Airborne: United States Postal Service and Express Mail

A five force analysis consists of five parts being threat of substitutes, ease of entry and exit, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and degree of rivalry. The threat of substitutes for Airborne, in the domestic express mail market, came from two other large firms Federal Express and the United Postal Service. FedEx, UPS, and Airborne together held an 85% market share. Fedex held roughly 45% of the domestic mail market and was considered the industry leader, however disputed. Their name was synonymous with sending something overnight.Almost like when at a restaurant we order a â€Å"coke†, no matter what the exact brand is the waitress will understand what we want. The United Parcel Service, UPS, was the largest package delivery company in the world and held a 25% market share of the domestic expedited mail service. Airborne was under the constant threat of substitutes, which were significant. The ease of entry and exit into the expedited mail delivery market is very difficult. Planes, trucks, personal, facilities, equipment all need to be in place before even one package is successfully delivered.Buyers had much bargaining power in that the three largest domestic expedited mail carriers each offered similar products, next morning delivery for time sensitive items. Price, reliability, access to tracking, customer service, and convince of drop-off locations were all things that the customer many times would consider before choosing their carrier. The bargaining power of suppliers was also strong. The physical delivery of the package was only a part of the services offered to customers.The major companies also made it possible to track packages en route, guarantee on time service, and even provide logistical consulting services. The degree of rivalry was very intense between these companies, in the early 1990’s industry observers called the competition between FedEx and Ups the â€Å"parcel war. † Each company would no t only match each other’s prices but also their technology and services Factor| Airborne| UPS| Fedex| Products Offered| 1| 2| 1| Target Customers| 1| 2| 2| Competitive Positioning| 3| 2| 1| Financial Performance| 1| 1| 1|Culture| 2| 1| 3| Land Ops| 2| 1| 1| Air Ops| 2| 1| 1| Marketing and Sales| 2| 1| 1| Customer Service| 1| 2| 2| IT| 3| 2| 1| Totals| 18| 14| 14| Lowest=Best Airborne is strong in its products offered in always seeming to be on the forefront and targeting customers efficiently. Unlike FedEx and UPS, Airborne owned the airport that served as its major hub in Wilmington, Ohio. As a result Airborne did not have to pay fees to the airport and could fix any obstacles that they came across at their own facility without having to consult with any outside parties.Airborne also differentiated by not having its own retail service centers and owning only a portion of their delivery vans. These were both cost saving differentiators, hiring independent contractors to picku p and delivery was 10% less expensive. Airborne did not market to the mass media instead they targeted the personal within companies who were in charge of logistics in order to obtain larger more profitable accounts. Providing flexible, custom solutions for their customers was also a difference in business plans that Airborne however FedEx and UPS also began to claim this.Ensure that Airborne survives and thrives in the future, the company would need to remain competitive with UPS and Fedex. Airborne’s relationship with RPS was beneficial because RPS had connections to the heart of UPS’s customer base in the form of large volume business customers. The physical distribution of Airborne and RPS were completely separate. To survive, I would suggest that Airborne form a stronger relationship not just sharing of marketing and shipping information. How and why has the express mail industry structure evolved in recent years?How have the changes affected small competitors? Th e US express mail industry is highly consolidated. 85% of the market is served by 3 service providers. There are six second tier players who serve the remaining 15%. FedEx and UPS lead the industry in services and innovation. The following trends have been observed in this Industry. Services: A host of services are provided to suit the needs to different businesses. Overnight shipping and next-morning delivery are most popular amongst other services like next-afternoon delivery and second day service.Same-day and early-next morning services are even costlier. Shipment volumes have risen over the decade however the rise in revenues has not been complimentary, due to falling prices. Customers: it is imperative for businesses to facilitate fast information dissemination. Express mails have provided a medium for establishing this. All businesses and individuals today use this service. Contrary to the traditional belief, items being shipped are high value compared to high weight. These i tems are time-sensitive. Customers have different criteria's to decide which service provider to use.With advancements in technology, this industry has become highly automated, there by providing better customer service with relation to parcel tracking, pick up services etc. The decision matrix generally includes brand name, reliability, price, customer service etc. Customers are generally not loyal as switching costs are negligible. Operations: Most players use the hub-and-spoke model. Major hubs act as collecting grounds for mail from all over America. The mails are then sorted and then sent off to respective destinations.Priority is given to early-next and next-morning mails. Planes land and take off all through the night. Capital expenditure related to a hub is extremely high. Both FedEx and UPS emphasize on improving the sorting capacity†¦ Airborne Express grew very rapidly in the late 1990’s, outperforming both of its main rivals, FedEx and UPS. When evaluating the success of Airborne, it is evident that the organization employed a strategy of low cost leadership, utilizing tactics surrounding efficiencies, cost reductions, market focus, and rigid budgeting.Early in its history, the company targeted a certain market, primarily businesses that shipped large volumes of urgent items to other businesses. This focus allowed Airborne to avoid markets of marginal value. In addition, Airborne retained cost minimization in key functional areas such as technology, marketing, and overhead. Airborne was very selective in their investment in technology and innovation, allowing first adapters to pave the way. The automation they did provide, such as FOCUS and the electronic submission of shipping information, saved money on labor y reducing manual data entry requirements. Also, Airborne did not advertise in mass media, but rather targeted selective logistics managers of major shippers, creating a courting style sales environment (Airborne, p. 12). This all owed for long term partnerships with repeat business. Overhead was kept around 30% less than main rivals. These types of actions, among others performed by Airborne, all point to low cost leadership. When analyzing the role of resources in the firm, Airborne has strong tangible, intangible, and capability resources in their favor.For example, Airborne owned the airport that served as its major hub, including the warehouses that surrounded the airport, which they leased to business customers (Airborne, p. 11). In addition, Airborne owned a fleet of 175 aircraft, although used; they provided Airborne the opportunity to personalize the outfitting of each aircraft to their cargo needs. Airborne also owned a portion of its delivery trucks, using independent contractors to provide balance on labor costs, fuel, and truck maintenance. A lack of unions in the hub also kept labor costs down.A niche market of large corporate clients with solid sales relationships was among the capability resou rces. Along with a large amount of equity and cash, Airborne was situated to be a very strong company. While there are many threats to the sustainability of low cost leadership, one of the biggest threats is imitation, especially in businesses using the internet (DLE, p. 177). Airborne, due to its business model, was both subject to and immune to this threat. Because it waited for others to test new technologies first, Airborne reaped the benefits of rivals work.For example, Airborne created a software system, its Freight On-Line Control and Update System (FOCUS), which imitated Federal Express’ COSMOS, and allowed customers to trace packages themselves rather than rely on company representatives. Because Airborne tailored its innovation practices after already successful programs, they challenged rivals sustainability in the market. On the other hand, Airborne also developed new technologies, like those associated with Xerox scanning and delivery, which gave Airborne the abi lity to deliver Xerox packages before 8AM.This method was easily imitated by FedEx and UPS, which enabled the rivals to provide the same service to their entire customer base, instead of just one client. Airborne was unable to capitalize on the technological advancement after the initial introduction, and therefore, suffered a low cost leadership sustainability threat. ————————————————- Basic Information of  Airborne Express Case Number: 9-798-070 Author: Jan W. Rivkin Publisher: Harvard Business Publishing Year: Feb 5, 1998 Course Category: Strategy ————————————————-Case Summary  of Airborne Express 1997: Airborne Express quarterly revenues up by 29%, and YTD net earnings ad increased by more than 500%. Third largest player in express mail industry. Boost fr om the recent strike at rival UPS. Fastest growing company in the industry, but thin margins. Federal Express had recently raised prices. †¢ Previous year: Fed Ex and UPS launched new services and pricing schemes o UPS moved to distance-based pricing, with prices raised on long-distance shipments, lowered on short-distance shipments. Fed Ex followed suit in 1997. Would Airborne? The Express Mail Industry in the United States: Services provided include: physical shipment of packages, shipment tracking, on-time service guarantees, customs clearance expedition, warehousing services, logistics consulting services †¢ Customers: o Businesses In industries such as financial services and consulting, express mail had become the standard means of delivering docs o Typical shipments: business docs, electronic components, medical samples, and replacement parts. o Customer base broadening. Portion of goods considered perishable or time-sensitive increasing over time. Acceleration in th e pace of business increased express volume shipped by each customer. Main consideration factors when deciding whether to ship an item express mail were urgency of shipment and price Carrier selection based off of relative price, carrier reliability, brand name, tracking capabilities, customer service, drop-off convenience, and/or habit. Discounts based on volume encouraged customers to focus on one carrier. However, customers tend not to be loyal when a contract expires. †¢ Operations: 1. Large fleet of vans and drivers. Drivers leave central depot and collect packages. At point of pick up, hand-held computer used to scan the package’s barcode and enter package data.Data transferred to central computer, which determined routing. Package scanned at each subsequent transfer points so that the company could track its progress. 2. Packages driven to airport, placed in containers, which were, in turn, placed on company-operated cargo planes. Upon landing at airport, usually around 11 pm, crew, using special equipment, unloaded plane in 20 minutes. Second crew simultaneously servicing plane in prep for outbound flight. 3. Cargo containers taken to hangar, where packages are sorted according to final destination. Labor-intensive.Once sorted, packaged placed in containers and loaded onto planes. Planes typically depart from 3 am – 4 am. Planes landed around 6 am at destination airports. 4. Packages unloaded, distributed to vans, and delivered to final destinations. †¢ Lower-priority packages follow slightly different route – more likely to travel by truck rather than air. †¢ Heavy investment in large hub facilities, air and ground fleets. †¢ Devoted to customer service and sophisticated information systems. †¢ Competition: †¢ Domestic Express Mail Market: 3 major players = Fed Ex, UPS, Airborne Express, serving ; 85% of the market. nd tier players: BAX Global, DHL Worldwide Express, Emery Worldwide, Roadway Package S ystem, TNT Express Worldwide, US Postal Service. †¢ US Postal Service served much of the remaining 15% of the market, popular due to the convenience of the post office to residential customers. However, prohibited by law from offering volume discounts to business customers. Also, could not track packages efficiently, and poor delivery record. †¢ DHL, TNT focused on international market. o DHL offered extensive service in hard-to-reach areas of the globe. Required knowledge of customs procedures and officials to clear customs quickly.Not heavily invested in domestic capabilities. †¢ BAX Global, Emery focused on heavy cargo †¢ RPS focused on 2-day delivery via a ground network, targeting price-sensitive business customers. Known for efficient ground transport and sophisticated IT. †¢ Fax, email †¢ Compete on multiple fronts, including prices, products, and customer service Major Competitors †¢ Federal Express o 45% domestic express mail market o Hist ory: Invented the industry. Prior to founding, express deliveries flew as freight in holds of passenger planes. Frederick Smith, proposed an airline dedicated solely to express delivery of mail.Argued airlines designed to carry passengers suboptimal for carrying express mail. Any route acceptable for a package as long as it arrives on time. Hub-and-spoke routing more efficient for express mail. Packages would be collected at a single airport, sorted, and sent to their destinations. 1971, Federal Express incorporated. Target market focused on small packages, which were largely ignored by other air carriers. High barriers to entry: assembling fleet of jets, constructing a hub in Memphis, securing initial customers, and gaining governmental approval in highly regulated airline industry.Service started in April, 1973. 1983, reached $1 billion in revenue, the first company to do so within 10 years of start up, without acquisition. o Technology: COSMOS, central computer system, coordinate d vehicles, people, packages, routes, and weather information. Supertrackers used by couriers to enter in package info Digitally Assisted Dispatch System (DADS) directed couriers to pickup locations and uploaded info from Supertrackers to COSMOS Gave customers Powership computer terminals and shipping software to prepare shipping paperwork, streamline billing, and track shipments. www. fedex. com o Marketing ; SalesAggressive marketing led to widely recognized mottoes High advertising expenditures + sales reps + money-back guarantee o People ; Culture â€Å"People, Service, Profit†¦When people are placed first, they will provide the highest possible service, and profits will follow. † Promoted from within. No layoffs policy. Cross-trained employees and cultivated a large part-time workforce. Extensive employee-training programs Employees given wide latitude to make decisions on their own. Expected to take risks and resolve problems on own. Emphasis on communication. â₠¬ ¢ FXTV broadcast daily company news, weather conditions, competition info, etc.Formal compensation system. Managers’ incentive pay based on performance against negotiated objectives, employee satisfaction playing a significant role. Hourly workers were also eligible for bonuses. o International Ventures 1985, Fred Smith’s vision of global delivery of express mail. However, expensive. 1992, overseas operating losses topped $600 million, so company scaled back. Relied on partner companies to complete deliveries. †¢ United Parcel Service (UPS) o Largest package delivery company in the world, but most volume not express mail, traveled via ground network. History Founded in 1907 as a messenger service. Repositioned itself as the delivery arm of major department stores. 1950s: automobile ownership widespread, retail stores moved to suburbs. Repositioned again around â€Å"common carrier† service to deliver parcels in general, not just department store deliverie s, by truck. Only reached goal of complete national coverage in 1980s, due to legal and regulatory battles to deliver within and between states. 1953, coupled ground network with cargo services of major airlines to offer two-day delivery service. 1981, purchases first aircrafts. 987, took direct control of all air operations. USPS viewed as main rival. Focused on reducing costs since rates were highly regulated. Charged single price to all customers. Saved money by picking up at company’s convenience and not investing in collecting info (could not track packages easily). Late 1980s/early 1990s, refocused around customer service and invested in aircrafts, sorting infrastructure, and technology, in order to compete with Fed Ex. Radically and successfully restructured. o Operations: Hub in Louisville, KY, with 5 regional air hubs around the US.Speculated that UPS’ sorting and routing facilities were highly automated and employed the latest technology. Single fleet of truc ks handled pickup and delivery of all UPS shipments. o Technology: determined to match Fed Ex’s information collection capabilities, invested $3 billion in advanced technology between 1990 and 1995. Resulted in ability to track packages efficiently, deliver electronic proof of delivery, and offer money-back guarantee of on-time delivery. Internet site rivaled Fed Ex’s o Marketing ; Sales: No marketing department before 1980, with little to no advertising 1996, spent 80% more on media than Fed Ex People ; Culture: â€Å"owned by managers and managed by owners;† privately owned, with stock issued to company managers, and, as of 1995, nonmanagement employees as well. Promote from within The Policy Book, emphasized management by consensus and an ethic of humility High wages kept labor-management relationships good. †¢ 1997, drivers among best paid, largely in part to union involvement. 16-day labor strike flooded competitors business. Resolution favored labor, with an increase in full-time positions, as well as full-time and part-time wages over a five-year period.Ramifications of strike included $700 million in lost revenue and poor reputation for absolute reliable delivery. o International Operations: Invested heavily in developing global distribution network, and, even with high operating losses, seemed committed. Airborne Express: †¢ Often overlooked, but growing faster than competitors in mid-1990s, with 16% of domestic express mail market in 1997. †¢ History: o 1968, The Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California (shipped fresh flowers from Hawaii to mainland) and Pacific Air Freight (delivered perishables to/from Alaska) merged to form Airborne Freight Corporation.Prior to Fed Ex, most successful in express mail industry. o Target: business customer that regularly shipped a large volume of urgent items, primarily to other business locations. Example: Xerox †¢ Operations: o Owned airport that served a major hub . Did not pay landing fees and no obstacles to tailoring the facility to its needs. However, did need to maintain airport itself, and did not share expenses with other airlines. o Leased warehouse space on airport property (Fed Ex and UPS offered warehousing options as well, bot not onsite at airport) o Sorting operations less automated, more human labor-intensive.Unions represented app. Half of workforce, including all pilots. o Fleets consisted primarily of used aircraft, built in 1960s and 1970s. Patented cargo containers did not require cargo door. Aircraft run app. 80% full (vs. competitors 65-70%). Costs of flight did not vary by amount of cargo carried. o Shippers and recipients concentrated in metropolitan areas. o Greater portion of volume = afternoon and second-day deliveries, so could use trucks more than competitors (30% volume never on plane, vs Fed Ex’s 15%).. Cost of a truck 1/3 that of aircraft. Unlike competitors, did not maintain retail service centers and o wned/operated only a portion of its delivery vans. Independent contractors 60-65% volume, and 10% less expensive than company-owned pick up and delivery. †¢ Technology: o Invested selectively. Let competitors test innovations and introduced themselves if clear benefit derived. o Freight On-Line Control and Update System (FOCUS) comparable to Fed Ex’s COSMOS o Offered high-volume shippers software which tied directly into FOCUS, allowing customers to track packages and to submit shipping info themselves as opposed to engaging service agents. Website not as comprehensive as competitors †¢ Marketing ; Sales: o Did not advertise in mass media. Targeted logistics managers of major shippers via sales force. o Known for low prices o Mid-1990s, â€Å"the flexible, solution-oriented express carrier† with an ability to tailor its services to needs of large business customers. However, Fed Ex and UPS offered 8 am service to any customer for a surcharge, as well as claim ed to be able to tailor services to customer needs too. †¢ People ; Culture: o Humility †¢ International Operations: o More modest than Fed Ex and UPS. Used commercial airlines and local partners to complete shipments †¢ RPS Relationship o RPS targeted the ground transport needs of large-volume business customers, whittling at UPS customer base. Offered low prices, superior info and tracking capabilities. Tried to intro air operations, but folded after large losses. o Companies’ physical distribution systems remained separate. Cooperation in marketing process and sharing of shipment info. However, hinted at a closer alliance. Airborne’s Future: †¢ Postal Service had performed well during UPS strike and success seemed to reawaken its ambitions.Planned major advertising blitz to promote express services. Petitioning government to grant volume discounts. †¢ UPS was expected to make play to recoup volume. †¢ UPS strike had shaken customers loy alty to a single company for shipping needs. ————————————————- Case Analysis  of Airborne Express 1. How and why has the structure of the express mail industry evolved in recent years? How have the changes affected small competitors? How has the rivalry between FedEx and UPS impacted them and the rest of the industry? Business and individuals spent $16-17 billion on express mail within the US in 1996.Shipment volumes had risen 15-20% per year for a decade. Services had proliferated by delivery time. Service is not limited to physical delivery. It also includes warehouseing services and logistics consulting services. Express Mail Industry: 1. 16-17 billion on expedited shipments in US in 1996. 2. Shipment volumes had risen 15-20% per year for a decade. 3. Services had proliferated by delivery time. 4. Service is not limited to physical delivery. It also includes tracking services, warehouseing services, logistics consulting services and expedited customs clearance for international shipments. . Shipping companies competed on the basis of time-to-market, eg. Increased volume shipped by and to each customer. 6. Customers’ concern when choose a shipping service includes price, reliability, brand name, access to tracking, customer service, convenience of drop-off, and sheer habit. 7. Shipping companies owns vans, drivers, and aircrafts. They have hub airports. They employ the advanced logistic technology. 8. FedEx, UPS and Airborne were the Big Three in the industry, together served more than 85% of the market. 9. Invested in global distribution system. 10.Originally set one price for every customer, evolved into distance pricing (ie. Lower prices for shorter distance deliveries) Different company target different markets. To survive, small company must find their differentiation in the industry (ie. DHL specialized in international shipping; RPS specialized in ground transport 2 day deliveries). FedEx: overnight delivery; cutting-edge information and logistic technology; Hubs; customer self help; aggressive marketing strategy; no layoff policy; great customer services; employee’s wide latitude of decision making; incentive pay; employ both part time and full time; international expansion.UPS: ground services; largest delivery company in the world; followed FedEx to purchase their own aircraft; started to advertising; stock owned by managers and not for public trade; employ both part time and full time; international operation. â€Å"Parcel Wars† – Fedex and UPS copied and tried to beat each other in pricing, products and services. When one lowered prices, the other followed and created some other promotion to outdo the offer. As a result, small companies need to find their specialty in the market. They will also have employ advanced technology and logistic system and provide great/special customer serv ices. . How has Airborne survived, and recently prospered, in this industry? Airborne targeted the business customer that regularly shipped a large volume of urgent items, primarily to other business locations (mainly 50 metroplitans). They were known for their low prices. They cut cost in many ways: having their own airport; leasing warehouse space to customers; hiring part-time employee; purchasing used aircrafts; load more per flight than rivals; no retail service center; using independent contractors; a little bit late delivery time; no advertising; picking the technology after FedEx and UPS tested.They provided flexible, solution oriented service to customers. 3. Quantify Airborne’s sources of advantage. †¢ Part-time salary is 7/hour, compared to FedEx’s 8/hour. †¢ Run aircraft 80% full, compared to typically 65-70%. †¢ 80-85% of the volume was shipped to 50 metropolitan, compared to FedEx’s 60% †¢ 30% of the volume was not shipped by ai rplanes, compared to FedEx’s 15%. †¢ The cost of a running a truck is 1/3 of the cost of owning and operating a similar amount of aircraft capacity. Use of independent contractors accounted for 60-65% of volume – using contractors cost them 10% less than doing work themselves. †¢ No advertising cost. †¢ Drivers picked up more parcels than Fedex resulting in lower labor costs per unit by 20% for pickup and 10% for delivery. †¢ Besides, owning their own airport would a big advantage in control and operating cost. 4. What must Robert Brazier, Airborne’s President and COO, do in order to strengthen the company’s position? Provider recommendations that will strengthen Airborne’s position in this industry.Evidently, Airborne needs to employee advanced technology and explore the global business. Robert Brazier needs to make sure that Airborne will still hold their advantages in the global business. 5. In retrospect, we know that Airbor ne’s position was not sustainable and the company was acquired by DHL. What were early clues about the lack of Airborne’s sustainability? Will the DHL/Airborne combination be an effective competitior against FedEx and UPS? One early clue – less efficient that Fedex/UPS in on-time deliveries. Should have invested more in technology. Lack of global vision/awareness.Inability to adapt to market – 80% of volume delivered to major metropolitan areas, not servicing ALL customers. Did not take full advantage of opportunity with RPS deal – kept arms length deal. Should have leveraged relationship to increase technology and cust base to gain market share. The DHL/Airborne combination could be an effective competitor again FedEx and UPS, although they have their own specialty and targeting markets. DHL does well in the international market, but its domestic business is not strong. Airborne and DHL could be a strong plus to each other.

