Philosophy Sections 7.1 & 7.2 Essay

1. What are the requirements for knowledge? 4.What is Plato’s allegory of the cave supposed to demonstrate? Plato’s allegory of the cave is supposed to demonstrate not only the human situation in general but Socrates’ life in particular. Socrates glimpsed the true nature of reality and tried to convince the inhabitants of Athens that they didn’t know what they thought they knew. The objects that cast shadows on the wall represent what Plato considers to be the truly real objects: the forms. 5.What is Descartes’ dream argument? Descartes’ dream argument is as followed: 1) We can’t be certain that we’re not dreaming. 2) If we can’t be certain that we’re not dreaming, we can’t be certain that what we sense is real. 3) If we can’t be certain that what we sense is real, we can’t acquire knowledge through sense experience. 4) Therefore, we can’t acquire knowledge through sense experience. According to Descartes, you can’t rule out the possibility that you’re dreaming so you’re senses can’t give you knowledge of the external world. 8. Why do empiricists believe that there are no synthetic a priori truths? Empiricists believe that there are no synthetic a priori truths because they believe that sense experience is our only source of knowledge of the external world. 9.How does Kant explain the possibility of synthetic a priori truths? Kant explained the possibility of synthetic a priori truths by examining the method of inquiry used by mathematicians. Kant found that what makes it possible for mathematicians to discover such truths is that they study the principles the mind uses to construct mathematical objects. Section 7.2 (3 and 4) 3. What is representative realism? Representative realism is the doctrine that sensations are caused by external objects and that our sensations represent these objects. 4. What is the distinction between primary and secondary qualities? The distinction between primary and secondary qualities is that while secondary qualities exist in the mind not in the actual object, primary qualities are possessed by material objects.

European Commission’s Approach towards the Article 81 EC Essay

Introduction The objective of Article 81 is to limit restrictive agreements and other modes of complicity between independent firms in horizontal as well as vertical relationships[1]. Some instances of such prohibited practices are, â€Å"price fixing; limiting or controlling production, markets, technical development or investment; sharing markets or sources of supply; applying dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions; making the conclusion of contracts subject to supplementary obligations that have no connection with the subject of the contracts[2].† Moreover, it is immaterial if Article 81(1)[3] EC is implemented in such a fashion that most of the agreements that curtail economic freedom would be caught without any economic analysis having been performed[4]. The EC has commenced to apply a new economic approach and simultaneously the ECJ has accepted the fact that a proper rule of reason analysis has to be conducted under Article 81(3)[5]. The underlying principle of Article 3(g) of the EC Treaty[6] is to implement ‘a system†¦ [which ensures that] competition in the internal market is not distorted[7].† Prohibition of concerted practices, abuse of a dominant position and state aid is restricted to practices that affect trade between the Member States and ignores practices that influence domestic trade[8]. Nevertheless, Article 81 EC permits anti-competitive practices whose pro-competitive results overshadow their anti-competitive consequences[9].   In the sequel the scope of Article 81 EC has been discussed, in respect of anticompetitive issues. In this regard the substantive laws restricting the anticompetitive effects of markets and the procedural controls like prohibition and exemptions concerning public policy and economic approach have been discussed at length. In this context relevant case laws have been discussed. The contemporary tendency is to restrict competitive agreements. The Commission has implemented a more economic approach by means of the rule of reason in Article 81(1) EC, which has assisted decentralization with regard to the enforcement of Article 81(3) EC[10]. Free Competition In order to ensure free competition in the Single Market, agreements which not only have a significant effect on the trade between the Member States but also prevent, restrict or distort competition in the Single Market are prohibited by Article 81[11]. Article 81 EC contains a list of practices that are usually excluded[12]. These relate mainly to licensing agreements for patents and other intellectual property rights. Competition Law Test In general, the Commission’s exemption policy favours the application of a competition law test. The block exemption on vertical restraints is merely an interchange between curbing intrabrand competition and encouragement of interbrand competition[13]. The European Commission is authorized to remove the advantage of an exemption in respect of agreements that are at variance with Article 81(3)[14]. Vertical Agreements The national authorities can deprive vertical agreements that contravene Article 81(3) of the benefit of exemption.[15] In respect of vertical agreements that restrict competition and include fifty percent or more of a specific market, the Commission will cancel the exemption and apply Article 81(1) in its entirety[16]. Further, in cases of undue advantage of a dominant position, exemption is permitted by Article 82 EC[17]. The agreements pertaining to the supply and distribution of goods comply with the new Block Exemption Regulation[18]. These guidelines and Block Exemption Regulation constitute a competition policy that favours an economic approach rather than a regulatory approach to vertical agreements. This indicates the Commission’s intention to bring its competition rules into play[19]. Formerly the EC had adopted a formalistic approach that had construed any restriction of commercial freedom to be restrictive of competition. Further, the Commission had a monopoly in respect of implementing Article 81(3). Article 81(1) was given a wide interpretation as it had to be enforced uniformly in all the Member States[20]. Article 81 In Mà ©tropole Tà ©là ©vision (M6) et al. v. Commission[21], the Court of First Instance or CFI held that a monetary outlook was necessary as per the provisions of Article 81(3) [22]. The judgement in this case is in conformity with the present outlook of the Commission. This approach is the upshot of the White Paper and the new notice on Article 81(3) EC[23]. In this approach there is a retreat from the formalistic approach. Since, the objective of the new notice is to engender the consumer’s welfare; it requires a substantive analysis of the market in order to determine whether an agreement violates Article 81(1) EC[24]. Article 81(3) rescinds the prohibitions in Article 81(1) if competition exists for a large range of products, the manufacture or allocation of goods, and if technical and economic progress do not show any improvement[25]. Further, decisions of the Commission under Article 2(4) of Regulation 4064/89 result in a balancing exercise[26]. Thus, while applying Article 81 EC the national courts have to perform the competition law test, which is in most of the cases imposed by Article 81(3) EC[27]. In all other instances the national courts can obtain either the Commission’s assistance as per Article 15(1) EC or the ECJ’s assistance as per Article 234 EC[28]. Since, the national courts cannot apply Article 81(3) EC; the ECJ transferred the necessary portions of Article 81(3) EC to Article 81(1) EC[29]. Article 81 EC does not apply to agreements that leave trade between member states unaffected. These agreements are the exclusive domain of the national authorities. This basic test of whether or not interstate trade was affected was dealt with by the E.C.J. in Socià ©tà © Technique Minià ¨re v. Maschinenbau Ulm[30], the E.C.J. held that â€Å"it must be possible to foresee with a sufficient degree of probability on the basis of a set of objective factors of law or of fact that the agreement in question may have an influence, direct or indirect, actual or potential, on the pattern of trade between Member States[31].† Economic Approach The adoption of an economic approach first, ensures that legal provisions are not rendered ineffective due to anti-competitive behaviour[32]. This approach applies a more consistent treatment to the different practices, because a similar treatment is accorded to practices with the same outcome[33]. Second, this approach ensures that the statutory provisions do not achieve an unjustified frustration of competitive strategies[34]. Hence, a competition policy approach that recognizes this fact will guarantee the protection of consumers and also encourage increased productivity and growth[35]. The EU competition law has progressed towards a policy that depends on a market centered economy[36] and in 2004 an enforcement procedure incorporating these considerations was implemented by the European Community. The necessity to adopt an approach that is more economic based to market definition, dominance and abuse has been conceded by the European Commission. Undertakings with a market share in excess of fifty percent can easily establish that they are not dominating the market and this stance has been accepted by the Commission[37]. Daimler Chrysler secured a highly significant reduction of the fines imposed on it by the Commission for alleged infringements of Art.81 on the German, Spanish and Belgian car market in 2001[38]. The CFI annulled two of the three findings of infringements, which resulted in a reduction of the fine from â‚ ¬ 71.8 million to â‚ ¬ 9.8 million[39]. Since, Daimler Chrysler was unable to establish that its Belgian subsidiary had acted independently; the CFI did not annul the decision to fine Daimler Chrysler[40]. In this case the Commission had labeled three of the Daimler Chrysler agreements as being anti competitive. The CFI set aside two of these allegations and upheld only one of them[41], thereby indicating that competitive agreements had been prohibited. In Tetra Laval v. Commission, the Commission prohibited the merger of Sidel SA and Tetra Laval BV. Sidel was a manufacturer of stretch blow moulding machines used for packaging liquid foods in plastic. Tetra was a dominant company in the carton-packaging market operating through a related company[42]. The Commission considered the merger of Tetra Laval and Sidel to be anti competitive and prohibited it; however, the CFI disagreed with the Commission and permitted the merger. Although, Article 81(3) permits the elimination of competition Vis – a – Vis a significant number of products, the application of Article 82[43] cannot be frustrated by Article 81(3) [44]. Moreover, not all the restrictive agreements entered into by a dominant undertaking represent the abuse of its dominant position[45]. The exemptions under Article 81(3) are contained in block exemption regulations;[46] and their standardization gains automatic exemption if the joint market share is less than twenty five percent and the agreement conform to the requirements of the joint R&D block exemption regulation[47]. In the context of a new product or a product in which the participating companies do not compete, the block exemption’s validity exists even above the twenty five percent ceiling for the duration of the standard setting and subsequently for seven years[48].  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Prohibition of Competition Agreements One of the difficulties faced by Community law is to restrict intra brand competition (or competition among retailers or distributors of the same brand) by means of territorial distinctiveness, without restricting parallel trade. Of these restrictions the most important are those that create territorial restrictions[49]. Moreover, a distributor might enter into an exclusive distribution agreement solely â€Å"for the purpose of obtaining absolute territorial protection in order to ensure protection from free riders and safeguard investment in the promotion of the product[50].† This protection is essential for launching a new product which requires more promotion than an established product. Moreover, insufficient protection may prevent the distributor from deploying the product with the result that the product may not make an entry into the market[51]. In the absence of territorial protection some distribution agreements cannot be established, for instance, in Societe la Technique Miniere[52], the Court held that a term bestowing territorial distinctiveness on a distributor would not violate Article 81(1), if it was essential for the distributor to market a producer’s product[53]. Even though, the Commission is conscious of the commercial necessity for territorial protection, it has never accepted that the aim of territorial restrictions is to assist pro competitive agreements. The Commission while permitting partial territorial exclusivity will not endure the hindrance to parallel imports, even if the agreements granting unconditional territorial protection may augment inter – brand competition, and consequently help in the assimilation of markets within the community[54]. In the Wouters case, there was a disagreement between competition rules and non competition goals. Further, harmonizing amid competition rules are absent in both Articles 81(1) and 81(3) EC[55]. If suitable conditions are present Article 81 EC can be matched against public interest concern. Since, Article 81(1) and 81(3) did not attach sufficient importance to the protection of the legal profession’s freedom it was undermined[56]. Consten and Grundig[57] established proscription on the formation of an unqualified territorial defense. Such a stringent approach has been implemented because these restrictions could prevent the development of the internal market by isolating the national markets. Moreover, the Community Authorities want to ensure that some manner of parallel trade is preserved by means of passive sales that originate outside the contract area. In case of vertical agreements total territorial protection is banned and the Court has assumed a moderate approach in less restrictive territorial limitations[58]. The fact remains that even the vertical agreements regulation is unable to distinguish between active sales and passive sales, which are not to be banned[59]. The guidelines have made it clear that selective distribution agreements could result in an increase in intra brand competition and eliminate access to markets[60]. However, selective distribution agreements could augment inter brand competition or competition based on brands or labels. Since, the sales staff are to be given relevant training there will be an increase in after sales services, the servicing of guarantees, etc[61]. The relevant case law in respect of selective distributive agreements has been accused of being intricate, contradictory and perplexing and it has rendered the task of concluding whether an agreement infringes Article 81(1). Moreover, confusion prevails in respect of the products that validate selective distribution[62]. Vertical restraints are constraints on the freedom of behaviour for undertakings resulting from a vertical agreement. Although, vertical restraints prevent, restrict or distort competition they also engender efficiency improvements. Hence, the resultant economic effect is unclear[63]. Conclusion Competition is one of the most important factors that elicit a faster growing, consumer-oriented European economy[64]. In this context, â€Å"†¦The Commission has to adopt clear guidelines and binding legislation in order to secure the legal certainty of the undertakings that have to operate under the EC Competition Law Framework[65].† The uniformity in interpreting and applying competition rules are essential for legal certainty which is necessary to decentralize EC competition law[66]. At present an inordinate delay takes place, â€Å"from the time a potential claimant is subjected to anti-competitive agreement or practice till it is brought before the national court, question to the ECJ are formulated and a reply is received, and the national court eventually rules on the issue[67].† It would benefit everyone if both policy and lawmakers study the American experience that reveals that legal certainty cannot be ensured by, â€Å"leaving it up to the parties in trials before the courts[68].† In this manner it can be seen that despite the European Commission’s approach to Article 81 involving a greater use of sensible economic analysis, too many agreements which are anti-competitive are still prohibited. The foregoing analysis reveals that a significant number of competitive agreements are being prohibited due to decentralization and a narrow approach that favours public interest and economic policy. Bibliography Books    Albors – Llorens, Albertina. 2002. EC Competition Law and Policy. Willan Publishing. P. 18. ISBN: 1903240743. Dabbah, Maher M. 2004. EC and UK Competition Law: Commentary, Cases and Materials. Cambridge University Press. P. 56. ISBN: 0521604680. Mac Culloch, Angus and Rodger, Barry J. 2004. Competition Law and Policy in the EC and UK. Routledge Cavendish. ISBN: 185941933X. 139, 191, 192, 195. Stuyck, Julien, Gilliams, Hans and Ballon, Elke. 2002. Modernisation of European Competition Law: The Commission’s Proposal for a New Regulation.P. 55 -56. ISBN: 9050952224. Tillotson, John and Foster, Nigel G. 2003. Text, Cases & Materials on European Union Law 4/E. Routledge Cavendish. P 407. ISBN  : 1859417779.       Journals and Working Papers       Article 81. Official Journal of the European Communities. Consolidated version of the treaty establishing the European Union. 24.12.2002. C 325/64. Retrieved from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/treaties/dat/12002E/pdf/12002E_EN.pdf       Bourgeois and Bocken. Guidelines on the Application of Article 81(3) of the EC Treaty or How to Restrict a Restriction. 32 Legal Issues of Economic Integration 111 (2005), pp. 112-113. Brusick, Philippe; Alvarez, Ana Maria and Cernat, Lucian. Competition Provisions in Regional Trade Agreements: How to Assure Development Gains. Chapter IX Modernization of the European System. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). 2005. United Nations Publication. Symbol No. UNCTAD/DITC/CLP/2005/1. p. 284.    Goldschmidt, Peter I.B and Lanz, Christoph. Maybe Definitely – Definitely Maybe? EC Competition Law – Is the time ripe for reform? European Institute of Public Administration. EIPASCOPE 2/2001. Retrieved from http://www.eipa.nl/cms/repository/eipascope/scop2001_2_2.pdf Kallaugher, John and Weitbrecht, Andreas. 2006. Developments under Articles 81 and 82 EC – the Year 2005 in Review. C.L.R. Issue 3. p. 139, 143.  © Sweet & Maxwell and Contributors. Komninos, Assimakis P. 2005. Non – competition Concerns: Resolution of Conflicts in the Integrated Article 81 EC. The University of Oxford Centre for Competition Law and Policy. Working Paper (L) 08/05. Pp. 3, 5, 10. Retrieved from http://www.competition-law.ox.ac.uk/lawvle/users/ezrachia/CCLP%20L%2008-05.pdf

