Thursday, October 31, 2019

The current State of Security in Smartphone Term Paper

The current State of Security in Smartphone - Term Paper Example Mobile technology is the latest domain that has been exploited by malicious intent users, like hackers, intruders etc, to achieve personal gains from jeopardizing the security of the legitimate users. This paper shall address the prevailing security threats that are witnessed in Smartphone technology alongside the technologies that are used to protect the devices from such threats. 2. Security in Smartphone The security threats that revolved around computers have migrated into the Smartphone domain and causing heavy losses to the users. To highlight the relevance of security measures on smartphones, Cheng (2011) provided results from a survey that was conducted by McAfee in the current year. The survey revealed that malware instances for Android (one of the most common smartphones in the current times) have increased by a significant figure of 76% in the last four months. Malware is defined as any program or application that is developed for the purpose of performing illicit activiti es, such as Trojans, viruses and worms. Some of the examples of security threats in smartphones are given below: 2.1 Smishing Phishing attacks had been known to cause harm to personal computers but a similar security threat is prevailing in the current times that is directed to harm smartphone- smishing and vishing. Ruggiero and Foote (2011) stated that hackers use the conventional approach of sending fake messages or voicemails to the recipients and urge them to call a financial institution with the aim to update their security settings etc. Voicemail systems are activated on the respective fake hosts that record sensitive information of the recipient. 2.2 Baseband Hacking Hackers have invented ways to intercept cellular phone calls by making the chips and firmware compromised in the Smartphone. Cheng (2011) stated that the baseband processor of the phone is turned into a listening device and enables the hackers to record conversation taking place between the participants. This can serve to record sensitive information and thus be used for malicious intent. 2.3 Infected Applications Applications are the most attractive feature of smartphones since they allow an individual to perform a diverse range of operations, for example play games, browse the web etc. Applications have also become one of the most common modes of infecting smartphones with compromised programs, such as Trojans. Apple and Blackberry follow a procedure of screening the applications (that might be contributed by developers) before publishing them on their App stores; this approach makes them avoid many Trojan attacks that might be hidden in the programs. Android follows a different approach and does not perform any screening process on the applications. Chang (2011) stated that an Android application with the name of â€Å"Steamy Window† has the power to convert a Smartphone into a botnet zombie. Upon successful acquisition of control over the phone, the hacker can perform any desired operation, such as: Send messages to any contact Make the browser point to compromised sites that may facilitate the transmission of sensitive information. Block the receiving of messages. 2.4 Jailbreaking and Rooting Apple IPhone School (2010) explains jail breaking as the hacking activity of the iPhone, iPad and iPod that allows the individual to have access to the Unix file system. Jailbreaking an iPhone is analogous to rooting an Android phone. Ngo (2009) stated that

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

BUS Unit 5 DB SA four Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

BUS Unit 5 DB SA four - Essay Example This may also indicate that the government expenditure is higher than what it can produce. However, it can also be observed that the current account deficit is not very bad to the economy especially if the deficit has been a result of investment initiatives that are designed to generate revenue in the short to long run period. For instance, in the paragraph above, the U. S deficit is viewed as a big problem given that previously stood at 1. 1 trillion dollars but has been halved to 680 billion dollars. This shows a 51 percent decrease in the current account deficit and it can be attributed to different policy changes such budget cuts, tax increments on those with a larger income bracket as well as stimulating economic growth. In this case, it can be seen that the current account deficit for USA is still controllable from within the country so it is not that bad. The deficit only becomes bad when the economy is now sustained on external

Sunday, October 27, 2019

PGs Core Competencies

PGs Core Competencies A business must possess some competitive competencies for success in the field of the business world. I would like to give a brief account of Procter and Gamble (PG) in order to elaborate its core competencies which have resulted in the successful running of the business of the PG. CHALLENGING YET OBTAINABLE OBJECTIVES PG sets objectives that are challenging but yet attainable for its short term as well as long term plans. For example, PG has shown enormous gain in the productivity of human resources because of the HR policies of the company. It hires competitive people, takes measures for training and development, and grooming of the HR. THE STRATEGY PG has proven its self as unmatched and exceptionally well as an organization in formulation, implementation, and controlling of strategies. Both short term and long term strategies are devised, implemented, and controlled through the HR. THE LEADER IN INNOVATION The PG has been a leader in innovation and creation of new product lines. Most of its products have been as a consequence of its innovative strategies. PG invest more than twice invested by its competition in the field of innovation. PG has been a bran-building leader. The companys billion-dollar brands have been successful to keep sustained the growth of sales at 11% rate per year for the decade. THE GROWTH STRATEGY Many strategies have been adopted by PG but this decade the strategies in terms of growth include: tope line, bottom line, and shareholder growth. PG has demonstrated a considerable growth in personal care, baby care, and beauty products. PG takes serious account of its finances for the growth of the business. The following table summarizes the growth result for PG from the year 2001 to 2009. Average Annual Goals 2009 2001-2009 Organic sales growth 4-6% 2% 5% Earning per share 10% 8% 12% Free cash flow productivity 90% 102% 112% LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES PG behaves just like a leader in the business world. So is the case with the management of the company as well. PG has been lucky to find its top management laden with leadership qualities. Its leadership has taken serious steps now and then for the success of the organization. For example, in year 2000, the PGs president took necessary and challenging measures to put the organization back on track. The actions that were taken resulted in sustainable growth of the organization as well as recovery of the lost business activity. THE CONSUMER AND MARKET RESEARCH PG has been a leader in market research investment. The company interacts with more than five million consumers each year in 60 countries around the world. PG invest 350 million dollars and more in consumer understanding. Hence the organization takes necessary measures for finding the tastes, needs, and wants of the consumers and customers. The investment in the field of research on consumers pays back much in terms of high sales and satisfied customers. RIGOROUS COST AND CASH DESCIPLINE PG has increased its cash productivity to the extent that it has reached 100% for the decade. It has resulted in high earning per share, high credit rating of the company, and allured the potential investors to invest in the businesses of PG. The company has maintained a strong cash management vis-Ã  -vis working-capital management. Sales per employee have grown from $363,000 to $585,000 while profit per employee has increased from 32,000 dollars to 84,000 dollars from the year 2000 to 2009. Similarly the productivity of RD Organization have doubled from the year 2000 to the year 2009. THE ON TIME ACTION PG takes decision as and when needed. This has been the core competency of the company among its core competencies that the company enjoys as a competitive advantage of the PG. A right decision in the wrong time will prove useless. Therefore, it is very important to take preventive as well as corrective measures in order to cope with the potential problems well before the time of incidence. PG has been much active to take preventive and corrective steps to address problems and devise solutions to the problems. THE HR, A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE PG makes plans for careers. The company tries to hire the best Human resources. It works on business and functional leaders activity on how to recruit, teach, and coach. THE MARKETING STRATEGY Apart from working on the present consumers and customers, PG keenly strives on improving its competencies in the field of under-served and un-served consumers. PG invests twice that of its competitors in marketing. For example, when one of its competitors was market testing its liquid soap, PG launched the Tide in Europe market to win over the market from its competition. In a nut shell, the history has show that PG has proved its self a leader in marketing strategy formulation, implementation, and control. Therefore, PG has beaten its competition by virtue of competitive marketing strategies. PG has been successful in putting forth marketing strategies that ensure how to win! THE MARKET LEADER PGs well known, trusted brands touch the lives of consumers in more than 180 countries. Some of its brands have crossed the billion dollars target. PG has been successful in launching innovative products with a competitive edge over its competitors. PG top 43 brands are responsible for 90% profit and 85% sales. Therefore, PG has proven its self as leader in brands. For example, PGs market leader products include: Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Cest, head and shoulders, etc. DIVERSIFICATION PG has attained high level of diversification in its lines of products. Some important ones have been shown below in terns of its sales, segment of products, and the category of products. CBU Segment Key Products Billion-Dollars Brands Net Sales (in Billion Dollars) Beauty Beauty Cosmetics, Deodorants, hair care, cleansing, Fragrances, skin care HS, Olay, Pantene, Wella $26.3 Grooming Blades and Razors, Hair Removal devices,Shave products, Home appliances Braun, Always, Gillette, Mach3 Health and Well-being Health-care Feminine care, oral care, dish care, fabric care, surface care Lams, Pringles $16.7 Snacks and Pet care Pet food, Snacks Ariel, Dawn, Downy, Duracell, Gain, Tide Household care Fabric, home Baby Wipes, Bath tissue, Diapers, Facial Tissue, Paper Towel Bounty, Charmin, Pampers $37.3 OFFERING BRAND FOR THE BRANDED PEOPLE An overview of product line has been given in terms of % net sales and % net earning of PG. GBU Segment % of net sales % of net earning Key Products Billion-Dollars Brands Beauty Beauty 23% 22% Cosmetics, Deodorants, hair care, cleansing, Fragrances, skin care HS, Olay, Pantene, Wella Grooming 9 13 Blades and Razors, Hair Removal devices,Shave products, Home appliances Braun, Always, Gillette, Mach3 Health and Well-being Health-care 17 21 Feminine care, oral care, dish care, fabric care, surface care Lams, Pringles Snacks and Pet care 4 2 Pet food, Snacks Ariel, Dawn, Downy, Duracell, Gain, Tide Household care Fabric, home 29 26 Baby Wipes, Bath tissue, Diapers, Facial Tissue, Paper Towel Bounty, Charmin, Pampers TARGET MARKETING PG uses target marketing. To put in other words, PG innovatively launches products for specific segment of the society. Therefore, it offers a wide range of products in its product line on demographic basis. For example, the shampoo range covers many brands that target different people of the society. Head and shoulders shampoo for dandruff while Pantene for shiny and soft hair as the company claims. The segmentation is made on the basis of demography, psychographic, and geography. PROMOTIONS PG has established its position as a leader in promotion campaigns. The company utilizes and invests a considerable amount annually for promotion of its brands. Advertising costs include advertisement on TV, Dish, Cable, Net, Radio, Magazine, and other media. PG utilizes the local media as well to advertise its brands on the local Television, Radio, and other print media. STRIVING AGAINST THE STRIDES PG has had bad times during the course of its history. However, it has fought against the tides successfully by virtue of un-defatiguable efforts, effective plans, post mortem analyses, and taking necessary corrective steps to over come the shortcomings, and putting the company back on the business tract ensuring efficiency and effectiveness.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Conservative Legislation and Trade Union Power Essay -- Essays Papers

