally contain the domestic violence definition, its implications, as well as guidance about the various police response components. The responsibility to implement domestic violence policies is something that is shared across a range of the police roles. The policies are very vital in protecting domestic violence victims against actions of exploitation such as domestic violence involving withholding of economic resources from a victim. Some children are even denied education through this form of abuse, as well partners who do not work. This denies the victims their basic needs, which is considered unethical and unacceptable. Domestic violence policing prevents this form of exploitation and instead promotes ethical practices in the society. Through policing, public safety problems are defined, analyzed and effective solutions to the problems addressed. Though the society is responsible for propagating ethics, it sometimes undermines the ethics if it allows domestic violence to occur without taking any action. For instance, in patriarchal societies, men are sometimes allowed to completely dominate over women. This had led to lack of knowledge and empowerment in women to speak out against violence, whereby the victims lack the ability to express their views and opinions with those who do not adhere to this being severely punished through domestic violence. Domestic violence policies have been developed to address such cultural practices with the police ensuring that law enforcement in relation to such policies is carried out. The police department should have the responsibility of policing domestic violence in the community because they are law enforcers who are responsible for ensuring law and order is maintained in the society and the human rights are well protected. Preventing and reducing domestic violence is one of the ways in which the human rights of everyone in the community are protected. For instance in Australia, police powers and procedures are well set out in the Crimes Act 1990(Policing Domestic Violence in New South Wales NSW, 1999). In addition, the police powers can be found in the police guidelines, referred to as Domestic Violence Standard Operating Procedures. Another example can be seen in the US, where the police department has adopted mandatory arrest policy for domestic violence cases. For spousal violence cases, arrest based on probable cause could be done where the Police officers were allowed to arrest suspects without a warrant as long as the officers had probable cause whether he/she had witnessed the incident or not. This was happening in 23 states of the United States of America by the year 2005 (Hoctor, M. 007) Another reason why the police should participate in domestic violence policing is that, the legislation that protects people from domestic violence in most cases directs the police to intervene in protecting the victims of domestic violence. The police have the power to exercise arrest of criminals or offenders when need be. In policing domestic violence, domestic violence incidents should be stopped as soon as possible making the arrest of offenders by the police an effective means of stopping domestic abuse. This therefore makes it their vital responsibility in policing domestic violence with the responsibility aiming at stopping the conflict, as well as protecting and ensuring the immediate safety for the victims. As law enforcers, the police have a responsibility to ensure criminals are charged in court which mitigates future abuse. The police department receives reports on domestic violence from the community members and then investigates the cases to establish the cause of the abuse, the effects and the victim or offender. After establishing the facts about a case, offenders are charged in court. For instance policies allow police officers to apply for an apprehended violence order (AVO), which guides the judicial process (Lawrence, S. 101). Good police service initiatives in the police departments that enhance awareness in people about violence and service delivery show that they should have a good responsibility in domestic violence policing. The police departments in many nations have instituted the initiatives as a result of their recognition that a high percentage of people in our community are now aware that domestic violence is a crime. These initiatives include, public awareness through advertising campaigns, placement of domestic violence liaison officers (DVLO), specialized training for officers, working with the Attorney General and the development of COPS (Computerized Operational Policing system) to produce statistics relevant to the development of effective domestic violence prevention measures. The initiatives are a good indication of how effective the police department can be in domestic violence policing. The domestic violence issue has attracted widespread public concern, in the past and also in the current world. However, the past system differs with the current system in relation to how policing in domestic violence was/is handled. In the past, the number of domestic violence cases that were reported was fewer than the current number of the cases reported to the police. The continued increase of the reported cases in turn has necessitated the development of measures that will curb the violence effectively. This has led to the development of new measures/policies to address this problem. However, in the past, this problem was not handled with much seriousness as it is now which made the past system less effective in domestic violence policing. Cultural beliefs and practices in the past contributed to continued domestic abuse, because the victims were sometimes convinced that they deserved to be abused. Different societies have changed their beliefs towards domestic violence over time with people become more aware of domestic violence as a crime currently, which has greatly assisted in effective domestic violence policing. People are more willing to speak out about this issue in the modern world as compared to the past years. Modern police service initiatives have enhanced better domestic violence policing as compared to the past system of policing. For instance placement of domestic violence liaison officers (DVLO) in the local areas as a modern initiative has made it easy for people to report violence cases. In addition, offenders are easily apprehended and charged for their offences. In the past, lack of awareness in some victims and the community as a whole in policing encouraged continued abuse because the offender had no action taken against them. Current systems have developed specialized training for officers, which involves training of officers in response to domestic violence and other issues that surround domestic violence. On the other hand, the past systems did not have such training programs. The standard operating procedures (SOP) launching together with the development of computerized operational policing system (COPS) have been very instrumental in adoption of effective domestic violence policing measures in the modern systems (Policing Domestic Violence in New South Wales NSW,1999). The domestic violence policing have also experienced several problems. The policing may lack inadequate support which may in turn undermine how effective the policing can be in solving domestic violence. The police officers who handle domestic violence cases have been accused of not providing the involved parties with enough information and sometimes they have an inappropriate attitude towards the victims. In addition, they have shown unsympathetic, rude and indifferent behavior towards the victims. Nevertheless, solutions to these problems have been integrated in domestic violence policing programs to ensure domestic violence is prevented. Though domestic violence prevention measures were present in the past, current measures have been developed to improve on the past strategies

Rates of Reaction Experiment :: Papers

Rates of Reaction Experiment Rate of reaction means the rate of formation of a product/disappearance of a reactant, this is useful because we can time the different concentrations reacting with the acid, and give each of them a rate, based on the formula rate = 1/time. Rate of reaction is what we use to measure how quickly a reaction takes to reach a certain point in the reaction in this case it is when it gets to certain cloudiness. In this investigation, we will need to measure the time of the reaction, so we can make a rate for it, to do this we use the formula, - rate = 1/time * 1000, we use the *1000 so that it is a manageable number to plot on a graph if necessary. It is generally measured in time, as this is the only means possible to us; however you must be careful because as heat is a catalyst, it strongly affects the rate as you will see in the results, so we have to try and keep it the same throughout the experiment. The reaction we are studying is very easy to monitor and time. All of the products in the solution dissolve into it (sodium chloride, sulphur dioxide and water), apart from sulphur, which makes the solution go cloudy, and forms a precipitate. This can be written down as s-1for example 15.7 s-1means 15.7 per second is the rate of the reaction. The rate is generally measured by selecting a certain amount of two substances, and finding a suitable way of judging when the reaction has finished, the reaction is then timed, and when you have a time, you put it into the formula rate = 1/time *1000.This is the only method available to us, because it can not be done any other way for this experiment, but others may be measured in different ways, i.e. mass loss, or amount of gas evolved could be measured. The Equations for this experiment are: Sodium thiosulphate + Hydrochloric acid à   Sodium chloride + sulphur +

