Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Convergence of Personal Computers and Consumer...

Introduction Consumer Electronics Shows (CES) are introducing product technology â€Å"convergence† between personal computers and consumer electronics industries (2004). In the past, there has only been enthusiasm, talks, and prototypes (2004). Today we have functioning product on the market that makes it a reality (2004). The giants in manufacturing computers, Dell, Gateway, and Hewlett Packard, made the brilliant transition into TV sells (2004). The most noticeable products are computer monitors and flat screen TVs (2004). Will this technology lead to failure? During the past ten years, computers have been increasing in there popularity across the board (2004). Over the years, the personal computer has become affordable for the general†¦show more content†¦Consumers’ need uncomplicated, simplified, understandable and user-friendly products that they are comfortable in purchasing (2011). There are occasions when the need for technical support will surface. Unfortunately, the conversation with the tech-support is too technical to understand (2011). This behavior further frustrates the consumer; also, they are directed to another service, which in turn directs them to another service (2011). In the end the consumer my not have received the answer to the question that was presented to tech-support (2011). The marketing for these electronic products are missing the mark (2011). The advertised product focuses on the technology (2011). To the average consumer this may be quite interesting and at the same time daunting (2011). Manufacturers and advertisers offer the technology as the sells hook for there product (2011). Yet all of this technology causes apprehension among buyers (2011). What do consumers want from manufacturers? Can or will the manufacturers make their products more appealing and user-friendly for consumers? The pulse of consumers can reveal solutions. Proposed Solutions Manufacturers need to assure the consumers that the life spans of their products are more than a few years (2011). Avoid deception, be honest with the consumer, and inform them of the approximate time an upgrade will be needed (2011). Manufacturers need to produce products that have user-friendly interface, where by the consumer isShow MoreRelatedHum 176 Wk 2 Media Convergence Worksheet1041 Words   |  5 PagesUniversity of Phoenix Material Media Convergence Worksheet Write brief 250- to 300-word answers to each of the following: Questions Answers What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? The term media convergence with regards to technology is defined as a process of combining together the telecommunications and computers and turning them into one electronic or digital form. The media convergence has affected our everyday life asRead MoreSony Branding Strategy1432 Words   |  6 Pagesfocused on the Electronics (such as AV/IT products components) and Game (such as PlayStation) and Entertainment (such as motion pictures and music). 2 Sony History Sony was founded in 1946 by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. The two complemented each other with a unique blend of product innovation and marketing savvy, and formed a company that would eventually grow into a more than $60 billion global organization. Since 1946, when Masaru Ibuka started Sony, it has rocketed into electronics and entertainmentRead MoreTechnological Convergence1577 Words   |  7 PagesConvergence is defined as the interlinking of computing and other information technologies, media content, and communication networks that have arisen as a result of the evolution and popularization of the internet as well as the activities, products and services that have emerged in the digital media space. 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The premise being discussed involves many participants and factors as it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate them due to technological and communication convergence. Basically this essay will demonstrate how new technologies are allowing consumers to have more control over where, when and how they receive information. Communication and media are one and the same. As media is defined as ‘means of communication to the public; newspapersRead MoreApple Strategic Analysis10312 Words   |  42 Pages.............................................. R-1 Strategic Analysis – Apple Inc. i MGT 440, December 2009 Masi OVERVIEW Executive Summary Apple Inc. (Apple) has managed to create substantial value in the highly competitive personal computer industry, by innovating and forging a path considerably different from those of the largest competitors in the industry, successfully differentiating its products from those of the competition by choosing to focus on quality, design eleganceRead MoreCase Analysis: Apple, Inc., 2008966 Words   |  4 PagesApple Computer, Inc. was created by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in April 1976. It started as a computer software and hardware manufacturer. Apple Computer, Inc. is famous for having one of the largest and most loyal customer bases that have helped to make concrete consistent growth for the company (Yoffie, Slind, 2008). In 2007 Apple Computer Inc., became Apple Inc. to mirror its expansion into the consumer electronics market while still upholding its traditional focus on the personal computerRead More The Internet Revolution Essay1599 Words   |  7 PagesThe Internet Revolution Now, with the click of a button, consumers are buying just about anything imaginable, and all from the convenience of the internet. People no longer have to leave their homes, work or where ever there is internet access to make important purchases. Technology has advanced so that companies are conducting business around the world with out ever meeting. No longer do consumers or businessmen have to shake to complete a deal or a sale, but merely click down on the mouseRead MoreSecurity Legislations And Standards Of The Internet1407 Words   |  6 Pagesaddress the problem of criminal activities that take place over the Internet. In the last few years, governments have taken up the job of protecting consumers and companies against poor management of sensitive information. A big part of the reason that cyber criminals get away with their crimes so easily is that catching cyber criminals and enforcing computer crime laws is difficult. Unfortunately, this has led to a steady stream of con fusing laws and regulations coming from all directions. LegislationRead MoreCommunication Technology: Continuing To Push the Boundaries of What We Believe to Be Possible2404 Words   |  10 PagesQuestion 1: Convergence, according to our text on page 19, is the process of coming together or uniting in a common interest or focus. This could be the combining of multiple products into one single product, but in the world of mass media there are two main communication and media processes; content and distribution. Our text, The Dynamics of Mass Communication, talks about what is called corporate convergence. Author Joseph Dominick says corporate convergence would involve media companies that

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Saving the Rise of Childhood Obesity Kaplan University Free Essays

