Opression in a Thousand Splendid Suns Essay

Taslima Nasrin once said: â€Å"Those religions that are oppressive to women are also against democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression. † This quote also applies to a book called a thousand splendid suns by Khaled hosseini and Deepa Metha’s Film Water. A thousand splendid suns in a book about two women in Afghanistan with an abusive husband. They struggle for survival and for their human rights that have been overlooked by the Taliban and a patriarchal society. Water is a movie about widows living in India. They are sent to the country side to live with other widows supposedly so they can live pure lives. In actuality they are cast aside and denied the basic respect all humans deserve. Ironically, the only way they can make enough money to survive is by committing acts as impure as it gets. They are forced to turn to prostitution. These two stories show that a cultural society’s refusal to change religious practices causes the oppression of women. The characters Mariam, kalyani, and chuyia demonstrate this. Mariam is a woman living in Afghanistan from the book A Thousand Splendid Suns. Mariam grew up very poor living in a small hut excluded from society. As a child she was taught only to endure and was never given the opportunity to stand up for herself. Mariam was the daughter of a maid that her father Jalil had an affair with and he was very ashamed of this. To solve this â€Å"problem† he got rid of her. Jalil married her off to a much older man named Rasheed. Shortly after the start of their marriage, Rasheed rapes her. He justifies it with the Quran. â€Å"‘It’s what married people do. It’s what the prophet himself and his wives did. There is no shame. ’† (Hosseini, 77). In this quote Rasheed refers to the prophet Muhammad in the Quran. This shows how Rasheed perverted the events Quran, the sacred Islamic text, to justify the rape of a young girl who hadn’t even turned 16. Marrying young girls still in their teens is an old custom that is embedded in Islam and the Afghan culture. Society’s refusal to change this practice caused the ruthless humiliation of a young girl and in the long run made the oppression of all women an accepted practice. Kalyani is a character in the movie Water. She is a widow most likely in her 20s who never met her husband. Her husband died shortly after her marriage and was sent to the ashram as a young girl. Since she is the only young widow in the ashram she is forced to turn to prostitution to bring in extra money so the widows can at least have enough money for 1 meal a day. Her entire life story shows the subjugation of women. She was married at around the age of 10 because of religious traditions that have not changed in hundreds of years. This tradition has given men the power to oppress women. This oppression is shown through the death of the husband. If the husband dies before the wife, the wife is sent away. If the opposite happen the husband is free to remarry as he pleases. This happens because of the religious belief that when a husband dies, half of the woman also dies. This makes it easier to mistreat women because it makes them seem less than human. It is also believed that the death of a husband is punishment for something done in a previous life. Society’s refusal to change theses Hindi beliefs and practices create the oppression of women by making their mistreatment seem justified and by making them seem less than human. Chuyia is a young girl who was married at the age of 8 and was widowed the next day. She doesn’t even remember getting married but is forced to suffer the same fate as Kalyani. She is young and innocent and her innocence causes her to question practices that everyone else simply accepts. Deepa Metha uses this character to point out inconsistencies in the Hindi religion and traditional society. At one point in the story she asks why there isn’t a place for men to go if they are widowed. She is quickly ridiculed by both men and women. This event shows that the refusal to change religious practices has brainwashed both men and women to accept and even endorse the oppression of women. Taslima Nasrin words are clearly tied to the theme of these two stories. She explains in her quote that a religion cannot be providing people basic rights if it discriminates against women. The theme reiterates the same message by declaring that religion can sometimes cause oppression of women. These three characters show how traditions and old religious practices have made the oppression of women possible all over the world. By displaying this message in the authors’ books and movies, the authors hope to encourage all people around the world to not follow blindly old traditions and practices. They want people to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. When people fail to do this, bad things start happening such as the oppression, humiliation, and subjugation of women who are actually just as intelligent, strong, and able as any man.

My drama group comprised Essay

My drama group comprised of five people including myself. We set out to create an improvised piece of drama, thematically based on greed, love, betrayal, envy and revenge. During the time spent preparing for our improvisation, we came across many sources that had an immense influence on our piece. In order to appropriately progress with the play, we had to research the key elements within the sources to which were relevant to our context. As it was an improvised production we did not follow a set script but created a basic guideline from which we could refer to and enable us to keep on track. Our research into these sources was definitely apparent in our final performance, which was acted out in front of our drama set. In this essay, I intend to compare our improvised piece of drama with the sources we used in order to point out the similarities and illustrate the inspiration we drew from them. During the course of producing our play, we used the well-known novel and recently filmed ‘ The Count of Monte Cristo’ to draw influence on certain scenes, which clearly showed up in our final production. The plot of the ‘ Count of Monte Cristo’ is also thematically based upon betrayal, love, greed, envy and revenge. As a young sailor, Edmond Dantes, an honest and humble man whose peaceful life and plans to marry his wife Mercedes are ruined when his supposed best friend, Vernand, betrays him in order to get Mercedes for himself. Edmond is unjustly sentenced to an island prison after being framed by Vernand for high treason and is trapped in a nightmare for thirteen years. This key element is clearly apparent in our piece of drama, as Fernando, a rich and successful man soon to wed his Fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½e Victoria, is betrayed by his two deceitful friends who envy his wealth and is cast away by them to a deserted island. Obviously we have shared and incorporated the same basic ideas and themes in order to create an improvised piece of our own. A similar pattern is followed in the theme of revenge. In the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ Edmond is aided by an elderly and wise inmate whom he learns from and the two plot to escape from prison but only Edmond succeeds and returns to his mainland execute revenge on those who wronged him, under the title of a mysterious Count of Monte Cristo. We too were able draft the theme of revenge into our play. Fernando is aided by a castaway on the island who helps him survive and teaches him how to fight. Eventually, he escapes back to his homeland alone and executes revenge on his old ‘friends’ using his new skills. This worked effectively in our production and formed the backbone plot to our final improvisation. Both the periods of the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ and our play is set in the mid seventeenth century so more research had to be done to make our characters realistic. Another key source that we researched carefully to progress with our island scene was the film, Cast Away. In this movie, a man is cast away to a deserted island where he is forced to learn how to survive for only one reason, his love for his wife. This inspired our play as the only things which Fernando wants to live for when he is on the island is to see his wife again and to execute revenge on his friends who betrayed him. We used the idea of being abandoned alone from home on an island but we incorporated a companion to our main character, Dar’tanion, who had been living on the island for more than seven years. Research into his character’s speech, movement, body language etc was essential as we could not comprehend how somebody would be like after living alone on an island for seven years and therefore looking into movie of ‘Cast Away’ was very useful. These two sources were our main areas of influence. However we did look into the classic story ‘Robinson Crusoe’ where a civilized man meets a savage and teaches him how to be civilised. In the case of our play, a savage man teaches a civilised man to be more savage and the basic survival skills. We made it a point to show the character development of Fernando in terms of acting and the on stage relationship between the two. In conclusion, our play was a joint extract of all these sources combined with our own interpretation and improvisation.

A Story of a Girl Who Can Make People Smile

A Story of a Girl Who Can Make People Smile Everyone has a story. And its that story, good or bad, that can help change another persons life whether it is minor or drastic. What I hope to accomplish, is to be thought of as reliable, honest, trustworthy, and good natured. There will be many times during my life when I will move on from a job, from school, from a career, moving on to new friends, and in some cases leaving old ones behind. I hope that when those people think of me, and the past and experiences I had with them, that they smile. Starting off with high school, I would like to be remembered as the girl who could make anyone feel better about their self. One of my biggest goals amongst my friends, and people in my life is to brighten their day and make them feel good whether its from a simple compliment, pep talk, or just something funny or inspiring I said to them. I have always been told that I have a gift for making people smile, which feels great to hear. I also want to be remembered for being trustworthy. To me, that is one of the most important values in a friendship, or any relationship with anyone. In high school, I feel that finding a true friend who is trustworthy is very rare. Ive had several friends that have gone behind my back and said things that were unkind, or done things to sabotage the friendship I had with them and that has always been a deal breaker for me. Because of that reason, I have always held the values of honesty and trust dear in my heart, and promised myself that, no matter how hard it was, I would always keep those traits present and, hopefully in turn, be remembered for it. A lot of people want to be remembered for their GPA, intelligence, looks, or their athletics, but those things only go as far as helping yourself. These things also dont help you in the long run, as far as a career and future relationships go. To my future, past, and present coworkers, bosses, teachers, and classmates, I want to be remembered for being reliable. This is very, very important to me as well because as a student, friend, classmate, and coworker, being unreliable can cost you that job or relationship you have with those people in your life. Ive made it a point to always be on time, be trustworthy, honest, diligent, and reliable. Because of this I have grown to have a great relationship with my boss, teachers and other people that I have professional relationships with. My teachers and bosses always tell me how reliable I really am, and for that reason I have even earned the label as a star employee, with the job that I have now. For this, I hope to continue to be remember ed for my good work ethics and reliability. I want my story to be, a story of a girl who could make people smile because of how good natured and sweet she was. I want to be known and remembered for my honesty, and how reliable and trustworthy I am. These are all qualities that some of my truest friends and some of the most good hearted people I know have, and these people inspire me to have these qualities as well. I want to be remembered as a girl who could make people feel good, and in the grand scheme of things I would like to just be remembered as a good person. If people think of me and smile, then I know that I have done a good job.

Hardware and Software Selection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hardware and Software Selection - Essay Example This meant making sure there were no errors. First there was a trial balance. It was a way of ensuring the values at the end of the period were equal. This was called debits equal credits. The next step was to proceed with what saw called closing of the books. This process made it possible to create two main documents. First was the income statement the income statement told if the business made money or lost money was referred to as the processing cycle. Computer Technology Next came the impact of computer information systems. It became necessary to introduce a new concept. The new concept is called modules. The computer made it possible to avoid errors in the transfer process between cycles. Today, many systems move the information immediately and automatically from recording to impact on the reporting result. The computer system is made up of five parts (O’Leary T.J. and L.L 2006).(1)People (2)procedures (3)Software (4)hardware (5)data. It is now possible for people to work in different segments of the accounting documentation because of the functional modules introduced. Some modules can be invoicing, accounts receivable accounts payable payroll general ledger. The type of business determines the level of complexity. The emphasis here will have to be on people. We must consider who will be operating it and who will be using the output information. Next we turn to the software.

