Business Research Process Essay

Abstract The business research process is an important tool that can help the marketing in a business. By using the steps of this process managers are able to make decisions based on the study of the consumer and target audience. It is also important to identify the competitors in order to stay profitable and competitive. Business Research Process The business research method involves the studying of all parts of a company, the customers, and the market to make important decisions for the business. The strengths and weaknesses of a company are evaluated but especially how a customer views their goods and merchandise. Management studies the competition and the industry that which they are a part of. As part of the management at AZ Alarm Company, I make use of the business research process myself. The first step in this process is to identify the significant competitors in the industry. In the alarm industry it is important to know what other companies are offering so that we stay competitive and bring in new customers while still making a profit. Most of this information is readily available and easy to obtain. The second step in the process is to study the customer or consumer. Doing this enables management to find out what the needs and wants are in order to create new products. By analyzing this information it is also to be determined the amount of money someone is willing to spend on these services. After this information has been gathered it is ready to be analyzed. Companies sometimes use the SWOT (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. This method enables a business owner or management to enhance their strengths and to figure out what needs to do to change their weaknesses into strengths. Opportunities need to be taken advantage of and utilized because they will not always be available. The target audience also needs to be taken into consideration. If a business is marketing to people that will not use or benefit from their product or service they will not be able to meet their full potential. This can also affect their profit and gain immensely. All of the steps in the business research method are only effective if the information is used and applied to develop and better their marketing strategies. Collecting and analyzing data is something that is ongoing and should be done continuously. As times and technology change so does a consumers wants, needs, and preferences. At AZ Alarm we are always to striving to have the newest and latest technology but also at a competitive price so that we stay on top. References Cooper, D., & Schindler, P. (2011). Business research methods (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Suttle, R. (2013). The Steps in a Business Research Process. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/steps-business-research-process-3294.html Suttle, R. (2013). What Is a Business Research Process?. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/business-research-process-3279.html

Daewoo

1. Introduction The aim of this report is to critically evaluate the Daewoo’s 1995 UK automotive market entrance. After entering the highly competitive British car industry, Daewoo managed to achieve a competitive advantage by focusing on delivering effective customer service. We seek to understand why established car firms did not respond to customer needs prior Daewoo’s entrance and what strategies they could possibly adopt to outperform Daewoo presently. The report also takes a look at the innovations associated with the UK entry of the Korean car manufacturer and how they could sustain these innovations to retain and build on their existing market share. Possible brand extension strategies will be suggested for Daewoo to follow subsequent to the successful launch of the car. We finally assess other sectors where firms could achieve a competitive advantage by applying a customer-centred strategy. 2. Analysis of the Case 2.1 Dilemma facing the car industry The industry is faced with two main choices when responding to Daewoo’s challenge. The first of which is to save resources and not respond based on the belief that Daewoo’s competitive advantage is not sustainable. Daewoo’s direct distribution strategy will incur increased customer service and logistics costs (Doyle and Stern, 2007) and the firm’s current aggressive promotional strategy will also affect their bottom line. Furthermore, the ‘post modern’ criticism of delivering such high service levels is that it is unsustainable due to the fact that the customer will simply increase their expectations in line with improved offerings (Kotler et al, 2007). However, such a strategy would involve a high level of risk. The second option for responding to Daewoo’s challenge is to adopt defence strategies (Lambin, 2007). We feel that it is important to establish that there is no universal strategy and individual players would be advised to review whether the threat of Daewoo is relevant to their target market. For example, high end car manufacturers such as Audi and Mercedes are highly unlikely to suffer any repercussions as they do not target the same price sensitive market. Companies that do target price sensitive customers (such as Ford, Fiat and Renault) would be advised to take a much more direct approach however. The most appropriate mode of doing this would be through a combination of ‘position’, ‘flank’ and ‘pre-emptive’ defences (Lambin, 2007). Firstly, through a ‘position defence’, it would be recommended that manufacturers utilize their existing brand equities and customer base. Daewoo do not benefit from a long standing presence in the UK market and, as a result, protecting existing customer databases is a crucial element in defending market share. A combination of ‘Flank’ and ‘Pre-emptive’ defences would be recommended to address the threat brought about by Daewoo’s distribution strategy. An obvious way of doing this would be to imitate the strategy and meet or even exceed the standards set by Daewoo. However, this would be a costly and difficult process to implement due to the high exit barriers caused by existing distribution agreements. Therefore, to pre-empt the next move in Daewoo’s strategy would be a more viable solution and could give the competition a first mover advantage. The growth of e-commerce and internet usage in 1998-2000 was unprecedented (BBC, 2010) and developing an online platform represents an opportunity to create an interactive and cost effective distribution strategy. Adoption of such a solution would allow manufacturers to lead digital convergence and offer further decreases in stress and intrusion into the customer’s decision making process. 2.3 Customer-focused approach According to the pre-launch research conducted by Daewoo, the overall standard of customer service in the UK car market was low. The majority of consumers suffered from unpleasant buying experiences due to apathy from dealers, inconsistent pricing and poor after-sales service. This provided Daewoo a competitive advantage by operating as a customer-focused brand. The Korean conglomerate focused on optimizing their customer services, including an exceptional showroom atmosphere (Rodgers, 1995). Despite of this example, the industry had failed to innovate in a customer-focused manner. The fundamental reason is that as the UK car industry structure had remained unchanged for one hundred years. Conventional innovation approaches include building high quality cars (Volkswagen and Toyota) or offering low prices as (Lada). However, they did not break the tradition by investing in an innovative, customer-focused strategy. An additional cause could be that UK automobile manufacturers were highly conservative. According to Whittington (2010) customer centric strategies are so complex that requires the company not only analyse the problem from the market researches, but also develop an objective view to consider financial and operational issues. We feel that, that on consideration of the financial and operational investment required, manufacturers denoted the risk of following such a strategy was too high risk. The last possibility is that the market did not believe this kind of customer-focused innovation was feasible and underestimated the importance of after-sales services and the ever-changing customer trends. The opportunity was clearly shown through market research data, however we feel it was ignored and the market change adverse. Ironically, they failed to anticipate a market entrant could identify and achieve a competitive advantage through customer-focused innovation. Daewoo’s successful launch strategy taught the market a bitter lesson. 2.4 Sustainable competitive advantage Daewoo has achieved its aim of gaining circa 1% share of the UK new car market. A challenge the company now faces is to sustain this position and improve it further in the future. As highlighted in 2.1, it can be argued that Daewoo’s competitive advantage is not sustainable. It could, therefore, be easily imitated by competitors, substituted by rivals’ offerings and as a result lose their rarity and be less valued by customers in the longer-term (Barney, 1991; Srivastava et al, 2001; Kotler et al, 2009). In order to avoid such a fate, the company should undertake a number of steps. Firstly, it should improve the quality of cars to be able to compete more effectively with competitors when they inevitably counter act Daewoo’s strategy. High quality cars combined with the brand’s positive image and reputation gained during the launch stage will help to retain customers. Secondly, it should conduct market research regularly to collect information about customers’ needs. This will ensure the company will continue tailoring its products and services to meet these needs better than competitors. Moreover, the company should continue innovating customer services to endure a competitive advantage. It should constantly seek new ways for the whole experience of buying a car, so that it can offer something else when competitors copy its current innovations. For example, Daewoo might launch a website where customers are given an option to co-create a car by adding features or add/exclude services. Finally, the company has been emphasising weaknesses of other car makers in its advertising efforts so far. It should start to focus more on its own strengths communicate them in an effective manner. It will be problematic and expensive to attract customers and raise awareness with the current advertising when competitors improve their services. It is important to bear in mind that it will take some time for competitors to match Daewoo’s critical success factors as they might need to go through cultural, structural and operational changes (Woodruff, 1997). Daewoo has an invaluable opportunity now to build further on its existing capabilities to sustain its market position and become a stronger competitor in the future. 2.5 Other sector options  Customers today are strongly value oriented. Knowing where value resides from the standpoint of the customer has become extremely critical for managers, because greater levels of customer satisfaction lead to greater levels of customer loyalty and retention, positive word-of-mouth, a stronger competitive position and ultimately, higher market share (Kotler et al, 2009). Daewoo attacked an industry as competitive as the car sector through a value and customer service strategy. Successful companies manage to invert the traditional organisation chart by placing customers at the top of the pyramid as opposed to managers who believe that the customer is the company’s only true profit centre (Kotler et al, 2009). Customer-centred companies such as Amazon.com are in a strong position to identify new opportunities and set a course that promises to deliver long term profits due to its customer orientation (Kotler et al, 2009). A firm can achieve competitive advantage in other industries such as travel, banking, insurance, airlines, retail and fast moving consumer goods by employing a customer-focused strategy. The illustration of how Southwest Airlines achieved a distinct advantage in an extremely competitive industry such as the airline industry by focusing on delivering higher customer value bears testimony to this. Customers place high value on Southwest’s frequent departures, on-time service, friendly employees and very low fares (Heskett et al, 1994). However, it is imperative to understand the fact that not all firms are able to achieve a competitive advantage through superior customer service (Lambin, 2007). A company should have the internal capabilities and resources to adapt to ever changing customer needs. The service level provided must also be appropriate to the target market in order to exceed customer expectations. 2.6 Brand extension Marketers must judge each potential brand extension by how effectively it leverages and contributes to brand equity. With the right product ‘fit’, the customer’s perception of the parent brand can reduce perceived risk within numerous consumer or B2B decision making processes (Kotler, 2009, Webster, 1991). The Daewoo brand has become synonymous with exceeding customer expectations. This creates numerous brand extension opportunities. As in 2.5, Daewoo should however ensure that this is related to their core competencies to maximize the likelihood of success. We feel that an ideal opportunity comes in the form of extending the Daewoo brand to the commercial vehicle segment. This would not require the company to re-plan their entire marketing strategy as this would hold true for targeting small to medium business (SMB’s) markets as well as consumer. Furthermore, Daewoo would be able to leverage their partnership with GM to reduce research and development costs by re-branding other Vauxhall/Opel models such as the ‘Corsa’ van. An increasingly diversified, yet viable option would be to extend the Daewoo brand to motorcycles. This would again enable the company to leverage its brand equity and distribution networks; however the product and market is outside their existing knowledge base. In order to overcome this lack of knowledge and competence, we would recommend that Daewoo follow a similar alliance strategy that they previously adopted with GM with a leading motorcycle manufacturer. Although this is likely to ensure that the core product will be of a high quality, Daewoo must be mindful of the fact that their existing staff will require extensive product training maintain service levels. The final and most diversified brand extension would to utilize Daewoo’s brand equity within the Financial Services sector (motor insurance). As with the motorcycle market however, Daewoo do not currently have the knowledge or resources to compete in the market. In this instance, we would recommend Daewoo to operate a franchise partnership with a suitable insurance provider. As stated above, it is however imperative that Daewoo ensure that both the core and augmented product fit with their brand. 3. Conclusions  Concluding on our evaluation of the 1995 launch of the Daewoo automotive brand into the UK market, it is clear that it was a success. The company capitalized on a weakness in the market by leveraging their knowledge base and extensive resources to provide exceptional customer service. Sceptical views of the strategies longevity are however justified. The innovative distribution strategy adopted requires additional expenditure and the company’s aggressive marketing activity will again affect the bottom line. It is clear that in order to remain stable in the market and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage, the company must continue to understand and satisfy the needs and wants of the customer. Although brand extensions offer a lucrative growth opportunity, the company must not allow this to detract from their main competency- customer satisfaction. With regards to the market environment, Daewoo’s competitors have no one to blame but themselves. Regardless of this, they must adopt effective defence strategies to match and exceed Daewoo’s market offering in order to protect their market share from further depletion. Furthermore, to pre-empt and lead the next major development in customer satisfaction will be imperative to long term success.

