Design models of Facebook and Safari Research Paper

Design models of Facebook and Safari - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that Google Chrome and Safari belong in the category of the client/server structure as they have servers that provide services to subsystems, which are clients. Every client has known how the interface of the server looks like but the server has no use knowing how the interface of the client looks like. The response of the server to the client and vice versa is immediate. The end users do not need to be involved in any kind of interactions with the server and therefore all interactions are limited to the client. The client enables the user to input data into the system and then takes over the processing of the data input. The use of this kind of architecture is to enable the creation of a user-friendly application for the client. The server, on the other hand, manages the data from a centralized location and takes care of the security of the database. This model structure, however, has a flow as there is no peer to peer communication betwee n the server and the client. Peer to peer communication is a necessity in this kind of structure and often needed. Dropbox, icloud, Instagram and Google drive belong to the architectural style of peer to peer where the servers and clients can be peers and clients can be servers while at the same time servers can be clients. Microsoft PowerPoint belongs to the repository architectural style where subsystems have the ability to access and modify any data using a solitary structure called the repository.

The Presence of Fear in Lord of the Flies Essay Example for Free

The Presence of Fear in Lord of the Flies Essay The presence of fear in Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies is a relatively short book, but within its small amount of text William Golding is able to do much more than tell an exciting story. He digs deep into human nature and the natural corruption in peoples souls. He specifically explores the impact that fear has on people and how it makes them act. In Goldings eyes, humans are doomed just as the children on the island are, and that is because of fear. He believes that just the presence of terror causes people to overreact and lose common sense, tearing away at the bonds that hold society together. In an attempt to calm or soothe their worries, people end up separating, singling out others and letting their inner savage take over, leaving themselves in an even worse situation. In Lord of the Flies, fear slowly drives all common sense and civility out of the boys and brings them back to a state of savagery. The boys are scared from the beginning of the novel. At first, they are too excited about having an island to themselves to dwell upon their insecurities, but nonetheless they are there. The fear is not openly shown or discussed, but the boys are already subconsciously trying to cover it up. The boys do such things such as singling out Piggy in an attempt to make themselves feel more powerful and in control. Then, Jack pulls a knife on the piglet to try to show power and also to try to show immunity to fear, however, when he did so his face was white under the freckles. (31). Jack is already trying to act tough but at this point this cover that he puts on to hide from the fear has not reached nearly the point of savagery that it does later in the story. It is not until the first fire that the boys begin to openly show fear and even then they quickly change the subject. The cause of this realization of reality is that one of the littleuns disappears. The idea of making a rescue fire is so exciting that they let it get out of control. When the fire burns out they realize that one of the children is missing. When asked what has happened to the child with the mark on his face Ralph replies by saying Perhaps he went back to the, the-. . He knows what has happened, the boy was burned to death, but he does not want to admit it. This is like a wakeup call for the boys and they start to see the reality and the dangers of the situation. As the novel continues the fear is progressively growing in all of the children. By page 59, the fear of not knowing what would happen to them and if they would ever be rescued had grown to the point where the littleuns suffered from untold terrors in the dark and they huddled together for comfort. The littleuns were certainly afraid but had no way to really explain their fear or anything to blame it on. It is for this reason that they subconsciously create the beast. At first the biguns are too old and mature to believe in this beast. They realize that it is a figment of the littleuns imaginations and dont give it much thought. However, as their fear of being alone and not being rescued grows, so does their need for something concrete to aim their insecurities toward and to distract them from their real problem. This causes the biguns to begin to lose their common sense and to believe in the beast as well. Simon sees this, but when he tells the others maybe its only us, (89) referring to the beast; he is laughed off. The other boys will not even consider Simons ideas because they have convinced themselves that the beast is reality. As their fear grows so does their image of the beast, and unfortunately their savagery grows as well. This is most evident in Jack. When he is hunting he feels powerful. He is in control and he loves it. Hunting starts to become more than just a food source, it becomes his life. Not only does his hunting activity increase in frequency, it also becomes more and more vicious.

The Brain Pacemaker Essay -- Medical Science

Introduction The brain pacemaker is an interesting invention of the modern technology, it is a medical device that is fixed into the brain to send electroshock signals into the targeted tissues of the brain. This device is used to treat patients who suffer from Epilepsy, it controls their seizures, and helps Parkinson's disease patients better control their movements. Parkinson's disease affects the way you move. It happens when there is a problem with certain nerve cells in the brain. Plus, it treats major depression. What is it? It is a surgical treatment that involves the implantation of a medical device that is either placed in the brain or outside. It sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain. When it placed in the brain this treatment is called deep brain stimulation. And when it is placed out side the brain or near the spinal cord it is called spinal cord stimulation, there is another place where it can be placed outside which is around cranial nerves such as the vagus nerve and it is called vagus nerve stimulation. How it works? The doctor drills into the skull of the patient who remains awake during operation two holes, they are the size of a coin. Only that area is anesthetized to keep it numb during surgery. Surgeons then uses computed tomography (CT) scanning to locate the exact targeted area, and then implant two thin wires with electrode contacts near the Cg25 area of the brain. In the area where they believe is causing the patient's disorder. Generally, these targets are the thalamus, subthalamic nucleus, and globus pallidus. Then they stitch the loose end of the wires under the skin and attach it to the pacemaker device, which is fixed near the collarbone. In some cases it may be implante... ...rchers found that when Parkinson's patients received brain stimulation, they had trouble making hard decisions. ? Because the brain can shift slightly during surgery, there is the possibility that the electrodes can become displaced or dislodged this might cause some problems such as personality changes. ? There are other complications of surgery, such as bleeding within the brain. Conclusion The brain is the center of thought, emotion, memory, speech, and many more, and it is the most sophisticated organ in the human body. By it doctors were able to help patients who suffer from Epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and sever depressions by inserting a device called brain pacemaker. It has already helped many patients to overcome their problems. But scientists are still experimenting in making this device more advanced to reduce the number of risks it may cause. The Brain Pacemaker Essay -- Medical Science Introduction The brain pacemaker is an interesting invention of the modern technology, it is a medical device that is fixed into the brain to send electroshock signals into the targeted tissues of the brain. This device is used to treat patients who suffer from Epilepsy, it controls their seizures, and helps Parkinson's disease patients better control their movements. Parkinson's disease affects the way you move. It happens when there is a problem with certain nerve cells in the brain. Plus, it treats major depression. What is it? It is a surgical treatment that involves the implantation of a medical device that is either placed in the brain or outside. It sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain. When it placed in the brain this treatment is called deep brain stimulation. And when it is placed out side the brain or near the spinal cord it is called spinal cord stimulation, there is another place where it can be placed outside which is around cranial nerves such as the vagus nerve and it is called vagus nerve stimulation. How it works? The doctor drills into the skull of the patient who remains awake during operation two holes, they are the size of a coin. Only that area is anesthetized to keep it numb during surgery. Surgeons then uses computed tomography (CT) scanning to locate the exact targeted area, and then implant two thin wires with electrode contacts near the Cg25 area of the brain. In the area where they believe is causing the patient's disorder. Generally, these targets are the thalamus, subthalamic nucleus, and globus pallidus. Then they stitch the loose end of the wires under the skin and attach it to the pacemaker device, which is fixed near the collarbone. In some cases it may be implante... ...rchers found that when Parkinson's patients received brain stimulation, they had trouble making hard decisions. ? Because the brain can shift slightly during surgery, there is the possibility that the electrodes can become displaced or dislodged this might cause some problems such as personality changes. ? There are other complications of surgery, such as bleeding within the brain. Conclusion The brain is the center of thought, emotion, memory, speech, and many more, and it is the most sophisticated organ in the human body. By it doctors were able to help patients who suffer from Epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and sever depressions by inserting a device called brain pacemaker. It has already helped many patients to overcome their problems. But scientists are still experimenting in making this device more advanced to reduce the number of risks it may cause.

Manatees :: essays research papers

Manatee, common name for each of three species of a large water mammal, popularly called a sea cow because it grazes on marine grasses and other water plants. The Amazonian manatee ranges throughout the Amazon River basin in South America; the West African manatee occurs in rivers and coastal waters of tropical West Africa; and the West Indian, or Caribbean, manatee is found in rivers and coastal waters from the southeastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean Sea and northeastern Brazil. An adult manatee has a rounded body, usually colored light to dark gray or black, that tapers to a horizontally flattened, rounded tail. It is 2.5 to 4.5 m (8 to 14 ft) long, depending on the species, and weighs 200 to 600 kg (440 to 1300 lb). The small head includes a straight snout and a cleft upper lip with bristly hairs. Its nostrils, set on the upper surface of the snout, are closed tightly by valves when the animal is under water. The paddlelike forelimbs are set close to th e head; no external hind limbs exist. Massive, heavy bones and long, narrow lungs, which extend through the entire body cavity, give the manatee evenly distributed buoyancy. A manatee cow gives birth about a year after mating; usually a single, pink calf is born.Manatees live in small family groups, although they occasionally travel in herds of 15 to 20. They feed in both freshwater and salt water, grazing for six to eight hours a day. An adult consumes an amount equal to between 5 and 10 percent of its body weight daily. Manatees have a slower metabolism than other mammals of similar size, which sharply reduces their energy requirements. This is especially important for Amazonian manatees when waters recede after floods, confining some for extended periods in shallow waters away from plants on river banks. Manatees have few natural enemies because of their size. However, their population has been reduced significantly by heavy hunting for hides, meat, and blubber oil, and they are frequently injured or killed in collisions with boats. Manatees :: essays research papers Manatee, common name for each of three species of a large water mammal, popularly called a sea cow because it grazes on marine grasses and other water plants. The Amazonian manatee ranges throughout the Amazon River basin in South America; the West African manatee occurs in rivers and coastal waters of tropical West Africa; and the West Indian, or Caribbean, manatee is found in rivers and coastal waters from the southeastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean Sea and northeastern Brazil. An adult manatee has a rounded body, usually colored light to dark gray or black, that tapers to a horizontally flattened, rounded tail. It is 2.5 to 4.5 m (8 to 14 ft) long, depending on the species, and weighs 200 to 600 kg (440 to 1300 lb). The small head includes a straight snout and a cleft upper lip with bristly hairs. Its nostrils, set on the upper surface of the snout, are closed tightly by valves when the animal is under water. The paddlelike forelimbs are set close to th e head; no external hind limbs exist. Massive, heavy bones and long, narrow lungs, which extend through the entire body cavity, give the manatee evenly distributed buoyancy. A manatee cow gives birth about a year after mating; usually a single, pink calf is born.Manatees live in small family groups, although they occasionally travel in herds of 15 to 20. They feed in both freshwater and salt water, grazing for six to eight hours a day. An adult consumes an amount equal to between 5 and 10 percent of its body weight daily. Manatees have a slower metabolism than other mammals of similar size, which sharply reduces their energy requirements. This is especially important for Amazonian manatees when waters recede after floods, confining some for extended periods in shallow waters away from plants on river banks. Manatees have few natural enemies because of their size. However, their population has been reduced significantly by heavy hunting for hides, meat, and blubber oil, and they are frequently injured or killed in collisions with boats.

