Linguistics writing Essay Example for Free

Linguistics writing Essay Literacy is the ability to read and write[1]. The inability to do so is called illiteracy or analphabetism. Visual literacy includes in addition the ability to understand visual forms of communication such as body language,[2] pictures, maps, and video. Evolving definitions of literacy often include all the symbol systems relevant to a particular community. Literacy encompasses a complex set of abilities to understand and use the dominant symbol systems of a culture for personal and community development. In a technological society, the concept of literacy is expanding to include the media and electronic text, in addition to alphabetic and number systems. These abilities vary in different social and cultural contexts according to need, demand and education. The primary sense of literacy still represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from a critical interpretation of the written or printed text. Key to all literacy is reading development, a progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken words and decode written words, and culminates in the deep understanding of text. Reading development involves a range of complex language underpinnings including awareness of speech sounds (phonology), spelling patterns (orthography), word meaning (semantics), grammar (syntax) and patterns of word formation (morphology), all of which provide a necessary platform for reading fluency and comprehension. Once these skills are acquired the reader can attain full language literacy, which includes the abilities to approach printed material with critical analysis, inference and synthesis; to write with accuracy and coherence; and to use information and insights from text as the basis for informed decisions and creative thought. [3] The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society. [4]Literacy is the ability to read and write[1]. The inability to do so is called illiteracy or analphabetism. Visual literacy includes in addition the ability to understand visual forms of communication such as body language,[2] pictures, maps, and video. Evolving definitions of literacy often include all the symbol systems relevant to a particular community. Literacy encompasses a complex set of abilities to understand and use the dominant symbol systems of a culture for personal and community development. In a technological society, the concept of literacy is expanding to include the media and electronic text, in addition to alphabetic and number systems. These abilities vary in different social and cultural contexts according to need, demand and education. The primary sense of literacy still represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from a critical interpretation of the written or printed text. Key to all literacy is reading development, a progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken words and decode written words, and culminates in the deep understanding of text. Reading development involves a range of complex language underpinnings including awareness of speech sounds (phonology), spelling patterns (orthography), word meaning (semantics), grammar (syntax) and patterns of word formation (morphology), all of which provide a necessary platform for reading fluency and comprehension. Once these skills are acquired the reader can attain full language literacy, which includes the abilities to approach printed material with critical analysis, inference and synthesis; to write with accuracy and coherence; and to use information and insights from text as the basis for informed decisions and creative thought. [3] The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society. [4] Literacy is the ability to read and write[1]. The inability to do so is called illiteracy or analphabetism. Visual literacy includes in addition the ability to understand visual forms of communication such as body language,[2] pictures, maps, and video. Evolving definitions of literacy often include all the symbol systems relevant to a particular community. Literacy encompasses a complex set of abilities to understand and use the dominant symbol systems of a culture for personal and community development. In a technological society, the concept of literacy is expanding to include the media and electronic text, in addition to alphabetic and number systems. These abilities vary in different social and cultural contexts according to need, demand and education. The primary sense of literacy still represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from a critical interpretation of the written or printed text. Key to all literacy is reading development, a progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken words and decode written words, and culminates in the deep understanding of text. Reading development involves a range of complex language underpinnings including awareness of speech sounds (phonology), spelling patterns (orthography), word meaning (semantics), grammar (syntax) and patterns of word formation (morphology), all of which provide a necessary platform for reading fluency and comprehension. Once these skills are acquired the reader can attain full language literacy, which includes the abilities to approach printed material with critical analysis, inference and synthesis; to write with accuracy and coherence; and to use information and insights from text as the basis for informed decisions and creative thought. [3] The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society. [4] Literacy is the ability to read and write[1]. The inability to do so is called illiteracy or analphabetism. Visual literacy includes in addition the ability to understand visual forms of communication such as body language,[2] pictures, maps, and video. Evolving definitions of literacy often include all the symbol systems relevant to a particular community. Literacy encompasses a complex set of abilities to understand and use the dominant symbol systems of a culture for personal and community development. In a technological society, the concept of literacy is expanding to include the media and electronic text, in addition to alphabetic and number systems. These abilities vary in different social and cultural contexts according to need, demand and education. The primary sense of literacy still represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from a critical interpretation of the written or printed text. Key to all literacy is reading development, a progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken words and decode written words, and culminates in the deep understanding of text. Reading development involves a range of complex language underpinnings including awareness of speech sounds (phonology), spelling patterns (orthography), word meaning (semantics), grammar (syntax) and patterns of word formation (morphology), all of which provide a necessary platform for reading fluency and comprehension. Once these skills are acquired the reader can attain full language literacy, which includes the abilities to approach printed material with critical analysis, inference and synthesis; to write with accuracy and coherence; and to use information and insights from text as the basis for informed decisions and creative thought. [3] The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society. [4]

