International Business Essay

1. Summarize the globalization debate. What are the major interest groups in the world economy? How are they affected by different elements of globalization? 2. Who benefits and who loses from a shift in jobs to low-wage economies? Consider this question from the perspective of consumers, labour, technological change, firms, nation-states. Are the net benefits likely to be positive? 3. Identify and evaluate the sources of conflict between pressures on companies to operate globally and the desire of governments to regulate companies and activities within their borders. 4. Account for the existence of counter trade in the world economy and explore the view that its influence will continue as a solution to the problem developing countries face when attempting to export to western markets? 5. Analyze the likely impact on domestic markets of import restrictions via tariffs and quotas respectively. Discuss the dynamic side effects that can arise from import protection. 6. In the light of the strategic significance of price discrimination between cross-border markets to firms, evaluate the merits of anti-dumping measures. 7. Outline the static and dynamic effects of a customs union and explain why regional integration blocs composed of small economies are unlikely to be economically beneficial. 8. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the joint venture over licensing as a foreign market entry mode. Describe scenarios when licensing might be the preferable one of the two entry modes. 9. International franchising is often regarded as a low-risk foreign market entry strategy. Does this view fully reflect the attraction of international franchising as a market entry mode? 10. Under what circumstances would a BOT system make sense as an international marketing strategy?

Gender Roles Defined

All the Pretty Horses would be widely considered a fairly typical western in the traditional sense. There are many of the common western tropes that exist explicitly and implicitly within the novel. While much of the idealistic â€Å"western† characteristics appear in a blatant manner, the novel is laced with incidents and dialogue of seemingly little consequence or significance at first glance. There are many occurrences which are overlooked in the story that represent and support a common and major idea that is stated in a more major or explicit form at other times.The role of gender is one such idea. In the early stages of the novel, the conflict which sets the entire story in motion takes place as Cole's mother has decided to sell the ranch now that his grandfather has died. Cole is distraught over this as the ranch is his desired lot in life. He attempts to talk to the familys attorney after attempts at persuasion with his mother fail only to reach similar end. The reason ing the attorney postulates for his mother's decision is a minute detail of the scene but brings about an interesting and otentially underlying idea throughout the story.His rationalizes her motives on the basis that, â€Å"she's a young woman and my guess is that she's like to have a little more social life than what she's used to† (McCarthy 17). This determination does not come off as explicitly Judgmental but simply a plausibly suggestion for her actions. Upon closer examination however, it proves to be more meaningful. The attorney is asserting Cole's mother's social life as a legitimate reason for her to forfeit the ranch her father had built from the ground up and worked so hard for.There is no such concern mentioned for the sixteen year old John Grady whom is interested in not only keeping the ranch, but running it himself. The adolescent stage of life in generally considered the pinnacle of social importance in society as adult relationships begin to form and develop. This is a very biased Judgment on the attorneys part based on a very glaring difference between Cole and his mother which is their gender. Mrs. Cole's social obligations appear to him as a legitimate reason for her to back out of the hard work, and presumably things considered â€Å"man's work† ecessary to run the ranch which she had inherited.It appears through his acceptance about Cole's mother and her decision, reaction to Cole's request, and lack of concern for his social needs that the attorney is convinced of his mother's inability to run the ranch without much displeasure because of her gender inferiority. There is no question of the ability and willingness to struggle by both Cole and his grandfather but there is a quick dismissal of the lack of drive and ambition to keep the ranch by the female entity.Such a characteristic of women as playing an inferior role to males is shown elsewhere in the novel. Examples of this ideal being maintained in the story came also in more explicit form. One such an example is in an exchange between Rawlins and Blevins as they discuss the riding skills of Cole. Rawlins is fishing for a positive response from Blevins to support his highly held esteem of Cole so asks he poses a clearly untrue and negative statement that, † suppose I was to tell you he's never been on a horse a girl couldn't ride† (McCarthy 8).This assertion is intended to draw a clear reaction to me being false due to the absurdi ty ot a male, let alone the Jonn Grady Cole, be ot a lesser ability ot riding a horse than a female. The reference to the female gender inferiority in that statement is understood by Blevins despite not being in close relations previously with Rawlins which shows an encompassing ideal that women are inferior to men. The male superiority trope surfaces again later in the novel as Rawlins and Cole come across the ranch which they work for. Rawlins observes the use of female horses as work horses and is surprised by such an act. Well†¦ I can see why theyre hard on a horse. Putting up with them bitches† (McCarthy 102). Rawlins is suggesting by his surprise in the use of female horses to perform work as opposed to males that the females are incapable, whatever the species, of performing the tasks and duties that are expected of and within the ability of a male. Along with their inadequacy he also sympathizes with the ranchers having to deal with the less desirable temperament of he females and promotes the subsequent assertion of physical dominance over the animals do to their supposed inferior gender.Such dominance would be easy to gain due to the lack of supposed equality between rider and horse as the riders are male and therefore more capable according to the ideology. Gender inadequacy is even given as verbally explicit presence in the eyes of the novel as possible when Alfonsa. Her concern for the relationship between Alejandra and Cole rests in the unfair but concrete views o f society on the morals of women compared to that of men â€Å"There is o forgiveness. For women. A man may lose his honor and regain it again. But a woman cannot. She cannot† (McCarthy 137).Alfonsa's extremely blunt but realistic views on how people perceive and forgive actions committed by men and women paints a black and white picture of the glaring inadequacy the novel's ideals carry for gender. Essentially she is saying that males lay above reproach or at least may atone for their sins or supposed sins but females are held to a much harsher standard with a greater punishment in that they cannot regain the positive image society has nitially placed upon them no matter what action that take to rectify simply because of their sex alone.The implicit and roundabout assertion of the attorney to Cole lay the foundation for a very prominent ideal of the story. Female inferiority to males is illustrated explicitly and has no bounds in terms of the realm of inadequacy or even the species as it appears to be universal. Such flaws of women can't even be atoned for in the eyes of the story as forgiveness is only available to those fortunate enough to be seen in society as forgivable because of their superiority.

Practical Psychology for Everyday Life

Practical Psychology for Everyday Life Question 1 I think one of the most important concepts I learnt from the lecture is the effect and influence of the non-verbal behaviors and language, but the people mostly lack of awareness on them and create misunderstanding even discontent among all of us. These non-verbal behaviors seem to be non-significant in our everyday life, but they do play a key role in daily communication. Even though non-verbal communication could only express simple thoughts and feelings, it indicates the true ideas and emotions.As verbal language sometime different from what we really think, for example, lying and overstating are typical models, these behaviors build up more barriers and obstacles between peoples. Thus, understanding of these non-verbal behaviors helps us express us more clearly and beneficial for our relationships. Non-verbal behaviors appear everywhere, every moment; even though they are common, but we did not pay much attention. And it leads to mismatch of verbal and non-verbal behavior creating ambiguity, the original idea could not be sent.In the past, when I was talking to others, I used to look at anywhere but not the one I was chatting with, no matter teachers or classmates. Because of this strange behavior, I was viewed as an ill-mannered student. It took me years to realize and solve it. In this situation, even though I thought I was talking with my teachers with the most polite language I knew, but my non-verbal behavior crumbled it. It is also a typical problem nowadays youth might have, as electronic gadgets become part of our life, most of us may focus on the smartphone in hand but not the friends around.Thus, the non-verbal behaviors reflect our manner, but lack of attention of these behaviors would be a worrying trend. Moreover, the non-verbal behaviors are indicators of our true feelings. In the past I wondered that how my sister could catch me when I was lying all the time. But later on, I discover that when I tell lies, I often shake my head. If we take a closer look to these minor behaviors, it would be easier to find others’ true feelings and what they try to hide. It is also eneficial for our daily communication. All in all, the non-verbal behavior should match with the verbal language, if we want to express ourselves to other, so other would get our ideas clearly, it avoids the unnecessary arguing and guessing and helps us contact with others more efficiently. Thus, non-verbal behavior should be taken a higher level of consideration. (Words for Q1: 420) Question 2 Self-discrepancy could be varies as three major self- perceptions: actual self, ideal self and ought self.This divergence defines us and shapes our personality as we seek unity of these three perceptions. The actual self represents the true qualities we acquired and what we really are. Despite this, some of us may omit it and pursue the ideal self, the ultimate qualities we desire. Besides that, ought self indicat es the qualities that we should grab. Inspired by my mum, a lady who strongly influenced by the traditional ideas. Once suffered in the mismatch of ought self and actual self. She married a man who did not love her, leading to another unfortunate marriage.This man gambled and lost my mum’s hard-earned money, he get drunk every night and creating more domestic-violence. In this circumstance, it is definitely that she should seek help and leave him. But in the struggle between her actual self – the desire to leave and ought self – the responsibility of a wife, her wavering brings more pain and sadness. In this case, the actual self of my mum falls short of her ought self, mixing the influence of the tradition ideas, she feels guilty when she tried to leave him.Besides that, the guilty remains even she left him for years, it lowers her self-esteem and makes her more fragile. From my mum’s experience, it reflects that the diversity between ought self and actu al self can be deeply affect and change one’s life. Apart from the ought self, the ideal self seems to be the ultimate goal of one’s actual self, but everyone has their own limit. In the past, I was forced to learn how to play piano because of my mum’s will. It was a difficult time for me as I found that I had no interest on piano or other instruments.In fact, I did try my best at the very beginning, but my fingers refused to dance on the piano keys but stomped on it. Later on, my mum started pushing me to play piano day by day, but the result just disappointing as usual. After several months, the monthly-long unsatisfactory outcome depressed me, at the same time, my academic results was declining as well. It illustrated the consequence caused by actual self fails to catch up with ideal self. Thankfully, my class teacher discovered it and discussed it with my mum, the piano measure was lifted and everything was back to normal.Thus, the objective we establish sho uld be achievable and relevant with our own abilities and our actual self. The draw-backs of forcing yourself to do impossible tasks could be unrecoverable. In conclude, understanding of self is the prerequisite for success, even though the desires and obligations may affect us. With the acknowledgement of ourselves, we erase our anxiety and take the duty. We find what our limits are and accept it and it pave the way to success. (Words for Q2: 488)