Key Areas of Management Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Key Areas of Management Practices - Essay Example This paper discusses that unhealthy diet, lack of gender sensitivity and cultural unawareness constitute the significant challenges in the prisons. Various task force reports indicate that they lack essential practices including managing diversity and different age groups, ethical principles, planning and resource allocation. Hence, prisons should incorporate the key areas of governance, good leadership, proper planning, stakeholder analysis, performance measurement, improvement, and resource management.As the paper highlights competent management of the institutions requires incorporation of sound governance principles. Governance entails the broad areas of recognizing the special needs stakeholders and employees of an organization. In the context of prison and other institutions, the governance encompasses awareness of the special needs of the various categories of the inmates including the young, aged and women. The elderly inmates need special care regarding the health and physic al capability. Therefore, the facilities should assess and identify the ailments, for instance, persons with acute memory impairment. A comprehensive governance approach responds by formulating special care that respects the inmates’ status. Besides, the elderly persons require extra equipment like the new attires for hygiene purposes. Good governance of the prisons incorporates the appreciation of the gender differences and perceptions.  

The Role of Business in the Economy Dissertation

The Role of Business in the Economy - Dissertation Example of Owners Type of Liability Advantages Disadvantages 1. Sole Proprietorship One Unlimited in the form of personal liability in relation to business debt 1. Total profit generated is retained by the owner 2. Formation and dissolution are easy tasks 3. Owners are characterized by having flexibilities 1. The financial liability is unlimited in nature 2. Limited opportunity of financing 3. Deficiencies in management 4. Lacks continuity 2. Partnership More than one The business creditors are a threat to the personal assets held by any of the partners 1. Formation is easy 2. Can be benefited from partners having management skills which are complementary in nature 3. Financial capacity is expanded 1. Financial liability is unlimited in nature 2. Interpersonal conflicts between partners 3. Lacks continuity 4. Difficulty in dissolution 3. Corporation The no. of shareholders is unlimited. For the S Corporations it can have a maximum of 75 shareholders Limited 1. Financial liability is limited in nature 2. Management having specialized skills 3. Financial capacity is expanded 4. Large scale economic operations 1. Formation and dissolution are costly and difficult in nature. 2. Disadvantages because of taxation 3. Legal restrictions Question 2 Define the entrepreneurship and the nature and importance in the economy of small business Entrepreneurship can be defined as the ability to develop and create something new. Entrepreneurship has been defined by different authors in various ways. For example, according to A. H. Cole, entrepreneurship is defined as an activity which is done purposefully by any individual to initiate or generate profit through the manufacture and distribution of services and goods having economic value. Similarly, it is defined by Peter Drucker as a practice and not a kind of art or science. It is actually a base of knowledge, and entrepreneurship is not only a means of earning money but also a medium of creativity, imagination, flexibility, ability to undertake risks, and the ability to utilize change as a means of new opportunity (Mohanty, 2005, p.10-11). Entrepreneurship can be very advantageous for the economy of small businesses. Most of the small businesses in an economy are initiated through the efforts of a single person, who is known as the entrepreneur. They are successful in setting up the business successfully through the effective utilization of business opportunities in the market. The entrepreneurs are characterized by having the ability to take considerable amount of risks and are self motivated (NCSEE, n.d.). The small businesses set up by the entrepreneurs help to boost the economic growth and also serve for the purpose of meeting the various needs of the people locally. Question 3 Describe the basic accountability process and financial statements used in business Accounting can be defined as the process of recording and reporting of financial transactions after proper analysis of the collected information about the business transactions. These financial transactions are required to be recorded and represented in an orderly manner so as to facilitate useful information required for the decision making process of its users. The proper interpretation of information represented in the financial statements also forms a part of the basic accounting process of any business entity. The information about the financial transac

Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Project - Essay Example I tried to engage three people in general conversations such as politics, sports and movies. Of the three two didn’t amount to much but one, a colleague at work, seemed to amount to something. I actually summoned the courage to ask for her phone number without feeling as if I was crossing the line. At the close of the day, I did not remember the two failed conversations, but I was happy I could make a friend. I said ‘NO’ to a colleague, who was asking for my time, since I had other commitments at that particular time, and I did not feel guilty about it. And as much as I thought he would be disappointed in me, he wasn’t. I was broke, but I summoned the courage to borrow some money from a colleague without feeling embarrassed about it. I actually accepted that I am not more respectable just because I appear self-sufficient. I attended a staff party that involved taking alcoholic drinks and dancing. I did not take any alcohol despite the pressure, and I realized that they did not mind it; in fact, they thought it was respectable to stand by my

Earth journey Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Earth journey - Research Paper Example It is also safe to assume that the earth is maintaining these conditions to enable its survival (Lovelock 59). Times are changing and humans are changing for the better. This evolution demands that the earth change also, to ensure its survival, in the long run. The thing I found intriguing about the theory in question is the ability it has to assist scientists find out what needs to be done to salvage the situation. Documented proof that the earth is indeed protecting its existence is available. An example is the research conducted 15-20 years ago Lynn Margulis over the formation of clouds over the ocean. It is through the emission of sulphur molecules as waste material by algae, which later become raindrops through condensation. Cloud formation, in turn, assists the earth maintain its temperature while reducing the heat intensity from the sun (Lovelock 62). I would like to learn more about this theory. This is so that it may assist me in comprehending the benefits of modelling my activities to better suit my immediate environment, and the entire

The Song of Roland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Song of Roland - Essay Example The poem main subject is to point out that Christians who hold their beliefs can do great things and even if they fall they will welcome to heaven by angels on their way there. The song tells of how Charlemagne a Christian king, wanted to conquer the Muslim king Marsile (Project Gutenberg) in Stanza I line [7] the poem states â€Å"Marsile its King, who feareth not Gods name† Meaning that they felt being Muslim equated to being evil that has to be uprooted. For seven years king Charlemagne had been at war with the Saracens and only King Marsile and queen Bramimonde of the city of Saragossa had not been defeated. The poem gives a parallel of a battle between the good and the evil. In this the Saracens are presented as evil and the Franks present the pure good, their major motivation being doing the will of God. According to the poem the Saracean who are Muslims on dying their souls are bound for the eternal flame of hell. The fighters are greatly motivated by their religious beliefs .The fighters in this song have very strong Christian conviction believing that God’s will comes before any man and God is a kind God and all powerful. For example in deciding the fate of the traitor Ganelon they go for a judicial fight with faith that God will intervene for the right man. Ironically that is what happened when Thierry a brave but less physically built than Ganelon manages to slay Ganelon in the fight. The fighters have strong sense of duty and loyalty both to God and their fellow fighters. Because of Roland’s sense of duty he fought to death at the pass of Roncevaux together with twenty thousand Christians against an army of four hundred thousand men. This same loyalty mad King Charlemagne to avenge the death of Roland. This kind of duty and loyalty that arose spontaneously could be parallel to the love of God. In such a holly war fighters considered it being bound by duty and loyalty to each other as divine. Despite being very pious King Charlemagne decided

Epistemology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Epistemology - Essay Example More often than not, when people think about acquisition of knowledge that they possess, their attention is drawn to school or college as the source of that knowledge. However, these are not the only existing ways of acquiring knowledge. For example, the process or onset of acquisition of knowledge is way before school when one is a baby or a toddler. When a baby cries, he gets the attention of the parents or caregivers who seek out what the problem is, and a toddler touching something hot immediately feels the pain. Deviant behaviors exhibited by children are met with punishment while good deeds and manners call for praise and reward. All these examples form parts of the knowledge equation despite the fact that the toddler or the child might not be aware of what is happening in his or her life. As the children grow up, there is more knowledge being acquired as they later learn how to dress themselves, tie their shoes, to talk and read. They also acquire knowledge about social aspect s of life like family life and relationships. In general, everything and all spheres of life including work life is knowledge (Cooper, 1999; Feldman, 2003). Individuals who are interested in acquiring knowledge about certain aspects or subjects can do so through schooling or through acquaintance. The concept of individual epistemology as they are developed and enacted in professional paid work can be elaborated by looking beyond the present ideas of epistemological beliefs (Hofer & Printrich, 1997), and positioning individual epistemologies as being dynamic, deliberate, and derived in individual-specific means through a unique set of socially-derived experiences that are a consequent of a person’s life history or ontogeny. Considering their dynamic and constitutive nature, it is imperative to centrally place these epistemologies in the dual processes of individual development and reshaping of socially derived norms. An illustration of these propositions can be made by drawing upon situations in which a worker, in this case, a GameStop manager, learns through paid work and how the work is remade, in conditions of greater and lesser close social guidance. In essence, personal epistemologies are considered as the primary basis for instigating, monitoring, and evaluating the process and outcome of these enactments. Therefore, it is important to elaborate individual epistemologies in order to understand how people engage in and learn through paid work and their reshaping and alteration of their work activities in certain circumstances and at certain instances. Studies of acquiring socially derived knowledge have often taken place in situations that provide strong direct social guidance and mostly through appraisal of dyads for example expert-novice. Therefore, current understanding about learning through work situations is largely premised on richly social affordances, including the availability of more informed social partners An Account of individual epist emology In my profession, in regard to outside support, trust is the most important factor when making a judgment of the support being offered as valued. Therefore, a lot significant consideration is put on my part on the basis of on which the support is provided. Furthermore, the judgments on the value of the different kinds