Sms Based Home Appliance Control Information Technology Essay

Sms Based Home Appliance Control Information Technology Essay Security for homes and offices is an important aspect in the modern world; engineers are continuously developing unique security systems that take advantage of todays technology. GSM based zone security system is one of those unique systems that provides security. This system basically works by sending a SMS to a predetermined mobile unit within a GSM network when the security is breached. It can also be logged through a pc or laptop in order to monitor the status of the security. In todays world various types of security systems are being used in homes, offices, cars etc. All of these systems particularly the ones used at homes mainly consist of a motion detector, a siren that triggers when it receives a signal from the motion detector, a battery, a control device and an electronic card. If there is a breach in security the motion detector sends a signal to the electronic card which in turn triggers the siren to provide the warning. This is a disadvantage as these type of warnings can only be heard if there are people present close to the source of the siren and even though some of the security systems provide a warning call to a pre-determined phone (police/security company) using the fixed land line, thieves usually disrupt the phone lines leading to the failure of such security systems. Therefore it is important to remove the afore-mentioned shortcoming and provide a security system that is efficient, affordable and user friendly which can be achieved by taking advantage of the present technological infrastructure and hardware. Project Aim and Objectives The main aim of this project is to design and develop an efficient GSM based zone security system which takes advantage of the existing GSM infrastructure and hardware components that can be used at homes and offices. The project will focus on the following specific objectives:- To develop and enhance a security system that sends the user a SMS when the security is breached. To test the GSM based security system on a simulator. To build a security system that can be logged through a PC or laptop in order to monitor the status of the security. To put forward a security system that will make it difficult to be breached by burglars. To tell the benefits of the GSM based Zone security system compared to the other normal security system. 1.3 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1Conceptual Literature According to Phillips (2006) security systems provide important protection against burglary and robbery. They are being relied more and more in the world to prevent theft especially with the current high crime rate. Norman (2007) stated that there are several types of security systems but the one that users today prefer to install at homes and businesses are wireless systems as they do not have the hassle of installing a lot of wires. They are also considered to be one of the easiest of all security alarm systems to operate. Norman (2007) highlighted that the wireless security systems use radio waves to send signals from the sensors to the control panel in order to monitor the activity within the property. The latest wireless security systems also have the ability to send data to outside sources wirelessly by using GSM. According to Fares (2003) GSM which stands for Global systems for mobile communications is basically a cellular network in which mobile phones connect to it by searching cell in the immediate vicinity. In todays world GSM has become one of the most essential items to us as it provides us with a communication channel that enables us to communicate with the world freely. With GSM came the implementation of SMS or text messaging as stated by Poole (2006). Gast (2005) stated that the security systems that work with GSM infrastructure using GSM modem are known as GSM security system. In this system when there is an occurrence of security breach the user is sent a SMS notifying him/her of the security breach. It is a reliable security system but recently Nohl (2009) stated that there are fears that the GSM itself can be breached by cracking the algorithm that is responsible for the protection of the security of the GSM. This has been denied by the GSM association that represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. They have affirmed that the GSM cannot be breached and that it is not currently possible to crack the algorithm protecting the GSM. According to Norman (2007) GSM security system consists of many other main components such as electromagnetic sensors, PIC microcontrollers, keypad etc. These components make together with the GSM modem make a very effective and reliable security system. 2.2 Related Projects 2.2.1 SMS based Home Appliance Control. This project which was done by Anand kumar 2007 is a GSM based project in which SMS is used to control home appliances. This is done by sending the instruction through SMS which would be received by the microcontroller which then decodes the instruction and after that executes the instruction by switching on the relays attached to its port to control the appliances. In this project 8051 microcontroller was used and for software Keil u-Vision 3.0 and PRO51 programmer software was used. 2.2.2 GSM based Voting Machine This project was done by John Seymour (2009). It is a GSM based project in which registered voters can send their vote through SMS. This achieved by first registering the mobile number of the voter and during that registration they are given a password. So when the user is sending a SMS vote the microcontroller will read the instruction and will first run a check whether it is a registered voter or not, if it is a registered voter then it will ask for the password and verify it. If the password is correct it will accept the vote and send back an SMS acknowledgement to the voter. The microcontroller used is an 89S52 microcontroller. 2.2.3 GSM based Remote Energy Monitoring Meter This project is a GSM based project which was done by Hussain Said (2009). This project uses GSM infrastructure to do remote monitoring and control of the energy meter located at domestic houses. This project is very useful to the Electricity Department as it would enable them to read the meter readings regularly without the need of personnel visiting each house. It basically works by using a microcontroller unit that always monitors and records the meter readings in its memory location.  