Argument by Authority Example Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Argument by Authority Example - Essay Example If one smokes Camel cigarettes, he does not qualify to become a professional doctor automatically neither does he live or reason like the doctors. Where disputes arise among experts about a subject, then it happens to be fallacious to make an application to authority using the disputing experts. Many people who follow the messages of advertisements with argue that prestigious persons cannot go wrong. The intention of the message is already delivered, which is to create awareness and make one believe in the message. It is vital to note that not all advertisements by prominent people or celebrities will lead to fallacy. Some of the inference they are applying are to be followed, not with certainty but probability (Baronett 2008). In accurate appeal to authority, there are reasons that are believed that claims made by renowned experts are always true. This is because; people who are genuine experts are always taken to be right all the time than being wrong, whenever they are making claims in their areas of specialization. The radio recording that was sponsored by Camel would only be reasonable if the experts thought the claim was reasonable. It is, therefore, reasonable to accept it hence listeners accepting claims on testimony of the expert (Gensler 2002). Fallacy as a form of advertisement makes people like a product depending on the people the products are associated by the products. It is significant to identify if the person used is an expert in that field or not. One might be an expert in only one area of specialization and not all. We are, therefore, supposed to follow genuine adverts intended for the excellent purpose and not for the good of the

Reflect on If I could be any historical figure within the time period, Research Paper

Reflect on If I could be any historical figure within the time period, who would I be and why - Research Paper Example In essence, politics revolve around who governs what country, what government is which country and how people are governed. It is argued that, politics dictate the social and economic lives of people in varying countries (Hout 3). As such, countries with good governance or political stability are said to have good social and economic life while those with poor political governance or no stability mostly suffer from social and economic slowdown (OHCHR 3). In regard to history and world politics, I would have wanted to be Dr, Martin Luther King Jnr. in the last three centuries. Dr. King had been brought up by a religious family where his father is alleged to have a strict hand in term of discipline for him, his elder sister and the younger. Despite the involvement of the family in church and his father being a minister, Martin Luther King was reluctant to religion and at most rebellious (Fairclough 35). In mid 1950s , the King Jr began his activism on civil rights and played a hug role bringing to an end the legal segregation that had built up between the Africans – Americans in the U.S. Moreover, he managed to push for the formation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Nelson 22). In a general sense, Martin Luther King made a huge impact on the continuous segregation that was witnessed the U.S in the 1960’s. ... As a result of the bizarre bus incident and the arrest of the African American, other Africa American come together to fight against racism and elected Dr. King as their leader. This group of African American began by fight against segregation in the Montgomery Buses and soon, the Africans could no longer receive unfair treatment for the rest of the Americans (Fairclough 38). In the same year, the segregation of the bus was boycotted, fellow Americans who referred themselves as ‘whites’ were agitated by the influence that Martin Luther King had made on African Americans and they decided to raid his house with the intention of killing him. However, their mission was unsuccessful as no one was hurt during the incident. As a result of the problem that African American encounter due to segregation, they decided to push their fight a step high by coming up with Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Through the activism and leadership of Dr. King, they expanded their non v iolent battle against discrimination that had spread to every part of the U. S. It is worth mentioning that, the infamous civil rights activity facilitate by Martin Luther King Jr to place in August 1963. The activity entailed the King as the main leader and other blacks who were civil right leaders across the country held in Washington DC. The agenda of the meeting was to compel the congress to pass a bill that had been created by the then president Kennedy. Of importance to note is that the meeting was held by both white are and blacks at the Lincoln memorial. Written down as the infamous speech â€Å"I Have a Dream†, the speech gave a definition of the moral basis that revolved around civil rights movement. Indeed, the congress was convinced and the following year they

Anthropology of Marxists, Marxians, and Marxish Essay

Anthropology of Marxists, Marxians, and Marxish - Essay Example The Hegelian system formulated the idea of self-consciousness that derived secular terms such as ‘the man’. This term created religious conceptions that characterized what would be a moral man whose basis drew from moral, political, theological among a list of other traits. In this text, Rosas as Marxian criticizes the way in which people along the Mexican border cannot be free to roam around their nation because of the intensified border patrols mounted by the USA in this territory. Essentially, when Rosas speaks to some Mexicans they tell him that they are only free when they live in the sewer lines that connect the USA and Mexico, which is basically an effect of capitalism. In most cases, those that seek to go to the USA to seek better opportunities opt to use the sewer line that connects the states of Sonora and Arizona, for the fear of being subjected to humiliating checks at the border (Rosas 2). Most of them attract the stereotype that they could be drug peddlers, which most might not be the case hence making it hard for them to access or receive US citizenship, which is a social conflict that Rosas seeks to address. Here, Foucault argues that subjects that fell under an individual in power had no option but to put their lives at risk for this person because what mattered was him to maintain his authority without caring about what would happen to them. Foucault criticizes ‘the right under the power of life and death’ because this meant those in power had the authority to take life as well as this was the law. The argument embedded here is that the western powers have borrowed from this archaic law that was applicable especially in Rome by introducing ‘deduction’, which encompasses incitement, bossing around, control and optimization among a list of other traits as elements of being in power (Foucault Michel 79).

The glass menagerie Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The glass menagerie - Research Paper Example This is because, in the rest of the characters, Williams finds an intersection between the themes he wishes to convey and the characters, though this point of intersection is highest in the person of Tom Wingfield. The Principal Characters of the Play Just as there are very many reasons to indicate that the main characters of the play are Amanda, Tom and Laura, so are there several reasons behind Williams' choice of them. Laura features in the play as the daughter of the Wingfields and Tom Wingfield's older sister as one of the principal characters. The aspect of Laura being a key figure in the play is underscored by the fact that it is her glass figurines that give the play its name and theme. The sufferings and setbacks that Laura has encountered culminate into her making a collection of glass figurines, as a way of creating a world of her own (Williams, Scene 1). Laura is introduced to suffering right from a nascent stage of life. A bout of childhood sickness strikes her, but beca use of the family's inability to afford timely quality medical services, she is left with a limp that eats into her personality and self-esteem. This low self-esteem causes her to become more isolated from the outside world. By disassociating her with the outside world, the same low self-esteem is definitely bound to eat into her exploits and potential. The author chooses the character of Laura Wingfield because she is the person who brings out explicitly, the consequences that accost the girl child, in light of absentee fatherhood. Secondly, she helps compound the theme of the difficulty in accepting reality the most. Reality has the weakest grasp on her, of all the Wingfields. She builds private world populated by glass animals. These objects, like Laura's inner life, are considerably fanciful but perilously delicate. In the person of Laura, the playwright finds the character in whom he can divulge on the psychological consequences of absentee parenthood and the sufferings it brin gs, on the child. Another character who features prominently in the play is Amanda Wingfield, the mother to Tom and Laura. A beautiful Southern lady who has been abandoned by her husband Mr. Wingfield, Amanda is Wingfield is trying to raise her children under dire financial situation. She longs for the comfort of her youth and for her children to have these comforts, but her inability to secure them turns her to hate them. The reason behind the playwright's choice of Amanda as a chief character of the play is that her experience and predicament set her to serve as the most express specimen of the psychological distress that single mothers bear. In the play, the disparity between her wishes for the comfort of her youth and their actual attainment of them is wide and persistent enough to aptly depict the harshness of life's reality and to inculcate bitterness upon Amanda. Thus, in the character of Amanda, the playwright is able to demonstrate the extent to which suffering can rob one of her personal aspirations and desires. Through the character of Amanda, Williams presents the complicated relationship that financially distressed and troubled single mothers have with reality. Amanda is partial to the values of the real world enough to maintain aspirations such as financial and social success. However, it is her firm attachment to these values that prevents her from coming to terms with life's