string(84) " with one another things could really come together and change will become of this\." Saving the Rise of Childhood Obesity Kristy Zamora Kaplan University College Composition II 02/12/2013 When people think of physical education in the school system, the first thing that comes to mind is children running and playing. To some, it may be perceived as a mere distraction to school as a whole, and others may think of it as a way for children to burn their energy down. Specifically in Milwaukee Public Schools physical education needs to be more than just a class in school; it needs to be known as a necessity for children and their health. We will write a custom essay sample on Saving the Rise of Childhood Obesity Kaplan University or any similar topic only for you Order Now Their health is important because of the need for the advancement in medicine, this epidemic needs to be stopped and the overall future of people. â€Å"Today one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese; nearly triple the rate in 1963. † (American Heart Association 2012) This is an outstanding statistic that can only be changed starting with the school system and physical education. Kids spend about â€Å"35 hours a week† at school making up most of their day and how time is spent. (MPS 2012) How they spend it in Physical Education class is what matters most in this issue concerning many Milwaukee County citizens. The purpose rather than main point of this is that there is an absolute need for change, not only for children in today’s society but the future as well. It is in the public’s best interest to have this issue changed, not overlooked. To do this, the Milwaukee Public School System needs to heighten its physical education program and give the children what they need most a healthier outlook on life. What really needs to be looked at is the fundamentals of physical education and how it can be a positive influence in children’s lives. It is not about how well the child can play the sport or how athletic one is over another. Let the children know that it is okay to not be the best at something and get the children moving. What is important is the physical activeness and keeping up a steady heart rate in order to achieve burned calories, and which is what the needs out of physical education. A physical education class only helps if the child is completely active within that whole time frame. Physical education teachers need to be more involved rather than just passing a child for showing up for class. Motivate the students to run and play hard to get them as active as possible. Even if the child isn’t the best at a sport the teachers shouldn’t let that be a cloud judgment on the child. It should be a system that pushes the child into wanting to exercise and have fun while doing it. There should be some training that physical educators take on how to be better with children who aren’t active and classes on how to get children more involved. It is clear that children are not getting enough physical activity â€Å"The real only physical activity some kids go through is in school, if that. † (David Ludwig, MD, PhD webmd 2012) Kids are no longer as active outside or even in extracurricular activities in school. The American Heart Association recommends at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. † (American Heart Association 2012) The evidence of lack of physical activity in our children is pretty simplistic and the thing people may over look when it comes to children being overweight or obese is high risk factor the child is in and the diseases they are at risk for. The diseases that are on the rise in our children today, which can be linked to obesity, include but are not limited to coronary artery disease, increase risk of stroke, high blood pressure, and juvenile diabetes. Statistics on obesity of adolescent’s in Milwaukee is 17. 7 percent, and in the whole state of Wisconsin the percentage is 11. 1. The numbers for children in Wisconsin are 16. 5 percent that are overweight and 14. 4 are obese. These children are at risk to developing serious medical conditions including physiological problems. The main and most commonly known disease is, Juvenile type two diabetes. This is caused from overweight and in-active children. Which can lead to heart disease and co-morbidities; â€Å"Children with type 2 diabetes also are at risk for the long-term complications of diabetes and the co-morbidities associated with insulin resistance (lipid abnormalities and hypertension). † (CDC 2011) Children are supposed to be safe, educated and cared for in schools. The national diabetes education program ensures that every student is made sure to succeed with their diabetes. (NDEP 2012) â€Å"NDEP’s Guide for School Personnel educates and informs school personnel about diabetes, how it is managed, and how each member of the school staff can help meet the eeds of students with the disease. †(NDEP 2012) Every obese and overweight child have a higher chance of getting type two diabetes. These children need to have preventable measures taken, so they don’t develop diabetes. Schools need to focus on health problems the same as any other type of disease or problem the child may have. Psychological pr oblems are also linked with obesity in children. Obese kids are more likely to have social and psychological problems, such as depression, which in turn makes them have poor self-image leading to bullying other kids, and even suicide. Emotional problems in obese kids is one of the most painful things to experience. Getting made fun of in school along with being alienated by other children causes these obese children to live a sedentary lifestyle. Meaning they feel out of place and withdrawn from everything, making their life growing up very hard. These high risk disease and emotional complications attributed to children being overweight and obese should motivate Milwaukee Public School System to change the way physical education is run. If parents would take the chance to speak with one another things could really come together and change will become of this. You read "Saving the Rise of Childhood Obesity Kaplan University" in category "Essay examples" Changing now is better than never and this change can be kept within the school system, changing the future. Children have a need to live as healthy as possible. Being overweight or obese, can be prevented by helping kids stay active, in turn changing their present and future health. â€Å"Looking at the long-term consequences, overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. † (Department Health Human Services 2011) These statistics are outrageous and it can be decreased dramatically if Milwaukee Public Schools heighten its physical education classes. If physical education can change, the result will carry through all of the aspects of a child’s life. Obesity and disease statistics will be brought down as well as health rates going up for children. There has to be a way out of this problematic situation, but everyone has to help. With Wisconsin being one of the top â€Å"Fattest† states, the changes start here with Milwaukee Public School System; with the hopes of helping other school systems around Wisconsin. There is a chance that other schools systems see Milwaukee Public Schools changing and making this effort to change children’s lives, then they will want to do it as well. This will change the high statistics of overweight, obesity, and diseases in juveniles linked to childhood obesity in Wisconsin. The future depends on children and if the population of overweight and obese children stay at the rate they’re going, it will only increase/ These children are the future and physical education needs to be changed in hopes of making their lives better. A difference made now is a difference forever and these new terms of physical education can be passed on for years and years to come. The best way this can be established is within the schools. This solution can change overweight and obesity statistics of children, so they can live a healthier life, in turn making our future better in many ways. When people think of Physical Education in the school system the first thing that comes to mind is children running and playing. To some it may be perceived as a mere distraction to school as a whole, and others may think of it as a way for children to burn their energy down. The thing about Physical Education is that it needs to be more than just a class in school; it needs to be known as a necessity for children and their health. Today one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese; nearly triple the rate in 1963. † (American Heart Association 2012) This is an outstanding statistic that can only be changed starting with the school system and physical education. Kids spend about 35 hours a week at school making up most of their day and how time is spent. How they spend it in Physical Education class is what matte rs most in this issue concerning many Milwaukee County citizens. The main point of this is that there is an absolute need for change not only for children in today’s society but the future as well. A way that this can be changed and not over looked, is in the public’s best interest, Milwaukee Public School System needs to heighten its physical education program and give the children what they need most out of this, which is a healthier outlook on life. What really needs to be looked at is the fundamentals of physical education and how it can be a positive influence in children’s lives. It is not about how good the child can play the sport or how athletic one is over the other. Let the children know that it is okay to not be the best at something and get the children moving. It is more of the physical activeness and keeping up a steady heart rate in order to achieve calories being burned and the child getting what he or she needs out of physical education. A physical education class would only help if the child is completely active within that whole time frame. Physical education teachers need to be more involved rather than just passing a child for showing up for class. Motivate the students to run and play hard getting them as active as possible. Even if the child isn’t the best at a sport the teachers shouldn’t let that be a cloud judgment on that child. It should be more of a system that pushes the child into wanting to exercise and have fun while doing it. There could be some training that physical educators take in how to be better with children who aren’t active and even classes on how to get children more involved. The evidence of lack of physical activity in our children is pretty simplistic. â€Å"The real only physical activity some kids go through is in school, if that. † (David Ludwig, MD, PhD webmd 2012) The thing people may over look when it comes to children being overweight or obese is the disease and high risk factor the child is in. The diseases that are on the rise in our children today, which can be linked to obesity, include but are not limited to coronary artery disease, increase risk of stroke, high blood pressure, and juvenile diabetes. â€Å"Psychological effects also affect children such as depression, low self-esteem and negative body image. † (PubMd 2011) Kids are no longer as active outside or even in extracurricular activities in school. The link with not having physical activity in children’s lives doesn’t only affect their weight but also increases the disease aspect of their lives. The American Heart Association recommends at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. † (American Heart Association 2012) If this problem can be taken care of earlier in the child’s life there would be no need for medication or high risk diets. These diseases and problems having to deal with overweightness and obesity should be a deterrent for Milwaukee P ublic School System and the way physical education is ran. This should want to make a change and instill this within the school system. Changing now is better than never and this change can be kept within the school system then changing the future. If this can change a lot can and will change. These statistics will be brought down as well as health rates going up for children. There has to be a way out of this rut and everyone as a whole can help. Wisconsin being one of the top â€Å"Fattest† states and growing, the changes can start here with Milwaukee Public School System; with the hopes of helping other school systems around Wisconsin. It can be a domino effect if other schools systems see Milwaukee Public School System changing and making this effort to change children’s lives then others will want to do it as well. This will definitely change the overall statistics of this state. Change can only make the people stand up and want to make a difference in children’s lives, and these children are the future and this needs to be changed in hopes of making life better for them. The future of our kids becoming healthier and developing more physical activeness is something that needs to change. A difference made now is a difference forever and these new terms of Physical Education can be passed on for years and years to come. The best way this can be established is within the schools. Hopefully this problem solver can change these high statistics of kids becoming overweight or obese so they can live a healthy life in turn making our future better in many ways. Office of the Mayor 200 E. Wells Street City Hall Rm. 201 Milwaukee, WI 53202 Mayor Tom Barrett, As a citizen of the state of Wisconsin there is a big concern as far as the numbers in obesity rising among children. Currently in Milwaukee, there can be better efforts in school systems as well as educating the public on the importance of keep their children at a good and healthy weight. By keeping the public more informed on ways ‘How to’, so to speak, keep their children healthy and active we could change these statistics of Wisconsin. In Wisconsin alone, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, 29% of children ages 2 through 4 in the state are overweight or obese. One in four Wisconsin high school students are considered overweight. The obese rates children ages two to four is 13. % and the overweight is 16. 1% SFTA (2012) An idea that should be put in place is the absolute need for children to stay active. We need to change how schools teach physical education. â€Å"The American Heart Association recommends at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. † (American Heart Association 2012) We need to get our future physically ac tive. We can make change for them along with our future generations. I know that budget cuts are put in place especially for school funding but why cut out physical education? It is a necessity for children to stay fit and active because they have a lesser chance of developing life threatening diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. Lastly, what needs to be done is thoroughly educating parents on healthier eating habits, not using the television as a mere â€Å"babysitter†, getting active with their children and cutting back on sugary foods. There are studies that show, children from the ages nine to sixteen, sugar makes up about thirteen percent of their diet, when the factual amount of sugar in a child’s diet should only be about ten percent. American Heart Association; Overweight Children 2012) Also educating them on what high risk diseases come from being overweight. There are many ways to improve our children’s eating habits as well as getting more physical activity throughout the day. The only way this change can occur is the willingness of parents, school systems and society. Please take this into consideration and help out our community. Respectfully, Kristy Zamora Reflection Piece What I learned about myself as a writer is that my ideas seem great but to actually get them down on paper and stringing them together is a lot harder than it seems. Myself as a thinker is that my ideas are sort of jumpy and sporadic. I try and think of ways to be a better thinker and not just throw a bunch of ideas together. What I learned about the writing process is that it takes more than one draft and even more than one outline. In order to achieve and write a great paper it really does take a lot of practice. It is hard to put ideas together and be clearer of what I’m trying to say in my papers. The skills I attained from College Composition II are writing better in APA format and making an outline for every paper. APA format will help me because I will be attending college for three more years and that is what my papers will have to be in. Outlines I will use the rest of my college career because that is the beginning and start of every paper I will write. What I learned from my peers is that everyone is different, in learning styles and techniques to writing papers. What works for one may not work for another. I sort of fused together a couple people’s ideas with writing an outline and getting the paper together and it seems to work for me. My instructor had the most valuable feedback. My classmates didn’t really have much to say about my style of writing and also didn’t have much to say about revising and editing my paper. They gave me feedback on my pamphlet but the only thing they talked about was color in it. Some said keep the colors and some said keep the colors the same. So I had mixed reviews on that part. My instructor had a good way of explaining that my paper needed a lot of work. Not only by editing the grammatical errors, comma splice, sentence fragments and correcting paragraphs that didn’t make sense. I tried my hardest to fix may paper and get the point across of my big idea. References Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Combating Childhood Obesity by creating Healthy Schools, empowering youth leaders, healthcare, healthier school food and beverages. † Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Combating Childhood Obesity by creating Healthy Schools, empowering youth leaders, healthcare, healthier school food and beverages. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Dec. 2012 Discipline. † Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers. Leading innovation and advancement in science, technology and medicine. † Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers Leading innovation and advancement in science, technology and medicine. N. p. , n. d. Web. 6 Jan. 2013 http://www. iebertpub. com/overview/childhood-obesity/384/. â€Å"Childhood Obesity Awareness Month | Healthier Kids†¦ Brighter Futures!. † Childhood Obesity Awareness Month | Healthier Kids†¦ Brighter Futures!. N. p. , n. d. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. http://www. healthierkidsbrighterfutures. org Green, G. (2012). PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND CHILDHOOD OBESITY: STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS FOR SCHOOLS AND PARENTS. Education, 132(4), 915. â€Å"Journal of dietetics’ childhood Obesity† N. p. , n. d. Web. 3 Jan. 2013. ;http://online. liebertpub. com/doi/abs/10. 1089/chi. 2012. 0004? journalCode=chi;. â€Å"Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: Childhood – DNPAO â⠂¬â€œ CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Jan. 2013. http://www. cdc. gov/obesity/childhood/ â€Å"Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: State Programs: Funded: Wisconsin – DNPAO – CDC. † Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. http://www. cdc. gov/obesity/stateprograms â€Å"Physical Education. † Overweight and Obese. N. p. , n. d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. www. milwaukee. k12. wi. us. â€Å"Obesity in Children: MedlinePlus. † National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health. N. p. , n. d. Web. 29 Dec. 2012. http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/obesityinc How to cite Saving the Rise of Childhood Obesity Kaplan University, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

My Uncle free essay sample

Many years ago, my uncle was diagnosised with a terminal heart condition. He was put on permanent disability and was unable to work at a steady job. He would be fine for quite a while, but he would then fall ill suddenly and have to be admitted to the hospital. Although the disease brought him a lot of pain, he was still hopeful. His positive attitude influenced me to be optimistic and kind. The first impression that my uncle left for people is always amiable and warm. He was about 5 feet 9 inches high and had broad shoulders that I would like to rely on when I was a little girl. My uncle was good looking with his black hair and clear-cut face. He had the most beautiful dark brown eyes I have ever seen. His soft eyes made people feel approachable. Also my uncle always smiled a little and usually had a friendly look on his face. We will write a custom essay sample on My Uncle or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When he laughs, his even teeth would show up. Everybody first knew him would like to be a friend with him. Rather than becoming negative and depressed following his diagnosis, my uncle chose to lead a more active life. He told me that solved the difficult actively better than gave up. Since then, he tried to do something to keep himself busy and decided to volunteer in a local children hospital. My uncle loves children. This was a perfect job for him. At the hospital, he started working with terminally and critically ill children. He would talk to them and play with them. Also he would do arts and crafts with them. Sometimes, he would lose one of his kids. In certain instances, he would tell the grieving parents of these children that he would soon be with their child in heaven and that he would take care of them until they got there. He would also ask the parent if there was a message they would like to send with him for their child. My uncle’s positive attitude seemed to help parents with their grieving. They were able to let go and understand the disease of their kid. Moreover, my uncle is warm-heart. Helping illness children to get over their pain made him feel happy. One of his kids was a girl who had been admitted with a rare disease that paralyzed her from the neck down. I don‘t know the name of the disease or what the prognosis usually is, but I do know that it was very sad for a girl around eight or nine years old. She couldn‘t do anything, and she was very depressed. My uncle decided to try to help her. He started visiting her in her room, bringing paints, brushes and paper. He stood the paper up against a backing, put the paintbrush in his mouth instead using his hands and began to paint. Only his head would move. He would visit her whenever he could and paint for her. All the while he would tell her, see, you can do anything you set your mind to. Eventually, she began to paint using her mouth, and she and my uncle became friends. Soon after, the little girl was discharged because the doctors felt there was nothing else they could do for her. My uncle also left the children hospital for a little while because he became ill again. Sometime later after my uncle had recovered and returned to work, he was at the volunteer counter in the lobby of the hospital. He noticed the front doors open. In came the little girl who had been paralyzed, only this time she was walking. She ran straight over to my uncle and hugged him really tight. She gave him a picture she had done using her hands. At the bottom it read, thank you for helping me walk. My uncle would cry every time he told me this story and so would I. He would say sometimes love is more powerful than doctors. Whenever I talked about my uncle, I felt proud of him. He was cheerful and kind. Also the way he treated to his life inspired me to face my frustration. His beneficence showed me that helping other people would make my life more meaningful and enrich. Nowadays, I am trying to be a person who is my uncle.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Murder Investigation Essay Essay Example

