Earthquakes & Subduction Zones Lab Report

Earthquakes and Subduction Zones Lab Amy Paret Mrs. Igo 9th Grade Periods 3 and 4 Even Date: 2/14/13 Background Research: This lab uses earthquake data to construct profiles of two convergent boundaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench. Where two tectonic plates converge, if one or both of the plates is an oceanic lithosphere, a subduction zone will form. When crust is formed at a mid-ocean ridge, it is hot and buoyant meaning it has a low density. As it spreads away from the ridge and cools and contracts, or becomes denser, it is able to sink into the hotter underlying mantle.When two oceanic plates collide, the younger of the two plates, because it is less dense will ride over the edge of the older plate. The density of the rock that makes up the subducting plate determines the way in which a plate behaves. A plate with a greater density subducts into the mantle faster and at a steeper angle than a plate with a lower density. The age of the crust involved in the subducti on also affects the rate at which it subducts. Older crust is cooler and denser therefore it suducts at a steeper angle and faster than new crust at a subduction zone.The three key features associated with a subduction zone are a deep ocean trench, a volcanic arc on the overriding plate parallel to the trench, and a plane of earthquakes, shallow near the trench and descending beneath and beyond the volcanic arc. Most earthquakes occur at tectonic plate boundaries. The largest earthquakes are associated with subduction zones because they have long continuous fault lines. The depth of its focus can classify an earthquake. Earthquake depth range is divided into three zones: shallow, intermediate, and deep.Shallow earthquakes are between 0 to 70 km deep, intermediate earthquakes are between 70 to 300 km deep, and deep focus earthquakes have foci at more than 300 km. Terms Introduced and Defined: – Subduction zone: the place where two lithospheric plates come together, one riding over the other – Density: mass per unit volume – Earthquake: the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. – Subduction: the process in which one plate is pushed downward beneath another plate into the underlying mantle when plates move towards each other Plate boundaries: found at the edge of the lithospheric plates and are of three types, convergent, divergent and transform – Deep ocean trench: a portion of the Earth's crust in which a tectonic plate is being sub-ducted (pushed down) below another plate – Shallow earthquake: more damaging than deeper earthquakes due to there being less rock to absorb the shaking – Deep focus earthquakes: occur within the subducting oceanic plates as they move beneath the continental plates Hypothesis:The East Pacific Rise Material at the two convergent boundaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench is older than the crust created at the East Pacific Rise but the Tonga Trench material is older than the Peru-Chili Trench material. Materials: – Earthquakes and Subduction Zones Lab – Sharpened pencil with eraser – Graphing Paper – Ruler – Calculator Procedure: 1. Take out a sharpened pencil, ruler, blank sheet of graph paper, and a calculator. 2. Pick up the earthquakes and subduction zones lab from your teacher. 3. Read the background information. 4.Read the hypothesis information. 5. View Figure 1 at the top of the Lab. 6. Form a hypothesis about the relative ages of the East Pacific Rise material at the two convergent boudaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench. 7. View table 1. 8. Divide your graph paper into two sections. 9. Label the left section Tonga Trench and the right section Peru-Chili Trench 10. Draw a vertical line (y-axis) and a horizontal line (x-axis) on each section of the graph paper. 11. Label both vertical lines (y-axes) Focus Depth (km). 12. Label both horizontal lines ( x-axes) Longitude ( °W). 13.On both sections of the graph paper (Tonga Trench and Peru-Chile Trench) create a scale for the vertial axis (focus depth) ranging from 0-700 km. Going by intervals of 50 km, label zero at the top of the y-axis and 700 at the bottom of the y-axis. 14. On the left section of the graph paper (Tonga Trench) create a scale for the horizontal axis (longitude) ranging from 173-180  °W. Going by intervals of 1 °W, label the right end of the x-axis 173 and the left end of the x-axis 180. 15. On the right section of the graph paper (Peru-Chile Trench) create a scale for the horizonal axis (longitude) ranging from 61-71  °W.Going by intervals of 1 °W, label the right end of the x-axis 61 and the left end of the x-axis 71. 16. Plot the earthquake data from the region associated with the Tonga Trench from Table 1 on the left section of the graph paper, using a dot to represent each data point. 17. Plot the earthquake data from the region associated with the Peru-Chile Trench from Table 1 on the right section of the graph paper, using a dot to represent each data point. 18. Draw a best-fit line for the Tonga Trench data. A best fit line is a smooth line that shows the trend of the data; the line does not have to pass through the data points. 19.Draw a best fit line for the Peru-Chili Trench. 20. On the left side of the graph (Tonga Trench) label the Pacific Plate (right side of the line of best fit) and the Indian Australian Plate (left side of the line of best fit) 21. Draw an arrow to show the direction of motion of the Pacific Plate (subducting under the Indian Australian Plate) 22. On the right side of the graph (Peru-Chile Trench) label the Nazca Plate (left side of the line of best fit) and the South American Plate (right side of the line of best fit) 23. Draw an arrow to show the direction of motion of the Nazca Plate (subducting under the South American Plate) 24.Complete analyze questions # 1-5 (4 & 5 completed in steps 20-23) 25. Check and analyze your hypothesis 26. Answer conclude and apply questions # 1-2 Preparing a Lab Report: The lab report is to be written in the same format as any scientific publication. There is to be 5 minumum sections and they should be labeled: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Literature Cited. The report must be composed on a word processor, printed, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font. The metric system should be used throughout the report. All parts of the report should be written using complete sentences in paragraph format.The first section of your lab report should be labeled with the word â€Å"Introduction. † This section can be used to educate the reader so he or she can understand the rest of the report. A hypothesis is proposed to explain an observation. It should be a statement, not a question. The next section is labeled â€Å"Methods. † This section should provide enough information for readers to repeat the experiment if th ey desire. It should include the specific procedures and materials needed to carry out the lab. The next section should be labeled â€Å"Results. † Put all results, statistical analyses, graphs, and tables in this section.Use sentences and paragraphs to describe general trends and summarize the tables and graphs. The next section should be labeled â€Å"Discussion. † In this section discuss whether you accept or reject your hypotheses and explain why. If you reject a hypothesis, state an alternative. Explain why your results came out the way they did. If your results did not come out as they expected, explain why and what should have happened. In addition, explain what your results mean. The last section is â€Å"Literature Cited. † Everything mentioned in a scientific publication should be varifiable.This helps readers that have questions and it ensures that the information presented is accurate. The literature cited section contains a list of publications that you cited in the report. Instructions on Using a Table, Setting Up, and Preparing a Graph: To begin take a blank sheet of graph paper. View Table 1, which includes the Longitude and Focus depths of the earthquakes at the Tonga Trench and Peru-Chile Trench. Divide the graph paper into two sections labeling the left side Tonga Trench and the right side Peru-Chile Trench. Draw a vertical line (y-axis) and horizontal line (x-axis) on each section of the graph paper.Label both vertical lines (y-axes) Focus Depth (km) and label both horizontal lines (x-axes) Longitude ( °W). On both sections of the graph paper (Tonga Trench and Peru Chile Trench), create a scale for the vertical axes (focus depth) ranging from 0-700 km. Going by intervals of 50, label zero at the top of the y-axis and 700 at the bottom of the y-axis. On the left section of the graph paper (Tonga Trench) create a scale for the horizontal axis (longitude) ranging from 173-180  °W. Going by intervals of 1, label the rig ht end of the x-axis 173 and the left end of the x-axis 180.On the right section of the graph paper (Peru-Chile Trench) create a scale for the horizontal axis (longitude) ranging from 61-71  °W. Going by intervals of 1, label the right end of the x-axis 61 and the left end of the x-axis 71. Plot the earthquake data from the region associated with Tonga Trench on the left section of the graph paper, and plot the earthquake data from the region associated with the Peru-Chili Trench on the right section of the graph paper, using a dot to represent each point. Data and Results: Pacific Plate Pacific Plate Indian-Australian Plate Indian-Australian Plate South American PlateSouth American Plate Nazca Plate Nazca Plate Analysis and Synthesis: 1. Question: How far is the Tonga Trench from the East Pacific Rise? Note that one degree longitude equals about 100 km. If the seafloor spreads at 3 cm/year, how long would it take material on the plate to travel this distance? Answer: The Tonga Tr ench is 6,500 km from the East Pacific Rise. If the seafloor spreads at 3 cm/year, it would take material 216. 67 million years to travel this distance. Work: 65 °W = 65 x 100 km = 6,500 km. 6,500 km x 100,000 cm = 650,000,000 cm 650,000,000 cm / 3 cm/year = 216,666,667 years 2.Question: What is the depth of the deepest earthquake in the Tonga data set? Estimate the rate of descent of the East Pacific Rise material at the Tonga Trench in centimeters per year. Answer: The depth of the deepest earthquake in the Tonga data set is 675 km. The rate of descent of the East Pacific Rise material at the Tonga Trench in centimeters per year is 0. 312 cm/year. Work: 675 km x 100,000 cm = 67,500,000 R = 67,500,000 cm / 216,666,667 years R = 0. 312 cm/year 3. Question: Estimate the rate of descent of East Pacific Rise material into the Peru-Chile Trench in centimeters per year. Answer: 5 °W = 45 x 100 km = 4,500 km 4,500 km x 100,000 cm = 45,000,000 cm 450,000,000 km / 3 cm/year = 150,000,00 0 years 540 km x 100,000 cm = 54,000,000 cm R = 54,000,000 cm/ 150,000,000 years R = 0. 36 cm/year Interpret and Explain Data The data represents the focus depths and longitudes ( °W) of the earthquakes that occur at the Peru-Chile Trench subduction zone, and the Tonga Trench subduction zone. On the Tonga Trench as longitude ( °W) increases, or moves further from the prime meridian, the focus depth also increases, or becomes deeper. This creates a steeper slope, and the line appears to be moving upwards.On the Peru-Chile Trench as longitude ( °W) increases, or moves further from the prime meridian, decreases, or becomes shallower. This creates a smoother slope that appears to be moving downwards. On the Tonga Trench graph, the best-fit line is an estimate of the location of the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Indian-Australian Plate. The Pacific Plate is subducting, or moving under the Indian-Australian Plate as this plate overrides the Pacific Plate. On the Peru-Ch ile Trench graph, the best-fit line is an estimate of the location of the boundary between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate.The Nazca Plate is subducting, or moving under the South American Plate as this plate overrides the Nazca Plate. The Peru-Chile Trench and Tonga Trench have similar earthquake focus depths (km), but the longitude ( °W) of these earthquakes is different. Summary of Data As two tectonic plates converge, if one or both of the plates is an oceanic lithosphere, a subduction zone will form. The Tonga Trench has a steeper profile than the Peru-Chile Trench. This is because older crust is cooler and denser than younger crust therefore it subducts at a steeper angle.The Tonga Trench has the steeper and older material. As observed from the charts, the Tonga Trench has a steeper profile than the Peru-Chile Trench. This means that the crust at the Tonga Trench is older and denser than the crust at the Peru-Chile Trench, therefore it subducts faster and at a s teeper angle. The density of the rock that makes up the subducting plate determines they way in that a plate behaves. A plate with a greater density subducts into the mantle faster and at a steeper angle than a plate with a lower density.The age of the crust involved in the subduction also affects the rate at which it subducts. Older crust is cooler and denser therefore it subducts at a steeper angle and faster than new crust at a subduction zone. Conclusion: Check Your Hypothesis: My data supports my hypothesis. I predicted that the East Pacific Rise material at the two convergent boundaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench is older than the crust created at the East Pacific Rise but the Tonga Trench material is older than the Peru-Chile Trench.This is true because the Tonga Trench and Peru-Chile Trench will have older material, as they are further away from where the crust is created. In addition, it is true that Tonga Trench has older material than the Peru-Chile Trenc h because it has a steeper slope, which means it is older and denser. Errors and Fixes: In this lab report, I researched more on my background information to enhance my understanding of the topic. In addition, I explained and analyzed my data to make it easier to understand the trends and what the data actually means.I also provided instructions on using a table of data, setting up, and preparing a graph, and preparing a lab report. The errors I had in my lab report were with the math work on the first three analyze questions, the direction in which the plates subducted, and my hypothesis did not clearly state an answer to my question. I revised these errors by paying attention in class as the math problems were reviewed as this gave me a better understanding of how to solve the problems correctly.In addition, I had the direction of which the Pacific Plate moves against the Indian-Australian plate as moving upward, but since the plate is being subducted under the Indian-Australian p late I changed the direction to downwards. Lastly, I revised my hypothesis by correctly stating the question asked which was to compare the relative ages of the East Pacific Rise material at the two convergent boundaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench. In my original hypothesis, I only stated the relative age of the East Pacific Rise material.

