Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Security on the Web Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Security on the Web - Essay Example Considering all these cons, one must ensure that a good firewall is in place to keep the hackers at an arm’s length, keeping them at bay is an arduous task. This paper will shed light upon internet firewall security and how a good firewall can protect a person from malware, Trojan horses and other undesirable viruses. â€Å"The term "fire wall" originally meant, and still means, a fireproof wall intended to prevent the spread of fire from one room or area of a building to another. The Internet is a volatile and unsafe environment when viewed from a computer-security perspective, therefore "firewall" is an excellent metaphor for network security.† (What is a firewall?) Firewall is not something general, it means several specific things and it is supposed to do several important things to ensure that a user is safeguarded against attacks. Packet filtering is perhaps the most important job of a regular firewall. All the internet activities like downloads, chats and so on a re done in packets, and these packets contain information. Firewall must ensure that these packets are either allowed or disallowed based on the source of the internet protocol address known as the IP address. The destination port of these packets is also very important, the firewall is supposed to allow or disallow these packets purely on the basis of their destination port. Firewall must follow a protocol and allow or disallow packets or information based on the set protocol. This method of packet filtering is highly effective against malware and other dangerous attacks but this is not a foolproof plan. All traffic can be blocked by a firewall which does not make much sense; it should allow certain packets which are safe for the user to receive. It has its weaknesses like it becomes very difficult for a basic firewall to detect spoofing which means the information contained in the packets is falsified. Allowed packets may contain a bug which can retrieve a password and cause unwan ted actions, a basic firewall is vulnerable to these dangers. Circuit relay is another type of firewall which provides enhanced security, application level gateway is perhaps the most advanced of all and provides even better security. Static Packet Filtering: â€Å"Static packet filtering is a firewall and routing capability that provides network packet filtering based only on packet information in the current packet and administrator rules.† (Statistic Packet Filtering) Static packet filtering is based on the following important things: The administrator defines rules. The allowed ports and IP addresses are set by the administrator and only the allowed ports are allowed to send and receive packets. The transport layer contents, the network and the packet contents are all determined by the administrator. Better level of security is provided by the dynamic packet filtering. Static packet filtering does not look at the contents closely, on the contrary dynamic packet filtering screens contents very closely, previous connection states are also considered by dynamic packet filtering which static packet filtering fails to do. The packet headers are very important under static packet filtering, the information stored in the headers determines whether packets should be allowed or dropped. These headers are compared against the control policy which is set by the administrator. Below is an illustration which presents the same concept very comprehensively. (Static Packet Filt

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Determinants of Intra-industry Trade

Determinants of Intra-industry Trade Intra-industry trade has been growing rapidly in the past three decades. The main characteristic for intra-industry trade is countries import and export same kind of goods but different levels of quality. Likewise, in intra-industry trade, the goods exchanged are not perfect substitutes. Many studies suggest that more specialized trade structure and more developed countries lead to higher intra-industry trade. Menon (1996) found that in Malaysia and Singapore there was more than 60 percent of the growth in the intra-ASEAN trade in the period of 1986 and 1991 was because of the intra-industry trade growth. Based on the David Ricardo’s economic theories, different countries have their comparative advantage in different manufacture production. Of which, individual regions or countries will specialize in production and thereby export goods that can be produced with comparatively cheaper price than other countries. Increasing in returns and monopolistic competition bring additional possibilities for intra-industry trade among countries. Intra-industry trade usually will takes place in the countries that have similar social structure and economical. Meanwhile, the key factors that affecting intra-industry trade are product differentiation, human capital intensity and economies of scale (Hu Ma, 1999). In a related study, Krugman (1979) developed new theoretical framework which vary from the traditional Heckscher-Ohlin theorem, they introducing models of monopolistic competition that determine increasing returns to scale and the demand of consumers for the varieties of differentiated products as key drivers of intra-industry trade. Besides, Duc (1994) also determined that economic size and capital endowment are important determinants of Intra-industry trade. According to the Thorpe and Zhang (2005), the supply-induced effect on economies of scale ensures production in great volumes of differentiated products. It is because in order to meet consumer’s demand for more variety, the manufacturers can take advantage of economies of scale in production then specializes in production of a variety product. Furthermore, the manufacturers in larger economies will have larger domestic market and more resources. Thus, there is higher possibility for investors to enjoy the economies of scale in production and increase the production of differentiated products. Bernatonyte and Normantiene (2007) mention that intra-industry is important for the changes of economy of a country. Intra-industry trade exploits economies of scale and stimulates innovation. Besides, it changes the structure of goods and nature of international trade in the way of increasing specialization and the increases of the variety of goods throughout differentiated products. Consumers have more choices of goods and the countries can gain benefits from larger markets. Therefore, they concluded that intra-industry is more beneficial than inter-industry trade since intra-industry trade. However, besides of economies of scale and product differentiation, there is also a lot other determinants that can influence the intra-industry trade. Thorpe and Zhang (2005) and Hirschberg, Sheldon and Dayton (1994), identified that there is a positive relationship between economy size and the intra-industry trade. They concluded that economic size of a country can influence the volume of trade. Other than that, the difference in the economies size of trading partners outlines the ability of a country to produce differentiated products. With different sizes of economies, larger economy have the higher demand for differentiated products and they can take advantage of economies of scale to export large volumes of differentiated products and meanwhile, the smaller country are forced to import those differentiated products since they not able to benefit from economies of scale in their own production. Moreover, Khalifah (1996) states that there is a positive relationship between the economic openness and intra-industry trade. The ASEAN countries have different level of openness. She concluded that countries with lower openness, such as Myammar and Indonesia, are expected to have less participation in intra-industry trade in ASEAN. In contract, the higher openness of Malaysia and Singapore are expected to contribute more in intra-industry trade. During the period of 1986 to 1990, there was more than half of ASEAN’s manufacturing trade is carried out under intra-industry type. The openness to foreign investment in Malaysia in the late 1980s had led to a rapid increase in foreign capital, which main on the manufacturing sector and results the expansion of trade in differentiated products. Apart from that, Singapore is also a very open and competitive country. It has generally lowest tariff barriers among ASEAN countries, followed by Malaysia and other countries. Singapore generated a high level of intra-industry trade since 1970s and it was traded heavily with Malaysia since then. Nonetheless, it is found that low openness country, Indonesia had very low level of intra-industry trade during the 1970s but slowly increased in the 1980s. As mentioned by Khalifah (1996) the intra-industry trade between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are more in intermediate goods compared to consumer goods. Indonesia’s intra industry trade is mainly intermediate goods such as primary and processed fuels and lubricant whereas Singapore’s intra-industry trade consists mainly of electronic goods, refined petroleum products, copolymerization, polymerization and natural rubber latex, which in among the top 13 import-export products. This indicates that protectionist sentiment will be minimizes with AFTA since it is under the interest of producers and consumers to maintain free trade environment. In addition, geographical closeness will results the psychological and cultural similarities where increasing trade in differentiated products and having same consumption patterns. Thus, it is offsetting the effects of lower costs through economies of scale. Geographical distance is a natural international trade barrier. The transportation and information costs reduce the volume of intra-industry trade (Thorpe Zhang, 2005). Although, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are located at different geography location and their residents have different preference demands. But because these three countries are just located nearby for each other in Asia, they have actually quite similar cultural and consumption pattern. Besides, the shorter distance and lower information costs allow them to trade to each other more easily. Therefore, there were already many years of bilateral trade history among these three countries. They import goods and services from countries that offer the lowest price, and export goods and services to countries that can receive highest price. This is good for both buyers and sellers in these three countries. The intra-industry trade is very important for all these three countries because the world having scarce resource, intra-industry trade can increase their residents’ standard of living. References Bernatonytel, D. Normantiene, A. (2007). Estimation of Importance of Intra-industry Trade. Engineering Economics, 3(53), 25-34. Duc, N.H. (1994). Intra-industry trade among Asia-Pacific economies: a case study in econometric analysis. Economics Division Working Papers, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra. Hirschberg, J.G., Sheldon, I.M., Dayton, J.R. (1994). An analysis of bilateral intra-industry trade in the food processing sector. Applied Economics, 26, 159-167. Hu, X., Ma, Y. (1999). International intra-industry trade of China. Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv, 135, 82-101. Khalifah, N. A. (1996). AFTA and Intra-industry Trade. ASEAN Economic Bulletin, 12 (3), 351-368. Menon, J. (1996). The dynamics of IIT in ASEAN. Asian Economic Journal, 10, 105–15. Thorpe, M. W. (1993). Intra-industry trade and ASEAN-The experience of Malaysia, The Philippines and Singapore, Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Economics, Florida State University College of Social Sciences, Florida USA. Thorpe, M. Zhang, Z. (2005). Study of the Measurement and Determinants of Intra-industry Trade in East Asia. Asian Economic Journal, 19(2), 231-247.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Tragic Flaws in Oedipus the King Essay example -- Oedipus the King Ess

