Creative Brief Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Creative Brief - Case Study Example The target market is the city of Zurich in Switzerland and the specific target group is the youths and adolescents who form a large part of the city’s entire population. The city has a total of about half a million of which a half is made up of the youthful population. The youths in the city are known to be taking part in several sporting activities which requires a lot of energy boost. The drink which is attributed to increase in performance in sporting events is expected to increase its sales in the city which is full of energy demanding activities. The fact that it exist in large varieties makes it more appealing to the younger generation who are keen on variety and specialized products. The city is attracts large number of tourists who come for leisure and recreation activities hence a huge demand for energy drinks which will be met by Redbull. The city is closely located to the headquarters of the product which is located in Vienna. The proximity will help increase pace at which the product is supplied hence meeting the expected huge demand of the product. The city has a large number of immigrants and tourist who will be in a better position to market the product in their respective countries hence increasing the market base for the product as well as expanding the market globally. The city has a large number of international hotels and other retail outlets that will allow quick distribution of the product thus increasing its accessibility to the larger population. Another key factor that makes the target market the best is the high level of information among the youths in the city. They are very much aware of the role that caffeine which is contained in the drink does for their bodies and the right level of the product that they need to consume. As result they are able to contain all the effects and reactions that take place in their bodies as

Short Pest or Pestle analysis Essay Example for Free

Short Pest or Pestle analysis Essay This short ‘PEST’ or ‘PESTLE’ analysis will be carried out on the supermarket sector and discount retailers in Northern Ireland with the majority of the analysis being carried out specifically on Lidl. A PESTLE analysis will be ideal for Lidl in terms of effective market research and will help them come to decide how much they should expand given the fact that they have plans to do so particularly in the UK over the next 12 months. The PESTLE analysis directly and comprehensively evaluates the industry’s external environment elements in order to identify the overall available opportunities and dangers of specific procedures. It cannot be undermined how crucial effective market research is for companies such as Lidl who are constantly looking to gain a competitive advantage in the supermarket sector. Specifically, a PESTLE analysis mainly highlights the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental variables of the company and, if carried out efficiently, can be instrumental in terms of helping Lidl to improve their overall profit margins through expansion and their profits in terms of their overall net income. EXPRESS REFERENCE From the opening of its first ever store in the early 1970’s in Germany, the Lidl brand has grown a great deal to become one of Europe\s leading food retailers, a growth beyond their wildest expectations. Lidl first opened its doors in the UK in 1994 and since then they have went from strength to strength as they now have a grand total of over 650 stores and ten distribution centres across Great Britain employing some 20,000 people. Lidl has just recently just beaten close competitor Waitrose to become the UK’s seventh largest supermarket chain, according to the latest grocery market share figures (BBC, 2017). Lidl are currently drawing on a net income of  £5.8 billion for 2017 rising some  £800 million thus growing their overall market share by 0.6 percentage points to 5%. Aswell as being active in the retail business, Lidl also carry out a number of services such as DVD rental (launched in 2009) and bakery services which have been an excellent addition since their introduction in 2012. Through expansion, in what can be considered an oligopolistic market, companies like Lidl are hoping to get ever closer to the ‘big 4’ who are currently Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons. Companies such as Lidl, Aldi and Waitrose have thrived after the economic crash of 2007-08 as consumer behaviour since then has led us to believe that the trend of low prices for good quality products is a popular one and has led to a shift to the right in demand for the products and services of such companies. The first aspect of this PESTLE analysis is the political aspect. With over 10,000 stores in Europe alone, Lidl have the tricky task of managing many unique political factors that affect their everyday business operations. One of these major political components that heavily influences the day to day running of the organisation comes in the form of natural assurance laws. These specific laws compel companies to comply with all the government requirements. Another imperative law that Lidl must abide by is the UK government vitality advance for innovative work of retail products. With the sheer political anarchy that the UK is currently going through at this moment in time Brexit negotiations and the legal trading aspects surrounding it are another external component that Lidl must carefully juggle. According to Mintel, following the Brexit vote, political and economic volatility and uncertainty are widespread across consumer markets with the BPC market which Lidl operate in no excepti on. While changes to laws and regulations will affect business operations and brand practices, consumers already report that they are feeling the impact of the UK’s divorce with the EU. This is likely to result in BPC companies facing challenges following the changes in legislations, while consumers are likely to feel the impact of Brexit on their disposable income. With potentially limited spending money the BPC market might note fluctuations in retail value across various segments. As a result of the instability, over 40% of Irish consumers are unsure how Brexit will affect their finances, with a quarter of NI consumers worrying about the future. Only a fifth of NI consumers believe that their personal situation may improve. In addition Lidl uses economic internal and external factors.

The people bomb on 20-20 :: essays research papers

The film â€Å"The people bomb† was a compilation of stories and videos collected from diverse cultures and geographical locations focusing on dramatic increases in human population over short spans of time. This population explosion was having a direct, negative impact on the environment and society of the locations discussed. As a result, involved governments began taking action to alleviate the repercussions of this population expansion and to prevent its continuance. Some of these actions were received harshly by citizens under the acting governments, some were wavered and seen as ineffective for religious reasons and others were successful and becoming more so as time continues. One example of a harshly received marshal action was that of either forced, or persuaded, mass sterilization of societal members. This particular action was taken in India, where citizens from the general population were either forced or coerced into thinking they were being forced to accept ster ilization procedures. Many health and wrongful death issues ensued, as well as moral and emotional objection.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Population expansion, on scales demonstrated in â€Å"The people bomb,† create serious issues for the societies that experience them. A large congestion of people in an area not designed, or capable of maintaining them spawns problems with waste disposal, employment, availability of necessary resources, health, and proper living accommodations. Most commonly experienced in the third world, matters such as these are quickly becoming pandemic in their proportions. Without proper regulation and control of the population or the existence of necessary support programs for a number of people not conducive to their environment, conditions will only worsen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One may argue that the problem of overpopulation in areas experiencing absolute poverty is inevitable. It may be viewed as a situation only repaired by either force, such as forced sterilization, or the simple end result of an abnormally high mortality rate amongst the population due to poor health conditions.

George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 :: Free Essays on 1984

The Orwell’s perception of an ideal government is pretty much the same as Montesqueue describes in â€Å"Persian letters†. They both seem to think that the best government would be one in which power was balanced among three groups of officials. As opposed to totalitarian regime of the Party, Montesque’s ideal government would be the government elected by people and not a product of a despotic ruler’s ideas. He, as well as the Orwell believed that the success of democracy- a government in which the people have the power - depended upon maintaining the right balance of power. Moreover, the only way of achieving this would be dividing power onto three branches: an authority that enforced laws (like a king), Parliament, which made laws, and the judges in courts who interpreted laws. According to Montesqueue it is called ‘separation of powers’. Avoiding placing too much power on one individual or group of individuals would certainly prevent total itarian governments of coming into existence. Therefore, no branch of the government could threaten the freedom of the people. Orwell’s society displays a threatening projection of a totalitarian system into the future. Indeed it is a regime very similar to the tyrannies of the 20th century and strongly echoes Stalin Russia or Nazi Germany. The dominant mood inside this repressive system is one of threat and suppression due to the systematic persecution and oppression of non-conformists. As Goldstein explains in his ‘Oligarchical Collectivism’ there have always been three classes: the high, the middle and the low with the middle and the high constantly changing their respective position. Eventually this movement was identified by historians as being cyclical. In an attempt to interrupt this recurring pattern the Party is essentially focusing on the problem of Stability. Indeed Stability becomes principal in Oceania as well as in the other two superpowers Eastasia and Eurasia. In short it is the problem of how to keep things the way they are and maintain a hierarchical society without risk ing an overthrow of the established system. Several devices and attitudes have been conceived to achieve this aim. First of all the Party constantly controls and monitors its subjects. A crucial device in this scheme is the telescreen which, by being able to send as well as to receive information, allows a constant surveillance of all Party members. In addition other institutions such as the Thought Police or the Spies have been contrived to guarantee a maximum of surveillance.

The Business of Being Born

The Business of being born The Business of being born is an informative film that highlights us how hospitals turned into businesses and who actually benefits from the medicalization and the money that is made. We could see women giving birth naturally at home and others in hospitals and what has happened to women throughout the years in regards to childbirth. Also, doctors and midwives are interviewed which gives us a perspective from both sides.Before watching this film, I did not know about the â€Å"designer birth† which consists in scheduling deliveries and C-sections. This showed me how women prefer the medical aspect of birth that involves physicians. As one of the mothers said midwifery is â€Å"done†; it has become part of the past. In the US, midwives attend less than 8% of births because of technological and medical advances.Formerly, women including midwives used to give birth more than men before male doctors took over hospitals, turned them into â€Å"pat riarchal† institutions and made business out of it. However, we have to recognize that they should be remunerated for their services. Some mothers perceive surgery as an efficient and less time consuming medical technique. It has become uncommon and rare to see †fully† natural birth in hospitals. Doctors make decisions for monetary and legal reasons. These decisions can even affect the health of the mother or the baby.The use of Protozoan (medication that causes contraction) or Pitocin (helps inducing labor) and the practice of the Cesarean, which is a doctor-friendly technique, only reinforce the authority of doctors and the influence of their techniques on women bodies. Moreover, I found revolting that the United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world. The medicalization of childbirth is challenging women’s confidence and self esteem. As one of the informant said â€Å"convince them that they do not know how to birth and the â€Å"power of birthing is taken away from women†.