Nursing Roles and Value Task 1

Nursing Roles and Value Western Governors University Nursing Roles and Value NVT2 Competency 724. 7. 1 Ethical Leadership Competency 724. 7. 2 Continuing Competency in Nursing Marisha Grimley Course Mentor March 04, 2012 Nursing Roles and Value The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a case study addressing ethical leadership, analyzing application of standardized code of ethics on nursing practice, and discussing issues in safety for quality patient care.This paper will support the importance of confidentiality when discussing protected patient information. In addition, the need for continuing education and training for nursing through identification of Federal and State regulations as applied to nursing practice will be addressed. The discussion will touch on how these regulations are applied in specific care settings and the professional role of nursing in the ever changing health care delivery system.State regulation or standard of nurse practice The contemporary definition of n ursing according to the Scope and Standards of Practice (2010) is: â€Å"Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations. † (p. 66).According to the Standards of professional Nursing Practice, this scenario violates nursing Standard 7 – Ethics which states: â€Å"The registered Nurse: Delivers care in a manner that preserves and protects healthcare consumers’ autonomy, dignity, rights, values, and beliefs. † (The Standard of professional Performance, 2010, p. 47). The nurse does not follow the standards of practices leading to the several implications. When asked by Dr K. to look in the chart to determine if anyone was responsible for Mr.E’s medical decision making, the nurse failed to inform Dr K that the patient had an Advan ce Directive (AD) that specified he not be placed on a ventilator or have cardiopulmonary resuscitation. By not bringing forward this information the nurse did not fulfill her duty of protecting the patient’s autonomy. She ignored the AD that Mr. E, despite being a mildly developmentally delayed, had put into place before this hospital admission. Mr. E accomplished this task with the help of the nursing home patient advocate thus providing documentation about his medical wishes.Seven years prior, Mr. E had shown the ability to make his own health care decisions. He chose the pathway of his care by checking himself into a nursing home. The nurse assumed, because the provider had stated that the patient was hypoxic (88% room air is hypoxic), that Mr. E could not make his own medical decision. Mr. E verbalized understanding of what his progression of care would be by stating to Dr. K, shaking his head and saying â€Å"Go away! No! No! Take me home. † In this instance, the nurse did not act as a patient advocate.The nurse should have relayed this information to Dr. K. If Dr. K had insisted that the patient was in an impaired hypoxic state, the nurse should have reported the situation to her immediate nursing supervisor who could have intervened as a patient advocate, working to insure that the patient’s wishes be granted. The nurse’s failure to act as a patient advocate and respect Mr. E’s right to self-determination resulted in the patient being intubated and placed on a ventilator against his wishes. The nurse also failed to uphold a patient right to confidentiality.She violated the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) confidentiality laws. The nurse did not speak up and question the provider when the patient’s wishes were being questioned, leading to the patient’s rights, values and beliefs being disregarded. Nursing Code of Ethics by ANA The nurse violated more than one provision f rom the Nursing Code of Ethics. One of the provisions that apply to this case study is provision 3, which states: â€Å"The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient. (Code of Ethics for Nurses, 2010, p. 16). The impact on a professional decision, according to provision 3, would be that the nurse should have provided a private place for the doctor to discuss the case with the family member. Furthermore, the nurse cannot breach the fiduciary duty of confidentiality by allowing the provider to speak with a family member that was not part of the power of attorney. As well, the nurse has to remember that it is a breach of confidentiality and trust when she speaks with others, such as colleagues in a cafeteria that are not involved with the patient’s care.The ethical implications caused by placing Mr. E on a respirator were that the patient’s right of deciding his own path of treatment was violated. The patient Bill of Rights (Roux & Halstead, 2009) allows the patient to refuse medical treatment. Like every individual, Mr. E. has the power of controlling the type of care given to him, along with having control to make decisions that influence self without interference of others. Mr. E, through narrative ethics, had set his healthcare decision precedents. He had made his wishes known by signing an AD. Once Mr.E was intubated further ethical considerations will surface because he may be ventilator dependent or he may die from ventilator induced complications. These possibilities would be avoided by adhering to his original AD. In order to give ethical consideration to this decision, before agreeing with his brother’s intubation and placement on the ventilator, Mr. Y should have requested that all the facts be made available to him. Through the manner in which the case scenario is presented, Mr. Y is not involved in Mr. E’s life decisions even though he is entrusted with Mr. Eâ€℠¢s final life decisions.Any hospitalization is a stressful situation for all parties, the patient and family. In this scenario it is even more stressful because it is a life and death decision. Mr. Y’s brother is diabetic with a history of high blood pressure. Mr. Y has to face the ethical issues of quality of life versus quantity of life in deciding to follow his brother’s wishes or not. Mr. Y most likely did not understand a lot of what was happening and may have felt that it was too heavy a decision to let his brother die if no heroic measures were taken. Mt. Y asked for his niece’s opinion, indicating Mr.Y’s inability to make a decision. As a patient advocate, the nurse should engage in multidisciplinary support to help family understand the legal aspects and obligation of the power of attorney in making life end decisions and the legal obligations of the Advance Directives. Nurse must be firm in stressing these considerations to family so they may re alize the full legal and ethical implications of their decisions. The importance of end of life issues and decisions are now being discussed at the time of admission to most acute care and long term acute care facilities.More attention is being placed on these specific decisions to ensure that the patient's quality of life is considered and maintained even when death may be eminent. It is necessary to keep in mind that Mr. E may have been hypoxic, but he had not shown any signs of not being able to make decisions. The scenario does not describe Mr. E exhibiting any signs of advance hypoxia, such as an altered metal state, cyanosis, tachypnea, cardiac arrhythmias or coma. Mr. E verbalized his disagreement to the procedure by saying â€Å"Go away! No! No! Take me home. † Factors that complicate Mr. E’s advance directivesThe validity of Mr. E’s AD is not in question. The State of California has a specific form for AD that describes the necessary steps for the AD to be valid. (Form: PS-X-MHS-842 Rev. 2-04). The AD may be questioned in California if the nursing home did not follow the guidelines printed on the form. It requires that a nursing home patient advocate or ombudsman, as designated by the State Department of Aging, is present to witness the completion and signing of the AD. The AD does not require the presence of a notary, but requires the presence of two witnesses who sign the AD on the same day as the person making the AD.Mr. E is mildly developmentally delayed; a condition such as this is not a factor which would complicate his ability to have a valid AD. AD and Advance Care Planning for People with Intellectual and Physical Disabilities was addressed by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (HSS, October, 2007). In 2003, a study that assessed the capability of people with a mild mental disability concluded that adults with mild retardation have the ability to provide adequate consent for their own medical decisions.Th is led the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), in 2005 to take the following position regarding end of life: â€Å"Permissible treatment options at the end of life are the same for persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities as for everyone else. † (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, October 2007, p. 13). A factor that complicates the AD is the Power of Attorney given to his brother, Mr. Y. Mr. Y was asked to make an end of life decision for his brother, Mr. E, without the knowledge of the AD.The case scenario notes that â€Å"no family member signed the advance directive and it is unclear if any family member were involved. † Mr. Y was unaware of Mr. E’s AD, made seven years prior, that Mr. E did to avoid having heroic medical procedures performed on himself if should he be in a condition that precluded him from verbalizing his desires. Advance, meaning the wishes are written in advance, before th e situations arise for which the wishes have made. Directives meaning giving, directing the actions of others that are empowered to make the decisions.The lack of communication between Mr. E and Mr. Y created the stressful situation. The nurse’s decision to withhold her knowledge of Mr. E’s AD from other individuals involved in Mr. E’s care led to inappropriate treatment. HIPAA violations HIPAA is violated when information is given to anyone who does not have participation in the care of patient. Patient information can be shared by an entity for the purpose of TPO. TPO is described as release of information pertaining to patients own treatment, payment, and health care operations activities.Knowing how protected health information can be used and disclosed, a HIPAA violation occurred in the following instances. Dr. K discussed Mr. E’s condition with his niece in front of her boyfriend and other patients. The nurse, during her dinner break, discussed pati ent’s medical issues with three nurses not involved in the patient’s care and requested their opinion. The nurse also violated the Code of Ethic Provision 3, which states that nurses have the duty to safeguard patient’s privacy and only share the pertinent information necessary for treatment with those who are participating in the care of the patient. Code of ethics, 2001). Professional conduct of the nurses The comments made by the nurses in the cafeteria were unprofessional, unethical and derogatory. These comments reflect that they were not conducting themselves in accordance with the nursing standards of professional practice. Nurses are not expected to feel warmth towards all human beings, but they cannot treat others with uncaring behavior to justify their feelings or their short comings.Nurses are professionals, and as professionals, nurses are expected to move beyond feelings and provide the same care to every patient regardless of their background, leve l of intelligence, diagnosis or economic status. In the case study the nurses were not: 1) Participating in ongoing educational practices as evidenced by the lack of knowledge of the pre-existing is AD. The nurses did not consider the legal ramifications of not following the patient’s AD requests nor did they respect the patient’s rights to self-determination. ) Providing care in a cultural and sensitive way, as evidenced by calling the patient â€Å"retarded†. Oral defamation – calling patient â€Å"retarded† – is slander. 3) Respectful of the patient’s moral worth nor did they give dignity to the patient, in respect to his living situation by the statement â€Å"he is already in a nursing home† The Code of Ethics, an integral part of what professional nursing stands for, addresses the fact that nurses have a commitment to the well being of their patients.It requires that nurses act as advocates by being vigilant and taking ac tion when inappropriate dealings, such as unethical or questionable practices, are being carried out, and may jeopardize a patient’s care. It is the ethical responsibility of the nurse to report to administration the nurses’ practices and lack of knowledge and the cavalier attitude towards HIPAA. It is an integral part of nursing not to remain silent when substandard care is known and practices that do not align with the nursing code of ethics are being used.The conduct that does not follow the nurse principles also will not align with place of work policies. These nurses should be reported to supervisors for counseling, education and corrective actions. Some issues are so severe that nurses are mandated to report offenses to authorities such as the Board of Registered Nursing, Nursing Organization, and HIPAA. In conclusion, the above case study identifies a case where several standards were compromised in protecting patients’ rights, privacy and protecting pati ent from harm.Through knowledge and competency in following the Nursing Practice Act as well as the Code of Ethics, one can always ensure uncompromised patient care and safety in practice. References Board of Registered Nurse. The Registered Nurse as Patient Advocate [Regulations]. Sacramento, CA: (Reprint from the BRN Report – Winter 1987). Retrieved from: http://www. rn. ca. gov/pdfs/regulations/npr-i-11. pdf America Nursing Association (2010). In Scope and Standards of Practice (2nd edition). Silver Spring, Maryland: Nursesbooks. org. America Nursing Association (2001).Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements (2001 edition). Silver Spring, Maryland: nursingbooks. org. Advance Directive Form. (PS-X-MHS-842 Rev. 2-04). Retrieved from: http://ag. ca. gov/consumers/pdf/AHCDS1. pdf Roux, G. ; Halstead, J. A. (2009). Issues and Trends in Nursing. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. U. S Department of Health and Human Services. (October 2007). Adv ance Directives and Advance Care Planning for People with Intellectual and Physical Disabilities. Retrieved from: http://aspe. hhs. gov/daltcp/reports/2007/adacp. htm#who (Roux ; Halstead, 2009)