Oedipus the King, Sophocles’ classical Greek tragedy, presents tragic flaw(s) as the cause of   the near-total destruction of the life of the protagonist. This essay examines that flaw. In his essay â€Å"Sophoclean Tragedy† Friedrich Nietzsche agrees that there is an â€Å"error† within the protagonist, but refrains from specifying exactly what it is: The most pathetic figure of the Greek theatre, the unfortunate Oedipus, Sophocles takes to be a noble man called to error and alienation in spite of his wisdom, yet called too, in the end, through monstrous suffering, to radiate a magic power rich in a blessing which works even after he passes on. . . . these very actions attract a higher, magical circle of influences which ground a new world upon the rubble of the old (16-17). Not all critics believe that there was â€Å"error† within the protagonist. Some critics, like Herbert J. Muller in his essay â€Å"How Sophocles Viewed and Portrayed the Gods,† believe that Oedipus had no tragic flaw, that he was an innocent victim of the gods: Nor is there in Oedipus the King the deep sense of outrage that modern readers may feel. None of the characters, including the chorus, complains that Thebans are suffering for no fault of their own, in this plague sent by the gods; they simply assume that Thebes must be properly purified of its defilement. Although technically innocent, Oedipus accepts his â€Å"guilt†. . . .(56) This reader, however, disagrees with the above critic, and agrees with Aristotle’s analysis. In his essay â€Å"On Misunderstanding the Oedipus the King,† E. R. Dodds takes the reader back to Aristotle in his consideration of this question of the flaw: I shall take Aristotle as my starting point. . . . From the thirteenth chapter of... ...clean Tragedy.† In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Nietzsche, Friedrich. â€Å"Sophoclean Tragedy.† In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Segal, Charles. Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993. â€Å"Sophocles† In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Transl. by F. Storr. no pag. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOedi Van Nortwick, Thomas.   Oedipus: The Meaning of a Masculine Life. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Koyal – a Multi-Purpose Expert System – Md-Cob-Coa Knowledge Representation Using Prolog in J2Se

Koyal – A Multi-purpose Expert System – MD-CoB-CoA Knowledge Representation Using PROLOG in J2SE Prof. Sreedhar Babu Department of Electrical Engineering Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham Amritapuri, Kerala [email  protected] com Archana, Vineeth & Veena Department of Computer Science & Applications Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham Amritapuri, Kerala [email  protected] com Abstract— Expert systems are AI? s greatest commercial success. It is a research-oriented application area of AI. An expert system uses knowledge specific to a problem domain to provide â€Å"expert quality† performance. Predicate logic is being used for knowledge representation which is further programmed using PROLOG inference engine for deriving intelligent conclusions. The current research paper introduces a rule-based expert system that provides a medical diagnosis for determining the health problems and classification of birds and animals. The user has to have some knowledge about these topics so that he can query the system. Three knowledge bases are provided for each domain. The specialized computer language PROLOG embedded into J2SE is used to develop this system. Keywords-component: Expert System; Knowledge-base; Medical Diagnosis, Rule-based ES, Knowledge representation PROLOG; J2SE. 1. INTRODUCTION : THE KOYAL EXPERT SYSTEM The current paper of Koyal has mainly two modules: 1. 1. Knowledge Base 1. 2. User Interface 1. 1 Knowledge Base [1 & 2] Mainly, three knowledge bases are required for the system. They are bird? s knowledge base for identifying a bird, animal knowledge base for identifying an animal and a disease knowledge base for medical diagnose. The system uses this knowledge base for finding solutions. Knowledge is represented in rule-based format. The rule of the system is in the form of: IF first premise and second premise, and †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. THEN conclusion This is semantically same as a Prolog rule: conclusion:first_ premise, second_ premise, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Premises are written as attribute-value pair. The attribute is represented as a predicate and the value as the argument to the predicate. Each knowledge base will have to have a high-level goal, which calls the sub goals to be satisfied. When all the premises are satisfied, then the final conclusion is obtained. . 2. User Interface The user interface is the Prolog interpreter? s interface, and the input data is stored directly in the program. It is implemented in Java by loading the prolog inference engine into the java program. The prolog program itself will provide a user interface. The predicate ask and menuask will provide these functions. The ask is responsible is for getting the information from t he user and remembering the user? s response. The ask predicate will have to determine from the user whether or not a given attribute-value pair is true. The ask prompts the user with the requested attribute and value and seeks confirmation or denial of the proposed information. The ask is represented as object-attribute-value triples where the attribute values are tied to various objects in the system. The menuask will further improve the user interface by adding a menu capability which gives the user a list of possible values for an attribute. The main precondition of our Koyal System is that a common user who has no knowledge about the specialized „domain? annot interact with the system and in such a situation the output accuracy will depend on the user inputs. 2. Description of the System Flow The system flow chart represented in the figure 2 displays the flow of the information from one process to another . We can say that it is a detailed representation of the structured chart in the Fig. 2. 1. 2. 1. User The user will enter the text and this text is passed to the inference engine. 2. 2. Inference Engine A rule-based syste m requires some kind of program to manipulate the rules – for example to decide which ones are ready to fire. (i. . which ones have conditions that match the contents of working memory). The program that does this is called an inference engine, because in many rule-based systems, the task of the system is to infer something from knowledge base. This inference engine will prove or disprove the goal/rules in the knowledge base and used to derive conclusions. e. g. a diagnosis, from the data using the rules. 2. 3. Knowledge base The knowledge base contains rules which describe general knowledge about a particular problem domain. 2. 4. User Interface The User Interface will interact with the user i. e. it will query the user for getting information to satisfy goals inside knowledge base. The predicates ask and menuask works here to gather information from user. 2. 5. Working Memory The working memory of a rule-based system is a store of information used by the system to decide wh ich of the condition-action rules in the knowledge base is able to be fire. It might be used to store intermediate conclusions i. e. the satisfied goals and any other information inferred by the system from the data (using the condition-action rules). Finally the inference engine will infer the working memory more solution. . Knowledge Representation Using PL [4 & 5] Since Predicate Logic is one of the oldest and most important logistical approach for reasoning, primarily developed and used in the area of mathematics by logicians as a means of formal reasoning and now it is vastly being used by the programmers for expert systems for its flexibility of accurate natural language representation, this paper also includes the various methods of knowledge representation supported by Predicate Logic that can be conveniently programmed with the PROLOG programming language. The major predicates that are being used in the paper include: The following symbols will be used for logical connectives. ~ not or negation & and or conjunction V or or disjunction ? if †¦ then or implication ? If and only if or double implication Valid statements or sentences in PL are determined according to the rules of propositional syntax. For the estimated validity of uncertainties, heuristics based on either fuzzy or neural network or neuro-fuzzy can be implemented. Let the predicate function B(X) be a bird with a particular name X, then the composite predicate B(X) which needs various functional variables to be satisfied type of family, color, head, voice, flight type, throat, type of food it eats, country, region, tail, size etc. †¦ Fig. 3. 1 represents the associate network for the classification of birds. For X = albatross, the functional variables are family type, color, size etc. are indicated, i. e. , if N1(F), N3(C) and N9(S) are the predicate functions with variables, family type, color and size of birds etc. , then the w. f. f. (well-formed formulae) can be written as follows, E1: ? X BIRD(X) E2: B (N1(F) & N2(O) & N4(N) & N5 (L) & N6(Bi) & N9(S) & N10(W) & N3(C) ) E3: B (N1 (albatross) & N2 (tubenose) & N4 (external_tubular) & N5(at_sea) & N6(hooked) & N9(large) & N10(long_narrow) & N3(white) ) E1 > E2 The various predicates for E2 are defined in E3 ? X B(X) > E3 resulting in X = laysan_albatross The various functional predicates of the composite predicate expression E1 specified in E2 as B (N1(F) & N2(O) & N4(N) & N5 (L) & N6(Bi) & N9(S) & N10(W) & N3(C) ) where F indicated family, O indicates order, N indicates nostrils, L indicates live at, Bi indicates bill, S indicates size, W indicates wings, C indicates color . . Working of the System: [6] †¢ User enters the problem which he wants to know about the particular domain. †¢ The entered query is analyzed and a keyword is extracted depending on the â€Å"domains†. †¢ The keyword is passed to the inference engine. †¢ The inference engine will call the high level goal of the knowledge base that starts the program. †¢ ask/2 and menuask/3 predicate will poses questions to the users and get enough information which is used to satisfy the sub-goals. †¢ Known/3 predicate is used to remember the answer entered by the user. The built-in predicate „asserta? stores the satisfied goals dynamically in the working memory. †¢ Another built-in predicate retractall/1 is used to delete clauses dynamically from the prolog internal database during the execution of a goal thus backtracking can be avoided. †¢ Finally the inference engine will retrieve the final goal from the working memory and provide solution to the user problem. Fig 4. 2 describes the various major predicate functions implemented in Koyal J2SE with PROLOG as supportive declarative language. 5. SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING [3 & 7] 5. Introduction to System Implementation Implementation is the stage of project. When the theoretical design is turned into a working system. At this stage the main work load, the greatest upheaval and the major impact on the existing practices shifts to the user department. Prolog files include knowledge base and user interface. The size of the knowledge depends on the awareness of the creator about the domain. By referring theses knowledge base the system will derive solution for the problems. Knowledge base is one factor which determines the expertness of a system. It defines a common vocabulary for researchers who need to share information about the domain. It includes machine-interpretable definitions of basic concepts in the domain and relationship among them. 5. 3 TESTING Testing methodologies are adopted in the course of any system development. Any systems performance is based on testing that it follows. Some of the most prominent methods are: †¢ White Box †¢ Black Box 5. 3. 1 White Box Under white box testing the modules were tested individually and all the bugs were eliminated. This testing method has been of little influence to the whole project since most of the modules have to be integrated for well functioning. 5. 3. 2 Black Box The core testing was undertaken under this testing. Once all the modules were integrated the whole system was tested to ensure that it matches with the specification. 6. THE CONSTRAINTS OF KOYAL EXPERT SYSTEM: 1. The knowledge of the Koyal expert system is domain specific. 2 . Identification of the keyword is critical 3. The user should have some knowledge about the domain otherwise the system will respond with less accuracy. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We humbly express our gratitude to Sri Mata Amritanandamayi, the Chancellor of Amrita Visva Vidya Peettam and the fellow faculty and student members of computer science for the successful completion in the prototype design and implementation phases. REFERENCES Websites: ? ? ? ? http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Expert_system http://www. wtec. org/loyola/kb/c1_s1. htm http://www. aaai. org/aitopics/pmwiki/pmwiki. php/AIT opics/ExpertSystems http://www. paine. org/students/lectures/lect3/node7. ht ml Fig. 5. is the architectural flow diagram of Koyal for the classification of birds, animals and the medical diagnosis. If the implementation stage is not carefully planned and controlled, it can cause chaos. Implementation involves careful planning, investigation of the current system and its constraints on implementation, design of methods to achieve the changeover, training of staff in the changeover procedure and evaluation of changeover methods. This phase of implementation has allowed us to integrate various cutting edge technologies in the project which involves the implementation of Prolog and Java. Testing phase included white box testing and black box testing thought most of the testing was performed as system testing. 5. 2 IMPLEMENTATION The implementation phase of software development is concerned with the translation of the structural design specification into source code. The primary goal is to write source code and internal documentation. Testing, Debugging and modification are performed in this phase also. The first step in developing an expert system has been the creation of a Prototype model of the actual system on the basis of the reference model available. In case of an expert system each system? s knowledge is domain specific so every system has its own advantage and disadvantage. We cannot consider the system as expert in every aspect. This will require time and much effort to develop such a spool proof system. After testing the prototype further modification were incorporated in it by including extra features and implementing the knowledge base part of our system. The prototype is then tested. After the user is satisfied with the function of the prototype the actual system is developed. JPL is a library using the SWI-Prolog foreign interface and the Java jni interface providing a bidirectional interface between Java and Prolog that can be used to embed Prolog in Java as well as for embedding Java in Prolog. In both setups it provides a reentrant bidirectional interface. jpl allows the loading of prolog engine to Java. Thereby we can load the prolog files which contain knowledge regarding the domains. ? Books: http://www. primenet. com/pcai/New_Home_Page/ai_in fo/expert_systems. html A Guide to Expert Systems by Donald A. Waterman Ist Edition, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. [2] Russell, S. and P. Norvig, 2002. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, Prentice Hall, Second Edition. [3] Analysis and design of information systems by V. Rajaraman, 5th print, PH [1] Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems by Dan W. Patternson, PHI Pvt. Limited, Eighth Reprint 2000. [5] Expert Systems Theoty and Practices by Jean-Louis Ermine, PHp Publications, 2007 [6] Introduction to Expert Systems by Peter Jackson, Addison-Wesley, Pearson Education Asia ltd. , Reprint 2000 [7] Foundation of Artificial Intelligences and Expert Systems† by V S Janakiraman, K Sarukesi, P Gopalakrishnan, Macmillan Series in Computed Science, Reprint 2001. [4]

