Analysis Of Ready Player One By Ernest Cline - 856 Words

The novel, Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline, follows Wade Watts, or Parzival, and Nolan Sorrento, two very different characters, Wade Watts, or Parzival, and Nolan Sorrento. Using a structuralist critique, Parzival and Sorrento differ in the amount of knowledge each possesses on James Halliday and how much violence each will use to obtain the egg, yet they both share a strong determination to discover the egg. Nolan Sorrento will kill innocent people in order to obtain the egg, while Parzival does not want to harm anyone. Furthermore, Parzival is extremely knowledgeable on James Halliday, while Sorrento cheats by hiring people to study Halliday for him. However, both Parzival and Sorrento are exceptionally determined to find the egg.†¦show more content†¦While Parzival does not wish to hurt anybody in the contest for Halliday’s fortune, Sorrento is not opposed to killing people if it will benefit his chances of winning. During Parzival’s meeting with Sorrento , Sorrento threatens to kill Parzival if he does not help the Sixers. Sorrento says he will blow up Wade’s trailer, which is full of other people, just to take him out of the contest. Parzival thinks â€Å"[Sorrento] had to be bluffing†¦ They would never kill all those innocent people just to get me† (142). Parzival himself would never hurt anybody to win the contest, so he is shocked to discover that Sorrento will not hesitate to murder random people to get ahead. Once Parzival accuses Sorrento of lying about the explosives, Sorrento states â€Å"‘No Wade. I’m not†¦ There are billions of dollars at stake here†¦ This is much more than a videogame contest’† (143-144). Sorrento proceeds to blow up Wade’s trailer, not killing Wade, yet ending the lives of many innocent people with no regret or guilt. Wade, peaceful and not out for blood, contrasts greatly with Sorrento, who intends to mercilessly kill any gunter who stands in his way of victory. Parzival and Sorrento alike are devoted to the hunt and determined to be the first to find the egg. After the Sixers explode Wade’s trailer, he changes his name and moves to a safe apartment. Once he settles into his new home, Wade â€Å"made a silent vow to [himself] not to go outside again until [he] hadShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis : Ready Player One By Ernest Cline1794 Words   |  8 Pagesthis intention, literature glorifies the oversimplification of reality to a great extent as readers become enticed by the prospect of living a less complex life. Notably, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, examines the challenges and benefits of physically living in one reality while mentally living in a virtual reality. Cline introduces the virtual reality OASIS, as the primary reason to why the protagonist, Wade, continues to exist. However, by dedicating his life to OASIS and deciding to oversimplify

Reason For Referral - Original Writing - 1099 Words

Reason for Referral A.D. and her father state that she finds math to be challenging. A.D. states that she is easily confused in math class when her teacher provides instructions without a verbal explanation. She reiterates that she finds math harder when her teacher does not provide oral directions. A.D. remains focused in math class, with her eyes on her teacher and/or on the board, as well as participates in class lectures by raising her hand when her teacher asks questions. A.D.’s father believes that his daughter performs well in math and enjoys the subject, but she is easily confused when it comes to completing her homework and what is expected of her to complete. A.D. states that she enjoys learning math and working through problems, but dislikes when she finds herself unaware of what to do, which in return leaves her struggling with new math concepts. In order to provide the best instructional methods to meet A.D.’s specific learning needs, the purpose of this Psychoeducationa l assessment is to gather information regarding how A.D. learns, specifically how A.D. learns mathematic concepts. The problem question is listed as follows: How does A.D. process information? Specifically, how does A.D. process information concerning math? This information is needed in order to determine the best methods to implement to improve A.D.’s performance in math. Background Information A.D. is a seventeen-year-old female who lives in Snellville, Georgia with her mother,Show MoreRelatedErr Questions - Childcare Apprenticeship1128 Words   |  5 Pagesproblems relating with your employment and that any issues should be resolved if possible. The grievance policy is there if you want to formally complain about something which is usually by making a written record encase it is needed for future referrals. 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Ict and Nigerian Banks Reforms free essay sample