Global economic and marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global economic and marketing - Essay Example 1.3 Decreasing the price of a commodity does not necessarily mean that a business establishment will realise profits. This is because there are other market forces such as competition that decide the price at which good and services are to be offered in the market. This being the case the management of the company should perform an assessment of the market in order to understand how various factors affect the price and demand of transport. After doing so the company will be well equipped to know to which level they should lower their prices in order to enjoy profits. Question two 2.1 One notices that changes in the income tax change in different ways from 2008 to 2013. This can be attributed to various factors that force the government to adopt taxation policies. For instance, when the government is running on a deficit budget then it is within reason that the government increases the income tax rate or tax band in order to increase its revenue. From the data provided one establishes the United Kingdom does not increase the tax rate but it increases the tax band. This is considered by various scholars as a good policy to adopt when allocate tax revenue especially in economic turmoil times. The tax system of the United Kingdom is designed in a manner in which those who earn minimum wages are charged lower taxes than those who earn higher amounts. For instance a person who earns 150,000 pounds is charged a higher tax rate when compared to one who earns 10, 000 pounds. This is so since the one earning above 150,000 falls under three different tax bands with three different tax rate each higher than the other. As a result their salary is deducted a considerable amount of their tax money. The United Kingdom government employs a tax system based on tax bands rather than increasing tax rates in order to ensure that low income earners are not deducted huge sums of money as income tax while at the same time the government continues to earn more revenue from those earnin g high incomes. In short, it is a good policy adopted since the latter complements the previous. 2.2 Income level 1 - ?10,000 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Personal allowance ?6,035 ?6,475 ?6,475 ?7,475 ?8,105 Income after reduction of personal allowance

Strategic Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Planning - Essay Example The company or venture is then responsible for devising strategies in order to implement these goals and fulfill these processes. Strategies include marketing, finances, management, administration, and other areas of business. Pre-planning and market research is essential in the planning process as slight imperfections or the onslaught of unforeseen events may cause a business plan to fail. Businesses devising strategies must consider the strategies of competitors and must mould their strategies in comparison to the competition. They must also plan for emergencies or unforeseen events that may affect their business strategy. Each business or venture is different and has various purposes for existence. Some organizations are nonprofit organizations which focus on community and social welfare instead of economical prosperity. Some ventures are service oriented will others are focused upon selling or manufacturing a product (Bryson, 1988, pp.73-74). A particular type of business that is prevalent in society today is the event management business, which focuses upon providing a service to people who want to organize an event which can range from a birthday party, to an exhibition, or a wedding. Some event management companies focus upon certain areas of specialty such as weddings or concerts while others may focus on business oriented events such as exhibitions or opening days. However, event management companies must engage in very precise and well structured strategic management processes in order to make their business successful, as the main focus of their business is based upon planning itself (Averrett and Swamidass, 1989, pp. 656-657). An event management company based in the United Kingdom is Penguins Event Production and Logistics. The company is located on the London outskirts in Windsor, Berkshire and is focused upon providing its customers with solutions to all their event management needs. The company seeks to not only provide customers with management services to handle their events but also provides a wide variety of extensive services such as audio visual services, logistics, and communication solutions for their customers. It has strategically positioned itself as a multi-tiered company in the service sector who can cater to multiple event management needs instead of only catering to one target market. The company aims to cater to the corporate management sector and provide solutions to all management needs and/or services. While it has strategically positioned itself as an event management company catering to the corporate sector, it targets several niche groups of customers pertaining to their individual needs whether they are audio visual aids, communication solutions, or management for events. The company focuses on the core services mentioned above but also claims to cater to other solutions upon request. As the company has been in the field for a long time, they claim to be able to cater to every need that a customer ma y have and offers the professional help of project managers to coordinate the tasks and activities related to corporate events. The company seeks to enable a customer to manage his time, skills, and resources, effectively in order to make his/her events

Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Archaeology Research Paper

Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Archaeology - Research Paper Example Jones is mainly recognized because of the many films he has acted, some of which include: Last crusade, Lost Ark Raiders and Temple of Doom among others (Winterhalder & Eric, 2000). In understanding the character of Indiana Jones, these films depict some of the traits that make him have a great influence over the people. Most of these films have similar plots, presenting the ways which Indy employs to prevent Hitler’s hands from holding the biblical artifacts. For instance, the movie that explains how the covenant ark was lost is a controversial story, by first trying to understand if the ark existed in the first place. Scholars have ever since tried to explain the whereabouts of the ark, but they have not yet come up with valuable conclusions to the issue (Bentley & Herbert, 2001). Some say it was carried to Canaan while others say that it was destroyed in Babylon.Another movie that approaches archeology in a better way is Last Crusade. It similarly explores another treasure in the bible- Holy Grail (Arnold & Nancy, 2001). This treasure like the ark has numerous stories surrounding its history. People have no clear idea of its existence, and where it finally went to. Some people claim that Arimathea Joseph carried the Grail to France with him, and this claims triggered Nazi to start his Grail search. In the movie, Jones acts brilliantly during their travel, by making marks on the way which in turn give him clues that guide him to the final resting place of the Grail.... His theoretical diversity in many of the movies he has acted, portray him as a real archeologist from the way he dresses to the way he presents himself. Processual archaeology presents three perspectives that we can employ in studying Indiana Jones: evolutionary ecology which predicts human behaviors in their ecological contexts, and evaluates their behaviors using ethnographic and archaeological data. Secondly, there is behavioral archaeology which focuses on when, where and how human behavior relates to material cultures. Arnold & Nancy (2001) explain that there is the Darwinian archaeology perspective that tries to reconcile Darwinian Theory and other scientific explanations of evolution. On the other hand, the postprocessual perspective comes up with criticisms of the early studies. Literature Review Postprocessual Archeology Postprocessualists are opposed to the ideas of science as the only source of knowledge. They generally classify scientific studies into non-positivist perce ptions with no basis (Johnson, 2010). For instance, these people claim that the empirical studies done by science are not satisfactory enough, since they do not have sufficient fundamental facts. According to the postprocessualists, we have active individuals hence, they do not agree with the views of archeologists who make individuals to be lost in their theories. They thus advocate for individuals to be active instead of following blindly the social norms and values that are presented to them. They then emphasize on agency as a tool of active individuals (Hegmon, 2003 & Hurt & Rakita, 2001). Focusing on their understanding, one can conclude that they urge archaeologists to consider rules that can be changed creatively by social

Zend is IGN Entertainments Next Generation Platform Essay

Zend is IGN Entertainments Next Generation Platform - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that it operated with Right Media’s optimization technology predicting where the ads will work best. The Exchange afforded buyers and sellers the opportunity to trade digital media on a common platform in a transparent setting. Because so many buyers and sellers come to view the digital products and transact openly, sellers are able to obtain the best price and buyers are able to gain the best value for their money on each transaction, because of the open auction process. Two years after its initial opening, the Exchange has grown tremendously to the point that it serviced a network of 19,000 advertisers and publishers transacting some 4 to 5 billion ads per day, and processing as much as 100,000 requests per second. This study highlights that the company needed to upgrade its service with a convenient and secure application that will interact with the exchange in post the ads, create the inventory, post bid and ask prices and contract the sale via auction, monitor and document the results, and otherwise assist in all the workings of the exchange. The initial foray of Right Media was to provide a Windows-based desktop application which, however, was unsuccessful in carrying out the desired tasks due to difficulty of maintenance, support issues, and frequent updating which customers resented. The firm therefore set out to find a rich web application that customers may use regardless of which platform they were standardized on, and which allowed for frequent updating without too much disruption. PHP 5 was not new to Right Media; in fact, it had initially employed it in its operations as early as 2004 during the creation of the web application as it had already been the standard in the industry. There were several reasons for this choice.  

Investing In Retirement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Investing In Retirement - Essay Example Compounding interests provide valuable returns at the end. For instance, if we start putting aside $1000 per month starting at the age of 30 it will end up being $453600 for each of us at the age of 65. This is based on the assumption that the rate of return is at 8 percent per annum. If we wait for ten years, we would only save $129000 each. Considering that a small difference in contribution amounts $129600, which is $1000 each month for ten years. However, the actual difference in total saving is enormous and amounts to $259200. Investing wisely is encouraged for it helps in ensuring that the maximum returns are yielded on the amount spent. Thus, lessons learned from retirement savings entails starting early and setting aside at least 10 to 15 percent of the annual salary on retirement. For a worthwhile investments return, it is good to start investing earliest possible. Additionally, it is worth setting aside an average of 10-15 percent of the gross earnings on a monthly basis. From this, I have learned that to save for the future is good because the future is uncertain. The money we save now may be used to cater for our need in future when we have retired and have no other source of income.

Comparing Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparing Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau - Essay Example One of the key problems involved in the debate on justification of political authority is the balance between limitations imposed by any political authority and individual freedom. On the one hand, freedom is exceptionally important to the life of a person in many senses. On the other hand, an individual can not be allowed to act solely at his or her will: there must be certain rules for behavior. Establishing this balance between individual freedom and interests of the community is the key task of any state and government which acts like a stabilizer. In case this balance is in place, the highest level of individual freedom is achieved while the risk of falling into total anarchy is avoided (Popper, 1985). According to Thomas Hobbes, in prehistoric uncivilized times before any sort of government emerged, there was constant war with â€Å"every man, against every man† (Hobbes, 1668, p.12). Consequently, Hobbesian justification of authority logically followed from the total brutality of human beings in their natural state characterized by intolerance: submission to authority was the only way to eliminate the brutality and intolerance of the State of Nature (Hobbes, 1668). By contrast, John Locke believed that the original state of man was not as hostile as Hobbes thought. In Locke’s opinion happiness, reason and tolerance were the core characteristics of the natural man, and all humans, in their original state, were equal and absolutely free to pursue things, considered as indisputable rights, namely â€Å"†¦life, health, liberty and possessions† (Locke, 1990, par. 6). However, Locke’s State of Nature is not chaotic with every individual pursuing its own egoistic goals. Despite absence of any authority or government with the power to punish the subjects for wrong actions, Locke believed that the State of Nature was effectively regulated by morality. Since all human beings in the

Critique epidemiologic research articles Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critique epidemiologic articles - Research Paper Example The control group included people selected randomly in the Boston area who filled the questionnaires with their dietary intake for 2 weeks. The group is appropriate because they have different lifestyle from the health professionals and their knowledge of the healthy diets and cancer differs from that of health professionals, in short they are complete opposites. B. Was the method of classification or of measurement consistent for all the subjects relevant to the objectives of the investigation? Are there possible biases in measurement? If so, what provisions were made to deal with them? The methods of measurement were different for the study group as well as the control group. The researchers administered the diet questionnaires to the control group which were strict n the amount of calories on each specific diet record on a weekly basis for the 2 weeks but none of that was done to the control group. This was made through carrying out a follow-up to the study group after every two years. The observations of the study group are reproducible as the research team carried out a follow-up of its study group for 6 years and hence in the end they achieved their conclusive results. They can also be said to be valid as they were carried out in a scientific manner. On whether they are reliable or not, the subject is up for discussion because of the lack of a control group to compare results with for the 6 years. Yes the data requires statistical analysis because they involve quantity in numbers of fat and energy. The analysis used is multivariate which is appropriate considering there are several sets of data being analyzed. The analysis and interpretation even though longer is correct. The conclusion justified is that which supports the hypothesis. The conclusion about red meat absorption and the acid content has not been analyzed in the data and hence is not appropriate to be made without research. The first

Charismatic Leadership Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Charismatic Leadership - Case Study Example The social conditions and patterns of the charismatic leadership were expected to be the reason for a strong bond between followers and the leaders. Dominating charismatic leaders are visionary and have strong convictions, sensitive to environmental resources and constraints, unconventional in behavior and self-confident. However, researchers have also argued that psychological attributes can also create charismatic leaders. The major assumptions regarding charismatic leadership are personal admirations among followers for the leaders and self-belief in the leader. Few of the basic characteristics of charismatic leaders are: A charismatic leader is creative and unconventional. While resolving issues and troubleshooting, charismatic leaders always look for solutions which are creative and unconventional. These methods are also used to attract others attention towards key issues (Jacobsen 75) They possess effective and influential interpersonal communication skills. They are always rea dy to demonstrate attention and respect towards self as well as others. Through self-sacrifice and personal risks, they are able to create loyalty and absolute trustworthiness. Theories of charismatic leadership Various theories have been established in order to explain the origin and evolution of charismatic leadership style. Few of the well known and popular theories are described below: Weberian Perspective Weber first coined the term â€Å"charisma† and described charismatic leaders as the one who bears the ability to implement drastic social changes. He identified that these kinds of leaders arise in periods of physical, economical, psychotic, religious, political or ethical distress. He also referred charismatic leaders as superhuman or supernatural with exceptional qualities and powers. According to this theory, the loyalty and passion of followers might have aroused out of hope, despair or enthusiasm. He also argued that the major difference between bureaucratic and c harismatic leadership is that charisma appeals to those with a revolutionary attitude. Rebel Leadership of Downton Downton (20-70) proposed the theory of charismatic leadership in context of political and rebel leaders. He argued that effect of charismatic leaders on followers is potent and influential because of their authority and transcendental ideals which facilitates the identification of followers with the leaders. This condition is characterized by psychological changes, solidification of trust and loyalty towards the leader. However, charismatic leadership is independent of other leadership styles such as inspirational. He had also concluded that the position of charismatic leaders can be maintained if they are able to establish security and provide a new cultural reinforcement or identity especially for those followers whose socialization or psychological dispositions are to obey orders. Psychological theory Psychological theory was first presented by House (189-207) in ord er to explain charismatic leadership behaviors. The overall psychological impact of this leadership style on the