Conservative Legislation (during the 1980s and early 1990’s) and Trade Union Power Trade Unions can be defined as: ‘ Organisations of workers set up to improve the status, pay and conditions of employment of its members’. Salaman, ‘Industrial Relations’, P77 From the end of the second world war, and up until the 1970’s trade unionism was continually growing. By 1979, 57.3% of all people employed were members of trade unions. Annual abstract Statistics, 1990, ‘Industrial relations’, M.P. Jackson, 1991, P57 ‘Trade unionism may be seen as a social response to industrialisation and capitalism’ Salaman, Industrial relations, P79 In the early days of trade unionism, there was a direct need for workers to be represented, in areas such as manufacturing, there were little channels of communication and as a result of this workers had little or no representation. The collective bargaining approach, is a system used by trade unions to regulate industrial conflict. If conflict arises, the collective bargaining approach allows the trade unions to come together in a public forum to discuss any conflicting issues. The collective barganing approach in Trade Unionism assumes that the Trade Union is bargaining for the collective group rather than individuals. The collective bargaining group is given the opportunity to resolve any conflicting issues and in some cases but not all can prevent disputes from occurring. Harbison concludes that collective bargaining ‘Provides a drainage channel for worker dis satisfaction’ Harbison in Industrial Relations, M.P.Jackson In 1970, Britain saw the return of the Conservative government under the power of Edward Heath. After the minors strike, the Conservative government lost power and Britain reverted back to a Labour government. After the ‘winter of discontent’ in 1979, Britain once again saw the return of the Conservative government, however this time it was under the power of Margaret Thatcher. Previous to Margaret Thatcher, the government had always seen their main focus to be the achievement of ‘full employment’, a solution which in times of 1979 could prove somewhat impossible. The new Conservative government saw their future, as one of creating more jobs and encouraging greater success in competitive product markets, this was in an attempt to achieve full employment. The main priority of the new Conservati... ...strial Relations in Britain Edited by: Geoge Sayers Bain Published : 1983 Basil Blackwell Publisher Ltd, Oxford 2. The Origins of British Industrial Relations By: Keith Burgess Published: 1979 Croom Helm Ltd, London 3. The Free Economy and the Strong State- The Politics of Thatcher, second edition By: Andrew Gamble Published: 1994 MacMillan Press Ltd, Hampshire 4. Contemporary British Industrial Relations By: S Kessler & F Bayliss Published: 1988 MacMillan Press Ltd, London 5. Human Resource Maanagement Rhetorics and Realities By: Karen Legge Published: 1995 MacMillan Press Ltd, Hampshire 6. Workplace Industrial Relations in Transition By: Millard et al. Published: 1997 Dartmouth Publishing Co., Aldershot 7. Industrial Relations in the Future By: Poole et al. Published: 1984 Routledge & Kegon Paul Plc, London 8. Human Resource Management: A Strategic Introduction, second edition By: G Salaman & C Maby Published: 1988 Blackwell, Oxford 9. Industrial Relations: Theory & Practice By: Micheal Salaman Published: Prentise & Hall, Hemel Hamstead

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Identify the Strategies for Strengthening Local Financial Capacity in Malaysian Local Government.

Identify the strategies for strengthening local financial capacity in Malaysian local government. The first strategy that can be used to strengthen the financial capacity in Malaysian local government is by generating the new avenues for revenue source which are sought to supplement the income of the local authorities. This may include sale of the municipal bonds, rezoning of the land from the residential to commercial purposes or taking the equity share in the privatization project.Another alternative that available to be taken by the Malaysian local government is by increasing the assessment tax imposed to the local people. The public should be explained on what extent the local authority increasing their assessment tax. For example, due to the increase of the demand for the local government functions and services, it requires high cost and unfortunately, the current condition of the local government cannot fulfil it urges them to do so.Before the local government wish to increase the tax, it is important for the local people to be informed in order to know their view as well as they may discuss with the local authority for the betterment of the services provided in their area of jurisdiction. The third strategy that can be used to strengthen the local financial capacity in Malaysian local government is by offering land pooling. It is an activity which is mostly practiced in the countries like Australia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.It is a situation whereby owner of small plots of land will be encouraged to combine their land together for profitable development under the local authority concern. For example, the land owners surrender their land to the local authority for the provision of infra and development, after which area are re-allocated to the owners. The local authority retains a small portion of the readjusted land as its contribution and can utilize this land for its own purpose. The next way that can be taken by local authority in Malaysia to become a strategy in strengthening the financial capacity is through re-zoning process.It is the process of changing the status of the land usage. For example, from the status of residential, change to commercial status where it can generate more income in term of tax where a higher assessment rate can be imposed. Generally, this can be applied to certain residential areas whereby a large number of houses have been permitted to operate their businesses from or within their premises, but is still being assessed by the local authority under residential status.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Brazil leading the BRICS case study Essay

As of the date of the case and as explained in the case: is Brazil leading the BRICs? Please explain and defend your position. (We will discuss more recent data in class if time.) From the case I can see that for the past decade, Brazil has experienced greater integration into the global economy which has been characterized by significant growth in economy and reinforcement of the country’s weight in international trade negotiations. Brazil played an increasingly important leading role in the BRICs. However, Brazil was the underperformer of the BRICs in many areas. It faced significant obstacles to growth, including rising inflation, high interest rates, an appreciating exchange rate, poor infrastructure, excessive bureaucracy, and persistent crime. Overall, I think that Brazil plays a more and more important role on the international stage but is not leading the BRICs. BRAZIL PLAYS A MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT ROLE ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE STRONG ECONOMIC GROWTH Brazil had sustained an average annual GDP growth of 4% since 2000. Between 2002 and 2009, inequality and poverty had declined significantly and more than 30 million Brazilians had advanced from lower income strata to the middle class. Goldman Sachs expected the BRICs to be among the five largest economies in  the world by 2030, forecasting a growth rate of more than 5% per year for Brazil. INTENSIVE INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT In 1964, Brazil was opened to foreign direct investment an expansion in manufacturing and services generated GDP growth averaging more than 10% annually. By 2008, Brazil was in the top 20 countries ranked by international trade. After Brazil joined the WTO, over time, the number of Brazilian firms on a list of the world’s 2,000 largest public companies grew from 13 in 2003 to 33 in 2010. Foreign investors had transferred more than $30 billion in portfolio investment to Brazil in 2010 alone. A MAJOR PLAYER IN MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS During numerous meetings of trade ministers from more than 140 countries, Brazil stood out as a leading voice of emerging markets. President Lula led the creation of the WTO G-21, a block of developing countries that negotiated collectively at WTO meetings. Brazil took a leading role in WTO negotiations and it also held important leadership positions in the Group of Twenty (G-20). AN AGRICULTURAL POWERHOUSE Brazil had become an agricultural powerhouse, ranked as the world leader in the production of six crops, ranging from sugarcane to dry beans, and among the top five producers of 32 other agricultural goods. BRAZIL IS NOT LEADING THE BRICS. UNFAVORABLE HISTORICAL FACTORS Brazil became independent in 1822, which was the latest independent country among the BRICs. Brazil had been in a climate of political unrest for a long time inundated with rebellions, individual dictatorship, and tensions between the landowners and slaveries. THE GOVERNMENT’S DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IMPOSED OBSTACLES ON ENTREPRENEURS Under the Import substituting industrialization (ISI) development strategy, State-owned enterprises expanded but new businesses were pushed out of the formal economy. Labor laws made it costly for companies to hire or fire workers FINANCIAL ISSUE High interest rates and barriers to borrowing blocked market entry for entrepreneurial Brazilians. Brazil had a long time relying on aggressive growth which fueled import consumption and to a large extent worsened Brazil’s balance-of-payments, while government debt ballooned. RED TAPE AND POOR INFRASTRUCTURE Brazil’s infrastructure is in terrible shape and the country isn’t saving and investing enough. Red tape and poor infrastructure made it difficult for Brazilians to start companies. LOW-QUALITY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM In 2011, Brazil still transported many agricultural exports distances of 1,500 kilometers or more on low-quality roads in order to arrive at ports with backlogs and ineffective logistics. The World Economic Forum’s â€Å"quality of roads index† ranked Brazil 105th out of 139 countries. THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION REMAINED LOW Brazil’s students ranked near the bottom in the Organization for Economic Coordination and Development’s Program for International Student Assessment. COMPLEX DIPLOMATIC RELATIONSHIPS Brazil’s success in World Trade Organization dispute, use of compulsory licensing provisions to break patents, and diplomatic negotiations with Iran had generated tensions with the United States and the European Union. In Africa, Brazil found itself competing with China for development projects and political influence. (2) Was Brazil or the U.S. correct in the Merck dispute? Please explain and defend your position. THE MANUFACTURING COST OF THE EFAVIRENZ WAS VERY HIGH. The combination of prescription drugs that made up the HAART approach historically cost more than $15,000 per patient annually in the United States. The high price in the home country already showed that the relevant R&D, manufacturing cost was very high, let alone the other extra cost for selling in a foreign destination. BRAZIL THREATENED A COMPULSORY LICENSE TO FORCE PHARMACEUTICAL FIRMS COMPROMISE ON THE PRICE. In 2005, Abbott Pharmaceuticals made a compromise deal because Brazil’s  health minister threatened a compulsory license. Brazil governments saw it an effective way of pushing the pharmaceutical firms to compromise, so they started to make the same step towards other pharmaceutical firms. What they considered was their own benefit but did not carefully rethink whether it was inappropriate. MERCK OFFERED MODEST DISCOUNTS AND SOON AFTER LOWERED THEIR PRICE AGAIN BUT BRAZILIAN OFFICIALS DID NOT STOP AND INSTEAD DEMAND MORE. Brazilian officials intensified negotiations with Merck after they received discounts from the company in 2005. Over the course of 16 official meetings, Merck lowered its price again to $570 per patient per year. Brazilian health and trade officials demanded better, citing generic suppliers ready to provide the drug at $240 per patient per year. BRAZIL IGNORED MERK’S MULTIYEAR STAGED TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO FARMANGUINHOS. To protect its IP, Merck proposed a multiyear staged technology transfer for efavirenz to Farmanguinhos, Brazil’s national drug manufacturer. In the process, Farmanguinhos can learn and develop progressively with the help of Merck, but Brazil government was too anxious to obtain the short term benefit and did not realize that the multiyear staged technology transfer would benefit more in the long run. MERCK ADOPTED PRICING RELATED TO THE COUNTRIES’ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LEVELS WITHOUT DISRESPECT OR DISCRIMINATION. As the world’s 12th largest economy, Brazil was able to pay a little higher price, which on the other hand can help the countries that are more underdeveloped to lessen budget for the medicines. However, Brazil only compared the price with some of the more inferior countries and condemned that Merck did not respect them and charged them unfairly. MERCK WAS NOT PROFIT-ORIENTED AND IGNORED THE PUBLIC INTERESTS AS BRAZILIAN OFFICIALS SAID. Merck operated several donation programs for medicines valued at more than $750 million annually, which showed their sense of social responsibility and care for the public interests. THE COMPULSORY LICENSE WOULD CAUSE INVESTMENTS TO GO ELSEWHERE. Breaking off discussions with Merck and seizing its intellectual property sent a dangerous signal to the investment community. In Brazil, more than 550 domestic and international firms were involved in pharmaceutical. All these firms were taken aback by the compulsory license and getting worried that their intellectual property could be expropriated. THE EFAVIRENZ COMPULSORY LICENSE ALSO POSED A CHALLENGE TO FARMANGUINHOS. Farmanguinhos initially was unable to manufacture efavirenz with little more to go on than Merck’s patent. It had to work very hard to obtain the know-how to manufacture efavirenz. INTERNATIONAL OR PRIVATE COMPANIES FELT THEY INCREASINGLY LOST COMPETITIVE POWER. Since companies like Farmanguinhos that are owned by the government paid no tax and did not need to go through the public bid pathway to sell their products, they had original considerable advantages over the other international or private companies. Moreover, intensive help and attention were given to them that made them overwhelmingly dominant. THE GOVERNMENT REACTION CONTRADICTED ITS PROMISE. To reassure investors and firms, the Brazilian government sought that patent laws remained in force. The Ministry of Science and Technology declared that they would respect the international intellectual property legal framework. However, soon after Brazil’s health minister announced that the AIDS drug tenofovir, manufactured by U.S.-based Gilead Sciences, was â€Å"of public interest,† and the company’s patent application for the drug was rejected.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

