Biostatistics. Advantages of a randomized controlled trial over a Essay

Biostatistics. Advantages of a randomized controlled trial over a trial with systematic allocation - Essay Example Random controlled trials are experimental set ups with treatment and control groups, and elements of a study’s sample space have an equal probability of selection and allocation to either the treatment of control group. Systematic sampling however follows a defined approach with unequal probability for each sample space elements. One of the advantages of randomized control trials over systematic allocation is its ability to eliminate bias. Researchers and participants in randomized controlled trials lack influence of sample selection and allocation to either of the experimental groups and this eliminates chances of sampling bias. Eliminated bias in the randomized trials has significant effects on research processes such as enhanced reliability and validity which systematic allocation into biased sample may compromise (Miller, Strang and Miller 2010, p. 38). Randomized controlled trials also offer higher probability of homogeneity of background information on research participants within control and treatment groups as compared to systematic allocation that may have a set of background characteristics in one group and generate another group with different background characteristics. Such variations may result from bias, challenge comparability of observations from a study’s group, and identifies systematic allocations with validity and reliability challenges. Randomized controlled trials also have the advantage of probability sampling basis, which offers validity to data analysis, over the non-probability based systematic sampling (Friedman, Furberg and DeMets 2010, p. 71-72). Lack of a standard approach to systematic allocation also identifies benefit of randomized trials because variation in sampling criteria may be formulated to achieve bias and periodic sampling is an example (Miller, Strang and Miller 2010, p. 38). Variable data type and justification Number of adverse events Number of adverse events is a quantitative variable because it assumes numeric values. It can further be classified as discrete quantitative variable because it can only assume positive whole numbers (Weiers 2010, p. 8). Air blast sensitivity Air blast sensitivity, based on applied scale in the study, is a quantitative variable because of its numeric value on an ordinal scale that further classifies it as a discrete quantitative variable (Weiers 2010, p. 8; Neuhaus et al. 2013, p. 352). Tactile hypersensitivity Tactile hypersensitivity, based on the research, is a qualitative variable because it lacks numeric values. Its values are either yes or no and are further subjective, sub ject to study participants’ judgment (Weiers 2010, p. 8; Neuhaus et al. 2013, p. 352). Age Age is a quantitative variable because it assumes a numeric values and can further be categorized as a continuous quantitative variable because of its scope that can assume unlimited range of non-negative real numbers (Weiers 2010, p. 8). Gender Gender is a qualitative variable because it lacks numerical value (Weiers 2010, p. 8). Question 2 Graphical summary of the mean tactile sensitivity and variability The table bellow summarizes the mean and standard, for variability, for the tactile sensitivity values across the three groups at the end of 28 days. Table 1: Mean and standard deviation after 28 days Treatment Mean Standard deviation test A 21.48 11.86 Test B 20.58 11.32 Control 11.77 5.95 This data can be presented in graphical form as follows. Graph 1: Graph of mean and standard deviation after 28 days Interpretation of the sample mean and standard deviation of each group Mean of t est group A indicates that each of the group subjects is expected to have an average score of 21.48. The group’s standard deviation, 11.48, defines the mean deviation of each of the group’s scores from the group’s mean. Mean for the test group B shows that members reported an average score of 20.58 and the standard deviation

Unlawful Justice Essay Example for Free

Unlawful Justice Essay Many people have disagreements on the death penalty. My opinion on this argument is that we should abolish the death penalty from our criminal punishment system. As someone once said two wrongs do not make a right and I think that he is right. It is not doing justice killing another person because that person killed someone. My friend says this If the person didnt mean to kill them they should live but, if they wanted to kill them then they should die(Holeman). More than half of the countries in the world have abolished capital punishment from law or practice. Some of these countries that have abolished it, to us are considered third world countries. Are we any better than these third world countries if we still use the death penalty and they dont? A total of 109 countries have abolished the death penalty. 749 prisoners have been executed since capital punishment was resumed in 1977. Almost all the states in the U.S. use the lethal injection if they even have the death penalty. Electrocution that used to be widely used is now the second most used. Very few states use the gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad and most of the states have lethal injection as a secondary. Most people see the lethal injection as the most humane but; all of them are very terrible deaths to die. On January 1st 2001 there were around 3,700 inmates on death row. The average cost to seek the death penalty is $218,112 and that is added to the total cost of the case. U.S. is the leader in killing kids worldwide. We have sentenced 160 children to death since 1973. There is not really an official age at which you can sentence a child to the death penalty. Mississippi sought the death penalty in 1996 for kids of the age of 13. Most kids sent to death row are colored and stats show that two out of three kids sent to death row are children of color. Also, almost 90% of people put  to death for committing a crime were convicted of murdering whites but, about half of all homicide victims in the U.S. are colored. It is so bad in Maryland that if you kill a white person you are seven times more likely to get the death sentence than if you murder a colored person. About 90 % of the people that the U.S. Government prosecutors tried and execute are Black or Latino. Many people that seek the death penalty only want it for people that are not white. Another major problem with the system is that even if you are innocent you have a high chance of being put on death row. Around 23 innocent people have been sentenced to death row and have been executed for crimes they did not commit this century. More than 69 people have been released from death row since 1972 for being wrongly convicted. That is more than one innocent person for every 100 convicts on death row. One example of mistaken guilt was of Robert Nelson Drew who was executed even after another man confessed to the murder. A few countries other than the U.S. show that we dont execute people that bad. Go live in Afghanistan they will stone you to death or maybe go to Sudan where you can be stoned or crucified and other countries even behead you. Another bad thing about the death penalty is that in Florida each of the states executions cost $3.2 million and life inprison only cost $600,000. Spending our taxpayers money on the death penalty takes away from more important stuff for example investigating drug crimes, domestic violence, and child abuse. If we did not have the death penalty we could have better education and rehabilitation. Around five years ago many Americans heavily supported the death penalty and around 80% of Americans favored executing convicted murders. According to the polls now it is at 66 percent that is a major drop. In ten or twenty years will we even have the death penalty? Now for the first time for a very long time people can debate whether we should have the death penalty or not.  Governor George Ryan of Illinois started up the train to debate the death penalty and has it moving. Many states in the U.S. are looking over the death penalty in their state. In the 1990s the death penalty was the main thing to do to get tough on crime movement. In the 90s the death penalty has seen the toughest increase in death row inmates. With President Clinton in office he expanded the federal death penalty to additional 60 more crimes. Now I come to my conclusion many people have disagreements on the death penalty but nobody will change my decision. If you look at the facts the death penalty has some major mess-ups. Nobody is going to be able to correct those fully and the only way to stop the mess-ups is to abolish the death penalty. Many innocent people are killed and a lot of jurors are racist and judge the crime poorly. Almost half of the countries in the world have abolished it why shouldnt we. What if you were wrongly accused of committing a crime and were put to death would justice have been served I think not. Do you see why it should be abolished? Maybe some day you will march against the death penalty even if you dont just please do not support it. Thank you for your time and I hope you learned a lot about the death penalty. Works Cited www.web.amnesty.org 2 April 2002 www.agitator.com 2 April 2002 www.abcnews.go.com 2 April 2002 www.derechos.org/dp/ 2 April 2002 www.uscourts.gov 2 April 2002 www.ncadp.org 2 April 2002 www.amnesty-usa.org 2 April 2002 www.alternet.org 2 April 2002 www.prodeathpenalty.com 8 March 2002 Pence, Alex. Death Penalty. Report by Alex Pence. 2001 Holeman, Spencer. Interview. 4 April 2002

