The topic of reducing cycle time

Chapter IILiterature ReviewThis chapter reviews old research and theories that cite the subject of cut downing rhythm clip, which is relevant to tilt constructs and simulation. The subject of this chapter are below.Product rhythm clip bettermentPrinciples of thinSimulation ModelingReview literatureResearch Frame workIn the past, most research focused on the development of dispatching and releasing regulations to better rhythm clip. With less limitation on the equipment, batch size decrease would be another alternate to shorten rhythm clip which considered apparatus clip and capacity restraints to work out the batch size job. Some constructs use thin fabrication to extinguish waste and non-value-added clip. Some bookmans used simulation methods to make the rhythm clip analysis by uniting simulation and computing machine algorithms to seek for the batch size for each single merchandise in a multi-product environment. Most of the past surveies sing batch size concentrated on traditional fabrication environments, with fixed demands and production rates. The primary end of this model was to minimise the entire production rhythm clip.2.1 Product rhythm clip bettermentCycle clip decrease involves placing and implementing more efficient ways to make things. Reducing rhythm clip requires extinguishing or cut downing non-value-added activities, which is defined as any activities that do non add value to the merchandise. Examples of non-value-added activities in which rhythm clip can be reduced or eliminated include fix due to defects, machine set-up, review and agenda holds. Explained by Kivenko ( 1994 )1.2.1 The component of fabricating lead clip can be farther divided into:Queue clip before processing.Put up clip.Run ( treating ) clip.Waiting clip after processing.Move clip.There is an of import follow-on consequence to cut downing the frequence of set-ups. Just as presenting computing machine integrated fabricating removes operator engagement and operator accomplishments wasting ( Coble and Bohn, 1997 ) , diminishing set-up frequence drives set-up proficiency down. The danger is an of all time downward spiral of cut downing set-up frequence and increasing batch size. Even when the operator component is reduced or replaced in â€Å" flexible † fabricating systems, the public presentation is in some instances worse than the manual system. Rather than bring forthing more assortment of lower v olume, these systems frequently produce less assortment of higher volume ( Meyer, 1993 ) . That is to state, set-up clip is reduced and batch size increased. ( Youngman, 2003 )2.1.2 BottleneckA constriction is the resource that constrains or limits the end product of the overall operating unit. In a line flow procedure design, the constriction is the procedure phase with the highest rhythm clip. In a occupation store or batch procedure design, the constriction can be more hard to place. Certain pieces of equipment and/or specific people may be used at multiple procedure phases. ( Prasad, 1995 )2.1.3 BATCH SIZEPage ( 2003 ) explained â€Å" batch † is the term usually used for the measure of a peculiar merchandise to be made all in one spell. An full batch of work might take several yearss to finish. Traditionally, this would affect the batch traveling through one operation at a clip, and it would n't be allowed to travel to the following operation until the full batch measure had gone through the current phase of processing. The batch is kept together like this to let the inspector a opportunity to compare the constituents from the beginning, center and terminal of the batch to specification all at the same clip. It is easy to maintain WIP on procedure. Schragenhein and Dettmer ( 2000 ) said that increasing batch size affects work-in-process stock list degrees, fabricating lead clip, local and planetary safety clip issues, and finished goods stock degrees by increasing them. Increased batch size affects quality and throughput by diminishing them. However, good thought-out alterations to critical batch sizes can enormously alter these parametric quantities within a procedure. It does so non by rushing up machine or procedure clip, but by cut downing idle clip when work sits on the workshop floor ( or office desk, or computing machine difficult disc ) between procedure points after cut down batch size found that smaller batches can travel much faster. Batch size issues at a formal degree have tended to be treated as a trade-off analysis or optimisation between set-up or ordination costs, storage and retention costs, and stock out costs ( Jaber and Bonner, 1996 ) . The attendant optimum batch size is known as the Economic Order Quantity or EOQ. ( Trigeiro, Thomas and Jo, 1989 ) . However, while most everyone knows about Economic Order Quantity, really few people of all time bother to cipher it. There is a far more cardinal driver to batch size. The cardinal driver is cut downing â€Å" non-productive † set-up clip, and maximising â€Å" productive † processing or machine clip. There are normally really strong measuring inducements – timesheets – which cause workshop floor forces to minimise set-up clip and maximise procedure clip. The easiest manner to make this is to diminish the frequence of set-ups by increasing the batch size. There is, nevertheless, another more elusive and less frequently expressed driver at work every bit good. ( Spearman, 1996 ) Some considerations when taking the figure for batch size: Koskela ( 1992 )If the figure is excessively big, the sum of queue infinite taken up on both terminals of the nexus becomes inordinate. Messages take up queue infinite when they are non committed, and can non be removed from waiting lines until they are committed.If there is likely to be a steady flow of messages, you can better the public presentation of a channel by increasing the batch size. However, this has the negative consequence of increasing restart times, and really big batches may besides impact public presentation.If message flow features indicate that messages arrive intermittently, a batch size of 1 with a comparatively big disconnect clip interval may supply better public presentation.Even though liable messages on a fast channel do non wait for a sync point, they do lend to the batch-size count.Thin rules can be used to better productiveness driven by workers, based on their cognition of the work and equipment , with the end of increasing value added work ( Holly and Gaskins, 2004 )2.1.4 Cycle clip is linked to other facets of ThinContinuous betterment leads to step betterments in rhythm clip one time takt times come down for all stairss.Standardized work is a cardinal to doing rhythm clip work on the floor.2.2 Principles of LeanLean was started at Toyota because they wanted a clear definition of client value. It acknowledges that all value is created by some procedure. Therefore, Lean can develop procedures that are waste or â€Å" muda † is defined by Shoichio Toyoda, laminitis of Toyota, as â€Å" anything other than the minimal sum of equipment, stuffs, parts, infinite and worker ‘s clip which are perfectly indispensable to add value to the merchandise. † Lean is a methodological analysis that is used to increase velocity and cut down the cost of any procedure by extinguishing waste. A Thin enterprise is to give a simple manner of understanding the impact of attemp ts through be aftering betterment activities, look intoing the consequences and doing appropriate accommodations. In add-on, Lean tools aid to find the fiscal impact of betterments such as increasing stock list bends, cut downing work-in-process and cut downing changeover clip. ( Ohno, 1990 ) The Toyota Production System ( TPS ) identifies seven signifiers of waste in fabrication, which Ohno calls â€Å" The Seven Deadly Wastes. † The wastes can be classified as follows:Overproduction: doing more than neededInventory: material puting around ( frequently a symptom of another waste )Defects: Time spent repairing defects, including defect that get thrown off and the clip make the merchandise rightWaiting: Waiting clip for making something..Over processing: devising to a higher quality criterion than expected by the client.Transportation system: extra moving of stuff.Gesture: inefficient people motion.Thin Manufacturing is an operational scheme oriented toward accomplishing the shortest possible rhythm clip by extinguishing waste. It is derived from the Toyota Production System and its cardinal push is to increase the value-added work by extinguishing waste and cut downing incidental work. The technique frequently decreases the clip between a client order and cargo, an d it is designed to radically better profitableness, client satisfaction, throughput clip, and employee morale. ( Michael and Kentaro, 1998 )2.2.1 Features of a Leans procedureThe features of Lean procedure aid to flux of procedure run every bit continuously as possible with a rapid rhythm clip. The precise description of each work station activity stipulating rhythm clip, take-time, the work sequence of specific undertakings, and the minimal stock list of parts on manus needed to carry on the activity ( Stenzel, 2007 ) . The features of thin procedures are:Make to orderSingle-piece productionJust-In-Time materials/pull programmingShort rhythm timesQuick conversionContinuous flow work cellsCompressed infiniteMulti-skilled employeesHigh first-pass outputs with major decreases in defects2.2.2 Thin toolsThin fabrication tools can decide many jobs in production lines. In This chapter we will concentrate on thin tools that concern this survey by utilizing standard work and rapid conversion.2.2.2.1 Standard Work: DefinitionThe definition of standard work was explained by Jeff Hajek ( 2009 ) a common term given to any aggregation of clip value. The format of the information is as tabular arraies or worksheets. The informations can be utilized in concurrence with deliberate rhythm clip but can non make up one's mind the operating parametric quantities for a works supplying a thin fabrication environment. Standard Work has three chief constituents:It is balanced to the takt clip.It specifies standard work-in-p rocess ( WIP ) .It defines the sequence of operations for a individual operator.The precise description of each work activity stipulating rhythm clip, undertaking clip, the work sequence of specific undertakings, and the minimal stock list of parts on manus needed to carry on the activity. Henry Ford said that â€Å" If you think of standardisation as the best that you know today, but which is to be improved tomorrow – you get someplace. But if you think of criterions as confining, so advancement Michigans. † Somnath Kundu ( 2008 ) studied the application of design mechanization to cut down rhythm clip of hydro turbine design. Because of the rapid growing in the demand for electricity and increased recognition hazards in the fiscal markets, there is a strong concern deriver? To cut down the design to committee rhythm clip of procedure. The first measure that is of import is standardisation. The key to success for any design mechanization undertaking is standardisation: The standardisation of the merchandise construction and design pattern and