Accounting, Decisions and Accountability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accounting, Decisions and Accountability - Essay Example This certainly provided some help to dwindling liquidity and working capital finance of the company. The company is not even in a position to maintain a better interest coverage. Gross profitability showed some recovery signs in 2007 but the initiative was taken away by overheads and other non-operative expenditure resulting into very marginal net margin recoveries before taxes and interests (EBIT). Though net margin evaluation has been based on EBIT, it is necessary to point out that even such small recovery was taken away by interest, taxes and extraordinary items, and finally the year 2007 turned into a huge loss year. The detailed analysis here in this writes up shows that company is facing more difficulties than the available opportunities. Chia Liang Chu inherited 200,000 shares in Sing Chip Ltd. from her grand mother. The inheritance put her in dilemma of keeping or selling the shares. Accordingly a financial analysis was required of the financial statements of Sing Chip Ltd., before any recommendation could be put forward to Chia Liang Chu. Three years financial statements have been analyzed in this write up using financial ratios as method of analysis. The analysis have been made to evaluate, profitability, liquidity, and financial stability (solvency) of the company, considering its performances over a period of three years, in order to arrive at logical conclusion, so that a proper recommendation is made to Chia Liang Chu. Profitability of an entity is viewed from two different angles. One is profitability in relation to turnover or sales, and other is profitability in relation to investment. From the point of view of sales, profit is considered by calculating Gross profit ratio and Net profit ratio. In relation to investments, profitability is considered as per rate of return on equity or the ROE, and profitability as per return on assets or ROA. Gross Profit ratio is defined as

Her Lifestory Essay Example for Free

Her Lifestory Essay Now you can see how successful Concepcion Baylock is. At the age of 12 the young Concepcion was already away from her family and lived with her relatives in order to have a good education. Living with her relatives is not that easy, she had to do the household chores for them to let her stay, and she goes to school at the same time. At a very young age Concepcion showed her diligence in everything she does. When the time her grandparents took her, Concepcion’s life changed because they treat her nicely and they were good to her. However she still tried to help doing the chores because she wanted to thank them, in that simple way she showed her grandparents how thankful she is. As a teenager Concepcion supposed to be hanging out with her friends going to movies, parties, and outings. However she missed this, she would rather save her money that was given by her grandparents. She doesn’t even buy new things. When she was still in her senior years in high school she already worked by teaching grade school student. Later on she worked as a telephone operator in the United States Naval force in Subic. While she was working she married an irresponsible man, he just let Concepcion doing all the work. Good thing Concepcion successfully gets out of this marriage. She had a child with this unsuccessful marriage. Years later, Concepcion married again with an American who she had a four children. He is the one who helped her to put up her first business, they had a jeepney and taxi concession. When her business succeeded she put up her second business a four-storey hotel, which later on turned out to be a combined hotel, night club, and restaurant. Her ventures succeeded, but she remembers that before she married her second husband she faced many disapproval regarding in her plan f having a business. She never let this bring her down, despite she used this as challenge to pursue more. Concepcion was not still contented; she pursue her education in Manila. She managed to raise her children and run a business at the same time while she was studying. She had a very hectic schedule; she only had around four hours of sleep every day. After she finished her degree in commerce, she proceed to law, and then to a master’s in public administration, and a doctorate in commerce. Concepcion Blaylock is now a president and chairman of Diamond Motors Corporation. As an entrepreneur and a manager Conception knows how to deal with different type of people. She knew how to treat her people properly. She never hesitates to help them, especially those who showed loyalty to her and to the business. She never forgets to credit the companies who trust her. She always makes sure to maintain their trust to her. She never abused her creditor, who trusts her. Today, when Concepcion Blaylock looks back at her past she was very thankful for such an experience that she had. She was very grateful with the things that challenged her more to do more and thought her to be strong. A. Cultural Values| Manifestation of the Value| 1. Frugality (katipiran)| As a child, she saved money rather than buy new things; as an adult, did not immediately buy a car even though she can afford it. | 2. Risk taking (lakas ng loob)| She pursue her plan of having a business even though she knew that she don’t have any formal orientation in running a business. | 3. Amor Propio (utang na loob)| She never hesitates helping her staff especially those who have proven loyalty and commitment. 4. Harmonious labor management relations| She makes it to a point to compensate her people generously with profit sharing schemes and other benefits. | 5. Diligence (sipag)| At a young age, she already attributed this trait, she do the housemaid works and study at the same time. | 6. Endurance (pagkamtiisin)| She was already away with her family at an early age, for her to have a good educ ation. She never let this be a reason for not to achieve her goals, instead she makes this as her inspiration. | B. As a Filipino we were brought up by our parents to have a sense of adventure (pakikipagsapalaran) that is big help in venturing a business. Filipinos were not afraid of trying new things , we intend to be a risk taker. We usually put in our mind that God will help us in everything we do, that is a â€Å"bahala na† attitude. â€Å"Bahala na† attitude is not that bad because we do our part, but we just hope for the guidance and help of God. We Filipinos are well known of having a good relationship to people such as being family oriented and â€Å"pakikipagkapwa†. Filipinos are naturally have a close family ties. This trait is a good thing when you are in a business. Our family serves as our strength because we knew that they will be always be there to support us. They are the one who inspires us to do our best. Filipinos also exhibits the trait of being good to the people around us. This trait really plays a big role in how Filipino entrepreneur manages their people very well. Yes, the Filipino culture and values that were instill in us really help in building our entrepreneurial spirit.

Study On The Life Of Hijras In India Sociology Essay

Study On The Life Of Hijras In India Sociology Essay This dissertation explores the lives of eunuchs, the third gender, in contemporary India. It aims to bring out the several misconceptions harboured about this community and suggest measures to improve their living conditions. One day our descendants will think it incredible that we paid so much attention to things like the amount of melanin in our skin or the shape of our eyes or our gender instead of the unique identities of each of us as complex human beings. Anonymous Over the years, the hijra or eunuch community has occupied an extremely marginalized position in Indian society. By and large, their presence has provoked mixed feelings of fear, awe and contempt from the general public. Over the last two decades, the community has captured the western scholarly imagination as an idyllic case in the transnational system of alternative gender sexuality. When it comes to these type of analyses, as Rosalind Morris states, the hijra becomes either, an interstitial gender occupying a liminal pace between male and female or a drag queen who is a hero(ine) in a global sexual resistance Yet there exists a very different reality from that suggested by these theorists a reality based on rejection by family, cultural and societal isolation as well as neglect. Their identification as a uniquely positioned third sex becomes a lot more complicated when the hijra lifestyle is discussed with respect to this contemporary reality, instead of historical or mythical representation. The community has been subjected to vicious abuse or a lack of empathy, on a mental or physical level from different sections of society at various levels. These sections include the lay person, law enforcers and worse, their own biological parents and relatives. Lying at stake is the fundamental human right to be different, the right to recognition and choice of different pathways of sexuality, in other words a right to sexual orientation, a right to immunity from the oppressive and repressive derogatory labelling of despised sexuality. Expressed in the form of narratives that were penned down after listening to a number of Hijras, this piece of work, at a very primary level, captures the lives of a few of the people from the community that we all choose to shun, despise or simply not bother about. It brings out and analyzes the many stereotypes and superstitions associated with this community. The testimonials of the Hijras and Kothis with whom I interacted bring alive the unimaginable and gruesome violence they are subjected to, especially, at the hands of the police. This dissertation also aims to bring out and deride the atrocities the hijras are subjected to, the injustice that has been meted out to them in various spheres of life and suggest developmental measures in this regard. Above all, this piece of work is dedicated towards creating a little more sensitivity and empathy for this community, that so far does not enjoy most of the basic human rights that we, the normal people, take for granted. THE HIJRAS: WHO WE ARE The hijras are generally considered to constitute a third gender, neither male nor female. Even in their own narratives, the hijras view themselves not simply as neither man nor woman, as the title of Nandas(1990) ethnography on the hijras suggests, but also as deficient in terms of masculinity and not completely feminine. Instead of taking a place outside the female-male binary, the Hijras have created a life somewhere in between, one that is restricted by deep-rooted cultural constructions of femininity and masculinity. Largely, the community expresses a feminine gender identity, coming closest experientially to what would be referred to in the West as a transsexual, that is, a female trapped in a male body. It is a socio-religious construct marked by extreme gender nonconformity in the sense that there is no correlation between their anatomical sex and gender identity. In India, there is a widespread belief that hijras often pick up or kidnap infants and castrate them in order to increase the population of the community, but there are no statistics or factual evidences to support the same. Most hijras in India live in groups that are organised into seven houses, known as