Ã‚  Then these reading are sent to optimum location set by the Electricity Department. In this project 8051 microcontroller was used and for software Kiel u-Vision 3.0 and PRO51 programmer software was used 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS 3.1 Technical Proposal This project is a combination of hardware and software development. The circuit is first designed and then optimum components are selected and used for the construction of the circuit. A program is developed for the PIC microcontroller. This is done by first writing the program in C programming and then compiling it in MikroC. Several tests are done to make sure that they are all working successfully. After that the hardware development and the software development are combined. Then Visual Basic program is written for interfacing. Then an overall test is done to see if the whole project is working successfully. Block Diagram of the Methodology used in this Project. Start Project Design Circuit Design Develop Program for PIC Test program on PIC Simulator Construct Circuit Troubleshoot Develop VB for Interfacing Combination of Hardware and Software Final Testing Troubleshooting END 3.2 Equipment/ Facilities/ Programs Hardware: Breadboard is used before a prototype is built. It is used for troubleshooting and testing. PCB: The circuit is finally built on the Printed Circuit Board (PCB). Multimeter was used for measuring voltage, current etc and also for fault finding. GSM modem Software: EAGLE (Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor) software: For Printed Circuit Board drawing MikroC: PIC Simulator Software: To test the program for the PIC microcontroller Visual Basic 3.3 Technical Description 3.3.1 PIC Microcontroller PIC microcontroller stands for Peripheral Interface Controller according to Wilmshurt (2006). The PIC is a popular microcontroller because of several advantages such as: Power consumption PICs have much lower power consumption at 5V. Clock It has more accurate calibrated oscillators which help it have precise timing thus making the design more stable and efficient. Availability It is widely available. Programming The PIC microcontroller can be easily reprogrammed. Pin direction Most of the PIC microcontroller pins are flexible as they can be set as an input or and output thus making the design of the circuit easier. 3.3.2 Electromagnetic sensors C:UsersKHALEDPicturesPhoto0289.jpg Figure 2.17: Electromagnetic sensor: The magnetic sensor on the left and the magnet on the right Electromagnetic sensors are usually used on doors and in a security system they are an integral part as stated by Norman (2007). They work by sensing the movement of the doors and windows magnetically. The magnetic sensors are small in size and consist of 1 magnet and 1 magnetic sensor. Phillips (2006) stated that the magnet is placed so that the magnet and magnetic sensor are in a position to be parallel to each other. So that when the signal that is between them is interrupted the magnetic the switch is tripped and immediately it sounds the alarm . 3.3.3 Keypad Figure 2.14: 4ÃÆ'-4 matrix keypad modules A matrix keypad is used to provide a simple data entry device for microcontroller systems. Their design is that the keys are connected in rows and columns, so that when a button is pressed a row and a column are connected. In order to read the keypad, each row is set low in turn and the state of the inputs is tested. If no button is pressed, all the inputs remain high. During the operation the rows and the columns of the keypad will be scan continuously by the microcontroller. When a key is being operated, a low on that row is detected on the column input for that key, which allows a corresponding code to be generated. 3.3.4 RS 232 RS 232 is an electrical signaling specification which is also known as signal port is used as the gateway for data transmissions 232 comes in 9 pins which have its own specific pin assignments. There are two types of RS 232 which is male (DB9M) and female (DB9F). Figure 2.11: The serial port overview Table 2.12: The definition of each serial port pins In this project only three pins are used. Pin 2 and PIN 3 is used to receive and transmit signal with the circuit. So Pin 5 will be uses as ground. 3.3.5 GSM modem A GSM modem is a wireless modem that works within a GSM wireless network according to Fares (2003) and he also states that the behavior of dial up modem is the same as a wireless modem. The only difference is that a dial up modem uses a fixed telephone line to transmit and receive data while a wireless modem transmits and receives data through radio waves. A GSM modem needs a SIM card in order to operate. The GSM modem available in 2 types External wireless modem It is connected to the computer or a laptop a serial cable or USB cable. PC card/PCMCIA card Its designed for laptops as it is slotted in a particular card slot built in the laptop. Figure 2.19 shown the main blocks and communication principle of a wireless system using the SIEMEINS C35i GSM modem. Figure 2.19: Main blocks in communication modem and the microcontroller. 3.3.6 AT command An AT command is simply a set of instructions used to control a modem it the short form for Attention. Each command line starts with AT or at. A common set of standard AT commands are supported by GSM and dial up modems but the GSM modems support a more extended set of AT commands. In order to send, read, write and delete SMS message. We can use For example AT+CMGS (send command), AT+CMGR (read command), AT+CMGW (write command) and AT+CMGD (delete command) . Using the above mentioned commands the modem can do :-: Reading, writing and deleting SMS message. Sending SMS message Monitoring the signal strength 3.3.7 SMS SMS which is a short form for Short Message Service is used to receiving and sending message in between the mobile phone. Fares (2003) stated that since the development of SMS it has become a very successful wireless carrier because SMS message can be sent and ready at any time. SMS message are supported 100% GSM mobile phones and they can be exchanged between different wireless carriers. SMS is a suitable technology for wireless application. The application of SMS is virtually limitless today as they are always being associated with embedded system to increase its utilization. Examples of SMS application are:- Person-person text message Delivery and notification message Used in remote system monitoring application. 3.3.8 MikroC Software MikroC is a software programming program which used by the people in order to program and compile microcontroller. Figure 3.3: MikroC with C programming After created the program compile it by click the BUILD icon from the project toolbar. Figure 3.5: After compilation successful 3.3.9 EAGLE EAGLE also known as Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor is draw schematic for PCB layout. One of the main reason that EAGLE is better in drawing schematic than any other software is that it has a comprehensive component library so this helps save time as there is less need to draw up the components. The auto route function of EAGLE is also good. Figure 3.6: Schematic drawing window Figure 3.7: Placing components net Figure 3.9: Wire up components Figure 3.10: Switch from schematic to board Route toolbar Figure 3.11: Routing toolbar 4 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT 4.1 Overall Circuit Schematic Diagram Figure 3.01: The Full Circuit Diagram of the GSM Zone based Security System Figure 3.01 shows the overall schematic diagram of GSM Zone based intruder system. The system hardware is divided into few parts for a better explanation. They are Microcontroller (PIC16F877A) Power Supply module, Serial port communications and LCD. 4.1.1 PIC 16F877P Figure 3.02: The microcontroller and LCD implementation As shown in Figure 