How to Use the French Word Du Tout

How to Use the French Word Du Tout The French word du tout, which is pronounced, du too, means (not) at all. It has a normal register. Usage The French expression du tout emphasizes a negative word, most commonly the negative adverb pas. When used with pas, du tout can be placed either right after it or else at the end of the sentence; the latter is a bit more forceful. Je naime pas du tout courir. / Je naime pas courir du tout. I dont like running at all.Il na pas du tout changà ©. / Il na pas changà © du tout. He hasnt changed at all.Elle na pas du tout didà ©es. / Elle na pas didà ©es du tout. She doesnt have any ideas at all. In response to a question, du tout can be used on its own or with pas to mean not/none at all. Veux-tu aller au cinà ©Ã‚  ? -Du tout. / Pas du tout. Do you want to go to the movies? -Not at all.Tu nas pas dargent  ? -Du tout. / Pas du tout. You dont have any money? -None at all. Du tout can also be used with other negative words: Il na rien fait du tout ce matin. He did nothing at all / He did absolutely nothing this morning.Personne du tout nà ©tait la plage. There was no one at all / There was absolutely no one at the beach.  Il ny a plus du tout de cafà ©. Theres no coffee left at all.Elle est partie sans pleurer du tout. She left without crying at all.

Abortion as a Сurrent Public Policy Issue

Abortion as a Ð ¡urrent Public Policy Issue Abortion as a current public policy issue/controversy in the news today Controversies arise because of different opinions of people due to individual uniqueness in beliefs, logical reasoning, religious, political, and social economic backgrounds that often lead to heated and argumentative discussions. While there are numerous public policy issues, the paper tables the scope, cost, policies, solutions, stakeholders, and institutions that address abortion in the United States of America as an issue aired in the news nowadays.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Abortion as a Ð ¡urrent Public Policy Issue specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thousands of issues seem right in the eyes of majority, but are appealing to the minority or persons benefiting from them (Lejano, Leong, 2012, p. 796). The argumentative topic on abortion is a concern for public as depicted by the participation of several people in today’s ne ws all over the world. However, in looking at the fundamental issues related to abortion, education, legal and activism, sex and sexism, drug and substance abuse, and health care reform cannot be overemphasized considering the fact that abortion is a process and not an accident. The question over whether or not the government should legalize abortion has hit the recent news with Americans having divided opinions. The United States’ abortion procedures ignited public attention in 2010 and 2011 (Campbell, 2011, p.963: Gerwin, 2012, p. 632). Opponents stress that life begins at conception, and therefore abortion inflicts excruciation in the unborn child. Proponents claim that failure to legalize abortion makes pregnant women opt to risky abortion methods and that governmental or religious authority should not limit their abortion rights (Bisignano, 2009, p. 745). Consequently, the issue has seen the emergence of social and political activists who have polarized the debate on abo rtion in order to gain popularity within the public. In my view, it does not matter the sides where one belongs to as long as the arguments can withstand the test of time, are in line with the fundamental freedoms and rights of the people, and are in accordance with societal moral standards and principles. Both the proponents and opponents acknowledge that abortion is an issue of life and death, which is accomplished out of one’s personal initiatives. Just like death, abortion does not discriminate based on the doer of the act whether a well-informed or uneducated mother, poor or rich mother, young or old mother, under or not under the influence of drug.Advertising Looking for term paper on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The outcomes and objectives are related (Gerwin, 2012, p. 634). However, any attempt to minimize the long lasting abortion debate should aim at changing people’s attitude towards sex, drug, and substance abuse that enhance early or unplanned pregnancies among women. Besides, prevention is better than cure. With endless arguments on abortion, adequate education and awareness as well as proper health care reforms on abortion are inevitable. Description and analysis of the scope of abortion Throughout history, abortion methods have often been unsafe since they can result in serious injuries and sometimes death to the women. The fundamental argument for allowing abortion has been to abolish unsafe abortion methods done in societies where abortion was illegal and without the support of specialists. The variation in arguments on issues of abortion is indeed a public concern (Campbell, 2011, p.967). Both opponents and proponents to some extent accept that abortion can act as a last resort under unavoidable circumstances such as when a womans life is at risk and or in case of rape or incest (Pollman, 2012, p. 185). The community argues that surgica l and medical abortions are the most common types of abortion procedures used by women while therapeutic, elective, spontaneous, and induced abortions are rarely used (Lejano, Leong, 2012, p. 807). However, death of the infant or mother or both may occur whether or not a specialist helps in the process. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than eighty percent of the US counties provide abortion services where an estimated five times black women as white women do abortion per day (Uscinski, 2009, p. 798). The legislative enactment and amendment on abortion is another fundamental public concern. The amendment ensures that federal ban on public funding for abortion forms a part of the States’ constitution in order to reduce the scope of the State privacy law. In addition, the national abortion reporting laws and policies in America fail to inform and guide on issues related to public policy in a timely manner (Gerwin, 2012, p. 642). The US sta rted criminalizing abortion since 1821. Physicians mainly influenced the move fearing its safety. By 1965, the entire US had outlawed abortion. However, according to World Health Organization Report released in 2006, each year, abortion causes several maternal deaths in regions where it is not legal (Uscinski, 2009, p. 998). In this case, people discuss issues of life and death and problems arising from the legalization and illegalization of abortion (Campbell, 2011, p.972). Compliance with abortion reporting laws has also proven difficult. There is the inability of ascertaining the inputs of various medical conditions to maternal deaths and giving complete reports on abortion (Pollman, 2012, p. 199).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Abortion as a Ð ¡urrent Public Policy Issue specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lack of reliable measurements makes calculation of the relative safety and danger of induced abortion a nd delivery not viable. The challenge has spackled a public debate. Moreover, public health agencies are unable to enforce the existing reporting laws making it problematic in understanding the real issues about abortion. The stakeholders and affected constituencies Issues of abortion do not have specific stakeholders because they cut across all humanity. However, the humanity can be categorized into primary, secondary, and key stakeholders. Beneficiaries are those who aim at gaining either money or service from the abortion process. They include individuals who are experiencing the risk for a particular problem or abortionists and those who help in carrying out the process: the physicians (Gerwin, 2012, p. 650). Secondary stakeholders comprise those directly involved with beneficiaries such as parents, spouses, siblings, children, friends, teachers, counselors. Secondary stakeholders also involve people whose jobs or lives can be influenced by the abortion process especially if the y do or fail to report the act of abortion (Lejano, Leong, 2012, p. 811). They comprise community members, employers, contractors, proprietors, police, and other law enforcement agencies. Key stakeholders include those with an interest in the abortion outcome and those who can influence decisions government officials and policy makers (Uscinski, 2009, p. 805). Government officials and policy makers such as state or federal agencies, governors, local board members, and legislators have the responsibility of devising, passing, and enforcing laws and regulations, which may or may not fulfill the set goals (Uscinski, 2009, p. 812). In deed, if the governments allowed women to abort unnecessarily, some of the world’s great leaders and scientists would not have been born. If death occurs, the families and communities in which it occurs are affected psychologically, socially, economically, and politically (Campbell, 2011, p.966). Women, their spouses, and the unborn are the direct bearers of the consequences of abortion. According to Breast Cancer Prevention Institute (BCPI) and the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) in 2006, abortion increases the likelihood of women developing breast cancer and future miscarriages (Pollman, 2012, p. 206). Relevant political institutions to the policy discussion about Abortion Even though physicians do not entertain social, cultural, and religious issues in analyzing the relationship between abortion politics and policies, abortion has proved to be a divisive political issue in the United States since the reign of Roe Wade (Pollman, 2012, p. 183). Political institutions are central in the issue.Advertising Looking for term paper on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consequently, through federalism, judicial review, and a private health care system, the Americans consider abortion simply as an individual right rather than a medical requirement (Uscinski, 2009, p. 814). The nature and structure of the US political parties give abortion proponents and opponents the opportunity to initiate and accommodate abortion issue in their political agenda. Legal complexity, political factors, structures, and values are responsible for evolution of abortion policy. Political institutions and ideologies â€Å"†¦affect the nature and timing of policy decisions on abortion thus contributing distinctively to policy differences across nations† (Bejesky, 2012, p. 967). The controversy surrounding the topic of abortion sparkled in the US Congress health care debate in 2010 with the opponents and proponents in the House of Representatives and the Senate trading accusations. Unlike the proponents who want equal treatment of all in the health care services , opponents of abortion did not want beneficiaries of insurance subsidies to receive Federal funding for any abortion (Gerwin, 