gharanas, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad being the more populous centres. Each house is headed by a nayak. This persons job is to appoint spiritual leaders or gurus who train their chelas ( wards who are lower in rank) in badhai- the well known singing, dancing and blessing ritual. The gurus responsibility is furthered to act as a protector of his chelas, both from within as well as outside the community. Any quarrels amongst hijras are decided within the community by the nayak and senior gurus acting as law makers, the punishment ranging from imposing fines and expulsion from the community, if the offences were of a higher degree. According to popular religious practice, they are believed to be endowed with special powers to confer fertility on newlyweds or new born children. According to tradition, they are expected to sing and dance at weddings as well as childbirth functions, and in lieu of their services they are rewarded with money, clothes, jewellery etc. Singing and dancing has a respectable status in the Hijra community; it gives them a sense of power as it reaffirms the fact that the people who asked them to sing and dance during the childbirth or any other functions, believe in their powers. The custom of hijras being called for dancing in weddings and childbirth is more prominent in the north, and therefore, sadly, the number of Hijras in the south who take to prostitution to earn money are much more than those in the northern parts of the country. One of the more common Hijra complaints in the form of public appeals to the government is the non availability of decent jobs for them, hence they do not have any choice but to take to prostitution to earn their livelihood. The Kothis Kothis like hijras are transgender persons who identify themselves with the feminine gender. The kep difference lies in the fact that hijras usually settle into a fixed gender role after the castration process, whereas kothis display an ambiguous dual gender identity that swings between the masculine role of the husband demanded in the marriage relationship and the feminine role in the same-sex relationship outside. In simpler words, a kothi can be described as a male homosexual who takes a feminine role in sex with other men. They, largely and essentially belong to a non-English speaking lower middle-class background and feel marginalized in all contexts, whether in terms of economic status, language, education, or sexuality. Due to the pressure extended by family as well as society to conform to normal norms like marriage and reproducing, many kothis marry and raise families , but continue to have same-sex relationships outside, often under hidden and covert circumstances. Economic problems within families as well as non acceptance of this abnormal member within the family drives many other kothis to sex work. Sadly, even when they do make an effort to seek employment in more decent professions, both hijras and kothis are very often subject to sexual harassment at the workplace which makes it impossible for them to continue working there. There exists a visible, symbiotic relationship between hijras and kothis that is strengthened in the face of oppression, due to the lack of support systems for kothis in cities and towns. This has led kothis to depend upon hijra subcultures for both assistance and support emotional as well as otherwise. Hence due to the existence of such a relationship, there is a constant, perpetual exchange of languages, behaviour, mythologies between the hijra and the other homosexual subcultures. The early years, the young transgender confused; and the attitude of parents: Typically, when they are young and born into so called normal families, initially the parents humour the boy child if he behaves like a girl. But as he grows up, once he turns eleven or twelve, the parents start getting irritated at the childs behaviour. By the time he is in his teens, the father typically starts abusing and beating the child. Such an attitude displayed by the parent is more pronounced in villages and small towns since here awareness is less. The transgender child himself does not realize the reasons behind his behaviour; he cannot understand why he feels like a female inside, and gets more frustrated with the constant chastising by the parents. Soon he runs away, usually with the aid of a sympathetic elder in the village, who directs him to a hijra community in some other village. The hijra community and the first signs of awareness by the individual about his own biology: When he reaches there, the hijra community welcomes him and explains to him the reasons behind his so called queer behaviour. They give him the option of becoming a part of their community after the conversion process into a transsexual, castration followed by surgical regeneration of the vagina, or to remain as he is and explore the world by himself. In most instances, the individual at that moment decides to stay as he is, and goes into the village to seek employment opportunities. As most hijras testify, very soon the transgender individual is then raped, in most cases by policemen who arrest them on the supposed grounds that they are homosexual. It is tragic to know that the law enforcers are usually the ones who sexually violate these individuals first. After being abused multiple times, sexually as well as physically, the broken individual returns to the hijra community and asks for acceptance into their family. The castration process is never smooth in nature, usually carried out without the aid of modern anaesthesia or antibiotics. The operation costs for the surgical reconstruction of the female biological organs (such as the vagina) range from a minimum of seven thousand rupees (no anaesthesia) to a high of fifty thousand rupees. Since most of these individuals are poor, they settle for the operation that requires lesser costs. Depending upon the money, the expertise, and the success of the operation, the surgical reconstruction varies from being partially to fully complete. In many cases, if the surgery goes wrong, it might lead to blockage in the urinary passage and this could be terribly painful for the individual. The hijra family: A hijra family comprises daughters, sisters and mothers no males. After being rejected by their own biological families, the hijra family becomes the first and only source of emotional support. They are strong, close knit and provide safety and security for the abandoned people. However, due to poverty, discrimination, lack of education and skills, many of them have no means of earning money. So, they engage in commercial sex work and begging. Most hijras do not think twice about joining the sex trade, what with being abused physically and mentally multiple times. Transgender, Transsexual and Intersexual: At the most basic level, we take a look at the meanings of terms, transgender, transsexual, intersexual and androgyne. A Transgender is a person who is assigned a gender at birth based on his/her genitals, but feels that the assigned gender is a false representation of himself/ herself. Such a persons identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender roles, but combines or moves between these roles. Gender-queer, third gender are also names given to transgender individuals. According to The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health (ICD), Trans-sexuality is a need that certain individuals have to live and be acknowledged as a member of the opposite sex, usually accompanied by a sense of discomfort with ones ones current sex, and a desire to have hormonal and surgical treatment to make ones body conform as much as possible with ones preferred sex. On the removal of the sexual organs he/she was born with, a transgender becomes a transsexual. In simpler words, Transsexual men and women desire to establish themselves permanently as a member of the gender with which they identify, often using medical help for the same. One out of every two thousand births is an intersex child, and usually the birth leaves the parents of the child frustrated, confused and depressed. It also leaves them with a dilemma as to which gender the child belongs. Intersexed individuals do not have all the regular combinations of physical features; they have some chromosomal, genital anomalies. In simpler terms, such individuals may have biological characteristics of both males and females, i.e, these individuals have some parts of males and some of females. In some cases, an intersex person might look unambiguous sexually, but internally the sex anatomy is mixed, i.e he may have AIS complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and therefore, even though he has a Y chromosome and testes, the individual is otherwise completely female on the outside. Thus the fundamental difference between an intersex individual and a transgender is that unlike an intersex individual, a transgendered person is born with the conventional male or fe male anatomy. All the same, unlike other normal humans, he feels himself/herself to be a gender different from the one he/she born as. Discrimination against hijras: Education, health, employment The highly populated country that India is, with several different castes, religions, languages, the hijra community becomes an almost invisible minority. Biases against hijras are prevalent in our society in all walks of life. They are not granted education in schools, colleges or universities. Over ninety percent of the hijras have not even completed their secondary education. Hence, they do not get jobs, and in the rare occurrence that they do get employed, the salaries they receive are minimal. Due to the harsh economic conditions, they resort to sex work and begging. Hygienic activities are not practiced by those who are in the flesh trade. Even though the usage of condoms is insisted by them to protect themselves as well as their clients from HIV/STD, the people involved in this trade are still prone to getting other diseases like skin diseases due to lack of hygienic and safe practices. Even in hospitals and clinics, many transgender and transsexual people are discriminated ag ainst, and not given the respect or dignity that every human being deserves. Most of the transgender and transsexual people live in slums. Even if they have the monetary power to rent a house, due to the misconceptions about their lifestyle, most people refuse to give them a house on rent. Contempt, hatred and fear form a major part of the general impression about this unfortunate third gender. Even in public places like bus stations, railways stations, theatres, temples, offices, malls, even in public toilets, hijras are abused. A LOOK THROUGH HISTORY: Most hijras believe their origins to date back to the period of the Mahabharata. In it, Arjuna has to hide himself for a year. He decides to dress up as a woman as this is completely opposite to his till then great warrior status. During this period when he is a drag, he is a dancer in the kings court, and also a wedding singer. Then later, during the Kaurava Pandava war, the pandavas want to make a human sacrifice, believing that it would ensure victory in the war. No one is ready to volunteer, till finally, Aravan, the son of Arjun comes forward and offers himself for sacrifice. He has only one condition, that, he should enjoy one night of marital bliss before the sacrifice. This proves to be a difficult situation since no king is willing to marry his daughter to