Dang It’s Him Essay

Hassan considers Amir as his friends, but in Amir’s eyes he is more than a servant, except he couldn’t accept him as a friend. Amir is unable to accept Hassan as a friend because he is a Hazara and in his mind, due to peer pressure, he considers Hazaras to be lower in status than he is. Amir constantly tests Hassan’s loyalty because he is jealous of Hassan’s loyalty and therefore wants him to slip up. Amir is jealous that he doesn’t treat Hassan with the trust of a friend that Hassan gives him, so he wants Hassan to slip up so he can feel like they’re equal. He resents Hassan because of the love that Baba gives him and how he never forgets Hassan’s birthday. His Baba always compares Hassan and him consequently his Baba would mention that he is more proud of Hassan than Amir. We begin to understand early in the novel that Amir is constantly vying for Baba’s attention and often feels like an outsider in his father’s life, as seen in the following passage: â€Å"He’d close the door, leave me to wonder why it was always grown-ups time with him. I’d sit by the door, knees drawn to my chest. Sometimes I sat there for an hour, sometimes two, listening to their laughter, their chatter. † Discuss Amir’s relationship with Baba. After hearing Amir’s story, Hassan asks, â€Å"Why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to feel sad to shed tears? Couldn’t he have just smelled an onion? † How does this story epitomize the difference in character between Hassan and Amir? Refer to the beginning of Chapter 4. How might Baba’s treatment of Ali have influenced Amir’s understanding of how to treat Hassan? What moral lessons does Baba convey to Amir, and are any of them contradictory? 1. After Amir wins the kite running tournament, his relationship with Baba undergoes significant change. However, while they form a bond of friendship, Amir is still unhappy. What causes this unhappiness and how has Baba contributed to Amir’s state of mind? Eventually, the relationship between the two returns to the way it was before the tournament, and Amir laments â€Å"we actually deceived ourselves into thinking that a toy made of tissue paper, glue, and bamboo could somehow close the chasm between us† (93). Discuss the significance of this passage. 2. As Amir remembers an Afghan celebration in which a sheep must be sacrificed, he talks about seeing the sheep’s eyes moments before its death. â€Å"I don’t know why I watch this yearly ritual in our backyard; my nightmares persist long after the bloodstains on the grass have faded. But I always watch, I watch because of that look of acceptance in the animal’s eyes. Absurdly, I imagine the animal understands. I imagine the animal sees that its imminent demise is for a higher purpose† (82). Why do you think Amir recalls this memory when he witnesses Hassan’s tragedy in the alleyway? Why does Amir respond the way that he does? 3. What role does Rahim Khan play in Amir’s life? What are the requirements for a true friendship? How can a friendship be damaged? Make sure to refer to a specific example from your experience AND a specific example from The Kite Runner.

Annotated Bibliography on Policy Argument Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On Policy Argument - Annotated Bibliography Example Moreover, the article helps in ensuring that there is enough ground to make a claim on ways in which video games have been detrimental to children and teenagers. Lam, Lawrence, Cheng, ZaoHuo and Liu, XinMin.Violent "Online Games Exposure and Cyberbullying/Victimization Among Adolescents." Ebscohost.com. Web. 20 July 2014. . The authors use exploratory study to establish a connection between exposure to violent online -games and cyber-bullying and victimization among adolescents. A recent survey by national population Health Behavior in School-Age Children found that of those involved or affected by cyber bullying "5.3 percent were victims only, and 4.5 % were both perpetrators as well as the victim" (159). The article is relevant to my study, as it has largely focused on school-aged children most of which are teenagers. As a result, it will be of help in making a claim that video games should not be accessible to teenagers and young children. The article questions whether parents are aware of the effects of video games on children. The author notes of various negative influence it has on children such as violent action, having negative image on children, and social isolation. As the author notes, video games make student not to care about grades or learning and want to stay away from other people (1). The article helps to highlight the rise of antisocial behavior due to prevalence of the games and helps to reinforce my call for banning of games. The rise of antisocial behavior should be controlled in all possible ways including making it illegal to make video games available to children and teenagers. Stephen, Burgess, Paul, Stermer Steven and Melinda, Burgess. "Video

Short paper on American history (to 1877) Assignment

Short paper on American history (to 1877) - Assignment Example As the rest 13 colonies lacked the elected representatives in British parliament, they found the laws and policy illegitimate and in violation of their rights as Englishmen. (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008) Many colonies started to create committees of correspondence leading to their own provincial congresses. These committees or provincial congresses in course of 2 years dismissed the British government rule. The colonies in addition to rejecting the British parliament replaced the political frame work of the state and gathered themselves and coordinated the first continental congress in 1774. Many Protestants then started to emerge, especially in the areas of Boston. In result of protests against British attempts to assert authority, Britain sent troops to combat and dissolve local governments and to impose direct royal officials decree. (The American Revolution) In answer colonies started to organize their military against British acts and soon after war broke out within the states. This war is a important bench mark in the history of American Independence and is known as revolutionary war. Even though many colonies decided to stay away from the war and sent repeated pleas to the British parliament yet the British king declared the 13 Colonies â€Å"In rebellion† and traitor. By 1776 these colonies on their own cast votes in second continental congress and adopted declaration of independence. Furthermore, U.S.A along with, with French, Spain and United provinces defeated Britain in 1777 at Saratoga. This made French have open alliance with U.S.A. later to confine British defeat, America with French army captured large part of British colony which was led by British general Charles Cornwallis at York town, Virginia in 1781. The successful capture put an end to British efforts to find military solutions to American problem. U.S.A was now an independent state and these thirteen colonies subsequently made the first thirteen states of

Finance for non finance managers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Finance for non finance managers - Assignment Example 40 million from the debt market. Using debt to run the business has both advantages and disadvantages. Advantages Debt is a low cost capital. Using debt the company does not have to pay tax on it. Hence the company will have to pay less tax overall. Using debt the Earning per share of the company fluctuates more than using only equity as the source of capital. Hence during good times the Earning per share of the company will rise much higher than when the company use only equity (Tuller, 2007, p. 211). This satisfies the shareholders as they will get more in return. Hence they will always want some portion of the capital to be raised as debt. Again using debt the company don’t have to share the ownership rights with the shareholders. They don’t have to go back to the shareholders each time they need to take an important decision. All they want is to get fixed return on the investment that they have made. Again the lenders don’t have any claim on the future earnin gs. Furthermore if a debt can be paid on time, then the credit rating of the business will improve and they will readily get finance easily from the market next time they went to any financial institutions for loan. Disadvantages The company has to make regular monthly payment of instalment and interest. Barnet Solutions is going to expand in the European market for the first time. ... 176). Hence it is like a double edged sword. If the economy in the European market deteriorates the Earning per share of the company will fall down drastically. The shareholder then may ask tough questions to the management regarding their decision making process. Pure Equity The company can use Equity as the source of fund. Advantages Using Equity the company can avoid the hassle of going through the long process of applying for loan. It takes more time to raise debt than equity. It is less risky than a loan because the company will not have to pay back the obligation if they cannot afford it. The company can easily tap into its investors’ network and add more credibility to the business. The investors here takes a long term view and don’t expect and immediate return. The company also don’t need to payback if the business fails (Mason, 2010, p. 212). Disadvantages The investors can demand returns more than the interest rate the company will have to pay for debt. The investors also will require ownership of the company. They have to be consulted before making any big decision. It also takes time and effort to find the right investors for the company. Period 2012 2011 D/E 1.18 0.92 The standard Debt-equity ratio of any company is 2:1. Hence it is advisable for the company to raise fund through both debt and equity. The company can go 80:20 ratio of raising the money from the market with the majority being debt and other being equity. Hence the company can raise ? 32 million from the debt market and ? 8 million from the equity market. After using the above capital the debt equity ratio will become Period 2012 2011 D/E 1.28 1.04 This shows that the company will be well within the standards limits of the Debt-Equity ratio. Answer 2 The