Pension Plan Paper

The Post Retirement Benefit of Pension Plans Marcus Womack Intermediate Accounting II (ACC 306) Professor Rick Kwan September 29, 2010 There are several different types of employment compensation. Salaries and wages that people earn while they are working provide immediate compensation for services provided and are a key factor in managing one’s day to day life. However, there are also various types of compensation that one can earn from employment after they have retired from a company. The purpose of these post-retirement benefits is to ensure livelihood for a person when they are no longer able to work.A pension is one such plan. A pension is an arrangement—paid in regular installments–to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. The goal of pension plans is accomplished by setting aside funds during the years that an employee is working and making those funds along with earnings from investing those funds available when retirement occurs. A pension created by an employer for the benefit of an employee is commonly referred to as an occupational or an employer pension and for tax reasons, are usually advantageous to the employer and employee.Favorable tax treatment is an added benefit of pension plans established under specific guidelines. Employers earn special tax deductions while employees are only taxed on the fund contributions after retirement occurs. There are other mutual benefits as well. An employee with a pension plan often feels a sense of retirement security that will cause them to work harder and stay at their job longer. Increased productivity and decreased turnover as a result of sufficient retirement plan offerings enhances a company’s competitive ranking in the labor market.Pension plans may be classified as either defined benefit or defined contribution plans depending on how the benefits are determined. Defined contribution plans are plans in which the employ er agrees to contribute a fixed amount to the employee’s pension fund each year that the employee is employed. Retirement benefits are contingent on how much money the plan accumulated during employment and the return of investment of those funds. Employers offer designated options for employees to choose where their funds are invested such as stocks or fixed income securities. 01(k) plans offered by private sector employees and 403(b) plans offered by public and non-profit employers are two types of defined contribution plans. In a defined benefit plan the contract between employer and employee states that the employer contributes a specific amount to a pension fund and at retirement pays the employee a fixed monthly income for life. The benefit on retirement in this plan is determined by a set formula. This formula is usually either a dollar times service or final average pay calculation, or a combination of both. Sometimes the age of the employee is a factor as well.In thi s arrangement, it is up to the employer to ensure that the funds are available to provide the benefits to employees once they retire. In addition to the burden of being completely financially responsible for funding this type of plan there are other reasons for which defined benefit plans have lost their popularity. Three main reasons are the fact that government regulations make administering the plan costly and cumbersome, employers have become more interested in attracting new talent as opposed to building long-term loyalty and there are several market risks that go along with the company’s obligation to contribute to the plan.Kilgour (2007) discussed many of the issues surrounding pension plan funding and the creation of the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The Bush administration proposed an overhaul of pension law that served to strengthen pension plan funding and protect the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) by increasing the cost of employer contributions. Th e requirements outlined added significant costs, risk and complexity to defined benefit plan sponsorship and is a contributor to the fact that today more than two-thirds of workers are covered by defined contribution plans.The market risk that exists is associated with the changes in the value of investments with the plans. While both types of plans carry market risks, the risks associated with defined benefit plans lies on the shoulders of the employer while those associated with defined contribution plans are assumed by the employee. During periods of economic growth the cost of maintaining a pension fund decreases due to the rising values of investments. Employers are able to contribute less and still meet future pension obligations.However, when markets go down the employer has to contribute more money to the plan to ensure that they are able to pay retirees their promised funds. Retirees receive the same dollar amount of income regardless of market conditions. With defined cont ribution plans the risks and rewards are reversed. Since the retiree both assumes risks and reaps benefits, periods of economic growth cause the retiree’s wealth and income to increase and negative market changes cause the opposite to occur. Employers have agreed to a fixed amount and are unable to adjust their contributions downwards.In essence, with this type of pension plan the employer does not take on the risk of their obligation changing unexpectedly, the pension funds being inadequate to meet their obligation or any added periodic expense of carrying a pension plan. Once retirement occurs, the company’s financial commitment ends. The pension obligation is defined as attributable to retirees and other employees entitled to benefits and current employees depending on their service to date. In regards to pension accounting, there are three different ways to measure the pension obligation.Accumulated benefit obligation (ABO) and projected benefit obligation (PBO) ar e two of these methods. The accumulated benefit obligation is the estimate of the total retirement benefits (at their discounted present value) earned by employees so far. It applies the pension formula using existing compensation levels. The ABO assumes that the employee is fired or retires on the date that the calculation is performed and is therefore what the pension fund must pay the employee should the employer and or employee make no further contributions and the employee retires immediately.It is the present value of the future liability of an employee’s pension. In contrast, the projected benefit obligation is the estimate of the total retirement benefits earned by the employee so far and applies the pension formula using estimated future compensation levels. The PBO assumes that the employee will continue to work and make contributions to the pension plan. It also assumes that the contributions to the fund will increase as the employee’s salary increases.While the ABO’s objective estimate of benefits is reliable it does not take into account that between the present time and retirement there will likely be increase in salary so calculating the benefits and taking this increase into consideration may offer a more realistic picture. The projected benefit obligation is an estimate of the present value of the future liability of the pension. When examining a calculation of the PBO, substituting the employees existing compensation in the formula for their projected salary at etirement would result in the accumulated benefit obligation. Pension plan reporting is an often-changing and complex topic of discussion. The funded status of a pension plan is one such aspect. This is the status of the pension plan that has accumulated assets that have been set aside for the payment of retirement benefits. It is defined as the difference between the projected benefits obligation and the fair value of plan assets—employer contributions and accumulated earnings on the investment of those contributions to be used to pay retirement benefits.In Reilly’s (2006) article he discusses the fact that for almost twenty years companies have been required to include the amount owed to employees based on the PBO in the footnotes of financial statements. Even though neither the PBO nor the plan assets are reported on the balance sheet, in 2006 it became a requirement that companies report the difference between these two values on the balance sheets rather than just showing them in the footnotes.Reporting of the funded status sparked debate because moving this information to the balance sheet could force companies to recognize a large liability, which could possibly cut their net worth, hinder dividend payments or jeopardize lending agreements. Reilly argued that this change could prompt more companies to freeze pension plans. Pension obligations change from year to year for several reasons. These reasons include the performa nce of investments, switching methods and assumptions and changes in benefits.To help provide greater transparency of assets and related liabilities of post-retirement benefits The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has established rules for reporting benefit plans in accounting statements. There are several steps companies must take in this reporting in addition to disclosing the funded status of their plans. First, companies must â€Å"recognize as a component of other comprehensive income, net of tax, any gains or losses and prior service costs or credits that arise during the period but are not recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost† (Reinstein, 2007).Amounts of comprehensive income are reported on a cumulative basis in the balance sheet. Companies must also measure defined benefit plan assets and obligations as of the date of the employer’s fiscal year-end balance sheet. In their financial statements companies must disclose certain informat ion about effects on net periodic benefit costs for the next fiscal year that arise from delayed recognition of the gains or losses, prior service costs or credits and transition assets or obligations (Reinstein, 2007).Companies are required to report pension assets for overfunded benefit plans and liabilities for underfunded plans. An actuary, a professional trained in the particular branch of statistics and mathematics to assess the various uncertainties and to estimate a company’s obligation to employees in connection with its pension plan, plays a vital role in post-retirement benefit reporting. Actuaries use skills in mathematics, economics, computer science, finance, probability and statistics to help companies assess the risk of certain events occurring and to help formulate policies that minimize the cost of that risk.In regards to pension benefits, actuaries also address financial questions involving the level of pension contributions required to produce a specific r etirement income and the different ways that companies should invest their resources to maximize the return on investments despite the potential risks. Many events, such as death, are inevitable so the role of the actuary is to help a company minimize the financial impacts of those events when they occur since these events can affect both sides of the balance sheets. Managing these risks requires asset and liability management and valuation skills.In conclusion, pension plans are a very important aspect of post-retirement planning which can be beneficial to both employer and employees. To maintain the integrity of their financial statements, it is important for companies to adhere to proposed guidelines for post-retirement reporting and manage their benefits plans wisely. Likewise, it is important for employees to gain full understanding of their companies post-retirement plans before and during employment so that they are adequately prepared for life after their working years. Refe rences Kilgour, J. G. (2007). The pension plan funding debate and PPA of 2006.Benefits Quarterly, 23(4), p7-20. Lacomba, Juan A. ; Lagos, Francisco. (2009) Defined contribution plan vs. defined benefits plan: reforming the legal retirement age. Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Mar2009, 12(1), p1-11 Reilly, David. (2006) Pension reporting sparks debate. Wall Street Journal, 248(3), pC3. Reinstein, A. (2007). New accounting rules for entities offering post-retirement benefits: some implications for bankers. RMA Journal Spiceland, J. D. , Sepe, J. F. & Tomassini, L. A. (2007). Intermediate accounting (4th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Marketing information systems