Aravan, knowing fully well that she would be widowed the next day. Finally, Lord Krishna takes a female form and spends one night of marital bliss with Aravan. Aravan is duly sacrificed the next day. The story has become more and more popular through the ages and now, every year, in the village of Koovagam in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu, there is a temple festival and thousands of hijras travel through the breadth of the country to attend it. Aravan is the temples main deity and thousands of hijras pay homage, or in a mock ceremony get marri ed to his idol, and in the process become Aravanis. One night before the festival ends, the hijras enjoy a night of marital bliss with their lovers and the next day, a massive effigy of Aravan is taken through the streets of Koovagam and then the body is set to flames. There is a passage in Zia Jaffreys book, The Invisibles: a tale of eunuchs in India, that talks about the Ramayana. According to legend, when Rama went to the forest, many people followed him. Rama then asks all the men and women to go back. The hijras, being neither men nor women stay put and wait for Rama to return for fourteen years. On Ramas return, he is touched by their devotion and blesses them for their loyalty by sanctioning them the power to grant blessings on auspicious occasions like childbirth, marriage, and other functions hence the custom of badhai, in which hijras sing, dance and confer blessings. The hijras also worship Bahuchara mata. As legend goes, a woman, Bahuchara was travelling through a forest in Gujarat. She is accosted by some dacoits who threaten to rape her. She cuts off her breast and offers it to them, in exchange asking them not to touch her. She then dies and becomes an earth goddess. During the conversion process, i.e, the castration process, a hijra midwife cuts a coconut to see if the process should continue. If Bahuchara mata agrees, the coconut will slice into two clean halves. The hijra who is undergoing the castration process, mutters mata mata mata until the process is complete. As legend goes, Bahuchara mata appears in front of impotent men and orders them to cut off their genitals and become her slaves. If they do not agree, they would become impotent for the next seven generations. According to another popular legend, a king in Gujarat fell madly in love with Bahucharimatha, a beautiful goddess who rode a peacock. The king wanted to marry her, but she was not ready to have a sexual relationship. When he continued to persist in his endeavours, she relented but told him to first have a bath in a pond. On coming out of the pond, he was aghast to discover that he was emasculated, and would not be able to consummate his union with the goddess. The goddess pacified him by saying that he would soon find a community of people who would voluntarily castrate themselves in his honour. Around the world Eunuchs were a part of the Egyptian court, during the time when the Assyrian empire was ruling the country. In Rome, Emperor Constantine had a number of eunuchs tending to him for haircuts, baths, dressing and other functions. In the Byzantine royal court too, there were a number of eunuchs employed to handle domestic and administrative work. The Ottoman Empire had two categories of eunuchs taking care of the harem. The black eunuchs served the officers with maids of lower ranks, whereas the white eunuchs (those brought from the Balkan states) served those who were recruited in the Palace school. In India, eunuchs were employed by kings to take care of the ladies palaces, serve as guards and messengers for the royal ladies. LITERATURE REVIEW After getting a general understanding of the hijras, the categories, their lives, their history, I would now proceed to examine the literature that has been devoted to them. The Invisibles: A tale of Eunuchs in India is a bold, beautifully written, thought provoking book about the hijras of India by Zia Jaffrey. In the book, Anita, a hermaphrodite is handed over to the hijra community by her parents when she is just four years old because they cannot accept the fact that they do not have a normal child and are crushed by what they see. Another character, Kamal, born as a male, believes herself to be a female and castrates herself, while a third character Jagoman is kidnapped in Delhi, drugged and then castrated against his will. In the book, Jaffrey takes us on a journey throughout the country to find out who the hijras really are, why the subject has not been researched on much and why is it taboo, and why their history was never recorded. The book gives a detailed description of the lives, practices, culture and history of this unfortunate gender; raises pertinent questions about societys attitude and in many ways illuminates not just the grim world of the eunuchs but also that of India, itself. Neither Man, nor Woman: The hijras of India is an astounding piece of writing by Serena Nanda. Initially, it aims at correcting the common misconception that all hijras are men who undergo a ritual castration, thereby removing their genitals and becoming hijras. The book informs us that the hijras might have come from various sexual ambiguous backgrounds some may have been born as intersex, while others would have been born as male or female but failed to develop at puberty, or males who continued living as hijras without ever getting castrated. Nanda goes on to make comparisons of Indian hijras with other alternative gender roles belonging to other cultures, such as the transsexuals living in many Western societies and also with the Berdache of native North America. What is intriguing but all the same extremely interesting to note is that although most societies, especially the Asian, accept the ambiguity of gender by creating a third gender role, Western society seems extremely ad amant on the theory that a person can be either male or female only. In fact, even the homosexuals and transsexuals in these societies are considered to be a member of either of the two above genders. Transgender Rights, as the title suggests, is a book on the transgender rights movement that started in the United States of America thirty years back and is still going strong. The book assesses the victories and failures of the movement, the future challenges as well as opportunities. The movement fought for the rights of transgenders and transsexuals. The book is, in essence, a collection of articles that covered the rights movement, offering new perspectives and it examines important topics like employment opportunities, public health, economics, and grassroots organizing. This path breaking book is an essential resource in the fight for the freedom and equality of those who cross gender boundaries Changing Sex and Bending Gender, edited by Alison Shaw and Shirley Ardener is a compilation of nine essays about the cultural and historical construction and deconstruction of sex and gender. The initial chapters speak about the definitions of sex and gender; and that even though sex is based on biological characteristics and gender on social classifications, the definitions do not stand fixed across cultures. The next two chapters discuss the cultural pressures in the sex classification when a child is born. With 1.6 percent of children all over the world being born with ambiguous genitalia, the book offers several examples of the response to this, across cultures. As expected, the reactions do not vary much across cultures. The final three chapters deal with the lay mans interpretations and misconceptions about other alternative genders. The objective of the book is to bring out the fact that sex and gender are not fixed concepts and what happens when individuals push these two con cepts beyond the point that society has defined as permissible. The book is an excellent read, especially for people who want to pursue anthropology or gender studies. The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer is one of the most popular and widely read books on feminism. Published in 1970, it became an international bestseller and was translated in over ten languages. It is a passionate, almost furious, hard hitting book on the present standing of women as compared to men, in the world. The book, at that time, served as a wakeup call to all women. It contends that sexual freedom is the key to womens liberation. It compares the psychological differences resulting from years of social conditioning, with the biological differences that are present between men and women. A section has been attributed to society, of its origins, its development over the years and where it currently stands. Through this book, Greer exposes the nature of inequalities that exist when it comes to gender rights and issues, and suggests strategies that could help improve the situation, if anyone chose to do so. The Autobiography of a Sex Worker by Nalini Jameela is an extremely personal, honest account of the life of Nalini. The book gives deep insights about the life of sex workers, and the circumstances in which they make their choices. Brought up in an Ezhava family, in her early years, Nalini works in the clay mines. Through the course of the book, we notice the slow yet gradual changes in society. Being extremely poor, and having children to support, she decides to resort to commercial sex work to earn money. The story goes back to the dark days of Emergency, when the police used to routinely arrest and torture innocent people, most of them who were poor and whose voices could not be heard. She recounts her interactions with the police in a chillingly, honest manner. Over the years, with the advent of organizations that worked for social rights, gender rights etc, the situation improved even though there were still innocent people who were jailed. The account is neither cynical, nor do es it have any traces of self pity. Nalini understood that to take care of her children, she would need to sell her body. The love that she displays for her daughter is heart warming. The book is an important read, one that helps us to understand that society can be exploitive, unforgiving and it has multiple layers, many of which are hidden to the naked, believing eye. KNOWLEDGE GAP: At the most basic level, there exists a lack of knowledge amongst the lay man about hijras. The first step, therefore, should be to create basic awareness in the minds of people, to sensitize them, to reach a stage where hijras can also expect a life of dignity. There are too many misconceptions and stereotypes related to hijras. This has led to a lot of social stigma being attached to this gender. Lack of opportunities, be it education, employment, health. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: The objective of my research methodology would be to illustrate the social marginalization of eunuchs by pointing out, statistically and otherwise, their absence in social, legal and political organizations. This will be done through, Analysis of secondary data A review of works on the subject by authors, academic as well as non academic literature, news reports, blogs and websites. Primary Research Taking interviews of hijras, first-hand accounts to verify conclusions derived from the secondary data. Also, conducting interviews of individuals working in social organizations, devoted to improving the conditions of hijras. Empirical Observations EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION: My thesis does not claim to have a tangible and substantial measurable contribution but adds to the domains of human sensitivity, sensibility and conscientization. A postmodern condition, such as the one we claim to have arrived at, cannot be complete unless all its participants have equal access to what constitutes a minimum life of dignity However, the objective of my research, studies and thesis, does comprise suggesting measures that, if implemented, would ensure that the hijras can enjoy a life with certain rights that every human being deserves. These would include sustainable and feasible proposals for employment, education and healthcare opportunities. THE CONTEXT OF MARGINALIZATION: Indian society is deeply divided along the lines of gender, caste, religion, class, language, education, all of which intersect with sexuality to create deeper divides and oppressions. While hijras are despised and treated with contempt in most societies, they are supposed to have a sanctioned place in Hindu society (especially in weddings, births and festivals) as a recognized third gender, accommodating gender variation, ambiguity and contradictions. There is an arguement that says that unlike other sexual minorities such as bisexuals, gays and lesbians all that largely remain closeted, the hijras overall are a visible force , and part of an organized community. Despite this supposedly elevated status amongst the sexual minorities, reality is starkly harsh. All over the country, in any part where the Hijras reside, their lives are physically, mentally and emotionally scarred by experiences of shame, dishonour and gruesome violence. In the contemporary scenario, its not just the ambiguous gender but also the class dimension of the hijra and kothi community that has a severe impact on issues which the upper class so conveniently take for granted, such as access to education, employment etc. The violence that they suffer on a daily basis is something that no other community in this country faces. Imagine yourself in a situation where practically the entire world looks down upon you, a mere look at you is met with contempt, imagine a world where you do not even enjoy basic privileges like education, a job, a life. Imagine a world where not even your parents and siblings can accept you for who you are and choose to hate you for no apparent fault of yours. Imagine being beaten up every day by random men. Imagine being penetrated physically, mentally every day by random men. Imagine crying every day. Welcome to the world of Hijras. In most of South India, the hijras do not even have the cultural role that their counterparts have in the northern parts of the country. Most employers are not ready to hire them for available jobs. Often, they resort to hiding their gender identity but if found out, in most cases, they are thrown out from their positions. Therefore sex work becomes, in most cases, the only form of employment. They usually run bath houses, also known as Hamams. The Hamams are generally visited by working class men and the police. Of course, most of these men are married. It is an extremely dangerous profession, as they are often subjected to the sadistic whims, fancies and atrocities of cruel customers. Narrated below are the testimonies given by some of the hijras I had the privilege of meeting and speaking to. As is clear, kothis and hijras take up sex work for a variety of reasons. One reason involves the pragmatic consideration of supporting the family. There is also the pride which comes from being able to support the family. Another reason has to do with the self-acceptance of being a hijra and with the related discovery of a certain kind of freedom that living in the hijra community can provide. Many hijras and kothis fiercely assert that there is nothing disreputable about being a sex worker and it is as legitimate a piece of work as any other. BIBLIOGRAPHY Journals Publications Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, Karnataka(2000).Human rights violations against sexuality minorities in India report (first edition).PUCL KARNATAKA. Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, Karnataka(2007).Human rights violations against sexuality minorities in India report (second edition).PUCL KARNATAKA. Bodies That Dont Matter: The Discursive

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The movement toward legalization of marijuana for medical purposes is based in part on the belief that the substance has beneficial medicinal effects. But there is a lot of debate on this subject. The debate over legalizing medical marijuana centers squarely on the definition of a Schedule I drug and whether cannabis should still be considered as such. The federal prohibition of marijuana was enacted when the Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. Marijuana was included in the â€Å"Hallucinogenic Substances† category as a Schedule I substance, so the sale, purchase, or consumption of marijuana became illegal. Thus the legal status of medical marijuana is determined by whether or not it has an â€Å"accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.† (U.S Food and Drug Administration, 2009) Public opinion trends greater towards acceptance for the use of marijuana, while most politicians, including the president continue to oppose the legalization of medical marijuana. While the White House and most politicians continue to oppose the use of marijuana, the vast majority of Americans (77%) believe that doctors should be allowed to prescribe marijuana for serious illnesses. However, full legalization of marijuana enjoys less public support, with a slight majority of Americans (52%) supporting it. Public support for marijuana legalization has grown in recent years, as â€Å"most Americans no longer see marijuana as a ‘gateway’ to more dangerous drugs and most no longer see its use as immoral.† Moreover, most Americans believe that the federal government’s enforcement of its marijuana policies â€Å"cost more than they are worth.† (Thompson, 2013) Of the 50 states, nearly half of them have already established laws regarding medical ma... ... to six marijuana plants for him. My patient, who had quit using addictive substances after a near-death experience, is back to smoking marijuana daily, along with his caregiver.† (Thompson, 2013) Critics of medical cannabis cite its high potential for abuse and the many studies showing its harmful effects on the brain; they also object to the practice of smoking in general as carcinogenic. One response to this criticism has been to develop other methods of administering the drug. The most widespread of these is as inhaling it through a vaporizer, which extracts and heats the active constituents in marijuana without reaching the temperature at which they ignite so that no toxic compounds or irritants are generated. An adequate amount of THC is still delivered into the bloodstream by the vaporization method. (Debate.org, 2013) Being as it is a state-run policy now,

A Game of Thrones Chapter Seventy-one

Catelyn It seemed a thousand years ago that Catelyn Stark had carried her infant son out of Riverrun, crossing the Tumblestone in a small boat to begin their journey north to Winterfell. And it was across the Tumblestone that they came home now, though the boy wore plate and mail in place of swaddling clothes. Robb sat in the bow with Grey Wind, his hand resting on his direwolf s head as the rowers pulled at their oars. Theon Greyjoy was with him. Her uncle Brynden would come behind in the second boat, with the Greatjon and Lord Karstark. Catelyn took a place toward the stern. They shot down the Tumblestone, letting the strong current push them past the looming WheelTower. The splash and rumble of the great waterwheel within was a sound from her girlhood that brought a sad smile to Catelyn's face. From the sandstone walls of the castle, soldiers and servants shouted down her name, and Robb's, and â€Å"Winterfell!† From every rampart waved the banner of House Tully: a leaping trout, silver, against a rippling blue-and-red field. It was a stirring sight, yet it did not lift her heart. She wondered if indeed her heart would ever lift again. Oh, Ned . . . Below the WheelTower, they made a wide turn and knifed through the churning water. The men put their backs into it. The wide arch of the Water Gate came into view, and she heard the creak of heavy chains as the great iron portcullis was winched upward. It rose slowly as they approached, and Catelyn saw that the lower half of it was red with rust. The bottom foot dripped brown mud on them as they passed underneath, the barbed spikes mere inches above their heads. Catelyn gazed up at the bars and wondered how deep the rust went and how well the portcullis would stand up to a ram and whether it ought to be replaced. Thoughts like that were seldom far from her mind these days. They passed beneath the arch and under the walls, moving from sunlight to shadow and back into sunlight. Boats large and small were tied up all around them, secured to iron rings set in the stone. Her father's guards waited on the water stair with her brother. Ser Edmure Tully was a stocky young man with a shaggy head of auburn hair and a fiery beard. His breastplate was scratched and dented from battle, his blue-and-red cloak stained by blood and smoke. At his side stood the Lord Tytos Blackwood, a hard pike of a man with close-cropped salt-and-pepper whiskers and a hook nose. His bright yellow armor was inlaid with jet in elaborate vine-and-leaf patterns, and a cloak sewn from raven feathers draped his thin shoulders. It had been Lord Tytos who led the sortie that plucked her brother from the Lannister camp. â€Å"Bring them in,† Ser Edmure commanded. Three men scrambled down the stairs knee-deep in the water and pulled the boat close with long hooks. When Grey Wind bounded out, one of them dropped his pole and lurched back, stumbling and sitting down abruptly in the river. The others laughed, and the man got a sheepish look on his face. Theon Greyjoy vaulted over the side of the boat and lifted Catelyn by the waist, setting her on a dry step above him as water lapped around his boots. Edmure came down the steps to embrace her. â€Å"Sweet sister,† he murmured hoarsely. He had deep blue eyes and a mouth made for smiles, but he was not smiling now. He looked worn and tired, battered by battle and haggard from strain. His neck was bandaged where he had taken a wound. Catelyn hugged him fiercely. â€Å"Your grief is mine, Cat,† he said when they broke apart. â€Å"When we heard about Lord Eddard . . . the Lannisters will pay, I swear it, you will have your vengeance.† â€Å"Will that bring Ned back to me?† she said sharply. The wound was still too fresh for softer words. She could not think about Ned now. She would not. It would not do. She had to be strong. â€Å"All that will keep. I must see Father.† â€Å"He awaits you in his solar,† Edmure said. â€Å"Lord Hoster is bedridden, my lady,† her father's steward explained. When had that good man grown so old and grey? â€Å"He instructed me to bring you to him at once.† â€Å"I'll take her.† Edmure escorted her up the water stair and across the lower bailey, where Petyr Baelish and Brandon Stark had once crossed swords for her favor. The massive sandstone walls of the keep loomed above them. As they pushed through a door between two guardsmen in fish-crest helms, she asked, â€Å"How bad is he?† dreading the answer even as she said the words. Edmure's look was somber. â€Å"He will not be with us long, the maesters say. The pain is . . . constant, and grievous.