How can a company’s knowledge base be protected in an event of a natural disaster Essay

Due to the advent of globalization, the industries and organizations all around the globe are expanding and there is an increasing development across national barriers. As the businesses are becoming more competitive, so are the labor markets. Knowledge is of the essence and it is one of the most valuable source competitive edges of a business over others. A knowledge base is knowledge management system. It is similar to a database which is basically a collection of tables that hold the data in an organized manner. It is used in companies where data usage is integrated and shared. Most companies use databases to record all kinds of information that is confidential to outside parties. Databases make data management more efficient and effective. It provides an integrated view of the organizations operations and reduces the probability of inconsistent data. This paper would focus on the venture of knowledge base and how can it be protected in an event of natural disaster. Discussion Knowledge base holds all kind of strategic, tactic and operational information that could be used by upcoming employees. In today’s highly competition markets, knowledge is of the essence. Companies need as much information as they need in order to aware and agile of their environment and the markets. Due to the competition in the labor market, there is constant change among the workers in organizations; employees tend to skip from jobs to jobs looking for new opportunities and better offers. This leads to the transaction of information that the employees hold. As the employees are valuable assets of the organization. (Trochim, 2001) We live in a rather knowledge driven economy where knowledge holds great importance, whether it be of the global environment, about internal organizational processes or about the historical proceedings that have brought about change. This knowledge management process is better known through business continuity planning or knowledge asset protection planning. Knowledge continuity management is a growing process that focuses on the preservation of information and knowledge regarding the business that is possessed by the various stakeholders of the business. This knowledge is preserved so that it can be made accessible to those that follow in the organization. (Krishna, 1992) Knowledge present within the organizations systems is valuable to the existing as well as the upcoming leaders, employers and volunteers of the business. Hence, its protection holds the utmost importance. The occurrence of natural disasters and other catastrophic events is rather inevitable and the possibility of a natural disaster hitting the organization must, at all time, be taken into account. Vital information that would be used to rejuvenate the business after a natural disaster should assessed as to avoid the organization from halting. On regular basis, all knowledge and data must have backup restorations at different locations. This helps in accessing information if the original source gets destroyed or corrupted due to viruses, intrusions or natural occurrences. Back up data allows the business to function normally even if its system gets hacked or is out of order as copies of the knowledge base and databases are kept elsewhere. There are various knowledge asset protection planning programs that help ensure organizations to have access to their knowledge assets in the event of a natural catastrophe. These programs have various sources through which the knowledge base can be regained after a disaster making it easy for the organization to reinstate its standard activities. This knowledge protection system allows the organization to be prepared to face any kind of hindrance, it protects the valuable information of the organization, also prevents any obstruction and impediment due to the loss of valuable information that has been carried on for years. Moreover, when the knowledge base of the organization is safe from intrusions it is easier for the company management and upper level employees to be more unperturbed and stress-free and hence, can concentrate on other areas of growth. Conclusion In the end it is important to understand that with the increasingly knowledge dependent economies, organizations need to be active and agile at all times. Without sufficient knowledge it would become difficult for organizations to keep up with the competition and antagonism in the global markets. The sharing and integration of knowledge in organizations can drive innovation and increase productivity. Hence, the management of knowledge is a new imperative leadership as it has now become a valuable asset.

Project Repote on Lakme

Details of planning, organising, staffing and directing functions. In this chapter we shall learn the details of coordinating and controlling functions. You know that the various business activities of an organisation are grouped and carried out by different departments and within each department there is division and sub-division. In order to achieve the organisational goals effectively, there is need to ensure that activities of such divisions, sub-divisions and departments are harmonised and duly monitored so that the performance of the organisation conforms to the plans and the prescribed time schedule.This is achieved through proper coordination and control of the activities of all groups. Let us now learn about the concepts of coordination and control and the various steps involved in the control259 Notes MODULE -3 Business Management 14 CO-ORDINATION AND CONTROLLING You have learnt about the various functions of management and gone through the details of planning, organising, staffing and directing functions. In this chapter we shall learn the details of coordinating and controlling functions.You know that the various business activities of an organisation are grouped and carried out by different departments and within each department there is division and sub-division. In order to achieve the organisational goals effectively, there is need to ensure that activities of such divisions, sub-divisions and departments are harmonised and duly monitored so that the performance of the organisation conforms to the plans and the prescribed time schedule. This is achieved through proper coordination and control of the activities of all groups.Let us now learn about the concepts of coordination and control and the various steps involved in the control process. OBJECTIVES After studying this lesson, you will be able to: explain the meaning and significance of coordination; explain the meaning of control; describe the characteristics of control and the importance of controlling; and identify the steps involved in the process of control. 14. 1 MEANING OF CO-ORDINATION In every organisation, different types of work are performed by various groups and no

Buy-Grid model Essay

Supplier Evaluation An important job of the purchasing agent is to evaluate potential suppliers and their offerings. The effects of purchasing on a firm’s competitive ability are great, so companies pay close attention to how they evaluate suppliers. Marketers must also understand the process, for them the ones being evaluated. Understand the process is like understand the rules of any games; if you don’t know how to score, you are unlikely to win. The buy-grid model is a version of a theory developed as a general model of rational organization decision making, explain how companies make decisions about, for example, where to locate a plant or make a purchase. The buy grid model has two parts: the buy-phase model and the buy class. The buy-phase model in a management class as the rational or extensive problem solving model or in consumer behavior as high-involvement model. Buy -phase model suggests that people go through a series of steps (or phrases) when making a decision, beginning with problem recognition. Then they search for alternatives, evaluate alternatives, and select a solution, which are them implemented and evaluated. For example, when an organization needs new office space, crowded conditions help force recognition of the need. The next step is to define the type of product needed: Does the organization want to build a new office building, add on to an existing building, or simply find a larger place to rent or buy? As the organization continues to examine its needs, detailed specifications such as the size and number of offices are created. If the decision in the second step was to build on, an architect would help create specifications drawing plans. Then suppliers would be contracted, included those recommended by architect. Step 5, acquisition and analysis of proposals, involves receiving and reviewing bids from each contractor. The architect and the executives would meet, evaluate the proposals, and select  a contractor (step 6). Step 7 involves the creations of a contract specifying when the building will be completed, what it will look like, and when the payment will be made. Evaluation begins as the project begins, but continues well after the organization moves in. As observers of buying behavior quickly realized, many organizational purchase decisions do not involve that much work or include each and every step every time. A second element, the buy-class, was added, resulting in the grid. Buy-class refers to the type of buying decision, based on the experience of the buyer with a purchase of a particular product or service. Organizational researchers realized that once a decision was made, products were bought automatically over and over; recognizing a problem simply mean recognizing that the company is low in an item and needs to order more. The complete process was used only for new buys, products or services never purchased before. Automatic purchasing described what happen with straight rebuys, and only two steps were required. These steps are need recognition and placing an order. At other times, however, a product or service would be bought again but not automatically. When a company was contemplating a rebuy but wanted to shop around, the process will be included most or perhaps all of the steps – hence the term modified re-buys. In this instance, the process may involve need recognition, an evaluation of suppliers, and a decision – a process that can be similar to a new buy. The difference is not in the number of steps but in the amount and type of information that must be collected before a purchase can be made. Modified rebuys can also be similar to straight re-buys or new buys, depending on the specific of the situation. In a new buy, the buyer has no experience with the product or service and must be educated about the product or service to make a purchase. In a modified re-buy, the buyer has purchased the product or service before. There, the buyer will not spend time on education about the product itself, but the various vendors and their offerings as the buyer shops around. The buy grid model, therefore describe how purchasing practices vary along a continuum depending on the buyer’s experience in buying that particular product or  service. Value analysis is one situation that can turn a straight rebuy into a modified rebuy. When a company is closely evaluating a particular part, one question that is asked is if the part is available elsewhere for less. As the answer is sought to this question, out-suppliers (those suppliers who products are not considered in a straight re rebuy) are given the opportunity to earn business. In-suppliers (those suppliers whose products are ordered automatically in a straight rebuy) must prove value or create new value by redesigning their offerings. Thus, the purchase moves from being a straight rebuy to a modified rebuy. Buy-Grid and Marketing Practice The theory suggests that more information is needed by the buyer to make a new buy than when making a modified rebuy, and almost no information is needed for a straight rebuy. To use this model, a company would look at the degree to which a market is buying a product for the first time. If most of the market is buying the product for the first time, method of communication such as personal selling may be used in order to provide the most information. Advertising would contain a lot of detailed copy that described the benefits and how the product worked. Over-time, as the market grows more familiar with the product, less educational methods of communicating may be used, such as catalogs. Another marketing implication is thatan in-supplier would like purchases of its products to be straight rebuys. Annual contracts are one method of creating straight rebuys. For example, Xerox offers its customers an annual supply contract. Each time a department is low in copier supplies, the purchasing department orders automatically from Xerox, perhaps using EDI. Out-suppliers would be locked out until the next time the contract comes up for review. Recently, research has found that marketers who get involved early in the decision process are more likely to be successful. In part, this higher  probability of success is due to greater understanding of the buyer’s needs, an opportunity to help shape those needs, and a better understanding of the process. The lower probability of success when starting later in the process is also due to the fact that buyers become committed to a course of action over the process of making the decision, and that course often leans towards alternatives presented early in the process. When buyers don’t have experience, marketing strategies can provide buyers with the information they need to make a decision. Marketers consider how buyers use that information to be very important.

Change Management Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Change Management Paper - Essay Example Through the continuous development of technology – an external factor – the conditions in life are likely to be changed constantly. Being depended on situations or things which are expected to be extinguished it is not wise. Moreover, the personal beliefs and attitudes of each person are likely to affect his responses to change; these beliefs, attitudes and skills can be characterized as internal factors intervening in the development of the change process. On the other hand, the leadership skills, also regarded as internal factors, of an individual will affect his decision but also his performance. In this context, the level at which each person will be able to respond to change is difficult to be standardized; rather it is likely to be changed periodically – especially when the changes in the internal or the external factors that intervene in the specific process are significant. The second important thing I realized after reading the specific book is that chan ge process is likely to be developed into four phases; this fact implies that the successful completion of the change process – referring to each individual – is not guaranteed. ... However, a more careful observation of the events of the person’s life could lead to the assumption that changes are likely to appear; b) in the second phase of the change process, the changes in daily life appear; the person starts to feel angry for having to cope with new standards and to face a series of problems which he had not foreseen. At this phase, resistance usually follows the anger for the change; the person denies to follow the new standards and to change his customs/ behavior. The duration of this phase can be differentiated among people in accordance with the personal attitudes and perceptions (again the internal factors influencing the change process, as described earlier, are expected to intervene); c) the stressful phase is expected to follow; in this phase inquiry and discovery are likely to replace the angry and resistance. In the specific phase, a person is likely to seek for solutions, hoping he will manage to respond to the needs of change. In the specif ic phase, experimentation is valuable, leading the person to identify solutions which are feasible, taking into consideration the resources available and the personal skills/ competencies; d) in the fourth phase, the good phase, the person who managed to follow the phases of the change process, as analyzed above, becomes self-confident, a fact that indicates his commitment to the specific effort. The person who manages to reach this phase is ready to face effectively the next change process – which is likely to follow shortly. Another important thing I’ve learned through this book is that effort is always valuable; even if initially the results seem