Response Paper of Meditation Four, Five, and Six

Descartes talked about the true and the false, and how we make mistakes in Meditation Four. Descartes believed that error as such is not something real that depends upon God, but rather is merely a defect. And thus there is no need to account for my errors by positing a faculty given to me by God for this purpose(546). He thought that the reason why we make mistakes is that the faculty of judging the truth, which we got from God, is not infinite(546). When Descartes focused more closely on more closely on himself and inquired into the nature of his errors, he noted that errors depend on the simultaneous concurrence of two causes: intellect and will(547). He didn’t believe that God ought to have given us a greater faculty of knowing than he did(547). So we cannot make no mistakes like God. Then Descartes raised a question that can he complain that the will or free choice he have received from God is insufficiently ample or perfect(547). After using paragraphs talking about it, Descartes perceived that the power of willing is not the cause of his errors, for it is most ample as well as perfect in its kind(548). This idea is similar to Augustine’s ides in On Free Choice of the Will. Then he thought if he held off from making a judgment when he do not perceive what is true with sufficient clarity and distinctness, it is cleat that he was acting properly and not committing an error(548). In the end, he said he would indeed attain it if only he paid enough attention to all the things that he perfectly understand, and separate them off from the rest, which he apprehended more confusedly and more obscurely(549). Descartes talked about the essence of material things and prove that God exists again. Descartes said that it is obvious that whatever is true is something, and he have already demonstrated at some length that all that he know clearly is true(550). Then he thought that it is obvious to anyone who pays close attention that existence can no more be separated from God’s essence than its having three angles equal to two right angles can be separated from the essence of a triangle(551). So existent belongs to the essence of God. Descartes can no more think of God as not existing than he can think of mountain without a valley(550). Actually, I do really agree with Descartes’ prove process, even if I do not agree with some of his conclusion. I think the way he prove things is rational and logical. He thought we should raise some ideas which he has no doubt about it. Then he use them to prove things. It just like what Euclid did in Elements. Raise some Axioms first, then use them to prove all others and build the whole system. Elements presents them in a single, logically coherent framework, making it easy to use and easy to reference(3). But the key point to get a true conclusion and build a logical system is to find the correct Axioms or foundations. I have to say that Axioms or foundations changes because of the religion and the development of science. For example, the Axioms of the theory of relativity are different from the classical physics’ Axioms because human know more about the nature. Descartes thought that necessary existence belongs to the essence of God in Meditation Five, and take it as a foundation. But there must be someone does not think so. He thought that because of his brief. But someone may not believe in God. I think Axioms or foundations might be various depends on individual difference and timed difference. But I think if you can raise your own Axioms or foundations build a logical system and make sense, it well be good for sure. We cannot get the truth straightly, it just like we climb up cockle stairs. And all Axioms and foundations and knowledge systems which are built by different foundations does contribute to achieving the truth. Without the old foundations and the system built by them, we cannot have new recognizing and raise new foundations to build new system and approach the truth.

Satan's fall from Heaven Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Satan's fall from Heaven - Research Paper Example Main views/theories on Satan's fall from Heaven The exact time of Satan's fall from Heaven is still clouded and leads to a number of different views and theories on the same. Some of the views/theories are pointed out here. Satan’s fall: between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 This view/theory is generally known as ‘gap theory’. The chief exponents of this theory believe that the wide time interval between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 is enough to the Satan’s fall from heaven. Hodge (2011), states that â€Å"Gap theorists try to make the case that the Hebrew in Genesis 1:2 should be translated as â€Å"And the earth became without form, and void† and this is subsequent to Satan’s fall† (p.24). Besides, this theory can be connected to the theory of evolution and the extinction of dinosaurs. When the gap is that of millions of years, there exists high possibility for Satan’s fall from heaven within this time interval. In addition, this theory tries to connect Genesis 1:1 with scientific division of ages. For instance, Genesis 1:1can be evaluated scientifically as the time interval of creation of the whole world by the God. Moreover, Genesis 1:2 can be evaluated as the time interval in which the God judged the whole wor ld. In short, the ‘gap theory’ tries to explain that Satan’s fall from the heaven is in between Genesis 1:1and 1:2. Satan’s fall: between chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis)... Satan’s fall: between chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis) The people who believe in this view/theory do not accept the fact that the earth’s age consists of millions of years. When this view is connected to the God’s creation of the world within six days, the time interval for the creation is limited to an extent. For instance, when the God created the whole world within six days, the age of the earth will be limited to thousands of years. Russell (1987), states that â€Å"The Devil fall from grace because he envied God, wishing to be adored like his maker, and even more because he envied humanity† (p.81). The exponents of this view/theory argue that Satan was created by the God on the first day of creation. Those who believe in this view/theory are of the opinion that Satan’s fall is in between the chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis). To be specific, the Satan in the chapter 3 of genesis is portrayed as a fallen angel. So, there exists high possibility for Satanâ₠¬â„¢s fall between his creation (chapter 1) and portrayal as fallen (chapter 3). So, the exponents of this view/theory argue that Satan’s fall is in between the chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis). Satan’s fall: before chapter 1 (Genesis) This view/theory is based upon the belief that Satan’s fall is not between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, and chapters 1 and 2 (Genesis), but before chapter 1 (Genesis). This view/theory suggests that Satan was banished from the heaven long before Adam and Eve’s creation. Troyer (2007), states that â€Å" Some people believe Lucifer was kicked out of heaven long before the Garden of Eden was made or before God created the heaven and the earth† (p.116). The main argument is that chapter 1 (Genesis) makes clear that

BIO100 Week 2-4 Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BIO100 Week 2-4 Discussions - Essay Example Third was his theory of vestigial structures, stating that life started out as very simple and grew more and more complex. Even though he was not a scientist, Malthus was the greatest influence on Darwin’s work. Multhus was an economist who understood the state of world population and his idea that population was growing faster than food can be provided fascinated Darwin; this lead to the theory of ‘survival of the fittest’. Inheritable changes in an organism which occur spontaneously and randomly are called mutations; these may or may not be harmful. Mutations can also add new traits through new alleles or interchange the amount alleles present. A biome can be defined as a large piece of land containing fauna and flora often defined by their abiotic factors such as climate, vegetation, geology, relief etc. A biome may be mistaken for a large ecosystem but this is not true. Biomes and ecosystems are two different things. The main difference is that organisms in a particular biome make many adaptations in order to be able to survive in that particular setting. The aquatic biome refers to water bodies. Their adaptations include gills, fins, blubber, stream lined bodies and many other such adaptations. The aquatic biome is in turn divided into two groups: Freshwater Biomes including lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, wetlands and Marine Biomes including oceans, coral reefs and estuaries. Although there are 5 major and different biomes, there may be features present within a biome that resemble those of another. We know that desert biomes contain little to no vegetations, with harsh weather conditions; however, it may occur that on a small area there may be as much vegetation as there is in grassland, not enough to be called grassland but enough to be called similar to it. Two biomes that can be called similar are Desert and Tundra. Desert and Tundra biomes both face

Reports of Digital Investigations to Management Essay

Reports of Digital Investigations to Management - Essay Example Certainly, digital forensics investigations are time-consuming and resource-consumptive but are integral to the continued securitization of an organization's data and the protection of both its customers and its market status. Following a brief overview of the type of information which Digital Investigation Reports are expected to contain, this essay will examine the question of what organizational managers expect to see in these reports and why. Jones, Bejtlich and Rose (2005) explain that there are several types of digital investigation reports and the structure and content of each is ultimately determined by the person they were written for. If directed to either the IT Manager or the organization's Chief Security Officer, they are extremely detailed. The reports will, customarily, include all the relevant information surrounding the incident, the tools which were used to detect the penetration or attempted penetration, its consequences and the technologies employed for the investigation of the incident. The results of the investigation are comprehensively detailed. ... Digital investigation reports which are forwarded to the organization's Legal Department are similar to those composed for the Finance and Accounting departments (Jones, Bejtlich and Rose, 2005). As indicated above, the composition of digital investigation reports is a complex and complicated process. This is not simply because of their intricately detailed nature but because several reports are generated and the style and content of each differs according to intended recipient. 3 Reports to Management Digital Investigations Reports addressed to management are, quite possibly, the most important of all the digital forensic reports prepared by the organization. The reason, as explained by the IT Director, is that the organization's top management are its decision-makers; they allocate the budget and resources necessary for such investigations and, importantly, make the decision on follow-up action. These reports tell management what happened, the extent of the damages, if any, and why the incident occurred in the first place. Importantly, these reports may also contain suggestions for the avoidance of future incidents. From the IT Director's perspective, the reports addressed to management are intended to provide them with the information needed for them to arrive at a decision on future action and reaction. Stephenson (2003) similarly emphasizes the importance of the digital investigation reports submitted to management. As he argues, the information contained in these reports undoubtedly influence management decisions regarding subsequent action. For example, if the investigations revealed the incident to be serious and

Ethics Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics Case Analysis - Essay Example Question 2. The physician also should never have spoken to Annie about the seriousness of her illness. This is because withholding the truth about the seriousness of Annie’s condition by the physician did more good to Annie and her family, more than revealing the whole truth to her. This is because, had Ann known that she was about to die, she would become distressed and make her family also distressed. The main ethical dilemma in this case is to make the choice of either or not to reveal to Annie the seriousness of her illness. Revealing the truth to Annie would have meant that the physicians and the Annie’s husband have acted in the honest way by telling Annie the truth; the main disadvantage of telling Annie the truth, however, was that Annie would become emotionally and psychologically disturbed, thus becoming distressed and making her family also distressed. Withholding the truth, on the other hand, would have meant that the physicians and Annie’s husband have acted in the best interests of Annie and her family because Annie would remain hopeful throughout the short period remaining in her life; withholding the truth from Annie, however, would mean that the physicians and Annie’s husband lied to Annie, thus acting in a dishonest way towards Annie. Making a choice between these two options is a real dilemma because each of the options has both positive and negative consequences. The main reason why I am of the view that the Physicians should never have revealed the truth to Annie about the seriousness of her illness is that the physicians are not under any obligation to reveal the whole truth to their patients. This view is supported by Sokol when he argues that, physicians have no moral obligation to tell their patients the whole truth about their condition (2002). For that reason, therefore, the physician acted in the morally right way by not disclosing to Annie about the seriousness of her illness. Secondly,

Beach Sediments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Beach Sediments - Essay Example Some beaches are built to great widths by sediments washed to the sea by episodic floods, gradually eroding until the next major flood replenishes the sand ("Beach Formation and Types of Beaches and Sand"). Beach sediments are delivered per year in million cubic yards through longshore transport. Different beaches have different colors and textures because of the various sediments that make them up. There are beaches made up of eroded shale cliffs, multicolored agates ground and polished by the surf, feldspar minerals, ground quartz, and even iron minerals. The various make up of the sediments determine the origin of these sand beaches which help researchers know more information about a particular coast. Mechanical sediments, also known as clastic sediments, came from the erosion of oceanic rocks formed during the earlier times. These sediments are carried by streams or waves to the place where they are deposited. Ocean sediments, especially in the form of turbidites, are usually carried over and deposited at the bottom of continental slopes ("The Columbia Encyclopedia" 42907). Chemical reactions in seawater form chemical sediments which results in the precipitation of small mineral crystals that settle to the floor of the sea and finally form a chemically pure layer of sediment somehow. Organic sediments are formed from plant or animal actions. ... There are also some traces of windblown volcanic and continental dusts found in organic sediments. Properties of Sediments Sediments have different properties which are being studied by researchers for different purposes such as coastal engineering. One property of sediments is its physical form. Sediments can be loose, fluid, hard or firm. Examples of loose sediments are sand and silt; mud is a form of fluid sediment. There are also sand forms that are firm and stiff as clay. Hard sediments are those rocks and coral pieces that can be found in some beaches. Sediments can also be classified in terms of their cohesiveness. Sediments can be cohesive, non-cohesive or mitigated. Sediments such as clay and firm sand are highly cohesive as each particle stick closely together. Mud and loose sands, as well as rocks and other loose particles, are non-cohesive. Mitigated sediments are mainly non-cohesive sediments with a little mix of clay. Non-cohesive sediment behavior in water is mainly controlled by mechanical forces. The hydrodynamics of a particle refer to its ability to remain still or become entrained if on the bed surface, or to remain in suspension or to cease movement if in motion ("Sedimentation Investigations of Rivers and Reservoirs" 7-1). The properties that crucially affect the non-cohesive particle's hydrodynamics are its size, shape and specific gravity. The behavior of cohesive sediments, on the other hand, is controlled by electrochemical forces and dependent on the particle size, sediment mineralogy, and water chemistry. Particle size is considered to be the most important property of non-cohesive sediments. The size of the particle can be defined by any of the four methods: a) Nominal diameter - with this