From Now on Forget about Where Can I Find Research Papers Troubles

From Now on Forget about Where Can I Find Research Papers Troubles From Now on Forget about Where Can I Find Research Papers Troubles College research papers can be extremely challenging to write, but any student can confirm that it is easier to write a paper when you have an example. Here are five fabulous resources for finding sample research papers. 1. The Internet You really can find anything on the Internet these days, including thousands of research papers on an endless variety of topics. No matter what topic you were assigned to, you are almost guaranteed to find a sample essay on the Internet. Although the variety of papers on the Internet is a major benefit, anyone can upload an essay, so there is often no way to be sure that the essay you are viewing is from a credible source. You should be careful not to use a poorly written sample as a model for your own research paper. Some pieces on the Internet cost money, and not all of these are of such a high quality they claim to be, so be attentive. If you use your best judgement, the Internet is a great place for anyone who asks him/herself, â€Å"Where can I find research papers?† 2. Libraries Libraries are filled with books that may offer examples of excellent research papers, which you can use to help shape your own paper. Libraries provide you with far more credible resources than the Internet, so using the library is the way to ensure that you are only using the best and the most qualitative papers to guide you. However, searching for sample papers in a library may be much more challenging endeavor than finding research papers on the Internet. If you are willing to meet the deadline and effort for the most credible examples, then the library is the right place for you. 3. Friends or Siblings If your friends or siblings have previously taken the classes you are enrolled in, they may have written about the same topic in the past. Even if they haven’t written papers on the same topic, you may still be able to view a research paper graded by your professor, which will give you an idea of what your professor looks for in research papers and how to structure your own essay the right way. Of course, you’ll have to make sure that your sibling or friend did well in the class, before using his/her research paper as your example. Although you may use the paper as an example, be sure that you do not copy it outright. Plagiarism is taken very seriously at the colleges and universities, so use the paper as a guide for creating your own original piece. 4. Professor If you ask your professor, he/she may have examples of research papers from previous students stored in her office. This is one of the best ways to ensure you get a great example- if your professor, who is grading your research paper, recommended the example, then you know it is a good one to use as a guide for your own writing. The paper will also likely have the professor’s mark and comments written on it, which can give you valuable insight into what the most important point you should cover in your own work is. 5. Classmates You may be able to compare essays with your fellow classmates. Perhaps you can get together with your classmates to brainstorm research paper topics, and later meet to read one another’s essays and offer feedback. It can be very helpful to listen to the ideas of others in your class for inspiration, get feedback on your own ideas, and receive a second opinion from students who are taking the same class. However, some college students fear sharing ideas or writing with others not to be copied. If you find a group of students you can trust who are willing to share ideas, it will be a great opportunity to get more inspiration. Next time you are writing a research paper, but you don’t have a sample to guide you, try using one of the resources we have suggested. You will come up with some strong, qualitative examples to help you produce an excellent research paper of your own.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on The Tale Of Cupid And Psyche

of Apollo, would be "that terrible tyrant whose jurisdiction extends from heaven to hell† (Hamilton 98). Grief-stricken, the royal parents would not have obeyed had not Psyche, weary of her lonely life, insisted they comply. She was led in funeral procession to the summit of the mountain and left there as the sun slowly set. Zephyrus, the evening breeze, at the behest of Cupid, carried her down into the valley below. Upon waking, Psyche found herself before the entrance of a magnificent palace. She ente... Free Essays on The Tale Of Cupid And Psyche Free Essays on The Tale Of Cupid And Psyche In Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, the ancient mythological tale of Cupid and Psyche is a story of love that has been enjoyed by people for centuries. In more detail, it is about beauty, truth, and goodness, for these are three aspects of love. It is also about death, the hereafter, and rebirth. Its simplicity touches hearts, and at the same time tantalizes our minds. Beneath the story's romantic presentation lies a profound theme: the quest of the human soul. Psyche’s desire is for divine love and Cupid’s is for expression. The story is about a princess named Psyche, who was so beautiful that when it came time for her to wed no suitors could be found for everyone worshiped her from afar believing that she was the appearance on earth of the Goddess of Love. While this attention saddened and embarrassed the young princess it infuriated Aphrodite, the real Goddess of Beauty and Love. She directed her son, the young and fun-loving Cupid, to cast a spell upon Psyche that would cause her to fall in love with some despicable creature and in consequence to suffer so greatly that her beauty would fade. Obediently Cupid descended to earth, but the moment he saw the maiden his heart filled with love. Meanwhile, Psyche's parents had gone to the Oracle at Delphi for advice. The Pythia's reply was explicit: dress Psyche in mourning, escort her to the top of the mountain, and leave her to await her bridegroom who, in the words of Apollo, would be "that terrible tyrant whose jurisdiction extends from heaven to hell† (Hamilton 98). Grief-stricken, the royal parents would not have obeyed had not Psyche, weary of her lonely life, insisted they comply. She was led in funeral procession to the summit of the mountain and left there as the sun slowly set. Zephyrus, the evening breeze, at the behest of Cupid, carried her down into the valley below. Upon waking, Psyche found herself before the entrance of a magnificent palace. She ente...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