The history and legacy of the slave trade and its economic, social and Essay

The history and legacy of the slave trade and its economic, social and cultural impact on the Northwest region of England - Essay Example erscored that the pre-industrialization era encouraged the slave trade as slaves were used mainly in agriculture and other sectors requiring manual labor. The emergence of colonialists also played a significant role since colonies, particularly in Africa, were rich sources of human merchandise. In Europe, Britain rivaled Spain and Portugal in the slave trade. The discovery of the New World was central to this that is why the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were said to be the centuries of trade, as the nineteenth century was the century of production. The â€Å"triangular trade† was the culmination, placing the slave trade as a major engine behind the enormous rise in world trade. Eric Williams and Colin Palmer wrote about this in the book called, Capitalism and Slavery: In this triangular trade England – France and Colonial America – equally supplied the exports and the ships; Africa the human merchandise; the plantations the colonial raw materials. The slave ship sailed from the home country with a cargo of manufactured goods. These were exchanged at a profit on the coast of Africa for Negroes, who were traded on the plantations, at another profit, in exchange for a cargo of colonial produce to be taken back to the home country. (p. 51-52) The Northwestern part of England, particularly the town of Liverpool, is a major slaving port, with its ships and merchants lording over the Atlantic trade. â€Å"The precise reasons for Liverpools dominance of the trade are still debated by historians. Some suggest that Liverpool merchants were being pushed out of the other Atlantic trades, such as sugar and tobacco. Others claim that the towns merchants were more enterprising. A significant factor was the ports position with ready access via a network of rivers and canals to the goods traded in Africa - textiles from Lancashire and Yorkshire, copper and brass from Staffordshire and Cheshire and guns from Birmingham.† (National Museum Liverpool) It is hence, not

The core marketing concepts and various elements of marketing process Essay

The core marketing concepts and various elements of marketing process adopted by Apple - Essay Example Apple is one of the most successful companies of the current world in the electronic industry (O'Grady 2009, p.5). In fact, the company has witnessed tremendous growth since 1984 becoming a household name. All these are attributed to the marketing concepts and processes it adopted in order to reach its targeted customers. Gill Amello, the former CEO of the company pointed out that Apple’s marketing concepts are based on the scarcity and social proof powers (O'Grady 2009, p.5). In this regard, in order for the company to reach its intended customers, it adopted the ‘Golden Circle† marketing strategy, which entailed the why, how, and what. The â€Å"why† implies that everything that Apple do is aimed at changing the status quo and thinking differently from the rest of the competitors. The â€Å"how† pertains to the products manufactured by the company. In this regard, Apple has been at the forefront in making quality and beautifully designed products, w hich are user friendly to the customers. This has seen the company outcompete many of its rivals in the industry. The â€Å"what† has to do with the computers, in which the company has ensured that all its computers are of high quality and affordable to its customers according to O'Grady (2009, p.6). Apple has also used technology as its main marketing tool targeted at reaching the early adopters who then markets the products to the rest of the people (O'Grady 2009, p.7). This concept is termed the Law of Diffusion of Innovation. To achieve this, Apple has a team of experts that analyzes the needs, wants of customers, and adopts innovative technology in accordance with their needs. This has been witnessed in the popular iPhone and iPads, which have indeed changed the world. With these technologies, Apple has made it clear to its customers that no other competitor can match it in terms of quality and value for money (O'Grady 2009, p.7). However, once the products have reached the early adopters, these customers do the rest by spreading the good news about Apple’s products to the rest of the world. Source: O'Grady, J.D. (2009), Apple Inc. West Port, CT: ABC-CLIO. Thirdly, Apple believes that the key to success lies on being different from other players in the market while at the same time understating the needs and wants of customers. Apple is one of the companies that have faced many challenges over the past decade as was witnessed in the failure of Macs to catch in an industry dominated by PC. The failure was attributed to the fact that the engineers and developers of Macs assumed that they knew the needs of customers, which was not the case. Apple changed the situation towards the end of 1990s with the introduction of iMac, which came in several beautiful colors. This resonated well with the needs of customers, thereby seeing its sales go up. In addition, iMacs was also well received by customers because getting into the internet with it was qui te easy and faster as opposed to the Mac. This is because iMac only needs a plug in to the line of the phone, a feature, which did entice internet users (O'Grady 2009, p.9). Apple also considered tapping into a new market by introducing new inventions that are more efficient and cost effective to customers. It is noted that by the time apple was introducing the iPod in the market, there was already the mp3 player. This gave iPod a lot of competition for customers. Therefore,

The Emerald Buddha Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Emerald Buddha - Research Paper Example The Emerald Buddha, a dark green statue is in a standing form, about 66 centimeters (26 in) tall which is carved from a single jade stone in the meditating posture in the style of the Lenna School of the northern Thailand. Due to the holiest nature of the statue except for the Thai King, no other person can be allowed come close or to touch the statue who cloaks it three time a year during winter summer and rain season which is a powerful ritual carried out to welcome good fortunes in the country in each season. Wat Phra Kaeo is believed to be the holiest temple in the kingdom, due to the diminutive Emerald Buddha is the holiest image in Thailand. The coming to be of the image is in dispute among experts where some say it was made in Sri Lanka as believe that it was crafted during the 14th century to what is now Thailand. It is believed to come with good fortune to whoever possesses it, and thus it has been fought over by several kings and empires for legends claims that miracles use d to occur in different places it has been interned. Since 1784, the Emerald Buddha has been in its present shrine in Wat Phra Kaeo thus making the Buddha image and the temple remain a fantastic focal point due to the historic royal ceremonies. Other people believe e that ‘†Wat Phra Singh† Bangkok is the holiest temple since it was first to host emerald Buddha despite the many argumentative explanations few people have came into concession about this (Subhadradi,, 25-36). Main Body #1 Emerald Buddha is made out of the finest gems ever known and has some of the most miraculous powers. In Thailand, an image of the Emerald Buddha which is made of gem and stone carving is been associated with extremely uncommon power for along time. This Buddha images has been used as object of ventilation and religious worship in the community. Due to their miraculous power the image of Emerald Buddha has been shown to appear on office and altars in homes, schools, and temples. The im age is believed to be a sign of affectiousness of religion from the effective cognition of the ontological communication. The affection is delivered from the ritual of consecration of the can lead to personal presentation. Therefore, it represents the inherent of of the relationship between the inherent and beholder as a simple of contemplation. (Swearer 8-31) Main Body #2 Anthropologists and historian have put across several arguments that the Buddha can go where it is designated to go is where it shall choose. According to the case of sinhale Buddha case the image of the emerald Buddha it travels according to the kingship and kingdom making for it was placed in the inner cycle of the palace. In this case, the travel of Sinhala Buddha is a remarkable occasion for it is associated with the first appearance of pure pali budhisism. The travel of the buddha statue provides a chain of 0geneology of the kingdom and politic which the statues legitimate. It provide a map for the political arena made of the number if principalities changing boundaries and affiliations thus identifying the virtues of commitment to the religio-political ideology. The statue of Buddha is a product of the circumstances of which it’s making, and authenticity is given by its maker (Timbiah 1-15) V. Main Body #3 Emerald Buddha has seen many kingdom and empire fight over it due to it holistic nature. It is believed that the kingdom

Business Management Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Management Assignment - Coursework Example The supervisor refuted the rumor and claimed the job vacancy was not filled and they she would never choose a candidate based on pressures associated with preferential treatment. She lied to all of us as the cousin was the person chosen for the job and he did not even have to take an interview. I got very discouraged with the company and decided to quit after this incident. I was only making minimum wage at the time, but a job is a job and after I quit I face some financial troubles for a few months. If my emotional intelligence would have been higher I probably would not have quit that job. 2. A communication barrier mentioned in the textbook that can affect effective communication is language barriers. Language barriers often occur when companies have operations internationally. For instance a company may have a subsidiary in Mexico. In Mexico the native population speaks Spanish as a first language. An American executive that does not speak Spanish that is given a project to perfo rm process improvements at the Mexican plant may encounter language barriers. In order to resolve this barrier the executive should hire an interpreter for the longevity of the project. Another communication barrier that I often encounter in the workplace is when others are not willing to listen to what you have to say. â€Å"Active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding† (Colorado, 1998). 3. A tool that can be used to achieve effective communication in the workplace is communication channels. Communication channels are the pathways through which messages are communicated which may include devices such as smartphones, intranets, email communication, or written memos. The use of smartphones can help workers achieve more effective communication especially when working on the field. Smartphones such as the iPhone 4 have the capability to connect to the internet which enables the user to send or receive files. Memos are a simple and effective way for a manager to transmit a message to the staff (Houp & Pearsall & Tebeaux, 1995). 4. I am motivated by a variety of factors. First and foremost my professionalism and pride in my work motivates to perform at the highest possible level. As any person in the workplace financial incentives motivate me. If I was not getting paid a pay check my motivation would not be as high towards work. I am also motivated by the nature of the job task I am given. When my supervisor gives me challenging work that helps me develop my skills and abilities I get motivated. As a student the knowledge that I can obtain from a course motivates me to work harder. If a course is boring and does not interest me my motivation to learn will be low. 5. The equity theory of motivation was developed by Stacy Adams in 1963 (Businessballs, 2010). This theory states that people compare their salary and rewards with the salary and rewards of people in similar positions. If their salary is under value the employees’ motivation will decrease because of the felt inequity. As a manager I would use the equity theory to motivate my employees. I would contact the human resource department and look at the compensation of my employees. If any employee was getting less than they are worth I

MARKETING Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

MARKETING - Assignment Example hey are planned to help bring relief to working families at the start of the new school year, and also to encourage people to shop in their local stores and spend money. This study looked at the customers and their view of the tax holiday. It aimed to find out if the tax holiday influenced the decision to shop or not, and to identify what kind of customers were most influenced. The research approach used was a survey and there is a copy of the questionnaire attached to the article. It has two parts. The first part contains demographic questions, and the second part contains Mall questions. The questions are very simple, mostly requiring only a few words, and the second part uses two questions with 7 point Likert scale. The sample size is 710 shoppers entering a shopping mall in 2004. The contact method used is defined as â€Å"mall intercept survey† which means that university students were used as researchers to distribute the survey. They intercepted the shoppers and asked them to complete the questions. There was a small $3 dollar voucher reward for completing the study. Because of the nature of the shoppers in Texas, the survey was available in English and Spanish. Mogab, John W. and Pisani, Michael J. â€Å"Shoppers’ Perceptions of the State Sales Tax Holiday: A Case Study from Texas.† American Journal of Business, Fall 2007, 22 (2) pp. 45-56. Available online at:

International Management 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Management 7 - Essay Example This led to the two companies forming an alliance to benefit fro each other's strengths and share in the weaknesses. In 2001, Lenovo was the biggest computer company in China and its business was booming since they did not have any serious competitors. Moreover, China had not joined the WTO; hence foreign firms did not have access to the Chinese market. Lenovo therefore saw no need in forming an alliance since the conditions were good for them. However, in 2004, the business environment changed tremendously with Dell emerging as a serious competitor locally. Also, the Chinese market opened up to foreign companies, depressing prices and reducing margins (London, 2005). In 2004, the Chinese companies experienced pressure from foreign firms, which flooded its market with cheaper products, posing a serious threat to the local firms. This pressure transformed Lenovo from being a local Chinese company to a global one, selling 60 per cent of its products to other countries. Lenovo Group's results for the second fiscal quarter of 2006 saw the company's consolidated revenue increase to US$ 3.7 billion. The firm's shipments globally increased by about 10 per cent, this being higher than the industry's average of 8 per cent, with most of the growth occurring in China. This growth has been attributed to an improvement in the company's operational efficiency due to restructuring efforts by the company. However, Lenovo faces some challenges in some of its segments due to competition and slow growth in the mature PC market. Lenovo's brand awareness in the US is very weak compared to that of China, which has strong sales, providing the company with the necessary cash for sustaining losses in the overseas market. Lenovo Group is faced with big challenges in the global markets, notably the tough international price competition. Part Two The Beijing Businessville Hotel and Around the World Hotels alliance Issues need to be considered Beijing Businessville Hotel and Around the world Hotels need to put into consideration a number of factors before they get into an alliance. This is due to the differences in their current environments as well as other key factors. Both hotels must consider how the economic system of the new venture country will affect their business since they operate in two different economic systems. They must also consider the legal systems, political systems, physical infrastructure and technical know-how of the country they will be operating in. They must also find ways of adjusting to these new conditions in order to operate optimally (Lockyer, 2007). Moreover, there are socio-cultural factors to be considered seriously before the alliance. Such factors include the language used by the host country, religion of its people and education. Cultural factors include the beliefs of the people in the host country, their norms as well as values. They must also bear in mind the attitudes of the people in these countries with regard to such issues as change, individualism, materialism, time and work. Moreover, individual and group employee behavior must be seriously looked into, focusing on issues such as

Competition to Gain Competitive Advantage among Firms Essay Example for Free

Competition to Gain Competitive Advantage among Firms Essay In the current world market, there are many products and services available to fulfill the needs of individual and businesses. According to Barney, Wright and Ketchen (2001), to succeed in such a competitive market, a competitive advantage is required to provide any firm with necessary tools, useful in increasing sales and market share, improving profit margins for a given period of time in a new existing market, ensure survival of the firm in extremely competitive markets and also develop hard to copy mixes. A firm that lacks competitive advantage can imitate firms that already have an edge in competition, either through direct duplication of resources or substitution (Combe, 2006). The firm can determine which way to go, by first conducting a research of the main competitors, so as to identify the resources they have, that contribute to their success in the market (Porter, 1980). When this is established, the firm should then evaluate itself so as to know the resources it has, and whether it is feasible to invest on these resources so as to improve its competitiveness in the market. Among the things that the firms can do to improve its competitive advantage is to introduce new products and processes, it can also adopt managerial methods and organizational form from the better firms and also engage in timely investment during market entry (Combe, 2006). In addition to this, the firm should learn what the customers want, carefully analyze their competitors and create product differentiation with creative techniques. The goal of any new introduction is to meet consumers’ needs with a quality product at the lowest possible cost in order to return the highest level of profit (Combe, 2006). Introduction of new products can be broken down into five distinct parts which include idea validation, conceptual design, specification and design, prototype and testing and commercialization (Porter, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE 1980). If the new product satisfies the consumers needs then it going to be appreciated well in the market, and put the company in a good competitive edge. Adopting managerial methods and organizational form is also important. The firm should adopt the managerial methods practiced by the better firm so as to realize a competitive edge (Barney et al. , 2001). This poses some challenges in terms of resources in cases where additional input of capital is required. Nevertheless if the investment is worth, then we should not give up. Also investments in the market should be carried out timely so that the prevailing market conditions do not negatively affect the investments leading to big loses incurred by the firm (Porter, 1980). The firm should investigate to know the best investment periods so that it’s on the correct path of competition. Bad timing of entry into the market can really make any firm to lose grip of the market by incurring great loses that might take time for the firm to recover (Barney et al. , 2001). Thirdly the firm should analyze the market to know what the consumers want and the form in which they want it. If the customer becomes the priority in any firm, then the firm should realize some benefits as a result of customer loyalty (Porter, 1980). The design of the products should also be done creatively in a way that is most convenient to the customers. Products may be similar in all aspects but a small difference in presentation can greatly increase its demand in the market. Competitive advantage can be attained if the current strategy is value-creating and not currently being implemented by present or possible future competitors (Barney et al. , 1991). Competitive advantage has the ability to be sustained but a competing firm can enter the market with a resource that has the ability to invalidate the priors’ firms’ competitive advantage and is COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE therefore independent of timeframe. When imitation actions comes to an end without disrupting the firms competitive advantage then the firms strategy can be called sustainable. Porter (1985) portrays contrary views that competitive advantage is maintained when it provides above average returns in the long run.

Women and gender studies Essay Example for Free

Women and gender studies Essay In WGS101 (Introduction to Women and Gender Studies), we have seen many examples in the news that have related to theories and issues from the textbook and from lecture (e.g. homophobia with pasta ads; genetic testing of athletes). This assignment is your opportunity to identify an issue in the news (Canada or the world) concerning women and/or gender and build an essay around it. Process: ï  ¬Identify an issue in the news and specify its historical context (when) and location (where) and the power relationships involved (how and what). ï  ¬Formulate a thesis and connect it to theories and ideas found in course readings and lecture. What is the connection to course themes? ï  ¬What are the relevant facts? Cite these when you use them. ï  ¬What Textbook or Atlas information can you add to support your thesis? ï  ¬Find additional sources to support your thesis; cite them. ï  ¬Formulate a conclusion Essays should demonstrate what you have learned from the lectures, readings and your own research with additional sources. Integrate these ideas into a well written, organized and analyzed essay. Three pages, double-spaced, 15%. Writing support: For advice on the proper style and format of academic papers, see http://library.utm.utoronto.ca/write and http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/home. Look also to UTM’s Academic Skills Centre for support: http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/Students/tips.htm: †¢Ten most common grammatical errors †¢Referencing styles, how to cite, what to cite More writing advice: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/ How not to plagiarize: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources/how-not-to-plagiarize

Resource Mobilisation Theory

Resource Mobilisation Theory The study of social movements is a very broad and encompassing task; with each new movement come new theories, approaches and events that change the field. Social movements, as defined by sociology, can be characterized as a group of persons, who, by sharing a common ideology, band together to try and achieve certain political, economic or social goals.  [1]  There are a few standard theories to describe, understand and evaluate the effectives of social movements. Amoung the major theories currently looked at today are resource mobilization, collective behaviour theory, frame alignment theory and political opportunities theory. Although each has its own merits and shortcomings, this essay will only be examining the strengths and weaknesses of one particular theory, that of resource mobilization. The strengths focus on the theorys ability to effectively dissect the interactions between various material and non-material resources, the political structure and mobilization, while the weaknesses will examine the theorys reliance on economic models, its lack of historical perspective and its ignorance to real-world factors. The conclusion of the paper will also discuss the future use of the theory, its changing adaptations and whether or not the theory itself is still viable in todays world. B: History and Assumptions of the Theory The history of resource mobilization theory begins pre-dominantly with research done in the 1970s. Unlike other theories of social movements at the time, resource mobilization theory, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦replaced the crowd with the organization, and dismissed the psychological variables of alienation and frustration in favour of the rational actor employing instrumental and strategic reasoning.  [2]  It was this difference, which made it stand out amongst academics and prompted a flurry of research to compile an overarching framework regarding resource mobilization. However, within this framework of the theory lie two distinct approaches: First, the economic or organizational/entrepreneurial model presented by McCarthy and Zald and secondly, the sociopolitical or political/interactive argued more favorably by authors such as Tilly, Diani, and McAdam. Tilly, Diani and McAdams emphasis focuses predominately on employing a political model in order to examine the various processes that ar e claimed to give rise to social movements.  [3]  They base their ideas on the structure of grievances, in so far as they look to determine what opportunities, links or networks exists within the aggrieved group, in order to give rise to enough mobilization as to claim a social movement. Factors they included range from various forms of political power, to the oft conflicting interests of the state and the aggrieved group and finally to the political resources the group has or may need  [4]  . Conversely, the organization/entrepreneurial model emphasizes resource management, the role of leaders and leadership, and the dynamics of organization. This approach is much more economics based and therefore tries to apply various economic theories to the study of social movements. Charles Perrow, when describing this approach, makes light of the fact that it is much more capitalist based and therefore the organization/entrepreneurial branch makes reference to such ideas as: product differentiation, social industry, resource competition, social movement entrepreneurs etc.  [5]   The theory also sets aside three main assumptions when discussing social movements. 1) That economic prosperity and affluence will generally lead to a greater number of social movements.  [6]  2) That people who participants in social movements are inherently rational.  [7]  3) That the social movements participants must achieve a certain level of political and economic resources for their movement to be a success.  [8]  Therefore, as nations become more prosperous and generate necessary social movement resources such as education, wealth and communication, these in turn will help spur social movement activity. It therefore follows that this increase in activity will allow rational people to accumulate the resources needed for their social movement to be successful. Kendall defines the theory as such, resource mobilization theory focuses on the ability of members of a social movement to acquire resources and mobilize people in order to advance their cause.  [9]  Note that the aforementioned affluence is said to be most beneficial when coupled with an open state, which allows groups to mobilize freely and encourages debate and dissent as it promotes the values of freedom, capitalism and transparency. Also, the growth of the welfare state is often seen as a boost to social movements as the State itself can provide resources to struggling movements in the form of aid, workers or development programs.  [10]   The resources that the theory describes range from material to non-material, but are said to include, money, peoples time and skills, access to the media, and material goods such as property and equipment.  [11]  Simply put, resource mobilization theory describes how effective social movements can be, by examining how the groups involved in social movements both mobilize their supporters and manage their resources. Some theorists, such as Anthony Oberschall have furthered the view that the resources defined by the theory are in a constant state of struggle, in which they are perpetually created, consumed, transferred and/or lost.  [12]  Oberschall therefore views social movements much like organizations who vie for a limited number of resources in the political marketplace.  [13]   A key feature to remember, is that the resources(or assets) outlined in the theory can be of both material and non-material nature. Material assets include currency, buildings, people, telephones and computers. Non-material assets include ideology, will-power, political support, leadership and solidarity.  [14]   The other main aspect of the theory is the mobilization aspect. Mobilization is said to occur when a particular group(in this case one assumes a social movement) assembles the aforementioned resources with the explicit purpose on using them to achieve a common goal, change or message through collective action. A distinction must be drawn between the two, as merely gathering resources is not mobilization. Only when those resources have been collectively assigned to pursue a purpose, is mobilization said to take place.  [15]   B. Strengths of the Theory B1. Explanatory power of the Theory: Foweraker discusses the explanatory staying power of the theory, including its ability to adapt over time.  [16]  He states that despite it coming under criticism over the past decade or so, The theory has expanded its explanatory power by including a range of ancillary arguments. The first one of these arguments is that social networking has proven to be a decisive tool in aiding the mobilization of social movements.  [17]  Authors John Hansen and Steven Rosentone, in the book Mobilization, Participation and Democracy in America discuss the impact of social networks on social mobilization by stating, Social networks multiply the effect of mobilization.  [18]  This can be seen in everyday life, as mass communication(often one of the most important resources mentioned when discussing resource mobilization theory) has taken off in a way that not even States can control. The freedom of the internet makes mobilization not only easy, but participation costs shrink. It therefor e comes to no surprise that as social networks have grown, so too have the ability of organizers to mobilize transnational social movements such as the global environmental movement, the tea-party movement of the trans-national European movement. Another aspect of this particular strength of resource mobilization theory lies in its explanatory power to explain the various dynamics of mobilization; to help identify the various resources that social movements need in order to mobilize, the distinctive organizational features needed with condition social movements and the ever growing relationships between the political system as a whole and these movements.  [19]  By moving slightly away from the purely social/cultural or political and instead focusing more generally on resource management and strategy, resource mobilization theory highlights the growing importance of strategic/instrumental action. It also shows a level of understanding in which the decisions taken by the various actors actively affect the outcome of the conflict between the movement and the system.  [20]   B2. Strong analysis of the political system and its interactions with collective action: Resource mobilization theory also includes a very important emphasis on the political process. This is a key feature which provides useful insights into the how social movements interact within the political system. Moreover, an examination of the structure of the political system tends to yield interesting results regarding the set of political factors with either facilitate or harm the emergence of social movements.  [21]  The theory further goes on to focus on the interactions between collective action, social networks and group identity. Foweraker identifies these as prior social organizational interaction and says, Levels of prior social organization influence the degree and type of social mobilization.  [22]   C. Weaknesses of the Theory C1. Adherence to economic cost/benefit models: The first of several weaknesses of resource mobilization theory centre on its apparent adherence to an economic rationality, which presupposes various costs and benefits of a common rational participants. Foweraker believes this shortcoming gives rise to two fundamental flaws of resource mobilization theory and described these two problems as such, First, social actors are presumed to employ a narrowly instrumental rationality which bridges a rigid means/end distinction. The careful weighing of costs and benefits implied by the means/end model falls far short of a universal or complete account of collective action, if only because action may be its own reward. More particularly, to recall Webers analysis of social action, the motives that predispose the actor to act may be not merely instrumental, but habitual, affective and, above all, expressive.  [23]  If the theory only cares about the rationality of actors, then it fails to account for what rationality actually is, as the definition of such ranges from individual to individual. If one person enjoys protesting for the sake of protesting and not, as the theory would say, to achieve a goal, then how can the theory describe their rationality as a participant in a social movement? C2. Rationality without reference to social context and lack of cultural considerations: The second weakness of the theory revolves around an idea of solitary rationality. Resource mobilization theory assumes that rationality is at all times beneficial, yet with any social or historical context, it is nearly impossible to determine how the various costs and benefits of the movements are calculated. Foweraker describes this as a tautological trap, in which the theory, must then define the actors interests in such a way that no matter what choice is made it is always sent to further those interests.  [24]  Melucci agrees with this ascertain by stating that, collective action is never based solely on cost-benefit calculation and a collective identity is never entirely negotiable.  [25]  As Scott correctly points out, social movements must include, the cultural as well as the purposive aspects  [26]  for as it stands now, resource mobilization theory understands the how of social movements, but not the why.  [27]  Also, an associated weakness of the theory is that it gives little room for any sort of cultural considerations. Scott addresses this notion, by underpinning that without any reasonable consideration of cultural, solitary action seems very unlikely.  [28]   C3. Ignorance of real-world variables and factors: The third overarching criticism of resource mobilization theory stems of its apparent lack of real world considerations. The theory purports to understand the dynamic relationship between social movements, yet pays no heed to events such as political negotiations, bribery, espionage and sabotage. Foweraker outlines political negations as being more commonplace than any other political tool and states, Since [rational] choice is often a result of interactions with a living political environment, it makes little sense to think of it as uncontaminated by negotiationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [29]  Another interesting point made by Scott Lash and John Urry in their paper, The New Marxism of Collective Action: A Critical Analysis argue that, the rationality applying to one-off game-like situations does not necessarily apply to long-term relations.  [30]  This also applies to the theory of free-riding in which people may participate in a movement purely because of the advantageous position it will put them in, and not because they truly feel motivated in the movement itself. Therefore resources may be drained and fail if enough free riders are brought on. In particular, the theory fails to explain socials movements that are too weak to distribute selective benefitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [31]  due exactly to this problem. D. Conclusion and Future: After having discussed the various strengths sand weaknesses of resource mobilization theory, this paper will now conclude with a look into the future; regarding both longevity of the theory and the overall attractiveness to academics in its current form. Given the overarching criticisms inherit to the theory itself, it should come as no surprise that the theory has lot a lot of ground to other theories of social movements, such as Political Opportunities theory, Frame Alignment theory or any of a new number of New Social Movement theories.  [32]  However, there is still plenty of underlying merit of resource mobilization theory, which this paper believes will keep it in the foreground of social movement theory for the foreseeable future. This is mainly due to the essential fact that without resources, regardless of how one defines them, social movements simply cannot generate enough momentum to sustain themselves. Therefore, taking a look into the various approaches of mobilizat ion with regards to these resources is as important now, than it was in the 1970s. Coupled with its relative openness and adaptability should make resource mobilization theory a useful tool for the foreseeable future.