Primary data was employed, which was analyzed using cross-tabulations and regression technique built on the framework of technical progress. Factors such as bankers’ age, educational qualification, computer literacy and type of ICT gadgets, were found to influence banks’ degree of ICT usage, while ICT impacts significantly the speed of banking operations, productivity and profitability. The need for the banks to regularly train their workers, and procure quality ICT gadgets, which will enhance efficiency, etc, was stressed. This is crucial in the sector’s current reforms where attention is focused on the ability of banks to attract and retain customers, which is mainly feasible through efficient service delivery that depend, to a large extent, on the use of ICT. In recent times, Information Communication Technology (ICT), which basically involves the use of electronic gadgets especially computers for storing, analyzing and distributing data, is having a dramatic influence on almost all aspects of individual lives and that of the national economy- the banking sector inclusive. The increasing use of ICT has allowed for integration of different economic units in a spectacular way. This phenomenon is not only applicable to Nigeria but other economies of the world, though the level of their usage may differ. In Nigeria, ICT usage especially in the banking sector, has considerably improved, even though it may not been as high as those observed for advanced countries (Adeoti, 2005; Adeyemi, 2006). The use of ICT in the banking sector became of interest to this study due to the significant role it plays in the economy. It helps in stimulating economic growth by directing funds to economic agents that need them for productive activities. This function is very vital for any economy that intends to experience meaningful growth because it makes arrangements that bring borrowers and lenders of financial resource together and more efficiently too than if they had to relate directly with one another (Adam, 1998; Ojo, 2007). In essence, the banking sector acts as a bridge that connects lenders and investors in the economy. Hence, the need for reforms in the sector initiated by the Federal Government via the instrumentality of the Central Bank of Nigeria-CBN. The bank reforms (especially the recapitalization that specifies a minimum capital base of 25 billion naira for commercial banks), are pursued with a view to making the sector realize its objectives in advancing the economy (CBN, 2006). It is expected that the impact of these reforms will be enhanced with the use of ICT because it will create some form of competitive advantage and improve banking services through accuracy and efficiency in their transactions. In other words, it will change the nature of banks’ services in terms of quality which will culminate in greater service delivery and productivity. This is in tandem with the findings made by Adeoti (2005) that the use of information technology has the ability of improving the competitiveness of Nigerian manufacturing industries. 67 Global Journal of Business Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2008 Osabuohien, E. S. C. From the above discourse, this paper seeks to carry out an empirical analysis on the anticipated role of ICT in enhancing the operations of selected Nigerian banks in the light of current reforms in the sector. To achieve this objective, three commercial banks were selected, viz; Union Bank of Nigeria Plc-UBN, United Bank for Africa Plc- UBA and Wema Bank Plc-Wema. The study is structured into sections. Next to this introduction is the literature review, followed by the analytical framework and methodology. Section 4 is analyses of data, summary of findings and recommendations. The last section is the conclusion. LITERATURE REVIEW The Concept of ICT and a Perspective of Nigerian Banks Technology can be referred to as the application of knowledge for the execution of a given task. It entails skills and processes necessary for carrying out activities (works) in a given context. While ICT encompasses computer systems, telecommunication, networks, and multimedia applications (Frenzel, 1996). It came into use in the late 1980’s replacing earlier terms like Electronic Data Processing (EDP), Management Information System (MIS), although the latter terms are still in use (Frenzel, 1996). ICT has transcended the role of support services or only electronic data processing; its fields of applications are somewhat global and unlimited. Its devices especially the Internet through the World Wide Web (www) and modern computer email facilities have further strengthened early innovations like the telephone and fax. Other ICT devices include data recognition equipment, factory automation hardware and services, tele-computing and teleconferences using real time and online system (Adeoti, 2005). It is a concept that is having a remarkable effect on almost entire aspects of the human endavours. This connotes that it involves the application of principles to engage physical component in achieving an intended goal. The convergence of computer and telecommunication after about four decades of applying computers to routine data processing, mainly in information storage and retrieval, has created a new development where information has become the engine of growth around the world. This development has created catch-up opportunities for developing countries such as Nigeria to attain desired levels of development without necessarily ‘reinventing the wheels’ of economic growth. This new technology has brought far-reaching revolution in societies, which has tremendously transformed most business (banking) scenes (Ovia, 2005). With respects to the banks in Nigeria, the first bank was established in 1892 (then African Banking Corporation). However, there was no banking legislation until 1952 when three foreign banks (Bank of British West Africa, Barclays Bank, and British and French Bank) and two indigenous banks (National Bank of Nigeria and African Continental Bank) were established, with a total number of 40 branches (Iganiga, 1998). As at 1988, the Nigerian banking system consisted of the CBN, 42 commercial banks and 24 merchant banks (Iganiga, 1998; Adam, 2005). From 1970, the banking sector grew significantly in terms of number and coverage as a result of increase in economic activities. However, between 1970 and 1985, the growth of the sector was relatively slow due to predominant government regulations but the period 1986-2000 witnessed a phenomenal growth of the sector as a result of the financial deregulation policy, that is the Structural Adjustment Program-SAP of 1986 (Iganiga, 1998). This brought about the liberalization of bank licence leading to a rapid change in the sector. Some of the banks were characterized by paper oriented methods, rather than technological based systems and this resulted to slow pace of their operations vis-a-vis their employees’ productivity cum general performance. The use of computers and other ICT gadgets in their operations were limited. 68 Global Journal of Business Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2008 Osabuohien, E. S. C. This was one of the reasons adduced by Ojo (2007) as factors responsible for the Nigerian financial sector malaise. To mitigate the shocks experienced in the system, the Federal Government of Nigeria came up with the financial sector reforms through the CBN. The bank reforms entail other issues but this paper is dwelling manly on the bank consolidation that was initiated in 2004. The policy thrust on bank reforms encompasses the sum of the variations that occur in the direction of a comprehensive banking system. The bank reforms agenda, among others, specified a minimum capital base of 25 billion naira for the commercial banks that took effect in December, 2005 (Diamond Bank, 2005; CBN, 2006). This has reduced the number of commercial banks in Nigeria from 89 to 25, which was done via the processes of mergers, acquisition and the stock market (CBN, 2006; Ige, 2007). The major aim was to make Nigerian banks vibrant and resilient, clothed with efficiency and financial strength to absorb possible shocks, thereby instilling public confidence as well as global relevance (Soludo, 2004). ICT and Nigerian Banking Sector The revolution in ICT has made the banking sector changed from the traditional mode of operations to presumably better ways with technological innovation that improves efficiency. ICT can enhance efficiency via its use and in recent times banks have been encouraged by the rapid decline in the price of ICT gadgets. This has perhaps increased the bank level of ICT usage (Ovia, 2005). The increase might have also be attributable to business environment that became relatively flexible to accommodate new forms of technological change as a result of reforms in the country. Banking is becoming highly ICT based and because of its inter-sectoral link, it appears to be reaping most of the benefits of revolution in technology, as can be seen by its application to almost all areas of its activities (Akinuli, 1999). It has broadened the scope of banking practices and changed the nature of banking as well as the competitive environment in which they operate. A broad opening has been experienced around the world for banks and they are currently taking due advantage of these innovations to provide improved customer services in the face of competition and faster services that enhance productivity (Akinuli, 1999; Ovia,2005). Technological advancement facilitates payments and creates convenient alternatives to cash and cheque for making transactions. Such new practices have led to the development of a truly global, seamless and Internet enabled 24-hour business of banking. Technological advance in payments are important due to the fact that it will be feasible to outsource quite a number of the banks’ role in the payments system. Also banks’ regulation can be more technologically dependent and better focused rather than focusing on conceptual guidelines. ICT revolution both in terms of innovation rate, speedy operation, and cost per unit (portraying reduction in average total and marginal costs) has made a good number of banks embrace the use of ICT infrastructure in their operations (Akinuli, 1999). The technological innovation that is being witnessed currently in the Nigerian banking sector is possible of impacting on the banks’ mode of transactions especially in their payment systems. The payment systems are made feasible by ICT gadgets such as Automated Teller Machine (ATM), Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), Clearing House Automated Payments (CHAPs), Electronic Purse (E-PURSE), Automated Cheque Sorter (ACS) and Electronic and Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS), which have made transactions easy and convenient. This phenomenon is capable of bringing about speedy operations and enhanced productivity (Adeoti, 2005; Ovia, 2005). Though there may be little interruptions at times due to network failures, which may make customers unable to carry out transactions at that point in time. This little shortcoming is not in any way comparable to the days when banking halls were characterized by long queues mainly as a result of delays in the traditional banking operations. 69 Global Journal of Business Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2008 Osabuohien, E. S. C. Now banks can provide comprehensive services to their customers by making them access their accounts via online services. These instruments have an edge over the traditional payment instruments because it is safer, more efficient, convenient and cost effective. Before the introduction of these ICT services in the banking industry, manual processing of documents were in use. The bankers were made to cope with this onerous task, and the process made business transactions minimal. Besides several hectic procedures, people had to contend with, banks’ customers were inevitably made to spend several hours in the congested banking halls in carrying out their transactions (Ovia, 2005). The ICT culture in Nigerian economy can be said to be on the increase. Nigeria is the largest Internet subscriber in Africa with about 100,000 Internet users as at 2000, which was estimated to have grossly increased (Balancing Act, 2007). It has also been observed that Nigeria’s teledensity had remarkably increased by more than 2,550% from 0. 35% in 1992 to 9. 3% in 2004, thereby greatly exceeding the International Telephone Union’s (ITU) benchmark of 1% (Ndukwe, 2005). This phenomenon has helped banks keep substantial information on-line which reduces the cost of marketing their products. Being a competitive tool, it enhances the creation of customized services, reduces the cost of operation, and improves productivity as well as profitability. More interestingly, almost all the banks in Nigeria have internet and on-line real time banking facilities which has improved the scope of Nigerian banking1. It has aided transfer of funds from one location to another without any involvement of facial transactions thereby reducing the incidence of loss of funds to stealing and the likes. Another recent one is the telephone banking technology that allows customers to have transactions on their accounts by calling a particular telephone number, through voice activation, and using a tone pad. All of these improve the comfort of banking transactions. ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY Analytical Framework and Models Formulation The study employs the concept of technical progress as framework in underpinning the anticipated impacts ICT has in the selected Nigerian banks. Technical progress involves discovering new methods of production, developing new products and introducing new techniques. It also implies the process by which firms in a given economy change over time, in terms of their products and production processes. It refers to an idea or a model for a new improved device, while innovation connotes its commercialization (Frenzel, 1996). Thus any change made in the method of firm’s operations is expected to precipitate progress in that organization In this formulation, when there is technical progress in a particular sector of the economy (banking for instance), it leads to increase in the productivity of labour as well as other factor inputs. The involvement of technical change will therefore enhance increased efficiency and effectiveness in the sector. Technological diffusion (i. e. increasing use of technology-ICT) is essential in realizing large scale economy benefits rooted in productivity gains. The productivity gains from the adoption of new technologies could be one of the major factors behind rising wages, while the introduction of new products could also be a factor accounting for the creation new jobs in the sector. The evolutionary perspective of technical progress connotes the ability for firms in a given sector of the economy to have sustainable improvement which depends on their ability to generate technological change. This means that one of the major ways Nigerian banks can achieve their anticipated development is to embrace significant investment in ICT. This will be enhanced by improving the interaction with one another in knowledge creation and use that is capable of improving output via faster mode of operations as well as service delivery. 70 Global Journal of Business Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2008 Osabuohien, E. S. C. The paper formulated two models that would be fitted into the data. The first explores the possible factors that could determine the rate at which banks use ICT (i. e. the intensity of ICT use) while the second elucidates the anticipated impacts of ICT on the operations of the banks. The model on intensity of ICT Usage in the Banks relates the use of ICT (ICTUSE) to po ssible factors that could explain the rate at which it is used in the banks. The explanatory variables included were: Age, Sex, educational qualification (Edu), computer literacy (Clit) and the type of ICT gadgets used by the banks (Type). This is represented in a functional form below: ICTUSE= f (Age, Sex, Edu, Clit, Type, ? ) 1 The above equation can be written explicitly as: ICTUSE= B0+ B1Age + B2Sex + B3Edu + B4Clit +B5Type +? 2 Where; ICTUSE : intensity of ICT used in the banks Age : age of the bankers Sex : gender of the bankers Edu : educational qualification of the bankers Clit : their level of computer literacy Type : type of ICT gadgets used in the banks. :error term capturing other explanatory variables not explicitly included. The ‘Bi’s (i= 1,†¦. 5) are the coefficients to be estimated which show the nature of relationship between dependent and explanatory variables while B0 is the intercept of the regression line. The aprori is such that Bi (i= 0, †¦. ,5) 0. This means positive relationship between dependent and explanator y variables. In the above model, the extent at which the features of the bankers and type of gadgets used could influence the intensity of ICT usage in the banks is being investigated. This is essential given the fact that it is the bankers that make use of the installed ICT gadgets and for it to have the anticipated impacts in the operations of the banks it must have to be used efficiently. The second model is on the impacts of ICT on the operations of the banks. It relates the usage of ICT (ICTUSE) to some of the variables believed to measure the performance of the banks such as enhancement in speed of banking operations and efficient service delivery (Spid), improvement of workers productivity (Wopd) and inducement in bank’s profit level (Pfit). This model seeks to capture the anticipated impacts that ICTUSE will have in the banks. It is being represented thus; (Xi = f (ICTUSE, ? ) 3 This can further be expressed as: (Xi= ? 0+ ? k ICTUSE + ? Where; Xi : vector of the dependent variables (viz: enhanced speed of banking operations-Spid; improved workers’ productivity-Wopd; and induced bank’s profit-Pfit). ?0 is the constant while ? k (k =1,2,3) shows the variations in dependent variables with respect to independent variable. The aprori is given as ? k 0. Others are as earlier defined. Research Design and Sources of Data Primary data was used with the aid of structured questionnaire in analyses. The population of the study consists of the 25 consolidated Nigerian Banks while the sample is made up of three banks, namely: UBN, UBA and Wema representing about 12%. This is quite adequate as a sample of 0. 05 proportion of the population is believed to be satisfactory in making inferences (Amadi, 2005). These selected banks have elements of the old and new generations, as some of them acquired/merged with other banks during 71 Global Journal of Business Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2008 Osabuohien, E. S. C. he consolidation process of 2005. They operated paper based systems at inception and later adjusted at the dawn of ICT revolution. With regards to branch networks, the selected banks have national coverage. UBA which was founded in 1946 merged with Standard Trust Bank Plc in August 2005 and later acquired Continental Trust Bank Plc and Trade Bank Plc in December 2005 and December 2006 respectively, has a bout 500 branches in different parts Nigeria. This made it to be the bank with the highest number of branch networks and first to reach one trillion naira in balance sheet (UBA, 2007). UBN was established 1917 and acquired Universal Trust Bank Plc, Broad Bank Ltd and Union Merchant Bank Ltd in 2005, has 379 branches. While Wema was incorporated in 1945 and merged with National Bank has 110 branch networks2. The target respondents were the bankers (cahiers and managers). This is because they make use of ICT gadgets in the banks; hence, they have adequate information of their operations. The location used was Victoria Island, Lagos (a commercial hub of Nigeria) where most banks have their head offices from where decisions about the use of any ICT gadget are usually initiated and first implemented. Therefore, it is believed that the type of ICT gadgets used in this location would be the same across their branches. This corroborates the fact that the banks have the same mode of operations in all their branches as they are normally networked where one can access his/her account from any of them. The Structured questionnaire drew responses on the following; age, sex, highest educational qualification, marital status, working experience, type of ICT gadgets they use and how significant is its use in carrying out their jobs, among others. 80 questionnaires were distributed to the respondents (60 for each bank) using a purposive sampling technique. This is because the author was interested in eliciting responses from individuals that have a relatively good knowledge of the concepts.

