Sample of Auditor Report

NALGA National Association of Local Government Auditors NALGA Peer Review Committee 1220 SW Fifth Ave. , Room 120 Portland, OR 97204 (503) 823-3542 October 27, 2000 Mr. Ronald A. Coen, Director Fairfax County Internal Audit Office Fairfax, Virginia 22035 Mr. Coen: We have completed an external quality control review of the Fairfax County Internal Audit Office for audits initiated during the period July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2000. In conducting our review, we followed the standards and guidelines contained in the NALGA Quality Control Review Guide published in May 1995, by the National Association of Local Government Auditors. As prescribed by the NALGA Guide, we reviewed the internal quality control system of your audit organization and evaluated a sample of audits conducted by your office for compliance with government auditing standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. Due to variance in individual performance and judgment, compliance does not imply adherence to standards in every case, but does imply adherence in most situations. We have concluded from our review that your system of internal quality control is suitably designed and provides reasonable assurance that applicable government auditing standards are followed in your audit work. We have also concluded from the sample of audits evaluated that your quality controls worked effectively and that audits were conducted in conformance with applicable standards during the period reviewed. It is our opinion that the Internal Audit Office of the County of Fairfax Virginia was in compliance with government auditing standards during the period reviewed. We have prepared a separate management letter which provides additional details on the work performed and suggestions for further strengthening of your system of internal quality control. ___________________ Drew Harmon Assistant Municipal Auditor City of Roanoke __________________ James Pell Senior Auditor City of Richmond __________________ Ned Smith Senior Auditor Chesterfield County

Globalization and Accountability Essay

A better quality of life has been the objective of societies and nations. This has been pursued since the ancient times to the present. About one hundred years before the Trojan wars, Minos, mythical son of Zeus, organized a communal society in the island of Crete. For centuries, universal justice and virtue reigned in the island. Conditions were similar to the fabulous Shangrila of the Lost Horizon. It was like a paradise for the people. They contributed their individual ideas, talents, skills, and labor to the community for its development, and for he good of all its members. The needs of the people were justly supplied, and they were happy and contented. Plato, the Greek philosopher, designed an ideal state in his book, The Republic. He proposed common ownership of properties as a general rule. The concept of equality of Plato was further improved by Christian doctrines. However, more active and courageous social reformers emerged into the limelight during the age of Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. Rousseau, Fourier, Bentham, Owen and Marx were the more prominent among them. They stressed the social aspects of the national order, such as cooperation, perfectibility of human nature, and other human virtues. The clamor for equality was not only political but also economic and social. The abuses of the capitalists and landlords, and the great disparities in income and wealth were the primary targets of reformers. The aforementioned economic and social problems still pervade in many developing countries. Throughout the history of the development of nations, only very few have become rich, such as those in North America and Western Europe. Most of the poor countries are found in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In terms of goods and services, the gap between the poor and the rich countries has become wider and wider. In view of the presence of modern transportation and communication, leaders of the poor countries have seen the tremendous prosperity of the rich countries. As a result, people from poor countries have developed the tendency to emulate the rich countries- their economies, technologies, ways of life, and even the architecture of their houses and buildings. However, some intellectuals have realized the disadvantage of such colonial mentality. They have crusaded for economic nationalism to free their countries from the exploitations of the rich counties- and from the weaknesses of their own people. Industrialization has been their dream of solving their persistent problems like poverty, insecurity, and excess population. Even Nehru of India claimed that real progress must ultimately depend on industrialization. Every nation, rich or poor, has economic problems. However, these are more serious and widespread in poor countries. Economic problems do exist because of two fundamental facts: resources are limited and human wants are unlimited. Human wants cannot possibly be all satisfied because resources are scarce. For example, every family wants a house and a farm. This is not possible in many countries, especially in less developed countries. In fact, most countries cannot even meet the most basic needs of their people like food, clothing, and shelter. In the case of the United States of America, the people are capable of satisfying their essential needs. If some groups cannot, it is the government that provides them with basic goods and services. Welfare programs and other social security benefits are made available to the less fortunate, and to the aged. But still, rich countries have economic problems. People, human as they are, are not ultimately satisfied with the consumption of basic goods only. Naturally, they aspire for a higher standard of living. And it is the responsibility of the economic system to help the people acquire it. The economic system of any nation has different factors that are being considered in order to establish and open greater economic opportunities (Soros, 2002). Globalization The remarkable progress in communication and transportation has exposed the high standard of living of a globalized nation. Through foreign travels, periodicals, and movies the peoples of the less developed countries have seen the many wonderful and modern things which have been created by an industrial society like the United States of America, France or Japan. In contrast, many leaders of the third world countries have realized the big difference in their still primitive products of development. Thus, their impressions of a globalized and industrialized economy have further improved. Henceforth, there has been a strong clamor among many of the third world countries for globalization. For years, this has been their aspiration. Through globalization, they believe they can eliminate the problems of poverty, insecurity, and overpopulation. No less than the great Indian statesman Nehru said that real progress must ultimately depend on globalization (Thompson & Strickland, 2003). However, globalization or globalizing a less developed country is certainly not an easy task. There are great obstacles along the long path of globalization. It is not only massive capital, modern technology, competent management, and skilled labor that are required. Well developed commercial sectors are also needed. And of course, the most important requirement for globalization is the restructuring of values and institutions in society. In spite of the formidable barriers to globalized development, it is not completely impossible for a less developed country to globalized economy. There were several poor nations which became industrial economies. They were able to conquer an almost impossible dream through a vigorous and sincere implementation of economic, social, and political reforms. Former countries like England, Germany and the United States of America met fewer difficulties in globalizing their economies because of most favorable economic and political conditions. There are several processes being followed in terms of modern growth brought about by the system and principle of globalization. It must be noted that globalization among the developed countries did not happen overnight. Prior to their globalization, they experience various changes and improvement. The following are the most notable: 1. Economic, social, and political institutions were restructured to pave the way towards globalization and industrialization. 2. There was a rapid technological improvement. 3. Factors of production like capital, labor, and entrepreneurial scheme were made to be more responsive to globalization and industrialization. 4. Substantial improvement in transportation, communication, and electrification were undertaken. 5. Social facilities and services were increased. 6. Agricultural and commercial industries became variable. The aforementioned developments were greatly responsible in the globalization of the highly developed countries. Clearly, their economic growths did not go through a quick and easy process. They laid down the foundation of their industrial development. Such experiences of the industrial countries should provide a lesson to less developed countries that are aiming for rapid globalization and industrialization. However, there are some countries that have achieved very rapid industrial growth. But the other sectors of their economy have not developed as fast as their industries. For instance, there have been no appropriate changes in some industries such as the agricultural industries, public administration, social structure and values among other things and industries. But then again, it can be seen that there is more rooms for globalization even if it means that other industries are left behind. Moreover, there has been a great need for private sectors to be improved and flourished in order for globalization to push through. As far as the economics is concerned, the big challenge is poverty, and the surest route to sustained poverty reduction is economic growth. Growth requires good economic policies. The evidence strongly supports the conclusion that growth requires a policy framework that prominently includes an orientation towards integration into the global economy. This places obligations on three groups: those who are most responsible for the operation of the international economy, primarily the governments of the developed countries; those who determine the intellectual climate, which includes this audience but also government and non-government organizations and individuals; and the government of the developing countries who bear the major responsibility for economic policy in their countries. Economic globalization, the ongoing process of greater economic interdependence among countries, is reflected in the increasing amount of cross-border trade in goods and services, the increasing volume of international financial flows, and increasing flows of labor. As is well known to our profession, economic globalization thrived in the period before 1914, but was set back by the two World Wars and the Great Depression. 6 The international financial order that was established at the end of World War II sought to restore the volume of world trade, and by 1973, world trade as a percentage of world GDP was back to its 1913 level – and it has continued to grow almost every year since. While the founders of the Bretton Woods system saw the restoration of trade in goods and services as essential to the recovery of the global economy, they did not have the same benign view of capital flows. Nonetheless, capital flows among the industrialized countries did recover during the 1950s, and intensified in the 1960s. Rapidly they became too powerful for the pegged exchange rate system to survive, and by 1973, as a result of the impossible trinity – of a pegged exchange rate, capital mobility, and a monetary policy directed at domestic objectives – the Bretton Woods adjustable peg system had to give way to flexible exchange rates among the major countries. Capital flows to developing countries grew more slowly. In the late 1970s and early 1980s they consisted mainly of bank loans; by the 1990s they took the form mainly of foreign direct investment and purchases of marketable securities. And as the volume of international capital flows to and from the emerging market countries – the more developed and larger developing countries – increased, the impossible trinity once again asserted itself, and in a series of crises, country after country was forced to give up its pegged exchange rate and allow the currency to float. By now, the gross volume of international capital flows relative to global GDP far exceeds the levels reached in the period just before 1913, though net flows of foreign direct investment have not yet attained the extraordinary levels of the decade before World War I. It is generally believed that with respect to migration and labor flows the modern system is less globalized than it was a century ago. In 1911, nearly 15 percent of the United States population was foreign born; today that number is probably a bit above 10 percent. Emigration rates from Europe, especially Ireland and Italy, were amazing: 14 percent of the Irish population emigrated in the 1880s, and over 10 percent of the Italian population emigrated in the first decade of the twentieth century. Jeffrey Williamson (2002) attributes a significant part of the convergence of income levels in the Atlantic economy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to mass migration. Whether or not migration and labor flows are greater now than they were a century ago, we are becoming more globalized in this regard too, for migration rates have been rising – and in a potentially important way, for more migration than in the past is from less to more developed countries. All this is at an abstract level. In terms of people’s daily lives, globalization means that the residents of one country are more likely now than they were fifty years ago: to consume the products of another country; to invest in another country; to earn income from other countries; to talk on the telephone to people in other countries; to visit other countries; to know that they are being affected by economic development in other countries; and to know about developments in other countries. Globalization is much more than an economic phenomenon. The technological and political changes that drive the process of economic globalization have massive noneconomic consequences. In the words of Anthony Giddens, a leading sociologist: â€Å"I would have no hesitation in saying that globalization, as we are experiencing it, is in many respects not only new, but also revolutionary. Globalization is political, technological and cultural, as well as economic. The non-economic aspects are at least as important in shaping the international debate as are the economic aspects. Many of those who object to globalization resent the political and military dominance of the United States, and they resent also the influence of foreign – predominantly American – culture, as they see it at the expense of national and local cultures. The technological elements matter in practice as well as in the debate. For instance, the events of September 11, 2001 could not have taken place before the current global era. The communications and transport systems that have accelerated the pace of globalization are also at the disposal of terrorists, money- launderers, and international criminals. On the positive side, improvements in communications and the spread of information were critical to the collapse of the Iron Curtain. People learned what was happening in other countries, and understood that they did not have to live the way they were living, and the Iron Curtain fell. A broad range of critics is arrayed on the other side. Among them are academics, opinion leaders, individuals and groups who see their interests being affected by globalization, politicians, NGOs, and demonstrators – and these categories are not mutually exclusive. To listen to the debate in the terms each side paints the other, who believes that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds, and those who believe that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. That is doubly misleading. In the first place, many of those who regard themselves as pro-globalization know that there is far too much misery in the world, that there are many wrongs to be righted in the global economy, and that it could be made to operate much better. And on the other side, many – but not all – of the critics are not against globalization. Rather, from NGOs demonstrating for further debt relief and campaigning for greater access of developing country exports to industrialized country markets, to academic critics questioning current policy views, many are seeking a better and fairer globalization.