The Sublime and Architectural Theory Essay Example for Free

The Sublime and Architectural Theory Essay As Michael K. Hayes comments in Architecture Theory since 1968, a typology to emerge in the mid eighteenth century was a return of architecture to its natural origins, an example of the primitive shelter. This return and respect of nature was interestingly enough occurring across art, literature and landscape design simultaneously and internationally. It was as if people were warily eyeing the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution and entered into a love-hate tolerance of the machine age with the concepts of nature playing a reassuring role throughout these social and industrial evolutions. In reference to nature, the sublime countered many perceptions of the tamed environment through poetry, painting, national parks and urban design. The term sublime was first used to describe nature by British writers taking the Grand Tour of the Swiss Alps in the 17th and 18th centuries. The sublime was meant as an aesthetic quality in nature that was both beautiful and terrible, horrible and harmonious, appreciating the unexpected and dangerous forms found in nature that had been avoided in literature and art through the concepts of a more tamed and friendly environment. German philosopher Immanuel Kant reflects on the concept of boundaries between beauty and the sublime in his Critique of Judgment written in 1790. Distinguishing between the differences of beauty versus the sublime, beauty is connected with the form of the object, respecting the objects boundaries whereas the sublime is found in a formless object, boundless, unfamiliar and unexpected. The Romantic Period revealed a shift from the picturesque paintings of a controlled and safe landscape to paintings depicting the grotesque and beautiful as found in works such as Frederic Edwin Churchs Cotopaxi , oil on canvas 1826, an opposition to the classical ideals of perfection. The concept of sublime evolved through the machine age with a sense of self-forgetfulness, an awe-inspired feeling of well-being and security when faced with an object or place of superiority. It is a realization of unavoidable suffering that is to be accepted and that the difficulties in life will never be completely resolved. The terrible, beautiful and inescapable sublime resonated with the social instability found in the Modernist period. These two movements faced suffering brought about by the consequences of the Industrial Revolution. Inescapably crowded cities meant survival was dependent on the proximity to work. Leisure was a little afforded luxury. As John Mitchell much later on discusses in his book What Is to be Done about Illness and Health (1984), the attributes of a healthy life is a clean and safe environment, time for rest and recreation, a reasonable living standard, freedom from chronic worries, hope for the future, an adequate level of self-confidence and autonomy, and finally to have a worthwhile and fulfilling job. These well-being concepts were absent for many low and middle class families working in factories during the machine age and were threatened by social injustices of modern times. Throughout difficult times experienced in the Romantic period up through present day, the order and at times chaos of nature remained a constant influence in the perceptions of design and life. It would seem our societies distanced themselves from primitive nature through perfect geometry of the Classical movement, imitated nature through the rusticity of the hut and embraced the sublime during the Romantic period. It was as if a return to the most basic and natural state gave a sense of control over the uncontrollable, the forest/city was to be tamed, brought into rational order by means of the gardeners art; the ideal city of the late eighteenth century was thereby imaged on the garden The acknowledgment and connection of the roles of nature throughout our design history offered an outlying and abstract zeitgeist: a continuing spirit of admiration, reverence and fearful respect of our natural surroundings as they are impacted by our industrial and socially changing cities.