Corporate Financial Management Sensitivity Analysis

Question: Discuss about the Corporate Financial Management for Sensitivity Analysis. Answer: Introduction: Sensitivity analysis can be defined as an analysis that helps in knowing how sensitive an output can be to a change in the input while keeping other input constant. When it comes to corporate finance, it is defined as an evaluation of how a particular variable of an input in a capital budgeting decision like the discount rate, growth rate, etc influences the net present value, IRR or any other input with the other variables as constant. Sensitivity analysis is helpful in the manner as it addresses the user of the model how dependent the value of output is on each input. It provides a general notion of how much room is present for each variable to go into an adverse mode. It helps in the evaluation of risk (Davies Crawford, 2012). It is useful for a business because it helps in estimating what will happen to a project if the estimation turns out to be unreliable in nature (Albrecht et. al, 2012). It involves altering the estimates in a form of calculation to witness the impact on the finance of a project. In this manner, it helps the manager of the business to take a proper stand if the business does not lead to an expected result. Hence, the project can be evaluated beforehand and hence, the decision for investment can be taken accurately. Computation When it comes to the calculation of capital budgeting, evaluation alters one estimate at a particular time to witness the change in outcome. For instance, a business my forecast to earn $1000, $1500 and $1500 in the initial three years of the project. If an initial investment of $4000 is made by the business then the expenses will be recouping in three years. Further, the performance of the project may be enhanced as compared to the expectation that leads to a generation of $2000 on an annual basis in the second and third year respectively. The break-even of the business will happen in two years. If we consider a manager Mr. A who wants to know the influence of increment of the customers on sales. Considering the entire study, he derived at an understanding that the sales are a function of the volume of the transaction and the goods prices. The goods prices stand at $2000 per piece and in the past year, a total of 200 pieces were sold in the previous year. Hence, the entire revenue stands at $400000. The manager Mr. A judges the pattern of various customer sales and observed that an increment of 20% in the base of the customer will lead to enhancing the sales by 10%. This data will enable preparation of a financial equation and sensitivity analysis that are linked to the situation of what-if. As per the sales of the present year and an estimation of the projection in the base of the customer, Mr. A can derive at the sensitivity analysis of the scenario. Hence, from the above example, it is crystal clear that sales are strongly linked to the changes in the base of the customer (Brealey et. al, 2011). Scenario Analysis It is a tool that enables to evaluate the uncertainty by considering the outcomes of alternative nature. It need not be ascertained as a mechanism that is predictive in nature rather should be used a tool of analysis. For possible outcomes, three different scenarios can be judged like the base case, the best case, and the worst case. The base case is the one that contains the highest probability. The best case is the one where it is ascertained that all things move in the right direction and the worst case is deemed as a case where all the assumption makes no sense and fails miserably (Brigham Daves, 2012). Therefore, the analyst needs to take steps so that the present risks should be covered that might lead to negative conditions. However, the specific situation is not known rather a notion is developed. When it comes to a normal course of time, there is less surety is regarding the variables and the estimates in the case of capital budgeting. This is done to eliminate the uncertainty so that decision-making can be smooth and sensitivity analysis can be stretched to scenario analysis. It is the situation that determines the assumption and the change that is needed. One method of scenario analysis used in capital budgeting is utilizing the end in the case of extreme situations. As put to discussion in the above study that the best and the worst case situation are contrasted with the base case so that preventive measures can be taken into consideration leading to positive scenario (Ferris et. al, 2010). If the case turns out to be adverse than the scenario analysis will support the investors to be away from the situation that leads to adverse happening. As per the discussion, it can be commented that both the method that is the scenario, as well as sensitivity analysis, are useful in knowing the best investment plan. However, there is a strong difference between the two. It needs to be noted that a scenario analysis might take the help of sensitivity analysis but it is not compulsory that the sensitivity will require the use of scenario analysis (Brigham Ehrhardt, 2011). Moreover, the sensitivity analysis will enable the investor to understand various difficulties that are linked to the investment project that is proposed in nature. However, the scenario analysis will help in the evaluation of the various situation and the manner in which the impact in done on the result of the project. Capital Asset pricing model The capital asset pricing model can be said to be a model that helps in knowing about the fair value of an investment. CAPM computes the risk of the asset by evaluating the risk premium for every unit across the overall assets and evaluating the means of market beta. Hence, the CAPM module has a linear link between the market beta and the assets risk premium that can be considered as a risk that is methodical in nature. CAPM even illustrates that the return of an asset is affected due to the beta of the asset (Deegan, 2011). This model is based on the idea that the expected return will satisfy the investors for the return that is expected. Hence, the major consideration is the compensation to the investors in two major ways that are the time value and the risk. The formula of the asset can be written as Expected return (ef) = Risk free rate + Beta*(Risk premium) In simple terms, CAPM provides a prediction that is commanding in scenario regarding the way to evaluate the risk and return relationship. It needs to be noted that the CAPM empirical evidence cannot be said to be a major influencer. The assumption plan of CAPM I not aloof from the bias of data snooping (Libby et. al, 2011). Capital Market Line There are two main methods to attain the CAPM that is the capital market line and the security market line. When it comes to CAPM, the pricing of the securities is done in a manner so that the risk that is expected can be compensated by the expected returns. The capital market line (CML) provides the return of an investor for the portfolio. There appears a linear movement between the risk and return on the portfolio that is efficient. The CML is used to achieve the return from the portfolio. CML provides a rate of return and the one derived from it fluctuate as per the return that is risk-free and the level of risk as ascertained by beta for a particular portfolio (Graham Smart, 2012). It is done by drawing a line of a tangent from the efficient frontier point to the stage where the risk-free rate and return that is expected tends to be equal in the scenario. CML and CAPM Similarity One of the main methods to achieve the CAPM is the CML and the SML. Hence, it is clear that CML is derived from CAPM. Hence, CML is unique in the sense that it helps in attaining the CAPM. Therefore, the features of the CAPM are embedded in CML. During the time of risk adjustment of an asset by utilizing the risk-free rate than the investor is at ease to alter the risk profile. When CML is considered, the market portfolio is comprised of the combined potent of the assets that are prone to risk and utilize the value of the asset market to predict the weights (Damodaran, 2012). The capital market line is generated from the CAPM and is used to drive at the exact rate of return that is needed. CML is powerful as compared to the efficient frontier and the risk-free asset that is present in the portfolio. The CAPM highlights the portfolio that is present in the market and is the efficient frontier. Hence, CML is an element of the CAPM and is a line that helps in projecting the return for e fficient portfolio depending on the rate that is risk-free and the level of the risk. Hence, the features of the CAPM are involved in CML and therefore, features of CAPM are projected in CML. Difference between CAPM and CML There is hardly a big line of difference between the CAPM and CML. The CAPM is a method that that helps in the pricing of the securities so that the investor can understand the risk that is expected. CAPM is a holistic model while CML is a part of it that comes under the concept of CAPM. Therefore, CAPM can be stated as the best method to evaluate the return of an investor where the compensation will be made for the risk that is the systematic risk as diversification is not possible. However, the expectation from the investment can be done as per the involvement of the risk (Damodaran, 2010). The CML takes into consideration the addition of asset that is risk-free and hence, it is classified better as compared to the efficient frontier. Each portfolio comprises of a Sharpe ratio in contrast to the market portfolio. When it comes to buying or investing, it is vital that the capital market line and Sharpe evaluated in tune with the portfolio (Bodie et. al, 2014). Hence, as per the similarity and difference, it can be said that both the model are equally important in deciding the required rate of return for a portfolio. The similarities are more in nature and carry a very little line of difference (Bodie et. al, 2014). As per the report, it can be commented that both the method are equally important and used together that provides a better answer. Conclusion Going by the overall analysis it can be commented that taking financing decision is the need of the hour. It requires certain specific skills and effective tools. In this scenario, both the method sensitive and scenario analysis plays a predominant role in capital budgeting. The user can take an effective result and proceed with the investment. On the contrary, CAPM and CML help in deriving the expected return and used together. Both the concept focuses on the expected return and gives an emphasis to the risk prevalent in the market. References Albrecht, W., Stice, E. Stice, J 2011, Financial accounting, Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western. Bodie, Z., Kane, A. Marcus, A. J 2014, Investments, McGraw Hill Brealey, R., Myers, S. and Allen, F 2011, Principles of corporate finance, New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Brigham, E. Daves, P 2012, Intermediate Financial Management , USA: Cengage Brigham, E.F. Ehrhardt, M.C 2011, Financial Management: Theory and Practice, USA: Cengage Learning. Damodaran, A 2012, Investment Valuation, New York: John Wiley Sons. Damodaran, A 2010, Applied Corporate Finance: A Users Manual, New York: John Wiley Sons Davies, T. Crawford, I 2012, Financial accounting, Harlow, England: Pearson. Deegan, C. M 2011, In Financial accounting theory, North Ryde, N.S.W: McGraw-Hill. Ferris, S.P., Noronha, G. Unlu, E 2010, The more, merrier: an international analysis of the frequency of dividend payment, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 14870. Graham, J. Smart, S 2012, Introduction to corporate finance, Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning. Libby, R., Libby, P. Short, D 2011,Financial accounting, New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Emergency help and human services

Free Essays on Saddam

June 30th is approaching quickly. The 30th is the date that was set by President Bush in which all sovereignty will be transferred to the new Iraqi government. There is still one major issue that will have to be dealt with in the next two weeks- what is to become of Saddam Hussein? The Iraqis want Hussein turned over to them so that he may be tried by the same people he harmed –his own countrymen. However, despite that very real need on the part of the Iraqis, it is nevertheless imperative that the US maintain complete control of Saddam until such time as the Iraqis can organize a trial for his crimes and conclusively prove that there is no chance that they will lose custody of him. Understandably, the people of Iraq want the US to tell them where their former brutal dictator is, and they no doubt want us to hand him over to Iraqi custody. This is understandable in light of all the atrocities he has committed against so many of them and their families. It also is important to the Iraqis that, when the Coalition forces turn over the symbolic Keys to the Country on June 30th, the Coalition does not try to hold back on some aspects of the Iraqis’ hoped-for sovereignty, making it look as if we really don’t believe they ought to be running their own country just yet. And to be fair, the Iraqis are currently in the process of laying the groundwork for a tribunal which will bring charges against Saddam on at least three grounds: genocide, crimes against humanity, and various war crimes. This does seem to be a step in the right direction. However, there are too many other issues at stake to transfer custody at this point, or at any point in the near future, due primarily to the instability that is bound to plague the new government that Iraq is trying so desperately to establish. This is not because of the Iraqi people or their proposed government system; it is universal for any emerging nation, no matter where or when it tries ... Free Essays on Saddam Free Essays on Saddam June 30th is approaching quickly. The 30th is the date that was set by President Bush in which all sovereignty will be transferred to the new Iraqi government. There is still one major issue that will have to be dealt with in the next two weeks- what is to become of Saddam Hussein? The Iraqis want Hussein turned over to them so that he may be tried by the same people he harmed –his own countrymen. However, despite that very real need on the part of the Iraqis, it is nevertheless imperative that the US maintain complete control of Saddam until such time as the Iraqis can organize a trial for his crimes and conclusively prove that there is no chance that they will lose custody of him. Understandably, the people of Iraq want the US to tell them where their former brutal dictator is, and they no doubt want us to hand him over to Iraqi custody. This is understandable in light of all the atrocities he has committed against so many of them and their families. It also is important to the Iraqis that, when the Coalition forces turn over the symbolic Keys to the Country on June 30th, the Coalition does not try to hold back on some aspects of the Iraqis’ hoped-for sovereignty, making it look as if we really don’t believe they ought to be running their own country just yet. And to be fair, the Iraqis are currently in the process of laying the groundwork for a tribunal which will bring charges against Saddam on at least three grounds: genocide, crimes against humanity, and various war crimes. This does seem to be a step in the right direction. However, there are too many other issues at stake to transfer custody at this point, or at any point in the near future, due primarily to the instability that is bound to plague the new government that Iraq is trying so desperately to establish. This is not because of the Iraqi people or their proposed government system; it is universal for any emerging nation, no matter where or when it tries ...