'Britain's 6 million carers are on the verge of winning unprecedented Coursework

'Britain's 6 million carers are on the verge of winning unprecedented rights following a European court opinion that would p - Coursework Example Nevertheless, in examining the law regarding employment, carers and flexible working schedules, it becomes clear that UK does value carers, therefore a law forbidding just this kind of discrimination and harassment is probably just around the corner. This paper will explain the different areas of the law that are relevant to the issue of harassment and discrimination regarding carers, including broad employment law principles, carer law and flexible working law. Relevant portions of employment law Miss C. has an argument that she was harassed out of a job because she took time off to care for her severely disabled son. Harassment is unwanted conduct that â€Å"has the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the person†1However, the Employment Equality Acts makes a distinction – harassment is unwanted conduct related to any of the discriminatory grounds. ... Fair reasons for dismissal, according to the Employment Rights Act 1996 are dismissals that â€Å"a) relates to the capability or qualifications of the employee for performing work of the kind which he was employed by the employer to do; b) relates to the conduct of the employee; ba) is retirement of the employee; c) is that the employee was redundant, or d) is that the employee could not continue to work in the position which he held without contravention (either on his part or on that of his employer) of a duty or restriction imposed by or made under an enactment.†4 In reviewing these reasons for a fair dismissal, the process of taking time off to care for a disabled dependent, such as a child or a parent, does not fit well into any of the categories. Taking time off does not have any bearing on the capabilities or qualifications of the employee performing the work that the employee does, does not relate to the employee’s conduct, nor does it mean that the employee co uld not continue to work in the position held without contravention or a duty or a restriction. Therefore, under the Employment Rights Act 1996  § 98(2), firing an individual for caring for a dependent would not be considered one of the categories for fair dismissal. If Miss C is considered to be unfairly dismissed, she may bring suit under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, which states that if there is an unfair dismissal, â€Å"the employee shall be entitled to redress consisting of whichever of the following the rights commissioner, the Tribunal or the Circuit Court, as the case may be, considers appropriate having regard to all the circumstances.†5 The Act then goes on to say that the employee is entitled to re-instatement or

Managing Through Information Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Through Information - Research Paper Example By analysing their opinions the exact points and places of developing infrastructure can be identified and the required action can be taken. The details are about expenditure and the tourist satisfaction. So every analysis and action taken must be on how far the tourists are using the existing infrastructure and the steps that can be taken to maximise them. The people are completely dependent on tourism for four months as they have no other occupation than fishing. It stresses the importance of developing tourism industry by increasing facilities for them, which makes them visit the Island frequently resulting in increase of revenue. Comments : The standard deviation for German is more and Italians follow them. This tells that the people from that nationality are using different types of accommodations, transport facilities from cheaper ones to costlyones. But the standard deviations of British and French are less compared to German and Italian. Though these to nationals also have much difference from the mean of spending that difference is however less telling that increasing of infrastructure and facilities for low cost increase more number German and Italian tourists. This may result in more than 25% percent increase in revenues from the tourism Comments: The individual spendin... British German French Italian Mean 105, 108, 106, 104, Sample Standard Deviation 14 18 16 15 Standard Error 2.5 3 2.8 3.1 Estimate of Mean Upper Limit 72 78 77 76 Lower Limit 125 135 130 134 Comments: The individual spending regarding each nationality also varies in the same way as group spending. But here French follows Germany and the increase of accommodation for individuals increase the tourists from Germany and France. The increase of facilities and accommodation for group or for family is capable of increasing tourists from British and Italy, as in the case of British and Italian nationals the deviation in spending from the mean is less. By increasing facilities for less charges may increase tourists from Germany and France. Task 1(c) - Difference in Means of Group Spending Standard Error British German French Italian British 0 5 1 2.9 German 5 0 4.9 2.0 French 1 4.9 0 4.1 Italian 2.9 2 4.1 0 Z-score British German French Italian British 0 2.2 1.1 3.5 German 2.2 0 6 2.2 French 1.1 6 0 2.2 Italian 3.5 2.2 2.2 0 Comments :The value of the Z Score is better for British and German, Italian and British, Italian and German , Italian and French. This means that gaining Italian tourists is more probable than gaining British nationals. Similarly gaining German tourists is more probable than attracting French. This means that the improving of infrastructure attracts tourists from Italy and Germany. Difference in Means of Individual Spending Standard Error British German French Italian British 0 3 1 1 German 3 0 2 4 French 1 2 0 2 Italian 1 4 3 0 Z-score British German French Italian British 0 2.2 1.1 3.5 German 2.2 0 6 2.2 French 1.1 6 0 2.2 Italian 3.5 2.2 2.2 0 Comments : The value of the Z Score is better

Peer Review for Classmate Research Proposal - Peer 1 Essay

Peer Review for Classmate Research Proposal - Peer 1 - Essay Example Throughout the writing, the writer understands the topic of recidivism and goes ahead to explain the problems in the prison cells. After that there is a comparison of different studies on how inmates behave while in prison, after prison and the possible situations and reasons that make the inmates come back to prison. The writer writes carefully on the psychological aspects and behavioral aspect, giving remedies to solutions the inmates face. There is a clear understanding of the topic. The solutions presented relate perfectly with the problem of recidivism. Solutions are presented by the writer, and they come after the writer had described a diagnosis or a problem in the inmates. The writer presents solutions like therapy and rehabilitation, which are solutions to solve the problem of recidivism. There are recommendations that cover the three fundamental dimensions of counseling, the inmate, the prison institution and the society (Davis, 87). The writer gives solutions and recommendations to the individual, what prison should do the individual and how the society should react and behave towards the individual. The government is also in the society as an institution. The writer has used different sources and references, and that means that there was proper research though not exhaustive. Comparisons should be made from more than three sources to bring about clarity and understanding form consistency of ideas. The way they are incorporated to the report is good and the citation is also good because there is acknowledgment of the original researchers and writers. The sources were also quoted where the writer has not used her words to avoid plagiarism. If the author should improve the paper, issues of relativity are critical. The writer should focus on one idea and exhaust it fully. In some concepts and ideas, a blanket description is given which means the writer does not go

Habitat for Elephants Essay Example for Free

Habitat for Elephants Essay After observing the giraffe exhibit, my partner Nan Chen and I decided to make our way to observe the Janice Suber McNair Asian Elephant Habitat which was built in 2008; an exhibit, home to seven different elephants, both young and old. The exhibit is home to adult bull Thai, adult cows Methai, Shanti, and Tess, juvenile bull Tucker (Tess son), and calves Baylor (Shantis son) and Tupelo (Tess daughter). Janice Suber McNair Asian Elephant Habitat exhibit covers an enormous three acres, provides many amenities to its residents; the elephants. THE amenities include an eighty thousand gallon pool as well as a seven thousand square foot elephant barn where the elephants are given daily public baths. I think that the zoo management has done a really spectacular job in bringing some elephant cultural behavior to the zoo. According to the Houston Zoo, â€Å"Since adult males and females live apart in the wild, you’ll see the same living arrangement here at the Zoo: our females are in one yard with their calves, while our older male, Thai, and younger Tucker enjoy space to themselves†. Also the landscaping of trees, natural grasses and varied elevated terrain create a wonderful environment for the elephants and the open design and viewing areas provide an enhanced guest experience as well. We were also lucky to observe the elephants get bathed in the barn where a Houston local news anchor also happened to be there. We first observed the oldest elephant Thai get bathed and he quite enjoyed it. He was also used to the bathing procedure as he knew how to turn as well as which foot to lift to wash. During this process we got to view the elephants bathe. The zoo keepers scrubbed off the elephant with soap as well as water. All of the elephants were confined into separate caged cabins, and the elephants were getting bathed one at a time. The elephant in the first cage was bathed first, I believe his name was Thai and I believe behind him were Tess and Tupelo. Since Thai was getting all the attention, Tess behind him was getting mad and she was banging her head on to Thai ’s cage crying for attention. The one thing I noticed that the zookeepers were not doing much to calm and play with Tess. She banged her head several times which may have injured her after some times. I felt like the zoo keepers should have paid some attention to Tess especially since the public was watching and that a lot of the visitors including myself were video recording this incident. It is a proven fact that elephants can live in nearly any habitat that has adequate quantities of food and water. Their ideal habitat consists of plentiful grass. At the Houston Zoo in the elephant exhibit I did not see â€Å"plentiful grass†. The elephant’s trunk serves as a nose, hand, extra foot, signaling device and tool for gathering food, siphoning water, dusting, and digging. To tend to these characteristics of the elephant the Zoo was successful in providing dust, water and a muddy ground for digging. I think the zoo can improve on the direct interaction between the elephants and the visitors at the zoo. They can give a supervised interaction with the elephants. The visitors can maybe feed them or offer them peanut or maybe the visitors can also bath the magnificent and adorable elephants. After a lot of research I found that the best manmade elephant habitat can be found at the famous Cincinnati Zoo. Since they adjust their exhibit to cater the needs of each and every species or kind of elephants they recognize the fact that the Asian and the African elephants have lived in two different environments. The African elephants are naturally used to dry grass lands and savannahs, however the Asian and elephants are used to in the jungle, but generally on the edge where open, grassy areas are accessible. They prefer areas that combine grass, low woody plants, and forest. This is something I did not see in the Houston Zoo. I think if the exhibit is true to the natural elephant habitat the environment will be friendlier and the Elephants will not have the need to adapt as much into the zoo. I believe that an ideal habitat for the elephants should have no virtually no visible barriers between you and the animals, this habitat puts you right in the thick of things. Also the habitat should serve as an exhibit hub, offering opportunities to understand and appreciate the diverse array of Elephants’ and their complex relationships with human populations. And Last but not least there should be a visual in which the concept of loss of habitat, the main reason why several Elephant species are being extinct, should be portrayed. This will allow the visitors to reflect back on to their role in the world to preserve the endangered species. In conclusion, I believe that the Janice Suber McNair Asian Elephant Habitat at the Houston zoo does not cater to the natural needs of the elephants. Since the McNair Exhibit is tries to create a universal habitat for all the elephants that reside there. The Zoo does not take the fact that they have elephants that come from different parts of the world, and are used to different habitats as well as climates. The Houston zoo should observe the true habitat of the elephants as well as observe other exhibits and recreate the exhibit.