What should the role of the state be in contemporary society Essay

What should the role of the state be in contemporary society - Essay Example A State is the main institution which exercises power on behalf of the people in the contemporary society. It is bestowed with legitimate authority by the society for preserving its institutions for the betterment of the welfare of all. The contemporary society has empowered the state to make and impose laws that are necessary for the harmonic existence of all members of the society (Woodrow, 2001). The main role of State is providing protection to the entire society (Petricus, 2009). This core role of the state arises from the fact that it is almost impossible to guarantee all members of society protection that is based on voluntary arrangement amongst individuals. There is need for an institution that is acceptable to the entire society to provide protection from both internal and external forces that may threaten the well being of individual members or the entire society. Protection by state refers to securing the rights, liberties and freedoms of the individuals as well as their property. This role is undertaken by one authority within a given society to avoid conflicts which may arise in dispensation of this important duty. However the state has other important roles which are related to its protective role such as promoting economic welfare of the society, provision of basic needs such as food, shelter and education. This paper is a critical evaluation of the roles of the state in the contemporary society. The Protective Role of the State The protective role of the state to the society can be understood by evaluating the status of security and human rights practices in stateless societies such as Somalia in comparison with a society which has an effective system of governance such as the United States of America. It is evident that there is widespread abuse of human rights and lack of protection in a stateless society. Somalia is a country in the horn of Africa, which has survived for more than 10 years without a formal authority to govern the citizens. A s a result, numerous criminal organizations such as Al-Shabaab have continued to terrorize citizens as well as committing atrocities against the country’s peaceful neighbors. As a result, Somalia has continued to lag behind in terms of development especially due to power struggles, which have created conflicts that have resulted to some of the citizens seeking refuge in some of the neighboring countries since there is no sufficient security. This has also created a loophole which has facilitated international terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaida with a ground to fulfill their violent missions around the world (Abukhalil, 2006). It is important to note that the powers of the state are at times abused for the benefits of the ruling class thus negating the core role of this important societal institution. Since, by design, some members of the society exert relatively higher control on the state, it is possible for such group to extract more benefits than the majority of the society who are under control through acts of corruption and nepotism. It is for this reason that recent developments in some of the Arab nations such as Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, have taken place, where civilians have taken it upon themselves to overthrow corrupt leaders, whose main agenda was to remain in power and continue to acquire illegal wealth. The western society and other societies which have adopted and successfully implemented democratic ideals have at their disposal three means by which they protect themselves from undue exploitation by the state. These are; restraint through judicial processes, voicing concern through voting in general elections and removing irresponsible officials through votes of no confidence as well as invoking the right to hold non violent

Management 4330 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management 4330 - Research Paper Example This strengthens my confidence to put the best in my work as well as offering encouragement to improve my skills. I rank among the top as compared to other students who undertook this exercise. Being in the first quartile did not surprise me as I am aware of my positive abilities affecting my work and those around me. My capability of organizing people according to their skills is on the higher side. I know how to assign roles to different people according to how well they can perform them. Identifying the areas they are competent in as well as their strengths and weaknesses. This is among my strong points that make a competent manager. Secondly, is that I am able to generate multiple solutions for solving a problem rather than depending on just one way of tackling a problem. I take time to go through the best solutions for a problem after studying it rather than just offering one temporary solutions that will only be short term. However, the above data shows areas that I need to improve on. I take this positively as this is a way of improving myself in how I work and relate with other people. I use too many positive comments even where negative comments are of essence. This is can be an encouragement for some people might to take advantage of the situation and present substandard work because they know they will not get negative comments (Lussier 60). I should tell it like it is and give negative comments where necessary. This will make people work hard and present quality work as nobody wants to look like a failure in his or her job. Another area I need to improve on according to this survey is encouraging people to develop their strengths rather than just overcoming weaknesses. This way people will be independent in the decisions they make, and also improve on the quality of their skills. Compared to other associates, my skills of good

Mass extinction Events - the 6th one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mass extinction Events - the 6th one - Essay Example appened in the planet’s history, mass extinction is an occasion that mankind cannot penetrate, delay or stop especially if they are the primary ones responsible for the planet’s destruction. One is as responsible as the other towards the maintenance of the planet that mankind is living in. There is no reason for finger pointing at this point as to why things are being experienced worldwide (Hallam & Wignall, 1-5). Mass extinctions already happened more than once in the existence of planet Earth. The first mass extinction was said to have happened approximately 500 million years ago and it was the temperature in the planet’s surface that have changed drastically. This event incurred the massive extinctions of species, plants and animals alike. This brought about changes, mostly physical, to those who survive the extinctions. Others would point out these changes as evolution in the species. They needed to evolve and be able to adapt to the surroundings enabling them to survive. Approximately 250 million years ago, another mass extinction occurred and devastated the planet. It was said that during this second mass extinction, it took a while before the surviving species was able to recover. While others failed to adapt therefore becoming extinct (Frankel, 5-10). During the third mass extinction, it was the aquatic species that was confounded. It was after the fourth mass extinction that r eptiles and dinosaurs were said to have evolved. Then around 65 million years ago, the fifth mass extinction occurred. This is the extinction that the generation of today is more aware (Wicander & Monroe, 242; Hoffman, 176). There are scholars who do believe that mankind and the planet is in the middle of the sixth mass extinction as the planet’s composition has been disturbed massively especially in recent centuries or even decades. As mankind is perceived to become more intelligent, the more it aided the events that may cause the mass extinction and even end the human

Globalization and Training Document Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Globalization and Training Document - Essay Example The onset of globalization has made managing supply chains complicated and critical than it was in the past years. No business area is affected more by the style to worldwide business situation within the supply chain. The need for companies like Riordan Manufacturing to use best strategies in international management of supply chain has increased because of globalization. Riordan Manufacturing is a worldwide company as it supplies its products globally. Recently, Riordan ventured into China where it discovered it had a bigger market base. As Riordan’s customers expand around the world, they expect the company to go with them. Therefore, it is important to improve their products and sell them at a cheaper price. For example, Riordan Manufacturing has a large customer base in the German plastic market, which has opening facilities in China. We have the option of continuing to supply our products to China from Germany, or find a way to interact with our customer base in China. Decisions made will ensure our customers receive quality products. To maintain the loyalty of our consumers in China, Riordan has to transfer its production expertise to China and offer those functions at a confined level (Riordan, 2014). Supply chain complexity continues to increase with globalization. The manufacturing process has become extremely complicated and is no longer a simple assembly line. Manufacturers are now forced to manage several product lines, each one assembled from parts taken from different suppliers. The same manufacturers are also needed to manage logistics, to know where and when products need to be to satisfy demand across the globe. The huge numbers of global markets where products are now being sold continues to expand drastically (Fawcett, Ellram & Ojden, 2007). With this increase in growth, there has been a rise in the number of

Network Monitoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Network Monitoring - Essay Example This essay is based on the primal reasons for government to regulate and examine information gathered or communicated by individuals either within the country or without. In line with the thesis statement, this essay is essentially centred at providing information/evidence as to why the government should be solely in charge of networks that keep the various communications within a country. To form a valid argument, we will examine the United Kingdom's pursuit to control information. The United Kingdom government has always been faced with the need to secure information within the country mainly to help ensure that no threat is forthcoming at least not through the communication networks. This has been a debate for a long time and has seen the two main parties in the Kingdom draw various opinions. While the labour party wanted the formation of a single database for storing individual communications, the conservatives wanted a monitoring system which would ensure information is filtered; only that information which poses a threat to the people is stored. This they said was due to two facts; one, the government would infringe on the privacy of individuals something that had been done in the past but which they wanted a departure from. Of concern however is not how the politicians fought for the balance between security and privacy but the main point I want to draw is that they all agreed on the need to monitor information; notably, for the sole reason of security. In the same way, the United Kingdom government through its home secretary found the need to monitor information. The following part thus gathers the various parts of concern for these individuals and examines the information handled within and without the government quarters to help cement the need to monitor information. PART TWO-Government and Networks Government and Information Understanding the above discussed network components will help in the discussion of the government's need to secure networks for the purpose of security promotion and maintenance; especially, with the growing threats of terrorism, fraud cases and other major scandals. (Barret et al 2006) These have caught the government either unprepared or have overwhelmed government forces due to the extent and level of the technology used. This necessities that the government prepares fully for such occurrences or situations and since it is usually not possible to harness the entire human knowledge and make use of the same in developing government networks, it is then important for it to ensure that the information and methods used by these outside developers is monitored or regulated. Notice that the use of outside developers means those that are not part of the government. The other point of concern is that the corporate as well as the entire private sector has embarked in developing powerful technological equipments which enable the coding and encoding of data transported to allies of these companies or entities. If this is not monitored, then the security of the nation is likely to be in jeopardy as this information if not traced or decrypted, may contain matters likely to affect the well being of the society. Thus in conclusion, the government is definitely the one to control the amount of data that flows within the networks as it is the