The Theories of Sex and Gender Essay -- Comparison Compare

The Theories of Sex and Gender Sex and gender are two very separate factors in the debate of how gender acquisition occurs. Sex is a biological fact determined by the chromosomes inherited from parents. Gender however, refers to the behaviour, beliefs, attitude and sense of identity that society perceives as being appropriate for either a male or a female, and therefore gender is regarded as a social fact. MOGHADDAM (1998, as cited in HARALAMBOS et al, 2002). There are four main theories in the gender acquisition debate, Evolutionary Psychology, Psychoanalytical Theory, Social Learning Theory and Cognitive-development Theory. This paper aims to describe and evaluate Social Learning Theory and Cognitive-development Theory. Social Learning theorists believe the development of gender occurs as a result of a child’s social experience and think much of this learning can be explained by conditioning and observational learning. Sex-role and gender behaviours are learned in the same way as any other behaviour. In terms of conditioning, parents socialise their children, preparing them for adult gender roles by providing them with gender-appropriate toys. In many societies girls are given dolls and cooking equipment in preparation for the maternal and domestic aspects of their adult gender role. BANDURA & WALTERS (1963, as cited in HARALAMBOS et al, 2002) Social Learning theorists also think that children learn gender roles from same sex role models such as parents, peers, teachers and media figures who provide children with opportunities to observe and imitate behaviours, this is known as observational learning. O... ...r cognitive and motivational factors. This new theory, Social Cognitive Theory, suggests that a child has it’s own ability to regulate his/her own activities according to the rules of gender appropriate behaviour. This combines Social Learning Theory with Cognitive Development Theory and shows a move from parental control over this process to an understanding that children actively evaluate situations and adapt their behaviour accordingly. This more recent theory aims to broaden and combine earlier approaches and to develop them further. Reference List ============== Cardwell.M, Clark.L, Meldrum.C (2000) Psychology for A Level London Harper Collins Haralambos.M, Rice.D, Foreman.N, Jones.S, Stenner.P, Brown.S, Kinderman.P, Sharp.K (2002) Psychology in Focus for A Level Lancashire Causeway Press

theme Essay -- essays research papers

Theme is a concept that can be related to all works of literature ranging from short stories to novels. Theme, which is sometimes used in the same sense as motif to signify recurring concepts in literature, refers mainly to the arguments or general ideas expressed by a literary work, whether it is implied or explicitly stated. In the short story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. theme played a vital role in the stories general setup. â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† theme was on a general basic of equality. Equality is a subject that is very touchy and most do not know how to conquer or talk about it, but Vonnegut captured it in his story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron.† According to Vonnegut and his them equality could be obtained by these three main objectives. The three main objectives were to 1) make everyone have the same intelligence, 2) make everyone the have the same strengths and weaknesses, and 3) make everyone look alike.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the three main objectives that were used in the story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† was that everyone must look alike. This was accomplish by there not being makeup for women, handicaps for all people, and other accessories put on the body to make a person seem as if they had no strengths or weaknesses. An example of this happening was when Hazel and George were having a conversation while watching ballerinas and the conversation went blank because of a loud noise in George’s and the ballerina’s ears. It was stated in the story that â€Å"Haz... theme Essay -- essays research papers Theme is a concept that can be related to all works of literature ranging from short stories to novels. Theme, which is sometimes used in the same sense as motif to signify recurring concepts in literature, refers mainly to the arguments or general ideas expressed by a literary work, whether it is implied or explicitly stated. In the short story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. theme played a vital role in the stories general setup. â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† theme was on a general basic of equality. Equality is a subject that is very touchy and most do not know how to conquer or talk about it, but Vonnegut captured it in his story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron.† According to Vonnegut and his them equality could be obtained by these three main objectives. The three main objectives were to 1) make everyone have the same intelligence, 2) make everyone the have the same strengths and weaknesses, and 3) make everyone look alike.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the three main objectives that were used in the story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† was that everyone must look alike. This was accomplish by there not being makeup for women, handicaps for all people, and other accessories put on the body to make a person seem as if they had no strengths or weaknesses. An example of this happening was when Hazel and George were having a conversation while watching ballerinas and the conversation went blank because of a loud noise in George’s and the ballerina’s ears. It was stated in the story that â€Å"Haz...

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Have you ever had an experience of morning paralysis where you see yourself lying down, and you think you're awake so you try to get up, but suddenly you realize that you can't move? I have, several times. They have been the most frustrating and scariest times of my life. As I try harder to move, concentrating all my energy into moving one arm, the deeper I seem to be sinking in this indescribable feeling of entrapment. I hear the people outside my room and try to get their attention by screaming. Instead, I hear a soft slurred sound coming from my throat. Then I start to panic. I can't breathe! My energy is depleted and my body is exhausted. Eventually, I start to relax. The first time this happened to me, a mosquito landed on my big toe while I was thinking of what to do. Without being consciously aware of it, I move my big toe. My body jerks and suddenly I can move! Thank God for the mosquito, otherwise I wouldn't have known that all I had to do was move my big toe towards me. Eve r since, whenever I would have another one of these experiences, I would relax and gently move my big toe towards me. If you've had one of these experiences, then you've probably had a glimpse of how it feels to have a fully developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurological disorder that involves the degeneration of motor neurons. A-myo-trophic is derived from the Greek language. A connotes something negative or none. Myo means it has something to do with the muscles. Trophic translates to "nourishment". (1) The term Lateral is attributed to the parts of the spinal cord that ALS usually affects. (2) The scarring that results from the degeneration of these neurons and nerves in the spinal cord is known as sclerosis. (2) In 1941, Lou Gehrig, a famous baseball player, died of ALS. His name has been associated with this progressive fatal neuromuscular disease ever since. (3) Another person whose name is associated with this disease is the French neurologist, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot. He was the first to identify that motor neurons from the spinal cord are the main part of the nervous system affected by this disease, in 1869. For that, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is also known as maladie de Charcot.