Murder Investigation Essay Essay Murder Investigation Essay Name: Course: Instructor: We will write a custom essay sample on Murder Investigation Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Murder Investigation Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Murder Investigation Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Institution: Date: Murder Investigation Essay Criminal psychology is essentially described as a learning of both mental and behavioral aspects of a criminal. Hence, serial homicide psychology is essentially described as the study of the mental and behavioral aspects of a serial killer. A serial killer is described as an individual who commits specific murders because he or she is driven by a particular desire and urge to kill individuals. A serial killer is defined as such when he or she is involved in the murder of a minimum of three people. In essence serial homicide is executed in manner that there is usually what is defined as a â€Å"cooling off† period between the murders with the intent of making the murders seem unconnected. The cooling off period is used by serial killer to strategize, plan and evaluate the public reactions of people in the society. The Federal Bureau describes that the mind of a serial killer is driven by several elements such as thrill, financial gain and the need of attention form the police as well as the society. The prey of a serial killer is usually unaware of the presence of a murder seeking their blood for various reasons. Majority of serial murders are usually executed in a similar manner, which makes tem easily linkable to the serial killer (Andrews Bonta, 2010). Essentially the motivation of murder by a serial killer is usually based on psychological issues. Hence, scientists as well as theorists seek to understand the functions inside the mind of a serial killer towards murder. In addition, the traits exhibited by a serial killer are not detailed within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of American Psychiatric Association does not define any behavior exhibited by serial killers as part of mental illnesses. Majority of the serial killers usually exhibit antisocial personality disorders, which are not entailed as part of mental illnesses within the DSM manuals (Andrews Bonta, 2010). Individuals with Anti-Social Personality Disorders (ASPD) usually have long histories of confrontation with the law and end up arrested by law enforcement officers (Andrews Bonta, 2010). In addition, such individuals are also involved in physical confrontations with people they met in the various social settings. They are also descried as individuals with excellent oratory skills such that they are able to tell lies without notice from their listener. Some are also unable to stay in employment, as they tend to get hostile with other employees as well as the employer due to their confrontational behavior. Some psychologists regard psychopathic behavior as an advanced form of ASPD. Furthermore, they also view that psychopathic behavior is usually exhibited more in men than in women. Psychopaths usually have antisocial tendencies, which are more advanced because of the additional behavior, which they tend to exhibit, thus making them difficult to diagnose and eventually give treatment. The main traits exhibited are the lack of responsibility for actions as well the lack of remorse and guilt for their actions. They are also usually paranoid and suspicious of all activities around them as if they think that people around them want to victimize them. Serial killers generally love the power and attention they accrue from holding and killing their victims. They essentially need the thrill and attention they accrue from holding their victims hostage and doing away with the victim by death. Majority of the serial killers usually have histories of neglect and child abuse leading to a need to seek attention in manners, which they know, through violence. Hence the means to vent out the anger emanating from a history of neglect and violence results in use of identical or higher levels of violence to seek and attention and vent out their anger. The media attention granted to the serial killers is usually a motivating factor for the killers. This is because they learn that their efforts are recognized, hence they seek to commit heinous acts to gain attention, while venting out their anger. Once a serial killer is involved in murder, he or she grows the need to commit more identical acts to satisfy the innate psychological needs, which migh t be emotional, physical or sexual. Majority of the serial killers are described to have a psychological disorder, which is the main cause for their antisocial and unstable behavior. Hence, their activities are usually related to one of more of the psychological disorders detailed in the DSM manuals for psychological disorders. Some of most high profile serial killers in the world exhibited mental instabilities and obsession in their activities. For instance, Gary Leon Ridgeway alias the Green River Killer was charged and convicted of at least 48 murders of women. However, he confessed that he had killed more than double the number, which had been identified. Majority of the women he had killed were prostitutes. He was able to exercise such because as a serial killer he had the ability to lure the women with the promise of money for sexual favors. He gained the alias Green River Killer after the first five of his victims were discovered in the Green River. His main method of killing was by strangling and with the use of ligatures. This is an express indication of the lack of consideration and respect for human life. He used such methods to make sure that he that felt powerful as he took away the lives of the women that he killed (Waller, 2010). Another infamous serial killer famed for his actions was John Wayne Gacy, who was a member of the Junior Chamber Of Commerce. He confessed about the murders of numerous people some of whom were not accounted for by the authorities. He was a respected member of society. However, he had an abusive relationship with his abusive alcoholic father. There were suspicion that he was a child molester and homosexual. This is an indication that previous childhood experiences might have had role in his killings. Theodore Robert Cowell alias Ted Bundy was an infamous serial killer in the 1946 who was famed for his good looks. This enabled him to lure his victims with ample ease to their death. He used various approaches such as posing as a police officer, firefighter and other workers to gain trust from his potential victims. He was responsible for killing 40 women after raping them and eventually mutilating their bodies. He confessed to the murders. Eventually, he was executed. It is claimed that before he dumped his bodies, he applied make up to the dead woman and slept with them (Bartol, Bartol, 2008). Mass murder is essentially described as the act of killing more than four individuals at the same time or over a relatively short period. In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) describes that mass murders are characterized by the time of occurrence, which separates them from the definition of serial murders or homicide (FBI Serial Murders Report, 2009). They usually occur during the â€Å"cooling off† period. Furthermore, mass murders usually occur in a specific location whereby all the victims are killed in a single location or a vicinity of a particular location. In essence, mass murder is defined as the intentional and indiscriminate murder of individuals by either individuals or organizations. Serial killers when involved in the murder of large numbers of people, usually execute such plans in a longer period. Serial murders are usually instigated and executed based on psychological needs and imbalance by the serial killers. On the other hand, mass murders are usually aimed at execution of large numbers of people without discrimination of the victims. Hence, the difference between mass murders and serial murders are based on the selection of the victims. Mass murders are at times based on killing of family, friends, colleagues and strangers based on an individual belief. Such events usually have motivating factors such as bullying, racism, loss of employment, lack of attention, discrimination and perceived alienation of an individual. Hence, a mass murderer executes his or her activities of killing people because of previous encounters and experiences with a targeted group of individuals. Mass murders are usually based on various contexts. Death of people a result of an act of war is by some in society considered as mass murder. On the other hand, others consider that mass murder amounts to death of people who do not have any reason to face such cruelty. They simply become victims of fate. Mass murders are also based on political contexts such as during the execution and murder of political supporters of a specific grouping. This is at times regarded as genocide based on the numbers of people executed in such circumstances (Geberth, 2006). The definition of serial homicide from the Bureau of Justice Statistics defines serial homicide as an act that involves the murder of several individuals in separate events, which are separated by time but are executed in a similar fashion or signature. This gives definition to the serial killer. A serial killer and a spree killer usually have identical traits in the execution styles of their activities. A spree killer is described as one with the ability of hunting for the victims whereas the serial killer uses seduction and luring tactics to lure the victims to their demise. In addition, serial killers actualize their need to kill based merely on sadistic urges, which are essentially defined as psychopathic. Furthermore, their sociopathic and unsociable traits make them unable to interact and sympathize with others about their suffering. Hence, the lack of remorse is usually a trait evident in majority serial murderers (Waller, 2010). In conclusion, serial killing is based on psychological instabilities and disorders of an individual. On the other hand, mass murders are usually executed at a specific moment. However, the two instances are identical in that serial killing and mass murder involve premeditation of such efforts before the actual execution of plans to kill large numbers of people. In essence, both perspectives involve taking the lives of people who are unaware of such preplanned events aimed at actualizing their demise. Reference Andrews, D. A., Bonta, J. (2010). The psychology of criminal conduct. Albany, N.Y.: Lexis Nexis/Anderson Pub. Bartol, C. R., Bartol, A.M. (2008). Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall. FBI Serial Murders Report. (2009). Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators. Behavioral Analysis Unit: National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/publications/serial_murder.htm on March 9, 2010. Geberth, V. J. (2006). Practical homicide investigation: Tactics, procedures, and forensic techniques. Boca Raton, FL: CRC/Taylor Francis. Waller, S. (2010). Serial killers philosophy: Being and killing. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Best Guide to Completing Summer Homework Fast