Class observation report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Class observation report - Essay Example Moreover, they were able to understand and produce simple questions and statements. This class of nine students consisted only of Latin ethnic group. Spanish was their first language. Some students were relatively new arrivals who needed some basic survival skills and others had been in the United States for over six months and never felt the need or desire to combine learning English and working at the same time. However, all of them shared the intention to learn English in order to find a decent job or to improve their language and to get job promotions. Several key factors had been put in consideration while conducting the observation for this class. The first factor was the identification of errors made by the students. The second factor was the way the instructor assessed the errors that students made during class activity. The duration of the classes was one hour and fifteen minutes each with a break of fifteen minutes. The classes were held in normal classrooms, as well as in computer labs. In normal classrooms, students focused on topics that dealt with grammar skills, speaking, and small passages of reading, whereas in computer lab, they were offered opportunity to practice through specific writing assignments, such as, how to write a CV, or the etiquette of sending E-mails for job employment opportunities, and learning a new vocabulary. Textbooks were required in these classes, however, students were provided with a lesson sheet and guidelines for every class. In the classroom, the instructor gave five incorrect grammar sentences and asked the students to identify the errors in each sentence. This was a type of warm up activity to assess what the students had learned in the previous class and to get them ready for the coming lesson. One of the given sentences was, ‘I can’t come to class the last week because I was sick’. Regarding this sentence, one thing that I found very interesting was that all of the seven students were only ab le to identify one error in the mentioned sentence and that error was the past form of ‘can’t’. They were unable to identify the missing article ‘the’ because of which they produced the sentence wrongly. The interesting finding in this observation was that students were not able to recognize all errors and repeated the same mistake while attempting to identify the errors in the provided sentence. According to students, when they were asked by the instructor why not they were unable to identify the second error, they said that in their L1 the use of the article ‘the’ in a sentence like this is considered correct. Another error produced by the students which captured my attention was regarding the way the instructors began addressing the new lesson after the warm up exercise, which was about the present perfect. The instructor started by defining the present perfect tense and telling the proper condition to use it, however, the students we re struggling in grasping that information. Therefore, the teacher provided an example in the students’ mother tongue (L1) and another one in English which was, ‘Have you been drinking’, and asked the students to pair in one group to provide some examples. He gave them ten minutes to finish this exercise. The first example the students provided was, ‘I have drunk three cups of coffee today’. With attention to the previous sentence, the reason why I chose this particular error among other errors was that the students were

Journal 11 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Journal 11 - Assignment Example Therefore, the story is more of a man who is excited that he is going to be happy in a foreign land and reclaim the happiness that his country had denied him. However, he recognizes that it was a dream and America was not as great as he had imagined. There is an immense contrast between what the narrator imagined and what he found out once he arrived in the US. There is a recount of how he and Anna were excited at first on realization that he was to leave for America. Therefore, he asserts, â€Å"†¦She looked up again and laughs, something new, she whispers, as if amazed, I hold my lips firmly pressed behind her ear. Then I say smiling, yes we have discovered something new! She bursts out laughing, and like a child she calls out happily, â€Å"America†Ã¢â‚¬ . (Schnitzler 156-157). It is obvious from the above quote that the narrator was having a flashback on how happy they were before commencing their journey to go to America. However, the happiness was short-lived since the readers get a different tone once the narrator lands in the foreign country. He confirms, â€Å"†¦and now I’m standing in the middle of a large, cold city†¦a pain, a madness comes over me that something irrevocably has been lost† (Schnitzler 157). It is ironic how he believed that America would be his source of happiness only to realize that it was far from what he had imagined. He had left his homeland, lost his friends and family, and did not know any means in which he could communicate with them since he did not know anything about the US. The contrasting images reveal that the narrator’s view of the US had changed. The country in which Anna had boasted about, telling people, â€Å"†¦Hey, we’re going to travel to America today!† (Schnitzler 57) was nothing but an illusion. His arrival was crowded by too much negativity; hence, it is likely that he would have a hard time adjusting in the new city. The different images also shows a man who was

The value of brands to organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The value of brands to organizations - Essay Example establish the aforementioned by elucidating on the value of brands through a definition of the concept, an analysis of the implications of brand equity, a discussion of the benefits of brands and a clarification of the relationship between brands and firms. Brands are firm-owned products which have undergone a process of branding. It is â€Å"the means by which a company aims to differentiate its products from competition and-through marketing-protect its position in the market. profitably over time† (White 1999) It is recognized as â€Å"the sum of ail elements of the marketing mix† (Ambler and Styles 1996). The most commonly accepted definition of brand is a distinguishing name and/or symbol (such as a logo. trademark or package design) intended to identify the goods or services of either one seller or a group of sellers and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors (Aaker 1991. p. 7). Other relevant brand concepts include brand associations, brand image, brand identity and brand equity. Brand associations are â€Å"anything that connects the customer to the brand.† They include â€Å"user imagery, product attributes, use situations, organizational associations, brand personality, and symbols† (Aaker and Joachimathaler 2000. p. 17). Brand strategies, the set of â€Å"perceptions about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in consumer memory† (Herzog 1963). Brand identity is defined as the totality of the brand associations that the marketer wishes to create or maintain for the brand: Brand identity is a unique set of brand associations that the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain, These associations represent that the brand stands for and imply a promise to customers for the organisation members (Aaker, 1996, p. 68) It represents â€Å"what the organization wants the brand to stand for† (Aaker and Joachimathaler 2000. p. 40). Brand identity is thus contrasted to brand image, where brand image is a