The influence of Marxist theory in 'The Devil and Commodity Fetishism Essay

The influence of Marxist theory in 'The Devil and Commodity Fetishism in South America' by Michael Taussig - Essay Example aussig sets out the premise of his work as an attempt to interpret what are â€Å"to us in the industrialized world the exotic ideas of some rural people in Colombia and Bolivia concerning the meaning of the capitalist relations of production and exchange into which they are daily being drawn.† (Taussig,1983, p 3). Therefore, he sets up the critical vantage point that people in peripheral civilizations have on capitalism and suggests that they may offer valuable insight into western culture. On this basis therefore, it may be noted that Taussig appears to place the primitive people of these peripheral tribes of Bolivia and Colombia in a superior position to observe the western cultures, which in reality are the more primitive because they are based upon the system of capitalism. Marx introduces the concept of commodity fetishism in the introductory chapters of his work â€Å"Das Kapital† as a state of social relations which arise in complex capitalist market systems, where such relations are centered upon the value placed by people on commodities. The significance of Marx’s use of the term fetishism in the context of commodities lies in the fact that in Marx’s day, the word was primarily used in the context of primitive religions, therefore Marx’s relegation of commodities to fetishism signifies the primitive nature of the belief system which lies at the heart of modern society. Therefore, it is akin to an illusory role that Marx ascribes to private property which is often at the centre of capitalist systems. Applying this, Marx argues that the work of social relations among people appears to be conditioned not by their interactions, but largely by commodities in the marketplace, since it is the market that appears to decide who should do what for whom. As a result, human relations conditioned by the market become so commercial that people become unaware of their social relations and become alienated from their own social activity, because they are so lost in

One Man Band Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

One Man Band - Movie Review Example The indecision of the girl is part of her innocent character. This innocence is again depicted by the competing characters using the tempo of the music, and not quality to attract her attention. They also make use of dance steps to attract her to them. Her indecision leads to the loss of the coin. From the time of the loss of the coin, the innocent expression disappears. In its place, it appears a face of determinedness. She has realized that these two characters stopped her from putting the coin in the fountain. This removes the indecision. There is a firmness seen. She firmly demands compensation for her loss. Bass and Treble are now at a disadvantage. They are forced to give her the violin she demands. Her initial attempts at playing the violin are poor. This depicts her learning process. She tunes the violin and plays beautiful music. Bass and Treble are taken aback. Her playing so well causes a passerby to give her a bag of gold coins. Bass and Treble have not realized that she is smarter now from the experience she has gained. She has learned the value of money. She has also learned how to make money. There is a pleasant yet competent look on her face now. Bass and Treble cannot try to take advantage of her anymore. Her experience makes her overcome their overtures to her. She is able to overcome them, even though they combine forces instead of being in competition. Thus her experience has made her stronger. She tosses the two coins into the fountain. Bass and Treble can only look on and are not able to do anything about it. Thus through the experience, she has gained in her growing up, she is able to outsmart the two men, who tried to take advantage of her innocence, and turn h er away from putting a coin in the fountain (1)

NORMALIZATION AND SQL DDL STATEMENTS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NORMALIZATION AND SQL DDL STATEMENTS - Essay Example Atomicity ensures that no incomplete transactions are ever executed by the system which ensures the state of data always remains stable despite any hardware/software failures. Consistency ensures that only those transactions will execute that do not violate any of the database consistency rules which ensures data remains valid. Isolation ensures uninterrupted single transaction processing e.g. the concurrent transaction requests are handled serially i.e. one transaction at a time. Durability ensures that transactions are logged and therefore transactions can be rolled back at any time. Database normalization is a set of guidelines that helps in organizing data efficiently which improves the overall performance of a DBMS. It helps remove data redundancy (does not allow duplicate data storage in multiple tables) which in turn reduces the space consumed by database. Furthermore, it improves data consistency by allowing only sensible and logical data dependencies between tables (e.g. a table stores only data that is related). There are five normal forms of database; 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF and 4NF. Mostly, normalization till the third form is enough for most database system applications. 1NF helps eliminate duplicate column from a table and identifies unique column(s) i.e. through primary key. 2NF separates data subsets into separate tables forming foreign keys. And 3NF ensures all columns in a table are dependent only on the primary key. The exercise helped in understanding the concept of ACID model and offered a hands-on approach to designing and optimizing a database design. It helped in practicing the application of the most widely used normalization guidelines on a previously formed database model. Furthermore, it also helped practice the DDL statements involved in the actual creation of a database application in

The First Day of High School Essay Example for Free

The First Day of High School Essay Right when I got out of the car, I had no clue where to go, I’m accustomed to walking through the middle school doors and going to unite with all my friends after a thrilling summer, but today was different. It was my first day of high school and I was about to go on an adventure. I finally reached my destination, the freshman courtyard, and I walked into my first period class. I sat down, looked around and thought to myself, â€Å"I know absolutely no one! † Then the bell rang and my teacher walked in. First thing that came out of her mouth was, â€Å"So who has their summer reading assignment?! and I sat there in astonishment. In middle school, on the first day, it’s usually all about rules, rules, and more rules! And how the classroom should be, but no! Not in high school. It was more of, â€Å"You’re in English honors, let’s get to work and write an essay! † Well wasn’t that a surprise. Later throughout the day, I finally saw some of my friends and felt more comfortable that there were people I knew. I was starting to enjoy my classes, and I got to know my teachers a little more, but now it was 5th period lunch and Man was I hungry! When I walked into the lunchroom, I stopped in bewilderment on where to go; there were swarms of people everywhere I turned, freshman, sophomores, juniors, and even seniors. There was a snack line, soda machines, and an abundance of tables that filled the cafeteria. You could even sit outside! It was a humongous difference from middle school; we have so much more freedom. Speaking of freedom, did I mention how spectacular it is in high school compared to middle school?! In class, we get to work together and have immense amount of free time; we can also take our phones and iPods out more often. During passing we can have our phones out and can’t get in trouble for it! The best part of all is we can have any  electronic devices out at lunch and we can go to two different places, the media and the learning lab. It is so much more suitable than being locked up in captivity all day long. Some people would expect high school to be stricter than middle school and have countless rules. Actually, it is uncomplicated, less strict and more intriguing. When I was in middle school I still felt like a little kid, but now that I am in high school I feel like I am turning into a mature adult.