Industrial Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Industrial Revolution - Essay Example The success of the whole process depended on the ability to access products and services readily and the reduction of time wastage because of increased accessibility (Kiely, 2003, p. 56). Increased product and service visibility is directly linked with improve livelihoods because it reduces the amount of time and allow citizens to solve issues faster than before the revolution. Actually, industrial revolution simplified the living condition and improved the status of American citizens. As the focus changed from subsistence production to commercial production, several changes occurred and affected the citizens positively. The increase in competition led to drive to change the production methods and need for expansion due to increasing demand. Therefore, industrialization led to change in transportation and technology (Kiely, 2003, p. 57). New production systems were invented in order to reduce cost of production and increase the number of units produced. Consequently, the infrastructure was upgraded in order to improve connection between suppliers and consumers. The change was effective because it improved the citizen’s access to cities and essential products and services. The development of highways, canals, and turnpikes improved connection in the society which affected the society positively. Industrial revolution led to increased job creation within the society thereby increasing per capita earning of the country. The development of factories as a result of increased competition and revolution was in tandem with the demand for labor. The demand for labor created an opportunity for American citizens to get employment in the companies (Kiely, 2003, p. 89). The demand for labour attracted immigrants which led to more immigrants crossing the border in search for jobs. The entry of immigrants changed the countries perspective and led to the development of new approaches in the society including integration of different cultures and production systems. The immigrants shaped the landscape of the country by improving the understanding of the rights of the citizens and outsiders. In fact, the immigration led to awareness on human rights infringement and the need to develop the bill of rights. Therefore, it led to improved societal awareness. Challenges of the industrial revolutio n Despite the positives associated with the industrial revolution, it also brought several challenges as a result of change in population and production. One main issue highlighted by environmentalist is environmental damage as a result of the increased damage. During the industrialization era, few rules existed that protected the environment. In fact, there was no guidance in relation to environmental protection. As a result, companies polluted the environment seriously. The most affected sector was air because of the use of coal, wood and fossil fuel in the production process (Kiely,

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Business - Essay Example Inspite of these beneficiary effects, apprehensions have been elevated in Australia as well as most of the other developed countries regarding the impacts of freer global goods and services markets in respect to the trade and investment. The notion of economic globalisation has been a controversial aspect as observed by the current unrest at different World Trade Organisation (WTO) as well as World Economic Forum (WEF) conferences. The concern of the community with the notion of globalisation has not been inaccessible to the single aspect. Nevertheless sub-groups have now been coordinating their conflict into the single group that has been becoming further efficient threat to the concept of globalization (Globalisation and the Western Australia Economy, 2002, p. 1). In the post World War I period globalization has become one of the most important global aspects (Gilpin and Gilpin, 2001, p. 366). This paper is aimed at examining the definition of economic globalization and the effects that it is driving in respect to the economy of Western Australia. The research includes the evidence regarding the real effect of economic globalization, whether there have been any myths that must be dismissed and Western Australia’s position in the world economy. ... 23). All of these aspects have been attributed to the notion of globalization. As well, a growing amount of ecological and environmental aspects have been related to the process of globalisation (Kouzmin and Hayne, 1999, p. 1). These aspects have incorporated depletion of ozone layer, the biodiversity loss, as well as increments in the level of greenhouse gases along with acid rain. Several researchers, including Rodrik (2000) has heaved concerns that the notion of globalization has largely been utilized as the ‘catch-all’ slogan in the country and also within the community. This slogan has also created the consequence in it being responsible for different undesirable results. As a consequence it has been simplistic to scrutinize all the impacts outlined in different researches. It has been in effect important as it has been likely that such type of an advance would lead to blemished conclusions. It has also been significant to recognize that the notion of â€Å"globali zation is process-driven, and the merits of each of these processes should be evaluated separately – and not collectively under the banner ‘globalisation’† (Globalisation and the Western Australia Economy, 2002, p. 1). Globalization and Western Australian economy: Australia has recorded one of the most powerful levels of economic growth among all the developed nations during the 1990s. During this time the level of growth of per capita income of the country was averaging just below 3 per cent in each year. Monetary and macroeconomic policies emphasized on keeping the rate of inflation low. These policies have generated a comparatively stable economic environment for investment as

Litigation, Civil Procedure, Discovery of Documents Essay

Litigation, Civil Procedure, Discovery of Documents - Essay Example The client company, over the last decade, has obtained reports and studies which confirm that there is a link between the toxic fumes and the increasing rate of asthma in the local residence. The problem concerns to devise a strategy so these reports and documents may not be not available to the plaintiff. STRATEGY: As evident from the above problem, the main concern of the company is that these reports and documents should not be available to the plaintiff for proving the allegation against the company. This can be done by adopting the strategy of ‘Retention of the Documents’ and by the privilege. The case of Rolah Ann McCabe v British American Tobacco Australia can serve as a guideline to adopt these strategies as the said case demonstrated successfully that through these strategies documents harmful to the company mighty be retained (destroyed) or declared privileged so the plaintiff or the court may not require these documents to exhibit for inspection, to avoid any legal ruling. These policies are discussed below separately to view their implications and results. Let us begin with examining the case of McCabe v. BATAS in brief and the strategies adopted. Rolah Ann McCabe v British American Tobacco Australia: The fifty-one year old plaintiff had lung cancer which she alleged had been caused by smoking the defendant’s cigarettes over approximately four decades. She sued the defendant for damages arising from the defendant’s negligence related to the marketing and sale of their cigarettes. The trial judge ordered that the defence of the defendant tobacco company be struck out and that judgment be entered for the plaintiff. He criticized the defendant for its failure to comply with discovery orders that had been made during the proceeding. BAT was unable to comply with this court order to produce documents because it had over a period of years prior to Mrs. McCabes’s action destroyed large quantities of documents.

The importance of iron in the human body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The importance of iron in the human body - Essay Example Deficiency of iron is found to affect the normal functioning of the human body in several ways indicating the importance of iron to the human body. This requirement varies based on age and gender. (1). Iron is an important element for the normal functioning of the human body The Importance of Iron to the Human Body Among the many metals found in the earth’s crust iron is the second most abundant metal. During the course of evolution of living organisms iron became a key metal for the existence of living organisms and this is reflected in the importance of iron to the human body. Many of the functions in the human body at the cell level find iron playing a significant. In the human body normally about 50mg per kilogram of body weight is the quantum of iron present. On an average this works out to between 3-4gms in a human adult. Of this amount of iron in the human body approximately 60% is present in the form of hemoglobin in the erythrocytes. Nearly ten percent of iron present in the human body is found in myoglobin in the muscle. Iron containing proteins like cytochromes, iron-sulphide enzymes and iron storage and transporting proteins is where the remaining 30% of the iron on the human body can be found. This shows that iron is not present in the body as free ions in the body fluids or tissues. (2). Taken at glance the main functions of iron in the human body consists of DNA synthesis and cell formation; sensing of oxygen and cellular uptake of oxygen, transportation and storage of oxygen within the blood and muscles; electron transfer and conversion of oxygen to adenosine triphosphate (ATP); antioxidant as well as pro-oxidant functions; and regulation of inter-cellular iron. The many functions of iron in the human is the reason that iron is present in the human body in its functional forms rather than as free ions in the body fluids and tissues. (3). Hemoglobin Iron is essential as a cofactor in the formation of red blood cells and hemoglobin and it i s a part of the structure of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin makes up most of the cytoplasm of erythrocytes. Each molecule is made up of four protein or globin chains, which is attached to prosthetic heme group. The heme group has an iron molecule that is complexed at the centre of a porphyrin ring. Hemoglobin is very efficient at binding and carrying oxygen. This efficiency is reflected in its ability to causer blood to carry almost hundred times the oxygen in comparison to plasma alone. An added factor in this ability of hemoglobin to act as the transporter of oxygen in the human body is the capability of hemoglobin to modulate oxygen binding under different conditions. This feature of hemoglobin permits adaptation to a wide variety of environments and demands within the human body. When there is a deficiency of iron normal erythrocyte and hemoglobin production in the human body is affected. The lack of iron causes a reduction in the synthesis of the heme group, which gets translated into effects on the globin production. The reduced presence of the heme group in the red blood cells make the cells smaller and gives them a paler appearance than red blood cells produced that are produced when adequate levels of iron are present. In the presence of adequate levels of iron the maturing red blood cells continue dividing as per their development program till such time as the hemoglobin gas attained appropriate levels. When iron is not present in adequate levels the