automatizing the same has given the user an border over its rivals. Front Line Professionals ( 2001 ) : said that Standardized work is one of the most powerful thin tools. Professionals that do the work on the floor can frequently outdo papers the current best patterns. Establishing standardised work relies on Roll uping and entering informations as it really happens. Such standardised patterns serve as the baseline for kaizen or uninterrupted betterment. As the criterion is improved, the new criterion becomes the baseline for farther betterments, and so on. Standardizing the work adds subject to the civilization, an component that is often neglected but indispensable for thin transmutation. Standardized work besides supports audits, promotes job resolution, and involves squad members in developing safety guards ( poka-yokes ) . All of the standardisation attempts need to be surrounded and embedded in the civilization of the thin organisation.2.2.2.2 Takt clip: DefinitionTakt Time comes from a German word ‘takt ‘ significance beat. The definition of Take clip was explained by Jon Miller ( 2003 ) is a 1 of the cardinal rules in a Thin Enterprise. Takt Time sets the ‘beat ‘ of the organisation in synch with client demand. Takt Time balances the work load of assorted r esources and identifies constrictions. Takt Time is a simple construct, yet counter-intuitive, and frequently baffled with rhythm clip or machine velocity. In order for fabricating cells and assembly lines to be designed and built Lean, a thorough apprehension of Takt Time is required. Takt Time is used to fit the gait of work to the mean gait of client demand. Takt is non a figure that can be measured and is non to be mistaken with rhythm clip, which is the clip it takes to finish one undertaking. Cycle clip may be less than, more than, or equal to Takt Time. The expression for Takt clip is: Takt clip = Net Available Time per Day Customer Demand per Day2.2.2.3 Rapid alteration overtimeSMED ( individual minute exchange of dice ) is a theory and tools set of techniques that make it possible to put up or alteration overtime equipment. Change overtime is the clip from when the last goods item/piece comes off a machine or out of a measure until the first good item/piece of the following service/product is made. Changeover clip includes set up, warm up, test tally, accommodation, first-piece review, etc. Changeover Time is the sum of clip it takes to alter over equipment/programs/ files/documents from the terminal of the old measure to the beginning of the current measure. Changeover is the sum of Set-up clip and Run-up clip. Changeover can be the clip and do the difference between a good merchandise and a good merchandise at the right velocity. If can cut down alteration overtime, can cut down rhythm clip of procedure as good. Jaikumar ( 1986 ) while Dave ( 1996 ) need to cut down machinery alteration overtime because have two biggest wastes are overrun and WIP waiting lines. There is one â€Å" existent † issue that must be overcome in order to greatly cut down batch size without increasing cost. The constituent of alteration overtime following list:Internal apparatus takt that can be performed merely while the machine is shut down.External set up takt that can be performed while the machine is running2.2.2.4 Effectss of alteration overtime DecreaseBatch size can be reduced.Aid to cut down stock list.Increase the capacity on constriction equipment.Aid to extinguish the apparatus bit2.2.3 Traditional V. Thin FabricationA cardinal difference in Thin Manufacturing is that it is based on the construct that can be driven by existent client demand. Alternatively of bring forthing what you hope to sell ; Lean Manufacturing can bring forth what your client wants with shorter lead times. Alternatively of forcing merchandise to market, it ‘s pulled at that place through a system that ‘s set up to rapidly react to client demand.2.2.3 Traditional V. Thin FabricationA cardinal difference in Thin Manufacturing is that it is based on the construct that production can and should be driven by existent client demand. Alternatively of bring forthing what you hope to sell ; Lean Manufacturing can bring forth what your client wants with shorter lead times. Alternatively of forcing merchandise to market, it ‘s pulled at that place through a system that ‘s set up to rapidly react to client demand.2.3 Simulation ModelingSimulation is the dynamic representation of a existent system by a computing machine theoretical account which behaves in the same mode as the system itself. In the fabrication industry, simulation represents the dynamic fabrication procedure in the computing machine theoretical account, and shows diagrammatically and over fake clip the effects of a possible scenario to back up the decision-making procedure . Bielunska and Gun ( 2002 ) .A conventional information flow of fabricating simulation is shown in Figure 2-4. Manufacturing simulation converts the elaborate operational informations into the direction information. It enables assorted scenarios to be tested without big investing on puting up a pilot line or interrupting the production. It eliminates the common job in fabricating industry: constrictions2.3.1 Application Areas of Manufacturing Simulation.In the fabrication companies, directors and applied scientists are able to measure the public presentation of fabricating procedure under several different sets of status to place the proper layout and operational policy. That can lend to accomplish better production public presentation such as high throughput, short lead clip, low work-in-process ( WIP ) , and high resource use. Case of the application of fabricating simulation by the current users are:Implementing new fabrication constructImperfect design from the debut of this construct can do the production end product decrease ; nevertheless, the possible jobs can be identified by simulat ion. The re-layout undertaking of National Semiconductor Malaysia studied in one procedure Tung, Wang and Sun ( 1995 ) by utilizing simulation is the good case. Before application of new layout, the kineticss of simulation benefit indentified the possible jobs, helped the affecting section to understand the procedure of new layout, and saved 5 % on the capital investing. Bettering bing procedure; the bing procedure demand to be adapted to manage the new demand when new merchandises are launched or demand pattern becomes different from the yesteryear. Simulation is really effectual to analyze the impact of alteration to smooth the alteration. Motorola Malaysia was reported the economy to be US $ 250,000 equivalent of capacity addition within one twelvemonth after the company usage simulation to analyze the merchandise mix and batch size to better the apparatus clip and machine aid clip Yong ( 1994 ) . Reducing Work-In-Process ( WIP ); a high WIP is frequently built because of unexpected dislocations, taking to a high stock list cost, slow stuff flow, and inflexible merchandise mix. Simulation is used to analyse the sensitiveness of WIP degrees. Flextronics Singapore used simulation to analyze the most economical manner to cut down WIP and the consequence reported at more than 50 % decrease, significantly improved others company public presentation such as stock list, bringing public presentation Chang and Kum ( 1994 ) . Merchandise timing: Simulation is superb for make up one's minding the order lading sequence and operation timing. It was arranged a systematic direction to the merchandise store degree. It is easy to happen this simulation on a day-to-day footing to bring forth timing instructions to the operations of PCB Manufacturing CIMTEX ( 1994 ) at Digital Singapore. These besides greatly reduced WIP and stabilized operations.2.3.2 Core propensity construct and SimulationTo set up the direction acquisition by following a description of how simulation is being usage since it increasing larning perceptual experience. Along prognostic simulation tilting theoretical account. Learning period is greatly reduced and eliminates waste. Majority companies have been utilizing simulation to happen solution to making value or merchandise betterment procedure. Simulator procedure created an thought tool for developing alternate procedure scenarios to help the public presentation of current operation ineffic iencies. Furthermore, the function theoretical account to extinguish through the atilt execution.2.4 Review of related surveies.2.5 Researching Model Work:The nucleus constructs of the theoretical account are a type of intermediate theory that attempt to link to all facet of enquiry ( e.g. , job probe, intent, literature reappraisal, methodological analysis informations aggregation and analysis ) . This theoretical account is able to make the maps that give coherency to empirical enquiry. Due to the theoretical accounts are possible similarity to empirical enquiry, they take different signifiers depending upon the research inquiry or job in figure 2-5.2.5.1 The constituent of the rhythm clip determination elements:Processing clip: timing that the thing is being worked on by an operation. To analyzing this affair earnestly by utilizing tool ; a stop watch from camera – following unit being processed by one operator – all the manner through the procedure ( or sub-process ) .Waiting clip: timing between sub-process that the thing gets shuffled around or sits around waiting for person to work on it. Equally good as cognizing â€Å" Waiting & A ; Transportation Time † or â€Å" Inventory/Transpiration Time. In this instance have consequence from waiting clip in each work station and wait clip of portion of auto theoretical account.Change overtime ; the sum of clip takes to alter over the devising or plan from the terminal to old measure to the current measure. If you have to takes ever will consequence with entire rhythm clip.Since a batch size of one has been unpracticed the end is in improve productiveness sporadically. The finally reduces stock list carry costs, work in advancement, and rhythm clip. Besides this enabling the company operates productively at lower borders.2.5.2 The significance of component of the finding in rhythm clip decrease.Productiveness: From analyzing shown manner to better productiveness by cut down rhythm clip in o rder to protect loss sale, cut down cost in fabrication and increase client satisfaction.A cost incurred by a concern when it is unable to make full an order and must finish it subsequently. A back order cost can be distinct, as in the cost to replace a specific piece of stock list, or intangible, such as the effects of hapless client service.On clip deliver: one of the ground why is company demand to cut down rhythm clip. The existent measuring will be the per centum of units you produce that run into your client ‘s deadline. Is n't it interesting that it has to make with the client ‘s deadline.In this chapter, the research worker has discussed relevant constructs in rhythm clip decrease by usage simulation to optimal batch size every bit good as suggesting the construct model for this research undertaking. In the following chapter, the research worker will explicate the methodological attack this undertaking.