East Germany from 1980 until the end Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

East Germany from 1980 until the end - Essay Example The policies made to overcome structural problems led to the collapse of the economy. The policies aimed at centralizing the economy did not have a positive impact. This made the problems harder to solve, making it necessary for West Germany to bail out the economy. Market orientation problems were solved but the original structural problems were not. This has made it difficult for East Germany to match output levels in West Germany. The stagnation in East Germany began when the monetary union overvalued the East German mark, leading to the decrease of the price of capital stock and the increase in labor cost per unit. Competition also faced a serious downfall. Funds that were given to alleviate private households and to heighten the investment sector were channeled to many other sectors, hence economic expansion became difficult. The public was given ill advice on areas of investment, and, therefore, production levels were reduced. Unemployment increased, leading to high public budg ets. The Federal Government spent on arrears to unify finance, thus increasing inflation tendencies. The Bundesbank tried to reduce inflation by raising interest rates. There was a negative impact on international competition, which slowed down the process of adaptation. Transparency in the East German was lost due to linguistic deceit (Markovits 189). Regulations that were set to cover up legal realities by the use of words became a recognized practice. East Germany has not yet found a solution to the problems brought by the communist system. Many people who lived around the Berlin area were affected by the division of the economy. Most of them worked in the West but resided in the East. Social control became low among these people, leading to the increase in the nonstandard behaviors. Antisocial behaviors caused violence even on football grounds (Dennis and LaPorte 137). Mortality rates were increasing at a steady pace, leading to an increase in life expectancy (Kronenberg 14). In the past, many people died in road accidents due to the social changes. Restrictions concerning personal freedoms were made to solve the problem. Local regulations were the basis of the foundation of civil legislation. The regulations in the set code books only applied to the region which did not have local regulations. East Germany also had policies that tried to break the link between marriage and childbirth. Single mothers were paid when they were on a one year leave, but this only applied to the first child. The leave scheme only applied to the single mothers. There was a rise in nonmarital births, because the policy encouraged many to push their marriage programs forward. Many women opted to bear their first children out of wedlock to enjoy the leave scheme. It was in 1986 that the scheme also applied to mothers who bore their first children after marriage. In the Eastern region, rates of nonmarital fertility were higher than in the Western region (Knapp, Madden, and Fowler-Ke rry 210). The average age of women by the time they gave birth was lower in East Germany. The region did not have strict restrictions concerning marriage. Regulations that were made were inspired by the needs of children. A man who made a woman pregnant had the responsibility of giving the woman compensation and taking care the child. The constitution of the region also stated that it was not wrong to be born by a nonmarried couple. The Church in Europe tried to inform

Mortgage Crisis in the U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mortgage Crisis in the U.S - Essay Example This led to an immediate and intense disorientation of the financial markets. During its semiannual worldwide financial report released on 8th April 2008, the paramount statue of international finance analysis (that is IMR) stated that the collapsing house prices and rising queries in the residential mortgage market or arena losses of approximately five hundred and sixty five billion US dollars. When these factors are combined with other declines from other areas of loans originated and provision of security in the United States of America that relates to commercial real estate is indicated by the International Monetary Fund to gather a loss of about nine hundred and forty five billion US dollars. This was shocking as it was the first time that the International Monetary Fund was approximating the extreme losses incurred by banks and other financial institutions in the United States. As indicated earlier, this credit crunch started in the year 2007 and led to the increasing number of defects on the subprime home loans. The main mission of the International Monetary Fund is to facilitate and promote international financial stability. Since it had easy money policies, the Federal Reserve allowed the housing prices to increase up to unsustainable levels. The bubble bursting led to this unfavorable condition. The current mortgage crisis began with the bursting of the bubble house in 2001 and reached its optimal point in 2005. Housing bubble refers to an economic bubble that occurs in local and international real estate markets. Occurs when there is a rapid rise in the valuation of real property to levels that are unsustainable in relation to income and other sources of affordability. When there are such rapid increases there is a subsequent decline in home prices and mortgage debt that is greater than the actual value of

History of Electronic Media Essay Example for Free

History of Electronic Media Essay The history of providing information has been shaped by innovations and innovators. This paper attempts to chronicle the different factors and events that led to the media landscape of today. 1) Congress and the FCC began deregulating broadcast and cable television in the late 1970s. Describe the ideologies which motivated these deregulations. What changes in the television industry occurred as a result of these deregulations? Include two of the following in your discussion: Financial Interest and Syndication Rules, Telecommunications Act of 1996, media ownership debates in the 2000s and intellectual property regulations in the 2000s. The Financial and Syndication Rules, or more popularly known as Fib-Syn, were implemented by the Federal Communications Commission in 1970 with the objective of increasing programming diversity thus breaking the monopoly of the three major TV networks in the United States: CBS, ABC and NBC. Its rationale was to democratize UHF airwaves making it easier for independent television producers to penetrate the television market. The rules primarily targeted two areas to disempower the big networks: freeing television programs from the ownership of the networks after its first run and the introduction of in-house syndication arms in the major networks. The idea was to discourage the networks monopoly on tv programs and restricting the networks part in syndication. These steps would substantially reduce production incentive and lead to the separation of production and distribution practices in the big networks. The FCC justified the implementation of Fin-Syn as beneficial for independent television producers since it gave them the larger part of production profits and allowing them a foothold in the business of syndication. The democratization of syndication would lead to a wider distribution of shows and prevented the networks from its exclusive use in their affiliated stations. Supporters of the rule envisioned a television industry where innovative and   much more diverse programs would be available to the viewers ( McAllister , www.museum.tv). The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was promulgated by the FCC to address issues regarding the rapid development of telecommunication technologies in the United States. It contained new rules and regulations regarding TV, Radio, Cable, Telephone and Internet services. President Clinton, when he signed it into legislation, proclaimed that the act would â€Å"stimulate investment, promote competition, provide open access for all citizens to the Information Superhighway† (Clinton, White House press release 1996). Upon closer inspection, the Telecommunication Act of 1996 was the final step in disassembling the provisions of Fin-Syn Rule. The act loosened rules on media ownership in traditional media forms such as TV and radio, thus empowering them to compete with emerging media technologies such as cable and the Internet allowing for the development of new and innovative services. However, the implementation of both the Financial and Syndication Rules of the FCC and the telecommunications Act of 1996 met harsh criticisms once they were fully implemented. The introduction of Fin-Syn bred more problems than solutions. Most critics pointed out that instead of empowering independent TV producers, it just shifted the competition from one Goliath to another. Instead of   competing with the big networks, the independent TV producers where now pitted against large production organization such as Disney/ABC and   Warner. In the end, it was these larger TV production companies that benefited financially from producing television shows with independent companies opting to produce cheaper productions such as talk shows and game shows. Thus, it produced more conventional shows rather than innovating the television industry. Eventually, television groups especially television distributors called for a change in the implementation of Fin-Syn which eventually led to FCC totally removing the rule in 1995. Studies showed that although there were periods of diversity on TV programs from 1970s to the 1990s, the general conclusion was that there was no significant changes in the programs in the implementation of the FCC rule (Einstein, p. 5). With the disappearance of the rule, productions and distribution companies started to merge especially in the big three networks. This culminated in the emergence of FOX Network and its merger with Paramount and Warner Bros., a step followed by Disney when they bought and merged with ABC Network. The deregulation that resulted from the implementation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act fueled much debate on media ownership and responsibility. Questions arose on whether the the Act did deliver its promise of innovative media services from increased competition and serve the public interest with increased diversity in media programs and information. Critics cite that the only ones who benefited from the Act were media moguls who were able to merge with other media corporations and in essence creating media monopolies that could have the power to control information. William Melody reveals that media entrepreneurs will always look for profit and economic efficiency leading to media monopolies which threaten freedom of speech (Melody, p. 32). Concerned groups have also reasoned that public interest have always been the core value of media regulation and not profit, and to diminish government control on ownership would mean violating public inters. Deregulating media ownership can only lead to a monopoly of information resulting in less diversity, Neumann noted that the creation of media conglomerates have led to the mass media having similar â€Å"content and world-view† (Neumann, p.130). On the other hand, those who were in favor of the Act identified it as a much needed move in revolutionizing media. By allowing media corporations to merge, it has led to a more comprehensive and cohesive delivery of information. Supporters also point out that instead of eliminating diversity, viewers have had much more program options with th emergence of 24 hours news channels such as CNN and FOX News and specialized channels such as Discovery and History (Compaine, www.reason.com). In fact, Adam Thierer revealed that instead of the lack of diversity of programs, audiences are actually experiencing â€Å"information overload† due to explosion of media options. He pointed out that todays media environment is â€Å"diverse and characterized by information abundance† (Thierer, p.2). The issue, as FCC concluded in revising the Telecommunication Act, â€Å"was whether media companies will be able to dominate the distribution of news and information in any market, but whet her they will be able to be heard at all among the cacophony of voices vying for the attention of the Americans (FCC proceedings, p.149) 2) The three broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC did not face a broadcast network competitor until Fox emerged in the 1980s and the WB, UPN and Univision grew in the 1990s. Why did these networks emerge when they did? What regulatory changes aided their growth? How did they differ from the other networks in terms of their relationships with their affiliates? What audiences did they target and what types of programs did they use to do so? How did they change as they grew? You may choose one or more network(s) to illustrate your points. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the big three networks dominated the American airwaves. Independent and local television networks would occasionally penetrate the national airwaves but most of these did not survive due to financial constraints. It was in 1986 however that the first rival to the big three emerged with the establishment of   FOX Network.It started out dabbling in TV business by producing and distributing shows for the three big networks. In 1985, Rupert Murdoch bought 50% shares in the 20th Century Fox   movie and television studios. When Murdoch finally achieved full ownership of the studios, he proceeded to buy television stations owned by Metromedia which gave Murdoch a foothold in the major U.S. cities such as New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston and Chicago (www.teletronic.co.uk). This move would spur Murdoch to create a â€Å"fourth network†. In a brilliant move, the new Fox network labeled their new venture as a â€Å"satellite-delivered programming service†(www.teletronic.co.uk). This enabled Murdoch, who was not a citizen, to bypass FCC rules such as foreign-ownership and the definition of FCC of a â€Å"network† as â€Å"airing more than 20 hours of programming per week†. These enabled Fox to operate unhindered by the FCC rules on networks, thus being able to still distribute its TV productions to other networks but only airing 2 hours of primetime shows as opposed to the 3 hours of the big Networks. When it was launched in October 1986, almost 96 stations were connected to Fox enabling it to reach 80% of American audiences. Before making it big, Fox had to start from scratch in expanding its audience share. The network first major release was the â€Å"Late Show† with Joan Rivers. They hoped to capture the 11:30pm late-night slot and targeting young audiences. This strategy however failed as ratings fell with viewers switching back to their previous stations. Despite these failures, Fox continued to lure the younger to middle -aged viewers with shows such as â€Å"Tracy Ulman† which won the station its first Emmy, â€Å"Marriedwith   Children† which would be its first biggest hit and â€Å"21 Jump Street† which was its first drama. These shows were some of the first forays of the network into the Sunday prime-time slot. Although they were received lukewarmly at first, these shows would gain momentum in the coming years. The success of Fox would lead to FCC relaxing the Fin-Syn rule and redefining their concept of â€Å"network†, which would finally result in the elim ination of the Fin-Syn Rule in 1995. (www.museum.tv) The success of its first primetime shows would lead to Fox introducing documentary-style shows such as â€Å"Americas Most Wanted† and â€Å"Cops†. But their biggest success would come in when Fox reintroduced animation to the primetime slot with â€Å"The Simpsons†. The animated show would penetrate the top 30 primetime ratings and would then become the longest running comedy show on television (www.teletronic.co.uk). Soon, Fox found its niche by veering away from conventional shows, like game shows and   talk shows, by introducing reality-based shows and shows that targeted the young viewers. Fox owner Rupert Murdoch would change the media landscape when it snatched exclusive rights to air the National Football League in 1993 (Kimmel, p.162). This move would cement Foxs role in the ratings game. As of today, Foxs main draw is its reality-based shows such as American Idol that have dominated airwaves since its release in 2002, capturing much of the 18-49 viewer demographic (tvbythenumbers.com). With success comes controversy. Such was the case of the Fox news network as critics accused it of being biased towards the U.S. Republican Party (Greenwald, p.4). Despite these, Fox shows and its affiliated cable channels still rake in much of the ratings with Fox News attracting 2.4 million viewers in the first quarter of 2009 (Gold, www.latimesblogs.latimes.com)