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Wal-Mart Negotiation Analysis

Although it was several years ago now, in 1988 a 24-year old man was injured at his local Wal-Mart store after tripping over several rocking chairs. The man claims that as he turned the corner of an aisle he tripped over three 1. 5 foot-high children’s rocking chairs, which caused several injuries, some of which were lacerated forehead, several strains and sprains, a jaw injury and even blackout spells (Laska, 2000). This example of a negotiation lawsuit would classify as a distributive negotiation because of several different reasons. First, the only item of value being discussed is settlement money, and in order for the negotiation to be considered an integrative negotiation, the opposing parties typically have additional items of value to discuss for trade. Also, there is no personal relationship between the opposing sides of the negotiation, which in this particular case are the Wal-Mart Corporation and the injured man. Finally, a distributive negotiation is considered to be a win-lose scenario and clearly, either the man or the Wal-Mart Corporation would win the negotiation. Originally, the injured man sued the company for $100,033. 57, and although the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in his favor, the amount was lowered. The jury determined that although his injuries were worth compensation, $73,525. 18 was considered a more appropriate sum. In addition, the plaintiff’s wife was awarded $10,000 for loss of consortium. Even though some people may feel as though an injury due to tripping over a child’s toy is a case that does not hold much water, fortunately for the injured man his case was fairly cut and dry. The store could have prevented the injury if the rocking chairs were properly displayed. Therefore the store was responsible and held liable. This type of negotiation is intended for the benefit of one party and is typically settled out of court because companies try to avoid court appearance when possible. Integrative Article: NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement Although the National Basketball Association will be facing changes to their Collective Bargaining Agreement within the next year, the most recent negotiation, which is held between players and teams, was held in 2005. This negotiation is intended to discuss important terms in the players’ contracts, which include salary amounts, length of contracts, rookie salary terms, and salary caps. On the other end of the negotiation, the teams are interested in discussing factors such as trade rules, the escrow level, and the allowed tax on the teams (Morton, 2010). This article demonstrates an integrative negotiation because it is more of a win-win scenario for the opposing parties, which as previously mentioned, include the players and the teams. Since both parties have much to gain from the agreement, they are willing to put more on the table. Also part of an integrative negotiation, both parties have not only their best interest in mind, but also the interest of the opposing side, primarily because of the relationship established between the two. The players and teams are interested in the well being of each other because both are affected by each other. This demonstrates why distributive negotiations are different from integrative, because there is no relationship between the two parties. Although integrative negotiations are often successful, most negotiations are distributive because most opposing parties are not interested in the other. This type of negotiation technique is intended for a established pair of negotiators. Examples in the Workplace Considering that I work in a childcare center, negotiation strategies are not commonly used. However, a childcare director would have a few different scenarios in which negotiation techniques could be beneficial. Although in society today, distributive negotiations are much more common, integrative negotiations are used more often in childcare, in fact, they are used more often in most workplaces. One example of how integrative negotiations are used is through a request for a pay raise. Just like the article examining the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, I have used integrative negotiation techniques in the past when I asked for an hourly pay raise. Instead of demanding a raise, which would be more like a distributive negotiation, I discussed how both the center that I work for and myself would benefit from a raise. I explained what I had to offer the company in exchange for the raise, while the benefit to myself is obviously of monetary value. It is similar to the saying, you will catch more bees with honey than vinegar, I will have more success in getting what I am asking for by being professional and polite than by having high expectations and demanding to get what I ask for. Although both types of negotiation techniques can be successful in the appropriate setting, integrative negotiations are more practical for my line of work.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

A Knight in Shining Armor essays

A Knight in Shining Armor essays In her 1989 novel A Knight in Shining Armor, author Jude Devurax shows her readers how the power of love can overcome obstacles, and win in the struggle of good against evil. It takes a journey through two time spans showing the difference in civilizations and the importance of believing in yourself and keeping true to your dreams. A Knight in Shining Armor begins as a girl named Dougless Montgomery has taken a trip to visit the English Countryside with her boyfriend, Robert, and his daughter, Gloria. As the trip progresses she gets in a fight with her boyfriend and he abandons her in the foreign country with no money, or way of getting back to America. Being stranded at a church, she feels as if she is a failure, and leans on a nearby tomb stone crying out for her Knight in Shining Armor. Suddenly a man dressed in armor and carrying a sword appears on the scene. He is Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyke, who was executed on a charge of treason in 1564, but had somehow heard Douglesss cries. He now found himself in the year of 1988, standing next to Dougless. Dougless takes him around the new time period teaching him of all her knowledge, and helping him to understand and discover this new world he has come to live in. When he learns that he has been executed and made a fool of during his lifetime, he and Dougless try to find the answers of why he had been put to death. They embark on this journey travelling to Nicholass castles and looking into books and research, to try to discover the reasons of Nicholass unfortunate death, and of what had occurred. In this journey, they also fall in love and begin to have a relationship, in which they do not want to leave each other. Nicholas does not wish to return back to his family, wives, and life of luxury. Through this process they are never quite aware of when Nicholas will disappear just as quickly as he appeared into Dou...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Themes Of Freedom In Chopin’s “The Story Of An Hour”