The Best Guide to Completing Summer Homework Fast The thing that every student looks forward to is summer vacation. That beautiful time of the year when the weather is perfect and the freedom to enjoy life without all the stress of school is a reality rather than a dream. For many though, the summer isnt just a time for relaxing. Most have summer homework that they have been assigned by their teachers to complete before the new school year begins. But why do teachers assign summer homework? Well, the answer is simple, teachers assign summer homework as a way of keeping the students’ mind sharp and as a way of getting students prepared for the year to come. How much summer homework gets assigned? Generally, most teachers assign what works out to be about an hour of summer homework a day if broken down into manageable sections that get completed throughout the summer holiday. This can be a simple and easy task for those that have good time management skills. Others, however, find the idea of doing homework over the summer unbearable and thus end up trying to finish it all in the last few days before school starts again. While this may often feel overwhelming, the truth is that it doesnt have to be. There are many ways to get a lot of that summer homework done quickly while still retaining the most important parts of the information. It doesnt matter if you are: Lazy Busy with other work Have trouble finding time to balance work/school/home Just enjoying a beautiful summer Sick All of the tips, tricks, and advice listed here for completing summer homework fast are designed to work with any students’ schedule no matter the deadline! For Summer Reading Homework Some people hate reading, especially if the subject matter is dense, boring, or both. Others dont like to read because it requires too much time and concentration. And of course, there are those that just never went out to pick up the book in the first place. If you have a ton of pages that you need to read before school starts and find yourself without the time or the motivation to get it done then do we have some solutions for you! Book Notes, Guides, and Analysis There are several online resources that provide full-length analysis of fiction and non-fiction books that are commonly assigned for summer reading. Some of the benefits of these sites, beyond making your summer reading go much faster, is that they provide detailed information on plot, character development, storyline, and much more to give you all the information about a book without having to sit and read through the whole thing. They include: Sparknotes Provides detailed information on the most common works of literature that are assigned to junior high, high school, and university students. Cliff Notes Similar to Sparknotes, but also includes study guides and a variety of search functions to find exactly what you are looking to fully understand your required reading. PinkMonkey The great thing about PinkMonkey is that it includes more than just reading materials. You can also find a vast amount of resources for studying for various standardized testing that makes reading a full, and boring, test prep book a quick and easy process. BookRags If you have to write something after you have â€Å"read† it then you will find BookRags instrumental in giving you resources, study guides, bios, interviews, encyclopedia research, and more to help you get your reading and writing done quickly, easily, and just in time for school to start again. Audio Options If you have other more exciting things to be doing on your computer, or find internet reading and research just as daunting as actually reading a book, then consider the following options for getting your summer reading done without actually having to read a page: Local Library This place is a great resource for finding audio books. This lets you â€Å"read† any time anywhere! Whether you go out to the park to listen, pop in an audiobook while you are driving around, or keep it on in the background while you are playing your favorite video game, audiobooks are perfect for anyone that doesnt want to sacrifice the last few days of summer vacation activities while learning! Audible Created by Amazon, and boasting one of the largest collection of audio learning materials including books, papers, and other educational material for students. OverDrive OverDrive works with over 30,000 public libraries to let you download their audio material right to your device. The best part is that it is free and works with just about any operating system. All you need is your library or student card to rent and download the exact reading material you need to finish your summer homework reading requirements! For Summer Writing Homework If your summer homework requires a lot of writing and you have a short amount of time then try out some of these options for getting it done quick! Study Group These days everything is crowdsourced. Why not do the same thing with your summer writing homework? Get together with some friends that also need to get work done fast and work as a team to get that writing done. Having people around who can provide support and critiques for your writing will make it go much faster and provide you with a better pool of ideas, words, and subject matter to cover. Professional Writing Services If you find that writing is just not your thing, or, you just dont know enough about a topic, then try hiring a professional writing service to complete unique and professional writing assignments for you tailored to your specific needs. Companies like EssayTigers are perfect at getting papers done quickly by their experienced pool of educators and academics who are ready to write anything you need! Grammarly While you will still have to do the writing yourself, the nice thing about Grammarly is that it can provide you with information about flow, content, syntax, overall readability, plagiarism, and much more. Just type out a rough draft of your writing and run it through their editing software to get a detailed report of how you can quickly and easily adjust your writing to be exactly what you need to get the grades that you want. These options will greatly decrease the amount of time that you spend writing and increase the time you spend enjoying the last remaining days of summer stress-free! The Takeaway While the benefits of learning can be high when it comes to assigning summer homework, the fact is that it can be a daunting task to complete and doesnt always benefit the student depending on the amount of work assigned. This is especially true for those that have other obligations like work and family to take care of over the summer. What happens if you dont finish your summer homework? Well, that can depend on the school, the teacher, and the student. Most commonly, not finishing summer homework can result in lower grades and test scores. Additionally, not finishing summer homework can put a student behind before the school year starts, marking the beginning of what should be a productive school year with stress and anxiety. By the way, have you seen our post on legendary homework excuses? The best way, obviously, to complete summer homework is to section it out into manageable blocks that you can do throughout the summer. However, if you find that you are running short on time to complete your summer homework, then the advice and resources listed above will allow you to quickly complete your summer homework so that you can be ready for the new school year to come! So what are you waiting for? Get started now!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

BUSINESS LAW Master Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

BUSINESS LAW Master - Case Study Example The contract also contained a clause that Supercool would not be liable for any loss or damage caused during stocking or maintainence of the show case by the staff of supercool. On the 30th of November 2008, Nick, now an employee of Supercool, made a delivery of the special lager to the bar at the football ground, and commenced to clean the glass case before stocking it. Unfortunately he stumbled and fell as he was cleaning the plate glass, causing several panes to break and crash to the ground. Falling glass caused damage to some bar furniture. One piece of broken glass caused a gash to the shin and right foot of Ethel, a member of the bar staff. Ethel didn't seek medical attention immediately, and, a week later the wound became badly infected, causing a permanent restriction of movement in her foot. John is now demanding compensation for damage caused to the bar area, and Ethel is claiming against Supercool for her injuries. Supercool have referred John to the clause in the contract, and have denied any liability to Ethel for her injuries on the basis that it was Nick and not the partnership who caused the injury and that, in any event, her failure to seek medical help immediately, has relieved anyone from legal liability for her injuries. I would advise Supercool that they have a bright chance to defend ... The Question of Compensation to John for the damage caused to the bar area. I would advise Supercool that they have a bright chance to defend the claim from John. As per the facts of the case on the 15th of November,2008, the partnership agreed with John, the manager of Inky Town F.C. to manufacture 5000 bottles of premium lager commemorating the club's 100 years in the football league. Under the terms of the contract Supercool would provide a large glass show case for six months, which would be both stocked and maintained by employees of Supercool in Inky's bar located at the football ground. The contract also contained a clause that Supercool would not be liable for any loss or damage caused during stocking or maintainence of the show case by the staff of supercool. According to the basic ingredients of the contract act there was a perfectly valid contract between John as the manger of Inky Town F.C. and Supercool. There was an agreement between John and Supercool and later on the agreement culminated in to a full fledged contract after both the parties co ming on an agreement on the terms of the contract. There was meeting of minds between John and Supercool in the same sense and no ambiguity regarding anything. The facts of the following case Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co.(1893)I.Q.B.256 amply demonstrate the principles as to offer, acceptance "Contract - Offer by Advertisement - Performance of Condition in Advertisement - Notification of Acceptance of Offer - Wager - Insurance - 8 9 Vict. c. 109 - 14 Geo. 3, c. 48, s. 2. The defendants, the proprietors of a medical preparation called "The Carbolic Smoke Ball," issued an advertisement in which they offered to pay 100 to any person who contracted the influenza after having used one of

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Internal and External Factors Paper on Bridgestone Essay

Internal and External Factors Paper on Bridgestone - Essay Example The essay will use the Bridgestone Corporation as the case study and according to Qontro Business Profiles (2008); Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational corporation that was established in 1931 and its main specialty is the manufacture of motor vehicle tires. However, the company also deals in other diversified products that include a wide range of industrial products such as conveyor belts, water houses, and polyurethane foam. Other products include Bridgestone branded bicycles, Bridgestone aircraft tire, and an array of golf products. The company has a wide global presence that is supported by more than 140 production facilities that are spread wide across 24 countries. In reference to the studies by Daft (2011), he described planning as the as the core function of management and even the foundation of the other three functions of management. In the planning process, Bridgestone’s management diagnose the status or health of the company in line with the planned future goals and objectives of the company, and then devise appropriate action plans that will enable the attainment of these goals and objectives. However, Hersey et al. (2000) stated the planning factor is influenced by both external and internal factors and at times, these factors may be uncontrollable thereby potentially affecting Bridgestone in a positive and/ or negative manner. Daft, R. (2011) stated that the act of realigning a company with these external and internal factors is referred to as strategic planning. During strategic planning, the external factor of globalization always makes Bridgestone’s managers consider the impact of competition from their rivals that include Firestone. Secondly, the issue of globalization ensures that managers of the company make strategic plans that will position the company to strategically compete in the international market and keep in

Monday, November 18, 2019

Q4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Q4 - Essay Example Continual improvement can also be added as a basic tenet of TQM concept. This particular principle denotes that improvement of the company in terms of quality as well as quantity should be a continuous process. It is worth mentioning in this context that the sole intention of TQM is to obtain efficiency in managing both quality and quantity with equal importance. The key notion considered in this regard, signifies that balance between quality and quantity is vital to attract customers at an increasing rate and also preserve customer loyalty for a longer time-period. Owing to such significance of TQM, the inferences drawn through this framework must essentially be reliable. This constitutes another basic tenet of TQM, where matrices are required to be used to draw inferences and justify strategies for maintaining a balance between quality and quantity prospects. Last but not the least; managerial leadership practices within the organization also play a major influencing role in contri buting towards the effectiveness of the TQM strategies applied (Reynolds,

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Marxist Framework of Poverty in the UK