Stand Up for Africa Essay Example for Free

Stand Up for Africa Essay Culture can be known as the identity or distinction of the people belonging to a certain religion, area or country. Culture shows the way in which the group of people led their life. Culture basically shows the beliefs, values, standards, life styles, traditions and behavior of the people that are belonging to a certain class. Culture makes a difference between the people of different areas and religions. People from different cultures can share each other’s culture if some aspect of one culture attracts them. (Define culture, 1, 2009) Ethnic Culture: Ethnic culture refers to the group of people that are having same historical culture or same geographical location. It simply refers to the entire background of the people. The basic traditional approach and background of ethnic groups are same. The word is basically a Greek word and it means the tribe or a nation. Ethnic culture has not been created on the bases of racial differences rather it is quite a different concept than races. The ethnic groups are made on the bases of their original land, tribes and history. The characteristics that are shared in ethnic culture may include country, origin, language, religion, ancestors and the culture shared by the ancestors. Ethnicity depends upon many different features and these features are related to the biological and historical attribute so the ethnicity is never affected and get changed by the culture in which a person is living. He will always be linked up with his ethnic culture no matter where he is living. The preservation of culture and ethnicity is the responsibility of the people belonging to that culture or ethnic group. A person should always be proud of his history and ethnicity. (Allison, 1, n. d) Western Society: It is considered that the western countries that are forming the western society are having a much modernized way of living. Their life style is pretty high as compared to the other countries of the world. Western society is mostly identified by the high levels of educated people and the modernized way of living. Western society is purely based on the modernized world and fashion and they are apparently not following any ethnic culture. The western society is totally moving ahead towards glamour, fashion and high levels of life styles. Many of the western society related people believe that ethnicity is of no value now. They consider people old fashioned if they are ethical. The western society follows the values that are set by their own. The western values include freedom, equality and modernism. All the European countries are basically western countries. (Western society, 1, n. d) Integration of Western Society and Ethnic Culture: In today’s world the ethnicity and culture are becoming so complex due to the integration of ethnic culture with the western society and as it is a known fact that western society keeps on changing and new trends and traditions are emerging in the western society. The integration of western society and ethnic culture is really a confused one as both are having different values and believes. The western society is very much impressed by the new innovations and developments. This is the age of globalization and developments and the ethnic culture is obviously lacking the innovative approach as well as it does not present any independent system. The ethnic culture is totally dependant over the customs and traditions that were set by their ancestors. Although the western society is having their own values and are just concerned with the independence and innovation but still the presence of ethnicity in the western society can not be denied because no matter to which direction the society is moving but the basis were obviously the ethnic culture of Europe. The ethnic culture has provided the roots from where the society started to flourish so the ethnicity can not be denied. Every culture and society does posses some root culture or tradition and the western society also follow the ethnic culture of Europe. But apart from the development and innovations it is recommended that the ethnicity should also be protected. (Bazieva, 1, 1998) Ethnicity can be defined as the perception of a person about himself by being a member of an ethnic group having some history and attitude to follow. Ethnic culture continues to develop and it is not a static process. Ethnicity develops by adapting a process of observing the ethnic culture for some period of time and then exploring many new things and making their relation with the changes that are being made in society today. So in this way developments in ethnic cultures are being made. Although the western societies are hardly following any ethnic culture but whatever they are doing in the world today they always integrate their modern doings with their ethnic cultures. So with the integration of ethnic cultures in to the western society it can not be said that the ethnic cultures have lost their identities because even in today’s modernized western society still the people want to show some history of their ethnic culture in all of their changing trends some how. But the main thing is that how can the ethnic cultures and western society can merge together as they are two quite different ways of living. If both the cultures are integrating then again there will be some people who would not be able to manage. The integration of ethnic culture with western society obviously provides bicultural environment in which in most of the cases it has been observed that ethnic culture never loses its identity instead the ethnic culture comes first always. When the ethnic culture is being mingled up with the western society then according to the Sommers, â€Å"Understanding the process and components of the ethnic identification is valuable. In addition, it may also help to prevent numerous psychological dysfunctions related to identity confusion† This statement illustrates that the integration of ethnic culture and western society is possible but it is necessary that the elements of ethnic culture should be understood properly and also should be preserved as they have got a lot of value because they belong to their background and history and also have been shared by their forefathers. The elements and characteristics of ethnic identity and culture are very much valuable assets for any individual that he should keep safe through out his life no matter where is he living and how. It is not bad to adapt some thing new or to be modernized but the main thing is that one should never forget his ethnicity. If the ethnic identities are getting mixed up or lost then it also can create serious mental confusions for a person and he will be confused that what he should adapt or what he should not so the ethnic culture should never be ignored. (Huang, 1, 1996) Obviously the western culture has got a lot of differences if it is compared with the ethnic culture and every ethnic culture is different from the other then still in these situations if the adaptation or integration of ethnic and western cultures occur then a lot of struggle is required to bridge the gap between the two cultures. This amalgamation some times also creates conflicts between the groups of people because in this modernized society there are many people who do not believe in ethnicity and also do not respect their history and background so the people who are in favor of ethnicity get hurt by this thing and such a situation creates the situation of conflicts. In this diversified world it is not possible to avoid the amalgamation of different cultures in to the modern world so the bond between different cultures is getting necessary but the main thing is to highlight the ethnic values and believes so that the up coming generations do not completely forget the values of their fore fathers. If the ethnic values are not presented clearly then the upcoming generations will never be able to understand their history and culture. There should be always space for all the ethnic cultures when they are being adapted by the western society. The western society should not adapt it in such a way that the ethnic culture looses its identity. There should always be a balance between the different cultures; which means that the attitudes, identity, beliefs and values should never be ignored. If the different identities are maintained then the integration of western society and ethnic cultures will never create any issue like loss of identity and so on but if the ethnic values are being ignored then this will lead to some loss as the values that are given by the elders are always helpful in all the aspects. Basically the integration of cultures never makes any culture to loose its values and beliefs until and unless the people who are following that culture are also respecting the customs and traditions set by their ethnic culture. The adaptation of modernization is not some thing wrong but the thing is to preserve your ethnicity and develop your society by keeping in mind your ethnic culture and new customs and traditions should be introduced only by having the background in the mind. (Boulding, 1, 1998)