3.02 the PIC Microcontroller 16F877P was chosen because of its software support availability, low cost and high feature count. For a reset button a push button is connected to MCLR# pin anything happens during the operation. When the PIC is ON and the MCLR# pin is connected to ground RESET occurs. A 4MHz oscillator is used which is widely popular in PIC circuits due to the importance of timing and clocking. Capacitor C3 and C4 is used to filter the oscillator signal. The resistor R11 is used for current limiting. The complete pin allocation shown in table 3.03. PIN NUM. PIN NAME CONNECTION 1 MCLR Connected to reset switch and Vcc (+5V) 2 RA0 ZONE 1 3 RA1 ZONE 2 4 RA2 ZONE 3 5 RA3 ZONE 4 6 RA4 7 RA5 8 RE0 Connected to Buzzer 9 RE1 Connected to Buzzer 10 RE2 11 VDD Vcc (+5V) 12 GND Ground 13 OSC1 Connected to 4MHz Oscillator 14 OSC2 Connected to 4MHz Oscillator 15 RC0 ZONE 5 16 RC1 ZONE 2 17 RC2 ZONE 7 18 RC3 ZONE 8 19 RD0 Connected to LCD pin 11 20 RD1 Connected to LCD pin 12 21 RD2 Connected to LCD pin 13 22 RD3 Connected to LCD pin 14 23 RC4 24 RC5 25 RC6 Connected to MAX 232 26 RC7 Connected to MAX 232 27 RD4 Connected to LCD pin 4 28 RD5 Connected to LCD pin 6 29 RD6 30 RD7 Connected to output 31 VSS Connected to ground 32 VDD Connected to VCC (+5V) 33 RB0 Connected to Keypad pin 1 34 RB1 Connected to Keypad pin 2 35 RB2 Connected to Keypad pin 3 36 RB3 Connected to Keypad pin 4 37 RB4 Connected to Keypad pin 5 38 RB5 Connected to Keypad pin 6 39 RB6 Connected to Keypad pin 7 40 RB7 Connected to Keypad pin 8 Table 3.03: The PIC16F877P pin allocation 4.1.2 Power supply module Figure 3.04: Voltage regulator used in system Designing a power supply module will be more complex and heavy as it consist of a step down transformer. By considering the fact, the required input voltage is supplied directly from a 9V battery. The figure 3.04 is the voltage regulator LM 7805 used to regulate the 9V input voltage from the battery. The 9V voltage will be step down and regulate to 5V.The output obtain from this power supply circuit are 9V (V+) and 5V (Vcc) DC voltage. These voltages value are based on the requirement of each module especially PIC 16F877P.The capacitor 220 µF is a bypass capacitor used for filtering the regulated voltage. The output voltage of this module will be supplied to PIC 16F877P, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and MAX 232. 4.1.3 Serial Port communication Figure 3.05: The serial port communication component In the serial port communication shown above, MAX 232 is connected in between modem and the circuit to work as buffer .It works by shifting the signal voltage level according to the requirement. The connection is figure above are based on the datasheet. The serial port pin 3(Tx) in RS 232 is connected with MAX 232 T1 OUTPUT which is pin 14.This connection is used to transmit data from modem to microcontroller. Hence the serial port pin 2(Rx) in RS 232 is connected with MAX 232 R1 IN input pin 13.The purpose of connection is for receiving data from microcontroller to modem. The capacitors are chosen as 10 µF and not 1 µF as stated in datasheet because the value worked well when testing was done. 4.1.4 LCD Figure 3.06: The LCD used in the system The LCD is used to display the status of the GSM Zone based Security System. The type of LCD used is a 16 character line length in two line version JHD162A series LCD, which conform to a standard interface specification. Pins 1 and 2 are the power supply lines, whereby pin 1 is connected to ground and pin 2 to Vcc (+5V). Pin 3 is a control pin, which is used to alter the contrast of the display. This pin is connected to a variable resistor to alter the contrast by altering the resistance value. Pin 4 is the register select (RS line) connected to pin 27 of PIC 16F877P .Pin5 which will be the Read/Write line is connected with pin 3 of LCD itself. Where else the pin 6 which function as enable line connected to pin 28 of PIC 16F877P.The data line pin 11 to 14 of LCD is connected with pin 19,pin20,pin21 and pin 22 of PIC 16F877P. 4.1.5 Relay Figure 3.07: Relay used in the system Relay are devices which allow low power circuits to control the high circuits or instruments. Figure 3.07 shows the basic relay driver circuits used in GSM Zone based Security System. A 9V DC voltage been feed through the coil. A NPN BC547 transistor is being used to control the relay. The transistor is turn ON when the signal is feed through the pin 30 of the PIC. Once the transistor turns ON it will turn ON the relay. A diode IN4148 is connected across the relay coil to protect the transistor. 4.1.6 Software Architecture The PIC used in the system is programmed by using the C language. C language is one of the several programmer language commonly used to create a list of instruction to control the system. Figure 3.08 shows the flow of the constructed program in this project. As what has been discussed in chapter 2.3 the C language need to go through the compiling stage before being stored in the PIC. The MIKRO C compiler is used to compile the program of the system. Hence, the compiled program will be stored in PIC by using the PIC KIT 2 programmer. The compiling and storing process will be show in detail in appendices. Figure 3.08: Flow of the program in the intruder system 4.1.6 PCB Schematic Layout Fig 4.3.1 PCB Schematic Layout

PC World: SWOT and PEST Analysis

PC World: SWOT and PEST Analysis SWOT analysis is a famous technique that has been used for decades now to analyse the four major factors of an organisation namely strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This helps in better analysing any organisation, when conducting a strategic analysis often analysts also use it as a stepping stone for their analysis. It is not only an analysis of the organisation itself but rather it is a more deep analysis of the market and all business activities related to the organisation  [1]. The SWOT analysis is known as a strategic planning tool and it has featured in business text since 1972, but no one knows who originally invented SWOT analysis. Today it can be found almost in every textbook on strategy, marketing and any other business disciplines. There have been many studies that were conducting in different business schools and some of the famous ones even conducted in Harvard are backed up by Micheal Porter, Ansoff and writers such as Philip Kotler. Their studies have lead to the conclusion that SWOT be the tool to better understand the strategic fit between an organisations strategies and the environment in which it competes. This is also a good tool to analyse such organisations which on the face have been delivering profits but are either declining or are losing market share. For example doing analysis of organisation such as Yahoo would be a good idea which is a profitable venture but is loosing its market heavily to Google (Adams, 2005). Importance of SWOT Analysis An organization can take the best advantage of the environmental opportunities if it can utilize the resources available to the organizations up to the optimum level. The person in charge of designing the strategy who is also called the strategic leader of the organisation using SWOT can keep his head right over deciding