Janis Groupthink

Have you ever thought about speaking up in a meeting and then decided against it because you did not want to appear unsupportive of the group's efforts? If so, you have probably been a victim of â€Å"Groupthink†. Irving Lester Janis (26 May 1918 – 15 November 1990) was a research psychologist at Yale University and most famous for his theory of â€Å"groupthink† which described the systematic errors made by groups when taking collective decisions(Wikipedia). Janis described â€Å"groupthink† as â€Å"a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group. When the members’ striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action†(Janis,1972,p. 8). Janis identified eight symptoms(features) of groupthink. They were- 1)Illusion of Invulnerability-This leads the group to excessive optimism, over confidence leading them to take extraordinary risks. It may also lead them to ignore clear signs of risks. 2)Collective Rationalization-Victims of groupthink construct rationalizations and discount and discredit negative feedback and advice from the oppositions. )Illusion of morality-Group members often tend to ignore the ethical and moral consequences of their decisions. 4)Stereotyped views of others-Victims of Groupthink have a stereotyped view towards opponents who give different opinions. They consider them to be too stupid or weak to handle the problem. 5)Pressure on Dissent-Group members apply direct pressure on anyone who opposes the idea or validity supporting a decision or opini on favored by the majority. Example-Body language,Voice tone. 6)Self-censorship-They tend to censor themselves when they have opinions opposing the majority of the group. This minimizes the members doubts and opinions to themselves and not to the group. They withhold dissenting views and counter arguments. Example-Keeping quiet and not giving an opinion due to opposing views. 7)Illusion of unanimity-Victims of groupthink have an illusion that the whole group is in unanimity. This symptom is caused by the preceding symptom. This is due to the false assumption that anybody who doesn’t give an opinion is in unanimity with the group’s decision. Silence is taken as consent. )Mindguarding-A few group members take up the role of mind-guards so as to protect the other members of the group from excessive information and facts that might destroy the majority decision. They stand up to prove the information wrong and label them stupid(stereotyped). This type of dysfunctional operation of an organization has many opportunities for failure. The basic fundamentals of this process are the beginnings of failure as groups seeks conformity and unity as th ey sacrifice everything in order to maintain peace within the group. These eight symptoms of groupthink identified by Janis leads to defective decision making. Victims of grouthink never consider all the alternatives,they do not re-examine the alternatives,they reject negative information and have no contingency plans. The above are due to the stereotyped view of the victims and they act in this way to not disrupt the idea of the majority. This is what the organizations should be careful of. A real life example of â€Å"groupthink† leading to a defective decision making is Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. This occurred on January 28,1986 launched from John F. Kennedy space centre. It was considered to be the most tragic event after John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The presidential commission that investigated the accident showed that defective decision making was the main cause. MTI engineers presented that the mission would fail as the shuttle would not succeed in such cold temperatures. But,the flight officials put forward technical rationalizations faulting MTI’s analysis. One of these rationalizations was that the data was incohensive showing their stereotyped view. The officials also forced Thiokol officials to change their recommendation from avoiding delay to the launch. This shows pressure on dissent. Hence,as expected the mission failed after 73 seconds of the launch killing 7 astronauts aboard. This example shows us how the officials had symptoms of groupthink and how it lead them to a defective decision making process. The challenge for any team or group leader is to create a working environment in which Groupthink is unlikely to happen. Hence we could avoid groupthink by exploring objectives,exploring alternatives,encouraging ideas to be challenged without reprisal,examining the risks if the preferred choice is chosen,testing assumptions,gathering relevant information from outside sources,processing this information objectively,have at least one contingency plan. References: 1)Moorhead,Gregory,Ference,Richard and Neck,Chris P. 1991 ‘Group decision fiascos continue:Shuttle challenger and a revised groupthink framework’. Human Relations 44/6: 539-550. 2)Wikipedia.

Laser Intruder Alarm System

[LASER BASED SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM] This Document contains Project Report of Autumn 2012 of Course CT-111. PROJECT REPORT LASER BASED SECURITY ALARM ? An Alarm is a type of security equipment that can be used to safeguard houses and property. ? Now a days Burglar Crimes are continually rising with each passing day. ? Many have lost homes and families through violent burglaries in many countries ? Some of them lost most precious things such as Jewelry, Vehicles, huge investments in banks etc.. ? This led to the development of ALARM SYSTEM Basic circuit Alarm Interface: ? We used LDR to detect Laser Light. LDR pin was Fed to Op-Amp input leg. ? Clock pulse to 4017 was taken from Op-Amp output pin. Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) ? LDRs or Light Dependent Resistors are very useful especially in light/dark sensor circuits. Normally the resistance of an LDR is very high, sometimes as high as 1000 000 ohms, but when they are illuminated with light resistance drops dramatically. ? Which acts as an sensor for our circuit. Op-Amp-741 ? The OP AMP is a ‘Linear Amplifier ? Its main purpose is to amplify (increase) a weak signal ? The OP-AMP has two inputs, INVERTING -2nd pin and NONINVERTING – 3rd pin, and one output at pin 6 1.An inverting amplifier ? Leg two is the input and the output is always reversed. In an inverting amplifier the voltage enters the 741 chip through leg two and comes out of the 741 chip at leg six. If the polarity is positive going into the chip, it becomes negative by the time it comes out through leg six. The polarity has been ‘inverted’. 2. A non-inverting amplifier ? Leg three is the input and the output is not reversed. In a non-inverting amplifier the voltage enters the 741 chip through leg three and leaves the 741 chip through leg six. This time if it is positive going into the 741 then it is still positive coming out.Polarity remains the same. How it helps ? ? When the illumination on LDR stops its resistance increas es so the leg 2 of Op-Amp gets less voltage. ? Then it acts as non-Inverting amplifier. ? It gives high voltage to transistor which ultimately passes current to buzzer and the buzzer buzzes. 4017-Timer ? The 4017 decade counter has ten outputs which go HIGH in sequence when a source of pulses is connected to the CLOCK input and when suitable logic levels are applied to the RESET and ENABLE inputs. ? Internally, the 4017 contains five bi-stable subunits. These are interconnected in a pattern known as a Johnson counter.The outputs of the bi-stables are decoded to give the ten individual outputs. Operating voltages and currents of 4017 Timer: ? Minimum-6v ? Maximum-15v ? Max current-15mA ? Max speed of operation-5MHz Pin Configuration: Output waveforms of 4017 Timer: Sensor Interface.. ? What if some Authentic Person want to enter into say some Bank-Locker system in some Banks. ? Here we will provide a unique Identification card. ? We used a sensor to recognize and electronic prototype d platform to switch off the Alarm system. Basic Circuit for Slot Sensor: Slot Sensor Working Principle: It contains an Infrared Light Emitting Diode and an photo transistor. ? When power is supplied to the IR-LED it emits IR rays towards the photo transistor. ? There is a finite voltage drop across resistor. ? In the absence of light, output carrier has high voltage. What is arduino? ? It is an open-sourced free electronic prototyping platform. ? In our project we used the arduino uno microcontroller. ? Uno has five analog inputs. ? Six pwm signal outputs. ? In our project Uno facilitates the use of the slot sensors. Code: ? The code consists of two parts, both mandatory o o ? ? ? 1. setup() 2. loop() etup() is used to set the various ports of the uno as i/o. loop()- this part of the code is run indefinetly. void setup() { pinMode(8,OUTPUT); pinMode(A0,INPUT); pinMode(A1,INPUT); pinMode(A2,INPUT); pinMode(A3,INPUT); Serial. begin(9600); } // sets pin 8 as OUTPUT port. // sets A0-5 // †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. // as INPUTS. They take in analog inputs // from the slot sensors and OpAmp out. /* a communication link between Uno and computer is set at 9600 baud. */ void loop() { int a0=analogRead(A0); int a1=analogRead(A1); int a2=analogRead(A2); // four variables a0-a3 are integer variables // these take in analog input values from the // corresponding ports. nt a3=analogRead(A3); // the input voltage what ever voltage is represented as a 0-1024 bit value. if( ! (a0>300 && a1>300 && a2>300 )) { If(a3>500) { tone(8,1000); buzzer at 8 /* a pwm signal with duty-cycle 50% is sent to a port with a time period of 1sec. */ delay(100); } } noTone(8); Transmitter & Receiver Interface: ? Say in some apartments or malls if we use Laser alarm system, if there is any robbery the alarm should beep at the security guard/control room. ? We will transmit the message to all security systems in the mall/apartment So that we can alert them. We used RF-Transmitter and Receiver to transmit the message. ? We used Encoding and Decoding Schemes for protected transmission. ? For that we used HT12E(Encoder), HT12D(Decoder). ? For Demonstration purpose we are using LED’s to show the received message. Transmitter & Receiver: ? RF module comprises of an RF Transmitter and an RF Receiver. The transmitter/receiver (Tx/Rx) pair operates at a frequency of 434 MHz. ? In this RF system, the digital data is represented as variations in the amplitude of carrier wave. This kind of modulation is known as Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK). An RF transmitter receives serial data and transmits it wirelessly through RF through its antenna connected at pin4. ? The transmission occurs at the rate of 1Kbps – 10Kbps. The transmitted data is received by an RF receiver operating at the same frequency as that of the transmitter. Overall view of Transmitter and Receiver: TWS-434 Transmitter: ? TWS-434: The transmitter output is up to 8mW at 433. 92MHz with a range of approximately 400 foot (o pen area) outdoors. Indoors, the range is approximately 200 foot ? The TWS-434 transmitter accepts digital inputs, can operate from 1. 5 to 12 Volts-DC Encoder-HT12E: This 18 pin IC consists of 8 address pins and 4 data pins with a transmission enable(TE) and oscillator pins ? Transmission takes place from DOUT pin only when TE pin is grounded. ? Address bits are significant because at the receiver the decoder matches the address bits and latch the output only when address bits are matched. Transmitter Circuit: †¢ The message is present at the Data pins in the form of logic state (1 or 0). †¢ Whenever a data pin is grounded along with TE, a 12 bit message signal is generated with its first 8 bits representing the address state and last 4 bits containing the data. The 0 state is encoded as a pulse higher duration and 1 state is encoded as pulse with shorter duration RWS-434 Receiver: †¢ RWS-434: The receiver also operates at 433. 92MHz, and has a sensitivity of 3uV. Th e RWS-434 receiver operates from 4. 5 to 5. 5 voltsDC, and has both linear and digital outputs. Decoder-HT12D: ? The decoder receives serial address and data from a RF receiver which catches data through antenna. ? It compares the serial input data 3 times continuously with its local address. If no error or matched codes are found then the input data codes are decoded and then transferred to the output pin. The VT pin also goes high to indicate a Valid Transmission (VT). Soldering: ? ? We used chip sockets for Soldering purpose, So that we can prevent chips burning out while soldering. We used female strip for soldering in order to prevent RF-Transmitter and Receiver from burning off’s. Individual Contributions Nagendra Chowdary Before deciding on this project of LASER based intruder detection and security system, we had ideas about two or three other projects. We sat down in group and took up this project because we could divide work to each and every member in this project. I came up with the idea of using RF Transmitter and receiver so that in case of intruder detection, we can alarm the security person at some other place. I also spent considerable time on studying about the Slot Sensors which we have used to validate the entry of an authentic person. Apart from this, soldering was not an easy task for us as we were doing it for the first time. We made mistakes during soldering and had to de-soldering the circuit many times. Due to this, we all had to contribute to soldering part in turns.Circuit assembling was the most important aspect of our project. Earlier we had taken up a circuit from â€Å"Electronics For You† magazine. We spent almost two days on assembling that circuit but it didn’t work. After that we decided to change the circuit and instead of using LASER detecting diode, we used photo resistors. We tried to make the circuit simpler, so I studied all the components of the circuit and tried to remove some of them to see if th e circuit was still functioning. Apart from this, I compiled the data given by my group members to make the final presentation.Abhinav Tripathi Id: 201101001. We had decide to make a LASER based intruder detection alarm but I thought that it will be better to make it into a security system to validate the entry of authentic people. For this purpose I thought of making a card swapping system using LED and photoresistors so that when a person comes with a valid card the buzzer should not beep. Later, we searched internet and I decided to use slot sensors for this purpose. All the group members, suggested ways of integrating the buzzer and the sensor interface to ensure desired functionality.Soldering seemed to be tough task for us. I started with the soldering and was later joined by other group members too. I also made contribution in debugging the circuit several times when it didn’t work. All of us studied about the various components of the circuit. I did focused study of t he Timer- 4017 and the encoder used in RF transmitter. Apart from this, I also devoted time to understand the functioning of the slot sensors and finding equivalent resistance for slot sensor circuit, implemented it in our circuit. Srinivas SriVasthav Bontula Id-201101025.After we decided on the topic that is Laser Based Intruder Alarm. I came up the Circuit . Our first attempt was a failure. In our first attempt we used Voltage Regulator IC-7805 , Phototransistor L14F1, Opamp IC-LM356, Timer IC-555, Transistor – BC548. Then we searched for various others circuits, finally while watching some videos on Laser Alarms We found out a circuit . In our second attempt we connected this circuit and it worked. The components we used in this circuit are – Counter – 4017, instead of Phototransistor in the previous circuits we used a LDR( light dependantResistor) , Opamp IC-741. After we finished the basic Laser Circuit we came up with this idea of using an RF Transmitter a nd Reciever , so that we detect the alarm at the place we want. I also spent some time in studying and understanding the circuit. I did my part in connecting the circuit. We assigned tasks to every member of our group regarding the working principles of Laser Circuit, Transmitter , Reciever , Slot Sensor. My task was to study and understand the working of Laser Alarm circuit. First we connected everything on the Breadboard and checked whether the circuit worked.And then finally we soldered the RF transmitter and Reciever on the PCB. I also helped in soldering the circuit. Even after we finished everything our circuit didn’t function properly twice or thrice at that time I helped in debugging the circuit. Karan J. Dave ID: 201101019 I was very excited to do project after we decided the project of Laser Based Security Alarm. First of all I tried to find some circuits of such project in Google and YouTube. We found some 2-3 circuits from different source but in 2 of them we chas ed many problems regarding to buzz on and off alarm. Finally we got one circuit from YouTube.I studied about chips which are used in that circuit. I studied about LDR, OP-AMP and 4017 TIMER. I got the chance to know about inverting and non-inverting OP-AMP. I studied about 4017 TIMER from its datasheet got from the internet and I had known about that from my friends also. I studied about HT12E (Encoder) which was used in RF-Transmitter and HT12D (Decoder) used in RF-Receiver. I did soldering of some of the circuits. I did circuit assembling and debugging with my friends. I did also resource-management work for our project. I really enjoyed the whole project by doing this all things.Thanks to you sir for giving us this wonderful opportunity. From our project we have learnt team-work, time-management and we could feel that now we are the engineers. T Pavan Nagaraju Id: 201101024 Initially I helped in connecting a Alarm Based circuit Interface which consists of Voltage Regulator IC-780 5 , Phototransistor L14F1, Opamp IC-LM356, Timer IC-555, Transistor – BC548. But we are unable to get The Desired Output from It then We Switched to a circuit that does the work of alarm and many of our group mates were not able to understand the working of IC 4017 Timer.Which works using Jonson Counter I understood the Concept and working principle of the Jonson Counter Which is basically made of 5 bi-stable (D-Flip flops) I understood that which a Logic from this 10 states of the Jonson Counter the output pins get hot coded high output. And get to know how this reset button be useful and Implemented in this IC 4017 . As This IC 4017 is made of n-MOS I applied my Digital Logic Knowledge and come to know that there will be some Dynamic Hazards. I had soldered the Receiver part in the RF Receiver And understood why encoding is necessary In any signal transmission .So we can have Bit recovery and Safe Signal transmission. I worked in circuit assembling and debugging circuits. I did the documentation part for the presentation regarding 4017-Timer and Receiver part. Archit Bakliwal ID: 201101005. When we started our project, our key concern was to make a security alarm. But as we proceed further, we also used the idea of slot sensing which is mainly used for the entry of authentic person in banks, buildings etc. But later on, all of sudden, I thought that there is no part of communication in out project. Then everyone realized that we have to do something more than just making an alarm.So, Then, I, along with one of my friend, came up with the idea of making receiver and transmission interface in our project. Soldering is referred as major part of making a circuit. Initially, it seemed to be difficult task because chips were more likely to burn but as I had a little experience with it, so it didn’t remain a tough task for us. I have also played keen role in assembling the circuit which was not an easy task. I have also contributed in making the circu it and have done detailed study on functionality of various components of the circuit.Specially regarding Timer4017,LM71 Opamp, HT12e Encoder, HT12d Decoder, RWS 434 receiver, TWS 434 transmitter etc. This detailed study helped me to know about the components and analyzing the circuit for resource management and documentation. DHARMIK THAKKAR Id: 201101006 Our Project was LASER BASED INTRUDER DETECTION ALARM which could be used for security system in building apartments, banks, malls, etc. The project was extended to validate the entry of some authentic person such that a person with valid card enters the buzzer shouldn’t buzz. For this purpose slot sensors were used to keep a check upon valid entry.The project further used RF Transmitter and Receiver interface so that if some unauthentic entry takes place security system is alerted which was accomplished by glowing LED’s at Receiver interface. My role for the project was study of chips which included analysing availab ility and functionalities of LDR, TWS TRANSMITTER 434, RWS RECEIVER 434 and DECODER HT12D. I helped my team mates in Soldering purpose as it seemed to be tough task for us. Soldering purpose was successfully accomplished without burning chips by the use of chip sockets and female strips. I collected information regarding various phases i. . Alarm, Sensor and RF Transmitter and Receiver interfaces of our project and analysed the circuit for Resource Management and Documentation that could be used for Slide Preparation. I also helped in Circuit Assembling. Prasoon Id: 201101036 After lots of idea's our group stick to the topic that is Laser Based Intruder Detector Alarm in which we created a body which contained a main circuit that produced voltage when light didn’t fall on the LDR. The circuit contained many component that need to be study so I helped in understanding the function of opamp LM 741.The material for our project was hard to find sometime so I was the one of the pr ime candidate for fetching these material. Our circuit also contained audrino board, Slot sensor(for security system) and RF transmitter and receiver these circuits were also hard to make but our group combined to make it look easy. I helped in assembling these circuit many times. Soldering also was a main part of our project which was a difficult task, I helped in many parts of the task also we needed to remove mistake from the circuit and documentation which was also a combined effort, In presentation every one had there slides to make.At the last it’s a combined effort by our group. Ankit Chaparwal ID: 201101017. For the project everybody came up with new innovative ideas, at last we decided to make a laser based intruder detection alarm, but in group discussion we decided to make it in a security system to validate entry of an authentic person. For this purpose we used slot sensors. In the project I helped the Group members in soldering . Other then that I had assembled t he receivers circuit with one of the Group members and also prepared Slide for presentation on LDR .Studied on LDR and thought about how it can be used as a sensor in our circuit. Anuroop Kuppam My involvement in the project , coding the Arduino micro-controller. In our project Arduino provides an interface between the slot sensors and the alarm system. So the micro-controller needs to be coded. The micro-controller takes the input from the slot sensors and then decides whether to enable the alarm system or not. Hence the operating voltages margins of the micro-controller needs to be determined manually.After this was done we used these margins in making the micro-controller work accordingly. Having seen a lot of coding samples on the INTERNET , I came up with a code which serves the purpose of the project . The code then was debugged in certain places and further processed and fine tuned to fit perfectly and decrease various delays that we have encountered in the course of making t he alarm system. I also soldered the various components of the RF receiver and the slot sensor onto the perforated circuit board and debugged the circuit to make it work.