Effect of Foreign Workers in Malaysia

Effect of Foreign Workers in Malaysia Malaysias economy expanded rapidly in recent years. Giant development projects run smoothly. As a result, there is a wide range of employment opportunities and labor shortage problems. Malaysia is among 10 countries listed as the top employer of foreigners in the world. Nowadays, we can meet with foreign workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, India and China who are working in various low-paying sectors such as laborers, factory workers and maids. The number of foreign workers in this country totaled to 1.85 million people with Indonesia immigrants of 1.2 million people followed by Nepal of 200,000 people. All of them include those from Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and countries in Africa. The problem of illegal immigrants is accepted in many developing countries and also in developed countries like the United State (U.S.) and Australia. U.S. for example, is addressing the crisis of illegal immigrants of 12 million people without v alid documents. Congress has approved legislation that outlines three key steps to address the problem of illegal immigrants: Repatriation of their native country, the construction of large-scale fence along the border of the United States and Mexico to block the entrance and also more severe criminal penalties on employers who hire them. According to economic experts, the U.S. economy would be crippled if the law is enforced because the majority of workers are concentrated in the agricultural sector and the construction of the immigrants. A recent study conducted by the American Federal Bureau of Plantation shows that actions against illegal immigrants would have resulted in a loss in the countrys agricultural production from $ 5 to U.S. $ 9 billion over the next three years and may reach U.S. $ 12 billion over the next four years. These foreign workers seek employments in countries with a lot of economic opportunities, particularly construction, farming, and business services. Foreign workers could be classified into two category; who came legally and illegal immigrants. FIRST CATEGORY The type of work for workers who come legally are generally determined for them, who their employer is, their place of residence and has been through various processes to meet the qualifications as an employee. They are then given a work permit which specify the duration of their work in this country. This type of category of workers has valid travel documents, free of contagious diseases, has a valid employment contract and does not bring many problems to the public. Employers are also more liable to provide shelter, food and medical services. SECOND CATEGORY Immigrants who do not go through the same processes as the first category. They also do not have valid travel documents, has a high risk of infectious diseases such as TB (tuberculosis) and easily exploitable. Government have to bear the cost of arrest and delivery of illegal immigrants to their home countries, simply because they were arrested for various immigration violations and criminal charges. The cases are more complicated as the image of negative implications on the country of origin of immigrants. REALITY Malaysia has become the focus of foreign immigrants who wish to seek lucrative income. But the entry of illegal immigrants has caused many problems. Public concern is not new immigrants. It arises due to the negative perception of the countrys population of this group is often associated with various social problems. But no worries it is not fundamentally. During the olden days, in the villages, the presence of illegal immigrants especially Indonesian immigrants are said to contribute to the occurrence of loss of property and burglary. On the other hand, Bangladesh immigrants cause parents and husbands to fear for the safety of their daughters and wives who might get tangled in a love affair. The main problem is the difficulty faced by the government to curb the entry of these illegal immigrants. Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), the Police and the Immigration Department have work hard to apprehend them. They are arrested and placed in temporary detention camp. The arrival of immigrants, especially those without licenses causes housing problems. They will establish a residential area illegally. Some migrant groups also open forest areas as housing areas. These slum areas are not organized and lack basic services such as waste disposal systems and wastewater. Thus, environmental pollution will occur. In addition, the development of our countr y will be futile due to the emergence of the squatters. The image of our country will be affected as this reflects the weakness of the government administration and distribution of economic imbalance. There is also a rich area of illegal settlements, complete with electricity, and water. The right of the people in Malaysia will be affected. Employers prefer to hire illegal immigrants in the plantation sector, construction, and domestic helpers because their salaries are much lower. This would affect the employment opportunities of our citizens even though not a lot are interested in this job. In addition, many of them engage in the business, such as food stalls, selling jewelry, decorative lights, batik and more. In fact, some of them have become rich, have large abode without paying large income tax. At a time when our currency fell in value tremendously, the employment opportunities become narrow; this is unfair to the citizen of Malaysia. The presence of those who is labeled as illegal immigrants do not just live in the countrys gold mine to find their income, but also harbor a variety of social problems, crime and health as well as other descendants in Malaysia. The problem of illegal immigrants is accepted in many developing countries as well as developed countries like U.S. and Australia. For example, laws has been implemented in the U.S., unfortunately, this law has many great opposition from those who fight for the rights of this group. Demonstrations involving thousands of tribes that support illegal immigrants on the 1st of May which they called as A day without illegal immigrantsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ was accompanied by the owners of companies that are predominantly illegal immigrant labor. Owner of this great company claims that the role of illegal immigrants should be recognized for their contributions in the U.S. economy. MALAYSIA AS A GOLD MINE The same scenario is also happening in this country, a total of 2.4 million reported (including illegal immigrants) are now focused on the most important sectors in generating economic growth; plantations, construction and manufacturing. Imagine the impact that would be borne by the countrys economy if foreign labor is taken away suddenly out of the three sectors? We recognize that the increase in crime rates lately is related with the influx of illegal immigrants. However, it is not easily resolved, as most people think. As usual, the turmoil raised involving illegal immigrants is due to the attitude of our people. Not many among us who are willing to do what is done by these foreign workers. In the plantation sector, for example, very few of us who are willing to sweat profusely under the hot sun compared to the foreign workers. Even in the construction sector, developers are complaining due to the shortage of local workers. In fact, the government does not have much choice in inhibiting crime by illegal immigrants. After all, hiring foreign labor is cheaper than domestic labor. Sometimes the attitude of employers who wants a big profit also contributes to this problem. For example, the act of employing 1,700 workers who had completed their work permits by the glove manufacturers who are listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysias, which is Top Glove Corporation Bhd. There is a probability that there are many more employers involved in such activities, but cannot be detected by the authorities. In addressing the problem of crime by illegal immigrants, the measures to be taken should not be detrimental to any party. We need to recognize that the services of foreign workers are needed to generate our economy. What can be done now is to restrict the entry of new immigrants, and at the same time ensure that existing illegal immigrants have legal status. If the rising crime rate is said to be linked to an influx of immigrants, other than to obstruct them in detention, a more drastic measure needs to be taken in the long term. Research in Australia (a country which is flooded by immigrants from Asia) found that there is no increase in crime rates associated with this group. This is contrary to previous claims that the incidence of crime in the country has to do with Asian immigrants. The study found that contrary to the attitude of local residents to view with suspicion, resentment and fear (xenophobia) against Asian immigrants that contribute to crime. As a result of the attitudes of local residents who refuse to accept them in society, these immigrants feel isolated, frustrated then vent their anger by doing criminal acts against the local population. Thus, Australias migrant crime involving the public is more than a crime against property. The study of the phenomenon of crime and illegal immigrants in this country is to reduce negative perceptions and xenophobia against them and to be more prudent to accept them in society. FACTORS OF IMMIGRANT Some of these illegal immigrants are criminals who are required by the authorities in their home countries. They fled to Malaysia to escape the invasion of their home country authorities. Unfortunately, they continue to commit crimes here. Cases of robbery, murder, and rape often occur. Trauma victims will have to bear it all the time. Even some of the housing areas are broken into every night for a long period of time. This cause the local residents live in fear. A criminal case such as Indonesian citizens shot dead during a police raid is not unusual anymore. In fact, we had to deploy troops to Semporna, Sabah, to face the Filipino pirates who use sophisticated weapons to commit robbery in broad daylight. Attractions for lucrative income in Malaysia will lure foreign workers to take the necessary actions to get here, whether it is legal or not. Some use ant-lane on the border for national security, cheat educational studies passes, using a temporary visit passes and marry local citizens. There are many reasons why a lot of criminal cases involving foreign workers. Among them were financial difficulties. Living in a big city with a small income is a burden. It is not wrong if we assume that immigrants who are eager to get rich quickly without thinking about sin and the difficulties experienced by victims. Fighting among ethnic groups from the same countries also occur due to discontent and revenge. Sometimes little things can lead to death, just like what happened not long ago where an immigrant died because fighting to get into a toilet. This particular incident involved workers from Myanmar. Demand in critical sectors such as construction and farming is a description depends on the extreme nature of the construction workforce. Immigrantsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ total about 600,000 people can only give feedback and negative public perceptions of government. Government efforts, such as forgiveness, whipping and freezing of new recruitment of foreign workers have not prevented more illegal immigrants to make a living in this country. In fact, an increasing number of foreign workers, particularly immigrants who came to Malaysia show that there is a failure of prevention and control program to curb this problem. Intelligence agencies involved in enforcement actions have not been able to provide solutions to reduce the presence of these immigrants. Do we need to wait for the influx of foreign workers and immigrants to create chaos and spread diseases before finding a solution? Or is this phenomenon a side effect before we become a fully developed country by 2020? Similarly, cases of minor crimes such as theft, robbery, rape, steal, proximity and adultery are often heard. These additional activities have been disturbing the harmony of Malaysian society and motivate a small number of them to join together to accomplish a crime. In Kedah, for example, a husband and wife arrested for conspiracy because they were helping a group of immigrants from Kuala Lumpur to commit crimes, housebreaking and robbery. The result of these robberies and acts are equally distributed and continue to repeat from time to time until they are arrested. EFFECT Foreign embassies are not fully cooperating. Foreign embassies refuse to issue temporary travel documents to people so they can be sent back. Foreign embassies are also reluctant to finance the cost of repatriation. A lot of energy, money, and time are wasted in the governments efforts to prevent the entry of illegal immigrants. Some of those who have been working in this country are known to take business opportunities from local people. These conditions give a rise to dissatisfaction of local people who cannot wait for authorities to investigate and to take action, whether it is only a warning or thrashing the immigrants. Of course, they have a reason such as no permit, disturbing the local businessmen who have business licenses and the cleanliness of the food provided is not satisfactory. Eventually more foreign workers and immigrants opened their own village, send their children to government schools, using government health services and creating new slum areas. Infectious diseases will be spread widely. Illegal foreign workers will be subject to medical examination. Instead, illegal immigrants do not do so. Many of them came from rural areas in their home countries. Their health is less assured. Some of them suffer from AIDS, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and so forth. As a result, our people could be their victims. Statistics have shown that the number of people suffering from tuberculosis increased again. Many illegal immigrants are found to be carriers of HIV and hepatitis virus. Their sexual relationships with the local prostitutes will accelerate AIDS infection. PRECUATION To solve social problems posed by the Immigrants and foreign workers involves cooperation of three parties, namely the government, private sectors and the public. Here are the field, duties and responsibilities: a. Government. As the former agency, guards and implementing policy has a huge role to ensure the full inclusion of Immigrants barred. Government has the ability to form and control laws but poor in implementation. Even though there are many prevention programs being implemented, such as bleaching and amnesty programs, there are many illegal immigrants still smuggling into this country. Enforcement agencies have to work hard to curb the inflow of immigrants from all entrances to ensure no one enters the country illegally. b. Private sector. Responsible for ensuring their employees are involved in the construction and plantation sectors have valid work permits and to give priority of local workers. If they ignore the legitimate interests of workers, the occurrence of an employer who received TB can be avoided. This event shows those who want to get cheap labor without a medical examination, a migrant can spread the disease quietly. c. Society and company. Society can provide information and to cooperate with law enforcement agencies to facilitate the eradication operations from time to time. They should not think what will be rewarded if they cooperate because the responsibility of combating illegal immigration is also a part of their responsibility. The cooperation of the employer is required to assist the government for the common good. The authorities should have a comprehensive database system of immigrants in this country. Migrants sent home to their home countries may reduce some criminal charges, but this move is not good for economic growth. Unless people in this country who are still unemployed fulfill this place. CONCLUSION The entry of foreign workers into the country is a global phenomenon in todays era of the borderless world. We cannot prevent the entry of foreign workers because of their attractive offer such as cheap labor and the skills they possess. However, to curb the entry of foreign workers who do not want to register is a big challenge for us because they can trigger more serious social problems in the future. The three parties, namely the government, the private sectors and the public should collaborate and find solutions such as awareness programs to empower the grassroots and at the same time improving the role of law enforcement agencies so that Malaysia is free from illegal immigrants. Flood and overflow of illegal immigrants is a common thing now. We as people of Malaysia should miss the atmosphere of the early 1980s when it is difficult for us to see any illegal immigrants. As a Malaysian we must reaffirm the spirit of solidarity to protect our country from invasion regardless whether it is explicit or implicit.

Politician vs. Statesman Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Politician and statesman are two terms that are used to define a political individual, and usually collaborate in their meanings. Many times, these two works can be used as synonyms when describing an individual, but they do have their subtle differences. Both a politician and a statesman are defined as â€Å"man who is a leader in national or international affairs† or â€Å"a man who is a respected leader in a given field† (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=statesman / http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=politician). Although these two words are termed the same, they do have their differences in their actual meanings. A politician is someone who attempts to gain personal advantages, most likely by scheming or maneuvering. Also, a politician belongs to a political party, and most likely is far more interested in the betterment of their party then that of the nation in whole (http://www.unique-design.net/library/word/politic.html). On the other hand, a statesman is a person who, even if they do belong to a political party, can put their party obligations aside and do what is in the best interest of the country. In a long-term perspective, statesmen who put the needs of their country before their personal or party needs will better benefit out nation (http://www.bartleby.com/61/71/S0717100.html).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   George Washington: I would label George Washington as a statesman because during his time of leadership of our country... Politician vs. Statesman Essay -- essays research papers fc   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Politician and statesman are two terms that are used to define a political individual, and usually collaborate in their meanings. Many times, these two works can be used as synonyms when describing an individual, but they do have their subtle differences. Both a politician and a statesman are defined as â€Å"man who is a leader in national or international affairs† or â€Å"a man who is a respected leader in a given field† (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=statesman / http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=politician). Although these two words are termed the same, they do have their differences in their actual meanings. A politician is someone who attempts to gain personal advantages, most likely by scheming or maneuvering. Also, a politician belongs to a political party, and most likely is far more interested in the betterment of their party then that of the nation in whole (http://www.unique-design.net/library/word/politic.html). On the other hand, a statesman is a person who, even if they do belong to a political party, can put their party obligations aside and do what is in the best interest of the country. In a long-term perspective, statesmen who put the needs of their country before their personal or party needs will better benefit out nation (http://www.bartleby.com/61/71/S0717100.html).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   George Washington: I would label George Washington as a statesman because during his time of leadership of our country...