Augmented Reality Ar Is A Live Media Essay

Augmented Reality Ar Is A Live Media Essay Hardware components for augmented reality are: processor, display, sensors and input devices. Modern mobile computing devices like smartphones and tablet computers contain these elements which often include a camera and MEMS sensors such as accelerometer, GPS, and solid state compass, making them suitable AR platforms.[8] [edit] Display Various technologies are used in Augmented Reality rendering including optical projection systems, monitors, hand held devices, and display systems worn on ones person. [edit] Head-mounted A head-mounted display (HMD) is a display device paired to a headset such as a harness or helmet. HMDs place images of both the physical world and virtual objects over the users field of view. Modern HMDs often employ sensors for six degrees of freedom monitoring that allow the system to align virtual information to the physical world and adjust accordingly with the users head movements.[9][10][11] HMDs can provide users immersive, mobile and collaborative AR experiences.[12] [edit] Eyeglasses AR displays can be rendered on devices resembling eyeglasses. Versions include eye wear that employ cameras to intercept the real world view and re-display its augmented view through the eye pieces[13] and devices in which the AR imagery is projected through or reflected off the surfaces of the eye wear lens pieces.[14][15][16] [edit] Contact lenses Contact lenses that display AR imaging are in development. These bionic contact lenses might contain the elements for display embedded into the lens including integrated circuitry, LEDs and an antenna for wireless communication.[17][18][19][20] Another version of contact lenses, in development for the U.S. Military, is designed to function with AR spectacles, allowing soldiers to focus on close-to-the-eye AR images on the spectacles and distant real world objects at the same time.[21][22] [edit] Virtual retinal display A virtual retinal display (VRD) is a personal display device under development at the University of Washingtons Human Interface Technology Laboratory. With this technology, a display is scanned directly onto the retina of a viewers eye. The viewer sees what appears to be a conventional display floating in space in front of them.[23] [edit] EyeTap The EyeTap (also known as Generation-2 Glass[24]) captures rays of light that would otherwise pass through the center of a lens of an eye of the wearer, and substituted each ray of light for synthetic computer-controlled light. The Generation-4 Glass[24] (Laser EyeTap) is similar to the VRD (i.e. it uses a computer controlled laser light source) except that it also has infinite depth of focus and causes the eye itself to, in effect, function as both a camera and a display, by way of exact alignment with the eye, and resynthesis (in laser light) of rays of light entering the eye.[25] [edit] Handheld Handheld displays employ a small display that fits in a users hand. All handheld AR solutions to date opt for video see-through. Initially handheld AR employed fiduciary markers,[26] and later GPS units and MEMS sensors such as digital compasses and six degrees of freedomaccelerometer-gyroscope. Today SLAM markerless trackers such as PTAM are starting to come into use. Handheld display AR promises to be the first commercial success for AR technologies. The two main advantages of handheld AR is the portable nature of handheld devices and ubiquitous nature of camera phones. The disadvantages are the physical constraints of the user having to hold the handheld device out in front of them at all times as well as distorting effect of classically wide-angled mobile phone cameras when compared to the real world as viewed through the eye.[27] [edit] Spatial Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR) augments real world objects and scenes without the use of special displays such as monitors, head mounted displays or hand-held devices. SAR makes use of digital projectors to display graphical information onto physical objects. The key difference in SAR is that the display is separated from the users of the system. Because the displays are not associated with each user, SAR scales naturally up to groups of users, thus allowing for collocated collaboration between users. SAR has several advantages over traditional head-mounted displays and handheld devices. The user is not required to carry equipment or wear the display over their eyes. This makes spatial AR a good candidate for collaborative work, as the users can see each others faces. A system can be used by multiple people at the same time without each having to wear a head-mounted display. Examples include shader lamps, mobile projectors, virtual tables, and smart projectors. Shader lamps mimic and augment reality by projecting imagery onto neutral objects, providing the opportunity to enhance the objects appearance with materials of a simple unit- a projector, camera, and sensor. Handheld projectors further this goal by enabling cluster configurations of environment sensing, reducing the need for additional peripheral sensing.[28][29] Other tangible applications include table and wall projections. One such innovation, the Extended Virtual Table, separates the virtual from the real by including beam-splitter mirrors attached to the ceiling at an adjustable angle.[30] Virtual showcases, which employ beam-splitter mirrors together with multiple graphics displays, provide an interactive means of simultaneously engaging with the virtual and the real.[31][32] Altogether, current augmented reality display technology can be applied to improve design and visualization, or function as scientific simulations and tools for education or entertainment. Many more implementations and configurations make spatial augmented reality display an increasingly attractive interactive alternative.[11] Spatial AR does not suffer from the limited display resolution of current head-mounted displays and portable devices. A projector based display system can simply incorporate more projectors to expand the display area. Where portable devices have a small window into the world for drawing, a SAR system can display on any number of surfaces of an indoor setting at once. The drawbacks, however, are that SAR systems of projectors do not work so well in sunlight and also require a surface on which to project the computer-generated graphics. Augmentations cannot simply hang in the air as they do with handheld and HMD-based AR. The tangible nature of SAR, though, makes this an ideal technology to support design, as SAR supports both a graphical visualisation and passive haptic sensation for the end users. People are able to touch physical objects, and it is this process that provides the passive haptic sensation.[7][33][34][35] [edit] Tracking Modern mobile augmented reality systems use one or more of the following tracking technologies: digital cameras and/or other optical sensors, accelerometers, GPS, gyroscopes, solid state compasses, RFID and wireless sensors. These technologies offer varying levels of accuracy and precision. Most important is the position and orientation of the users head. Tracking the users hand(s) or a handheld input device can provide a 6DOF interaction technique.[36] [edit] Input devices Techniques include speech recognition systems that translate a users spoken words into computer instructions and gesture recognition systems that can interpret a users body movements by visual detection or from sensors embedded in a peripheral device such as a wand, stylus, pointer, glove or other body wear.[37][38][39][40] [edit] Computer The computer analyzes the sensed visual and other data to synthesize and position augmentations. [edit] Software and algorithms A key measure of AR systems is how realistically they integrate augmentations with the real world. The software must derive real world coordinates, independent from the camera, from camera images. That process is called image registration which uses different methods of computer vision, mostly related to video tracking.[41][42] Many computer vision methods of augmented reality are inherited from visual odometry. Usually those methods consist of two parts. First detect interest points, or fiduciary markers, or optical flow in the camera images. First stage can use feature detection methods like corner detection, blob detection, edge detection or thresholding and/or other image processing methods.[43][44] The second stage restores a real world coordinate system from the data obtained in the first stage. Some methods assume objects with known geometry (or fiduciary markers) present in the scene. In some of those cases the scene 3D structure should be precalculated beforehand. If part of the scene is unknown simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) can map relative positions. If no information about scene geometry is available, structure from motion methods like bundle adjustment are used. Mathematical methods used in the second stage include projective (epipolar) geometry, geometric algebra, rotation representation with exponential map, kalman and particle filters, nonlinear optimization, robust statistics. [edit] Applications Augmented reality has many applications, and many areas can benefit from the usage of AR technology. AR was initially used for military, industrial, and medical applications, but was soon applied to commercial and entertainment areas as well.[45] [edit] Archaeology AR can be used to aid archaeological research, by augmenting archaeological features onto the modern landscape, enabling archaeologists to formulate conclusions about site placement and configuration.[46] Another application given to AR in this field is the possibility for users to rebuild ruins, buildings, or even landscapes as they formerly existed.[47] [edit] Architecture AR can aid in visualizing building projects. Computer-generated images of a structure can be superimposed into a real life local view of a property before the physical building is constructed there. AR can also be employed within an architects work space, rendering into their view animated 3D visualizations of their 2D drawings. Architecture sight-seeing can be enhanced with AR applications allowing users viewing a buildings exterior to virtually see through its walls, viewing its interior objects and layout.[48][49] [edit] Art AR technology has helped disabled individuals create art by using eye tracking to translate a users eye movements into drawings on a screen.[50] An item such as a commemorative coin can be designed so that when scanned by an AR-enabled device it displays additional objects and layers of information that were not visible in a real world view of it.[51][52] [edit] Commerce ViewAR BUTLERS App Placing furniture using AR AR can enhance product previews such as allowing a customer to view whats inside a products packaging without opening it.[53] AR can also be used as an aid in selecting products from a catalog or through a kiosk. Scanned images of products can activate views of additional content such as customization options and additional images of the product in its use.[54][55] AR is used to integrate print and video marketing. Printed marketing material can be designed with certain trigger images that, when scanned by an AR enabled device using image recognition, activate a video version of the promotional material.[56][57][58] [edit] Education Augmented reality applications can complement a standard curriculum. Text, graphics, video and audio can be superimposed into a students real time environment. Textbooks, flashcards and other educational reading material can contain embedded markers that, when scanned by an AR device, produce supplementary information to the student rendered in a multimedia format.[59][60][61] Students can participate interactively with computer generated simulations of historical events, exploring and learning details of each significant area of the event site.[62] AR can aide students in understanding chemistry by allowing them to visualize the spatial structure of a molecule and interact with a virtual model of it that appears, in a camera image, positioned at a marker held in their hand.[63] Augmented reality technology also permits learning via remote collaboration, in which students and instructors not at the same physical location can share a common virtual learning environment populated by vi rtual objects and learning materials and interact with another within that setting.[64] [edit] Everyday 30 years of Augmediated Reality in everyday life. Since the 1970s and early 1980s, Steve Mann has been developing technologies meant for everyday use i.e. horizontal across all applications rather than a specific vertical market. Examples include Manns EyeTap Digital Eye Glass, a general-purpose seeing aid that does dynamic-range management (HDR vision) and overlays, underlays, simultaneous augmentation and diminishment (e.g. diminishing the electric arc while looking at a welding torch).[65] [edit] Industrial design AR can help industrial designers experience a products design and operation before completion. Volkswagen uses AR for comparing calculated and actual crash test imagery.[66] AR can be used to visualize and modify a car body structure and engine layout. AR can also be used to compare digital mock-ups with physical mock-ups for efficiently finding discrepancies between them.[67][68] [edit] Medical Augmented Reality can provide the surgeon with information, which are otherwise hidden, such as showing the heartbeat rate, the blood pressure, the state of the patients organ, etc. In particular AR can be used to let the doctor look inside the patient by combining one source of images such as an X-ray with another such as video. This helps the doctor to identify the problem with the patient in a more intuitive way than looking at only type of image data. This approach works in a similar as the technicians doing maintenance work. Examples include a virtual X-ray view based on prior tomography or on real time images from ultrasound and confocal microscopy probes[69] or visualizing the position of a tumor in the video of an endoscope.[70] AR can enhance viewing a fetus inside a mothers womb.[71] See also Mixed reality. [edit] Military In combat, AR can serve as a networked communication system that renders useful battlefield data onto a soldiers goggles in real time. From the soldiers viewpoint, people and various objects can be marked with special indicators to warn of potential dangers. Virtual maps and 360Â ° view camera imaging can also be rendered to aid a soldiers navigation and battlefield perspective, and this can be transmitted to military leaders at a remote command center.[72] [edit] Navigation Augmented reality map on iPhone AR can augment the effectiveness of navigation devices. Information can be displayed on an automobiles windshield indicating destination directions and meter, weather, terrain, road conditions and traffic information as well as alerts to potential hazards in their path.[73][74][75] Aboard maritime vessels, AR can allow bridge watch-standers to continuously monitor important information such as a ships heading and speed while moving throughout the bridge or performing other tasks.