How to Essay Example for Free

How to Essay Mmmhm Can you smell that? The aroma of gooey gorgonzola cascading down a mount of al dente bow tie pasta. Have you ever been stuck in a rut and had no clue what to cook for your date or in general? Why not cook pasta? Not just any pasta, but bow tie pasta with creamy gorgonzola sauce that will take your taste buds on a ride! Mmmhm Now let me take you on an excursion through culinary excellency and show you step by step how to make this exquisite meal and some tips how to make your meal extra special. There? s no such thing as pasta without a boiling pot. To achieve the best taste pallet possible out of this dish I use my lucky ceramic boiling pot. You might think, why isn? t that silly, a lucky ceramic pot. Well just like how singers and actors have there lucky charm, I have my pot to make this pasta dish extra special. Once you get the pot on the stove you want to make sure the stove is set on high to ensure that the pasta gets cooked fast and easily and add about two cups of water and a dash of salt for ?avor. In a few minutes you would start to hear the sudtle POP POP of the water and that? s your que to add the bow tie pasta. Now there are many varieties of bow tie pasta to chose from but when making it with gorgonzola sauce you want to choose one with crunch to controvict with the creaminess of the gorgonzola and the best pasta for this job is ronzoni because of its low sodium level. As soon as the pasta is in the pot, i get to work with the sauce. For this you? ll need a nice chunk of gorgonzola cheese,milk,pepper, and of course butter to add that fatty taste to the sauce. Put all of these in a separate pot than the pasta and set the How to do essay ~ stove to medium for a slow and easy cook. Slowly the cheese disappears into a thick blue and white sauce. The aroma of the cheese slowly creeps into your nose causing you noseHere comes the hardest part. The agonizing and tantalizing wait for the pasta to cook.