A Case Study of the Hong Kong Cyberspace Governance - Free Samples

Despite the lack of a common definition of cybercrime it is a global issue which have led to increased study into the area. The internet connection between computers enables past criminal activities as well as generate new as well as unique types of criminalities. The general definition of computer crime can be separated into crimes in strict sense, computer associated crimes as well as abuse of computers. Based on the definition of a US based computer guru Donn B. Parker a computer crime make use of computers though not entirely but also passively provided the evidence of the crime can be traced to the computer storage. The victims of cyber-attacks range from the big computerised organizations to the single individuals who rely on computers to store and analyse their data. The Parker’s definition further single out the following as forms of crimes classified under cyber-attack: destruction of computers or data stored in them, fraud cases like altering financial data illegally in the computer, programming computers to get passwords and credit card numbers illegally for financial fraud and making use of non-existing computers to deceive or intimidate others. In practice to say cybercrime is utilising the computer skills and knowledge to commit a crime will be an acceptable general definition of a cybercrime. A lot of developments are taking place in the computer crime sector in Hong Kong. Of noticeable is the emergence of child pornographic contents in the internet, availing offensive materials in the webpages, information piracy, interception of communication networks, online shopping irregularities, e-banking theft as well as electronic sales cheatings. Considering the utilitarianism theory crimes such as hacking is considered unethical as they fail to be in line with the greater good for most of the population. The hacking or to say illegal securing of information online may cause losses to general society as well as companies. Firms in the finance and insurance sector in Hong Kong rely on the public image to create trust in their customer base. Any initiation of cyber-attack might lead to losses to the firm. The data on such crimes might not be easily available in the Hong Kong crime department units as the firms fear reporting the matter to avoid the negative effects the publicity of such matters might cause in their client’s base (Jetha, 2013). On the other cases as the crime does not involve any physical interaction between the perpetrator and the offend ant, the victim might not detect the loss in time or even he may not be aware of the consequences rendered to him by the hacking. The fact that the information obtained by the hacking is for the benefit of few individuals without considering the suffering of the majority affected by the act makes it unethical issue under the utilitarianism. In the global business set up there are established rules and guidelines which define people’s responsibilities. Acts such as obtaining passwords and credit card details of clients illegally for perpetrating fraud is said to be unethical under the theory of deontology. This is brought about by the perpetrators deviation from the normal perceptions which are regarded as ethical. In the online trading securing funds from the clients without offering the products and services in return is regarded as fraud and further classified as unethical behaviour (faith, 1998). The normal set standards require the trader and the consumer to respect the set guidelines hence any person failure to adhere to this is rendered unethical. By the classical ethical theory of virtue, morality and character moral agents forms the basis of classifying the behaviours as ethical. Considering the case of child pornographic contents the person availing such information on the internet is going against the morality as defined by the general society. Such behaviours are thereby classified as unethical with their perpetration through the computer qualifying the crime as a cybercrime The operation of business activities the Hong Kong economy relies on the pre-set contractual rules which are formulated by legislature and implemented by the judiciary.   This rules gives directions on the responsibilities of parties in ensuring that all the conditions appropriate for their association to adhere to the contract are followed (Clerke, 200).   This theory of a contract defines what’s ethical. As a component of cybercrime cases such piracy of information and illegal securing of people’s private information goes against the theory of contract, as so they qualify to be classifies as unethical behaviours. The improvement in technology have improved globally, as a result public knowledge and usage of information technology have been on the rise. The use of computers and the internet is quickly cutting through the Hong Kong economy. Be it in the business or household management all the way to entertainment computerisation is taking over. This brings us to the problem. Cybercrime too is expanding its wings (Varian, 1999). This increase in the use of computers are availing a larger platform for cyber-attack. With most internet users being of young age especially students the government have all the reasons to formulate laws to regulate the use of the internet with an aim of filtering out the cyber-crime offenders. Activities like youth education is a stable stepping stone for setting the computer and information ethics. For businesses to embrace and fully utilise the computerisation there is need for a safe environment in the cyberspace. Ecommerce is very important for Hong Kong in terms of development of the economy as well as building the face of the Hong Kong business as an international trading centre commercial hub in the section (A., 2003). The computer has been used for criminal objectives and there is need for more interceptions to discourage this vice. No matter how individuals and companies are knowledgeable about information technology they are still at a risk of cyber-attack. For internet and computer security the following are recommended measures to curb the cybercrime menace. Boost up security awareness. Business employees are the pathway through which most hackers hit the organisations. It has therefore important to train them on the need to put more concentration on the security of their data with initiatives such as use of complex passwords. In addition, they use implement the use of different passwords for separate account. As the firm migrate to use of cloud computing initiatives such as installation of antiviruses in the computers, installation of firewalls as well as using an upgraded operating system will minimise the potentiality of cyber-attack on your computers Even though the measures above are assurance of computer security there is need to always expect an attack as you are not aware of how prepared the cybercrime offenders are. Use intrusion detection devices, and back up your information just in case of an attack you don’t incur huge losses. Not all the employees in an organization share in the firm’s mission and vision to protect yourself from malicious employees it’s recommended that the firm restrict access to some of its most vital information. The data access should be keyword protected with the fewest people possible allowed access to them. Due to limited knowledge on computer among various managers it is important for affirm to seek the services of security personnel to help him detect areas in the organization which might be a weak point for cyber-attack. Employment of an expert will ensure that the firm gets regular attention needed for security purposes. If you consider the cost of lost information or aftermath situation of a cyber-attack its will be cheaper to work with the cyber security personnel All these ideas if implemented together with adequate government support will help Hong Kong economy get rid of cybercriminals (Won, 2005). A., A. (2003). The changing purpose of capital punishment: A restrospective on the past century and soime thoughts about the next. The University of Chicago Law Review, 1-15. Clerke, B. S. (200). distributedsecurity: preventing cybercrime. Journal of Computer and Information Law, 650-700. faith, L. (1998). Are shock incarceration programs more rehabilitative than traditional prison. Justice Quartely, 500-550. Jetha, K. (2013). CYBERCRIME AND PUNISHMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE DEONTOLOGICAL AND UTILITARIAN FUNCTIONS OF PUNUSHMENT IN THE INFORMATION AGE. Georgia: University of Georgia. Varian, S. C. (1999). Information rules: A strategic guide to the network economy. Boston: Harvad business press. Won, K. C. (2005). Law and Order in Cyberspace: A Case Study of Cyberspace Governance in Hong Kong. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L, 248-260. Retrieved from Ways to Prevent Cyber Crimes From Derailing Your Business.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Strategic management analysis of Starbucks Assignment

Strategic management analysis of Starbucks - Assignment Example This study proposes to evaluate Starbucks from a strategic viewpoint. In this context of the study, the United States segment of the company will be evaluated. It will also shed light on the coffee industry of USA. The primary rationale behind the industry analysis is to measure attractiveness of this industry. The attractiveness of the industry will be gauged by using PORTER’s five forces framework analysis. Apart from that the external business environment will be also analysed using PESTEL analysis. The next portion will be about identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the company. This will be done with the help of a SWOT framework. In addition, the study will also emphasize on the capabilities, core competencies and resources. Starbucks: A Brief Overview The history of Starbucks Corporation dates back to the early 1970s, when the company was founded by the famous Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl (Starbucks, n.d.). Since the time of its foundation, the motto of the company has been to offer unique and special experience to the customers whenever they visit a Starbucks store and taste coffee. Starbucks is presently headquartered at Seattle, Washington, U.S (Dess, Lumpkin and Eisner, 2009, p.557). The company operates with around 6705 company owned stores, and 4,082 licensed stores throughout the United Stated. However from a global perspective, the company operates with 20,366 stores and has presence in 61 countries of the world. It sells hot drinks, foods and retail merchandising items. Starbucks has staggering employee strengths of 1, 50,000. As of financial year end 2012, the net revenue of the company was US$ 13.29 billion. Some of the major competitors of the company are Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc., McDonalds, Nestle, Yum Brands, KFC and Wendy's International, Inc (Yahoo Finance, n.d.). TASK A – Market Environment Analysis Micro Environment Analysis Coffee is admired as one of the most precious agricultural commodities and thu s the coffee industry is also witnessing strong growths globally. With strong and established players such as Starbucks and availability of mass customer makes it one of the potential industries of the world. Now to get deeper insights of the micro environment and to measure the attractiveness of the coffee industry of USA an in depth industry analysis will be carried out. To do so PORTER’S five forces framework will be employed. Porter’s five forces is one of the widely used tools to determine the competitive forces of the industry. The five forces of the industry as portrayed by Michael Porter are the threat of the new entrants within the industry, threat of the substitute products, and intensity of the existing rivalry within the industry, bargaining power of the suppliers and finally the bargaining power of the buyers. The analysis is shown below:- Threat of the substitute products The substitute products are the products that are not exactly the same as the core p roduct, but perform almost the similar function or provide the same benefit as given by the core product. In the context of Starbucks, the substitute products are soft drinks, energy drinks, coffee pills and caffeine. The consumption patterns