International law Essay

International law can be divided into two main branches; public international law and private international law. According to Corel University Law School, Legal Information Institute; public international law, oversees matters of rights between nations and citizens or subjects of other nations whereas, the latter deals with conflicts between private individuals arising out of circumstances of key importance to more than one nation. Over time the line between private and public international laws has been growing thinner with issues of private international law now linking with those of public international law. This is because the international community finds many matters of private international law of significance to them. In a nutshell, international law governs human actions and interactions at the global heights. For a long time since its inception in the 16th Century, international law consisted of policies and regulations governing interactions between nations until recently when the law was redefined to incorporate relations between states and individuals as well as relation between international institutions. International law has received its share of criticism with the emergence of a school of thought holding that it was mechanism designed by developed countries purposefully for colonization in the modern world. In his book; Imperialism, Sovereignty and the making of International Law Anghie argues that â€Å"the colonial confrontation was central to the formation of international law and, in particular, it’s founding concept, sovereignty. He goes ahead to argue that international law is a modern way of governing non-European people, that economic exploitations and cultural erosion that resulted from the same were strategically important for the discipline. Contrary to Anghie’s thinking, international law would otherwise be a benevolent undertaking had it not been demonized by powerful states to achieve 21st century colonialism. The concept of international law obviously conflicts with the fundamentals of sovereignty which also means independence. This is to say that a sovereign state should be free to run its domestic affairs free from hindrances by outside authority. The proponents of international law may have worked on the assumptions that the sovereignty of a state is not only founded on the self-governing will of its sovereign, but also on its position in relationship to several other states. This implies that if a certain country comes up with policies which are likely to affect its neighbors or other countries then its sovereignty can be subject to violation when international law intervenes. Nonetheless, the general belief is that a state should be able to do whatever it pleases within its territories. It is important to mention that sovereignty of a state means it is free to use its resources for its own prosperity without interference from outside powers. However, developed states have in many occasions meddled in the economic affairs of third world states. It is by right that a third world states control all that is within their territories without interference from developed countries. International law, through international business law paves way for exploitation of third world countries by their developed counterparts. Interdependence is a word strategically coined by developed states to cover up for their deeply buried conspiracy aimed at reaping resources from developed countries under the cover of globalisation. Hopefully, out of their own efforts, third world states may eventually grow to the level of being powerful. In the contrary, world super powers are not stupid to let third world countries grow to be as powerful as them. Because of this insecurity, they invent laws and lie to third world states that it is for the good of the world when the underpinning motive is to increase dependence by developing countries on the world powers. Even if these countries develop, they will be under control of developed states. A good example is the claim by developed countries in favor of their investors on foreign territories. The claim by capital-exporting countries is intended to limit a country’s sovereignty to impose limitations on foreign investors (Sornarajah 136). This may sound as a generous thought to open up equal playing grounds for signatories of international law. However, consider the fact that capital-exporting countries are the world superpowers hosting numerous billionaire investors just looking for places to multiply their billions. Some of these multibillion businesses are state owned corporations. With this kind of law, the world powers will establish multibillion corporations in third world territories in the pretext of privately owned investments. They will offer employment opportunities, good health facilities, education, housing, infrastructure to millions of natives of third world states. Because most third world governments are unable to offer basic needs for their populace, these international corporations will win the hearts of many in third world states. Although political rule will be retained by the hosting governments, such multibillion corporations will have unprecedented control not only over citizens whom they will have won their trust, but also over government policy decisions. By that time, third world states will be literally foreign territories of developed states. Of course a few rich individuals from developing countries will have benefited from this law and established businesses in developed countries. However, because their native governments will be lacking both economic and political powers, their activities will be highly controlled by the host governments keeping them from making any breakthroughs. This treaty might also limit a state’s ability to use domestic legal facilities on foreign investors who break the law since they will be under protection of international law. This is based on the belief that any grievance against an investor operating under international law is an injury to his native country. International law therefore was only formed with the excuse of interdependence between signatory states with the hidden purpose to reintroduce a modern style of Colonialism being witnessed today. In the modern world, economic sovereignty is paramount to any form of sovereignty. Political sovereignty in the 21st century is worthless without economic independence. It is because of this that developed countries continue to come up with selfish policies with the excuse of interdependence. For this reason most third world countries brag of political independence but when they cannot provide for their citizens, they seek shelter from the economic giants who do not offer anything without conditions. Developed countries will always do this through economic sanctions such as freezing donor aid which when implemented cripples the operations of third world states. Nye states that although the potential for benefits in interdependence exist, the potential for tragedy exists as well (179). Nye goes to the extreme to refer to the negative results of interdependence not merely as losses, which would be the opposite of benefits, but tragedy. Tragedy can also be a disaster, catastrophe or misfortune. The after effects of a disaster are usually devastating and repairing the mess requires extraordinary measures usually taking a longer period of time. The shocking thing is that whereas developing countries are obeying international law, developed countries can violate it and get away with it. Israel has been in the headlines for many years over Gaza strip conflict with Palestine’s. The attacks have led to serious violation of human rights and international law. Atrocities committed along Gaza Strip are worrying and one would wonder why Israel is being excused from war crimes trials. Up to date, the international judges still seem to be wondering if Israel has committed enough crimes to be subjected to trials. On the other hand, the United States of America reciprocated against Afghanistan after the September 11th attacks on America’s soil and many innocent lives were lost. Most worrying is human rights violations by US soldiers against war prisoners and terrorist suspects at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. In 2001, hundreds of Taliban prisoners of war were suffocated to death after they were imprisoned inside metal containers by US military in the Afghan town of Kunduz. Instead of being charged with human rights violations, the world superpower arrested Saddam Hussein and had him hanged to death for war crime charges during his regime. Meanwhile the international law is in full force in developing countries. International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant of arrest against Sudan’s re-elected leader Omar alBshir over war crime related charges. Currently, the ICC is also investigating human rights violations during the 2007 post election chaos in Kenya and is expected to take in suspects by September 2010. Efforts by the ICC to arrest perpetrators of violence are all in good faith, but how about the rich countries which commit the same crimes? Whereas it will be extremely difficult for a country which has cut off itself from the rest of the world, international law deprives nations from exercising their sovereignty within their territories with respect to the locally prevailing circumstances. The international law in large part works in favor of the developed countries and does not result in the desired interdependence which will empower weak nations. Nations should be empowered to be able to independently and decisively handle their economic, political and legal activities without interference from outside forces which may not understand the prevailing circumstances. It is only when they are empowered that they will be able to have the bargaining power which is critical for interdependence at the international level.

Strategic Analysis & Planning 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Analysis & Planning 2 - Coursework Example This report analyses British Airways’ competitive position and, through audit of the firm’s resources and value systems, determines how the company might achieve growth effectively in what is a rather mature and low-growth market. The report primarily analyses the operations function of the business to best analyse its most potent competitive advantages and opportunities for strategic growth. British Airways now pursues a cost leadership position against major competition. The airline industry in Europe is characterised by many price-sensitive consumers that select low-frills airlines as a means of satisfying their own budgetary needs. The ability of BA to control costs allows the airline to keep ticket prices lower for these price-sensitive buyers in an environment where price wars continue to improve market share for smaller competition (Payne, McDonald and Frow 2011). Predominantly, BA had maintained a reputation for being a high-priced airline company, however the firm better controls its operating costs in order to provide lower fares in an effort to compete with these growing and influential budget carriers (Smith 2013). Where BA maintains its cost leadership advantages is in operation cost controls. This cost leadership strategy is maintaining a lower price to value ratio, or satisfying customers by offering prices that are satisfactory for the value they receive (Thompson, et al. 2010; Murray 1988). Primarily, cost leadership as a new competitive strategy is achieved through economies of scale, cost-related advantages that are realised through size, scope of the firm and through scale of service production (Truett and Truett 2007). British Airways maintains the capacity and hub capabilities that allow the firm to turn around different European flights very quickly. BA maintains a total fleet size of 292 planes and maintains its own, self-owned and self-managed maintenance division that allows for

The Holocaust and Los Desaparecidos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Holocaust and Los Desaparecidos - Essay Example In the case of Hitler, it is clear that he was responsible for the Holocaust. However, it is difficult to name the culprit for Los Desaparecidos because there are several people involved. Politically, Leopoldo Galtieri was the last president of Argentina during 1981-82 when Los Desaparecidos was active. This was the time when he ill-advisedly annexed the Falkland Islands and resigned subsequently when the British retook Falkland Islands through military action. However, he supported the coup to overthrow Isabel Peron in 1976, and steadily rose up in the military ranks ultimately becoming the Commander-in-Chief (Leopoldo Galtieri). Hitler was responsible for the extermination of six million Jews, an unparalleled action in history. He caused the deaths and mayhem of millions more in Germany and in the rest of the world. Los Desaparecidos may not equal Hitler in this regard. But Argentina had its share of horrors involving thousands of left-wing dissidents in the "dirty war" as the 1976-83 conflict came to be known. Hitler was repressive with his own people. Thousands disappeared in Argentina between 1976 and 1982. Some quote the figure as up to 30,000 people who disappeared. What happened to them There are chilling accounts of young dissidents being thrown from helicopters into rivers Certainly there are glaring differe... What happened to them There are chilling accounts of young dissidents being thrown from helicopters into rivers Certainly there are glaring differences. Hitler set the stage to conquer Europe. The dictator who ruled Argentina then, Leopoldo Galtieri, tried similar tactic when he closed the borders with Chile over a dispute involving two islands below the southern tip of South America, and annexed the Falklands Islands from the British Adolf Hitler was born on April 20th 1889 in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria. Leopoldo Galtieri was born into a working class family of Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires in 1926. Hitler served in the German army during the First World War. Galtieri was not born when World War I was fought. Hitler conquered Poland, Austria, Belgium, France, and Holland in quick succession. Galtieri had no such vision. He only closed the doors on Chile over two disputed islands (Isobel Hilton). Galtieri's military was not advanced enough for conquests. The Falkland War exposed the wide chinks in the Argentine army's armor. Hitler grew up with a poor record at school and left, before completing his tuition, with an ambition to become an artist. He continued to have troubled times as a youth and grew up hating the Jews, the Marxists, liberalism and the cosmopolitan Habsburg monarchy. Believing that fate had chosen him to avenge the humiliation of defeat by Germany in World War I, he founded the Nazi party and single-mindedly rose through its ranks using intrigue and fascinating promises to his countrymen to become the Chancellor of Germany (Adolf Hitler). Galtieri joined the Argentine military academy at 17 and graduated as an officer in 1949 from the United States School of the Americas in Panama. He drew praises from United States

China's economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

China's economy - Essay Example When per capita income is measured in terms of purchasing power, it has gone up by three times – as per the International Monetary Fund, from $2800 in 2002 to almost $9100 in 2012. That is certainly a commendable achievement by any standard! China is now no more a poor country but is placed in the middle-income bracket. China became a member of World Trade Organization in 2001 and that gave a big boost to Chinese exports. Chinese exports grew by average 30% between 2002 and 2007 making it the worlds largest exporter then. In exports, China holds 10% of the global market. Real estate contributed significantly in the GDP growth after 1998 when the establishment opened the market. Between 2002 and 2010, real estate of China registered average growth of 17%. That has now gone down to almost 12 % due to controls enforced by the government. All said and done, the moot question is whether China will be able to maintain such spectacular growth in the years ahead. China is more poised to follow a well-known economic principle – the law of diminishing returns that with each unit of fixed investment, the marginal return declines meaning each fresh unit of capital will produce less output than the previous one. In other words, to maintain same growth, the country needs to invest higher and hiher capital each year. China is now integrated with the world economy. Post 2008 financial crisis, China is unable to push more exports to the developed world due to large scale unemployment that prevails with stagnating GDP numbers . Export growth rates for China will be declining in the years ahead compared to what has been registered in the first decade of new millenium. That leaves little scope for China to maintain 10% GDP growth in the years ahead. Chinas cost advantage in the world market is declining rapidly because its average wage rates have gone up four times since 2000. Moreover,

CRITICAL REVIEW OF TOURISM STUDIES ARTICLE Essay

CRITICAL REVIEW OF TOURISM STUDIES ARTICLE - Essay Example Utilising man's instinct to travel to make commercial sense has resulted in various governmental and tourism related entities vying for a share of the wallet. Since the penchant for real, genuine, authentic destinations are on the rise, many are being touted as such and aptly exhibited to trigger interests in the tourist. This is called "staging" and this has led to the loss of authenticity. This article deals with how there is a loss of authenticity of the destinations due to the necessity to conform to expectations as perceived by the tourists. "Staged authenticity" involves manipulation of local cultural phenomenon to cater to the expectations of tourists arriving there. This may be in the form of hosting shows to adding cultural expressions and cultural aspects of the local culture that closely align to creating an experience for the tourists. These shows may not necessarily be replicas of the original culture. Tourism can turn local cultures into commodities when religious rituals, traditional ethnic rites and festivals are reduced and sanitized to conform to tourist expectations, resulting in what has been called "reconstructed ethnicity." As long as tourists just want a glimpse of the local atmosphere, a quick glance at local life, without any knowledge or even interest, staging will be inevitable. It leans more towards creating that unique experience than preser ving local culture or involving the locals as a part of that culture and bringing the tourist into the unique world for a glimpse. However, this article also says that while these hyperactive contrived experiences may satisfy a postmodernism oriented tourist, it may fall short when a genuine authentic experience-seeking tourist is in contact with it. The article also argues that though it is important for the experience to be real, often even in the genuine historic sites, it is not possible to recreate accurately every aspect of the past. This is because the past is an immense entity of which we are fortunate to have a glimpse of certain pieces of the puzzle. We will never be able to comprehend in totality of what life was at that point in time. In addition, to make it more viewable to the public, it is often necessary to sanitize the site and provide basic amenities and odour removal so that the tourist is not turned off exploring it. Therefore a minimal amount of doctoring when the lines between the real and the "doctored" are almost invisible, the experience for the tourists is more authentic and satisfying. Once a destination is sold as a tourism product, and the branding of the destination starts duplicating an experience to the tourists that may or may not be exactly what the tourists want. Perception of an experience by the tourists is very individualistic and subjective. This is because each individual perceives an experience differently. While a few staged local shows and a photograph moment with the locals may be sufficient for a certain group of individuals as a long-term memory there are another set of tourists who are disappointed by the lack of true cultural aspects. In conclusion, the article stresses the following points. The definition of "authenticity" is by itself very subjective because how the scholar, researcher and the heritage manager visualize it may be different from how the tourist perceives it. While there are some of