Marketing Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing - Research Proposal Example The credit crunch currently being experienced provides an opportunity for an understanding of its influence on buyer behaviour. This learning will allow marketing to work out strategies to operate efficiently in markets, where there is a paucity of credit. Such strategies could include giving tangible value to brands and pricing and promotion strategies in a market where there is a paucity of credit. Lenard, 2008 suggests that during paucity of credit, consumers tend to equate price and brand. In other words in the credit crunch have made consumers hypersensitive to price and this provides an opportunity to develop a pricing strategy that capitalizes on this hypersensitivity of consumers to price. Less of brand promotion and more of competitive pricing may be the requirement in such a marketing strategy (Lenard, 2008). Why has price become such a dominant factor in consumer behaviour? Even prior to the credit crunch wages as a share of national income has been showing a downward trend over the last three decades raising the level of the influence of price on purchase decisions. The credit crunch has heightened this influence of price on purchase decision (Harman, 2008). High value capital goods are among the first places to feel the impact of credit crunch. This can be seen in the changed behaviour in car purchases in the United Kingdom, fuelled by the higher prices of petrol and the credit crunch. In the United Kingdom new car registrations fell by 21.8% in September 2008 (Committee on Climate Change, 2008). Consumer behaviour reaction has not just impacted high value capital goods, but almost every product and service. For almost fifty years consumers were given a surplus of credit that enabled them to purchase with the minimal influence of price. The credit crunch changed all that in that it sparked recession in the UK in the final quarter of 2008, which led to an increase in

Women in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women in Islam - Essay Example She has equally rights to get education and shows her skills in every field of life even in battle fields which some precedent examples are found in the history of Islam as well. She has given the rights to express her thoughts and to act upon her thoughts .Islam gave protection to women by describing laws for women protection like the dower concept in Islam is one step for women social life protection. Islam gave rights to the women at that time when the birth of a baby girl was considered as a curse in society .Islam preached lesson of equality and justice in society, and preached that women are equal to men in rights in society and both sex have to take care of each other rights and self-respect. So in short actions like forced girls marriages, their genitals mutilation forbidding them to drive cars and subjecting them to the humiliation of "instant" divorce are not Islamic actions at all and are against the Islamic laws. Islam was a revolutionary religion for all universe including women the first state policies declared for women safety in society were described by Islam. By Quran and hadith the impact of Islamic faith on women: Spiritual equality of men and women: In Islam men and women are equal spiritually if they are doing good will be blessed by God else will be punished and the criteria for measurement of their deeds is same and equal, both will face equal punishment by doing bad and will enjoy blessing if doing good .

The business scenario of Hong Kongs Hotel Industry Essay

The business scenario of Hong Kongs Hotel Industry - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Hong Kong offers a stable and efficient business environment to its entrepreneurs with modern infrastructural facilities along with technologies in order to cope up with the challenges of globalisation and industrialisation. In the year 1995, Hong Kong positioned itself as the eighth leading trading nation in the global world. Thus, most of the leading companies attempted to establish one of its franchisees in Hong Kong with the expectation that it might enhance its growth prospects and profitability as well. Moreover, the government of Hong Kong has adopted a strategy of non-intervention, which was also categorised as quite beneficial for any business entrepreneur to operate within the economy. In addition, the government of Hong Kong also offers a sound lawful and administrative support for improving the scope of its business environment to encourage foreign and national entrepreneurs. Thus, it can be avowed that the economy of Hong Kong offers high opportunities for growth and development of industries, in order to improve its image in the international business forefront. Hence, it can be clearly depicted that as Hong Kong is one of the rapidly developing and most promising international centres for trade, business and finance with less governmental intrusions. Notably, it is due to this reason that Hong Kong is now categorised as one of the feasible places for introduction of new business projects. 1.1 Background of the Study Hong Kong is one of the fastest developing nations among the Asia-Pacific regions and so it can prove beneficial for the introduction of a new business project. Apart from this, Hong Kong is often regarded as a feasible place for introduction of new businesses as it offers soaring quality of banking, insurance and proficient services along with hard working and skilled workforce. Moreover, it is also the main gateway to perform business operations in the market of China. This is because , China offers workers at a sustainable rate which is not only helpful for any business enterprise, but also tends to preserve the interests of the workforce. It is also a significant factor which helps in expansion of the business in the national as well as international context thereby augmenting growth and brand identity (Bingley, 2011). Hence, with due consideration to these factors, Hong Kong might prove to be the most efficient place for the introduction of a new business project. 1.2 Literature Review According to Lethbridge & et. al. (2000), the location of Hong Kong is becoming one of the most favourable places for performing business operations being influenced by varied factors such as low tax requirement, freedom of currency exchange in trade and being the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, which offers a stable political environment of any business project. Thus, the nation of Hong Kong is highly preferred by most of the reputed industries operating globally (Deloitte, 2012). In addition, about 300 Chinese organisations are listed in Hong Kong, with a

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 166

Summary - Essay Example rganization needs to provide more information to the customers and teach them how to use the organization’s goods and services properly and this will decrease the cost of dealing with them. If the problem is not solved then the organization should change the way the organizations charges money from the customer. If the problem continues then the organization should try to cut its cost by changing their channel of distribution for the customer. If nothing works, the organization should resort to end their relationship. This article has been authored by Hanssens et al. and in this article the author states that it is quite difficult for organizations to measure how effectively their investments in their marketing function have proven to be (Hanssens 1). For this purpose the authors develop a model for measuring the effectiveness of their investments in marketing. The purpose of developing the model was to provide marketers in making decisions regarding the selection of their products marketing mix with the aim of enhancing customer equity. The outcome of developing the model was that the researchers were able to develop equations that helped identifying how different investment factors resulted in different outcomes. For example: the researchers identified and equation which helped them in identifying the impact of increasing television based advertising on the aim of acquiring

The police on Black Friday Essay Example for Free

The police on Black Friday Essay How far do sources 11 and 12 challenge the view presented in source 10 about the conduct of the police on Black Friday? Emily Davison was a woman who fought for womans suffrage in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She died on the 8th of June, 1913 after she ran in front of King George Vs horse Anmer at the Epsom Derby on 4 June 1913. Some people believe that this event caused a major breakthrough in later womens suffrage. Firstly, source 10, (The Times Newspaper) shows a rather negative view on Emily Davisons actions. For example, the newspaper instantly assumes that the desperate act of Davison was achieved only to spoil the race. The Times wrote this because they were a very right winged paper and did not completely support womens suffrage and gender equality. On the other hand, if the Davison was a man, the newspaper would not be so quick to assume that his actions were for a good cause and would probably be more sympathetic for his injuries. Within the same article Davison is described as an offender. This was most likely due to the fact that when this article was written, Davison had not yet died from her injuries. Therefore, The Times and the majority of its readers would not have much sympathy to her, but instead would see her as merely a nuisance. When compared, source 10 and 12 share a rather contrasting idea on the doings of Emily Davison considering both the articles are written by The Times. In source 10 Davison is described as desperate and as an offender. However, 10 days later (after the death of Davison), the tone of the newspaper completely changes, (source 12). Instead of being insulted and described negatively, Davisons actions are described as heroic. This change in view was purposely done due to the fact that Davison had recently died and many people saw her death as an important issue; The Times had to keep their readers happy and show sympathy for such a sacrifice. Source 11 pretty much displays a complete opposite view of Emily Davisons death compared to source 10. This is because Christabel Pankhurst was a fellow campaigner for womans suffrage in the Womens Social and Political  Union, (source 11 is an extract from Pankhursts autobiography, Unshackled). Pankhurst gives a much more positive and most likely biased view on the actions of Davison. For example, Pankhurst makes it seem as if Davison was the whole reason why women were seen as earnest for the vote. She also states that Davisons death brought the concentrated attention of millions to bear upon the cause. These two points were likely to be exaggerated as there was a good chance that Davison and Pankhurst were close because they both fought for the same cause. In contrast to source 11, source 10 states that Davisons deed is not likely to increase the popularity of any cause within the general public. This is pretty much the exact opposite of what Pankhurst was implying in her autobiography which makes it clear that source 11 and 10 both challenge one another highly with two slightly biased and altered stories of Emily Davisons protest. Overall, Emily Davisons death obviously had quite a large impact on womens suffrage within the UK as the vote was given to women in 1918 5 years after her death.