[76] [edit] Office workplace AR can help facilitate collaboration among distributed team members in a work force via conferences with real and virtual participants. AR tasks can include brainstorming and discussion meetings utilizing common visualization via touch screen tables, interactive digital whiteboards, shared design spaces, and distributed control rooms.[77][78][79] [edit] Sports and entertainment AR has become common in sports telecasting. Sports and entertainment venues are provided with see-through and overlay augmentation through tracked camera feeds for enhanced viewing by the audience. Examples include the yellow first down line seen in television broadcasts of American football games showing the line the offensive team must cross to receive a first down. AR is also used in association with football and other sporting events to show commercial advertisements overlaid onto the view of the playing area. Sections of rugby fields and cricket pitches also display sponsored images. Swimming telecasts often add a line across the lanes to indicate the position of the current record holder as a race proceeds to allow viewers to compare the current race to the best performance. Other examples include hockey puck tracking and annotations of racing car performance and snooker ball trajectories. [41][80] AR can enhance concert and theater performances. For example, artists can allow listeners to augment their listening experience by adding their performance to that of other bands/groups of users.[81][82][83] The gaming industry has benefited a lot from the development of this technology. A number of games have been developed for prepared indoor environments. Early AR games also include AR air hockey, collaborative combat against virtual enemies, and an AR-enhanced pool games. A significant number of games incorporate AR in them and the introduction of the smartphone has made a bigger impact.[84][85] [edit] Task support Complex tasks such as assembly, maintenance, and surgery can be simplified by inserting additional information into the field of view. For example, labels can be displayed on parts of a system to clarify operating instructions for a mechanic who is performing maintenance on the system.[86][87] Assembly lines gain many benefits from the usage of AR. In addition to Boeing, BMW and Volkswagen are known for incorporating this technology in their assembly line to improve their manufacturing and assembly processes.[88][89][90] Big machines are difficult to maintain because of the multiple layers or structures they have. With the use of AR the workers can complete their job in a much easier way because AR permits them to look through the machine as if it was with x-ray, pointing them to the problem right away.[91] [edit] Tourism and sightseeing Augmented reality applications can enhance a users experience when traveling by providing real time informational displays regarding a location and its features, including comments made by previous visitors of the site. AR applications allow tourists to experience simulations of historical events, places and objects by rendering them into their current view of a landscape.[92][93][94] AR applications can also present location information by audio, announcing features of interest at a particular site as they become visible to the user.[95][96] [edit] Translation AR systems can interpret foreign text on signs and menus and, in a users augmented view, re-display the text in the users language. Spoken words of a foreign language can be translated and displayed in a users view as printed subtitles How Augmented Reality Works Video games have been entertaining us for nearly 30 years, ever since Pong was introduced to arcades in the early 1970s. Computer graphics have become much more sophisticated since then, and game graphics are pushing the barriers of photorealism. Now, researchers and engineers are pulling graphics out of your television screen or computer display and integrating them into real-world environments. This new technology, called augmented reality, blurs the line between whats real and whats computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell. On the spectrum between virtual reality, which creates immersive, computer-generated environments, and the real world, augmented reality is closer to the real world. Augmented reality adds graphics, sounds, haptic feedback and smell to the natural world as it exists. Both video games and cell phones are driving the development of augmented reality. Everyone from tourists, to soldiers, to someone looking for the closest subway stop can now benefit from the ability to place computer-generated graphics in their field of vision. Augmented reality is changing the way we view the world or at least the way its users see the world. Picture yourself walking or driving down the street. With augmented-reality displays, which will eventually look much like a normal pair of glasses, informative graphics will appear in your field of view, and audio will coincide with whatever you see. These enhancements will be refreshed continually to reflect the movements of your head. Similar devices and applications already exist, particularly on smartphones like the iPhone. In this article, well take a look at where augmented reality is now and where it may be headed soon. Augmenting Our World The basic idea of augmented reality is to superimpose graphics, audio and other sensory enhancements over a real-world environment in real time. Sounds pretty simple. Besides, havent television networks been doing that with graphics for decades? However, augmented reality is more advanced than any technology youve seen in television broadcasts, although some new TV effects come close, such as RACEf/x and the super-imposed first down line on televised U.S. football games, both created by Sportvision. But these systems display graphics for only one point of view. Next-generation augmented-reality systems will display graphics for each viewers perspective. Some of the most exciting augmented-reality work is taking place in research labs at universities around the world. In February 2009, at the TED conference, Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry presented their augmented-reality system, which they developed as part of MIT Media Labs Fluid Interfaces Group. They call it SixthSense, and it relies on some basic components that are found in many augmented reality systems: Camera Small projector Smartphone Mirror These components are strung together in a lanyardlike apparatus that the user wears around his neck. The user also wears four colored caps on the fingers, and these caps are used to manipulate the images that the projector emits. SixthSense is remarkable because it uses these simple, off-the-shelf components that cost around $350. It is also notable because the projector essentially turns any surface into an interactive screen. Essentially, the device works by using the camera and mirror to examine the surrounding world, feeding that image to the phone (which processes the image, gathers GPS coordinates and pulls data from the Internet), and then projecting information from the projector onto the surface in front of the user, whether its a wrist, a wall, or even a person. Because the user is wearing the camera on his chest, SixthSense will augment whatever he looks at; for example, if he picks up a can of soup in a grocery store, SixthSense can find and project onto the soup information about its ingredients, price, nutritional value even customer reviews. By using his capped fingers Pattie Maes says even fingers with different colors of nail polish would work a user can perform actions on the projected information, which are then picked up by the camera and processed by the phone. If he wants to know more about that can of soup than is projected on it, he can use his fingers to interact with the projected image and learn about, say, competing brands. SixthSense can also recognize complex gestures draw a circle on your wrist and SixthSense projects a watch with the current time. Mistry demonstrates SixthSense Photo courtesy Sam Ogden, Pranav Mistry, MIT Media Lab The SixthSense augmented reality system lets you project a phone pad onto your hand and phone a friend without removing the phone from your pocket. See more gadget pictures. Photo courtesy Lynn Barry, Pranav Mistry, MIT Media Lab Augmented Reality on Cell Phones While it may be some time before you buy a device like SixthSense, more primitive versions of augmented reality are already here on some cell phones, particularly in applications for the iPhone and phones with the Android operating system. In the Netherlands, cell phone owners can download an application called Layar that uses the phones camera and GPS capabilities to gather information about the surrounding area. Layar then shows information about restaurants or other sites in the area, overlaying this information on the phones screen. You can even point the phone at a building, and Layar will tell you if any companies in that building are hiring, or it might be able to find photos of the building on Flickr or to locate its history on Wikipedia. Layar isnt the only application of its type. In August 2009, some iPhone users were surprised to find an augmented-reality easter egg hidden within the Yelp application. Yelp is known for its user reviews of restaurants and other businesses, but its hidden augmented-reality component, called Monocle, takes things one step further. Just start up the Yelp app, shake your iPhone 3GS three times and Monocle activates. Using your phones GPS and compass, Monocle will display information about local restaurants, including ratings and reviews, on your cell phone screen. You can touch one of the listings to find out more about a particular restaurant. There are other augmented reality apps out there for the iPhone and other similar phones and many more in development. Urbanspoon has much of the same functionality as Yelps Monocle. Then theres Wikitude, which finds information from Wikipedia about sites in the area. Underlying most of these applications are a phones GPS and compass; by knowing where you are, these applications can make sure to offer information relevant to you. Were still not quite at the stage of full-on image recognition, but trust us, people are working on it. Weve looked at some of the existing forms of augmented reality. On the next page, well examine some of the other applications of the technology, such as in video games and military hardware An iPhone user displays the augmented reality app Monocle, which combines the phones camera view with tiny tags indicating the names, distances and user ratings of nearby bars, restaurants and more. AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez Augmented Reality in Video Games and the Military Video game companies are quickly hopping aboard the augmented-reality locomotive. A company called Total Immersion makes software that applies augmented reality to baseball cards. Simply go online, download the Total Immersion software and then hold up your baseball card to a webcam. The software recognizes the card (and the player on it) and then displays related video on your computer screen. Move the card in your hands make sure to keep it in view of the camera and the 3-D figure on your screen will perform actions, such as throwing a ball at a target. Total Immersions efforts are just the beginning. In the next couple of years, well see games that take augmented reality out into the streets. Consider a scavenger-hunt game that uses virtual objects. You could use your phone to place tokens around town, and participants would then use their phones (or augmented-reality enabled goggles) to find these invisible objects. Demos of many games of this order already exist. Theres a human Pac-Man game that allows users to chase after each other in real life while wearing goggles that make them look like characters in Pac-Man. Arcane Technologies, a Canadian company, has sold augmented-reality devices to the U.S. military. The company produces a head-mounted display the sort of device that was supposed to bring us virtual reality that superimposes information on your world. Consider a squad of soldiers in Afghanistan, performing reconnaissance on an opposition hideout. An AR-enabled head-mounted display could overlay blueprints or a view from a satellite or overheard drone directly onto the soldiers field of vision. Now that weve established some of the many current and burgeoning uses of augmented reality, lets take a look at the technologys limitations and what the future holds. Augmented reality can breathe a little life into your sports trading cards. Photo courtesy Total Immersion Limitations and the Future of Augmented Reality Augmented reality still has some challenges to overcome. For example, GPS is only accurate to within 30 feet (9 meters) and doesnt work as well indoors, although improved image recognition technology may be able to help [source: Metz]. People may not want to rely on their cell phones, which have small screens on which to superimpose information. For that reason, wearable devices like SixthSense or augmented-reality capable contact lenses and glasses will provide users with more convenient, expansive views of the world around them. Screen real estate will no longer be an issue. In the near future, you may be able to play a real-time strategy game on your computer, or you can invite a friend over, put on your AR glasses, and play on the tabletop in front of you. There is such a thing as too much information. Just as the CrackBerry phenomenon and Internet addiction are concerns, an overreliance on augmented reality could mean that people are missing out on whats right in front of them. Some people may prefer to use their AR iPhone applications rather than an experienced tour guide, even though a tour guide may be able to offer a level of interaction, an experience and a personal touch unavailable in a computer program. And there are times when a real plaque on a building is preferable to a virtual one, which would be accessible only by people with certain technologies. There are also privacy concerns. Image-recognition software coupled with AR will, quite soon, allow us to point our phones at people, even strangers, and instantly see information from their Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, LinkedIn or other online profiles. With most of these services people willingly put information about themselves online, but it may be an unwelcome shock to meet someone, only to have him instantly know so much about your life and background. Despite these concerns, imagine the possibilities: you may learn things about the city youve lived in for years just by pointing your AR-enabled phone at a nearby park or building. If you work in construction, you can save on materials by using virtual markers to designate where a beam should go or which structural support to inspect. Paleontologists working in shifts to assemble a dinosaur skeleton could leave virtual notes to team members on the bones themselves, artists could produce virtual graffiti and doctors could overlay a digital image of a patients X-rays onto a mannequin for added realism. The future of augmented reality is clearly bright, even as it already has found its way into our cell phones and video game systems. For more information about the subject and where its headed, take a look at the links on the next page Augmented Reality Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-gener