Age Effect on M-Commerce Retail Customers Dissertation

Age Effect on M-Commerce Retail Customers - Dissertation Example The consumers are divided into two age groups: 18-35 and 36 and older. Using contingency theory and simple regression analysis the results are analysed for statistical significance of age. The results and implications for further research are discussed. Table of Contents Abstract 4 List of Abbreviations 6 Definition of Terms 7 Chapter One: Introduction to the Study 8 1.1.Background 8 1.2.Statement of the Problem 10 1.3.Purpose of the Study 13 1.4.Aim and Objectives 14 1.4.1 Aim 14 1.4.2. Objectives 14 1.5.Research Questions 15 1.6.Hypotheses 15 1.7.Research Methodology 16 1.7.1.Research Instruments 17 1.7.2.Limitations and Delimitations 18 1.7.3.Assumptions 19 1.9.Organization of the Study 21 1.10.Chapter Summary 22 Chapter Two: Literature Review 23 2.1. Introduction 23 2.2. M-Commerce: Mobile Networks, Services and Applications 23 2.3. M-Commerce and the Retail Sector 29 2.3.1. The Retail Sector 29 2.3.2. The Retail Sector and M-Commerce 31 2.4. M-Commerce and Consumer Trends Worldw ide 37 2.5. Consumer Adaptability, Acceptance and Attitudes Toward M-Commerce 42 2.5.1. Adaptability 42 2.5.2. Acceptance 50 2.5.3. Attitudes 59 2.6. Themes in the Literature 62 2.6.1. History, Development and Trends in M-Commerce Use Globally 62 2.6.1.1. Retail 62 2.6.1.2. Consumer Trends 65 2.6.2. M-Commerce and Consumer Adaptability, Acceptance and Attitudes: Previous Studies 66 2.6.2.1. Adaptability 66 2.6.2.2. Acceptance 69 2.6.2.3. Attitudes 71 2.7. Summary 71 Chapter Three: Research Methodology 73 3.1. Introduction 73 3.2. Contingency Theory 73 3.3. Research Philosophy 75 3.4. Research Methods 77 3.4.1. Data Collection 79 3.4.2. Data Analysis 85 3.5. Trustworthiness 88 3.6. Ethical Considerations 90 3.7. Summary 92 Chapter Four: Results and Analysis 93 4.1. Introduction 93 4.2. Results 93 4.3. Analysis 104 1.11.Aim and Objectives 133 1.4.1 Aim 133 1.4.2. Objectives 133 1.12.Research Questions 134 1.13.Hypotheses 135 1.14.Statement of the Problem 138 1.15.Purpose of the Study 141 1.16.Aim and Objectives 141 1.4.1 Aim 141 1.4.2. Objectives 142 List of Abbreviations B2C: Business to Consumer IT: Information Technologies LAN: Local Area Network PB: Perceived Benefits PU: Perceived Usefulness PEOU: Perceived Ease of Use TAM: Technology Acceptance Model TPB: Theory of Planned Behavior TRA: Theory of Reasoned Action WAP: Wireless Application Protocol Definition of Terms E-commerce: Selling and purchasing goods and services via electronic platforms. Interoperability: Diverse systems working together for one common goal. M-Commerce: Wireless of mobile transaction involving transfers of funds. M-Payments: Method for making payments via mobile or wireless devices. Chapter One: Introduction to the Study 1.1. Background A number of different mobile wireless devices and services are now available and range from mobile telephone networks to wireless local area networks (LANs). These kinds of devices and services are encapsulated by mobile commerce, more broadly known as m-commerce (Liu & Chen, 2009). M-commerce is a branch of e-commerce and as such is defined as any monetary or economic transaction performed by use of a mobile wireless device or by â€Å"wireless technology†, by at least one of the parties to the transaction (Mohpatra, 2013, p. 81). Bidgoli (2011) simplifies the definition of m-commerce by defining it as a â€Å"new market are created by web-enabled mobile phone services†

Strategic Management Resit Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic Management Resit Report - Essay Example Since every organization wants to acquire competitive advantage therefore it was difficult to make strategies based on the external business environment due to homogeneity. However, resources such as reputation, credibility of employees, training and development methods etc. may vary from organization to organization and they are significantly hard to replicate (Gupta et. al., 2007). In the contemporary business environment resources based view of strategic management holds a remarkable position. Ever since it has emerged different critics have argued upon its importance in strategic management while some have defended its importance in attaining business superiority. Whatever the case may be one thing is obvious that resource based view in strategic management has actually strengthened the organization’s core values and integrity while improving the overall ethical conduct (Priem and Butler, 2001). This paper aims to investigate Resource Based View and its relevance with Stra tegic Management. Moreover its role in achieving competitive advantage particularly in an educational institution would be discussed with a case example. Discussion The theory of growth of a firm has actually laid down the foundation of resource based view in strategic management. An individual firm has a number of valuable internal resources which are mostly unique in terms of quality and quantity. For instance, the financial resources including all the monetary reserves, credits, accounts receivables etc., plant resources such as land and equipment, human resource which represents the nature of employees’ intellect, skills and credibility. Moreover the knowledge and expertise of an organization in industry and the overall management structure including planning and reporting are the important internal resources (Harrison, 2012). All of these are then combined with the strategic policies of an organization. The distinguishing nature of resources constitutes an organizationâ €™s core values which play a vital role in its overall success or failure. The accurate utilization of all these resources actually represents profitable long term strategic management which is a significant element of competitive advantage. The relevance of resource based view to strategic management can be substantiated on the basis of the fact that organizational strategies largely focus on increasing revenues while occupying unparalleled market share in the industry. On the other hand the sole purpose of resource based view is to achieve competitive advantage which makes it internally linked with the strategic management (Akio, 2005). Competitive Advantage Resource based view in strategic management plays a significant role in acquiring competitive advantage. For instance, if the Corporate Planning Department of a university requires maintaining distinctiveness in its management policies and customer services then it would need to implement resource based view in the followi ng pattern (Knott, 2009): Initially the organization would have to analyze its fundamental possessions including financial resources, plant resources and human resources. These are then divided on the basis of distinctiveness in the industry and overall participation in carrying out different business

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Cloud Client Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cloud Client Computing - Essay Example The most common mistakes that are made are: ordering too much computing power, no shutting down the software in off hours, not using monitoring tools to keep tabs on cycles, and not telling programmers about the costs. Companies such as Netflix have written software that automatically shuts the system down during off-peak hours, but many companies who are not as large in size do not have the means to do this. When these things are not done, the costs of cloud computing soar making the idea of the cloud not as cost beneficial as previously thought. Still, the cloud market is expected to grow 23% a year through 2017. In the world, there are more than 2 billion devices connected to Internet and majority of them are smartphones. CEOs must think every change in technology to keep their firms in the business. CEO if Parkmobile, Cherie Fuzzell states that they can’t rely on their current app or services, technology changes every day and they should keep considering all the changes, otherwise they won’t survive in the business. IBM has decided to invest in faster-growth segments such as cloud, analytics, mobile, social and security technologies. Those businesses generated $25 billion in revenue last year, or 27% of total revenue, though the trend line has been rising for both figures. The $4 billion spending has set a new financial target for those faster-growth segments: $40 billion in combined annual revenue by 2018, or more than 40% of the company’s expected total revenue. The trend is Cloud/Client Computing. It describes concentrating on cloud and mobile computing with the aim of promoting the development of applications that are centrally coordinated and thus be delivered to any device. The first article by Boulton talks of the wastes that are associated with cloud computing. The second one by an anonymous writer is about the mobile devices that are connected to a cloud and the third one.

How to do service learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How to do service learning - Essay Example As explained by Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, â€Å"Service-learning is a teaching and learning methodology which fosters civic responsibility and applies classroom learning through meaningful service to the community. The strongest service-learning experiences occur when the service is meaningfully immersed in ongoing learning and is a natural part of the curriculum that extends into the community† (Public Instruction). Having clearly understood the meaning, it is important to know how this can be implemented. So what do we do for service learning? Service learning is not a skill that can be learnt in one day, it is something which needs to be incorporated over the years. To implement service learning into a program a few basic steps can be incorporated into normal working, I will list these first and then explain each of the points: Okay, the first essential element that is found in the incorporation of service learning is to explain the positive aspects of teaching and helping others. Assisting fellow workers and students and explaining the benefits of service learning is the first step of incorporating service learning. Here it is essential to explain to others the strong characteristic traits and also to highlight the positives of helping others (Watts). Here it is essential to also provide knowledge for healthy decisions. By taking the above steps, it helps in laying the foundation for service learning. Following this, the next step that needs to be incorporated is to successfully connect with the prospective partners and to find the right charities and service based organizations. Here it is essential to get in touch with the local authorities and the organisations and to get into some form of contracts of working together on various charitable goals (Kaye). Here it is important to set u goals for the youth to be able to achieve. By doing

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Tuesdays with Morrie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Tuesdays with Morrie - Essay Example None of us has our death in vision. We know it is coming to come one day but for almost all of us, the day is quite far. Young people, like me, think of death only in the far future tense. We know it is going to come, but we assume that we will die of old age. I quite understand what Morrie means when he says that once we know how to die, we learn to live. When we see our death near, we begin to enjoy life; otherwise we take life for granted. Reading this lesson my Morrie, I remembered a time when I had a near brush with death during a car accident. Though I was able to survive without even a scratch, I was able to experience live. Instead of being scared or depressed, I was rejuvenated. The rest of the day, I began to feel light and bouncy. I felt alive as I was able to observe the smallest detail around me that I would otherwise ignore. I was able to observe the love in mother’s eyes and the concern in the way my father talked to me. But as days passed by, I became engrossed in my ordinary life and forgot the entire experience until I read the statement by Morris. I agree with it but it saddens me that we only live fully when we know that death is near. We continue to do this unconsciously and I do not think I would be able to control this. By this statement, Morris means the exact opposite of what we assume of this statement in the first analysis. When Morris says, learn to detach (Albom, 103), he does not go against his first principle of living life. On the contrary, one can only learn to detach when they have experienced an emotion or feeling fully. For instance, Morris has fully experienced what pain is. He can experience how he will die and because he knows the feeling, he can go against it in the opposite direction and detach himself. I again quite agree with Morris on this. Most of the times, we are afraid of certain things that we run away from them. People continue to hoard money knowing that they may never be able to spend

How to do service learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How to do service learning - Essay Example As explained by Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, â€Å"Service-learning is a teaching and learning methodology which fosters civic responsibility and applies classroom learning through meaningful service to the community. The strongest service-learning experiences occur when the service is meaningfully immersed in ongoing learning and is a natural part of the curriculum that extends into the community† (Public Instruction). Having clearly understood the meaning, it is important to know how this can be implemented. So what do we do for service learning? Service learning is not a skill that can be learnt in one day, it is something which needs to be incorporated over the years. To implement service learning into a program a few basic steps can be incorporated into normal working, I will list these first and then explain each of the points: Okay, the first essential element that is found in the incorporation of service learning is to explain the positive aspects of teaching and helping others. Assisting fellow workers and students and explaining the benefits of service learning is the first step of incorporating service learning. Here it is essential to explain to others the strong characteristic traits and also to highlight the positives of helping others (Watts). Here it is essential to also provide knowledge for healthy decisions. By taking the above steps, it helps in laying the foundation for service learning. Following this, the next step that needs to be incorporated is to successfully connect with the prospective partners and to find the right charities and service based organizations. Here it is essential to get in touch with the local authorities and the organisations and to get into some form of contracts of working together on various charitable goals (Kaye). Here it is important to set u goals for the youth to be able to achieve. By doing