Marketing Case Study of “Pamela Shampoo” Essay

What alternatives Mr. Alfred Jones have for improving his social position? Was manufacturing a shampoo a right decision? Alfred who engaged in buying and selling of land- a real estate business and brokering deals were known as dalal. When Alfred grew up, he joined his father’s company as a Director in 1980.His father was the Managing Director and Chairperson of the company. Alfred was very successful, growing the business and becoming rich in the process. Despite his financial success, Alfred was concerned about the social status. In 1985, his father retired although he remained the Chairperson. Alfred become Managing Director but did not like his family business anymore because of its low social profile. Mr. Haque-who was the proprietor of small market research firm. During the discussion regarding his family business, Mr. Haque encouraged Alfred to launch a new venture company. Mr. Haque convinced him that starting a new business would help him get rid of the associations with the humiliating term dalal. Production decisions involve the processes by which raw materials are converted into the finished products through manufacturing. These decisions play a very important role in the product quality, cash flow, control etc. The new venture had problems right from the beginning. It failed to reach sales target because Alfred did not do any market research before manufacturing and launching Pamela Shampoo. Despite huge investments, over a period of couple of years, Alfred had become a bankrupt. Manufacturing a shampoo was not a right decision without market research properly. Given that Mr. Jones had financial resource, what process should he follow for developing a business plan and its implementation? Financial resource is using the profits and accumulated savings from his real estate company, he brought a huge area of land for establishing a factory for manufacturing Shampoo. Every business plan, campaign, or project comes down to Tactics, Tools, and Strategies. To conceive, develop, and implement a sound social media marketing strategic plan that will be successful needs  to have those three critical components. The new company was named his wife Pamela and the brand name of the product is Pamela Shampoo. Alfred took some of better employees from J&J and employed them his new venture. He hired new employees and paid them attractive salaries. Alfred allocated substantial amount of money to advertise the new brand of Shampoo. Strategic planning implementation is at the heart of how to make change of any kind happen in your organization. Why the organization might want to embark on a strategic planning process and implementation. Want to be one of the organizations, in which employees understand the mission and goals. ACNielsen retail audit data show FMCG market growing at around 7% (sales 5,097 Crore in 2004 and 5,444 Crore in 2005).Moreover, the shampoo market is growing at a phenomenal rate of 22% a trained that started in early 2000. (Sales 79 Crore in 2004 and 97 Crore in 2005).It failed to reach sales targets and his every venture had slid downhill. Multinational market research Company held clients’ conference and Alfred was invited as a participant from the business community. Alfred talked to them about his Pamela Shampoo venture. The researchers wanted to know whether he had done any market research before manufacturing and lunching Pamela Shampoo. A key to Strategic Planning Implementation Success is to effective strategic planning implementation for the business. Full and active executive support, Effective communication, Employee involvement, Thorough organizational planning and competitive analysis, Widespread perceived need for the strategic planning. 13.3 What are the consumer behaviour issues regarding the purchase of FMCG product like shampoo? What role does brand name, brand image, and  advertising play? What steps must be followed for developing these marketing tactics? Did Pamela Shampoo follow them? FMCG market growing at around 7% .Moreover, the shampoo market is growing at a phenomenal rate of 22%, a trend that started in early 2000.Therefore; Alfred was rightly tempted towards entering the Shampoo market. Consumer decision making varies with the type of buying decision. There are four types of buying behavior that consumer purchase of FMCG products. There are complex buying behavior, dissonance-reducing buyer behavior, habitual buying behavior & varietyseeking behavior. The new company was named after his beloved wife Pamela. As a symbol of his love, the brand name of the product is Pamela Shampoo. Alfred allocated a substantial amount of money to advertise the new brand of Shampoo. A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. So, brand name & brand image is the identity of the product to differentiate them from others. Advertising play the role of introduce the product to others. Market research steps must be followed for developing marketing strategy. For developing marketing tactics we need to take four strategies. That are individual names, blanket family names, separate family names for all products, and company trade name combined with individual product names. Pamela shampoo did not follow them. So, he did not make his business profitable like P&G and Unilever. Consumer purchase shampoo by variety-seeking buying behavior because that buying situation are characterize by low involvement but significant brand differences. Here consumers often do a lot of brand switching. The consumer has some beliefs about shampoo, chooses a brand of shampoo without much evaluation, and evaluates the product during consumption. Next time, the consumer may reach for another brand out of a wish for a different test. Brand switching occurs for the sake of variety rather than dissatisfaction. What can be done to salvage the business? What are the choices and how can Mr. Jones make the decision? First of all Mr. Jones must understand and choose the correct marketing strategy. Good marketing strategy can result in success even for mediocre products. Since the product ‘Pamela Shampoo’ belongs in the FMCG segment and the growth of the homogeneous product (shampoo) was about 22%; Mr. Jones must take into account the following important issues address accordingly: a. Market Segmentation: Pamela Shampoo requires to revisit its segmentation strategy and then must decide whether the company will choose mass marketing, segmented, niche or micro marketing. For this particular purpose Mr. Jones can involve the market research companies. b. Based on the segmentation strategy, the company must then choose the target market. c. The company should revisit its pricing strategies and should calculate the Break Even units of sales and carefully select the type of pricing that will be helpful in struggling times. d. The company must realize that the product is positioned against its global brands such as Pantene, Head & Shoulder, Clear etc. and few local brands as well. So the competition is very high. e. The company must go for line filling strategy and must increase depth in its product systems. It can have baby shampoo, herbal shampoo, anti-dandruff and other varieties by keeping an efficient product mix. f. It may think of co-branding strategies with possible companies who may be involved with production and distribution/market hair oil.  g. Must rearrange the sales force. Rather than having its own sales force and incurring major fixed cost, it can rely on its distributors as distribution channels. h. Must have Proper packaging and labels for the products that convey the descriptive and persuasive information to consumers. The labels that the containers will use must be attractive and eye-catching.