Role of Firms in Science and Technology | Essay

Role of Firms in Science and Technology | Essay What roles do firms play in the generation and diffusion of new scientific and technological knowledge? Illustrate your answer by reference to one or more example. Introduction: The differences in the types of organisations, their structures, their goals and perspectives, and the way they recognise and face challenges can breed a lot of opportunities and avenues for producing and distributing new information to the world. Technology and science has made wonders for almost everyone living in this planet. It has changed the way we live. It has also introduced new sets of problems and issues which must be strategically addressed. Firms are already in the forefront of responding to changes and challenges in their environment. They respond to these challenges through strategies that make use of support systems like technology and scientific research. Today’s business and social transactions are being supported more and more by technological and scientific innovations and strategies. Knowledge of advanced technologies in the different sciences and frontiers has largely advanced most careers and business prospects. According to Dorf (2001, p. 39), [1] the purpose of a business firm is to create value for all of its stakeholders. As the firm tries to create new wealth for its shareholders, valuable products and services for its customers, it is already in the process of generating and distributing new sets of information. This includes the generation of new scientific and technological knowledge which would eventually be adopted by the society and other businesses as well. A firm then leads its market through effective technical and scientific innovation, sound business management of resources, and a solid technological strategy for the success of its business. Improved technology and increased scientific knowledge will help increase food production, efficient management of resources, allow faster access to relevant and mission critical information, and enhanced business competitiveness. Technology has the most potential to deliver business sustainability and viability through the many opportunities for research and innovation. While it cannot be denied that firms of today have a very definite and pivotal role to play in the generation of scientific and technological knowledge, much of their contribution center on how they formulate strategies to introduce new knowledge into their business functions. Technology has been known to support a lot of business and decision making processes. Technology strategy should be considered a vital part of any strategic planning. Incorporating high-end technology without careful considerations of other organisational issues is a sure formula for failure. The growth of technology presented managers with a complex variety of alternatives. Many executives and managers are using the advent of technology as an opportunity to reconsider their business operations (Irving and Higgins, 1991).[2] Many still feel that technology and any available scientific knowledge can solve a lot of organisational problems. Unfortunately, other executives see technology as a panacea for various organisational ills. Sometimes, the introduction of technology may increase organisational and societal problems. Firms have a definite role when it comes to the way technology and scientific knowledge is generated and distributed. With their technological and scientific knowledge at hand, they can be technology enhancers, identifiers of new markets, sources of customer exploration, and a gateway for information interchange. However, powerful technologies and scientific knowledge can have the potential for great harm or great good to mankind (O’Brien, 2001).[3] Competition in the business environment has led to a lot of advanced technological and scientific research and development. Investment in a lot of monetary and manpower resources has increased the need for firms to compete with each other in the introduction of new technologies which may alter the political, economic, and social landscape. Gene Amdahl was interested in starting a new computer firm to compete with International Business Machines (Goodman and Lawless p. 66).[4] He understood quite clearly that he needed a new technological design, a service and support system, and a good library software. He chose to design his computer to be IBM-compatible. Regardless of the technological wonders he designed into his new computer, it would operate all the existing IBM software. This strategy has greatly enhanced his customers’ access to new IBM technologies as well as his own. While his company has tailored itself from another company’s technology, it was able to create and generate a new set of ideas which not only enhanced his company’s image but IBM’s as well. High technology firms who generate a lot of technological and scientific knowledge have been able to identify new markets in the fields of computers, biotechnology, genetic engineering, robotics, and other markets. These firms depend heavily on advanced scientific and engineering knowledge. Michael Dell, for example, started building personal computers in his University of Texas dorm room at age 19 (Ferrell and Hirt, 1996).[5] His innovative ideas and prototyping techniques have made Dell Computer one of the leading PC companies in the world with sales of $2.9 billion. Because of his company’s capacity to use technology to perform decision-making and focus on new customer demands and tastes, he was able to identify strategic markets for his PC Company all around the world in different contexts. When he shifted to new markets, other industry players followed. These industry players created another set of opportunities to explore other means. Through the early 1990s, Dell sold directly to the consumer through its toll-free telephone line (Schneider and Perry, 1990).[6] Eventually, it expanded its sales to the Internet and has logged a significant percentage of its overall sales from the Internet. This strategy has lowered overhead for the company. The web site is a significant part of Dell’s strategy for moving into the new millenium. Company officials predict that within the next few years, more than half of their sales will be from the web. Supporting such a booming online sales are a robust infrastructure of communication devices and networks, Dell servers, and electronic commerce software from Microsoft. Just as with the globalisation of markets, changes due to advances in technology is not new to business marketing. Yet, technology change is expected to create new ways of marketing that haven’t existed (Dwyer and Tanner, 1999).[7] Du Pont, for example has developed a Rapid Market Assessment technology that enables the company to determine if a market, usually a country or region previously not served) warrants development (Bob, 1996).[8] The result of the analysis is a customer-focused understanding of the foreign market, independent of the level of economic development of that country or region. Technology is changing the nature of business-customer interaction. If applied well, benefits increase to both parties. In the area of retail marketing for example, technology can be used to enhance interaction between retailers and customers. Point-of-sale scanning equipment is widely utilized by supermarkets, department stores, specialty stores, membership clubs, and others-hundreds of thousands of firms in all. Retailers can quickly complete customer transactions, amass sales data, reduce costs, and adjust inventory figures (Berman and Evans, 1998).[9] At some restaurants, when dinner is over, the waiter brings the check-and a sleek box that opens like the check presentation folder used by many restaurants revealing buttons and a miniscreen. The waiter brings it over and disappears discreetly. Following instructions on the screen, you verify the tab, select the payment type (credit card or ATM card), insert the card into a slot, and enter your personal identification number of PIN. You can then enter a tip-a specific amount or, if you want the device to figure the tip, a percentage. Completing the transaction triggers a blinking light. This summons the waiter who then removes the device and the receipt is printed on ano ther terminal (Berman and Evans, 1998).[10] In this manner, the restaurant, as a firm was able to innovate on new ways to make customers make further exploration and application of this new mechanism. This in turn introduced another set of mechanisms for making billing charges to customers in another business setting (like electricity and water bills). With this illustration, innovation on a new technology can be of great help to different industry players. With signature capture, shoppers sign their names right on a computer screen. At Sears, the cardholder uses a special pen to sign a paper receipt-which becomes the cardholder copy-on top of a pressure-sensitive pad that captures the signature, stores it, and displays it on the checkout terminal screen so a clerk can compare it with the one on the back of the credit card. Sears has a brochure explaining the procedure is entirely voluntary and electronic signatures are not stored separately and can be printed only along with the entire sales receipt. Again, innovation centered on how customers can be better served has generated a whole new set of ideas for other firms to research on. Gateway for Information Interchange The web or the Internet has generated a lot of research interests nowadays. People rely on the web for retrieving and sending information. It’s being used for almost all sorts of business and personal transactions like in the area of learning and commerce. Stanford University Library’s HighWire Press began in early 1995with the online production of the weekly Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC). By March 2001, it was producing 240 online journals giving access to 237,711 articles (Chowdhury and Chowdhury, 2001).[11] The journals focus on science, technology, medicine and other scientific fields. HighWire’s strategy of online publishing of scholarly journals is not simply to mount electronic images of printed pages; rather by adding links among authors, articles and citations, advanced searching techniques, high-resolution images and multimedia, and interactivity, the electronic versions provided added dimensions to the information being provided in printed jour nals. The dimensions allowed readers boundless opportunities to follow up what they have initially started. The role of firms here has been magnified quite a bit. Technical and scientific information can be distributed at the least possible time possible and in as many people as possible. In another setting, consider the tremendous savings now those millions of Internet users are able to work from home – or at least, dial into the office more than drive there. Many offices are using the Internet to save office space, materials, and transportation costs. Using email and other electronic documents also saves energy, by saving paper. People who are online are able to explore most of the advantage technology and science has to offer them. It gives them the power to filter out what is and what is not useful. Newspapers are also going online. Arguably, of all the technologies, telecommunications, and the Internet, along with a renewable energy, has the most potential to deliver sustainability and the vision of integrated optical communication networks, is compelling enough for people to understand the underlying role that technology firms play in today’s technology-based society. Computer networks and the Internet have largely been the biggest technological br eakthroughs made throughout the century. And the possibilities are even growing bigger for firms to do more to leverage its use. Conclusion: Firms play a very important role in the generation of new information and their eventual diffusion into the overall structure of businesses and society as well. Firms are seen as responsible generators of new ideas which not only help them attain competitive advantage over their rivals but also are also unconsciously improving the lives of people from different places around the globe. Competing firms explore different technical and scientific innovations which match their business strategy especially in a globalised business setting. The rate at which firms do research and development has spawned the need for further collaboration and cooperation even among their competitors in order to protect their strategic advantage. The introduction of technological and scientific standards has helped guide the introduction of new knowledge to definite direction to take. Firms also serve as a window to a lot more opportunities for information exchange and interaction between customers and even their competitors. The Internet has been the biggest contributor to the generation, infusion, and distribution of knowledge. It has also provided a lot of opportunities for firms to invest their time and resources in order to facilitate easier access to their products and services. It has also created a new set of commerce and learning methods which allowed more and more people to get involved even if time and distances presented challenges. The driving force behind all of these innovations is change. Without it, firms will not be motivated to introduce new sets of ideas and distributed them. Knowledge is empowerment. Acquiring technical and scientific knowledge through the initiatives of different organizations not only increases further competition but also improves the different political, social, and economic dimensions of society. The generation and diffusion of scientific and technological knowledge will not be possible if firms are not aware of the changes that are constantly shaping their business landscape. Today’s challenges is not on how technological and scientific information can be generated and distributed. It is more on using this knowledge on the right place and at the right time. Bibliography Books Berman, B and Evans, J (1998), Retail Management: A Strategic Approach, Prentice  Hall, New Jersey. Bob, Donarth (1996), Global Marketing Management: New Challenges Reshape  Worldwide Competition. Chowdhury, G and Chowdhury, S (2001), Information Sources and Searching on the  World Wide Web, Library Association Publishing, London. Dorf, Richard (2001), Technology, Humans, and Society: Towards A Sustainable World,  Academic Press, San Diego, California. Dwyer, F and Tanner, J (1999), Business Marketing: Connecting Strategy, Relationships,  and Learning, Mc-Graw Hill, Singapore. Ferrell O and Hirt, G (1996), Business: A Changing World, 2nd edn, Times New Mirror  Higher Education. Goodman, R and Lawless, M (1994), Technology and Strategy: Conceptual Models and  Diagnostics, Oxford University Press, New York. Irving, R and Higgins, C (1991), Office Information Systems: Management Issues and  Methods, John Wiley and Sons, Ontario. O’Brien, James (2001), Introduction to Information Systems: Essentials for the  Internetworked E-Business, McGraw-Hill, Singapore. Schneider, G Perry, J (1990), Electronic Commerce, Thomson Learning, Singapore. Footnotes [1] Dorf, Richard (2001), Technology, Humans, and Society: Towards A Sustainable World, Academic Press, San Diego, California. [2] Irving, R and Higgins, C (1991), Office Information Systems: Management Issues and Methods, John Wiley and Sons, Ontario. [3] O’Brien, James (2001), Introduction to Information Systems: Essentials for the Internetworked E-Business, McGraw-Hill, Singapore. [4] Goodman, R and Lawless, M (1994), Technology and Strategy: Conceptual Models and Diagnostics, Oxford University Press, New York. [5] Ferrell O and Hirt, G (1996), Business: A Changing World, 2nd edn, Times New Mirror Higher Education. [6] Schneider, G Perry, J (1990), Electronic Commerce, Thomson Learning, Singapore. [7] Dwyer, F and Tanner, J (1999), Business Marketing: Connecting Strategy, Relationships, and Learning, Mc-Graw Hill, Singapore. [8] Bob, Donarth (1996), Global Marketing Management: New Challenges Reshape Worldwide Competition. [9] Berman, B and Evans, J (1998), Retail Management: A Strategic Approach, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. [10] Berman and Evans. [11] Chowdhury, G and Chowdhury, S (2001), Information Sources and Searching on the World Wide Web, Library Association Publishing, London.