Globalisation and employment relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalisation and employment relations - Essay Example At this point Herod provides an avenue upon which we can understand the employment relationship that exist between the owners of capital and the people who work in their firms .He observes that people offer their labor services to the owners of capital but they do not get compensation equal to the value they create in the final products. This way Herod is able to bring out a very clear picture of the employment relationship that exist in the capitalist society. In addition, Herod argues that capitalism presents different types of employment relations some of which are capitalist in nature while others are not, for instance, they are people who are self-employed and they do not hire people to get labor services. In this case, they are not engaged in capitalist mode of production though they may buy materials from other people and this is what Herod refers to as capitalist social relationship. Globalization is seen as penetrating, places that were traditional before and conquering them and hence becoming very powerful. This ability to dominate makes it almost impossible for workers to win against the Trans-National Companies (TNCs) in case of labor disputes. This is because the TNCs have the capacity to hire reputable lawyers and move around the labor laws and regulations in the host country. The TNCs also have the capacity translate the local languages and traditions allowing them to be able to dominate the local workers who are divided by the same traditions and language barriers. To help us appreciate further the employment relations, Herod compares the kind of relationship that exists between the workers and the employers in East Europe and in Western countries. For instance, in Eastern Europe, workers and employers came together and formed groups to enhance their chances of accessing government resources as privatization of state parastatals started. On the other hand, labor organizations found themselves in a dilemma in trying to cushion their members from the negative effects of privatization and at the same time being against the people from the old order who wanted to benefit only themselves. Globalization, according to Herod is also seen as ‘Westernization’ or ‘Modernization’ where the Western values of capitalism and democracy are to be spread out to the rest o f the world. The spatial difference will be done away with as the rest of the world adopts capitalism especially the Least Developed Countries (LDCS).The developing countries are viewed as lagging behind and as time goes by they will catch up with the Western countries and become like them. Modernization therefore seems to a process that occurs geographically as modern values spread from more advanced nations to traditional nations especially the third world countries. The less developed nations will do away with dictatorships and embrace democracy as the modern form of government. Herod goes on to examine the assertion that globalization is dilut ing the power of the Nation-State as individual Nations are forced to deregulate the market and at the same time relinquish their duty of offering public goods like education and health. Organizations like the European Union (EU) and the World Trade Organizations (WTO) are said to be eclipsing the Nation-State. However, Herod is of the view that these irrternational organizations may not erase the importance of the individual Nation-States as most of them are

Leadership & HR (Succession) (mod 3) case Essay

Leadership & HR (Succession) (mod 3) case - Essay Example The selection of the new CEO may be from the options available to the Board of Directors which is either internal or external to the organization. However, the success of the succession to the position of CEO is influenced by several social and psychological factors. These concepts of CEO succession and leadership are also applicable for Apple Inc when the CEO succession to Steve Jobs occurred with the appointment of Tim Cook as the new CEO of Apple Inc. Tim Cook is a US business executive who has been appointed as the CEO of Apple Inc. Tim Cook spent his childhood in Robertsdale in Alabama. His father was a worker in the US shipyard while his mother used to work at a pharmacy. After graduating from Robertsdale High School, Cook went on to complete B.S in Industrial Engineering and then post-graduated as Master of Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Management in 1988. Before joining Apple in 1998, Tim Cook worked in the business of personal computers of IBM where he also served as the Chief Operating Officer of the reseller department of Intelligent Electronics in the later stages. He also worked in Compaq for a short stint of six months. Since 1998, Tim Cook held important positions in the post of senior vice-president for worldwide operations. In his path of advancement to the post of CEO, Tim Cook has worked as Executive Vice President in the department of worldwide sales of the company. Tim Cook was then appointed as the Chief Operating Officer before he was finally appointed as the CEO of the company in the year of 2011. Tim Cook joined Apple Inc. in 1998 when the company started to transform itself into an electronics and software giant under the inspirational leadership and passion of Steve Jobs. Time Cook who already had a long stint with IBM in the personal computers section had rich experience of running the worldwide operations of a

Cost benefit and economic approach related to health care services Research Paper

Cost benefit and economic approach related to health care services system - Research Paper Example Globally, there are certain common problems which are faced by the health care organizations. In subsequent paragraph, a brief look has been given upon the overall issues which prevail in the health care units globally. Issues in Healthcare System The health care system is facing serious problems globally. People’s health care needs are not being met in an adequate manner. The reason is there are countless cases of illness and diseases each day. Fortunately, there are also numbers of solutions available to deal with these day to day problems. According to The Centre for Health Design, (2001), the most common problems which are faced by the overall health care sector are: Issues related to Patient Care Issues related to patient satisfaction Issues relating to accommodating innovation and change Issues related to operational efficiency Environmental Impact Responding to uncertainties. (The Centre for Health Design, 2001, p.4) In order to resolve these issues, a certain policy fr amework has been designed which can assist in solving such critical yet important issues. The policy framework designed to meet these problems is discussed in subsequent paragraphs. Policy Framework for Improving Healthcare System According to Bradley, Pallas, Bashyal, Curry and Berman (2010), a framework has been designed to ensure financial protection and adequate access to health care systems. It also strengthens the delivery systems in order to serve vulnerable people. Six factors determine whether the goals at organizational level are achieved or not in order to enhance the level of performance. They are: i. Quality ii. Efficiency iii. Utilization iv. Access v. Learning vi. Sustainability Quality Maintaining the required level of quality is the foremost requirement for healthcare systems. Improper quality can endanger the valuable life of patients. In order to maintain quality, it is essential to keep track of the quality in three major areas, they are: Clinical quality Patient experience Management quality There are several measures required to be taken care of for these areas. By evaluating the performance of these measures, it can be determined whether the quality is up to the mark or not. These measures include avoidance of medical errors, level of satisfaction of patient, availability of medical supplies, adherence to clinical parameters and medical records system. Efficiency Efficiency is defined as the way by which an organization utilizes its resources to meet the demands. Three measures which define the level of efficiency of a health care system include: Number of patients or patient volume Ratio of staff to service Ratio of cost to service The above mentioned measures can define the level of efficiency of a health care system. It can be determined by observing key indicators like health workers or nurses which are available for each bed or visits of outpatients or inpatients per day, per health worker or per bed. It should be borne in mind that it is not necessary to allot maximum number of nurses to each bed in order to meet the benchmark efficiency but in essence what it means is that the number of nurses available must not be less than the number of patients or number of beds. Utilization Utilization can be measured by: Patient volume in regards to capacity Patient volume with respect to the population of health characteristics. The key indicators which can measure the level of utilization are visits of outpati

Conflict Theory and Terrorism

Conflict Theory and Terrorism PUBLIC POLICY TOWARDS TERRORISM Basic Principles of Conflict Theory: Conflict theory is the principal alternative to functionalism. The Conflict Theorists shared numerous significant assumptions to view the world with different angles. Conflicts theorists perceive and arena in which crowd seeks influence, where functionalists glimpse interdependence and consensus. According to conflict theorists the control of conflict generally means the ability of one group suppressing the opponent group temporarily. The functionalists believe that societies will progress through the social mechanisms to deal with the social conflict. Conflict theorists observe civil law is a technique of defining and holding a particular social order than benefits some at the expense of others. While Functionalists see civil law as a way of increasing social order. Conflict theorists emphasize on the shifting power between competing groups. Where as Functionalists focus on interdependence and equilibrium. It can be sub divided into Marxism and Neo-Marxism. Social scientists are bel ieved to have moral duty to critique society. It cannot be objective of refusal to separate analyst from the judgment or fact, and also believes in that society can be constructed in such a manner where there is no chance of conflicts and Weberian Conflict Theory. Conflict cannot be separated from the social life, rejects the objection of the ideas of social science, with the intention to establish a scientific social science. According to Marxism an entirely contemporary theory ruins as many sociologists work and it is an integrated perspective. According to Neo-Marxism, where as economic sub structure is concerned the culture and ideology are its reflection. And contemporary Sociologists views the importance of superstructure is in its own right. The cultural factors play their own role in maintaining inequalities among class as per the eyes of European Neo-Marxists. C. Wright Mills, sociologist had combined a conflict perception with a tough critique of the social order. According to him there is threat in future, believe that that there is immorality in political and economic systems of U.S., in consideration of political parties are manipulative and craziness, they put their services themselves and calling it as free research value. For him the major issue is the relationship between bureaucracy, isolation and the centralization of power more in a ‘power elite. Now a days media plays a significant role by communication about terrorism and focusing on how to react, how public should take that and how to ‘fix terrorism, overwhelmingly the fact that terrorism is not a new thing while it has been around for years and more highly, ignoring the enormous amount of study and publications starting the different theories of terrorism. As per the terrorist act is concerned, terrorism is nothing but it is a sort of frustration which may create in the mind of persons due to misguidance, illiteracy or unrealistic and the conflict is antagonistic behavior resulting from individual frustration, aggression or pugnacity. Subsequently they use violence, they also believe that unless we do this violence we will lose an existent power struggle, therefore it now regarded that terrorism is a tool of the weak. First they do not have the resources such as money, people and political power to wage an actual war. Second, terrorist used hostility as a means, not a goal, while the main goal is to agitate, expose and emphasize the weaknesses and inability of the government and civil machinery to achieve their direct political objectives. Some of the most highly regarded terrorist profiles are Timothy McVeigh, Theodore Kaczynski, Osama bin Laden. Terrorist Activities: In the present scenario the number of states getting affected by terrorism is increasing day by day. Terrorist activities became an integral part of guerrilla warfare, the kind of political violence which are facing is relatively a new one. This is considered as a significant and distinct mode of armed conflict. It is only an aggrieved group has sufficient means to maintain violence on its own without bear from other states. Few states provide moral support to such group which might sound tiny way from being neutral, but valuable moral support from states that promote the political objective. The acts done by the aggrieved groups can be classified as Frivolous actions: Perus electricity poles in Lima city being blown up consecutively for 4 years during the New Years Eve. Indiscriminate Bombings and killings act of disruption and creating atmospheres of fear and insecurity. Hijacking of planes and taking hostage became one of the problems into the international prospect. In order to tackle the situation against the terrorist keeping Public policy in mind, the governments are taking appropriate actions such as killing the terrorists quickly as the best deterrence available is to kill the terrorist. Gathering information and getting cooperation from national as well as international intelligence organizations. Some of them include Organizations such as Interpol, FBI, Europol, etc. â€Å"FBI/CIA/Europole†is regarded as world intelligence agency.. Dehumanize, demonize, terrorist. Actions against money laundering, is also regarded as best means to control supply of money, to the terrorist. There is a difference to face and terrorism. The decision part will be in the hand of the political leaders here. In hijacking and hostage operation the decision lies on the political leaders. There will be involvement of several international organizations and concerned states for such problems. It decision depends on several things so government should have a proper agenda to face these type of situations. Complying laws with human rights is also necessary. Or else terrorist will use this to voice their protest more and change the sensitive minds set of youngsters. All the theories meant will give basic guidelines about the system and the problems in the system and it is up to the policy makers to use those theories to enact perfect laws that can curtail the problem. References: 1. Conflict theory, December 22, 2007. 2. David J. Whittaker,( 2004), Terrorists and Terrorism in the Contemporary World. Routledge, New York, Pp: 63. 3. Khan, A. (1987) ‘A legal theory of international terrorism, Connecticut Law Review. pp 945-972. 4. J. Paul De B. Taillon, Hijacking and Hostages: Government Responses to Terrorism. Praeger, Westport, CT. Publication Year: 2002. Pp: 159 5. J. Paul De B. Taillon, Hijacking and Hostages: Government Responses to Terrorism. Praeger, Westport, CT. Publication Year: 2002. Pp: 49 6. Tay Kok Siong, D., Yong Wee, F. and Kien Meng, W (July 2001), Terrorism and Game theory.