whether the opportunity that is arising is good enough with the matched weaknesses and strengths of the organisation  [2]. Keeping this in mind one needs to keep his/her head right about one thing that whenever they are analysing to pursue an opportunity always point out the related weaknesses and strengths, maybe a priority SWOT analysis can also be a very good idea. A real opportunity can only be identified if the opportunity has a strategic fit between the environmental conditions and the resources that the organization possess  [3]. SWOT might not be the only perfect tool for strategic analysis while there have been greater criticism on SWOT. The reason being that people consider it to be very easy and based on that people just do it just like that without giving proper thought on the ideas behind a strength/weakness or an opportunity/threat. While doing SWOT one tends to ignore many other factors such as the financial factors and in this case other strategic tools can be more important; But even though SWOT holds its own importance (De Witt and Meyer, 1998). The main model consists of two inherently different types of evaluations: Internal evaluation External evaluation Internal Evaluation (S)trengths Strengths are the good and the power parts of the organisations. They explain what the organisation is good at. This is not only on the organisational level but all wide. This explains the organisations strength in terms of customers, suppliers, utilisation of resources etc. Usually when conducting a strength analysis it is important to consider that strength is something at which the organisation is not only good at but also better than its competition. It provides them the competitive edge in comparison to their competition. This is one ability at which they are very good at  [4]. When describing strength companies tend to be ignorant about things such as CRM (customer relationship management), or SCM (Supply chain management) but they can also be considered as strengths if they are effective and contribute to the profit financially or non financially. (W)eaknesses A weakness is defined as a deficiency in an individual and this same fits to an organisation as well where weakness of an organisation explains something at which they arent good at. Organisational weaknesses are areas where they are not good against their competition. Now they can be areas of great strength at one time but then later lost to the competition due to not being taken care of. Its necessary that the customer point of view is brought into consideration rather than conduction the weakness analysis of only the organisation. Its hard to admit the areas where one is not good at and in this case organisations need to admit but often this doesnt happen. External Evaluation (O)pportunities Opportunity is just like a term in an individuals life similar when it comes to trhe organisation but the scope of opportunity is bigger, the opportunities that come to the organisation are everywhere in every nook and corner its just that they need to realise it and use it with the current set of resources. Opportunities are also related to trends that the organization has been seeing in the past, they can also be buying behaviours. They can also come in by identifying a particular market segment which was not being looked after before but is now being looked after very carefully  [5]. Finally some opportunities come from the external environment and acting on the right time is the most important agenda. (T)hreats Threats can be organisation relate and the ones that are not in this case the threats are being considered the ones related to the organisation. Now the threats can also be seen as the opportunities that were not grabbed and later turned onto threats. Threat is a unfavourable situation in which the organisation doesnt want to see itself. Few threats can be the entrance of new competitors, slow market growth, increased bargaining power of key buyers or suppliers, technological changes etc. PEST Analysis Macro environment comes in as the new driving force in the industry where the macro environment tends to play a major role in the entire effort of competition. The business environment is just like a moving film and it is necessary to track down any changes that are happening around the business. The organisational related factors that [play a part in the macro environment need to be brought under consideration. Its nessecary to bring in a number of key vital factors into account that can influence different areas of the organisation, these areas can be supply related demand related and even directly related to the legal issues of the firm  [6]. 1993 The radical and ongoing changes occurring in society create an uncertain environment and have an impact on the function of the whole organization (Tsiakkiros, 2002). To make a strong environmental analysis PEST has proven to be the best technique and such a technique that looks deeply into the pores of the business and extracts out inf ormation related to different areas of the macro environment. A pest analysis not only needs to identify the factors that can affect the political, technological, legal and environmental issues but it is also an analysis that is used to create a relation among things. The analysis sees and examines the impact of these factors and their affect ion one another and then the combined affect on the organisation. The results can be used to perform various tasks such as understanding the future strategy, exploring the future opportunities in the environment  [7]. Further explanation of each of the factors that count is a pest analysis is as follows: (P)olitical Political factors include legal and regulatory factors like elections, employment law, consumer protection, environmental regulations, industry-specific regulations, competitive regulations, inter-country relationships / attitudes, war, terrorism, political trends, governmental leadership, taxes, and government structures  [8]. (E)conomic Economic factor includes factors like taxation, government spending levels, disposable income, job growth/unemployment, exchange rates, tariffs, inflation, consumer confidence index, import/export ratios, and production levels  [9]. (S)ocial Social factors include factors like demographics (age, gender, race, family size, etc.), lifestyle changes, population shifts, trends, fads, diversity, Immigration laws, health, living standards, housing trends, fashion, attitudes to work, leisure activities, occupations, and earning capacity. (T)echnological Technological factors include inventions, new discoveries, research, energy uses/ sources/ fuels, communications, rates of obsolescence, health (pharmaceutical, equipment, etc.),manufacturing advancements , information technology, internet, transportation, bio-tech, genetics, waste removal/recycling etc. Selected Company (PC WORLD) Brief Introduction of Selected Company The selected company PC World is part of the electronic retailer giant DSGi Plc. DSG international is one of Europes leading specialist electrical retailing groups. It operates a multi-channel approach to electrical retailing. More than 100 million customers shop in-store and online every year with DSGi (DSGi, 2010). The