Reasonable Fear of Imminent Danger: Good Social Policy

Reasonable Fear of Imminent Danger: Good Social Policy? BY gotten Reasonable Fear of Imminent Danger: Good Social Policy? Giovanni Mike 4324324 LISTENED 1001 sum 13 Professor James Barney A sobering fact Is that our government has a monopoly on the use of force, but It cannot protect everyone at all times In an Immediate fashion. Joel samara, criminal Law, at 1 55 (1 lath De. 2014). Therefore, citizens are permitted to use proportional force in a â€Å"self-help† fashion as long as 1. The necessity is great 2. The need exists â€Å"right now' 3. The force is used for prevention only. D. At 155. However, preemptive tribes or retaliation are not justifications for force used in self-defense. ‘d, at 155. There are also four elements of self-defense: unprovoked attack, necessity, proportionality, and reasonable belief. ‘d, at 156. The first three were alluded to earlier and are fairly self-explanatory, but reasonable belief will be the primary focus in this discussion . This element requires that a defender must have the â€Å"reasonable† belief that It's necessary to use deadly force to neutralize an Imminent deadly attack. D, at 156. However, what Is â€Å"reasonable fear? † How does It play out In the courtroom? Is the burden on the person using force against an aggressor to show that he or she possessed â€Å"reasonable fear? † Does this requirement change whether a person is at should be look into whether the person using deadly force had a â€Å"reasonable† opportunity to retreat and avoid violence? Should we offer civil immunity to those who used deadly force legitimately? Overall, are the recently more aggressive self- defense laws good for public policy?Do they allow those with â€Å"itchy' trigger fingers to have a virtual license to kill, or do they take an extra necessary step to put the safety f law-abiding citizens ahead of the concerns of violent law-breakers? Newer self- defense laws, such as the one p assed by Florida, unnecessarily presume â€Å"reasonable fear† in defending one's home and fail to adequately consider whether a person using deadly force had a duty to retreat (in public spaces) when violence could have been easily avoided.Citizens should reasonably be expected to show that their deadly use of force was Justified due to their legitimate fear for their safety whether they're at home or in public; they're burden of proof shouldn't be beyond a seasonable doubt since the prosecution could probably cast doubt on this with relative ease since it's based on the subjective measurement of fear. Subtle wording differences in these laws can sway protections to either the aggressor or defender in these situations?it's critical to strike a healthy balance. So how did we get to the self-defense laws used today?According to Joel Samara, Criminal Law, at 164 (1 lath De. 2014), since the thirteenth century English common law required that a person had to prove that he'd â₠¬Å"retreated to the wall† before being Justified in killing another errors. The US began to reject this practice in the nineteenth century and replaced it with a â€Å"no duty to retreat† requirement, which holds that a person can be Justified in killing someone in self-defense. ‘d, at 164. This new approach to the use of force by the common man was thought to be more accommodating to the bravery of a â€Å"true man. † ‘d, at 164.This â€Å"true man† was thought to be someone who would do whatever he had to do to protect his wife, kids, and the nation. ‘d, at 165. Legislators and judges carved out the â€Å"stand your ground† rule from these previously mention values, which states that if a man didn't start the fight they could stand their ground and kill in self-defense without having to retreat from a place they had a legal right to be. ‘d, at 165. Also, the retreat rule was also created that obligates a person to retreat i f they â€Å"reasonably' believe that they're threatened with death or serious harm and they are able to retreat without continuing to be subject to this danger. D, at 165. Furthermore, the â€Å"castle doctrine† was created as an exception to the retreat rule when the context is within someone's home, where they have no duty to retreat as Eng as they reasonably believe there is an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. ‘d, at 165. Since 2005, more than forty states have passed or proposed new â€Å"castle doctrine† legislation intended to expand the right to use deadly force in self-defense. ‘d, at 172. Florida was the first state to pass this type of statute, and it continues to be the model for the rest of the states. D, at 172. Their statute states that a person is presumed to have held a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm if: (a) The person against whom the defensive force was used as in the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering, or had unlawfully and forcibly entered, a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle (b) The person who used defensive force knew or had reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act was occurring or had occurred†¦ Old, at 172.Pennsylvania, they have a right to be in (2) they believe that the use of deadly force is immediately necessary to prevent death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping, or rape (3) the aggressor displays or uses a firearm (or replica) or any other deadly weapon. Joshua Light, The Castle Doctrine?The Lobby is my Dwelling, Volvo 22 Widener Law Journal 236 These types of laws do not exist without controversy, since there are those (2012). That claim that they give citizens a virtual â€Å"license to kill. † Supra, at 174.On one side, people like Marion Hammer, president of the National Rifle Association, contend that these new laws are Just protecting a right that has been around since the asses and that we shouldn't have a duty to retreat only to get chased down and beaten to death. ‘d, at 174. Indeed, Florist's intent when they passed their castle-doctrine law n 2005 was that it was â€Å"necessary to restore absolute rights of law abiding people to protect themselves, their families, and others, and their property from intruders and attackers without fear of prosecution or civil action.Wyatt Holiday, The Answer to Criminal Aggression is Retaliation: Stand-your-Ground Laws and the Liberalizing of Self-Defense, Volvo 43 University of Toledo Law Review 417 (2012). Supporters of the castle doctrine-type laws recognize that there are times when the government's monopoly on violence must be set aside to allow law-abiding citizens to protect themselves when time is limited. Benjamin Levin, A Defensible Defense? : Reexamining Castle Doctrine Statues Volvo 47 Harvard Journal on Legislation 540 (2010).When an aggressor poses an immediate threat, the defender's preservation of self should take precedence over the aggressor's culpability. ‘d, at 539. Others like Jim Brady from The Brady Campaign believe that these laws are â€Å"ushering in a violent new era where civilians have more freedom to use deadly force than even the police. † Samara, Criminal Law, at 174 (2014). They also claim that these laws allow those who have an â€Å"itchy trigger finger† to simply claim that they were in fear and therefore justified in using deadly force. ‘d, at 174.To make things even more complex, states have their own versions of the law that are still in flux and fairly open to interpretation by courts?it is not always straightforward when someone is legally entitled to use deadly force to protect themselves. Levin, A Defensible Defense 534-536 (2010). What does â€Å"reasonable fear† even mean? Unfortunately, this is not easy to answer. Ohio's depiction of reasonable fear is somewhat helpful: the actor using deadly force must have a bona fide belief that he/she was in imminent danger f death or great bodily harm and the only means of escape was to use deadly force in retaliation.Wyatt Holiday, The Answer to Criminal Aggression is Retaliation: Stand- Your-Ground Laws and the Liberalizing of Self-Defense, Volvo 43 University of Toledo Law Review 425 (2012). The â€Å"honest† and â€Å"reasonable† requirements make it seem like a hybrid objective/sub]active requirement, but it's still a subjective standard as highlighted by the Ohio Supreme Court. ‘d, at 424. This court's instructions on this standard recommended that to determine whether a defendant had reasonable fear of imminent danger: †¦ U must put yourself in the position of the Defendant, with her characteristics, knowledge, or lack of knowledge, and under the same circumstances and conditions that surrounded the Defendant at the time. You must consider the conduct of [the victim] and determine if such acts and words caused the Def endant to reasonably and honestly believe that she was about to be killed or â€Å"reasonable fear† is so subjective, because of the wide range of situations people find themselves in; it doesn't seem feasible to create an objective test that measures such a subjective and virtually immeasurable emotion such as fear.Keep in mind how the law mentions that the only means of escape is the use of deadly force. Even though â€Å"reasonable fear† is such a subjective concept, it still has an impact in the courtroom compared to how self-defense laws used to be written. Before Stand- Your-Ground laws came about, defendants had the burden to show that their life and limb was actually in danger. Light at 234 (2012). Now, in certain Jurisdictions, citizens have to only prove that they had a â€Å"reasonable fear† that their life and limb were at jeopardy, and that they believed that deadly force was immediately necessary to peel this threat. D, at 234. This amounts to a sm aller burden of proof on the defendant, which is more challenging for the prosecution because disproving facts is a lot easier than disproving perceptions. ‘d, at 234. Is this a fair balance? The â€Å"reasonable fear† requirement is fair since it allows the state to make an inquiry into whether deadly force was used in a legitimate fashion without putting an excessive burden on citizens to Justify their use of force that can be easily defeated by prosecuting attorneys. What about the â€Å"duty to retreat? Should it still play a part n today's laws? Eric Del Bozo, Retreat Does Not Equal Surrender: Defensive Deadly Force in Dwellings After People v. Keen, Volvo 82 SST. John's Law Review 360-381 (2008) points out that the duty to retreat should still play a part in these self-defense laws, especially when retreat is a safe and reasonable option that could save a lot of violence. He concedes, however, that â€Å"one need not calmly evaluate exit strategies when faced wi th a pressing danger, for detached reflection cannot be demanded in the presence of an uplifted knife. ‘d, at 364. Also, it isn't reasonable to focus in midnight at whether the defendant could have safely retreated, which is a reason why â€Å"reasonable fear† is appropriate in order to focus on what the person knew at the time. ‘d, at 364. The way retreat is treated as an option and the thoughts of the person using force varies among states and even Jurisdictions within those states; some deemphasize the need to retreat while others focus more on the Justification of force and options for retreat. ‘d, at 363-364.In 2006 alone though, between 10 and 15 states repealed their laws that required persons to consider retreat before using defensive deadly force. D, at 377. This might not bode well in a case where a person shoots his neighbor over an argument over trash bins; Del Bozo suggests that stories making headlines tend to be neighbors and acquaintances fre ely assaulting each other rather than repelling home invasions. ‘d, at 377. However, he doesn't offer any statistics or empirical evidence that there is a trend in unjustifiable killings due to these laws.Nonetheless, the duty to retreat still has merit to allow the whole situation to be analyzed in court, and hold people accountable who may engage in â€Å"senseless† killings. ‘d, at 378. The prosecution should be able to show that retreat was indeed a viable option out of a respect for human life; there must be a balance between protecting the safety of both the assailant and the victim, but retreat should be looked at with the burden being on the non-aggressor. ‘d, at 380. There are five different concerns that law enforcement authorities have concerning these new and more aggressive self-defense laws.One unintended consequence could be police officers since citizens Just have to claim that they have â€Å"reasonable fear† in order to use deadly fo rce. ‘d, at 175. On the other hand, Florist's statute contains a revision which holds that citizens are not Justified in using deadly force against law enforcement officers as long as they are acting in an official capacity, have identified themselves as a police officer, or the person using force should have â€Å"reasonably' known it was a law enforcement officer. D, at 173. Indiana struggled with this unintended consequence, but actually ended up ruling that citizens cannot reasonably use deadly force against law enforcement officers. Jon Laramie, Indiana Constitutional Development: Debtors, Placements, and the Castle Doctrine, Volvo. 