Twelve Angry Men Essay Example for Free

Twelve Angry Men Essay Twelve Angry Men depicts different types of leadership, communication, and group dynamics. The film revolves around the jurisdiction of a homicide trial with a jury that almost unanimously votes the defendant guilty, with only one opposing voter. This man, Juror #8, presents his decision through ideas of reasonable doubt that spiral into a majority vote of not-guilty. So, how does a group of twelve men completely shift their point of view from guilty to not-guilty? The power of effective leadership and communication. Juror #8 was able to effectively communicate with the men to think of other scenarios that prove the defendant not-guilty through democratic styled leadership. He did not necessarily think the defendant was not guilty. However, he was not positive the boy was guilty and did not want to make a decision without 100% confidence. Therefore, he communicated his view by encouraging the jury to examine the facts in a new light and opening a discussion amongst the jurors. The re-analyzation of the facts arose new questions about the verity of the facts, allowing some, and eventually all, of the jurors to question their original declaration of guilty. Lack of leadership and communication from the majority are also factors in the change of decision. The group of 11 men did not have a solid leader to hold together their original verdict. In the beginning, juror #1 was the apparent leader of the group. He stated the jury procedures and inquired each man’s vote. When opposition from juror #8 arose, he attempted to get the group to dismiss the idea. Eventually, he loses interest in caring and steps back as the leader. A disinterest by other jurors was also seen when some were playing games. It was also evident that some jurors only went with the majority based on hidden agendas such as wanting the trial to be over or personal opinions of people such as prejudices. In addition, Juror #3 is the prime opposer to the questions presented by juror #8. He is vocal about his confidence in his decision towards the defendant. However, his leadership style was of an autocratic nature, which worked to his disadvantage. People are more likely to follow a kind leader than someone who belittles and frightens. Therefore, Juror #8 had effective communication to win over the quiet jurors who were first too intimidated to question the majority. He dominated the discussion and lead with powerful points that left the jurors thinking. He created an open discussion. This lead to jurors asking valid questions on the verity of the facts presented. Turning points came when a witness’ testimony was questioned due to their poor vision proved through glasses marks on her nose, the angel of the man’s wound from the stab, presenting a knife that was claimed to be one of a kind, and the actual time it wold take for the witness to see what happened after they heard the scream. The film also shows how leadership thrives with the addition of followers. Without followers one cannot be declared a leader. If juror #8 stated and expressed reasons for his view and no others followed, the decision would have been in the majority’s favor and juror #8 would have just been a man with an opinion. Instead, he was able to first convince juror #9, which immediately gave his opinion credibility. Once juror #9 switched sides, it was evident that everyone else re-examined their opinion and started to formulate valid questions. Juror #9 was able to break the hold of group think, allowing others to actually voice their thoughts. This especially pertains to the quiet jurors who were originally too intimidated to question the majority. These jurors were now actually able to think for themselves and were open to communicate juror #8’s points of reasonable doubt. Twelve Angry Men is also an interesting depiction of group dynamics. In a group, decision-making can be hindered due to majority process. When a majority is present, it is easy for others to join in. This was displayed in the beginning of the film. There were a couple to quickly charge the defendant as guilty and others followed, although some appeared hesitant. They only made a decision once they saw the other opinions. This is a common problem in a group setting. It is too much effort to be the odd man out. Therefore, the quieter and more timid people conform to the majority for an easy solution. Juror #8 intelligently realized this group dynamic and intelligently focused his attention to the quiet members. He asked that another vote be taken by secret ballots. This is an effective way of voting that allowed for better communication, allowing the quieter jurors to submit their vote in private. This proved effective when the vote switched from 11-1 to 10-2. This lead to an open discussion amongst many in the group, drawing valuable ideas and opinions that they might not have offered otherwise. Juror #8 created a setting for group discussion where everyone started to work together as a team to determine the verdict of the case. As a team, the jury unanimously shifted their vote to not-guilty; an excellent demonstration on the power of effective communication and leadership.

The cyprus problem

The cyprus problem Cyprus is one of the best places in the world to live. It has several beauties some of which can be found no more in most of the countries in the rest of the world. Its sea, fresh air, its cosmopolite population and the fact that its situated in the heart of the Mediterranean make it very attractive to breathe on it. With its high income, Cyprus hosts around 780.000 people from many different countries.In spite of all these, the Cyprus has one of the unresolved and long-lasting conflicts of the international community. However its not a recent case, its root dates back to the Ottoman Empire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cyprus had been invaded by Hittites, Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Lusignans and Venetians until it became a part of Ottoman Empire in 1571.During World War I, it was rented to Great Britain for Ottomans alliance with Germany and its new owner colonized the island. However Greek Cypriots were longing for driving GB out in order to fulfill their ultimate aim of unification of the island with Greece. So this created the beginning of the end. For this purpose, violent Greeks attacked British, Cypriot Turkish and other Greeks who supported control of GB on the island. When England got tired of these controversies, they wanted to terminate their control of island but Turkey wanted to be given the control of the island to its ex owner, that is, Turkey itself and the government designed its policy to support separation of the island in contrast to idea of Greeks which was to give control of the island to the Greece. However disputation d idnt come to a conclusion and Turkey needed to use its army forces to gain the control of the island back. As a result of this action, Turkey got 30% of the whole island in North and fall of former Cyprus Republic led to emergence of two new republics in one island: Turkish Republic of North Cyprus and South Republic of Greek Cyprus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That people were introduced two new republics in their homeland made them make some choices. Since Turkey side was founded on the North of the island, this somehow forced local people of north to move to south to join the Greek republic and naturally, Turkish Cypriots were settled down in north under the flag of new republic. This is where infinity starts. When moving from north to south, Greeks had to leave their fixed properties and vice versa counted for Turkish Cypriots. Actually, new republic of Greeks was like continuation of the former one and the Greek side benefited from this fact so much in the international area. Probably the biggest gaining for them has been becoming a member of European Union, which they were enrolled in 2004. Meanwhile, the new Turkish republic of North Cyprus was only recognized by a few governments which were close to Turkish government such as Azerbaijani and no doubt, Turkey. Also Pakistan and Bangladesh announced tha t they recognize the new republic, they denied this fact as a result of international pressure made upon them. This situation still causes serious problems for TRNC. It is put trade embargo and its population has to leave the island to make their own living. After 3 years of Greek sides enrollment to EU, Annan Plan was proposed.This plan included many items which were mostly in favor of Greek side because this plan would give chance priority under Republic of Cyprus in terms of political power. In spite of this, Turkish side voted 65% for and Greek side voted 76% against.That the secretary of UN was replaced and reluctance of Greek side brought recession to the effort of solution of the Cyprus Problem. Today, the Turkish side is still suffering from effects of dissolution. It brings heavy responsibilities on Turkey both economical and in terms of its relationship with EU for Turkey is asked for solution of Cyprus problem for Turkeys full membership. Last 2 elections of Greek side didnt provide enough effort for essential solution but the coming elections for Turkish side may be a breaking point in this process. The candidate D. Eroglu is known to be opposite of M.A.Talat the current president. He claims not to be as flexible as Talat has done in the process of solution of Cyprus conflict and he adds he will not make concessions to Greek side for unification of two sides. I believe that a promising leader for TRNC could solve this problem with his determination. If equal and constructive reasons are put forward and people of both sides believe that unification will bring peace and wealth, theres nothing left to think about. With determination, patience and passion, people of both si des and the world can see one equal republic ruling everybody under one flag. After all, the Cyprus is a bleeding wound Reference List dhttp://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:20421402~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html#High_income http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Cyprus.html http://www.interpeace.org/index.php/Cyprus/Cyprus.html http://ir.emu.edu.tr/staff/asozen/tez1.pdf

Gender Stereotypes and Toys Essay -- Gender Roles in Society

Often when a couple becomes pregnant and finds out the sex of the infant, stereotypes begin to form. If the child is female, their room will often be painted pink with cutesy borders. The crib will have pink blankets with ruffles on them. The baby girl will be presented with soft toys and cute stuffed animals, as well as perhaps a baby doll or two. At the baby shower, the mother will typically be presented with pink and purple clothing, the colors of choice for a female child. When the baby finally comes along, she will typically be treated as a gentle princess. When it comes to girls, adults are often more careful, as if the baby girl will break. On the other hand, if the couple is having a male child, the room will be painted blue or green with borders usually depicting superheroes or sports oriented paraphernalia. Though the boy may receive stuffed animals, they are typically of a more ferocious nature than the stuffed animals a girl might receive. The blankets are usually blue or another color associated with little boys. Perhaps one of the boy’s first gifts will be a tiny little catcher’s mitt, or something else sports related. At the baby shower, the mother will receive blue and green clothes. Family and friends are more likely to take a little boy to a sporting event than their female counterpart. Clearly, from the moment a child is brought into this world, they are pushed toward a certain stereotype. Now, the real question is – Are boys naturally more aggressive due to higher testosterone levels, or is it more culturally defined, by the way we treat our children and the gifts we bestow upon them? As mentioned in Human Development – A Lifespan View, â€Å"Children don’t live in a gender-neutral world for long. Althou... ... boys, who – away from the battle zone of their friends and brothers – turn out to be surprisingly cuddly and clingy? (Blum, 238)† Not every male or female is going to fit the mold, if there really even is one. The stereotypes stated above created by society and parents are most often useless in truly predicting a child’s choice of play and toys. Kids are going to gravitate toward what they enjoy. Even the author Deborah Blum states â€Å"I don’t think in pastels, myself. I think jungle-green, blood-red. (Blum, 236)† Stereotypes give us something to group people by, but we cannot always judge a person by them. Works Cited Blum, Deborah. â€Å"The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over?† Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 6th Edition. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 573-580. Print.

essay on chernobyl :: essays research papers

Chernobyl Accident The April 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine was the product of a flawed Soviet reactor design coupled with serious mistakes made by the plant operators in the context of a system where training was minimal. It was a direct consequence of Cold War isolation and the resulting lack of any safety culture. The accident destroyed the Chernobyl-4 reactor and killed 30 people, including 28 from radiation exposure. A further 209 on site were treated for acute radiation poisoning and among these, 134 cases were confirmed (all of whom recovered). Nobody off-site suffered from acute radiation effects. However, large areas of Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and beyond were contaminated in varying degrees. The Chernobyl disaster was a unique event and the only accident in the history of commercial nuclear power where radiation-related fatalities occurred.* On 25 April, prior to a routine shut-down, the reactor crew at Chernobyl-4 began preparing for a test to determine how long turbines would spin and supply power following a loss of main electrical power supply. Similar tests had already been carried out at Chernobyl and other plants, despite the fact that these reactors were known to be very unstable at low power settings. A series of operator actions, including the disabling of automatic shutdown mechanisms, preceded the attempted test early on 26 April. As flow of coolant water diminished, power output increased. When the operator moved to shut down the reactor from its unstable condition arising from previous errors, a peculiarity of the design caused a dramatic power surge. The fuel elements ruptured and the resultant explosive force of steam lifted off the cover plate of the reactor, releasing fission products to the atmosphere. A second explosion threw out fragments of burning fuel and graphite from the core and allowed air to rush in, causing the graphite moderator to burst into flames. Some 5000 tonnes of boron, dolomite, sand, clay and lead were dropped on to the burning core by helicopter in an effort to extinguish the blaze and limit the release of radioactive particles.