2012, p. 645). The health care reform bill sailed through the House of Representatives that followed by the signing of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and an executive order by President Barack Obama to ensure that federal funds are not used for abortion services (Pollman, 2012, p. 218). President Ronald Reagan declared the Mexico City Policy during Mexico Conference that limits all nongovernmental groups sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from enhancing abortion services (Uscinski, 2009, p. 803). While in 2009, President Obama issued a memorandum repealing the Mexico City Policy stating that it weakens efforts of promoting safe and effective voluntary family planning programs. The observable of economic challenges and political interests indicate forces influencing fertility-related practices, values, and policies in the United States Policies proposed to address Abortion Abortion policies in the United States involve criminalization of abortion in the states and enactment of abortion laws by the federal government. Despite state public debate on abortion in 2011, Roe Wade declared federal actions that the majority of the state anti-abortion laws were unconstitutional (Gerwin, 2012, p. 647). The declaration forced proponents to push for federal policies that would restrict abortion. Congress passed Hyde Amendment bill for the Department of Health and Human Services limiting federal funding for abortion, which was an amendment that had been under constant review since its inception (Pollman, 2012, p. 221). Moreover, abortion policies aim at maintaining morality, economic development, and national security. Congressional attacks on reproductive rights intensified opponents of choice and pro-choice to introduce abortion policies that promote their political agendas (Pollman, 2012, p. 195). The Hea lth Care Reform adopted by both houses has imposed abortion restrictions on women by barring them from insurance coverage and accessing abortion services. Judicial nominations defend reproductive health care for the future generations (Campbell, 2011, p.970). Notwithstanding, courts are paramount in asserting all human rights including ensuring access, threats to abortion rights, and reproductive choice in the US. Therefore, Prevention First amendments and Rights for a Fetus Act aims at denying millions of women their abortion coverage further weakening their access to abortion care (Deirdre, 2011, p.196). Prevention First Act aims at increasing access to preventive health care services and to initiate programs, which reduce unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA) provides that only parents should be involved in helping a minor woman. However, any trusted person within or without the family can be federally prosecut ed for helping a woman who may be a victim of family abuse, rape, or incest. NAF emphasizes that state abortion legislations impact directly on women’s health across the country (Gerwin, 2012, p. 636). It guarantees protection of abortion providers and abortionists. NAF public policy advocates for fair and independent judiciary that guarantees women’s right to safe and legal abortion. According to the Supreme Court ruling, federal abortion ban interferes with physicians’ ability to make proper medical decisions (Pollman, 2012, p. 212). Solution to Abortion and the Factors behind the Solution A part from suitable education that changes and creates awareness on sex, drugs, and abortions, congress should adequately finance Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in order to gather data for a national abortion report to upgrade surveillance (Deirdre, 2011, p.193). This will ensure effective public policy implementation on abortion issues as stipulated in the report. In ad dition, governments should encourage every state to adopt the goal of issuing cumulative statistical data on abortion on a timely basis including monthly and annual reports (Uscinski, 2009, p. 801). Publication of the reports greatly helps policymakers, private sector actors, and other stakeholders in devising, testing, and evaluating awareness, education, and public health strategies in order to make abortion less frequent and ultimately rare (Pollman, 2012, p. 203). The federal government should urge all states to revise their statutes to improve standards of care in the growing role of medical abortions across the nation. Laws should clearly stipulate the roles of pharmacists, non-physicians, nurses, and midwives who purport to perform abortions as well as any institution that employs a physician from within or outside the state in the country who prescribes drugs for abortion (Campbell, 2011, p.973). Moreover, abortions may or may not involve minor and major operations. Therefor e, parental notice legislations deserve more attention in order for them to receive timely information in case of abortion (Pollman, 2012, p. 234). Congress should reinforce abortion-reporting laws with the help of the public and or impose realistic financial disincentives on the states that deliberately fail to submit reports. Cost of Abortion to the Americans: How much would it cost to address the issue? If the costs are unknown, why are they unknown? Ideally, the strength and inconsistency of abortion legislatives in the US make the cost of addressing very unpredictable. However, lack of sufficient comparative data on abortion policy execution and law implementation have put a lot of emphasis on laws and legislation as well as judicial decisions whose implementation requires thousands of the US dollars (Gerwin, 2012, p. 639). The executive has increased the price of competent abortion services, rates of maternal morbidity, mortality, and medical techniques, and knowledge among ca re providers and consumers leading to higher costs of public policy on abortion in the US. There is legislation that measures and determines the extent of psychological damage in an individual resulting from abortion. The psychological disturbance has diverse effects on humans especially when no immediate attention is given. The study published by the Southern Medical Journal in 1998 and 2002 identifies that more than one hundred and fifty percent of women who aborted are more likely to commit suicide in relation to those who carry the pregnancy to the term. In addition, more than fifty percent of men whose partners have abortions reported regret, sadness, and depression (Uscinski, 2009, p. 796). Notwithstanding, those who steer abortion are â€Å"more interested in making profits instead of assisting their clients† (Deirdre, 2011, p.190). Irrespective of the method, any abortion costs about between three hundred and fifty to one thousand dollars. A study in 2009 indicated th at, while abortion industry makes over eight hundred million dollars annually, the country uses nearly equal amounts towards abortion including public policy issues. In my view, instead of a women wanting to or aborting, they should give their unwanted babies to persons who cannot biologically conceive in order to save the country from spending such a huge amount of money on abortion-related issues. Is the public policy issue one faced by both the federal government and state governments? Indeed, many problems that befall different communities in the United States of America can not only be solved by the State or Federal governments but also through initiatives and actions taken in the private sphere (Gerwin, 2012, p. 646). As the government aims to adopt laws and regulations to address public policy problems, individuals and families with or without the involvement of civil societies such as socio-economic and political associations establish programs towards obtaining a lasting so lution to the problem (Campbell, 2011, p.965: Reynolds, 2011, p. 973). However, policymaking process can prove very challenging in terms of who will benefit and bear any risk resulting from them. Consequently, the stakeholders repeatedly reassess, re-examine, and revise the undertakings thus making the process lack a clear starting or end. In addition, the process of making public policies involves the problem, players, and the policy. It takes place following rational model stages. Agenda setting is the first step in which agencies and government officials discuss the proposed problem (Deirdre, 2011, p.187). The option formulation step precedes the implementation stage, and involves laying alternative solutions and final decisions regarding the best policies (Pollman, 2012, p. 189). During implementation, the private sector, public sector, and other government organs can easily interpret policies to check for several common challenges such as personal interests, political affiliati ons, and personalities that influence the players through the entire process. Conclusion The interest of the public is to understand and be involved in formulating abortion policies that will recognize and guide women and girls doing abortion, at any stage of the child development, in the presence or absence of physicians (Campbell, 2011, p.962). In addition, the existence of a strong public curiosity about making abortion a rare event in spite of its legal status in the nation cannot be overruled. Therefore, the only suitable way to gather the right information about abortion and to protect abortionists’ privacy and individual health is to examine and understand the scope and cost of and the policies, solutions, stakeholders, and institutions that address abortion in the United States of America as it is in the news today. Reference List Bejesky, R. (2012). Public diplomacy or propaganda? Targeted messages and tardy corrections to unverified reporting. Capital University Law Review, 40(1), 967. Bisignano, J. (2009). Current issues in public policy: Whistleblowing and the intentional distortion of news. Journal of Law Public Policy, 6(1), 745. Campbell, A. (2011). Policy Feedbacks and the Impact of Policy Designs on Public Opinion.  Journal of Health Politics, Policy Law, 36(6), 961-973. Deirdre, K. (2011). The Public Policy Pedagogy of Corporate and Alternative News Media.  Studies in Philosophy Education, 30(2), 185-198. Gerwin, L. (2012). The Challenge of Providing the Public with Actionable Information during a Pandemic. Journal of Law, Medicine Ethics, 40(3), 630-654. Lejano, R., Leong, C. (2012). A Hermeneutic Approach to Explaining and Understanding Public Controversies. Journal of Public Administration Research Theory, 22(4), 793-814. Pollman, E. (2012). Information issues on Wall Street 2.0. University of Pennsylvania Law  Review, 161(1), 179-241. Reynolds, R. (2011). Google news and public policys influence on fair use in online in fringement controversies. Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development, 25(1), 973. Uscinski, J. (2009). When Does the Publics Issue Agenda Affect the Medias Issue Agenda (and Vice-Versa)? Developing a Framework for Media-Public Influence. Social Science  Quarterly (Blackwell Publishing Limited, 4(1), 796-815.