Anti Discriminatory Practice: Gender and sexism

Anti discriminatory practice is about taking positive action to counter discrimination. It is about being pro active and presenting positive images of the diversity of people that make up our society and also challenging any discriminatory or oppressive language and behaviour. There are several kinds of discrimination, such as more commonly known, racism, disablism and ageism. One of the things we do when meeting people is to make assumptions about them. This is partly based on how we see ourselves as similar or different to other people. We may respond to these similarities and differences positively or negatively. This booklet will be looking at gender inequality and how we can perhaps overcome and diverse the discrimination in sexism. SEXISM. The Sex Discrimination Act (SDA) is written in terms of discrimination against women but it applies equally to discrimination against men. These guidelines are written as if the discrimination applies to a woman but they should be read as also applying to a man. There are three types of discrimination which can apply to services. (Source from www. equalopportunitiescommission. o. uk). Direct sex discrimination Where a woman is treated less favourably than a man in similar circumstances because of her sex (s. 1 (1) (a) SDA). It is direct sex discrimination if: * financial institutions insist that a married woman who wants a loan must apply jointly with her husband (unless all married applicants are always required to apply jointly with their partners) Indirect sex discrimination Where a condition or requirement is applied equally to both women and men but, in fact, it adversely affects more women than men and is not genuinely necessary (s. 1 (1)(b) SDA). For example, it may be indirect sex discrimination if: * A mortgage provider only gives mortgages to people who work full-time. Although this condition would apply to both sexes it is likely to adversely affect more women than men since more women work part-time. Many part-time workers are in permanent, secure, well-paid jobs and some can earn more than full-timers, so a refusal to give mortgages or loans solely because the applicant works part-time is unreasonable. Victimisation Where a person has been treated less favourably compared to others because he/she made a complaint of sex discrimination. It also applies to those who assist the person. For example: A woman who took a sex discrimination claim under the employment provisions of the SDA against an amusement arcade was banned from using the facilities of the arcade. Witnesses who appeared for her at the employment tribunal were also banned. The woman and the witnesses would have a claim of victimisation against the owners of the arcade. (www. equalopportunitiescommission. co. uk) GENDER INEQUALITY. Sexism is a set of beliefs, practices and institutional structures which reinforces and is reinforced by patriarchy. A longstanding definition of sexism is: a deep rooted, often unconscious system of beliefs, attitudes and institutions in which distinctions between peoples intrinsic worth are made on the grounds of their sex and sexual roles (in Bullock and Stallybrass, 1977, p. 571). *†The achievement of equality between men and women is a matter of human rights and a condition of social justice†. Fourth UN World Conference on Women, Beijing, September 1995 (Department of Education and Employment, 1995). Sexism operates within a system of patriarchy. Patriarchy is one of the structural dimensions of society which is strongly associated with the sexist culture. This demeans and disempowers women and sows the seeds for the prejudice of women in terms of both attitudes and behaviour. Weber (1947) had used this concept to describe sexism. He used the term â€Å"the law of the father† to refer to the dominance of men within the family. The use of this term however, has been extended to describe the dominance of the males within the employment area and its reflection in the distribution of power. For example in the military forces, technology, universities, science, political and even religious sectors. (Such as the pope is and has always been male). So therefore, this suggests male dominance in most areas. Richard Webb and David Tossell (1999) report the following statements; *Women are an oppressed majority. *They represent up to 51% of the UK population, yet they do not have the same rights as men nor do they have the same access to resources as men do. * Women are less likely to obtain the same sort of jobs as men or positions of power. They earn less then men and are a lot more vulnerable to employment. They tend to be in less prestigious jobs and less secure forms of employment. This is mainly due to the discrimination that women are seen as the main â€Å"carer† role of the genders, being seen as the mother and the role to be the homemaker rather than the breadwinner, which is stereotypically seen as the male role. However, the biological differences within the roles are as such, that men are not able to conceive or give birth to children. Women, however do have that capability in being able to give birth and breast feed children. Barrett and McIntosh have argued that the family is oppressive to women and that it is an anti social institution. (Barrett and McIntosh 1982). They argue that the nuclear family promotes individualistic rather than social or collective values, and its privatised nature excludes those outside of it. *Women do more housework than men. The discriminatory process is known as structural sexism. This begins at birth and is maintained through childhood. Stereotypical roles are played within the family. While society is constantly changing and the attitudes towards equality are constantly being changed the ground in attitudes and beliefs are so firmly rooted the change is only very gradual. The gender role stereotyping in families are still abundant. For example, the mother stays at home to nurture the children whilst the father is out at work providing for the family. The girls tend to follow the role of the mother helping in household chores, such as cleaning and cooking, whilst the boys tend to follow the fathers role in helping fix the car or watching football! These social roles are defined within society, but because of the nature/nurture debate, they do appear to be biological differences and are therefore accepted and appreciated more easily. It is not just a matter of differences within the sexes. Abercrombie et al. 2000) argues that issues of gender (and gender inequality) now occupy a central place in sociological discussion. He quotes: â€Å"Gender is the social aspect of the differentiation of the sexes. Sociological discussion in this area recognises that social rather than biological processes are the key to understanding the position of women (and men) in society. Notions that a woman's biology, such as her capacity to bear children, determined the shape of her life have been replaced by complex debates as to how different social processes interact to produce a great variety of patterns of gender relations. Emphasis shifted towards understanding the diversity of the social practices which constitute gender in different nations, classes and generations. (p. 193). This statement clarifies that there are inevitable differences between the sexes. The roles that societies define are not going to change dramatically because of this huge, yet inconceivably big difference of males and females. Although the roles of women in society are changing in the aspects of work and relationships, the biological aspects of women are always going to remain the same. GENDER STEREOTYPING IN YOUTH GROUPS. The Brownie and Girl Guide Movement was set up as a youth group for girls. Originally, they were named the Rosebuds. The idea behind it was that the girls were fed up that the boys were allowed to have their own group, (the Boy Scouts) and the girls were left out of all the fun. The Rosebuds originally had to do menial feminine tasks, such as cooking, cleaning and sewing for the Scouts. Eventually the girls were not happy with the name Rosebuds and had the name changed to the Girl Guide Movement. The name Rosebuds in itself suggests the sexist views of women and girls, as the name is very feminine. The original tasks the girls had to do were based around helping the Boy Scouts, which also suggests the sexist way in which society viewed girls and women. The ideas and values which were instilled into the girls was that they were the homemakers. The Girl Guides had to make sure they always had their uniform clean and always came â€Å"prepared†. This still is a big motto within the movement. Years ago â€Å"being prepared† meant having certain items in your purse which included a safety pin and small sewing kit. This was not something the Boy Scouts had to do. The earning of badges is encouraged in the Movement as a way of setting up your independence for the future. However, the contrast in the types of tasks involved in the badges between the males and females are still quite divided. There are more homemaking badges within the girl guides, such as textiles, homemaking, which is the cleaning and organising of your home/bedroom for some weeks, childcare badge, tea badge, which involves the preparing of cakes, biscuits and tea for a fundraising event. These are still the most popular badges which are given out to the girl Guides. This is because the values and ideas within the movement have still not changed a huge deal from being the homemaker as they are females. The Movement now as it stands has changed immensely. The Girl Guide movement now encourages independence and camping as the Boy Scouts have been doing for many years. As a voluntary Youth Group the Girl Guide Movement empowers the girls to lead independent lives, encourages social relationships with both sexes, shows positive regard for each young person and provides opportunity for personal growth. This is quite a contrast from the once quite feminine ideas, role forming and principles which were once held. ANTI DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE The way in which this is done is through a number of different policies that the youth leaders have all adhered to within the movement. The following are some suggested guidelines that could be given in order for the Youth group to be effectively run in a way that there may be less discrimination in the group. 1. Respecting individuality. 2. Trusting people 3. Encouraging good interpersonal and communication skills 4. Promoting positive social relationships 5. Young girls being involved in decision making 6. Providing a range of group work and social activities, including community involvement and more involvement within the Scouting activities. 7. The use of youth's meetings to enable people to have an opportunity to influence and assist with planning, especially the young females, who have been previously excluded from or uninvolved in other activities. 8. Principles of inclusion independence and enablement are key issues. Alongside these principles, a staff team that is working together, receiving supervision opportunities for learning and development, is required. Also to understand the need to work collaboratively by supporting multi professional and agency working. I feel that these policies are very important in all work. However with the involvement of young girls and women, it is important not to categorise their roles into somewhat of a homemaker role. To allow the girls to develop and flourish their own ideas and principles within the group they are involved and to develop these attitudes within their home environment is a positive way of diversing the discrimination females have within society.

Kennedy essays

Kennedy essays The 1960's proved to be a period of both social and political upheaval, whereby hippies, college students and the average American attempted to regain some control through their demonstrations. It was a time where the Government seized the rights of the people to maintain some stability in a period of social turmoil. An era in American history with political resistance from other nations was more important to bring stability to then how the American people felt about the whole situation. How could American citizens be fond of a government that does not pay attention to their needs? The only part of the Government that they were fond of was the Executive side of the government: President Kennedy. When our forefathers drew up the constitution, their main aim was to create a government "of the people, for the people, and by the people." However as our country developed, the government strived to control more aspects of its governing body. President Eisenhower warned Americans against the growing Military Industrial Complex in the 1950's, and his premonition proved to be accurate. In the movie JFK, the director Oliver Stone suggests the government was dictating the fate of the world without our consent. It suggests eight possible causes of Kennedys death: the CIA, weapons manufacturers, the Dallas police, the armed forces, the White House, the establishment press, renegade anti-Castro Cubans, and the Mafia. All of these groups have one common goal, to get revenge for their past maltreatment that Kennedy has bestowed upon them. Only the most dominant force could ever kill Kennedy, which in many public opinions was the White House. November 22, 1963 was a day that people will remember for the rest of their lives. John F. Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas, Texas while many adoring Americans watched with disbelief. How could this ever happen to the man that mean so much to our nation? Who could commit such a horrible act tha...