† A blind rage filled her, a rage at all the world; at her brother Edmure and her sister Lysa, at the Lannisters, at the maesters, at Ned and her father and the monstrous gods who would take them both away from her. â€Å"You should have told me,† she said. â€Å"You should have sent word as soon as you knew.† â€Å"He forbade it. He did not want his enemies to know that he was dying. With the realm so troubled, he feared that if the Lannisters suspected how frail he was . . . â€Å" † . . . they might attack?† Catelyn finished, hard. It was your doing, yours, a voice whispered inside her. If you had not taken it upon yourself to seize the dwarf . . . They climbed the spiral stair in silence. The keep was three-sided, like Riverrun itself, and Lord Hoster's solar was triangular as well, with a stone balcony that jutted out to the east like the prow of some great sandstone ship. From there the lord of the castle could look down on his walls and battlements, and beyond, to where the waters met. They had moved her father's bed out onto the balcony. â€Å"He likes to sit in the sun and watch the rivers,† Edmure explained. â€Å"Father, see who I've brought. Cat has come to see you . . . â€Å" Hoster Tully had always been a big man; tall and broad in his youth, portly as he grew older. Now he seemed shrunken, the muscle and meat melted off his bones. Even his face sagged. The last time Catelyn had seen him, his hair and beard had been brown, well streaked with grey. Now they had gone white as snow. His eyes opened to the sound of Edmure's voice. â€Å"Little cat,† he murmured in a voice thin and wispy and wracked by pain. â€Å"My little cat.† A tremulous smile touched his face as his hand groped for hers. â€Å"I watched for you . . . â€Å" â€Å"I shall leave you to talk,† her brother said, kissing their lord father gently on the brow before he withdrew. Catelyn knelt and took her father's hand in hers. It was a big hand, but fleshless now, the bones moving loosely under the skin, all the strength gone from it. â€Å"You should have told me,† she said. â€Å"A rider, a raven . . . â€Å" â€Å"Riders are taken, questioned,† he answered. â€Å"Ravens are brought down . . . † A spasm of pain took him, and his fingers clutched hers hard. â€Å"The crabs are in my belly . . . pinching, always pinching. Day and night. They have fierce claws, the crabs. Maester Vyman makes me dreamwine, milk of the poppy . . . I sleep a lot . . . but I wanted to be awake to see you, when you came. I was afraid . . . when the Lannisters took your brother, the camps all around us . . . was afraid I would go, before I could see you again . . . I was afraid . . . â€Å" â€Å"I'm here, Father,† she said. â€Å"With Robb, my son. He'll want to see you too.† â€Å"Your boy,† he whispered. â€Å"He had my eyes, I remember . . . â€Å" â€Å"He did, and does. And we've brought you Jaime Lannister, in irons. Riverrun is free again, Father.† Lord Hoster smiled. â€Å"I saw. Last night, when it began, I told them . . . had to see. They carried me to the gatehouse . . . watched from the battlements. Ah, that was beautiful . . . the torches came in a wave, I could hear the cries floating across the river . . . sweet cries . . . when that siege tower went up, gods . . . would have died then, and glad, if only I could have seen you children first. Was it your boy who did it? Was it your Robb?† â€Å"Yes,† Catelyn said, fiercely proud. â€Å"It was Robb . . . and Brynden. Your brother is here as well, my lord.† â€Å"Him.† Her father's voice was a faint whisper. â€Å"The Blackfish . . . came back? From the Vale?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And Lysa?† A cool wind moved through his thin white hair. â€Å"Gods be good, your sister . . . did she come as well?† He sounded so full of hope and yearning that it was hard to tell the truth. â€Å"No. I'm sorry . . . â€Å" â€Å"Oh.† His face fell, and some light went out of his eyes. â€Å"I'd hoped I would have liked to see her, before . . . â€Å" â€Å"She's with her son, in the Eyrie.† Lord Hoster gave a weary nod. â€Å"Lord Robert now, poor Arryn's gone . . . I remember . . . why did she not come with you?† â€Å"She is frightened, my lord. In the Eyrie she feels safe.† She kissed his wrinkled brow. â€Å"Robb will be waiting. Will you see him? And Brynden?† â€Å"Your son,† he whispered. â€Å"Yes. Cat's child . . . he had my eyes, I remember. When he was born. Bring him . . . yes.† â€Å"And your brother?† Her father glanced out over the rivers. â€Å"Blackfish,† he said. â€Å"Has he wed yet? Taken some . . . girl to wife?† Even on his deathbed, Catelyn thought sadly. â€Å"He has not wed. You know that, Father. Nor will he ever.† â€Å"I told him . . . commanded him. Marry! I was his lord. He knows. My right, to make his match. A good match. A Redwyne. Old House. Sweet girl, pretty . . . freckles . . . Bethany, yes. Poor child. Still waiting. Yes. Still . . . â€Å" â€Å"Bethany Redwyne wed Lord Rowan years ago,† Catelyn reminded him. â€Å"She has three children by him.† â€Å"Even so,† Lord Hoster muttered. â€Å"Even so. Spit on the girl. The Redwynes. Spit on me. His lord, his brother . . . that Blackfish. I had other offers. Lord Bracken's girl. Walder Frey . . . any of three, he said . . . Has he wed? Anyone? Anyone?† â€Å"No one,† Catelyn said, â€Å"yet he has come many leagues to see you, fighting his way back to Riverrun. I would not be here now, if Ser Brynden had not helped us.† â€Å"He was ever a warrior,† her father husked. â€Å"That he could do. Knight of the Gate, yes.† He leaned back and closed his eyes, inutterably weary. â€Å"Send him. Later. I'll sleep now. Too sick to fight. Send him up later, the Blackfish . . . â€Å" Catelyn kissed him gently, smoothed his hair, and left him there in the shade of his keep, with his rivers flowing beneath. He was asleep before she left the solar. When she returned to the lower bailey, Ser Brynden Tully stood on the water stairs with wet boots, talking with the captain of Riverrun's guards. He came to her at once. â€Å"Is he—† â€Å"Dying,† she said. â€Å"As we feared.† Her uncle's craggy face showed his pain plain. He ran his fingers through his thick grey hair. â€Å"Will he see me?† She nodded. â€Å"He says he is too sick to fight.† Brynden Blackfish chuckled. â€Å"I am too old a soldier to believe that. Hoster will be chiding me about the Redwyne girl even as we light his funeral pyre, damn his bones.† Catelyn smiled, knowing it was true. â€Å"I do not see Robb.† â€Å"He went with Greyjoy to the hall, I believe.† Theon Greyjoy was seated on a bench in Riverrun's Great Hall, enjoying a horn of ale and regaling her father's garrison with an account of the slaughter in the Whispering Wood. â€Å"Some tried to flee, but we'd pinched the valley shut at both ends, and we rode out of the darkness with sword and lance. The Lannisters must have thought the Others themselves were on them when that wolf of Robb's got in among them. I saw him tear one man's arm from his shoulder, and their horses went mad at the scent of him. I couldn't tell you how many men were thrown—† â€Å"Theon,† she interrupted, â€Å"where might I find my son?† â€Å"Lord Robb went to visit the godswood, my lady.† It was what Ned would have done. He is his father's son as much as mine, I must remember. Oh, gods, Ned . . . She found Robb beneath the green canopy of leaves, surrounded by tall redwoods and great old elms, kneeling before the heart tree, a slender weirwood with a face more sad than fierce. His longsword was before him, the point thrust in the earth, his gloved hands clasped around the hilt. Around him others knelt: Greatjon Umber, Rickard Karstark, Maege Mormont, Galbart Glover, and more. Even Tytos Blackwood was among them, the great raven cloak fanned out behind him. These are the ones who keep the old gods, she realized. She asked herself what gods she kept these days, and could not find an answer. It would not do to disturb them at their prayers. The gods must have their due . . . even cruel gods who would take Ned from her, and her lord father as well. So Catelyn waited. The river wind moved through the high branches, and she could see the Wheel Tower to her right, ivy crawling up its side. As she stood there, all the memories came flooding back to her. Her father had taught her to ride amongst these trees, and that was the elm that Edmure had fallen from when he broke his arm, and over there, beneath that bower, she and Lysa had played at kissing with Petyr. She had not thought of that in years. How young they all had been—she no older than Sansa, Lysa younger than Arya, and Petyr younger still, yet eager. The girls had traded him between them, serious and giggling by turns. It came back to her so vividly she could almost feel his sweaty fingers on her shoulders and taste the mint on his breath. There was always mint growing in the godswood, and Petyr had liked to chew it. He had been such a bold little boy, always in trouble. â€Å"He tried to put his tongue in my mouth,† Catelyn had confessed to her sister afterward, when they were alone. â€Å"He did with me too,† Lysa had whispered, shy and breathless. â€Å"I liked it.† Robb got to his feet slowly and sheathed his sword, and Catelyn found herself wondering whether her son had ever kissed a girl in the godswood. Surely he must have. She had seen Jeyne Poole giving him moist-eyed glances, and some of the serving girls, even ones as old as eighteen . . . he had ridden in battle and killed men with a sword, surely he had been kissed. There were tears in her eyes. She wiped them away angrily. â€Å"Mother,† Robb said when he saw her standing there. â€Å"We must call a council. There are things to be decided.† â€Å"Your grandfather would like to see you,† she said. â€Å"Robb, he's very sick.† â€Å"Ser Edmure told me. I am sorry, Mother . . . for Lord Hoster and for you. Yet first we must meet. We've had word from the south. Renly Baratheon has claimed his brother's crown.† â€Å"Renly?† she said, shocked. â€Å"I had thought, surely it would be Lord Stannis . . . â€Å" â€Å"So did we all, my lady,† Galbart Glover said. The war council convened in the Great Hall, at four long trestle tables arranged in a broken square. Lord Hoster was too weak to attend, asleep on his balcony, dreaming of the sun on the rivers of his youth. Edmure sat in the high seat of the Tullys, with Brynden Blackfish at his side, and his father's bannermen arrayed to right and left and along the side tables. Word of the victory at Riverrun had spread to the fugitive lords of the Trident, drawing them back. Karyl Vance came in, a lord now, his father dead beneath the Golden Tooth. Ser Marq Piper was with him, and they brought a Darry, Ser Raymun's son, a lad no older than Bran. Lord Jonos Bracken arrived from the ruins of Stone Hedge, glowering and blustering, and took a seat as far from Tytos Blackwood as the tables would permit. The northern lords sat opposite, with Catelyn and Robb facing her brother across the tables. They were fewer. The Greatjon sat at Robb's left hand, and then Theon Greyjoy; Galbart Glover and Lady Mormont were to the right of Catelyn. Lord Rickard Karstark, gaunt and hollow-eyed in his grief, took his seat like a man in a nightmare, his long beard uncombed and unwashed. He had left two sons dead in the Whispering Wood, and there was no word of the third, his eldest, who had led the Karstark spears against Tywin Lannister on the Green Fork. The arguing raged on late into the night. Each lord had a right to speak, and speak they did . . . and shout, and curse, and reason, and cajole, and jest, and bargain, and slam tankards on the table, and threaten, and walk out, and return sullen or smiling. Catelyn sat and listened to it all. Roose Bolton had re-formed the battered remnants of their other host at the mouth of the causeway. Ser Helman Tallhart and Walder Frey still held the Twins. Lord Tywin's army had crossed the Trident, and was making for Harrenhal. And there were two kings in the realm. Two kings, and no agreement. Many of the lords bannermen wanted to march on Harrenhal at once, to meet Lord Tywin and end Lannister power for all time. Young, hot-tempered Marq Piper urged a strike west at Casterly Rock instead. Still others counseled patience. Riverrun sat athwart the Lannister supply lines, Jason Mallister pointed out; let them bide their time, denying Lord Tywin fresh levies and provisions while they strengthened their defenses and rested their weary troops. Lord Blackwood would have none of it. They should finish the work they began in the Whispering Wood. March to Harrenhal and bring Roose Bolton's army down as well. What Blackwood urged, Bracken opposed, as ever; Lord Jonos Bracken rose to insist they ought pledge their fealty to King Renly, and move south to join their might to his. â€Å"Renly is not the king,† Robb said. It was the first time her son had spoken. Like his father, he knew how to listen. â€Å"You cannot mean to hold to Joffrey, my lord,† Galbart Glover said. â€Å"He put your father to death.