now reflected freedom or breaking from bondage. At the beginning of the story, Louise Mallard has just learned of her husband’s death. Chopin describes Louise as a woman who is â€Å"afflicted with heart trouble† and not capable of handling news of death. Her sister, Josephine, and her husband’s friend, Richards, both expect her reaction to cause problems with her heart. These lines reflect how she is viewed in her household. Chopin hints that she is treated as a prisoner, not allowed to enjoy life because of her ailments. From the very beginning, the reader gets the idea that Mrs. Mallard was oppressed in her marriage. When the news of Mr. Mallard’s death finally reaches Louise, she is described as not reacting as many women would. â€Å"She wept as once, with a sudden, wild abandonment† and then retired to her room â€Å"when the storm of grief had passed.† The quick passing of her grief is something that surprises her. Louise begins to reflect upon her situation and rationalizes her reaction. Here the story changes tone and become happy. Almost directly to the reader, Chopin manages to relate her views on relationships. While coming to terms with her situation, Louise bluntly states that â€Å"there would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men... Free Essays on Themes Of Freedom In Chopin’s â€Å"The Story Of An Hour† Free Essays on Themes Of Freedom In Chopin’s â€Å"The Story Of An Hour† Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is a short, yet complex piece. In only a few paragraphs, Chopin manages to describe the final hour or Mrs. Louise Mallard while giving the reader hidden details about her life. This story is overflowing with symbolism. The most prominent theme that I perceived was a longing to be free. Chopin uses words that would that would suggest imprisonment in the first few paragraphs of the story. After Mrs. Mallard has reflected upon her situation and realized that she was no longer married, the descriptive words now reflected freedom or breaking from bondage. At the beginning of the story, Louise Mallard has just learned of her husband’s death. Chopin describes Louise as a woman who is â€Å"afflicted with heart trouble† and not capable of handling news of death. Her sister, Josephine, and her husband’s friend, Richards, both expect her reaction to cause problems with her heart. These lines reflect how she is viewed in her household. Chopin hints that she is treated as a prisoner, not allowed to enjoy life because of her ailments. From the very beginning, the reader gets the idea that Mrs. Mallard was oppressed in her marriage. When the news of Mr. Mallard’s death finally reaches Louise, she is described as not reacting as many women would. â€Å"She wept as once, with a sudden, wild abandonment† and then retired to her room â€Å"when the storm of grief had passed.† The quick passing of her grief is something that surprises her. Louise begins to reflect upon her situation and rationalizes her reaction. Here the story changes tone and become happy. Almost directly to the reader, Chopin manages to relate her views on relationships. While coming to terms with her situation, Louise bluntly states that â€Å"there would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Definition and Examples of Red Herrings in Logic

Definition and Examples of Red Herrings in Logic In logic and rhetoric, a red herring is an observation that draws attention away from the central issue in an argument or discussion; an informal logical fallacy. Also called a decoy. In certain types of fiction (especially in mystery and detective stories), authors deliberately use red herrings as a plot device to mislead readers (metaphorically, to throw them off the scent) in order to maintain interest and generate suspense.The term red herring (an idiom) supposedly arose from the practice of distracting hunting dogs by dragging a smelly, salt-cured herring across the trail of the animal they were pursuing. Examples and Observations A red herring is a detail or remark inserted into a discussion, either intentionally or unintentionally, that sidetracks the discussion. The red herring is invariably irrelevant and is often emotionally charged. The participants in the discussion go after the red herring and forget what they were initially talking about; in fact, they may never get back to their original topic.(Robert J. Gula, Nonsense: Red Herrings, Straw Men and Sacred Cows: How We Abuse Logic in Our Everyday Language. Axios, 2007)Some analysts even question the widespread assumption that rising consumption in developing nations will continue to force up food prices. Paul Ashworth, senior international economist at Capital Economics, calls that argument a red herring, saying that consumption of meat in China and India has reached a plateau.(Patrick Falby, Economy: Panicked About Expensive Food And Oil? Don’t Be. Newsweek, Dec. 31, 2007-Jan. 7, 2008) Alastair Campbells Red Herring Credit where credit is due. In the space of a couple of days, Alastair Campbell has managed to turn an argument about the way the government presented its case for war in Iraq into an entirely different dispute about the way the BBC covered what was going on in Whitehall at the time. As a piece of news management, it has been brilliantly done. Hats off to Mr Campbell for the way he pulled the trick. It is easy to imagine, in years to come, how a new generation of trainee spin doctors will be raised on this case study of how the master was able to wrongfoot his tormentors so successfully.Brilliant or not, what Mr. Campbell has achieved is largely a classic use of a very pungent red herring. The BBCs reporting, though important, is not in fact the real issue; that is the strength of the case for action against Iraq. Nor is the red herring within a red herring about single sourced stories really relevant either; if your source is good enough, then the story is too.(Labours Phoney War, T he Guardian [UK],  June 28, 2003) Red Herrings in a Henning Mankell Mystery Novel There is something in the report that disturbs me, [President de Clerk] said. Let us assume there are red herrings laid out in appropriate places. Let us imagine two different sets of circumstances. One is that its me, the president, who is the intended victim. Id like you to read the report with that in mind, Scheepers. Id also like you to consider the possibility that these people intend to attack both Mandela and myself. That doesnt mean Im excluding the possibility that it really is Mandela these lunatics are after. I just want you to think critically about what you are doing. Pieter van Heerden was murdered. That means there are eyes and ears everywhere. Experience has taught me that red herrings are an important part of intelligence work. Do you follow me?(Henning Mankell,  The White Lioness, trans. by Laurie Thompson. The New Press, 2011) The Lighter Side of Red Herrings What about Red Herring, maam?Im not sure. Is Red Herring a red herring?  Or is it the fact that were meant to think  Red Herring is a  red herring that is actually the red herring?Or perhaps the fact youre meant to think Red Herring isnt a red herring is what makes Red Herring a red herring after all.Were talking serious metaherrings here.(Jasper Fforde, One of Our Thursdays Is Missing. Viking, 2011)

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The beneficial and harmfulness of bureaucracy to the reality of Essay

The beneficial and harmfulness of bureaucracy to the reality of society - Essay Example However it poses severe limitation on individual freedom and idea of republican sovereignty. In a bureaucratic society there is regulation, hierarchy, specialization of tasks, personal and professional life. In a bureaucratic society there is division of labor and competition. There is a legal ideology and many societies have large bureaucratic administration system to manage their common affairs. The countries like India, China, Japan, France and Germany has developed a specialized system of bureaucracy in response to class struggle and monarchy. The maintenance of property relation, production system and labor system are all part of bureaucracy .Bureaucracy is a part of political system and it owes to the existence of a civil society .Bureaucracy is an integral part of many societies and it has its own benefits and harmfulness to the society. Bureaucracy being a system created for a civil society has lot of benefits to offer to a society .In a bureaucracy, the administrative system of a society is in an organized and strategic manner. There is a hierarchy of power and responsibility and there is no misunderstanding regarding the authorization of a person. In such a case people in a society can approach the right person to resolve their issue. Also, in bureaucracy there is fair chance to people and it discourages favoritism. Bureaucrats have good education and responsibility which means they can serve the people in a society in a better way. Much social process in a society takes place with the help of bureaucrats and it makes many areas of government work in a systematic manner. They work to promote public interest and like every day heroes. A society has people from various class, race and religion and in bureac there is no individual difference and people can expect equality. Bureaucracy promises fairness and equality and this is the best part. For a complex

Friday, October 18, 2019

Employee Motivation and Incentives Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employee Motivation and Incentives - Coursework Example Commitment entails doing one’s respective responsibility simultaneously with the other workers so that each unit or department complements each other in the entire work process; making a smooth flow of coordinated steps that will lead to the accomplishment of a particular goal (Dess et al, 2010: 24-25). Realizing goals likewise needs good employee performance. It is significant that the goals envisioned are inspiring enough to motivate workers to do their job well and to give their best at work. Therefore, all goals or objectives must be practical and achievable within a given timeframe so that even the simple clerk understands the effort involved (Dess et al, 2010: 24). 2. Are all native moods equal? If not, explain why. Not all native moods are equal because an individual has a different perception and reaction to certain issues and situations in and out of the working environment. A connection has often been observed between an employee’s mood and the different aspec ts that he or she has to deal with in the workplace. This includes doing a satisfactory job output, being creative and motivated; and responding positively to the task imposed of being a team player (MT, 2008: n.p.). While individual moods of employees vary, it is essential to consider that the collective mood or the mood of the majority of the workers at a given time and place will have a more significant impact for generating success for the company or organization. Relatively, moods are contagious especially if it comes from the top brass of the management, like the supervisors and managers who can either make the employees’ working environment an enjoyable or a miserable one since it affects the entire team’s spirit; thus determining the general attitude employees exhibit within the workplace (MT, 2008: n.p.). Giving employees positive feed back once in a while lessens the friction of passing on bad moods thereby enhancing work quality and lessening insecurities. 3 . Discuss the importance of participation and its effect in increasing work effectiveness. Recent economic changes have opened the eyes of most business owners about how a company or organization must be managed. This includes the fact that the rank and file employees must likewise be given the opportunity to participate in management decisions about the wellbeing of the entire organization. In most large and medium organizations or corporations, the collective voice of the workers is often heard through the union. While smaller company employees tend to negotiate directly with their respective company owners regarding benefits and working hours. The essence of workers or employee participation normally depends on the economic and social benefits they will be receiving. Some firms offer their workers a stake in the company, which in an economic standpoint encourages workers to work better because they have some financial investment within the entity. On the other hand, organizations that cater to the social needs of their employees by giving them better job security or tenure equally give satisfaction in knowing that they still have a job tomorrow with a steady income to pay for their expenses. Hence employees are propelled to do their work well so the company or organization can achieve its objective in having better financial stability (Summers et al, 2005.: p. 2). 4. Identify an organization and study the punishment practices