Haleeb Relaunch Report Essay Example for Free

Haleeb Relaunch Report Essay Current Size, Growth and Profitability: Recently, Haleeb Foods has reached a turnover of Rs. 9. 2 Billion in the year 2009. It was a loss, though, as Haleeb Foods has been experiencing a slump since 2-3 years due to internal management and quality issues. Competition may pose a threat because the company will have to maintain its leadership in an expanding market so that it doesn’t lose its market share to its competitors. For Haleeb it might be difficult to maintain its market hare in a market where the loyalties exist for such brands as Nestle and Olper’s. These brands have been in the milk industry and have left a mark in the minds of consumers in terms of quality. Competition seems to be getting tougher as a result of new players entering the dairy market. Haleeb’s primary competitors are Nestle milk pack and Olper’s milk. The Secondary competitors are Nirala, Halla, Good milk and Gourmet milk. Primary Competitors: Prema: Prema milk fresh, pure and nourishing, straight from our own state-of-the-art dairy farms. With the combination of natural vitamins, minerals, and a great creamy taste, Prema milk provides truly natural milk, with all the essential nutrients needed for healthy bodies and bones, including rotein, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin A. As an all purpose milk, Prema milk is perfect for the whole family for drinking, cooking, as well as a tasty tea whitener. Prema has a market share of 20%. Olper’s: Launched on March 20, 2006, Olper’s milk is EFL’s standardized and homogenized pure UHT (Ultra heat treated) milk with 3. 5 % fat and 8. 9 % solid non-fats. It is EFL’s premier brand, and the choice of quality-conscious consumers who only go for the best. It is available in easy-to-open, 6-layered Tetra Pak Brick Aseptic red packaging and comes with a 3 months shelf life. Olper’s has a market share of 20%. Nestle Milk Pack: Pure, rich and delicious NESTLE MILKPAK standardized UHT milk benefits from Nestle’s expertise in bringing you the very best life has to offer and benefits from 140 years of consumer trust. It comes in four convenient packages and provides a nutritious value to its consumers by educating them about the advantages of milk. They provide valuable information on the packaging and advertise how Nestle milk provides all the essential nutrients. In another words they keep in track of the changing trends and the change in consumer preferences. The market share for Nestle milk pack is 30%. Secondary Competitors: Nurpur, Nirala, Good milk and Gourmet milk altogether comprise of about 10. 5% of the total market share. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths: * Ultra-Modern technology: Haleeb Foods is using a high-tech modern UHT plant known as â€Å"Tubular Heat Exchange System† in which there are closed pipes of hot and cold water which treat the milk at the time. In this process, the milk is first revolved around the hot pipe which raises the temperature to about 140*C to kill bacteria and other germs and then around the cold pipe which lowers the temperature to around 2-3*C. This process gives the milk its natural thickness and taste. Whereas its competitors use â€Å"Heat Injection System† in which steam is injected into the milk to kill the bacteria and then cooled down The Brand â€Å"Haleeb†: Haleeb is one of the oldest UHT Milk providers of Pakistan and has developed its name through out the country. Every person, whether it be a child or an adult or an elderly, knows about this name and would prefer buying Haleeb Milk rather than any other new ones. It is using the ‘corporate brand strategy’ i. e. making use of the corporate image to affect customer purchase decisions. Examples are Haleeb yoghurt, Haleeb butter, Haleeb milk. Here what is important is not only the reputation of the company but also the concept of customer loyalty to the brand. * Owning the color â€Å"Blue†: Haleeb from the very beginning has identified and associated itself with the color Blue. Every time a person enters a grocery shop and sees a blue pack on the milk shelf, he/she instantly recalls the brand as Haleeb which gives it a competitive edge over its competitors such as Olper’s or Ollwell or Nestle. * High Quality Milk: Haleeb has always provided the best quality milk as it claims â€Å"SAB SE GHARA DOODH (THICKEST MILK)†. Whenever this statement is either displayed or heard somewhere, it instantly associates itself with Haleeb. * Rigorous Quality controls: Haleeb undertakes 21 rigorous quality control tests on every portion of the milk to ensure it is the best out there. Efficient Research and Development department: Haleeb often conducts researches to find out the requirements of the consumers before and even after the launch of a certain product which helps them in making changes to their products according to the consumers’ preferences. * Diversified Brand Portfolio: Haleeb, over the time period, has diversified itself into many products other than milk such as juices, ghee, butter, cheese, low fat milk, etc which gives it a competitive edge and helps it to grow even further and increases its profitability. Weaknesses: * Marketing (Advertisements): Haleeb seldom advertises its products which is a big weakness as its competitors spend a huge amount on TVC’s, Radio spots, etc. The only commercial Haleeb use, is for its milk which is quite old fashioned and doesn’t match up with the requirements of the consumers now days. Considering the competitors like Olper’s and Nestle Milk pack, their TVC,s are seen over and over again during prime times along with bill boards in every heavy traffic street. Awareness of these brands is much more as compared to Haleeb. Packaging: Haleeb, since its beginning, has been using the same packaging which has resulted as a bad sign for the company. Haleeb needs to revamp its packaging keeping consumer wants and perceptions in mind. Over the years customers are accustomed to changes as this is the era of fast transformation and anyone who does not keep up with the times will loose. Therefore Haleeb should step out of its comfort zone and co me up with a new packaging for milk with sharper colors, fancier logos and convenient packs for easy accessible usage. Haleeb is dependent upon Tetra Pak for the packaging of its entire dairy products. Tetra Pak is the only option available to Haleeb for packaging because it is having monopoly in the packaging sector in Pakistan. Due to this reason, Tetra Pak can charge them higher and it could increase the production costs. There is a bargaining power of suppliers. * Demand-Supply Imbalance: The demand for milk is not being completely fulfilled by Haleeb as it is a processor of milk rather than a producer. OPPORTUNITIES: * Increased funding by Government: Government has decided to increase farmers’ funding. This is an opportunity for Haleeb because previously due to weather conditions and other reasons there was lots of wastage of milk but now that can be reduced as farmers will be better able to store milk for longer time periods. * Awareness: Growing dissatisfaction with loose milk and increasing awareness about health and hygiene issues have led to increased processed milk consumption. People are becoming more health conscious as education is increasing in villages. The population is becoming aware of the diseases associated with loose milk coming from unreliable sources. The increase in knowledge has also created awareness for nutritional value in any content of food or drink. Nestle unlike Haleeb has used this opportunity to provide consumers with an additional proved reason to buy packaged milk. Haleeb should pursue this opportunity. * Third largest producer of milk: Pakistan is the Third largest producer of milk in the world with a total production of 32 billion liter of milk a year, whose value is more than that of the combined value of wheat and cotton, from a total herd size of 50 million milch animals (buffaloes and cows). Livestock accounts for 46. 8 percent of agricultural value added and about 10. 8 percent of the GDP. Milk is the largest commodity from the livestock sector accounting for 51 percent of the total value of the sector. Due to the steps taken by the government and private sector, country’s annual milk production is expected to grow at an additional 3 billion liters in the next few years. This is quite an opportunity for ENGRO foods as there is lot of growth in this part of the sector. Threats: * Competition: Competition may pose a threat because the company will have to maintain its leadership in an expanding market so that it doesn’t lose its market share to its competitors. Competition seems to be getting tougher as a result of new players entering the dairy market such as Olper’s, Ollwell, Gourmet, etc. Competition is a very important threat because in order for you to excel, you have to be well aware of the next move that your opponent will take. The idea is to prevent losing your potential customers as well as those who were loyal to you. Haleeb milk cannot afford to give their loyal customers a reason to prefer another brand.