Word Choice Lay vs. Lie - Proofread My Papers Academic Blog

Word Choice Lay vs. Lie - Proofread My Papers Academic Blog Word Choice: Lay vs. Lie Are there any two words more commonly confused than â€Å"lay† and â€Å"lie†? It’s hard to think of many others where mistakes are so easy to understand, since â€Å"lay† and â€Å"lie† are distinct terms with different meanings, yet the simple past tense of â€Å"lie† is also â€Å"lay.† Confused yet? We dont blame you. Nevertheless, by the end of this blog post, using our proofreading experience, we fully intend to have explained the difference between â€Å"lay† and â€Å"lie† in clear and simple terms. Wish us luck. Lie (Recline) The sense of â€Å"lie† that causes most confusion is its use as a verb meaning â€Å"to recline or be in a horizontal position†: Trying to understand this word is tiring, so I will lie down on the couch. This is why we had a fainting couch installed. An important factor is that â€Å"lie† is an intransitive verb, so never takes an object. This particular use of â€Å"lie† is an irregular verb, moreover, so the simple past tense is â€Å"lay†: I felt refreshed immediately after I lay down. Meanwhile, the past participle (used in the present and past perfect tenses) of â€Å"lie† is â€Å"lain†: The couch was so soft, I could have lain there forever. Lay (Put Down) As a present tense verb in its own right, â€Å"lay† means â€Å"to put something down or place it horizontally†: Joan lay down her sword; she could take on this chump barehanded. Dont mess with Joan. The simple past tense and past participle of â€Å"lay† are both â€Å"laid†: The next day, Joan laid out a map and planned her next campaign. The examples above also demonstrate how â€Å"lay† always takes an object (i.e., the subject is always putting something else down). Another Type of Lie (Speak an Untruth) It’s worth noting that â€Å"lie† has another common definition, meaning â€Å"to say something untrue†: He couldn’t let her know the truth, so he lied and blamed the zookeeper. As you can see above, the past tense of â€Å"lie† is â€Å"lied.† As well as a verb, â€Å"lie† can be used as a noun meaning â€Å"an untruth.† Lie or Lay? The key thing is to remember that â€Å"lie† does not take an object, whereas â€Å"lay† always does. If the subject of your sentence is reclining or horizontal, the correct term is â€Å"lie†: e.g., â€Å"The wrecked ship lies on the seabed.† This becomes â€Å"lay† in the simple past tense or â€Å"lain† as a past participle. However, if the subject of your sentence is putting something else down, the correct term will be â€Å"lay†: e.g., â€Å"The new policies require laying many miles of pipeline.† The past tense is always â€Å"laid.† Variations of â€Å"lie,† â€Å"lay† and â€Å"lie† (the other kind) can be found in the table below. Present Tense Lie (Recline) Lay (Put Down) Lie (Speak an Untruth) Past Simple Lay Laid Lied Past Participle Lain Laid Lied

Oldham Pond study Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Oldham Pond study - Lab Report Example Data was collected from Oldham Pond which is a 235-acre natural pond located in an urban area in two towns, Pembroke and Hanson. The sources of water for the pond are a small tributary, wetlands areas and cranberry bogs of Herring Brook and drains into Furnace Pond. The pond has a 2.8-mile shoreline which includes residential houses and summer camp. It has an average depth of 10 feet while the deepest point in the pond is 15 feet. Geographically, the pond is at a latitude of 42.06701 N and 70.83644 W. The data set was collected from the SW shore, N. Haledon at an interval of three weeks; the first data being collected were collected on 4th February 2012 and the second data was collected on 25th February 2012. The study area is shown in figure 1 in the appendices page. Data collection method The data collected was on temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, Ph and the total alkalinity. Moreover, the prevailing weather conditions were noted including the temperature and the wind co nditions. During the first visit, data was taken on at the surface and at a depth of one meter. In addition to the two depths where the parameters were measured from in the first visit, the second study included measurement of the parameters at the bottom of the pond. Equipment with the ability to measure Ph, conductivity, temperature and dissolved oxygen at once was used. As noted by Stephens et al (431) measuring of Ph, temperature and conductivity give the best results when carried out at the sampling point using portable equipment

Mao Zedong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mao Zedong - Essay Example Mao was raised as a peasant in a small village called Shaoshan in central China2. As a young man, Mao trained as a teacher; a profession that saw him serves briefly as a librarian in a university in Beijing. Mao was an avid consumer of Marxist literature, which instilled the policies of literature to the young scholar3. Mao would later lead the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a founder member in 1921. A troubled alliance with Kuomintang Party (KMT) turned problematic when the communists turned against the CCP forcing Mao to flee with many of his supporters to establish an alternative operational base. The second merger between CCP and KMT was primarily based on the need to engage the Chinese who posed a threat on the Chinese territory. Problems would later emerge between the two eventually culminating into a civil war. The outcome of the civil war favored the communists forcing the nationalists to KMT to flee. It was in 1949, after the civil war the Mao Zedong established The People ’s Republic of China. Although the Chinese, at first, embraced the party, Zedong would later convert it into an oppressive edifice that was impatient with all forms of rebellion. The communist experimentation included the nationalization of all industry and the forcing of formers into some collective groups. The communist leader then sought to customize his own brand of communism, which he thought would be Chinese in orientation4. Instead, he only succeeded in plunging the country into famine through the retrogressive policy well known as The Great Leap Forward. The failure of his style of politics mark the beginning of his decline in popularity as the people increasingly pulled back their support even as the regime vigilant against oppression. Some of the policies that collapsed during The Great Leap of Labor included his dream for mass mobilization of labor. This led to a decline in food production as the country grappled with the resultant famine. Following the rising deat h toll that resulted from the drive, the regime was forced to abandon the project. Multiple issues engaged the attention of the regime’s critics. The emerging political reality led to the growth of dissidents who had to flee as the regime became increasingly intolerant to popular opposition. One of the strategies by which Mao sought to quell internal dissent was by the introduction of Cultural Revolution. The ruthlessness that followed, which included the use of the army led to the death of many dissenters. The introduction of the Little Red Book marked the fervor with, which Mao Ze Dong sought to impress communist ideals within his own people5. The book marked an important part in the history of Marxism and the Chinese were forced to internalize the ideals, which were customized, summarized to suit the tastes of Mao Ze Dong as he wanted them. All Chinese were forced to carry the book and normally failure to comply was usually considered as a mark of treason. It is believed t hat police arrested thousands of Chinese people for non-possession of the book. One of the most notable periods during Mao’s time was the Gang of Four. They comprised of Mao Zedong’s wife, Jiang Qing and some of three most trusted colleagues.These were Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, Wang Hongwen. These four were accused later after Mao’s death of systematically manipulating the structures of the Communist Party and the famous Cultural

Public and Private Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public and Private Education - Essay Example Public and Private Education Education is the process of experiencing. Experiencing happens through or by learning. Going further deeply into how some eminent educationalists define the same term, Richard Aldrich (2006, p. 1) believed in his 'working definition' of education that it is 'concerned with the promotion of knowledge over ignorance, of truth over falsehood, of concern for others over selfishness, of mental and physical well-being over despair and debility'. Not only in the above statement, nowhere in the modern world as a matter of fact or none of the legal literature of any country, does it pointedly specify that race, class, status are, by any means, the criteria for any individual to receive formal education. However, the sole objective of any government's actions toward maintaining the data of local communities, economic classes or division of households according to their income status has always been for the sake of giving the right person the right priority and preference. In principle, educati on received by any individual is strongly supposed to be equal. The studies like that of Sociology are particularly interested and motivated to take an action on, wherever an amount 'inequality' seems to exist. This essay makes a modest attempt, may not be to the fullest, toward the same goal. Going back a little into the history of the UK, and specifically considering the lifestyle of its citizens during the time between 16th and 18th centuries, we can understand why there a variety of educational systems is in the present times.

Diseases in Grapevines that are Prevalent in Colder Climates Dissertation

Diseases in Grapevines that are Prevalent in Colder Climates - Dissertation Example Colder climates are often thought to be the most difficult for growing certain types of vines, and evidence suggests that â€Å"grape acreage increases in colder climates† (Smiley et al, 2008, p1) Therefore, the types of disease that affect vines in these climates may be more significant than ever. The diseases that infect vines growing in colder climates affect not only the land in which it is cultivated but they also have an influence on the biology and ecology of the place. Besides, it has a direct bearing on the economy of a nation and thus, the topic assumes great significance. Vines are one of the most important crops in the UK with the area that is dedicated to rising grapes increasing yearly by 2%. Like other plants, vines are also prone to by numerous pests and diseases. Some are more susceptible than others and it appears sensible to attempt and plant those which have better resistance to diseases and climatic conditions. Botrytis and Mildews are two of the major dis eases that affect grapevine cultivation in the UK, especially in Sussex and Kent, due to cold and moist conditions. However, these diseases are prevalent elsewhere also where the climate tends to be damp and extremely cold during winters. Another problem is that the presence of such diseases is very difficult to detect and by the time the farmer realizes that the plants are affected, it will be too late to take any remedial measures. As an alternative, most of the vineyards resort to pre-emptive spraying on a regular basis, to combat the problems of rotting, pests and mildew. Even farmers who are into organic production are forced to use spraying of copper and sulphur solution as a preventive measure. People prefer organic farm products on the premise that these are free of traces of pesticides and other chemicals but cultivating through this method involves the risk of the whole crop being destroyed if some precautionary spraying is not done. Grapes cultivated both in outdoor and i ndoor premises are exposed to various types of fungal diseases which mainly affect the fruit and leaves. The three major types of grape diseases  are powdery mildew, downy mildew, and grey. Thus, to become a successful viticulturist, one needs to take meticulous care in grooming the vines and take preventive measures against any possible diseases. Similarly, vineyards also remain exposed to birds or other animals that consume the fruits. However, the most unique problem with grape cultivation in England is that some varieties take a long time to ripen while others ripen too early and these are prone to being eaten by wasps. In smaller vineyards such problems can be addressed by putting cut-up stockings or tights over individual bunches but obviously on a large scale farms such endeavours are not practical. If properly groomed and maintained, most vineyards can produce high-quality and delicious fruit for decades without any problems from disease. Farmers need to keep the vineyard watered and healthy, with proper manicuring and by providing balanced manures. In most cases, the presence of diseases in commercial vineyards goes unobserved for years as these are very large in size and often it is difficult for farmers to scout vast areas for a thorough scrutiny of vines looking for the symptoms of any diseases. Thus, it become difficult to detect diseases such as pierces diseases and leaf roll virus etc and they remain untreated. Grapes are potentially rich sources of antioxidants and water. But the problem lies with the vines, upon

Pursue MS in Computational Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pursue MS in Computational Finance - Essay Example However the biggest revelation that I experienced was when I came across the concepts of finance, economics and banking during my under graduation. I began to realize the true importance of numbers. That was when I began comprehending the magnitude of services that mathematics could provide. I immediately realized that a domain that blends mathematics and finance was my future. Even before I completed my Class X, I had achieved a high level of proficiency in various nuances of mathematics, much advanced than required by convention. I spent vast amounts of time identifying the roles that mathematics plays in everyday life. Of the various applications with their pith as numbers, I was most fascinated by Finance and its related domains. Consequently, I took up Finance as my major subject for my under-graduation at Georgia State University. The subjects that I learnt during my undergraduate course have taught me the art of formal and logical thinking. My passion for finance only escalated from day one of my under-graduation. Some of my favorite subjects were Mathematics, Finance, Economics and Risk Management. I took several interesting courses in finance and completed all the required credits successfully.