Nigerian Out Of Wedlock Births Health And Social Care Essay

Nigerian Out Of Wedlock Births Health And Social Care Essay The concept of childbearing, fertility and marriage house constantly been linked together in Nigeria. In the 1990s, out of wedlock birth was rapidly increasing despite Nigerians cultural influence on its population. Nigerians marry to have children, and marriage has meaning only when a child is born or in fact survives (Uche C. Isiugo-Abanihe, 1994). According to Olusanya(1982), marriage in Nigeria is so closely linked with childbearing that a change in the pattern of marriage necessarily influence birth rate and the rate of population growth. Data presented in this report are derived from the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in Nigeria in 1990. This was done by Federal Office of Statistics, Nigeria, and IRD/Macro International, United States. This survey interviewed 8,781 women aged 15-49. All statistical data and sample in this project was obtained from this article. In this dissertation, we will focus on the high level of unwanted pregnancy and out of wedlock birth occurring in Nigeria as a result of low levels of contraceptive use among women in many parts of the country. This project will reveals wide variation in levels of contraceptive use among married and sexually active unmarried women. Both groups have a significant unmet need for family planning, but the reasons for their need differ. we will use old and previous data and surveys collected and conducted during the 1990s by the Nigerian federal office of statistics to explain and solve theoretically and statistically the purpose of this project which is to explain the out of wedlock birth per woman between 1950s and 1980s in Nigeria. All statistical element of this project will be done using sampling and standard error. Selection from the entire country to determine the fertility, determinants of fertility and fertility regulations that led to an increase in out of wedlock birth during t he 1970s to 1990s. Relatively, little empirical work has been conducted for out of wedlock birth in Nigeria. The statistical used in this project has been conducted by the NDHS(Nigerian Demographic Health Survey) mostly drawn from the National Master Sample for the 1987/1992 National Integrated Survey of Households (NISH) and the 1973 Nigerian census result. There is wide regional variation in the timing of marriage among Nigerian women. More than nine in 10 women aged 20-24 in the North East and North West had married by age 20, compared with half to three fourths of women in the three southern regions (The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2005 series, No4). Nigeria is one of the largest countries in Africa and the most populated Black Country in the world with a population of over 100 million people, nearly twice the size of any other African country. The North East and North West regions are predominantly Muslim, the South East and South regions are mostly Christians, each with its own values and traditions regarding marriage, sexual behaviour, education and childbearing. There are major regional and educational differences in fertility. Women in the north have, on average, one child more than women in the south and women with no education have two children more than women who completed secondary or higher schooling. According to the NDHS survey, the fertility rate of a Nigerian woman between the ages of 15-49 from 1978-1990 moved from 5.9 to 6.0 significantly with an average of 6 children. Source: : Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 1990. Source: : Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 1990. The project reveals a big difference in levels of contraceptive use among married and sexually active unmarried women. Both groups have a significant unmet need for family planning, but the reasons for their need differ. The study directs attention toward far-reaching health policy and program responses that affect birth rate in Nigeria. The numerous ethnic groups found in Nigeria contribute considerable cultural diversity. In 1960s, Many article described the growth in Nigerias out of wedlock birth rate as a brief excitement amongst the Nigerian people that they had achieved independence finally, some presumed it to be illiteracy but a close study proved otherwise (study show that out of wedlock birth was more frequent among the most educated women (meekers, 1994b; Calves2000; Emina 2005), excitement of motherhood amongst teenage girls played a minor role, and also the brief civil war that began in 1967 and ended in 1970 played a bigger role in the whole analysis. The Nigerian ferti lity survey during 1981/82 put the average number of child birth per woman at 6.4 %( mostly out of wedlock). Although the data here suggest a slight decline from in the 1970s rate, the level is still relatively high.(www.onlinenigeria.com). During the civil war, many women were reluctant in getting married to prevent bearing the pain of being widows and war casualties. This effected their judgement and led to more pregnancies among women that are unmarried. According to some data analysed during that period by Donald Jonathan, Approximately 45% of children born among teenage women in Nigeria at that time were conceived outside of marriage; double the level recorded during the same period among women aged 18 and older (Donald 1979). This was a huge jump in the growth of the countries fast growing general population. The World Bank estimated Nigerias annual growth rate was rising during the 1950s. Although other sources differed on the exact figure, virtually all sources agreed that t he annual rate of population growth in the country had increased from the 1950s through most of the 1980s. The government estimated a 2% rate of population growth for most of the country between 1953 and 1962. For the period between 1965 and 1973, the World Bank estimated Nigerias growth rate at 2.5%, increasing to 2.7 percent between 1973 and 1983. Before 1970, the stigma of unwed motherhood was so great that few women were willing to bear children outside of marriage. Total fertility rate for the three years preceding the survey end mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49, by selected background characteristics, Nigeria 1990 Background characterises NDHS NFS Mean number Mean number of children of children Total ever born Total ever born Fertility to women fertility to women Rate age 15-49 rate age 15-49 Residence Urban 5.03 6.01 5.79 4.81 Rural 6.33 6.61 5.98 5.56 Region Northeast 6.53 5.75 5.95 4.34 Northwest 6.64 6.21 6.38 4.49 Southeast 5.57 6.99 5.72 6,53 Southwest 5.46 6.84 6.25 5.30 Education No education 6.50 6.41 6.14 5.45 Some primary 7.17 7,3 6.81 5,99 Completed primary 5.57 6.54 7.59 5.71 Some secondary 5.07 6.44 3.90 4.31 Completed 4.18 5.82 NA NA Total 6.01 6.49 5.94 5.41 Source: : Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 1990. Premarital sexual activity is most common among more educated women, who tend to postpone marriage the longest. In the southern regions, where educational levels are highest and the smallest proportions of young women are married, 41-69% of women aged 20-24 had had premarital intercourse by age 20. This compares with only 6-14% in the North West and North East, where educational levels are lowest and marriage before 20 is most common. The above diagram compares three-year total fertility rates as estimated by the NDHS and NFS. The two surveys, nearly a decade apart, yield almost the same total fertility rates (5.9 for the NFS and 6.0 for the NDHS. Both surveys do indicate that the fertility of uneducated women is fifty percent higher than the fertility of the most educated women. Reasons for increase in out of wedlock birth Three quarter of Nigerian women in the 1990s were married. Age at first marriage differed by region. In the north, women married early, at an average of 15 years of age. In the south, however, women are marrying later in life. Among younger women, the average age at first marriage is over 19 in the southeast and over 20 in the southwest. Women who marry later in life are more likely to have premarital sex which is a clear example of out of wedlock birth. Although the society does not approve of this behaviour, in regions where women stay in school longer and are, therefore, less likely to marry at a young age, premarital sexual behaviour is common. In the Southwest, where a great proportion of women aged 19-49 have completed secondary/ higher education and about one-fourth had not married by age 20, 69% had had premarital sex by this age. In contrast, in the less developed North West region, where only one in five women aged 19-49 have completed secondary/higher education, only a han d full said they had had premarital sex by age 20. These findings illustrate that in the northern regions, where most women in their early 20s have received no more than primary schooling, most sexual activity occurs within the context of marriage. In 1978-1982, Nigerias total fertility rate was 6.4 children per woman. By 1990, it had dropped to 6.0. The distribution of women by number of children ever born within the 1960s to 1980s is presented in the table below for all women and married women. This survey was conducted by the NDHS and documented statistically. The mean number of children ever born for all women increases rapidly with age, so that by the end of her childbearing years; a woman has given birth to almost seven children. The distribution of women by number of births indicates that almost one quarter of teens have already borne a child, and nearly one-third of women age 45 and over have borne nine or more children. Nationally and in all regions of the country, women aged 15-49 are having more children than he want. Source: Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 1990. Rural women have about one child more than their urban counterparts (6.1 vs. 4.9), and women in the less developed northern regions also have more children than women in the south. Yet women in the South South and South East regions have the largest gaps between their wanted and actual fertility rates, while women in the North West are nearly matching their fertility goals. Overall, women living in both rural and urban areas have more children than they want. Contraception Knowledge and Use: in the survey conducted by the NDHS, it indicates that less than half (46 percent) of all Nigerian women age 15-49 know of at least one method of family planning. This means that over half of the women reported that they did not know any method of family planning. Knowledge of methods was slightly lower among married women and higher among never-married. Although the level of contraceptive knowledge in Nigeria is low, there has been improvement over time. In the 1981/82 Nigerian Fertility Survey (NFS), only 34 percent of all women reported that they had heard of any method Thus, in the 10 years between the NFS and the NDHS, the level of contraceptive knowledge increased by 35 percent. There were also large increases in the proportion of women who knew and used specific methods. Contraceptive use among married and sexually active unmarried women aged 15-49 Married women sexually active Unmarried women % using % using a % using % using a An effective traditional an effective traditional Modern method modern method Method method Total 7 6 33 14 Region North Central 9 4 32 5 North East 2 2 10 3 North West 2 3 23 3 South East 12 10 20 27 South South 12 13 35 16 South West 21 11 53 13 Education â‚ ¬Ã‚ ¾7 years 16 11 38 17 Source: Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 2003.Contraceptive Use A small proportion of married women in Nigeria use a contraceptive method as seen on the above diagram. Contraceptive use in Nigeria is rare probably because of the preference for large families. In 2003, only 7% of married women aged 15-49 were using an effective modern method of contraception (implants, IUDs, the pill, the male condom, and female or male sterilization). Another 6% were relying on withdrawal, periodic abstinence, lactational amenorrhea or traditional folk methods. There are wide regional differences in overall levels of Contraceptive use: Only 2% of married women in the North East and North West regions are using effective modern methods, and 2-3% is using traditional methods. In the South West, in sharp contrast, 21% of married women are using effective modern methods, and an additional 11% are using traditional methods. In the remaining three regions, 9-12% of married women are using an effective modern method. It is noteworthy that overall contraceptive use is mo re than three times as high among married women with seven or more years of education as among those with less education (27% vs. 8%).(The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2005 series, No4). Other case of ctraception Contraceptive use is much higher among sexually active unmarried women. In all regions of the country, probably because of widespread societal disapproval of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and births, sexually active unmarried women are more likely than married women to use a contraceptive method (47% vs. 13%-Table 2). In the South West region, 53% of sexually active unmarried women are using an effective modern method and 13% a traditional method, compared with 10% and 3%, respectively, in the North East region. And unmarried women with seven or more years of education are more than twice as likely to be practicing family planning as their less educated counterparts (55% vs. 22%). In addition, 46% of unmarried women who use contraceptives choose condoms, compared with only 15% of married users (not shown). Low awareness, disapproval and uncertain supply keep contraceptive use low. Various factors help explain the low level of contraceptive use among married Nigerian women. Foremost among these is that women generally want large families. Yet low awareness of family planning, conservative cultural attitudes and uncertain contraceptive supply are also important influences. More than 20% of women aged 15-49 have never heard of any method to prevent pregnancy, traditional or modern. The women who are most aware of contraception live in urban areas, have at least seven years of education, or listen to the radio or watch television regularly (about 90% of each group). Even if women have heard of family planning, many do not know where to obtain contraceptives: Of the 78% of women who are aware of any method, only half know where they can get it. In the North East and North West regions, only 28-36% of married women and 24 28% of sexually active unmarried women who are aware of family planning know where to go for contraceptive services. A much higher proportion of a ware women in the South West region know a possible source of methods-77% of married women and 82% of sexually active unmarried women. Low contraceptive use is also partly attributable to the fact that four in 10 married women disapprove of family planning. A data survey conducted by the NDHS shows the reasons for not using contraception given by women who do not intend to use a method. Of the 68 percent of married nonusers who say they do not intend to use family planning in the future, almost half say they do not intend to use because they want children (47 percent). Other reasons given are religion (12 percent), lack of knowledge (12 percent), and fatalism (6 percent), which encompasses responses that imply that there is nothing the woman can do about the number of children she will have. Women under age 30 are more likely to say that they do not intend to use because they want children, while those age 30 and over are more likely to cite reasons such as being menopausal or lack of knowledge. SAMPLE METHOD NDHS sample method used in this project is as a result of a two-stage stratified design, and, consequently, it was necessary to use more complex formulas. The computer package CLUSTERS, developed by the International Statistical Institute for the World Fertility Survey, was used to compute the sampling errors with the proper statistical methodology. The CLUSTERS treats any percentage or average as a ratio estimate, r = y/x, where y represents the total sample value for variable y, and x represents the total number of cases in the group or subgroup under consideration. The variance of r is computed using the formula given below, with the standard error being the square root of the variance: Sampling errors for the NDHS are calculated for selected variables considered to be of primary interest. The results are presented in this appendix for the country as a whole, for urban and rural areas, and for the four health zones: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest. For each variable, the type of statistic (mean or proportion) and the base population are given in Table B. 1. Tables B.2 to B.8 present the value of the statistic (R), its standard error (SE), the number of unweighted (N) and weighted (WN) cases, the design effect (DEFT), the relative standard error (SE/R), and the 95 percent confidence limits (R~SE), for each variable. In general, the relative standard errors of most estimates for the country as a whole are small, except for estimates of very small proportions. There are some differentials in the relative standard error for the estimates of sub-populations such as geographical areas. For example, for the variable EVBORN (children ever born to women aged 15-49), the relative standard error as a percent of the estimated mean for the whole country, fo r urban areas and for the Southeast zone is 1.5 percent, 2.3 percent, and 2.7 percent, respectively. The confidence interval (e.g., as calculated for EVBORN) can be interpreted as follows: the overall average from the national sample is 3.311 and its standard error is .051. Therefore, to obtain the 95 percent confidence limits, one adds and subtracts twice the standard error to the sample estimate, i.e., 3.311+.102. There is a high probability (95 percent) that the true average number of children ever born to all women aged 15 to 49 is between 3.209 and 3.413. 148 Conclusion: According to the NDHS, fertility remained high in Nigeria during the1980s. The total fertility rate may actually be higher than 6.0, due to underestimation of births. This is why out of wedlock birth has constant increased during these periods. In a 1981/82 survey, the total fertility rate was estimated to be 5.9 children per woman. One reason for the high level of fertility is that use of contraception is limited. Only 6 percent of married women currently use a contraceptive method (3.5 percent use a modem method, and 2.5 percent use a traditional method). Levels of fertility and contraceptive use are not likely to change until there is a drop in desired family size and until the idea of reproductive choice is more widely accepted. At present, the average ideal family size is essentially the same as the total fertility rate: six children per woman. Thus, the vast majority of births are wanted. The desire for childbearing is strong in Nigeria. Half of women with five chil dren say that they want to have another child. Another factor leading to high fertility is the early age at marriage and childbearing in Nigeria. Half of all women are married by age 17 and half have become mothers by age 20. More than a quarter of teenagers (women age 15-19 years) either are pregnant or already have children. National statistics mask dramatic variations in fertility and family planning between urban and rural areas, among different regions of the country, and by womens educational attainment. Women who are from urban areas or live in the South and those who are better educated want and have fewer children than other women and are more likely to know of and use modem contraception. For example, women in the South are likely to marry and begin childbearing several years later than women in the North. In the North, women continue to follow the traditional pattern and marry early, at a median age of 15, while in the South, women are marrying at a median age of 19 or 20 .Although fertility rates are declining as modernization is increasing, Many women are still experiencing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, with consequences ranging from interruption of schooling to health risks and economic hardship, all of which hinder efforts to improve their socioeconomic status. By educating and empowering both married and sexually active unmarried women to make informed and responsible decisions about contraceptive use and their desired fertility, the Nigerian government can improve both the health and the economic productivity of its citizens. BIBLOGRAPHY REFERENCE: Federal Ministry of Health [Nigeria]. 1988. NationalPolicyonPopulationforDevelopment, Federal Office of Statistics [Nigeria]. 1963. Population Census of Nigeria, 1963 Combined National Figures. Lagos, Nigeria Frank Falkner and J.M. Tanner, Vol. 3, 241-262, New York: Plenum Press. NIGERIAN DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEY 1990 -federal office of statistics. Lagos Nigeria Unity,Progressand Self-Reliance. Lagos, Nigeria: Department of Population Activities. London, Kathy A., Jeanne Cushing, Shea O. Rutstein, John Cleland, John E. Anderson, Leo Morris, and Sidney H. Moore. 1985. Fertility and Family Planning Surveys: An Update. Population Reports, Series M, No. 8. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University, Population Information Program. Martorell, R. and J.P. Habicht. 1986. Growth in Early Childhood in Developing Countries. In Human Growth: A Comprehensive Treatise, ed. by National Population Bureau [Nigeria] and World Fertility Survey. 1984. The Nigeria Fertility Survey 1981/82: Principal Report. Vol. 1: Methodology and Findings. Lagos, Nigeria: National Population Bureau. National Population Bureau [Nigeria[ and Institute for Resource Development/Westinghouse [1988]. National Demographic Sample Survey (NDSS) 1980: Nigeria National Report. Columbia, Maryland: IRD/Westinghouse. Ransome-Kuti, O., A.O.O. Sorungbe, K.S. Oyegbite, and A. Bamisalye, eds. [ 1989] Strengthening Primary Health Care at Local Government Level: The Nigerian Experience. Lagos, Nigeria: Academy Press Ltd. Rutstein, Shea Oscar and George T. Bicego. 1990. Assessment of the Quality of Data Used to Ascertain Eligibility and Age in the Demographic and Health Surveys. In An Assessment of DHS-I Data Quality, 3-37. Institute for Resource Development/Macro Systems. DHS Methodological Reports, No.1. Columbia, Maryland. REDUCING UNWANTED PREGNANCY IN NIGERIA BY the Alan Guttmacher Institute