The Transmission Electron Microscopy Biology Essay

The Transmission Electron Microscopy Biology Essay The transmission electron microscope operates on the same basic principles as the light microscope but uses electrons instead of light. What you can see with a light microscope is limited by the wavelength of light. TEMs use electrons as light source and their much lower wavelength make it possible to get a resolution a thousand times better than with a light microscope. TEM uses a technique whereby a beam of electrons is transmitted through an ultra-thin specimen, interacting with the specimen as it passes through. An image is formed from the interaction of the electrons transmitted through the specimen; the image is magnified and focused onto an imaging device, such as a fluorescent screen, on a layer of photographic film, or to be detected by a sensor such as a CCD camera. TEMs are capable of imaging at a significantly higher resolution than light microscopes, owing to the small de Broglie wavelength of electrons. This enables the instruments user to examine fine detail-even as small as a single column of atoms, which is tens of thousands times smaller than the smallest resolvable object in a light microscope. TEM forms a major analysis method in a range of scientific fields, in both physical and biological sciences. TEMs find application in cancer research, virology, materials science as well as pollution, nanotechnology, and semiconductor research. History of TEMs The first operational electron microscope was presented by Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll in 1932, and 6 years later Ruska had a first version on the market. In 1986 Ruska received a Nobel Prize in physics for his fundamental work in electron optics and for the design of the first electron microscope. The following table gives a basic outline of the history of the electron microscope by decades. Year Specimens Application/development Instrumentation/theory Resolution 1940s Replicas oxide carbon plastics surfaces slip steps extracted particles fractography -50kV, single condenser -little or no theory; a first basic theory of electron microscopy was published in 1949 by Heidenreich. ~10nm 1950s Thin foils: from bulk deposited defects phase transitions -100kV -contrast theory developed. ~0.5-2nm 1960s metals semiconductors ceramics minerals Dynamic in-situ studies substructure of solids radiation damage microdiffraction -high voltage electron microscopes (Toulouse: 1.2 and 3MeV) -scanning electron microscopes -accessories for in-situ studies -controlled experiments 0.3nm (transmission) ~15-20nm (scanning) 1970s catalysts quasicrystals High resolution imaging lattice imaging -Analytical transmission electron microscopy -scanning transmission electron microscopy -energy dispersive x-ray spectra -electron energy loss spectroscopy -commercial high voltage electron microscopy (0.4-1.5MeV) -high resolution imaging theory 0.2nm (transmission) 7nm (standard scanning) 1980s virtually all materials atomic resolution in close-packed solids surface imaging small particles -commercial medium-voltage high-resolution/analytical electron microscopy (300-400kV) -improved analytical capabilities -energy filtering imaging -ultra-high vacuum microscopes 0.15nm (transmission) 5nm (scanning at 1kV) 1990s fast computation for image simulation alloy design nanostructures integrated digital scanning and image processing -surface atomic microscopy -orientation imaging microscopy 0.1nm (transmission) 3nm (scanning at 1kV) 2000s Electron microscopy in the 1960s In 1969 RCA dropped out of the electron microscope business, having decided that they could make more money selling record albums and consumer electronic devices.   General Electric had never become a major power in the electron microscope business. This left the field wide open for companies such as JEOL, Hitachi, and Akashi in Japan, and Philips, Siemens, and Zeiss in Europe. The resolution of the best TEMs was now approximately 0.3 nm (3 Ã…); JEOL claimed a resolution of 0.2 nm (2 Ã…) for its 1968 model JEM-100B. Accelerating voltages were still typically in the 100 kV range, although JEOL marketed a 200 kV instrument in 1967 called the JEM-200. Philips marketed a very popular 100 kV microscope called the EM 300 in 1966. They claimed that this was the first fully-transistorized electron microscope, and that it could attain a point resolution of 0.5 nm (5 Ã…). More than 1,850 units of the EM 300 were sold. Another approach to the study of materials that emerged in the 1960s involved increasing the accelerating voltage of the electron gun to extreme levels up to 3 MeV in an effort to penetrate more deeply into thicker samples. CEMES-LOE/CNRS at Toulouse, France, developed a 3MeV instrument around 1965, followed closely by JEOL, which released a 1 MeV microscope, the JEM-1000, in 1966. (One MeV represents a million electron volts, while one kV is a thousand electron volts. So 1,000 kV= 1 MeV.) These ultrahigh voltage EMs were so large that they typically occupied their own two-story building. The electron gun and its associated high voltage electronics were located near the ceiling of the second story, while the operator sat at the bottom of the microscope column looking at the fluorescent screen. Hitachis 1964 model HU-500 stood 4 meters tall; later, higher MeV versions eventually made this look small. On the left is a photograph of the 1 MeV Atomic Resolution Microscope (ARM) at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Electron microscopy in the 1970s The 1970s were a time of rapid development on all fronts in the electron microscope industry. Further improvements in TEM came from brighter electron sources (lanthanum hexaboride and field emission guns). The resolution of the TEM was pushed to 0.2 nm (2 Ã…) in the 1970s, with better results reported in some cases for lattice imaging resolutions; Hitachi claimed a 1.4 Ã… lattice resolution for its 1975 model H-500 TEM, and JEOL claimed the same resolution for its 1973 model JEM-100C. Accelerating voltages of 100 kV maximum had become the norm. In contrast to the low cost instruments, Philips 1972 model EM 301 TEM was designed for high performance and versatility for the skilled operator who had the time to coax the best results from his instrument. The EM 400 introduced in 1975 used a LAB6 electron gun, which was ten times as bright as the standard tungsten filament at the time. On the down side, the reactivity of lanthanum hexaboride required an ultra-clean vacuum system of 10-6 Torr. In 1977 Philips introduced accessories for the EM 400, including a secondary electron detector for topographical studies and a field emission gun (FEG) a single crystal tungsten tipped filament that emits electrons from a very localized region of the tip to produce narrow, bright electron beams. FEGs can have100 to 1,000 times the brightness of a LAB6 filament, with electron beam diameters as small as 1 nm. Vacuum requirements for these FEGs are 10-10 Torr. JEOL started with the JEM-100B Analytical model in 1970, which added scanning ability and an EDX x-ray spectrometer to the TEM. This was improved upon by the JEM-100C in 1973, with its 1.4 Ã… resolution, and further upgraded by the JEM-100CX Analytical model in 1976, which added an ultraclean vacuum system and a LAB6 electron gun. In the ultrahigh voltage EM market, The Hitachi 3MeV HU-3000 was installed at Osaka University in 1970. This accelerating voltage was the highest ever for an electron microscope. A resolution of 4.6 Ã… was reported for this instrument. The 1976 model H-1250 had a maximum voltage of 1250 kV, but a superior resolution of 2.04 Ã…. Electron microscopy in the 1980s During the 1980s TEM resolutions were further reduced to 1.0 to 1.5Ã…, making imaging of atoms in lattice planes possible. Microprocessor control of microscopes and computerized analysis of data became common due to the emergence of the personal computer in the early 80s. This microprocessor control brought about such features as an auto-stigmator and auto-focus, freeing the microscope operator from the mundane tasks that had always been involved in using the instrument. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) detectors were incorporated in STEMs and AEMs, allowing detection of low atomic number elements that could not be seen using x-ray techniques. The demands of the fast-growing integrated circuits industry produced electron microscopes designed for non-destructive testing of semiconductor wafers and for functional testing of ICs. Smaller electron beam sizes made it possible to switch from microprobe to nanoprobe technology. Elemental mapping of a samples surface could now be done on a nanometer level. Development of low cost instruments was not a priority in the 1980s. Some that were developed in the 1970s continued to be sold, but development was focused on high-performance, high-resolution, microprocessor-controlled instruments. JEOL produced 7 new TEM units between 1980 and 1986. These included the JEM-1200 EX (1981), which added microprocessor control to the JEM-100 CX (1976). The same model equipped with an EDS x-ray spectrometer was called the JEM-1200 EX/Analytical microscope. The 1984 model JEM-2000 FX/Analytical had a maximum voltage of 200 kV and a resolution of 2.8 Ã…; this instrument marked the switch from a microprobe beam to a nanoprobe. The JEM-4000 FX/Analytical microscope introduced in 1986 raised the acceleration voltage to 400 kV, which produced a beam probe size only 2 nm in diameter. After years of a standard 100 kV accelerating voltage with a few ultrahigh voltage units thrown in, these medium-voltage microscopes finally became popular. Electron microscopy in the 1990s The 1990s produced several corporate mergers in the electron microscope industry. Carl Zeiss and Leica joined to form LEO Electron Microscopy, Inc. In 1996 Philips bought Electroscan, the developer of the environmental SEM in the 1980s, to form Philips Electroscan. The following year Philips Electron Optics and a company called FEI merged under the name FEI to continue manufacturing electron microscopes. Hitachi and JEOL remained independent entities. The resolution of TEMs had already reached its theoretical limit (the best possible resolution predicted by calculations), so the 1Ã… resolution obtained using field emission gun (FEG) electron sources remained the standard. Medium voltage range instruments up to 300 kV were common, although 100 kV instruments still kept their long lasting popularity. Computers were now a vital part of every electron microscope, with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) being the norm. They were involved in both the control of the instrument and the processing of data, including post-analysis enhancement of micrographs using contrast-enhancing software. JEOL offered TEMs with maximum accelerating voltages of 120, 200, and 300 kV. The 120 kV model JEM1230 had a resolution of 0.2 nm (2Ã…). The JEM-2010 F FasTEM (200 kV) and the JEM-3000 F FasTEM (300 kV) both used FEG sources and achieved resolutions of 0.1 nm (1.0 Ã…). Three meetings of the Electron Microscopy Society of America (1968, 1975, and 1980) The Electron Microscopy Society of America (now known as the Microscopy Society of America) was founded in 1942, when it began holding annual meetings for instrument makers and users to gather and discuss the technology and its applications. The topics of papers given at these meetings present a snapshot of the state of electron microscopy at the time. A brief look at three of these meetings shows the evolution of the technology and its applications over a 12-year period. In the brief twelve-year span of 1968 to 1980, the physical sciences overtook the biological sciences at EMSA meetings, judging solely on number of papers presented. A large part of this development is probably due to the emergence of the scanning electron microscope in 1965, which made examination of the surface of bulk specimens possible for the first time. Since physical scientists could now look at real samples instead of replicas or thin films, activity in microscopy of materials increased dramatically. With no similar dramatic development in biological microscopy, the balance shifted. The Science of TEMs Comparison of Light (LM) and Electron Microscopes. a. Similarities 1) Illumination system: produces required radiation and directs it onto the specimen. Consists of a source, which emits the radiation, and a condenser lens, which focuses the illuminating beam (allowing variations of intensity to be made) on the specimen. 2) Specimen stage: situated between the illumination and imaging systems. 3) Imaging system: Lenses which together produce the final magnified image of the specimen. Consists of i) an objective lens which focuses the beam after it passes through the specimen and forms an intermediate image of the specimen and ii) the projector lens(es) which magnifies a portion of the intermediate image to form the final image. 4) Image recording system: Converts the radiation into a permanent image (typically on a photographic emulsion) that can be viewed. b. Differences 1) Optical lenses are generally made of glass with fixed focal lengths whereas magnetic lenses are constructed with ferromagnetic materials and windings of copper wire producing a focal length which can be changed by varying the current through the coil. 2) Magnification in the LM is generally changed by switching between different power objective lenses mounted on a rotating turret above the specimen. It can also be changed if oculars (eyepieces) of different power are used. In the TEM the magnification (focal length) of the objective remains fixed while the focal length of the projector lens is changed to vary magnification. 3) The LM has a small depth of field, thus different focal levels can be seen in the specimen. The large (relative) depth of field in the TEM means that the entire (thin) specimen is in focus simultaneously. 4) Mechanisms of image formation vary (phase and amplitude contrast). 5) TEMs are generally constructed with the radiation source at the top of the instrument: the source is generally situated at the bottom of LMs. 6) TEM is operated at high vacuum (since the mean free path of electrons in air is very small) so most specimens (biological) must be dehydrated. 