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration - Essay Example Phylogenetic analysis of Mg-tetrapyrrole biosynthesis genes reveals that anoxygenic photosynthetic processes became evident in primitive organisms like certain bacteria before the oxygenic variety in other organisms like cyanobacteria (Xiong and Bauer, 2002). Joint analyses of the pigment genes and reaction centers have yielded stronger evidence to this effect (Xiong and Bauer, 2002). At the time when photosynthesis became a rudimentary process for energy storage in arcane organisms cellular respiration was still to evolve and the energy release mechanism for utilizing the photosynthetic stored energy used processes that sourced their electrons from suppliers other water (Todar, Undated). Later, genetic transfer mechanisms between endosymbiotic bacteria, their closest living relatives being the proteobacteria, and their pre-eukaryotic cellular hosts inducted cell organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts (Simpson et al, 2002) into the pre-eukaryotic system and cellular respiratio n became possible. Some time during the endosymbiotic processes there was gene transfer from the bacteria to the pre-eukarytic cells whereby the bacterial genome was reduced and much of the remaining genetic materials got encoded in the cellular nucleus while, locally, some of the bacterial genetic materials were encoded within the organelle, mitochondrion or otherwise, to form localized DNA entirely associated with organelle function (Chihade et al, 2000). While the induction of the mitochondria into the pre-eukaryotic cells to produce the eukaryotic system shall be dealt with later in the paper a short comparison by organisms will now be made of photosynthesis and cellular respiration processes. Comparison: The following table will be used to compare and contrast photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the species of euglenoids that have primitive plastids (Borza et al, 2005). Euglenoids are either autotrophs, photosynthetic with chlorophyll a and b chloroplasts, or heterotrophs with parasitic or absorptive nutrition. Some of them also have motile mechanisms like flagella or cilia. It is notable that euglenoids with plastids acquired them through secondary endosymbiosis and, thus, the plastids are not as developed as those of more evolutionary advanced species (Borza et al, 2005). It is also notable that euglenoids with plastids also use absorptive nutrition, absorbing organic matter from their environs, as supplementary dietary processes. Though they may be photosynthetic they can respire both aerobically and anaerobically (Hoffmeister et al, 2004). Anaerobically, these organisms store energy in the form of fatty acids (waxes) that are broken down when oxygen becomes available more plentifully (Hoffmeister et al, 2004). This makes these organisms so interesting. It is notable that both photosynthesis and cellular respiration in euglenoids with chloroplasts are still not fully understood (Hoffmeister et al, 2004; Lonergan and Sargent, 1979). Nevertheless, these processes have been simplistically compared and contrasted in the following table. Photosynthesis Cellular Respiration Organism Euglena gracilis Euglena gracilis Energy Source Sunlight Chemical energy in sugars (anaerobic) and sugars/fatty acids

Humannities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Humannities - Research Paper Example Furthermore, the unique dynamics of Islamization, poverty, and the effects that 20 years of incessant civil war on the only truly failed state in the world has had on the way in which Somalia and the issue of â€Å"piracy† has developed will be discussed within the lens of media representation of the issue. Merriam Webster’s dictionary broadly defines piracy as â€Å"an act of violence or robbery at sea†. Such a broad definition leaves little room for prevarication concerning whether or not the actions taken by groups of Somalis over the past decade or so can be understood as piracy or not. However, a more important test of determination is of course the question of how tactics, objectives, and operational mechanisms differ when one compares current Somali piracy with that of the earlier more traditional understandings of the word. What is unique with regards to Somali piracy is the fact that the actual material goods that the ships which are arrested by them are often of secondary or tertiary importance. Of primal importance is the money which can be extracted from shipping companies, governments, or interested loved-ones of the crew members of the ships which have been captured. This serves as a fundamental deviation from traditional piracy in that this is the ultimate goal which the Somali pirates pursue as opposed to a secondary or tertiary goal that traditional piracy was engaged with. For the traditional definition of piracy on the high seas, the requisition of the goods was of primary importance with the lives and health of the crew being much lower on the list of interests that the pirates dealt with. Ultimately, in the traditional understanding of piracy, the lives of those which were captured were worth little unless it was believed that an added amount of money could be extracted by ransoming them off to interested governments, families, or trade representatives (Murphy, 2011). This shift in the dynamic that piracy has taken with in the modern world is a unique hallmark of the Somali understanding of the term. Instead of seeking to acquire and sell tens of millions of dollars worth of ships and goods, the Somali pirates are almost exclusively disinterested in such an operation; instead concerned with seeking to ransom the ship, its contents, and the crew itself to interested parties the world over. The media’s interpretation of piracy in Somalia has been one that has traditionally missed the point. Although the actual day to day occurrences of piracy and associated deaths are recounted within world media, little to no attention is paid to the preceding determinants with regards to the underlying reason why piracy is currently taking place to such a high degree within Somalia. There are a number of reasons for this media misrepresentation; however, it is the belief of this author that a large degree for the hesitancy with which Western media has sought to discuss and analyze the underlying reasons for Somali piracy is the level of culpability that the West continues to feel with regards to the situation that exists within the county. As a function of the failed UN intervention in Somalia in

Overcoming the Temptation to Overuse the Internet for Research Essay Example for Free

Overcoming the Temptation to Overuse the Internet for Research Essay Students today face a tremendous amount of obstacles in their day-to-day learning environment that may not have been an issue in generations past. The main problems remain the same as they always have. Time-management is a skill that learners must acquire if they want to turn in assignments on time and make the grades they need to obtain the goals they have set for themselves. Procrastination is a component of poor time management that many students face, which leads to cramming and an increased level of stress. Whereas students faced both of these issues in the past as well as today, one problem that has crept into society that students are struggling with every day is the increasing overuse and reliance on the Internet for research, information gathering, and even general learning. The growing use of the Internet in the recent years has made information much more accessible than ever before. The term â€Å"Google it† is so widely and commonly expressed that it would be very difficult to find anyone who did not understand. When someone needs information for school, work, or personal use Google seems to be the first and most convenient crutch. Convenience is the foremost reason students go straight to the Internet when they are in need of research sources. Barberio (2004) states, â€Å"the very real possibility exists that students overuse the Internet, much to their detriment and most likely, to the growing consternation of their instructors† (p. 307). Even when traditional textbooks are available, they almost always come with some links available to accompany the text with sources on those links easily available. Once students access these links, they no longer have the bountiful wisdom of a librarian to help them sort through it as they could in a traditional library. Setting the parameters for coursework research and requiring credible sources and proper online citation styles is left to the instructors in each subject (Davis, 2003). Professors and universities have concerns for the temptation of cut-and-paste plagiarism and show frustration over the lack of traditional library use and the scholarly research and references libraries offer. Besides the convenience, another reason students rely on the Internet too much is because of the struggles previously discussed. Poor time management leads to procrastination. Procrastination leads students who may have otherwise had the time to do more traditional research, to grasp at the instant gratification that the Internet offers. According to Carter, Bishop, Kravits (2007), developing good time management skills helps students to finish their work on a schedule and avoid procrastination that helps to lower stress. In order to alleviate the temptation of counting on the Internet for resources, students must address the reasons they rely on it too much in the first place. As far as convenience is concerned, there may be no way around that. The Internet will continue to be used as a resource for gathering quick and â€Å"easy† information. However, the Internet can be a fine source of professional research and cost-free quality articles, scholarly papers, and official documents. If students today can sort through the vast pages of â€Å"search results† and biased Internet information, and gather un-biased facts from different sources. If they can then take this data and use critical thinking skills to draw intelligent conclusions, the Internet can be a worthy source for their research and learning. Another way to avoid over-using Internet resources would be to schedule a trip to the local library. Students may find it is surprisingly easier to gather information there. Before going to the library, students should be very precise with the information they are looking for, so that they do not waste the time that they have there. Overcoming poor time-management and procrastination would be another way to schedule that time for library research. When building a schedule, it is helpful to obtain some type of planner to help keep track of important goals, assignments, tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines. Schedulers or planners can take shape in many varying forms including the traditional hand-held â€Å"Day runner† or notebook, calendars online such as Google calendar, or planners built into mobile phone applications. In addition to keeping track of this information, it is important to break the larger tasks into smaller tasks and prioritize the information to ensure that each task is completed on time. After setting a solid schedule, the next step is utilize tools to help manage time. As a student, there are a number of techniques that can be used to help manage time. These techniques include incorporating to-do lists into one’s routine and making use of the course syllabus to ensure compliance. Again, breaking the syllabus down into smaller tasks makes it easier to look at and less stressful to comprehend. Copying each week into its own folder in a Word doc on the computer desktop is one example of how to keep track of the syllabus. Students also need to become familiar with the many resources available through the University (Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2007). Students face many trials every day when trying to reach their goals. The Internet and its easy access to information without leaving one’s seat have become extremely tempting as a one-stop shopping for every need that comes along in the course of a day. When students are faced with a research paper, the habit remains to turn to Internet searches as a quick way of gathering this information. Learning how to properly gather this data and to use critical thinking skills is vital if scholarly research is going to be accomplished. Students must also use time management skills so that procrastination is not an issue and time is available for alternative forms of research.