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Thalia, Muse Of Comedy Essay Example for Free

Thalia, Muse Of Comedy Essay Venue is defined simply as the appropriate place of trial. In criminal cases, fairness and convenience to the defendants are the underlying policy in determining venue. It has been often ruled that the basic requirement of placing venue in the district wherein the crime has been committed must be determined from the nature of the crime alleged and the location of the act or acts constituting it. However, courts must consider such factors as convenience of and fairness to the defendants and witnesses and the prompt administration of justice in setting venue and considering motions for the change of venue. Questions of venue in criminal cases are not merely matters of formal legal procedure. They raise deep issues of public policy in the light of which legislation must be construed (United States v. Johnson cited in VENUE- Cases). In order to comply with this public policy, courts will allow a change of venue if injustice will result and prejudice so great will exist against the defendant or if the procurement of witnesses will be difficult if no change of venue will be made. The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure allows a change of venue upon three instances, to wit: upon the judges own motion, upon motion of the state prosecution, and upon the defendants own motion (Chapter 31). On the other hand, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure allows change of venue for trial only upon defendants own motion (Rule 21). Curiously, the Federal Rules only allow change of venue for prejudice and for convenience on the part of the defendant alone, and only upon his own motion. On the other hand, the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure allows change of venue not only for the convenience and to avoid prejudice against the defendant but also to afford a fair and impartial trial to the State and upon the motion of the judge or of the state prosecution. The inevitable conclusion is that the Federal Rules seek to afford a fair and impartial trial in favor of the accused alone in interpreting the public policy behind the determination of venue in criminal trials, while the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure seeks to afford a fair and impartial trial in favor of both the State and the accused in determining the venue in criminal cases. References Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Retrieved from the world wide web on Nov. 22, 2007. http://www. law. cornell. edu/rules/frcrmp/Rule21. html. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Retrieved from the world wide web on Nov. 22, 2007. http://tlo2. tlc. state. tx. us/cgi-bin/cqcgi. Zalman, Marvin. Venue-Cases. Retrieved from the world wide web Nov. 22, 2007. http://law. jrank. org/pages/2247/Venue. html.

Monday, October 14, 2019

What Is Advertising Theory?