E-commerce made its first major impact by registering on the economic horizon in 1998. In that year, Amazon made $1 billion.   In an article in The Economist on the 19th of August 2006, Amazon.com is credited as being the pioneer in teaching the world how to shop online. Today, Amazon’s product range is anything from travel (the biggest seller), to computer equipment and software to cars, clothing and home furnishings in that order of magnitude. Technology (by way of one-click shopping) has been of great assistance in collecting data based on buyer preferences and past buying behavior. Search boxes, pre-ordering capability are some of the ways Amazon collects customer information. Information gathered includes birthdays, interests, wish lists, location and past purchases. Good marketing information systems reward online behavior with rewards that make customers feel pampered. They also give great user experience and evolve with customer needs. Amazon has just added â€Å"Search Suggestions† as another way of gathering information by requesting customers, authors and sellers to make recommendations that they feel are linked to search keywords. This should result in the company building up a comprehensive database for gaining and retaining customer loyalty. This information is used mainly to cultivate buyer loyalty. A typical example is the Amazon practice of tempting shoppers by making recommendations based on what others who have bought the same product bought also and based on the buyer’s previous shopping style. After gathering the necessary information, Amazon also makes buying from them attractive with such enticements like extensive selection, free shipping and excellent customer service (you actually get to speak with a real person within seconds if you use the click-to-call button and provide your telephone number). Bottom of Form Top of Form REFERENCES â€Å"Click to download – Amazon.com†, The Economist (US), August 19, 2006. Volume 380, Issue 8491, p 58. Fernando, Angelo, â€Å"Why punish, when you can reward? Online or off-line, there are simple steps you can take to make your customers feel valued†, Communication World, Sept-Oct 2006, Volume 23, Issue 5, p14-15.   

The ABCs of School Visits with an Independent Bookstore

The ABCs of School Visits with an Independent Bookstore If you write for children or young adults, you probably already know that school visits can be an excellent way to supplement your income, get to know your audience, and introduce new readers to your books. But did you know that organizing school visits in partnership with your local independent bookstore can make the experience even easier and more productive? Here are four reasons to consider partnering with your local indie. 1. Especially if youve moved recently or are newly published, you might not have personal connections with the schools and educators in your community. Local bookstores often have existing partnerships with schools, and you can benefit from those connections when you work with a bookstore on organizing your visit. Bookstores can introduce you to teachers, librarians, and parent leaders, and theyre likely to know which schools or even classes might be the best fit for you and your books. This is particularly helpful if you live in an urban area with a lot of different schools near 2. If youre visiting a school, youll want to give students and teachers a way to buy your books, but the purchasing process can be complicated. When youre working in partnership with a bookstore, the store will likely handle a lot of the legwork for you, including coordinating order forms, getting books from the publisher and transporting them to the school, and processing payment. In many cases they will also promote your books to the school and do their best to make sure sales are high. Different stores have different policies, but most will be able to make the sales process much easier for you. This applies even if your books are self-published; many stores are still willing to coordinate sales of self-published books in exchange for a share of the revenue. 3. Schools are chaotic places with a lot of moving parts, and sometimes handling logistics can be as challenging as presenting to students. Many bookstores will send a representative to the school on the day of your visit to help out with all the little details, from troubleshooting tech to assisting you with signing and personalizing books. This leaves you free to focus on your biggest fans- the kids! 4. Partnering with a bookstore on school visits is also a great way to build a relationship with the store itself, which might lead to in-store events in the future. As an added bonus, some school events will include more than one childrens author, which means you might get to know some wonderful new colleagues in the process. Lots of independent bookstores around the country have school visit programs, and even those that dont might be glad to develop one in partnership with you. If youre interested in visiting schools through a bookstore, its always a good idea to send the store an introduction about you, your books, and what your presentation can offer a school. Know that some stores have limited resources and might not be able to work with you right away, but chances are theyll still be happy to keep your contact info on hand. To find a store near you, check out indiebound.org. Author