Syntactical Structure Of The Language Of Law

Syntactical Structure Of The Language Of Law 1. Introduction Legal language. Once an almost magical language of words of stipulation and oaths that should have impressed its subjects and submit them in awe to its absolute obedience. Now, it may be said that the awe has disappeared, but the magic of the language of the law somehow persists, mainly due to its so called vices unintelligibility or wordiness. Everyday situations and relationships are governed by law whether people like it or not. Legal positivism argues that all our actions are covered by law (i.e. legislation, legal principles derived from judicial decisions in Common Law, or contracts) based on the principle that what is not prohibited by the law is permitted (see for example Weinberger 1995). Making pirouettes on the roof of my house every day at five oclock in the morning would be considered ‘legal because there is no law prohibiting such an activity. But let me present a less absurd example. Even by getting on the bus, though not in writing, individuals conclude a contr act with the transportation agency. In every tram or bus a list of business terms can be found an official-looking piece of paper divided in articles, sections or paragraphs, full of rights and obligations of the transporter as well as the customer. The society is inter-bound by an enormous number of agreements, arrangements and contracts, stating or implying rights and duties of its parties. To give them the mark of formality, to regulate them and to enforce them, there is the Law with its provisions. As the main functions of the law are the performative and normative (Cao 2007, 13-15), it is necessary for law to be able to communicate its norms to their addresses. This happens through language. In everyday situations, the Law and the language of its norms, regulations and laws priests lawyers are still somewhere near. Internationalisation of society has brought closer contacts among foreign countries in various aspects. Legal relationships are one of them. The European Union as well as the states themselves produce a large amount of legislation with which the companies and individuals have to deal. Still, an important part of legal relationships is carried out by means of ‘private regulations set by bi- or multi-lateral contracts by the individuals themselves (within a given legal context). Therefore, translating these contracts becomes a big issue and the main activity of numerous translation agencies. Nowadays, English is the Latin of today. It is the main language of international trade and commerce. It is not only the language of contracts when one of their parties comes from an English-speaking environment but even when no native English-speaking party is involved. Although in certain cases English serves as the ‘neutral language of legal agreements, the general understanding of English is not at such a level that they would not need to be translated to peoples mother tongues. Apart from that, legal English and ordinary English are not identical languages (Gubby 2007, 9) and the mastery of ordinary English does not mean a mastery of legal English. This thesis deals with the characteristics of legal Czech and legal English within their legal environments and problems of translation between them. The first part (Chapters 2, 3 and 4) introduces the legal language in general and analyzes the specifics of legal Czech and legal English. Chapter 5 deals with the translation of legal texts and sources of difficulties in legal translation. The second part of this thesis focuses on contracts a sub-genre of legal texts. Chapter 6 defines the place of contracts among other legal texts and deals with the stylistic specifics of contracts in general. Chapter 7 introduces and analyzes the experiment. The experiment is based on an analysis of translations of contracts by translation agencies who advertise their competence in legal translation. It seeks to find out what the general quality of their translation is and what the main problematic points are: whether it is the understanding of the text in general, finding suitable translational sol ution of the concepts or the style or understandability of the TL text. I expect the translation agencies to have problems with finding accurate translation solutions for some of the system-bound concepts, but I expect the translations to be accurate regarding the translation of the actual rights and obligations. Concrete hypotheses follow in Chapter 7. 2. Legal Language Legal language is not a language of everyday use by a population (unless, with a degree of understatement we want to call lawyers a population of a kind). It is a specialized language of legal norms and related discourse. Its distinctiveness may be seen in a number of characteristics that differentiate it from the language of ordinary use. But, there is no universal language of law that would be comprehensible to all languages. Law is a system that is bound to a particular state or organization. Language of law, its words, syntactic structure and concepts are closely related to the legal system in question. The relationship between the language and the law is mutual: the legal system influences the nature of the legal language and the legal language the language of the legal discourse influences the system. The speech of lawyers is conditioned not by the law alone, but also by the prevailing language of their environment (Mellinkoff 1963, 4). Language of law is a system- and culture-bound language for special purposes. This does not mean that the language of law is completely detached from the ordinary language. Most of its words are taken from the ordinary language. On the other hand, legal language influences everyday speech and many of its originally technical terms are now accepted as common. Mellinkoff (1963, 9) gives the examples of plaintiff or defendant in English; the same holds for the Czech sml ouva (contract) or zà ¡stava(pawn). In making generalizations about the language of law for the purpose of this thesis, the characteristics will be drawn from those of legal Czech and legal English. The legal systems in which these technical languages originated belong to different legal system families: English law (i.e. the law of England) is a part of the common law family whereas the Czech law is a member of the civil law family. 2.1 The Nature of Legal Language Cao (2007, 13-20) classifies legal language with respect to the nature of its use that can be described as normative, performative and technical. Normative The Language of law is used to impose rights and obligations; it is largely prescriptive. Laws basic function is to regulate human behaviour and human relations. Law exists as a set of prescriptions having the form of imperatives defining and enforcing the arrangements, relationships, procedures and patterns of behaviour that are to be followed in a society (Cao 2007, 12, quoting Jenkins 1980, 98). Legal language serves to communicate the legal norms to their addressees. Performative The speech act theory developed by J. L. Austin and J. R. Searle makes language responsible for effects in reality. Speech is not only words but also actions. By uttering certain words, we the facts may be changed. Legal effects and legal consequences are commonly obtained by merely uttering certain words (Cao 2007, 14), for example in a courts judgement or in front of a clerk or a priest during the marriage ceremony. Technical The question of technicality of legal language is not perceived consistently. One position argues that there is no legal language as such and it is a part of the ordinary language. The other holds that legal language is a technical language. If the latter view is accepted, what makes the language of law different from other types of language use?   The chief differences may be discussed in relation to the following aspects: speakers stylistic differences specific vocabulary terminology issues syntactic structures 2.2 Speakers The language of law is a language of legal norms and related discourse. The language of legal norms is that of legislation, judicial decisions or contracts. It is said that it is the language created and used specifically by lawyers. Although the lawyers form the core of the language-of-law-speaking community, legislation, for example, is influenced by people with no legal educational background, yet who adopt the legal terminology and expressions to a certain extent. Drawing on the situation in the civil law system, the circle of the legal language users may be described as follows: The legislators (the drafters who actually write the laws; members of the parliament, whose knowledge of all the terminology and concepts is not complete and sufficient but who try to sound as if it was), i.e. all those who create the laws in the written form and who have real influence on definitions of legal terms The judiciary (judges and people who influence the written judgements assistants to the judges or court clerks vyÃ…Â ¡Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ­ soudnà ­ à ºÃƒâ€¦Ã¢â€ž ¢ednà ­ci) The lawyers (when negotiating, giving speeches in court, drafting documents etc.; and when talking to one another) The circle of the law language speakers in common law systems is generally the same. The major difference is that the origins of certain terms and the evolution of the language are somewhat different due to the different sources of law (the main body of legal rules is to be found in judicial decisions not in legislation). The type of speaker influences the particular style of the legal language: there is a difference between the language of an Act of Parliament (or zà ¡kon) and the language used by lawyers when talking to one another about legal matters. Nevertheless, at times the language the lawyers use does not seem to resemble the language of legislation at all. Lawyers seem to have developed some linguistic quirks that have little communicative function, and serve mainly to mark them as members of the legal fraternity (Tiersma 1999, 51).   2.3 Style Language of law is said to be purposive and pragmatic (Knapp 1995, 122). Its style is therefore governed by these characters. There have been numerous attempts on defining ‘style. One of them was made by Vilà ©m Mathesius. He defines style as â€Å"individual, unifying character found to be present in any work resulting from intentional activity† (Vachek 1974, 114). Legal style refers to the linguistic aspects of the written legal language and also to the way in which legal problems are approached, managed and solved (Cao 2007, 22, quoting Smith 1995, 190). The style of the language of law is one of the functional styles. It is said to be marked and sometimes described as being a sub-style and the most typical specimen of the officialese style, the style of official documents (Vachek 1974, 187). On the other hand, in the last decades there have been authors who believed the style of the language of law to be a separate functional style alongside other functional styles, the officialese, or administrative, being one of them. The style of the language of law can be described mainly with regard t o its syntactical structure and specific vocabulary. 2.3.1 Syntactical Structure of the Language of Law Vachek (1974, 188) describes the sentences in English legal texts to be long and complex, yet clearly built up, using various typographical devices of distributing phrases, division of the text into parallel paragraphs and capitalizing certain crucial points of the document. When describing the typical features of legal English, Tiersma (1999, 51-71) gives the following list of typical features which overlap with Vacheks description at some points: lengthy and complex sentences, unusual sentence structure, wordiness and redundancy, conjoined phrases, frequent use of negation and impersonal constructions. Cao (2007, 22) gives two general characteristics of the legal language: impersonal constructions and extensive use of declarative sentences pronouncing rights and obligations. Mellinkoff (1963, 285) argues that the language of law should not be different from the ordinary language without reason. For such differences, the following rationales are usually given: legal language is more precise, shorter, more intelligible and more durable. Of these arguments, precision seems to be the leading feature of the language of law that should give reason to all the other features which are sometimes said to be its vices. These syntactical features are further discussed in relation to legal English and legal Czech respectively. 2.3.2 Lexis The most important difference that sets off legal language from ordinary language is its lexicon. Legal language makes use of numerous words and terms that are not common in ordinary language or carry an additional meaning different from their ordinary meaning. Legal language utilizes vocabulary from standard language both in their ordinary meanings (the majority of legal language vocabulary) and specialized meanings. This second class of words may create confusion because in legal texts they may appear in both their meanings ordinary and specialized. Knapp (1978, 17-20) distinguishes the following groups of words: legal terms words with specific legal meaning and specific meaning in another specialized language words with both specific legal meaning and ordinary meaning words having specific legal meaning, specific meaning in another specialized language as well as ordinary meaning words with neutral meaning In his later writing, Knapp (1995, 122) describes legal lexis as follows: words with ordinary meaning words with both specific legal meaning and ordinary meaning specific legal vocabulary legal language does not use some of the words with ordinary meaning (e.g. beauty, darkness) To complete the enumeration of characteristics of legal language, Mellinkoff (1963, 11) gives the following characteristics of legal English terms: frequent use of common words with uncommon meanings; legal archaisms (words from Old and Middle English, Old French and Anglo-Norman); terms of art; argot; formal words; use of expressions with flexible meanings. 3. Legal English Because of the nature of law, the language of law has developed particular linguistic features lexical, syntactic and pragmatic to meet the demands of law and to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of law and its applications (Cao 2007, 20). Legal English style and lexicon originate in various languages: Anglo-Saxon, Latin and/or French. Legal language was originally oral; any writings served only as a report of the oral ceremony (Tiersma 1999, 36). It took quite a long time to accept the written texts as authoritative. Formbooks were written and their main effect was conservation of legal language, its terminology and phraseology. Although the ritualistic and the magical has disappeared from law, it has not disappeared from the language of law. The main vices of legal English are said to be its wordiness and excessive use of archaic words and constructions. In the last 50 years legal English underwent significant changes, mainly due to the Plain English Movement, but certain specifics persist. 