The Unsolved Case of the Zodiac Killer

The Unsolved Case of the Zodiac Killer The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who stalked parts of Northern California from December 1968 through October 1969. Through a series of cryptic letters he sent to the press and others, he disclosed his motivation for the killings, offered clues to future murder plots, and adopted the nickname Zodiac. He took responsibility for murdering as many as 37 people, but police investigators have only confirmed five deaths and seven total attacks.   December 20, 1968   Betty Lou Jensen, 16, and David Arthur Faraday, 17, were parked at a secluded spot located on Lake Herman Road on the eastern side Vallejo, California. Witnesses noticed the young couple huddled together in the front seat of Faradays Rambler station wagon between around 10:15 and 11:00 p.m. Nothing about the couple seemed unusual to bystanders. But by 11:15 the scene had taken a tragic turn. The couple was discovered lying on the ground outside their bullet-riddled car. Betty Lou was found several feet from the car, dead from five gunshot wounds in the back. David was found closeby. He had been shot at close range in the head  but was still breathing. He died  en route to the hospital. Clues Detectives had few clues, aside from the fact that there was an earlier confrontation in the same area. Bill Crow and his girlfriend were parked in the same place as Faraday and Jensen just 45 minutes earlier. Crow told police that someone driving a white Chevy drove past them, stopped, and backed up. For unknown reasons, Crow sped away in the opposite direction. The Chevy turned around and followed the couple, but was unable to keep up after Crow made a sharp right turn at an intersection. Two hunters also reported seeing a white Chevy parked at a gravel turn-around on Lake Herman Road. They approached the car but did not see the driver inside. July 4, 1969   Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin, 22, and Michael Renault Mageau, 19, were parked at the Blue Rock Springs Golf Course in Benicia around midnight. The golf course was four miles from where Jensen and Faraday were gunned down. A car pulled up behind the couples car, blocking them from driving away. A man, who Mageau believed was a police officer, got out of his car holding a bright flashlight that obscured his face. As the stranger approached the drivers side of the car he immediately began shooting at the couple, firing five nine-millimeter rounds into the car. Both Ferrin and Mageau were shot. The shooter turned to leave  but came back after hearing shouts coming from Michael. He fired four more times. One bullet hit Michael and two struck Darlene. The shooter then got into his car and drove away. Within minutes after the attack, three teens came across the couple and hurried to get help. When authorities arrived both Ferrin and Mageau were still alive, but Ferrin died before reaching the hospital. Clues Michael Mageau survived the attack and was able to give a description of the shooter to authorities. He described the attacker as a short, heavyset white man, about 5 8 and around 195 pounds. The Call At 12:40 a.m. an anonymous male caller contacted the Vallejo Police Department and reported the double murder. During the call, he also said he was responsible for the Jensen and Faraday murders. Police traced the call and found it was made from a phone booth located just blocks from the police department and less than a mile from Darlene Ferrins home. The caller told police: I wish to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east on Columbus Parkway to a public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They have been shot by a nine-millimeter Luger. I also killed those kids last year. Good-bye The Zodiac Letters On Friday, August 1, 1969, the first known Zodiac letters were received by three newspapers. The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle,  and Vallejo Times-Herald each received an almost identical letter written by a person who took credit for the attacks on the four teens. He also gave details about the murders and included one-third of a mysterious cipher in each letter. The self-proclaimed killer demanded that the three letters be published on the front page of each newspaper by that Friday afternoon or he would go on a rampage and randomly kill a dozen people over the weekend. The letters were signed with a crossed-circle symbol. The letters were published and efforts to untangle the messages in the ciphers began by authorities and citizens. August 4, 1969 Police investigators stated publicly that they had doubts as to the authenticity of the letters in an attempt to get the killer to contact them again. The plan worked. On August 4th, another letter arrived at the San Francisco Examiner. The letter began with the words that have since haunted many involved in the case: Dear Editor This is the Zodiac speaking... It was the first time the killer used the name Zodiac. In the letter, the Zodiac included information which proved he was present during the murders and a message that his identity was hidden inside the ciphers. August 8, 1969 A high school teacher and his wife cracked the 408-symbol cipher. The last 18 letters could not be decoded. The message read: I LIKE KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN IT IS MORE FUN THAN KILLING WILD GAME IN THE FORREST BECAUSE MAN IS THE MOST DANGEROUE ANAMAL OF ALL TO KILL SOMETHING GIVES ME THE MOST THRILLING EXPERENCE IT IS EVEN BETTER THAN GETTING YOUR ROCKS OFF WITH A GIRL THE BEST PART OF IT IS THAE WHEN I DIE I WILL BE REBORN IN PARADICE AND THEI HAVE KILLED WILL BECOME MY SLAVES I WILL NOT GIVE YOU MY NAME BECAUSE YOU WILL TRY TO SLOI DOWN OR ATOP MY COLLECTIOG OF SLAVES FOR MY AFTERLIFE EBEORIETEMETHHPITI. The fact that the code did not contain the killers identity was a disappointment to the police, however, some believe the letters can be rearranged (and three more letters added) to spell Robert Emmet the Hippie. September 27, 1969   College students, Cecelia Ann Shepard, 22, and Bryan Calvin Hartnell, 20, were picnicking on a peninsula at Lake Berryessa near Napa, Ca. A man carrying a semi-automatic pistol and wearing a hooded costume approached the couple. He told them that he was an escaped convict from a Montana prison where he killed a guard and stole a car and that he wanted money and their car to drive to Mexico. The couple was cooperating fully with his demands, offering him money and the car keys and the three talked for  a while. He instructed Shepard to hog-tie Bartnell with precut pieces of a clothesline that he supplied. He then tied up Shepard and told the couple, Im going to have to stab you  people, and took out a long double-edged knife and stabbed Hartnell six times and Shepard ten times. He left the couple for dead and walked casually back to Hartnells car where he drew a crossed-circle symbol in black magic marker on the side of the car and the dates of the attacks in Vallejo. A  fisherman  discovered the couple and called the police. Both victims were still alive, but it took over an hour for medical help to arrive. Shepard died two days later after lapsing into a coma. Hartnell survived and gave police a detailed account of the events as well as a description of the attacker. The Call At 7:40 p.m. an anonymous caller contacted the Napa County Police Department. He spoke to officer David Slaight in what was described as a low, monotone voice. He told Slaight: I want to report a murder - no, a double murder. They are two miles north of park headquarters. They were in a white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia... and ended the call with, Im the one who did it. As in the Vallejo case, the call was traced to a phone booth just a few blocks from the police department. October 11, 1969   San Francisco cab driver Paul Stine, 29, picked up a passenger in Union Square and drove to the wealthy area of Cherry Street and Nob Hill. It was there that the passenger shot Stine in the temple, killing him, then removed his wallet, car keys and carefully tore off a large portion of his shirt. Three youngsters witnessed the event from a second-floor window across from the parked taxi. They contacted the police and described the  shooter  as a  white male, 25 to 30 years old, stocky build and a crew cut. An intensive manhunt was immediately launched, but somehow there was a mistake made as to the killers race and the police were searching for a black male. How this mistake was made was never reported and no one was ever apprehended for the  crime. It was later determined that police drove by a large white male fitting the original description just blocks from the shooting, but because of his  race, the police did not consider him a suspect. October 14, 1969 The Chronicle received another letter from the Zodiac. A piece of Stines  blood-soaked  shirt was enclosed and the author referred to the Stine murder, saying the police failed to catch him because they did not search the area properly. He then pointed to his next intended victims, school children. October 22, 1969 A caller identifying himself as the Zodiac contacted the Oakland Police Department and demanded on-air time on the Jim Dunbar television talk show with F. Lee Bailey or Melvin Belli, both famous defense lawyers. Belli appeared on the show and a call from someone saying they were the Zodiac came in while the show was being televised. He said his real name was Sam and asked that Belli meet him in Daly City. Belli agreed but the caller never showed. It was later determined that the call was a hoax and the imposter was a  mental patient  at the Napa State Hospital. November 1969 On November 8 and 9, the Chronicle received two Zodiac letters. The first one was a 340-character cipher. The second letter was seven pages long and included another piece of Stines shirt. In the letter, he claimed the police had stopped and talked with him three minutes after he shot Stine. He also drew a schematic of what he referred to as his death machine which was made to blow up large objects such as buses. December 20, 1969 Melvin Belli received a Christmas card at his home which included another piece of Stines shirt. In the card the Zodiac claimed he wanted help from Belli, ending with: Please help me I can not remain in control for much longer. Attempts from Belli to get the Zodiac to contact him again were made, but nothing ever happened. Some speculate that the card was written during a moment of clarity, while others believe it was another attention-getting hoax on the part of the Zodiac. March 22, 1970 On the evening of March 22, 1970, Kathleen Johns, who was eight-months pregnant, was on her way to meet her mother. She had her ten-month-old daughter in the back seat of the car. While on Highway 132 in San Joaquin County, west of Modesto, Johns pulled over after a driver pulled up alongside her and indicated that something was wrong with her car. The driver pulled over and told Johns that her wheel was wobbling. He said he would tighten the wheel bolts, but instead loosened them, then returned to his car and drove off. When Johns pulled away her tire fell off. The man in the car was not far ahead and backed up and offered Johns a ride to a gas station. She agreed  but became frightened when he failed to stop  at several  gas stations. The ride took over three hours of what Johns described as, silent aimless driving around. She was able to escape with her child when the driver stopped at an intersection. Johns fled across a field and hid until she saw the man drive away. She received help from a passerby and was taken to the local police department in Paterson. While at the station she saw a  wanted poster  with a composite sketch of the Zodiac and identified the person as the man who kidnapped her. Her car was later found gutted and burned. Throughout the years, Johns account of the nights events has changed from her original statement, leading some to question her story.   This was the last time anyone ever reported seeing the Zodiac. April 20, 1970 The Zodiac sent a letter to the Chronicle which included a 13-character cipher, a diagram of a bomb he planned to use to blow up a school bus, and a statement that he was not responsible for the February 18, 1970, bombing of a police station in San Francisco. He ended the letter with a score  [Zodiac Symbol]10, SFPD0. Authorities interpreted the number ten as a body count.   April 28, 1970 A card was sent to the Chronicle with the words,  I hope you enjoy yourselves when I have my BLAST  along with the cross-circle symbol. On the back of the card, the writer threatened to use his bus bomb if the Chronicle failed to publish the April 20 letter he sent detailing his plans to blow up a school bus. He also requested that people begin wearing Zodiac buttons. June 26, 1970 A letter received  at  the Chronicle contained another 32-letter cipher. The author said he was upset that he had not seen people wearing Zodiac buttons. He took credit for another shooting  but gave no specifics. Investigators suspected it was the shooting death of Sgt. Richard Radetich a week earlier. Also included was a Phillips 66 map of the Bay area. A clock-like face was drawn around Mount Diablo with a zero at the top, the number three on the right side, six on the bottom and a nine of the left side.  Next  to the zero, he wrote,  is to be set to Mag.N. The map and the cipher were supposed to give the location of a bomb he buried that was set to go off the following fall. This letter was signed  [Zodiac Symbol]12. SFPD0. July 24, 1970 In this letter, also sent to the Chronicle, the Zodiac took credit for abducting Kathleen Jones four months earlier and described burning the car, a fact that only one local paper, the Modesto Bee, had printed. July 26, 1970 In this next letter, the Zodiac included his own twisted version of the song  Ive Got a Little List  from Gilbert Sullivans musical, The Mikado. In it, he described how he planned to collect and torture his slaves. Also drawn on the letter was a giant crossed-circle, a score notation of  13, SFPD  and the words, PS. The Mount Diablo Code concerns Radians # inches along the radians. In 1981, Zodiac researcher Gareth Penn figured out that when placing a radian angle over the map, it pointed to two locations where Zodiac attacks took place. October 5, 1970 Three months had passed without any further communication from the Zodiac. Then, a card written with cut-out letters from magazines and newspapers was sent to the Chronicle. The card bore 13 holes and indicated that there had been another Zodiac victim and that he considered himself crackproof. Originally considered as a hoax, certain letter configurations and the phrase crackproof later reappeared in confirmed Zodiac letters, adding new authenticity to this one. October 27, 1970 Paul Avery, the key reporter in the Zodiac case for the Chronicle, received a Halloween card which included a threat on Averys life. The letter was posted in its entirety on the front page of the Chronicle and days later Avery received another letter urging him to investigate the similarities between the known Zodiac murders and the murder of college student Cheri Jo Bates years earlier. A Step Back In Time - October 30, 1966   On October 30, 1966, Cheri Jo Bates, 18, was studying at the Riverside City College library annex until the library closed at 9 p.m. Investigators suspect that her Volkswagen parked outside the library was tampered with prior to her leaving the library. The distributor coil and the condenser had been pulled out and the middle wire of the distributor was disconnected. Police believe that when she tried to start the car the person who disabled it approached her and offered his help. Somehow he lured her into a secluded dark driveway which sat between two empty houses, where police believe the two sat for about an hour and a half. The man later attacked Bates, beating her, slashing at her face and cutting her a total of 11 times, seven of which nearly decapitated her. Clues found at the scene included a size 10 heel-print, a Timex watch with a torn seven-inch wristband displaying the time 12:23, fingerprints and a palm print, skin tissue underneath the victims fingernails and hair and blood in her hands. On November 29, 1966, two identical letters were sent to the Riverside Police and the Riverside Press-Enterprise by someone claiming to be responsible for killing Bates. The letters included a poem titled  The  Cofession[sic] which offered details of the murder that only the police and the killer knew about. The letters also included a warning that she was not the first or the last of his victims. Many interpreted the tone of the letter as very similar to that of the Zodiac letters mailed after the Vallejo murders. In December 1966 a custodian at the Riverside City College discovered a poem carved into the underside of a folding desk. The poem, titled  Sick of living/unwilling to die  had a tone similar to that of the Zodiac as well as handwriting which looked like some found in the Zodiacs letters. Some believe the author, who signed the poem with the initials rh was describing the murder of Bates. Other theorize that the letter was written by a student who had unsuccessfully tried to kill themselves. However, Sherwood Morrill, one of Californias top Questioned Documents examiners, was of the opinion that the true author of the poem was the Zodiac. Six months after the murder of Bates three nearly identical letters were received by the Riverside Press, the Riverside police  and  Cheri Jo Bates father. The letters all contained more postage than was necessary and two of the letters were signed with a symbol which looked like the letter Z next to the number three. The Zodiac letters sent in the 1970s all contained excessive postage, symbol-type signatures and the threat that more murders would follow. The two letters received by the newspaper and the police read: BATES HADTO DIETHERE WILLBE MORE Bates murder was never solved. The Riverside Police Department maintains that a local man was the key suspect, not the Zodiac, although the letters sent may have been written by him. March 17, 1971 A letter was sent to the Los Angeles Times because, as the writer put it,  they dont bury me on the back pages. In the letter, the Zodiac gave the police credit for making the Bates connection, but added that the police were still only finding the  easy ones  and that there were plenty more  out there.  The letter included the score,  SFPD-0 [Zodiac Symbol]-17. This was the only letter ever sent to the Los Angeles Times and the only one postmarked outside of San Francisco. March 22, 1971 Chronicle reporter Paul Avery received a postcard thought to be from the Zodiac in which he took credit for the case of a missing nurse, Donna Lass, from the Sahara Hotel and Casino. Lass was never seen again after treating her last patient at 1:40 a.m. on September 6, 1970. The following day her uniform and shoes, marked with dirt, were discovered in a paper bag in her office. Two calls were made, one to her employer and one to her landlord, by an unidentified caller who said Lass had a family emergency and had left town. The postcard that Avery received included a collage made up of lettering cut from newspapers and magazines and contained a picture of an ad of the condominium complex known as Forest Pines. The words,  Sierra Club, Sought Victim 12, peek through the pines, pass Lake Tahoe areas, round in the snow,  hinted at the location of where Lass body could be found. A search in the area turned up only a pair of sunglasses. Some believe the postcard was a forgery, perhaps the attempt of the real killer to make the authorities believe Lass was a Zodiac victim. However certain similarities such as the misspelling of Paul Averys name (Averly) and the use of a hole-punch had both become traits found in letters known to be from the Zodiac. Although it did not appear that  kidnapping  was a pattern of the Zodiac, but rather spontaneous random murders, if in fact, he was responsible for Johns abduction then possibly Donna Lass could also be a victim of the Zodiac. The  mystery  surrounding the case of Donna Lass was never solved, nor was her body ever located. The Pines postcard was the last communication received from the Zodiac for three years. In 1974 he resurfaced although this time he dropped his opening line,  This is the Zodiac speaking  and the cross-circle symbol signature from the letters. January 29, 1974 The Zodiac sent the Chronicle a letter describing the movie  The Exorcist  as  the best saterical comidy that I have ever seen.  It also included a part of a verse from The Mikado, a hieroglyph-type drawing and a threat that the letter had to be published or he would  do something nasty.  His signature score changed to read  Me-37 SFPD-0. May 8, 1974 The Chronicle received a letter from a concerned citizen complaining about the movie  Badlands  and asking the paper to stop advertising it. Although the Zodiac did not identify himself as the author of the letter, some felt the similarities of the tone and handwriting was unmistakably that of the Zodiac. July 8, 1974 A complaint letter regarding the conservative Chronicle columnist, Marco Spinelli who used the pen name, Count Marco was received at the newspaper and ended the letter with: Since the Count can write anonymously, so can I signed the Red Phantom (red with rage). Some believe the Zodiac sent the letter, others do not. Doubting that the letters were really authored by the Zodiac, police detective David Toschi sent them to the FBI Laboratory who responded that the letters were probably prepared by the writer of the Zodiac letters. No other communication was received from the Zodiac for another four years. April 24, 1978 A letter was sent to the Chronicle and given to reporter Duffy Jennings, Paul Averys replacement after he went to work at the San Francisco Examiner. Duffy contacted Detective David Toschi, who had worked on the Zodiac case since the Stine murder and was the only remaining San Francisco Police Department (SFDP) investigator working the case. Toschi turned the letters over to John Shimoda of the U.S. Postal Service crime laboratory to verify if the letters were authored by the Zodiac instead of giving them to the chief examiner for the Questioned Documents Division of the SFPD. Why he made that decision is unknown, however, Shimoda did verify that the letter was authored by the Zodiac. Four experts three months later declared the letter a hoax. At that time Toschi was in the middle of a political battle and looking at possibly replacing the current chief of police. For all of those who adored Toschi, many just wanted him to go away. When it became known that the letters were a hoax, many pointed the finger at Toschi, believing he had forged the letter. The suspicions about Toschi  forging  the Zodiac letter was based on an earlier incident involving columnist Armistead Maupin, who was writing a series for the Chronicle called,  Tales of the City.  He received a lot of fan mail for the series and in an effort to verify that the letters were legitimate he became suspicious that Toschi had written some of them under fake names. Maupin made the decision to do nothing about it at the time, but when the forged Zodiac letter surfaced, Maupin thought it was possible Toschi was responsible and reported the fake fan letters and his suspicions to Toschis superiors. Toschi eventually admitted to writing the fan letters, but always denied the implications that he forged the Zodiac letter and insisted the rumors were politically motivated. The Toschi incident is just one example of the many bizarre twists the Zodiac investigation has taken over the years. More than 2,500 suspects have been investigated without anyone ever being charged. Detectives continue to receive telephone calls weekly with tips, theories​,  and speculation. The  case  remains open in some jurisdictions, but the San Francisco Police Department has designated it  unsolved  and inactive.