Improving the Performance of Overbooking

Improving the Performance of Overbooking Improving the Performance of Overbooking by Application Collocate Using Affinity Function ABSTRACT: One of the main features provided by clouds is elasticity, which allows users to dynamically adjust resource allocations depending on their current needs. Overbooking describes resource management in any manner where the total available capacity is less than the theoretical maximal requested capacity. This is a well-known technique to manage scarce and valuable resources that has been applied in various fields since long ago. The main challenge is how to decide the appropriate level of overbooking that can be achieved without impacting the performance of the cloud services. This paper focuses on utilizing the Overbooking framework that performs admission control decisions based on fuzzy logic risk assessments of each incoming service request. This paper utilizes the collocation function (affinity) to define the similarity between applications. The similar applications are then collocated for better resource scheduling. I. INTRODUCTION Scheduling, or placement, of services is the process of deciding where services should be hosted. Scheduling is a part of the service deployment process and can take place both externally to the cloud, i.e., deciding on which cloud provide the service should be hosted, and internally, i.e., deciding which PM in a datacenter a VM should be run on. For external placement, the decision on where to host a service can be taken either by the owner of the service, or a third-party brokering service. In the first case, the service owner maintains a catalog of cloud providers and performs the negotiation with them for terms and costs of hosting the service. In the later case, the brokering service takes responsibility for both discovery of cloud providers and the negotiation process. Regarding internal placement, the decision of which PMs in the datacenter a service should be hosted by is taken when the service is admitted into the infrastructure. Depending on criteria such as the current loa d of the PMs, the size of the service and any affinity or anti-affinity constraints [23], i.e., rules for co-location of service components, one or more PMs are selected to run the VMs that constitute the service. Figure 1 illustrates a scenario with new services of different sizes (small, medium, and large) arriving into a datacenter where a number of services are already running. Figure 1: Scheduling in VMs Overload can happen in an oversubscribed cloud. Conceptually, there are two steps for handling overload, namely, detection and mitigation, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: Oversubscription view A physical machine has CPU, memory, disk, and network resources. Overload on an oversubscribed host can manifest for each of these resources. When there is memory overload, the hyper visor swaps pages from its physical memory to disk to make room for new memory allocations requested by VMs (Virtual Machines). The swapping process increases disk read and write traffic and latency, causing the programs to thrash. Similarly, when there is CPU overload, VMs and the monitoring agents running with VMs may not get a chance to run, thereby increasing the number of processes waiting in the VMs CPU run queue. Consequently, any monitoring agents running inside the VM also may not get a chance to run, rendering inaccurate the cloud providers view of VMs. Disk overload in shared SAN storage environment can increase the network traffic, where as in local storage it can degrade the performance of applications running in VMs. Lastly, network overload may result in an under utilization of CPU, disk, and memory resources, rendering ineffective any gains from oversubscription. Overload can be detected by applications running on top of VMs, or by the physical host running the VMs. Each approach has its pros and cons. The applications know their performance best, so when they cannot obtain the provisioned resources of a VM, it is an indication of overload. The applications running on VMs can then funnel this information to the management infrastructure of cloud. However, this approach requires modification of applications. In the overload detection within physical host, the host can infer overload by monitoring CPU, disk, memory, and network utilizations of each VM process, and by monitoring the usage of each of its resources. The benefit of this approach is that no modification to the applications running on VMs is required. However, overload detection may not be fully accurate. II. RELATED WORK The scheduling of services in a datacenter is often performed with respect to some high-level goal [36], like reducing energy consumption, increasing utilization [37] and performance [27] or maximizing revenue [17, 38]. However, during operation of the datacenter, the initial placement of a service might no longer be suitable, due to variations in application and PM load. Events like arrival of new services, existing services being shut down or services being migrated out of the datacenter can also affect the quality of the initial placement. To avoid drifting too far from an optimal placement, thus reducing efficiency and utilization of the datacenter, scheduling should be performed repeatedly during operation. Information from monitoring probes [23], and events such as timers, arrival of new services, or startup and shutdown of PMs can be used to determine when to update the mapping between VMs and PMs. Scheduling of VMs can be considered as a multi-dimensional type of the Bin Packing [10] problem, where VMs with varying CPU, I/O, and memory requirements are placed on PMs in such a way that resource utilization and/or other objectives are maximized. The problem can be addressed, e.g., by using integer linear programming [52] or by performing an exhaustive search of all possible solutions. However, as the problem is complex and the number of possible solutions grow rapidly with the amount of PMs and VMs, such approaches can be both time and resource consuming. A more resource efficient, and faster, way is the use of greedy approaches like the First-Fit algorithm that places a VM on the first available PM that can accommodate it. However, such approximation algorithms do not normally generate optimal solutions. All in all, approaches to solving the scheduling problem often lead to a trade-o↠µ between the time to find a solution and the quality of the solution found. Hosting a ser vice in the cloud comes at a cost, as most cloud providers are driven by economical incentives. However, the service workload and the available capacity in a datacenter can vary heavily over time, e.g., cyclic during the week but also more randomly [5]. It is therefore beneficial for providers to be able to dynamically adjust prices over time to match the variation in supply and demand. Cloud providers typically offer a wide variety of compute instances, differing in the speed and number of CPUs available to the virtual machine, the type of local storage system used (e.g. single hard disk, disk array, SSD storage), whether the virtual machine may be sharing physical resources with other virtual machines (possibly belonging to different users), the amount of RAM, network bandwidth, etc. In addition, the user must decide how many instances of each type to provision. In the ideal case, more nodes means faster execution, but issues of heterogeneity, performance unpredictability, network overhead, and data skew mean that the actual benefit of utilizing more instances can be less than expected, leading to a higher cost per work unit. These issues also mean that not all the provisioned resources may be optimally used for the duration of the application. Workload skew may mean that some of the provisioned resources are (partially) idle and therefore do no contribute to the performance during those periods, but still contribute to cost. Provisioning larger or higher performance instances is similarly not always able to yield a proportional benefit. Because of these factors, it can be very difficult for a user to translate their performance requirements or objectives into concrete resource specifications for the cloud. There have been several works that attempt to bridge this gap, which mostly focus on VM allocation [HDB11, VCC11a, FBK+12, WBPR12] and d etermining good configuration parameters [KPP09, JCR11, HDB11]. Some more recent work also considers shared resources such as network or data storage [JBC+12], which is especially relevant in multi-tenant scenarios. Other approaches consider the provider side of things, because it can be equally difficult for a provider to determine how to optimally service resource requests [RBG12]. Resource provisioning is complicated further because performance in the cloud is not always predictable, and known to vary even among seemingly identical instances [SDQR10, LYKZ10]. There have been attempts to address this by extending resource provisioning to include requirement specifications for things such as network performance rather than just the number and type of VMs in an attempt to make the performance more predictable [GAW09, GLW+10, BCKR11, SSGW11]. Others try to explicitly exploit this variance to improve application performance [FJV+12]. Accurate provisioning based on application requirements also requires the ability to understand and predict application performance. There are a number of approaches towards estimating performance: some are based on simulation [Apad, WBPG09], while others use information based on workload statistics derived from debug execution [GCF+10, MBG10] or profiling sample data [TC11, HDB11]. Most of these approaches still have limited accuracy, especially when it comes to I/O performance. Cloud platforms run a wide array of heterogeneous workloads which further complicates this issue [RTG+12]. Related to provisioning is elasticity, which means that it is not always necessary to determine the optimal resource allocation beforehand, since it is possible to dynamically acquire or release resources during execution based on observed performance. This suffers from many of the same problems as provisioning, as it can be difficult to accurately estimate the impact of changing the resources at runtime, and therefore to decide when to acquire or release resources, and which ones. Exploiting elasticity is also further complicated when workloads are statically divided into tasks, as it is not always possible to preempt those tasks [ADR+12]. Some approaches for improving workload elasticity depend on the characteristics of certain workloads [ZBSS+10, AAK+11, CZB11], but these characteristics may not generally apply. It is therefore clear that it can be very difficult to decide, f or either the user or the provider, how to optimally provision resources and to ensure that those resources that are provisioned are utilized fully. Their is a very active interest in improving this situation, and the approaches proposed in this thesis similarly aim to improve provisioning and elasticity by mitigating common causes of inefficient resource utilization. III. PROPOSED OVERBOOKING METHOD The proposed model utilizes the concept of overbooking introduced in [1] and schedules the services using the collocation function. 3.1 Overbooking: The Overbooking is to exploit overestimation of required job execution time. The main notion of overbooking is to schedule more number of additional jobs. Overbooking strategy used in economic model can improve system utilization rate and occupancy. In overbooking strategy every job is associated with release time and finishing deadline, as shown in Fig 3. Here successful execution will be given with fee and penalty for violating the deadline. Figure 3: Strategy of Overbooking Data centers can also take advantage of those characteristics to accept more VMs than the number of physical resources the data center allows. This is known as resource overbooking or resource over commitment. More formally, overbooking describes resource management in any manner where the total available capacity is less than the theoretical maximal requested capacity. This is a well-known technique to manage scarce and valuable resources that has been applied in various fields since long ago. Figure 4: Overview of Overbooking The above Figure shows a conceptual overview of cloud overbooking, depicting how two virtual machines (gray boxes) running one application each (red boxes) can be collocated together inside the same physical resource (Server 1) without (noticeable) performance degradation. The overall components of the proposed system are depicted in figure 5. Figure 5: Components of the proposed model The complete process of the proposed model is explained below: The user requests the scheduler for the services The scheduler first verifies the AC and then calculates the Risk of that service. Then already a running service is scheduling then the request is stored in a queue. The process of FIFO is used to schedule the tasks. To complete the scheduling the collocation function keeps the intermediate data nodes side by side and based on the resource provision capacity the node is selected. If the first node doesn’t have the capacity to complete the task then the collocation searches the next node until the capacity node is found. The Admission Control (AC) module is the cornerstone in the overbooking framework. It decides whether a new cloud application should be accepted or not, by taking into accounts the current and predicted status of the system and by assessing the long term impact, weighting improved utilization against the risk of performance degradation. To make this assessment, the AC needs the information provided by the Knowledge DB, regarding predicted data center status and, if available, predicted application behavior. The Knowledge DB (KOB) module measures and profiles the different applications’ behavior, as well as the resources’ status over time. This module gathers information regarding CPU, memory, and I/O utilization of both virtual and physical resources. The KOB module has a plug-in architectural model that can use existing infrastructure monitoring tools, as well as shell scripts. These are interfaced with a wrapper that stores information in the KOB. The Smart Overbooking Scheduler (SOS) allocates both the new services accepted by the AC and the extra VMs added to deployed services by scale-up, also de-allocating the ones that are not needed. Basically, the SOS module selects the best node and core(s) to allocate the new VMs based on the established policies. These decisions have to be carefully planned, especially when performing resource overbooking, as physical servers have limited CPU, memory, and I/O capabilities. The risk assessment module provides the Admission Control with the information needed to take the final decision of accepting or rejecting the service request, as a new request is only admitted if the final risk is bellow a pre-defined level (risk threshold). The inputs for this risk assessment module are: Req CPU, memory, and I/O capacity required by the new incoming service. UnReq The difference between total data center capacity and the capacity requested by all running services. Free the difference between total data center capacity and the capacity used by all running services. Calculating the risk of admitting a new service includes many uncertainties. Furthermore, choosing an acceptable risk threshold has an impact on data center utilization and performance. High thresholds result in higher utilization but the expense of exposing the system to performance degradation, whilst using lower values leads to lower but safer resource utilization. The main aim of this system is to use the affinity function that aid the scheduling system to decide which applications are to be placed side by side (collocate). Affinity function utilizes the threshold properties for defining the similarity between the applications. The similar applications are then collocated for better resource scheduling. IV. ANALYSIS: The proposed system is tested for time taken to search and schedule the resources using the collocation the proposed system is compared with the system developed in [1]. The system in [1] doesn’t contain a collocation function so the scheduling process takes more time compared to the existing system. The comparison results are depicted in figure 6. Figure 6: Time taken to Complete Scheduling The graphs clearly depict that the modified (Proposed overbooking takes equal time to complete the scheduling irrespective of the requests.

