Main objectives of PPC in inventories

The addition of inventory degree may ensue in addition of client demand although the keeping costs are frequently at really high degree the sum and cost non estimated at minimal degree. Concentrating on the minimum cost as a consequence cause neglecting to provide the client demand and its effect is loss for the company. Production is the driving force to which most other maps reacts in any fabrication activity. Particularly with stock lists as it exists because of the demands of production. Like all other fabrication controls, is to lend to the net incomes of the endeavor it is besides ultimate aim of production planning and control. Customers are satisfied through the meeting of bringing agendas and it establishes inventory direction and control. The purposes of production planning and control are to set up paths and agendas for work that will guarantee the optimal use of stuffs, workers, and machines and to supply the agencies for guaranting the operation of the works in conformity with these programs. In production planning and control, the four basic stages of control easy identified. The program for the processing of stuffs through the works established through the maps of procedure planning, burden, and scheduling. The map of despatching puts the program into consequence ; that is, operations started in conformity with the works. Actual public presentation compared to the planned public presentation and action taken when needed restorative. In some instances, re-planning is necessary to guarantee the effectual use of the fabrication installations and forces. Procedure Planning ( Routing ) is the finding of where each operation on a component portion, subassembly, or assembly is to be performed consequences in a path for the motion of a fabrication batch through the mill. Prior finding of these paths is the occupation of the fabrication technology map. Loading is one time the path has been established, the work required can be loaded against the selected machine or workstation. The entire clip required to execute the operation is computed by multiplying the unit operation times given on the standard procedure sheet by the figure of parts to be processed. This entire clip is so added to the work already planned for the workstation. This is the map of burden, and it consequences in a tabulated list or chart demoing the planned use of the machines or workstations in the works. Scheduling is the last of the planning maps. It determines when an operation is to be performed, or when work is to be completed ; the difference lies in the item of the scheduling process. In a centralised control state of affairs – where all procedure planning, burden, and scheduling for the works are done in a cardinal office- the inside informations of the agenda may stipulate the starting and finishing clip for an operation. On the other manus, the cardinal agenda may merely give a completion clip for the work in a given section. Uniting Functions is itself a full procedure. While it is easy to specify â€Å" where † as procedure planning, â€Å" how much work † as burden, and â€Å" when as programming, in existent operations these three maps are frequently combined and performed at the same time. How far in progress paths, tonss, and agendas should be established ever presents an interesting job. Obviously, it is desirable that a lower limit of alterations be made after agendas are established. This nonsubjective can be approached if the sum of work scheduled for the mill or section is equal to or somewhat greater than the fabrication rhythm. For optimal control, it should ne'er be less than the fabrication rhythm. Authorizing the start of an operation on the store floor is the map of despatching. This map may be centralized or decentralized. Again utilizing our machine-shop illustration, the departmental starter would authorise the start of each of the three machine operations – three despatch actions based on the chief ‘s routing and programming of the work through his section. This is de-centralized dispatching. In the fabrication activity of a works is said to be â€Å" in control † when the existent public presentation is within the aims of the planned public presentation. When occupations started and completed on agenda, there should be really small, if any, concern about the meeting of committednesss. Optimum operation of the works, nevertheless attained merely if the original program has been carefully prepared to use the fabrication installations to the full and efficaciously. Corrective action is the anchor of any production planning and control activity. A works in which all fabrication activity runs on agenda in all chance non being scheduled to its optimal productive capacity. With an optimal agenda, fabrication holds are the regulation, non the exclusion. Re-planning non a disciplinary action, it revises paths, tonss, and agendas ; a new program is developed. In fabrication, this is frequently required. Changes in market conditions, fabricating methods, or many other factors impacting the works will frequently bespeak that a new fabrication program needed. Factors impacting production planning and control affects the application of production planning and control to fabrication are the same as the factors we have already discussed that affect stock list direction and control. The complexness of the merchandise that is of import, non what the merchandise is, except as this may in bend relate to the market served. Production control processs are much more complex and affect many more records in the industry of big steam turbine generator sets or engines to client orders so in the production of big measures of a standard merchandise affecting merely a few constituent parts, such as electric covers, steam chainss, or similar little contraptions. Type of fabrication is likely the most influential factor in the control state of affairs. For a big uninterrupted fabrication works bring forthing a standard merchandise, we have already indicated that the routing was included in the planning of the works layout. Though no production control map eliminated, the least control that consequences in effectual operation of the mill is the best control. It must retrieve that production planning and control systems should be tools of direction. The aim is non an elaborate and elaborate system of controls and records, but instead, the optimal operation of the works for maximal net incomes. Production planning and control systems accent on the control of work-in-process, the system will in consequence tie together all old records and signifiers developed in all planning for the industry of the merchandise. Value to production planning and control is that it will bespeak future tendencies in demand for manufactured merchandise. Work shift policies, plans for an addition or lessening in fabrication activity, or possible works enlargements may frequently based upon the market prognosiss, in bend affect the planning of the production planning, and control group. Blueprints and measures of stuffs used by production planning and control when they become a component portion of the packaged instructions issued to the store through the control office. One good planning process is to roll up all necessary informations for a store order in a individual bundle the standard procedure sheet, the design, the measure of stuff ( if an assembly operation is involved ) , the path sheet, and perchance the agenda for the production of the order. The store order, the standard procedure sheet, and the path sheet are frequently one piece of paper- normally called the store order or the fabrication order. Load charts are prepared to demo the productive capacity that has been â€Å" sold † and at the same clip the available productive capacity. These charts may be prepared for each workstation or machine in the works, or they may be for groups of machines or sections. Job tickets authorize the public presentation of single operations in the fabrication procedure. There is no individual form for the organisation of the production planning and control activity. In many little workss, the routing, burden, and scheduling maps may good be included in the responsibilities of the operating line ; the store director, superintended, and supervisors. However, it is hard to unite daily work with equal planning, and as a consequence it is frequently more executable to interrupt away the production planning and control maps and delegate them to qualified specializers. These groups should form as staff subdivisions usually describing to the top fabrication executive. Centralized PPC depends upon the design of the production planning and control system. In a wholly centralised apparatus, finding of transportation promises, analysis of gross revenues, stock, and store orders, readying of paths, burden charts, and agenda charts, and dispatching of work to the store complete with occupation tickets and all other necessary paper would be accomplished by a cardinal production planning and control unit. In add-on, as work is completed, a careful analysis of the existent public presentation would do, and if disciplinary action were required, this group would originate it. In decentralized PPC the program must develop into a elaborate program on the store floor. Some companies are now endeavoring to do each supervisor a director of his ain departmental operation. In these instances, the supervisor furnished with a complete staff for the production planning and control of the activities in the section. Planing Phase indicates some inside informations of the responsibilities involved in the production-planning stage. Working from the basic informations mentioned earlier, the forces in this portion of the activity paths and burden and agenda charts. In Control Phase completed occupation ticket, or its tantamount, is the key to this stage of the production planning and control system. It means of describing from the store floor that indicates that a occupation is completed or if day-to-day occupation tickets turned in, the day-to-day advancement of a occupation can be determined. Good relationships with other maps all the other maps in the endeavor are indispensable to effectual production planning and control. Full cooperation with the selling group is necessary, peculiarly in position of the importance of market conditions and the good will of clients. Both merchandise technology and procedure technology must maintain production planning and control informed as to their programs to avoid the industry of goods either to incorrect specifications or by an improper method. The cost of the control system in relation to the value of goods shipped is another possibility. Again, nevertheless, this may non be sound: if markets slump, a bad ratio will develop. Many good production planning and control systems have discontinued because of â€Å" high costs † under these conditions- and have ne'er revived after concern lookout up. In a survey of benefits and costs of computerized production planning and control systems, Schroeder et Al. name the undermentioned public presentation standards by which production planning and control systems might judge: Inventory turnover Delivery lead-time Percentage of clip meeting bringing promises Percentage of orders necessitating â€Å" splits † because of unavailable stuff. Number of expeditors Average unit cost. The research subject is Production Planning and Control ( PPC ) with particular accents on Performance Measurement ( PM ) . Proper planning in all countries for any industry like Site Selection, Building, Machinery, Transportation, Availability of Materials, Procurement of Materials, Production, Quality Control, Yield, Efficacy, Performance are the basic entities for endurance and growing. The cardinal axes of all such activities, we capable of reasoning that Production Planning & A ; Control and Performance Measurement is the cardinal axes for all such planning procedures. Bird oculus position of industrial units in under developed states shows a image of less efficiency and output. They have machinery for production, inexpensive labor, and handiness of inexpensive natural stuffs. However, no good output and efficiency attained. This is merely because there is no proper consideration on Production Planning & A ; Control and Performance Measurement if they focus on, Site Choice Building Machinery Transportation system Handiness of Materials Procurement of Materials Production Quality Control Output Efficacy Performance of both machine and working force This research work analyzed the assorted factors, which are important for planing the production planning and control cheque, listed out the factors act uponing the pick of production procedure. It besides explained the design of production system and fabrication procedure establishes the basic grounds and causes those effects of PPC and PM in industrial sector. It described the benefits, which a little enterpriser can harvest by holding decently designed production planning, and control system. More over it established the relationship between PPC and PM. Precise aims of production planning and control are to establish paths and program for work that will do certain the optimal disbursement of stuffs, workers, and machines and to supply the agencies for guaranting the operation of the works in harmoniousness with these programs. The factors that influence the application of production planning and control to fabrication are the same as the factors that affect stock list direction and control. Equally for as the public presentation measuring concerned in an administration there is a mechanism to pull off and command the public presentation, measuring called public presentation measuring system ( PMS ) . The administrations that use PMS as the footing for its operations and development, the wellness of the administration depends on the effectivity of the production direction system. Performance is a complex undertaking that spans the whole administration for procedure of reexamining. Involving the appropriate individuals to pass sufficient clip to reexamine the production direction system is a dearly-won exercising. However, it is really of import to the uninterrupted accommodation of the concern and its public presentation orientation in today ‘s markets. A good production direction system, reappraisal procedure, seeks the right balance between the administration benefits and the attempts required. The public presentation measuring system for any industry in under developed states requires developing and reexamining at a figure of different degrees as the state of affairs alterations. The public presentation measuring system should include an effectual mechanism for reexamining and revising marks and criterions. The public presentation measuring system should include a procedure for developing single steps as public presentation and fortunes alteration. The public presentation measuring system should include a procedure for sporadically reexamining and revising the complete set of steps in usage. This should make to co-occur with alterations in either the competitory environment or strategic way. The public presentation measuring system should used to dispute the strategic premises. It besides found out that the procedure squad is normally responsible for reappraisal the consequences and study to the procedure proprietor. The reappraisal trades largely with operational indexs. Although the consequences of the reappraisals reported to the procedure proprietor, in order to work out possible jobs or better procedures, the model extremely encourages the coaction between different procedure proprietors. At this degree, the procedure proprietor can amend operational indexs, guaranting their alliance to strategic indexs. Any alterations, even minor, will alter the system ( impact on the PM system design ) and later the execution process in footings of informations aggregation, IT considerations ( if any ) , describing and so on ( impact on execution ) . This attack, Specify the frequence, format, and duty. The frequence of reappraisal, format in which informations are gathered and individual ( s ) who is/are responsible for this identified Monitor and command the procedure. Once the needed information gathered, it monitored in a manner demoing whether the procedure is under control and traveling towards the marks set for the indexs. If any accommodations are required, the attacks defined in the following stairss will be helpful. In this attack, one needs to name the most critical facets of the job and to find the root causes of the job. Once the root causes of the jobs identified, redresss should be proposed and implemented. Following that, it must guarantee that the solutions are effectual and similar jobs will non make. There are figure of tools and techniques for monitoring, commanding, look intoing and job resolution. These can include, Effect diagram and cause Run chart Scatter diagram Flow chart Pareto chart Histogram Control chart There are seven direction tools identified during research work which can assist in PMS Affinity diagram Interrelationship digram Tree diagram Prioritisation grid Matrix diagram Process determination plan chart Activity web diagram In today ‘s quickly germinating and altering market place, flexibleness considered indispensable to the fight of any administration. To this terminal, it is of import that a company possesses the ability to alter its strategic orientation as times dictate. Therefore, the periodic reappraisal of its strategic indexs is important. This reappraisal will measure the overall public presentation of the administration at the strategic degree. One of the chief inputs to this reappraisal procedure is information from the operational indexs degree. This information is indispensable, if accommodations needed to the strategic index degree, since it can supply the platform for executing statistical and other relevant analyses. The chief considerations for it are: In accomplishing its strategic aims effectivity of the administration The cogency of any hypotheses sing organizational public presentation developed during the design phases of the public presentation measuring system ; The cogency of possible relationship amongst public presentation indexs The Executive Team will be in charge for this sort of reappraisal. As mentioned before, the impact of any alterations in steps should see in the PMS design and execution consequently. Due to the presence of the Executive Team, any elements of the generic PMS design attack can change. However, for most administrations altering the way so often seems to be improbable. Changing the organizational way can be cardinal alterations that may necessitate re-design of the system. Therefore, if the administration is making good, merely some amendments in steps and procedures might be required. During the research work, it concluded that the reappraisal of the strategic indexs might hold a diverse impact on the PMS. In the executive squad meeting ( the same squad that defines the strategic indexs ) if it becomes obvious that the administration fails to travel efficaciously towards its strategic aims so the causes should be analysed and might include: Under-performance at a lower degree Strategic aims are non communicated efficaciously Strategic aims have non been defined decently Validity/Relevance of the aims It is obvious that depending on the issue identified the class of action should be different for each single instance. The supports tools that may be used include the antecedently mentioned tools plus more specifically the followers: Swerve analysis tools a† Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Control Charts Relationship analysis Tools a† Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Correlation analysis, Multivariate analysis, Cause and consequence diagrams, Pareto charts Checking the consistence of the PMS communicating a† Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Departmental studies and input Overall Review tends to be in an one-year footing, in which the followers considerations taken into history, The cogency of the mission and vision statements Whether the company ‘s strategic aim still back up the mission and vision of the administration There are figure of support tools used for the overall reappraisal of the PMS which are larger scale reappraisal tools that affect the overall organizational way and orientation. To this terminal they can be categorised as internal tools, i.e. tools that compare the organizational public presentation to a set criterion of practise, and external tools, i.e. tools that concentrate on comparing the organizational public presentation to rivals and good or best-practice administrations.RECCOMENDATIONSEver in production planning procedure see two chief aims To fulfilling client demand To accomplishment of the lowest cost Procedure planning ( Routing ) must be required for production planning and control Loading the work required against the selected machine or workstation Scheduling for the inventry for be aftering maps Uniting maps in a full procedure Dispatching i-e. authorising the start of an operation on the store floor should be seasonably Reporting or follow – up for all procedures, production and public presentations Corrective actions for production planning and control extremely recmended Re-planning factors for all sercomstances Issues which can impacting production planning and control Type of Merchandise Type of Manufacturing Production Planning and Control Procedures followed Production Planning and Control Systems followed Market prognosis ever checked before get downing production Gross saless order should stipulate that what has coustomer has purchased Stock order should stipulate that what has left over in stock Shop order should stipulate that what is pipe line for fabrication Standard procedure sheet generated Engineering specifications considered and maintained Route sheet ever followed Load Charts formulated Job Tickets assighned In an organisation there should be no individual form for the organisation of the production planning and control activity Centralized Production Planning and Control for certain procedures Decentralized Production Planning and Control harmonizing to state of affairs and requirments Good relationships with other maps in an organisation Measurement of effectiveness vision, mission and planning on a regular basis Site Selection should be made in conformity with handiness of natural stuffs, work force and transit Building made harmonizing to demands and forecosted upon 10 old ages future requirmants Machinery should be up dated Transportation system of stuffs and merchandises through quick services Handiness of Materials ever on a regular basis checked Procurement of Materials in conformity with order Production planning and control should be practical Quality Control is your basic undertaking Output should be checked on a regular basis Efficacy of mashines and homo maintained Performance of both machine and working force moniteredRECCOMENDATIONSThe public presentation measuring system should include an effectual mechanism for reexamining and revising marks and criterions. The public presentation measuring system should include a procedure for developing single steps as public presentation and fortunes alteration. The public presentation measuring system should include a procedure for sporadically reexamining and revising the complete set of steps in usage. This should make to co-occur with alterations in either the competitory environment or strategic way. The public presentation measuring system should used to dispute the strategic premises. There are figure of tools and techniques for monitoring, commanding, look intoing and job resolution and they be considered, Effect diagram and cause Run chart Scatter diagram Flow chart Pareto chart Histogram Control chart There are seven direction tools identified during research work, which can assist in PMS, and used by organisations / establishments for public presentation measuring. Affinity diagram Interrelationship digram Tree diagram Prioritisation grid Matrix diagram Process determination plan chart Activity web diagram In the executive squad meeting if an fails to travel efficaciously towards its strategic aims so the causes should be analysed and might include: Under-performance at a lower degree Strategic aims are non communicated efficaciously Strategic aims have non been defined decently Validity/Relevance of the aims The supports tools for the class of action should besides include, Swerve analysis tools a† Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Control Charts Relationship analysis Tools a† Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Correlation analysis, Multivariate analysis, Cause and consequence diagrams, Pareto charts Checking the consistence of the PMS communicating a† Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Departmental studies and input Always check the cogency of the mission and vision statements and the company ‘s strategic aim still back up the mission and vision of the administration.