3.1 Style Legal style results from cultural and legal traditions. Its chief characteristics are impersonality, extensive use of declarative sentences, negative and passive constructions. Mellinkoff (1963, 24) says the language of law has a strong tendency towards certain mannerisms such as being wordy, unclear, pompous and dull. Legal texts tend to use number of words instead of one (e.g. annul and set aside instead of annul;or totally null and void instead of void). Sometimes, they seem to contain a great part of text that seems to be devoid of meaning (as Mellinkoff puts it) such as using metaphors. Pomposity in the language of law may take many shapes especially by using words evoking respect (e.g. solemn, supreme, wisely). Pomposity and wordiness, together with long complex sentences and a lack of clarity of expression contribute to the dullness of the legal language. It has been already mentioned that the nature of legal language is among others performative. As Cao (2007, 21) writes, legal utterances perform acts, creating facts, rights and/or institutions: they are speech acts. Their performative nature may be marked by special words such as hereby and various performative verbs such as declare, undertake, promise etc. 3.1.2 Syntax Legal language is highly formal and impersonal. This is achieved by passive constructions, complex and long sentences, multiple negations and prepositional phrases (e.g. in what follows, by virtue of which). Legal English is full of archaisms and this tendency may be seen in the syntax as well. The old-fashioned syntax still makes the legal text dense, though mainly thanks to the Plain English Movement there can no longer be found grammatical archaisms like the old ‘-th endings (Alcaraz and Hughes 2002, 7) in legal texts. Slightly archaic tone is achieved by the use of certain prepositional phrases such as pursuant to (very often used in contracts) or subject to. A certain degree of sexism can also be found: e.g. judges calling judges of the same rank brethren. Although it is typical of legal language to consist of unusually long sentences, there is a specific area of it that is rather plain and surprisingly comprehensible. The first group is the syntax of statutes, contracts or pleadings; the second group is that of judicial summaries of particular facts of cases. Complexity of legal English documents may be seen in their layout, multiple subordination and postponement of the main verb until very late in the sentence (Alcaraz and Hughes 2002, 19). In legal texts such as statutes, contracts or handbooks containing procedural rules, many possible situations, factual scenarios and exceptions must be provided for (Alcaraz and Hughes 2002, 20) therefore the sentences are often conditional and contain hypothetical formulations. The illegibility of legal texts derives from the fact that originally legal texts were written from the far left side to the other side of the page to avoid the possibility of adding anything to the text. From this fact t he custom of avoiding punctuation is also derived: full stops, commas and semicolons may alter the meaning of the sentence. As Mellinkoff writes (1963, 367), lawyers are still reluctant to end a sentence, even though the old reasons for skimping punctuation are gone. 3.1.3 Lexis To deal with legal lexis it may be useful to systematize it. Alcaraz and Hughes (2002, 16-18) classify it as follows: 1. Functional items grammatical words and phrases that have no direct referents either in reality or conceptual; 2. Symbolic (or representational) items all the terms that refer to things or ideas in the world of reality. This group can be further divided into: purely technical terms, semi-technical terms and shared, common or â€Å"unmarked† vocabulary a) Purely technical terms: terms found exclusively in the legal sphere that have no application outside. They can be one-word terms (barrister) or whole phrases (bring an action). Some of the theorists argue that these terms are so closely related to the legal system that they cannot be translated, but only adapted. Therefore, a number of terms is often left untranslated (e.g. estoppel, trust) (Alcaraz and Hughes 2002, 17). b) Semi-technical or mixed terms: words or phrases that have acquired additional meaning in addition to their common meanings (issue, consideration). Their number is constantly growing to meet the developing needs of the society. c) Everyday vocabulary found in legal texts (paragraph, subject-matter). Legal English lexis especially the purely technical terms and semi-technical terms comes from various origins. Because legal English is a product of its history, various influences can be traced in contemporary legal language. The eldest part of the legal lexis is Anglo-Saxon such as bequeath, manslaughter, oath or writ.[2] Besides vocabulary, a typical Anglo-Saxon feature alliteration is to be found in legal English. Its usage is closely linked to the original magical nature of law but it can be still (and often) found in legal texts and seems to have acquired some kind of terminological value: rest, residue and remainder, to have and to hold, hold harmless etc. There are also Middle English words that nowadays survive only in legal language: aforesaid, thence, there- and here- words etc. (Mellinkoff 1963, 13). Despite the native origins of some of the most characteristic legal terms, legal English draws on numerous Latin or Latinized terms. There are dozens of phrases that still have their place in everyday legal discourse and because of their Roman Law origin they are often common to the Civil Law system as well (lex fori, bona fide, res iudicata, restitutio in integrum). Some of these phrases have their calque version that may be used alongside the Latin one (bona fide or good faith, mors civilis or civil death). Although numerous words of Latin, Anglo-Saxon or Viking origin may be found in legal English, it may be argued that the main influence for the development of legal language is to be attributed to Norman and later to French. French used to be once the language of the royal courts. Despite several attempts to return to legal English (for example the 1362 Statute of Pleading which although itself written in French forbade using French in lawsuits), French remained in use until 1731, when it was together with Latin banned from being used in legal proceedings. A vast amount of the most basic legal vocabulary is of French origin (appeal, complaint, evidence, judge, tort or verdict, and real law French words such as estoppel or alien in the sense of transfer). French influence may be also seen in some legal phrases following the French way of putting an adjective after the noun (attorney general, fee simple) or in creating neologisms by adding an -ee ending (lessee, condemnee) to a verb. From what has been just said might follow that legal English is not â€Å"English† at all, especially when considering that the word law itself is derived from the Norse word for â€Å"lay† and means â€Å"that which is laid down†. Although legal language seems to be very old-fashioned at first sight, lawyers can be quite creative when it suits their purposes (as Tiersma writes[5]) and can create neologisms such as palimony, zoning or hedonic damages. A special feature of legal English of Anglo-Saxon origin is the conjoined phrases or multinominal expressions. Some of them are alliterated as for example the rest, residue and remainder, some of them are not, such as last will and testament. These phrasesconsist of synonyms or near-synonyms. It has been argued that one of the justifications of such language behaviour is the never-ending quest for absolute precision. But as Mellinkoff says, this may not be the case: the phrase last will and testament is not as precise as plain will and when one of these words is used, the other is superfluous (Mellinkoff 1963, 331-332). Perhaps a more sound justification for the wordiness of legal English is derived from its adversarial nature. Tiersma says that â€Å"virtually any legal document is liable, at some point in its existence, to be picked apart by an opponent eager to exploit a loophole or ambiguity in hopes of wiggling out of an agreement or contesting a will. The question arising when dealing with these conjoined phrases is whether they really present a redundant overflow of words or whether they constitute a special kind of term. But an answer to this question would be outside the scope of this thesis. 4. Legal Czech Legal language is a specialized language of legal texts (Tomà ¡Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡ek 2003, 25). It is the main means of communication within law as a legal system. Communication between the legislator and the addressees of legal norms is carried out solely by language. It is mostly a natural language (the exceptions being for example road signs) and a standard language. Knapp (1988, 95) argues that there are non-standard languages of law as well, such as the spoken language of judges, or legal slangs, such as the law students speak). Legal Czech can be distinguished from the ordinary Czech especially with respect to its style. Knapp (1995, 120) distinguishes between three varieties of legal Czech: Language of laws (language of legislation) Language of courts (decision making) Language of lawyers (language of legal representation) It is typical of legal Czech that it originates from the language of legal norms the language of legislation. Legal norms regulate social relationships: they state what should be done (prescriptive function) as well as what is (descriptive function). The language of judicial decisions and the language of lawyers are basically derived from the language of legal texts. 4.1 Style Knapp (1988, 96) argues that there may not be a unified legal style because there are recognizable stylistic differences between the language of legal texts, lawyers speak or the language of theoretical legal texts. Basic stylistic requirements of legal texts may be listed as follows: precision definiteness brevity comprehensibility/understandability stability   inexpressiveness purposiveness Some of the points of this list of basic requirements quoted by Tomà ¡Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡ek (2003, 28) are developed later. a) Precision and Definiteness Precision seems to be the most important legal language requirement, not only with respect to legal Czech but other legal languages as well. To ensure legal certainty and the principle of equality in law, law must state all the rights and obligations of its subjects exactly and without doubt. This does not mean that all the legal expressions must be absolutely exact and precise: legal Czech is full of vague words, words with flexible meanings. This vagueness may not be a flaw in precise legal language. Expressions such as mà ­ra pÃ…â„ ¢imĆºÃƒâ€¦Ã¢â€ž ¢enà ¡ pomĆºrÃ…Â ¯m (degree adequate to the circumstances), znaÄ nà ¡ Ã…Â ¡koda (substantial loss), vĆºk blà ­zkà ½ vĆºku mladistvà ½m (an age close to the age of minors/juveniles), may be interpreted according to particular circumstances of the case. Relatively frequent use of these expressions in Czech legal texts may be explained by the nature of continental-system leg al norms. Czech legal norms (and continental legal norms in general) tend to be more general, often using vague expressions to leave their interpretation on courts. Common-law-system norms tend to be more casuistic and such vagueness of expression would be perceived as inadequate.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unless used in legal theory and scientific legal writings, use of synonyms is forbidden. Although we may find such synonyms in the bulk of legal expressions, legislation usually chooses only one of them and keeps using it to avoid any misinterpretation. Here are some examples of such synonyms in legal Czech: zletilost plnoletost (legal age majority; only zletilost is a truly legal expression), zpÃ…Â ¯sobilost k prà ¡vnà ­m à ºkonÃ…Â ¯m svà ©prà ¡vnost (legal capacity; only the first expression is known to the legal texts)[7]. Contrary to the use of synonyms, the use of polysemes and homonyms is not that easily avoided. When such use is inevitable, the meaning of such expressions must be interpreted by context: nà ¡lez (finding) may refer to nà ¡lez Ústavnà ­ho soudu (Constitutional Courts ruling) or to nà ¡lez vĆºci opuÃ…Â ¡tĆºnà © (finding of a derelict), zapoÄ tenà ­ (inclusion) may refer to zpÃ…Â ¯sob zà ¡niku zà ¡vazku (a way of termination of an obligation), kompenzace (compensation) etc. b) Stability To regulate social relationships and to ensure legal certainty, legal terminology and style should be relatively stable. This does not mean that the meaning of the terms does not change from time to time. Stability means that one and the same term used in a legal text should denote one and the same thing (Knapp 1995, 125). It is typical of legal Czech to â€Å"normalize† certain words and phrases, to set firmly their meanings and way of usage (see for example Knapp 1978, 47-48). c) Comprehensibility/Understandability This requirement is closely connected to that of purposiveness and precision. Legal text should communicate its content clearly and without doubt to its addressees. The ideal of understandability is to make the addressee of the legal norm understand it in the same way as its creator (Knapp 1995, 126). In another work Knapp (1988, 99) argues that even people with no legal education are able to understand the text of a legal norm. The language of law is sometimes demonized but to understand the language of law in reality is not very difficult. The demand for popularization of legal language would suggest that people read legal texts on a daily basis: but this is not so. Whether we like it or not, law seems to be a complex system that has developed its terminology and to understand the law and its language needs a specialized education in the same way as medicine does. To simplify the language of law yes; to vulgarize it no. What people may not understand when reading a law or a contr act should be issues connected to law, not to language. 4.1.1 Lexis Legal Czech makes use of all classes of words except interjections. Words of various language origins are included: traditionally Latin, less often French and recently English. Legal Czech makes use of various Latin phrases which are even taught at law schools and are used relatively frequently in legal texts and in lawyers talk. These include phrases such as inter vivos (among the living), mortis causa (in case of death) or even whole sentences describing legal principles such as Ignorantia iuris neminem excusat (The ignorance of law does not excuse). With the growth of European Union legislation and numerous international contracts, English terms slowly find their way into legal Czech. Typically, these are words for which there is no Czech equivalent (due to the systemic differences, Chapter 5) and to avo