Atomic Bombing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Atomic Bombing - Essay Example The consequences of nuclear warfare were already foreseen, and as a matter of fact, at the top of its official voice that was publicly aired, in the midst of the heated issue of race for nuclear armaments the US abhorred potential destructions that may be brought by nuclear bombing to people, country and the entire world. Despite this, the US still remained to secretly initiate scientific researchers that would potentially pave the way for better understanding of the atomic bombs. Its actual bombing using this nuclear weapon in Japan had eventually proven to help it win its war with this country. However, it is evident that it simply orchestrated a move that was a bit contradictory to its personal public statement in line with its stand on nuclear warfare and even on the rudimentary issue on the race for nuclear armaments with the Soviet Union and other parts of the world. At this point, it is important to assess such secrecy involved associated with the creation of atomic bombs prio r to the actual consecutive bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Secrets laboratory studies pertaining to atomic bombs in one way or another could be a form of betrayal of public trust on the part of the US. Thus, it could be remarkably observed that the desire of the US to reach its competitive edge over the other seems bred in the bone. The point of keeping the whole thing about atomic bomb exploration secret from the world connotes there must be something the US devised to achieve in the future. In fact, this plan was eventually disclosed when Japan was taken by surprise and shuddered at the possibility that the US eventually created nuclear armaments, enough to destroy the entire world. The whole point is now clear, and there were two possible things that the US simply wanted to share

Human Resource Management and Business Strategy Case Study

Human Resource Management and Business Strategy - Case Study Example Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, Southwest's founders, wanted to provide frequent, low-cost service in busy markets of less than 500 miles. Instead of considering other airlines such as United and Continental as competition, Southwest considered the automobile and bus service as major competition. Southwest's flights were typically point-to-point - nonstop from originating airport to destination airport, although connections were available for customers who wanted them. By the late 1990s, Southwest was the world's richest and most profitable major airline, while other players like United, Continental suffered heavy losses in an industry that had grown mature and highly saturated. Southwest's growth was driven by growing demand for the product that Southwest delivered so well: reliable low cost travel. Consumer behavior shifted towards greater price sensitivity in the early 1990s, motivated by a downturn in the business cycle and made possible by increasing corporate control over business travel. The shift appeared to affect business travelers as well as leisure travels, partly through corporate directives to cut down travel costs. While other airlines were wondering what to do, Southwest Airlines was well positioned to benefit from the increasingly price-savvy customer that it had helped to create. The purpose of this case study is to study how this competitive advantage was created by Southwest Airlines by leveraging its human resources. The structure that the report will follow will comprise of answers to two questions which deal with identifying how human resources can become a source of sustainable competitive advantage and how to deal with problems as the company becomes bigger and older. Question No. 1 How did Southwest use Human Resource Management practices to ensure the success of their business model Business Model According to Langdon (2003), the "business model," is a comprehensive description of business as an integrated system functioning in an intimate relationship with the broader market. In this concept, the individual components of an organization do not matter as much as the way they work together to enable the organization to create value and deliver it to customers. A business model is therefore a description of a whole system, a combination of products and services delivered to the market in a particular way, or ways, supported by an organization, positioned according to a particular branding that, most importantly, yields a particular set of strong relationships with present and future customers. Further, a business model describes how the experiences of creating and delivering value may evolve along with the changing needs and preferences of customers. The Business model of Southwest is simply: "If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline." The main elements of Southwest's business model as stated above are: 1) Customers -who are they a) Short haul business travelers who want to get there when

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Bronx Community Health Assessment and Diagnosis Assignment

Bronx Community Health Assessment and Diagnosis - Assignment Example The main mission of setting up Bronx community assessments and diagnosis is driven by five factors. These as in Healthy People 2020 include: analysis of health status of the community as a whole; evaluation of the health resources, services and systems of care and hygiene within the community; assessment of attitudes towards community health services and issues; identification of priorities, determination of courses of actions to improve the health status of the community, and establishment of proper and achievable community health goals, and; establishment of an epidemiologic baseline for measuring improvement over time.So as to diagnose Bronx community, community analysis involving examination of the already generated data to define strengths, needs, barriers, readiness, opportunities, and resources to come up with a detailed and complete community profile would be necessary. Health indicators would therefore be based on the mortality rates, mobility rates, nutritional status, disa bility rates, utilization, socio-economic, health policy, life quality, social and mental, and environmental. For the specific purpose of this nursing case, however, much attention will be directed towards the health care delivery indicators such as equity in the provision of health care, doctor to population ratio, doctor to nurse ratio, inpatients to bed ratio, and finally population to health facilities’ ratio.In the cases of poor community nutrition related to the high number of fast-foods restaurants. and inadequate healthy eating habit establishments as may be evidenced by the concerns of the members of the Bronx community, health assessments and diagnosis exercises will be aimed at establishing the reasons for such eating habits and devising techniques that would help in the reduction of the number of average visits to the fast food restaurants per individual per a given duration of time in any given year (Herdsman, 2009). The Primary key to preventing such poor habits and promoting nutritious eating among the community member of Bronx would be to provide relevant education at the local food stores, super markets, and restaurants; and setting up agreements to place attention on healthier menu items. Secondary to this preventive method would be to offer free nutrition screening at all the local super markets or at offer

The management of change in Hampton Roads Sanitation District Essay

The management of change in Hampton Roads Sanitation District - Essay Example Organization Development (OD) is one of the chief concepts that relates to the organizational change management. It can come under definition as â€Å"Organization development is a system-wide application of behavioral science knowledge to the planned development and reinforcement of organizational strategies, structures, and processes for improving an organization's effectiveness† (Boonstra, 2004). In other words, enterprises implement the process of organization development through proper and careful planning in order to improve and benefit their business processes, functions, employees and other stakeholders (Cummings & Worley, 2008). The process of improvement through organization development can be for either the entire organization and its processes or a smaller portion of the enterprise. This process starts from collecting the information and identification of the problems/concerns in order to create an understanding about the existing state of affairs of the organization. An appropriate solution, strategy, or guiding principle comes under establishment based on the recognized opportunities for change (McLean, 2005). The organizations focus and give emphasis to productivity, profitability, and quality of work since the company’s accomplishments and success lies behind these factors. Due to this reason, organizations are now investing maximally on their employees, as this has become an escalating trend in the contemporary business environment. (Jones  & Brazzel &  NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, 2006). Likewise, the attitudes of the employees have also changed as they work to get a feeling of accomplishment and recognition. In the same way, the customers are also demanding quality products or services, fast delivery, competitive prices and other attributes compatible to innovation and complex environment that add the worth of the product. With all these aspects of organization, employees, and the customers, the importance of organization development or an organization has augmented, as the efficient organization wants to meet the current and future challenges in order to s urvive and sustain (Kondalkar, 2009). Several organizations have already experienced and still in the process of undergoing the organization development and change process. Amongst numerous enterprises, Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) is one of the organizations that have undergone the process of organization development. Company Background Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) is an organization with more than 650 employees at the wastewater utility with a huge customer base where the billing system is direct to the customers without involving any third party. HRSD is a regionally based organization in Virginia that supplies to several cities, counties and military facilities in the region of southeast of Virginia. Moreover, HRSD supplies the facility to an area that comes under the population of more than 1.5 million natives. The utility operates on a system with various major and few smaller treatment plants where it treats and transports

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Bronx Community Health Assessment and Diagnosis Assignment

Bronx Community Health Assessment and Diagnosis - Assignment Example The main mission of setting up Bronx community assessments and diagnosis is driven by five factors. These as in Healthy People 2020 include: analysis of health status of the community as a whole; evaluation of the health resources, services and systems of care and hygiene within the community; assessment of attitudes towards community health services and issues; identification of priorities, determination of courses of actions to improve the health status of the community, and establishment of proper and achievable community health goals, and; establishment of an epidemiologic baseline for measuring improvement over time.So as to diagnose Bronx community, community analysis involving examination of the already generated data to define strengths, needs, barriers, readiness, opportunities, and resources to come up with a detailed and complete community profile would be necessary. Health indicators would therefore be based on the mortality rates, mobility rates, nutritional status, disa bility rates, utilization, socio-economic, health policy, life quality, social and mental, and environmental. For the specific purpose of this nursing case, however, much attention will be directed towards the health care delivery indicators such as equity in the provision of health care, doctor to population ratio, doctor to nurse ratio, inpatients to bed ratio, and finally population to health facilities’ ratio.In the cases of poor community nutrition related to the high number of fast-foods restaurants. and inadequate healthy eating habit establishments as may be evidenced by the concerns of the members of the Bronx community, health assessments and diagnosis exercises will be aimed at establishing the reasons for such eating habits and devising techniques that would help in the reduction of the number of average visits to the fast food restaurants per individual per a given duration of time in any given year (Herdsman, 2009). The Primary key to preventing such poor habits and promoting nutritious eating among the community member of Bronx would be to provide relevant education at the local food stores, super markets, and restaurants; and setting up agreements to place attention on healthier menu items. Secondary to this preventive method would be to offer free nutrition screening at all the local super markets or at offer

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Reminders About the Acceptable Use of Email and Text Messaging Essay - 3

Reminders About the Acceptable Use of Email and Text Messaging - Essay Example Use of email and text messaging by the employees of People Support Aegis Company is allowed, given support, and strongly agreed since this is very useful and is an important business tool of the company. However, People Support Aegis has policy regarding the use of email and texts messaging since these are company property and for the facilitation of the business of the company. Every employee must make sure to: do not use email and text messaging for the making and giving out of any extremely unpleasant, or messages that cause problems, which includes messages that have offensive comments about private and personal matters, age, gender, race, sexual beliefs, origin, physical and mental condition and political and religious beliefs. Using of monitoring software has been reserved in order to ensure that employees are obeying all the policy given. Therefore, the company has the authority to monitor and access all messages on the email and text messaging system.Assuming of privacy in anything the employee created, received, sent or stored on the company’s email system are not allowed because all their messages maybe seen without any prior notice. Accepting personal emails can be made but the messages should be saved in a separate folder. Breaching and failing to comply with the policy have sanctions to be applied on the employee. If an employee is found and proven to have breached the po licy, they will face the company’s disciplinary penalty ranging from a verbal to dismissal.  