Essay --

Liam Connelly Final Project Golden Age of Greece Thermopylae and the 5,200: an Analysis of Creative License in Film There is perhaps no last stand than the famous 300 Spartans at Thermopylae who held the massive Persian army for three days in a narrow mountain pass, nearly two and a half millennia ago. When the movie 300 premiered, I was beginning to appreciate military history and I found the story of these hopelessly outnumbered Greek patriots absolutely riveting. I had known that more than a little creative license was taken after seeing some of the more fantastic scenes but some of the important historical nuances were lost in the depiction. My objective today is not to pedantically nitpick every anachronism and erroneous fact, but simply to discover why the filmmakers augmented the history with them. My primary source for comparison is Herodotus’ Book VII of The Histories, in which he describes the background and facts known to him about the battle itself. The origin of the 5,200 from which this project takes its name is the fact that Herodotus counts not only 300 Spartans but at least a full 4,900 other troops from other Greek regions who fought against overwhelming odds to hold the Persians at bay (Herodotus, 511). While the Spartans may have earned the lion’s share of the glory for their self-sacrifice, the 4,900 or so other soldiers deserve a place in this epic tale of courage and discipline. The primary formation of Greek infantry is the hoplite phalanx. Each hoplite’s hoplon, or shield, protected the man to his left and long spears gave the ranks behind the first allowed them to bring to bear a wall of bronze spears in front of them. The phalanx is a strong formation but it is vulnerable to flanking maneuvers, ... ...eks doesn’t need any tweaking or embelishments; it’s already extraordinary on its own. Indeed, nearly every genre of film audiences love today can be found in the stories of Greek dramatists, myth, tradition, and history, from romance to comedy and war. There’s a rich cultural well waiting to be drawn upon by other filmmakers to tell the story of Greece in her finest hours. I hope more directors discover that. Until then, I’ll remember the 300 as they were, not what I’d like them to have been. Works Cited Herodotus. The Histories. Trans. Aubrey De Selincourt. Ed. Betty Radice. Middlesex: Penguin, 1954. Print. Miller, Frank. Interview by Steve Daly and Entertainment Weekly. 13 Mar. 2007. Snyder, Zack, dir. 300. Prod. Gianni Nunnari, Bernie Goldman, Mark Canton, and Jeffrey Silver. 2007. Warner Bros, 2007. DVD.

Health and Social Care Essay

We acknowledge with sincere thanks the many people who gave generously of their time to help us with this work. We particularly appreciate the expertise and advice o? ered by Arnon Bentovim, Richard Velleman, Lorna Templeton, Carolyn Davies and Sheena Prentice. The work has been funded by the Department for Education and we thank sta? in the department, particularly Jenny Gray who supported us throughout the work with her interest and valuable comments. The work was assisted by an advisory group whose membership was: Isabella Craig and Jenny Gray (Department for Education); Christine Humphrey (Department of Health) and Sian Rees (NICE); Arnon Bentovim (consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the Tavistock Clinic); Marian Brandon (reader in social work, University of East Anglia); Carolyn Davies  (research advisor, Institute of Education, University of London); Jo Fox (social work consultant, Child-Centred Practice); David Jones (consultant child and family psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry; University of Oxford); Sue McGaw (specialist in learning disabilities, Cornwall Partnership Trust); Sheena Prentice (specialist midwife in substance misuse, Nottingham City PCT); Wendy Rose (The Open University); Lorna Templeton (manager of the Alcohol, Drugs and the Family Research Programme, University of Bath); and Richard Velleman (University of Bath and director of development and research, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust). Introduction This second edition of Children’s Needs – Parenting Capacity provides an update on the impact of parental problems, such as substance misuse, domestic violence, learning disability and mental illness, on children’s welfare. Research, and in particular the biennial overview reports of serious case reviews (Brandon et al 2008; 2009; 2010), have continued to emphasise the importance of understanding and acting on concerns about children’s safety and welfare when living in households where these types of parental problems are present. Almost three quarters of the children in both this and the 2003-05 study had been living with past or current domestic violence and or parental mental ill health and or substance misuse – often in combination. (Brandon et al 2010, p. 112) These concerns were very similar to those that prompted the ? rst edition of this book, which was commissioned following the emergence of these themes from the Department of Health’s programme of child protection research studies (Department of Health 1995a). These studies had demonstrated that a high level of parental mental illness, problem alcohol and drug abuse and domestic violence were present in families of children who become involved in the child protection system. Research context The 2010 Government statistics for England demonstrate that, as in the 1990s, only a very small proportion of children referred to children’s social care become the subject of a child protection plan (Department for Education 2010b). However, the types of parental problems outlined above are not con? ned to families where a child is the subject of a child protection plan (Brandon et al. 2008, 2009, 2010; Rose and Barnes 2008). In many families children’s health and development are being a? ected by the di? culties their parents are experiencing. The ? ndings from research, however, suggest that services are not always forthcoming. Practically a quarter of referrals to children’s social care resulted in no action being taken (Cleaver and Walker with Meadows 2004). Lord Laming’s progress report (2009) also expressed concerns that referrals to children’s services from other professionals did not always lead to an initial assessment and that ‘much more needs to be done to ensure that the services are as e? ective as possible at working together to achieve positive outcomes for children’ (Lord Laming 2009, p. 9, paragraph 1. 1). Practitioners’ fear of failing to identify a child in need of protection is also a factor driving up the numbers of referrals to children’s social care services which result in no provision of help. ‘This is creating a skewed system that is paying so much attention to identifying cases of abuse 2 Children’s Needs – Parenting Capacity and neglect that it is draining time and resource away from families’ (Munro 2010, p. 6). Munro’s Interim Report (2011) draws attention once again to the highly traumatic experience for children and families who are drawn into the Child Protection system where maltreatment is not found, which leaves them with a fear of asking for help in the future. A ? nding which was identi? ed by earlier research on child protection (Cleaver and Freeman 1995). Evidence from the 1995 child protection research (Department of Health 1995a) indicated that when parents have problems of their own, these may adversely a? ect their capacity to respond to the needs of their children. For example, Cleaver and Freeman (1995) found in their study of suspected child abuse that in more than half of the cases, families were experiencing a number of problems including mental illness or learning disability, problem drinking and drug use, or domestic violence. A similar picture of the di? culties facing families who have been referred to children’s social care services emerges from more recent research (Cleaver and Walker with Meadows 2004). It is estimated that there are 120,000 families experiencing multiple problems, including poor mental health, alcohol and drug misuse, and domestic violence. ‘Over a third of these families have children subject to child protection procedures’ (Munro 2011, p. 30, paragraph 2. 30). Children’s services have the task of identifying children who may need additional services in order to improve their well-being as relating to their: (a) physical and mental health and emotional well-being; (b) protection from harm and neglect; (c) education, training and recreation; (d) the contribution made by them to society; and (e) social and economic well-being. (Section 10(2) of the Children Act 2004) The Common Assessment Framework (Children’s Workforce Development Council 2010) and the Assessment Framework (Department of Health et al. 2000) enable frontline professionals working with children to gain an holistic picture of the child’s world and identify more easily the di? culties children and families may be experiencing. Although research suggests that social workers (Cleaver et al. 2007) and health professionals are equipped to recognise and respond to indications that a child is being, or is likely to be, abused or neglected, there is less evidence in relation to teachers and the police (Daniel et al. 2009). The identi? cation of children’s needs may have improved, but understanding how parental mental illness, learning disabilities, substance misuse and domestic violence a? ect children and families still requires more attention. For example, a small in-depth study found less than half (46%) of the managers in children’s social care, health and the police rated as ‘good’ their understanding of the impact on children of parental substance misuse, although this rose to 61% in relation to the impact of domestic violence (Cleaver et al. 2007). The need for more training on assessing the likelihood of harm to children of parental drug and alcohol misuse.

Adversarial System vs. Civil Law Essay

The European civil law system is all about finding the truth, even if a lawyer has to lose the case for their client while doing so. The American adversarial system is about winning, even if it means avoiding and stretching the truth to do so. Civil law has the laws made by the government and the courts apply them, while common law has the judges making the majority of the laws through precedents. The adversarial system uses specific laws, precedents, and legal rules to determine who wins. It allows lawyers to take the truth and spin it into the picture that is the most beneficial to their client. They can use loopholes in the law to keep evidence from being allowed to cause their guilty clients to be punished for what they have done. Once all the talking is done, it is up to twelve people to decide whose lawyer did a better job of convincing them to believe them. See more: Beowulf essay essay The civil system uses general ideas and broad concepts to form the framework for taking the evidence at hand and attempting to determine what the truth is. When the truth is revealed, lawyers do not try to hide it or escape from it, even if they do not like the results. A major disadvantage of this system is that those twelve people from the common law system are only used in major criminal cases, so when the truth is unclear, only a couple people get to determine who is right, and three people can be wrong easier than twelve people in 100% agreement. In my opinion from what I have learned, I believe that the civil law system has an advantage in finding the ideal of the judicial system – justice. In the adversarial system, the truth can be avoided, and once it is, there can be no justice. As to the question of whether there are constitutional problems with applying civil laws in the US, the most obvious one is that a jury trial is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights to protect a defendant from being condemned by the voice of one person.

Following are excerpts from a speech made by Frederick W. Taylor in 191 Essay

If any of you will get close to the average workman in this country—close enough to him so that he will talk to you as an intimate friend—he will tell you that in his particular trade if, we will say, each man were to turn out twice as much work as he is now doing, there could be but one result to follow: Namely, that one-half the men in his trade would be thrown out of work. This doctrine is preached by almost every labor leader in the country and is taught by every workman to his children as they are growing up; and I repeat, as I said in the beginning, that it is our fault more than theirs that this fallacy prevails. While the labor leaders and the workmen themselves in season and out of season are pointing out the necessity of restriction of output, not one step are we taking to counteract that fallacy; therefore, I say, the fault is ours and not theirs. 1.Do you think Taylor’s position is equally applicable today? Be prepared to justify your answer. †¢I don’t believe Taylor’s position would be equally applicable in American business today, as it did in 1911. Since the end of World War II, it’s more apparent in American business culture for more short term employment. Some examples include contract maintenance where specific skills are required for a specified time or project completion. There are government agencies with Directors and Administrators who are filling a senior management position for as long as the current President serves. Businesses today are finding that through outsourcing some of their responsibilities to teams of highly skilled employees specializing in the needed field, this will alleviate some of the financial liabilities needed in if they were to maintain their own permanent team. The founder and chairman of APQC (formerly known as the American Productivity and Quality Center) in Houston, C. Jackson Grayson, warned several years ago that if management and labor cannot make their relationship less adversarial, â€Å"then we won’t get the full, long-term kick in productivity  that we desperately need.† 2.Looking at Taylor’s and Grayson’s remarks, which were made approximately 73 years apart, one has to wonder what we have learned. Many similar comparisons could be made. Why do you think managers don’t seem to learn as much as they could from the past? †¢Traditional relationships between management and labor looks nothing as it did 100 years ago, especially when it pertains to unions. Being the only industrialized country with its infrastructure mostly intact after World War II, the United States basked in economic superiority with American industry. However, management in the past rarely included employees in the decision-making process. There was a disconnect between management and labor which union leaders were utilized to close gaps and ensure fairness in areas such as pay and benefits, but more importantly, where safety is involved. In American businesses today, with government regulations and restrictions, differences in American and global markets and customs, outsourcing and contract services, and improvements in technology have changed the relationships between management and labor. According to an article written in Governing.Com, relationships between management and labor can be minimized by forming a joint process improvement committee (PIC), who are focused on driving organizational efficiencies. The committees are formed which enables both sides to pursue their interests with mutual respect and communication (O’Leary, 2010). Although there is no quick fix with regards to management and labor relationships, one thing is still very clear, there is still a significant divide. References Huebsch, R. (2014). The Evolution of the Labor-Management Relationship. Houston Chronical. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/evolution-labormanagement-relationship-36056.html Leslie W. Rue, L. L. (2009). Management kills and Application. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. O’Leary, J. (2010, September 8). Labor Pains: Repairing the Manager and Union Relationship. Governing. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/blogs/bfc/repairing-management-union-relationship.html