Characteristics Of A Smartphone Operating System Computer Science Essay

Characteristics Of A Smartphone Operating System Computer Science Essay In todays world of computerization, you must have heard a lot about programming. Programming refers to a process which carries out a set of instructions to do a particular task. Presently, programming is extended beyond computers to various application systems, one such application system is Communication Devices, which covers telephone exchanges like PBX (Private Branch eXchange), ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), Networking Devices like switches, router and terminal devices like ISDN phone, modems, mobile phones, and so on. Programming these devices is quite challenging in their own way as they involve challenging requirements like real time processing, multi-device handling, enormous features, friendly GUI, and so on. We in this unit have chosen smartphone a mobile phone variant as an example to describe the programming aspects associated with its functioning. In this unit, we will discuss as to what a Smartphone is and also its features that has made it so popular. We will also discuss about the Smartphone operating systems. You will find the necessity for an operating system in Smartphones and the characteristics that these operating systems support. You can easily relate many of the concepts to the mobile phone that you or your acquaintances might be using. Mobile phone usage has increased manifold over the past decade. ,A mobile phone (also called as cellular phone, cell phone or hand phone) is an electronic device which facilitates two-way telecommunications over a cellular network of base stations, or cell sites. A general classification of mobile phones based on features are: One is Feature phones, or low end phones, which offer basic services like making and receiving calls, radio (FM) services, and sending or receiving Short Message Services (SMS). The other is Smart phones, which offer more advanced technology, like connection to the World Wide Web (www), sending Multimedia Message Services (MMS), accessing Bluetooth and infrared applications, playing audio and video files, providing GPS functions etc,. Bluetooth is a wireless technology used to exchange data by connecting devices within short distance. Infrared is a wireless technology used to exchange data by connecting two electronic devices. A Smartphone is a remarkable invention; it is a mobile phone with more offerings that fits in your pocket and lets you communicate from anywhere in the world. The primary difference between mobile phones and Smartphones is that the Smartphones have complete operating software, which provides a standardized interface and platform for application developers. Smartphones are like laptops or miniature computers, and can perform a variety of functions. As the Smartphones have operating software and a standard interface, the users have the ability to add applications and upgrade features and services on their mobile phones. Let us see how Smartphones evolved. Today, with technological advancement, the Personal Computer (PC) is a part of everyday life as a productivity, entertainment, and communication device. Like laptops the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) were introduced as mobile computing devices with less memory capacity. These PDAs, also known as handheld computers or palmtops, are electronic organizer or planner that can easily share any information with the computer. It is basically a high end organizer phone. The concept of Smartphone is obtained from the PDAs and mobile phones. Initially, PDAs were developed to access Internet while mobile phones were meant to receive calls, send messages, etc, Then the Smartphone was invented which had the ability to fit more functionality into a smaller device. Smartphones are a combination of the functionalities of mobile phone as well as the features of PDA. Like most inventions, Smartphones are built on a chain of prior technological advancements of semiconductor miniaturization, battery technology, display devices, touch panels, and the invention of telephone and wireless technology. We will be touching upon the features of Smartphone in detail in the subsequent sections. Self Assessment Questions A mobile phone is an electronic device which facilitates two-way telecommunications over a _____________ of base stations, or cell sites. Smartphones offer basic services like making and receiving calls. (True/False)? PDA stands for __________________. Smartphone Features Smartphone is a combination of both mobile phone and handheld computer, into a single device. Smartphone is a single device which allows users to store information (for example, e-mail) and install programs, along with the use as a mobile phone. We can say that a Smartphone is a mobile phone with some PDA functions integrated into the device or vice versa. The features offered by the Smartphones are the most important factor that has made it so prominent in the present day. Let us now discuss these features: Software: Smartphones are operated with the help of software to manage basic functions like address book, messaging, and searching stored data. The software in a Smartphone has advanced features that allow you to create and edit MS Office documents and download applications. Most of the Smartphones support full featured e-mail capabilities with the functionality of a complete Personal Organizer with book or binder, containing a calendar, address book, scheduler, and other such functions. Operating system: Smartphones comes with an operating system that supports various applications. It also helps to maintain the software and hardware used in these phones. The Symbian, Windows mobile, and Android are some examples of the operating systems used in Smartphones. Managing calls: The user can manage multiple calls (conference calls) and concurrent calls on the Smartphone with the help of User Interface (UI). Apart from changing the ring tones based on callers or groups, the cell phone allows you to record the calls in digital format and save them to your computer. Access to internet: With the introduction of Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), Smartphone facilitates its users to access Internet at higher speed using the 3G technology (It is a third generation wireless technology that facilitates advanced multimedia access, global roaming, and high speed communication). Thereby the device helps you to browse your favourite websites, send and receive emails, and download games faster as you would do it on your desktop computers. It also facilitates users to automatically reformat the HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) pages for display on small screen. HTML is a markup language that is used to structure text, graphics, and sounds in a web page by the use of various tags. The device can also access Web2.0 content. Web 2.0 is related to web applications that provide interoperability, information sharing, and user friendly design Advance GPS features: The GPS (Global Positioning System) feature present in the Smartphone helps users to get driving directions, point of interest in the locality, or search businesses by using the gadget. The Smartphone users can obtain current location by connecting to portable GPS receiver or integrating a GPS receiver to the device. QWERTY keyboard: With a Smartphone, you can get a keyboard like the one that you use with your computer. You can use a physical keyboard to type on or a touch screen like an iPhone which is operated by software. An iPhone is a smartphone (product of Apple) which provides all the features of a smartphone such as, internet access, touch controls, and so on. Multimedia features: Smartphones are also featured with built-in digital camera and a sound recorder. Apart from taking still pictures, you can also record video clips. These features allow you to share the Multi Media Messages (MMS) with other Smartphones via email, Bluetooth or infrared with or without the help of additional software. Touch Screen: A Typical PDA has a touch screen, which is an electronic visual display or input device for entering data. These days most of the Smartphones have this feature allowing the user to easily select various features of the phone. The best place where you can experience the usage of the touch screen is in the ATMs (Automated Teller Machine), as most of the ATMs have a touch screen. ATM is a telecommunication device that provides financial assistance to the clients of a financial institution. ATM is also known as a Cashpoint.. An automated teller machine (ATM), also known as automatic banking machine (ABM), Cash Machine, or Cashpoint, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public space without the need for a cashier, human clerk or bank teller. Wireless Connectivity: Many Smartphones come with Wireless Wide-Area Networks. Latest Smartphones have Bluetooth wireless connectivity. It can be used to connect keyboards, headsets, GPS and many other accessories. Superior PDAs have Wi-Fi or WLAN (Wireless Local-Area Networks) connectivity, which can be used to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots or wireless networks. Messages: The Smartphone offers facility to send and receive not only text messages but also multi media messages. It facilitates to send and receive messages through e-mails. It even provides access to the web based messaging services such as, Yahoo messenger. Resolution and screen size: The Smartphone offers a high resolution screen and a big screen size that helps you to carry out different functions easily. Some Smartphones provide touch screen facility for better view and easy functioning of the device. Memory: This is an important feature as it is very essential to support various features such as operating system or screen resolution. As a user, memory means the flash memory storage chip where you can store all files and applications. The RAM (Random Access Memory) is the physical location in the chip where the operating system and other applications run. The RAM size for a Smartphone can be in the order of 10MB to 20MB. Besides the Ram, users can add flash memory for storing their data like contact details, songs, video recording etc. Flash Memory in a Smartphone is either inbuilt or can be installed as an add-on. The memory size of the Smartphone depends upon the manufacturer. For example, Apple iPhone 3GS Smartphone has a flash memory of 16GB that can be extendable up to 32GB. Synchronization facility: An important function of Smartphones is, synchronizing data with a computer. Most of the Smartphones come with the facility to synchronize to a PC. This feature allows maintaining the latest contact information stored on software like Microsoft Outlook. Thus, we can say that in contrast to the regular cell phone, a Smartphone offers advanced features as it combines the features of a cell phone and a PDA. Self Assessment Questions: A Smartphone is a combination of both ___________ and handheld computers into a single device. GPS stands for _____________. An important function of Smartphone is _______________ data with a PC. Activity 1: Examine few Smartphones and analyze the various features it provides. Mobile/Smartphone Operating System As you know that operating system is one of the important features of a mobile/Smartphone, let us now illustrate this feature.. In general an Operating System(OS) refers to a program that helps to run various other programs on a computer. It also manages the software and hardware of the system. The most important software in any Smartphone is its operating system. It is also referred as mobile platform. Need for mobile operating system The mobile operating system powers mobile devices like mobile phones, Smartphones, PDAs, and Tablet PCs (a wireless PC equipped with a touch screen and a digital pen). It manages the mobile device hardware, memory, and software resources. It controls the functioning, and the capabilities of a mobile device. The feature set, security, reliability, and the ease of use are not the only criteria that make a mobile platform good or bad, but also the flexibility of the mobile platform to integrate with diverse set of devices and software systems. A mobile operating system controls everything from handling the input obtained from touch screen, keyboard, or some external device to controlling the memory and the overall functioning of the device. It also manages the communication and the interplay between the mobile device and other compatible hardware such as, computers, televisions, or printers. Operating system manages and controls all the features and functionalities of the mobile device. Therefore, a Smartphone is a combination of the hardware and the operating system, which determines what capabilities it can or cannot support. As the operating system manages the hardware and software resources of Smartphones, it is responsible for determining the functions and features available on the device. Smartphone is a combination of mobile technology that is the mobile phone and PDA, which are based on the computer applications All Smartphones are embedded with an operating system which enables the operation of software applications. In addition to the principle features like phone calls and messaging, you can send e-mails, manage your personal and office documents, and visit websites for searching information, play online games, and read news. It also allows sharing and downloading of documents and applications. If a Smartphone is to allow multiple applications to run simultaneously, it must have an operating system that facilitates the sharing of processing and memory resources among multiple applications. Additionally, the operating system must allow users to switch between the active applications. Characteristics of a smartphone operating system Even though the functionality of an operating system used in computers and Smartphones are same, certain characteristics of a Smartphone operating system are different from the ones used in computers. The characteristics that a Smartphone operating system should comprise are as follows: Resource-limited hardware: Smartphones should be able to support various applications. It should also provide facility to access Internet. But to meet these requirements, Smartphones have limited memory and processing power when compared to the desktop PCs and Laptops. Thus, the operating system must be careful in using hardware resources especially memory. It should not only utilize less memory but also consist of architecture that provides support for applications to limit their use of memory. It should also have the capability to handle low-memory situations gracefully. Robustness: A user expects a mobile operating system to be robust. This means it should be strong and unlikely to fail or crash. The device must not only be designed to avoid crash, but must also provide