AP world Review sheet Essay Example for Free

AP world Review sheet Essay It is not possible to cram for an exam covering ALL OF WORLD HISTORY. In order to properly prepare for this exam, you will need several weeks to master the content as well as the skills. The following plan will help you to manage your time and get you ready for the test. It would be best if you worked in study groups of 3-4 classmates. Prepare to spend SEVERAL HOURS each weekend reviewing the content of this course. You should have a review book to help you. Suggested study steps: 1. Before you meet with your study group: a. Read and highlight review book section for assigned period of history b. Create note cards for important terms and people c. Gather old notes PERSIAN charts for each time period and review them 2. With your study group: a. Collected and graded each Monday Complete entire packet including charts and essay outlines b. Suggested: Discuss topics listed below with study group Complete multiple choice in review book and check over incorrect responses Write one complete essay while timing yourself Units of World History: 1. Technological and Environmental Transformations (8000 BCE – 600 BCE) 2. Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies (600 BCE – 600 CE) 3. Regional and Transregional Interactions (600 CE – 1450 CE) 4. Global Interactions (1450 – 1750 CE) 5. Industrialization and Global Integration (1750 – 1900 CE) 6. Accelerating Global Change and Realignment (1900 – Present) Discussion Topics for Study Groups: 1. What are the patterns and effects of interaction among societies at this time? (trade, wars, diplomacy, international relations) 2. Discuss the relationships of change and continuity across the world in this period. 3. What is the impact of technology during this period? What is the impact of demography during this period? (population growth, decline, disease, manufacturing capabilities, agriculture, weaponry, etc.) 4. Describe the systems of social structure and gender structure (compare across societies). 5. Describe the cultural, intellectual and religious developments during this period across the world. Discuss how these ideas spread from one group to another. 6. Describe changes in functions and structures of governments and attitudes towards states and political identities, including the emergence of the nation-state (political and cultural). 7. Which civilizations are on the rise during this period? Which are in decline? Why? **How do major civilizations during this time period compare? Directions: You are to answer the following question. You should spend 5 minutes organizing or outlining your essay. Write an essay that: Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with appropriate historical evidence. Addresses all parts of the question. Makes direct, relevant comparisons. Analyzes relevant reasons for similarities and differences. For the period from 3500 BCE to 600 BCE, compare the developments of two early societies from your studies (you must choose societies from two different geographic areas). *Hint: Think PERSIAN (not the empire) Week 2 Essay: DBQ FREE RESPONSE QUESTION Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying documents 1-8. (The documents have been edited for the purpose of this exercise). This question is designed to test your ability to work with and understand historical documents. Write an essay that: Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with evidence from the documents. Uses all of the documents. Analyzes the documents by grouping them in as many appropriate ways as possible. Does not simply summarize the documents individually. Takes into account the sources of the documents and analyzes the authors’ points of view. Identifies and explains the need for at least one additional type of document. You may refer to relevant historical information not mentioned in the documents. Using the documents, analyze Han and Roman attitudes toward technology. Identify one additional type document and explain briefly how it would help your analysis. Week 3 Essay: COMPARATIVE FREE RESPONSE QUESTION Directions: You are to answer the following question. You should spend 5 minutes organizing or outlining your essay. Write an essay that: Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with appropriate historical evidence. Addresses all parts of the question. Makes direct, relevant comparisons. Analyzes relevant reasons for similarities and differences. Analyze similarities and differences in the rise of TWO of the following empires: A West African Sudanic Empire (Ghana OR Mali OR Songhay) The Aztec Empire The Mongol Empire Week 4 Essay: CCOT FREE RESPONSE QUESTION Directions: You are to answer the following question. You should spend 5 minutes organizing or outlining your essay. Write an essay that: Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with appropriate historical evidence. Addresses all parts of the question. Uses world historical context to continuities and changes over time. Analyzes the process of continuity and change over time. Analyze the changes and continuities in commerce in the Indian Ocean region from 650 CE to 1750 CE. Week 5 Essay: CCOT FREE RESPONSE QUESTION Directions: You are to answer the following question. You should spend 5 minutes organizing or outlining your essay. Write an essay that: Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with appropriate historical evidence. Addresses all parts of the question. Uses world historical context to continuities and changes over time. Analyzes the process of continuity and change over time. Describe and explain continuities and changes in religious beliefs and practices in ONE of the following regions from 1450 to the present. Sub-Saharan Africa Latin America/Caribbean Week 6 Essay: DBQ FREE RESPONSE QUESTION Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying documents 1-10. (The documents have been edited for the purpose of this exercise). This question is designed to test your ability to work with and understand historical documents. Write an essay that: Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with evidence from the documents. Uses all of the documents. Analyzes the documents by grouping them in as many appropriate ways as possible. Does not simply summarize the documents individually. Takes into account the sources of the documents and analyzes the authors’ points of view. Identifies and explains the need for at least one additional type of document. You may refer to relevant historical information not mentioned in the documents. Using the following documents, analyze the causes and consequences of the Green Revolution in the period from 1945 to the present. Identify and explain one additional type of document and explain how it would help your analysis of the Green Revolution. Historical Background: The Green Revolution refers to the worldwide introduction of new, scientifically bred crop varieties and intensive use of new technologies

Alvaro Siza Architecture Style

Alvaro Siza Architecture Style In this essay, I will be looking thoroughly into Alvaro Sizas projects, who became a well know Modernist architect during the 20th century in Europe. I will be discussing the range of influences that Alvaro Siza had studied and how they had influenced his projects. I will also complement this with a reflection on how Alvaro Sizas work engages with the surrounding. Alvaro Siza, was a Portuguese born architect, who is considered one of Portugals greatest modernist architects. His works are internationally known for their clarity and simplism, as Oriol Bohigas stated, Sizas work is always based on unity of space and volume an absolute coherence of function and form. Alvaro Siza is known for his wide range of influences of Modernist architecture, during Alvaro Sizas studies, he travelled around the world to study the Modern Architecture of the early generation which include Le Corbusier who at the time was one of the most successful Modernist architects, Alvar Alto, Adolf Loos and the Brazilians were also major influences. Alvaro Siza thoroughly studied the wide range of materials that the architects had used and studied the various forms and structures which later influenced his own projects. Although Siza has no particular style, his works are visually beautiful. His designs are all very different, as they all come from the site they are situate d in which ensures a very distinctive style each time. In many of Alvaro Siza projects, you can see the connection between Siza and Alvar Aalto which was also a successful Finnish Modernist architect. Alvar Aalto and Alvaro Siza both link their projects with the nature and in some sought, harmonize the landscape. They both look for a balanced connection between mans interventions with the existing nature which is what dominates in their design processes and works. Their design processes begin by examining the site which formulate their ideas. Boa Nova Teahouse (Figure 1 2), is one of Sizas earliest projects which was constructed in 1964, sits on the edge of a rocky environment looking out into the Atlantic Sea. The tea house was influenced by Alvar Aaltos project, with its organic form and the strong relationship with the topography of the surroundings. Free and natural way it becomes part of the landscape (Siza, 1964) The Teahouse was widely influenced by Aaltos Villa Mairea (Figure 3) which was constructed in 1940, who also focused on the topography of the nearby forest to determine the design. Siza took major influence from the range of materials that Alvar Aalto used to construct the Villa, concrete that was later painted white is seen in both projects as well as the use of wood in the exterior. When studying both of the projects, you can see the major commonalities throughout the projects and the colours are also very similar. Adolf Loos was also a major influence on Alvaro Siza, Adolf Loos was an Austrian and Czech architect who was widely known in Europe for his many Modern design theories. Most of his projects consist of plain white cube shaped massing houses, with plain white faà §ade with rich materials. Although the exterior is very plain, Loos ensures the interior is the complete opposite and creates elegant marble interiors which is also referenced in Sizas works. One of the projects where it is evident that Siza had taken much influence from Adolf Loos work was the large-scale project, Malagueira housing (Figure 4) which was constructed from 1977-1997 on the outskirts of Evora near Lisbon. The Malaguiera housing are white cube shaped which develop the geometry and repetition of the housing but still obtains a wide range of architectural diversity. They are completely plain and lack decoration of any sort. These characteristics are very common in Adolf Loos Moissi House (Figure 5), constructed in 1922, with the form being a plain white cube shaped house with a very balanced arrangement of the windows and no decorations throughout the building. Another building where there is clear influence of Adolf Loos in Sizas projects, is the Avelino Duarte House, situated in Ovar and completed in 1985. The Duarte House is again, a white cube shaped building, with equally proportioned windows and no other decoration, it is a very simplistic design for the exterior, however the interior is very elegant,  containing marble walls and surfaces. This project was particularly influenced bt Adolf Loos Steiner House, which is also a white exterior with marble interior. Alvaro Siza seeked reference from Le Corbusier who is a Modernist architect of French and Swiss descent who at the time of Sizas studies, was one of the most well-known and successful, early Modernist architect in Europe. Le Corbusier is a rationalist, which means he looks for naturalness through formulating a design theory which leads him to his final ideas. painting, architecture, sculpture are a unique phenomena of plastic nature in the service of poetic research (Corbusier, 1953) Although Siza and Le Corbusier produced their projects in complete different design processes, Siza managed to study Le Corbusiers projects and contextualise them in his own designs. Le Corbusier works mainly with elemental geometric forms and chiefly constructed his buildings using steel and reinforced concrete. In Alvaro Sizas project which is called Iberà ª Camargo (Figure 6 7) situated in Porto Alegre, Brazil and constructed in 2000 is an obvious comparison to Le Corbusier. The building was designe d using geometric triangular shapes and constructed with reinforced white concrete which can be seen on the exterior faà §ade. The Ibere Camargo Gallery is similar to Le Corbusiers Gymnasium in Baghdad (Figure 8) which has a very rich expressiveness of reinforced concrete and geometric shapes seen throughout the entire building. Siza has a very interesting way of designing his projects which ensures he never fails to attract the attention of visitors. The starting point for his design process is found in the site that the project is situated in but this is faced with an a priori theory, the project is emphasised either through thorough examination of the nature surrounding the site, seeking a similar proportion and simplicity of the nature, or it is found in the man-made work that is already in the surrounding. Alvaro Sizas designs complement and enhance the surrounding by the simplicity of the designs, which also contrast with the nature by otherness which is also complemented sometimes in the form of the design through the use of geometric shapes in the plans. Although Siza tries to soften this alterity and contrast between man-made and nature, by adding in plants and trees that grow across the buildings. Overall, Alvaro Siza has a unique and fascinating way of designing architecture. His wide knowledge of Modernist architects made an enormous impact on his designs which could be seen in many projects stated above. His interaction with nature makes his architecture influential and have a clarity to them. References: Castanheira, C (2014). à lvaro Siza; The Function of Beauty. London: Phaidon Press. p150-280. Frampton, K (2000). Alvaro Siza: Complete Works. 3rd ed. London: Phaidon Press. p50-570. Jodido, P (2014). Siza: Complete Works 1952-2013. London: Taschen. p130-340. Sampaio, C. (2015). Alvar Aalto and à lvaro Siza. The Link between Architecture and Nature in the Construction of Place. 1 (3), 14. Siza, A (2007). ÃÆ'lvaro Siza. Japan: TOTO Shuppan. p230-270.