Pre Bored Steel H Piling System

Pre Bored Steel H Piling System Although Hong Kong is featured of its Skyscrapers all over the world, and it seems that H-Piling system may not have enough bearing capacity to their superstructure, there are still many servicing buildings and small-scale infrastructure developing, the loading of which is capable to be borne by H-Piling system, in the city. In the following words, a brief introduction over Pre-Bored Steel H-Piling system will be presented associated with related cases applying such kind of piling system in Hong Kong in order to draw a more detailed picture over the application of Pre-Bored Steel H-Piling system in Hong Kong. The principle of Pre-Bored Steel H-Piling system is similar to the Bored Piling system. Both of them are replacement pile and require boring the initial hole on the site for the insertion of the temporary or permanent steel casing, depending on its design. After the completion of the boring process, the soil and rock inside the steel casing will then be extracted and the workers will place the reinforcement material inside the steel casing. That is the major variation between Bored Piling and Pre-Bored Steel H-Piling System. For Bored Piling, the reinforcement bars will be bent in order to form the circular cage (Figure 1). However, H Steel Pile will be the reinforcement material in Pre-bored H-Piling system. Grouting is then started after placing reinforcement material to form the pile. Since the diameter of Bored Piling can be larger than Pre-Bored H-Piling, the former one can typically take up more loading than the latter one. Therefore, small-scale construction project is most likely to use Pre-Bored Steel H-Piling system in Hong Kong. The cases introduced later are small in scale, but they do play an important role in our city. D:yr1 sem1BRE 291 Con techProject Photos (Construction site)Week 4 23102009CIMG0341.JPG Figure 1: Reinforcement Bar for Bored Piling Figure 2: H-Pile for Reinforcement in Pre- Bored H-Piling system The first case being examined is the construction of Queen Mary Interchange near Queen Mary Hospital and Pok Fu Lam Road. It is a road improvement project initiated by the local government at the two junctions, which are in Sassoon Road and Bisney Road with Pok Fu Lam Road, on Hong Kong Island. The aim of this project is to relieve the congestion problem existing in these roads by constructing a new interchange, comprising of several bridges. C:UsersAlan KwokDesktopperspec.jpg Figure 3: Model of proposed development Figure 4: Queen Mary Interchange à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Still in the progress of construction As we can see in the model of proposed development (Figure 3), the interchange, which located at the bottom of the figure, is locating on a slope. Since the the soil in slope exert a considerable amount of bending and tensile stress, according to Tomlinson (1994), H-pile is able to withstand such kind of extreme situation due to its unique H design. Therefore, the authority concerned decided to build the interchange with Pre-Bored Drill-in Steel H-Piles. Moreover, the short erection time and economical construction cost are also the reason to make use of such kind of piling system in this project. According to Kumaraswamy, Mohan (2002), the whole process of developing a Pre-Bored drill-in H pile, i.e. pre-drilling, drilling and grouting, can be finished in 3 working days. We can also see that the site is not so spacious enough to place some large-scale machinery during the pile development. The development of Pre-Bored Drill-in Steel H-Piles can overcome this problem because the diam eter of this pile is only 600mm in this case The size of drilling techniques can be controlled and fitted into the congested site. C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop1000.jpg Figure 5: The congested site on a steep slope in this construction of Queen Mary Interchange Before the development of pile in this project, several raw materials and tools are required to present. Here is the table showing what are needed, C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop8.jpg Circular steel casing of internal diameter 600mm and thickness 25mm C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop10.jpg Steel H-pile, which will be inserted in the steel casing C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop843.jpg Hydraulic hammer mounted on crawler crane Table 1: Major Material list for constructing pile of Queen Mary Interchange In the very first stage of developing Pre-Bored Drill-in Pile in this project, engineers will have a pre-drilling through the soil layers and rock within the site in order to identify the underground condition, such as the rock head levels and the strength of the soil. It is an important procedure since it will determine the type, length, etc of the pile. Any wrong measurement, especially overestimate the soil/rock supporting capacity, will make the whole project lose ground because the whole structure will be ruined, the typical case is the Block E and F of Yu Chui Court, demolished after discovering the corruption scandal, which developed by piles shorter than the standard and cause possible dangerous to its users . After the completion of soil investigation and analysis, the engineers would then design and choose the most suitable piling system for different project. In the construction of Queen Mary Interchange, the engineers found out that the Pre-bored piling system is suitable for construction of high-way bridges at the steep slope on the site. The site-workers firstly pressed the circular steel casing inside the ground through the help of Hydraulic Hammer which is mounted on a crawler crane. The reason to plug the steel casing into the ground was to prevent the soil from collapsing inside the hole, which would be placed H-pile inside it, during the process of drilling. C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop1.jpg C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop9.jpg Figure 6: Inserting circular steel casing into ground by hydraulic hammer mounted on crawler crane Figure 7: Connecting two steel casings by welding when the length is not enough The process in Figure 7 happened when the steel casings being installed were not long enough to reach the target depth into the soil. By welding the end of two steel casings, the total length of it can be extended. For the inadequate length of H-Pile, their length can also be extended through welding. When the steel casing reached the bed rock level and formed a socket, the next stage is to remove those soil and rock inside the steel tube, as shown in Figure 8. The ground was drilled with a hammer mounted on a drilling rig so as to remove the obstruction underground. This process could enable the hard rock and pressed soil to become extractable out of the steel casing. In this project, the obstructions were then extracted out by flushing the case with water and compressed air. The compressed air acted at the initial force and the water acted as a transferring medium to carry out the obstruction out of the earth. The above two procedures will take turns to start until all of the obstruction inside the tube were wholly carried out. C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop2.jpg C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop3.jpg Figure 8: Removing obstruction by drilling with down-the-hole hammer mounted on drilling rig Figure 9: Withdrawing soil from inside the casing by flushing with water and compressed air The H-Piles would then be installed inside the empty steel casing after the clearance of obstruction inside. Meanwhile, a 20mm diameter grout tube was also placed to full length of the pile in order to prepare its grouting process later on. C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop4.jpg Figure 10: Installing steel H-pile inside the empty steel casing The grouting process is to have a re-bonding between the soil and the H-piles with the suitable grade of concrete by tremmie method from the bottom to the top of the casing. Tremmie method is a concrete-pouring method in some dry spaces underground deeply. Since a tube is used to pour the concrete from the bottom, the force of falling concrete can be controlled through shortening the distance of freely movement of the concrete. It can prevent the concrete from improperly mixed when it is placed at the bottom of the casing which result in voids and air packet which can cause possible danger to the whole structure. The temporary steel casings were extracted gradually when the fresh concrete was pouring inside since the bonding force of the concrete is not strong at this moment. However, engineers maintained the bottom of the casing at a level of at least 2 meters below the grout surface to ensure that there was enough time range for the concrete to form the circular shape. The grouting operation was stopped when the uncontaminated grout flowed out of the hole to ensure the purity of concrete poured inside the casing. C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop5.jpg C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop7.jpg Figure 11: Grouting the steel casing with suitable grade of concrete by tremmie method Figure 12: Extracting the steel casing while grouting is going on C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop6.jpg C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop11.jpg Figure 13: Grouting the steel casing with suitable grade of concrete by tremmie method Figure 14: Extracting the steel casing while grouting is going on The finishing of grouting process means that the whole development of Pre-Bored Drill-in H-Pile system is come into the end soon. After the dewatering process of the concrete attached to the H-Pile itself, the drilled-in H-Pile was finished. Figure 13 shows the product of the above stages. It is a group of drilled-in H-Piles that were formed a combined pile cap for the highway bridges in Queen Mary Interchange. To verify its bear capacity, loading test was taken place in order to test its vertical deflection. Once the test was passed, the superstructure developments were then taken place. Pre-Bored Steel H-Piling system is not only applied in local road constructions, but it is also applied in some small-scale construction of buildings in Hong Kong. There is a typical example, which is the construction of Sheung Wan Stormwater Pumping Station (SWSPS) on Hong Kong Island. It is a single-storey building with a underground water tank with 11 meters deep at the Chung Kong Road, which is the waterfront of Sheung Wan. This project was to alleviate the flooding problem in Sheung Wan. C:UsersAlan KwokDesktop391 projectProduct of construction.png Figure 15: Sheung Wan Stormwater Pumping Station Figure 16: Location Plan of Sheung Wan Stormwater Pumping Station According to the paper presented by Leung,Li and Leung (2009), the site of the Sheung Wan Stormwater Pumping station was reclaimed in 1982. The material used for reclaimed it are as followed, Fill (medium grained granite) Marine Deposit Alluvium Completely Decomposed Granite (CDG) Originally the engineers decided to build up this service station with 60 numbers of large diameter bored piles, and the diameter of which are ranged from 1.2 meters to 1.5 meters. Figure 17: The Original Bored Pile Layout Plan of SWSPS Figure 18: The Geological Section Across the site (LandÃÆ' ¯Ãƒâ€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Seawall) But later on, the contractor of this project advised the government to build up the superstructure and sub-structure over a combination of rock socketted H-piles, mini-piles and raft foundation. The government finally accepted the advice from the contractor and starting the construction process. Referring back to the Figure 17, the PC5 Zone, all of the piling would be changed into the Pre-Bored H-piling system. For the other zoning, mini-piles were used. The major reason to change the piling system, as the paper disclosed, was because of the cost effectiveness. First of all, since the diameter of the steel casing used in Pre-Bored Steel H-Piling system is far smaller than the bored piling system. The grouting process of the former one will consuming less amount of concrete than the latter one, which can reduce the cost of development. Table 2: The difference in pile foundation between the initial and final plan Besides the cost consideration factor, the time used for developing these two different kinds of piling systems is different. As what Kumaraswamy, Mohan (2002) said, the whole process of developing a Pre-bored H-piling system only cost around 3 days. However, the development of a foundation pile normally takes up more than 3 days. Since the amount of pile developed in this project is large, i.e. nearly 50 piles are changed from bored pile to pre-bored H piling system. The time cost saved through the final plan is considerable. In the aspect of technical operation, the required pile capacity of the pumping station is 6900 kN. For bored piling, For bored piling (The government of HKSAR,2006), typical sizes of these piles range from 1 m to 3 m, with lengths up to about 80 m and working loads up to about 45 000 kN. When high grade and heavy steel H-pile section is used, the load-carrying capacity can exceed 5 500 kN. We can see that the loading capacity of bored piling is far more than the loading requirement of the pumping station. However, we can also discover that a maximum of 1400kN was not be able to supported by Rock Socketted Steel H-Pile. The solution, as shown in Figure 18, is to place in 4 numbers of T50 steel bars inside each of the casing for reinforcement so as to remove the discrepancy. Therefore, the final plan can enable a more efficient use in the resource than the initial one. That is why it is reasonable for the government to change its decision. Figure 19: Typical detail of Rock Socketted H-piles of Alternative Design For the developing processes of the Pre-bored socketted H-piling system, most of them are the same as the Pre-bored Drilled-in piling system. The major difference between them is that the steel casing used in Pre-bored socketted H-piling system is permanently fixed inside the soil, while the steel casing used in Pre-bored Drilled-in piling system was temporary in used. They are removed during grouting. In this project, the rock socket H-piles were installed through the help of concentric overburden drilling system with air-flushing. It uses a rotary-percussive action for drilling and uses air flushing for removal of debris before casting in the H-pile inside the tube and grouting. In conclusion, the loading bearing capacity of Pre-Bored Steel H-Piling system is relatively lower than the other common piling system used in Hong Kong. However, due to its mobility during installation and its strength, it is still also commonly applied in some small-scale development in local projects. -The End-