How Does Digital Radio Work Computer Science Essay

How Does Digital Radio Work Computer Science Essay Digital audio broadcasting, also known as digital radio and high-definition radio, is audio broadcasting in which analogy audio is converted into a digital signal and transmitted on an assigned channel in the FM frequency range. DAB is said to offer compact disc (CD) quality audio on the FM (frequency modulation) broadcast band and to offer FM-quality audio on the AM (amplitude modulation) broadcast band. Digital radio works by combining two digital technologies to produce an efficient and reliable radio broadcast system: An audio compression system, called MPEG, reduces the vast amount of digital information required to be broadcast. It does this by discarding sounds that will not be perceived by the listener for example, very quiet sounds that are masked by other, louder sounds and hence not required to be broadcast, and efficiently packages together the remaining information COFDM technology, (Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex) ensures that signals are received reliably and robustly, even in environments normally prone to interference. Using a precise mathematical relationship, the digital data signal is split across 1 536 different carrier frequencies, and also across time. This process ensures that even if some of the carrier frequencies are affected by interference, or the signal disturbed for a short period of time, the receiver is still able to recover the original sound. The interference which disturbs FM reception, caused by radio signals bouncing off buildings and hills (multi-path) is eliminated by COFDM technology. It also means that the same frequency can be used across the entire country, so no re-tuning of sets is necessary when travelling, or taking a portable receiver to a different area. Instead of having a different frequency for each radio station, digital radio combines several services together in what is called a multiplex. The multiplex is able to carry stereo and mono radio channels as well as services such as text and data. The UK has been allocated seven multiplexes by the Radio Authority in the spectrum 217.5 230.0 MHz. It is possible to carry more services on this one frequency allowing the spectrum to be used more efficiently. The multiplex has a gross capacity of 2,300,000 bits which are used for carrying audio, data and an in-built protection system against transmission errors. Of these about half the bits are used for the audio and data services. Throughout the day, the data capacity allocated to each service can be varied by the broadcaster. Each multiplex can carry a mixture of stereo and mono audio services and data services too; the number of each dependent on the quality required. A multiplex is a technical term used for a number of stations sharing just one frequency to transmit its services. It is a digital transmitter located within a region broadcasting stations operated by a company or group (e.g. BBC, Digital One, Switch Digital etc). So what are DABs benefits and the cost Listeners in most major towns and cities in the world and it can receive between 30 and 50 radio stations with digital radio, in many cases thats more than double whats available on analogue. And its not just more of the same the content within that choice of stations is unique and exciting, delivering station formats that just dont exist on analogue. The FM spectrum is so clogged right now that theres no room for new stations that would expand listeners choice with, for example, soul music, or country music, or big band swing, or any of the other 100+ brands that are available uniquely to DAB. Digital radio receivers have a screen on which stations can transmit information via Dynamic Label Segments (DLS). Some stations already transmit the latest news, travel, and weather, whats on now and next, Web site addresses and phone numbers. Tomorrows radios will offer much more sophisticated data. The potential for advertisers to use the DLS facility on DAB for targeted advertising is an exciting prospect, and in the future, advertisers can use DAB to deliver Internet-type commercials. Because digital radio uses the spectrum more efficiently than analogue, it is possible to broadcast more channels using the same frequency, making room for broadcasters to expand their station portfolios. It also offers less noise. DAB digital radio delivers improved sound quality. The technology allows the receiver to lock on to the strongest signal it can find and ignore everything else. This eliminates the hiss, crackle and fade so familiar on analogue radio. A BLOCK DIAGRAM OF A DAB RADIO http://focus.ti.com/graphics/blockdiagram/blockdiagram_images/6243.gif This diagram above is about what goes on in a DAB radio. In order to receive a station the Low-Noise Amplifiers (LNA) boosts the RF signal from the antenna. The frequency synthesizer generates a Local Oscillator (LO) signal that is mixed with the RF input to form the IF signal. The high-speed ADC converts the IF signal into digital samples. Depending on the speed of the signal the DAC outputs as compared to what the DSP or microcontroller can handle, a Digital Down counter may be required. The power supply is connected to the 12V or 24V board net and regulates down/up to voltages for DSP, uC, memory and ICs and functions in the infotainment system. In some cases there may be 10 or more different power rails, making the design of the power supply a critical task when trying to design for size, cost and efficiency. Linear regulators with low quiescent current help reduce battery leakage current during standby operating modes (ignition off), are load dump voltage tolerant for directly battery connected devices, and need low drop out and tracking for low battery crank operation. Beyond providing increased conversion efficiencies, switching power supplies provide EMI improvement with slew rate control of the switching FET, Frequency hopping, spread spectrum or triangulation method for attenuation of peak spectral energy, Low Iq, soft start for power sequencing and in rush current limitation, Phased switching for multiple SMPSs regulators to minimize input ripple current and lower input capacitance, higher switching frequency for smaller components (L and Cs), and SVS functions for brown out indications The Audio input front end and audio output is often combined into a single Codec. On the output side ADCs convert the digital output an analog signal, which is amplified to the levels needed by the speakers or headphones used with the system. By using Class-D amplifiers the systems power efficiency can exceed 90% while maintaining low THD. This improved efficiency leads to significant size, weight and heat reductions. TIs class-D car audio solutions exhibit extremely low EMI levels and are being used in OEM systems with stringent EMC requirements. The audio DSP performs I/Q demodulation and outputs digital audio and data. This includes functions like volume, treble, bass and sound effects. THE COMPONENT OF A RADIO TRANMITTER WAVE A transmitter can be defined as an electronic device which, usually with the aid of an antenna, propagates an electromagnetic signal such as radio, television, or other telecommunications. http://www.hardware-one.com/reviews/dab/DRS-small.gif A transmitter can be made by coupling the output of an oscillator directly to an antenna. The primary purpose of the oscillator is to develop an rf voltage which has a constant frequency and is immune to outside factors which may cause its frequency to shift. The output of this simple transmitter is controlled by placing a telegraph key at point K in series with the voltage supply. Since the plate supply is interrupted when the key is open, the circuit oscillates only as long as the key is closed. Transmitter http://www.tpub.com/neets/book12/0059.GIF Capacitors C2 and C3 can be GANGED (mechanically linked together) to simplify tuning. Capacitor C1 is used to tune (resonate) the antenna to the transmitter frequency. CA is the effective capacitance existing between the antenna and ground. This antenna-to-ground capacitance is in parallel with the tuning capacitors, C2 and C3. Since the antenna has capacitance, any change in its length or position, such as that caused by swaying of the antenna, changes the value of CA and causes the oscillator to change frequency. Because these frequency changes are undesirable for reliable communications, the multistage transmitter was developed to increase reliability. Reception of a DAB signal The DAB ensemble is selected from the antenna to the analogue tuner, the output is fed to the demodulator and channel decoder to eliminate transmission errors. The information contained in the FIC is passed to the user interface for selection and is used to set up the receiver appropriately. http://www.hardware-one.com/reviews/dab/fig3.jpg Receiving of DAB signal RATIO DETECTOR The ratio demodulator uses a double-tuned transformer to convert the instantaneous frequency variations of the fm input signal to instantaneous amplitude variations. These amplitude variations are then rectified to provide a dc output voltage which varies in amplitude and polarity with the input signal frequency. This detector demodulates fm signals and suppresses amplitude noise without the need of limiter stages. The input tank capacitor (C1) and the primary of transformer T1 (L1) are tuned to the center frequency of the fm signal to be demodulated. The secondary winding of T1 (L2) and capacitor C2 also form a tank circuit tuned to the center frequency. Tertiary (third) winding L3 provides additional inductive coupling which reduces the loading effect of the secondary on the primary circuit. Diodes CR1 and CR2 rectify the signal from the secondary tank. Capacitor C5 and resistors R1 and R2 set the operating level of the detector. Capacitors C3 and C4 determine the amplitude and polarity of the output. Resistor R3 limits the peak diode current and furnishes a dc return path for the rectified signal. The output of the detector is taken from the common connection between C3 and C4. Resistor RL is the load resistor. R5, C6, and C7 form a low-pass filter to the output. Ratio detector http://www.tpub.com/neets/book12/0261.GIF This circuit operates on the same principles of phase shifting as did the Foster-Seeley discriminator. In that discussion, vector diagrams were used to illustrate the voltage amplitudes and polarities for conditions at resonance, above resonance, and below resonance. The same vector diagrams apply to the ratio detector but will not be discussed here. Instead, you will study the resulting current flows and polarities on simplified schematic diagrams of the detector circuit. What is amplitude modulation? Amplitude modulation (AM) can be defined as a technique used in electronic communication, also is use as transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent. In order for a radio signal to carry audio or other information for broadcasting, it must be modulated or changed in some way. Although there are a number of ways in which a radio signal may be modulated, one of the easiest, and one of the first methods to be used was to change its amplitude in line with variations of the sound. The basic concept surrounding what is amplitude modulation, is quite straightforward. The amplitude of the signal is changed in line with the instantaneous intensity of the sound. In this way the radio frequency signal has a representation of the sound wave superimposed in it. In view of the way the basic signal carries the sound or modulation, the radio frequency signal is often termed the carrier. What is amplitude modulation, AM Amplitude Modulation    When a carrier is modulated in any way, further signals are created that carry the actual modulation information. It is found that when a carrier is amplitude modulated, further signals are generated above and below the main carrier. To see how this happens, take the example of a carrier on a frequency of 1 MHz which is modulated by a steady tone of 1 kHz. The process of modulating a carrier is exactly the same as mixing two signals together, and as a result both sum and difference frequencies are produced. Therefore when a tone of 1 kHz is mixed with a carrier of 1 MHz, a sum frequency is produced at 1 MHz + 1 kHz, and a difference frequency is produced at 1 MHz 1 kHz, i.e. 1 kHz above and below the carrier. If the steady state tones are replaced with audio like that encountered with speech of music, these comprise many different frequencies and an audio spectrum with frequencies over a band of frequencies is seen. When modulated onto the carrier, these spectra are seen above and below the carrier. It can be seen that if the top frequency that is modulated onto the carrier is 6 kHz, then the top spectra will extend to 6 kHz above and below the signal. In other words the bandwidth occupied by the AM signal is twice the maximum frequency of the signal that is used to modulate the carrier, i.e. it is twice the bandwidth of the audio signal to be carried. Amplitude demodulation Amplitude modulation is one of the most straightforward ways of modulating a radio signal or carrier. The process of demodulation, where the audio signal is removed from the radio carrier in the receiver is also quite simple as well. The easiest method of achieving amplitude demodulation is to use a simple diode detector. This consists of just a handful of components:- a diode, resistor and a capacitor. AM diode detector AM Diode Detector In this circuit, the diode rectifies the signal, allowing only half of the alternating waveform through. The capacitor is used to store the charge and provide a smoothed output from the detector, and also to remove any unwanted radio frequency components. The resistor is used to enable the capacitor to discharge. If it were not there and no other load was present, then the charge on the capacitor would not leak away, and the circuit would reach a peak and remain there. POWER SUPPY Most of the Dab radio is use by batteries. Also there three parts is a battery which are an anode (-), a cathode (+), and the electrolyte. The cathode and anode (the positive and negative sides at either end of a traditional battery) are hooked up to an electrical circuit. http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/media/Power/battery.gif The chemical reactions in the battery cause a build up of electrons at the anode. This results in an electrical difference between the anode and the cathode. In a battery, the only place to go is to the cathode. But, the electrolyte keeps the electrons from going straight from the anode to the cathode within the battery. When the circuit is closed (a wire connects the cathode and the anode) the electrons will be able to get to the cathode. In the picture above, the electrons go through the wire, lighting the light bulb along the way. This is one way of describing how electrical potential causes electrons to flow through the circuit.

Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Testing in Schools Essay -- essays research

â€Å"Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco Testing†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The procedure of testing student for drugs, alcohol and tobacco before every school day should be allowed. The fact that the subject of drug testing has even been brought up is a sign that illegal substances have become troublesome in high school environments. Therefore, school officials should be allowed to use any means necessary to discourage the use of these illegal substances, even if it means that the school officials could become dangerously close to violating the students’ constitutional rights. A student under the influence of drugs or alcohol could endanger his or her fellow students or faculty and that student should not be allowed to attend that school. School officials must protect those who are at that school, so having a student whose actions are being controlled by illegal substances would not be the best way to protect the students and faculty. Students should be tested everyday for drugs, alcohol, and tobacco so that the students are healt hier, the students have better grades, and the students never start doings things that could have a negative impact on their future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, schools should be allowed to test students for illegal substances everyday so that the students are healthier. Drugs, alcohol and tobacco have all been proven to be very unhealthy to a person at any age, especially to a person in his or her teenage years when he or she is still growing. In...

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Victims, Bullies and Bully-Vict

Conceptual Framework Many people have different views on what they think bullying might be. It is often interpreted in different ways by different people. Rigby et al (2002) cited a definition of bullying as ‘an intentional harm where the power is differential between the bully and the victim’ (p.1). This meant that the bullies are likely to suffer from a range of problems than the children who are uninvolved. The researcher’s main assumption is to consider victimisation and bullying separately and secondly to consider victimisation and bullying simultaneously to examine the genetics and environmental influences on the covariation between the two. The paper focuses on three groups of children that are involved in bullying. The three groups are as follows: one being the victim, two being the bullies and third one being the bully victims who are both the bullies and the victims of bullying. According to Egan and Perry, (1998) they believe that the bullies and victims have an increase in emotional and behavioural problems than the children who are not involved in bullying. One of this problem being is low self regard where as Hawker et al (2006) stated the problems are anxiety and depression where as Schwartz (2000) stated that the bullying victims are more depressed and anxious and have higher rates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and are more likely to be referred for psychiatric care and also are more likely to be rejected by a school (Kempulainen et al 1998) compared to the children who are uninvolved in bullying, the victims or bullies. Hawker and Egan et al both have similar views as they both sta ted that the bullying victims are depressed and anxious. Various studies have been car... ...ousehold income. Overall it has been proved that bullying was influenced by genetic factors and to a small extent by non shared environmental factors. Patterson et al (1992) suggested that socialisation via parenting and peers (Harris, 1998) contribute to share and non-shared environmental influences on aggressive behaviour. The correlation between victimisation and bullying indicated that fewer children are the bully-victims while more are ‘pure’ victims or ‘pure’ bullies. This confirms earlier research that has been carried out has found a similar correlation between victimisation and aggression (Hodges and Perry, (1999); Crick and Bigbee, (1998). The correlation was seen as high in girls as in boys between the victimisation and bullying. This concludes that the chances of being a bully given to that one victim are just as high for girls as for boys.

Piping Plover :: science

Piping Plover Introduction The piping plover, a bird now going extinct, was once very bountiful. When an animal is going extinct, it could mean a lot of things. The Piping Plover is an endangered species. An endangered species is a name for a plant or animal that is slowly dying out. This bird is experiencing population drops, so it is called endangered. It is known to scientists as the Charadrius Melodus (ES: Piping Plover). It mainly resides around the Great Lakes and sometimes lives along the Atlantic coast in Canada and the United States (Piping Plover Page). Piping plovers are sometimes found in Alberta as well (ES: Piping Plover). People used to hunt this bird for sport, or for it’s feathers, which was a leading cause of its dramatic decline in population (Piping Plover Page). Piping plovers always return to the spot in which they were born, and find females to breed with (Piping Plover Page). They woo the female, and mate with her, producing eggs. Many efforts are being made to maintain, and incr ease the population of this struggling bird, and so far, they have maintained the species very well. Habitat The Piping Plover is a small, endangered bird. It is otherwise known as the Charadrius Melodus (ES: Piping Plover). It lives, and breeds along the Atlantic coast of Canada, but usually around the Great Lakes, in Canada and the U.S.A (Piping Plover Page). Recently, it has been found in the Wasaga Beach area (Springwater News). This bird has not been seen in this area since 1978, so an area of Beach 1, where the Nottawasaga River enters Nottawasaga Bay was fenced off, and could remain closed until July (Springwater News). It also lives in and around Alberta (ES: Piping Plover). These birds generally live on or close to beaches and lakes, usually places with water. This bird generally likes to be around places with sand, like beaches, because it can blend easily. The bird has a back that is sandy brown in colour, so predators can’t see it (Piping Plover Page). They are constantly losing their habitat to buildings, pollution of lakes and ponds, and clearing of forests. Why the Species is At-Risk This bird was added to the list of endangered species in 1986, when a total count of 300 was produced in the Alberta region (Piping Plover Page). There was a significantly large drop in the Plover population in the twentieth century, because people wanted them for their feathers, and also hunted them for sport (Piping Plover Page).