support functions and policies. These support functions and policies allow the device to handle application errors and out-of-memory situations, without hampering the functionalities of the Smartphone. User interface for limited user hardware: The operating system should implement a user interface environment that is efficient and intuitive to use, despite the smaller screen and limited user input capabilities of the Smartphone. Furthermore, the screen sizes and input capabilities vary between different models of Smartphones, so the User Interface architecture should be flexible, such that it can be customized for the various user interface objects. Library support: Smartphone operating systems should contain middleware libraries and frameworks with APIs that implement and abstract the functionality of the features of the Smartphone. The purpose is to provide functional consistency and to ease the software development. Middleware library and framework is a software layer that acts as a mediatory between the application and the systems operating system. The middleware framework consists of a set of components that connects the application with the underlying OS. Examples of Smartphone middleware include libraries and frameworks for email, SMS, MMS, Bluetooth, cryptography, multimedia, User Interface features, and GSM or GPRS, which provide more support for Smartphone features. Popular mobile operating systems Some of the popular mobile operating systems are: Symbian Android BlackBerry Operating System Windows mobile Java enabled Garnet Operating System Linux Symbian: Symbian operating system is the most popular operating system used in most Smartphones and mobile phones today. The heritage of Symbian OS begins with some of the first handheld devices. This operating system began its existence in 1988 as SIBO (an acronym for 16-bit organizer). SIBO ran on computers developed by Psion Computers, which developed operating system to run on small footprint devices. It was designed with specific criteria that can be characterized by event-driven communications, using client-server relationships and stack-based configurations. Client-server describes the relation between two computer programs. The client program sends a service request to the server program. The server program fulfils the request. The Symbian operating system is developed using C++ programming language. The Symbian operating system is a mobile operating system that was specially built to run on a Smartphone platform. It fits in the memory of a mobile phone because of its compatibility. It is considered as a full fledged operating system. Symbian operating system supports multitasking and multithreading. Many processes can run concurrently, they can communicate with each other and utilize multiple threads that run internal to each process. It facilitates good support for graphics and data management. This operating system has a file system that is compatible with Microsoft Windows operating system. It even supports other file system implementations through a plug-in interface. It uses TCP/IP networking as well as several other communication interfaces, such as serial, infrared and Bluetooth. For example, Nokias bestseller Smartphone 6600 was developed using the Symbian operating system. Android: Android is an operating system for mobile devices that is developed by Google. .Android operating systems are based on the Linux kernel and the GNU software. Android has a large community of developers writing applications that has helped to extend the functionality of the devices. The developers write managed code in Java, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries. The Android operating systems offer a virtual machine that is optimized for the mobile devices. It provides a structured data storage by the use of SQLite. It facilitates with technologies such as, Bluetooth, 3G and WiFi that are hardware dependent. It enables reuse and replacements of components through an application framework. For example Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is developed using Android operating system. A virtual machine can be referred to an environment or a program that does not physically exists but is created inside another environment. BlackBerry operating system: The BlackBerry operating system is an e-mail based operating system introduced in a Smartphone device developed by the Canadian company, Research In Motion (RIM). It includes typical Smartphone applications like address book, calendar, to-do lists, and telephone capabilities. It supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, Internet faxing, Web browsing and other wireless information services. It offers a multitasking environment which helps to perform more than one task at the same time. The system navigation is primarily accomplished by a scroll ball, or trackball in the middle of the device. It even offers support for WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and Java Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP). WAP helps to access mobile web from a Smartphone or a mobile phone. Java MIDP offers stipulation for employing Java on Smartphones. Windows Mobile: Windows Mobile is an operating system used in various mobile phones and Smartphones. It encompasses the entire software stack from the kernel to the application interface. This operating system is compatible with the Microsoft Office suite of programs. The current version is called Windows Mobile 6.5. It is based on the Windows CE 5.2 kernel. Additionally, third-party software development is available for Windows Mobile, and the software can be purchased via the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Originally appearing as the Pocket PC 2000 operating system, most Windows Mobile devices come with a stylus pen, which is used to enter commands by tapping it on the screen. Windows CE is a modular operating system that serves as the foundation for several classes of devices. Windows Mobile is best described as a subset of platforms based on a Windows CE. Currently, Pocket PC (now called Windows Mobile Classic), Smartphone (Windows Mobile Standard), and PocketPC Phone Edition (Windows Mobile Professional) are the three main platforms under the Windows Mobile umbrella. Windows Mobile is a Microsoft-defined custom platform for general use in Smartphones and PDAs. It consists of a Microsoft-defined set of minimum profiles (Professional Edition, Premium Edition) of software and hardware that is supported. It provides feature rich OS and interface for cellular phone handsets. It offers productivity features to business users, such as email, as well as multimedia capabilities for consumers. Java enabled: Smartphones with Java based OS are also available. SavaJe is one such O.S. which is java based. It includes everything from the kernel to the user interface framework and application suite. SavaJes complete suite of applications for advanced mobile phones spans the entire spectrum of handset functionality, including: A phone application, for voice calls management. A universal messaging application with a simple and intuitive user interface for MMS, SMS, and e-mail messages. A universal browser for transparent access to WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) , HTML and XHTML (eXtensible Hyper Text Markup Language) sites. XHTML is a markup language that is similar to HTML, used in the creation of webpages and is a combination of HTML and XML. A multimedia application for still and video capture and playback, including camera control and multiple media players. A Personal Information Management (PIM) application for contacts, calendar, tasks, notes and alarms management and synchronization to a local PC or over-the-air. Garnet Operating System: This was formerly known as Palm OS. This operating system combines a Linux-based foundation with applications written for the old Palm OS. The Palm OS was mainly used in PDAs, though the Treo line of Smartphones used it as well. The Garnet Operating System is also referred as Palm OS5. It is a specialized operating system for powering portable hand-held devices, Smartphones, and PDAs from ACCESS Systems, who developed software products and platforms for web browsing, mobile phones, wireless handhelds, and other networked devices. The Garnet Operating System has a built-in PACE (Palm Application Compatibility Environment). Garnet Operating System is capable of supporting wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth, and Infrared. In addition to this functionality, it also offers standard support for a variety of screen resolutions. Linux: Linux is unique among the other operating systems. This is because its development is driven by a community of developers rather than by a single company such as Symbian operating system in Nokia phones and blackberry OS in blackberry phones. According to ARCchart, the Linux operating system supports more processors than other operating system, though the most popular phone models still use the Symbian operating system. However, Linux is an organic OS, where in, the developers constantly change and update it even at the kernel level platforms. Six telecommunication companies are responding to this by forming the LiMo foundation, an organization that is attempting to create a standardized Linux platform. Smartphones based on the open source Linux operating system have emerged in the market. There are many advantages to using an open-source operating system like Linux. No cost and the opportunity to tap into the Linux open source community are appealing. This has made Linux grow, not only for the server and PC market space, but also in the embedded device area including handheld computers. For example, Motorola that is a notable supporter of Linux has released the A760 Smartphone based on this operating system. Linux may become the preferred operating system in full featured mobile terminals as well as a variety of embedded systems. Linux-powered Smartphone will hold an important position in the near future. Advantages and disadvantages of smartphones The usage of Smartphones is on the rise. The reason behind this widespread usage is because Smartphones provide enhanced features to users. Let us look at some of the advantages that Smartphones have: We can download applications or important data on-the-go. It is easier for us to carry a Smartphone when compared to a laptop or a PDA. We can incorporate different functionalities into a small device. 3G Internet allows us to browse the Internet at speeds faster than our internet connection at home. But Smartphones do have the following disadvantages when compared to Feature phones: Smartphones are generally high-priced because they support multiple features. To use all the wireless tools provided within the Smartphone, we would require an expensive wireless data plan. Self Assessment Questions _____________ operating system began its existence in 1988 as SIBO. Palm OS operating system combines a __________foundation with applications written for the old Palm OS. Windows Mobile OS is based on windows _____________. Android is an operating system for mobile devices that was developed by ____________. Windows Mobile operating system was developed by __________. The SavaJe OS is a __________ based system that includes everything from the kernel to the user interface framework and application suite. Garnet OS was formerly known as Palm OS.(True/False)? Activity 2: Check out few mobile phones in your contacts and find out which operating system is used and write down a comparison of the features offered. Summary In this unit we started with underlying the concept of Smartphones. We learnt that a Smartphone refers to a handheld device that offers the functionality of a mobile phone as well as the PDAs. We also came to know about the various features provided by Smartphones such as, operating system, software, access to internet, QWERTY keyboard, advanced GPS features, touch screen, memory, and so on. Then we discussed about the mobile or Smartphone operating system in detail. Here, we discussed the necessity for a mobile operating system. Furthermore, we even discussed the characteristics of a Smartphone operating system such as, robustness; resource limited hardware, user interface for limited user hardware, and library support. Later we also discussed about the various operating system support by these Smartphones or mobile phone. This includes operating systems such as Symbian, Android, Blackberry OS, Windows Mobile, Garnet OS, Java, and Linux. Glossary Let us have an overview of the important terms mentioned in the unit: Bluetooth: An open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances using short length radio waves from fixed and mobile devices Kernel: Is the central component of most computer operating systems, it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing Middleware: Software that mediates between the application program and a network. Multitasking: It refers to the ability of the operating system to quickly switch between tasks, giving the appearance of simultaneous execution of tasks Multithreading: It widens the idea of multitasking into applications, so that specific operations within a single application can be subdivided into individual threads. SavaJe OS: A Java OS for advanced mobile phones. Developers can create better user interface using this OS. Thread: it is a light weight process. It is a single flow of with a process. QWERTY: It is the most used modern-day keyboard layout on English-language computer and typewriter keyboards. It takes its name from the first six characters Wi-fi: Networks build used for wireless network. Terminal Questions What is a Mobile Operating System? Name the types of mobile operating systems available in the market. List down various features of a Smartphone. What is a Symbian Operating System? Explain briefly the advantages and disadvantages of Smartphones Answers Self Assessment Questions Cellular network False Personal Digital Assistant Mobile phone Global Positioning System Synchronize Symbian Linux-based CE 5.2 kernel Google Microsoft Java True Terminal Questions Refer section 1.4 The Mobile/Smartphone Operating System that describes mobile platform. Refer sub-section 1.4.3 Popular mobile operating systems, which tells the various platforms used to develop a Smartphone. Refer section 1.3 Smartphone Features that describes the QWERTY keyboard and touch screen and other features. Nokias bestseller Smartphone 6600 was developed using this operating system. Refer sub-section 1.4.3 Popular mobile operating systems for details. Refer section 1.5 which lists various advantages and disadvantages of Smartphones. References and Suggested Readings Jochen Schiller (2009), Mobile Communications (Second Edition). E-References http://www.3gamericas.org. http://developer.symbian.com/main. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/WinHistoryIntro.mspx.