Essay --

This paper aims to answer 2 research questions. For the first question: With the measure of role plays, what refusal strategies would the oversea students adopt more frequently in different interlocutory status? From the data analysis, we can see that the oversea student in the study adopted many different refusal strategies in different interlocutor statuses. The 6 scenarios have similar imposition, which is to refusal an invitation to a party. The changing variables are the distance and power. In this complex contextual situation, the student was able to change her refusal strategies in different situations. She adopted more strategies when she refused a person of a higher social status or distant relations, in order to save the listener’s face. On the other hand, when she refused a person of lower social status or close relations, she would change the refusal strategies and make the conversations more relaxing and casual. One important reason might be that the oversea stude nts are more aware of the social communication skills because they can learn more about the cultural difference and communicative differences in the process of their oversea studies. They must communicate with many foreign teachers and students, and experience culture shock at the same time. As a result, they can be more familiar with the pragmatic features of different strategies. The second question is that: Is there any difference in the refusal strategies between oversea students and other EFL learners in China? There are many researches related to the different refusal strategies between NS and NNS. The previous findings showed that: many NNS preferred to use â€Å"a direct strategy and less differentiated supportive moves†; at the same time, â€Å"40% of NNS prov... ...in comparing with Chinese EFL learners’ refusal strategies, we borrowed findings from other researches because of time limitation, and this may cause the results being different from what it should be. Here are some suggestions for the future study: first, in order to make sure the data are effective, we should invite more oversea students with difference learning experience and language proficiency; second, in a precise study, more social and contextual variables should be taken into consideration, in order to test students’ different reaction and strategies; finally, if we want to compare the oversea students with Chinese EFL students, we should invite both to participate in the research, rather than depending on other studies and research findings. In conclusion, in order to prove or modify the research findings, further researches are still needed in the future.

Blogs - From Printing Press to Blog Essays -- Internet Online Communic

From Printing Press to Blog Lance Arthur, a practiced and well-respected figure in the close-knit community of web design, subtitles his homepage (www.lancearthur.com) with the short and simple phrase, "Just Write." Although his immediate profession is as a designer, Lance is also a writer. His website records his weekly musings and political rants, and it is one of several million to be updated on a regular basis. Such a website is called a blog, or web log, and in an age of the Internet such as this, it is quickly becoming the newest and greatest symbol of modern technology's impact on writing and popular culture. However, writing as we know it is the product of an evolutionary process, which provides for a history that reaches as far back as the clay tablets of ancient Sumer. As such, studying the blog requires an understanding of the methods of writing that came before it, and so the advent of the blog as both a technological and socio-cultural phenomenon is something we can attribute to two historical developments in the history of writing: the invention of the printing press and the birth of typography. While the correlation between blog and press is not immediately clear, Gutenberg's renowned invention brought with it a slew of technological and social changes that laid the foundation for widespread literacy. The technological impact of the printing press is mostly self-evident, in that the automated and mechanized nature of production freed many human hands from the restraint of manual labor. More importantly however, the lower cost and higher output rate of the press tore down the scholastic pillar that had once elevated the aristocracy above the middle classes. By making books plentiful and more readily ... ..., but in time, today's youth will become tomorrow's adults and the blog will exist not as a mere prototype of technology and future writing, but rather as the end-all, be-all symbol of a future way of life in which people will no longer hesitate to just write. Works Referenced Arthur, Lance. Just Write. 24 February 2004. Personal Homepage. <http://www.lancearthur.com>. David, Paul. "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY." The American Economic Review, vol. 75(2). 2001. 332-337. Kiely, Kathy. "Freewheeling 'bloggers' are rewriting rules of journalism." USA Today. 30 December 2003. Gannett Co. Inc. 21 Febuary 2004. <http://www.usatoday.com>. McLuhan. "The Typewriter." Understanding Media. 258-264. Mumford, Lewis.. "The Invention of the Printing Press." Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Crowley and Heyer, eds. 93-97.

Implant of Radio-frequency identification tags in human body has more pros than cons Essay