7) TEM specimens (biological) are rapidly damaged by the electron beam. 8) TEMs can achieve higher magnification and better resolution than LMs. 9) Price tag!!! (100x more than LM) Figure below shows the cross-sectional view of a standard TEM. Figure shows the transmission electron microscope at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Figure shows a schematic outline of a TEM. A TEM contains four parts: electron source, electromagnetic lens system, sample holder, and imaging system. A. Electron Source The electron gun produces a beam of electrons whose kinetic energy is high enough to enable them to pass through thin areas of the TEM specimen. The gun consists of an electron source, also known as the cathode because it is at a high negative potential, and an electron-accelerating chamber. There are several types of electron source, operating on different physical principles, which we now discuss. i. Thermionic Emission Figure 3-1 shows a common form of electron gun. The electron source is a V-shaped (hairpin) filament made of tungsten (W) wire, spot-welded to straight-wire leads that are mounted in a ceramic or glass socket, allowing the filament assembly to be exchanged easily when the filament eventually burns out. A direct (dc) current heats the filament to about 2700 K, at which temperature tungsten emits electrons into the surrounding vacuum by the process known as thermionic emission. Figure 3-1. Thermionic electron gun containing a tungsten filament F, Wehnelt electrode W, ceramic high-voltage insulator C, and o-ring seal O to the lower part of the TEM column. An autobias resistor, RB (actually located inside the high-voltage generator, as in Fig. 3-6) is used to generate a potential difference between W and F; thereby controlling the electron-emission current, Ie. Arrows denote the direction of electron flow that gives rise to the emission current. Raising the temperature of the cathode causes the nuclei of its atoms to vibrate with increased amplitude. Because the conduction electrons are in thermodynamic equilibrium with the atoms, they share this thermal energy, and a small proportion of them achieve energies above the vacuum level, enabling them to escape across the metal/vacuum interface. The rate of electron emission can be represented as a current density Je(in A/m2) at the cathode surface, which is given by the Richardson law: Where T is the absolute temperature (in K) of the cathode and A is the Richardson constant (~106Am-2K-2), which depends to some degree on the cathode material but not on its temperature; k is the Boltzmann constant (1.38 x 10-23J/K), and kT is approximately the mean thermal energy of an atom. ii. Schottky emission The thermionic emission of electrons can be increased by applying an electrostatic field to the cathode surface. This field lowers the height of the potential barrier (which keeps electrons inside the cathode) by an amount, the so-called Schottky effect. A Schottky source consists of a pointed crystal of tungsten welded to the end of V-shaped tungsten filament. The tip is coated with zirconium oxide (ZrO) to provide a low work function (~2.8 eV) and needs to be heated to only about 1800 K to provide adequate electron emission. Because the tip is very sharp, electrons are emitted from a very small area, resulting in a relatively high current density ( Je ~ 107A/m2) at the surface. Because the ZrO is easily poisoned by ambient gases, the Schottky source requires a vacuum substantially better than that of a LaB6 source. iii. Field emission If the electrostatic field at a tip of a cathode is increased sufficiently, the width (horizontal in Fig.3-4) of the potential barrier becomes small enough to allow electrons to escape through the surface potential barrier by quantum-mechanical tunneling, a process known as field emission. The probability of electron tunneling becomes high when the barrier width, w is comparable to de Broglie wavelength of the electron. This wavelength is related to the electron momentum p by p=h/ÃŽÂ » where h= 6.63 x 10-34 Js is the Planck constant. Because the barrier width is smallest for electrons at the top of the conduction band, they are the ones most likely to escape. Because thermal excitation is not required, a field-emission tip can operate at room temperature, and the process is sometimes called cold field emission. As there is no evaporation of tungsten during normal operation, the tip can last for many months or even years before replacement. It is heated (flashed) from time to time to remove adsorbed gases, which affect the work function and cause the emission current to be unstable. Even so, cold field emission requires ultra-high vacuum (UHV: pressure ~ 10-8 Pa) to achieve stable operation, requiring an elaborate vacuum system and resulting in substantially greater cost of the instrument. B. Electromagnetic Lens System The TEM may be required to produce a highly magnified (e.g, M = 105) image of a specimen on a fluorescent screen, of diameter typically 15 cm. To ensure that the screen image is not too dim, most of the electrons that pass through the specimen should fall within this diameter, which is equivalent to a diameter of (15 cm)/M = 1.5  µm at the specimen. For viewing larger areas of specimen, however, the final-image magnification might need to be as low as 2000, requiring an illumination diameter of 75  µm at the specimen. In order to achieve the required flexibility, the condenser-lens system must contain at least two electron lenses. The first condenser (C1) lens is a strong magnetic lens, with a focal length f that may be as small as 2 mm. Using the virtual electron source(diameter ds) as its object, C1 produces areal image of diameter d1. Because the lens is located 20 cm or more below the object, the object distance, u ~ 20 cm >> f and so the image distance v ~ f. The second condenser (C2) lens is a weak magnetic lens ( f ~ several centimeters) that provides little or no magnification (M ~ 1) but allows the diameter of illumination (d) at the specimen to be varied continuously over a wide range. The C2 lens also contains the condenser aperture (the hole in the condenser diaphragm) whose diameter D can be changed in order to control the convergence semi-angle of the illumination, the maximum angle by which the incident electrons deviate from the optic axis. Figure shows lens action within the accelerating field of an electron gun, between the electron source and the anode. Curvature of the equipotential surfaces around the hole in the Wehnelt electrode constitutes a converging electrostatic lens (equivalent to a convex lens in light optics), whereas the non-uniform field just above the aperture in the anode creates a diverging lens (the equivalent of a concave lens in light optics). C. Sample Holder To allow observation in different brands or models of microscope, TEM specimens are always made circular with a diameter of 3 mm. Perpendicular to this disk, the specimen must be thin enough (at least in some regions) to allow electrons to be transmitted to form the magnified image. The specimen stage is designed to hold the specimen as stationary as possible, as any drift or vibration would be magnified in the final image, impairing its spatial resolution (especially if the image is recorded by a camera over a period of several seconds). But in order to view all possible regions of the specimen, it is also necessary to move the specimen horizontally over a distance of up to3 mm if necessary. The design of the stage must also allow the specimen to be inserted into the vacuum of the TEM column without introducing air. This is achieved by inserting the specimen through an airlock, a small chamber into which the specimen is placed initially and which can be evacuated before the specimen enters the TEM column. Not surprisingly, the specimen stage and airlock are the most mechanically complex and precision-machined parts of the TEM. There are two basic designs of the specimen stage: side-entry and top-entry. In a side-entry stage, the specimen is clamped (for example, by a threaded ring) close to the end of a rod-shaped specimen holder and is inserted horizontally through the airlock. The airlock-evacuation valve and a high-vacuum valve (at the entrance to the TEM column) are activated by rotation of the specimen holder about its long axis; see figure (a). One advantage of this side-entry design is that it is easy to arrange for precision motion of the specimen. Translation in the horizontal plane (x and y directions) and in the vertical (z) direction is often achieved by applying the appropriate movement to an end-stop that makes contact with the pointed end of the specimen holder. A further advantage of the side-entry stage is that heating of a specimen is easy to arrange, by installing a small heater at the end of the specimen holder, with electrical leads running along the inside of the holder to a power supply located outside the TEM. The ability to change the temperature of a specimen allows structural changes in a material (such as phase transitions)to be studied at the microscopic level. Specimen cooling can also be achieved, by incorporating (inside the side-entry holder) a heat-conducting metal rod whose outer end is immersed in liquid nitrogen (at 77 K). One disadvantage of the side-entry design is that mechanical vibration  picked up from the TEM column or from acoustical vibrations in the external air, is transmitted directly to the specimen. In addition, any thermal expansion of the specimen holder can cause drift of the specimen and of the TEM image. These problems have been largely overcome by careful design, including choice of materials used to construct the specimen holder. As a result, side-entry holders are widely used, even for high-resolution imaging. In a top-entry stage, the specimen is clamped to the bottom end of a cylindrical holder that is equipped with a conical collar; see Figure (b). The holder is loaded into position through an airlock by means of a sliding and tilting arm, which is then detached and retracted. Inside the TEM, the cone of the specimen holder fits snugly into a conical well of the specimen stage, which can be translated in the (x and y) horizontal directions by a precision gear mechanism. The major advantage of a top-entry design is that the loading arm is disengaged after the specimen is loaded, so the specimen holder is less liable to pick up vibrations from the TEM environment. In addition, its axially symmetric design tends to ensure that any thermal expansion occurs radially about the optic axis and therefore becomes small close to the axis. However, in disadvantage views, it is more difficult to provide tilting, heating, or cooling of the specimen. Although such facilities have all been implemented in top-entry stages, they require elaborate precision engineering, making the holder fragile and expensive. Because the specimen is held at the bottom of its holder, it is difficult to collect more than a small fraction of the x-rays that are generated  by the transmitted beam and emitted in the upward direction, making this design less attractive for high-sensitivity elemental analysis. D. Imaging System The sample is placed in front of the objective lens in a form of thin foil, thin section or fine particles transparent for the electron beam. (Figure. 3). The objective lens forms an image of the electron density distribution at the exit surface of the specimen based on the electron optical principles. The diffraction, projection and intermediate lenses below the objective lens are used to focus and magnify either the diffraction pattern or the image onto a fluorescent screen, which converts the electrons into visible light signal. There are three important mechanisms, which produce image contrast in the electron microscope: mass-thickness contrast, phase contrast and diffraction or amplitude contrast. i. Mass-thickness contrast arises from incoherent elastic scattering of electrons. As electrons go through the specimen they are scattered off axis by elastic nuclear interaction also called Rutherford scattering. The cross section for elastic scattering is a function of the atomic number (Z). As the thickness of the specimen increases the elastic scattering also increases since the mean-free path remains fixed. Also specimens consisting of higher Z elements will scatter more electrons than low-Z specimens. This will create differential intensity in an image formed from thicker regions where fewer electrons will be transmitted to the image compared to a thinner or low atomic number region, which will be brighter in the image plane. In TEM, the mass-thickness contrast is affected by the size of the objective aperture and the accelerating voltage. Smaller apertures will increase the difference in the ratio of scattered and transmitted electrons and as a consequence will increase the contrast between regions of different thickness of mass. Lowering the accelerating voltage will lead to similar effect since the scattering angle and the cross section increase which also will cause increase in the relative contrast between higher mass and lower mass regions. ii. Phase contrast. Some of the electrons leaving the specimen are recombined to form the image so that phase differences present at the exit surface of the specimen are converted into intensity differences in the image. Phase contrast is the dominant mechanism for object detail iii. Diffraction contrast. Diffracted electrons leaving the lower surface of a crystalline specimen are intercepted by the objective aperture and prevented from contributing to the image. Alternatively only one diffracted beam forms the image. Diffraction contrast is the dominant mechanism delineating object detail >15 Ã… in crystalline specimens and is important and widely used contrast mechanism for study of crystal defects. Using this approach considerable quantitative information about the defect structure of the specimen may be obtained without operating the microscope at maximum resolution. Vacuum System Electron microscopes cannot operate in air for a number of reasons. The penetration of electrons through air is typically no more than 1 meter, so after coming on meter from the gun, the whole beam would be lost to collisions of the electrons with the air molecules. It is also not possible to generate the high charge difference between the anode and cathode in the gun because air is not a perfect insulator. Finally, the beam on the specimen while in air would trap all sorts of rubbish (air is full of hydrocarbon molecules) on the specimen, crack them (removing hydrogen, oxygen, etc.) and thus leave a thick carbon contamination layer on the specimen. Each electron microscope therefore has a vacuum system. The degree of sophistication of the vacuum system depends on the requirements. Simple imaging of biological thin sections is much less demanding than cryo applications or small-probe analysis in materials science and a thermionic gun can operate under much worse vacuum than a Field E mission Gun (FEG). The most basic vacuum system consists of a vessel connected to a pump that removes the air. The vacuum system of an electron microscope is considerably more complicated, containing a number of vessels, pumps, valves (to separate different vessels) and gauges (to measure vacuum pressures). From the bottom up we can distinguish four vessels in the vacuum system: The buffer tank The projection chamber The column (specimen area) The electron gun area Sometimes a tubomolecular pump (TMP), essentially a high-speed turbine fan, is used in place of (or to supplement) a diffusion pump. Usually an ion pump is used to achieve pressures below 10-4Pa, as required to operate a LaB6, Schottky, or field-emission electron source. By applying a potential difference of several kilovolts between large electrodes, a low-pressure discharge is set up (aided by the presence of a magnetic field) which removes gas molecules by burying them in one of the electrodes. Figure shows cross section through a diffusion pump. The arrows show oil vapor leaving jets within the baffle assembly. Water flowing within a coiled metal tube keeps the walls cool. Frequently, liquid nitrogen is used to help in achieving adequate vacuum inside the TEM, through a process known as cryo