The Three Spirits in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Essay -- English Liter

The Three Spirits in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol In Dickens’ Ghost story ‘ A Christmas Carol’ we are shown a story of redemption. Dickens uses description, sarcasm and many other effects to create the sudden changes of atmosphere in the novel. I will look at how Dickens creates such a structured book and what causes it to be so effective. However before I begin to examine Dickens’ methods I will see how each of the mysterious spirits affect Scrooge and how he responds to them. Ebenezer Scrooge is a miser if ever there was one - grasping and covetous, rich and penny-pinching. Dickens describes how he keeps a clerk, Bob Cratchit, on a measly fifteen shillings a week and a very small fire. His only family, a nephew named Fred, tries to get him to spend Christmas with him and Scrooge's only reply is "Bah. Humbug." The name Scrooge itself sounds sinister in itself†¦ His name screw + gouge shows he is hard -hearted. He is visited by four spirits. The first is of his former partner, Jacob Marley, who arrives on Christmas Eve. Jacob tells him he made his chain link by link and his spirit is condemned to walk the earth desperately trying to help his fellow man to no avail. He tells Scrooge their last hope is to be visited by three Ghosts - the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Scrooge dismisses his vision, saying "there's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are" and goes to sleep. Scrooge is redeemed because he learns how to let his spirit walk among his fellow men. He shows this by becoming 'a better man, a better master' as the good old city ever knew. He reveals his progress slowly by his actions, reactions and emotions. ... ...th the discovery that many think him a monster of a man. Scrooge finds most out about himself from this Spirit, and mixes his joy with his remorse and pain. The Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come is perhaps the least accessible character, but the line â€Å"the kind hand trembled† right at the end of its visit shows that it has goodwill. Its lack of violence and terror impresses Scrooge further. It must put the finishing touches to Scrooge, ensuring he is aware of his own mortality and to encourage him to change his life for the good. Scrooge’s dream is a growing process, starting from the one extreme of an old boring humble miser, and finishing up as a model of goodwill and religious generosity. Charles Dickens achieves what he attempted to do. With the use of humorous words and fantastic Ghosts he tells us a deep moral story which is still relevant today.

Clinging to the Past in Faulkners A Rose for Emily :: A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner

Clinging to the Past in Faulkner's A Rose for Emily       The end of the American Civil War also signified the end of the Old South's era of greatness. The south is depicted in many stories of Faulkner as a region where "the reality and myth are difficult to separate"(Unger 54). Many southern people refused to accept that their conditions had changed, even though they had bitterly realized that the old days were gone. They kept and cherished the precious memories, and in a fatal and pathetic attempt to maintain the glory of the South people tend to cling to old values, customs, and the faded, but glorified representatives of the past. Miss Emily was one of those selected representatives. The people in the southern small-town, where the story takes place, put her on a throne instead of throwing her in jail where she actually belonged. The folks in town, unconsciously manipulated by their strong nostalgia, became the accomplices of the obscene and insane Miss Emily. Faulkner tells the story in first form plural, where the narrators represent the folks in town, which gives a feeling of that this description is the general perception. One immediately gets involved in the story since they first retell what actually happened and then add their own interpretations and assumptions. The double perspective one gets invites to draw one's own conclusions from a more objective point of view, which mine hopefully is! Miss Emily was brought into the spotlight the same moment as her father died. Being the last remaining person from the high ranking Grierson family in town, she became the new ambassador of the old days. The people welcomed her with open arms, without actually knowing anything more about her than her admirable name. Her father's death also meant that Miss Emily's unrevealed secret was brought into the grave. It is well known that insanity is a hereditary disposition, and Miss Emily's great-aunt, lady Wyatt, had "gone absolutely crazy"(80) before she passed away a couple of years earlier. Emily's father had since then dissociated from that branch of the family, as if to run away from a dishonorable influence. I believe that he was aware of her condition, and he therefore had kept her from social life and driven away the long road of suitors to prevent her from causing another scandal, which could spot his and his family's remaining reputation.

Literary Luminary

Week#1: Literary Luminary â€Å"The Great Gatsby† Chapter 1/2 â€Å"You look at him sometimes when he thinks nobody's looking. I'll bet he killed a man. † (Fitzgerald 44) -This passage shows the thoughts that run among all of Gatsby's guests. Who is he? Where did he come from? Gatsby has set himself up to a lot of questions and a lot of suspense. â€Å"He smiled understandingly- much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of reassurance in it that you may come across four or five times in life. (Fitzgerald 48) -This passage showcases the attraction people have towards Gatsby. While they may not know much about him, they are drawn into him by his friendliness and charm. This is something that Nick thinks is special about Gatsby. â€Å"Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face discussing in impassioned voices whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy's name. â€Å"Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! † s houted Mrs. Wilson â€Å"I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai—-† Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand. (Fitzgerald 37) -This passage shows us the how society treated woman back in those days almost as if they didn’t have their own freedom of speech, the situation however was treated differently because of the fact that Mrs. Wilson seemed to openly say her name without any thought that her actions might have consequences. In today’s society if one was to break a lady’s nose for screaming out the name of a flower, they might be put into something as extreme as a mental asylum. It’s interesting to portray these two different arguments because we must contrast events that go on today and back then.People's moral standards nowadays are so very low. Relationships aren't truthful, the way everyone dresses is bizarre, and the way others speak is wrong. In the book, Tom Buchanan takes Nick to his â€Å"gi rl†, even though he's already married, and she dresses strange. In the book it says, â€Å"‘We're getting off,' he insisted. â€Å"I want you to meet my girl. † (Fitzgerald 24). No one stays true to their values anymore, because, like Tom, they do whatever they want. -Nick goes to Gatsby's party, one of the only guests that come that were actually invited. -A huge orchestra was there. Jordan Baker is there, along with seemingly everyone in West Egg.This means Gatsby is very rich, considering he is able to supply food for all the people. Chapter 3 (food for thought) Also, in all of chapter 3 people are partying and gossiping. This definitely happens a lot today, especially in high school. They gossiped about Gatsby when someone said, â€Å"Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once (Fitzgerald 44). † Most of the people at the party are also not invited, which also happens at a lot of high school parties today. â€Å"†¦ I was one of the few gue sts who had actually been invited. People were not invited—they went there (Fitzgerald 41). â€Å"

Business Communication Trends Essay

Business communication plays a big role in our daily work activities as individuals we must manage our daily activities depending on the trends and needs of our current workplace. There are ten Business communication trends the one that I will be discussing is on Quality and customer needs. Business Communication Trends Business communication is very important in my daily work environment. It is so important because we use this to communicate efficiently with our Managers to our customers. I work for The City of Indio in water department. My duties vary from customer service to Engineering administrative assistant. Business communication does play a big role in my day-to-day duties, because we have to be able to have great communication skills orally, and also we must use other communication technology efficiently like emails, letters, memos and phone or teleconferencing. In order to be a good representative we must be able to communicate effectively with our customers. The reason I say this is because we are responsible in making sure that we listen to what the customers needs are and that we are able to satisfactory resolve any issue that the customer might have. Many times when customers have a valid complain we must inform our supervisor via E-mail, depending on the level of urgency regarding the customers complains. I generally prefer to communicate this way because it creates a paper trail and it also protects me. Through these emails we must be able to communicate to our supervisor, what the issue is and what are the solutions that we can offer the customer. Then my supervisors will respond with either an approval or rejection. Then we can communicate with the customer and inform them what the end result is of their complaint. I have found that communicating with my supervisors via e-mail helps keep track of records, and if that same issue were to ever come up again we would have an e-mail that would be proof that particular issue was addressed and brought to our supervisors attention. If the issue is not resolved to the customer satisfaction it would be because there wasn’t a follow-up with the customer and we did not communicate in a professional manner. Business Communication Trends Working in a utility division comes with many challenges. When creating utility statement, wording has be to address in a manner where we are targeting an audience that can read and understand exactly what is being said in a normal monthly water utility bill . For example, what amount is due and when is it due. Many of our customers misinterpret or don’t understand the wording on the utility bills. This causes confusion, and can even cause customers to have the utility services interrupted, because they misinterpret their bill and did not know how to read it correctly. We all have spent countless hours rewording our statements and every time there is that one customer that is looking for a loop in the system to get away out of paying a payment or late fees. Our role as representatives is to ensure that are customer satisfaction is meet, and if there is an error where it might misguide our customers, we want to make sure that we correct the problem before it becomes a problem.

Reflective Account †Communication Essay

Whilst on shift one day I needed to ask my key resident Mr H what clothes he wanted to wear for that day. Mr H is very hard of hearing but refuses to wear a hearing aid as he states they make his ears sore. Mr H has no speech difficulties. Before I proceed with Mr H’s care I check his care plan where it is documented how he likes to be communicated with. Any changes to Mr H’s communication ability should be reported and documented straight onto a daily diary sheet and into his careplan where other staff members are able to see the changes noted. I then knock loudly on Mr H’s door so that he is aware of my prescence and await his reply, he called for me to ‘come in’. On entering the room I proceed to where Mr H is sitting on the side of his bed. I kneel close to him and make eye contact, I begin speaking to him slightly louder than I normally would talk, slowly and clearly ensuring I don’t imput too much information into my sentences that will make it difficult for Mr H to follow. I begin by saying ‘Good Morning’ to which Mr H replies the same clearly confirming he had heard me. I then ask him if he slept well to which he replied he had again confirming he had heard me. I then asked Mr H if he is ready to get washed and dressed, he didnt appear to hear me with no verbal response he tilted his head to the side and tapped his ear. This indicated to me that he had not heard what I had said. I gently put my hand on his to give him some reassurance and proceeded to repeat the question a little slower. Mr H nodded and smiled and verbally answered ‘yes’. Next I asked Mr H what clothing he would like to wear that day, to assist me in doing this I indicated to Mr H with my hands pointing to my eyes to watch what I was doing. I went over to his wardrobe and opened it and took out a selection of shirts and held them up for Mr H to see. he chose which he would like to wear by pointing at the shirt and verbally confirming the colour he had chosen, I repeated this process with both his trousers and sweatshirt. Mr H appeared happy with the way I was communicating with him as he smiled and nodded at me. I could tell if Mr H had understood or heard me correctly by his verbal responses and his facial expressions. Whilst communicating with Mr H I reviewed his hearing ability by making a mental note of the times he hadn’t heard me correctly and compared this with the previous day, at present Mr H’s hearing ability doesn’t appear to have changed, I recorded this in the communication section of Mr H’s care plan where others could see there were no changes at present. A short while later the nurse visited Mr H, to help support Mr H I privately, to ensure no breech of cofidentiality was broken, explained to the nurse the difficulties Mr H had with his hearing and explained to her the ways in which I communicate with Mr H in accordance to Mr H’s preferences documented in his care plan. They both appreciated this as there were no misunderstandings and they both fely more at ease with eachother. I then indicated to Mr H that I would leave them in private by pointing to the door and waving, Mr H nodded his understanding and waved back.