The Form of Non-Traditional Blazon Essay -- Shakespearean Literature

In the sixteenth century, poems in blazon format were very popular. Blazon is a technique that â€Å"described the position and relation of one picture to another†. (The Overview of â€Å"Sonnet 130†, Woolway). This technique was to illustrate the main features of the subject, usually a female body. Popular blazon would start from the bottom to the top of the body. For example, like hair, eyes, lips, breasts, and so on. Occasionally, it would start from the bottom to top, starting with feet, legs and so on. Woolway points, â€Å"This form was well suited to the style of courtly love poetry that was flourishing at the time, as it allowed writers to project an idea of an idealized and distant woman whose features they could admire from afar† (The Overview of â€Å"Sonnet 130†). From the beginning, readers could easily define the subject Shakespeare portrays. The Mistress was detailed in humorous tone, which negates the typical blazon. The striking first four lines of the poem contradict the common blazon. Traditionally, blazon is to compliment and praise the subject’s features, and not to insult, which in this case, the Mistress. However, Shakespeare does not ignore the format and goes forth describing her from head to toe. Shakespeare started the first four lines picturing the Mistress’ eyes, lips, breast and hair. Symbolically, eyes, lips breast and hair are essential clichà © features of a female beauty. Nevertheless, from his intense sketch of her features, he portrayed that she does not carry any representation of beauty. From the simile in line one; Shakespeare negates the comparison of the Mistress to the sun: â€Å"My Mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;† (Woolway). Line two to three mentions the shades like red cor al, and â€Å"dun†. Coral is a fami... ...simile and metaphor brought enriching imagery to the readers. The poem was written with insults and mockery, but with the unexpected flattery showed the author’s love for the Mistress and his poetic practices of love through volta. Works Cited Napierkowski, Marie Rose. â€Å"Overview: ‘Sonnet 130.’† Poetry for Students 1 (1998): n. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 23 Mar. 2012. Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Sonnet 130.† Literature: A Portable Anthology. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 467. Print. â€Å"Volta.† Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 1995. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 23 Mar. 2012. . Woolway, Joanne. â€Å"An overview of â€Å"Sonnet 130†.† Poetry for Students: n. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 23 Mar. 2012.

Is it Possible to Forecast Financial Schenanigans Essay -- essays rese

Introduction I found Peregrine’s story on the Internet while doing a Google search. As I was reading â€Å"Financial Shenanigans† from Horward Schilit to prepare for the level 2 of the CFA examination, I decided to have a closer look at the financial statements of Peregrine Systems Inc. that were published before the shenanigans became publicly known (in May 2002) in order to detect those shenanigans solely based on those financial statements – more specifically on the forms 10K filed by Peregrine between 1998 an 2001. Here is a summary of the story, quoted from the court that had to rule on those irregularities: 1.Peregrine Systems, Inc. (â€Å"Peregrine†) was a computer software company headquartered in San Diego, California. Peregrine was incorporated in California in 1981 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1994. From its initial public offering (â€Å"IPO†) in April 1997 until it was delisted on August 30, 2002, Peregrine was a publicly held corporation whose shares were registered securities traded under the symbol â€Å"PRGN† on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation system (â€Å"NASDAQ†), a national securities exchange that used the means and instrumentalities of interstate commerce and the mails. 2. Peregrine developed and sold business software and related services. Software license fees accounted for the bulk of Peregrine’s publicly reported revenues. Peregrine sold its software directly through its own sales organization and indirectly through resellers such as value added resellers and systems integrators. 3. From its IPO in April 1997 through the quarter ended June 2001, Peregrine reported 17 consecutive quarters of revenue growth, always meeting or beating securities analysts’ expectations. Peregrine's stock price soared from its April 1997 IPO price of approximately $2.25 per share (split adjusted) to approximately $80 per share in March 2000. By March 2002, Peregrine had issued over 192 million shares. 4. In May 2002, Peregrine disclosed that its prior public reports had been materially false and that it had employed a variety of devices, schemes and fraudulent accounting practices over an extended period of time in order to portray itself as far more healthy and successful that it actually was. After Peregrine disclosed its true financial results and condition, its stock price dropped precipitously and now trades at below $1 per share... ...the shrinking size of the 10K that went from 1330 pages in 1999 to 154 pages in 2001. That implies that the company disclosed significantly less information on the way it constructed its financial statements. This study also found some weaker warnings, but failed to find the heart of the gimmicks. I don’t think that those warnings could lead to any conclusion by themselves, as there may be some noise even in a healthy company. What actually happened? Peregrine:  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inflated revenue by recording sales to resellers that weren’t finals  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sold false invoices to banks  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Improperly accounted for cash collection  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Improperly wrote off receivables  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Improperly accounted for stock options  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Failed to maintained adequate books and records It seems that even if they inflated revenue, they had a strong business activity (even if it wasn’t as large as what their statements indicated) – the other gimmicks didn’t involve revenue. Their stock price, which hit a low of $2.25 during the crisis, is now trading in the $20 range Is it Possible to Forecast Financial Schenanigans Essay -- essays rese Introduction I found Peregrine’s story on the Internet while doing a Google search. As I was reading â€Å"Financial Shenanigans† from Horward Schilit to prepare for the level 2 of the CFA examination, I decided to have a closer look at the financial statements of Peregrine Systems Inc. that were published before the shenanigans became publicly known (in May 2002) in order to detect those shenanigans solely based on those financial statements – more specifically on the forms 10K filed by Peregrine between 1998 an 2001. Here is a summary of the story, quoted from the court that had to rule on those irregularities: 1.Peregrine Systems, Inc. (â€Å"Peregrine†) was a computer software company headquartered in San Diego, California. Peregrine was incorporated in California in 1981 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1994. From its initial public offering (â€Å"IPO†) in April 1997 until it was delisted on August 30, 2002, Peregrine was a publicly held corporation whose shares were registered securities traded under the symbol â€Å"PRGN† on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation system (â€Å"NASDAQ†), a national securities exchange that used the means and instrumentalities of interstate commerce and the mails. 2. Peregrine developed and sold business software and related services. Software license fees accounted for the bulk of Peregrine’s publicly reported revenues. Peregrine sold its software directly through its own sales organization and indirectly through resellers such as value added resellers and systems integrators. 3. From its IPO in April 1997 through the quarter ended June 2001, Peregrine reported 17 consecutive quarters of revenue growth, always meeting or beating securities analysts’ expectations. Peregrine's stock price soared from its April 1997 IPO price of approximately $2.25 per share (split adjusted) to approximately $80 per share in March 2000. By March 2002, Peregrine had issued over 192 million shares. 4. In May 2002, Peregrine disclosed that its prior public reports had been materially false and that it had employed a variety of devices, schemes and fraudulent accounting practices over an extended period of time in order to portray itself as far more healthy and successful that it actually was. After Peregrine disclosed its true financial results and condition, its stock price dropped precipitously and now trades at below $1 per share... ...the shrinking size of the 10K that went from 1330 pages in 1999 to 154 pages in 2001. That implies that the company disclosed significantly less information on the way it constructed its financial statements. This study also found some weaker warnings, but failed to find the heart of the gimmicks. I don’t think that those warnings could lead to any conclusion by themselves, as there may be some noise even in a healthy company. What actually happened? Peregrine:  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inflated revenue by recording sales to resellers that weren’t finals  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sold false invoices to banks  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Improperly accounted for cash collection  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Improperly wrote off receivables  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Improperly accounted for stock options  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Failed to maintained adequate books and records It seems that even if they inflated revenue, they had a strong business activity (even if it wasn’t as large as what their statements indicated) – the other gimmicks didn’t involve revenue. Their stock price, which hit a low of $2.25 during the crisis, is now trading in the $20 range

Intrusion Detection Systems Essay

A user with full permissions and who misuse his powers. Clandestine user: A user who acts as a supervisor and tries to use his privileges so as to avoid being captured. [edit] Types of intrusion detection systems For the purpose of dealing with IT, there are two main types of IDS: Network intrusion detection system (NIDS) It is an independent platform that identifies intrusions by examining network traffic and monitors multiple hosts. Network intrusion detection systems gain access to network traffic by connecting to a network hub, network switch configured for port mirroring, or network tap. In a NIDS, sensors are located at choke points in the network to be monitored, often in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) or at network borders. Sensors captures all network traffic and analyzes the content of individual packets for malicious traffic. An example of a NIDS is Snort. Host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS) It consists of an agent on a host that identifies intrusions by analyzing system calls, application logs, file-system modifications (binaries, password files, capability databases, Access control lists, etc. ) and other host activities and state. In a HIDS, sensors usually consist of a software agent. Some application-based IDS are also part of this category. An example of a HIDS is OSSEC. Intrusion detection systems can also be system-specific using custom tools and honeypots. In the case of physical building security, IDS is defined as an alarm system designed to detect unauthorized entry. [edit] Passive and/or reactive systems In a passive system, the intrusion detection system (IDS) sensor detects a potential security breach, logs the information and signals an alert on the console and or owner. In a reactive system, also known as an intrusion prevention system (IPS), the IPS auto-responds to the suspicious activity by resetting the connection or by reprogramming the firewall to block network traffic from the suspected malicious source. The term IDPS is commonly used where this can happen automatically or at the command of an operator; systems that both â€Å"detect† (alert) and/or â€Å"prevent. † [edit] Comparison with firewalls Though they both relate to network security, an intrusion detection system (IDS) differs from a firewall in that a firewall looks outwardly for intrusions in order to stop them from happening.