Essay --

Andrea St. Mary English 104 Dr. Gronsky 13 February 2014 Designer Children Who would have known a baby could be so customizable? Within the past few years, science has advanced so much that it is giving prospective parents a chance to pick and choose how they want their child to look. Designer children should be available for families everywhere because it will help with disease prevention, give parents the choice of the traits for their child, and it will give scientists a better understanding of the continuously evolving science of embryology. Many families carry genetic diseases that, with the help of science, can easily be terminated. Diseases like juvenile diabetes, heart disease, AIDS, breast cancer, and sickle cell disease run in thousands of families today. Being able to take a closer look at DNA will give parents a chance to help expand their child’s life span. Parents everywhere would agree to have their child rid of any harm. The doctors would be able to access the egg or sperm and discard the specific gene. This alteration would last for generations to come. If the mother is able to attend doctor’s appointments while she is pregnant to check on the health of the baby, why not be able to cure the sickness before it is born, rather than waiting until birth? Today, not only could infertile parents get the chance to have a child, but also they can make sure it is safe and healthy. Genetic diseases can be devastating news to potential parents, but science can help reduce the likelihood of contracting it . Don’t people wish they were born with bright blue eyes? Wouldn’t it have been nice to be a foot taller for the basketball team? Giving future parents the option to customize their baby is a phenomenon that will soon... ...ing prenatal vitamins and going to extreme measures to ensure the success of their child. In this process, the parents are in full control, so they have the ability to withdraw from the study whenever they deem it necessary. This research is the new frontier of how we look at pregnancy. The science of genetically engineering babies is an idea that should be invested in immediately. Altering embryos will be beneficial because it will eliminate hereditary diseases, allow for distinguished future generations, and will aid in modern technology’s stride for perfection. Although this study can be dangerous and unethical, it is offered to benefit families that aren’t lucky enough to have healthy genes. Hereditarily improving babies is essential for the growth of our future. Finally, parents’ vision of their dream child is within arms reach from this revolutionary study.

Narrative Structure and Narrative Function From Movies The English Patient Essay

Plot is series of events, usually presented in chronological or causal order. That’s a plot, a sequence of events. Story would be a narrative connection between all these events. That’s what’s missing. The film opens with an introduction to Hana, a young nurse. She lives in an abandoned villa, the Villa San Girolamo, that is filled with hidden, undetonated bombs. In her care is the English Patient. All that she knows about the patient is that he was burned beyond recognition in a plane crash before being taken to the hospital by a Bedouin tribe and that he claims to be English. The only possession that the Patient came with was a copy of Herodotus’ histories that he carried through the fire. He has annotated these histories and, in a sense, become a part of them. He is constantly remembering his explorations in the desert in great detail, but cannot state his own name. The Patient is, in fact, Là ¡szlà ³ de Almà ¡sy, a Hungarian desert explorer. He, however, chose to erase his identity and nationality. It is unknown whether this was for protection or as a metaphorical statement. Prompted to tell his story, the Patient begins to reveal all. He had an affair with Geoffrey Clifton’s wife, Katharine. They both accompanied the patient’s desert exploration team. The Patient’s job was to draw maps of the desert and The Cliftons’ plane made this job much easier. One of their earlier discoveries was the â€Å"cave of swimmers†. Almà ¡sy fell in love with Katherine Clifton one night as she read from Herodotus’ histories aloud around a campfire. They soon began a very intense affair, but in 1938, Katharine cut it off, claiming that Geoffrey would go mad if he discovered them. Geoffrey, however, does find out of the affair when he tricks her into thinking he’s out of town for the day (wanting to surprise her for their first wedding anniversary) and sees Katherine getting into a car. When World War II broke out in 1939, the members of the exploration team decided to pack up base camp and Geoffrey Clifton offered to pick up Almà ¡sy in his plane. However, Geoffrey Clifton arrived with Katharine and tried to kill all three of them by crashing the plane, leaving Almà ¡sy in the desert to die. Geoffrey Clifton was immediately killed. Katharine was also horribly injured. Almà ¡sy took her to â€Å"the cave of swimmers† and covered her with a parachute so he could leave to find help. After four days, he reached a town, but the British were suspicious of him because he had a foreign sounding last name. They locked him up as a spy. When Almà ¡sy finally gets away, he knew it was too late to save Katharine so he joined the Germans, helping their spies cross the desert into Cairo in exchange for gas and a car to get back to Katherine. After leaving Cairo, his car broke down in the desert. He went to the cave of swimmers to find Katharine. He retrieved her body and took it to the crashed plane which had been buried under the sand. He tried to fly back to civilization, but the plane malfunctioned during flight. Almà ¡sy parachuted down covered in flames which was where the Bedouins found him. Caravaggio, who had had suspicions that the Patient was not English, fills in details. Geoffrey Clifton was, in fact, an English spy and had intelligence about Almà ¡sy’s affair with Katharine. He also had intelligence that Almà ¡sy was already working with the Germans but whether he was or not is unclear. The film also focuses on Kip. Kip’s brother had always distrusted the West, but Kip entered the British Army willingly. He was trained as a sapper by Lord Suffolk, an English gentleman, who welcomed Kip into his family. Under Lord Suffolk’s training, Kip became very skilled at his job. When Lord Suffolk and his team get blown up by a bomb, Kip becomes separated from the world and emotionally removed from everyone. He decides to leave England and begin defusing bombs in Italy. Kip forms a romantic relationship with Hana and uses it to reconnect to humanity. He becomes a part of a community again and begins to feel comfortable as a lover. Then he hears news of the atomic bomb being dropped on Japan. He becomes enraged. He feels deceived and betrayed by this western world that he has tried to assimilate to. He threatens to kill the English Patient, but instead just leaves the Villa. For some time after their separation Hana wrote Kip letters, but he never responded. She eventually stopped. Years later Kip is happily married with children and is a successful doctor; however, he still often thinks of Hana. The film is set during World War II and depicts a critically burned man, at first known only as ‘the English patient’, who is being looked after by Hana, a French-Canadian nurse in a ruined Italian monastery. The patient is suffering from amnesia, but through a series of flashbacks he is gradually able to rediscover his past. It is slowly revealed that he is in fact a Hungarian geographer, Count Là ¡szlà ³ de Almà ¡sy, who was making a map of the Sahara Desert, and whose affair with a married woman ultimately brought about his present situation. As the patient remembers more, David Caravaggio, a Canadian thief, arrives at the monastery. Caravaggio lost his thumbs while being interrogated by officers of the German Africa Corps, and he gradually reveals that it was the patient’s actions that had brought about his torture. In addition to the patient’s story, the film devotes time to Hana and her romance with Kip, an Indian sapper in the British Army. Due to various events in her past, Hana believes that anyone who comes close to her is likely to die, and Kip’s position as a bomb defuser makes their romance full of tension. Narrator Function: The narrator is omniscient, and conveys the points of view of several different characters. The narrator is capable of knowing, seeing, and telling whatever he or she wishes. It is characterized by freedom in shifting from the exterior world to the inner selves of a number of characters and a freedom and movement in both time and place but to and event greater extent characterize it by the freedom of the narrator to comment on the meaning of actions.    Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_English_Patient A Hand Book to Litrature by C. Hugh Holman, William Harmon

Online IT Degree Options Are More Diverse Than You Think Essays

Online IT Degree Options Are More Diverse Than You Think Essays Online IT Degree Options Are More Diverse Than You Think Essay Online IT Degree Options Are More Diverse Than You Think Essay It used to be that the only place to obtain an online IT degree would be through a school that no one had ever heard of. Even though the classes might have been sound, the piece of paper that resulted from the effort would often be cast into doubt. This is no longer the case. Whether you’re after an online business degree, a masters in education or a pure IT degree, the selection of schools has grown in leaps and bounds. As more colleges and universities take advantage of the opportunities the Internet has opened up to them, students are finding they can get an online MBA, a nonprofit management degree or learn the ropes of running an IT department all from the comfort of their own homes. While not all schools are the same, prospective students are likely to discover that the field now includes: Highly established institutions – The schools now stamped on diplomas that result from online IT degree programs include some of the country’s most established and recognized private institutions of higher learning. Thanks to the recognition of these schools and their accreditation standing, students can now be assured their degrees will mean something when they enter the working world. A wide variety of programs – Schools have been increasing their online options at a breakneck pace. It is now possible to study nearly anything online and come out with a degree that can help land a job. Access to financial aid – The days of having a hard time finding financing for online degree programs are over. Thanks to the standing of many schools, this avenue is wide open. An online IT degree can mean the difference between condolences and congratulations. When it’s time to get an edge on the future, online programs can deliver. Their diversity often amazes students.