Purchasing and supplies assignment Essay

ABC analysis In materials management, the ABC analysis (or Selective Inventory Control) is an inventory categorization technique. ABC analysis divides an inventory into three categories- â€Å"A items† with very tight control and accurate records, â€Å"B items† with less tightly controlled and good records, and â€Å"C items† with the simplest controls possible and minimal records. The ABC analysis provides a mechanism for identifying items that will have a significant impact on overall inventory cost, while also providing a mechanism for identifying different categories of stock that will require different management and controls. The ABC analysis suggests that inventories of an organization are not of equal value. Thus, the inventory is grouped into three categories (A, B, and C) in order of their estimated importance. ‘A’ items are very important for an organization. Because of the high value of these ‘A’ items, frequent value analysis is required. In addition to that, an organization needs to choose an appropriate order pattern (e.g. ‘Just- in- time’) to avoid excess capacity. ‘B’ items are  important, but of course less important than ‘A’ items and more important than ‘C’ items. Therefore ‘B’ items are intergroup items. ‘C’ items are marginally important. Advantages and Disadvantages of ABC Analysis Inventory Activity Based Costing, or ABC, is a method of allocating overhead and direct expenses related to the most important activities of the company first. This process allows business owners and managers an opportunity to better define the areas of manufacturing or sales that generate the most profit for the company. Inventory analyzed under the ABC method is classified in order of profitability to the company. Class A inventory accounts for 80 percent of revenue, class B inventory for 15 percent of revenue and class C inventory for 5 percent of revenue. Better Control of High-Priority Inventory ABC inventory analysis places tighter and more frequent controls on high-priority inventory. High-priority inventory, or class A inventory, is the class of inventory that customers request most often. In manufacturing, class A inventory also can include the items most often used in the production of goods. Because Class A inventory is directly linked to the success of the company, it is important to constantly monitor the demand for it and ensure stock levels match that demand. With ABC analysis, your company can use its resources to prioritize control of high-priority inventory over inventory that has a lower impact on your bottom line. More Efficient Cycle Counts Under the ABC inventory analysis method, you can allocate your resources more efficiently during cycle counts. A cycle count is the process of counting only certain items on scheduled dates. The frequency of your cycle counts and the items you choose to include depends on how often your inventory fluctuates. Once inventory is organized by class, you can focus regular cycle counts on class A inventory. Depending on your needs, it may be necessary to count class B inventory as infrequently as twice per year and class C inventory only once per year. The ABC analysis method saves time and  labor counting only the inventory required by the cycle for the class of inventory versus counting all inventory items each cycle Disadvantages Conflict with Other Cost Systems The ABC inventory analysis does not meet Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) requirements and also conflicts with traditional costing systems. Companies that use ABC methods must operate two costing systems, one for internal use under the ABC method and another for compliance with GAAP. Traditional costing systems generate the figures required by GAAP. Traditional costing systems allocate cost drivers by the actual unit cost, rather than by the activity percentage of the cost driver. As a result, ABC cost assignments often differ from traditional cost system assignments. Requires Substantial Resources The ABC method requires more resources to maintain than traditional costing systems. When cycle counts are performed, class A inventory must be routinely analyzed to determine if the inventory still consists of high-priority items. If an inventory piece is no longer used or demanded as frequently, it is moved to another inventory classification. This constant process requires much more data measurement and collection Just in time A strategy for inventory management in which raw materials and components are delivered from the vendor or supplier immediately before they are needed in the manufacturing process Advantages & Disadvantages of Just-in-Time Inventory Companies turnover significant inventory control to suppliers with just-in-time inventory. Just-in-time (JIT) inventory refers to an inventory management system with objectives of having inventory readily available to meet demand, but not to a point of excess where you must stockpile extra products. Maintaining inventory takes time and has costs, which is what motivates companies to implement JIT programs. Customer Needs Balancing the goals of avoiding stock outs while minimizing inventory costs is at the heart of just-in-time inventory. One of the main benefits of automated and efficient inventory replenishment systems is that you can quickly respond to reduced inventory levels. Companies are now equipped to pull back on stock in a given product category and ramp up inventory in another as customer needs and interests change. Inventory Costs Minimization of inventory management costs is a primary driver and benefit of just-in-time practices. Inventory management has costs, and when you reduce the amount of holding space and staff required with JIT, the company can invest the savings in business growth and other opportunities, points out the Accounting for Management website. You also have less likelihood of throwing out product that gets old or expires, meaning reduced waste. Coordination A disadvantage of managing a just-in-time inventory system is that it requires significant coordination between retailers and suppliers in the distribution channel. Retailers often put major trust in suppliers by syncing their computer systems with suppliers so they can more directly monitor inventory levels at stores or in distribution centers to initiate rapid response to low stock levels. This usually means build up of technology infrastructure, which is costly. This coordinated effort is more involving on the whole than less time intensive inventory management systems. Risks Just-in-time inventory is not without risks. By nature of what it is, companies using JIT intend to walk a fine line between having too much and too little inventory. If company buyers fail to adjust quickly to increased demand or if suppliers have distribution problems, the business risks upsetting customers with stock outs. If buyers over compensate and buy extra inventory to avoid stock outs, the company could experience higher inventory costs and the potential for waste. Vendor managed inventory Top of Form Bottom of Form Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) . Bottom of Form Vendor Managed Inventory or VMI is a process where the vendor creates orders for their customers based on demand information that they receive from the customer. The vendor and customer are bound by an agreement which determines inventory levels, fill rates and costs. This arrangement can improve supply chain performance but reducing inventories and eliminating stock-out situations. VMI, the vendor specifies delivery quantities sent to customers through the distribution channel using data obtained from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). There are a number of EDI transactions that can form the basis of the VMI process, 852,855 and the 856. The first is the Product Activity Record, which is known as 852. This EDI transaction contains the sales and inventory information such as key product activity and forecast measures, such as Quantity sold ($) Quantity sold (units) Quantity on hand ($) Quantity on hand (units) Quantity on order ($) Quantity on order (units) Quantity received ($) Quantity received (units) The EDI 852 information can be sent from the customer to the vendor on a weekly basis or more frequently in high-volume industries. The vendor makes the order decision based on this data in the 852 transmission. The vendor reviews the information that has been received from the vendor and an order determination is made based on existing agreement between the vendor and customer. Many vendors use a VMI software package to assist them in determining order requirements. VMI software can be part of an ERP suite  such as SAP or be a standalone option such as products from Blue Habanero, LevelMonitor, NetVMI or others. The software will verify if the data as accurate and meaningful. It will calculate a reorder point for each item based on the data and any customer information such as promotions, seasonality or new items. The quantity of each item available at the customer is compared with the reorder point for each item at each location. This will determine if an order is needed and the quantities required. The second EDI transaction that is used in VMI is the purchase order acknowledgment, which is known as the 855. This EDI document sent to the customer contains a number of fields including; Purchase Order Number Purchase Order Date Purchase Order Line item Quantity Price Item Number Description of Item Freight Charge Ship Date Some vendors supply an advance ship notice (ASN) to their customers to inform them of an incoming order, which is know as EDI 856. The ASN differs from the purchase order acknowledgement in both timing and content. The 856 is sent to the customer after the shipment has been made instead of at the time of the purchase order. Advantages of vendor managed inventory One of the benefits of VMI is that the vendor is responsible for supplying the customer when the items are needed. This removes the need for the customer to have significant safety stock. Lower inventories for the customer can lead to significant cost savings. The customer also can benefit from reduced purchasing costs. Because the vendor receives data and not purchase orders, the purchasing department has to spend less time on calculating and producing purchase orders. In addition, the need for purchase order corrections and reconciliation is removed which further reduces purchasing costs. Cost saving can also be found in reduced warehouse costs. Lower inventories can reduce the need for warehouse space and  warehouse resources. When a business relies on vendor-managed inventory, it’s placing a big bet on that company’s ability to deliver. The vendor has to be able to determine when to send new stock, what specific products to send and in what quantities. This can be beyond the means of a supplier that doesn’t have the software, infrastructure or expertise in place to make that work. If just-in-time inventory turns into way-too-late shipments thanks to poor demand forecasts or a supply-chain breakdown, VMI isn’t going to work. Disadvantages of vendor managed inventory Unscrupulous Partners Even with return policies in effect, a business risks being taken advantage of by a supplier looking to make its numbers. For example, a vendor might ship an excessive amount of product at the end of the quarter and book it as revenue to boost its sales figures regardless of the customer’s needs. The customer may return the unneeded merchandise, but the vendor already has gotten what it wants out of the transaction. In addition, VMI may require a company to share sensitive information with the supplier, which can leave it in a delicate position should the relationship between the parties ever falter. Limited Options A vendor-managed inventory system can be bad for a business when it keeps the business from seeking better-suited or lower-cost options. Because VMI links the supply chain together so closely, it serves as a disincentive to make a change that necessitates changing the company’s inventory management system. As a result, a business may find its inventory savings negated by settling for higher-priced or inferior goods. Market Responsiveness Customer preferences can change in a heartbeat, with favorites falling out of style and new items becoming more in demand. If your vendor doesn’t supply a wide enough range of products and your contract prevents you from going to the competition, you may be stuck with items your customers don’t want and no way to fix the problem. Make sure your contract doesn’t bind you so tightly to your vendor that you both sink together when the market changes. The manufacturer can gain some benefits from vendor managed inventory as they can gain access to a customers point of sale (POS) data makes their forecasting somewhat easier. Manufacturers can also work their customers promotional plans into forecasting models, which means enough stock will be available when their promotions are running. As a manufacturer has more visibility to their customers inventory levels, it is easier to ensure that stock-outs will not occur as they can see when items need to be produced. INTRODUCTION TO MRP manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) is defined as a method for the effective planning of all resources of a manufacturing company. Ideally, it addresses operational planning in units, financial planning, and has a simulation capability to answer â€Å"what-if† questions and extension of closed-loop MRP. This is not exclusively a software function, but the management of people skills, requiring a dedication to database accuracy, and sufficient computer resources. It is a total company management concept for using human and company resources more productively. MRP is a comprehensive system used for planning and scheduling materials requirement. It assists in improving the materials handling capability of an organization. But it has certain disadvantages. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of MRP have been discussed below Advantages Some of the key benefits that can be derived from using an MRP system are: Reduced per unit cost of production thus enabling an organization to price its products competitively Low inventory levels, especially for in-process materials Better response to market demand Better customer service Reduced set-up and tear-down costs Comprehensive material tracking and optimized production scheduling Improvement in capacity allocation and planning Disadvantages Following are the disadvantages of an MRP system: High costs and technical complexities in implementation. In addition, organizations, which use an MRP system need to spend considerable effort on installing necessary equipment (computers), training personnel, modifying the software to serve their specific needs, validating, testing, and eliminating possible errors, and maintaining the software. The time required for planning and implementing an MRP system is generally very long. Data entry and file maintenance requires considerable inputs in the form of training and education of the personnel. Dependence on forecast values and estimated lead-time can sometimes be misleading. The implementation of an MRP system can be effective only when there is a high degree of accuracy in the organization’s operations. It requires high commitment from the top management of an organization. The management should educate its executives on the importance of MRP as a strategic planning tool. The success of an MRP system, like that of any other system depends on proper implementation and right application. Managers can derive more benefits if they use the MRP system as a management-planning tool. MRP needs enormous human efforts and care in continuously collecting the required information for the system. However, many organizations prefer to adopt MRP systems, as the advantages of the system outweigh its disadvantages. Are you searching Operations Management expert for help with Advantages and Disadvantages of an MRP system questions? Advantages and Disadvantages of an MRP system topic is not easier to learn without external help? We at www.expertsmind.com offer finest service of Operations Management assignment help and Operations Management homework help. Live tutors are available for 24Ãâ€"7 hours helping students in their Advantages and Disadvantages of an MRP system related problems. We provide step by step Advantages and Disadvantages of an MRP system question’s answers with 100% plagiarism free content. We prepare quality content and notes for Advantages and Disadvantages of an MRP system topic under Operations Management theory and study material. These are avail for subscribed users and they can get advantages anytime. Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) Economic order quantity (EOQ) is the order quantity of inventory that minimizes the total cost of inventory management. Two most important categories of inventory costs are ordering costs and carrying costs. Ordering costs are costs that are incurred on obtaining additional inventories. They include costs incurred on communicating the order, transportation cost, etc. Carrying costs represent the costs incurred on holding inventory in hand. They include the opportunity cost of money held up in inventories, storage costs, spoilage costs, etc. Ordering costs and carrying costs are quite opposite to each other. If we need to minimize carrying costs we have to place small order which increases the ordering costs. If we want minimize our ordering costs we have to place few orders in a year and this requires placing large orders which in turn increases the total carrying costs for the period. We need to minimize the total inventory costs and EOQ model helps us just do that. Total inventory costs = Ordering costs + Holding costs By taking the first derivative of the function we find the following equation for minimum cost EOQ = SQRT(2 Ãâ€" Quantity Ãâ€" Cost Per Order / Carrying Cost Per Order) Example ABC Ltd. is engaged in sale of footballs. Its cost per order is $400 and its carrying cost unit is $10 per unit per annum. The company has a demand for 20,000 units per year. Calculate the order size, total orders required during a year, total carrying cost and total ordering cost for the year. Solution EOQ = SQRT(2 Ãâ€" 20,000 Ãâ€" 400/10) = 1,265 units Annual demand is 20,000 units so the company will have to place 16 orders (= annual demand of 20,000 divided by order size of 1,265). Total ordering cost is hence $64,000 ($400 multiplied by 16). Average inventory held is 632.5 ((0+1,265)/2) which means total carrying costs of $6,325 (i.e. 632.5 Ãâ€" $10). businesses require an efficient inventory system to maximize profit. The Economic Order Quantity model is a commonly used element of a continuous review inventory system. It is based on a formula that calculates the most economical number of items a business should order to minimize costs and maximize value when re-stocking inventory. Small business owners should evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of this inventory model before implementing it. DISADVANTAGES Minimizes Storage and Holding Costs Storing inventory may be expensive for small business owners. The main advantage of the EOQ model is the customized recommendations provided regarding the most economical number of units per order. The model may suggest buying a larger quantity in fewer orders to take advantage of discount bulk buying and minimizing order costs. Alternatively, it may point to more orders of fewer items to minimize holding costs if they are high and ordering costs are relatively low. Specific to the Business Maintaining sufficient inventory levels to match customer demand is a balancing act for many small businesses. Another advantage of the EOQ model is that it provides specific numbers particular to the business regarding how much inventory to hold, when to re-order it and how many items to order. This smooths out the re-stocking process and results in better customer service as inventory is available when needed. Complicated Math Calculations The EOQ model requires a good understanding of algebra, a disadvantage for small business owners lacking math skills. Additionally, effective EOQ models require detailed data to calculate several figures. For example, the key formula of the model calculates the square root of 2DS/H, where D is the number of units purchased annually, S is the fixed ordering charge, and H is the holding cost per unit. Rent or mortgage payments, utility costs and property taxes are required just to calculate H. Based on Assumptions The EOQ model assumes steady demand of a business product and immediate  availability of items to be re-stocked. It does not account for seasonal or economic fluctuations. It assumes fixed costs of inventory units, ordering charges and holding charges. This inventory model requires continuous monitoring of inventory levels. The effectiveness of the basic EOQ model is most limited by the assumption of a one-product business, and the formula does not allow for combining several different products in the same . INTRODUCTION TO ERP What is ERP? It means enterprise resource planning, which itself means planning the resources in an enterprise (business). So, this abbreviation simply means, that this is a way of using the resources in a company more effectively. Notice, that this is not some kind of software, this is an ideology. Some companies build applications, that work according to this ideology, called ERP solutions. But there is something more there†¦ the developers of such solutions build their application implementing some best business practices in it, and this is one of the most valuable features of ERP systems. The so called know-how is the most common thing that many of the small businesses out there lack. And this could be the difference between the successful, fast flowing company and the average company. At some point of the life cycle of an enterprise, the need of such a system becomes inevitable. The earlier managers understand this, the better. As the company grows, its control becomes more and more difficult task. An integrated solution, like ERP software, could be really helpful in this situation. Every small company, that wants to grow big just needs to use an ERP system. Some big corporations even would not do business with you, if you hadn’t such a software implemented and working in your business. Such a solution is a proof for higher quality and that you are running your enterprise well and effectively. There are many many benefits coming from these systems, later we’ll talk about them more. ERP solutions are from the group of integrated systems, which means that they are built to integrate any part of your business. Initially the manager in a small company can coordinate the different departments relatively easy, but when the company starts to grow, the same happens with the size and number of departments. The coordination between them becomes really hard and expensive. At some point of time a crisis of control is inevitable. ERP systems can be  managers’ best friend then, because this is one of their main purpose – to integrate your business. Advantages & Disadvantages of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Systems In order to understand computer networks better, it would be helpful to have an overview of the applications running on the network. ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning is an important enterprise application that integrates all the individual department functions into a single software application. ERP Systems make it easier to track the workflow across various departments. They reduce the operational costs involved in manually tracking and (perhaps) duplicating data using individual & disparate systems. In this article, let us have a look at the advantages and dis-advantages of implementing ERP (Enterprise Resource Management) Software Systems. Advantages of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) 1. Complete visibility into all the important processes, across various departments of an organization (especially for senior management personnel). 2. Automatic and coherent workflow from one department/function to another, to ensure a smooth transition and quicker completion of processes. This also ensures that all the inter-departmental activities are properly tracked and none of them is ‘missed out’. 3. A unified and single reporting system to analyze the statistics/status etc. in real-time, across all functions/departments. 4. Since same (ERP) software is now used across all departments, individual departments having to buy and maintain their own software systems is no longer necessary. 5. Certain ERP vendors can extend their ERP systems to provide Business Intelligence functionalities, that can give overall insights on business processes and identify potential areas of problems/improvements. 6. Advanced e-commerce integration is possible with ERP systems – m ost of them can handle web-based order tracking/ processing. 7. There are various modules in an ERP system like Finance/Accounts, Human Resource Management, Manufacturing, Marketing/Sales, Supply Chain/Warehouse Management, CRM, Project Management, etc. 8. Since ERP is a modular software system, its possible to implement either a few modules (or) many modules based on the requirements of an organization. If  more modules implemented, the integration between various departments may be better. 9. Since a Database system is implemented on the backend to store all the information required by the ERP system, it enables centralized storage/back-up of all enterprise data. 10. ERP systems are more secure as centralized security policies can be applied to them. All the transactions happening via the ERP systems can be tracked. 11. ERP systems provide better company-wide visibility and hence enable better/faster collaboration across all the departments. 12. It is possible to integrate other systems (like bar-code reader, for example) to the ERP system through an API (Application Programing Interface). 13. ERP systems make it easier for order tracking, inventory tracking, revenue tracking, sales forecasting and related activities. Disadvantages of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) 1. The cost of ERP Software, planning, customization, configuration, testing, implementation, etc. is too high. 2. ERP deployments are highly time-consuming – projects may take 1-3 years (or more) to get completed and fully functional. 3. Too little customization may not integrate the ERP system with the business process & too much customization may slow down the project and make it difficult to upgrade. 4. The cost savings/payback may not be realized immediately after the ERP implementation & it is quite difficult to measure the same. 5. The participation of users is very important for successful implementation of ERP projects – hence, exhaustive user training and simple user interface might be critical. But ERP systems are generally difficult to learn (and use). 6. There maybe additional indirect costs due to ERP implementation – like new IT infrastructure, upgrading the WAN links, etc. 7. Migration of existing data to the new ERP systems is difficult (or impossible) to achieve. Integrating ERP systems with other stand alone software systems is equally difficult (if possible). These activities may consume a lot of time, money & resources, if attempted. 8. ERP implementations are difficult to achieve in decentralized organizations with disparate business processes and systems. 9. Once an ERP systems is implemented it becomes a single vendor lock-in for further upgrades, customizations etc. Companies are at the discretion of a single vendor and may not be able to negotiate effectively for their services. 10. Evaluation prior to implementation of ERP system is critical. If this step  is not done properly and experienced technical/business resources are not available while evaluating, ERP implementations can (and have) become a failure ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BARCODING Bar codes consist of bars and spaces that vary in width. The bars and spaces on a bar code correspond to numbers and letters that represent descriptive data. Scanners scan the bar code to find the corresponding description of the item, including the make and model of an item and its price. Many stores and shops commonly use bar code technology for stock inventory. It’s also used to scan when a customer wants to purchase it. There are advantages and disadvantages regarding the use of bar code technology. the Disadvantages of Barcodes disadvantages of Bar Codes Time In the blink of an eye, scanning a bar code instantly displays the product name, type of product and price. Bar codes also have a 12-digit product number that when entered also produces the same information. However, if a cashier has a long line of impatient customers, entering the product details of each item is time-consuming, especially in grocery stores where each customer usually purchases multiple items. Although bar codes are a huge advantage when it comes to time, it can also be a disadvantage if the bar code on the product doesn’t correspond to the right product, or the bar code scanner isn’t working Inventory Inventory is a huge component of any goods and services business. Keeping track of inventory can be a tedious, time-consuming and difficult task to do without a bar code scanner. With a bar code scanner, shop owners simply scan the bar code on the items and keep track of the store’s inventory that way. When an individual purchases an item, the scanner transmits this information to the computer and it’s calculated on the stock inventory via computer technology. The major disadvantage here is if the cashier sees a number of items that look or seem the same and scans one item multiple times to save  time. Each item and type of item has a unique bar code and must be scanned separately. As a result, this could affect inventory. Labels Labels make it easy for bar code scanners and computers to recognize the product item and vendor name. But when a label is damaged or non-existent, it poses problems. Damaged labels make it difficult for the cashier to scan. Even the 12-digit number on the label may be damaged to the point where it is not legible. When this occurs, the checkout process is significantly delayed while the same product is sought out and brought to the cashier for scanning. In addition, some products, such as fruits and vegetables at grocery stores, don’t have labels, which potentially cause delay. However, cashiers are usually trained to remember the 12-digit number corresponding to items without labels. Costs While bar code technology drastically reduces the time and energy spent on inventory and checkout procedures, it is costly. Businesses that want to implement bar code equipment and technology have to withstand the growing pains of doing so. This includes training employees, installing the equipment, expensive printers and the time spent entering codes for labels. However, despite the disadvantages with start-up, the bar code technology benefits businesses in the long run. CONCLUSION ON THE ABOVE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT TOOLS One should start by saying that inventory management is the active control program that facilitates the management of sales, purchases and disbursements. The inventory management is all about special software that would reduce the costs and human efforts required to create invoices, purchase orders, various receiving lists, or payment receipts. The inventory management attempts to coordinate all the efforts in the warehouse, retail and other product lines in order to develop better controls of the processes that go inside the organization. Speaking about a particular software, I would like to note that one of the many is available at http://www.advanceware.net/modules.asp. The software is said to provide all  the needed inventory management tools in just one package. The website provides a demo version of the software where one is able to explore the shipping module. The software allows the company to print serial numbers on an invoice, set a default tax rate, generate several types of reports, receive and process various customer/vendor returns, and place/process customer orders in various currencies. As for the inventory management in the workplace I would like to note that because I work in the hotel industry, the inventory management is different here than in other industries. The inventory that hotel manages is the room space available for rental. One should understand that because hotel industry sells services the improper inventory management might mean that the hotel will not fill up all the rooms. Thus, the inventory management for the hotel industry should focus on the timeliness with respect to room occupation and marketing. The inventory management should also account for the food, towels, bed sheets, and other items required for the daily hotel operations. The inventory management should assure that the hotel rooms are filled right after they are freed, otherwise, the hotel would lose out since unlike tangible inventory, the service hotel industry offers cannot be s References Harris, Ford W. (1990) [Reprint from 1913]. â€Å"How Many Parts to Make at Once†. Operations Research (INFORMS) 38 (6): 947–950. doi:10.1287/opre.38.6.947. JSTOR 170962. Retrieved Nov 21, 2012. edit Hax, AC and Candea, D. (1984), Production and Operations Management, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, p. 135 Grubbstrà ¶m, Robert W. (1995). â€Å"Modelling production opportunities — an historical overview†. International Journal of Production Economics 41: 1–14. doi:10.1016/0925-5273(95)00109-3. Nahmias, Steven (2005). Production and operations analysis. McGraw Hill Higher Education. edit Altintas, N.; Erhun, F.; Tayur, S. (2008). â€Å"Quantity Discounts Under Demand Uncertainty†. Management Science 54 (4): 777–792. doi:10.1287/mnsc.1070.0829. edit Andrew Caplin and John Leahy, â€Å"Economic