Monday, October 14, 2019

Report On The Organisation Dominos Pizza Business Essay

Report On The Organisation Dominos Pizza Business Essay I have selected the organisation domino s pizza for the report ard since am working as an manager assistant in the forest hill franchise store. I had the opportunity to join this store in 2008. I made the discussion with franchise manager vennyliu and also had the opportunity to have a small discussion with dorninos new Zealand head operations Daniel Murray when he visited the forest hill store. Since I am working in this store for quite a while and knew how the process is going on in this institution so it was easy for me to pick this organisation for the assignment. IT was in 1960 two brothers torn monaghan and James purchased ased a small pizza store Dominick s a small pizza store in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in us. They bought the store for 575 us dollars. James sold his share to his brother and in 1965 torn renamed the store domino s pizza. It was on May 12 1983 dominos opened its first international store in Winnipeg, Manitoba ,Canada, By the year 1997 dominos opened the 1500th international location. It was in the year 1998 owner torn sold the 93 percent of the cormpany to Bain capital for one billion us dollars . After one year company named David A Brandon as the ceo and chairman of the company. it was in the year 2004 dominos began trading in new york stock exchange. It was in the year 2006 one dominos store in tallaght, Dublin, ireland, became the first in dominos history to hit a tUrnovOr of 3 million dollars. Domino s pizza is located in more than sixty countries now. Business demographics Dominos management and staff has to communicate locally, nationafly and internationally. Taking the example of dominos pizza franchise north shore where I am currently working as an assistant manager. We staff have to communicate with the co-workers and managers and franchise manager. The roster and the meeting notices are usually sent to our email, and if there are any changes or if we are unavailable we can email back to franchise manager. The payroll slip is also sent to our email. If there is any emergency like staff will not he able to work that days shift communication is usually made through phone and dominos has a toll free no 0800304050.The person who calls will not be charged and it can be used by landline and mobile. The communication between different stores is essential. It is mainly for the purpose of borrowing and return of the stock, Sometimes customer enquires about different stores telephone no. It is basically done through phone. Communication with the customer is direct verbally when they come to the store for purchase or any other queries .we use to take telephonie orders and online order as well. Our store does the online business very well nationally. Online ordering is one of the speciality of dominos pizza. Where customers can easily get the menu in the computer and they can select according to their taste and range. They can choose the option of delivering to their place or takeaway. There has been a survey conducted by the us dominos that people will be spending a certain amount of money for eating out, This would be like more than 5% will be delivered to their to their home and it will be online ordering and this would ncrease to 12% in the near future 4 tc 5 years. The communication of the suppliers are also through phone and faxing sometimes we order the food delivery through phone and in special cases like holidays the order will be sent as fax. International communication is also essential the us domino team and Australaian dominos team visits our store once a year. This information will be passed to franchise by the new Zealand head office. The report of the store visit and the upgrading required and changes needed will be sent to franchise though e mail. Courier and post. The courier and post are used for the supply of circulars and brochures. 2) Organsational goals Increase the profitability of busmess: Organisational goal of dominos is to increase the profitability of th business. Communication is an important factor in increasing the profitability. The sales should be increased and customer complaints should be reduced Advertisement campaign should be done. If there is any promotion by dominos it should be conveyed to customers and if any doubts arises from customer it should be sorted out. There are some promotions which it will be in the system but staff may not know about it. It should be discussed wth the franchise manager and should be conveyed to the customer if there is any customer complaints it should be discused in the store and it shouId be noted that the similar complaint never arises in future. If he customer sends the complaint to the dom nos head oflice the franchise has to send a report to head office showing all thedetails of corrective action taken by the store. Employee motivation:communication plays an important role in employee motivation. Financial rewardc areone of the key motivation factors. When the store crosses particular sales the employees get an incentive.AppreciatiOn in work are also good motivation and it should be communicated to the employee verbally by store manage when particular employee does a good job or finishes a particular hard task. The job security are also conveyed to the employee if an employee is performing well the message will be conveyed to him by the area manager that he is not going to lose his job. 3) Organisational culture and ethics since the employees in dominos are a multicultural. People from different parts of tie world work in the forest hill domino store.There are Chinese, Koreans, Europeans and Indians working in the store. the team should be following an ethhcs in the store for example the people working from China they will be returning to china during thL Chinese new year and during this period other nationaIites will be covering their shift. dominos has an in store ethics for eeverything one of it is behaviour to customer:, even if the customers get angry staff should be polite to them and apologise for any of the mistakes and not argue with customer. even though the communication is in English between the staff members but usuaily Chinese people talk to each other in Chinese and 80% of staff are ChinosO and there will be at least one Asian working in each. shift, 4) Management of knowledge resources: in the organistion franchice manager and the store manager possess the knowledge for the business.it includes the day today running, payroll,food ordering, recruiting new staff, training new staff ,and the new products and new prmotions will be sent to the company by email from head office and that emails will he fowarded to the staff.Banking and other financial matters are done by the store manager. Dominos has online site for training and thats called doti and every sstaff of dominos has to go online and get the online training If there requirers any sort of details the head office person comes directly for help and they clear the doubt. There was a problem in food ordering and the new Zealand head came straight to the shop and cleared the doubts. 5) Group dynamics: Employees make the group and that makes a team.. Usually people working in each shift of dominos can be considered a team. There will be emotional stress from employees especially when they are working on Friday and Saturday evening shifts and this will be sorted out by putting or replacing an additional experienced person. When the conflict arises in the team each individual in the team will be asked questions personally and as a group and final solution is found out by getting the answers from employees. Employees are also put in different sections like make line to counter and counter to delvery position. So each person can look at different angles of work and how each one does their duty in each sections, The basic terminology of forming,storming,norming and performing is there in our store as well to make the team well knit and to be connected to each othcr. 6) Meeting management Communication process are essential in running the meeting successfully. In our store we have a meeting room.Invitation to meeting to all staff members are done through calling them on phone and telling them the time of meeting. The meetng can be of anything like a customer complaint which is serious something like found a foreign product in the pizza and customer was admitted to hospital. The food from the customer was taken and send to the quality assurance department and a nominal amount was paid by the supplier of dominos. So what need to be done and how to handle the situation will be discussed and minutes will be taken and the action taken in the meeting will also he taken down. sometimes when the inspection team from Australia visited our store and we got a good marks in that inspection the management decided to have a meeting and a party at sky City hotels. This was published in the notice board and it was sent to a11 staff members email dnd also it was communicated verbally as well. The time place , when , where should be informed to whom(people attending the meeting). 7) Stakeholders: Customers: customers are communicated verbally when they come to store. and also througn phone since there is telephone ordering in the store Managementcomrnuniaiion with the management is basically verbally when the managers are in the store and use of telephone and email are used to pass vital information. Suppose there is an inspection from head office then the area manager will telephone the matter to the staff. The pay slips and roster are usually send to the email. Staff: The communication with staff is usually verbal and texting are also used to send the informatioin wnich are not vital. Bank: Dominos forest bill store deals with WestPaC bank and the dealings are usually through phone,emall the banking statements and discuss verbally sometimes with the bank if any errors has occurred sometimes the customer wltl be charged twice when they order online that has to be sorted out with the bank first and then return the money to the customer. 8) NetwOrks: store is equipped with computer and online facIlity is available for ordering. Distribution of flyers to the public which will increase the business of the dominos and display tne dominos price boards near the store and there is a car which is specifically for the advertisement. it is written the name dominos and price of the pizza are mentioned in the car. Distribution of promotional material who visits the store basically they are given discount vouchers when they use it they get the discount. Conclusions It was in 1965 the dominos started in us it was in the year 2008 new franchise store of dominos was opened in forest hill north shore. I had the opportunity to join this forest hill store as customer service representative, and was promoted to assistant manager within six months. The communication between the staff members and franchise manager and store manager are through emails, telephone, texts and verbal communicaton. The organisational goals are increasuing the profitability of the of the business and communication is impoertant. Sales should be increased and customer complaints customer complaints should be reduced. In employee motivation communication plays a vital part appreciation by the store manager and job security to the employees also offered to the employee. North shore dominos are having a multicultural and 80% staff are Chinese basic medium of language is english. Asians, speak in Chinese to their co-workers and dominos have a solid ethics especlally if the customers are angry the staff should apologise. In the organisation the franchise manager and the store managers possess the knowledge for the business. It includes the day today runnmg, payroll. food ordering,recruiting new staf, training new staff,and the new products and new promotions will be sent to the company by email from head office and that email will be forwarded to the staff. Banking and other financial matters are done by the the store manager. Dominos has an on line site for training and that is called doti and every staff of dominos has to go online and get online training. There will be emotional stress from employees especially when they are working on Friday and Saturday evening shifts and this will be sorted out by putting or replacing an additional experienced person. Communication process are essential in running the meeting successfully. In our store we have a meeting room.Invitation to meeting to all staff members are done through calling them on phone and telling them the time of meeting. The meetng can be of anything like a customer complaint which is serious something like found a foreign product in the pizza and customer was admitted to hospital. The food from the customer was taken and send to the quality assurance department and a nominal amount was paid by the supplier of dominos. So what need to be done and how to handle the situation will be discussed and minutes will be taken and the action taken in the meeting will also he taken down. The communication to the customers, staff, management, and bank are uasually done through verbal,through telephone,emails and texts. Recommendation It will be better to start a dominos club in forest hill and those who join the club for a nominal fee will he getting the discountsd on each purchase they make from any new Zealand store,The club members will be given 50% discount on public holidays and no surcharge will be applied for club members. These club members whO actively purchase from dominos store will be participating in a lucky draw twice a year. They will be given the new menu, changes in the menu and new products available in dominos through email. Each lucky person will be given the opportunity to distribute the flyers of dominos forest hill once a week in the dominos advertisement car, the name will be choosen from lucky draw. This enables the people to ineract socially and communicate and grow the business.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Bluest Eye - Pecola as a Victim of Evil Essay -- Toni Morrison The