Free sample - Critical Analysis of the Role of United Nation. translation missing

Critical Analysis of the Role of United Nation. Critical Analysis of the Role of United NationCritical Analysis of the Role of United Nation as a Third Party in Conflict Management Introduction As stated in the Preamble of the United Nations (UN), UN is determined â€Å"to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind.†[1] Since its establishment in 1945, UN’s mission is to take part in conflict prevention in order to prevent or stop any forms of violence, either between states or internal conflicts. The UN has specialized programs and agencies tasked to prevent conflicts from spreading out by targeting not only the acts of violence, but the roots of these conflicts. These programs include United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), and many others.[2] The UN successfully accomplished conflict management tasks in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Namibia, Nicaragua and El Salvador. In fact, an entire chapter of the Agenda for Peace of 1992 by the UN Secretary-General was devoted to conflict prevention. The report suggests that between the stages of conflict intensification and the policy actions which aim at ending them, a conceptual link must be created.   Conflict prevention and dispute escalation prevention are included here. Regulation of the spread of violence if it happens is also included. And it was in these policy responses’ last segment that paved the way for conflict management.[3] The Hutus’ militia and the Tutsis’ Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF): The Extremists A political conflict can occur between states, or within a state. It can be caused by various factors. A conflict can arise from political causes. It can also arise from ideological differences,[4] economic factors, ethnic or cultural causes,[5] social causes,[6] geographical issues,[7] and even psychological causes.[Burton] What happened in Rwanda was caused by an outcome of a political conflict between two groups that are attempting get monopolize the political power over the country. Conflict Management and the Rwanda Genocide Conflict management, according to Fred Tanner, Deputy Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, is â€Å"an approach that established the conceptual ground for direct outside involvement to check escalating violence by using peaceful or even coercive means, if necessary.†[8] Aside from the incidents in Yugoslavia and Somalia, the Rwanda Genocide is one of the historical event which calls for the need to reassess the role of the United Nations in conflict prevention and conflict management. And this paper tries to discuss the episodes in the Rwanda Genocide that prompted even the UN to review its own concept on conflict management. The United Nations Assistance Mission of Rwanda It was the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) that the United Nations tasked to aid the implementation of the Arusha Peace Agreement. Signed in August 4, 1993 by the government of Rwanda and the RPF, the Arusha Accords were meant to end the Rwandan Civil War. Hence, UNAMIR’s task was to aid the peace process between the Rwanda government and the rebel RPF. [9] It was established by the Security Council Resolution 872 on October 5, 1992. The purpose of the UNAMIR is to ensure Kigali’s security, monitor the ceasefire agreement between the two opposing groups, put up an expanded demilitarized zone and demobilization procedures, monitor the security situation on the final period of the transitional government’s mandate until the election, assist with mine clearance and in coordination of humanitarian assistance activities and relief operations.[10] It was Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh of Cameroon and Lieutenant-General Romà ©o Dallaire as the head of the UNAMIR. Belgian soldiers make up about 400 members of the troops. Note that Belgium has colonized Rwanda in the past. In matters of peace-keeping processes, the UN normally bans the former colonial power from taking position. The Rwanda Government and the rebels appear to follow the Arusha Peace Agreement. Both sides appear to be steadfast at creating the transitional government before the 1993 ends. However, the events that followed delayed the establishment of a transitional government. After President Habyarimana was inaugurated on January 5, 1994, major disagreements came between the opposing groups. There were warnings sent to UN alarming the assembly of the genocide that was about to happen against the Tutsi minority and anti-tribalist Hutus. The warning came three months before the mass murder. However, UN ignored these warnings.[11] (The warning about the forthcoming genocide and the perpetrators came from General Romeo Dallaire himself, cabled to the UN Secretary-General at that time, Mr. Kofi Annan. General Dallaire asked UN permission for an immediate action to intervene against the mass slaughter planned by Hutu forces. But the general’s request was declined by the UN Department of Peacekeeping.[12]) This created confusion in the UNAMIR whether or not to use power. The orders issued by UN to UNAMIR were very limited. IN short, UNAMIR was rendered useless as the thousands of people are slaughtered. The UN failed to extend the UNAMIR’s mandate to protect the people of Rwanda from the genocide. The mission’s job was limited to evacuating foreign nationals from Rwanda.[13] In fact, the peace-keeping force deployed by UN at the end of 1993, which is supposed to aid in the implementation of the cease fire between the two opposing groups, received severe criticism. There are countries that did not agree to send stronger force. One of these countries was the United States, ally of Britain.[14] The United Nation’s failed mission: â€Å"The Report on the Independent Inquiry into the Actions of the United Nations During the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda† The council members of UN later acknowledged the failure of their mission to protect the peoples of Rwanda in a time where they mostly need it.[15] The UN even accepted the result of the independent inquiry lead by former Swedish Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson on the actions taken by the UN in Rwanda. The report states UN’s failure to ignore the warnings about the genocide despite the evidences that the mass slaughter will indeed happen. According to the report, UN failed in the 1994 Rwanda Genocide in many ‘fundamental respects.’[16]   (The surprising thing was that no one in the international community anticipated the level of atrocity that happened in Rwanda.) With the evidence that was forwarded to UN regarding the organized mass murder that is going to happen, a contingency plan should have been made, as mandated by the Geneva Convention.[17] The report enumerates the reasons why UN failed: First, UN not only lacked the resources, but it also lacked the commitment to prevent the genocide from happening. The UNAMIR was also found to be not well planned in a way that it can respond to possible extremist act by either camp. The UNAMIR is also stated as a watered down version of the original plan by UN on the level of strength that will be deployed to Rwanda. [18] The inquiry points out that UN’s Center for Human Rights and DPKO did not do adequate political investigation and analysis during the tensions. This resulted to the inadequacy of UNAMIR’s mandate.[19] This is also why UN’s peace-force in Rwanda was harshly criticized by the international community. Other failures that the inquiry notes were the ‘implementation of the mandate itself’, ‘confusion over the rules of engagement’, ‘failure to respond to the genocide’, ‘inadequate resources and logistic’, and many others. The report lead by Carlsson has deemed the UN useless during the worst moment in that particular episode in Rwanda’s history. However, there surely are factors that prevented the UN to come up with an in-depth analysis of the information on political situation in Rwanda, if the vital information are at UN’s disposal. As we can see in the discussion that will follow, the UN is caught in situations where it even finds itself inadequate at some moments during the tension in Rwanda. On why the United Nations (and other international agencies) did not take further steps to prevent the genocide from occurring In the international community, no one anticipated the kind of horror that happened. It was only the only close observers that the genocide will certainly happen. The messages (that is, the warnings) remained unclear for the international agencies including UN. In a report headed by Howard Adelman et al, the vague messages are found in four areas: â€Å"contradictions in the international system; the UN structure; attitude of senior officials towards messengers and inadequacies in the message sent; and interference.†[20] UN’s principle in neutrality when it comes to information gathering isn’t necessarily applicable it times when international peace and security is under serious threat. This prevented the UN to arm itself with the capacity to collect and analyze information, which are vital when it comes to conflict management, during the tensions in Rwanda. [21] Another factor that caused UN’s failure in conflict management in Rwanda is that it is trapped between disinterested nations, Tanzania and US. These nations, especially US, showed no intentions to share its collected and analyzed (a result of CIA’s ‘desk-analysis’) information to UN.[22] The structure of the UN gives power to the Secretary General to give permission to UNAMIR for an immediate action to intervene in the plot for genocide in order to prevent it from happening. However, this power is not maximized in the case of Rwanda. One reason is that UN lacks staff. (Rwanda is only monitored by one person.) However, the deeper reason lies in the restructuring of the Secretariat since 1990. It is here where UN lost its capacity to collect vital information that can be analyzed and used as basis for making contingency plans. The distribution of the Secretary-General of his responsibilities to other agencies and departments also left the DPA, which should play an essential part in conflict management, lacking in logistics to carry out the task.[23] Another area that prevented the UN to take further actions is the messengers. The agencies that are associated with UN are reluctant to divulge information. That is to say, they are suspicious as to how the political and military information will be used. One thing more is the propaganda that the Hutu-dominated mass media spread. This made many, including members of UN, suspicious of the circulating information. Even the UN Secretary-General realized the disadvantage of not having the mass media on UN’s side. Mass media might have been played an important source for information. As mentioned, UN did not expect the magnitude of the event that happened. First, just because genocide is rare, the UN concluded that it will not happen at that time in Rwanda. Second, it is confident in the Tsutsis, blind to the fact that these people are also miscalculating the conditions around them. (The Tsutsis also did not expect that the rest of the world will walk out from Rwanda the moment the Hutu extremists (militia, armed forces of the government and even civilians) tries to erase them from the face of their own country.[24] There are other factors that prevented UN from thinking clearly and thereby also preventing it from acting accordingly. First, the UN is completely confident of the Arusha Peace Agreement. Second, their sense of judgment was clouded by its past experience in Somalia. Before the genocide broke out, the situation in Rwanda is peripheral compared to many other global issues that the UN is paying attention to.[25] The Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights and other human rights agencies, as well as the RPF used the word genocide in the reports they made to UN. However, the ambiguity of the definition of genocide also created confusion on the messages conveyed to UN.[26] Another thing is that the UN seems to not learn from what happened in Burundi just six months before the Rwanda Genocide happened – around 50,000 to 100,000 people were killed. Rather than considered as a political conflict, the conflict between the Hutus and the Tsutsis were considered only as a continuing ancient feud.[27] Conclusion and Recommendation Clearly, the United Nations failed in conflict management in Rwanda. This is because it lacks the vital factors in order to carry out the task. The UN sent UNAMIR to ensure peace in Rwanda. UN becomes too confident that no genocide will occur. The UN had received warnings about the Hutu-planned genocide, but ignored it because of a complex web of factors. In some of the situations, UN is caught between states, which are members of UN, which has their own motives regarding the situation. If examined, UN failed in information gathering that is very important in conflict management. The UN should reassess its structure in order to make collecting information and making in-depth analysis more efficient. (Remember that UN lost most of these capacities when it restructured its Secretariat.) This is in connection to the Rwanda Report’s recommendation that the UN should improve its early warning capacity. And this can only be done through improving its coordination with various institutions. As suggested by the Report, the UN should improve its capacity â€Å"to analyze and respond to information about possible conflicts, and its operational capability for preventive action†. In this context, the report suggests that â€Å"further enhancement of the cooperation between different Secretariat departments, UNSECOORD programmes and agencies and outside actors, including regional and subregional organizations NGOs and the academic world, is essential.†