Is Any Body Out There? Essay

‘The machine is not an it to be animated, worshipped, and dominated. The machine is us, our processes, an aspect of our embodiment. ’ (Haraway, 1991: 180) My paper starts with the recognition that Information, Communications and Telecommunication technologies (ICTs) are certain to play a central role in defining who we are, how we think and how we relate to one another. The guiding principle for my work, is that although change is an inevitable result of the conjunction between people and technology, the nature and extent of human intervention profoundly influences its shape and character. What I believe to be important changes in the nature of the body, subjectivity and identity are the key concerns of this paper. I want to explore these terms and the debates surrounding them with particular reference to developments in ICTs. Rather than focus on more esoteric examples of technological development, I will restrict my discussion to the Internet and computer games. My theoretical touchstones for this discussion are feminism and postmodernism, primarily because they have both been implicated and implicit in discussions of cyberculture and the possibility of social change that it represents. Postmodernism, that most polysemic of terms, seems nevertheless to be discussed along a continuum between the utopian and dystopian, particularly when considering the possibilities for social change. Whichever reading is made of the term, notions of profoundly fragmented subjectivities and identities appear almost as constants. This seems particularly apparent in feminist responses to postmodernism. Feminists have broadly read postmodernism as either a threat to feminist social criticism or an opportunity for the questioning and contestation of notions of gender and sexuality (presenting the possibility of re-inscription of the body in post-gender terms). Baudrillarian postmodernism sees the collapse of our referential universe, including its hierarchies and inequalities, as offering little hope for social criticism and change. This is a problematic position for much feminist thought, because of feminism’s identification of clear oppressive structures that can only be changed by unified social action by women. For Baudrillard, the descent into a mediated hyperreality offers us only the politics of refusal (to act) and the pleasures of the spectacle. In a short article, published in Liberation, he suggests that developments in media technologies have resulted only in ‘panic and resentment’, transforming us into ‘free radicals searching for our molecules in a scanty cyberspace’ (Baudrillard, 1995: 2). Here we have a clear sense of our corporeal bodies exchanged for atomised virtual bodies in what we might think of as life behind the screen. Although Baudrillard has not written specifically of the Internet, he has clearly indicated a belief that media technologies have accelerated the transition form the ‘real’ to the ‘hyperreal’. Baudrillard’s assertion that the ‘Gulf War never happened’ is his most memorable and misconstrued example of media induced hyperreality2. Following Baudrillard, Mark Nunes has suggested that an element of this shift to hyperreality has been the erosion of the realm of representation and the establishment of a mode of simulation. This new mode has produced, in cyberspace, an ‘increasingly real simulation of a comprehensible world’ (Nunes, 1995: 5). In The Ecstasy of Communication (1988), Baudrillard outlined the fate of the ‘real’, with particular reference to our corporeal bodies and their associated subjectivities and identities: â€Å"As soon as behaviour is focused on certain operational screens or terminals, the rest appears as some vast, useless body, which has been both abandoned and condemned. The real itself appears as a large, futile body. † (Baudrillard, 1988) For Baudrillard, the virtual world we are coming to inhabit is far from the global village envisioned by Marshall McLuhan in the late 1960s (McLuhan and Fiore, 1967). The rather comforting term, global village, was grounded in the assumption that ICTs would act as ‘extensions of man’ and serve to expand our knowable world and increase global interdependence. Baudrillard’s cyberspace is a colder, more desolate space, where information has no meaning because it has been dislocated from its referential universe. In an article on global debt, Baudrillard claims that information about debt is meaningless because the debt can never be repaid. However, whilst having no financial meaning, the spectre of debt still has a purpose: â€Å"It has no meaning but that of binding humankind to a destiny of cerebral automation and mental underdevelopment. † (Baudrillard: 2) For Baudrillard, both global debt and global media are so pervasive that they deaden any attempts at social change. There is too much to watch and to worry about to lift our heads from the screens and contemplate progressive social change. This pessimistic postmodernism hardly seems to offer a productive base for the re-definition of identities and subjectivities central to feminist theorising. One of the difficulties with this strand of postmodernism is the seemingly totalising belief in fragmentation and alienation which it asserts, whilst dismissing totalising explanatory categories such as race, gender, ethnicity and class. Such categories of inequality have until recently been seen as both the impediments to progressive social change and the means by which to agitate for such change. Baudrillarian postmodernism seems to sweep away these tools for liberation and domination. As Mark Poster has suggested: â€Å"The postmodern position is limited to an insistence on the constructedness of identity. In the effort to avoid the pitfalls of modern political theory, then, postmodern theory sharply restricts the scope of its ability to define a new political interest. † (Poster, 1995: 2). Anyone interested in progressive social change must surely ask if the transition to a simulated virtual world is really so contingent on a loss of value and meaning? To restate the question: is there anything left beyond Baudrillard’s morose fatalism? Many of those staking their claims on the electronic frontier of the Internet see themselves engaged in the construction of value-laden (and decidedly masculine) virtual worlds predicated on existing notions of subjectivity, identity and wider democratic concerns. Few pioneers of the Internet lack a sense of meaning and purpose. For instance, Mitch Kapor, founder of the US-based Electronic Frontier Foundation3, has little doubt about the guiding principles of the Foundation’s vision of cyberspace: â€Å"Life in cyberspace †¦ at its best is more egalitarian than elitist and more de-centred than hierarchical †¦ In fact, life in cyberspace seems to be shaping up exactly how Thomas Jefferson would have wanted: founded on the primacy of individual liberty and commitment to pluralism, diversity and community. † (Kapor in Nunes, 1995: 7) Kapor’s assessment of cyberspace is deeply contradictory. We are first offered a vision of a de-centred and egalitarian virtual space, then this is overlain with a Western (more accurately, North American) view of democracy based solidly on the primacy of the individual (neat shorthand for capitalist social organisation). Kapor’s vision seems to belie the supposedly fragmented and schizophrenic domain of cyberspace, which Baudrillard puts forward. Citizens of the Internet appear to be taking their cultural and social baggage with them on their journey to the other side of the mirror. Although existing structures of inequality are, I would argue, becoming apparent in cyberspace4, they may be even more heavily contested than they have been in ‘real’ space. The Internet, because of its decentralised structure seems to militate against unified concepts of citizenship and community and presents a heterogeneity of subjectivities and identities. Whilst people may wish to transfer the more stable values of the real into the realm of simulation, such attempts are often contested5. Resistance is more likely because virtuality, almost by definition, reveals the constructed nature of subjectivities and identities. The case of Louise Woodward reveals the jarring effect of juxtaposing contradictory identities and positions. In the domain of cyberspace (enabled by the trans-frontier nature of satellite technology), the reduction of Woodward’s sentence was presented simultaneously with celebrations at the Rigger pub in the English village of Elton. Judging from the Internet discussion group provided by the local Boston newspaper, American opinion was deeply offended by the virtual co-presence of the jubilant villagers and their assumption of Woodward’s innocence. For many contributors to the American discussion, the villagers appeared to be ‘dancing on the grave’ of a dead child. Before the advent of instantaneous cross-cultural communication such juxtapositions would not have been possible. Virtuality offers this co-presence, but the reaction to it in this case, seems to support claims that such cultural encounters are replete with struggle and meaning, rather than free of them. A posting by Katie is typical of the angry and mystified response of many American contributors to the clash of co-present cultural identities. Without a Doubt, Louise Woodward *IS* Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! by Katie, 11/6/97 As I said in other postings†¦ Poor Louise Woodward†¦ she loved eight-month old, innocent Matthew Eappen†¦ so she wrote to her family and friends back in England†¦ she did not see Matty hurt his head she testified teary eyed†¦ but smiled broadly and gave a little laugh when next she was asked if she slammed Matty’s head. Poor Louise. Woodward†¦ 27 seconds after the guilty verdict was announced she became hysterical†¦ (aah!how sad, she is just a child, such injustice, cried Geraldo, Gibson, and the like)†¦ her hysterics lasted all of 118 seconds†¦ minutes later she left the courtroom unassisted, composed, and dried eyed. Poor Matthew Eappen†¦ the media decided to focus on poor Louise Woodward. In the realm of cyberspace we become arbiters of the identities and positions paraded before us. Of course, our existing cultural ties have a considerable impact on who we choose to identify with us, but we cannot ignore the co-presence of other identities, which call into question the construction of our own. Texter has identified the Internet as the first stage in the construction of a virtual reality, towards the manufacture of identity without the corporeal body: â€Å"The social construction of the body becomes clear in cyberspace, where every identity is represented [for Baudrillard, simulated], rather than ‘real’. The consensus of cyberspace is a precarious one; identification is entirely contingent, based on a consensual agreement to take one’s word for it. † (Texter, 1996: 3) Texter suggests identity in cyberspace is often about ‘passing off’, offering up a fluid sense of self, projected onto an imaginary virtual body. As a slight corrective, I think it is important not to exaggerate the difference between the creation of real world identities and virtual ones. Judith Butler contends that the constitution of identity (with particular reference to gender) is always something of an unstable and contradictory performance, whether simulated or real: â€Å"Gender ought not to be construed as a stable identity or a locus of agency from which various acts follow, rather, gender is an identity tenuously constituted in time, instituted in an exterior space through a stylised repetition of acts. † (Butler in Texter, 1996: 4) Perhaps what the Internet does, by removing the visual cues that partly gender us, is open up possibilities for experimentation and play with existing manifestations of subjectivity. Here, the work of Dona Haraway is particularly important. Haraway’s influential Cyborg Manifesto (1985) has inspired other cyber-feminists, such as Sadie Plant, to foresee a post-gender future where existing boundaries and categories no longer have the profound structuring effects that have resulted in gender inequalities under patriarchy. Haraway’s work marks a profound break with feminist thought that posits a unified category of ‘women’, who can only be liberated by the development of collective consciousness and action. â€Å"There is nothing about being female that naturally binds women. There is not even such a state as ‘being’ female, itself a highly complex category constructed in contested social-scientific discourses and other social practices. † (Haraway in Keen: 1) Haraway’s profoundly anti-essentialist analysis rests on the notion of the cyborg, an entity based on the conjunction between technology and our selves. Haraway contends that we are ‘all cyborgs now’, because of our immersion in, and dependence on, techno-culture. She does not mean to suggest that we are robots in the Science Fiction sense, but that the relationship between people and technology is so intimate, that it is hard to tell where machines and people end and begin. As an example of our close relationship with technology, try to wrestle the TV remote control away from its regular user (who is also often, coincidentally, the male ‘head of the household’). For Haraway, we have come to see our bodies as high-performance machines that must be monitored and added to by technological innovation. Given that the boundaries between the natural and the technological have collapsed, then so have the assumptions that cluster around