The Bluest Eye - Pecola as a Victim of Evil      Ã‚   By constructing the chain of events that answer the question of how Pecola Breedlove is caste as a pariah in her community, Toni Morrison in The Bluest Eye attempts to satisfy the more difficult question of why. Although, unspoken, this question obsessively hovers over Pecola throughout the novel and in her circular narrative style Morrison weaves a story that seeks to answer this question by gathering all of the forces that were instrumental in the creation of a social mishap. By using what seem like tangents in the story, we are shown examples of how forces beyond human control such as nature, an omniscient being and primarily a legacy of rejection have come together to establish the heritage of desolation that has been passed on to Pecola Breedlove.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A pattern of precedence is pieced together in the story, showing the seeds of Pecola's present barrenness to have been planted in the lives of preceding generations. By profiling the lives of Soaphead Church and Pauline Breedlove, Morrison makes a case for the validity of generational curses. Their narratives are appropriately placed in the Spring division of the novel as an indication of the characters sowing the seeds that will be reaped by Pecola. Seemingly, as an example of the ways in which the transgressions of the fathers revisit the sons, the narrator gives an extensive account of Soaphead Church's family history, constantly citing instances in which traits of the fathers (or effects of their traits) followed the sons for generations. Of his family the author says, "They transferred this Anglophilia to their six children and sixteen grandchildren" and the family is described as one entity, the accomplishments and ... ...g the Girl's Own Story." The Girl: Construction of the Girl in Contemporary Fiction by Women. Ed. Ruth Saxton. New York: St. Martin's P, 1998. 21-42. Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. Toni Morrison: A Critical Companion. London: Greenwood, 1998. Kuenz, Jane. "The Bluest Eye: Notes on History, Community, and Black Female Subjectivity." AfricanAmerican Review 27.3 (1993): 421-31. Middleton, David. Toni Morrison: An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1987. Middleton, David. Toni Morrison's Fiction: Contemporary Criticism. New York: Garland, 1997. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1993. Peterson, Nancy J. Toni Morrison: Critical and Theoretical Approaches. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1997. Pettis, Joyce. "Difficult Survival: Mothers and Daughters in The Bluest Eye." SAGE: A Scholarly Journal on Black Women 4 (1987): 26-29.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The White Man’s Burden :: Literary Analysis, Kipling

In the â€Å"White Man’s Burden†, Rudyard Kipling claims that it is the duty or burden of the white men to civilize the non-whites, to educate them and to religiously lift them (lecture notes, 2/8). Kipling is specifically talking about the colonized non-whites (lecture notes, 2/8). The idea that the newly colonized non-whites were lacking and needing help from a greater society was common among American whites at this time (lecture notes, 2/8). Rudyard uses the whites’ public feelings towards the issue and writes â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† in an attempt to move the whites to help the non-whites because he thinks it is a very beneficial movement for the U.S. Rudyard meant this poem to be a shocking and informative form of encouragement for the whites to take up the burden of saving the non-white civilizations that they have now signed up for responsibility over. In â€Å"The White Man’s Burden†, Rudyard claims that the whites are bound to help the non-whites out of religious duty and for the whites’ own good (Rudyard). In the last stanza, Rudyard also explains that the non-whites have been through a lot do to the whites’ imperialism (Rudyard). Although he explains the non-whites’ grievances, Rudyard does not really seem to be that sympathetic for the non-whites but instead, he seems to think very little of them and pretty much says they are incapable of taking care of themselves. At the time that Rudyard published â€Å"The White Man’s Burden†, whites were already conflicted on what to do about the non-whites (US, 437). Some whites claimed that there should be little to no intervention of the whites on the non-white societies because Charles Darwin’s theory of â€Å"survival of the fittest† is the way that things should be (US, 437). The whites who were for intervention argued that it was the humane and religious duty of whites to become involved (US, 437). They also exclaimed that it was better to help the non-white develop because of the need for trade (US, 437). Because there had already been such a debate between the whites over this issue, Rudyard’s poem gained attention quick (lecture notes, 2/8). Rudyard’s work gained attention of American leaders and became an inspiration for future actions of imperialism (lecture notes, 2/8). Rudyard’s poem seemed to have gained a lot of popularity because of his tone of nationalism. In the poem, he basically says that in order to be respected as one of the greater nations, America has to do some charity work and help some of the less fortunate (Rudyard).

Friday, October 11, 2019

Discuss research into different type of attachment Essay

Mary Ainsworth conducted two naturalistic observations, one in the rural community of Kampala in Uganda which lasted for two years and the other in the urban city of Baltimore which had lasted for one year. The aim of this observation was to look at a mother and infant interaction. In both study she used the same number of participants, which were 26 mothers and their infants. Using the strange situation she found three different types of attachments that were displayed by the children and the fourth found by Main and Solomon. The first study in Uganda she found that some mothers were more sensitive to their infants needs meaning that, they were more capable of providing more details about their infants. The infants of these mothers were ‘securely attached’, this means that in their mothers’ presence they cried little and were more eager to explore. This secure attachment led to the infants being more independence because they used their mothers as a secure base that they could run to in time of danger. The second observation took place in Baltimore, America. In this study she and her team did not use a behaviour checklist which means that there was not certain thing that she was looking for, for example she did not have a paper where she wrote all the behaviour that she was looking for such as anger or sorrow and ticked them off when she witnessed it, she was purely just writing what she had seen. In this observation she found that mother were more sensitive to their infants for the first three months of their lives, meaning that in the one year that she had studied them, only for the first three months the mother, who was classified as a secure base responded more to the infants needs during that time period. Learning theorist found this confusing, this is because from their understanding, responsiveness to behavioural social releasers, such as crying should act as a reinforcer and increase the crying, but this was different Anisworth predication which was that behavioural social releasers decrease the caregiver responsiveness. One limitation of these studies is that because it was a longitudinal study, which means that it went over for a long period of time, it may have caused  participant attrition, where participants drop out of the study and this may cause problems for her, such as she may not have yet found what she needed. but one strength of the study being longitudinal is that the mother may become more comfortable with the fact of someone observing them so this could led to them being more free and able to express themselves better, and this would be an advantage for Mary as she will witness the mothers true personality and behaviour. One limitation of the Baltimore study alone was that her study was not operationalised; meaning that she did not define what she was observing and this could lead to her finding irrelevant information. In the Baltimore study we saw that Mary Anisworth conducting her research using the Strange Situation. This method was used to test the nature of attachment systematically. the aim of this was to see how infants behaved under condition of mild stress and novelty, this stress was created by a presence of a stranger and by separation from caregiver; this is tests stranger anxiety and separation anxiety. The strange situation also tries to encourage exploration by placing infant in a novel situation which tests the secure base concept. This research takes place in a novel environment, this is a 9Ãâ€"9 foot square marked off into 16 squares, and this was to help mark the movements of the infants. This method consists of eight episodes, each used to emphasise certain behaviours; the behaviour that was assessed was stranger anxiety, this is the distress shown by an infant when approached or picked up by someone who is unknown to them. The second behaviour assessed is separation anxiety, this is the distress revealed by infants when separated from its primary attachment figure. And the last behaviour assessed was Reunion behaviour this is the behaviour shown by infants when reunited with their mother. The results in a strange situation are collected by a group of observers who record what the infants are doing every 15 seconds. Aniworth et al (1978) found that there are three types of attachment that infants had with their caregiver. One of the attachment found was the secure attachment, this is when an infant has a strong and cooperative interaction with their caregiver. These types of infants properly will not cry if their caregiver leaves the room, but when feeling scared they use their caregiver  as safety net that they run to seek close bodily contact and although they may not want to leave their caregivers side prematurely, they are easily soothed. They seek and are comfortable with social interaction and intimacy. The securely attached infants are more independent this is because they use their caregiver a secure base and because they know that they have this secure base they tend to explore their environment more. Another type of attachment is Insecure-avoidant, this attachment is formed of children that don’t like to socially interact with others and tend to avoid intimacy. In the strange situation, when separated from their caregiver these children show little response and do not seek proximity of their caregiver on reunion. If the infant is picked up they may show little or no tendency to cling or resist being put down. These children do not need their caregiver to be there for them to explore, they are quite happy to do it without them. They may also become quite angry because their attachment needs are not met. Furthermore another type of attachment is insecure-resistant, these are children who both seek and reject intimacy and social interaction. When separated with their caregiver they show intense distress, on reunion they may resist being picked up while also trying to maintain proximity. The last type of attachment was found by Main and Solomon (1986) when they done a re-analysis of over 200 strange situation. The fourth attachment that they found was Disorganised; this type is characterised by a lack of a consistent patterns of social behaviour. These children can show strong attachment, which is suddenly followed by avoidance or looking fearful towards their caregiver or displaying odd movements such as stumbling. In conclusion, there are four types of attachment that children display these are secure attachment, insecure- resistant, insecure avoidance and disorganised and a way to identify what type of attachment a child has is to use the strange situation method, that was first conducting by Mary Anisworth.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Low Pressure Atmospheric Systems