Chemical Reaction Essay

Chemical Reaction Essay Chemical Reaction Essay jTask 3 - D4 Within my report I was aiming to look and the rate of reaction and how it increases while the temperature increases. This experiment was completed and through out the experiment the temperature increases and decreases because the hydrochloric acid and the sodium thiosulfate. The aim of this experiment was to time how long it would take for chemical solution to be able to turn translucent. When the temperature of the chemicals increase, then the atoms would rapidly produce kinetic energy. So therefore more kinetic energy will be produced because of the head on collision. So in summary the rate of reaction will be quicker or faster. Where as in the enzyme report, shows that experiment was used to see if the temperature would have effected the Autolytic Enzyme System which needs a minimum energy aspect which would met the chemical reaction which occurs of the Streptococcus Faecalis. This means that the cells would become destructive because of the own actions in the enzymes. My own report and the enzyme report are both completing the same task which is to investigate weather the temperature increase with the rate of reaction. In addition in my there were many different temperatures taken in my experiment so that the experiment shown a wide variety of results. Furthermore in my experiment the rate if reactions was between 0.1 sodium thiosulfate and 1m hydrochloric acid. In my experiment the sodium was used to help increase the rate of reaction. In addition in my experiment it was visible that the rate of reaction was increasing when the temperature would increase. The similarities and differences between my report and the enzyme report would be that the

The use of blowflies in forensic entomology to determine approximate Essay

The use of blowflies in forensic entomology to determine approximate time of death - Essay Example The life cycle of insects encompasses four discrete stages (Amendt, Campobasso, Gaudry, Reiter, LeBlanc & Hall, 2007). Despite the effectiveness of forensic entomology in determining the time of death, only less than one percent of homicide cases are resolves using forensic entomology. However, forensic entomology can be utilized in a broad area of forensic science, for instance to ascertain whether the corpse was moved posthumously and the accurate time of death. This paper will assess the determination of time of death through the use of blowflies in forensic entomology. In blowflies, the initial life cycle stage encompasses eggs, which hatch into maggots or larvae in the second stage. At the larvae stage, the anterior end of blowflies has a pair of sharp digging hooks, which are used for both feeding and movement. The posterior end of larvae consists of the insect’s respiratory system that ensures that maggots receive sufficient oxygen as they rummage through the corpse (Go ff, 2000). Typically, as soon as blowflies’ maggots attain their full size, they stop feeding and start moving into drier regions of the surrounding, often into the soil. During the third stage of development, blowfly maggots develop into pupae; during this stage, the outer skin of the insect hardens, forming a tough protective casing around the insect. In a week’s time, the pupa goes through metamorphosis, emerging from the shell in the form of an adult blowfly to mark the concluding stage of the insect’s life cycle (Amendt, Campobasso, Gaudry, Reiter, LeBlanc & Hall, 2007). Insects such as blowflies can serve as an easy tool of ascertaining the unknown, especially with regards to the time of death. For instance, when a coroner seeks to find out the time of death of a corpse, the entomologist only has to examine the blowflies around the corpse and report details. However, it is hardly this easy since investigators take into account a number of variables, includ ing the temperature of the immediate region in order to ascertain the speed of larvae growth in a corpse. For instance, when someone is killed during summer and left outside for a number of days, the ambient temperature neighbouring the corpse changes dramatically. Different types of blowflies develop speedily in warm weather; however, the development rate diminishes when temperatures drop (Greenberg & Kunich, 2002). Blowflies discovered on a corpse that has been outside for several weeks or months are indicative of drastic variations in the growth cycles of the insects. Therefore, entomologists must carefully assess the available specimens in order to determine a probable range of times of death. The use of insects to solve crimes in forensic entomology dates back to the 13th century when investigators found the murderer of a rice field worker by examining the trend of blowflies, which flocked to the murderer’s sickle after being attracted by the smell of blood. Ultimately, the murderer confessed to the crime (Goff, 2000). Today, forensic entomologists use post-mortem interval or PMI in order to ascertain the total quantity of time that has lapsed since death. The development and age of the maggot, as well as the utilization of successive insect waves, provides a succinct determination of the duration of the interval between the time of death and the time the corpse was discovered. As soon as a person dies, the first creatures to

The Toyota Production System Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Toyota Production System - Article Example This paper will review the article â€Å"The Toyota Production System† by the Public Affairs Division of the Toyota Motor Corporation (2003). The main issue then is that Toyota needed to become more competitive in producing global cars, but in a more organized manner. This section proceeds to the background of the issue. The manufacturing industry is a highly competitive sector that thrives in constant innovation. Toyota discovered that quality management is one of the keys to global competitiveness, and that its management can formulate the TP, which will be its driver of global strengths. TPS relies on years of trial and error, until it has been perfected and applied by Toyota worldwide. The trial and error system means that the company learned from actual mistakes of the system and developed realistic solutions. The TPS is the brainchild of Taiichi Ohno. The main manufacturing system then was the push system, where manufacturers made whatever they thought was in demand. Thi s created a great deal of waste and inventory, however, because real demand tends to fluctuate. Ohno, through repeated trial and error, changed the push to a "pull" system that disabled the factory from making unnecessary items. The pull system consisted of tools, including the kanban (information card), andon (display board), and poka yoke (error prevention). Minoura asserted that only when these "loose collection of techniques" were consolidated into a fully-fledged system that the company was able to deploy TPS across its manufacturing plants. The major points of the article are that the TPS can identify wastes in the production process and optimize the scheduling process, training people are fundamental to achieving quality products and processes, and good supplier-manufacturer relations are critical to an efficient production system. The article highlights the importance of just-in-time production that begins with cutting the lead-time for making things. Minoura argued that it is important to cut processes that do not add value. He noted that many delays come from transferring one part to another and so if it is possible to eradicate transfers, this greatly reduced lead-time. The TPS is also about developing people. The article argues the value of human development to TPS, because people are the ones making products. It asserts the importance of training people to following rules and regulations of kaizen so that Toyota's monozukuri (making things) can be attained. Minoura also underscores that localization or genchika is important. It is about promoting the attitude of TPS ingrained into the local employees of the company. Finally, suppliers are called to think like car manufacturers, so that they can also cut costs and customize their products. Toyota maintains good supplier relations to attain cost advantages and preserve trust, which is critical to the just-in-time system. Hence, TPS is truly a comprehensive approach to manufacturing, as it merges peo ple, technology, management, and systems thinking under one umbrella of total quality management. In conclusion, this article suggested the use of lean manufacturing in reducing lead time and generating a climate for developing a learning organization. I believe that lean manufacturing will truly have an impact on lead time, because its diverse tools and practices are crucial in identifying wasteful processes. These tools also stress the value of correcting mistakes as they occur and incorporating thinking when solving problems at individual work levels. Furthermore, TPS is not only a technological system with information system dimensions, but also a people management system dimension. The

Applied Logic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applied Logic - Assignment Example This is because the individual who utilizes their free will do not necessary need constructed law for them to act responsible. In supporting this, we can argue that individual with free will are self-determined and accountability of their actions. This people also are capable of overcoming outside force hence enabling them to valid reasoning. For that reason, we can say free will is essential at helping us comprehend that we are in control of choice we made in life and thus our destiny. Hence, individual must be capable of thinking free and decide free without being constrained by certain external factors. Human beings have the capability of thinking free and decide free compared to other animal (Lynch pg. 132). Besides this, and individuals can claim accountability for their actions, and this makes human uniqueness. Hence, free will are much interrelated with applied logic as free will is the foundation of applied logic as it helps individuals to be self-determined and accountability of their actions. The concept of reality has been controversial since the times of great philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle particularly due to the continuous dominance of perceptions in the reasoning process as individuals strive to identify and understand what is real. Reality can be defined as the totality of all things including events, both observable and non-observable phenomena as well as actual and conceptual structures (Simon 01). In deliberating ontological matters, analytical philosophers circumvent the use of the term â€Å"real† since there is an overall argument that reality is what one can get away with, and it is significantly influenced by our perception. Simply put, it is what the world vision endeavors to map, whether based on personal or communal human experience. In lieu of this, there is no objective reality; it is subject to personal interpretation since our cultural and

Material Selction Essay Example for Free

Material Selction Essay Park bench A park bench isn’t just for parks. It is an essential component of any public outdoor (or indoor) area. The 3 material I chosen ( wood concrete steel) These park benches provide strength and durability with a strong steel skeleton and high quality UV and weather resistant thermoplastic coating. One of the most popular bench styles, the thermoplastic coated steel park bench comes in a range of styles and colors. The thermoplastic coating protects the steel for years to come, and is maintenance and corrosive free. Made for the widest range of applications, these benches can be portable as well and permanent installs. Commercial park benches made with wood are always a top seller. Made usually of cedar, or pine, wood park benches offer strength and durability, reinforced with a welded metal frame construction for a long life. Wood is the popular choice also for its classic styling. When people think park bench, they will more than likely visualize a wood slat park bench with back and arms in an unfinished cedar nestled in a shady spot under an oak tree. This is obviously a great solution for a park, or outside of a mall but I would not recommend it for any city transit area. Other materials, like powder coated steel are better performers for high traffic. Concrete Park Benches are an inexpensive solution to a high traffic area. Dense and strong, anything concrete will last a long time and is ideal for parks, schools, bus stops, corporate break areas and rest stops, and other various street scapes or public areas. It is also resistant to vandalism and thievery due to its inherent density and bulk. It would be strenuous to attempt to move or damage one of these, making a concrete park bench the perfect solution for a permanent install. Hip joint The human hip is a ball and socket joint. This means that the top of the leg bone, the femur, is rounded and fits into the socket of the hip. This joint may need to be replaced if it has worn away, broken, or become chronically painful in some way. The process involves replacing the hip joint with 3 artificial parts, cup, ball, stem: Cup The cup is the most vital part of the hip joint process as the other 2 parts is dependable on the cup being good thus the material must not only be tough and strong but resistant to corrosion, degradation, and wear-.I chose the material ultra-high density polyethylene for the cup component in because of its outstanding toughness cut and wear resistance and its excellent chemical resistance. Fermoral ball – I chose the ceremaric material Zirconia for the head (ball) component in because of its Strength and Longevity, Zirconia is virtually indestructible ans should last a life ti. itcan be polished to give a very smooth surface and have a much lower wear rate than metal on polyethylene. Also using ceramics over metals for hip replacement parts are to do with the inherent biocompatibility of ceramic materials. Being highly oxidised, they are very inert and so the risk of any reactions with the host is negligible. However As with everything in life, all these benefits come with a price. Zirconia is very tough, which is good until you consider the abrasive effect of the material against the other compnenets. Fermoral stem – I chose the alloy material titanium for the stem component because not only does it have the combined properties of being light and strong it also allow for movement of the artificial hip joint with a minimal amount of friction. In addition, titanium are long lasting, strong and resistant to corrosion, degradation, and wear. Therefore, they will retain their strength and shape for a long time. Resistance to wear is particularly significant in maintaining proper joint function and preventing the further destruction of bone caused by particulate debris generated as the implant parts move against each other. However titanium is quite expensive.