Positive Case for Compatibilism and the Free Will Problem

The concept of free will has been a point of contention for philosophers for several decades. One of the reasons for these diverging viewpoints is the debate on how exactly to define the word free. It would be misleading to attribute any one exclusive idea to the concept.However it is agreed neutrally that it is an exercise of an individual’s behavior in order for him to take moral responsibility for his actions. A person who takes on his moral responsibility is one who can chose to make decisions that are morally right or wrong. Thus, the blame or reward for the outcome of the decision falls squarely on his shoulders. It is understood that free will is an essential component of these decisions.Conceptually it can be understood how the pre-determined nature of the universe can casually affect our decisions to such a point where free will is no longer applicable. However the theory of compatibilism states that free will and determinism are not mutually exclusive. That they can exist together without conflict, that an individual can exercise free will when faced with pre-determined factors. This topic will analyze, synthesize and evaluate arguments related to the problems associated with the concept of free will and how compatibilism offers a solution to these problems (McKenna, 2004).In order to understand how compatibilism acts as a solution to the free will problem it is first important to understand that there are several concepts used attributed to free will. When these concepts are conjoined to others they invariably create several contradictions. In order to avoid these problems it is important to consider the classic formulation of free will which informs us of then several key factors associated with it. The first is that the individual has a choice to act in more than one way in a situation.However any action taken by an individual qualifies as an event with various causes that effect the individual’s decision. Thus, the cause is casually determined and the individual cannot act in any way other than what is pre-determined by these factors. It should be noted that the existence of free will is tantamount upon the fact that the individual has no extraneous source compelling him to act. Rather all his decisions making is contingent upon his own compulsion to follow his decisions in the face of alternate possibilities. It is only in such a case that freedom to assume moral responsibility exists (McKenna, 2004).John Martin Fincher is a philosopher who is responsible for refining the viewpoint that suggested that decisions which constitute the free will of an individual can be affected by a number of reasons. This proves why certain people can have different reactions to the same situation and rules out those individuals who have compulsive or neurotic behavior.The refined viewpoint by Martin Fincher is known as the reasons-responsiveness theory which states that even though there are considerations which may affect the d ecisions of an individual. The decision made it can still be considered to be an individual free will since the choice made is rationally based according to the factors affecting the individual (McKenna, 2004).Another concept attributed to Compatibilism is P.F Strawson’s concept of moral responsibility. This is similar to Hume’s concept and says that the practice of holding an individual morally responsible for his or her own actions is formed on the basis of both emotional and societal structures. He said that the existence of these critical responses is part of human nature defined by our basic emotional natures and cannot be abandoned, thus the fact that determinism affects our moral responsibility does not hold ground.However in certain cases an individual can choose to give up their moral judgments in favor of rationalizing the individuals actions can exist as well but only in the cases where the actions gains favors or losses to human life (Kane, 2002 p. 516-521) .There are of course objections to the theories of compatibilism. One of the principle arguments for incompatibilism comes from Carl Ginet. The argument given by him states that the power of an individual to affect change does not extend to factors such as those of nature that are by their very nature unchangeable.And if a certain fact affects a person directly and the consequences of that fact exist than the person will be affected by the consequences of that fact as well. Thus in the face of these facts determinism becomes true and since no one can change the facts that cause the situation, no one can affect the future (McKenna, 2004).

Arithmetic Mean and Life Satisfaction

PART A: i) Male: Female: The mean value of life satisfaction for male is about 7. 7459 while for female is 7. 7101, which proves there is no significant different life satisfaction between male and female, thus gender does not affect life satisfaction a lot. But when it comes to sample variance, for male is 2. 5684 while for female is 3. 0081. From this pair of figures it is obvious that the life satisfaction for female is more flexible than male. Man’s life satisfactions are easy to be affected by other variables. I assume â€Å"GENDER† does not affect life satisfaction. ii) Not alone: Alone:The mean value of satisfaction for those who is not alone is about 7. 8055 meanwhile the figure for those who live alone is 7. 32584. There is a big gap between these two data, which implies that â€Å"ALONE† have a significant impact on people life satisfaction. Additionally, sample variance for alone is much higher than for not alone, which implies other variables affect p eople who live alone severely and affect people not alone a little. I assume â€Å"ALONE† affects â€Å"LIFESAT† vitally, since people feel happier when they are accompanied by others but for those who are alone are easy to feel lonely and sad. iii) Income 1: Income 6:The average life satisfaction for people with income level 1 is 7. 4426 while for people with income level 6 is 8. 2069, which means people with high income are more satisfy with their life than those with low income. Furthermore, the sample variance for income 1 is 4. 37941 while for level 6 is only 0. 74138, which tells that people with relatively high income enjoys a relatively stable high life satisfaction. Personally, I reckon that people with high income are happier than those with low income, as they are more capable to purchase what they like which makes people satisfy with their lives. PART B: i) Y=7. 746-0. 036X (gender)For gender, the ? 2 is -0. 036 which means gender has negative relationship with satisfaction. And 0 represents male while 1 means female. Thus when other factors are the same, life satisfaction of female is slightly less than man. The result is not exactly what I have supposed. My prior assumption is ? 2 should be zero in this circumstance. ii) Y=7. 360+0. 008X (age) From this function, age has a positive linear relationship with life satisfaction. As people grow old, they tend to be more satisfied with their life. ?2 is a little bit different from what I expected, as I suppose ? 2 should be a bigger positive number than it is.I reckon that as people grow old they might be easy to feel satisfied about life. For young people they are more likely to be ambitious and do not feel enough about what they have. iii) Y=7. 805-0. 480X (alone) Alone has a negative relationship with life satisfaction, it means people who are alone have less life satisfaction than those accompanied by others. The result is in accordance with what I expected. iv) Y=7. 300+0. 174X (inco me) ?2 is 0. 174 which means as income increase by 1 unit life satisfaction will go up by 0. 174. The more people earned the more satisfied they feel about their life.The result is correspondent with what I expected. PART C: Estimated sample regression function: Yhat=6. 4981-0. 0094X1-0. 0005X2+0. 0497X3+0. 0170X4-0. 3975X5+0. 1986X6 PART D: i) Y=6. 4981-0. 0094X1-0. 0005X2+0. 0497X3+0. 0170X4-0. 3975X5+0. 1986X6 =6. 4981-0. 0094*0-0. 0005*50+0. 0497*0+0. 0170*26-0. 3975*1+0. 1986*3 =7. 1134 ii) Y=6. 4981-0. 0094X1-0. 0005X2+0. 0497X3+0. 0170X4-0. 3975X5+0. 1986X6 =6. 4981-0. 0094*0-0. 0005*50+0. 0497*0+0. 0170*35-0. 3975*0+0. 1986*3 =7. 6639 PART E: Setting religion as another independent variable, â€Å"0† represents no religion and â€Å"1† means having religion.In my opinion, when other variables remains stable people with religion compared with people without religion are more satisfied with their lives, since people with religion have spiritual sustenance. Hours spend on sleep every week can also be set as another independent variable (0? X? 168). I suppose that people who spent more time on sleep will be happier than those got less time on sleep. PART F: Coefficients as calculated in part c: Yhat=6. 4981-0. 0094X1-0. 0005X2+0. 0497X3+0. 0170X4-0. 3975X5+0. 1986X6 SSE=(Y-YHAT)^2 One example for made up coefficients: As I change the portfolio of coefficient, the new sum of squared residuals ever lower than the original SSE. The coefficients we got by applying the OLS model contributes to the most minor sum of squared residuals. PART G: i) H0: ? 1=0 H1: ? 1? 0 Test statistic: T= (6. 49806173672354-0)/ 0. 199293520416749= 32. 6054842281637 With ? =0. 1. From the t table, value of t with 10% level of significance and (n-7=1660-7=1653) d. f. , the critical value of t is |tc|=1. 645 With ? =0. 05. |tc|=1. 960 With ? =0. 01. |tc|=2. 576 |t|=32. 605>| tc| Reject H0 at 10%, 5%, and 1% level of significant. Therefore ? 1 is significant different from 0 at all these three level. ii) H0: ? 2=0 H1: ? 2? 0 Test statistic:T=(-0. 0094153888009149-0)/ 0. 00475949120927804= -1. 97823430844052 |t|=|-1. 97823430844052|=1. 97823430844052 |t0. 95, 1653|