business of DSGi can be divided into three major categories: PC World is Britains largest specialist chain of computing superstores. The superstores offer more than 5,000 product lines including extensive ranges of PCs, laptops, printers, software, peripherals and accessories from the major brands, as well as many PC World exclusive products. In-store PC Clinics offer on the spot advice and service. Component Centres offer a one-stop shop for customers with advanced technical knowledge, providing a vast choice of PC components and upgrade products at competitive prices. In 2007, PC World won Retail Weeks Product Innovation of the Year award, for its Data Recovery service. Every PC World store has an in-store business centre staffed by experienced business specialists. They offer local companies face-to-face help and advice with choosing the best IT solutions. There are 157 stores in the UK and 10 in the Republic of Ireland. (PC World, 2010) SWOT Analysis of PC WORLD (S)trengths Strong high street presence Multi channel approach Strong distribution channels Huge base of domestic customers (W)eaknesses Employees integrity Fewer customer focus (O)pportunities New mega stores 2012 Olympics Apples growth in European markets Growth in the IT Gadget Industry (T)hreats Slow economic growth Negative customer perception Threat of new competitors Falling market share (S)trengths DSG has a very strong high street presence. In any big retail park or high street we can easily find either a PC World , Currys or Currys Digital. Moreover it has a multi channel approach: retail stores, e-commerce and B2B. There are very strong distribution channels of PC World. Just for an example the whole of Apple products distribution is done via the distribution channels of DSGi. There is a very strong base of domestic customers in UK for PC World as a brand which serves as one of the most vital strengths of PC World. (W)eaknesses PC World has history of strong incentive based pay schemes. The employees get heavy commission based on sales. Initially it did work out to work pretty well. But the employees do take it to their advantage. The results is unsatisfied customers who are miss sold. This also leads to the next weakness which fewer focus on customer needs. The focus is more on sales and KPIs, hence the customers benefit are overshadowed by the sales KPIs. (O)pportunities The idea of new two in one Currys PC World Mega stores is very appealing. Customer get more choice in terms of products and services under one roof. The Olympics 2012 is one occasion on which almost every single business is relying as an opportunity for growth and profitability and PC World can also take advantage of this Global event. Apple products are getting global attention and likewise in Europe as well. PC World controls the entire distribution of APPLE products in UK Europe. This can serve as a very strong strategic alliance and PC World can be benefited out of this. A very recent example was the launch of IPAD. PC World was given a head start of 60 days from APPLE for selling IPADs in their stores. The IT Gadget sectors are seeing a very drastic increase and PC Worlds main offerings are these gadgets and IT products and services. (T)hreats The first and the most crucial threat is the negative perception of the customers. As highlighted in the weaknesses sales and KPIs are given preference over customers benefits due to the traditional structure of PC World. It is also evident by the comment of DSGis CEO John Brawett. The biggest challenge for us is to change the perception of our customers. In recent times PC World has seen falling shares part of the fact can be attributed to the recession but customers negative perception has also affected. There are new competitors coming into the market like BEST BUY, ARGOS and John LEWIS are offering extensive IT Solutions as well. PEST Analysis of PC WORLD (P)olitical UK has seen a very recent change in the political structure. Due to the economic downturn the investors are not very confident specially the foreign investors. The Govt. Is making the efforts to reassure the foreign investors, but the cap put on the international immigrants served as a big threat to the foreign investors. Mr David Camerons visit to India was an attempt to promote the trading relationship with India. The share price of the company reflects this fact. The company share price slumped from 36p to 21p in just 3-4 months time (DSGi, 2010). The political factors are in favour of the company. (E)conomic The UK economy is seeing a very slow growth and some experts have shown the danger of a double dip recession. The new Govt. has raised the taxes in order to boost the economy but the economy is still growing at a very slow rate. The economic factors are not in favour of the company. In 2008 the overdraft limit of the company was reduced from 4.5 million to 2.5 million. The consequences were seen as 300 employees from the head office were made redundant. (S)ocial The socio-cultural factors are a mix of both good and bad. The markets love the new innovative products: IPAD made record sales in the Apples history followed by a successful launch of IPHONE 4. PC World controls the distribution of APPLE products throughout Europe and APPLE products are becoming increasingly popular and famous in the European markets. On the other hand the negative customer perception is a big threat to the PC WORLDs growth. Hence there is a mix of social factors affecting the external environment of PC WORLD. (T)echnological PC Worlds tagline is bringing life to technology. PC World is always at the fore fronts in the process of introducing new technologies to the UK markets. PC World was the only retailer except APPLEs retail stores to stock the IPAD for 60 days after the launch. The challenge for the organization is to keep up with the rate of change in technology, because the technology changes at a very rapid rate.

Government is Best which Governs Least :: essays papers

Government is Best which Governs Least I heartily accept the motto, "That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe--"That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which the will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. The objections which have been brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government. The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it. Witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool; for in the outset, the people would not have consented to this measure. This American government--what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will. It is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves. But it is not the less necessary for this; for the people must have some complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of government which they have. Governments show thus how successfully men can be imposed upon, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage. It is excellent, we must all allow. Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way. For government is an expedient, by which men would fain succeed in letting one another alone; and, as has been said, when it is most expedient, the governed are most let alone by it.