College Sports - Universities Must Compensate Student Athletes :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Colleges and Universities Must Compensate Student Athletes Today, sports are no longer fun and games, sports are a business, and college sports are no different. College sports provide a huge source of universities’ income. The school takes in money from ticket sales, television contracts, and sport-related merchandise, just to name a few. The athletes, however, receive their scholarship and little more. While the prospect of receiving a free college education is something few would complain about, when the issue is more closely examined it becomes evident that it is not enough. The universities are exploiting athletes, and recently the problems that this creates have become more prominent. More and more athletes are now leaving school early to enter the professional leagues and make money. There have also been more reports of violations surrounding university boosters and alumni paying players. Furthermore, athletes have been accused of making deals with gamblers and altering the outcome of games. All of these problems could be minim ized, if not completely eliminated, by adopting a program for compensating student athletes. College athletes are exploited by their schools, which make millions of dollars off of them. This leads to violations, students leaving college early, and student-athletes that cannot even afford to do their laundry. The NCAA and professional leagues can work together to institute a plan to compensate these athletes and remedy all these problems. Student athletes need money just like any other college students, and many of them need it even more. According to Steve Wulf, many college athletes come from disadvantaged backgrounds (94). This means that while the free tuition is nice, they are still going to need money for other expenses that every college student faces. The NCAA finally realized this recently and decided to allow athletes to have a job earning up to $2000 during the school year (Greenlee 63). This, while well intended, is an impossibility for many, if not the majority of college athletes. As Greenlee states, "The hours athletes would spend working at a job are already spoken for" (63). The sport they play is their job; it takes up as much time (likely more) as the normal student’s job at the cafeteria or student center, yet they do not get paid. The schools have to make up for this by finding some way to compensate these athletes. The main reason behind not giving college athletes some form of compensation is that college athletes must be amateurs and if they are paid they will lose their status as amateurs.