Diseases in Grapevines that are Prevalent in Colder Climates Dissertation

Diseases in Grapevines that are Prevalent in Colder Climates - Dissertation Example Colder climates are often thought to be the most difficult for growing certain types of vines, and evidence suggests that â€Å"grape acreage increases in colder climates† (Smiley et al, 2008, p1) Therefore, the types of disease that affect vines in these climates may be more significant than ever. The diseases that infect vines growing in colder climates affect not only the land in which it is cultivated but they also have an influence on the biology and ecology of the place. Besides, it has a direct bearing on the economy of a nation and thus, the topic assumes great significance. Vines are one of the most important crops in the UK with the area that is dedicated to rising grapes increasing yearly by 2%. Like other plants, vines are also prone to by numerous pests and diseases. Some are more susceptible than others and it appears sensible to attempt and plant those which have better resistance to diseases and climatic conditions. Botrytis and Mildews are two of the major dis eases that affect grapevine cultivation in the UK, especially in Sussex and Kent, due to cold and moist conditions. However, these diseases are prevalent elsewhere also where the climate tends to be damp and extremely cold during winters. Another problem is that the presence of such diseases is very difficult to detect and by the time the farmer realizes that the plants are affected, it will be too late to take any remedial measures. As an alternative, most of the vineyards resort to pre-emptive spraying on a regular basis, to combat the problems of rotting, pests and mildew. Even farmers who are into organic production are forced to use spraying of copper and sulphur solution as a preventive measure. People prefer organic farm products on the premise that these are free of traces of pesticides and other chemicals but cultivating through this method involves the risk of the whole crop being destroyed if some precautionary spraying is not done. Grapes cultivated both in outdoor and i ndoor premises are exposed to various types of fungal diseases which mainly affect the fruit and leaves. The three major types of grape diseases  are powdery mildew, downy mildew, and grey. Thus, to become a successful viticulturist, one needs to take meticulous care in grooming the vines and take preventive measures against any possible diseases. Similarly, vineyards also remain exposed to birds or other animals that consume the fruits. However, the most unique problem with grape cultivation in England is that some varieties take a long time to ripen while others ripen too early and these are prone to being eaten by wasps. In smaller vineyards such problems can be addressed by putting cut-up stockings or tights over individual bunches but obviously on a large scale farms such endeavours are not practical. If properly groomed and maintained, most vineyards can produce high-quality and delicious fruit for decades without any problems from disease. Farmers need to keep the vineyard watered and healthy, with proper manicuring and by providing balanced manures. In most cases, the presence of diseases in commercial vineyards goes unobserved for years as these are very large in size and often it is difficult for farmers to scout vast areas for a thorough scrutiny of vines looking for the symptoms of any diseases. Thus, it become difficult to detect diseases such as pierces diseases and leaf roll virus etc and they remain untreated. Grapes are potentially rich sources of antioxidants and water. But the problem lies with the vines, upon

RESPONSE TO 8 QUESTIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

RESPONSE TO 8 QUESTIONS - Essay Example A empirical forecast of future conditions based on the data collected should be conducted so as to determine which problems will have a bearing on the future. The final step is the implementation. Guidelines on how the process is to be conducted should be given. Monitoring of the plan and performance evaluation is conducted after implementation begins. There should be an evaluation process to analyze and see whether the plan was properly implemented or not. The jurisdiction of the area; whether it is a city, town or state. Population size and density of the area should be calculated. Type of housing and locations have to be known. Physical conditions such as climate of the area, geology and soil type, and the drainage basins in the area should also be disclosed. The current conditions in regard to solid waste management should also be considered. This data is vital for planning the development of a proper Solid Waste Management system. The data is what is used to determine the size of the system that should be developed. Population size and density can be used for forecasting purposes. Physical conditions need to be considered so as not to build waste management systems at improper places to avoid pollution of the environment. An analysis of the current condition in regard to waste management can be used to see whether to develop a new system or just improve on the existing one (Shah 129). Question 2: As a MSW Manager, describe what major environmental issues, laws(federal), and stakeholders concerns would you need to address at1) a landfill disposal facility and 2) a composting facility? A landfill Disposal Facility should be built in a suitable geological area that is far away from wetlands, faults or such types of areas that are restricted. Landfills require liners made from plastic sheets or geo-membrane with a reinforcement of two feet of clay on the sides and floor of the landfill. Waste in

Just Business Report Essay Example for Free

Just Business Report Essay Reading the book â€Å"Just Business† by Alexander Hill, it was very interesting to go through the topic of Christian ethics for business. Looking at different scenarios that managers have to confront and it shows how nerve-wracking, heart wrenching and also guilt producing that it could be. The definition of ethics is the study of â€Å"should† and of doing the â€Å"right thing.† The three main characteristics that were presented and emphasized in the Bible: God is holy. God is just. God is love. Hill also talked about integrity, fairness and compassion that mirror holiness, justice and love. I loved how Hill supports his points by having Bible verses. For example he writes the â€Å"salt and light† of the world (Matthew 5:13-16) is the third force for good. I agree with many of the points Hill says such as â€Å"we cannot serve two masters at the same time† (Matthew 6:24) and it specifies that we cannot serve both God and money. They were also talking about justice procedural rights that focus on fair processes in decision-making. Substantive rights are what procedural rights seek to protect. Merit links the concepts of cause and effect. Contractual justice is limited to three duties; we must not violate a negative injunction by causing harm to others, we must respect procedural justice and we must fulfill our contractual promises (Hill 46). Love is a universal word and many would consider it to be â€Å"the centerpiece of Christian ethics† (Hill 53). Love includes empathy, mercy and self-sacrifice. Empathizing with others would include by celebrating with their triumphs and shouldering their pain. Mercy is quite hard to do because it takes action on their behalf and takes initiative in forgiving. In my experience, there are times when I do have trouble forgiving people, yet God gave me the strength to forgive the person. This will probably come up more often while taking care of business. He also shows visuals such as the tables and drawings that make it easier to get the gist of what he was talking about. Part Two – False Exits This addresses â€Å"Dual Morality†, â€Å"Law†, and â€Å"Agency† which they are known as false exits â€Å"because they deposit ultimate ethical authority in human instrumentalities – business culture, government and corporate government – rather than in God’s character† (Hill 67). Dual morality â€Å"rejects the notion that universal principles of right and wrong exist† (Hill 69). It also helps me have a visual when he shows examples of CEOs and what kind of decisions they have to make and what would be the ethical thing to do. Law is another false exits, when one presumes that if an action is legal, it is still morally acceptable as well. There are times when there are many people just follow the law and assume that the law is right and the ethical way. There are flaws in the system and Hill shows a diagram in page 98, figure 6.1 illustrates the tension. Acts that are both ethical and legal Ethics - Acts that are unethical but legal Law - Acts that are both illegal and unethical Agency is the third false exit that talks about the problems that arises when the values of the employee diverge from those of the employer. It was intriguing to learn about the legalistic purist, the accommodating purist. These few chapters opened my eyes to see what kind of false exits that people use in the business world. Now I am aware of what people could use as false exits. Part Three – Topics Honesty and Deception is more common in the business environment but it is quite difficult concepts to apply. Honesty â€Å"builds trust, establishes community and protects the dignity of the audience† (Hill 125), which allows partners to rely on each other and fosters community and respects each one’s dignity. He also talks about deception and how justice condemns deception and it could lead to disaster and consequences. No right to hear the truth, exaggeration, and ambiguity are more deceptions that people use in the business environment. The other topics that were discussed were: Concealment and disclosure; Employer-Employee Relations; Employee Rights; Discrimination and Affirmative Action; the Environment and Property. The topic that stood out to me was the Environment because I have learned about different ethical views such as the anthropocentric view and the biocentric view 1 and 2. Hill also explains what the Role of Business is that even â€Å"scripture makes it clear that our task is to responsibly steward God’s creation in the hear and now† (228) and there are times that one would have to make difficult decisions. These topics have given me a new perspective towards business. Overall, â€Å"Just Business,† by Alexander Hill, was an outstanding book to read especially when one is planning to go into the field of business. It was interesting to see how business runs with the combination of Christian ethics. I would highly recommend for other students to read this especially if they are looking into business. It was a great opportunity to read what it is like to be ethical in the business world, in comparison, to what it is like to be not ethical in the business world. References Hill, Alexander (2008). Just Business: Christian Ethics for the Marketplace. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Software Architecture Design Approach