CRJ311 Week 3 discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CRJ311 Week 3 discussions - Essay Example Black hair matching the benchmark of the victim will be the first indication that the victim could have been involved, and the suspect could be real. Nevertheless, the possibility of this evidence stands challenge of being circumstantial evidence in a court of law (Robertson & Law, 2007). In a bid to make the case more concrete and formidable, a forensic analysis of the environment of the car will need to be conducted to determine the possibility of the victim having been in the car. Evidences such as fingerprints and body secretion analysis will offer concrete backup of the already present evidence. Additionally, a DNA cross mating in an expertise environment will be used in support of the relationship between the hair and the victim. DNA offers a formidable ground for prosecution thus offering a factual evidence that the suspect was involved in the crime (Devery, 2010). The use of dogs in the criminal investigation has been in existence in the criminal justice for a long time. The use of investigator dogs is as a result of a high developed sense of smell that the dogs have as compared to man. In this relation, in an attempt to improve the efficiency of the investigation, different sub-species of dogs have been employed for this duty owing to the differences in the sense even among the dog species. In most circumstances, arson dogs are used as aids is compilation of pieces of evidence in the determination if fire was accidental or was intentionally caused. The use of these dogs in sniffing inflammable is a time used in a court of law as a proof for intentional cause of the fire. Nevertheless, the main question is the credibility of the findings of the dogs as evidence for conviction. On a personal opinion, the use of evidence from arson dogs in a court of law presents nonfactual ruling. A dog like any other animal could commit

Choose a topic that will go with the paper Essay

Choose a topic that will go with the paper - Essay Example (supplementing historical and sociological writings) that detail the problems of the average family trying to survive the tough times of The Great Depression; d) tales of women struggling for independence and self-expression in an America just before the Women’s Liberation Movement; or e) as tales of the woman’s necessity to submerge what she likes to do to the demands of domestic responsibility†¦ Here, we shall look at Olsen’s ‘I Stand Here Ironing’ (ISHI) from angle (a) mentioned above, as a story that explores the mother daughter relationship, and also touch upon the impact of the early experiences that a child has (in this case the daughter) on her ability to have a ‘well-adjusted’ childhood, and on the kind of adult she grows up to be. In ISHI, the Mother is the protagonist, standing there and doing something as mundane as ironing clothes. And while ironing, she looks up occasionally to speak with someone — perhaps a teacher, perhaps a counselor, who feels that she should be paying more attention to her daughter. There is no counselor really there — what we see of her is merely what is reflected in the mirror-monologue of the Mother. Olsen’s style may be far removed from the Shakespearean dramatic tradition. But it packs the punch of a Shakespearean soliloquy, albeit in a low-key manner. There is nothing ostensibly dramatic about the woman talking in snatches, going back and forth from present to past, dwelling on the various incidents of her life. In setting and story the scene is far removed from that of a Hamlet. But the self-searching is the same: â€Å"To be or not to be† says Hamlet in torment; â€Å"I will become engulfed with all I did or did not do, with what should have been and what I cannot help,†(Olsen 1-2) echoes Emily’s Mother. She feels guilt for what she did not do for her baby, but wonders whether she could really have done it differently. The Mother admits to herself that even when her daughter was a baby, she gave

Employability and Personal Development Assignment - 1

Employability and Personal Development - Assignment Example The employee, if works efficiently under a concrete and esteemed employer, can expect promotions, pay increases and a decent pension to retire with. Traditionally, a career would comprise of similar jobs, like a cook, food caterer, and a hotel chef. An experience of jobs as diverse as a doctor, a designer, and a cook would not traditionally constitute of a career. The traditional theme also emphasizes on a career as a profession, which is perceived to belong to a higher socio-economic standard and gives greater independence. As such, lawyers and doctors fall as examples of traditional careers. The limitations of traditional careers, namely downscaling of the workforce by firms, declining mutual loyalty between the employers and the employed and rising job security evolved the nature of careers over the decades that help individuals adjust to the rising uncertainties of the working environment. Most common of this contemporary or modern perspective of careers is boundaryless careers. They operate beyond the hierarchical, social and industrial parameters, and are not linked to a central employment setting, and have a good degree of inter-organizational mobility. This is hence followed by people focusing on a global career. This is in contrast to a traditional career, which is highly immobile and where a single career path and organizational setting has to be adhered to. Also, a modern career requires individuals to be highly self-responsible in their career choices and determine career goals based o personal value, which is contrary to traditional careers where organization determines the career path to be followed. This evolutional in career opportunities mean that I have a wider range of choices available in modern careers with greater autonomy, despite employing the similar skills as could have been applied in a traditional career.

What are the types of Discrimination Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What are the types of Discrimination - Assignment Example Those that do not share the same beliefs will be subjected to hard work, working lengthy hours and working under unhealthy conditions (Roscigno, 2007). Perception discrimination is the second type of discrimination. Managers may discriminate an employee based on the perception that people have on the race of the employee. Some races are perceived to be intelligent while others are perceived to be foolish; hence, the manager will treat an employee based on that perception. Sexual orientation is also used by managers. Many times, women are perceived to be weaker than men hence men may end up getting the best position than the women. The third type of discrimination is indirect discrimination. The age of a worker may be a discriminating factor. For example, if the manager is old, opinion of the young employees will not be valued since there believe they don’t have experience in their work (Roscigno, 2007). Sexual harassment is the fourth type of discrimination. Sexual harassment is most common in many organizations, where the manager sexually abuse the employees for them to get promotion, easy jobs and to avoid punishment. Victimization is the fifth type of discrimination where a person is treated badly because of not supporting the manager; it may be due to complaint the person had filed against

Lab report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Lab Report Example This time, put a known weight of 200 grams on one end and an unknown weight on the other, and slide the clamp bearing the known weight until equilibrium is reached. Put on record the positions of both weights and weigh the one with unknown mass. One such instance of applying equilibrium of rigid body is when one desires to find the mass or weight of an object given masses of other materials that can be put on balance and adjusted to equilibrium. For instance, a setup where the shaft, lever, and handle are welded together which can be worked by modifying forces on certain regions so as to facilitate or prevent rotation of the rigid structure. (1) Compute the weight of the meter stick from the data of Procedure 4 by the method of moments. Compare your result with that obtained by direct weighing of the stick. In particular, note whether the two measurements agree within the errors associated with each. (2) Using the point of support as the axis in Procedure 5, compute the moment of force of each of the weights and also of the meter stick, assuming its weight to be concentrated at its center of gravity. Add all these moments together, paying attention to their algebraic signs. Compare this net torque with zero, noting in particular whether zero lies within the error associated with your result. Solution: Using torque (Ï„) = force * distance for each moment about the new point of balance where forces to the left of the balance point may be treated with negative moments and forces to the right of such point with positive moments by convention, then (3) Compute the weight of the body used in Procedure 6 by the method of moments. Compare the measured weight of this body with the computed weight, noting in particular whether the two weights agree within the experimental errors involved. In the experiment, the summation of forces exerted by the weights, the support clamp, as well as