Communicating the Scientific Consensus on Climate Change

Communicating the Scientific Consensus on Climate Change Marie Claire Attard Bason For many centuries, Climate change has been one of the most complicated problems around the world. It is a very difficult phenomenon to avoid, yet it can be manageable with the help of proper initiatives. All aspects of community life, including; Agriculture, economy, transportation, energy, culture and also construction are impacted by such climatic changes. (Schneider, 2009; Bode, Monroe Megalos, 2014). As members of society, with our daily lifestyle choices and motivation by a sequence of values, beliefs, norms and interpretation of the world, make us key players of climate change. Unfortunately, all of these are now challenged by global warming, and it is not surprising to see that people around the world are forming different trends in opinion sand different perceptions about anthropogenic climate change (Nature Climate Change, 2013). The 2013 IPCC report on climate change stated that there is a 95 % assurance that climate change is happening because it is caused by humans (IPCC 2013), moreover, this is not the only report that came to this conclusion. In fact, there are recent reviews done on different scientific abstracts with regards to this subject and have found out that most of these papers have accepted the scientific consensus on humans causing global warming (Cook et al. 2013) (Van der Linden et. al, 2014). Furthermore, there are scientists, some of which are considered to be of a high-profile that still put forward other possible reasons for observed changes of climate around the world (Abraham et. al, 2014). Understanding the Scientific Consensus: The development of a scientific understanding is often distinguished by a number of studies that suggest new and alternative reasons of why certain behaviors exist in the natural world. These, then, may or may not be acknowledged by other scientists; however, one could possibly consider investigating and testing furthermore the suggested ideas. More than 100 years ago, the first studies on greenhouse gases and their effect on the Earth’s climate were published (Fourier, 1824; Tyndall 1861; Arrhenius, 1896). Moreover, during the next following years, ways to improve the concept of AGW (Anthropogenic Global Warming) were suggested, yet the basic standards of it were already set. Unfortunately, the general public has continued to be hesitant on whether or not to dismiss the idea of Anthropogenic Global Warming in general or dismiss the concept of the scientific consensus (Zimmerman, 2008; Doran and Zimmerman, 2009; Leiserowitz et al., 2011; Leiserowitz et al., 2012; Pew, 2012). I n order to establish the degree of both of these ideas, a number of different approaches have been followed (Abraham et. al, 2014). Political scientists, sociologists and psychologists, have concentrated their studies on distinctive aspects that can influence the views of the public on global warming, yet they still argue the role of the scientific information and the idea of scientific consensus on climate change (Nature Climate Change, 2013). Now in the case of climate change, as mentioned in the previous text, multiple data show that greenhouse gases, produced by humans, are being captured inside the atmospheric zone, causing the surrounding area to warm. In his Skeptical Science paper, John Cook suggests that people are accepting more the fact that climate change is induced by humans, therefore a number of initiatives are being taken into consideration in order to tackle this phenomenon.Even though studies have shown that most scientists agree on the causes of climate change, people are still not sure what to believe. Why? In the past, scholars have claimed that scientists disagree amongst themselves on the c auses of climate change. Other studies have also suggested that there is a false balance in the media, where journalists introduce a point in question (in this case; Climate change) as being more about how people feel and think than the actual evidence provided (Donald Pidcock, 2013). The current Situation: There is the need to correct such misunderstandings about the scientific consensus. Public engagement with climate change has been taken for granted due to the fact that there is a huge gap in knowledge or public understanding. The â€Å"knowledge-deficit model†; coined by social scientists studying the public communication of science in the 1980s, has unfortunately been put into question (Moser and Dilling 2011; Sturgis and Allum 2004). In 2012, Kahan et al. have argued that conflicts over climate change have little to do with the public’s understanding of the scientific evidence. Yet, other recent research has repeatedly shown that the perceived level of scientific agreement on human-caused climate change actually functions as a critical â€Å"gateway belief† (Ding et al. 2011; Lewandowsky et al. 2013; McCright et al. 2013) (Van der Linden et. al, 2014) The public’s view of the scientific consensus is important on several aspects, especially when creating views and opinions on complicated scientific topics. The public depends on available sources of information to form their opinion, and trust that these sources are reliable. Their perception of scientific consensus also complements with a number of important beliefs and approaches towards serious interests on climate change and support ideas of mitigation (Ding et al., 2011; McCright et al., 2013). As found by Malka et al. (2009), the perception of scientific consensus brings about an agreement between the connection on climate concern and climate knowledge. This means that when one learns more about climate change and how it is produced, it automatically increases the attention and concern. These findings give boost to others by increasing people’s perceptive that climate change is happening, through the communication of the scientific consensus (Lewandowsky et al., 2012; Bolsen et al., 2014). If people keep on thinking that there is a disagreement amongst scientists, especially about Anthropogenic Global Warming, then it will definitely take longer to find action support. This controversy between the perception of the public and the overwhelming agreements amongst scientists, especially when there is a particular scientific topic being discussed, is defined by the â€Å"consensus gap†. This gap is causing strong effects on our society (Abraham et. al, 2014). The effect of the media: Given that most people get their awareness from mass media, one has to make sure that such information is given at best quality, so as to be more affective. Two main sources of mass media that impose great limitations when it comes to the scientific communication are the newspapers and television. The main reasons are that television news stories, often have less than a minute of air time, therefore these can’t be very detailed and informative, whilst newspaper articles are longer, but then again, they are not explained in scientific terms, so people still won’t truly understand the true meaning of climate change and what contributes to it. Scientists also need to understand more the journalistic norms and how journalisms work, whilst on the other hand, communicators should make an effort in increasing the scientific literacy of their mass audience in their articles/ segments and also explain how scientists have become more confident on different knowledge claims, espec ially when it comes to using probability statements. Furthermore, communicators should also make it more clearly to the public that just because there are different conclusions on specific scientific data/ findings, which may or may not be questionable to some groups in society, it might not mean that the real scientific methods, theories and bodies of evidence are at issue within the scientific community (Schneider, 2009) How to improve the public’s perception on climate change: Media communicators should continually promote and reveal the numerous ambitions, goals and strategies of climate change to those people who have an opposing view on this topic and who believe or claims that it is falsely presented by the scientific community. Right or wrong, such people do not follow a valid scientific method, therefore they lack of evidence and scientific support, and they cannot be reliable- their beliefs lacks of scientific status (Moser Dilling, 2011). In addition to communicating the scientific consensus, experts have agreed that certain messages would definitely make a difference. Climate change is real and that people are the main reason of its cause. Climate change is harmful to people, and people need to find ways to reduce it (Maibach et. al., 2014). Oversimplifying such messages can definitely lead to misunderstanding. Moreover, it is not that difficult to reduce the scientific consensus down to a few key sentences. In fact these might encourage people to search and point out reliable sources (Bode, Monroe Megalos, 2014) Communicators have concluded that the reason for lack of public engagement is due to the fact that there has been lack of information and understanding, therefore this issue needs to improve in order to encourage more people to be inspired and take action. They also concluded that if people have fear on potential disasters because no action has been taken yet, than it would motivate them to take action. Mass communication is by far the best way to reach the public with regards to this issue (Moser Dilling, 2011). Communicators have the possibility to use different ways, represent different values, and promote political, cultural, social, and economic frameworks of climate change, through a national discussion (Schneider, 2009) An experiment conducted by Sander van der Linden, Anthony Leiserowitz, Geoffrey Feinberg and Edward W. in 2014, tested three popular ways to communicating the scientific consensus. In the first try, a simple message was shown to a number of participants stating that: â€Å"97% of climate scientists have concluded that human-caused climate change is happening†. In the second try, the same participants were shown a pie chart describing the scientific consensus in a more visual way. For the third attempt, different metaphors where used to describe the consensus. At the end of this experiment, the participants were asked to express what they thought about the scientific consensus before and after participating in this experiment. This concluded that all of the three approaches; the descriptive text, the pie chart and the metaphors, made the public understand more on what the scientific consensus is about. Both the pie chart and the descriptive text were the most effective on the p articipants than the metaphors. The pie chart was then more efficient with people that had political backgrounds. To conclude results show that in order to improve the public’s knowledge on the scientific consensus on climate change; one has to find a way to ensure that the individual is not defined by political persuasion. Scientists, policy makers and even NGO’s have shown to respond more to using short, simple declarative sentences or simple pie charts to communicate the scientific consensus to the public. Since, metaphors were proven less effective; however they still can be very beneficial in explaining difficult scientific concepts. At the end of the day, in order to help improve the state of communication on the issue of climate change, every possible approach is better than nothing. It is important to help people gain knowledge, shape their way of thinking and help them understand more the purpose of a scientific consensus (Van der Linden et. al, 2014) Improving from climate change It will take a huge global effort to create and implement new ways to reduce climate change instances. There is the need to design and embrace new technologies that are aimed to reduce emissions caused by green-house gases so that damaging consequences to human health may be avoided. Moreover, the ability to adjust to such changes depends extensively across different nations. (Schneider, 2009) Poor nations are more exposed to the effects of global warming because they cannot cope with the social and economic situations that are likely to arise due to sea levels changes and severe weather changes (Tierney, 2009). Reducing green-house gas emissions is possible with the help of different types of practices and technologies that can be supplied by the industrial sectors, especially by the waste and land management sectors. Other sectors, including the economy sector needs to be also involved in improving climate change mitigations since green-house gas emissions are commonly present during economic activities. It is also quite important for countries to find ways to increase funding for research and development (Schneider, 2009). To conclude After many years of practice but without any solid basis of research, communicating climate change is now an intense interest to those who wants to increasing public participation. As mentioned before, there have been many different studies that have measured public opinions, attitudes and level of understanding with regards to scientific topics. Moreover, most of the studies have tested different approaches to identify the most effective ways to communicate the scientific consensus. Much of what is known or assume about climate change communication is influenced by studies in other fields such as; Advertising, social marketing and mass media communication. One has to keep in mind the following aims for future research and practice:- Create communication models and technologies, find more effective ways to communicate mitigations, identify ways to adapt to new strategies. Last but not least, one had to make sure to encourage deeper engagement and promote the importance of mass mobili zation (Moser, 2011) References Abraham, J., Cook, J., Fasullo, J., Jacobs, P., Mandia, S., Nuccitelli, D. (2014). Review of the consensus and asymmetric quality of research on human-induced climate change.Cosmopolis,2014(1), 3-18. Arrhenius,S; â€Å"On the Influence of carbonic acid in the air upon temperature of the ground†, The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science Series 5, 1896, vol. 41, pp. 237-276 Bode, C., Monroe, M., Megalos, M. (2014).  Strategies for communicating climate change to extension audiences: Fact sheet.Unpublished manuscript. Bolsen, T., Leeper, T. J., Shapiro, M. A. (2014). Doing what others do norms, science, and collective action on global warming.American Politics Research,42(1), 65-89. Cook, J., Nuccitelli, D., Green, S. A., Richardson, M., Winkler, B., Painting, R., . . . Skuce, A. (2013). Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the scientific literature.Environmental Research Letters,8(2), 024024. Ding, D., Maibach, E. W., Zhao, X., Roser-Renouf, C., Leiserowitz, A. (2011). Support for climate policy and societal action are linked to perceptions about scientific agreement.Nature Climate Change,1(9), 462-466. Donald, R., Pidcock, R. (2013).  We all agree about communicating climate consensus, don’t we?. Retrieved fromhttp://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2013/05/we-all-agree-about-communicating-climate-consensus,-dont-we Doran, P and Zimmerman, M; â€Å"Examining the scientific consensus on climate change†, Eos, 2009, vol. 90, 22-23. Fourier, J. (1827). On the temperature of the terrestrial sphere and interplanetary space.  Mà ©moires De l’Acadà ©mie Royale Des Sciences,7, 569-604. IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), â€Å"Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2013†, Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, USA Kahan, D. M., Peters, E., Wittlin, M., Slovic, P., Ouellette, L. L., Braman, D., Mandel, G. (2012). The polarizing impact of science literacy and numeracy on perceived climate change risks.Nature Climate Change,2(10), 732-735. Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Smith, N. (2011). Climate change in the american mind: Americans’ global warming beliefs and attitudes in may 2011.Yale University, New Haven, Leiserowitz, A, et al., â€Å"Climate change in the American mind: Americans’ global warming beliefs and attitudes in September, 2012†, Yale University and George Mason University, New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, 2012. Lewandowsky, S., Gignac, G. E., Vaughan, S. (2013). The pivotal role of perceived scientific consensus in acceptance of science.Nature Climate Change,3(4), 399-404. Maibach, E., Myers, T., Leiserowitz, A. (2014). Climate scientists need to set the record straight: There is a scientific consensus that humanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ caused climate change is happening.Earths Future, Malka, A., Krosnick, J. A., Langer, G. (2009). The association of knowledge with concern about global warming: Trusted information sources shape public thinking.Risk Analysis,29(5), 633-647. McCright, A. M., Dunlap, R. E., Xiao, C. (2013). Perceived scientific agreement and support for government action on climate change in the USA.Climatic Change,119(2), 511-518. Moser, S. C. (2010). Communicating climate change: History, challenges, process and future directions.Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change,1(1), 31-53. Moser, S. C., Dilling, L. (2011). Communicating climate change: Closing the science-action gap.The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society.Oxford University Press, Oxford,, 161-176. Nature Climate Change. (2013).  Climate consensus.3, 303. doi:10.1038/nclimate1875 Schneider, S. H. (2009).  Climate change science and policyIsland Press. Sturgis, P., Allum, N. (2004). Science in society: Re-evaluating the deficit model of public attitudes.Public Understanding of Science,13(1), 55-74. Tierney, L. (2009). The politics of climate change: who suffers most?. Retrieved fromhttps://www.mtholyoke.edu/~tiern20l/classweb/climatechange/suffer.html Tyndall, J. (1861). The bakerian lecture: On the absorption and radiation of heat by gases and vapours, and on the physical connexion of radiation, absorption, and conduction.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London,151, 1-36. van der Linden, Sander L, Leiserowitz, A. A., Feinberg, G. D., Maibach, E. W. (2014). How to communicate the scientific consensus on climate change: Plain facts, pie charts or metaphors?Climatic Change,126(1-2), 255-262. Zimmerman, M. R. (2008).  The Consensus on the Consensus: An Opinion Survey of Earth Scientists on Global Climate Change