Marxist Framework of Poverty in the UK Poverty is generally understood to mean a condition in which people are deprived in some way, such that they lack the basic requirements for sustaining well-being, and ultimately, life. These basic requirements are understood as such things as food, water, shelter (as may be understood, for example, in a developing country context) or access to education or political power (as might be understood, for example, in the context of a developed nation). Poverty is an absolute within itself, as people are termed to be in poverty, but poverty can also be understood in relative terms, when, for example, poverty of different resources is considered: poverty of education is obviously not as fundamental a level of poverty as poverty of food, for example, as, obviously, without food, a person would die, but a person can manage to live without education, even if this would mean a life of continuing poverty, through lack of opportunity. Poverty can be measured in many different ways, and indeed, there are many indicators of poverty, which are used to assess year-on-year changes in poverty. Obviously, as with definitions of poverty, measurements of poverty are relative, with different measures being used in developed vs. developing nations, for example, or between nations of the developed, or developing, world. In general, one overall measure of poverty which has gained ground in recent years is the income inequality scale, which shows that income inequality has, recently, worldwide, become less of a problem, with the world becoming more equitable in terms of income levels across the world’s nations. This does not belittle the problems of poverty, however, as poverty is still a major issue that the world has yet to deal with in a satisfactory manner. As with the definitions and measurement of poverty, the causes of poverty are many and varied, with environmental and geographical factors creating poverty in many developing countries, and with disease and lack of natural resources also causing poverty in these regions. Indeed, it is difficult to attribute one cause to poverty in any situation, especially poverty in developing countries. In developed nations, however, poverty is perhaps best understood as a product of society’s failure to act to avoid the situation, and, as such, policies are in place to prevent poverty in these situations[1]. It is a moot point, however, amongst politicians, social workers and philanthropists as to how far policies can actually prevent poverty, and, indeed, some people suggest that current policies do not go far enough to act to prevent poverty. The effects of poverty are, again, many and varied, with poverty leading, ultimately, to death, in many developing nations, and with poverty leading to lack of opportunity and social exclusion in developed nations. In developed nations, policies are in place to avoid such poverty, such as subsidised housing, education and health care[2], although these are not always effective, as we have seen, leading to undesirable effects, such as crime (Jones, 2001; Muncie, 2004). It is hypothesised, for example, that in extreme poverty situations, people turn to crime in order to provide basic necessities, and this has been supported by much original research on the subject (see Muncie, 2004). The next section of the paper will look at levels of poverty in the UK, and following this, the paper will then proceed to assess poverty in the UK from a Marxist viewpoint. Poverty in the UK is still at shockingly high levels, with the problem seeming, on the face of it, to be mainly caused by low pay levels; indeed, it is suggested by recent research that in low-income households, both members of the family need to work in order for the family to earn enough to cover basic expenses[3], and that, of these low income families, many are at a disadvantage in terms of receiving health care and the achievement of minimum educational standards. It seems, also, that this trend, rather than decreasing, is actually increasing, with the number of families claiming children’s tax credits increasing year-on-year and the proportion of workers classed as ‘low paid’ increasing year-on-year[4]. It is shocking, therefore, to see that much of the UK, and a large proportion of the children living in the UK, live in poverty. This is despite the fact that policies have been in place for many decades to try to curtail, and avoid altogether, the issue of poverty. As we have seen, however, these policies are often not effective, and can take years to come to fruition, by which time a new generation of infants have grown up in poverty, leading to what is known as ‘the poverty trap’. We have seen, therefore, how successive UK governments have attempted to deal with the issue of poverty: by creating policies to deal with each ‘strand’ of poverty individually, and not attacking the whole problem of poverty as a whole. This leads on to thinking about how Marxists understand poverty, which is essentially in a more holistic, if idealistic, manner. Marxists do not make any distinction between class, poverty and disadvantage; for Marxists, members of any class, they argue, can fall into poverty through unemployment, for example, and that, as such, ‘the poor’ can be best be viewed as part of a continuum from those in society who have a lot of material wealth to those who do not. This definition using the idea of a continuum, however, stands in direct contrast to the situation of class inequality which, obviously, Marxists attempt to fight against by their calls for equality in society, for all. Perhaps the issue of poverty can be best understood in terms of the dependency theory of Marxists: this theory suggest, essentially, that lifting the poor out of poverty is not enough, they need to be given tools to be able to sustain themselves out of poverty. True Marxists would add that this can never be achieved under a capitalist system, as this system is built to achieve successes at the expense of the failure of others; as such, poverty is a consequence of the capitalist system, and something which Marxists fight against, in their search for equality, or, rather, in terms of poverty, in their quest for a situation in which underdevelopment is not an option. Assessing poverty in terms of a purely socio-political approach as we have done, and then within the framework of Marxism as we have also attempted, provides two different frameworks with which to understand the issue of poverty. One framework aims to treat poverty as something that can be solved by implementing policies and by watching those policies take effect, the other attempts to understand poverty as a societal achievement, which can only be solved by changing the very foundations of society. Social workers are some of societies most valuable professionals, who, in concert with families, teachers, and the police can put children, and families, back on track before they reach an irreversible moment in which damage has been done which cannot be corrected. Children are valuable members of society, and it is the responsibility of all society to look after them: perhaps this is what Marx was implying when he talked of societal equality. Children deserve equality of opportunity, in terms of access to basic requirements, and, above these, to health care and education and information provision. Without these basic requirements, without basic care, children live in poverty. It is a travesty that in this day and age there are many children who live in poverty in the UK, but with the approach outlined here applied on a daily basis by social workers, it is hoped that poverty will soon be a thing of the past, at least in the UK. References Best, S. (2005) Understanding Social Divisions, London, Sage Cree, V. E. (2000) Sociology for Social Workers and Probation Officers, London, Routledge. Dominelli, L. (1997) Sociology for Social Work, London, MacMillan Glennerster, H. et al. (2004). One hundred years of poverty and policy. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Iceland, J. (2003). Poverty in America. A Handbook of the University of California Press. Jones, S. (2001) Criminology, Trowbridge, Cromwell Press Layder, D. (2005) Understanding Social Theory, London, Sage Muncie, J. (2004) Youth and Crime, 2nd edition, London, Sage, Ritzer, G. (2000) Sociological Theory, London, McGraw-Hill 1 Footnotes [1] A recent book by Glennerster et al. (2004) entitled One hundred years of poverty and policy, provides a review of the effects and ramifications of policy on poverty in the UK. [2] Although the nation that sees itself as ‘the most developed’ on Earth, the United States, offers none of these poverty-reducing schemes, and indeed, poverty in the United States is on the increase, and reaches disturbingly high levels. See Iceland (2003) for further details. [3] See the report Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK, 2006 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. [4] Again, according to the report Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK, 2006 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Netflix competitive analysis Essay -- essays research papers

Competitive Analysis Blockbuster Inc. and Movie Gallery are currently the two strongest competitors in the market, and therefore pose the biggest threats to Netflix. Amazon, Intelliflicks, and Cleanfilms are all present in the market, but don’t possess enough force at this time to be considered a threat to Netflix. Blockbuster As of right now, Blockbuster is the biggest competitive threat to Netflix. Blockbuster was incorporated in 1989 in Delaware and is a major renter of home videocassettes, DVDs and video games throughout the Americas, as well as Europe, Asia and Australia. Blockbuster operated about 9,100 stores in the U.S. and 24 other countries, as of Dec. 2004. In the summer of 2004, Blockbuster launched an online rental program that provides a challenging competitive match for Netflix. Blockbuster’s online debut was in development for years. In 2002 Blockbuster purchased FilmCaddy, an online movie rental company that became Blockbusters internet channel. Blockbuster completed consumer research, both qualitative and quantitative, and found that online customers preferred a program that would give them both Internet convenience and in-store benefits. Blockbuster decided to incorporate its extensive network of stores to provide a powerful competitive edge. In addition, the chain has said it wil l invest $170 million this year alone in its online-rental operation. Financially, Blockbuster has revenues of 6.10 billion, with a gross profit of 3.61 billion, and a negative ne...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Vice President and New Executive Vice

Case Analysis ReportFMB&T Bank I. Statement of the Problem The new Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of FMB&TBank have no clear authority and responsibility. II. Objective There should be a clear authority and responsibility for the new IT Executivein order for her to be effective and efficient. III. Analysis of the Causes a. Relationship between IT Department and other bank business units ismixed up causing considerable confusion, friction and inefficiency. . Work request are vague and not coordinated and consolidated to reflect aclearer picture of the problem making it hard to formulate a quick solutionwhich the bank’s other business units require. c. The presence of the new IT executive was not welcomed by the unitmanagers of other business units of the bank making it harder for her tofacilitate solutions for IT problems. d. IT staff responsibilities are limited only to application works.They are notgiven the freedom to explore and apply new development s in the ITindustry. e. There is considerable influence from other regional executives todecentralize IT operations to regional branches because they feel thatresponse will be faster to meet their requirements. IV. Choices a. Define an explicit authority and responsibility of the new IT executive. Thespan of authority should include all business units involve in the use IT toensure that all will follow IT processes and procedures. . The new IT executive must formulate strict IT policies and procedureswhich have the approval of the CEO and all IT users are required to follow Failure to follow IT policies and procedure should be dealt with inaccordance with company’s existing rewards and punishment policies. c. Involve IT staffs in a more flexible working environment and give them thefreedom to take advantage on new IT innovations and apply it to thecompany’s IT system. d.Re-organize the company’s whole organizational structure to adapt intothe new requirement of IT technology rather than remain as rigid as thecurrent vertical structure. e. Decentralize the whole IT department operations to regional branches inorder that implementation will be faster. V. Selection from the Choices As a CEO, I will reorganize the whole organizational structure of the companyand include IT as a major division in the implementation of companystrategies. If a bank wanted to grow in this generation, it must be willing toadapt to technological innovations.Task the new IT executive to formulate ITpolicies and procedures that will be implemented company wide where all ITusers are required to follow. VI. Implementation IT department should be given blanket authority in terms of implementing ITstrategies of the company and this should be understood by all departmentsand divisions. The new IT executive should create a company wide IT helpdesk where allwork requests are consolidated, analyzed and collated to come up with anintelligent solution to all IT problems.This wi ll also eliminate confusion;friction and inefficiency since all information needed to create a solution arealready consolidated. The only thing that IT will do is to design a frameworksolution to any imaginable IT problems that were presented based on the IThelpdesk consolidated information. With this strategy, IT will have moreefficient control of its resources and channel saved resources in developingnew IT innovations that they can apply for the development of the company. 2 VII. Work place applicationIn our company, the IT department has full control of all IT related issues. ITdepartment has regional helpdesk to cater to all IT related work requests. TheIT helpdesk will in turn consolidate all work requests and assign qualifiedtechnical staffs that can best address the problem. For minor IT problems,the helpdesk will address it immediately by giving direct instructions to theuser. If technical intervention is required, a district IT technical staff will beimmediately dispatched to address the problem

Friday, November 8, 2019

Explain the Influences of Two Predictable and Two Unpredictable Major Life Events on the Development of the Individual. Essays

Explain the Influences of Two Predictable and Two Unpredictable Major Life Events on the Development of the Individual. Essays Explain the Influences of Two Predictable and Two Unpredictable Major Life Events on the Development of the Individual. Essay Explain the Influences of Two Predictable and Two Unpredictable Major Life Events on the Development of the Individual. Essay Explain the Influences of two predictable and two unpredictable major life events on the development of the individual. Predictable Life Event Leaving Home This is a predictable life event. However, it can have an influence on an individual’s development. Firstly, the physical development will have an impact as an individual will have an change in their diet due to lack of cooking experience. In addition, it will also cause a lack of nutrition and an individual would need to change their diet. An individual could go out more and choose the wrong decisions such as drinking or smoking and gain/lose weight. Secondly, would be intellectual development as the individual would need to set up gas and water, learn about mortgages. Thirdly, would be emotional development as the individual would become more independent and have emotions to feel such as feeling lonely, scared or happy. Lastly, would be social development as an individual would be on their own and therefore, have no social to be around with. In addition, an individual could go out more and be around with more social class people. Starting School This is a predictable life event. However, it can have an influence on an individual’s development. Firstly, the physical development will have an impact as an individual would be that they would start doing a subject of P. E which would give them an boost in psychical development and some individuals who do not get enough run around would be able to do their physical development at school. In addition, some individuals who do no get enough nutrition or meals at home could have school dinners and therefore, increase their psychical development. Secondly, would be intellectual development as the individual would need to know which classes they are meant to be at or to remember a teacher’s name. Thirdly, would be emotional development as the individual would become more independent and have emotions to feel such as feeling lonely, scared or happy. Lastly, would be social development as an individual would be making new friends and therefore, meeting new social classes.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Review of Arthur Millers Play The Crucible