7 Steps to Know If Youre in the Right Job

7 Steps to Know If Youre in the Right Job Do you spend a lot of time moaning about your job? Worrying that you maybe picked the wrong career? That your dream job is still out there somewhere and you’re stuck in a rut? We all complain about our jobs- and the grass is almost always greener somewhere else. But there’s a difference between something called â€Å"job depression† and actually being in the wrong career.Our brains tend to do three things that can be poisonous to our job satisfaction: distort, delete, and generalize. It’s easy to distort our own view of what we do. It’s easy to delete the fun, rewarding parts when complaining about all the tasks we hate. And it’s easy to draw global conclusions when we focus on the negative.If you want to know whether you actually hate your job- or have just convinced yourself to hate it through your own complaining- here are seven steps you can take:1. Assess your job.How do you think and talk about your job? Does your gut response really re flect how you feel about the work you do?2. Listen to yourself.How often do you complain about the parts of your job that you don’t like?3. Accentuate the positive.Take a moment and make a list of all the things you like about your job. Really think about the tasks and aspects of your work that you enjoy.4. Give your job a break.There’s no such thing as the perfect job. Try to remember that even your dream job would involve at least a few tasks that aren’t your favorite things to do.5. Keep track.Make a list of every task you do for two weeks and then rate each one on a scale of 1 to 10. At the end of two weeks, the numbers will not lie.6. Remember your strengths.What are your best, most unique skills? Does your job give you the opportunity to make best use of them?7.  Reassess your job.By now, you should have a pretty clear idea of how you really feel about your job. What percentage of your job do you actually hate? Does the number surprise you?You probably r eally do like your job- or most of it. Or maybe you’ve realized that you like some aspects of your job, but that you’re not satisfied overall. If the negatives really do outweigh the positives, then maybe it’s time to stop complaining and start looking for another job! Either way, it’s important to connect with how you really feel and not let your bad psychology get the better of you.

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Management - Essay Example A Collectivism Vs Individualism 11 5.1.1. B Power Distance 11 5.1.1. C Uncertainty Avoidance 11 5.1.1. D Time Orientation 11 5.1.1. E Quality Vs Quantity of Life 12 5.1.2 Analysis 12 6.1 Technological Environment 12 6.1.1 Technological Infrastructure 12 6.1.2 Communication Network 12 6.1.3 Logistics Network 12 6.1.4 Analysis 13 7.0 SWOT analysis 14 7.1 Strength 14 7.2 Weakness 14 7.3 Opportunities 14 7.4 Threat 15 8.0 Recommendations 15 9.0 References 16 1.0 Introduction Adventure Tours Australia is one of the leading nature-based small group tour companies. The company tries to cater to the needs of various people especially active budget travelers along with private charters (Adventure Tours n.d.). The company was established in the year 1993 and it has been evident that in the year 2010 the company had been successful in providing 90000 passengers which was the biggest achievement for the company. It has wide range of tours that explore highlights along with hidden delights of Wes tern Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland for its travelers at budget price. Adventure Tours Australia has won several awards for delivering quality services to travelers. It tries to focus on unique scenery, aboriginal culture of each area and wildlife. The tour normally ranges from one to eighteen days with regular assured departures. For those travelers who want an ‘extended value for money travel options’, several tours are combined into tour packages. The top management of the company is actively involved in day-to-day operations of the company and has been trying to make the company large enough so that it can render professional services and supports. It further engages in providing enough care to each passenger (Adventure Tours n.d.). The company is extremely concerned about climatic changes and negative impacts on unique Central Australian environment. In lieu of this fact, the company has tried to i ntroduce certain climate friendly initiatives into its every day operations and upon its future planning (Adventure Tours 2011). The aim of the company is to provide best services to its customers so that the prospective customers can be turned into loyal customers. Through this report it has been intended to expand Adventure Tours Australia’s operations in Brazil. The services will be rendered by Brazilian nationals, however training of the staffs in Brazil will be provided by Australians in order to make the employees aware of the potential organizational values and norms. In this report, a thorough situational analysis of Brazil will be conducted in order to understand the scope for Adventure Tours Australia in the country. Therefore, it will try to conduct a PESTEL analysis of Brazil along with a SWOT analysis. Finally, based upon the results from two analytical tools, recommendations will be provided to the Adventure Tours Australia as to whether it would be viable for t he company to expand its operation to Brazil. 2.0 PESTEL Analysis A PESTEL analysis is an analytical tool through which an organization can make strategies by understanding the external environment in which it operates or will operate in near future (Renewal Associates 2011). In order to expand operation in Brazil it is important to analyze Brazilians overall environment. 2.1 Political Environment 2.1.1 Government Stability The type of government that Brazil has is Federal Republic (U.S. Department of State

Marketing plan ( Target Market ) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing plan ( Target Market ) - Assignment Example The target market of the new dome will be interested in saving the money and the time associated in the construction of dome. This will be the main differentiating point for the new foamed dome introduced by Pretson. The company will try to attract the large builders and architects who are currently involved in the business of building and construction. This strategy of targeting the architects and builders will allow the company to promote the new product in effective and efficient manner. Abby Preston who is working as a Chemist in ApplPoly Products’ resins laboratory, came up with new product ‘foamed dome’. In this product, the foamed polystyrene is utilized in order to build dome shaped roofs and other building structure. The procedure being used in order to construct the foamed dome is as follow: A specially designed machine has been used in the manufacturing of a foamed dome because of which, the dome shaped is formed by bending, placing and bonding pieces of plastic foam collectively. The head of the machine is mounted on a boom at the time of forming a dome and at this point of time, the machine swings around a pivot very much similar to the hands of a clock, laying and bonding layer upon layer of foam board in a rising spherical form. There are several benefits of the new foamed dome concept over the simple domes and structures constructed through the cement based materials. One main advantage is regarding the cost and time associated with the construction of the foamed dome and structure. The foam boards allow the architect to save time involved in the process of construction. On the other hand there is more time involved in the construction of the dome and structure through the cement. The polystyrene foamed board is one of the effective insulator and have outstanding and enduring insulating features. It is also important to acknowledge here that the foamed board is mainly used as an