† â€Å"That makes him evil,† Robb replied. â€Å"I do not know that it makes Renly king. Joffrey is still Robert's eldest trueborn son, so the throne is rightfully his by all the laws of the realm. Were he to die, and I mean to see that he does, he has a younger brother. Tommen is next in line after Joffrey.† â€Å"Tommen is no less a Lannister,† Ser Marq Piper snapped. â€Å"As you say,† said Robb, troubled. â€Å"Yet if neither one is king, still, how could it be Lord Renly? He's Robert's younger brother. Bran can't be Lord of Winterfell before me, and Renly can't be king before Lord Stannis.† Lady Mormont agreed. â€Å"Lord Stannis has the better claim.† â€Å"Renly is crowned,† said Marq Piper. â€Å"Highgarden and Storm's End support his claim, and the Dornishmen will not be laggardly. If Winterfell and Riverrun add their strength to his, he will have five of the seven great houses behind him. Six, if the Arryns bestir themselves! Six against the Rock! My lords, within the year, we will have all their heads on pikes, the queen and the boy king, Lord Tywin, the Imp, the Kingslayer, Ser Kevan, all of them! That is what we shall win if we join with King Renly. What does Lord Stannis have against that, that we should cast it all aside?† â€Å"The right,† said Robb stubbornly. Catelyn thought he sounded eerily like his father as he said it. â€Å"So you mean us to declare for Stannis?† asked Edmure. â€Å"I don't know,† said Robb. â€Å"I prayed to know what to do, but the gods did not answer. The Lannisters killed my father for a traitor, and we know that was a lie, but if Joffrey is the lawful king and we fight against him, we will be traitors.† â€Å"My lord father would urge caution,† aged Ser Stevron said, with the weaselly smile of a Frey. â€Å"Wait, let these two kings play their game of thrones. When they are done fighting, we can bend our knees to the victor, or oppose him, as we choose. With Renly arming, likely Lord Tywin would welcome a truce . . . and the safe return of his son. Noble lords, allow me to go to him at Harrenhal and arrange good terms and ransoms . . . â€Å" A roar of outrage drowned out his voice. â€Å"Craven!† the Greatjon thundered. â€Å"Begging for a truce will make us seem weak,† declared Lady Mormont. â€Å"Ransoms be damned, we must not give up the Kingslayer,† shouted Rickard Karstark. â€Å"Why not a peace?† Catelyn asked. The lords looked at her, but it was Robb's eyes she felt, his and his alone. â€Å"My lady, they murdered my lord father, your husband,† he said grimly. He unsheathed his longsword and laid it on the table before him, the bright steel on the rough wood. â€Å"This is the only peace I have for Lannisters.† The Greatjon bellowed his approval, and other men added their voices, shouting and drawing swords and pounding their fists on the table. Catelyn waited until they had quieted. â€Å"My lords,† she said then, â€Å"Lord Eddard was your liege, but I shared his bed and bore his children. Do you think I love him any less than you?† Her voice almost broke with her grief, but Catelyn took a long breath and steadied herself. â€Å"Robb, if that sword could bring him back, I should never let you sheathe it until Ned stood at my side once more . . . but he is gone, and hundred Whispering Woods will not change that. Ned is gone, and Daryn Hornwood, and Lord Karstark's valiant sons, and many other good men besides, and none of them will return to us. Must we have more deaths still?† â€Å"You are a woman, my lady,† the Greatjon rumbled in his deep voice. â€Å"Women do not understand these things.† â€Å"You are the gentle sex,† said Lord Karstark, with the lines of grief fresh on his face. â€Å"A man has a need for vengeance.† â€Å"Give me Cersei Lannister, Lord Karstark, and you would see how gentle a woman can be,† Catelyn replied. â€Å"Perhaps I do not understand tactics and strategy . . . but I understand futility. We went to war when Lannister armies were ravaging the riverlands, and Ned was a prisoner, falsely accused of treason. We fought to defend ourselves, and to win my lord's freedom. â€Å"Well, the one is done, and the other forever beyond our reach. I will mourn for Ned until the end of my days, but I must think of the living. I want my daughters back, and the queen holds them still. If I must trade our four Lannisters for their two Starks, I will call that a bargain and thank the gods. I want you safe, Robb, ruling at Winterfell from your father's seat. I want you to live your life, to kiss a girl and wed a woman and father a son. I want to write an end to this. I want to go home, my lords, and weep for my husband.† The hall was very quiet when Catelyn finished speaking. â€Å"Peace,† said her uncle Brynden. â€Å"Peace is sweet, my lady . . . but on what terms? It is no good hammering your sword into a plowshare if you must forge it again on the morrow.† â€Å"What did Torrhen and my Eddard die for, if I am to return to Karhold with nothing but their bones?† asked Rickard Karstark. â€Å"Aye,† said Lord Bracken. â€Å"Gregor Clegane laid waste to my fields, slaughtered my smallfolk, and left Stone Hedge a smoking ruin. Am I now to bend the knee to the ones who sent him? What have we fought for, if we are to put all back as it was before?† Lord Blackwood agreed, to Catelyn's surprise and dismay. â€Å"And if we do make peace with King Joffrey, are we not then traitors to King Renly? What if the stag should prevail against the lion, where would that leave us?† â€Å"Whatever you may decide for yourselves, I shall never call a Lannister my king,† declared Marq Piper. â€Å"Nor I!† yelled the little Darry boy. â€Å"I never will!† Again the shouting began. Catelyn sat despairing. She had come so close, she thought. They had almost listened, almost . . . but the moment was gone. There would be no peace, no chance to heal, no safety. She looked at her son, watched him as he listened to the lords debate, frowning, troubled, yet wedded to his war. He had pledged himself to marry a daughter of Walder Frey, but she saw his true bride plain before her now: the sword he had laid on the table. Catelyn was thinking of her girls, wondering if she would ever see them again, when the Greatjon lurched to his feet. â€Å"MY LORDS!† he shouted, his voice booming off the rafters. â€Å"Here is what I say to these two kings!† He spat. † Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis neither. Why should they rule over me and mine, from some flowery seat in Highgarden or Dorne? What do they know of the Wall or the wolfswood or the barrows of the First Men? Even their gods are wrong. The Others take the Lannisters too, I've had a bellyful of them.† He reached back over his shoulder and drew his immense two-handed greatsword. â€Å"Why shouldn't we rule ourselves again? It was the dragons we married, and the dragons are all dead!† He pointed at Robb with the blade. â€Å"There sits the only king I mean to bow my knee to, m'lords,† he thundered. â€Å"The King in the North!† And he knelt, and laid his sword at her son's feet. â€Å"I'll have peace on those terms,† Lord Karstark said. â€Å"They can keep their red castle and their iron chair as well.† He eased his longsword from its scabbard. â€Å"The King in the North!† he said, kneeling beside the Greatjon. Maege Mormont stood. â€Å"The King of Winter!† she declared, and laid her spiked mace beside the swords. And the river lords were rising too, Blackwood and Bracken and Mallister, houses who had never been ruled from Winterfell, yet Catelyn watched them rise and draw their blades, bending their knees and shouting the old words that had not been heard in the realm for more than three hundred years, since Aegon the Dragon had come to make the Seven Kingdoms one . . . yet now were heard again, ringing from the timbers of her father's hall: â€Å"The King in the North!† â€Å"The King in the North!† â€Å"THE KING IN THE NORTH!†

The History of Intel

The History of Intel In 1968, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore were two unhappy engineers working for the Fairchild Semiconductor Company who decided to quit and create their own company at a time when many Fairchild employees were leaving to create start-ups. People like Noyce and Moore were nicknamed the Fairchildren. Robert Noyce typed up a one-page idea of what he wanted to do with the new company, and that was enough to convince San Francisco venture capitalist Art Rock to back Noyce and Moores new venture. Rock raised $2.5 million dollars in less than two days by selling convertible debentures. Art Rock became the first chairman of Intel. Intel Trademark The name Moore Noyce was already trademarked by a hotel chain, so the two founders decided upon the name Intel for their new company, a shortened version of Integrated Electronics. However, the rights to the name had to be bought from a company called Intelco first. Intel Products In 1969, Intel released the worlds first metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) static ram, the 1101. Also in 1969, Intels first money-making product was the 3101 Schottky bipolar 64-bit static random access memory (SRAM) chip. A year later in 1970, Intel introduced the 1103 DRAM memory chip. In 1971, Intel introduced the now-famous worlds first single chip microprocessor (the computer on a chip)- the Intel 4004- invented by Intel engineers Federico Faggin, Ted Hoff, and Stanley Mazor. In 1972, Intel introduced the first 8-bit microprocessor- the 8008. In 1974, the Intel 8080 microprocessor was introduced with ten times the power of the 8008. In 1975, the 8080 microprocessor was used in one of the first consumer home computers, the Altair 8800 which was sold in kit form. In 1976, Intel introduced the 8748 and 8048, the first type of microcontroller i.e. a computer-on-a-chip optimized to control electronic devices. Though produced by the USA’s Intel Corporation, the 1993 Pentium was basically the outcome of research conducted by an Indian engineer. Popularly known as the Father of the Pentium chip, the inventor of the computer chip is Vinod Dham.