Victoria Climbie Case Essay examples -- Legal Issues, Abuse

Throughout this essay, the health, safety and welfare policy and practise that came about after the Victoria Climbie case will be reviewed and evaluated. After arriving in England in November 1991 from the Ivory Coast, eight-year old Victoria Climbie suffered abuse from her great-aunt, Marie-Therese Kouao, and her great-aunts partner. The anguish and eventual murder of Victoria in 2000 from hypothermia, caused by malnourishment and damp conditions, provoked ‘the most extensive investigation into the child protection system in British history’ as described by Batty (Macleod-Brudenell, 2004). The high media profiled incident exposed a clear lack of precision and communication between all professionals and agencies involved. This is shown by the fact that the mistreatment Victoria was suffering had gone unnoticed by the social services, police and NHS staff, who failed to make each other aware of the clear danger signs. Within the Lord Laming Inquiry into Victoria Climbieâ €™s death (2003), it can be seen that some features recur time after time in child abuse cases; inadequate resources to meet demands, inexperience and lack of skill of individual social workers. In addition, it can also be seen that crucial procedures were evidently not being followed. The procedure that was established after this case included the recommendations made by Lord Laming such as the Green Paper of Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003) and the Children Act (DfES, 2004). These ensure that all children have the fundamental right to be protected from harm and abuse. In addition to this, it also certifies all adults who come into contact with children and families have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Subsequent to this horrific case, an of... ...is shown in the Ian Wathey and Craig Faunch case of 2006 where social workers believed that it was wrong to probe the couple about their family histories and Judge Sarah Cahill (2006) explained how she was appalled that the police were not involved at an earlier date. In addition to this, the case of baby Peter Connelly illustrates how some practitioners can get too emotionally involved and compassionate towards clients. The NSPCC’s Ten Pit Downfalls (2010) suggests that this specific case illustrates how unfamiliar society is culturally with the idea that mothers can be perpetrators of physical abuse. Therefore, it can be seen that compassion was shown towards Peter’s mother during in depth questioning when practitioners decided she merely needed support, as explained by the Independent (2010) where Tracey Connelly seemed fairly caring but inadequate as a mother.

Book Report on How Soon Can I Leave

At first, Miss Bartlett shrank from the hints and persuasions for the reason of not wanting to abandon hope by retreating into a life only with another woman at the age of forty. However, she eventually decided to live with Miss Restrooms with the thought of doing the latter some good instead of needing someplace warmer and someone to take care of. As time went by, Miss Bartlett ran a larger business with the help of MISS Restrooms. Nevertheless, the more well-kept the home Is, the more unsatisfied she felt. But they still lived a happy life until one day Angela, MissRaccoon's niece came for a visit. This visit dramatically provoked the awareness of Miss Bartlett ‘s dependence upon Miss Restrooms and made her regret missing so many opportunities possible. Then she moved back. Only to face the damp and cold cottage. And with no one's help any longer, she had to do all the chores Just like a At the end of the story, Miss Bartlett returned the bungalow. She grown woman. Came to kn ow her folly but It was too late. From my point of view. The story turned out to be a tragedy. I feel strongly sympathetic towards Miss Bartlett.As we know, he lost her mother early, so the family background can be blamed for her incapacity. In comparison, Miss Restrooms is the only girl in a nine-child family. No wonder she can look after the home very well. Moreover, it is quite pathetic for Miss Bartlett to think that she had been treated as a pet plaything. Actually, the seven years living with MISS Bartlett made MISS Restrooms truly appreciate her talents. In other words, MISS Restrooms Is not only helping her, but also finding some meaning In life, a real active life. Last but not the least, the story reminds me of the relationship between parents and children.Take Miss Restrooms as an example, we can simply regard her as an epitome of many parents, or many mothers, more specifically. Mothers are often considerate, concerning a lot over their children, providing food and cloth es, trying their best to take care of all stuff beforehand. Only they can still care about the children even If the children misunderstand them and go away. Back to the story, isn't it great for Miss Restrooms to play a role only as a friend of Miss Bartlett but act like her mother? The death of Miss Restrooms must be caused by the heartbreak of loneliness and lack of sense of purpose.To put it in a nutshell, my understanding of this story can be summarized as a tragedy of improper love. All realization Is too late for both the motherly one and the childlike one. Objectively, parents should love their children In a reasonable way, not by totaling on teen Walt all things prepared. I nee count to teach CNN learn now to level an independent life instead of offering all they want. In the other way round, as a child, he should not take everything for granted. And when he comes to a career, Just learn to deal with it without parents' help. Besides, never let parents down.