Cannery Row :: essays research papers

Cannery Row is a relatively simple novel with basically little or no plot to it. Many critics are quick to call the novel trivial and second rate as compared with Steinbeck’s other works. However this book shows Steinbeck’s renewed interest in the comic portrayal of the basic, uncomplicated lifestyles of the working class. Steinbeck incorporates a few themes into the novel such as failure and historical themes like the depression era. The book is overall optimistic, but Steinbeck takes some off topic chapters to capture some of the darkness that happens within Cannery Row. The underlying story in Cannery Row is about Mack and the boys trying to hold a party for Doc. Mack and the boys are a group of unemployed men living together in the run down fish-meal shack. Doc is a very intelligent and caring man who runs a biological supply house. The boys set up a party at Doc’s place, but Doc is late to get there and the party ends without him there. The boys are upset about their failure. When Doc helps out their dog, the boys decide to hold another party for Doc. This time he is able to go to it and everyone has a good time. (sparknotes.com) Cannery Row does not have much of a plot, but it is still very active as a social document about the attitudes of society during the depression era of the 1930’s. Although the book was published after World War II had ended, it strongly suggests the depression period with both tone and spirit. The majority of the people in the novel are the unemployed are poverty stricken, but all are considered as the good people. There are also no antagonists in this novel, only people who tightly hold on to what they have, such as Lee Chong, and see everyone in distrust.

Our Strengths and Weaknesses in Terms of Our Attitudes/Values, Skills and Knowledge

Social work has been one of the most important pillars for the growth of human society. The role played by social workers cannot be downplayed as it is vital for human growth and development.Like in any other professional, human service work is founded on some important principles which guide them in their work. Most important of these principles are our attitude and values, skills, and our knowledge. Human help work is diverse in its expectation and therefore the individual strength and weaknesses in these pillars leads to specialization in one of its diverse areas.Therefore understanding our strengths and weaknesses in attitudes and values, skills and knowledge is important to help us understand the area that we can service successfully. This paper will review different strengths and weaknesses in these pillars and come up with strategies to cope with any weaknesses.Strengths and weaknesses of attitude and valuesPatience is an important virtue in human help work. It is not always t hings will go as expected. We might want change but they may be coming very slow. We make two steps ahead but our clients take us three steps backward.   The old adage goes patience pays, and indeed it is true.   One of my strength with patience is that at the end we achieve what we want though at slow pace. However I find it difficult to wait for the long time that this solution will take. I always become frustrated when I can’t achieve what I want. To overcome this weakness, I always engage in other kind of activities like raisin funds to get a break out of the routine. (Brown, 2004)I have a great weakness when it comes to empathy. In many situation I have found it difficult to put myself in someone else situation not matter what I want. I have realized that empathy is a long path I trend daily with no destination.   I always try to be sensitive to other peoples situation and try to do the best I can to help them.Self awareness is a great virtue that guides me in my w ork. In most situations I have been caught in situation where I am supporting what I don’t believe in.   However self awareness has helped me to trend emotional laden topics like rape and suicide with ease. It has helped me to grant individual freedom to make choice. I always try to do the best I can to assess a situation before I support or oppose it.In most situations I have found out that am not sure of what will happen in any situation.   Social work is complex and dealing with special groups is very demanding. No one is sure of the formula to use to get the desired results. Although I am prepared for any eventualities, I always have fear of negative results. I try to overcome this weakness by developing a positive mind that everything will go as expected.The aim of any social work is to bring a change through capacity building. This factor helps social workers to direct their energy towards areas which empower their clients to lift them from their present situation. However I am always faced by frustration when clients don’t understand where they are going and what they want. To overcome this I talk with the clients on what they want and together we discuss how to go about it.Openness mindedness helps social workers to tap more knowledge from others. I have always listened to others to gain more knowledge. I always open my mind to receive more information from other people. However I have a problem towards gender equity and stereotypes that I always side with women.I have decided to attend a course of gender in order to get more insight on this issue and change my pattern of thinking on men and there relationship to women. Lastly when everything weighs on my shoulder, I find sharing light moments with my clients as one of the most influential thing. This helps me to relax and at the same time understand them.Strengths and weaknesses in skillsLike in any other profession, skills are very vital for any social worker. A social worker needs different skills depending on the situation at and. Active listening is important as it helps to understand the situation and get the emotion surrounding the words. A careful scrutiny of individual in their surrounding will tell whether they are in deed saying what they mean or not.These are two important skills that I have applied in my social work to understand my clients well. However I have a weakness in listening to others as I tend to get very emotional. In such situation I try my best to reserve my words as I listen to others or I talk to them later when my emotion subsides. Getting as much information about the clients one can is also important to understand them and their behavior.In order to raise my skills I always try to attend conferences that are about social work from where I can learn diverse skills on human relations. In situation where I can’t get enough information about the clients, I search more on their background by visiting their homes. However it is e ven hard to get more information from their homes especially when parents are not cooperative. (Doe, 1998)Sharing information with other social worker has helped me to gain more knowledge about the clients. This helps to write an evaluation of every client and understand them well. Keeping the records creates continuity for the social worker who will take over. In my work, I have always done my best to build relationship with the clients in order to help them however some like teenager have emotions that break every relationship built over time.However I try to understand them and build from a collapsing relationship to form a cohesive bond.   When it comes to dealing with clients, it is difficult to negotiate for their contracts or to construct action plans for them. Something they ought to be left to carry out their own duties the way they want. But mutual guidance especially for teenagers is important to give them direction. One of my weakness in this area is that I have tried micromanagement in many cases having a hand in every thing client are doing.While this helps things to roll out as planned, it is seen as authoritarian. To avert this I have at times delegated my roles to others who can handle it effectively.   To ensure the plan is rolling out as expected monitoring and evaluation is needed to elicit a feedback.   Since am not competent in this area, I would rather hire a professional who can provide unbiased feedback and propose improvements to be made. (Taylor, 1999)