Review of Arthur Miller's Play The Crucible Of all Arthur Millers classic dramas, The Crucible remains his most difficult play to convincingly produce. One wrong choice from a director, one wrong gesture from a performer, and the play will elicit laughter instead of gasps of pathos. From a literary standpoint, the story and characters are easy to comprehend. Set in Salem, Massachusetts the plot moves at a brisk pace and the audience quickly learns that the protagonist, John Proctor, is the object of young, wicked Abigail Williams desire. She will stop at nothing to recapture the heart of this married man, even if it means accusing others of witchcraft and igniting the deadly flames of hysteria, a paranoia that will ultimately lead many to the gallows. Summary John Proctor carries a dark weight in his soul. A respected farmer and husband, he has committed adultery with a seventeen-year-old girl (Abigail). Yet, although he hides this fact from the rest of the community, he still values truth. He knows that the allegations of witchcraft are vengeful lies. John struggles throughout the play. Should he accuse his former lover of lying and attempted murder? Even at the cost of being publicly branded an adulterer? The conflict intensifies during the plays final act. He is given a chance to save his own life, but to do that he must confess that he had worshiped the devil. His ultimate choice provides a powerful scene that every leading actor should strive to play. Other complex characters within the play are a boon for actresses. The character of Elizabeth Proctor calls for a restrained performance, with occasional bursts of passion and grief. Perhaps the juiciest role of the play, though she doesnt get as much stage time, is that of ​Abigail Williams. This character can be interpreted in many ways. Some actresses have played her as a childish brat, while others have portrayed her as a sinister harlot. The actress who takes on this role should decide, how does Abigail truly feel about John Proctor? Was her innocence stolen from her? Is she a victim? Or a sociopath? Does she love him in some twisted way? Or has she been using him all along? Producing The Crucible Now, if the plot and characters are amazingly coherent, then why should this play be a challenge to successfully produce? The scenes of pretend witchcraft can evoke a comic effect if performed the wrong way. For example, many high school productions have gone over the top during the possession scenes. The script calls for young women of Salem to gyrate as if in a demonic fit, to envision birds flying around them, and to repeat words as though they are hypnotized. If done correctly, these scenes of mock-witchcraft can create a chilling effect. The audience will be able to understand how judges and reverends could be fooled into making a deadly decision. However, if the performers become too silly, the audience might chuckle and chortle, and then it might be hard to make them feel the profound tragedy of the plays end. In short, the magic of this play will come from the supporting cast. If actors can realistically recreate what life was like back in 1692, the audience will have a vicarious experience. They will come to understand the fears, desires, and disputes of this small Puritan town, and may come to relate to the people of Salem not as characters in a play, but as real people who lived and died, often in the face of cruelty and injustice. Then, the audience will be able to experience the full weight of Millers exquisite American tragedy.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Atheism and Communism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Atheism and Communism - Essay Example Similarly, communism is a socioeconomic and political term, which also seeks unity and cohesion among the members of society by denouncing any possibility of class discrimination culture. The paper also explores the differences between the two notions under investigation by declaring that a large majority of the communists follows one faith or the other, and hence does not disassociate it with spiritual belief system altogether. However, it is fact that the Christians, Muslims and Hindus are also the followers of communist politico-economic system. Consequently, atheism and communism serve as pole-apart concepts, which share one major commonality i.e. to free the humans from getting divided, alienated and weak subsequently. The Paper The notions atheism and communism have been in vogue for the last many decades, which seek their roots in political science, history, sociology and theology. Theorists are at daggers drawn in respect of exploring similarities and dissimilarities between the two notions. One school of thought declares both the terms as quite different from one another, which should not be taken the lights of the same source. On the other hand, some of the political scientists observe close proximity between atheism and communism, as both the two, according to them; negate exploitation of one or more strata at the hands of the other in the name of religion, race, region, ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic status. Since religious faiths, class discrimination and financial positions, they insist, invite differences and gulf among the individuals, belonging to divergent groups and communities, non-adherence to the belief systems pave the way towards the creation of a homogenous society, they assert. Somehow, association between both the two can be viewed due to the very reality that both these doctrines share several commonalities in their nature and scope, and portray the picture of an undivided as well as a classless society. While atheism denies the existence of any deity, communism concentrates upon the establishment of a homogenous society without being divided into classes, communities and religious beliefs. However, they cannot be stated as the aspects of one and the same coin; on the contrary, they are quite different from each other in nature and scope. Before embarking upon the topic under analysis, it would be advisable to define both the terms under analysis: Atheism: It has aptly been observed that an overwhelming majority of the populations, belonging to every society, culture, nation, country, race, region and ethnicity of the globe, seek support from some supernatural powers at the hour when they find themselves quite helpless in the face of hardships. Such belief subsequently ripens into strong faith, and develops some specific rituals, prayers and performances, which are imitated by the entire community by taking it as the source of their spiritual uplift and relief. The statistics reveal that thousands of religi ous beliefs are followed by the millions of the people all over the globe. However, still there exists a community that has not developed faith in the Supernatural powers, and consequently declares it as atheist or without religious belief. The members of this community take life and death as the outcome of the alterations taking place in their physical and social environment, which give way to the chemical and physical changes in the environment, including the conversion of matter from one form to the other. Hence,

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Common law and equity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Common law and equity - Essay Example Equity was developed in order to overcome the inadequacies of common law. Equitable remedies are available in a number of areas where common law is either incapable of providing justice or is not faultless in providing justice to the individuals. The main purpose of equity jurisdiction is to support the existing laws. Equity was developed to propose principles that are either ignored by common law or not formally accepted in that set of law. Moreover, equity proposes certain remedies that are unavailable in common law. In certain circumstance, common law decisions or remedies are insufficient to provide justice to the innocent (Hudson, 2009). For instance, in the matters involving mortgages, where the lenders are to a piece of land as a security of the loan granted, the principles in equity and common law greatly distinguish from each other. Let’s assume that Angelina grants a loan of $5,000 to Joseph, after considering a piece of land as a security that worth $8,000. Accordin g to the contract, the land in question would be legally transferred on the name of the lender (Angelina), on the terms that she would retransfer the land on Josephs name if he repays the loan in the specified time. If Joseph fails to repay the loan in the specified time, common law gives no entitlement to Joseph for the land that was conveyed and the duty to repay the loan still exists. However, equity practices such situations in a different and more reasonable manner. According to the rules of equity, Joseph would be given another chance to repay the loan in a new specified time. If Joseph still fails to repay, the land which was let for security will be sold and the loan will be repaid. The additional amount would be given to Joseph as it belongs to him. It is not just the matters of mortgages where equity provides a more reasonable and just decision but it also works better in many other areas. Equity and common law are not only different in terms of laws and

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Anishinabi Clan System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anishinabi Clan System - Essay Example These people are also interrelated with a help of any kind of kinship – internal or external. In some cultures the representatives of the clan should be the relatives, they speak about the close and far, internal and external relationships, among their family members the representative of the clan under the study will enumerate all the known relatives; in this system each person had a specific name like the sibling of same gender was named niikaanis. So, we can say that the clan system is not a brand new thing in our world, but the clan system of Anishinabi is very peculiar. During our classes we studied the cultural, religious and historical features of the American clan system. So, let’s take a close look at the peculiarities of the Anishinabi clan. The history of our society knows a lot of examples of the people’s unions, one of which is the clan system. There is not much information about the Anishinabis, but we can find enough to study their clan system. This is the group of people that lives in the North America. It was one of many Algonquian-speaking groups that inhabited this part of the continent now it is the last one that remained. The native inhabitants used to call this land the Turtle Island and created their myths around their native land. These people preserve their culture and traditions with a help of inter-tribal marriages and relations. The Anishinaabe clan incorporates the Odawa, Ojibwa, and Algonquin people, who inhabit the lands of the modern Ontario state. They are related by their traditions and language. To the point, we also have to mention that the whole clan was, and still is, divided into five main groups named: th e Bimaawidaasi, the Giishkizhigwan, the Nooke, the Baswenaazhi and finally the Bemaangik. Originally the whole nation was divided into so-called odoodeman which equals the modern understanding of clans and groups. Each group had its own ruler who was also

Monday, October 28, 2019

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Essay Example for Free

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Essay In the article, â€Å"Why Chinese mothers are Superior, Chua describes her efforts to give her children what she describes as a traditional, strict â€Å"Chinese† upbringing. ] This piece was controversial. Many readers missed the supposed irony and self-deprecating humor in the title and the piece itself and instead believed that Chua was advocating the â€Å"superiority† of a particular, very strict, ethnically defined approach to parenting. In fact Chua has stated that the book was not a how-to manual but a self-mocking memoir. In any case, Chua defines â€Å"Chinese mother† loosely to include parents of other ethnicities who practice traditional, strict child-rearing, while also acknowledging that â€Å"Western parents come in all varieties,† and not all ethnically Chinese parents practice strict child-rearing. Chua also reported that in one study of 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, the vast majority said that they believe their children can be the best students, that academic achievement reflects successful parenting, and that if children did not excel at school then there was a problem and parents were not doing their job. Chua contrasts them with the view she labels â€Å"Western† – that a child’s self-esteem is paramount Amy makes it clear that the Asian kids are not born smart (For the most part, at least) It is hard work and training from the parents that shapes the children into these wonder kids. To prove her point she lists up a number of things that her daughter were never allowed to do, such as: * Have a play date * Watch television or play computer games * Attend a school play * Complain about not in a school play And so on.. Prohibitions that seems totally unreasonable for us â€Å"westerns†, as she loosely has named us. Throughout the text she covers several perspectives on parenting, which of a few I surprisingly agree on. Most of her viewpoints I deeply disagree with though and is far from my idea about proper parenting. Each time she lists up one of her perspectives, she compares the Chinese perspective with the Western perspective. She does this in a very subjective manner I think. She is very clever rhetorically. At some parts of the text, I actually caught my self being very close to getting dragged towards her side. I found it quite amusing to feel the power of pathos, but at the same time a bit daunting. According to Amy, the main difference between Chinese parents and Western parents is the way they see their children. Western parents believe that respecting their children’s choices, their individuality and always encouraging them to pursue their true passions is the way. In contrast, Chinese parents believe that preparing their children for the future, and..