Saddam Hussein :: Iraq Rulers War Society Saddam Hussein Essays

  Throughout the last thirty years, many of the people of Iraq have been tortured, forced to relocate their families numerous times, arrested and murdered. Those who stood against Saddam Hussein were punished, in most cases by death. All of this happened under the control of Suddam and we have neither found, nor has he offered a sound explanation for his actions. By the early 80’s, hundreds of thousands of citizens were deported to Iran. And even now people are still being repressed, persecuted and denied their human rights. He does not deserve to live so luxuriously, while his people are dying from malnutrition and lack of medical attention. He does not deserve the political power that he has aquired by having people killed and forcing others to resign their authority to him. What he does deserve is a fair trial for the many war crimes he has committed and for being responsible for an unknown, yet large number of assacinations of innocent people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a result of the Gulf War in 1991, the United Nations has enforced sanctions on Iraq to limit their ability to make more weapons of mass destruction (WMD). These sanctions are based on an oil-for-food system. Iraq can export limited amounts of oil to buy food and medical supplies only. Hussein is using less than the prescribed amount of money available for humanitarian purposes for buying the much needed medical supplies. Instead, he has used it to buy extremely expensive medical equipment that is rarely used. And as if he is not wealthy enough, every month he smuggles oil out of Iraq that is worth millions of dollars, which goes straight toward his personal spending pleasures. He has built monuments and palaces for himself instead of meeting the necessary health and sanitary needs of his people. It is bad enough that he has terrorized his own people, but he goes crawling to the press saying that the U.N. needs to lift its sanctions because his people are in suc h a desperate need of help. He acts (for the cameras) as if he actually is doing everything in his power to help the people that he so deeply cares about. Fortunately, the little games that he has played with the media have not fooled too many people. The truth about his past and current crimes is available to any person who that has access to the internet.

William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay -- Shakespeare M

William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare, in his "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," uses his characters to cast a sense of derision over the use of the imagination. â€Å"The lunatic, the lover and the poet† are thrown together all on one line, and it is implied that the latter two are as crazy as the first. (Midsummer Night’s Dream, V.1.7) Despite this seeming scorn for plays and their ilk, Shakespeare is implementing a strong irony. Characters who scorn the imagination are no more than imaginings themselves – and, by this, Shakespeare is actually reinforcing a positive image of plays of the imagination. Theseus’s denial of imagination’s worth reads more as apophasis than as any true refutation. Even as he scorns the poet for giving â€Å"airy nothing/ A local habitation and a name,† he vividly conjures images through metaphor. (V.1.18) Indeed, he is no more than an imagining named by a poet himself – which lends the writing further depth on multiple levels. On Shakespeare’s level, Theseus as a character lends himself well to irony; he is a sort of Fool in disguise. His witty wordplay and flowing metaphors are backed by his confidence that â€Å"such shaping fantasies†¦[are] more than cool reason ever comprehends.† (V.1.5) Theseus considers himself a creature of cool reason – and thus enters the irony, for he disbelieves his own existence. Only some of the audience may have understood the irony. Shakespeare’s plays had a wide audience, and both nobles and ‘groundlings’ – that is, peasants – attended. The playwright’s humor had to keep all classes entertained; the nobles because they sponsored the theater (and increased his fame), and the groundlings because their rotten fruit would otherwise voice their displea... ...inforces the positive image of plays which Shakespeare wishes to portray; that is, it shows that plays do matter, whether or not you believe they can affect the world – just as, in the play, magic does have a hand, whether or not its subjects believe in it. To strengthen his message, Shakespeare draws parallels between the cynical ‘voice of reason,’ Theseus, and the nobles in his intended audience. Thus, said nobles might see how little good Theseus’s cynicism ultimately did him, and that, as he was wrong in disbelieving in the fairies’ power over the lovers, he might be wrong in disbelieving the worth of imagination and plays, and their power over the world of cool reason. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Edited: Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Folger Shakespeare Library ed. New York: Washington Square Press Drama, 1993.

Statistics Can Reduce Internet Fraud Essay -- Research Analysis

Many online auction sites help consumers bid on items they might want to possess. These sites include eBay, WebStore, ebid, OnlineAuction, OZtion, Overstock, and a whole slew of others. Currently there is no system to protect consumers from fraudulent sales. When someone bids for an item, consumers trust both the seller and the online auctioneer to be both honest and ethical when presenting items for bid. Many of the auction houses, including Sotheby's and Christie's have their experts examine each piece to prove authenticity. However, it is not all bad news. To help protect consumers from fraud, Joseph Gastwirth and Wesley Johnson have found that the use of statistics answers the problem of authenticity. Joseph Gastwirth is a Professor of Statistics and economics at George Washington University. Wesley Johnson is a Professor of Statistics at the University of California at Irvine. These two men have worked together to produce an article for future print in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society called Series A: Statistics in Society. This paper examines the preview article published in the Significance Magazine entitled "Dare you to buy a Henry Moore on eBay." Using statistics enables then to tell where the frauds are lurking. The Statistics Gastwirth and Johnson used a method similar to that of the Hui-Walter method "used to estimate the accuracy rates of clinical tests and survey classifications. (Gastwirth & Johnson, 2011) This test method utilizes two subpopulations, each with its own prevalence. In the case of the test for authentication of Henry Moore's on the Internet, the two subpopulations were drawings and sculptures, and the second was lithographs and etchings. These two gro... ...hnson, 2011) Figure 2 represents the "maximum likelihood estimates of the two prevalence parameters and accuracy rates of the two evaluators. Maximum likelihood estimates were obtained using the EM algorithm with standard errors based on the bootstrap using the program TAGS." (Gastwirth & Johnson, 2011) TAGS, is a program for the evaluation of test accuracy in the absence of a gold standard. Thus with all questions from Darrell Huff's book "How to Lie With Statistics" answered, we can safely and accurately conclude that the method used by Gastwirth and Johnson can and should be used by those who intend to purchase artwork off the Internet. Works Cited Gastwirth, J. & Johnson, W. (2011, March 14). Dare you to buy a Henry Moore on eBay? Statistics can tell you what to avoid. Significance Magazine, 8(1), 10-14. doi:10.1111/j.1740-9713.2011.00470x.

English Paper One Example Essay

Furthermore the actions and emotions of the protagonist and his sister demonstrates the immense fright and thankfulness experienced throughout the text. In this passage, the description of characters plays and extremely important role since it throws light upon the evil character of the attackers and the kind and helpful nature of Mr. Bapu the millionaire who rescues the protagonist and his sister Deepa. Since this story is told from a first person perspective the other characters are experienced through the mind of the protagonist. By giving a very precise description of these characters, the author has conjured up a very believable understanding of the way that these characters are perceived by the protagonist, which in term, makes the fear felt by these characters much more real to the reader. An example of this is the â€Å"terrifying, unearthly squeal† (6) that is heard by the siblings as the attackers surround them. This description of sound gives a very wild and primitive idea of the attackers. Furthermore, the â€Å"howling of wild dogs† (8) also adds on this terrifying image of the aggressors. This in term makes the terror undergone by the protagonists very understandable and real to the reader. On the other hand, the character of Mr. Bapu is described in a completely different manner which highlights his benign personality. He is described as a millionaire who does not mind talking to his staff (28), but also â€Å"cut for Deepa a red rose. †(29), an act which induces the feeling of adoration for Mr. Bapu by both the reader and the protagonists. It is the contrast in description of Mr. Bapu and the muggers that invokes the idea of friends and enemies which is later addressed at the end of the passage. The setting in this extract plays a primary role setting up the mood. This in term greatly aids the reader’s understanding of the protagonists fear and relieve. The passage starts off with the description of a â€Å"mosque stood towering in all its grandeur† with â€Å"a brilliant series of decorative lights† (3). This setting brings forward an uneasy mood since the building was â€Å"towering† over the two siblings. With this comes the feeling of vulnerability which is later demonstrated when they are attacked. The setting further attributes to the feeling of confusion and being surrounded when Deepa and her brother try to run â€Å"backwards, sideways, forwards again† (12) like running through a maze without an exit. Which is described as a â€Å"horrifying checkmate† (13), also adding onto the feeling of being trapped, making is very understandable that the protagonists are panicking. Later in the passage, the setting is again used to give a clear understanding of the character Mr. Bapu. The morning after the siblings were rescued by him they wake up in the house of the millionaire and walk through his garden. This is described as being â€Å"quite wonderful† (27) and seems to have red roses, these both clearly oppose the nocturnal setting of the night before. This deepens the contrast between the attackers and Mr. Bapu since both settings bring up completely different moods. The nightly setting of the streets add of the wild like persona of the muggers, while the rose garden emphasizes the kindhearted nature of Mr. Bapu. This again adds onto the idea of the difference between friends and enemies and the way that these are shaped in the mind. Lastly, another aspect that greatly enhances the experience of the reader is the behavior and emotions expressed by the protagonist and his sister. The text starts off with â€Å"a tremor in my sister’s arm. † (1). This sentence is emphasized by its shortness and it being on a separate line. This immediately conjures up a tense mood and grabs the attention of the reader. When the two siblings first face their attackers they â€Å"froze in our tracks† (7), this betrays their shock and fear to the reader. The two then run for their lives like a prey trying to escape its hunter. This episode both adds tension and excitement to the story. The protagonists are then relieved and surprised by the arrival of the â€Å"white Mercedes† (14) of Mr. Bapu. The whiteness Mercedes being a stark contrast to the nocturnal nature of the attackers. After the actual attack, the story very much relies on the thoughts of the protagonists. He describes the attack as a â€Å"terror-filled eternity† (32). This clarifies the contempt of the protagonists towards the attackers. He then later describes Mr. Bapu as â€Å"preserved in amber†, giving the reader an understanding of the protagonist’s kind image of the millionaire. These are examples of the emotions and thoughts of the protagonist, helping the reader understand other characters in the text. This is also done by giving a bit of background on the protagonists giving an understanding of the attackers’ reasons. This also adds a theme of discrimination between social groups. Since the muggers seem to attack due to the protagonists background. In conclusion, with the use of the setting, character description and the thoughts of the protagonists a very clear contrast between the attackers and Mr. Bapu has been established. One being seen as the the personification of evil and the other as pure kindness. This contrast is very important to understand when reading the last part of the passage in which the central theme is explained. Here the protagonist’s uncle explains how enemies and friends are shaped in the mind. Here, the reader can understand that the protagonists was looking back at a past event throughout the passage and it becomes very clear why the attackers have been described in a very evil fashion as opposed to Mr. Bapu. This story is therefore an excellent example of how the mind can form its own image of enemies and friends only including the negative or positive instead of both.