A Woman’s Place Essay

â€Å"Don’t read so much, he said, don’t study; get yourself good and tired out with homework, take exercise. He believes that her troubles would clear up if she got married. He believes this in spite of the fact that most of his nerve medicine is prescribed for married women. † The primary theme of Meneseteung by Alice Munro is the role of women in times of Victorian traditions and standards. The narrator, who is never identified, explains tasks and qualities that differentiate a real, marriageable woman from an outcast from society. The main character in this story is Almeda Joynt Roth, a respectable woman who has become famous in her small town for her poetry book. She has earned respect and admiration amongst others in the town for her works, but has also been criticized as a woman’s literary ambitions were thought to be hobby rather than vocation. Roth yearns to marry Jarvis Poulter, an idea that the rest of the town supports. Even Roth’s doctor, who prescribes nerve medicine to help Roth with her sleeplessness, says she would be much happier if she were married. However, Poulter does not find Roth to be a suitable wife and does not pursue her as such because she does not demonstrate the qualities that defined a marriageable woman of the times. The story, then, is not just about the role of women in the society but also about a lonely woman, an outcast of traditional society, and her search for companionship. Roth suffers from insomnia and goes to the doctor to get medication to help with her sleeplessness. The doctor suggests that Roth busies herself with things that are not considered womanly such as studying and writing. Her writing is considered an asset to the community, but not totally accepted as a woman is expected to marry and have a family. The town paper, the Vidette, which contains articles that would often be considered libelous by modern standards considers her young and fit enough to bear children, physically speaking she is marriageable material. The doctor suggests that she wear herself out by performing housewife tasks such as cleaning and exercising so that she may sleep. He also discourages her from reading and writing, as it is not required of her to do these things to ulfill her position in society. He suggests that marriage would solve most of her problems, though the medication he prescribes her is primarily prescribed to married women. The doctor is prescribing a remedy to her problems by becoming a housewife, while also prescribing medication that is given to housewives to treat the very condition she, as a single woman, had come to ameliorate. In the society portrayed in Meneseteung marriage is considered to be a cure-all for many of women’s problems. Why, asks the narrator, has Roth remained unmarried for so long? The narrator suspects that it is partly down to her desolate disposition. A caliginous personality is not one that is considered attractive and people tend to avoid developing social ties to her. Weighed down by burdens such as the loss of her family Roth is a loner with reading, writing, and the hopeless pursuit of Jarvis Poulter as her only aspirations in life and generally just does as she pleases. She dreams of marrying Poulter, an idea that the whole town supports, but he never showed an interest in her as she did not fit the imagine of a marriageable woman of the times. Despite this the narrator portrays Roth to be less of the â€Å"reckless hedonist† and more like a â€Å"tormented artist,† suffering as a result of her art. It is her particularity that makes her an eminent writer, but also not considered suitable to be taken as a wife. Women in this story are portrayed as weak and in need of men. One night, Roth is awoken by a drunk, abused woman at her fence. She is frightened and rushes to Poulter for help, and this is shown as being the first time in the story that she behaves like a typical woman of her time. She is no longer the poised, confident woman that Poulter has come to know her as and is attracted to her desperate vulnerability. Poulter was not attracted to her when she was poised and confident but once he had seen that she was weak, helpless, and in need of him he felt drawn to her as she finally fit the stereotypical image of a woman. Poulter deals with the drunken woman in a cruelly and insensitively and upon seeing this Roth loses interest in him. Poulter asks her to church and she declines and the two never pursue a relationship. Despite being portrayed as weak and in need of men, women are not powerless in marriage. One of a woman’s primary roles is to â€Å"create their husbands† by â€Å"ascribing preferences† to them. â€Å"This way, bewildered, sidelong-looking men are made over, made into husbands, heads of households. † Roth cannot see herself doing this, which urther separates her from the society in which she lives. After her rejection of Poulter’s interests Roth retreats into the vivid aberration brought upon her by the doctor’s nerve medicine and meets her death after becoming the target of menacing youths’ malevolent tormenting. This quote from the doctor, which I have chosen as the most profoundly meaningful, shows the thinking of the times. Women we re to marry to solve their own problems as well as to solve the problems of their husband. This short story is about a woman who is different from the social norm and her search for companionship and stability in her own life, as well as how breaking the norm had its own consequences. Her obsession with reading and writing, which was said to be more suitable as a hobby than profession, set her aside and earned her respect within her community while at the same time driving a wedge between her and a normal life because she did not spend her life marrying, becoming a wife, becoming a mother, and spending her days cleaning and caring for her family like a typical woman of the time. When Roth became vulnerable she became like every other woman and Poulter finally saw her as a possibility for marriage but his actions revolted Roth. The incident with the drunken woman disgusted her into a solitary existence with just her and her hallucinations brought on by the nerve medication prescribed by the doctor. The doctor suggested that by marrying, Roth would not require this medicine despite it being most commonly prescribed for married women. So, then, Almeda Roth could not live with herself as a normal woman yet not being a typical woman is what eventually led to her demise.

History Of Bloodstain Patterns Essay

Function of bloodstain pattern analysis Bloodstain pattern interpretation/analysis has been around for many years but has only really been recognized in the past several decades. This interpretation/analysis is like a very important tool that an investigator or forensic scientist may use to help them better understand what happened or what did not happen in a case where there was bloodshed. Discoverable through the examination of bloodstain pattern The information that can be discovered or obtained when examining bloodstain patterns can help in apprehending a suspect, corroborating a witnesses statement, interrogating suspects, allowing for reconstruction of past events and lastly but probably the most important exonerating an accused. All bloodstains can provide important specifics to an event that occurred during an incident, so they are always examined. This is a very crucial part of an investigation, but it is never 100%, errors do occur. â€Å"Static Aftermath† There is such a thing called â€Å"static aftermath.† What an analyst evaluates is the static aftermath of an event; the shapes, volumes, patterns, number and size of bloodstains and their relationships to the scene. Timeline of bloodstain pattern analysis Surprisingly to me the study of bloodstain patterns has been going on since the 1800’s. On the following page is a time line showing the history of bloodstain patterns interpretation/analysis. The timeline I made begins in the 1860’s and goes through the 1970’s, not every significant moment is included on this particular timeline. 1970’s – MacDonell worked under a LEAA grant, and completed 3 different articles through the 1990’s. He has trained many in law enforcement and has developed courses to continue to train analysts. 1970’s – MacDonell worked under a LEAA grant, and completed 3 different articles through the 1990’s. He has trained many in law enforcement and has developed courses to continue to train analysts. 1863 -The Beck’s wrote â€Å"Elements of Medical Jurisprudence,† which discussed cases in which bloodstain pattern analysis was utilized. 1863 -The Beck’s wrote â€Å"Elements of Medical Jurisprudence,† which discussed cases in which bloodstain pattern analysis was utilized. 1939 – Balthazard is known for doing original research and experimentation with bloodstains and patterns. 1939 – Balthazard is known for doing original research and experimentation with bloodstains and patterns. 1882 – Professor Charles Tidy published â€Å"Legal Medicine.† 1882 – Professor Charles Tidy published â€Å"Legal Medicine.† 1955 – Dr. Kirk submitted bloodstain evidence and findings in a case; this was significant in recognition of bloodstain evidence by the legal system. 1955 – Dr. Kirk submitted bloodstain evidence and findings in a case; this was significant in recognition of bloodstain evidence by the legal system. 1895 – Piotrowski published a book concerning blood stains from blows to the head. 1895 – Piotrowski published a book concerning blood stains from blows to the head. 1880 – Henry Faulds published, â€Å"On-skin Furrows of the Hand,† described bloody fingerprints and their likely usage to identify the criminal. 1880 – Henry Faulds published, â€Å"On-skin Furrows of the Hand,† described bloody fingerprints and their likely usage to identify the criminal. 1856 – Lassaigne wrote a paper that included discussion of marks that appeared to be bloodstains but was from insects. 1856 – Lassaigne wrote a paper that included discussion of marks that appeared to be bloodstains but was from insects.

Business Reaserch Project Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Reaserch Project Proposal - Essay Example When todays young iPod Touch users age by five years, they will already have iTunes accounts, saved personal contacts to their iPod Touch devices, purchased hundreds of apps and songs, and mastered the iPhone OS user interface. This translates into loyalty and switching costs, allowing Apple to seamlessly graduate young users from the iPod Touch to the iPhone" (Jeff Bertolucc 2009). Consumers are eager to take advantage of the developments of Apple’s iPod in regions where the iPod has not been officially launched as yet. The problem lies in the fact that the success of Apple’s iPod has paved the way for the exponential growth of the smart phone industry. Consumers are now more inclined to purchase smart phones than any other types of portable digital music players. In addition, the success of the iPod has also spurred the rapid development of a large line of smart phones designed by competitors to rival Apple’s iPod and take advantage of the growing market for smart phones. In this regard, Apple’s move into the portable digital music player industry takes on a conspicuous form on account of the non-uniform that Apple is faced with on a global scale. The global competitive landscape for portable digital music player is every different now from what is used to be a decade ago. Technological innovation is driving down cost of production as it continues to drive up demand. As a result of these trends, Apple took a step beyond portable music players and moved into the music industry. This move of reverse integration allowed Apple to take on a strong position in the music industry. However, the move is one that does not promise the same success on an operational scenario such as that which it does in a tactical scenario. As a result, Apple’s success in the music industry becomes questionable when considered in the strategic perspective. Yet another aspect of Apple’s recent development is that which