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Cutting Room Management System Economics Essay

Cutting Room Management System Economics Essay In todays highly competitive global market, manufacturers face constant pressure to reduce costs, offer greater product selection, and deliver products faster. Like many domestic manufacturers competing in todays international marketplace, the apparel industry has been forced to upgrade its responsiveness to customer needs. As a result, smaller orders are placed in a more dynamic fashion, requiring the efficient production of smaller lot sizes. Effective and economical production thus depends upon the interaction of many system components, one of the most critical being an efficient workflow control system. The cutting room maintains documents and books for the various cutting operations they perform. Generally the books and registers they maintain are require a lot of manual entries and the timely retrieval of previous records is a problem as these records are very vast. The focus of this project is on the means employed by the cutting room manager to instruct, monitor and control the processing of fabric cutting room and personnel. Documentation during and after cutting is designed to authorize the issuing of materials from store ,control the spreading, cutting and bundling activities, facilitate the analysis of losses and quantify losses against costed values. Cutting room is constantly challenged to cut costs on material usage. A small percentage of fabric saved during cutting can reflect a decent savings in the financial records of the company. The Marker making solutions are used constantly to minimize fabric usage while making markers. Another area where cost cutting can be done is by making an effective cut plan. An effective cut plan will make sure that garments are cut within the limits of the accepted quantity (as 5% extra delivery is allowed by the buyer against ordered goods), the required quantities are cut with minimum number of cuts (saving labor time). In most apparel industries, size mix i.e. how many and which sizes should be combined, in a marker is actually a very complex set of permutation combination. The number of variables possible combinations in most cutting problems exceeds human abilities. This projects aims to defining a system for effective management of cutting room and at the same time connecting it to fabric inventory so that track of the fabric in inventory can be made as most of the times the roll wise information of the fabric in inventory is not known and fabric issue is not made against a cutting instruction. Most of the time the fabric sent from fabric store is more than actual requirement of cutting instruction for a particular day so effective track of the consumption of fabric is not made in case there is no provision of returns of excess from cutting room. So designing of the system for effective flow is a need. OBJECTIVE To design a system which manages the activities that happen in a cutting room. The system should represent a model of cutting room and activities are recorded into the system. SUB OBJECTIVES The system is to be connected to the fabric inventory or database thereby maintaining record of each roll which is fed for cutting. To generate roll allocation plan for the cutting schedule to minimize remnants. To issue fabric against a cutting instruction. Proper Roll allocation comparing the actual material requirement for a production order against the roll in the inventory. Effective management of end bits form of end bits, minimizing it also tracking end bits. Storing and keep record of the remnants generated in the cutting room after the spreading and making them available for further use. Generating of effective reports from the cutting room. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Cut your losses: practical  tips to improve fabric yield  in the  cutting room. Fabric accounts for 25-40 per cent of the cost of making a garment, so controlling or negotiating fabric consumption has a significant impact on the bottom line. In this article Robert Broadhead addresses the process of estimating fabric yields, the complications involved in offshore contracting, and how to be as accurate as possible in predicting/negotiating fabric costs. Fabric accounts for 25-40 per cent of the cost of manufacturing a garment, so accuracy in this area is critical. Its been said a lot over the years, but is worth repeating here: no other single refinement in production can provide substantial cost savings as easily as fabric control. Controlling or negotiating fabric costs has become more complicated as overseas manufacturing and cut-make-trim (CMT)/package programs have grown. Before work went offshore, in-house fabric yield estimates and final production consumption reflected the efforts of the cutting department (either the manufacturers or a local contractors) and was readily known and monitored. However, it is surprising that many businesses do not track the variance between the actual cost of fabric at the end of production and the estimated cost of fabric on the bill of materials. This can significantly impact the bottom line. To have a truly effective material utilization, one need to look at all the factors that can contribute to fabric losses in cutting room. It would be impossible to eliminate all losses in the cutting room, but incremental improvements in material utilization could significantly improve the bottom line. Width Utilization careful measurement of the actual fabric received at a factory typically will show that more than 50% is at least  ½ inch to 1 inch wider than the minimum purchased width. This excess fabric width almost always goes into the trash yet it is usable and, if utilized properly, can save money. It requires the following actions: Measure the width of sort fabric when it is received. . Plan markers by fabric width. Issue cutting orders by fabric width. Marker Marker copies while copying the marker, regardless of the process used, length and/or width growth or shrinkage can occur. Marker growth can be more than 2% in extreme cases, but can be reduced to less than  ½ % with proper machine adjustment. Following points should be taken care of for accurate marker marker copies: In case of computer plotted original makers, keep the marker paper the plotting of the marker in the same environment where the cloth will be cut. Maintain a check marker, plot it at least once a week, measure it accurately to do the required adjustments. While using the ammonia or alcohol method, allow the marker copy to air dry, laid flat for 2-3 hrs, before using I to mark the table. Spread planning It is an analysis of the rolls of fabric available to be spread on existing sectional markers. The result is a plan of how many pairs/plies from each roll should be placed on each marker to minimize remnants. The requirements of this type of system to work properly are: Three or more marker plus remnant marker must be used on each cutting order. The markers must be different in lengths. Fabric flaw cutouts will require recalculation of the remaining fabric roll a resulting change in the spreading chart. The remnant marker is newly included in the chart calculations. It only is used for remnants remaining from the main sections. Table Marking More fabric is wasted in marking the table than in any other aspect of the spreading process. Tables constantly are being marked for spreading where unnecessary gaps are allowed between markers, start/finish line are purposely moved outward and splice marks are elongated. It is strongly urged that markers be prepared off-line by taping the individual marker sections together line-on-line with wide adhesive tape. End Bit Monitoring An end bit is a piece of cloth that is longer than the length required to lay up one complete size. End bits of course will come in all different lengths, and unless you splice there will be pieces of fabric which are shorter than the length of the lay being layed, these pieces should be treated with great respect. They should be measured, have a sticky label attached with the length on it, and then folded and put into piles of similar length to be used on smaller markers later. There is no point in keeping fabric for panel replacement unless there are important reasons to do so, so one must produce garments from all of the available fabric. The off cuts (pieces too small to make a garment) will be used to replace smaller parts of the garments that need replacement. The logic behind this is that if a large panel in a garment is replced then all of the profit on that garment is lost. Cut order planning The dot com way stitchworld It is interesting to note that size mix (how many what size in combined) in a marker is a mind boggling permutation computation but actually decided by the CAD operator or cutting master hypothetically and not through any scientific process. Generally the size mix marker combinations (how many different types of markers are needed for a given order quantity) are generated based on factors like size color ratio. There are some infrastructural constraints like lay height, lay length, working out the most optimum cut plan There are many optimal Cut Plan solutions, induced by interplay of many dimensions. The different, but often conflicting, dimensions are: Less Fabric Maximizing the extreme size-mixing. This is emphasized upon when the order quantity is high the fabric is also expensive. Less Labor Time Minimizing the no. of lays, leading to saving in spreading cost. Fewer Markers Minimizing distinct ratio, i.e. minimizing the no. of markers to be prepared. This is especially useful when one need to commit constant no. of sewing machines workmen for order completion. More Balanced Production Minimizing deviation in layer height across lays. This needs to be done when the order quantity is low the time cost involved in marker making process is more compared to spreading cutting. More Balanced Packing Simultaneous production of garments of all sizes. At times of urgency, interim lots can be sent to the purchaser without waiting till the whole order complete. Heuristics Algorithm The term  heuristic  is used for algorithms which find solutions among all possible ones,but they do not guarantee that the best will be found,therefore they may be considered as approximately and not accurate algorithms. These algorithms, usually find a solution close to the best one and they find it fast and easily.Sometimes these algorithms can be accurate,that is they actually find the best solution, but the algorithm is still called heuristic until this best solution is proven to be the best.The method used from a heuristic algorithm is one of the known methods,such as greediness,but in order to be easy and fast the algorithm ignores or even suppresses some of the problems demands.( http://students.ceid.upatras) Alternative formulations for layout problems in garment industry Before cutting, several layers of cloth are put on a cutting table and several templates, indicating how to cut all material for a specific size, are fixed on top of the stack. The problem consists of finding good combinations of templates and the associated height of the stack of cloth to satisfy demand while minimizing total excess production. considering high fashion clothing which is made by specialized designers in small quantities. It is sold only in exclusive shops. Typically, extremely expensive fabrics are used. The high cost together with the limited demand make it worthwhile to produce with minimal excess production, which is defined as the number of pieces which are produced above demand. Before production, demand data is gathered both from placed orders and forecasts. A demand set for a specific piece of clothing is composed of the demands for all the different sizes. The cloth is spread out in several layers on a cutting table. The number of layers of cloth is limited b y the length of the knives and the thickness of the cloth. For each size a stencil or template is made where all the different parts of the article are placed in the most economic way, such that they can be cut with minimal loss of exclusive fabric A good overview of solution approaches forgenerating good stencils can be found in Dowsland and Dowsland (1995). An application of the apparel trim placement problem is described by Grinde and Daniels (1999). After the spreading, the selected stencils are fixed on top The number of stencils which can be cut in the same operation is limited by the length of the cutting table. Since all the stencils have approximately the same length, the maximal number of stencils on the table is independent of the combination of the stencils used. A feasible combination of stencils is called a cutting pattern. It is quite possible that such a pattern contains several times the same stencil. After the cloth is spread on the table and the stencils are fixed on top, the cutting operation can start. For these high fashion and very expensive garments, spreading of the cloth, fixing of the stencils and cutting are time consuming and costly operations. Consequently we want to keep them at a minimum. The problem is now to find cutting patterns and associated stack heights which minimize total excess production for a given demand. The original layout problem is very similar to the fixed charge cutting stock problem (FCCSP). Haessler (1975) and Farley and Richardson (1984) proposed heuristics for solving FCCSP. However, the second part of the objectivefunction is different. In the FCCSP, the cost of trim loss is minimized, whereas we minimize the cost of overproduction. We need to stress that for our low-demand, high fashion clothing the cost of being near optimal, i.e. too much overproduction, can be very high, whereas for the high demand clothing industry this is not so much a problem. This cost issue, together with the fact that we are dealing with real life problems, justifies our search for better optimal solutions. Farley (1988) described a planning model for a cutting stock problem in the clothing industry. He argues that this problem differs from the traditional cutting stock problem because of the unique characteristics of the production process such as the laying, stacking, cutting and sewing operatio ns. Farley also makes an explicit distinction between high-turnover garment, for which overproduction and stock is allowable, and high fashion clothing, for which stock and overproduction should be kept at a minimum. He noticed that the planning model he described is effective for high turnover garment, but not for the made-to-order garments because too much oversupply is generated. The model proposed here is explicitly focused on the high fashion clothing with little demand. Farleys model maximizes the total contribution margin and takes into account demand and capacity constraints. It is used as a planning tool but it cannot be used for solving our scheduling problem. A problem closely related to this is the cut order planning (COP) for apparel manufacturing, described by Jacobs-Blecha et al. (1998). The problem consists of finding how to spread the fabric, determining how many layers to use and assigning various sizes to sections of the spread. The underlying assumptions, however , are not the same as those here and hence a direct comparison is not possible. COP allows for example different stack heights on one cutting table. The authors adopt a minimal cost approach. They consider the actual fabric cost, spreading cost, cutting