Software Architecture Design Approach Rizwan Umaid Ali 1 Generate and Test as a Software Architecture Design Approach 1.1 About the Writer Len Bass from the Software Engineering Institute, CMU. Published in European Conference on Software Architecture 2009. 1.2 Introduction Software Architecture design has become a fundamental component of software development life cycle. As other components of life cycle testing the design of the architecture is important and relates directly to overall quality of the Software Application. 1.3 Problem To make a Software Architecture a design decision process that can test the design hypothesis, test quality of it and identify issues and rank them on the basis of priority. The process will develop test case on each step of design process. This will result a sequential process in which each design will be developed and tested and thus improving the overall design quality of software system. 1.4 Design Hypothesis Most designs are created in the context of an existing system, even it is created from scratch and not being modified. Consider this our initial hypothesis can come from following sources: The system we will modify or the new functionality we will add. A functionally similar system. A framework designed to provide services which will help in design process. A collection of legacy/open-source applications. 1.5 Establish Test Cases After we have our initial hypothesis we have to determine how to identify if design satisfies the quality benchmark expected from the application. For this we have to establish test cases and identify three sources for it. Identify perspectives which can be used to generate test cases. Identify architecturally significant requirements. View specific use cases. A number of use cases can be derived by thinking about specific architectural views. 1.6 Test Procedure Having the test cases of design hypothesis, following methods can be used to test the design and detect its shortcomings. Analytic models using quality attributes. Develop simulations of how design will support the test cases. Create prototype of initial design. Needs more effort but gives best result. 1.7 Test Result and Next Hypothesis The test result will either show that the design hypothesis passes all tests and fulfills the quality requirement or there are shortcomings. The quality attributes these shortcomings relate to should be identified first. We can use two approaches to alter the design. Apply architectural patterns to problems detected. Use architectural tactics to address for specific quality attributes. The updated/next hypothesis will go through the above process recursively until the design with required quality is achieved or the time allocated for the design process runs out. 1.8 Conclusion This paper presents a software architecture design process where we will test, validate and update our design until it reaches the quality benchmark. The architect of the software system can use this process to identify shortcomings and make decisions for alternative design structures. 2 SecArch: Architecture-level Evaluation and Testing for Security 2.1 About the Writer Sarah Al-Azzani and Rami Bahsoon from University of Birmingham. Published in Software Architecture (WICSA) and European Conference on Software Architecture (ECSA) in 2012. 2.2 Introduction Software architecture models or views are evaluated for detecting problems early in the software development lifecycle. We can detect critical security vulnerabilities at this stage and get a chance to improve quality at a very low cost. This paper presents methodology for detecting security vulnerabilities caused by implied scenarios and race conditions. 2.3 Problem Incorporating multiple views of an architecture and studying the communications between them and give ways analyze security concerns in concurrent systems. This will done by comparison between complete vs incomplete system models using two methods, one for detecting implied scenarios using behaviour models, and one for detecting race conditions using scenario diagrams. 2.4 Scenario-based specifications Scenario-based specifications are based on procedural-flow through components. Each scenario explains a partial view of the concurrent system. The scenario-based model will have following three properties: the composition of scenarios from multiple component views of the software system, the possible continuations between multiple scenario and the hidden implied scenarios. 2.5 Implied Scenarios Implied scenarios can be formed my dynamically combining two different scenarios together and provide an architectural flow for them is state representation. Below is an example of behavior model which is combining two different scenarios together. It uses an incremental algorithm for detecting inconsistent implied scenarios from sequence models. Figure 1 behavior model example 2.6 Detecting Race Conditions We can apply race condition scenarios to above model and identify security vulnerabilities. Below are the 3 possible cases. Â · Race Condition 1: disabling the server during authentication. Â · Race Condition 2: what happens when the user commits to buy an item while the server is being disabled. Â · Race Condition 3: what happens when the server is disabled while the user is logging off. Below are sequence diagrams for these three race conditions. Figure 2 Race Conditions 2.7 Conclusion This paper presented an incremental architecture evaluation method that merges behavior models with structural analysis for improved detection of inconsistencies. We examined the concept of implied scenarios and detection of race conditions. The writer also compared his proposed method with current industry practices and tested the on industry projects. He found that his method can give better results. The future work will focus on generating test cases to perform live testing on the system under test. 3 Towards a Generic Architecture for Multi-Level Modeling 3.1 About the Writer Thomas Aschauer, Gerd Dauenhauer, Wolfgang Pree from University of Salzburg. Published in European Conference on Software Architecture 2009. 3.2 Introduction Software architecture modeling frameworks are essential for representing architecture and their views and the viewpoints they are derived from. Conventional modeling approaches like UML do not have sufficient complexity to explain the models and meta-models (defining the models) of architecture. 3.3 Problem General purpose meta-models are used in the conventional modeling techniques, which are not sufficient for modern software models. Model driven architecture has to use more generic approach to describe multilevel architecture. 3.4 model-driven engineering and parameter generation Model-driven engineering (MDE) is method for managing complexities of developing large software intensive systems. The models in MDE are the main artifacts describing a system going under design process. This paper aims at developing a framework for model-driven generation of automation system configuration parameters using a testbed platform. The configuration parameters for the automation system can be generated automatically when a testbed model includes hardware and software components. Figure 3 Testbed configuration MDE 3.5 Presented Prototypical implementation The below example explain the modeling approach presented in this paper. Component is an example of the fixed meta-model elements represented as code in the environment. Different types of engines can now be either initiated using the Component, or by cloning the initial Engine and copying t to new engine. In the example, the Engine has two attributes, Inertia and MaxSpeed. In prototypical approach each element is an instance and must provide values to these attributes. Diesel and Otto represent two kinds of engines; since they are cloned from Engine, they receive copies of the attributes Inertia and MaxSpeed, as well as their values. Italics script is used to mark such copied attributes; grey text is used to express that the attribute values are kept unchanged. Figure 4 Meta-models example In Figure 4 DType represents a family of diesel engines. D1 finally is a concrete, physically existing member. 3.6 Conclusion This paper we presented applications of multi-level modeling in the domain of testbed automation systems and why conventional modeling is insufficient for our MDE requirements and how multi-level modeling can solve the representation issues. They presented an approach to represent models in much more detail with simple notations. 4 Automated reliability prediction from formal architectural descriptions 4.1 About the Writer JoËÅ" ao M. Franco, Raul Barbosa and MÂ ´ ario Zenha-Rela University of Coimbra, Portugal. Published in Software Architecture (WICSA) and European Conference on Software Architecture (ECSA) in 2012. 4.2 Introduction Assessment of quality attributes (i.e., non-functional requirements, such as performance, safety or reliability) of software architectures during design phase so early decisions are validated and the quality requirements are achieved. 4.3 Problem These quality requirements are most often manually checked, which is time consuming and error-prone due to the overwhelmingly complexity of designs. A new approach to assess the reliability of software architectures. It consists in extracting and validating a Markov model from the system specification written in an Architecture Description Language (ADL). 4.4 Reliability Prediction Process There are many different methods to achieve reliability prediction are known, each targeting diverse failure behaviours and different reliability assessment methods. The writer presented the below process for reliability prediction. Architecture and Module identification and their interactions. The Probability of Failure specified in terms of a percentage. Combining the architecture with the failure behaviour. Below is an example of batch sequential style state model using the Marov model. Figure 5 Markov model example Validation of the Process The validation of the process presented by the writer was done in two steps: Validity of Reliability Prediction Validity with different architectural styles. The validations were compared to previous research studies. It was found that results were similar proving that the mathematical models were accurate. 5 In Search of a Metric for Managing Architectural Technical Debt 5.1 About the Writer Robert L. Nord and Ipek Ozkaya from the Software Engineering Institute, CMU. Published in European Conference on Software Architecture 2009. 5.2 Introduction The technical debt is trade-off between short-term and long-term value. Taking shortcuts to optimize the delivery of features in the short term incurs debt, analogous to financial debt, that must be paid off later to optimize long-term success. This paper demonstrates a architecture focused and measurement based approach to calculate technical debt by describing an application under development. 5.3 Problem Technical debt thoroughly relays on system evaluation. An organization which has to evolve its system has to make sure if future development will not increase its debt and have a lower cost. In this paper the writer develops a metric that assists in strategically managing technical debt. 5.4 Architecture Debt Analysis We will analyze technical debt on two different paths. Both paths have different priorities. Path# 1: Deliver soon. To deliver a working version of the system quickly, the plan calls for making the minimum required effort at the beginning. Path #2: Reduce rework and enable compatibility. Requires an investment in infrastructure during the first deliveries. Cost compression of both paths is illustrated in the table below. Table 1 Cost Comparison We can calculate the total cost T with a function taking implementation cost and rework cost as input. T = F( Ci, Cr) For simplicity we consider the function sums both the cost up only. We can now compare the total cost with the cumulative cost. Table 2 Cost comparison with cumulative cost 5.5 Modeling Rework In Agile software development an important challenge is to give value to long term goals then short term. The cost of taking an architectural design decision today always has a lower cost than refactoring the design in future implementations. An organization should have the following prospective towards its technical debt. Focusing on short term goals puts the organization technical jeopardy, when the debt cannot be further handled. Using shortcuts can give success on short term until the rework costs starts to come and the cost and timeline becomes unmanageable. The architectural decisions requires active follow-ups and continuous cost analysis. This is to make sure that the design decision will make an impact in future costs of development. 5.6 Conclusion From this research we conclude that the future development of well-designed application has lower cost and is less tentative. Therefore the technical debt in lower if the architecture is well defined and fulfills quality attributes requirement. 6 Research Topic: Testing Software Architectural Changes and adapting best practices to achieve highest quality in a quantifiable manner. 6.1 Introduction We have looked into testing methodologies and design process and possible technical debt on software architecture. We now look how our technical debt will be effected if due t future requirements the architecture have to be changed. 6.2 Proposed Research Problem We will first Estimating Technical debt onExistingSoftware architecture and Software system. Then using Design changes and code changes for estimating technical debt and quality attributes. The prediction is made based on comparisons with similar change bursts that occurred in the Architecture. The views of software architecture will be used. This is applicable in Agile Development. 6.3 Types of changes We can classify each type of change in architecture by analyzing the overall impact of it on the architecture and possibilities of technical debt from it. We also assign a propagation value to each type of debt so that its estimated suavity can be quantified. Small architectural change in one or some views. Low Technical Debt increase (0.10) Addition of new architecture. Architecture for new functionality added. Medium Technical Debt increase (0.30) Small changes in several views. High Technical Debt increase (0.60) Massive architectural change is several views. High Technical Debt increase (0.80) 6.4 Proposed Solution After analyzing research papers and book ‘Software Architecture in Practice’, I can give following points on how the technical debt of new architecture can be managed. Compare updated architecture and see how the updates have increased the technical debt. Apply same test cases which were used in the initial software architecture. See how quality attributes are increased or decreased after the update. 6.5 Reduction of Technical Debt To reduce the technical debt after architectural changes following strategies can be adopted. 6.5.1 Refactoring Apply architectural patterns to improve several quality attributes. Use architectural tactics to address for specific quality attributes. 6.5.2 Retaining existing Architecture Models Continue the existing architecture in patterns. Search for Modifiability tactics already used. Stick to that tactics. 7 References [1] Len Bass: Generate and test as a software architecture design approach. WICSA/ECSA 2009 Page 309 – 312. [2] Sarah Al-Azzani and Rami Bahsoon. SecArch: Architecture-level Evaluation and Testing for Security. In 2012 Joint Working IEEE/IFIP Conference on Software Architecture (WICSA) and European Conference on Software Architecture (ECSA), pages 51 60, Aug. 2012. [3] Thomas Aschauer, Gerd Dauenhauer, Wolfgang Pree. Towards a Generic Architecture for Multi-Level Modeling. European Conference on Software Architecture 2009 Page 121 130. [4] J. Franco, R. Barbosa, and M. Zenha-Rela. Automated reliability prediction from formal architectural descriptions. In 2012 Joint Working IEEE/IFIP Conference on Software Architecture (WICSA) and European Conference on Software Architecture (ECSA), pages 302 -309, Aug. 2012. [5] R. Nord, I. Ozkaya, P. Kruchten, and M. Gonzalez-Rojas, In search of a metric for managing architectural technical debt, in 2012 Joint Working IEEE/IFIP Conference on Software Architecture and 6th European Conference on Software Architecture, 2012, pp. 91-100.