The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States

This year, it was estimated that at least 500,000 people in the United States have already died of AIDS since the disease first surfaced in the 1980s. This figure was said to be the equivalent of the entire population of Las Vegas. In 2008, meanwhile, there were at least 1 million people in the US who are living with HIV/AIDS.What is dangerous is that about a fifth of them do not know they have the disease. Such ignorance worsens the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US by greatly increasing the risk of onward transmission (AVERT n. pag.).Experts pointed out that despite these alarming statistics, the US government’s efforts towards HIV prevention and treatment remained unsuccessful. For one, stigma and discrimination towards HIV-positive individuals continue to persist.In addition, thousands of uninsured Americans still do not have access to necessary health services such as antiretroviral therapy. As a result, the country’s HIV/AIDS epidemic keeps on claiming more lives â€⠀œ approximately 56,000 Americans are infected with HIV every year (AVERT n. pag.).Contrary to stereotypes, HIV/AIDS affects all sectors of American society. The misconception that the disease affects only homosexuals and drug dependents stemmed from the fact that in the early years of the epidemic, majority of HIV-positive individuals in the US were homosexuals, intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and Haitian immigrants.However, the demographics of people living with HIV/AIDS have changed over the succeeding years. At present, sectors including heterosexual whites, African-Americans and Hispanics are already vulnerable to the ailment (AVERT n. pag.).As of 2007, African-Americans constituted about 12% of the total population of the US. But an estimated 49% of them were diagnosed with HIV in the same year. Health experts consider this to be very ironic, given that several well-known African-Americans such as anchorman Max Robinson, tennis player Arthur Ashe and rapper Eazy-E died of AIDS in the 1980s and the 1990s.But neither are they surprised – denial of the existence of HIV/AIDS still persists among African-Americans. This forswearing stems from the fact that among African-Americans, openly talking about sensitive subjects like sexuality, premarital sex and drug use are still seen as taboo (AVERT n. pag.).Although there has been a decline in the overall number of AIDS-related deaths in the US at the start of the 21st century, AIDS-related deaths among Hispanics during this period remained relatively stable. Hispanics made up about 19% of the country’s total population in 2007, but around 15% of this figure is believed to be living with AIDS.Health experts attribute this situation to language barriers, social structures, migration patterns and lack of regular health care services (AVERT n. pag.). These factors expose Hispanics to high-risk behaviors that will ultimately lead to AIDS, such as unprotected sex and drug abuse.Despite the fact that no sector of American society is safe from HIV/AIDS, homosexuals remain to be one of the most vulnerable groups. In 2007, about two-thirds of male adolescents and adults who were diagnosed with HIV were homosexuals.This figure was said to be the result of unprotected sex among an increasing number of homosexuals. According to experts, most homosexuals are complacent about condom use because they believe in the misconception that antiretroviral drugs cure HIV/AIDS.This erroneous belief is not without fatal consequences – it was estimated in 2008 that HIV/AIDS diagnoses among homosexuals between 2001 and 2006 increased by 8.6% (AVERT n. pag.).Critics pointed out that the US government did not spend enough money on HIV/AIDS prevention measures. In October 2007, Congress reduced the country’s federal AIDS prevention budget for the 2008 fiscal year by $692 million (the reduction was initially announced as $3 million) – a move that would further keep cheap and or free antiretroviral drugs out of reach of indigent AIDS patients (AVERT n. pag.).Furthermore, the US refused to cooperate with the United Nations in the latter’s programs to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. The US, for instance, blocked the UN’s anti-HIV/AIDS program of providing drug dependents access to clean needles.Officials at the US State Department justified this decision by arguing that this program might be misinterpreted as an endorsement of drug abuse by providing dependents with a place to inject drugs (GlobalHealthReporting.org n. pag.).Simply put, the US believes that the only way for drug dependents to avoid HIV/AIDS is to completely abstain from drugs. But studies show that a drug dependent will undergo relapse at least four times before becoming fully rehabilitated (DrugLibrary.org n. pag.).The UN’s point in launching the anti-HIV/AIDS program is that while drug dependents are ridding themselves of their habit, steps might as well be taken to ensure tha t they are healthy. After all, what is the point of getting rehabilitated from drug abuse when one ends up HIV-positive afterwards?How is the US currently dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in its own turf? For one, not all schools in the country provide HIV/AIDS education. Those that do adopt a curriculum that falls into one of the following categories – abstinence-only, abstinence-plus or comprehensive.As a result, students are provided incomplete and even inaccurate information about HIV/AIDS. Even schools that provide the most comprehensive HIV/AIDS education reportedly fail to provide or gloss over important information (AVERT n. pag.).In the end, it is still the young people who pay the heaviest price for such errors. Their ignorance about HIV/AIDS renders them vulnerable to the disease when they start having sexual relations later in life as adults.It also doesn’t help that whatever information they will learn about HIV/AIDS are mostly in the form of myths †“ HIV could be transmitted from kissing, HIV is small enough to pass through the pores in latex condoms, only homosexuals could acquire the disease, etc. (AVERT n. pag.)In addition, the US government focused so much on encouraging as many people as possible to undergo HIV testing that they failed to inform people regarding guidelines surrounding the procedure. In busy clinics and hospitals, for instance, patients â€Å"may not be properly informed that they are being tested for HIV or that they have the right to refuse the test† (AVERT n. pag.).Formalities such as the need for written consent and lengthy pre-test prevention counseling also discourage people from taking HIV testing (AVERT n. pag.). Furthermore, health experts failed to recognize social and cultural factors behind a patient’s reluctance to undergo HIV testing.Ethnic minorities in the US must be educated about HIV/AIDS in such a manner that their religious and or cultural sensibilities are recognized â €“ before lecturing African-Americans about practicing safe sex, for instance, they must first be given the assurance that openly discussing sex is not shameful as their culture dictates.If the US wants to put a stop to its HIV/AIDS epidemic, it must first put an end to its inconsistent and shortsighted anti-HIV/AIDS measures. All schools must be required to provide comprehensive HIV/AIDS education to its students. â€Å"Comprehensive HIV/AIDS education,† however, means complete and objective information about the disease.Students are provided options on how to avoid HIV/AIDS, whether through abstinence or through condoms.Second, the US government must spend more money on health care services for AIDS patients and for HIV/AIDS research. Studies show that as long as they have consistent access to proper health care services, AIDS patients can still live long and healthy lives despite their illness.Lastly, public health and social workers must educate people about HIV/AIDS in such a manner that their personal, religious and or cultural concerns about the disease are addressed. People must be given the assurance that openly discussing HIV/AIDS, sexuality and other related topics does not make them promiscuous.Indeed, what makes HIV/AIDS a very sensitive subject is that discussing it touches other taboo subjects such as drug use and sex. But in the context of the disease, ignorance kills. People may hide in stereotypes, but HIV/AIDS does not. HIV/AIDS asks only one thing: â€Å"Are you human?†