cost and the marker making cost. The following constraints are taken into account: demand, a limit on the table length and an upper bound on the ply height. As it is very difficult to solve their model optimally, they resort to heuristics. Their test data consist of 20 orders, with 1-6 sizes per order and are based on real life problems. They conclude that one of their heuristics is as good as or better than the commercial packages. Elomri et al. (1994) also consider a cutting problem in the clothing industry. Their problem consists in choosing cutting patterns and associated heights from a small library of available patterns. The objective is to minimize total operating costs while satisfying demand. A linear approximation of the co st function is used. The most important costs in the objective are the costs for cutting and fabric. Documentation and control of fabric usage. The cutting room maintains documents and books for the various cutting operations they perform. Generally the books and registers they maintain are require a lot of manual entries and the timely retrieval of previous records is a problem as these records are very vast. The focus on the means employed by the cutting room manager to instruct, monitor and control the processing of fabric cutting room and personnel. Documentation during and after cutting is designed to authorize the issuing of materials from store ,control the spreading, cutting and bundling activities, facilitate the analysis of losses and quantify losses against costed values. The large contracts are divide into small but economic batch sizes that are suitable for the processing in cutting rooms.The details of these individual batches are entered on a cutting instruction , which authorizes the issue of fabric and provides essential information for the spreading and cutting. While the cutting instruction accompanies the material during its passage through the cutting room, the situation is monitored by entering data on the cutting instruction record. Management must control both the output of the cutting room, to achieve production targets, and also the various processes to ensure that materials are efficiently used. The fabric reconciliation record provides a comparison of the actual usage and costed usage and reports variances.This forms link between the cutting room activities and financial control projections as materials compromise approximately 40% of the manufacturing costs ,should be regarded as vitally important. Cutting Instruction is the main documentary output of cut order planning process.As a minimum requirement of cutting instruction it should have the following information 1.the fabric to be processed. 2.the marker to be used. 3.the number of plies authorized Fabric usage control The essence of fabric reconciliation is that for each lay a comparison is made between costed and actual usage of fabric,and the variance is reported.This document Plays an important role within management as it ties together what management planned to do with what they have achieved.Fabric reconciliation takes place after the fabric has been cut. Documentation management functions. Managers need to use documents but documents are no substitute for management.A manager who enters data on documents is not doing the work of a manager but is better described as a clerk. Documents are useful only when they allow managers make informed decisions which change the way the activities are undertaken. Cutting problems are NP-hard Thus, only small size problems can be solved optimally. These problems are solved using either integer linear programming or dynamic programming, or branch-and-bound, depending on the type of problem. But most of the cutting problems use heuristic algorithms. Although any given solution to such a problem can be verified quickly, there is no known efficient way to locate a solution in the first place; indeed, the most notable characteristic of NP-complete problems is that no fast solution to them is known. That is, the time required to solve the problem using any currently known  algorithm  increases very quickly as the size of the problem grows. As a result, the time required to solve even moderately large versions of many of these problems easily reaches into the billions or trillions of years, using any amount of computing power available today. As a consequence, determining whether or not it is possible to solve these problems quickly is one of the principal unsolved problems in computer science  today. Because (COP) is NP-complete, efficient algorithms for realistically sized problems will necessarily be heuristic in nature. This insight leads to the need for analyzing (COP) for characteristics that can be exploited for development of heuristic methods. Jacobs-Blecha et al. (1998) describes the heuristics developed for (COP), the reasoning behind these types of algorithm, and justification for the evaluation techniques. Heuristic development is based on the examination of typical industry cases that COP cost is dominated by total fabric length. It explains the experimental design that we used to establish this characteristic of the cost function. It should be noted that in some cases the cost factors that are consider in the model developed may have a significant role in the cost of cut order planning. For example, spreading costs may be very high due to negotiated labor rates; cutting costs may be driven up by manual or equipment parameters; or a large data base of historical markers may not exist, greatly increasing the cost of that process. However, they assumed that the statistical results, which confirm practitioners intuitions, are valid for the types of problem addressed by their work, and therefore the model can be modified to reflect this assumption. Note that under this assumption the only change in the model occurs in the objective function, where all terms go to zero except those involving the fabric length parameters. An alternative method for problem solution is to solve the linear relaxation and check the resulting solution for satisfaction of the integer constraints. However, this approach is not practicable: for realistically sized problems the number of variables prohibits explicit computation. Furthermore, most apparel manufacturers who would use these solution methods do not have sufficient computing capability on site to utilize sophisticated integer programming solvers. Therefore the development of heuristic algorithms to solve (COP) focuses on finding computationally efficient procedures for finding good (i.e., relatively low cost) solutions to (COP) for a robust set of problem instances. They selected two types of algorithm for the development of such heuristics, constructive and improvement. A constructive algorithm takes the input data and builds a feasible solution using intuition, clues from the spatial aspects of the problem, and guidelines found in the mathematical model. An improvement algorithm begins with an existing feasible solution and attempts to change the solution in some manner so that the cost of the solution is reduced while feasibility is maintained. The value of the cost function associated with the feasible solution produced by one of these heuristic methods can then be compared with some numerical bound, or other benchmark solutions. CUTPLANNER CutPlanner is a software package for use in the textile manufacturing industry for automatic cut order planning. CutPlanner takes a customers order for a clothing item and creates a cut plan for that item, including different sizes and different fabric types or colors, which minimizes production costs. A cut plan is an assignment of sizes and fabric types to markers. For each of these markers, the required number of plies is computed to fulfill the orders specifics. The objective of CutPlanner is to minimize total production costs. They consist of the costs for the fabric used, and several production costs incurred by making the markers, preparation of the cutting process, and the picking of pieces to be cut CutPlanner provides two different modes of operation to calculate material consumption: 1. Conventional mode: The user dictates the estimated yield values that specify the material consumption, which depends on the number of sizes in a marker. 2. Exact mode: CutPlanner engages an integrated automatic marker making engine to calculate the real material consumption. Here, the user does not have to supply any estimations: the software runs automatically. Genetic optimization of fabric utilization in apparel manufacturing. In apparel manufacturing, cut order planning (COP) plays a significant role in managing the cost of materials as fabric usually occupies more than 50% of the total manufacturing cost. Following the details of retail orders in terms of quantity, size and colour, COP seeks to minimize the total manufacturing costs by developing feasible cutting order plans with respect to material, machine and labour. A genetic optimized decision-making model using adaptive evolutionary strategies is proposed to assist the production management of the apparel industry in the decision-making process of COP in which a new encoding method with a shortened binary string is devised. Four sets of real production data were collected to validate the proposed decision support method. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can reduce both the material costs and the production of additional garments while satisfying the time constraints set by the downstream sewing department. Although the total operation time used is longer than that using industrial practice, the great benefits obtained by less fabric cost and extra quantity of garments planned and produced largely outweigh the longer operation time required. Cut order planning Cut order planning (COP) is the first stage in the production workflow of a typical apparel manufacturing company. It is a planning process to determine how many markers are needed, how many of each size of garment should be in each marker and the number of fabric plies that will be cut from each marker. Marker is the output of the process of marker planning, which is the operation following the COP.Planning process using commercial computing to arrange all patterns of the component parts of one or more garments on a piece of marker paper,. Following marker planning, the third operation is fabric spreading, which is a process by which fabric pieces are superimposed to become a fabric lay on a cutting table. The last operation is fabric cutting. Garment pieces are cut out of the fabric lay following the pattern lines of the component parts of one or more garments on the marker, and then transported to the sewing department for assembling to be a finished garment. COP, the most upstream activity, plays a significant role in affecting the fabric material cost and the manufacturing cost in the cutting department. Based on the requirements of customer orders in terms of style, quantity, size and colour, it seeks to minimize the total production cost by developing cutting orders with respect to material, machine and labour. In the cutting room, after the completion of COP and marker planning, spreading and cutting are then executed, and the time and costs required for these two operations will be affected by the quality of the cut order plans being developed. A good plan can improve the rate of fabric utilization. The COP usually begins with a retail order comprising the quantities, sizes and colours of garments to be manufactured. The following example demonstrates how a cut order plan is derived. For simplicity, only the quantities of garments and sizes are considered. The details of the customer order are as follows: Size Small Medium Large Quantity (in pieces) 300 600 400 The constraints on fabric lay dimensions are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Maximum number of plies for each lay: 75 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Maximum number of garments marked on each marker: 5. The maximum number of garments produced per lay is 5ÃÆ'-75=375 pieces and the number of garments required by the customers is 300+600+400=1300 pieces. Therefore, the theoretical minimum number of lays is equal to 1300/375=3.47. This gives a practical minimum of four lays to cut the order. If the order is to be cut at the lowest cost, the lays need to be as long and deep as possible. One of the possible solutions is: Small Small Small Small Small Lay 1: 60 plies Medium Medium Medium Large Large Lay 2: 75 plies Medium Medium Medium Large Large Lay 3: 75 plies Medium Medium Medium Large Large Lay 4: 50 plies An alternative of lay 1 is to have a four-garment marker and to spread 75 plies. This would reduce the cutting cost but was rejected because of the fabric cost since there would be 15 more plies and high fabric end loss, which occurs on both end of each fabric ply (more plies mean greater end loss). This solution has demonstrated that sizes Medium and Large are in the ratio of 3:2. The marker for lay 2 can also be used for lays 3 and 4, thus reducing the costs of marker making. This example shows that numerous other possible COP solutions can be generated. The COP problem becomes more difficult when the numbers of garments and sizes increase. The problem will be further complicated when the parameter of color is also considered in the plan. In addition, labors are needed to operate the spreading and cutting machines. As the fabric cut pieces will be transported to the sewing room for garment assembly, COP needs to consider the fulfillment of the demand quantity of cut piece from the downstream sewing room. Current industry approaches in generating the COP range from manual ad hoc procedures by cut order planners to commercial software. However, many apparel manufacturers are still using rather primitive methods; they rely mainly on the expertise and subjective assessment of the planners to produce the plans. Therefore, the optimal COP cannot always be guaranteed. Commercial COP software is available for use, but the COP heuristics are usually kept by the proprietors as confidential. Apart from generating a COP with the right quantity of garments with right size and colour, there is little room for minimizing material, machine and labor costs. Near-optimal COP solutions to reduce both materials and labour and machine costs using a genetic optimization model based on adaptive evolutionary strategies. The objective is to assist the production management of the apparel industry in the COP decision-making process and improve the quality of the decisions. It has been pointed out that the COP problem is NP-completeness in nature and it is feasible to use a heuristic approach to solve the problem accordingly by using constructive heuristics with intuition start and fine-tuning the solution with another improvement heuristic (Jacobs-Blecha et al., 1998). Roll Planning of fabric spreading In the process of fabric spreading, the variance of fabric yardage between fabric rolls may lead to a difference in fabric loss during spreading. As there are numerous combinations the arrangement of the fabric roll sequences for each cutting lay, it is difficult to construct a roll planning to minimise the fabric wastage during spreading in apparel manufacturing. Recent advances in computing technology, especially in the area of computational intelligence, can be used to handle this problem. Among the different computational intelligence techniques, genetic algorithms (GA) are particularly suitable. GAs are probabilisti