Strategic Sourcing in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Essay Example

Strategic Sourcing in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Essay Example Strategic Sourcing in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Essay Strategic Sourcing in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Essay In the globalized era when most of the business organizations are involved in different business activities it has become inevitable for the firms independently perform all the functions. Most of the companies do not operate their supply chain and rely on other firms to perform the multi-faceted tasks. The successful and efficient combination of the operations of these firms provides the company with the competitive edge in the market. (Cook, DeBree, and Feroleto, 2001). Lummus and Vokurka   (1999) points out towards the need for the managers to understand the performance of all the stake holding firms in the supply chain. According to (Pohlen, 2003), this insight in the performance of each firm will enable the managers to develop measures in order to fulfil the demands of the customers. The main task of the supply chain management is to develop a strategy which can cater the need of the customers and is aligned with the company objectives (Pohlen, 2003). In this lieu it is important for the mangers to keep on measuring the performance of different parts of supply chain (Deloitte, 1999). It has been a proven fact that the improvement in the company’s performance cannot be undertaken with out improving the performance of its suppliers (Lummus, Vokurka, and Alber, 1999). The planning and information taking activities can be easily performed by the operations managers and senior executives it they have an up to date information regarding the performance of different supply chain firm and stake holders and the resources available to the firm. Authors (La Londe and Masters 1994; Lambert, Stock, and Ellram 1998; Mentzer et al. 2001) regard a supply chain as a set of firms involved in the upstream and downstream flows of products, services, information, and/or finances.   Mentzer et al. (2001, p. 4) described a supply chain as a set of three or more organizations directly linked by one or more of the upstream and downstream flows of products, services, finances, and information from a source to a customer. Thus, the nature of a supply chain is comprehensive so that membership is not limited to a supplier, a manufacturer, and a distributor, but open to any firm that performs various flow-related services (Mentzer et al. 2001). The notion of production management has been transformed from the manufacturing activities and has expanded to activities as purchasing, warehousing, transportation, and other operations from the procurement of raw materials through various activities until a product in available to the buyer. The notion includes the process of delivering the services to the customers with the products. With the changing time the aspects covered are increasing, the process now also includes RD, value creation, marketing management, sales activities, accounting and finance. The operation management model constitutes of inputs and outputs. The list of inputs include, 1. customer needs 2. Information 3. Technology management 4. Fixed assets of the business 5. Human capital 6. Variable assets related to transformation process. Information and the physical factors play an important role for managers in order to produce outputs. Most of the physical assets remain unchanged. These include buildings, land, manufacturing plants, warehouses etc. Planning, operating and controlling are the important constituents of transformation process. The improvement in the system is also an important aim of the model. Outputs consist of products and services and may even be information, such as that provided by a consulting organization. (Koontz and Weihrich, 1994; p 633, 634) The international sourcing policy effects the corporate, marketing, purchasing, and other strategies.   It is important for the firm to connect the future objectives with corporate objectives and strategy. The purchasing function should also be undertaken in order to support the corporate objectives. It is often observed that the purchasing functions in the firms are undertaken without gathering proper and enough information. Also the purchasing decision of most of the companies are not undertaken in the line of the strategy of the company. It is also important for the companies to undertake strategic planning while undertaking the purchasing decision. Most of the researchers emphasize the need of aligning the purchasing function with the firm’s strategic planning process. In order to undertake effective planning according to the company’s goal it is important to plan and implement strategic planning more effectively at the departmental level. Some of the researches a lso pay great attention in establishment of the link between the customers and the suppliers as part of their purchasing strategy. The purchasing decision in the right direction can also help the company in acquiring the market leadership through cost reduction. â€Å"Purchasing’s contributions to corporate strategic planning include the following: monitoring supply market trends, interpreting the impact of these trends on the firm, identifying the materials and services required to support company and strategic business unit strategies, and developing supply options.† (Ellram and Carr, 1994) There are many techniques, which can be undertaken by the management in order to improve the quality of management process. Some of them are described below. Time-Event Networks: Time network analysis is a logical extension of the famous Gantt chart. Often referred to as the program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) an in its essentials as the Critical Path Method (CPM), this technique of planning and control has wide potential use in many applications. But PERT and its various refinements, like PERT/COST, have considerable potential for use in many aspects of planning and controlling operations (Koontz and Weihrich, 1994; p.648). For a company having the expanded supply chain PERT/ COST analysis should be performed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of supply chain. Value Engineering: A product can be improved and its cost lowered through value engineering, which consists of analyzing the operations of the product or service, estimating the value of each operation, and attempting to improve that operation by trying to keep costs low at each step or part. The following specific steps can be taken in order to improve the supply chain. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify the costs for each part and operation. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify each part’s relative contribution value to the final unit or product. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Find a new approach for those items, which appear to have high cost and low value. (Koontz and Weihrich, 1994; p.648) Work Simplification: Work methods can be improved through work simplification, which is the process of obtaining the participation of workers in simplifying their work. Training sessions should be conducted in the company to teach concepts and principles of techniques such as time and motion studies, workflow analyses, and the layout of the work situation. (Koontz and Weihrich, 1994; p.648) Quality Circles The supply chain management should establish a group of people from the same organizational area who meet regularly to solve problems they experience at work. (Goldstein, 1985; p.504-517) Members should be trained in solving problems, in applying statistical quality control, and in working in-groups. A facilitator should work with each group consisting of six to twelve members. The QCs may meet 4 hours a month. Although QC members may receive recognition, they should also receive monetary rewards. Quality circles should evolve from suggestion programs. In both approaches, workers will participate in solving work-related problems. Although in suggestion programs the problems are usually quite specific, those dealt with by quality control circles are often more complex and require the involvement of several team members. The team should consist primarily of rank-and-file workers and sometimes it can also include supervisors. (Koontz and Weihrich, 1994; p.649) The Concept of TQM: TQM is defined as both a philosophy and a set of guiding principles that represent the foundation of a continuously improving organization. It is the application of quantitative methods and human resources to improve all the process within an organization and exceed customer needs now and in the future. TQM integrates fundamental management techniques, existing improvement efforts, and technical tools under a disciplined approach. (Besterfield, Michna, Besterfied Sacre, p.1) Possibilities for improvements of the downstream supply chain: TQM is based on a number of ideas. It means thinking about quality in terms of all functions of the enterprise and is a start is a start-to-finish process that integrates interrelated functions at all levels. It is a systems approach that considers every interaction between the various elements of the organization. Thus, the overall effectiveness of the system is higher than the sum of the individual outputs from the subsystems. The subsystems include all the organizational functions in the life cycle of a product, such as (!) design, (2) planning, (3) production, (4) distribution, and (5) field service. The management subsystems also require integration, including (1) strategy with a customer focus, (2) the tools of quality and (3) employee involvement (the linking process that integrates the whole). A corollary is that any product, process, or service can be improved, and a successful organization is one that consciously seeks and exploits opportunities for improvement at all level s. The load-bearing structure is customer satisfaction. The watchword is continuous improvement. (Ross) Hence following steps should be taken in order to improve the supply chain of the company: 1. Management Commitment: Top management must become convinced of the need for quality and must clearly communicate this to the entire company be written policy, starting that each person is expected to perform according to the requirement or cause the requirement to be officially changed to what the company and the customers really need. 2. Quality improvement team: From a team composed of department heads to oversee improvements in their departments and in the company as a whole. 3. Quality measurement: Establish measurements appropriate to every activity in order to identify areas in need of improvement. 4. Cost of quality: Estimate the costs of quality in order to identify areas where improvements would be profitable. 5. Quality awareness: Raise quality awareness among employees. They non-conformance. 6. Corrective action: Take corrective action as a result of steps 3 and 4. 7. Zero defects planning: From a committee to plan a program appropriate to the company and its culture. 8. Supervisor training: All levels of management must be trained in how to implement their part of the quality improvement program. 9. Zero defects day: Schedule a day to signal to employees that the company has a new standard. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Goal setting: Individuals must establish improvement goals for themselves and their groups. 