Fundamentals of Computer

entExamination Paper: Fundamentals of Computer IIBM Institute of Business Management Semester-I Examination Paper MM. 100 Fundamentals of Computer Section A: Objective Type (20 marks) ********************************************************** Multiple Choices: 1. b. 2 types 2. b. 1 or more input signals to produce output 3. d. Both (a) & (c) 4. b. Non-volatile 5. c. Direct-access storage device 6. c. Multiple object program files of any software 7. a. Are geographically distributed 8. b. Way in which the network’s nodes are linked together 9. a. World wide web 10. . General purpose electronic equipment for homes Fill in the Blanks: 1. Multimedia applications are multimedia presentation, foreign language learning, multimedia Kiosk and †¦multimedia books, e books, digital library, video games, animation films & virtual shops†¦ 2. Computer audio deals with synthesizing, recording and †¦Palying audio†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ with a computer. 3. Collating sequence is ordering o f symbols in an †¦encoding†¦. standard. 4. Binary coded decimal is a †¦6-Bit†¦ Code. 5. The logic gates are interconnected to form gating or logic networks known as †¦combinational†¦.. ogic circuits. 6. †¦CPU†¦. is the brain of a computer system. 7. The term †¦software†¦. refers to a collection of programs. 8. Program errors are known as †¦bugs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9. Documentation†¦. is the process of collecting, organizing storing and maintaining a complete historical record of programs. 10. File organization†¦ deals with physical organization of records of a file for convenience of their storage and retrieval. Section B: Short Questions (20 marks) 1. What is data processing? Data processing is a series of actions on input that converts the input into useful output.In data processing, input is data and output is the useful information. In consists of three sub activities: Capturing input data, manipulating it and pro ducing output information. People, procedure and devices are required to produce the output from the input data. 2. What is a file management system? File management system is a set of programs which help the users to organize, create, delete, update and manipulate their files. Its common features are as described below. a. Transaction file: It stores the input data until the application uses it during next processing cycle. b.Master file: It contains all current data relevant to an application. c. Output file: some applications use multiple programs. One program takes the output of another program as input; hence the former program stores the output as an output file. d. Report file: It is a copy of report, generated by application in computer accessible form. e. Backup file: It is a copy of file crated by user or system to avoid loss of data due to corruption or deletion of original file. 3. What is a computer network? Computer network is a group of computers which are linked to e ach other via internet.The computers on network can communicate with each other and can share information. Four basic service provided by internet to its users are electronic mail, file transfer protocol, telnet and use net news. The common network types are personal area networks (PANs), local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area network (MANs), campus area networks (CANs) and wide area network (WANs). 4. What is a secondary storage? The additional memory needed in all computers to overcome the limitations of primary storage (Limited capacity and Volatile) is called secondary storage. t is nonvolatile and has lower cost per bit stored. It operates generally at slower speed than primary storage. Computer system uses it primarily to store large volume of data on permanent basis. Commonly used storage devices are hard disk, CD ROM, DVD, memory card and Pen drive. Section C: Long Questions (20 marks) 1. Explain the printing mechanism of laser printer. Mechanism of Laser Printers: Tr ansfer of Data The very first step in laser printing is the transfer of data from a computer to the memory of the image processor of a printer. Writing DataNow, once the data is transferred to the printer's memory, it is written to the printer's drum with the help of a laser. The drum will keep rotating and the moment it rotates past the laser, it sweeps off the printer's surface neutralizing some spots to about -100v. These spots are the areas where the toner remains stuck to the drum and further gets transferred to the paper. Inserting the Paper and Pickup Process of the Toner Once the writing process is over, you need to add papers to the printer. Keep the papers into the printer's paper tray.The feed rollers inside the printer pull the paper inside and the registration rollers hold it till its release. As the drum keeps on rotating, the toner settles down in an area which is at a charge of about -100v and remains attached to the drum till the paper comes in. Transfer of the Tone r to the Paper Now, the complete toned image is created on the drum. The moment you apply the paper to the printer, the toner transfer process starts. The transfer corona applies a charge of about +600v to the paper and when the paper passes through the drum, the toner which is at a charge of about -100v gets transferred to the paper.Further, the paper passes through a static charge eliminator that decreases the positive charge in the paper, with the help of its negative charge. Fusing The process of fusion takes place in order to secure the printout by melting the minute plastic fragments present on the toner's surface, so as to fix them to the paper fibers. Laser printers are handy when it comes to fast, bulk and quality printing. But high prices and some health risks such as respiratory disorders due to the release of some harmful sub-micrometer particles are some of the disadvantages associated with laser printing.However, this kind of printer still remains the first choice for most of the organizations when it comes to printing. 2. Explain the importance of system software for a computer system. System Software is a set of programs that manage the resources of a compute system. System Software is a collection of system programs that perform a variety of functions. * File Editing * Resource Accounting * I/O Management * Storage, Memory Management access management. System Software can be broadly classified into three types as: System control programs: It Controls the execution of programs, anage the storage & processing resources of the computer & perform other management & monitoring function. The most important of these programs is the operating system. Other examples are database management systems (DBMS) & communication monitors. System support programs: It provide routine service functions to the other computer programs & computer users: E. g. Utilities, libraries, performance monitors & job accounting. System development programs assists in the creat ion of application programs. E. g. , language translators such as BASIC interpreter & application generators.Application Software: It performs specific tasks for the computer user. Application software is a program which program written for, or, by, a user to perform a particular job. Languages already available for microcomputers include Clout, Q & A and Savvy ret rival. The use of natural language touches on expert systems, computerized collections of the knowledge of many human experts in a given field, and artificial intelligence, independently smart computer systems – two topics that are receiving much attention and development and will continue to do so in the future. 1.Operating System Software Storage Manager Process Manager File – System Manager I/O Control System Communication Manager 2. Standard System Software Language Processor Loaders Software Tools 3. Application Software Sort/Merge Package Payroll/Accounting Package DBMS General-purpose application soft ware such as electronic spreadsheet has a wide variety of applications. Specific – purpose application s/w such as payroll & sales analysis is used for the application for which it is designed. Section D: Applied Theory (40 marks) 1. What is a computer virus? How does a typical virus works?When a computer system suffers from virus infection, how it is cured? Defenition: Computer virus is a small software programs that are designed by human to spread from one computer to another and to interfere with normal computer operations. Work of Typical virus: The A computer virus is most often defined as â€Å"a malicious code of computer programming†. What this means is that a computer virus is just another software, written with not so very noble intentions. A computer virus is designed to install, propagate and cause damage to computer files and data without the knowledge and/or express permission of the user.A computer virus can only survive, attack and propagate in computer memory. Computer memory is usually the RAM (and all different variations of it) and disk storage (hard, floppy and everything in between). Besides this you will not find computer viruses in your monitor, keyboard and certainly not in your own blood stream! The first step in any virus attack is always the invasion. This is when the virus actually enters the computer system from an outside source. Much of the effort in preventing a virus attack lies in understanding what these virus entry points are and how best to monitor and block out any possible intrusion.All viruses enter the computer system through two main entry points: the disk network adapter card is most likely your computer network and/or modem card connected to the local Intranet and/or the Internet. Virus enters through the network card most likely disguised in the form of attachments in e-mails. These attachments are often program files and office documents containing macros. Besides this, certain webpages that we visit on the Internet may also contain harmful programming codes that might transfer virus or virus-like codes into our system.To guard our systems against virus intrusion from these sources, many good anti-virus programs allows users to completely scan all files read form disk drives or downloaded from the Intranet/Internet. How do virus infections occur? The act of infection often begins with a harmless looking action such as opening a file (like a video game or a Word document) that one often gets in e-mail attachments or while accessing any disk in a disk drive. These actions inadvertently activate the virus lurking in these files and disks. The virus then installs itself into the computer’s memory. Computer system suffering from virus infection:After entering the computer memory, a virus often immediately sets out to multiply and spread duplicate copies of itself across the main data storage device (most often the hard disk drive). It does this by copying itself into as many files it can find on the disk drive. Later when users transfers or copies these files to their friends and colleagues, the virus gain entry into ever increasing number of systems. If the virus has found its way to this level of the user’s computer, the user runs a high risk of permanent damage to data and hardware. But such a level of infection only happens to two types of users.The first are those who do not employ any kind of anti-virus measures (or if they do, it obviously isn’t doing a good job). The second are those who do have good anti-virus programs installed and running but did not bother updating their software with the latest virus data files. As a result newer viruses can actually use the anti-virus programs to infect an even greater number of files. So we can see here that having good anti-virus software isn’t enough. One must constantly keep it updated (preferably on a monthly basis). If a virus were to just spread itself, users might not have much to worry about.But the worst is yet to come. Many viruses contain what is called a payload. This is the destructive sequence that is activated on a certain trigger. The trigger may be the arrival of a particular date or an action done by the user. The effect of the payload can be anything as benign as some harmless message appearing on screen to as frightening as the destruction of the disk drive’s boot record – making it completely unusable and in most cases completely irreparable. Indeed it is the later that causes permanent lose of data and hardware and which is responsible for the virus’ notorious reputation.If a virus is capable of unleashing its payload on the user’s system, this indicates a serious breach of security on part of the user. It’s time for the user to learn from the experience and never let computer virus have a second chance. How do I know if my computer has been infected? After you open and run an infected program or attachmen t on your computer, you might not realize that you've introduced a virus until you notice something isn't quite right. Here are a few indicators that your computer  might  be infected: * Your computer runs more slowly than normal * Your computer stops responding or freezes often Your computer crashes and restarts every few minutes * Your computer restarts on its own and then fails to run normally * Applications on your computer don't work correctly * Disks or disk drives are inaccessible * You can't print correctly * You see unusual error messages * You see distorted menus and dialog boxes How to Cure: Remove a virus manually: Sometimes a virus must be removed manually. This can become a technical process that you should only undertake if you have experience with the  Windows  registry and know how to view and delete system and program files in  Windows.First, identify the virus by name by running your antivirus program. If you don't have an antivirus program or if your pr ogram doesn't detect the virus, you might still be able to identify it by looking for clues about how it behaves. Write down the words in any messages it displays or, if you received the virus in email, write down the subject line or name of the file attached to the message. Then search an antivirus vendor's website for references to what you wrote down to try to find the name of the virus and instructions for how to remove it. Recovery and prevention:After the virus is removed, you might need to reinstall some software or restore lost information. Doing regular backups on your files can help you avoid data loss if your computer becomes infected again. If you haven't kept backups in the past, we recommend that you start now. 3. Write short notes on: (a) The OSI model (b) Internetworking tools (c) Distributed computing systems (a) The OSI model The Open System Interconnection, model defines a networking framework to implement protocols in seven layers. This article explains the 7 Lay ers of the OSI Model.The  OSI, or  Open  System  Interconnection, model defines a networking framework to implement protocols in seven layers. Control is passed from one layer to the next, starting at the application layer in one station, and proceeding to the bottom layer, over the channel to the next station and back up the hierarchy. a. Application Layer This layer supports  application  and end-user processes. Communication partners are identified, quality of service is identified, user authentication and privacy are considered, and any constraints on data  syntax  are identified.Everything at this layer is application-specific. This layer provides application services for  file transfers,  e-mail, and other  network  software  services. Telnet  and  FTP  are applications that exist entirely in the application level. Tiered application architectures are part of this layer. b. Presentation Layer This layer provides independence from differences in data representation (e. g. ,  encryption) by translating from application to network format, and vice versa. The presentation layer works to transform data into the form that the application layer can accept.This layer formats and encrypts data to be sent across a  network, providing freedom from compatibility problems. It is sometimes called the syntax layer. c. Session Layer This layer establishes, manages and terminates connections between  applications. The session layer sets up, coordinates, and terminates conversations, exchanges, and dialogues between the applications at each end. It deals with session and connection coordination. d. Transport Layer This layer provides transparent transfer of data between end systems, or  hosts, and is responsible for end-to-end error recovery and  flow control.It ensures complete data transfer. e. Network Layer This layer provides  switching  and  routing  technologies, creating logical paths, known as  virtual circuits, for transmitting data from  node  to node. Routing and forwarding are functions of this layer, as well as  addressing,  internetworking, error handling, congestion  control and packet sequencing. f. Data Link Layer At this layer, data packets are  encoded  and decoded into bits. It furnishes  transmission protocol  knowledge and management and handles errors in the physical layer, flow control and frame synchronization.The data link layer is divided into two sub layers: The Media Access Control (MAC) layer and the  Logical Link Control  (LLC) layer. The MAC sub layer controls how a computer on the network gains access to the data and permission to transmit it. The LLC layer controls frame synchronization, flow control and error checking. g. Physical Layer 1 This layer conveys the bit stream – electrical impulse, light or radio signal through the  network  at the electrical and mechanical level. It provides the  hardware  means of sending and rece iving data on a carrier, including defining cables, cards and physical aspects. b) Internetworking tools The art and science of connecting individual  local-area networks (LANs)  to create  wide-area networks (WANs), and connecting WANs to form even larger WANs. Internetworking can be extremely complex because it generally involves connecting networks that use different  protocols. Internetworking is accomplished ith  routers,  bridges, and  gateways. Routers: It is a  device  that forwards data  packets  along  networks. A router is connected to at least two networks, commonly two  LANs  or  WANs  or a LAN and its  ISP  network. Routers are located at  gateways, the places where two or more networks connect.Routers use  headers  and forwarding tables to determine the best path for forwarding the packets, and they use  protocols  such as  ICMP  to communicate with each other and configure the best route between any two hosts. Bridges : It is a  device  that connects two  local-area networks (LANs), or two segments of the same LAN that use the same  protocol, such as  Ethernet  or  Token-Ring. Gateways: It is a  node  on a  network  that serves as an entrance to another network. In enterprises, the gateway is the computer that  routes  the traffic from a workstation  to the outside network that is serving the Web pages.In homes, the gateway is the  ISP  that connects the user to the internet. In enterprises, the gateway node often acts as a  proxy server  and a  firewall. The gateway is also associated with both a  router, which use  headers  and forwarding tables to determine where  packets  are sent, and a  switch, which provides the actual path for the packet in and out of the gateway. A computer system located on earth that switches data signals and voice signals between satellites and  terrestrial  networks. An earlier term for  router, though now obsol ete in this sense as  router  is commonly used. c) Distributed computing systems A distributed computer system consists of multiple software components that are on multiple computers, but run as a single system. The computers that are in a distributed system can be physically close together and connected by a local network, or they can be geographically distant and connected by a wide area network. A distributed system can consist of any number of possible configurations, such as mainframes, personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, and so on. The goal of distributed computing is to make such a network work as a single computer.Distributed systems offer many benefits over centralized systems, including the following: Scalability The system can easily be expanded by adding more machines as needed. Redundancy Several machines can provide the same services, so if one is unavailable, work does not stop. Additionally, because many smaller machines can be used, this redundancy does not need to be prohibitively expensive. Distributed computing systems can run on hardware that is provided by many vendors, and can use a variety of standards-based software components. Such systems are independent of the underlying software.They can run on various operating systems, and can use various communications protocols. Some hardware might use UNIX(R)  as the operating system, while other hardware might use Windows operating systems. For inter machine communications, this hardware can use SNA or TCP/IP on Ethernet or Token Ring. This system contains two local area networks (LANs) that are connected to each other. One LAN consists of UNIX workstations from several different manufacturers; the other LAN consists primarily of PCs that are running several different PC operating systems.One of the LANs is also connected to a mainframe by way of an SNA connection. The client/server model A common way of organizing software to run on distributed systems is to separate funct ions into two parts: clients and servers. A  client  is a program that uses services that other programs provide. The programs that provide the services are called  servers. The client makes a request for a service, and a server performs that service. Server functions often require some resource management, in which a server synchronizes and manages access to the resource, and responds to client requests with either data or status information.Client programs typically handle user interactions and often request data or initiate some data modification on behalf of a user. For example, a client can provide a form onto which a user (a person working at a data entry terminal, for example) can enter orders for a product. The client sends this order information to the server, which checks the product database and performs tasks that are needed for billing and shipping. Typically, multiple clients use a single server. For example, dozens or hundreds of clients can interact with a few servers that control database access.The client is isolated from the need to know anything about the actual resource manager. If you change the database that you are using, the server possibly needs to be modified, but the client does not need to be modified. Because usually fewer copies exist of the server than of the client, and because the servers are often in locations that are easier to update (for example, on central machines instead of on PCs that are running on users' desks), the update procedure is also simplified. Also, this approach provides additional security. Only the servers, not the clients, need access to the data that the resource manager controls.Clients can also access several different servers, and the servers themselves can act as clients to other servers. Exactly how the functions are distributed across servers is an application design decision. For example, a single server could provide all the services that a client needs, or the client could access multiple servers to perform different requests. The application designer must consider items such as scalability, location, and security. For example, are the clients and servers local or is the application distributed over a wide geographic area? Do the servers need to be on machines that are physically secure?Such design decisions are outside the scope of this introduction. Some servers are part of an application and are referred to as  application servers. Other servers are not part of a specific application. Instead, any application can use them. For example, the CICS Structured File Server (SFS) provides record-oriented file access for applications. Three-tiered client/server architecture A common design of client/server systems uses three tiers: 1. A client that interacts with the user 2. An application server that contains the business logic of the application 3. A resource manager that stores data.