What Is Advertising Theory? We live in a consumerist society. That is a known fact. We are surrounded by ads that say Buy this now. You will save time and money or Do you want your skin to be softer? Try this body cream and you will have the much-wanted baby skin!. And even though some of us ignore the fact that we are, indeed, the victims of these carefully planned slogans which mingle with some eye-catching images, we, the readers of advertisements, interact with them and construct meaning from particular given elements the visual signs that represent something familiar with which readers associate, or the language of the ad that can be related, as Angela Goddard states, with any piece of literature, using fully the resources of language and inviting creative and subtle readings from their users. With this statement, Goddard makes the first approach in the long debate concerning whether ads can be seen as literature or not (1998: 15). In the process of trying to define the ad we stumble upon an inconvenient truth: we are unable to answer the question What is an ad? with anything but it tries to persuade us to buy something, and we do not take into consideration how it does that and by what means we are tricked and that the advertising industry means more than just selling a product. That is the reason why linguists became involved in this subject, as well as sociologists or sociolinguists, psychologists and even anthropologists. The study of advertising is, therefore, taken to another level: linguists came to study and analyze the verbal language and have come to a certain point in their research to say that we can talk about a genre of discourse in advertising; sociologists keep studying nowadays the impact ads have on society and how they contribute to the way people and readers of advertising interpret and build their world and their beliefs and the degree to which we define our identities under the influence of the omnipresent ads. Advertisements are not only a tool used to compel people on an economic territory, but also a kind of tool used to conquer people socially, psychologically and culturally. According to Davidson (1992: 6) studying advertising quickly and inevitably means studying how we read language, images, myths and how it is we build out of them our sense of who we are. From this perspective, ads not only help to sell things (White, 2000: 5), but their existence defines gender construction or stimulates the audience to develop their interest by creating new meanings. In the discussion about some theoretical issues of the advertisement, it must be mentioned that the ad always has an audience and we may call it addressee(s) while the addresser(s) is the one who sends the message (to buy a product, to apply to a service, to support some charity organization, etc) through language (slogans, short texts, etc) and visual tools (Goddard, 1998: 7) Throughout the evolution of advertising, defenders of its effects on society contradicted with those who claimed that ads have a dreadful effect on how one relates to a certain ad and constructs a world around a sold idea. It is partially true that advertisements may have a negative influence in unfolding gender stereotypes and shaping consumers lives on certain levels. A relevant example given by the non-believers is that ads continuously cultivate low self-esteem among young girls exposed to huge billboards showing a girl with a perfect body, perfect shiny hair and perfect skin, making them long for an idea of beauty which is not real at all and manipulating them to buy those products advertised to get that kind of hair or that kind of skin. With this, advertising theorists developed the idea that advertisements come to fill in a much bigger need of comfort, thus improving the corporate image of the company in order to create the icon of a trustworthy and benevolent firm (Brierley, 1995: 43). Its defenders used the argument that not all advertising is deceiving people into buying certain kinds of products, but some advertisements are based on social change and use true stories or/and shocking images to create a (positive) impact on society, aiming constantly at changing the way in which people behave: here we can mention the anti-smoking, healthy eating or anti-drug campaigns, which try to shock people by presenting statistics that show the death rate among smokers or drug users or aim to touch the emotional level by telling the stories of the ones in one of the mentioned situations, for successful advertising appeals both to the head and to the heart, to reason and emotions (Beatson, 1986: 265). Finally, advertising is defended as being a form of artistic expression (Leiss, 1997: 3) and contributing to a certain level to the education of the people, teaching them how to behave and what to think, feel, believe, fear and desire and what not to. (Kellner, 1995 : 5). Advertising must always be theorized according to the development of society towards this consumerist culture that exists nowadays. Therefore, one cannot talk about the impact of advertisements only economically. The evolution of the individual within the advertising culture must also be taken into consideration. In the historical evolution of advertising, one can identify the process of constructing gender identities in society. The most world-wide discussed example we can mention to sustain this idea is the evolution of the image of women in society, from the male supremacy towards the emancipation of women. The researchers in the advertising field stated that this evolution of gender identities must always be related to its context. That is the reason why a sexist ad from the 50s could easily cause laughter, because it no longer relates to the cultural context nowadays. Theorists of advertising conclude that another issue which we must take into consideration when analyzing an ad is the context. Linguists came and said that there is more to take into account when advertising analysts decide the context of the advertisement; according to Guy Cook (1992: 1) context includes also the following: substance, music and picture, paralanguage, situation, co-text, inter-text, participants and function, and, therefore, the correct approach in the study of ads must consider these features too. Cooks holistic definition of the ad (Cook, 1992: 2-6) comes as a breath of fresh air after decades in which specialists ignored the fact that the ad is an interaction of elements and linguists who analyzed the language of the advertisement ignored the picture which comes with it and which also contributes to the construction of meaning. What will an ad look like without the picture? I agree with Cooks idea that elements interact in an advertisement and that the first contact we have with the ad is through the visual tools and only after that do we stop and read what is written under the image. One cannot just simply leave behind the meaning of the picture, because it can be integrated in the sphere of the context. Let us take as example an ad in which two or more people who seem to have different nationalities are shaking hands and smiling gathered at a big table and maybe celebrating something. The readers, at first, interpret this visual information and they do not expect to read u nder this image something about a dreadful event, but they associate the people shaking hands with friendship, peace or something positive; and just after that do they come to read about a charity organization. As Cook states, we cannot just cut out important pieces from the ad, because the meaning of the entire campaign is based on how these elements interact with one another and thus sell the idea or the product. Linguists have launched different theories concerning the new type of discourse that ads use. Even though ads are seen as ephemeral discourses, one cannot ignore the long-lasting impact they have. The debate is taken further at the point of discussing whether ads can be seen as literature. So, can we answer the question What is advertising? by claiming that advertising is a new type of literature? Some specialists state that ads use creativity to stimulate people to read between the lines and find the hidden message and, of course, here they refer to the use of narrative techniques. But some of them also claim that it is impossible to put the label literature on any piece of text produced and that there are certain characteristics that a text must have to be literature. So, both parts have come to a consensus, to create a middle category for ads, and include them in the new sub-literary genres (Cook, 1992: Foreword). Ads still being considered the exception and debates still being ar gued, we cannot totally associate literature with ads. Whatever history the field of advertising has, there is an absolute truth about its changeability. Ads change over time, change being influenced by the social and cultural context. Since the 1900s advertising has changed massively, first because of the technological progress that enables ads to be delivered worldwide through radio, media or through the Internet, commercials being delivered in ways that were beyond belief decades ago; and, on the other hand, due to the changes undergone by society and its cultural values which ads have changed enormously. The public changed its identity, and advertising companies reinvented old ads and updated them to suite the new world. Here we can give the example of brands like Schweppes, Coca-Cola, Dove, and so on and so forth. If we have a look, for example, at a Dove ad from 1955, when the company made its debut, and a 2010 Dove ad we find the old one rather simple, plain we could say, because the cultural context has changed and, thus, the com pany nowadays sustains in its ads this battle between natural beauty and the artificial one, real women vs. supermodels. Cook identifies two levels at which one could observe the evident changes of the ads, one is at the lower level of substance, surroundings, mode and paralanguage, and also at the level of text (Cook, 1992:179); the lower level of substance has been partially covered before, but at the text level we can see a change in the accompanying discourses, because within 50 years there has been a shift from print ads accompanied by stories to very short discourses, nowadays, advertising companies claiming that they would rather use slogans that are short and easily remembered. This change happened mainly because people have nowadays a different life- style, and are not interested in reading a one page ad text or, they probably no longer have the time to do so. Ogilvy claims that we have lost the pleasure of reading advertisements, the pleasure of being captivated by the wit ty, tricky story of a product. Here is an example of the changes in the print ads of The Coca-Cola Company: Then Printed vintage Coca-Cola ad Now Ads as a discourse type Different theoretical approaches have generated a variety of definitions of the concept of discourse, but each of them had as a starting point the concept of language and how language is used in particular situations. Various texts are explored within the field of discourse analysis which is based on examining the way in which meanings are created throughout the text and studying language in its cultural form. Researchers have used the concept of text separate from the one of discourse, due to the common belief that when we talk about a text we strictly refer to the written language and that discourse is strictly limited to the spoken area of language. The modern theorists of language introduced the theory that the concept of text includes many other utterances and statements, so that we can put the label text on almost any magazine article, interview or conversation we stumble upon everyday. In Dresslers view, a text is a communicative event that must accomplish the following seven criteria: Cohesion representing the relationship between text and syntax and the use of phenomena such as ellipsis, anaphora, recurrence or conjunction. Coherence which has to do with the meaning of the text. Intentionality representing the attitude and purpose of the speaker or writer. Acceptability concerning the role of the reader or of the hearer to asses the relevance of the important information of a text. Informativity referring to the quality of the new information. Situationality representing the importance of the situation in which the text is produced. Intertextuality which refers to the fact that a text is related to some other discourses. Discourse analysts have always given a more important role to the external factors, believing that they play a significant part in communication. Cook sustains this idea that discourse analysis is not concerned with language alone (1992: 1) and makes the difference between text and context, the first having linguistic forms, separated from context for the purposes of analysis, and the second including, in the case of advertisements all of the following (Cook,1992: 4) : à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · substance: the physical material of the text. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · music and pictures. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · paralanguage: referring to all the accompanying language (gestures, facial expression, or the size of the letters in writing). à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · situation: the relations of objects and people in the surroundings of the text, as seen by the participants. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · co-text: which refers to the text which precedes or follows that under analysis, and which readers/listeners judge to belong to the same discourse. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · intertext: refers to the text which the readers/listeners perceive as belonging to other discourse, but which they associate with the text under consideration and which affects their interpretation. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · participants: each participant is at the same time a part of the context and an observer of it. Participants are usually described as senders, addressers, addressees and receivers. The sender of a message is not always the same as the addresser. Neither is the receiver always the addressee, the person for whom it is intended. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · function: which refers to what the text is intended to do by the senders and addressers, or perceived to do by the receivers and addressees. In order to establish the type of discourse advertisements use, we need to focus first on the field of discourse analysis and see how the ads have been perceived and received into the sphere. James Paul Gee states that the area of discourses can be seen as an institution and prompts us to imagine that we have a giant map. Each discourse is represented on the map like a country, but with movable boundaries that you can slide around a bit and we move the boundaries of the discourse areas on the map around in negotiation with others (Gee, 1999: 22). That is the reason why some types of discourses seem to be hybrids; because of this continuously interaction between them and the contestable boundaries. The only difference between one discourse and another is the grammar they use; grammar as referring to what linguists have named for a long time now as collocational patterns. In the advertising area these patterns signal the type of social language (informal/formal) used to achieve somethi ng like the customers attention and curiosity. Ads caught the attention of the linguists first because they were an evidence of the fact that language is always in context, and second because their discourse was complex, sometimes associated with that of literature, always holding out more to be analysed. According to Cook, describing advertising as a discourse is both more complete and more difficult than the approaches which separate out components of ads, underline a few, and ignore the rest (Cook, 1992: 2). This approach was summed up in Figure 1 by Cook who also believes that the ad is not a stable entity and that any change that occurs at any level, the whole discourse changes (Cook, 1992: 6): Figure 1 Interaction of elements in ads. There are many categories of discourses, or discourse types, which surround us at any time. Some of them are perceived as conversations, others as news bulletins, gossip, jokes, games, lessons, etc. The categories can be drawn further on, but they all merge and defy the same purpose. It is the cultural background that makes us to separate the discourses into units, to give those units names, and to assign them categories (Cook, 1992: 10). Discourse types also cover the area of non verbal communication, and here we can include the category of advertisements discourse. Ads usually have at least a representative slogan, and/or a text sustaining the product advertised. But this is not a general rule. The importance of these non verbal elements depends and varies from spectator to spectator. There are ads without language which have a greater impact through the image associated with what is being promoted, and there are ads in which language plays a subordinate part. When it comes to define what type of discourse ads embody, specialists find themselves in difficulty. It should not be that way, since we are surrounded by them and they represent a conspicuous discourse type in almost all contemporary societies. Cook is among the first linguists to overcame traditionally bias when it comes to define the ad. When trying to distinguish ads from other discourses, he states that people tend to put in the first place as the major qualifying facet the function of the ads. This is because they simply see the surface aim: to convince people to buy a certain product. But ads are not discourses simply related to that universally known purpose, they also are discourses which do not try to sell anything, but advocate a cause, or sustain a campaign. The ads can also be seen according to their intention to inform, misinform, warn or simply amuse the reader. If one considers that the only function is to persuade people, that person leaves a great amount of information aside. For example, if a non-smoker receives ads for cigarettes, or a person who has limited funds receives an ad for a brand-new, expensive, ecologically car, it is clear that the receiver of these ads will know that they are certainly not for him. But this does not mean that those ads do not say anything to the receiver. This is the reason why Cook understands the function from two different perspectives: the function which the sender intends the discourse to have may not be the same as the function it actually does have for the receiver (Cook, 1992: 14). The receiver can use the cigarette ad in a further discussion about smoking/non-smoking. These changes in the function of advertisements are due to the fact that, with ads, there is no single sender and receiver, because ads are not created by a single individual, neither are they the expression of one unique, universal message for the receivers. Advertising is a difficult genre to describe, because it is very wide and merges with other genres; it is Cooks idea of the interactional features in an ad. Every text, as Roland Barthes argued in one of his works, is a multidimensional space in which a variety of writings blend and clash (Barthes, 1977: 146). Donald Matheson studied further this premise and states that according to the intertextual theory, one must ask himself three kinds of questions about all ads and, indeed, all texts: The first one is about identity, and as Barthes noted, a writers work is about the point where that writer puts himself/herself to what has already been told. Matheson uses this theory at a more general level and states that by using language with a particular history, we are placing ourselves, the messages and meanings we produce, in a particular relation to society and culture (Matheson, 2005: 46). A second kind of question concerns the social struggle, which in Mathesons terms is the struggle to re-accent language that has been tied to particular interests before. One can analyze further on the social component of a particular sign to trace its impact and workings on the society. A third and final question refers to the role of media (such as advertising) in shaping shared repertories of intertexts in society. For example, when a passerby sees the following beer advertisement, he/she will immediately make the connection with the popular saying An apple a day, keeps the doctor away. Alluding to other texts is a valuable technique for advertisers. First, it requires a certain degree of cognitive work from consumers and, as rhetorical analysts argue, the more work people have to do to get a meaning, the further they go through the path a particular text is trying to lead them, the more active they collaboration with the texts meaning is. In the text ads carry with them, their receivers recognize previous ways of talking, especially ways which have been solidified over time and used into genres, and these guide them as to how they should fit the elements of the ad together to form larger meaningful units. Fairclough (1995: 55) argues that we can identify social change and challenges of the social structures to this generic heterogeneity. A particular text can draw upon the language of another genre, or it may perform some of the functions of another genre, and also it mat draw upon the graphic form of another genre (Cook, 1992: 46, describes a Hamlet cigar ad that plays with the British Channel 4 station logo). The ad opens up quite unique and specific identity for its readers/viewers. The reference to other texts is sometimes ironic, so we are being asked by those types of ads to be ironic readers and take a critical standpoint towards media. According to Matheson, before an advertisement can create a desire for a product, it must first create a sense of inadequacy which that desire will fill in Matheson (2002: 48). Advertising works not only when people notice the ads, but when they change their behaviour, preferences and their habits in line with the ad. The goal of advertisements is first to participate in the foundation of peoples lifestyles, of their everyday activities and their understanding of themselves and the world that surrounds them. Cooks study concerning the prototypes, not definitive components of ads resulted in the identification of ads as being embedded in an accompanying discourse, foregrounding connotational meaning, thus effecting fusion between different spheres. Adv ertisements abound in intertextual references, this hypothesis being at the core of Cooks metaphorical definition of parasitic ads: appropriating and existing thorough the voices of other discourses (Cook, 1992: 176). In his study, Cook (1992: 12) heightens the following question: since discourse types may be described in terms of their social function, and vice versa, societies may be categorized in terms of the types of discourses they use, where do we place the advertising discourse? Foucault (1971) argues that a culture represent the sum of its orders of discourse. In this position, advertisements occupy a dual position: they help create a new global culture and a new type of discourse, and also it reflects the differences between cultures. The study of advertisements not only draws attention upon language facts, but they give a great amount of information regarding the cultural and social development of a particular civilization. To define what type of discourse advertisements use it is necessary to notice the attitudes towards this discourse. In this respect, ads are the most controversial of all contemporary discourses, partly because it is relatively new and studies and theories keep comin g to light, and partly because it is associated with the market economy from nowadays which helps the advertising corporations to thrive. Attempts to define ads as a discourse type run into different approaches and theories. One of these theories sustains that analysts must consider first the individual meaning of each of the word, and it was developed by Professor Eleanor Rosch and was named the prototype theory (Rosch, 1977: 34). Her research suggests that we choose or understand a word by referring to a mental representation of a typical instance (Rosch, 1977: 41). That given entity can be a bird, she states, and its image will depend on its resemblance to our prototype of a bird. This will vary from culture to culture, and individual to individual. Rosch states that a typical bird for Europeans can be a sparrow, while for the most North Americans is perhaps a robin. We are less likely to identify with the word from the category, if a particular instance does not match with our prototype. This approach, if applied to the debate of defining ads, simplifies the definition, because discourses that are described as ads, but do not share these prototypical elements of an ad, will no longer make the subject of further analysis. But the prototypical ad varies between a community, individuals and of course periods of time. Another theory that was launched first by Cook (1992) has as a starting point the fact that in order to fulfill its aims, advertising discourse use strategies, especially textual-discursive strategies, and makes use of techniques of manipulation of the language, words, creates ambiguity and also addresses to the emotional and personal feelings of the individual. That is why these discourses are more difficult to pin down. It is because their changing and hybrid nature. The language of advertisements, which linguists state that attests a deviation from the linguistic forms, employs both direct and indirect convincing techniques. In order to achieve their communicative effect, sometimes ad discourses appear ambiguous or use contradictory statements. In the process of constructing ads discourses, the signifier and the signified relationship, in the terms of Saussure (1959), is somehow twisted, misrepresented. In advertising discourses the arbitrariness of sign takes over and the old law s disappear. For example, cohesion, according to Vestargaard and Schroder (1985), ceases to exist in the advertising language, and is replaced by the interpretation of the advertisement message that demands coherence from the point of view of the consumer, and his understanding of that message.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Death Penalty: Justifiable Essay -- essays research papers