Evaluation of Canon’s Strategies

Evaluation of Canon’ Strategies The first part of this investigation involves an evaluation of the strategies used by Canon and the key factors for success. In order to being this review, it is first necessary to consider how the company has performed in recent years. Table 1 provided below provides an overall review of the organization’s performance in recent years. The data clearly suggests that Canon has made notable progress toward developing market share, revenues and profitability. In addition to reducing its debt to asset ratio in 2008, the organization also increased its stockholder equity to assert ratio.Table 1: Key Performance Indicators for Canon, 2004-2008 [pic] Data courtesy of: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2008/report2008. pdf Other indicators of Canon’s success are provided in Figures 1 and 2 below. These illustrations provide a review of net sales and ROE/ROA for 2003-2007. Figure 1: Net Sales for CanonFigure 2: ROE/ROA for Canon Data courtes y of: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2007/report2007. pdf With the realization that Canon has performed so well in recent years, it is pertinent to consider the specific areas which have promulgated success for the organization.A crucial review of the case information provided on the organization suggests that there are a number of pertinent strategy elements which have been pertinent to the success of the organization. In particular the organization has worked to develop a mission and vision which it has incorporated on all levels of its operations. The development of a guiding mission for the organization is essential for success (Henry 2007). Missions provide the foundation for the development of actionable processes which can be used for moving the organization toward specific goals (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2008).In addition to developing a mission and vision which provided the organization with a directive for action, Canon also developed a firm strategy focused on at tainable goals for operations. Specifically, the organization set the specific goal of obtaining 30 percent of the world market by the 1980s. Research regarding the current state of achieving this objective suggests that even though Canon has not been able to maintain a 30 percent market share in the industry, it has overcome competitor Xerox to become second only to Hewlett Packard.Figure 3 below provides a review of global market share for companies competing in Canon’s industry. Figure 3: Global Market Share for Canon and Competitors [pic] (Data courtesy of â€Å"Office electronics industry profile,† 2008, p. 12) The focus on a specific goal for the organization has clearly had an impact on outcomes for operations. By using this specific goal for development, Canon has been able to set clear, measurable objectives which can be evaluated by the organization to determine outcomes. Setting measurable goals is an important component of developing a strategic plan for th e organization (Huang, 2009).Measurable goals are viewed as essential to the successful implementation of a strategic plan which provides significant results for the ongoing development of the organization. Another issue which appears to have had notable implications for the successful development of Canon is the use of specific core competencies to ensure the outcomes of operations. In addition to developing a strategic plan which provided clear and measurable objectives, the organization delineated specific core competencies which it has been able to optimize in order to coordinate its strategic objective and achieve its goals.A review of what has been noted regarding the use of core competencies suggests that core competencies can provide the organization with the ability to focus development in particular areas (Zook, 2007). This process, in turn, sets the stage for the development of management practice and shapes how the organization approaches the market and its competitors. Collis and Montgomery (2008) provide a more integral review of core competencies noting the importance of review intended core competencies in the context of the external environment in which an organization competes.As reported by these authors, organizations need to consider the external environment and competitors in developing core competencies. While it is evident that core competencies must meet the internal demands and capabilities of the organization, Collis and Montgomery assert that improper alignment of core competencies in light of competitors and the larger industry in which the organization operates will result in failure of core competencies to be effective. In developing its core competencies, Canon appears to have taken these issues into consideration.The specific outcomes in this area are witnessed by the fact that in the 1970s, Xerox held a majority market share, which it has subsequently lost to Canon. In the 1970s, Canon recognized that the formula for success b eing used by Xerox was not the same formula which it wanted to pursue in the development of its organization. In this context, Canon chose to pursue a different pathway for competitive development; one which enabled the company to synthesize its internal capabilities with the market environment to create a unique competitive advantage against its largest rival.Because of this process of developing particular core competencies for operations, Canon was able to maximize its internal capabilities and use this as a strategic advantage in the marketplace. In summarizing the overall approach used by Canon to develop its strategic plan and subsequent management processes, it seems reasonable to argue that Canon did more than just place words on paper to establish a foundation for the organization. Rather, the organization developed a comprehensive plan for vision, strategy and development which were implemented on every level of the organization’s operations.In addition to delineati ng the larger objectives for the organization, Canon developed all of the intermediate steps that would be needed to achieve these objectives. In doing so, the organization aligned all of its activities toward the achievement of the organization’s overall strategy. The development of strategy in this manner is commensurate with what scholars note about the strategic planning and management processes. Kaplan and Norton (2008) assert that the strategy planning and development processes for the organization often end in failure because of the inability of the organization to effectively execute its strategy.Further, these authors assert that strategy failure is common because of implementation problems which manifest as organizations attempt to make critical connections between strategy objectives and specific outcomes which will be achieved to ensure that objectives are reached. Placing this information into the case of Canon, it becomes evident that these issues did not arise. Rather than struggling to implement, the organization developed to tools and resources needed to effectively ensure that it built a foundation which would enable success.It is this specific process which has enabled the success of Cannon. When strategy development is formulated as more than just specific words on paper the end result is the development of a strategic plan which provides concrete action steps for the organization to take. With these action steps in place, the organization is better poised to control the development of the strategic plan and its implementation (Neilson, Martin & Powers, 2008). This element of control in the strategic planning process has been noted to be an important contributor to the success of strategic implementation.When control is established in the strategic planning process, the organization is able to dictate the specific changes which will occur and respond to outcomes in a manner that is commensurate with the capabilities of the company an d responsive to the specific external environment which will impact the outcomes of operations. What Other Companies Can Learn With a basic review of the success of Canon in the development of its strategy provided, it is now possible to consider what, if anything, can be learned by other companies from this case.In examining the development and outcomes of Canon, it becomes evident that the specific protocols and practices which have been used by the organization to achieve success should not be mimicked by other companies. Even though Canon has been quite successful in its efforts to develop its products and services, the reality is that other companies cannot expect to use the same formula for success and to achieve the same outcomes achieved by Canon. Other companies have attempted to use this approach in the past—i. . Circuit City, K-Mart, etc. Even though mimicking another organization may provide some benefits in the short-term, the reality is that the outcomes achieve d will not provide an organization with a long-term foundation for development. Even though companies examining the case of Canon may not be able to use the same specific tactics employed by the organization, Canon did employ a number of general models for strategic planning and development which could be considered by other organizations.In particular, the development of core competencies for operations is an important tool which other companies could consider for success. An examination of models for the development of core competencies in the organization suggests that companies need to begin with a core strategy for the development of their operations. Once this core strategy has been delineated, it is then possible to articulate specific areas of organizational development by attaching them directly to the core strategy.Figure 4 on the following page provides a generic model of how core competency development for the organization has been conceptualized in for translation of co re competencies into organizational practice. The application of this model to the development of core competency planning for the organization would serve as the foundation for the development of the basic ideas which could then be used for the further development of the organization. Based on the specific core competencies decided upon by the organization, a formal strategic plan for organizational development could be implemented.This plan would need to reflect the development of measurable goals to ensure the overall success of achieving core competencies. Figure 4: Generic Model for Core Competency Planning [pic] Image courtesy of: http://www. ulv. edu/cbpm/business/img/mba_exp_graphic. jpg Once the core competencies for the organization have been delineated, it will then be possible for companies to consider the development of a strategic plan. Examining the specific steps used by Canon, it becomes evident that solid advice for planning and development in this area are provide d in the case.In addition to developing a driving vision and mission, the organization also implemented critical success factors which enabled the organization to formulate goals. The goals were codified in the context of action steps which provided a concrete foundation for the organization to achieve success. All of these issues were supported by the core competencies established by the organization. Figure 4 below provides a review of this process and demonstrates how other organizations could effectively adopt this process to generate success in their strategic planning and management processes.Figure 5: General Strategic Planning Processes [pic] Figure courtesy of: http://www. bottomlineresultsonline. com/images/uploads/StrategicPlan-Graphic_t humb. jpg In the end, the most pertinent lessons that organizations can learn from the Canon case are those related to the development and execution of strategy. Although Canon’s success is due in part to the specific choices that it made, the development and implementation of strategy on every level of the organization’s operations clearly had implications for the success of the company.Other organizations seeking to capitalize on this success should consider the development of core competencies, the evolution of an integrated strategic plan and the development of clearly defined goals for execution which can be measured to ensure progress and outcomes. By following these basic processes, other organizations should be able to create notable success in strategic planning and development. Reference List Canon Annual Report (2007). Canon. Accessed April 19, 2009 at: http://www. canon. om/ir/annual/2007/report2007. pdf. Canon Annual Report (2008). Canon. Accessed April 19, 2009 at: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2008/report2008. pdf. Collis, D. J. , & Montgomery, C. A. (2008). Competing on resources. Harvard Business Review, 86(7/8), 140-150. Henry, A. (2007). Understanding Strategic Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Huang, H. C. (2009). Design a knowledge-based system for strategic planning: A balanced scorecard perspective. Expert Systems with Applications, 36(1), 209-218. Johnson, G. Scholes, K. , & Whittington, R. (2005). Exploring Corporate Strategy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Kaplan, R. S. , & Norton, P. (2008). Mastering the management system. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 62-77. Neilson, G. L. , Martin, K. L. , & Powers, E. (2008). The secrets to successful strategy execution. Harvard Business Review, 86(6), 60-70. Office electronics industry profile: Global. (2009, March). Datamonitor, 1-32. Zook, C. (2007). Finding your next core business. Harvard Business Review, 85(4), 66-75.