What are the types of Discrimination Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What are the types of Discrimination - Assignment Example Those that do not share the same beliefs will be subjected to hard work, working lengthy hours and working under unhealthy conditions (Roscigno, 2007). Perception discrimination is the second type of discrimination. Managers may discriminate an employee based on the perception that people have on the race of the employee. Some races are perceived to be intelligent while others are perceived to be foolish; hence, the manager will treat an employee based on that perception. Sexual orientation is also used by managers. Many times, women are perceived to be weaker than men hence men may end up getting the best position than the women. The third type of discrimination is indirect discrimination. The age of a worker may be a discriminating factor. For example, if the manager is old, opinion of the young employees will not be valued since there believe they don’t have experience in their work (Roscigno, 2007). Sexual harassment is the fourth type of discrimination. Sexual harassment is most common in many organizations, where the manager sexually abuse the employees for them to get promotion, easy jobs and to avoid punishment. Victimization is the fifth type of discrimination where a person is treated badly because of not supporting the manager; it may be due to complaint the person had filed against

Secure Computer System - Case Studies Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Secure Computer System - Studies - Case Study Example Fire detection is very crucial therefore fire detection appliances should detect the smallest indication of fire through sparks and temperature rise. Fire suppression equipment need to be installed and should suppress the fire without damaging the server equipment. Water sprinklers are the most common fire suppression equipment. It would be better to consider other options like the use of carbon dioxide fire extinguishers (Nash, 1997, pg 23). Heating, ventilating and air conditioning as well as climate control equipment should be kept separate from the rest of the room to avoid damaging the network equipment. I would not place the ventilation equipment overhead because it would risk the server. The switch for the equipment would be placed inside the room to prevent accidental switching. Proper power at the right quality should be regulated through the use of power protection equipment. By use of reliable power supply and surge protection equipment, the power will be kept at the desired quality. Power should be safe and reliable and should not fluctuate often. The space for the equipment should be adequate enough to allow for future expansion. ... Considerations for installing additional components and intrusion detection and prevention system should be taken into consideration (Shirley, 2008, pg 34). Case Study Pg.432 Case exercise Question 1 page 432 Based on the case study, what security awareness and training posters had an impact in this incident. Pg.432 Question 1 In Amy's incident, the following security awareness posters and training documents may have contributed to it; posters requiring the immediate reporting of security problems, posters and documents requiring the practice of healthy computer security. Information and security tips on posters and documents. Company security policy documents also contributed to this incident. The following topics may also have contributed to the incident, these are; Password usage and management; this includes creation of passwords, frequency of changing the password and methods used in protection. Security training plays a pivotal and important role in preventing attacks on computer system by viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other malicious code (Richardson, 2005, pg 2). More information that is needed in order to enhance information security is the creation of a policy poster indicating; implications of noncompliance to information security implications of receiving unknown e-mail/attachments implications of people browsing certain prohibited websites during working hours those allowed to use the web services and those who are prohibited and also stipulating penalties for those found breaching these rules and regulations Data storage and backup; data storage systems maybe centralized or decentralized. This information is placed on not only posters but also on, newsletters,

Hamburger and Wendy Essay Example for Free

Hamburger and Wendy Essay Executive Summary Wendys offers a variety of fast food. The food selection ranges from hamburgers, French fries, salads, chicken, potatoes, and chili. Wendys income is based on the sale of fast food. The demand of Wendys service is highly elastic. A change in price will affect demand for products. Wendys market structure is an oligopoly and has two main competitors; McDonalds and Burger King. In an oligopoly, the market is dominated by a few large producers of a homogeneous or differentiated product. Because of their fewness, oligopolies have considerable control over their prices, but each must consider the possible reaction of rivals to its own pricing, output, and advertising decisions (McConnell Brue, 2005). Since there are many substitutes, Wendys has to be willing to keep their prices and quality of food relative to competitors. McDonalds and Burger King offer substitutes to Wendys food. Advertising and promotional offers can help Wendys stay competitive. Wendys also has to be observant of economic trends. Raises in inflation and food costs will affect the demand for fast food. However, inflation and food costs should also affect McDonalds and Burger King. Therefore, Wendys market share should not be affected if they raise prices collectively with McDonalds and Burger King. In the future, there is a chance for a healthy fast food restaurant to enter the market. Society is leaning towards a more health conscience population and the fast food industry will have to adjust. Wendys and its competitors currently offer salads. Wendys should consider offering healthier menu items and increase advertising to gain market share. Investing in advanced technology will also keep Wendys competitive. More technology will result in higher productivity and lower average total cost. Description of Utility of the Good or Service Wendys is a fast food restaurant that provides an alternative to home cooked meals. The convenience of their products is not a necessity but can be considered as a luxury. In the past, women were not in the work force and stayed home to tend to household chores. Chores included tending to the children, cooking and cleaning. In the twentieth century, women had begun working outside of the home. In addition, there has been an increase with single-parent homes. The work day has also increased in hours. These factors have increased the demand for an alternative to home cooked meals. Wendys offers fast food at an affordable rate. Time that would have been spent in the kitchen can now be spent with family or running errands. Fast food also serves as an alternative to traditional restaurants that seat customers and offer full course meals. The meals offered at traditional establishments are priced higher than fast food restaurants. In addition, the time spent at a traditional restaurant is significantly more than time spent getting food at a fast food restaurant. For added convenience, most fast food restaurants offer seating for customers who wish to dine-in. Description of Substitutes and/or Complementary Products Wendys competes in local, regional, national, and international markets. Wendys mainly competes with Burger King and McDonalds on all market levels. Burger King and McDonalds offer the same types of foods as Wendys. Each fast food chain, however, offers something that the others do not. For instance, Burger King and McDonalds sell fish sandwiches all year, while Wendys only sells fish during Lent. On the other hand, Wendys offers chili while Burger King and McDonalds only sell chili in certain markets, or not at all. Wendys doesnt offer many complimentary items. Items sold at Wendys can be eaten alone or with other products. French fries usually complement sandwiches but can be eaten alone. Wendys offer a combination meal that includes a sandwich, fries and a drink since the items are usually purchased together. With the change in culture to a more health conscience environment, Wendys allows side salads as a substitute for French fries. In the immediate future, there may be a chance for a healthy fast food restaurant to enter the market. In general, the oligopolies in the food industry have large marketing budgets that hinder others from entering into the market. In addition, the members of the oligopoly can begin a price war to deter other entrants into the industry. However, it is conceivable that a healthy fast food restaurant may emerge in the near future. The fast food industry may have difficulties advertising against a healthy fast food restaurant, since the current culture is health conscience. Price Elasticity of Demand The price elasticity of demand is relatively elastic. If McDonalds and Burger King have promotional sales and Wendys does not follow suit, the demand curve for Wendys food will shift to the left, reflecting a decrease in demand. Due to the decrease in demand, Wendys will have more supply than usual. The supply curve will shift to the right. On the other hand, if Wendys raised the price on their food and other competitor prices remain the same, demand for Wendys food will decrease. Another factor of demand for Wendys food comes from a healthier culture. The shift in society has been to a more health conscience population. Demand for fast food had decreased as a result of high fat content in many of the foods. Wendys can adjust to a decrease in demand by increasing promotions and advertising. Having a promotional low-fat sandwich and extensive advertising will result in the demand curve shifting to the right. Another method to counteract a decrease in demand is to offer reduced prices for popular selling items. For example, Wendys could offer fifty cent junior cheeseburgers for a two week period. This type of promotion will get consumers back into Wendys and should boost the sell of French fries, since the two are usually sold together. To counteract the demand for a healthy fast food restaurant, Wendys will have to promote healthy items. Wendys has taken steps to include nutritional facts on their website and offer healthy menu items. They have increased their selection of salads and have collaborated with the American Diabetes Association to help familys select menu items for a healthier lifestyle (www. wendys. com). Advertising healthier menu items is an important part of countering restaurants that offer health food. Issues that Affect Consumer Demand and Price. Oligopolies are affected by the price competitors charge for similar products. The market share should remain constant if oligopolies collectively increase or decrease prices for similar products. Issues that affect consumer demand for fast food include changes in national, regional, and local economic conditions, consumer preferences and spending patterns, demographic trends, consumer perceptions of food safety, weather, traffic patterns, the type, number and location of competing restaurants (www. wendys-invest. com). For instance, fast food on highways and toll roads are priced higher than residential areas. The higher price can be charged on the roads and will not affect demand because travelers have few substitutes and will pay the higher price. Residents, on the other hand, can cook at home and have more substitutes than a traveler. The same is true for demographics. A restaurant in a metro area with a higher cost of living will have prices higher than a restaurant that is not located in a metro area. Demand for the higher priced items will not decrease because the cost of living is higher. The location of competitors will greatly affect price and demand. If there are many substitutes available, consumers will not buy an expensive product. In an oligopoly, a company has to be aware of competitors prices and predict what impact their own prices will have on competitors. The previously mentioned issues will continue to affect Wendys in the future. Wendys should remain competitive if their prices remain relative to their competitors. Wendys has to remain aware of the location of immediate competitors and competitors prices. Cost Component Factors such as inflation, food costs, legal claims, labor costs and benefit costs, affect administrative expenses (www. wendys-invest. com). Labor and Benefit costs are minimal expenses for Wendys compared to other industries. Wendys usually pays minimum wage and the majority of its employees are part-time. Therefore, benefits costs are low. Wendys is affected by inflation and food costs. However, the benefit that an oligopoly affords Wendys is they can expect competitors to react to increase inflation and food costs, as well. Increased prices should be realized by all competitors. Technology and productivity are indirectly proportional to average total cost. By increasing technology, productivity will increase. For example, a large grill will allow multiple hamburger orders to be processed at one time. Productivity increases for hamburgers. As a result, the average total cost to process on sandwich decreases. Wendys also has incorporated an automatic coin changer. This allows the coin portion of a customers change to be automatically dispensed by the register. Cashiers no longer have to count out someones change. This reduces processing time and allows for more customers to be served. In the future, inflation, food costs, legal claims, labor costs and benefit costs will continue to be a cost for the fast food industry. Advanced technology can aide in faster processing of customers and free up monies allocated for labor. For example, robotic arms can process all orders for fries. The culture has evolved into a ? get rich quick society. Frivolous law suits can pose as an added expense in the future, as well. The time and effort to investigate and disprove claims can be expensive. Wendys was recently involved in a severed finger scandal. Wendys official state that Wendys quarterly earnings fell nearly $2 million dollars after the scam (www. money. cnn. com). Market Structure Component. Wendys is an oligopoly. An oligopoly is a market structure that contains few large sellers. Most likely, there are barriers to enter the industry. The sellers have interdependence in pricing and output decisions. Oligopolies consider responses of rivals in pricing decisions. Strategies for pricing and output decisions include retaliatory pricing and advertising (McConnell Brue, 2005). Retaliatory pricing is one strategy that may govern how Wendys reacts to anothers price and output decision. Wendys can sale their sandwiches for a lower price than McDonalds and Burger King. However, Wendys could lose money by slashing prices and may have to raise prices or layoff employees to compensate for lost monies. Price slashing may work as an immediate competition tool, but should not be a long term solution for competing. Advertising is another strategy that governs how Wendys can compete with anothers price and output decision. Advertising can be more effective than price matching. By providing information about competing goods, advertising diminishes monopoly power and results in greater economic efficiency. Successful advertising can boost demand, lower long run average total cost due to increased output, and enable firms to enjoy economies of scale, (Muryn, n. d. ). Successful advertising campaigns may also raise the cost of entry to potential competitors. In the future, Wendys has to be more health conscience. McDonalds and Burger King are making advances towards healthier menu items. To stay competitive, Wendys should make more strides to display healthy menu items. Some of the advertising budget has to be directed toward health conscience consumers. Promotional campaigns should introduce the public to healthier items offered by Wendys. The market share for Wendys should remain competitive with the introduction of healthy menu items. Conclusion Wendys is an oligopoly that competes with McDonalds and Burger King. Demand is relatively elastic. To stay competitive, Wendys must stay aware of the competitions prices, location and menu items. Wendys should also know what current economic trends, costs, and societal shifts affect demand for their product. Wendys should use increased advertising as a long term tool to stay competitive. References CNN (2005). Wendys Frosty, Retrieved May 15, 2005 from http://www. money. cnn. com/2005/05/10/news/midcaps/wendys_frosty McConnell R. C. , Brue S. L. (2005). Economics principles, problems, and policies, 16th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Muryn, Jack (n. d. ). ch25. ECO 204, Retrieved May 26, 2005, from http://www. washington. uwc. edu Wendys (2005). Eating Better Together, Retrieved May 30, 2005 from http://www. wendys. com/food/US_nutrition_topics. jsp Wendys-invest (2005). Safe Harbor Statement, Retrieved May 30, 2005 from http://www. wendys-invest. com/safeharbor.