Intro to University Studies Reflection

Introduction to University Studies Course Reflection Jonatan Damon McCreary-Harris US/101 – INTRODUCTION TO UNIVERSITY STUDIES January 27th, 2013 Deanna Miller Introduction to University Studies Course Reflection I really enjoy commuting via Amtrak train whenever I go to visit my sister in Killeen, Texas. It’s a wonderfully exciting journey that lasts about a three and half days when departing from my home in Baltimore, Maryland. There are stops aplenty along this journey; it goes through: West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, finally Texas and my final destination.In the same way, our lives are journeys, each goal successfully attained prompts us to stop, evaluate our course and ensure our present path is in line with our intended destination. What are my long-term professional goals and how do my academic aspirations factor into reaching them successfully? What solutions and tools have been provided in this course, and how will they help me obtai n and reach my life goals? I believe this course has been the beginning of not just my academic experience, my professional career, but my life journey.I began my education journey several months ago with a fierce determination and firm resolve to obtain a master’s degree. I am aware it is a long-term commitment, understood the potential long-term benefits and the rewards of completion essay writers for hire. Charles Huckabee, a writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, reviews the financial rewards; in an online blog know as The Ticker. He writes, â€Å"Based on an analysis of census and education statistics, the report says Americans who complete a bachelor’s degree have a median income of $50,360, compared with a median of $29,423 for people with only a high-school diploma.Those with an associate degree earn some $9,000 more than those with only a high-school diploma. Those with a graduate degree have a median income of $68,064, about one-third more than those with a bachelor’s degree† (Huckabee, 2012,  paragraph 2 and 4). In summation, higher education generally equates to higher pay. Which, I believe over time, with proper budgeting and planning, and intelligent investments, eventually leads to financial security. Other than the clear financial gains, one must also onsider the skills and lessons taught while pursuing a higher education. It is commonly known that proper communication skills are imperative to academic success. In my opinion, this has been a recurring theme in regards to academia. Furthermore, excellent written communication skills are important due to the audience being unable to rely on important visual (e. g. ; body language, facial expressions, and hand gestures) and helpful auditory indicators to correctly interpret the writer’s intended message and determine the desired tone.The long-term value of excellent academic writing skills are the direct correlations to professional writing. Yes, the aud ience may be different, but the skills acquired are still very relevant and important in the workplace. Through this course I have been challenged to refocus and prioritise my responsibilities and obligations since returning back to college. Of course, with the increased amount of obligations came more stress, and the daunting task of how to deal with the resulting stress.I realised my current processes were inadequate and my stress levels were rising to very unhealthy levels. So, I started with what I knew and chose to incorporate various solutions, suggested by my peers and colleagues, into my time management system. I have always used a calendar to keep myself organised, but this was not effective, so I started to keep a detailed agenda. This is, sort-of, budget for time. This has allowed me to, at any moment, see where I needed to be, what I needed to be doing, and what exactly I needed to accomplish.During which, I felt it easy to get overwhelmed, so, the next order of business was to ensure sufficient time for some sort of physical activity. My preference for maintaining a relatively low stress level is by running, biking, or swimming. I believe that having a solid system of support is equally important. Actively promoting my health and wellness, as well as managing my time effectively, are two key elements that will allow me to achieve success in my educational and professional endeavors.Furthermore, this course has provided me with ample time to perfect my daily routine and time management process. This course has also inspired me to not just consider my personal and professional goals, but also now understand the importance of how to achieve those goals and how integral a well-conceived plan actually is. Moreover, it has impressed upon me how imperative it is to remain steadfast and focused, committed to the actual execution of the determined solution until you have reached fruition. One cannot simply run a marathon, a total of twenty-six miles, only to quit in the last five miles.Goal setting provides much-needed direction and goal planning allows us to clearly understand what is required for us to effectively reach them. It is necessary to remain flexible and open to altering the route to success. Circumstances may change, as they frequently do, and it is often necessary to reevaluate your goals and appropriately respond to the variables at hand. Through proper planning, remaining steadfast to my resolve for excellence, and the overall vision, it is my belief that I can achieve my highest goals.My success in the healthcare field directly relies on my continued pursuit of a higher education and my academic successes (e. g. ; Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees). I have a passion for excellence in the service industry and this is why I chose the healthcare industry. My life goal is to strategically position myself within the healthcare industry, wherein I will have the capacity to touch to and change the lives of other s, for the better on a much grander scale.As of now, I am relegated to lower tiers of the corporate ladder and am limited to working within the perimeters set by my organization. I hope to one day rewrite that game and bring the focus back to, what I’ve penned as â€Å"patient first care†. I want to raise the standards of excellence, in regards to patient care, in my organization. Ultimately, I would like to see them more aligned with that of my own. In order to get there, I must learn academically (obtain a degree) and gain the required professional experience to make this happen. Passion for excellence; excellence in service. † Over the past nine weeks I have grown to enjoy and appreciate the online classroom the collaborative learning environment it provides; I believe the value of such cannot be understated. Along with teaching important self management and critical thinking skills, this style of learning encourages students, as well as instructors, to active ly share their thoughts and questions freely, discuss and clarify these ideas, as well as evaluate others; whereas I may be less versed on a topic, my classmate may be an expert.Each online classroom is, in a sense, a small community or support system that in turn challenges our thought process and promotes personal growth. In order to succeed we, the students, are required to think critically and assume responsibility of our collective learning experience. I am extremely excited to take the knowledge I have learned from this course and apply it to my subsequent courses, as well as my professional career. In summary, Introduction to University Studies has provided me with a clear understanding of the online learning environment and effectively prepared me for future successes.The writing techniques, skills, and lessons taught, including also the resources that the University of Phoenix provides are truly advantageous and will surely help me achieve my long-term educational and caree r related goals. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from, and with such an incredible group of individuals. I am proud to be a Phoenix! Reference Page: Huckabee, C. (2012, December 19). Analysis Adds to Data Showing the Economic Benefits Of a College Degree. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from: http://chronicle. com/blogs/ticker/new-analysis-adds-to-data-showing-the-economic-benefits-of-a-college-degree/53267