Importance of motivation on the workforce Case Study

Importance of motivation on the workforce - Case Study Example Importance of motivation on the workforce Experts are always on the lookout on how to optimize the productivity of people on how to make them perform well because the competitiveness of a business organization depends on its greatest asset – its workforce. This question is not only to satisfy a certain curiosity in a business organisation but in fact has economic relevance because a workforce with high morale has a higher output and productivity. This paper would venture into the various theories and approaches to enhance workforce morale from the classical theorists such as Taylor until present perspective on workforce morale. In any business enterprise, the human resource are always considered as the most important asset. Their performance can spell a difference between a business’ failure or success especially in today’s very competitive environment (Guld 2007). Business organisations with a committed and motivated workforce does not only have higher productivity but also ensure the viability of the business in the long-run. Such, it is critical that businesses should motivate its workforce not only for them to commit and perform but also to keep them in the organisation. Keeping valuable employees motivated in an organisation is not only intended to make them commit and perform but also to keep them over the long haul (Frasch 2010). There are many implements used by business organisations to motivate their employees. ... Several business organisations even went as far as integrating play with work not only to keep their employees committed and productive, but also to induce creativity in the workplace which proved to be beneficial to a company’s diversification drive such as the case of Google (Lovewell 2005). III. Motivation theories and examples The idea of the necessity to motivate employees to encourage commitment and performance among employees was first conceived by management classical theorists such as Taylor, Maslow, Mayo, McGregor, Vroom and Herzberg. While modern management and organisational theorists will argue that their concepts of motivating employees to commit and perform are inadequate, it cannot be denied that these classical theorists provided the basic building blocks of the know-how to motivate employees. From a simple idea of Taylor that adequate remuneration motivates employees, it later expanded to include the other dimension of human needs and aspects with the aim of fulfilling these needs that would enable employees to commit to the organisation.. The classical theorists of motivation a. Frederick Winslow Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management Taylor first conceived the idea that workers are mainly motivated solely by wage. He posited that management has to possess the control and knowledge of the methods of production so that it would have a greater control of achieving efficiency in an organisation that includes motivating its workforce (Jaffe 2008). For Taylor, the breaking up functions into small quantifiable tasks is necessary to make the time-piece rate pay possible that will encourage employees to work harder if they can see that they are being paid with more work (Taylor 1911). This theory assumed that employees