Teaching Philosophy Statement Essays -- Education Educational Educatin

Teaching Philosophy Statement Do you have a philosophy on education? I do. What I want to discuss is my personal view of education. I’m going to talk about the nature of students. I am going to talk about the nature of knowledge and whether or not it is absolute or relative. The purpose of education, the method, and the curriculum will be discussed also. We are going to look at some of my philosophical views on education and my professional development plans. When I am through you will have my philosophy of education paper. First we will look at my view on the nature of students. Like Rousseau, I believe that students are influenced by their environment. Children indeed imitate what they see or experience. I think a positive environment is crucial to a child’s learning. When kids see negative things they imitate negative things. When kids see positive things they imitate positive things. I believe there has to be a balance between both negative and positive influences. Not being in a perfect world, children are often exposed to negative influences. Rousseau took some of his students into the country away from the evils of society to teach them. When analyzing knowledge, one must ponder whether knowledge is relative or absolute. Rousseau thought that students should learn to think for themselves. I agree. They must think. Memorization is fine, however they need to be able to apply their knowledge. Students require knowledge in different ways. While some students may listen well, other students may need to see examples. It is important that the students retain the knowledge. They need correct instruction from teachers. Ultimately, the purpose of edu... ... a lot of professional development plans. I would prefer to start teaching in high school and maybe work by way up to college. I would like to be a well-rounded teacher that is respected and understood. I will probably get a job teaching and then work by way up through a couple of different degrees. I really do not want to further my education after graduation but if I have to I will. I will get more money if I do which is important. As far as professional groups go, I am undecided, I do not really know a lot although as I go through the education system I may find one that interests me. Alright, I have talked about the nature of students as well as the nature of knowledge. The purpose of education and the methods of education have been discussed as well as my curriculum. I have expressed my philosophical views and my professional development

The Exploitation Of Children In Television Advertising Essay -- TV Med

The Exploitation Of Children In Television Advertisements Across America in homes, schools, and businesses, sits advertisers' mass marketing tool, the television, usurping freedoms from children and their parents and changing American culture. Virtually an entire nation has surrendered itself wholesale to a medium for selling. Advertisers, within the constraints of the law, use their thirty-second commercials to target America's youth to be the decision-makers, convincing their parents to buy the advertised toys, foods, drinks, clothes, and other products. Inherent in this targeting, especially of the very young, are the advertisers; fostering the youth's loyalty to brands, creating among the children a loss of individuality and self-sufficiency, denying them the ability to explore and create but instead often encouraging poor health habits. The children demanding advertiser's products are influencing economic hardships in many families today. These children, targeted by advertisers, are so vulnerable to trickery, are so mentally and emotio nally unable to understand reality because they lack the cognitive reasoning skills needed to be skeptical of advertisements. Children spend thousands of hours captivated by various advertising tactics and do not understand their subtleties. Though advertisers in America's free enterprise system are regulated because of societal pressures, they also are protected in their rights under freedom of expression to unfairly target America's youth in order to sell to their parents, regardless of the very young's inability to recognize the art of persuasion. In the free enterprise system, the advertiser's role is to persuade consumers to buy their products/services. They are given a product/service and are required to use their best creative effort to make this product desirable to the intended audience (Krugman 37). Because of this calculated and what many deem as manipulative way of enticing the target audience, the advertising industry is charged with several ethical breeches, which focus on a lack of societal responsibility (Treise 59). Child Advocacy groups and concerned parents, among others, question the ethicality of advertising claims and appeals that are directed towards vulnerable groups in particular, children (Bush 31). The fundamental criticism is that children are an unfair market. The Federal ... ...ng? 80% answered Yes 10% answered No 10% had no opinion Works Cited Brady, Diane. "The Power of Cowabunga." Maclean's Dec. 199250. Bush, Alan J., and Victoria Davis Bush. "The Narrative Paradigm as a Perspective For Improving Ethical Evaluations of Advertisements." Journal of Advertising 23.3 (1994)31-41. Carlson-Paige, Nancy and Diane E. Lerin. "Saturday Morning Pushers." Utne Reader Jan. 199268-70. Collins, Claire. "Fighting the Holiday Ad Blitz." The New York Times Nov. 19943-4. Guber, Selina S. and Jon Berry. Marketing to and through kids New York Mcgraw-Hill, 1993. Hernandez, Debra Gersh. "Unfair advertising defined for FTC." Editor and Publishing Oct. 199434. Kotz, Krista. "Food Advertisements during Children's Saturday Morning Television Programming: Are they consistent with dietary recommendations?" Journal of the American Dietetic Association 94.11 (1994)1296-1300. Krugman, and others. Advertising: It's Role in Modern Marketing. Fort WorthThe Dryden Press, 1994. Kunkel, Dale and Donald Roberts. "Young Minds and Marketplace Values: Issues in Children's Television Advertising." Journal of Social Issues 47.1(199

What aspects of your life would you most like to keep and why

There are many aspects of my life which have become important to me and the way I live day to day. Many of the things which I include myself I can easily live without and are merely acts of procrastination which I would be better of abandoning, yet there are some things which improve me as a person and are vital to my well being. The first and most important of aspect of my life which every person needs to have, for a secure and happy way of life is family; and our ability to rely upon our family to always love and care for us. It is my parents who raised me and cared for me when no one else would they are the reason I am living the way of life I am today. Family is important because they give us the significance that we need to feel. They act as our own group of loyal supporters which we all crave to have. In a world that never stops moving for anyone, those closest to will, they will share in my sorrows and be joyous in my success. Our parents, siblings and relations are all that we have and they are who mould us into great people and the provide us the motivation to do great things and make the positive influence on society that keep the human race moving forward. Another aspect of our aspect of my life which I would want to keep is my religion. Islam was too first given to by my family, yet now it has become a complete way of life for me. It gives us humans the sense of purpose which we strive for and it instructs us on how we should act and behave to not only others around us but ourselves. Religion also has the ability to unite billions of people around the world to one common belief, and this common ground which we share with each other is invaluable because too much now days people focus on our differences yet fail to acknowledge the similarities; the belief in God. Religion is a central part of my life and makes up part of my identity, without which I am nothing. The internet is an aspect of my life which over the years has become a pivotal part of my life. It is a treasure trove of information that can provide you up to date news as well is an encyclopaedia of knowledge about history and connects people worldwide. The internet has revolutionised my way of life, and the fact that it has been phased into my life does mean that with time one could become used to living without it again. I use the internet in all aspects of my life and it comes to use from being used for school work and keeping connected with friends and family living too far away to contact any other way. The final part of my life which I would like to hold onto until I am old and grey is my participation in sports; sport is beneficial to my mind and body in so many ways; from the obvious facts of reducing body fat and increasing stamina to its ability to help me fight away depression and anxiety. Sports gives us a sense of belonging and helps us fit in with other people who we may not normally meet or talk to. If I am able to continue my involvement in sports then in the future it would lower the chances of me suffering from illnesses and diseases and also continue to give me that competitive edge over others who I may meet in the world of work. Participation in sport gives me that sense of achievement and confidence which is not always found in other aspects of life and therefore I will continue my affiliation with it for as long as possible. We as a human race must strive to maintain the ability to celebrate and learn from the past, for if men and women are freed from tradition and the experiences of history and the family environment, we will be but clueless beings; making the same mistakes of those who have already come before us and be moulded by eccentrics and maniacs, which would only be detrimental to the development of the humanity.