Antigone Essay Example for Free (#3)

Antigone Essay Essay Topic: Oedipus Choose cite format: APA MLA Harvard Chicago ASA IEEE AMA company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints Evil not only fascinates people in general, but writers as well. In what ways and with what effect has â€Å"evil† been treated in Antigone? In the play of ‘Antigone’, evil appears in many forms. There is the soldier who is a traitor to his nation; the sister trying to prove her love for her family yet ends up breaking the law; the king who so eagerly tries to stop rule-breakers yet he himself neglects his flesh and blood. Here the difference of the two works is seen: The Earth of Mankind gives the impression that characters of power possess evil, whereas in Antigone, evil can be inside all of these opposing individuals. Polyneices, a soldier who fought against his own nation was to be punished as a traitor by not burying him after his death. When his sister, Antigone, goes against the King’s decree and burry Polyneices, she was also seen as a traitor to her country. However their other sibling, Ismene, who sits at home as Antigone fights for her brother’s right, is also said to have performed a crime of being a traitor to her family. Now something we can see from here is that each and every character involved in the story so far possesses evil. This message is summed up by Sophocles in page 204 of the book, in Ode 1, where it says, ‘O fate of man, working both good and evil! ’ What the writer is trying to convey here is more realistic than what is said in ‘The Earth of Mankind’; both evil and good is naturally inside everyone’s mind. It is one’s choice to do which, but performing a crime is inevitable. Everyone has his or her own ‘evil’ deeds, not only the powerful ones. As seen in my previous explanation on who performs evil deeds in the play of ‘Antigone’, we can see that one evil act leads to another, whereas the chain of good doings ends sooner. Eteocles, who was a soldier and a brother to Antigone, fought bravely for his nation and was buried with honor by the King. Although many respect him for his virtuosity, the play didn’t show that further kindness was done because of him. However, when Polyneices betrays his nation and fought against it, a number of people are forced to perform evil in his affect. Antigone had to break the law in order to give him his right of getting a burial. Ismene, who was too scared to go against the decree, was said to be a traitor to her family, as she didn’t come to assist Antigone in her mission. They then cause Creon to imprison the sisters, punish them, which then cause him to have a fight with his son. Creon then causes death of Haimon, and therefore leads to the suicide of the Queen. On page 243, the messenger says, ‘†¦and her last breath was a curse for their father, the murderer of her sons. ’ A number of misfortunes occur as being the result of one act of evil. The play now gives the effect that evil gives more negative outcomes in comparison to good giving positive results. Here, evil is powerful enough to make such a big impact on its surrounding; bigger than the good. Creon sees Antigone as a traitor to his rules, despite her reasons. Creon imprisoned both Antigone and Ismene for the burial of the nation’s traitor, Polyneices, who is their brother. It is true that Antigone has broken the law, but according to her logic, it is more important to follow the rules of the Gods than the King. She feels that the dead, no matter what they did in their lives, deserve respect and be buried, and that it was her duty to do so as Polyneices’ sister. She didn’t care that she is breaking the decree, and may be punished to die, as long as this task is done. Creon, being a non-believer of the Gods in the beginning, thinks that breaking the law is crime, no matter for what purpose. Polyneices was a traitor and he suffers because of himself, thus no one should help him. On page 211, Creon even said to Antigone, ‘An enemy is an enemy, even dead. ’ There is truth in both arguments, and no one can say what is right. Here, the play depicts that the existence of evil depends on how one views it. ‘Antigone’ treats evil as a subjective topic, where it may be seen as a crime from one point of view, but is actually a good deed from another. No evil deed is done without a reason, and the play shows that one should explore, not only what crime has been done, but also why it was done. Antigone. (2018, Nov 02).

Week 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 2 - Assignment Example â€Å"war game† situation in which the enemy (Red Team) attempts to hack and infiltrate its information system either to get some valuable data or destroy its enemys data to render it useless and make the enemy incapable of any coherent response. It is an exercise in assessing a capability to respond to an attack. The Red Team attacks a designated enemys information security systems to test its own capability of carrying out an attack and also to test the ability of the Blue Team to defend against such an attack (Mejia, 2008, para. 2). While merely simulated, there is great value in an exercise like this because it allows both teams and the top management people to think of entire network security and see it in a wholistic manner rather than be bogged down in parochial interests. The Red Team thinks like an outsider and looks for any vulnerabilities they can exploit in the existing information security system infrastructure of their designated target. The Blue Team defending is also benefited because it learns of security holes in the system and becomes alert and vigilant. In a larger sense, the Red Team is more valuable because it can give top management people warning to not be complacent or take things for granted and so any flaws discovered in this exercise must be fixed immediately. This is similar to the white hat versus black hat exercises in which black hats are the hackers and white hats are the defenders (Bokotey et al., 2003, p. 432). Mejia, R. (2008, April 27). â€Å"Red team, blue team: How to run an effective simulation.† Network World. Retrieved August 14, 2014 from

Black Elk Speaks by John Gneisenau Niehardt Essay

Black Elk Speaks by John Gneisenau Niehardt - Essay Example The power of the play is not simply that it's superbly written drama but that it's all true (Dramatic Publishing Online Catalog)". Theatrical performance of the book has many significant features which determine the character of the play, and these features play rather important role for spectators' perception of the performance. I will discuss the theme and the main concept of the play by Niehardt's book Black Elk, the costumes of main characters and the lighting of the stage in different parts of the play, as well as its some significant moments. I will also access possible participation of some Hollywood actors in this play. 2. The theme of the play is the mix of some important themes of the book. So, it can be a mix of autobiographical theme and elegy, as it tells about tragic destiny of one of the most famous Indian tribes, and American Indians in general. The play should show the most important moments of the novel and to uncover the nature of the narration. The book consists of twenty-five chapters, and it is impossible to show the whole plot of the novel. The main concept of the play is to show the tragedy of Native Americans and to make spectators think of their historical legacy. Naturalism in some moments and symbolism of the whole play will influence spectators' perception of the performance. ... cter of the play is autobiographic narration of the main character, Black Elk, about his life, mystical visions which took place in his mind and performance reflection of these visions on the stage. The play will show a transition of the Indian tribe to reservation culture and reflect the influence of historical events on personal world perception. This transition will be displayed through the voice and views of Black Elk, as the main character of the play, as Glen Vanderbilt, professor of theater noted, "That voice reminds us of tradition and culture and asks for peace, justice and hope. Our stage production seeks to join that voice and remind our audience not only what was lost, but also what may still be" (At Ohio Wesleyan University Online). In addition to that, the play will show great life experience of Black Elk until the end of independence of American Indians, personal tragedy and tragedy of the whole world of Native Americans faced European invasion. 3. Costumes take one of the first places in the performance. They play one of the most important roles in historical period features reflection. A costume is the integral part of any play, especially that of historical character. So, a costumer must use all the features of a costume to show colours of that historical epoch. The director of the play will show all the variety of costumes features concerning particular play and time the action takes place, especially if it can help to underline the plot and the color of the time. I think that the characters will dress costumes which would resemble Indians' attire of that time, including important difference signs of some tribe members. So, Black Elk's costume will underline his status of a holy man, Whirlwind Chaser's costume will tell spectators that he is a

Literary theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Literary theories - Essay Example (Rivkin & Ryan 2004) Feminist thought and practice analyzes the production of literature and literary representation within the framework that includes all social and cultural formations as they pertain to the role of women in history. Feminist literary theory is multifaceted and dynamic. It is often described merely as the use of feminist principles and techniques to evaluate the textual constructions of gendered meaning. But feminists definitions of gender and of feminism are constantly changing and evolving. Literary theorists have adopted and transformed these definitions, and created an increasingly complex field of study. (Keating, 2002) 1. Bourgeois: Virginia Woolf asserts that women have not been able to write because of the prevalent social conditions that acted as a barrier between them and writing. The Madwoman in the Attic is a seminal work in feminist literature theory. Here Gilbert and Gubar agree with Woolf in her view that women writers of the nineteenth century were restricted in their writing to create their female characters either to personify the ideal woman (angel) or the deviant new woman (monster).(Gilbert &Gubar, 1979) as it was taboo for women to write in the nineteenth century it may be construed that feminist writers were regarded as an aberration of true feminity (angel) or a "madwoman" Gilbert and Gubar asserted that women writers should strive for an identity beyond this type of patriarchal dichotomy. 2. Social or Marxist feminism: This was advocated by Simone de Bouvoir.In her book The Second Sex, Bouvoir stated that social equality between the sexes would result in giving power to women. This would also enable them to create literature of their own. As a socialist feminist she attacks the traditional stereotyping of women in male narratives. 3. French Feminism: This includes a group of feminists including Irigaray who believe that women writing should be drastic in its nature.Luce Irigaray agrees with the French

International Political Economy of Oil and Gas Essay

International Political Economy of Oil and Gas - Essay Example The degree of dependence of the users on the oil and gas and their flexibility to adopt alternative sources of energy under the circumstances of rising oil prices determine the competitive advantage of the major oil exporting nation over the others and the degree of aggression of these economies over other countries due to the competitive advantage in the international economy (Bentley, 2002, p.199). The movement of gas prices in relation to the oil prices, the volume of used of gas and other forms of energy like electricity, solar energy, hydro-electricity used in the economies determine the impact of oil prices on the economies all over the world. In general circumstances, the rise in the oil prices leads to higher amount of national income for the oil exporting countries of the world. According to the recent report of OECD, the prices of oil are expected to soar up to 190 dollars till 2020 in terms of real value of money in today’s economy. Due to the rise in the prices of oil, the net oil importing countries face situations of economic slowdown due to the rigidity in the structure of their economies (Sengupta, 2011, p.35). The minimum wages to be paid to the labours, the cost for importing the oil from the major oil exporters, the degree of economic investments are all affected by the rise of oil prices. The oil importing economies have to transfer more national income to the international oil exporters for importing the same volume of oil. Thus the volume of oil imports tends to decrease in a situation of rising international oil prices (Mankiw, 2011, p.82). This leads to slowdown of investments in the economy of the importing countries. The subsequent implications for the net oil importing countries are inflation in the economy as the supply of goods an d services are not able to meet the demand of the markets. Due to circular flow of money, the

Dealing With Angry Clients Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dealing With Angry Clients - Essay Example I worked part time in a call center a few years back. I dealt with clients in the health insurance field. Most of the calls that I had to deal with included angry clients who had a tendency to voice out their anger over the phone. It was my job to placate them, regardless of my own work related stress. But there are just some clients who refuse to be placated and will complain to higher authorities just because they need to vent out their frustrations on people they don't even personally know. Transition II. Body My department meeting early in the shift already had me stressed out after our team leader informed us that we had to handle at least 150 calls a day, per seat. Not so good news for a part time employee such as me since that meant that I had to handle at least 35 calls an hour within a 4 hour time frame. So you can imagine the stress that the situation placed on me when I finally started my shift. Adding aggravation to an already difficult situation was the fact that I kept getting screaming clients on my line demanding their insurance needs be serviced. Although I did my best to get the job done, one of them still complained to my supervisor about me and demanded that I be retrenched. Needless to say, the situation left me very angry and upset because I felt like I was being harassed on two fronts. My supervisor immediately asked me why I should not be suspended based upon the complaint he received.