Low pressure atmospheric systems are also known as depressions or cyclones and they form in mid- and high-latitudes. They are formed by the mixing of cold and warm air, the warm air is lighter, so it rises above the denser, cold air and forms a centre of low pressure. High pressure atmospheric systems are also known as anticyclones and have very different characteristics to depressions. Anticyclones are large masses of subsiding air, which produces high pressure at the surface.There are a variety of difference between anticyclones and depressions, including the weather conditions, the length of time they last and the impact they have upon diverse countries and areas. Low pressure atmospheric systems can cause hazards because of severe weather such as blizzards and heavy snowfall, as well as high winds and heavy rainfall. This can have harsh impacts among individuals, being a lead cause of hypothermia, and frostbite, especially those vulnerable, such as the elderly. Also, these depres sions can cause crops to be destroyed, and a high mortality rate throughout the spring lambing season.Extreme cold spells can have a massive negative effect on a global scale, but also in a specific country or region. High pressure atmospheric systems affect the globe, especially the southern hemisphere, as it is nearly always continuous, although in places such as Australia and South Africa, this is broken throughout their summer. With anticyclones, there are few winds, so maps usually have circular spaced out isobars. Also, these atmospheric systems block depressions, which mean that their impacts are usually long-term, because they are constant. Weather associated with anticyclones differentiates depending on the time of year.In summer, anticyclones produce long periods of dry, hot, sunny weather, which can then cause heat waves and drought. However, in winter the cloudless nights mean that temperatures drop, and does not recover the next day because of weak sunshine and lingerin g fog. The impacts of anticyclones and depressions vary, as does the period they remain and the effect they have. The North American blizzard of 2003 lasted for five days throughout February and occurred on the East Coast of the USA and Canada. It was a record-breaking blizzard, which caused 27 deaths and over $14 million worth of damage.The cities in America were bought to a standstill, as there was a range of 38-76cm of snow covering the ground. The cause for such an unusually extreme blizzard was the fact that the conditions were favourable, with moisture from the Atlantic Ocean enhancing precipitation and a high pressure system over Canada, allowing cold air to be brought down coastal areas. This meant that the precipitation was mainly snow, hence the record-breaking statistics. The effects this storm had were mainly short-term, but the roof of the historic Railroad Museum collapsed and 27 people lost their lives.Additionally, transport infrastructure was brought to a halt, and three major airports were also closed. So, the impacts of depressions are mainly short-term, although the destruction can be horrendous, whereas, anticyclones usually cause long-term impacts on a country such as the Drought in Britain and Europe in 2003. This drought effected many locations, but the main focus was on the UK, France and Portugal. Not all impacts are negative, as the heat wave did boost the tourist industry in most countries and sales for summer items such as barbeques and sun cream increased, but this positive outlook is short-lived.In the UK, an estimated 200 people lost their lives due to poor air quality, and this figure was 10% higher than the average. Furthermore, transport was disrupted because of roads melting at such high temperatures, and the London Underground was 37Â °, which is over the legal limit to transport animals. Finally, in the UK the cost of people taking days off work to enjoy the hot weather was between ?7. 5million and ?10million per day. In France, the death toll was as high as 30,000 and harvests were down by 30 to 50% on 2002.Additionally, the nuclear power plants could not produce the soaring demands for energy, which was used for refrigerators and air conditioning, because there was less water available for cooling. Portugal declared a State of Emergency after the worst forest fires in 30 years. Approximately 35,000 hectares of forest, farmland and scrub was burned, and 1300 people died. 80 families were forced to abandon their homes, and arsonists begun deliberately causing fires, to gain compensation. The impacts of anticyclones on all of these countries had a massive effect, and it lasted over a month, with the hottest temperatures for up to 500 years.This demonstrates the long and short term impacts that anticyclones have on regions, countries and on a global scale. Location does have a result on the impact of low and high atmospheric pressure systems because they can be underdeveloped or have a lot of technolo gy that can be damaged or ruined. MEDC’s usually lose fewer lives than LEDC’s, no matter if it is a depression or a cyclone. Also, the evidence seems to suggest that depressions have a shorter impact on an area than anticyclones, but this is not necessarily true.Long-term secondary hazards can be a large issue after a depression, as the damage from flooding or heavy snow can be excessive and highly damaging. I conclude, low pressure atmospheric systems do usually have shorter-term impacts on a location, rather than high pressure atmospheric systems, but the secondary hazards can be a long-term issue for both of these hazards. Furthermore, the impact they have, may be different, depending on location, because a LEDC will be severely affected by both of these hazards, and will most likely have long-term consequences.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

The concept of elasticity is defined as the percentage

The convex shape of the production possibility boundary is derived from the principle of opportunity cost. The production possibility boundary defines the maximum production potential of an economy given its resource and technology constraints.The opportunity cost is defined as loss of economic value that could have been gained if resources had been invested in an alternative. Therefore, the opportunity cost is an integral component of the production possibility boundary in terms of how much of one product can be produced given its opportunity cost.The convex shape of the production possibility boundary means that as the economy produces more of one good, its opportunity cost rises. As a result, fewer quantities of that good can be produced. In other words, more of the other good have to be sacrificed.This is because, as a result of being driven by resource and technology constraints, the economy is in the optimum position of producing a certain quantity of each category of goods. Be yond that point, the opportunity cost of producing one good instead of another continues to rise as it requires increasing resource and technology investments.

Counting Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Counting Systems - Essay Example There was a certain social status and prestige associated with the use of a counting table. Hindu mathematics presents interesting features of notation. Valuable information on this development is revealed by the Bakhsh'l' Manuscript. First, Hindu Arabic numeral system was mentioned in the 9th century. It is classified as a positional decimal numeral system consisted of symbols (Smith and Karpinski 1911). It has been generally believed that the so-called Arabic numerals, from which arise those in use by us today, were derived by the Muslim peoples from India, and that the Hindus invented (1) the principle of position or place value of the decimal point and (2) the nine digits and zero (or dot). In the astrological treatise written by Ch''-t'an Hsi-ta, who flourished under the T'ang Dynasty in the early eighth century A.D., the so-called Hindu decimal notation and rules are implied, so that they were introduced, or re-introduced into China, at that time or possibly earlier (Datta and Singh 1998). Whereas Hindu astronomy made improvement through Greek influence, mathematics in India, as Professor Sarton has stated, had no need to wait for Hellenism: we are, therefore, at present disinclined to refuse legitimate claims for Hindu originality in respect of the nine numerals and decimal system (Al-Daffa, 1977). "The basic idea of the system is the primacy of grouping (and of the rhythm of the symbols in their regular sequence) in "packets" of tens, hundreds (tens of tens), thousands (tens of tens of tens), and so on" (Ifrah et al. 2000, p. 25). In the Bakhshali Manuscript researchers find a small sign used to represent negative quantity: it is a cross, like the present 'plus' sign, but placed to the right of the quantity to which it refers. Zero is represented by a dot. The dot is also used to indicate an unknown quantity. There is an absence from the Bakshali Manuscript of symbols of operation, even the negative sign already noted not being used as such. In Bhaskara's Bija-Ganita, however, the dot is used as the negative sign of operation (Datta and Singh 1998). Operation is indicated in the Bakhsh'l' Manuscript by an ad hoc term, or by relative position, In general, Hindu mathematicians used the terms "ya" (as many as") for the first unknown quantity, now usually denoted by x; for the second unknown, say y for the constant quantity in an expression; "v or va" for a square and the initial letters of the words representing various colours for other unknown quantities (Al-Daffa, 1977). During his khalifate and later, there flourished Al-Kindi. Al-Kindi, like many eminent scholars of the Middle Ages, was an encyclopedialist, and wrote numerous works on many subjects. He translated extesively from the Greek, and his treatise on geometrical and physiological optics (known in the Latin form as De Aspectibus) was based on the optical works of Euclid, Heron, and Ptolemy. He was interested in large-scale natural phenomena, studying particularly the tides, and also the rainbow ion accordance with the principles of optical reflection. Further, his scientific studies embraced the Hindu numerals and a musical notation relating to pitch (Smith and Karpinski 1911). He was sufficiently far-sighted to regard much alchemy as spurious and non-scientific Eminent among writers on mechanical and mathematical subjects were the three sons of M's' ibn Sh'kir, the Ban' M's', who engaged also the