Japanese Internment During World War 2 Essay

Over the span of nine months 22,000 Japanese Canadians were forced from their homes, stripped of their belongs and denied basic human rights (1). During World War 2, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Canadian government felt people of Japanese origin could be a threat to the Canadian war effort. Because of this, thousands of Japanese Canadian citizen’s were moved to internment camps in British Columbia. The internment of the Japanese Canadians was wrong because it was completely unjustified, most of the people put in the internment camps had a Canadian citizenship, were treated very poorly and there wasn’t any proof that they would do anything negatively effect Canada during the war. No human being should have ever been treated this way. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor Canadian racism towards Japanese citizens intensified. Although the Canadian military didn’t feel that the Japanese were a threat to them, the public believed that the Japanese citizens showed too much sympathy for Japan and were a threat to the country’s security as they could be spies (2). This common belief led to the decision of the Japanese being moved to a â€Å"safety zone† in interior British Columbia. I feel that this was extremely wrong because the Japanese hadn’t done anything to deserve this. Many of the people who were interned had lived in Canada their whole lives and considered themselves to be loyal Canadian citizen. They felt just as afraid and threatened by the war as every other Canadian was. Shortly after the internment began, an RCMP officer wrote a secret letter to a government agent stating, â€Å"We have had no evidence of espionage or sabotage among the Japanese in British Columbia† (1). This helps to prove the Japanese were innocent and should not have been put in internment camps; they clearly hadn’t done anything wrong. After the Japanese were brutally ripped from their homes, humiliated, and had their belongings taken from them they were forced to live in internment camps. They were forced to do hard labor and their knew houses lacked the basic standards of living. This is another reason why what the Canadian government did was so terrible. People were crammed into small houses that may have had a stove (3). There was an enormous amount of people being shipped to the internment camps but there weren’t nearly enough houses, because of this people were forced to live in tents. When families did get to move from a house to a tent I wasn’t an upgrade; the houses were very poorly insulated and unsanitary. At times there were houses with ten families living in them. When the Japanese people left their homes their land was considered the government’s property and the original owners wouldn’t acquire anything when it was sold. The war had caused a large labor shortage for farmers so the Japanese were used to help fix this problem. Men were given the option to work on a farm and be with their families or work on the road as slaves. The Japanese had to live terrible lives because of a poor decisions made by the Canadian government. The Japanese had done nothing wrong, they were being punished for a crime that they did not commit (1). The only defense that Canada had for doing what they did was the Japanese weren’t white and they could potentially be spies. A main reason that the Canadians put the Japanese into internment camps was because of racism. The Japanese were discriminated against for the reason that they were new to the country and took jobs away from other Canadians. The Japanese were willing to work longer hours for less pay then the average Canadian worker, because of this Canadians feared they would lose their jobs to the knew immigrants (2). Canadians also began to blame things on the Japanese that couldn’t possibly be their fault. Things like a poor harvest or a flat tire would be blamed on the Japanese when they couldn’t possibly be at fault. The Canadian Government did what they did based on fear and racism, but not any facts and this I what made it so terrible. The choice the Canadian government made in interning the Japanese was without a doubt a terrible decision. It was so wrong because there weren’t any real reasons to intern the Japanese, they treated the Japanese terribly and Canadians didn’t have any evidence that the Japanese had done anything wrong. The fact that Canadians could do something so terrible to the Japanese or fellow humans in general based on fear is horrifying. Interning the Japanese was completely unnecessary and shouldn’t ever have happened.

Civil engineering issues Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Civil engineering issues - Lab Report Example However, it is associated with specific stories to global concepts, proper behavior in the corporate environment, and the inspiration of corporate geology for making of wise management decisions. The geological limits of Clarence Road comprise land dereliction, poor infrastructure, and the loss of open space and agricultural lands in Clarence Town. As an element of Master Plan 2015, the state should enhance prevailing open space conservation tools and to initiate a conservation program. These comprise a purchase of development rights program in those regions most vulnerable to development, prioritizing those lands, which are presently active in terms of agronomic production. As acknowledged in the Nutter Study, open space conservation under such a plan would not generate an economic adversity for the Town considering a growing local tax rate nor to intellectual property proprietors. Infrastructure and especially the extension of sewer lines and the escalations in traffic volumes on the present Clarence road will be a serious factor in establishing development and in guiding land usage resolutions in the future of the road and entirely in the Town of Clarence. Access to public sewers is serious to the lasting ecological health of the community. Sewer lines have stretched out comparatively slowly and have fashioned significant development impacts on the Town. According to Town of Clarence Planning and Zoning Department, growth in focus regions will and has had a correspondingly dramatic influence the service of existing roadways. The geological limits of Hunslet Riverside include the landscape of smoke nuisance. The region is home to a collection of voluntary firms servicing the public, this comprises The Hunslet Club, a youth association founded in 1940 which offers sport, dance and drama events for hundreds of young individuals in the region in addition to

Critical Case Comment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Case Comment - Essay Example apportionment of the proceeds of the will of William York, an old man who bequeathed this estate to his nephew at a price that was ridiculously low when compared to the market value of the property. The question that arises in the disposition that was made in this case relates to the law of unconscionability and whether the judgment reflects the appropriate application of this law to derive results that provide for the promotion of efficient market outcomes. Since the Plaintiffs in this case were the daughters of the deceased man while the primary beneficiary was a nephew upon whom the deceased may have been unconsciously dependent, an additional question that arises is whether this dependence produced a property distribution that was inequitable to the daughters when viewed from a feminist perspective. Bill York was a grazier who had lived in Wallumbia all his life. He had four daughters, all married and living off the estate, which he operated, with the help of his brother Sam and his nephew Neil York. In 1985, Bill York drew up his will in which he gave his house, his car and money in the bank to his wife while the estate was to be divided among his daughters, subject to an important qualification – he gave his nephew Neil York, the option to purchase the entire holding for the sum of $200,000.1 Subsequent to this, in 1988, Neil York arranged for the sale of a piece of land known as Injune, which he had acquired with advances from the Mt Leigh pastoral Company that owned holdings possessed jointly held by Bill, Sam and Neil, for the sum of $150,000. He offered to buy some portions of Bill’s property for that sum of $150,000, while retaining his option on the balance of land that remained with Bill. In 1988, the transfers were arranged accordingly. The land that was transferred was owned partially by Bill alone (the territory known as Wonga Park partly by Bill and Sam (the territory known as Wonga park fee simple) and that owned by Neil and Bill (Risby

Case Study of Adesemi Communications International

Of Adesemi Communications International - Case Study Example In this case study, findings suggest that the reason behind the downfall is generally caused by the lack of experience. In particular, reasons of such failure are the cultural misunderstandings among the diverse workforce, the inexperienced and incompetent local business partners, the impatience of the quasi-governments who wanted to have their investments back, and the complete underestimation of the local government owning the national telephone company. Meanwhile, this analysis proposes that the impacts made by the country and market conditions were the most significant factor of the demise of Adesemi. Likewise, the case of Adesemi only shows that the company did not have a good pool of social networks and capitals that could have possibly helped save the company in those periods of crisis. From this experience, Monique Maddy, the CEO and founder of Adesemi, has learned the following insights. Firstly, cultural diversity must be transformed from a weakness to a strength through ap pointing an HR guru. Secondly, partnerships must be made not out of convenience. Thirdly, start-ups in developing countries should restrain from the type of investors who are just after the gains of the company. Fourthly, a patient and visionary investor with deep pockets willing to shell out money in times of financial crisis to save the company is needed in a third world start. Introduction Monique Maddy, a Harvard University graduate from Africa, dreams of being an entrepreneur. As a matter of fact, she happened to achieve her goal once, when she had established and run her own company in Tanzania, the Adesemi Communications International. Such dream had started when she wanted to set up her own company on an untapped market in a developing country in Africa. It had begun with an aim of transforming and modernizing the information technology sector in Africa. She had achieved this dream through Adesemi via making it possible for the thousands of lower and middle-class Tanzanian f amilies to gain access to affordable wireless communication services. Apart from that, as the company incorporated pagers, voice mails, and wireless pay phones, Adesemi had happened to launch the first fully integrated â€Å"virtual† phone system of the world in Tanzania. It is undeniable how successful Maddy was in establishing Adesemi. In addition to that success, the company was even financially successful and had $ 2 million annual revenue. Nonetheless, despite the case that it was on the verge of explosive growth, such success had come to an end when company was forced to shut down. In this regard, the focus of this analysis is mainly on the case of Adesemi Communications International. Specifically, it aims to answer four specific points. Firstly, its objective is to discuss the reason behind the failure of Monique Maddy’s Adesemi Communications International. Secondly, it targets to evaluate the impacts of the country and market conditions on the failure of laun ching a new innovation. Thirdly, using Adesemi’s case, it intends to understand the significance of social capital and network in entrepreneurship. Lastly, it points to identify what Maddy has essentially learned by the failure of her business venture. On the one hand, to examine Adesemi’s case is of significance for the reason that the learnings that can be obtained from this particular experience can aid the entrepreneurs as well as those who plan to set up their own business in the future,