Living with Strangers Essay

To top the essence of discomfort off, Hustvedt states that â€Å"On the subway, I found myself in intimate contact with people I didn’t know, my body pressed so tightly against hem, I could smell their hair oils, perfumes and sweat. † (p. 1, l. 4-16) This closeness is something that most of us, Hustvedt as well, saves exclusively to boyfriends and close family – This exclusiveness only survives because of the ‘Pretend it isn’t happening’-rule. Throughout the essay Hustvedt takes us down her memory-lane of New York, where she tell us the things that can describe exactly why her view on urban living is how it is. The ‘Pretend it isn’t happening’-rule seems to be the most visible theme in the essay. To an outsider taking a stance against something that is clearly wrong seems logical, if not almost necessary. Whereas Hustvedt says that in New York that is uncommon and almost illogical behavior, because of the possible outcomes when someone is asked to stop whatever they felt they had the right to do. This is allowed because of the aforementioned rule. To explain her point further Siri Hustvedt exemplifies it for us. Hustvedts’ husband had witnessed a man stepping on the subway with a lit cigarette, another man confronted him politely by stating that it’s illegal to smoke on he subway, the smoker had then replied â€Å"Do you wanna die? To much luck the smoker had to get off the subway at the next stop, which resulted in a quick ending to the affairs, but Hustvedt points out that this couldVe ended much, much worse. Siri Hustvedt almost attempts to Justify the ‘pretend it isn’t happening’-rule, by showing the dangers ot not pretending. Hustvedt points out that New Yorkers barely even notice that they’re doing it, it’s such a custom reaction to these situations that in the urban cities you’re raised with them – Just as you’re raised with table manners. To exemplify this Siri Hustvedt mentions her daughter, Sophie, who has adapted to the behavioral pattern already as â€Å"she feigns deafness when the inevitable stray character comes along and tries a pickup. † (p. 2, l. 80-81) and that her daughter has been â€Å"refining the frozen, blank expression that accompanies the Pretend law. † (p. 2, 1. 76-77) In the same example Hustvedt explains that her daughter often gets hit on and some of these admirers are more stray than others. One day Sophie had experienced a man who had been shamelessly staring at her, but when he stepped ff the train and the daughter didn’t, the man had thrown himself against the window and yelled â€Å"l love you† at her. Sophie had felt embarrassed and frightened, but the man next to her had commented â€Å"It looks like you have an admirer†. To this Siri Hustvedt explains that â€Å"His understatement not only defined the comedy inherent in the scene; it lifted my daughter out of the solitary misery that comes from being the object of unwanted attention among strangers. † (p. 3, l. 92-94). This example turns the essay towards a new point-of-view, whereas the reader started out ith having a sense of displeasure and discomfort towards urban living, Hustvedt turns the entire essay around in the end where she enlightens us that urban living is not all that bad: â€Å"Nevertheless, compliments, insults, banter, smiles, and genuine conversations among strangers are part of the city’s noise, its stimulus, its charm. † (p. 3, l. 102-104) in this quote, Hustvedt points out to us that isn’t not only incredibly dull, if urban life only revolved around â€Å"pretending it’s not happening†, but that is it almost down-right impossible. She also states that because of this rule, those who break it make a turning point to everyday life and it’s those people who make urban living all the more charming. Siri Hustvedt mentions that â€Å"Sometimes a brief exchange with an unknown person marks you forever, not because it is profound but because it is uncommonly vivid. † (p. 3, l. 112-113) and to end the essay she mentions a moment 20 years earlier in her life, where a homeless man had called her beautiful and asked her to dinner, and when she politely said ‘no’, he then had grinned and aid â€Å"Lunch? This example not only supports her statement that it has indeed marked her forever, but it almost seems like what then wouldVe seemed rather creepy – now is a little comical and it probably even lifts her spirit when thinking about it. l, for one, believe that the statement is as true as anything can be. It’s not always the deep conversations you have with your family and closest f riends that mark you, it’s the sudden situations; because they’re not forced and that makes them all the more real and therefore deep. I may not live in a true urban city like Copenhagen or New York, but the ‘pretend’-rule is everywhere – and because of that all of the times that it’s broken may seem a little odd or even scary at first can make the rest of one’s day all the more interesting. A sudden compliment, a smile to a stranger or even a short conversation with someone about why the train is delayed – yet again. It gives one time to reflect over the minor things in life and sometimes it may even remind you Just how little you actually are – in a good way, of course.

Tips on Writing a Good Marketing Research Paper

Tips on Writing a Good Marketing Research Paper Tips on Writing a Good Marketing Research Paper Those students who have chosen marketing as their profiling subject will – sooner or later – need to compose the research paper devoted to this area of knowledge. And if their skills and already gained experience allows some of them to do it on the decent level, there still are some students who find it extremely complicated to cope with the writing with the success. The present article will give the latter category of students several tips and guidelines to make the process of marketing research paper writing a bit more enjoyable and easy. First of all, a student will need to select the topic to be writing the paper about. For this purpose, it is very desirable to consult the scientific advisor. He/she, as the person with the many-years’ experience would help the student with the flow of their further investigation. As it is quite clear, the topic needs to be acute and crucial, since there is hardly a need to describe the out-of-date topic and research something which has been already described in tons of scientific materials. So, the topic is the base for the future diligent investigation. Once a student is done with selecting the topic, he/she needs to care of its proper opening to the readers. The outlining process in the best practice in this regard. No matter, which topic you have chosen, the accurate drafting and outlining of every chapter will help you with writing. Ensure to have the reasonable amount of time for researching on the topic, getting acquainted with the existing points on view on the chosen topic and select the reliable and credible sources of the well-known authors to cite or analyze in the future marketing research paper. One more tip will consider the professional help of writers which is to be easily found online. The numerous custom paper writing services are so popular in the web today, so students are welcome to make use of the professional assistance by addressing these agencies or companies. The staff of such online organizations will eagerly help the student in need with any marketing topic. There are thousands of helpful techniques for the process of marketing research paper composing. No matter which ones you apply, the result will not be long in coming. If you work hard to make the research paper an interesting and in-depth investigation, then you have the high chances to succeed. And if anything goes not as you’d like it to, then the assistance given by proficient writers online will make the positive change. You may address the professional writers any time and hope for the helpful guidelines in terms of the best Marketing research paper writing.

Status Symbols in Roman era essays

Status Symbols in Roman era essays Costume in the Roman era is marked by similarity to the Greeks and Etruscans. However, a distinct garment of the Romans is the tunic. The tunic was sometimes worn alone or worn under the distinctive toga. If the tunic was worn alone, a belt was used around the waist. The toga is the other fundamental garment of the romans. in early roman era, the toga was worn by both men and women. The toga was an expensive piece of heavy whit wool. It was roughly semicircular, approximately 18 feet wide and 7 feet deep, and draped in a complicated matter over the body. The toga was worn mainly by men and only on special occasion in many cases. Therefore, it created a status symbol in itself. However, there were several different types of togas that men would wear for different occasions. The Toga Praetexta was characterized by a stripe of colorrepresenting a profession or class. Blue stripes represented philosophers; black stripes were for theologians; green was for doctors; magistrates or public officials wore purple stripes. The next type of toga was the Toga Virilis. This toga was a plain toga worn by a typical citizen on a special occasion. The third type of toga is the Toga Picta adorned by emporers. It was a crimson toga embroidered with gold. A Toga Candida was given a glossy look by rubbing it with chalk, and worn by those running for osffice. The last type of symbolic toga for men was called the Toga Pulla. This toga was made of natural black wool and worn in funerals. As you see, men's clothing showed status because of th e color that it was made of. Women in Roman society were classified by clothing, but not just the color of the material. In later Roman era, only prostitutes or women of ill repute wore togas, while decent women wore tunics. Married women were identified by the article of clothing called a stola. A stola is shaped much like a modern day dress with thin strips of cloth at the shoulder. A...

History of Air Cargo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

History of Air Cargo - Essay Example Sir George-Cayley- a British aeronautical engineer deserves to be known as the father of aviation for his tremendous contribution in the field of flying. ("Aviation", 2005) Several experiments were made in the field of aviation between 1890 and 1901. In 1901, Langley tested and flew an unmanned quarter sized model before testing his full scale model called aerodrome in 1903, which operated on a gasoline engine. However, the machine achieved little success. In 1903, the Wright Brothers made the first successful flight. However, major developments in aviation was the result of the efforts made by Chanute, Lilenthal and Langley after 1885, who established a sound basis in experimental aerodynamics; but stability and control essential for sustained flight were yet to be achieved. Above all, the heavy steam engine was planned to be replaced by light gasoline engine. The world's first successful flight was made on December 17, 1903 in North Carolina by the Wright Brothers, in a heavier-than-aircraft under power and control. The first longest flight was flown for 260m in 59 seconds. In the following year, the brothers together made 105 flights, the longest b eing for over 5 minutes followed by a 38 minute 3 sec (38.9 Km) flight in the next year. In 1906, the first official flight in Europe was made in France by Alberto Santos-Dumont of Brazil for around 220m in 21.2 sec. The airplane which was self designed by Alberto was powered with a levavasseur 40 horsepower Antoinette engine. By the end of 1907, Henri Farman flew an aircraft built by Voisin in Europe for 1 min. In 1908, a flyer was demonstrated to the ArmySignals Corps at Fort Myer Virginie by Oriville, which was flown for over an hour and carried a passenger for the first time in the history of flying. Wright successfully accomplished flying on December 31st for over 2 hours and 20 minutes, with complete control of his flyer. Glenn Hammond Curtiss, New York was one of the most prominent American designer manufacturer and pilots of airplanes, completing the first solo flight on June 28, 1907 in a dirigible airship built by Thomas Baldwin. The aircraft was powered with a modified Cu rtiss engine of Curtiss motorcycle. On June 4th, 1908, the Scientific American trophy was awarded, for their flight in their third airplane by name the June Bug which covered a distance of 1552 m (5090 ft) in 1 min and 42.5 sec. Curtiss won New York world prize for his flight from Albany, New York to New York City. Curtiss became the first American to develop and fly a seaplane in January. Louis Bleriot- a French engineer flew across the English Channel in 35.5 min, in a monoplane, which was self