1.0 Introduction RFID is the wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data. The purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects. Since RFID tags can be attached to clothing, possessions, or even implanted within people the possibility of reading personally-linked information without consent has raised privacy concerns. There are three types of RFID such as passive, semi-passive and active. For the passive RFID tags does not contain a battery, the power is supplied by the reader. When radio waves from the reader are encountered by passive RFID tag, the coiled antenna within the tag forms a magnetic field. For the semi-passive RFID tags are very similar to passive tags except for the addition of a small battery. This battery allows the tag IC to be constantly powered. Semi-passive RFID tags are faster in response and therefore stronger in reading ratio compared to passive tags. Therefore, the active RFID tag when it is equipped with a battery that can be used as a partial or complete source of power for the tag’s circuitry and antenna It may have longer range and larger memories than passive tags as well as the ability to store additional information sent by the transceiver. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for human implants and investigates the technological feasibility of such implants for locating and tracking persons or for remotely controlling human biological functions. A human microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit device or RFID transponder encased in silicate glass and implanted in the body of a human being. A subdermal implant typically contains a unique ID number that can be linked to information contained in an external database, such as personal identification, physiological characteristics, health, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information. A classical example of human identification based on RFID-implant is given by the VeriChip tag (11 mm long and about 1mm in diameter) which contains numerical code (identifiers) readable at 10 centimeters or less using a handheld reader. When illuminating by the low-frequency magnetic field (134 KHz) generated by the reader, the RFID tag powers itself up and transmits a 16-digit code that is unique to the tag. Recent developments in RFID technology have opened up new potential applications, where RFID devices are implanted in the human body for locating and tracking persons or for remotely controlling human biological functions. 2.0Content 2.1Medical field The primary goal of applying RFID technology in healthcare is to improve patient safety. First, RFID is a valuable tool for quickly retrieving patient information, allergies, and medication the patient is currently taking or medication a doctor will prescribe to the patient and monitoring patient location in hospitals so as to improve the accuracy of patient identification. Besides, microchip contains a unique identification number that emergency personnel may scan to immediately identify the patient and access his or her personal health information, thus facilitating appropriate treatment without delay. This is especially important for patients who suffer from conditions that may render them unconscious, confused, or unable to communicate. Doctors would also be able to decide the needed equipment and medication with minimal delay in an emergency case where every second is decisive. With the implanted chip, a RFID reader, and a wireless connection, a doctor or nurse can pull up the patient’s information, or even update the patient information in real time. Some benefits of this include less patient mix-up, being able to access the patient information in real time, and fewer mistakes due to human error during data recording. Productivity would increase since the doctors and nurses would not have to go to a computer to enter in the updated information. This would allow doctors and nurses to focus more on their professional duties Alzheimer disease, the most common form of dementia which has no cure till date, the most common symptoms is difficult to remember recent events. This has place great burden on caregivers as they have to constantly look after the patient, worrying them lose track in middle of nowhere. By implanting RFID tags in those patients, it is easy to identify and monitor the location and keep track of those patients with Alzheimer disease for their safety purposes. Alerting services can identify possible human errors and warn care providers in case of danger. For example, automatic sponge counting by RFID can avoid sponge left inside the patient body. 2.1.1Evidence 1) VeriChip, the company that hold the rights and patents to the implantable chip for humans, has sold 7,000 chips with 2,000 of which have been placed in people, according to Scott Silverman, chairman of Applied Digital, which owns VeriChip. The company’s present focus is tagging â€Å"high-risk† patients, such as those with diabetes, heart conditions or Alzheimer’s. (July 30, 2007) 2) According to a survey on employed professional and semi-professional people done in Pittsburgh, US, 62.5% of the total respondents (comprises of both sexes with equal votes) were willing to accept implants for medical reason 3) A number of RFID-related software applications were developed in Taiwan. Some of these applications focused on the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to prevent spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) disease. These applications include computerized systems for monitoring the body temperature of healthcare personnel and patients with implanted RFID tag in the hospital, track potential virus carriers and, when necessary, map their movements throughout hospitals and keeping track of people under quarantine in facilities separate from hospitals. 4) Don Mackechnie, the chairman of the British Medical Association’s Accident and Emergency committee, and a consultant at the Rochdale Infirmary, said: â€Å"Such a device (RFID tag implantation) could prove very useful in a situation where we have an unconscious patient with an unknown medical history. 5) Twenty-five Alzheimer’s patients were implanted with radio frequency identification chips that can be linked to their medical records and be tracked if they are lost. The patients were implanted at the 2007 Alzheimer’s Educational Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida. The chips, from VeriChip Corp., Delray Beach, Calif., work with the vendor’s VeriMed Patient Identification System. Each chip contains a 16-digit identification number that is linked to a patient’s medical records in a database at the medical facility. Waving the vendor’s RFID reader over a patient implanted with a chip can capture the number. Emergency personnel can also use the scanner to identify patients. The event was sponsored by Alzheimer’s Community Care, a local provider organization. Those who elected to receive the chip are not part of VeriChip’s recently announced study with the organization, which will implant 200 Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers with the chips. In the study, the patient’s medical record will include their Alzheimer’s diagnosis, related medications, caregiver contact information, and other information. 2.2Human Tracking A tracking function could aid authorities in locating missing people such as kidnapping victim. As the numbers of abduction are surging nowadays, RFID implant in human body become the most effective way to fight against this crime. RFID implant in human body can help the authorities to identify their location if they were kidnapped. In fact, RFID implants in children are gaining popularity in Latin American and Russian markets, where parents fear that their children may be kidnapped and are therefore willing to brand them electronically in the hope that it will make it easier to trace kidnapped victims. One of the current issues of the world is the escalating numbers of crime. Because of this, authorities may use RFID tracking chips to track fugitives, terrorists, criminals and more. For example, by implanting the RFID tag into the criminal body, it would be easy to track them if they escape by any means. This chip allows the authority to track back the fugitives easily as the tag will locate the location of the criminal. This implantation will certainly help to ensure the safety of citizens from escaped felons at all time. Besides, these tags are incredibly versatile and may help the lives of countless people with chronic medical problems as well as keeping track of the vulnerable members (extremely young and old) of our society. A vulnerable elderly need this tags because of disability to remember the way back home, age or illness, and may be unable to take care or protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation. So a tag on old people can let the authorities find back them easily. Furthermore, schools are taking advantage of biometrics and RFID technology, as they are cognizant of the increasingly more complex responsibility of keeping children accounted for and safe from arrival through after school programs to transport home. 2.2.1Evidence 1) A real case of implantation of RFID happened in Mexico. According to the 2011 Mexican congressional report, kidnappings have jumped 317 percent in the past five years. Surprisingly, one fifth of instances have involved police officers or soldiers, which leads to a mistrust of these authority figures. Thus, some of the Mexicans pay for the implantation of RFID to protect themselves, so that they could be tracked in the case of being kidnapped. They are now having themselves implanted with RFID tracking chips which can help them to be rescued. Xega, the Mexican company that sells the chips and performs the implants, says its sales have increased 40 percent in the past two years. The company says it has successfully helped rescue 178 clients in the past decade. 2) In Brazil, where Applied Digital has already signed a deal on 2004 to supply RFID tracking chips to distributors in Brazil to help them to fight against kidnapping. Government official says that the chips could be used to t rack down victims via satellite. 2.3Convenience With an RFID implant in the human body, shopping could be as easy as waving your hand and such routine tasks would take less time. The customer can automate the process by simply scanning their implanted chip and the business could match the customer and shipment numbers with the barcode number on the item that is to be returned. They would no longer need a receipt to do so and prevent unnecessary arguments. This new technology makes the purchasing function faster and more convenient. If a bank account or credit card account is linked to an implanted microchip, making a purchase would be extremely fast and safe. Consumers can also enjoy the peace of mind knowing that there is a greatly reduced change of having their â€Å"card† stolen because it would be imbedded in their hand. Perhaps by utilizing microchip implants banking/credit card applications, females would not have to carry a purse everywhere they go and in turn reduce the risk of theft and, thus, reducing identity theft and fraud, which also appeared to be an important issue to women. Moreover, employers are exploring the advantages of utilizing these technologies to ensure only those employees authorized can enter buildings, turn on lights, access computers, change office thermostat settings and operate specialized machinery safely and according to set standards based on a system that can authenticate those employees who meet the re-determined levels of permission. With the implantation of RFID chips, people could stop worrying about keys for their house and cars, the lock code of doors, computers, and much more. Kevin Warwick, a professor had a microelectrode array implanted in the median nerve fibers of his left arm that allowed him to develop a system that could connect his nervous system and a computer (Foster and Jaeger 45). Some people who had RFID chips implanted in their bodies have developed circuits that will allow them to start their cars by waving their hands near a reader (Foster and Jaeger 45). It would certainly reduce the cases of car stolen as the cars cannot be accessed by people other than the specified person. People can access all of their things with the single micro chips that they have implanted inside their body. 2.3.1Statistics Based on a survey done in Pittsburgh, USA, it was found that working professionals between the ages of 25 and 36 years will be more adaptable to the microchips implant technologies than other age groups. Numerous studies have also shown that younger people are more likely to adapt to this new technology, particularly those who fall in the age category of 25 to 36, since they are most likely representative of the younger well-educated professionals. 2.3.2Evidence 1) Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain Launches Microchip Implantation for VIP members (first discotheque in the world to offer the VIP VeriChip) on 7 April, 2004 * Using an integrated (imbedded) microchip, the VIPS can identify themselves and pay for their food and drinks without the need for any kind of document (ID). Special zone at Baja beach Club where only VIPs are allowed contains various exclusive services for these members. Therefore, they won’t have to carry a wallet. By simply passing by our reader, the Baja beach Club will know who you are and what your credit balance is. From the moment of their implantation they will also have free entry and access to the VIP area The customers like the fact that they do not have to carry a credit card or ID card with them and with the VeriPay system, they no longer have to worry about their credit cards getting lost or stolen.† 2) 18 staff members of the Mexican Attorney General’s office have been implanted with the â€Å"Verichip† to control access to a data room * Mexico’s top federal prosecutors and investigators began receiving chip implants in their arms in November 2003 in order to get access to restricted areas inside the attorney general’s headquarters, said Antonio Aceves, general director of Solusat, the company that distributes the microchips in Mexico.† Although the technology can be out there to duplicate (a chip), but what can’t be stolen is the unique identification number and the information that is tied to that number†, said by director of RFID analysis at ABI Research Inc. based on theory that the chips could be as secure as existing RFID-based access control systems such as the contactless employee badges widely used in corporate and government facilities. Silverman said his company’s system is nevertheless safe because its chips can o nly be read by the company’s proprietary scanners. 2.4Customers Relationship Management Companies could track customers’ personal purchases and send promotional items personally tailored to their customers. This has the potential to be a safe and cost-effective way to improve marketing and customer services of companies. Hence, improving customer services is where the benefits are more apparent for implant. The second improvement to CRM identified is the improvement of dispute resolution through reverse logistics. With this technology, any purchases that are made in a store can be database and store for later recollection. For example, this may mean that if a customer needs to return an item they would no longer need a receipt to do so. The customer can automate the process by simply scanning their implanted chip and the business could match the customer and shipment numbers with the barcode number on the item that to be returned. This application of relatively inexpensive technology could stop the countless hours and aggravation that customer service managers spend on trying to accommodate consumer’s disputes. It would also get a great distance on stopping fraud and other scams that cost stores millions of dollars each year. If it is more difficult to forge documentation of a purchase then potential thieves would seek easier prey for customer fraud and theft. Besides, purchasing made by customers is faster by using RFID which will help companies work more efficiently and effectively. This will help company to reduce time and cost and improve company performances. Another important improvement that is identified in the conceptual model is the ability of this new technology to make the purchasing function faster and more convenient. If widespread acceptance could be achieved, there is a distinct possibility that credit and banking cards may become obsolete in the near future. If a bank account or credit card account is linked to an implanted microchip, making a purchase would be extremely fast and safe. This implication would serve credit card companies in its ability to stop credit card theft, since a relatively simple precaution may be used that invalidates the microchip if tampered with and forcibly removed. Huge savings may be realized if even small reductions in credit card and identity theft were possible. This enhanced security would allow credit card companies’ capital to increase the credit lines of their consumers and also potentially lower interest rates. 3.0Conclusion In conclusion, RFID applications can provide significant benefits to the healthcare industry to ensure patient safety, avoid medical errors as well as improve efficiency. In fact, healthcare is predicted to be one of the major growth areas for RFID. Besides, RFID can keep track of elderly, children and fugitives. This will help to prevent happening of crimes. Moreover, this new technology makes the purchasing function to be faster and more convenient. Lastly, service marketing indicatives could use standard CRM principles to properly track, treat, and order required products and services that personally identify the customer, the needed services, and the proper billing information for such services.