Economic Intervention :: essays research papers

Economic Intervention Every day our government makes economic decisions that affect our country and ourselves. Some of these decisions are good and benefit our lives greatly; however, many of our government's decisions, such as where our tax money should go, are not in our best interests. The Canadian government, although it is tightening up it's measures now, has been very lax with our hard earned tax money. Things like government officials receiving unreasonable benefits, government loans being given out like water, or government subsidizing of various companies and services that don't need it. These are all indications that Canada needs less government intervention. One large example of government over-involvement is in the case of our correctional facilities and prisons. Should a person who has broken the law be given better lodgings and better care than someone who is a law abiding citizen? We see examples such as prisons being outfitted for the care of inmate's children. This is an area in which government money is being improperly spent. Money that is being used in these areas should be being put to better use in areas such as health and welfare. People who are free and law abiding should be receiving this money to better their lives not someone who has had no previous respect for the laws of our country. Most inmates have free access to physical training facilities that would cost us three hundred to four hundred dollars per year. All inmates are guaranteed a meal, three time a day, when a large portion of the free population can barely afford one meal a day. The prison facilities get thousands of tax-payer dollars to upgrade and maintain suitable environments. Yet many Canadian citizens who are unemployed, who cannot get work, are living on the street or in unsuitable shelters. Why should someone in jail get better benefits than someone trying to make it legally in our society? However, it seems that our government has a certain affinity to people who break its set laws. This vast inappropriate spending of taxpayer's dollars should be stopped. In the near future we should see either proper controls being set on the

Symbolism in Ernest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants :: Hills Like White Elephants Essays

Ernest Hemingway is an incredible writer, known for what he leaves out of stories not for what he tells. His main emphasis in Hills Like White Elephants seems to be symbolism. Symbolism is the art or practice of using symbols, especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations (merriam-webster.com). He uses this technique to emphasize the importance of ideas, once again suggesting that he leaves out the important details of the story by symbolizing their meaning. This short story is filled with symbolism, some of which the reader may never find. The title itself can be analyzed a lot deeper. The â€Å"hills† refers to the shape of the female body during pregnancy and the â€Å"white elephants† symbolize a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit (merriam-webster.com). The story is about a man and a woman taking a train to get an abortion. The train is supposed to show change and movement, something this couple appears to need because their life is very routine. The reader is told that there is a curtain made of strings of bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out flies. The bamboo beads not only keep them from their problems (known as flies) but it also keeps their lives separate from all of the other people at the bar. Hemingway then tells the reader that the train will stop at this junction for two minutes and then go to Madrid. The train only stopping for two minutes is to show the importance of the girl’s decision to have the abortion. It is a big decision and there is not that much time for her to sit around and think about it. The guy and the girl are now sitting at a bar deciding what they should drink. The girl takes off her hat and puts it on the table. This action symbolizes her putting her feelings on the table to talk about them with the man. Instead of coming straight out and talking about the problems the couple decides to drink beer. The act of consuming alcohol is another way for them to run away from their problems. Later on, the man and the woman are talking and the woman says, â€Å"They look like white elephants.† He replies to her comment by saying, â€Å"I’ve never seen one.

Twelve Angry Men - Juror 3 Essay -- essays research papers

12 Angry Men - Juror#3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a crowded jury room in downtown New York, opinions collide as discussion about the innocence of a young boy is decided. The dark and foreboding storm clouds that hang over the heads of the jurors are beginning to lift as time progresses and new facts are presented. One juror is not happy about this stay of execution and is holding fast his opinion of guilty. Juror three, the president of his business, refuses to alter his vote or opinion in any way. Still haunted by his own son, juror three verbally assaults the group with a forceful tone and a taciturn attitude. One of twelve, Reginald Rose created them all from the same pen and ink, and they could all be no more different.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Juror three is angry, bitter man who has spent his entire life forcing his opinions unto others, and has most likely succeeded in this endeavor. As head of his own company, he isn’t he used to the resistence he is getting from the group. To help his arguments, he uses the phrase â€Å"know what I mean† at the end of almost everything he says, putting any juror with an opposing argument in an awkward position. As the play wears on and his reliable witnesses were called into question, and more speculation was put upon the table, he begins to become more forceful in his arguments, raising his voice much more often than usual. He firmly believes in the guilt of the accused, no matter what the other jurors say or do. There are ...

Business Analysis Kelloggs Company

Kellogg Company Environment Denjah Harte MGT/521 September 10, 2012 Dr. John Grabarczyk Kellogg Company Environment Analyzing a company is one function a mutual fund manager performs when deciding to invest. The organization should conform to a strategic goal, evaluate new product developments, and have an increased market potential. Kellogg Company is a multinational, diversified, food manufacturing company producing cereals, snacks, and other foods. A mutual fund manager would recommend investing in the Kellogg Company based on long-term profitability and financial stability.Originally named The Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company in 1906, in 1922 W. K. Kellogg renamed it Kellogg Company. According to  Kellogg Company (2012),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Kellogg Company is the world’s leading producer of cereal, second largest producer of cookies and crackers and – through the May 2012 acquisition of the iconic Pringles business – the world’s second largest savory sn acks company. In addition, Kellogg is a leading producer of frozen foods† (para. 1). An analysis of Kellogg Company reveals strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats that single out some key issues within the company.As a company, Kellogg has several strengths: it is a widely known brand name, the advertising campaign slogans are famous, and the company holds the largest global market share for pre-sweetened cereal. Every company has weaknesses as well – Kellogg has not developed many new cereal lines, their market share in the United States is declining, and the pricing approach is out-of-date. Kellogg Company has grown in the international market, making strides by acquiring the Pringles Brand in May 2012 (Kellogg Company News Room: In the News,  2012).Kellogg Company expanded to Europe, South America, and Asia Pacific, observing a slow growth to keep expenses from exceeding profits. Kellogg Company must lower prices to stay competitive and cost-effective in t he core areas, and reduce costs to keep a large share of the market. One threat Post, Quaker Oats, and General Mills uses against Kellogg Company is opposition pricing and other discount cereals imitate brand name cereals to try to chip away at Kellogg Company’s market share. Kellogg Company must combat these threats to stay invulnerable.The key to investing in Kellogg Company stems from the profitability in the long term. Diversifying product lines and moving focus away from cereal is rational and sound thinking. Increased economic instability and agricultural issues will cause upheaval but if judiciously anticipated, Kellogg Company will add to their market share. The addition of the Pringles Brand in early 2012 declined the profitability of Kellogg Company in the first half of the year because of cash outlay; however, the second half of the year projects larger profits as the product line aligns with the rest of the company.Kellogg Company has shown excellent leadership fo resight to expand into new territory globally, develop better products to suit the demand in those areas, and potentially increase profits for stakeholders. The internal and external stakeholders for Kelloggs Company play a crucial role in the organization, especially in how they â€Å"perceive the performance of the organization† (Yukl, 2010, pp. 377). Executives, managers, and employees represent internal stakeholders while investors, suppliers, the community, and consumers represent external stakeholders in Kellogg Company.The needs and requirements of the stakeholders differ, depending on the stakeholder relation to the company. Executives need to expand the company while keeping the company profitable and expenses to a minimum. Managers and employees need employment, want the potential to advance, and to earn good salaries. Investors need to see a profit, or a plan to increase profits, before they will want to invest more in a company. Suppliers need a demand for their o wn product and want the demand to continue.The community needs greener ways of producing products, using resources in a sustainable manner, and producing less waste. Consumers are complex in many aspects. Consumers are the end user of the product, the focal point of the strategic planning, and whose views influence the direction the organization takes in the global and local community. Consumer wants are many: a cheap cost, a nutritious product, an available supply, long storage life, and easy accessibility to a large variety.The consumer needs are simpler to define: they need food, shelter, and clothing. Kellogg Company fulfills the needs of the stakeholders in various ways. Kellogg expanded from its headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, across the United States, Canada, and into Mexico. The company extended globally to Europe, South America, and Asia Pacific, opening the door to new opportunities, careers, and partnerships for stakeholders. Kellogg Company encourages a value sys tem for employees at every level in the organization.Integrity, respect, accountability, passion, simplicity, success, humility, and hunger along with a Global Code of Ethics guide the business practices of employees of Kellogg Company worldwide. Kellogg Company calls these the ‘K Values’. Suppliers, like wheat, corn, and rice farmers, grow the grains for Kellogg Company. According to â€Å"Kellogg's Corporate Responsibility: Responsible Sourcing† (2012), Kellogg Company â€Å"requires supplier companies to comply with fair labor practices and ethical business standards, along with pertinent standards around environmental, health and safety issues† (para. ). Kellogg Company upholds suppliers to this high code of conduct. Community needs are a concern for Kellogg Company. The environmental impact of a growing world population is significant and Kellogg Company works to produce more with less energy, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, less water, and less waste (Kellogg’s Corporate Responsibility: Environment Outlook, 2012). Water reclamation, wastewater discharge, wellhead protection, and soil conservation are a few global environmental community projects currently performed by Kellogg Company.Kellogg Company considers consumer needs as well. From sustainable packaging made from recycled materials, to communicating the product and the nutritional information, Kellogg Company gives consumers a familiar product on the shelf, recognized from the advertising slogan, and it is nutritious. Consumers see the brand name and may not realize the sustainable grains, recycled material packaging, or the reduced carbon footprint of the transportation in getting the product to the shelf – they see food. Kellogg Company does not fulfill every stakeholder need.Investors saw stock prices drop because of economic depression worldwide, the steady decline of the demand for breakfast products, and the market trends lean toward more nutritious sn ack foods. Kellogg Company acknowledged the change in vision and scope, adjusting to adapt to new ideas and performing a gap analysis at the end of 2011. Kellogg Company diversified their portfolio of products, acquiring Pringles Brand snacks, and presented the second quarter financial results report to investors with solid, forward-looking statements and projections or the remaining fiscal year along with a projection for the years to come. Kellogg Company is a solid investment. Mutual fund managers considering Kellogg Company inclusion to a portfolio will benefit the client with an organization that truly has earned accolades and achievements for diversity and expansion goals as well as awards for civic, global, and environmental awareness. Representing the Olympics in 2012 is another achievement and excellent approach to sponsor good health and habits on a global scale. References Kellogg Company. (2012).Kellogg Company Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://newsroom. kelloggcompany. com Kellogg Company. (2012). Kellogg’s Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved from http://kelloggcorporateresponsibility. com/ Kellogg Company. (2012). The Official Corporate Home Page of Kellogg's. Retrieved from http://www. kelloggcompany. com Nickels, W. G. , McHugh, J. M. , & McHugh, S. (2010). Understanding Business (9th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Yukl, G. A. (2010). Leadership In Organizations (7th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Wyndor Glass Co. Research Paper