Overview Of Tata Steel Pre Merger

Overview Of Tata Steel Pre Merger TATA Steel, earlier known as TISCO, is the iron and steel production company which is the flagship concern of the TATA group, Indias largest private corporate group. Tata Steel was established by Indian Parsi Businessman Jamsetji Tata in 1907. As of 2005, TATA Steel was Asias largest private sector steel company. The company was also recognized as the worlds best steel producer by World Steel Dynamics in 2005. Tata Steel has set an ambitious target to achieve a capacity of 30 million tonne by 2015. To this end it acquired Singapore based NatSteel in 2004 and acquired a 40% stake in Thailand based Millennium steel. Through these two acquisitions, TATA steel added about 3.2 million tonne to its production capacity. As of 2006, TATA Steel had a production capacity of 5.3 million tonnes. After the Corus acquisition (18.2 million tonne), the net acquired capacity was 21.4 million tonne, and TATA Steel plans to add another 29 million tonne by this route. Thus we see that TATA Steel seems to have a definite strategy of increasing capacity through acquisition and is acting on it rapidly. At this point we will conduct a resource based analysis of this strategy. A resource based view of strategy emphasizes the internal resources of a company in the formulation of strategy in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. The following model makes this process clear:- Resources Resources are the input which an organization uses to carry out its activities. And yet organizations in the same industry might have similar resources but have differing performance, since they may utilize their resources differently. For a resource based view, Assets available to a business may be classified in the following form  [1]  (Resources in management TRIZ, Business level):- TATA Steel Particulars Pre Merger Post Merger Tangible assets (in Rs. Crore) Fixed assets 9865 11040 Current assets 2174 2332 Financial assets (in Rs. Crore) Assets (cash) 288.39 7681.35 Net Worth 9755 14096 Intangible Location Jamshedpur Jamshedpur Size World 56th largest World 5th largest Competition None domestically None domestically Thus we can see that prior to the merger TATA Steel was a very large domestic steel player, in fact the largest in India. The location advantage conferred by the plant being in Jamshedpur was aptly put by Mr. Ratan Tata, who said that the owners of iron ore will be the rulers of the steel industry. Its captive raw material resources and state of the art 5 million tonne plant at Jamshedpur gives at a competitive edge. This capacity is slated to go up to 7 million tonne. In addition, TATA steel has extremely good relations with the government in the region by virtue of its long standing developmental efforts in the region. As a result, TATA Steel has acquired a great deal of goodwill among the local population and consequently, the government. This is apparent in the Greenfield projects which the group is setting up in the region:- 6 million tonne plant in Orissa (India) 12 million tonne in Jharkhand (India) Capabilities However, the best resources in themselves are of no real value to a company in and of themselves. The organization must have the capability to employ these resources properly. It is these distinctive capabilities of an organizations resources which result in a competitive advantage. But this advantage is sustainable only if this capability comes from some characteristic other firms do not possess. TATA Steel is one of the lowest cost steel producers in the world. It is also one of the even fewer steel companies which are EVA positive. It has an operating profit margin of nearly 40%  [2]  (avg. = 16%). As an indication, only two manufacturers in USA (and none in India) have higher margins. At the same time, growth rate for sales was 232% and net income was 590%  [3]  . Adding this information to its captive raw materials resources as explained previously, we can see that TATA Steel had a unique position as an extremely low cost steel producer in an extremely fast developing region of the world. Tata Steel holds a very vital place in Indian business history, because it has introduced some of the unique concepts like 8-hour working days, leave with pay and pension system for the first time in India and the first player to start rapid industrialization process. In the later part, the concepts invented and implemented by the Tatas became law and compulsory practice for the Indian employees. A direct result of these employee friendly practices is the goodwill which TATA Steel enjoys among its workforce. In consequence, the Jamshedpur plant furnaces have never been closed down due to industrial strife. Thus we can see the two major capabilities which enable TATA Steel to employ its resources effectively extreme operating efficiency and employee friendly policy. Another point of note is the extremely cash rich status of the organization even prior to the acquisition with an interest coverage ratio of 32, and a growth rate of 380% for net cash flow from operations. Competitive advantage At this point we can clearly see the sources of competitive advantage for TATA Steel prior to the merger. Therefore let us examine its position in the market prior to the merger, with the Porters five forces model. 1) Threat of entry of new competitors The steel industry is one which has a very high entry barrier. In addition, established players already enjoy customer loyalty, and hence it will be difficult for new players to gain market share. On the other hand, the sector promises high returns in future. 2) Intensity of competitive rivalry In terms of price, quality and innovation TATA Steel had no domestic competition as of 2005-06. However, on a global scale, it was just so small in terms of volume that it could not bring into play the economies of scale of the truly major players. 3) Threat of substitute products This threat is well nigh negligible with respect to steel. 4) Bargaining power of customers The steel industry is one of periodic swings in demand. However, with an average growth rate of 7% expected in countries like India, China and Brazil in the foreseeable future, we can safely assume that price of steel will continue to rise. In fact, the price of steel has doubled over 2006-2008  [4]  . However, it is also accepted that consolidation in the steel industry will lead to stabilisation of world steel prices and higher bargaining power. This is necessary because the buyers are consolidating e.g. auto makers are consolidating with six to seven global majors. 5) Bargaining power of suppliers The three major iron ore suppliers CVRD, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have a 75% market share and 40% margins. Clearly, small players are at a distinct disadvantage. Strategy In this context, let us examine the strategy of acquisition as proceeded upon by the TATA Steel management. First, TATA Steel had proximity to low cost iron ore, and the capability to take advantage of it. As a result, TATA Steel had acquired leadership status in the Indian market. In terms of the BCG Matrix, it would be considered a star. However, if it does not grow into the international it would, sooner rather than later, become a cash cow. In order to remain a star, it would have to grow its capacity and become a world major. However, before the Corus acquisition, it was only at 56th position in capacity. In terms of the world market, TATA Steel would find market penetration in Europe or America extremely difficult. In addition, as explained via the Porters five forces model, steel producers are on the wrong side of the equation both with respect to the buyers as well as suppliers, who are well consolidated and hence in a position to dictate terms. Hence, it is necessary for global steel players to consolidate as well, and thereby acquire a position of strength. This would decrease price fluctuations and increase earnings multiples. Hence, considering resources (cash, technology) present with the company, the competitive advantage it enjoyed (low cost, high margin) and the market conditions (consolidation), acquisition of some major manufacturer and jump into the big league was the only choice. Strategic Decision Undertaken The strategic decision we will be considering for the purpose of this project is Tata Steels decision to acquire Corus and the how they went about the entire process. The reasons behind the takeover will be viewed in detail along with a resource based view of the resources so collated by the newly formed company now known as Tata Europe. I really believe that the owners of iron ore are going to rule the industry. They will be OPEC of the steel industry. (Ratan Tatas interview to McKinsey Quarterly quoted by Wheatley in Financial Times, January 29, 2007). This statement made by Ratan Tata expresses in clear words the true reason behind the adoption of this strategy. Corus- An overview Corus headquarter in London, Europes second largest producer of steel and the 9th largest in the world was founded in the October 1999 via a merger between two companies British Steel and Koninklijke Hoogovens. This merger was a result of the privatization of Steel producing companies by the U.K government. In the year 2005 its revenues stood at  £9.2 billion. Corus had a divisional structure which comprised the Strip Products division, the Long Products division, Aluminum Division and the Distribution Building division. Corus customer base ranges across countries of the world and its core businesses include the manufacturing, development and allocation of steel aluminum products as well as services. It has a diversified product services portfolio which comprise manufacturing of electrical steel, narrow strip, plates, packaging steel, plated steel strip, semi-finished steel, tube products, wire rod and rail products and services and also design, technology and consultancy servic es. To support this elaborate array of products services, Corus employed about 42,600 employees in sales services centers across 40 countries. The main strength of the company lay in its international expertise with local customer service and its brand which stood for quality and strength Through the period of 200 2006 Corus grew via a number of acquisitions which did add to its large pool of long term debts, but nevertheless it has a wide range of customer segments ranging from commercial and military aerospace ventures, the automotive, construction, engineering, defense and security, as well as the rail and shipbuilding industry. Some of the Financial Information available in respect to Corus in the year 2005 has been put in annexure 1. Acquisition Based Dynamic Capabilities Tata Steel has often used the Acquisition strategy to expand their products and markets or gain other advantages and have in most cases been good at it. Looking at this strategic decision from Acquisition Based Dynamic Capabilities approach we find that over the years the Tatas have well groomed these capabilities into their system. There are three factors to consider here: Acquisition Selection Capability- Tata steel was correct in timing the merger as it was due to emerging trends in the world steel industry with the increasing consolidation in the market. With a eat or be eaten mentality it was essential for this strategy to be adopted in order to become the 5th largest producer of steel and give competition to post merger entities like Arcelor-Mittal etc. Also there would be multiple points of contact with their firms existing resources and those of Corus owing to the long list of synergies as listed in the following pages of the report. Acquisition Identification Capability- The most appropriate target for the Tatas was definitely Crus as there was the horizontal integration with respect to the R D capabilities that the Tatas were keenly interested in adding to their resource base. The Due Diligence was well carried out as though there were certain cultural issues in the way, the top management of the Tatas were fact to act in a manner to resolve the issues. Some of the steps they took involved retention of crucial executives of Corus to help in a smoother integration process and also aid in running the newly formed entity. Also the Tatas did not over pay for the deal as the market value of it exceed the price they paid, and the yearly savings expected from it were substantial. Apart from that they were able to gain access to wider distribution networks and newer markets. Acquisition Reconfiguration Capability- This is one of the most crucial aspects which can determine the success of failure of a merger. It involves the acquirer to be able to merger its resources with the new ones acquired and do so in a productive and efficient manner in order to enhance the functioning of operations etc. Tata Corus Merger Tata steel started the acquisition process in the year 2005 but since Corus had been involved in a number of its own acquisition processes the deal was finally closed with the acquisition of Corus on the 2nd April 2007 as per official records. The price paid or the same was considered to be too high at an overwhelming $12 billion out of which the Tatas financed the deal with only $4 billion. This strategic decision undertaken by Tata Steel raised their rank from the 56th to being the 5th largest steel producing company in the world. In all fairness it is necessary to note that this acquisition did not come to the Tata with ease, as though the bidding started at 455pence per share, by the time the deal came to a close it had resulted in gaining a price of 608pence per share. This 33% hike in bidding rate was caused due to the emergence of another bidder, the Brazilian Steel maker Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN). The Counter Bids The deal so made was a 100% acquisition and the newly formed entity now renamed Tata Europe is being run by one of the subsidiaries of Tata Steel. As Corus had been looking to make an exit, Tatas acquisition