Features of Robot Design

Features of Robot Design ROBOT DESIGN Section 1 Requirements 1.1 Introduction Robot is a kind of automatic machine, which has particularly a series of similar competences as human-being, such as sensing capability, planning capability, moving capability and so on. The word ‘Robot was referred by Czech writer Karel ÄŒapek in his play R.U.R (Rossums Universal Robots), which was published in 1920. [1] Moreover, the word robotics, which describes this kind of field of study, was referred accidentally by the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. In his science fiction, all the robots must obey the Three Laws of Robotics (a set of three principles). The laws are stated as follows: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. With the developing of science and technology of modern society, robot is moving toward the trend of the development of intelligent. The one we will design is called Autonomous Mobile Robot which is a kind of mobile robot. It has varieties of sensors and controllers on itself. In addition, it is a robot that can independently complete some tasks without external information input and control during operations. The target for autonomous mobile robot is to, in the absence of external intervention and without making any provisions on the circumstance and changing conditions in carrying out the process, sense around the local circumstance information continuously and make a variety of decision-making independently and finally move purposeful and the complete the tasks. Accordingly, navigation technology is the core of autonomous mobile robot. 1.2 Lifecycles The diagram of lifecycles for this project is given below. It shows from the beginning of the project to the end. The system project management is an extremely vital part in every project, though it is always ignored in many teams. We need make a point of doing project management before do everything. We could discuss in a group to think out all of the possibilities which may happen in the project. ‘Many torpedoes are better than a single bullet. [7] Therefore, a group discuss together may motivate more and more inspiration rather than each single thinks it alone. A typical system feature should have simple function but complex design. It need also make a series of requirements after discussing by group, because it provides some different point of views. Possibly, there will be some quarrels during the discussion, hence, we need to respect to everyone and every point of view. In addition, a straight discipline will be built throughout the project. Every engineer should behave in honest and ethically responsibility. Otherwise, they will not be treated as a professional engineer in their fie ld. Nearly half of team, who is failed in the project, is due to a bad project management. However, the majority of teams may give incomplete requirements in the project; therefore, the result for them is also fail. To sum up, building a high-quality project management and system engineering will decrease project failure probability. 1.3 Quality Plan The quality plan displays the required product qualities and how these are measured and defines the most important quality attributes. The product quality is defined in High-level which emphasize the capabilities of developers for this project. Therefore, we have to consider if the project objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-limited. The quality plan structure is showed in table 2. Process Description Build all of the motors, microcontrollers, sensors and other components on the housing. Then connect all components to the power supply. In addition, build the software code into microcontrollers. Finally, before the formal race, we need to test the robot and improve on the ability such as speed, stable and so on. Quality Goals To drive as fast as possible and also ensure the egg will not get out of the car. Table 2. Quality Plan Structure 1.4 Requirements specification There are a series of requirements going to be given in the paper. It can be grouped in terms of Mandatory, Preference and Operational. Three specific tables of these requirements are given as follows:  ·Mandatory Requirements Motor To make the wheels rotate. Designer need two motor corresponding with two rear wheels. Sensor To provide the robot drive on the right route. It uses A/D conversion to send the signal into singlechip. DC Converter To step-down the voltages from the power supply. The work voltage for singlechip is around 5V, but the power supply given is much higher than it. Hence, designer needs to reduce the voltage. Wheels To make the robot running. Designer need two rear wheels which measure the speed of rotating and one base wheel which makes the robot balance. It Microcontroller To integrate all inputs, outputs and memory etc. into one chip. Housing To put all components on. It is a base for the robot car. Power Supply To provide voltage so that works successfully. Wires To connect all components from one hole to another. Spoon To carry an egg whilst undertaking its journey. Black line To give the robot a track to race. The black line is 5 meter long. It can be designed any shape of routes.  ·Preference Requirements Aesthetic Appearance To prettify the robot from inside to outside. It will be done after dealing with all Hardware and Software components, including adding several Led lights or a sound box. Also, orderly wires connected on the breadboard will be considerate. All of the opinion above would make consumer happy. Battery To give a wireless robot car. Using a pack of battery instead of wired power supply can make a ‘real robot. However, it will increase the weight of robot itself.  ·Operational Requirement Personnel To distribute each part of project to each of six team member specially. In the project, there are different tasks such as programming design, hardware design, mechanical construction etc. After discussion by group, we can filter out the best parts of each section. Therefore, the project can be distributed to each team member who did the best in his field. In addition, there should be a team leader, for supervising and coordinating every part in this project. Test Equipment To test the robot after designing and assembling work. Designer can use different types of raceways to test the ability of the robot such as the maximum speed, minimum and maximum radius of turning circle etc. Facilities To fix the robot with exact tools. Designer needs some basic tools to assemble the components on the housing. Technical Data To give some specific details. Designer may search online to get some technical data, which can prove our design point. Computer Software To design the programming code. Using Microchip MPLAB(if designer use PIC microchip) or other similar software to build the programming code. Cost To control the budget. As we know, designer should give a budget before working. In this project, the budget is 40 pounds, while we can exceed the budget by paying own. However, it is not a good solution. Therefore, the budget should be controlled strictly. Section 2 Design 2.1 Design Outline We divide the design outline into two parts. One is Hardware, and the other is Software. Both of them are extremely vital in this project. We will use EE2A laboratory component to guide us design the project throughout. [8] All of the specific details for each component will be given in each part. A table for design outline is as follows: HARDWIRE Motor Housing Sensor Microcontroller Power Supply SOFTWARE MPLAB IDE 2.1.1 Hardware 2.1.1.1 Servo Control The key of Servo Control is motor. In this paper we will give two kinds of motors—Servo motor and Stepper motor.  ·Servo Motor: It is one kind of indirect subsidy motor speed changing device which can control the mechanical components of the engine running. It can control the speed, displacement accuracy. In addition, it makes voltage signal into torque and rotational speed to drive the controller. The servo motor is divided into DC servo motor and AC servo motor. Servo motor mainly relies on impulse to locate. Also, when servo motor receives a pulse, then it will rotate an angle which is corresponding to one pulse. Thus, it may achieve a displacement. Because of the servo motor has sent a pulse function itself, hence, each servo motor will sent the corresponding numbers of pulse when it rotates an angle. Moreover, it is connected to the pulse which is received by the servo motor, or called ‘Closed-loop. Furthermore, the system will know how many pulses have been sent and how many pulses have been received simultaneously. Accordingly, we can control the motor rotation accurately, in order to achieve precise positioning which can reach 0.001mm. In DC servo motor, it is divided into brush and brushless motors. The characteristics of brush motor and brushless motor are as follows: Brush: Low cost, simple structure, large starting torque, speed range is wide, easy control. Do need to maintain (but easy maintenance). Brushless: Small size, light weight, fast response, high speed, small inertia, smooth rotation, stable torque. Complicated control, easy to implement intelligence. High efficiency, low operating temperature, small electromagnetic radiation. Motor maintenance-free.  ·Stepper Motor: Stepper motor is an open-loop control element which translates electrical impulse signals into angular displacement or linear displacement. Under the non-overload condition, motor speed and stop location only depend on pulse frequency and pulse number, regardless of the load change. That is, to send an electrical pulse signal, then turn one motor step angle. The existence of this kind of linear relationship, coupled with only a periodic error of stepper motors without the accumulated error, makes simple to control the stepper motor in terms of speed, position and other control areas. The characteristics of stepper motor are given as follows:  · Stepper motors are constant power devices When there is a motor speed increasing, then the torque decreases The torque curve may be extended by using current limiting drivers and expanding the driving voltage. Stepper motor has more vibration than any other motors. The vibration becomes awful at some speeds and may affect the motor to lose torque. The effect can be reduced by increasing velocity quickly through the problem speeds range, actually damping the system, or using a half-stepping motor. Motors with many phases also display smoother operation than those with fewer phases. The technical requirements of the servo control system 1. System Accuracy The accuracy refers to the reappearance of the input signal corresponding with the output of the precision required, which performs in the form of errors. It can be summarized as dynamic error, steady-state errors and static errors, which are composed of three aspects. 2. Stability The stability of the system means that when acting on the system after the disappearance of the interference, the system can be restored to its original steady-state capacity; or when there is a new input to the system command, the system will reach a new stable operation of state capacity. 3. Response The response refers to the output follow the input commands changing in reaction speed, which determines the efficiency of the system. The Response speed corresponds with a number of factors, such as the computers speed, movement system damping and quality etc. 4. Operating Frequency The operating frequency usually refers to the system which allows the input signal frequency range. When the operating frequency signal is input, the system will work according to the technical requirements, while the other frequency signal is input, the system will not work properly. The classifying of servo control system There are three kinds of common classifying as follows: 1. According to the different characteristics of parameters. 2. According to the types of the driving components. 3. According to the control theory. The Structure of servo control system Servo control system typically includes in five partscontroller, controlled object, implementation part, testing part and comparison part. 1. Controller Controller is usually a computer or a PID control circuit. The most important task is to compare the warpage output signal and deal with the transform processing, in order to control the implemental components act under the requirements. 2. controlled object The object is controlled including displacement, velocity, acceleration, force and torque. 3. implementation part The function of the implementation part is in term of control signals, according to the requirements of the various forms energy of the input transform into mechanical energy, in order to drive the controlled object. 4. testing part Testing part is a device which is able to measure the output and convert into more areas of the dimension that needed to. Typically, it includes sensors and conversion circuits. 5. comparison part Comparison part is to compare between the input command signals and the feedback signals of system, in order to attain the deviation between the output and input signal, which is usually achieved by a specific circuit or computers. Accordingly, we design this project with using stepper motor. Considering with the difficult in doing the program code, we have to give up using DC servo motor. Moreover, DC servo motor may create some pulses when it works; we have to make each program separately. Furthermore, the advantage for using stepper motor is that we have already programmed the code. Hence, we could use it with some modification easily. 2.1.1.2 Housing In this project, housing is as to the robot, just like trunk as to human-being. The stability and adaptability is the key of the project. Therefore, we prefer buy a readymade housing or the car online. There are 3 advantages for using this method. Firstly, we do not need to deal with the mechanical construction anymore. All of the basic components have already been built on the housing model. It can save an amount of time to do other work; secondly, the housing model is reliable, for the seller has sold so many models already, particularly to the competitors for the race; thirdly, the cost is lower than we do it ourselves. It can control the budget very well. To sum up, we choose this way to get the housing. In addition, the specific size of each component should be given on the prospectus. Therefore, after choosing kinds of different type of housing, we pick up an advanced housing with wheels. The size of wheels could affect the speed and the angle when it is driving. Under the same condition, using big wheels can go fast in the straight line. However, when there is a curve at the end of straight line, it is harder to turn the right direction immediately than small size wheels, because of its big radius of turning circle. The material of wheels could also affect the speed and angle when it is driving. Using plastic rear wheel may provide a high speed because of less friction. However, without more friction, it may get trouble at turning point with high angular velocity. In our case, to make sure the robot go through the black line track is the most important task. Therefore, rubber wheels should be in favour. Hence, to make wheels rotate flexible, we choose a stainless steel base wheel with 3mm inter radius, 10mm outer radius, 4mm thickness. Moreover, two rear wheels were designed with 20mm radius to make sure it has still some space under the housing to build our sensors on. According, the manufactory constructed the housing for these details we need. Finally, we fix two O-type rubber rings on the wheels. In the front of the housing, we still need to deal with some specific works. Firstly, we need two stepper motors discussed before, the point is, how to fix them on the housing steady. Right, we need two clips to fix them on the housing. Then use one screw and one nut for each side to fix the motor steady. Secondly, to make the housing tidy, we need to add a steel plate. It can not only steady the housing, but also provide another new flat to fix chips on so that do the connection work later easier. Furthermore, we have another goal in this project. It is called ‘egg race. It means we must build a spoon provided to carry an egg throughout the race. Hence, we have to consider how to ensure the egg will not be dropped off. Consequently, we design it that put the spoon on the cover of that added steel plate. It is a good place to lay the egg on, for it is not too high. In addition, we could add several wires around the spoon to double ensure it successfully. 2.1.1.3 Sensors Image Sensor An image sensor is a device which converts an optical image to an electric signal. It is used regularly in digital cameras and other imaging devices. Normally, an image sensor is a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active-pixel sensor. Most digital still cameras use either a CCD image sensor or a CMOS sensor. Both types of sensor achieve the same task of capturing light and converting it into electrical signals. [2] CMOS A CMOS chip is a type of active pixel sensor which is made by using the CMOS semiconductor method. Extra circuitry adjacent to each image sensor converts the light energy to a voltage. Moreover circuitry on the chip might be included to convert the voltage to digital data. It is a sensor which has high system integration. That is to say, a CMOS chip can integrate all of functions needed by image sensor into a system-on-chip so that to achieve the goal of reducing the cost of the production. CCD A CCD is an analog device. When light hits the chip, it is held like a small electrical charge in each photoelectric sensor. The charges are converted to voltage one pixel every time when they are read from the chip. Moreover, the circuitry in the camera converts the voltage into digital data too. A CCD has a series of advantages as follows:  · High Resolution  · Low Noise  · High Dynamic Range  · Linearity  · High Quantum Efficiency  · Large Field of View  · Broad Spectral Response  · Low Image Distortion  · Small Size, Light Weight  · Low Consume Power, Without Strong Magnetic Fields Effect  · High Charge Transmission Photoelectric sensor A photoelectric sensor is a device used to detect the displacement, absence, or presence of an object by using an infrared transmitter and a photoelectric receiver. They are used broadly in industrial manufacturing. There are three different functional types: opposed, retro reflective, and proximity-sensing. A self-contained photoelectric sensor contains the optics, along with the electronics. It requires only a power source. The sensor performs its own modulation, demodulation, amplification, and output switching. Some self-contained sensors provide such options as built-in control timers or counters. Because of hi-tech progress, self-contained photoelectric sensors have become more and more small. In addition, fibre optic is passive mechanical sensing components. They may be used with self-contained sensors. They have no electrical circuitry and no moving parts, and can safely pipe light into and out of antagonistic environments.