45 Indiana Law Review, 1049-1051 (2012). In Barnes v. Tate, 946 N. E. Ad 572 (2011), the Indiana Supreme Court stated that â€Å"public policy disavows recognizing a common law right to forcibly resist unlawful police entry into one's home. ‘d, at 1050. They also recognized that it isn't easy for citizens to recognize when a given poli ce entry is lawful or not, that injury is high due to upgrades in police equipment, and citizens have other remedies for unlawful entries (civil litigation, police disciplinary hearings, exclusionary rule, etc. ) ‘d, at 1050. The court did concede that a person has the right to â€Å"reasonably resist† an unlawful entry, but this doesn't amount to a defense of eatery or other violent acts against law enforcement. D, at 1051. The court also claimed that most other states have followed suite in this decision in the interest of law enforcement safety. ‘d, at 1050. Another concern is that the interpretation of these castle-type laws is in its infancy. Some believe that law enforcement training will constantly have to adapt to changing views on these laws, and that it will be almost impossible for police officers to determine whether these new laws are being invoked [applied properly. Supra, at 176.The next concern is that instead of Just avian to determine whether dan ger was imminent or there was a duty to retreat in a public place, police officers will now have to anticipate more â€Å"self-defense† claims. ‘d, at 176. This will increase the investigative burdens on officers, and proving a negative is difficult when the evidence is â€Å"in the hands of the defendant. † ‘d, at 176. This concern is exacerbated by the fact that law enforcement agencies are often understaffed and are already overworked. ‘d, at 176.Furthermore, police authorities are worried that these new laws will lead to a sort of apathy and degradation of vigilance among officers. D, at 176. They may get used to seeing â€Å"self- defense† claims and may dig deep enough into every claim as these new castle-type laws call for, especially if both parties have criminal records. ‘d, at 176. The last concern of law enforcement on castle-type laws are that citizens (a) will not be adequately aware of their right to use force in self-defens e and (b) will be considered a deterrence by criminals who may now view them as more able to defend themselves. D, at 176. Overall, people might feel safer because they are given more latitude to protect themselves, but they may not since they might be worried about there with â€Å"itchy trigger fingers. † ‘d, at 177. Also, there is a lack of empirical evidence that shows that the positive impacts outweigh the positive negative impacts. ‘d, at 177. However, the ironic part is that we will not know if these types of laws will â€Å"work† unless we employ them uniformly on a generalize sample size (many states/ jurisdictions) and then evaluate them over time using sound research methods. Ensure that citizens are able to defend themselves when they legitimately need to. Nobody said it would come without any consequences at all. A legal issue with hose castle doctrine-type laws according to Elizabeth Mega, Deadly Combinations: How Self-Defense Laws Pairing Imm unity with a Presumption of Fear Allows Criminals to â€Å"Get Away with Murder,† Volvo 34 American Journal of Trial Advocacy 105-134 (2010), is that reasonable fear and immunity can combine to create a virtual bar on prosecution for self-defense cases involving an individual's â€Å"castle. The state of Florida provides both a presumptive reasonable fear clause and an immunity clause; reasonable fear by itself can be rebutted by the prosecution at a later time, but immunity won't ever allow that to happen. D, at 108. Mega contends that such an â€Å"irrefutable conclusion† is unconstitutional and puts law enforcement in an awkward position to determine immunity. ‘d, at 108. Also, once immunity is granted it cannot be withdrawn and someone who was entitled to immunity cannot fight for it later on. ‘d, at 109.However, if someone is outside of their home they have to prove the reasonableness of their use of force before being qualified for immunity?this is p resumed in cases involving the home and motor vehicles though. ‘d, at 113.. Furthermore, at least in situations located at the defender's home, Florist's law sakes it impossible to make the determination that the defender's use of force was unlawful. ‘d, at 118. The law contains a provision that states that reasonable fear can be â€Å"presumed† when a person uses deadly force in the protection of their home?the police cannot make a probable cause determination. D, at 119. Florist's law puts law enforcement in a situation where they have to make determinations on the spot that prosecutors would normally make: they have to make determinations of immunity and attempt to disprove a presumption rather than establish a case. ‘d, at 120. Law enforcement normally investigate â€Å"unlawful† acts, but Florist's law tells officers to presume that acts of violence within the home are â€Å"lawful. † ‘d, at 121 . As for how to fix these statutory is sues, Mega contends that they are beyond fixing with Just guidelines and require rewording.Police could become so dependent on the guidelines that they may fail to see the big picture, defendants could end up in Jail trying to assert immunity, law enforcement may not understand the guidelines, and law enforcement have to engage in prosecutorial duties that they were not trained to do. D, at 130. Although â€Å"immunity' certain presents more problems, what about â€Å"reasonable fear† itself? Mega claims that the previous duty to retreat laws still allowed someone to use force, but only when there is no safe method of retreat. ‘d, at 115.In this way, common law held the respect for life on a higher level than the right to possess and use a gun. ‘d, at 115. However, with the new castle-type laws individuals can now react violently with little incentive to try and diffuse the situation by safely retreating. ‘d, at 115. The duty to retreat makes someone think twice about sing force instead of harming someone before considering whether an actual threat exists. ‘d, at 116. With these new Stand Your Ground and castle-type laws, individuals are authorized to act violently in the face of a â€Å"perceived† threat, which is very subjective and open to interpretation. D, at 129. In Florida, however, the law allows the state to prosecute individuals when probable cause is established that the force used was unlawful, at least outside of one's home. ‘d, at 130. This type of provision who use deadly force in a senseless or reckless manner without giving reasonable Hough into whether they're really facing impending danger. As mentioned earlier though, in the heat of the moment people's perceptions and their ability amount to think clearly in these intense situations will vary. How does â€Å"reasonable fear† play out in the context of a Jury trial?Stay Lee Burns, Demonstrating â€Å"Reasonable Fear† at Trial: Is it Science or Junk Science? Department of Sociology, Loyola Martyrdom University, Los Angles, CA 107-131 (2008) examined one murder trial in depth that involved reasonable fear. In this case, the Maddened brothers were charged and invoiced of first degree murder for shot-gunning their parents in their own home in August 1989. ‘d, at 109. During the trial, they confessed to parricide but claimed they held reasonable fear because of their prior sexual abuse by their father and acted in self-defense Justification defense). D, at 110. The Jury deadlocked at the first trial, which indicates the ambiguousness that reasonable fear can have at trial. ‘d, at 129. The defense proposed expert testimony that would show that the abuse the defendants underwent altered their mental state at the time of the killings because heir susceptibility to fear and perception of imminent danger were heightened. ‘d, at 112. U Timely, the Judge did not allow expert testimony pertaining to what h appened in the Maddened brothers' situation, but could attempt to generalize prior research on fear perception.Although there has been research on the limbic system, the part of the brain that processes fear, for the lastly years the results are far from conclusive and there is no test available that can show what the Maddened brothers' fear levels were at the time of the killing or whether their susceptibility had indeed been heightened because of trauma. ‘d, at 118- 127. Social science is only able to provide statistics and the likelihood that the Maddened brothers would act a certain way in a given situation. ‘d, at 122.There is a blood test available that can give insight into what a person's level of fear is, but the sample would have to be taken right at the moment of the crime (not feasible). ‘d, at 124. This case illustrates the tension between social science and the Judicial system that requires facts to relate to the particular case at hand. ‘d, at 128. It came down to what the Jury felt was â€Å"reasonable fear,† and how much they thought the expert testimony applied to the Maddened ease?it's no surprise that the Jury ended up deadlocked. D, at 128-129. In conclusion, the â€Å"reasonable fear† requirement is fair since it allows the state to make an inquiry into whether deadly force was used in a legitimate fashion without putting an excessive burden on citizens and giving too much of an advantage to prosecuting attorneys. Although â€Å"duty to retreat† shouldn't be strictly imposed or evaluated in hindsight, it is still applicable in situations where violence could have been easily avoided by practically walking away.While there are legitimate concerns such as Alice safety in no-knock searches with these more aggressive self-defense laws, the sad fact remains that little empirical evidence is out to date that shows any negative or positive trends associated with these laws. In addition, these laws and their interpretation are still in their infancy and are written differently among the states and their Jurisdictions. A legal issue that may not be empirically measurable, however, is how reasonable fear can be paired with immunity to create a bar on prosecution of those defending their home perhaps too readily.These people should burden of proof that can easily be discredited. Additionally, this presumption would leave police officers with the difficult task of making determinations on the spot that would normally be left to prosecuting attorneys. As for immunity, citizens should be granted immunity from civil litigation if their use of deadly force was Justified; they shouldn't have to be mired with legal action from the aggressor after they've already been in court.The Maddened case illustrates the limitations of science to prove reasonable fear in a court setting, and can only offer potential generalizations and statistics. Bottom line, â€Å"reasonable fear† ends up get ting determined by Juries, which ay not be that easy or uniform. Overall, the new and more aggressive self-defense laws are good for public policy with the exception of the presumption of reasonable fear in situations involving defending one's home.These laws necessarily give citizens more latitude in defending themselves without an undue burden of having to sit there and think about whether they should retreat or fear of future civil litigation. However, those who are inclined to resort to violence in the face of any perceived threat need to justify their actions in order to prevent senseless killings. They should only have to how that they had reasonable fear without a heavy burden of proof that prosecutors can easily defeat, which could be the beyond a reasonable doubt standard.An understandable concern is that these new laws will put a further burden on an already stressed and backlogged criminal Justice system, but we cannot put police officers in a position to try to make thes e determinations on the spot. We also cannot allow potential senseless killings to go unchallenged. Omitting the presumption clause and putting a little more emphasis on retreat options can better balance the defender's right of safety and the aggressor's culpability.