proved to be a profitable opportunity. The expected synergies deemed the deal to be beneficial for the Tatas as although some said that the Tatas overpaid, it was clearly communicated by the Tatas that they had paid much less than the replacement cost (market value) of all the assets they were able to acquire via this merger. Reasons For This Merger Strategy- The Global Trends The Steel market in the world had been witnessing some very strong trends which called for such a merger. There are a series of mergers which happened in the world steel industry which include some of the following: In 2004, Mittal bought International Steel Group, an American company which included assets of the previous Bethlehem Steel. Mittals merger with Arcelor ($36.1 billion offer) in 2006 created the largest steel company in the world. In October, 2006, Russian steelmaker Evraz Group bought Oregon Steel Mills of the U.S. for $2.3 billion. Nucor, the second largest US steel producer, acquired Harris Steel Group of Canada for $1.07 billion in January 2007. Severstal, the largest Russian steelmaker had invested $800 million in a new plant in Mississippi and $900 million in a plant near Detroit. Essar Group of India has made a $1.6 billion investment in Algoma Steel of Canada (2007) as well as $4.65 billion offer to buy Minnesota Steel Industries. On May 4, 2007, Swedish steelmaker, SSAB, made a $7.7 billion cash offer to acquire Ipsco of Canada. Global Steel Production in 2005 Hence we see that the environment of the steel industry was amenable to consolidation. There was a strong desire among key players to gain efficiencies resulting from steel production. Some of the reasons for such a trend towards acquisitions were: Obtaining access to new and growing markets Enhancing purchasing power with respect to suppliers and buyers Growing economy of China and India during mid-2000s Higher degree of price stability better margins Attractive to Investors Eat or be eaten mentality A desire amongst the key players to gain efficiencies resulting from scale Steel prices have been on an upward trend as can be seen in the following graph. This phenomenon started in the year 2004 and slowed down due to the economic crisis in 2009. But a great deal of volatility has been witnessed in the market and had been another major reason to consolidate so as to have a greater hold on the market dynamics. There was also lot of speculation in the market about China, the worlds largest producer of steel to increase its capacity resulting in a dip in world prices of steel. Growing economies like China and India did make up for a major demand for steel and to meet this requirement China was even importing steel from outside. Following is the graph of 2006-2008: Prior to the beginning of the deal negotiations, both Tata Steel and Corus were interested in entering into an MA deal due to several reasons. The official press release issued by both the company stated that the combined entity will have a pro forma crude steel production of 27 million tons in 2007, with 84,000 employees across four continents and a joint presence in 45 countries, which makes it a serious rival to other steel giants. Post- Acquisition Scenario A Resource Based Perspective Before After EBITDA 13% 25% Capacity 7 MTPA 25 MTPA Position 56 6 Business Resources with sub-categories in Management- TRIZ Concrete Level Business Specific Level Tangible Assets Fixed Assets Assets: 23741.48 cr Cutting edge technology- providing metal solutions Low cost upstream Tata facilities with high end downstream processing facilities of Corus RD facilities of Corus Intangible Assets Human Distribution networks, Research and Development capability of Corus to be leveraged for Tata Steels green field projects in Orissa, Bihar and Jharkand Finances Capital, Obligations and Savings To finance the deal worth $12 billion the following sources were used: Equity by Tata Steel: $ 3.88 billion Bank loans: $ 8.12 billion by Credit Suisse, ABN Amro and Deutsche Bank Long term loans obligation to be paid by Corus cash flows Obligations: Total interest obligation: $ 640 million to the already existing interest obligation of Corus amounting to $ 400 million Pension liabilities of Corus $ 24 billion Cost Synergies: Production cost $ 710/ton which is far less than a green Field project which would cost around $ 1200-1300 per ton Savings of $350 million per year through synergy General Characteristics Location of Operation Main Center India; UK, Netherlands and South East Asia Markets Innovative solutions to: Construction, Packaging, Automotive, Aerospace Energy, Engineering, Defense and Security, Consumer Products, Ship Building, Rail Greater access to market and Significant presence in over 25 countries or regions Products Bar billet, Business services, Construction products services, Electrical steels, Packaging steels, Plates, Plated steel strip, Pre-finished steels, Rail products services, Sections, Semi finished steel, Specialty, Strip products, Support products, Tube Products, Wire Rod Size Post Acquisition Sales Rs 8105.30 cr Production Capacity 26 million MTPA Competition Position 5th largest Steel Maker with a production capacity of about 26 Million Tons Per Annum Strengthened position in construction, automotive and packaging construction sector Management Resources with sub-categories in Management TRIZ: Concrete Level: Management Specific Level: Planning and Coordinating; Strategic Planning- For the growth and globalization the route of acquisitions was taken up and the logic has been explained before. Post acquisition the top management of the acquired company was retained for effective integration of processes Operational Planning-. The Tata Steel and Corus operations were being run as one virtual company with performance improvement tasks being undertaken in each location. The aim was cross-fertilization of research, development of capabilities across functionalities and transfer of best practices from Europe to India. Organization- Company Operational Structure- 15-18 teams were formed with 3-4 members each with joint representation in teams to look at various synergistic avenues Company Organizational Structure- Corus Tata SteelIntegration Team- 7 members Several Task Force Teams were also constituted for integration. Organization and Environment- Government and society- The acquisition had a very positive response from India, Indians felt patriotic towards this investment. In fact the Indian Trade and Commerce minister Kamal Nath commented that the global perception of India is now changing. This way the Indian government and society was quite supportive of the deal, in spite of critics commenting that the deal was over-priced. The historical ties between India and UK were also becoming stronger, Trade and Industry were looking up. Markets- the Tata Steel stock attained a 52 week high of 721 on March 2007, showing positive investor response. SPs credit rating also improved Informal Organization Culture- Both the organizations had similar performance culture with respect to aspirational targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement and openness and transparency. However, there were some cultural issues: Inherent in the mind of the employees. Resentment of being governed and managed by a former British colony Insecurity of production centers shifted out of the UK to low-cost centers. The labor unions in Europe raised their concern regarding this. Other Characteristics Compensation mismatch 18.5 % employee expense (Corus) 7.9 % employee expense (Tata Steel) Recent developments: In 2010 Tata Group has announced that the name and logo of TATA Steel will be used use for Corus. The transition also signifies that Tata Sons, which controls the use of the Tata brand, is satisfied that operations at Corus are now aligned with the characteristics of the Tata brand. The workers understand this is a name change and also realize that the Tata board has been supportive of the employees. It implies that synergies are being attained and that cultural integration is on the right path. Leadership: Common organization values for Tata Steel and Corus: Continues improvement program Integrity, respect for individual and world class governance Post- Acquisition: The company had effectively retained the top management of the acquired company to facilitate effective integration and to take care of the above stated cultural issues of the employees. This move coupled with effective communication has instilled confidence amongst the employees 2010 Current Executive committee which manages day to day operations of Tata Steel Europe (new name for Corus under Tata Steel) Value Chain Perspective There were significant effects that were seen on some parts of the value chain post Tatas acquisition of Corus. As already detailed above, Tata saw Corus as a strategic acquisition and took some immediate and long term steps to make the acquisition a success. Operations: This part of the value chain witnessed a saving of a whopping $103 million in 2008 09 post the integration process. Performance Improvement Teams (PITs) in 15 different areas were identified. These teams engaged in various new cost related projects in the wake of the economic recession and reduced volumes. The most important project that the teams worked on was the use of low cost coal for coke production and recycling of steel plant waste. Marketing and Sales: The acquisition of Corus gave Tata access to European markets in a very time efficient and cost efficient manner. Tata got access to the distribution network of Corus which was instrumental for its expansion in Europe. With the help of new capacity new products were introduced to cater to an expanding market in Europe. Post the acquisition, the company added flat products to Corus portfolio and thus strengthened Tatas position in the Automotive and consumer product segments. Tata globally became the 6th biggest player in the steel industry. Outbound Logistics: This function of the integrated company has undergone significant computerization and has led to more efficient supply chain management. The IT teams of Tata Steel Europe (Erstwhile Corus) are working in coordination with the IT teams of Tata Steel India to strengthen the IT support to this vertical. Both are also working to create online visibility of the operational performance of the organization. Procurement: This support function has seen significant cost savings driven by the increase in scale of the combined entity. Post the acquisition, Tata Steel Europe has appointed Lead Buyers for high value items and thus has streamlined the processes to a large extent. Contracts have been renewed for these suppliers and a resultant savings of over $40 million have been realized. Technology Development: The acquisition has provided Tata access to the latest technology and state of the art Research and Development setup. Tata has always been known for its technological excellence amongst the Indian peers but Corus took it to international standards. Post this deal, the total RD strength of the company has gone up to 1000 people. Process improvement teams have been set up leveraging the expertise of Corus for better process technologies. Through this RD set up TSE (Tata Steel Europe) has been working with various strategic partners one of them being the UK ministry of Defense. Human Resource Management: To increase efficiencies and in the wake of the economic downturn faced by the organization in FY 09, the company decided to cut its manpower costs by 20%. The target departments were IT, Finance and Human Resources. This undercutting was done through leveraging of Tata Steel Groups capabilities. A Performance Improvement Committee was set up during the integration phase and it still is responsible for knowledge transfer across the organization and adapting of best practices, which has to a great extent to Tata Steel Europe. Firm Infrastructure: Substantial steps have been taken in this regard in various departments such as finance, plants etc. This has been the pivotal point of addition in the value chain of the new company. Finance: Substantial expansion in the equity and debt resources was witnessed in order to acquire a big company as Corus. As the acquisition was essentially financed by raising substantial debt ($7.3 billion), the gross debt of the Tata Steel group stood at $10.54 billion in 2008 and increased to $11.78 billion by close of 2009. Restructuring of the debt has been witnessed in the recent past but the debt equity ratio still stood at 1.65 as at the end of FY 2009 from a low of 0.06 in FY 2006. Asset Restructuring, Integration and Divestment: With the acquisition of Corus, Tata Steel was the owner of an asset base that was thrice he size of the original Tata Steel and therefore was the need for integration of assets, divesting the obsolete assets and pairing down of overlapping assets. Immediate steps taken included closure of 4 plants and mothballing of 2 plants out of the 15 plants of Corus group. The expansion of the hot strip mill capacity at Port Talbot to 4mt. is on the table; and a decision to restructure the Corus Engineering Steels has been taken. All of this was done under the Fit for Future initiative undertaken at the merged company. Sources: Tata Steel Annual Report 2007 08 Tata Steel Annual Report 2008 09 Achieving Global Growth through Acquisition: Tatas Takeover of Corus, Journal of Case Research and in Business and Economics Tatas Acquisition of Corus: A Quantum Leap, Rashmi Malapur, The ICFAI University Press (2007) Achieving Global Growth through Acquisition: Tatas Takeover of Corus by Kimberly, Suresh and Jessica http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=articlesectid=5contentid=201007022010070215213931780a91fb3 http://indiaearnings.moneycontrol.com/sub_india/compnews.php?autono=264760 http://www.tatasteeleurope.com/en/company/management/executive_committee/ http://www.financialexpress.com/news/tata-steelcorus-synergy-realises-76-mn-in-fy08/347487/