NOL Card - Change Management Case Research Paper

NOL Card - Change Management Case - Research Paper Example to work on their technology and infrastructure designed and facilities and for this cause working on roads, building, parking areas, buses, cars, taxi is highly important that needs to be taken care off. The government has given the responsibly to handle the working and operations of buses, roads, and parking areas to RTA. Not only this RTA is also responsible for the traffic signals, the rules and strategic planning of roads, buses, stations, etc in Dubai. NOL card is designed by RTA for using different modes of travelling and parking areas that are designed by RTA. RTA is consistently working to provide ease of travelling to their citizenship and to the people that travels and visits Dubai. For this cause, they have introduced different types of NOL card according to the need and preferences of the travelers. Not only this, but RTA has also introduced the Smart card that is more easy and reliable in use than other card and now RTA has also made agreements with the grocery markets a nd other stores and shopping outlets to use the NOL card for purchasing grocery items and others hopping items thus making the lives of their citizen’s more easy and comfortable. Road Transport Authority (RTA) was formed in November 2005 with the main responsibility of coming up with policies and strategies of transforming the transport system of Dubai. In an effort to achieve its objective RTA introduced the use of NOL cards in public transport system. This is a modern technology that uses a smart card to pay for public transport. These smart cards are of four types including red, silver, gold, and blue with each category tailor-made to fit certain category of clientele. The use of NOL card was recognized by the government as an important tool to modernize the transport sector to match international standards. This analysis used transformational part of Bruke-Litwin causal model of organization performance and change in order to identify the key elements that derived the need for

Ancient Greek Philosophical Thought - Final Exam Essay

Ancient Greek Philosophical Thought - Final Exam - Essay Example On the foundations of the same belief, Socrates argues that the souls of philosophers and intellectuals will join the souls of deities many thousand years before the arrival of the ordinary humans due to the very fact that the philosophers’ souls are far refined and sublime than those of general pu...blic, and avoid vice and evil temptations by controlling their desires and discouraging their lust. Hence, Socrates has defined and determined the path and position of soul in his philosophic ideas, which are being endorsed and asserted by the future philosophers for the last several centuries to come. Socrates has also elucidated madness in his second speech, where he argues that it is madness that urges temptation of love, friendship and even sexual desires. He is of the opinion that sexual relations between man and boy must be developed on the basis of true feelings of love, instead of mere lust and for the fulfillment of carnal desires only. Such type of insincere relationship s will break mutual respect between the mentor and pupil, and every association will seek its connection in selfishness and materialism. Hence, the great philosopher, in a terse manner, describes that the carnal desires are an essential part of human instinct, which can be controlled but could not be suppressed altogether. Here Socrates perhaps means emotions and passion equivalent to madness; it is therefore he cites the sun-god Apollo, the Seven Muses, and the harvest and fertility god Dionysus and the love-god Aphrodite, nature and form of the expressions of love are different for all the four, he submits. While explaining the concept of Eros, in his speech, Socrates submits to state that Eros or lust has direction connection with human soul. It is soul that attracts towards Eros for one way or the other. Somehow, philosophers have control to resist the advancements of sexual desires particularly in case of pederasty, where an adult male is fascinated by the beauty of a youth. Th e king of gods Zeus had also experienced madness out of the sheer and absolute beauty of the Trojan young prince Ganymede, and he had abdicated the youth for his sexual desires and love too. However, unlike performing the same act of abdicating a beautiful person for one’s purpose, the philosophers’ soul control the madness and desires, and thus turns out to be refined and sublime in nature and acts. Moreover, Socrates has also thrown light on rhetoric in his final speech, where instead of discouraging the politicians to take part in writing activities, Socrates allows them to do the same and thus read, write and deliver the speeches. However, instead of being mean and inferior, the writing and theme should be excellent and refined one. Hence, making an

The Rich Keep Getting Richer Essay Example for Free

The Rich Keep Getting Richer Essay Robert B. Reich was born in 1946 and is a Professor, activist, politician, and an author. He graduated from Yale Law School, John F. Kennedy Government School, and was a Rhodes scholar studying at Oxford University. Reich served as secretary of labor in the first Clinton administration and has a reputation of being a conciliator, who can see opposite sides to every question and solve them (Jacobus, 287). He has written many books, such as the Next American Frontier, Work of Nations, and The Wealth of Nations. Robert B. Reich wrote, Why the Rich are getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer to categorize American workers. He divided all jobs into three boats: routine producers, in person servers, and symbolic analyst. Reich continues to explain each job and how they are affecting the economic wave. In his essay, Reich use of deductive reasoning and argument proves valid in the sense that the vessels are preventing change among the social order in todays society. The first sinking vessel, routine producers, is the fastest sinking boats because they face competition from around the globe and from computer robots. Big companies like ATT used routine producers in the US in the 1980s till they found that in Singapore routine producers would do the same job for a fraction of the price (Reich, 291). They fired the US workers and used Singaporeans untill ATT could find another country willing to pay less. Reichs use of evidence is apparent in the example of ATT. The evidence pertains to wages and shows that routine producers are easily replaced and adds to Reichs opinions of the boats. Reich also states that Singaporean replaced U.S. ATT workers for a fraction of the cost and will eventually will be replaced by less costly and more productive means, human or otherwise. His logic shows that with each occurrence another will come about. Thus the relationship formed by Reich appeals logically to his audience about routine producers. Continuing on, Reich depicts the second fastest sinking boat: in person  servers. They do not face global competition but compete with machinery and laid off routine producers. This vessel contains people that are paid at minimum wage or slightly above (Reich 296). In-person servers are sheltered from global competition and are generally doing better than routine producers. In comparison, they also face competition from labor-saving machinery such as automated tellers, computerized cashiers, and so on. According to Reich the demographics are in their favor because of the rate of growth in the American work force is slow and the number of elderly that will increase by the 20th century will ensure in person servers a job in catering to their needs. Reich begins with the assumption that that the in-person servers are in better circumstances than the routine producers, yet they also face competition with machines. Though the in-person server is presented in a lukewarm sentiment, it can be inferred that this boat is not the ideal one in Reichs opinion. The mediocrity of the in-person server is stabilized by the assumptions made by Reich. He shows that in-person servers will indeed live up to their names by serving the elderly community thus ensuring their employment and meager living standard. Though the in-person servers do not face global competition, they face the harsh reality of being replaced by a machine. The idea of a machine replacing a human can draw many emotions. By informing his audience of the this idea, the lack of growth in the work force, and the rising number elderly, he draws appeals on two different emotions: fear and reassurance. The rising boat is the Americas symbolic analysts. Worldwide demand for their insights is growing as the ease and speed of communicating them steadily increases. Some are at the bottom barely hanging on; others on top are doing so well they cant keep track of their earnings. The other ones in the middle are American scientist and researchers who are selling their research and ideas to global enterprise webs. They are not limited to American workers. For example, if one refuses to pay the asking price, someone else will. As noted, American investment bankers and lawyers specializing in financial circumnavigations are selling their insights to  Asians and Europeans who are eager to discover how to make large amounts of money. Almost everyone around the world is buying the skills and insights of Americans who manipulate oral and visual symbols- musicians, sound engineers, film producers, makeup artists, directors, cinematographers, actors and actresses, boxers, writers and designers (Reich 299). The most important reason for this expanding world market and increasing global demand for the symbolic and analytic insights of Americas has been the dramatic improvement in worldwide communication and transportation technologies. Whether in the form or licensing fee, fees for service, salaries, or shares in final profits, the economic result in much the same. Reich uses various examples of symbolic analysts to persuade his audience that this boat is better off than the others, since they use their intellect rather than their labor. The system analyst is always in demand because their thoughts and ways of seeing things are both innovative and unique. He makes the assumption that, unlike the routine producer and the in-person server, the symbolic analyst holds the power in the sense that they will always be needed. They also hold the power to ask for whatever price they see fit. His logic is evident in that he sees this boat as the only one that is truly rising. In conclusion, Reichs views of the American Economy are valid due to his train of thoughts, evidence, examples and facts presented throughout the essay and various assumptions about the economy today. Social orders always will exist and the degree of success will be determined by the where you choose to stand in this order. WORKS CITED Reich, Robert B. Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer. A World Of Ideas, Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston: Bedford Books, 1998. 251-275.

Television watching Essay Example for Free

Television watching Essay Extensive viewing of violent programs on television can lead to aggression in children. Children watch an average of three to four hours a televison a day. Television is a powerful influence in shaping behavior and developing value systems. It may lead to a gradual acceptance of violence, imitation of violence, and the identification of violence within themselves. The more a child views a violent television program the more they will become immune to violence and learn to gradually accept it. Research has shown ideal to be true. One example: in several studies, those who watched a violent program instead of a nonviolent one were slower to intervene or to call for help when, a little later, they saw younger children fighting or playing destructively. (What do) Viewing the violent program caused the child to take more time to react to the situation. He had been desensitized to the violent act because he had been viewing a violent programmed show. Television can cause a child to grow to feel immune towards violence. Perhaps our child in this case simply felt nothing but seeing what he witnessed, or maybe he had accepted it as something normal. In either case the violent programs that children are watching are causing adverse effects. A child who has no been exposed to such violent programming on television would have reacted much quicker and intervened when they saw a younger child fighting. But television doesnt only cause children to become immune to the horror of violence, or to gradually be able to accept it as a part of the world. It also can lead to the imitation of violence from the children. Television violence causes an imitation and a heightened sense of aggression among younger children. This proposes a much more of a problem then simply accepting violence and becoming immune to it. Younger children are more likely to carry out violent acts on other children if they are exposed to a substantial amount of violence on television today. This can cause problems in school, home, and even work environments. The child will come to believe that violence is the answer to his problems. Any act of aggression carried out upon another human being will result in a adverse condition being put upon the person committing the act. A child may feel that they need to lash out again someone who took a toy from them as then seen it done on television. This is where the problem begins to make itself apparent. Children who watch the violent shows, even just funny cartoons, were more likely to hit out at their playmates, argue, disobey class rules, leave tasks unfinished, and were less willing to wait for things than those who watched the nonviolent programs (Children). We can see clearly these children are going to find themselves in a whole lot of trouble and many quicker then they realize. From watching the violent programming on televison they accept it as a solution, and the imitate what it is that they have seen. So its not just the imitation alone that effects the children watching the programming its a series of steps. They gradually accept it, then they imitate it, and in imitating it then learn to identify with it. Identification on violence in televison programming leads to an extended identification of the world, aggression, and themselves. Identification with violence on televison can become the most dangerous relationship between TV and the younger person. Studies by George Gerbner, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania, have shown that childrens TV shows contain about 20 violent acts each hour and also that children who watch a lot of television are more likely to think that the world is a mean and dangerous place (What do..). Believing that the work is a mean and dangerous place can put fear into a child. They have already learned to accept and imitate violence, through identification they may react in a way that fits in with the ideal of mean and dangerous. Also, they may become more aggressive in order to fit in with their perspective of what should be. Drama televison often shows a teen going through many difficult situation in their life. Perhaps the program is about a teen committing suicide as a way to deal and cope with his problems. The young child has already learned to accept this violent act and feel immune to it. He could imitate it, or identify with it. In either case this is where a serious problem can begin to show an ugly head. These situation could perhaps been avoided if less violent programming was viewed, or moderated. The violent acts carried out in children is not simply one of these three factors, but it is a progression of the three. Children can accept the violence, then imitate, and identify with it. One in itself doesnt present as serious as issue as the three combined. Televison programming does indeed  have an adverse relationship with aggression among children. We most come to realize that this relationship is only going to progress and in some cases could even result in the loss of many lives.