[3] After discussing both image sensor and photoelectric sensor, we decide to use photoelectric sensor during the project. From the comparison of advantages and disadvantages, we can easily find that image sensor (usually use CCD method) is a complicated and advanced technology. It is based on photoelectric infrared transmitter and receiver, but use analogue signal to digital signal. It could be used in some complex task such as 3-D race track. In our project, we only challenge to do up to 5 meters race track. Hence, it is not so much useful to get such an exact detection. Moreover, one of the advantages of photoelectric sensor is high response. It is faster than using image sensor to detect the unknown track. Accordingly, we prefer use photoelectric infrared sensor during the project. As we know, the point of photoelectric infrared sensor is infrared. We have to confirm two beside sensors do not disturb each other work. Hence, to get an appropriate distance between two sensors is the problem in this part. From reading several example projects before, we find a majority of them prefer put all the sensors into one straight line where elicits our attention. It does not matter to put them in front or back of the robot. It is similar to the X-axis. We can define each sensor a coordinate. We prefer use seven infrared sensors (1cm space between two sensors), so we can define all of these sensors into [-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3], which are the y-coordinate. Connect a LED light to the receiver of each sensor. Thus, we can know which sensor is working and which one is not. The specific diagram of sensors are showed in 1. For example, the robot starts at the centre of black line, so the LEDs should send us a data with [0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0] (when sensor detects black line, the LED will light. Because the different reflectivity of black and white line). Then it will go along the track until meet a turning point. The receiver might be received a data with [0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0]. Thus, from the defin ition of setting before, we can identify the robot has departed from the centre of the black line to left. Therefore, the robot should turn left. There will be some possible troubles during debugging the robot car. The sensors are not reliable after using for a long time. Therefore, the fixed LEDs will solve this problem definitely. When they work, the LEDs should be lighted. 2.1.1.4 Microcontroller A Microcontroller is a small computer based on a single IC (integrated circuit) which is consisting of a relative simple central processor unit combined with specific functions such as a crystal oscillator, timers, and watchdog timer etc. [4] From the comparison with kinds of microcontroller, we choose MC33886 chip which is a member of the low-cost, high-performance HCS08 Family of 8-bit microcontroller units (MCUs). It is a monolithic H-Bridge ideal for fractional horsepower DC-motor and bi-directional thrust solenoid control. The 33886 chip is able to control continuous inductive DC load currents up to 5.0 A. Output loads can be pulse width modulated (PWM-ed)at frequencies up to 10 kHz.[5] The 33886 chip is parametrically detailed over a temperature range of -40 °C ≠¤ TA ≠¤ 125 °C, 5.0 V ≠¤ V+ ≠¤ 28 V. The IC can also be operated up to 40 V with derating of the specifications. The IC is available in a surface mount power package with uncovered pad for heat sinking. The features of MC33886 chip is showed below: [6] Features:  · Similar to the MC33186DH1 with Enhanced Features  · 5.0 V to 40 V Continuous Operation  · 120 mÃŽ © RDS(ON) H-Bridge MOSFETs  · TTL /CMOS Compatible Inputs  · PWM Frequencies up to 10 kHz  · Active Current Limiting via Internal Constant OFF-Time PWM (with Temperature-Dependent Threshold Reduction)  · Output Short Circuit Protection  · Under voltage Shutdown  · Fault Status Reporting  · Pb-Free Packaging Designated by Suffix Code VW In addition, the simplified application diagram and internal block diagram for MC33886 chip is given as follows: The 33886 chip has 20 pins. The diagram and specific Pin Layout function description will be given in 4 and table 1 as follow: Pin Layout Pin Layout Name Formal Name Description 1 AGND Analog Ground Low-current analog signal ground. 2 FS Fault Status for H-Bridge Open drain active Low Fault Status output requiring a pull-up resistor to 5.0 V. 3 IN1 Logic Input Control 1 True logic input control of OUT1 4, 5, 16 V+ Positive Power Supply Positive supply connections. 6, 7 OUT1 H-Bridge Output1 Output 1 of H-Bridge. 8, 20 DNC Do Not Connect Either do not connect or connect these pins to ground in the application. They are test mode pins used in manufacturing only. 9, 10, 11, 12 PGND Power Ground Device high-current power ground. 13 D2 Disable 2 Active Low input used to simultaneously tri-state disable both H-Bridge outputs. When D2 is logic Low, both outputs are tri-stated. 14, 15 OUT2 H-Bridge Output 2 Output 2 of H-Bridge. 17 CCP Charge Pump Capacitor External reservoir capacitor connection for internal charge pump capacitor. 18 D1 Disable 1 Active High input used to simultaneously tri-state disable both H-Bridge outputs. When D1 is logic High, both outputs are tri-stated. 19 IN2 Logic Input Control 2 True logic input control of OUT2 Table 1. Pin Layout Function Definition Some details for using the MC33886 chip should be noticed that how to use several chips together in this project. The method is using a number of MC33886 chips together in parallel. For there is no need to drive backward, hence, we could use half H-bridge and also make two half H-bridge in parallel. The consequence for this method is to enhance the driving ability of the chips. It is a common variation from full H-bridge that uses two transistors on one side of the load. Moreover, use one of the half H-bridge to drive the motor and the other one to provide power for the sensors. 2.1.1.5 Power Supply Power supply is one of the most important components and the fundament for all components working. A regulated DC power supply provides 0~15 V voltage. There are two different way to build the power supply in this project. One is using two wires to connect 0 and +15V to the DC-DC converter; the other one is building a battery on the robot itself. Both of them have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, we have to analyze both of them first.  · Wired Power supply The advantages for the wired power supply are reliable, stable, durable and savable. The power supply is a regulated DC power supply. The only thing we need to do is using wires to connect both 0 and +15V to the DC-DC converter. Because the working voltage for whatever microcontroller, sensors and stepping motors is 5 volts, we need a DC-DC converter to convert voltage from 15V to 5V. Moreover, we do not need to consider the duration of the power supply. It will still work normally even if works after several hours. Furthermore, using wired power supply is an excellent method to consider the cost during the project, for the power supply is a preference requirement in this project. Hence, we do not need to cost a lot on it. The disadvantage for the wired power supply is obviously wired. We have to let one person hold wires when it is driving. This is a consideration from personnel aspect. It is a waste of energy to the team.  · Wireless Power Supply The advantage for the wireless power supply is that we can design a really autonomous robot. We do not need to contribute one person to look after it. However, we may meet a series of problems when using battery. Firstly, it may increase the weight of whole robot. As we know, it is hard to turn left or right when you drive a high weight car. It is similar to an autonomous robot. Secondly, the duration is limited. For we have to test the robot before the race competition, the problem is how long does this pack of battery provide the power. The answer is not too long. Therefore, if we choose to use battery as the power supply, we have to solve how to charge the battery first. To sum up, it is not a good method to use battery in this project. Basically, we consider from the duration and the cost these two aspects. Accordingly, the final scheme we designed is to use wired power supply. 2.1.2 Software Because we do not have MC33886 chip yet, we have to use PIC 16F648A chip to simulate this design. It should be kinds of similar to each other, but particularly in using different software. With the purpose of writing program data into a PIC chip, a software programmer is required. In the design, a USB controlled PICkit2 may be used. We will give following steps to guild us through the generation of the programme. Moreover, make sure retain a simple ‘debug programme in order to exercise any hardware, such as a simple flashing LED. There are a series steps to help us how to program the device. We pick them up from the laboratory notes.[8] 1. Connect the PICkit2 Microcontroller Programmer to the PC by using the USB cable. Socket the 6-pin header on the bread board or frankly on to the hardware (for in-circuit programming). 2. Start MPLAB IDE from the shortcut icon on the desktop, or the Start menu. In addition, check the version number is MPLAB IDE v7.62 or above. 3. From the MPLAB IDE menu bar, select Project > Project Wizard†¦ 4. It opens up the Project Wizard. Click Next to continue. 5. Wizard Step One: The laboratory project target device is the PIC 16F648A (Which we will give an example in the next section). In the wizard, select the ‘PIC 16F648A from the drop-down box and click next. 6. Wizard Step Two: select the use of the ‘CSSC Compiler for PIC12/14/16/18 for the project language tool suite from the Active Tool suite drop-down box. We should browse so as to discover the location of the files on the hard disk. Then Click Next and continue. 7. Wizard Step Three: Name the project and select a directory. Then Click Next. 8. Wizard Step Four: There is possible that we want to add a file which has been written previously. The file tree view box on the left should already be prolonged to the project directory. Select the file which we want to add and click the ‘Add >> button to add it to the project. Since the project directory is the same as the file directory, there is no need to check the box to copy it. Then Click Next when done. 9. Wizard Summary: Click the Finish button. A new page and project are created in the MPLAB IDE. The new page includes information on the selected PIC MCU device, the active programmer and/or debugger, open windows and their location, and other IDE configuration settings. The page is also related with a ‘project, which includes the files which are needed to build an application (source code, include files, linker scripts and so on.) along with associated language (co