The Death Penalty: Justifiable -Preface: Let it be noted now that this speech is very opinionated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I strongly believe that the Death Penalty is a form of punishment to be used when needed. Which opens up the question, when should it be used? That may be the breaking point in a lot of arguments, deciding when to use the death penalty is a very touchy subject. I believe that only murderers deserve the death penalty, but I do not believe that all murderers should receive it as punishment. In cases where someone was killed in self defense, the 'murderer' should not receive the death penalty. But when someone is killed in cold blood then there should be a consideration. Again, not all cold blooded murderers should receive it. Premeditated and sometimes on the spot murders are also candidates, but that depends on how the victim was treated before the murder. Was he/she abused or tormented in a severe way? Or was the victim raped? I would also take into account, the number of people killed by the murderer. Those are not the only things to take into account, but I will stop here.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was August 3, the year was 1986. A man named Esquel Banda had just raped, stabbed and strangled a 74 year old widow by the name of Merle Laird in her own house. Banda then sucked the blood from the woman's mouth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Does that describe a kind, gentle man, who is not a threat to society? A ma...

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Hard Tmes Essay -- Papers

Hard Tmes Snakes....specialists of deception. They enter our lives unnoticed and set out to accomplish evil plans. Snakes are twisters. Like a rattle snake, it attracts your attention with its tail then at the last moment strikes a venomous blow only to see you fall from the point you have risen. Snakes challenge your choice with sneaky tricks and can even lure you to disobey God. If that isn't enough I have to also cope with the stress of school, the racism in the community and the obsession that a young man gets for the opposite sex. My problems may seem little, but even the smallest thing can be a factor of what has caused a scared and frightened teenager to hate the world. I've always seen myself as me. Steve Marshall. An averaged height, not really popular, sixteen year old Afro-Caribbean who's often discriminated against by narrow minded child like people because of his race, a boy who likes to take good pride in himself because there is no-one else to do it for him. I mean my father has never been there for me, nothing but broken promises and lies which hurts me so much, but not even the pain that I bare could ever deny me loving him. The only thing that may seem unusual about me is the fact that I am often sick and I have to take three pills a day to keep me healthy. Ms Ramstad a.k.a Peaches or mum, well step-mum; after all she is married to my dad. She tries her hardest to look after me but I think she believes that she doesn't have the same authority over me like my real mother would. My dad abandoned us when I was young and ever since Peaches has struggled and tried her best to cope on minimum wages with the responsib... ...car me with those huge needles. No way, that would have never happened, but I do give it to Steve the disease he was successful in his mission. He was the toughest snake my life has ever handled, and the biggest factor to my demise. Yes that's right my demise. He has knocked me off my Pedestal and climbed right up. That can only mean that he has successfully taken my place. He should be me. Well everything I ever wanted to be. Now I have realized that the world is full of lying cheating and backstabbing people, so who can blame a broken teenager for hating the world. Even though he isn't here now Steve the disease belongs in this world not me. So this is the last chapter in the diary of my life. The life of Steve Marshall before I commit the tragic event called suicide. I really can't go on through all these HARDTIMES.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Frankenstein †Knowledge As A Force Essay

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein brings out a very prominent and unavoidable theme: the dangers of knowledge. It is often said that there is nothing wrong with learning new things, but Shelley makes it a point to prove that wrong. Dr. Frankenstein’s voracious and successful approach to necromancy proves that very distinctly. Though the novel does not explicitly state that there are things best left to higher powers, the novel does highlight, very pointedly, that a man should act as such, and should not interfere with either that which he is not meant to, or that which opposes the natural way of things. Dr. Frankenstein does both. It is not a matter of controversy that humans are not meant to play God, and reanimating a corpse constructed from the remains of various other corpses falls very firmly in the realm of actions classifiable as both unethical and unnatural. Effectively, the entire book may be paraphrased, as â€Å"Dr. Frankenstein was a perfectly cheerful student, u ntil he played God, following which, his entire life crashed around him, and he lost virtually everyone and everything he loved.† Shelley does not explicitly state that there are things solely in the realm of God, but the books makes it clear nonetheless that some things were made to transcend human knowledge, and that violating this law will have natural and terrible consequences. Shelley wishes, then, to paint knowledge as a formidable force that should be approached with intense caution. Her Frankenstein is a warning. Three of the prominent characters in the novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton and the monster, all share a thirst for knowledge that ultimately leads to downfall in one way or another. Shelly, in her novel, portrayed how Victor’s journey to seek knowledge led to a life of misery and sadness. Even upon meeting Walton, Victor says, â€Å"You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been†(Shelly 62). Although this quote only implies that his downfall was due to the monster, in reality, his downfall began long before even the monster was created, as evidenced by Victor’s (literally) inhumane quest for knowledge. From a very early age, Victor Frankenstein had a thirst for knowledge. He was captivated by the sciences; he spent all his time just studying from the work of the older scientists. In the university, when he was told that all his time spent studying has been a waste, as new discoveries have been made, he became angry. Ironically, his obsession with science became even stronger and he devoted his life acquiring even greater knowledge. This obsession was where it all began. Victor’s quest for knowledge was a selfish quest of sabotage; his obsession to create a life form was so deep that he ignored everyone he knew. This thirst to surge beyond the accepted human limits and access the secret of life led to one disaster after another. Similarly, Robert Walton desires knowledge beyond limits. Walton’s quest to reach the northernmost part of the earth is similar in spirit to Victor’s quest for the secret of life: both seek ultimate knowledge, and both sacrifice the comfort of the realm of known knowledge in their respective pursuits. When Walton says, â€Å"What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?†(Shelly 50). It becomes certain that Walton is ready to surpass any limit for the pursuit of total knowledge. Light in this context, is a symbol for goodness and knowledge. If we closely examine, we discover that Robert Walton possess the same desires as Victor Frankenstein, and can be addressed as â€Å"a potential Frankenstein, another man . . . seeking out ultimate knowledge by conquering the world’s uncharted regions†(Claridge 85). Victor, seeing Walton having the same thirst, warns him; â€Å"Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow†(Shelly 81). Knowledge not only destroys Victor Frankenstein’s life but also of the monster. Firstly, He was the creation of Frankenstein’s desire to gain knowledge. He would have never come to life if Frankenstein had control over his obsession. Secondly, the monster delves deeper into sadness when he acquires knowledge the world has to offer him â€Å"I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me; I tried to dispel them, but  sorrow only increased with knowledge. Oh, that I had forever remained in my native wood, nor known nor felt beyond the sensations of hunger, thirst, and heat!† (Shelly 146). If the monster did not have any knowledge, he would have felt none of the emotions or reflections that people have inflicted upon him. Finally, the greatest impact of the monster’s actions is due to the knowledge that of him alone in the world â€Å"I am an unfortunate and deserted creature, I look around and I have no relation or friend upon earth. These amiable people to whom I go have never seen me and know little of me. I am full of fears, for if I fail there, I am an outcast in the world forever, without any love or affection†(Shelly 158), this knowledge, beyond his basic sensations, makes him a so-called â€Å"Monster† and the cause of all mayhem. This, conclusively, is Mary Shelley’s severe warning to the reader. It is a strict warning to the reader to remain humane and reasonable in their quest for knowledge. The text, then, also professes a deep romanticism in that it shows, very clearly, that one should not stray from that which is natural. It preaches that things are exactly how they are, but also warns that knowledge is not something to be trifled with. The text also carries with it, a long standing theme of consequences; Victor defied nature and raised the monster, and it then seemed like everything around Victor was dedicated to driving him to depression or death. Eventually, defying nature got the better of him and he died, desolate and alone, away from his home, and nature claimed yet another human that defied it.