Factors in Biochemical Toxicology

Factors in Biochemical Toxicology Tambudzai Phiri Ndashe Maha Farid In the lecture we discussed several responses of the lung to acute injuries. List these responses and discuss one of these responses providing an example of a toxin or a chemical that induces such response in the lung. (5 points) The lung is particularly vulnerable to toxicity because it gets exposed to foreign compounds both in the external environment and internally through the bloodstream. Acute responses of the lung to injury occur in order to protect the lung from further damage. These responses include the following: Irritation following exposure to volatile gases such as ammonia and chlorine may cause bronchitis and changes in permeability. Exposure to gases or irritants may also lead to damage of the epithelial lining of the entire respiratory tract. Irritation of nerve endings in the respiratory epithelium may occur following exposure to gases or irritants to protect from further exposure. Xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes such as Glutathione S-transferase in the lung tissue also play a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary toxic response. Oxidative burden following exposure to gases such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide or tobacco smoke. Airway reactivity and bronchoconstriction may occur on exposure to nitric oxides, cholinergic drugs, histamine and tobacco smoke. Pulmonary edema may occur as result of high concentrations of acrolein, hydrogen chloride, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia or phosgene. Pulmonary edema Pulmonary edema is the accumulation of fluid in the lung, which collects in the alveoli; it leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure (Medical News Today, 2014). Exposure to ammonia, a volatile and water soluble gas, has been associated with pulmonary edema. The ammonia gets absorbed into the aqueous secretions of the upper airways of the respiratory system, it reacts with the water in aqueous secretions to from ammonium hydroxide, an alkaline and corrosive solution. Though ammonia may not cause permanent damage it leads to impaired permeability and the accumulation of fluid which obstructs the upper airway and collects in the air sacs. This may lead to low blood oxygen content and altered mental status (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). The dissolving of the ammonia into aqueous solutions on mucous membranes may also result in corrosive injury to the mucus membranes. High concentrations of acrolein, a common component of smoke, can also cause p ulmonary edema following smoke inhalation. Paraquat, is a widely used herbicide that specifically exerts its toxic effect on the lung tissue. Discuss the mechanism of toxicity of paraquat explaining the specificity of lung toxicity induced by this compound. (5 points) Paraquat has been implicated in number of both accidental and intentional cases of poisoning. It causes dose-dependent toxic effects following oral ingestion; and, absorption of a toxic dose usually results in abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. In addition to the lung, other target organs include mainly the kidneys, but may also cause cardiac and liver toxicity if one if exposed to large doses. Mechanism of paraquat toxicity on the lung Paraquat is selectively taken up into type I and II alveolar epithelial cells by active transport, as a result it reaches a higher concentration than in most other tissue. It causes severe lung injury and fibrosis. The mechanism of toxicity involves the initial reaction of paraquat with an electron donor such as NADPH; paraquat accepts the electron to form a stable radical cation (Figure 1); if this occurs under aerobic conditions, this electron is transferred too oxygen giving rise to superoxide; this process gets repeated over and over in the lungs due to the ready supply of oxygen, resulting in the formation of a redox cycle. The formation of the redox cycle is believed to be responsible for the toxicity by causing the following effects: the formation of large amounts of superoxide may overwhelm the neutralizing effects of superoxide dismutase, allowing the superoxide to accumulate, causing a variety of toxic effects such as the peroxidation of lipids leading to the formation of l ipid radicals that may cause membrane damage (Figure 2); and, the depletion of NADPH due to the formation of active oxygen species may compromise the alveolar cells, reducing their ability to carry out their functions. Figure 1: paraquat reduction-oxidation. Figure 2: the proposed mechanism of paraquat toxicity. Figure 1: adapted from http://www.inchem.org/documents/jmpr/jmpmono/v086pr05.gif Figure 2: adapted from http://totalpict.com/imagesb/1818/1818064104502cc34b8ffb7.gif References Timbrell, J.A. (2009). Principles of Biochemical Toxicology, 4th Edition. CRC Press. Pages 204- 205; and, 337-339. Medical News Today (2014, September 15). What is pulmonary edema? What causes pulmonary edema?  Retrieved from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167533.php The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). Medical Management Guidelines for Ammonia. Retrieved from: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/MMG/MMG.asp?id=7tid=2 Maha Farid Discuss the patterns of neurotoxicity and provide one example of a toxin producing each pattern. Examples from the assigned textbooks are recommended. (6 points) The nervous system is a highly complex network of specialized cells and damage to this system may have permanent and serious effects because there is very low capacity to regenerate and little reserve functional capacity. The following are the patterns of neurotoxicity: Neuronopathy: this is the result of the destruction of the peripheral nervous system, or simply put, death of the entire neuron. The drug contaminant 1-mehtyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) causes specific damage to the substantia nigra area of the brain (Timbrell, 2009). It is highly lipophilic and readily enters the brain where it is readily metabolized to a toxic metabolite that is taken up by dopamine neurons. Methyl mercury also causes Neuronopathy. Axonopathy: this is the degeneration of the axon. Carbon disulfide exposure is a good example of a neurotoxin. Exposure to this solvent usually occurs in industry and causes neuronal damage in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The mechanism is believed to involve the chelation of metal ions essential for enzyme activity by the oxothiazolidine and dithiocarbamate metabolites of carbon disulfide, which result from reaction with glycine and glutathione (GSH) (Timbrell, 2009). Myelinopathy: this is a general term used to describe damage to or disorder of the myelin of peripheral nerve fibers, the myelin sheath or the white matter of the brain, in contrast to that affecting the axons (Axonopathy). A number of substances cause Myelinopathy in both the Schwann cells and the Oligodendrocytes. Lead is a good example of a neurotoxin that causes Myelinopathy, especially in children. Transmission toxicity: this is the disruption of neurotransmission. Organophosphorus pesticides such as malathion, which is used in the treatment of head lice in humans, and parathion, are good examples of neurotoxins that cause transmission toxicity. Exposure is usually accidental, suicidal or associated with homicide; and occurs via the gastrointestinal tract, the skin and the lungs. They are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and acute toxicity manifests via the overstimulation of the muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Nicotinic signs and symptoms result from the accumulation of acetylcholine at motor nerve endings in skeletal muscles and automated ganglia. This results in fatigue, involuntary twitching and even muscle weakness which may affect muscles of respiration. Death may occur from respiratory distress partly due to neuromuscular paralysis, central depression and even bronchoconstriction (Timbrell, 2009). Discuss the vulnerability of the nervous system to toxicity. (4 points) There are multiple characteristics of the nervous system that make it vulnerable to toxicity; in fact the nervous system is highly susceptible to changes in its environment. The characteristics of the nervous system that make it vulnerable to toxicity include the following: Neurons can have very long axons, making them more vulnerable to toxicity. The nervous system is also highly dependent on glucose, which is the sole source of energy to the central nervous system. This high dependence on glucose is demonstrated through fatal irreparable damage to the nervous system, even in brief obstruction of blood flow to the central nervous system. Energy shortage to the nervous system can lead to glutamate leakage which can cause severe brain injury. The long axons and large cell volume in the nervous system require high metabolic activity due to the electrical transmission of action potential and chemical transmission in the nervous system. Proper axonal transport is very essential for normal brain function. There are multiple fast and slow, anterograde and retrograde transport systems that exist in the nervous system, which complicate the process and add to the sensitivity of this area. Reference Timbrell, J.A. (2009). Principles of Biochemical Toxicology, 4th Edition. CRC Press. Pages 206; and, 339-346.

Peace Education :: Essays Papers

Peace Education Peace is not a new concept. People have been studying peace ever since there was conflict, loss, and the realization that we take peaceful times for granted. Peace education, as in peace taught in schools, on the other hand, has been forming mostly over the past three decades. There are several aspects of peace education that are essential knowledge when going to teach peace. In order for peace education to happen the teacher needs to take into consideration the child’s personal history, the environment provided for learning, definitions of peace, the criticism of peace education, the rationale for peace education, the skills, knowledge, and attitudes it aims to develop, and how it relates to the general peace movement. Peace research began as a response to World War II and the publics concern about a nuclear war. It started as a social science that looked at the problems of war in a systematic way as well as the quest for peace. These studies began in France at the Insititute Francais de Polaemologie and in a few graduate programs in the United States, such as Stanford, Northwestern and Yale. It focused primarily on foreign policy changes in a hope to prevent a World War III. The critics agreed that there needed to be peace research, but they believed it needed to be broadened. As it stood, peace research consisted of researching conflict not peace, and problems not the solutions. Over time these criticisms grew until the 1960s when they were coupled with the Third World Liberation movements, which created small scale revolutions and mounted up to the Indochina war. This was a turning point in peace research. Researchers began focusing on â€Å"positive peace† instead of reactionary peace. I n 1966, John Galtung established the Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO). Shortly after the establishment of PRIO, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) opened. These institutes remain to this day reputable and thoroughly used by scholars. In the United States, the peace research movement was taking form through colleges by publishing scholarly journals, such as the Journal of Conflict Resolution at Swarthmore College. The end of the 1960s marked another shift in peace research. â€Å"We must gather together all the elements of this new world and organize tem into a science of peace.† (Montessori, 31) Peace science, as it was now deemed, was shifting from physical violence and war towards structural violence, such as capitalism, racism, colonialism, and imperialism.

Solzhenitsyn’s Exile :: Russian European History Papers

Solzhenitsyn’s Exile missing works cited â€Å"In February 1956, the Soviet Union’s new leader, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated a period in Soviet history known as ‘The Thaw’ †¦ Millions of former political prisoners were granted amnesty, including [Aleksandr] Solzhenitsyn.† (Shattan 149) Solzhenitsyn is Russia’s most prolific writer of the 20th century was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a man who rose to fame through his literature. It was Khrushchev’s thaw, however, that resulted in Solzhenitsyn’s exile. Solzhenitsyn made his break in literature because of Khrushchev’s thaw. Yet as time went by, the Soviet leadership became increasingly conservative after the thaw. Initially, the conservative leadership did not know what to do with Solzhenitsyn, but after deciding to take action against Solzhenitsyn, they eventually worked towards a final solution, his deportation from Russia. Had it not been for the thaw, though, Solzhenitsyn would never have made the rise to fam e, and his deportation. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn first became active in politics during his time in Rostov University prior to World War II, during which time he became â€Å"a convinced Communist - a member of the Komsomol (Young Communist League)†¦ and the proud holder of a Stalin scholarship.† (Shattan 137) After graduating in 1941, Solzhenitsyn joined up with the Russian artillery to fight the Nazi army. During this time, he began to formulate a belief that Stalin â€Å"had betrayed Leninism and was responsible for the defeats in the first phase of the war† (Shattan 140) He communicated these ideas with a friend through letters, but was caught by censors and imprisoned. During his time in prison, which would provide the material for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, it was discovered by Soviet authorities that Solzhenitsyn had a degree in physics. Because of this, he was transferred to a special science prison, where prisoners worked on Soviet experiments. In 1953, his term served, Solzhenitsyn was released from prison, but forced into an internal exile in southern Kazakhstan. However, in 1956 this exile was ended by the new Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, who initiated â€Å"The Thaw† by releasing millions of political prisoners. Solzhenitsyn was free to write and to travel. In a society that had repressed its writers for the last 30 years, it was extremely difficult, and quite a gamble, for an author to try to publish a book, much less one that criticized one of the only two leaders the single party state had known.