MUS 327 Field Research Proposal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MUS 327 Field Research Proposal - Coursework Example Ari Herstand is a Los Angeles based musicians who has done quite a number of music productions. He is one musicians who move crowds by his albums. He is an entrepreneurial artist. He has been chosen a number of times in both products advertisements, and some of his albums has featured as background songs in movies production industry. He is also a social marketer, utilizing his popularity to market products in social sites. The attention he creates to the press is quite impressive, and he occasionally appears in the media, communicating of his success and music dream. His music has featured in Television shows such as One Tree Hill and the Real World. The research proposal will hence seek to understand the effects of utilization of music in advertisements, social media, and film industry among other filed. Essentially, such utilization has an impact to both the music producer, the community, the products buyer and the music industry at large (Apaolaza-Ibà ¡Ãƒ ±ez, 2010). Titon, J. T., Cooley, T. J., Locke, D., Rasmussen, A. K., Schechter, J. M., Stock, J. P. J., McAllester, D. P., ... Reck, D. B. (2009). Worlds of music: An introduction to the music of the worlds peoples. Belmont, Calif. : Schirmer/Cengage

Lenovo's global strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Lenovo's global strategy - Assignment Example Apply the analytical underpinnings of international business to real world and up-to-date case study situations in order to inform and direct international business decision-making. As explain in page no:3 of the Moodle guide. The question no 2: 2 (a) Using one specific Multinational Company (MNC) that is headquartered in one of the following countries- Brazil, Russia, India, China or South Africa, Mexico, Nigeria or Turkey - identify and critically evaluate the strategies used by the company to internationalise. (50%) Guide – 1800-2000 words. Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 4 & 5 (b) What recommendations, i.e. future strategic direction, would you make for the MNC to sustain its competitive advantage? (30%) Guide - 1000 words. LO: 4 & 5 (c) Structure, format & standard of English (10%) (d) References and referencing skills (10%) This assignment is an investigation of Lenovo’s initiatives and strategies in order to expand overseas. As a Chinese company, it adopted a hybrid inte rnationalization model (hence the claim of â€Å"new way† and â€Å"next generation† in its self-description) that is typified by the Chinese socio-cultural characteristics such as collectivism and long-term orientation in tandem with conventional methods of international expansion and strong state intervention. Lenovo, today, is one of the leading global manufacturers of computers. In its corporate website, the expanse of the organization was described in the following statement: Lenovo is a US$21 billion personal technology company and the world’s second-largest PC vendor. We have more than 26,000 employees in more than 60 countries serving customers in more than 160 countries†¦ We create and build exceptionally engineered personal technology, but we are much more than a tech company. We are defining a new way of doing things as a next generation global company (Lenovo 2012). This achievement is a result of a daring global strategy of a Chinese firm with humble beginnings to become one of the multinational companies (MNC) in its industry. The Chinese Context The Chinese government plays a strong role in the manner by which domestic firms began to pursue MNC ambitions. This is revealed in many empirical studies examining the motivations of China’s outward FDI (e.g. Taylor 2002, Deng 2004, Liu and Li 2002 and Zhang and Filippov 2009). The current policy is radically different from the Chinese position during the â€Å"open door policies† in the 1970s and the policies adopted when China became a member of the World Trade Organization (Sung 2009; and, Bhattasali, Li and Martin 2004). During this period, China’s policies were more focused on dealing with the global trade flows (Laal and Albaladejo, 2004). The policy trend favors a more aggressive outward flow of direct investment. As a matter of fact, it is part of public policy. China mandated that companies should go global (Bell 2008, p.254). This mandate entailed support that covers the legal, financial and political aid from the government. What this means is that loans are available, the domestic conditions for business is favorable (such as streamlined business approval process), and the mechanisms that encourage production, sales and exports are in place. For instance, China created key agencies that approves and facilitate export

Choose and plan with skills reflection (x 1000 words) Coursework

Choose and plan with skills reflection (x 1000 words) - Coursework Example Similarly, in the job description of a flagship store manager, it is extremely important that the candidate is smart and speaks well. Like it is mentioned above, the retail sector requires a person with great interpersonal and people skills. I have a command on two languages, Thai and English. This means that I can directly deal with the local customers as well as the one belonging to other nationalities. In addition to this, I can use Microsoft Office proficiently especially Microsoft Excel to compute all data related to the store. This is an advantage because I have an understanding of all computerized data and can link it well to the store’s data (customer’s data). My past experience as an assistant to the marketing manager and my qualification in the field of business has prepared me well to the retail sector and I know how important it is to satisfy the customers. With ‘business studies’ as my basic academic qualification, I know the importance of dressing up professionally for the retail outlet. Moreover, I am aware of the importance of having good interpersonal skills which includ e: fluent communication, listening skills, team work, crisis management, being assertive and empathising. These skills which developed over some time taught me how to keep myself calm and poise in case of disturbing situations like handling customers’ complaints. My past experience of dealing with suppliers for an event taught that time management is the key to success and without planning the event can be completely fail. It developed my time management skills and improved my abilities. Managing a flagship store is not an easy task because it involves the management of various types of people belonging to different socio-economic backgrounds. In addition, people have different educational background followed by different set of skills; therefore, it is a difficult task to bring

Tata Group Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tata Group - Research Paper Example The overseas company was established in London. It was known as Tata Limited. In order to achieve this accomplishment, Tata Group invested in a hotel in 1902 (Paul & Kapoor, 2008). Through the establishment of ‘The Indian Hotels Company’, Jamsetji Tata was able to build ‘Taj Mahal Palace Hotel’ which became functional in 1903. Within a few years of investment, the hotel business was able to accumulate profit that was used to expand operations outside India (Witzel, 2010). Tata also started investing in ironworks by establishing ‘Tata Iron and Steel Company’ and used the profits to expand to other countries. The company maximized on profits by minimizing on wages and proper utilization of resources. For them to be able to expand, it was crucial for the company to take such action. Tata Group did business with countries such as England, China, Britain and Japan. The host governments demanded the investments. This is because the business brought about major economic benefits for the host countries. For example, Tata Group was able to contribute to taxes in the host countries. These taxes became a source of revenue that was used to improve the economic state of the host countries (Paul & Kapoor, 2008). Moreover, Tata group was able to utilize labor provided by the host countries. The economic benefit that came out of this is that people in the host countries were able to secure employment opportunities hence improving their livelihoods. Host countries also demanded the investment due to the benefits that they were bound to receive through infrastructure. Tata Group was definitely going to improve the infrastructure in the areas that they would operate. Nonetheless, they would receive ready market for their exports through trading with India. Countries highly regard trading since it is a major source of foreign exchange. The investment also co ntributed to technological

Issues Regarding Ranking of People Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Issues Regarding Ranking of People - Term Paper Example hoot-out, Zimmerman was arrested by the police; the police arrived at the scene about two minutes after the shooting, in response to a distress call made by Zimmerman (Bell et al. 89). After his arrest, Zimmerman was put under police custody, treated for the head injuries that he claimed were inflicted on him by Trayvon, and was later questioned for five hours, regarding the events leading to the shooting. However, after a few hours, Zimmerman was released, and the police chief in charge of the case gave a variety of reasons for the release, including that he had acted in self-defense (Bell et al. 88-89). The police chief also maintained that the â€Å"stand your ground statute† did not allow the police to arrest Zimmerman for the controversial murder of the teenager, irrespective of the victim’s civil rights as well as the human rights of all Americans (Hancock 1). This paper will explore the event of Trayvon’s killing, with the aim of showing how the event led to an inequitable society, the resolution of the event and its effects. Despite the fact that Zimmerman, a Hispanic had shot Trayvon, an African-American dead, and despite the fact that the case was evidently an extreme one, Zimmerman was relelased after a few hours. The social stratification between the African-Americans and Americans of American descent demonstrated the social construction of social stratification for the different classes, and the case ended with an inadequacy of the attention warranted by the murder of Trayvon (Day-Vines et al. 401). The lack of equitability in society was evidenced by the responses offered to the murder, including that little attention paid to the fact that the police had ordered Zimmerman to stop pursuing Trayvon, yet he went ahead to shoot him dead. Secondly, there was the issue that, despite the fact that Zimmerman did not have any credible reasons to suspect that Trayvon was planning or in the process of committing a crime, the investigating officers paid

Choose and plan with skills reflection (x 1000 words) Coursework

Choose and plan with skills reflection (x 1000 words) - Coursework Example Similarly, in the job description of a flagship store manager, it is extremely important that the candidate is smart and speaks well. Like it is mentioned above, the retail sector requires a person with great interpersonal and people skills. I have a command on two languages, Thai and English. This means that I can directly deal with the local customers as well as the one belonging to other nationalities. In addition to this, I can use Microsoft Office proficiently especially Microsoft Excel to compute all data related to the store. This is an advantage because I have an understanding of all computerized data and can link it well to the store’s data (customer’s data). My past experience as an assistant to the marketing manager and my qualification in the field of business has prepared me well to the retail sector and I know how important it is to satisfy the customers. With ‘business studies’ as my basic academic qualification, I know the importance of dressing up professionally for the retail outlet. Moreover, I am aware of the importance of having good interpersonal skills which includ e: fluent communication, listening skills, team work, crisis management, being assertive and empathising. These skills which developed over some time taught me how to keep myself calm and poise in case of disturbing situations like handling customers’ complaints. My past experience of dealing with suppliers for an event taught that time management is the key to success and without planning the event can be completely fail. It developed my time management skills and improved my abilities. Managing a flagship store is not an easy task because it involves the management of various types of people belonging to different socio-economic backgrounds. In addition, people have different educational background followed by different set of skills; therefore, it is a difficult task to bring