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Neoclassical and Romantic styles - Essay Example During this time, numerous artists came up whose works portrayed a theme of social and political issues being experienced during that time. The industrial revolution was essential as it gave numerous artists a platform where they could voice their cries. Art exhibitions, such as the Great London Exhibition, were seriously influential in spreading Neoclassical and Romantic styles. These exhibitions portrayed numerous Neoclassical and Romantic styles, which a lot of upcoming artists copied or adapted from other artists. The exhibitions also portrayed some of the talented artists who were not known in the past. Nationalism also influenced the spread of Neoclassical and Romantic styles. Critics consider that liberalism along with radicalism, which was brought about by nationalism, were significant influences of both Neoclassical and Romantic styles. Nationalism influenced the spread of music, visual arts and natural sciences. Finally, Christianity, which is a cultural factor, was the main factor that led to the spread of romanticism and its styles. This is because romanticist artists were extremely spiritual. The spread of Christianity was intense in the mid 1800’s, and what these artists, in reality, revolted against was the narrow mindedness of other

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To what extent does Karl von Clausewitz explain the changing nature of warfare after 1798 - Essay Example Clausewitz’s main claim in his book ‘On War’ published in 1831 revolves around the fact that in order to understand warfare, it must be considered as a social phenomenon. War comes from deliberate circumstances and these circumstances make wars easier to understand. This statement was considered in the light of two conceptions of war at that time, first, that war is capable of linear solutions, and secondly, that war is basically chaotic and cannot be rationally evaluated (Gat, 1989). This view of war led to the perception that it is merely an offshoot of politics, mixed is with violence. This perception hid a more complex phenomenon. First and foremost, war has changed over time. Since social organizations have changed over the years, the nature of parties competing has also changed. Secondly, in seeking a better understanding of what is happening in conflicts, there is no longer a need to consider the military events in a political setting. Third, there is a nor mative element in the formula. Clausewitz was of the belief that force was more acceptable when it was considered as a tool for state policy. Considering the suffering caused by war, this was the justifiable reason utilized in the use of violence; however a normative failure would not negate the analytical process. (Clausewitz, eds, Howard and Paret, 1979, p. 586). In order to establish a practical understanding of war, there was a need to evaluate the relationship between military activities and the political climate of these events. On the outset, there was a direct linear link between the scale of the goal sought and the extent of force required to fulfill it. In a conflict which was carried out to conquer an opponent who aimed to totally conquer and annex a country, one is almost always certain to expect significant efforts to defeat the aggressor. On the other hand, where a smaller objective was sought, a smaller consequent action would be seen. Clausewitz was of the understand ing that events on the battlefield and in the political arena are very much related to each other. A battlefield victory might prevent other nations from being embroiled in any conflict, it may also convince them of the fact that a victor has become a threat to them (Szabo, 2008). A victory may also convince a nation that its competitor is weak and that it needs to improve its objectives. The consideration of a country deciding to intervene or step away from a conflict would

Not in My School Yard by Shepherd (2009). Article Review Essay

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Global Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Financial Crisis - Essay Example Investments Banks in United States received a huge blow of the financial crisis for which they gradually disappeared from the financial scenario of the country (Kenc & Dibooglu, 2010, p. 3). The crisis of the mortgage market during 2007 rendered a huge impact on countering a decline in the value of the market price of large securities and other financial instruments held by the financial organizations of the world. Credit Crunch which happened in the American markets created a global turmoil by declining the value of debt instruments all over the world by restricting credit both on personalized and on organized levels. Thus the contagious effect of the financial credit crunch of America took the form of global financial crisis by ripping off the stability of the financial institutions on an international scale (Longstaff, 2010, p.436; Aronson, 2010, p. 276). Reasons for the Global Financial Crisis The main reason which is attributed to causing the event of global financial crisis in the global scenario is the effect of contagion. Contagion effect has been identified to generate similar shocks of financial breakdown in one economic system to other financial systems operating throughout the world mainly through three ways. In the first manner the potency of economic breakdown in one financial market is spread to other world economies through the information network. This information obtained can hugely affect the working of the economic system of the other countries largely jeopardizing them. Secondly the event of contagion also gains ground by disturbing the liquidity position of the financial assets of the other global economies. A strike imposed on the availability of financial liquidity through the system of credit in one economy also renders potential impact by curbing the amount of liquidity in other economies of the world. In the third case the contagious effect of the financial crisis in any developed region like America also weakens the desire and potenc y of other economies to enhance the risk portfolio in their financial system (Longstaff, 2010, p.438). Along with the above reasons there were several other causes like the selfish outlook of the micro factors of the financial system like the groups of investors, creditors, banks and other financial institutions. These economic groups were busy considering avenues to get the best of the financial system by drifting the financial and economic policies of the government in their favor. The impacts rendered by these systems led to the growth of credit generation in the economy of United States until it led to the final demise. Further the social policy outlines taken by the government of United States to help render huge credits to the poor people of the country to construct houses also led to the happening of the credit crunch. Huge amount of credit ushered in the economy with low amount of interest also led the banks to gain the advantage of such. The financial system of granting cre dit in America was managed by different agencies that used to set policies and regulations detrimental to the economic system of the country. These agencies were themselves not successful in rightly satisfying the responsibilities entrusted on them and mainly wanted to avail the favor of the intricacies of the government regulations pertaining to credit (Wignall & Atkinson, 2009, pp. 2, 5, 8; McNally, 2009, p. 36, 38). The opening up of the economic s

Technological Advancements in Communication Essay Example for Free

Technological Advancements in Communication Essay Write a 200- to 300-word response to the following questions based on â€Å"Superhero in the Cubicle† in the Electronic Reserve Readings: Q: What technological advancements in communication were discussed in the article? The technological communication advancements discussed in the article, ‘Superhero in the Cubicle’, were IBM Lotus Connections by Big Blue, Smartsheet from Smartsheet.com, Web 2.0 Mashup Server software by Kapow Technology, and Near Time, and Confulence form Atlassian used by John Hopkins University students. Q: Choose two (2) communication types and compare and contrast them. How could these be used in your workplace? IBM Lotus Connections and Near-Time share similarities in enabling the users to blog, wiki, and mashup because these collaborative Web technology tools are equipped with the social computing abilities. Both of these advanced technological tools are both easy to install, without any IT’s assistance, and inexpensive (economical). Near-Time allows the users to sort out the information source and develop new informal channels; in contrast, IBM Lotus Connections does not allow users the same information sorting and creating functions. Making use of these advanced technological tools for wiki, store and retrieve data, and blogging seems practical and beneficial at my workplace; however, my job does not always need these highly developed technological devices to accomplish the work goals. Q: Do these technological advancements in communication follow what is traditionally considered business communication? Why? Although the present business environment adapts to itself to the highly and rapidly changing setting, I do not think these technological advancements in communication mentioned in the article follow the traditionally considered business communication yet. According to the article, it is evident that  these advanced communication tools are present in the current business environment; numerous businesses do not seem to accept and utilize all the tools included in the article to operate their everyday business activities. Perhaps, many businesses, small and big, still consider these advanced tools as the novel commodities. In addition, some companies may still consider these collaborative tools as high maintenance products because the employees may need to spend extra time to become proficient with the technology; thus, the companies may find these tools as a cause for extra expenses that cannot be included in their budget. Reference Axia College of University of Phoenix. (2010). Superhero in the cubicle. Retrieved April 19, 2010, from Axia College, Week Three reading, aXcess, XCOM285-Essentials of Managerial Communication Course Web site.