Creatures On My Mind :: essays research papers

â€Å"Creatures on My Mind† In the short story, â€Å"Creatures on My Mind,† by Ursula Le Guin, there were many different symbols throughout the story. The author talks about a beetle, a sparrow, and a gull to get the reader to understand what she is trying to say.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The character first starts out talking about a experience she had while sitting on her porch. While sitting their she recognized a beetle lying on it’s back twitching and suffering. She thought about ending the beetles life but couldn’t put herself through it. I think the that the beetle represents how human interaction should be looked at. Human interaction should be looked at what’s on the inside not what’s on the surface, and to take feelings into consideration. When the character doesn’t end the life of the beetle he reveals that she respects all living things, even things she can’t stand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second experience that the character stumbles upon is a sparrow trapped in a cage. The character finds someone with a key to open the cage and successfully lets the sparrow go. This experience shows us that we will go out of our way to help a helpless, hurting creature, but the way we go about doing it isn’t always the right way. We can relate this experience to how we help the homeless. The way I can relate the sparrow to the homeless is we help the homeless like the sparrow, but we aren’t always happy when we do it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third and last experience that is talked about in the story is how the character finds a gull with a broken along side the water. All the character thinks about is if a dog come by and saw the gull sitting there helpless with a broken wing.

I Believe in Forgiveness Essay

I never really understood the meaning of forgiveness. When people hurt me or treat me badly I always thought the best way to handle it is to hold it in. I never showed anger on the outside but just kept it all in. Instead, I let it boil inside of me. My kind act toward those who hurt me was a shield from my pain. Most of my kind act was at my mother. I blamed my birth mother for every relationship I have ever been in that ended with my hurting the guy or me thinking I am just going to be like my mother and leave him for the next person. see more:to err is human meaning Over the years, her actions and mishaps became the victim for my own actions. The fact that I have not yet become a divorcee like her was justification for her being irresponsible, dishonest, and ungrateful. Throughout the years of struggle, dysfunctional relationships, and little to no relationship, I hardly took responsibility for anything that I had done. I laid all my relationship troubles on my birth mother. I call her my birth mother because I never grew up with her but I have met her from time to time. She gave me to my dad when I was seven years old because of another man. I blame my relationship trouble on her because she never had a solid relationship for me to learn from. She has been married four times and the longest have been a year and that was to my dad. Then a few months ago, something shocking happened to me: I was in a committed relationship for the first time in my life. I was so scared I would be just like her or I was going to ruin this wonderful guy’s life. One night, as I was trying to sleep, thinking about my life, I suddenly became filled with fear. I was convinced I would screw up my life —that all my fear of being like her was tarnishing my relationship life. Strangely, while panicking about my life becoming a doom, my mother came to mind. I sat there in the dark, surrounded by the soothing sounds and smells of my air freshener in my room, and I thought of how my mom must have blame her mother for the same reason I am blaming her. I knew at that moment that she never intended to hurt me. I realized that might have been as scared like I am when it comes to commitment just as I am. I knew that she had done the best she could to stay in those relationships, but it was not the right thing to do. I forgave my mother that night—for all the times she got divorced, embarrassed me, or hurt my father or made me feel like I can never have a relationship because I always think I would end up like her. I forgave her for not being around. I let go of the resentment I’d held toward her for so many years. I stopped blaming her. For some reasons maybe my reasons were not very noble. Maybe I was afraid my life would turn out to be just like hers or maybe I might never find that person to settle down with. Whatever the reason, for the first time, I saw my birth mom as a real person. A person with flaws and mistakes. I knew she did not jump from marriage to marriage to hurt me. She got divorced for four times because she was flawed and hurting. I knew that if I did not forgive her, I would never have the kind of relationship I wanted with my future husband. If I kept blaming her I would never start living my own life. My mom have not asked for my forgiveness; she’s never acknowledged that she’s done anything wrong. But I realized that in forgiving her, what I was really doing was taking responsibility for myself and my own actions for the first time in a long time. Forgiving my mom changed my life. I accepted her for who she was and that set me free. I realized that when we forgive someone it is not for them but for you. After I forgave her it was like a burden was taken off my shoulders. I felt this inner peace that I have never felt before. My relationship with my boyfriend is going good and I don’t think or say to myself that I am going to end up like my mother. My eyes are open now to my own failings. I am going to take responsibility for every mistake I make in my relationships and not blame someone for them. And I discovered that forgiving someone is both an innately spiritual act that brings us closer to a higher power, and a uniquely human act that connects people in a way that strengthens us all. Forgiveness is a powerful thing. This I believe. I Believe Essay Draft 1 09/12/12 Word Count 752 The Power of Forgiveness I believe in forgiveness. I never really understood the meaning of forgiveness. When people hurt me or treat me badly I always thought the best way to handle it is to hold it in. I never showed anger on the outside but just kept it all in. Instead, I let it boil inside of me. My kind act toward those who hurt me was a shield from my pain. Most of my kind act was at my mother. I blamed my birth mother for every relationship I have ever been in that I had to end because I feel I am going to hurt him or he is going to hurt me. Over the years, her actions and mishaps became the victim for my own actions. The fact that I have not yet become a divorcee like her was justification for being irresponsible, dishonest, and ungrateful. Throughout years of struggle, dysfunctional relationships, and little to no relationship, I hardly took responsibility for anything that I had done. I laid all my relationship troubles on my birth mother. I call her my birth mother because I never grew up with her but I have met her from time to time. I grew up with my loving stepmother and father. She gave me to my dad when I was seven years old because of another man. I blame my relationship trouble on her because she never had a solid relationship. She has been married four times and the longest have been a year and that was to with my dad. Then a few months ago, something shocking happened to me: I was in a committed relationship for the first time in my life. One night, as I was trying to sleep, thinking about my life, I suddenly became filled with fear. I was convinced I would screw up my life —that all my fear of being like my mother was tarnishing my relationship life. Strangely, while panicking about my life becoming a doom, my birth mother came to mind. I sat there in the dark, surrounded by the soothing sounds and smells of my air freshener in my room , and I thought of how my birth mom must have blame her mother for the same reason I am blaming her. I knew at that moment that she never intended to hurt me. I realized that might have been as scared like I am when it comes to commitment just as I am. I knew that she had done the best she could to stay in those relationships, but it was not the right thing to do. I forgave my mother that night—for all the times she got divorced, embarrassed me, or hurt my father or made me feel like I can never have a relationship because I always think I would end up like her. I forgave her for not being around. I let go of the resentment I’d held toward her for so many years. I stopped blaming her. For some reasons maybe my reasons were not very noble. Maybe I was afraid my life would turn out to be just like hers or maybe I might never find that person blame. But whatever the reason, for the first time, I saw my birth mom as a real person. A person with flaws and mistakes. I knew she didn’t jump from marriage to marriage to hurt me. She got divorce for four times because she was flawed and hurting. I knew that if I didn’t forgive her, I would never have the kind of relationship I wanted with my future husband. If I kept blaming her I would never start living my own life. My mom hadn’t asked for my forgiveness; she’s never acknowledged that she’s done anything wrong. But I realized that in forgiving her, what I was really doing was taking responsibility for myself and my own actions for the first time in a long time. Forgiving my mom changed my life. I accepted her for who she was and that set me free. I realized that when we forgive someone it is not for them but for you. My relationship with my boyfriend is going good and I don’t think or say to myself that I am going to end up like my birth mother. My eyes are open now to my own failings. And I discovered that forgiving someone is both an innately spiritual act that brings us closer to a higher power, and a uniquely human act that connects people in a way that strengthens us all. Forgiveness is a powerful thing. This I believe. 09/14/12 Process Memo At first I didn’t know what I was going to write about so I wrote down some things that I believe in. some examples like family, forgiveness and friendship. I listen to some of the essays on thisibelieve. om and it gave me an idea of what to write. I made a list of who took me so long to forgive them then I chose one and then I chose one. I wrote down things they did that made me not to forgive them. I also wrote down the process it took me to forgive them. I then developed and created my essay. The workshop in class helped a lot from reading other people’s essay it gave me a better idea of how to arrange my paper. My group members gave me nice idea on how to develop and make it more interesting and correct my mistakes. The workshop helped a lot.

Citizens United V. Federal Election Comission

Resolved: On balance, the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission harms the election process. My partner and I stand in firm negation of today’s resolution. If my partner and I uphold that the Citizens United decision does not directly harm our election process, then we win today’s round. Contention 1: Citizens United has negligible effect on public participation in elections. In fact, the decision actually supports voter turnout. Many would argue that a bombardment of ads and excessive spending discourage voters, but this is not the case.In fact, there aren’t any studies that back up this claim sufficiently. There are many studies however, that say that ads pique the interest of voters and encourage them to educate themselves about the candidates. The Journal of Politics reports that respondents in 2000 were as much as 10 percentage points more likely to vote if they watched much television (particularly daily news shows) in medi a markets that were bombarded with presidential ads. Exposure to the ads increased intentions to vote by 18 percentage points.Clearly, campaign ads are very helpful when it comes to voter turnout, and after the case, there was a major increase in the amount of ads aired during a campaign according to a Wesleyan study. We have seen a 40% increase in ads since 2008. In addition, the number of ads only increased by 10,000 from 2004-2008 compared to the 300,000 increase from 2008-2012. Allowing corporations to fund ads and Political Action Committees raises awareness for elections, and potentially increase voter turnout. Contention 2: The decision by the court actually prevents corruption.Matthew Melone, a professor from Depaul University, notes that, â€Å"To believe that corporate advocacy will distort the political process and lead to public lack of confidence in the system is to miss the point that influence will continue to be sought by other means. As long as elected officials of fer themselves up for sale there will be buyers. Even if one believes that corporate express advocacy will become a currency for influence peddling, it is less objectionable than other forms of currying political favors: at least corporate advocacy is transparent. Indeed, the type of fairly easily monitored campaign contributions that Citizens United has legalized are the most transparent, least corrupt way for corporations to exert their influence. As a result, according to the Sustainable Investment Institute, 84 percent of large corporations now acknowledge and report their campaign contribution (up from 78 percent before Citizens United). In short, corporations have been given a legitimate, non-corrupt means of contributing to political campaigns and they are taking that opportunity instead of relying on back-door deals and other illegal methods.In fact, transparency after Citizens United was increased. The New York Times says, â€Å"An often-overlooked part of the Citizens Uni ted decision actually upheld disclosure requirements, saying that ‘transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages. ’ Lower courts have embraced the ruling, relying on Citizens United to reject challenges to disclosure laws, often in cases involving political spending related to social issues. † So Citizens United actually made it easier for courts to reject challenges to disclosure laws, and thus creates more transparency.The New York Times also said, â€Å"None of this means that existing disclosure laws are necessarily adequate. But if they are not, the fault lies with Congress and state legislatures, not the Supreme Court. † What many people fail to realize, is that these transparency issues we currently have were around long before the Citizens United decision. Citizens United is not to blame when it comes to corruption, because it actually helps keep corruption out of the electio n process. Contention 3: Our democratic approach in elections is upheld through the decision.The court decision also better upholds the democratic ideals our election process is based on. Our 1st amendment rights give us the freedom of speech. This right does not only apply to individuals, but corporations as well. This is supported by the Supreme Court in such cases as Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company which dictates that the term person, in the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment, applies to corporations as well as people. In addition, the Supreme Court also ruled in Buckley v.Valeo that money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech. So BCRA denying corporations their constitutional rights to donate and spend on elections harms democracy, and goes against our election process. Further, government regulation would inhibit the flow of information from corporations. Justice Kennedy upheld in the decision that â€Å"b y definition, an independent expenditure is political speech presented to the electorate that is not coordinated with a candidate. † It is for the aforementioned reasons that my partner and I urge a con ballot. Thank you.