these terms. For instance, the belief that women are ‘naturally’ passive, submissive and nurturing can no longer be sustained in the era of the cyborg. The cyborg displays a ‘polymorphous perversity (Haraway in Kunzru, 1997: 4), and in conjunction with technology constructs identity, sexuality and gender as it pleases. Haraway has little time for either techno-utopians or the knee-jerk techno-phobia she sees in some feminist thought. She urges women to become part of networks (such as the Internet) that constitute the cyborg world. However, her ideas of connectivity should not be taken to equate with existing concepts of community based on the model of organic family. For her, the cyborg has no fear of ‘partial identities and contradictory standpoints’ (Quoted in Keen: 2). What is not allowable in the cyborg world, is a call to arms around a unified notion of ‘women’ posed against an equally cohesive notion of ‘men’. Butler’s work on the performative nature of gender reaches many of the same conclusions, regarding the category of ‘women’ central to much feminist thought as limiting and exclusive. She argues that feminist theory â€Å"has taken the category of women to be foundational without realising that the category effects a political closure on the kinds of experiences articulable as part of feminist discourse. † (Butler in Nicholson (Ed. ), 1990: 325) Post-structuralist feminism has long attempted to question the essentialising concept of gender in feminist thought, but some writers have been wary of jettisoning gender as a unifying and explanatory category for the nature of women’s oppression. Angela McRobbie, who is by no means hostile to postmodernism or post-structuralism, has expressed the tension poignantly, in a discussion of the nature of identity: â€Å"On the one hand, it is fluid, never completely secured and constantly being remade, reconstructed afresh. On the other hand, it only exists in relation to what it is not, to the other identities which are its other. † (Quoted in Texter, 1995: 18) I broadly accept McRobbie’s argument that any re-definition of identity needs something to define itself against. I would further argue that our existing tools for the construction of identities are drawn from often narrow and predictable paradigms, particularly when commercial considerations become part of the process. In my concluding section I would like to offer an example of how the structuring effects of gender seem to be still very apparent in the more mainstream sectors of cyberspace. Two computer games have secured huge followings in the last couple of years. Both are touted as offering virtual reality experiences (although without the headsets and gloves of experimental virtual reality). Quake and Tomb Raider are available across a variety of computer and video game platforms and both render quite ‘real’ simulated virtual worlds to explore and three-dimensional adversaries to shoot at6. My first example, Quake, presents us with a subjective view of our virtual world. Screen-shot: the view through your eyes. We, as the heavily armed protagonist, are able to freely roam through this world. All we see of our virtual self is the end of whichever weapon we have selected. In Quake we see the virtual world through our own eyes. When we are low on energy we hear our breathing become laboured. When we are killed we view the world from a prone position (our subjectivity seems to survive death) until the text ‘Game Over’ appears. The sound of our breathing and the grunts that emanate from us are decidedly masculine. Quake offers us an uncomplicated masculine gender identity based on the idea of identification with a male protagonist who drives the narrative towards a possible (although not inevitable) resolution. Quake closely conforms to the observations made by Laura Mulvey on the dominance of the male gaze in narrative cinema. Mulvey, writing in the early 1970s, suggested that Hollywood Cinema routinely places the active male at the centre of the narrative and invites us to identify with this character, which through force of personality, brings about narrative resolution. It is somewhat depressing to note that the virtual reality offered by Quake is such an unreconstructed one. The fit with Mulvey is very close: â€Å"As the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist, he projects his look onto that of his like, his screen surrogate, so that the power of the male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the egoistic look, both giving a satisfying sense of omnipotence. † (Mulvey in Easthope and McGowan, 1992: 163) In Quake identification is aided by the conflation of the male protagonist with our selves, perhaps even intensifying our ‘satisfying omnipotence’. Even if we read Quake ‘against the grain’ in a Barthesian sense (as some of my women friends do), it is hard to argue that this commercial manifestation of virtual reality offers us anything but a very clear, uncomplicated subject position to inhabit. What we do not get with Quake, is much space within the text to contest existing gender categories. My second example, Tomb Raider, offers a much more ambivalent experience. In this game, the main protagonist is a heavily armed female character identified as Lara Croft. Unlike in Quake, Lara is represented on-screen. She is modelled in the Anime style that originated in Japanese ‘graphic novels’ and animations. Lara, as can be seen from the screen shot below, is both attractive and physically powerful. Screen-shot: Lara Croft on-screen A number of my female students raised the issue of Tomb Raider in a discussion on the gendering of video games and said that they regularly played the game and found it an empowering experience (partly because of the novelty of having a female protagonist to identify with). Having played video and computer games since the late 1970s I was interested by the notion of a game that seemed to contradict the usual masculine gendering usually found within this medium. Although Lara does drive the narrative, she is also heavily eroticised. We control her movements and identify with her, but she is also the object of our gaze7. Mulvey suggests that female characters in narrative cinema often halt the narrative flow (Mulvey in Easthope & McGowan, 1992: 163) for moments of ‘erotic contemplation’. Initially, the active narrative role of the protagonist in Tomb Raider seems to defy this, but the game does encourage us to gaze at Lara ‘though male eyes’. We can manipulate our view of the character to see her from a range of angles using movements of the frame that closely resemble cinematic zooms, tracking shots and pans. These features make the game-play rather clumsy but allow us to fetishise the protagonist. As Mulvey comments on narrative cinema: â€Å"[This fetishism] builds up the physical beauty of the object transforming it into something satisfying in itself. † (Ibid. 165) This perhaps explains why, when I first played the game, I spent some time making Lara perform a variety of acrobatic manoeuvres that were far removed from the task of killing adversaries. The ambivalence in Tomb Raider lies in the unusual tension between its basis in the male gaze and its simultaneous identification with an active female protagonist. That my female students felt empowered by, and attracted to, Tomb Raider, suggests it does mark a shift in conceptions of subjectivity and identity. However, this shift is not total and still appears to be rooted in existing gender definitions. Whilst some of the claims of cyber-feminism seem overstated, and rather too willing to claim the existence of a virtual space where traditional dualisms and hierarchies have collapsed, virtuality may offer new sites for contestation and the expression of difference. Indeed, in a recent interview, Dona Haraway has suggested that technology is a value-laden area of contestation rather than a blank screen to be straightforwardly inscribed with new subjectivities and identities: â€Å"Technology is not neutral. We’re inside of what we make, and it’s inside of us. We’re living in a world of connections and it matters which get made and unmade. † (Haraway in Kunzru: 1997: 6) I am conscious of having steered a fairly delicate and cautious course through the hazards and attractions of structuralism, post-structuralism and postmodernism throughout this paper. I recognise that the body is becoming an increasingly contested site of theoretical debates and diverse social and cultural practices. The erosion of subjectivities and identities seems to be closely bound up with the heightened sense of mediation and virtuality that inflects the way we view the world, and equally importantly, how it views us. Postmodernism helps us trace the shifts from unified to fragmented subjectivities and identities, but it is a poor tool for investigating the possibilities of social change and identifiying the barriers to it. I have tried to show how the tools of structuralism still have salience, even when applied to the texts of cyberspace. It would perhaps be convenient to wish away the seemingly intractable hierarchies posited by structuralism, but to do so might also lessen the space for cohesive social criticism and unified political action. This is clearly a tension felt by many feminists and certainly not one I have managed to resolve in this paper. What I hope I have done, is to point out the necessity of retaining some existing explanatory categories, whilst recognising the need for constant reflection on, and reaction to, changing subjectivities and identities both in the ‘real’ world and the emerging virtual world. If Baudrillard is proved right, and we do eventually come to exclusively inhabit a rather hyperreal and schizophrenic virtual world, the need for critical engagement will surely be more vital than ever, however difficult and contradictory such critical practice might prove to be. Notes 1 Much writing on subjectivity and identity in cyberspace uses marginal practices as illustrative examples. I think this focus on what might fairly be called an avant-garde often descends into futurology. The mainstream may not be as exotic, but it is where most of us live, and will live, in the future. 2 What Baudrillard seems to have meant was that the Gulf War never happened for those of us in the West, beyond the simulated hyperreality of ‘surgical strikes’ and Cruise missiles with the ability to wait at traffic lights and avoid innocent civilians on the way to their targets. 3 The use of the term electronic frontier indicates powerful myths of male colonisation, the establishment of laws and the hierarchical regulation of behaviour. 4 According to UNESCO 95% of the world’s computers are located in advanced industrial countries and the ten richest countries have 75% of the world’s telephone lines. Networking and poverty seem to be effectively de-coupled at the moment 5 For example, the on-line group Guerrilla Girls are working against the masculine domination of cyberspace, albeit in a playfully aggressive and ironic manner. 6 Quake can be played across computer networks and has been held responsible for jamming up corporate networks in North America. 7 There are a number of Internet sites devoted to Tomb Raider. All of them contain numerous screen-shots of Lara Croft. On one site there were even a collection of images of Lara sans clothing, suggesting that male identification with Lara is rooted largely in objectification. Select Bibliography Note: Where publication dates are not listed this is because the material is drawn from Internet articles where such dates are absent. Internet addresses are given where known. †¢ Baudrillard, J (1988): ‘The Ecstasy of Communication’, Semiotext(e) (trans. Bernard Schutz & Caroline Schutze) †¢ Baudrillard, J (n. d. ): ‘Global Debt and Parallel Universe’, [WWW document] URL , first published in Liberation, Paris (trans. Francois Debrix). http://www. Ctheory. com/e31_global_debt. html †¢ Baudrillard, J (1994): ‘Plastic Surgery for the Other’, [WWW document] URL , Figures de l’alteritie (trans. Francois Debrix). http://www. Ctheory. com/a33-plastic_surgery. html †¢ Butler, Judith (1990): ‘Gender Trouble, Feminist Theory, and Psychoanalytic Discourse’ in Nicholson (Ed.) op. cit. , pp. 324-41 †¢ Easthope, A and K McGowan (Eds. ) (1992). A Critical and Cultural Theory Reader, Buckingham: Open University Press †¢ Haraway, Dona (1990): ‘A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism in the 1980s’. In Nicholson (Ed. ) op. cit. , pp. 190-234 †¢ Keen, Carolyn (n. d. ): On the Cyborg Manifesto, [WWW document] URL http://www. english. upenn. edu/~jenglish/Courses/keen2. html †¢ Kunzru, Hari (1997): ‘You are Cyborg’ in Wired, Issue 5. 02 †¢ McLuhan, Marshall and Quentin Fiore (1967): The Medium is the Massage. London: Penguin. †¢ Mulvey, Laura (1992): ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’. In Easthope and McGowan (Eds. ), op. cit. , pp 158-67 †¢ Nicholson, Linda J (Ed. ) (1990): Feminism/Postmodernism. London: Routledge †¢ Nunes, Mark (1995): ‘Baudrillard in Cyberspace: Internet, Virtuality, and Postmodernity’, http://www. dc. peachnet. edu/~mnunes/jbnet. html †¢ Pesce, Mark (n. d. ): ‘Proximal or Distal Unity’, Cyberconference Home Page, http://www. hyperreal. com/~mpesce †¢ Poster, Mark (1995): Cyber Democracy: The Internet and the Public Sphere http://www. hotwired. com/wired/3. 11/departments/poster. if. html. †¢ Sawchuk, K A (1995): ‘Post Panoptic Mirrored Worlds’, Ctheory, [WWW document] URL http://www. 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