18 Chapter Two Linear Programming: Basic Concepts 2. 1 A CASE STUDY: THE WYNDOR GLASS CO. PRODUCT-MIX PROBLEM Jim Baker is excited. The group he heads has really hit the jackpot this time. They have had some notable successes in the past, but he feels that this one will be really special. He can hardly wait for the reaction after his memorandum reaches top management. Jim has had an excellent track record during his seven years as manager of new product development for the Wyndor Glass Company.Although the company is a small one, it has been experiencing considerable growth largely because of the innovative new products developed by Jim’s group. Wyndor’s president, John Hill, has often acknowledged publicly the key role that Jim has played in the recent success of the company. Therefore, John felt considerable confidence six months ago in asking Jim’s group to develop the following new products: †¢ An 8-foot glass door with aluminum framing. †¢ A 4-foot 6-foot double-hung, wood-framed window.Although several other companies already had products meeting these specifications, John felt that Jim would be able to work his usual magic in introducing exciting new features that would establish new industry standards. Now, Jim can’t remove the smile from his face. They have done it. Background The Wyndor Glass Co. produces high-quality glass products, including windows and glass doors that feature handcrafting and the finest workmanship. Although the products are expensive, they fill a market niche by providing the highest quality available in the industry for the most discriminating buyers. The company has three plants.Plant 1 produces aluminum frames and hardware. Plant 2 produces wood frames. Plant 3 produces the glass and assembles the windows and doors. Because of declining sales for certain products, top management has decided to revamp the company’s product line. Unprofitable products are being discontinued, releasing production capacity to launch the two new products developed by Jim Baker’s group if management approves their release. The 8-foot glass door requires some of the production capacity in Plants 1 and 3, but not Plant 2. The 4-foot 6-foot double-hung window needs only Plants 2 and 3. Management now needs to address two issues: 1.Should the company go ahead with launching these two new products? 2. If so, what should be the product mix—the number of units of each produced per week— for the two new products? Management’s Discussion of the Issues Having received Jim Baker’s memorandum describing the two new products, John Hill now has called a meeting to discuss the current issues. In addition to John and Jim, the meeting includes Bill Tasto, vice president for manufacturing, and Ann Lester, vice president for marketing. Let’s eavesdrop on the meeting. John Hill (president): Bill, we will want to rev up to start production of these products as s oon as we can.About how much production output do you think we can achieve? Bill Tasto (vice president for manufacturing): We do have a little available production capacity, because of the products we are discontinuing, but not a lot. We should be able to achieve a production rate of a few units per week for each of these two products. John: Is that all? Bill: Yes. These are complicated products requiring careful crafting. And, as I said, we don’t have much production capacity available. An Application Vignette Swift & Company is a diversified protein-producing business based in Greeley, Colorado.With annual sales of over $8 billion, beef and related products are by far the largest portion of the company’s business. To improve the company’s sales and manufacturing performance, upper management concluded that it needed to achieve three major objectives. One was to enable the company’s customer service representatives to talk to their more than 8,000 custom ers with accurate information about the availability of current and future inventory while considering requested delivery dates and maximum product age upon delivery. A second was to produce an efficient shift-level schedule for each plant over a 28-day horizon.A third was to accurately determine whether a plant can ship a requested order-line-item quantity on the requested date and time given the availability of cattle and constraints on the plant’s capacity. To meet these three challenges, a management science team developed an integrated system of 45 linear programming models based on three model formulations to dynamically schedule its beef-fabrication operations at five plants in real time as it receives orders. The total audited benefits realized in the first year of operation of this system were $12. 74 million, including $12 million due to optimizing the product mix.Other benefits include a reduction in orders lost, a reduction in price discounting, and better on-time delivery. Source: A. Bixby, B. Downs, and M. Self, â€Å"A Scheduling and Capable-to-Promise Application for Swift & Company, Interfaces 36, no. 1 (January–February 2006), pp. 69–86. The issue is to find the most profitable mix of the two new products. John: Ann, will we be able to sell several of each per week? Ann Lester (vice president for marketing): Easily. John: OK, good. I would like to set the launch date for these products in six weeks. Bill and Ann, is that feasible? Bill: Yes.Ann: We’ll have to scramble to give these products a proper marketing launch that soon. But we can do it. John: Good. Now there’s one more issue to resolve. With this limited production capacity, we need to decide how to split it between the two products. Do we want to produce the same number of both products? Or mostly one of them? Or even just produce as much as we can of one and postpone launching the other one for a little while? Jim Baker (manager of new product dev elopment): It would be dangerous to hold one of the products back and give our competition a chance to scoop us. Ann: I agree.Furthermore, launching them together has some advantages from a marketing standpoint. Since they share a lot of the same special features, we can combine the advertising for the two products. This is going to make a big splash. John: OK. But which mixture of the two products is going to be most profitable for the company? Bill: I have a suggestion. John: What’s that? Bill: A couple times in the past, our Management Science Group has helped us with these same kinds of product-mix decisions, and they’ve done a good job. They ferret out all the relevant data and then dig into some detailed analysis of the issue.I’ve found their input very helpful. And this is right down their alley. John: Yes, you’re right. That’s a good idea. Let’s get our Management Science Group working on this issue. Bill, will you coordinate with th em? The meeting ends. The Management Science Group Begins Its Work At the outset, the Management Science Group spends considerable time with Bill Tasto to clarify the general problem and specific issues that management wants addressed. A particular concern is to ascertain the appropriate objective for the problem from management’s viewpoint.Bill points out that John Hill posed the issue as determining which mixture of the two products is going to be most profitable for the company. 19 20 Chapter Two Linear Programming: Basic Concepts Therefore, with Bill’s concurrence, the group defines the key issue to be addressed as follows. Question: Which combination of production rates (the number of units produced per week) for the two new products would maximize the total profit from both of them? The group also concludes that it should consider all possible combinations of production rates of both new products permitted by the available production capacities in the three plant s.For example, one alternative (despite Jim Baker’s and Ann Lester’s objections) is to forgo producing one of the products for now (thereby setting its production rate equal to zero) in order to produce as much as possible of the other product. (We must not neglect the possibility that maximum profit from both products might be attained by producing none of one and as much as possible of the other. ) The Management Science Group next identifies the information it needs to gather to conduct this study: 1. Available production capacity in each of the plants. 2.How much of the production capacity in each plant would be needed by each product. 3. Profitability of each product. Concrete data are not available for any of these quantities, so estimates have to be made. Estimating these quantities requires enlisting the help of key personnel in other units of the company. Bill Tasto’s staff develops the estimates that involve production capacities. Specifically, the sta ff estimates that the production facilities in Plant 1 needed for the new kind of doors will be available approximately four hours per week. (The rest of the time Plant 1 will continue with current products. The production facilities in Plant 2 will be available for the new kind of windows about 12 hours per week. The facilities needed for both products in Plant 3 will be available approximately 18 hours per week. The amount of each plant’s production capacity actually used by each product depends on its production rate. It is estimated that each door will require one hour of production time in Plant 1 and three hours in Plant 3. For each window, about two hours will be needed in Plant 2 and two hours in Plant 3. By analyzing the cost data and the pricing decision, the Accounting Department estimates the profit from the two products.The projection is that the profit per unit will be $300 for the doors and $500 for the windows. Table 2. 1 summarizes the data now gathered. The Management Science Group recognizes this as being a classic product-mix problem. Therefore, the next step is to develop a mathematical model—that is, a linear programming model—to represent the problem so that it can be solved mathematically. The next four sections focus on how to develop this model and then how to solve it to find the most profitable mix between the two products, assuming the estimates in Table 2. 1 are accurate.Review Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. What is the market niche being filled by the Wyndor Glass Co.? What were the two issues addressed by management? The Management Science Group was asked to help analyze which of these issues? How did this group define the key issue to be addressed? What information did the group need to gather to conduct its study? TABLE 2. 1 Data for the Wyndor Glass Co. Product-Mix Problem Plant 1 2 3 Unit profit Production Time Used for Each Unit Produced Doors 1 hour 0 3 hours $300 Windows 0 2 hours 2 hours $500 Available per Week 4 hours 12 hours 18 hours