The Pros and Cons of Using E-Tendering in Singapore

THE PROS AND CONS OF USING E-TENDERING IN SINGAPORE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY First names YAP Last name YEE THARM Abstract: E-tendering is a relatively new and modern technique of tending system. The transaction can be done from business-to-business, business-to-consumer or Business-to-government buy and sale of goods, works and services through the Internet or other networking systems. This paper examines the pros and cons of using E-tendering in the Singapore Construction Industry and the future trend of E-tendering in Singapore.Although E- tendering has been used by the various Singapore Government departments for many years on their procurement of materials and services for local and global with great success, however the private sector in Singapore is still slow in using it as a tendering system. As e-tendering is recognized as a state-of-the-art for procurement which is proven to be efficient by the local Government and other advanced countries (eg. US, UK, China, Hong Kong, Canada etc. ), however the low usage by the private section in Singapore shows that there must be some limitation or disadvantages in using it.May be there are some problems on software and the user not competent to use it for this purpose. Or maybe in Singapore there is a need for the government or a private company to lead and provide a national wide scale of centralizes e-tendering system to cater for all the private tenders in Singapore Construction Industry. Whatever it is, the advantages of E-tendering are far exceeding the disadvantages and it has shown greater potential in the improvement of efficiency to replace the traditional tendering system.Therefore a study to look into the pros and cons of this tendering system is worth the effect. As eventually E-tendering has great potential in increasing efficiency in construction sector in Singapore-tendering by cutting down the-tendering cost and time and reduce the bureaucratic processes in the traditional tendering process. Keywords: E-tender, Singapore’s GeBIZ, E Submission, Information Systems, Pros and cons, Cloud computer, construction. 1. 0 Introduction The use of computer technologies in the world today has revolutionized the processes in the construction industry.The construction industry in Singapore has also faced the same radical and speedy changes in the use of Information Technology (IT) in almost every part of the process of the construction (from pre-tender estimating, tendering, and construction to post tender analysis). Procurement and tendering are an important function for every organisation including construction industry. It is a vital and important activity for a company to gain profit and continue to survive. Especially in Construction Industry, every job is on contract basis, construction company need to secure jobs through tender in order to continue its business.The traditional tendering practices used by Construction Company are largely traditional and involve managing papers or using email to send and receive documents, addenda, correspondence, bid submissions and award notices. With the introduction of submission of tender electronically, time and effort has been shorten tremendously. Other part of the world however electronic tendering has been getting popular over the past few years and is now being commonly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New South Wales, India, Hong Kong, United States and in China. (The PRC China has been using e-tender for more than 10 years.This year China is celebrating the 10th anniversary of E- procurement rule, their website is www. ccgp. gov. cn). Singapore is a developed country with very good coverage of wireless network and fibre optic cable. The use of computer is very much the common practice of government department and private company. However the use of e-tendering so far in Singapore has been limited to government department procurement. For private construction industry the usage of e-tendering is still limit ed. This paper explore into the pros and cons of using e-tendering in Singapore construction industry and its future development. . 0E-Tendering in the Singapore Construction Industry †¢ E- Tendering in Singapore Private construction: The government department of Singapore has been using E-tendering for more than 10 years, the Singapore Economy Development has also been giving incentive to encourage developers and contractors who are keen in using IT for their business. However up to today the private construction sector in Singapore is still limited in usage of E-tendering. Many Developers and Contractors in Singapore are still finding it more comfortable to use traditional tendering system. †¢ E- Tendering in Singapore Government:The e-tendering used by the government of Singapore is called GeBiz, which come from the word Government Bidding. The GeBIZ, or the Government E tendering, was set up in June 2000. The main objective of this system is to simplify government proc urement and tender activities. It was part of the programme for businesses under the e-Government Action Plan (2000–2003) in Singapore. GeBIZ is a one-stop centre for suppliers to have access to all procurement opportunities in the public sector and to trade electronically with the government departments. The Singapore government E-tender website address is at http://www. ebiz. gov. sg/. Now 100% of the Singapore government Tenders or Quotations are using GeBIZ as a platform for procurement for good and services. As of today, Infocomm Technology (ICT) has become a major part of the Singapore public sector's DNA for public administration and service delivery. Due to the result of Singapore e-government efforts, Singapore has been consistently recognised as a leader in major international benchmarking studies. Our Singapore Government’s innovative efforts in using ICT have also gained local and worldwide recognition and awards.More importantly, the citizens and businesse s have embraced in e-government service. In 2010, almost 9 out of 10 of Singapore citizens and businesses expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of government e-services. (http://www. egov. gov. sg/about-egov-introduction) The process of using Singapore’s GeBIZ: Company who wishes to tender for government job need first to apply as a member of Singapore’s GeBIZ. Upon approved as a member, a password for log in to GeBIZ is given to the company. There are two categories of E-tendering in the GeBIZ. Tender – Goods or services estimated to be valued above $7,000 Singapore dollar. †¢ Quotation – Goods or service estimated be valued below $7,000 Singapore dollar. Once a member log on the GeBIZ, the searching for specific notice can be done by indicating the search condition as shown below by clicking on the â€Å"GO† button. [pic] Figure 1 – searching for a tender (source from http://www. gebiz. gov. sg/. ) For viewing of the details of the-tender and quotation notice, simply click on the â€Å"GO’ button of the screen below. [pic] Figure 2 – viewing of posted tender or quotation. source from http://www. gebiz. gov. sg/. ) The constractor can download or view directly the drawings and specifications posted in the GeBIZ to estimate the-tender price. Tender price can then be submitted to the website electronically. Once the-tender is closed, the-tender will be evaluated by the relevant governmant authority (who post the tender) and the result of the-tender will be announced on the GeBIZ for public information. Hardware and Software requirement for GeBIZ tendering in Singapore. The following are the required hardware and software for a contractor to use the Singapore GeBIZ.In order to use the Singapore Government e-tendering GeBiz, A contractor needs to have a computer meet the following recommended system requirement. The computers which do not meet these requirements might not be compatible and un able to use the system for tender. Hardware – Computer must have a minimum 500MHz processor or higher with a hard disc at least 64 MB RAM, the internet connection to be minimum 256kbps or higher. Software – Computer with a Windows Operating System consist of Windows 2000, Windows XP or Window 7. As for Internet Browser, having a Internet Explorer 6. , 7. x, 8. x and 9. 0 will be enough. 2. 1How E-Tendering works E-tendering is an electronic tendering solution to facilitate the complete-tendering process from the advertising of the requirement through to the signing of the contract. This includes the exchange of all relevant documents (drawing, specifications etc) in electronic soft copy format. In other words E-tendering is a process of carrying out entire-tendering Cycle Online including submission of Price Bid in such that Efficiency, Economy, Speed of Internet can be achieved without the use of paper form of hardcopy.It also eliminates the need to transfer of docume nts between the Client and bidders. E-tendering Cycle can be broken in key modules as the figure below: Figure 3 – The E- tendering cycle 2. 2Traditional Tendering System vs. E tendering The advantages of traditional tendering compare to E-tendering System can be summarised as below: Traditional Tendering System †¢ Longer Procurement Cycle More time needed to print tender documents for all the contractors requesting for tendering. A normal construction tender using traditional tendering system can take up to 2 to 4 months for a cycle. †¢ More ExpensiveThe printing of tender documents such as drawings and specifications are costly and a lot of money is spent for plants and labour for transportation of the documents. †¢ Paper Based Procurement Traditional tendering basically is paper based procurement, documents such as drawings, specifications and forms are printed on paper, which is not environmentally friendly. †¢ Restricted Mobility Paper based tender do cument is not mobile and inconvenient to bring it along for reading and estimation. These documents also require large storage space and it is labour intensive to handle. †¢ Can’t do work on HolidaysThe-tender documents are usually placed at the office and the working hour for office is usually 9am to 5pm. No work can be done after these hours and during weekend and public holidays. †¢ Prone to Human errors Paper documents are prone to human errors, as missing of pages or printing errors. Blur print due to low ink or no ink for some pages can happen. †¢ Content not sharable Tendering documents such as specifications are usually A4 size and can only viewed by a person alone, unlike e-tender document which can be projected to a big screen and shared by as many people as possible for group discussion and meeting. †¢ Physical SecurityTender documents stored in the office especially those documents which have sensitive cost information, e. g. Filled up Bill of Quantity. These documents can pose a business security threats as they are valuable to the competitive contractors. †¢ Wastage of space to store bids Unlike e-tender the documents, the document for traditional tenering need physical space for storage. E – Tendering System †¢ Shorter Procurement Cycle E – Tendering system is computer based; the cycle is much shorter as compare to traditional tendering system. One major saving of time comes from the cutting down of transporting of documents. Economical Due to the fact that hard copies of the documents are expensive, it is very much economical to store and use the soft copies in the computer and website. The cost of using the computer and software are quite fixed. †¢ Environmentally Friendly As compare to traditional tendering system, E-tender consumes almost no paper. Hence it is very environmentally friendly. †¢ Anytime – Anywhere Bidding E-tendering can be conducted any time anywhere i. e. 24 hours a day, 360 days a year and globally anywhere as long as there is Internet connection. †¢ Bidding is possible on HolidaysBidding is possible even during weekend or Public Holiday, as long as before the tender is closed. †¢ Automated & Accurate process As e-tender is automatically carried out by the computer, hence it minimized the human. The process will be accurate and almost instantly done. †¢ Shareable Content The content for E-tender documents is easily shareable among the company staff, as long as they have a computer or laptop and a given a password. The content also easily shared in a group meeting with a projector, which is a conducive environment for group discussion. †¢ Fool-proof SecuritySecurity for the documents is fool-proofed as only authorized people with the password can access to the virtue documents. †¢ Lifelong storage on CD Document stored in the CD or hardisk for e-tender can last for eternity (provided that the CD and hardisk wil l last as long) as compare to paper documents. It is also easy retrievable. †¢ One click access to bids When all the calculation for the-tender sum is done, it is only one click away from bidding. 2. 