Issues Regarding Ranking of People Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Issues Regarding Ranking of People - Term Paper Example hoot-out, Zimmerman was arrested by the police; the police arrived at the scene about two minutes after the shooting, in response to a distress call made by Zimmerman (Bell et al. 89). After his arrest, Zimmerman was put under police custody, treated for the head injuries that he claimed were inflicted on him by Trayvon, and was later questioned for five hours, regarding the events leading to the shooting. However, after a few hours, Zimmerman was released, and the police chief in charge of the case gave a variety of reasons for the release, including that he had acted in self-defense (Bell et al. 88-89). The police chief also maintained that the â€Å"stand your ground statute† did not allow the police to arrest Zimmerman for the controversial murder of the teenager, irrespective of the victim’s civil rights as well as the human rights of all Americans (Hancock 1). This paper will explore the event of Trayvon’s killing, with the aim of showing how the event led to an inequitable society, the resolution of the event and its effects. Despite the fact that Zimmerman, a Hispanic had shot Trayvon, an African-American dead, and despite the fact that the case was evidently an extreme one, Zimmerman was relelased after a few hours. The social stratification between the African-Americans and Americans of American descent demonstrated the social construction of social stratification for the different classes, and the case ended with an inadequacy of the attention warranted by the murder of Trayvon (Day-Vines et al. 401). The lack of equitability in society was evidenced by the responses offered to the murder, including that little attention paid to the fact that the police had ordered Zimmerman to stop pursuing Trayvon, yet he went ahead to shoot him dead. Secondly, there was the issue that, despite the fact that Zimmerman did not have any credible reasons to suspect that Trayvon was planning or in the process of committing a crime, the investigating officers paid

Hr Policies of Ibm by Bal Essay Example for Free

Hr Policies of Ibm by Bal Essay About ibm IBM is a global technology and innovation company that stands for progress. With operations in over 170 countries, IBMers around the world invent and integrate hardware, software and services to help forward-thinking enterprises, institutions and people everywhere succeed in building a smarter planet. IBM has been present in India since 1992. The diversity and breadth of the entire IBM portfolio of research, consulting, solutions, services, systems and software, uniquely distinguishes IBM India from other companies in the industry. IBM Indias solutions and services span all major industries including financial services, healthcare, government, automotive, telecommunications and education, among others. As a trusted partner with wide-ranging service capabilities, IBM helps clients transform and succeed in challenging circumstances. IBM has been expanding its footprint in India and has a presence in over 200 cities and towns across the country either directly or through its strong business partner network. IBM India has clearly established itself as one of the leaders in the Indian Information Technology (IT) Industry and continues to transform itself to align with global markets and geographies to grow this leadership position. Widely recognised as an employer of choice, IBM holds numerous awards for its industry-leading employment practices and policies. IBM has one of the largest professional workforces in the world today. And what we bring to market is the expertise of our people, a workforce which is responsive to market requirements, with the skills and expertise to deliver value to clients, is resilient to market forces and delivers strong leadership. IBM has retained its position as one of the World’s Top Employers of Choice over these years because of its three-fold initiatives for the employees: * Capability: Rigorous and ongoing career/skills development programs * Climate: A challenging, empowering work environment, with world-class infrastructure * Culture: Sensitive to a global workforce The attributes that qualify these 3Cs are the Top Reasons that people come to work at IBM. IBM HR Policies 1. Global employment standards At IBM, we have always set high standards for the way we conduct business – in areas from corporate and social responsibility to sound business ethics, including compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. These Conduct Principles apply to all IBM employees. However, they are not meant to describe the full scope of IBM human resource policies or practices. More detailed statements of policies, procedures and practices are contained in documents such as the IBM Business Conduct Guidelines. Employees are required to comply with all IBM policies, procedures and practices at all times and are responsible for consulting their management if they have any questions. Our goal is to ensure full compliance with these principles by IBM managers and employees. A companion to this document, the IBM Supplier Conduct Principles, governs our relationships with and standards for IBM suppliers. . Forced or involuntary labor IBM will not use forced or involuntary labor of any type (e. g. , forced, bonded, indentured or involuntary prison labor); employment is voluntary. 3. Child labor IBM will not use child labor. The term child refers to any employed person under the age of 16, or under the age for completing compulsory education, or under the minimum age for employment in the country, whichever is greatest. We support the use of legitimate workplace apprenticeship, internship and other similar programs that comply with all laws and regulations applicable to such programs. 4. Wages and benefits IBM will, at a minimum, comply with all applicable wage and hour laws and regulations, including those relating to minimum wages, overtime hours, piece rates, nonexempt or exemption classification and other elements of compensation, and provide legally mandated benefits. 5. Working hours IBM will not exceed maximum hours of work prescribed by law and will appropriately compensate overtime. Employees will not be required to work more than 60 hours per week, including overtime, except in extraordinary business circumstances with their consent or where the nature of the position requires such work, as for exempt employees and employees in executive, managerial or professional positions. In countries where the maximum work week is shorter, that standard shall apply. Employees should be allowed at least one day off per seven-day week. 6. Nondiscrimination and harassment IBM will not discriminate in hiring, promotion, compensation of employees and employment practices on grounds of race, color, religion, age, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, political affiliation, disability or veteran status. IBM will create a work environment free of discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or veteran status. . Respect and dignity IBM will treat all employees with respect and dignity and will not use corporal punishment, threats of violence or other forms of physical coercion or harassment. 8. Freedom of association IBM will respect the legal rights of its employees to join or to refrain from joining worker organizations, including labor organizations or trade unions. IBM complies with legal requirements worldwide regarding employee and third-party involvement. IBM respects the rights of employees to organize, and makes managers at all levels aware of those rights. The companys long-standing belief is that the interests of IBM and its employees are best served through a favorable, collaborative work environment with direct communication between employees and management. IBM endeavors to establish such favorable employment conditions, to promote positive relationships between employees and managers, to facilitate employee communications, and to support employee development. 9. Health and safety IBM will provide its employees with a safe and healthy workplace in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Consistent with these obligations, IBM will have and will implement effective programs that encompass things such as life safety, incident investigation, chemical safety, ergonomics, and will provide safe standards of health and safety in any housing and transportation provided for our employees by the company. 10. Protection of the environment IBM is committed to worldwide leadership in environmental protection.