World Populations And Development :: essays research papers

World Populations and Development 1.) The Neolithic and Industrial Revolutions The two changes in the use of the earth's resources that had the greatest effect on the world population were the neolithic and the industrial revolutions. The neolithic revolution (a.k.a. agricultural revolution) was a change in the way of life of our ancestors. It took place about 8000 years ago among various tribes in Asia and the Middle East. It included a transition from foraging and hunting to the domestication of animals (most probably starting with the dog) and to farming. Tribes settled in fertile areas and formed agricultural communities many of which grew into villages and cities. This relatively stable way of life and the more reliable food supply (and surplus) led to the development of new professions, to labor specialization and ultimately to the stratification of these societies. Improved conditions of life led to somewhat longer life spans. Nevertheless population growth remained low due to high infant mortality rates. The impact of the neolithic revolution was not as much on immediate population growth (even though it did have a long term impact on population growth) as on the material and spiritual development of the human race. It is widely regarded as the beginning of civilization. Industrial revolution was another process of change. It was the process of substituting muscle power with machine power. It took place in the 18th century in Europe and is still happening in many parts of the world. In many characteristics it has been similar to the neolithic revolution: it increased production, it led to the use of resources that had been mostly unused until then and it improved the overall quality of life. It also led to changes in the structure of society. What was different, was its impact on population growth. It was quick and easily noticeable. Advanced sanitation, hygiene and medicine led to longer life spans and declining death rates, with the birth rates remaining high. This resulted in a high rate of population growth that still continues in many countries. The information revolution is the process of change that began in the second half of the 20th century in the developed countries of the world. It is the process of substituting "brain power" with "machine power". It leads to increased production and has the potential to create a more even distribution of the world's population on the surface of the earth. It also has the potential to decrease the differences between the less developed and the highly developed nations of the world. Then again it also has the potential to increase those differences. It causes changes in the structure of society.

Evolution Of Management Essay -- Organization Management Industry

Evolution of Management In this paper I will be explaining the evolution of management from the beginning of the industrial revolution to present which includes Classical School of Management, the Human Relations/ Behavioral School of Management, Theory X and Y, the Scientific Approach, Contingency Approach, and Theory Z. I will also be comparing the classical style and the present style to each other and to my current work environment. The Classical school of thought began during the Industrial Revolution around 1900 and continued into the 1920s when new problems related to the factory system began to appear. Managers were unsure of how to train employees (many of them non-English speaking immigrants) or deal with increased labor dissatisfaction, so they began to test solutions. Traditional or classical management focuses on efficiency and includes scientific, bureaucratic and administrative management. Bureaucratic management needs a rational set of structuring guidelines, such as rules and procedures, hierarchy, and a clear division of labor. Scientific management focuses on the "one best way" to do the job. Administrative management emphasizes the flow of information in the operation of the organization. The first... ...g. Fayol believed that all managers performed these functions and that the functions distinguished management as a separate discipline of study apart from accounting, finance, and production." (Online - http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Log-Mar/Management Thought.html) [3] "McGregor recognized that some people may not have reached the level of maturity assumed by Theory Y and therefore may need tighter controls that can be relaxed as the employee develops." (Online - http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/Theory_X.html) [4] "This approach arose out of the observation that the three earlier approaches to management - the Classical, the Behavioral, and the Operations Research - did not always lead to an acceptable solution" (Patrick J. Montana and Bruce H Charnov, Management, Third Edition, page 30)

Danshui Plant No.2 Essay

Danshui assembling computer hard drives on a contract that was fulfilled at the end of May 2010, although the assembly hard drives was different with assembly of Iphone, Danshui was confident that its workers would adapt to the new assembly tasks and that it could hire and train the additional workers as needed. But in fact, Danshui didn’t manage employee property. The workers showed low efficiency in assembly Iphone with produced lower quantity than budgeted which is 180,000 units instead of 200,000 units. Other than that, Danshui couldn’t hire enough qualified labor to get production up to 200,000 units even though they raised wages by 30% because of Foxconn starting pay by 35% to the labors. In addition, Danshui operation department keep having flash memories damage problem, there were around 1,000 flash memories damage in August. It’s shown that Danshui’s labors are not enough skill to assembly Iphone. We suggest that Wentao Chen could organize more tr aining program for labors to solve the problem of damage of flash memories because of labors might lack of skill in assembly Iphone since they are more familiar in assembly computer hard drive before on contract with Apple. In order to improve the skill of labor in assembly Iphone so that will be decrease the number of damage of flash memories, and the decreasing of number of damage will be decrease the cost of assembly and increase the revenue. In addition, for the problem of couldn’t hire enough qualified labors to get the production of 200,000 units per month even though Danshui had raised the wages up to 30%. In order to solve this problem, we would like to suggest Wentao Chen to apply the intrinsic need of labor. For example, Danshui can set up a Childcare centre for take care the children of labors or provide free meal for those having over time workers and their children who in Childcare Centre. For example, Maybank has undergone various business transformations in the last four years to enhance their service offerings to their customers, improve operational efficiency and to focus efforts on their most valuable asset – their people. Currently, Maybank has put in place a plan to build a childcare centre to be used by employees during emergency situations. Parents who are faced with challenges in securing childcare services are able to utilize the centre for a temporary period of time whilst they source for alternative childcare services and facilities. The centre will provide parents with a safe environment, high-quality care as well as provide fun activities for their children when their regular care provider is unavailable or during emergency situations. The childcare centre is cur rently under construction and targets to open its doors to employees by the last quarter of 2013. We believe it’s can fulfill the satisfaction of employees and increase the retention of employees, in the other hand Danshui also can attract labor to work in Danshui without raising wages. Other than that, Danshui can improve the productivity of labors to get the production of 200,000 units with their high satisfaction to Danshui. Wentao Chen could help Danshui to get the production of 200,000 units without improve skill of labor or improve the productivity by satisfied the labors, he could using â€Å"outsourcing† to get 200,000 units production to reach the deal with Apple. Danshui can outsource to other similar assembly manufacturer for 20,000 units to fulfill the Apple contract.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 34