3Pros and cons to call for e-tenders. Pros to the Suppliers/Contractors †¢ Anytime & Anywhere Bidding Due to the development of wireless communication, E-tendering is globalized.Everywhere in the world as long as you are connected in the website, bidding is possible. †¢ Fair, Free and Fearless participation for vendors. As all vendors registered are treated as equal, the competition is fair, free and no barrier. †¢ No dependence on Newspaper, Courier. All posting is website base, hence the publicity does not require Newspaper or Courier service. †¢ No Administrative hassle The administrative is very much simple and simplified as all documents can be view through the computer screen. †¢ Can carry out all tendering process from any computer E-tendering is web based.Hence any computer, laptop or even I phone can do the job. †¢ Economical Saving on traveling cost is tremendous. As the link between the Client and contractor is through internet, it minimizes the physical travelling. †¢ Reduces efforts & cost of bidding The efforts for each individual staff and the manpower required for preparation of tender is reduced, hence the over cost of bidding is less. †¢ No tenders can be missed because of distance The bosses of the client or contractor may be travelling overseas, but they can access to the E-tender website anytime anywhere in the world. Miss viewing of the tender has become the past. Can submit bid at last minute The closing of E-tender is link to the time. As no travelling is needed to the client’s office to submit a tender, contractor can always clip the submit on the last minute/second. Pros to the-tendering Authorities/Clients †¢ Completely Automated Process The E-tender process in clients’ comp uters are all automated, the list of bidding contractors is sorted out in the ascending order from lowest price to the highest. †¢ Shortens Procurement Cycle Most of the clients hope that the procurement cycle be short, the E-tendering is best able to achieve this requirement. Economical and Environment Friendly As E-tender system required minimum paper, all information is stored in the computer for processing and retrieving. A computer can be used for 3 to 5 years, as for traditional tendering documents it is disposed once it is used. †¢ Greater Transparency The E-tendering website is open to all the authorized and registered members; hence all of them are able to see the data posted in the website with great transparency. †¢ Improvement in work culture in the departments It create a more friendly and conducive working culture in the departments, as less miscommunication between staff occur. System aided Evaluation process After the closed of tender, the E-tender sys tem will automatically aid in evaluating the most suitable tender. It cut down the time for evaluation. †¢ Minimize Human errors Most of the process is carry out in the computer, hence minimize human errors. †¢ Minimal Storage Space A computer is all you need for storage of all the tendering document. Printing out of hard copy is only needs required. †¢ Change in Perception The perception of a company will be changed as E-tendering is implemented for a Client. It will become a more progressive and proactive organization. Lesser hassle of communication and administration Communication between client and contractor, among staff will be much easier through computer and administration will have lesser hassle. The cons or disadvantages of using e tender †¢ Cost The initial cost to set up the computer system can be quite costly. As E-tender required the purchase of expensive hardware and the necessary software. †¢ Staff The company need to employ staff competence in the use of e-tendering system or train up their existing staff to use the e-tendering system.Security of the e-tendering system – An effective and secure e-tendering system needs to make sure that any communication that passes through the system is secure and safe. As all the data are passing through the open networks such as the internet. Care must be taken to ensure that all the information passed between tenderers and the Client be treated as confidential. The major risks are that confidential information transmitted over opened networks may be exposed to or altered by malicious parties. There is also the risk of malicious parties generating false messages, impersonating other parties or denying that messages have been emailed. . How to overcome these limitations †¢ Cost Construction Company can get a loan from bank to purchase the e-tendering system, through the saving of the e-tendering process; soon the cost would be recovered. †¢ Staff Company can directly employ e-tender system competence staff to from the employment market; alternatively can send their staff to be trained to use the system. Security – One of the major problems of e-tendering is to prevent the unauthorised usage of the e-tender account. The following are a few new computer technologies in the market which are capable of overcoming these problems. †¢ BiometricsBiometric verification of two authorized users can be used in for tender opening process. This method is using finger print of any two authorized individual; the web page will not be able to open if two fingers print doesn’t match. This appliance also helps to establish that user remains physically present when Tender opens. [pic] Figure 4. – Biometrics appliance †¢ Role Base Access This will only allow access to website on the basis of rights allocated to an authorised User or Group of Users. This ensure that Tampering by unauthorized person become not possible. The existing Orga nization hierarchy also can be mapped into the system. pic] Figure 5. – Role Base Access appliance †¢ Time Based Access The system ensures that no activity can be carried out before due date & Time for e. g. Tender cannot be opened even by authorized User before due date. Server Time cannot be tampered as it is mapped to National Standard Time Server. [pic] Figure 6 – Time Based Access Security System With all these security tools in place to ensure security of the website, the usage of e-tendering is getting more and more secure nowadays. 5. Scope of future of e-tendering – Cloud computing The future e-tender is by using Cloud computing. Just what is clouding computer?It is not sitting among the cloud to do the job, it is instead of using our own server to store data, cloud computing is using cloud server for storage of data and retrieving from them. The focus is on the website and not the computer hardware. When the data is needed for large processing, it can be scale up as much as one can instantly and once work done it is released back to the cloud. The working principle is like using the computer power from the cloud instead of using the company’s own computer hardware. It is just like payment for paying for electricity and gas instead of having our own generator and having a large gas storage tank.Cloud computer is also like hiring a car to travel instead of buying a car. The advantages of using cloud can be listed as below: †¢ Scalability – Glow and shrink as and when you wanted. †¢ Instant – It can be turn on and off anytime any place you like. †¢ Economical – Pay for the time you use and there is no need for the hardware and it is time saving. In other words it is pay as you use [pic]Figure 7. – Cloud computing system (Source from Google cloud computing image) 2. 6 Types of Cloud computing There are three types of cloud computing in the market: namelyInfrastructure as a servic e (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), it has his advantages and disadvantages. †¢ SAAS-Software as a server – Each offers a different level of user flexibility and control. Saas allows users to run existing online applications. It is the easiest way of using, where off-the-shelf applications are accessed over the Internet. The advantages are Free or paid via subscription, it is accessible from any computer and able to facilitates collaborative working. However its business generic applications may not always suitable for their own business use. PAAS- Platform as a server – Allows users to create their own cloud applications using supplier – specific tools and languages. It provides environment and tools for creating new online applications. Eg. Google has Google App Engine which enables a user to build and host web application on the same system, which no need to worry about hardware. Micro soft has a Window Azure Platfor m. Salesfore has a website called Force. com which can build up and host for free. The system can be rapidly development at low cost and used Private or public deployment.However it limits developers to provider languages and tools and it also have the risk of vendor lock-in. †¢ IAAS- Infrastructure as a server – Allows users to run any applications they are please on cloud hardware of their own choice. Figure 8 – The interrelationship between the Cloud Clients and the three types of cloud computing Cloud computer deployment models [pic] There are four forms of Cloud computing applications: Public cloud Public cloud applications, storage, and other resources are made available to the general public by a service provider. These services are usually free or offered on a pay-per-use model.Generally, public cloud service providers like Microsoft and Google own and operate the infrastructure and offer access only via Internet. Other means of direct connection is not po ssible. Community cloud Community cloud shares infrastructure between several organizations from a specific community with common concerns for example security, compliance, jurisdiction, etc. , whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally. The costs are spread over fewer users than a public cloud, but it is more than a private cloud, so only some of the cost savings potential of cloud computing are realized.Hybrid cloud Hybrid cloud is a composition of two or more clouds; it can be private, community or public. It can remain unique entities but are bound together, offering the benefits of multiple deployment models. By utilizing â€Å"hybrid cloud† architecture, companies and individuals are able to obtain some degrees of fault tolerance combined with locally immediate usability without dependency on internet connectivity. Hybrid Cloud architecture requires both on-premises resources and remote server based cloud infrastructure.The disadv antage of Hybrid clouds is that it lacks the flexibility, security and certainty of in-house applications. Hybrid cloud provides the flexibility of in house applications with the fault tolerance and scalability of cloud based services. Private cloud Private cloud is cloud infrastructure operated solely for a single organization, whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally. Undertaking a private cloud project requires a significant level and degree of engagement to virtualize the business environment, and it will require the organization to re-evaluate decisions about existing resources.When it is done right, it can have a positive impact on a business, but every one of the steps in the project raises security issues that must be addressed in order to avoid serious vulnerabilities. The major disadvantage is because users â€Å"still have to buy, build, and manage them† and hence do not benefit from less hands-on management essentially the economic model that makes cloud computing such an interesting concept. 3. 0 Conclusions In conclusion, this paper finds that e-tendering has many pros and cons in the system. However we can see that the pros have exceeded the cons, i. e. he advantages are far more than disadvantages. With the breakthrough in computer technology and the advancement of science, the various problems face by the user in e-tendering now will be easily overcome very soon. As the construction industry in Singapore is one of the major industries that contributed to the nation building and giving the most impact to the economy, the benefits that brought by the e-tendering will definitely benefit the Construction Industry and Singapore national economy as a whole. However new problems may also appear and these need to be overcome continuously to bring about advancement of the system.Eventually all the other industry will be able to benefit from the achievement. 4. 0 Recommendation In view of the current situ ation in Singapore construction Industry, only the government is using e-tendering in a wide spread scale. I would like to recommend the government to initiate and set up an e-tendering system similar to the current GeBIZ system to serve the Singapore private Construction sector. The Singapore government has more than 10 years experience in the e-tendering system, they should have no problem in setting up an equal if not better e-tendering server than the Government e-tendering GeBIZ.Since setting up an e-tendering need a large initial capital investment, as a financially strong Singapore Government this should not pose any problem, moreover it will eventually benefit the economy of Singapore. In order to fully harness the benefits of e-tendering system, the main contractors must adjust and make changes to their company itself to equip with the necessary skills and resources for the e-tendering system. Contractors are recommended to train their staff to be competent in the use of e- tendering system. Companies may also engage professional consultants or experts to set up e-tendering in their company.As e-tendering has proven to be an advantage for the Main contractor to be the better competitor and increase their productivity and profits, I strongly believe that in the years to come, e-tendering will be used both by the private and government construction tendering in Singapore. 5. 0 References Bett. D. Black. P. Christensen. S. Dawson, E, Du, R. , Duncan. W. , et al. (2006). Towards secure and legal e-tendering. Journal of Information and Technology in Construction, XI. 89-102 Bourn J. (2002). Better Public Services Through e-Government. London, National Audit Office (NAO). http://www. nao. org. uk/news/0102/0102704. aspx Baldwin, A. N.Thorpe, A and Carter, C (1999). The use of electronic information exchange on Construction alliance projects. Automation in Construction. 8(6). 651-662 CRC Construction Innovation, 2006. e Tendering: Security and Legal Issues Ti ndsley G. & Stephenson P,. 2008 E-Tendering Process with Construction: UK Perspective Tsinghua Science & Technology, Bol. 13, 273-278 B. Kumar and J. C. P. Cheng (2010), Cloud Computing and its Implications for Construction IT, Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, Proceedings of International Conference. W. TIZANI (Editor). 30June – 2 July, Nottingham, UK, Nottingham University Press, Paper 158. P. 31Akintola,A. A. (2011). A survey of the State of the Art of E-tendering in Nigeria. Journal of Information Technology inConstruction, 16. 557-576. Al-Maadeed, S. (2011). Multi-evaluatins of Tenders in E-tendering System. Internatinal Conference on Technology and Business Management. 3. 201-207. Singapore government's one-stop e-procurement portal http://www. gebiz. gov. sg/. Central Government Autumn 2001 – Paper free-tendering – a 21st Century alternative – Public Service. Website http://ww. publicservice. co. uk/article. asp? publication=Central%20Go vernment (Accessed 25/06/2012) Building and Construction Authority Singapore http://www. bca. ov. sg/ ———————– 12. Tender Audit & Storage 11. Vender Registration & Rating 1. Tender Notice 10. Tender Award 2. Tender Promotion E-Tendering Cycle 9. Negotiation 3. Tender Document 8. Tender Evaluation 4. Pre Bid Meeting 5. Bid Submission 7. Tender storage & Opening 6. Payment Gateway Cloud Clients Web browser, mobile app, thin client, terminal emulator, SaaS CRM, Email, virtual desktop, communication, games, †¦ PaaS Execution runtime, database, web server, development tools, †¦ IaaS Virtual machines, servers, storage, load balancers, network, †¦ Figure 9. – The cloud computer models (Source from Google cloud computing image)