Event Will Never Forget Essay Example for Free

Event Will Never Forget Essay Comparison of Di erent Neighbourhood Sizes in Simulated Annealing Xin Yao Department of Computer Science University College, University of New South Wales Australian Defence Force Academy Canberra, ACT, Australia 2600 Abstract Neighbourhood structure and size are important parameters in local search algorithms. This is also true for generalised local search algorithms like simulated annealing. It has been shown that the performance of simulated annealing can be improved by adopting a suitable neighbourhood size. However, previous studies usually assumed that the neighbourhood size was xed during search. This paper presents a simulated annealing algorithm with a dynamic neighbourhood size which depends on the current emperature value during search. A method of dynamically deciding the neighbourhood size by approximating a continuous probability distribution is given. Four continuous probability distributions are used in our experiments to generate neighbourhood sizes dynamically, and the results are compared. combinatorial optimisation. A method of generating dynamic neighbourhood sizes by approximating continuous probability distributions is given in this section. Section 4 compares the experimental results of using di erent continuous probability distributions to generate dynamic neighbourhood sizes. Finally, Section 5 concludes with some remarks and directions of future research. 2 General Simulated Annealing Although SA can be used in both continuous and discrete cases, this paper only considers combinatorial optimisation by SA unless otherwise indicated explicitly. A combinatorial optimisation problem can be informally described as nding an optimal con guration X from a nite or in nite countable con guration space S . Each con guration X 2 S can be represented by its n (gt; 0) components, i. e. , X = (x1; x2; ; xn ), where xi 2 Xi , i = 1; 2; ; n. An excellent discussion of combinatorial optimisation and its complexity can be found in Garey and Johnsons book 8]. A general model of SA, which is applicable to both continuous and discrete problems, can be described by Figure 1, where function generate (X; Tn) is decided by the generation robability gXY (Tn ), which is the probability of generating con guration Y from con guration X at temperature Tn , function accept (X; Y; Tn) is decided by the acceptance probability aXY (Tn ), which is the probability of accepting con guration Y after it has been generated at temperature Tn , and function update (Tn ) decides the rate of the temperature decrease. These three functions determine the convergence o f general SA 5, 6, 9], but parameters in general SA, such as the initial temperature, initial con guration, inner-loop stop criterion, and outer1 Introduction Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithms can nd very good near optimal solutions to a wide range of hard problems, but at the high computational cost. Various methods have been proposed to speed up its convergence, which can roughly be divided into three categories: (1) Optimising functions and parameters in SA 1]; (2) Combining SA with other search algorithms 2, 3]; and (3) Parallelising SA 4]. This paper falls into the above rst category. Section 2 of this paper describes a general SA algorithm 5, 6] which uni es di erent variants of the classical one 7]. Section 3 presents SA with a dynamic neighbourhood size and its application in Published in Proc. of Fourth Australian Conf. on Neural Networks, ed. P. Leong and M. Jabri, pp. 216{219, 1993, Melbourne, Australia. generate initial con guration X at random; generate initial temperature T0; REPEAT REPEAT Y = generate(X; Tn); IF accept(X; Y; Tn) THEN X = Y ; UNTIL `inner-loop stop criterion satis ed; Tn+1 = update (Tn ); n = n + 1; UNTIL `outer-loop stop criterion satis ed Figure 1: General simulated annealing. loop stop criterion, can have signi cant impact on its nite-time behaviour. That is, the computation time in practice depends on the three functions as well as these parameters. Most research on SA has concentrated on the update and accept function and various algorithmic parameters, only limited attention has been paid to the generate function. However, the generate function decides an important part | the neighbourhood structure and size | of a local search algorithm regardless of whether it is a deterministic one or a stochastic one like SA. The neighbourhood NX of a con guration X is de ned by con guration. The xed-size neighbourhood clearly does not conform with the basic search strategy behind SA. It is appealing to have a neighbourhood size which can adjust itself in the di erent search stages. Fast SA 12] can be regarded as an example of SA with a dynamic neighbourhood size, but it is only used in the continuous case. The application of dynamic neighbourhood size in combinatorial optimisation, to our best knowledge, has not been well-studied. 3 Dynamic Neighbourhood Size in Simulated Annealing This section gives a method of dynamically deciding the neighbourhood size in SA according to the temperature parameter 5, 6]. In the high temperature stages, SA algorithms have high acceptance probability for both good and ad moves, i. e. , exploration plays a major role in search, and thus a large neighbourhood size is used to enhance such exploration. In the low temperature stages, exploitation plays a major role in search, and thus a smaller neighbourhood is more suitable. In the following discussion, we say that the Hamming distance between two con guration X = (x1 ; x2; ; xn ) and Y = (y1; y2 ; ; yn ) is if there are exactly di erent elements between them. Let f (x) be the continuous density function which is used to generate the Hamming distance between the current con guration and the next one. Denote the set of con gurations which are distant from the current con guration X as SX ( ), SX ( ) = fY 2 S; gXY (Tn) gt; 0g where X 62 NX , and X 2 NY i Y 2 NX . NX = fY jY (1) ing search once de ned for a problem. Goldstein and Waterman 10] and Cheh et al. 11] carried out some experiments on comparing SA with di erent neighbourhood sizes, but the sizes are still xed once decided. A limitation of SA with a xed neighbourhood size is its inability to perform search at di erent scales in di erent stages of search. As indicated in our previous study 5], SA can be viewed as an attempt to combine exploration of a space and exploitation of a sub-space into the same algorithm, i. e. , coarse-grained search in the high temperature stages explores the con guration space and tries to locate promising regions, while ned-grained search in the low temperature stages exploits the promising regions and tries to nd a good near optimal gXY (Tn ) = 1=jNX j, where jNX j is the size of NX , i. . , the number of con gurations in NX , and is the same for all X in S . Moreover, jNX j is xed dur- Previous research on SA normally assumed that j Y 2 S; dXY = g (2) The probability of generating con guration Y , which is dXY distant from con guration X , is dened as 1 = jS (1 )j P rob dXY ? 2 lt; X dXY Z dXY + 1 2 f (x)dx = jS (1 )j 1 X dXY dXY ? 2 f (dXY ) jSX (dXY )j 2 gXY (Tn ) dXY + 1 2 (3) Suppose the maximum Hamming distance allowed for one move is dmax 1 , then the normalised generation function is f (dXY ) / jSX (dXY )j gXY (Tn ) = (4) FX (Tn ) where FX (Tn ) = X X f (d ) max XZ jSX (dXZ )j dXZ =1 Z 2S 4 Experimental Results We adopt the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) as a benchmark to evaluate our SA algorithms because of its clear mathematical de nition and high computational complexity. Goldstein and Waterman 10] and Cheh et al. 11] have experimented with TSPs using di erent but xed neighbourhood sizes and found that a small neighbourhood size is better than a large neighbourhood size. That is, the SA algorithm performs the best when dXY = 1. TSPs with 40 cities are used in our experiment and are generated at random. The same initial conguration, inner-loop stop criterion, out-loop stop criterion, and temperature decreasing rate are used in our experiments in order to evaluate the impact of the neighbourhood size on the performance of SA algorithms. Our experiments, albeit preliminary, have demonstrated that SA with a dynamic neighbourhood size outperforms SA with a xed neighbourhood size. Table 1 gives the results of four typical runs of two kinds of SA algorithms. Table 2 gives the results of using di erent distributions to generate neighbourhood sizes. roblem instance 1 2 3 4 initial value 15080 12260 13760 15820 NorSA 2540 2140 2560 2300 CSA 3120 2520 2880 2460 Table 1: Comparison of SA with a xed neighbourhood size (CSA) and SA with a dynamic neighbourhood size (NorSA). Normal distribution is used to generate the neighbourhood size. (5) Theorem 3. 1 ( 5]) Suppose the acceptance function in an SA algorithm is aXY (Tn ) = min 1; exp ? ? cY T cX n : (6) and the generation function is (4), where f (x) in (4) can be anyone of the following, (a) the Normal function N (0; Tn), i. e. , 1 exp ? d2 XY f (dXY ) = p 2Tn 2 Tn (b) the exponential function E (Tn ), i. . , f (dXY ) = ! 1 exp ? dXY Tn Tn (c) the Cauchy function C (Tn ), i. e. , 1 T f (dXY ) = 2 n 2 dXY + Tn (d) the stable function with index 1 13], i. e. , 2 f (dXY ) = q exp ? 2d1 XY 2 d3 XY 1 5 Concluding Remarks Neighbourhood size is an important parameter in local search algorithms, but only a xed size was adopted in previous application of SA to combinatorial optimisation problems. This paper proposes a method of using a dynamic neighbourhood size in SA based on our analysis of SA search. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated the advantage of a dynamic neighbourhood size in SA. The idea of a dynamic neighbourhood size could also be introduced into other local search algorithms. It is, in fact, related to a more profound 3 Then the SA algorithm converges to global minima if the cooling rate is Tn = ln n + n0 ; n = 1; 2; (7) where and n0 are positive constants. It is set to n, the number of elements in a con guration, in our experiments. 1 problem instance initial value CauSA NorSA ExpSA StableSA 1 17800 2480 2540 2640 3760 2 15500 3000 3340 3180 4420 3 16600 3300 2920 3460 4500 4 14780 3000 2980 3280 3760 References 1] P. J. M. van Laarhoven and E. H. L. Aarts, Simulated Annealing: Theory and Applications, D. Reidel Publishing Co. , 1987. 2] D. H. Ackley, A Connectionist Machine for Genetic Hillclimbing, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, 1987. 3] X. Yao, Optimization by genetic annealing, In M. Jabri, editor, Proc. of ACNN91, pages 94{97, Sydney, 1991. 4] D. R. Greening, Parallel simulated annealing techniques, Physica D, 42:293{306, 1990. 5] X. Yao, Simulated annealing with extended neighbourhood, International J. of Computer Math. , 40:169{189, 1991. 6] X. Yao and G. -J. Li, General simulated annealing, J. of Computer Sci. Tech. 6:329{ 338, 1991. 7] S. Kirkpatrick, C. D. Gelatt, and M. P. Vecchi, Optimization by simulated annealing, Science, 220:671{680, 1983. 8] M. R. Garey and D. S. Johnson, Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness, W. H. Freeman Co. , San Francisco, 1979. 9] S. Anily and A. Federgruen, Ergodicity in parameteric nonstationary Markov chains: an application to annealing methods, Ope r. Res. , 35:867{874, 1987. 10] L. Goldstein and M. Waterman, Neighborhood size in the simulated annealing algorithm, Amer. J. of Math. and Management Sci. , 8:409{423, 1988. 11] K. M. Cheh, J. B. Goldberg, and R. G. Askin, A note on the e ect of neighborhood structure in simulated annealing algorithm, Computers and Oper. Res. , 18:537{547, 1991. 12] H. H. Szu and R. L. Hartley, Nonconvex optimization by fast simulated annealing, Proc. of IEEE, 75:1538{1540, 1987. 13] W. Feller, An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications, volume 2, John Wiley Sons, Inc. , 2nd edition, 1971. 4 Table 2: SA with a dynamic neighbourhood size which is generated by the Cauchy function (CauSA), Normal function (NorSA), Exponential function (ExpSA), and Stable function with index 1=2 (StableSA). esearch issue in search theory, i. e. , the issue of exploration versus exploitation or global search versus local search. Although local search based on some heuristics can be quite e cient under many circumstances, the problem of local optima is very hard to deal with. Some kind of global search has to be used if a global optimum or near optimum is required. However, the computational cos t of global search is often prohibitively high for most real-world applications due to the vast search space. It is bene cial to combine global and local search together. An open question here is how to decide when global or local search should be performed. It is also di cult to draw the line strictly between local and global search in practice. Dynamic neighbourhood size offers a way to deal with the problem by transferring from global search to local search smoothly based on a control parameter, temperature in SA. However, more work has to be done on deciding which kind of generation functions is most suitable for an application, i. e. what is the optimal rate of reducing the neighbourhood size. As indicated before, Fast SA 12] o ers a big improvement over classical SA 7] due to the adoption of Cauchy distribution. An interesting topic is to investigate whether the discrete version of Fast SA can o er similar improvement over classical SA. Our preliminary experiments seem to give a negative answer. Acknowledgement | The author is grateful to Drs. B. Marksjo and R. Sharpe for their support of his work while he was with CSIRO Division of Building, Construction and Engineering.