The Australian Wheat Board Scandal

The Australian Wheat Board Scandal Introduction This essay will discuss the primary organisational structure and causes of the Australian Wheat Board scandal, hereafter referred to as AWB. This was a scandal of global magnitude, whereby AWB paid substantial monetary bribes to Iraq officials in blatant non-compliance of the regulations set out in the Oil-for-Food programme; which was established by the United Nations. Moreover, this essay will discuss the evidence presented in the Cole Royal Commission, an enquiry established to investigate the conduct of several Australian companies in relation to the oil-for-food program; AWB a governmental organisation was the foremost organisation under scrutiny. This essay will also examine the regulatory failures that facilitated corruption at the Governmental level to occur, and which remained predominantly unfettered for a protracted period. Incidences of governmental and corporate corruption and deviant behaviour, which often involve considerable numbers of active or passive participants, are seldom the result of opportunism alone, but are far more often insidious and methodical by nature. The AWB case is a clear illustration of governmental corporate culture and demonstrates a plethora of systemic regulatory and policy failures, all of which further influenced and defined the AWBs decision-making process and unethical posture. Lastly, the aforementioned material will be discussed commencing with a brief summary and literature review, and a comprehensive case analysis in order to demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of this particular type of Governmental crime, which sits under the broad ambiguous umbrella of white-collar crime. Brief Summary Contemporary society in a globalised world demonstrates an almost overwhelming abundance of criminal activity in particular pertaining to white-collar crime; however, numerous researches demonstrate that not all crimes and criminals are dealt with in the same manner (Chambliss, 1989). In fact, on closer examination, research has suggested that there is an innate tendency for specific crimes and criminals to be positively overlooked, typically these being crimes of the powerful, (Ditton, 1977; Box, 1983; Chambliss, 1989; Muncie, 1996) .primary example is that of the AWB scandal. The questionable Utilitarian approach of seeking the greatest good for the greatest number of people (Kay 1997) found to be assumed by the AWB and its Board, is analysed in the Cole Enquiry Report. The Cole Report stimulated awareness to the fundamental deficiencies in both corporate governance and culture, which play a significant function in permitting or precluding the occurrence of unethical conduct (Kay, 1997). Furthermore, the inaction demonstrated by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade hereafter referred to as DFAT, and the Australian Federal Government in investigating claims against AWB further highlights the systemic failures that permitted AWBs unethical behaviour to prevail (Gibson, 2000). The key causes of, and major influences on unethical behaviour determined from the Cole report are: -The AWB organisations strong profit driven demand to meet financial or business objectives, and the promotion of tolerance for illegal/criminal acts (white-collar crime) (Overington, 2006) -A culture of getting the job done, where corrupt acts are justified under the proviso that the greatest good will be achieved for the company (Overington, 2006) -A lack of control mechanisms and moral agents in both corporate and public sector governance (Overington, 2006) -The implication of privatisation of Australian rural entities (Bartos, 2007) -Policy and Regulatory design and the lack of adherence and implementation (Bartos, 2007) -Governmental oversight of wheat growing monopoly, international monopolisation (Bartos, 2007) -Conduct of foreign policy misconduct United Nations Oil-for-Food-Program International Trade Sanctions )Bartos, 2007) One crucial aspect to be considered is that Australia is a signatory to both the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Officials in International Business Transactions. Australias interpretation of the aforementioned United Nations Convention is The Criminal Code Amendment (Bribery of Foreign Public Officials) Act, referred to as the Bribery Act, which is the Australian Parliaments legislative implementation of the latter convention Literature Review It is common knowledge that conventional criminals consider it normal to utilise any instrument or weapon to perpetuate a crime, therefore, it would also seem normal for organisations to utilise the organisation itself to acquire money from victims by way of its deviant misbehaviour (Harris Hartman, 2002). These victims are varied and may be customers or the members of the organisation themselves (Harris Hartman, 2002). This is a prime example of what is referred to as the organisational weapon the organisation is for white-collar criminals as the gun or knife is for conventional criminals (Wheeler and Rothman, 1982, cited in Punch, 1996). Harris and Hartman (2002), state that an organisations culture consists of the values, norms, and attitudes of the people who intrinsically make up the organisation. Moreover, the stated values demonstrate what is important; whereas norms reveal expected behaviour; attitudes expose the mind-set of individuals (Hall, 2006). Therefore, organisational culture informs people what is important in the organisation, expected behaviours, and how to observe things (Hall, 2006). Culture is a part of organisational life that influences the behaviour, attitudes, and overall effectiveness of all members of an organisation (Gibson et al, 2000). Further to this, Daboub Coulton (2002) stressed the importance of organisations selecting business partners who share a comparable commitment to both the social and environmental practices and ethical commitment of the company. They further stated that this would assist in ensuring that the organisation is not placed in compromising situations due to unethical acts perpetrated by those companies with whom they have working associations (Daboub Coulton, 2002). Robbins (2000) argued that todays global business environment can lead to such problematic associations, and stated the need for organisations to take a fervent pro-active stance to further ensure that the codes of conduct under which they operate are transparent, implicit and adhered to by their associates (Robbins, 2000; Daboub Coulton, 2002). Furthermore, the political influence on large governmental or privatised organisations and the desire not to over-regulate can also be very influential. Politicians are mindful of the detrimental effect that heavy regulation can have on businesses that are often generous economic contributors. The will of governments not to introduce laws that hinder corporate activity is evidenced by the lack of substantial powers and penalties (specifically prison terms) available to regulatory bodies, the lack of resources available to enforce those provisions already available and governments commitment to regularly review any legislation that may impact adversely on competition. Case Analysis The United Nations Oil-for-Food program involved not only companies but also governments; however, various activities by the Howard Government were outside the provisions of reference of the Cole Enquiry, which was fundamentally sanctioned to examine the actions of the companies specifically mentioned in the 2004 United Nations report on the Oil-for-Food program. Furthermore, Cole was unable to examine the extent to which government policy during that period encouraged or discouraged bribes from the AWB, or equally as to whether Australian Government Ministers should have enquired further, especially considering that warnings were received that something was inappropriate, or indeed how the government managed its relationship with the AWB throughout this protracted process. To illustrate further, Henry Bosch former chairperson of Transparency International Australia and also one of Australias most experienced business regulators, argued that somebody, somewhere must have known what was going on. Bosch stated to the Ethical Corporation that he suspected, that the executives involved in winning contracts were a bit less careful than they should have been regarding the status of payments being demanded. The AWBs justification for this deviant and criminal behaviour was to argue that it simply was not aware of the payments. Moreover, numerous critics pointed out that it was virtually impossible for government Ministers and various other officials to not have known, especially due to the fact that the fees paid to the contractors selected by Saddam Husseins bureaucrats would have been noticeably and remarkably high, in fact, the AWBs responses plainly raised far more questions than answers. Further to this, the Cole Enquiry argued that the AWBs structure was primarily to blame, for example; the company was responsible for the marketing and exporting of one of Australias major export commodities. Moreover, all Australian wheat exports passed through the offices of the so-called single-desk export authority, which was heavily vested in the AWB. The single-desk export authority was established in 1915 to assist Australian wheat growers to get their produce to global export markets, therefore dealing with the AWB was a major factor for all businesses involved in Australias powerful expansive wheat growing sector. In addition to this, Iraq was a massive market and there was a need for the organisation to justify its often-criticised monopoly on Australias global wheat exports, particularly in the face of strong competition from the United States and other suppliers. Numerous critics observed that, since the AWB was privatised in 1998, and consequently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in 2001 the AWB had noticeably become far more extreme than its former bureaucratic culture might have previously endorsed. Furthermore, a United Nations report on October 27, 2005 established that the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) had paid $US221.7 ($AU300) million in bribes to the Iraqi Government between 1999 and 2003 under the United Nations Oil-for-Food program (Whitton 2007). Through this mode of immoral and illegal behaviour, the AWB defrauded their shareholders out of their financial investments and profits as well as causing irreparable damage to Australias trade reputation globally. Further to this, the United Nations report on the inquiry into corruption in the Oil-for-Food Program, led by Paul Volcker, revealed that 2200 companies participating in the program were misappropriating funds from the United Nations accounts to redistribute them to the Iraqi government but none of the magnitude of the AWB. Moreover, the AWB was a company with a high profile and facing a serious legal problem, therefore the AWB was obviously likely to draw attention from both the Australian and worldwide public and media (Lukaszewski, 1997). Consequently, with the release of the report and mass media and public attention (Mackey, 2002), the AWB was obviously facing a dire crisis. Due to this in February 2006, the AWB managing director Andrew Lindberg resigned after demonstrated outrage throughout the press and collective Australian wheat growers. The AWB scandal has left an indelible black mark on the AWBs reputation throughout the world, and puts into question how reliable it was and how well suited it was to represent and market nearly all of Australias wheat to the overseas marketplace. In addition, the AWB was sued for AU$1 billion in compensation by collective wheat farmers in North America for alleged, bribery and other corrupt activities to corner the grain markets internationally (news.com.au, 2006). The effect of the scandal resulted in Iraq refusing to purchase wheat from the AWB and the consequential loss of a substantial overseas market for Australian wheat growers. In an attempt to minimise damage to the Howard Governments reputation, Prime Minister Howard launched an official enquiry in November of 2006, into the payment of bribes by the AWB Ltd, formerly known as the Australian Wheat Board, to the Saddam Hussein regime, this enquiry essentially produced a whitewash report designed for several key purposes. Foremost, was the need to clear Prime Minister John Howard and his leading ministers of any political and/or criminal responsibility pertaining to the payment of bribes to Iraqi bureaucrats. Another critical concern was to fend off United States agricultural interests that were demanding the dismantling of the AWBs wheat export monopoly as part of a ruthless trade war. To illustrate further, it was absoloutely paramount for the Howard government to prevent any examination of the motives behind Canberras participation in the U.S occupation of Iraq. Therefore, in an obvious act of scape-goating, enquiry Commissioner Cole singled out 11 former AWB executives and one ex BHP executive for blame, and the possibility of criminal prosecutions. Sanctioned by the Howard government the mass media immediately did its best to assist this diversionary exercise by dubbing these 12 individuals the dirty-dozen in newspaper headlines around the country, demonstrating the great measures that politicians will take to cover their corruption. Howards use of Cole, a trusted lawyer who had previously conducted a witch-hunting enquiry against building workers on behalf of Prime Minister Howard wreaks of the unfettered abuse of governmental power. It was therefore not surprising that Cole attributed the payment of nearly $AU300 million in bribes under the United Nations 1996-2003 so-called Oil-for-Food-Program solely to a handful of 12 individuals. Moreover, Cole stated that these 12 individuals deviant corrupt behaviour developed from a closed culture of superiority and impregnability within the organisation, which had been produced by the AWBs 67-year monopoly and stronghold over all Australian wheat exports. In addition to this, Cole stated that it was obvious that the AWBs unethical policy in Iraq was to do whatever is necessary in order to retain the $AU500 million in annual wheat sales, and further stated that was precisely what the Howard Governments policy was at the time. The substantial and comprehensive documents tabled at the Cole enquiry confirm that the AWB, which was a government agency up until 1999 and then subsequently privatised continued to operate and receive Canberras protection, almost as a virtual arm of the Howard Government throughout the lead-up to the March 2003 U.S. led invasion of Iraq Conclusion The AWB scandal raises significant questions and concerns pertaining to the Australian policy-making processes and the attitudes of the government ministers involved.

Free News in a Linked World Essay -- Internet Web Media Papers

Free News in a Linked World We usually classify communication media in three categories: published media, broadcast media and what Chris Chesher calls â€Å"invocational media†.1 The published media include newspapers, magazines and books. Radio and television are broadcast media — I would add speech as a nontechnological broadcast medium also. Invocational media represent communication tools used on interactive and networked digital computers.2 News delivery is present on every communication medium. I will look at the difference in value of the content between the media. And I will explain how the World Wide Web — as a new invocational medium — will bring back a public discourse based on logic and reason. And how it will re-democratize the libertarian press. Comparative Descriptions In published media — the oldest technological news distribution method — news is provided on a physical support on which alphabetical characters and images are printed. The support — a newspaper for example — must be distributed, and the user must acquire it. There is a sense of possession, of ownership evoked by the object. The content is made of texts, photographs and illustrations. It is self contained and can be consulted anywhere, at any time and in any way. Broadcast media are part of late nineteenth and twentieth century’s technological innovation. The technology behind broadcast news is based on linear streams of communicative content emitted from a base and transmitted through different means — copper cable or wave for example. To be able to view or hear the news, the user must acquire a receiving machine. Content is sent in real time and has no physical representation. News can be transmitted as it happens, but the user must be avai... ...a.org 14. From rabble.ca [www.rabble.ca] References Chesher, Chris â€Å"Why the Digital Computer is Dead† ctheory.net 04-04-2002 http://ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=334 Howe, Denis editor, Free On-line Dictionary of Computing http://www.foldoc.org/ Mann, Steve eyetap.org http://www.eyetap.org Mann, Steve with Hal Niedzviecki, Cyborg: Digital Destiny and Human Possibility in the Age of the Wearable Computer Double Day Canada, 2001 Markoff, John â€Å"Chapter 23 The Scribe† in John Brockman, Digerati http://www.edge.org/digerati/markoff/markoff_chapter.html Negroponte, Nicholas Being Digital Vintage Books, 1996 Postman, Neal Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business Penguin Books, 1986 Sormany, Pierre Le mà ©tier de journaliste: Guide des outils et des pratiques du journalisme au Quà ©bec Borà ©al, 1990