Letter #5-December 3, 2006 Dear Nikki, The night after the Tennessee Titans destroyed the Eagles on their home turf – a game in which Donovan McNabb tore his ACL, ending his season and maybe even his career – Andre Waters shot himself to death. I realize you don't care about any of this, but Waters was one of my favorite players back when I was a teenager. He was a big part of the Gang Green Defense. People called him Dirty Waters because he was fined so much for hitting too hard. And when I was a kid, Waters was a god to me. Jake says Waters probably killed himself after watching the Eagles play so poorly against the Titans, which was not a funny thing to say at all. My father is not talking to anyone, because he is upset about McNabb's injury, which will most likely ruin the Eagles' chances of making the play-offs. My new favorite player, Hank Baskett, is not getting many balls thrown to him anymore, but he actually threw an interception during a stupid trick play during the Indy Colts' win over the Birds just this past weekend. And of course, there was also your last letter. So I'm thinking this is the part of my movie where things appear as if nothing is going to work out. I have to remind myself that all movie characters go through this sort of dark period before they find their happy ending. It was hard to wait two weeks for your reply. Your letter made me very sad, and in the past twenty-four hours I have written my reply at least a hundred times. I don't know if Tiffany read you the part of my memoir where I described my therapist's office, but he has two leather recliners – one black, one brown. My therapist lets his patients choose which seat they want to sit in just so he can see what type of mood we are in. I've been picking the black one lately. I've read certain parts of your letters to Cliff – that's my therapist's name. He doesn't know about Tiffany's involvement, because I promised her that I would not tell anyone that she has agreed to act as our liaison. When Cliff asked how I was able to make contact with you, I refused to answer. I hope that you don't mind my reading some of your words to my therapist. It's funny. Cliff keeps hinting that I should pursue a relationship with Tiffany. And I know Tiffany is reading this letter to you, so this part will be awkward for everyone involved, but Tiffany will just have to deal with it because this is what being a liaison requires, and I already danced so well, fulfilling my end of the bargain. Cliff says that Tiffany and I have a lot in common at this point and that you and I have very little in common, because we are in very different places. I thought he meant that you were in Maryland and I was in New Jersey, but it turns out he means that I am still fighting to regain my mental health, and you are mentally stable. I asked Cliff why he would want me to pursue a relationship with someone who is as mentally unstable as me, and he said that you were not able to support me in the way I needed to be supported, which is why our marriage failed. I got very mad at Cliff when he said that, especially since I am the one to blame, but he insisted that you allowed me to become the person I was by enabling me – never putting me in my place and allowing me to emotionally abuse you for so long. He says that Tiffany will not allow me to do this and that our friendship is based on a mutual need and a commitment to bettering ourselves through physical fitness and dance. Tiffany and I are great friends, and I appreciate all that she is doing for me now. But she is not you. I still love you, Nikki. And you can't control or alter true love. Mom checked out The Catcher in the Rye from the Collingswood Public Library. I liked Holden Caulfield very much and felt a lot of sympathy for him because he really was a nice guy, always trying to do right by his sister Phoebe, yet always failing, like when he bought that record for Phoebe and broke it before he could give it to her. I also liked how he was always so worried about what the NYC ducks do in winter. Where do they go? But my favorite part was the ending, when Holden takes his sister to the carousel and she rides on the horse and tries to reach for the gold ring. Holden says, â€Å"I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddamn horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them.† When I read this, I thought about your writing that I was in my second childhood and that I would have to â€Å"leave the basement† someday. But then I thought about how my improving myself and learning how to dance with Tiffany was like reaching for the gold ring, which is you. Nikki, you are my gold ring. So maybe I will fall off the goddamn carousel, but I have to reach for you, right? I want to see you. I want to talk to you face-to-face. Just once. Afterward, if you never want to see me again, I can live with that. Just give me one chance to show you how much I have changed. Just one chance. One face-to-face meeting. Please. Love, Pat

MGT501 - Management and Organizational Behavior Mod 3 Case Assignment Essay

MGT501 - Management and Organizational Behavior Mod 3 Case Assignment - Essay Example The learning organization, according to Skyrme, (2010), is an organization that has in place systems and mechanisms as well as processes that enhance the capabilities of the organization and at the same time achieve the organizations objectives. They have noted that the important pieces of that system are that it is adaptive to the environment in which it is used, it continually enhances the capability of the organization to change and adapt, it develops a collective as well as individual learning base, and it uses the results of learning to achieve better results. In other words, it manages to pull together all the talents and knowledge throughout the organization, making it available for use in improving the corporation instead of going out of the organization to look for something that is already there. It is easy to see why this would be compared to a brain. As each synapse in the brain fires, it triggers another synapse, very much like this kind of knowledge or learning organiza tion might do. Social networking itself, works a lot like the different parts of the brain. Some things are controlled by the left hemisphere and some are controlled by the right. There is the Pons and medulla and hind and forebrain, all have different functions that they control, but in each case, that information is readily available for the others to use when needed. It occurs very much the same way in a corporation. For example, in a hospital, the nurses function as a pod, the physicians another, the casemanagers and social workers another. Within each of those pods, specialized activities occur but when the other needs some of that specialized activity to make their part of the organization work better, it is available. Social media is an outgrowth of the need to communicate. There are actually many large corporations using social networking to improve their business. This kind of

Leadership in Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Leadership in Healthcare - Essay Example By applying this method to my beliefs and values, and leadership experience in various situations both in working and social environments I have concluded that I exhibit mostly the Adair’s Action-Centred leadership (Adair, 1988), Situational leadership (Hersey, Blanchard and Johnson, 1966), and Charismatic leadership (Bass, 1990). The Action Centered leadership model (Adair, 1988) is based on three overlapping circles: task, individual and group. Thus, the leader, applying this approach is enabled to make the task to be performed and goals to be achieved through fostering the work group and being attentive and reactive to the individual’s needs (Remme, Jones, Heiden, and Bono, 2008). Situational leadership style, developed by Paul and Ken Blanchard (1966) implies that leader’s behavior depends mainly on the readiness of the followers to perform certain task or achieve a goal (McShane and Glinow, 2000). While this leadership style is different from the previous one, I do apply both in my working and social environment. The third leadership style that I have discovered through my behavior is the Charismatic leadership. According to Bass (1990), charismatic leaders exude confidence, inspiration, a sense of purpose, and dominance (Chizoba, 2010). These features can be often observed in my behavior when I am excited about my future plans. While working as a Senior Support Worker I was responsible for providing direct supervision to support staff. Once I was given a task to conduct a marketing research survey on the preferences and needs of current and newly referred individuals. In our research study we had to analyze whether all the needs were satisfied and whether people got enough support. For performing this task I decided to form a group of 5 people in order to conduct a primary research on a given topic. The next day I have circulated by e-mail

The Process of Financial Acquisition Scholarship Essay - 11

The Process of Financial Acquisition - Scholarship Essay Example Worst of it all, all the international students to pay a lot of money in the institutions admitted. In addition to tuition fees, other requirements such as upkeep further make the burden wanting. Therefore, I am requesting if you would be in a position to grant me a scholarship. Such a situation would just change my life and every decision I make since then I would have a simple time in my study and concentrate fully in my area of specialization. My mother who remains the sole breadwinner will cease to have an extreme financial burden she is currently having. Additionally, it would not only be a motivation to me, but also an intrinsic reward, whereby I would also like to assist needy students in the future. My success as a Psycho-biologist will be of great help to my burdened family and the community. I will be of immense assistance to society in terms of contributing to community development projects such as free counseling sessions for mentally ill clients. I totally assure you tha t I will live an exemplary life worth emulation even to the other students. I look forward to your consideration to grant me a scholarship. Â  

We Can But Should We Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

We Can But Should We - Research Paper Example ) The company has already announced that about 280 people from New Jersey have consented to having chips implanted under their skin that contain health records for the trial use of the technology. (p. 65) The most important use of the human implantable chip, hence, is quick and reliable access to communication, including its communication and processing, without the need for another device. For instance, people could use a laptop, a flash disk or a cellular phone to store and transmit data, which could be lost, including the information they have, in the process. This will not be the case with the chip because it has to be implanted in the human body. According to Edwards (2005), chip implants are beneficial because it, in effect, would simplify life by making it possible to do away with driver’s licenses, passports, and other identification necessary in order to avail services such healthcare. (p. 164) The chip mentioned earlier, as manufactured by Applied Digital Solutions, contains a 16-digit number that communicates with a scanner. The process links the chip, including the identification and information stored therein, to the medical facility’s electronic database. This is seen as most beneficial to those patients entered into the emergency rooms after an accident or severe trauma. If the patient is unconscious or unable identify himself as well as his medical history, the chip could prove extremely useful. The information on the chip would allow the hospital to determine â€Å"family contact information, recent lab results, pharmacy prescription information and medical information.† (Hunt, Puglia and Puglia, p. 65) So far, the body of literature on the subject is silent in regards to the health risk of the healthcare chip. It is supposedly as small as a grain of rice and seems to pose no real danger to its bearer. What this means is that the most significant drawback to chip implantation is the ethical question. The groups raising opposition to the chip