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Error causes removal: Employees should be encouraged to inform management of any problems that prevent them from performing error free work. 12.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recognition: Give public, non-financial appreciation to those who meet their quality goals or perform outstandingly. 13.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Quality councils: Composed of quality professionals and team chairpersons, quality councils should meet regularly to share experiences, problems, and ideas. 14.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Does it all over again: Repeat steps 1 to 13 in order to emphasize the never-ending process of quality improvement. (Ross) Conclusion: Production management refers to all those activities necessary to manufacture products; it may also include purchasing, warehousing, transportation, and other operations. Operations management has a similar meaning, referring to activities necessary to produce and deliver a service as well as a physical product. It is important for the supply chain management to give importance to all of the above activities. Since a low level of performance from any part of supply chain can effect the whole process.   (Koontz and Weihrich, 1994; p.653) The method of operations research, which is the application of scientific methods to the study of alternatives in a problem situation to obtain a quantitative basis for arriving at the best solution, should be used. Other tools of production management such as linear programming inventory planning and control, the just-in time inventory system, and distribution logistics should be used to enhance the productivity of the Company. Other tools and tech niques such as time-event inventory system, engineering, work simplification, quality circles, total quality management, and a variety of computer-aided approaches can also be used according to the need. (Koontz and Weihrich, 1994; p.653)

The collision of electronic information systems in transition with patients in transition

The collision of electronic information systems in transition with patients in transition Executive summary Josephine McMurray, Elizabeth Hicks, Helen Johnson, Jacobi Elliott, Kerry Byrne, and Paul Stolee authored the article, Trying to find information is like hating yourself every day: The collision of electronic information systems in transition with patients in transition, which was published in the Journal of Health Informatics.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The collision of electronic information systems in transition with patients in transition specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The article examines the implication of electronic medical records (EMR) coupled with parallel paper medical records on continuity of information in healthcare facilities. In conducting the research, ethnographic field study was deployed as the main methodology for gathering data. The article draws its inferences from results of three main case studies involving older patients having hip fracture and transitioning within h ealthcare settings (McMurray et al., 2012, p.218). The focus of the article is on the implication of the electronic information systems (EIS) interoperability on the capacity of healthcare providers to communicate amongst themselves and the implication of digital records on transformation of information handling and processing systems within healthcare facilities. According to the article, enhancement of continuity is an important outcome for healthcare information system. In this context, healthcare records are pivotal in enabling care providers to exchange patients’ clinical coupled with demographic information, which is necessary to effect appropriate treatment (McMurray et al., 2012, p.218). Records also aid in accountability transfers, regulatory compliance, and provide means for following up quality of the healthcare delivered. While the authors find documentation important in this extent, they argue that documentation culture consumes 25 percent of the caregiversâ€⠄¢ time in a healthcare facility (McMurray et al., 2012, p.218). Improving the documentation process can aid in improvising of more accurate, better quality, secure, and speedy, and even well coordinated healthcare.Advertising Looking for report on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to the authors, the above qualities cannot be achieved via paper-based approaches to documentation of healthcare information. This assertion underlines the importance of transitioning to EMR healthcare information systems. However, the authors report low adoption rates of the EMRs in clinical settings in Canada. They also argue that care providers encounter challenges in sending and receiving information that has been digitized. Consequently, â€Å"the adoption of digitized documentation is inconsistent across healthcare sectors and interoperability between information systems is limited† (McMurray et al., 2012, p.220). Based on this realization, the researchers found it sound to conduct a research to investigate the effects of electronic and paper information parallel system in fostering efforts of communication exchange during the process of transitioning of patient within the healthcare continuum. The authors present two main viewpoints. First, â€Å"partial interoperability between electronic information systems has complicated not eased the ability to communicate across settings and disciplines† (McMurray et al., 2012, p.223). The authors note that during the period, which the research was conducted, Canada had strategically focused on investment in EMRs. Nevertheless, most cases studied showed that transitional information was transferred through paper-based means of communication. Despite the availability of EMRs in the three cases considered in the research, healthcare providers exchanged transitional information through fax or transportation of paper-based information during transferring of the patient across the care continuum. In particular, the authors exemplify this view point by claiming that in the case involving Mrs. Robertson, two facilities sharing ownership cared for her, but even though EMR was available to the two care facilities, â€Å"staff continued to fax requests for admission and discharge documentation to each other and maintained separate paper charts† (McMurray et al., 2012, p.224).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The collision of electronic information systems in transition with patients in transition specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Indeed, clinical care workers entered Mrs. Robertson’s information manually to an external database in each of the care facilities. For long-term care facilities, none of them deployed EMRs. Documentation of information is meant to ensure ease of accessibility and retrieval of information. However, in the second v iewpoint of the authors, â€Å"while some information is more accessible and communications streamlined, parallel paper and electronic systems have added to the front line providers burden, not eased it† (McMurray et al., 2012, p.224). In this context, the article findings indicate that even if information were recorded previously in the EMR system, front care providers raised concerns that they encountered challenges in accessing and retrieving the information. These challenges were attributed to poor user interfaces and unavailability of records’ summaries. However, physicians argued that although it was difficult to retrieve and access information from their places of residence in the EMR system, when such information was retrieved, it helped them in cross communication. As part of analysis of the article, it is important to note that transition from one information system to another involves organizational change. Before people can learn and acquire experience in t he use of new information system, confusions and problems are anticipated. Therefore, it is not surprising that people would deploy paper-based approaches in the documentation process while EMRs were available. From the context of the second viewpoint of the authors, any digital information system has challenges articulated to its design. Some of these challenges include poor design of user interfaces and interactivity. When such challenges are encountered, the solution encompasses system redesign and improvement to meet user requirements, but not scraping it. In my opinion, the article is relevant to management information systems for Public and Health Administration. It provides possible area of improving EMRs to meet the needs of the users and deliver the outcomes for which the system is installed within a healthcare facility.Advertising Looking for report on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reference McMurray, J., Hicks, E., Johnson, H., Elliott, J., Byrne, K., Stolee, P. (2012). Trying to find information is like hating yourself every day: The collision of electronic information systems in transition with patients in transition. Health Informatics Journal, 19(3), 218-232.

Ernest Hemingway Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ernest Hemingway Research Paper - Essay Example Early Life Ernest Hemingway was born in Illinois on July 21, 1899. His mother’s musical interests did not influence him as much as his father’s love for the outdoors. This spirit of adventure would later be visible in his writings (Boon 9). In high school, he edited the school newspaper Kansas City Star. He participated in the World War I for the American Red Cross as a bus driver and was injured in 1918 after an attack. After the World War I, he returned to the United States of America and met Sherwood Anderson, and in 1921 he married Hadley Richardson. A short time later he moved to Paris, France, as a correspondent of the Star. Their stay in Paris coincided with the publication of Three Stories and Ten. Hemingway wrote the drafts In our Time in 1923 and later published it in 1924. In mid-1923, the family returned to Toronto where he rejoined the Star, but he went back to Paris in 1924. In Paris, he met Gertrude Stein, and this ushered him to the world of artists and authors of the ‘lost generation’, giving an inspiration to the novel The Sun Also Rises (Bloom 11). Literary Career Death in the Afternoon The novel starts with Hemingway talking about his love for bull fighting after being introduced to the sport by Gertrude Stein. He is initially skeptical about bull fighting, as he assumes that it would cause the death of horses. This novel is a nonfiction account of Hemingway’s observation of bull fighting in Spain from the 1920’s to the 1930’s. The book gives a vivid explanation of bullfighting in Spain and his life. â€Å"The bull fight is not a sport in the Anglo Saxon sense word that is it is not an equal contest or an attempt at an equal contest between a bull and a man. Rather it is a tragedy the death of the bull which is played, more or less well, by the bull and the man involved in which there is a danger for the man but certain death for the animal† (Hemingway, â€Å"Death in the Afternoon† 22). The Old Man and the Sea This story is set in Cuba where Santiago, a fisherman, sets out to fish but fails to catch anything. His young apprentice, Manolin, is convinced by his parents to leave Santiago and go fishing in another area. Nevertheless, Manolin continues to help Santiago. Later on Santiago goes further away from his usual fishing waters, releases his fishing gear deep into the sea, hooks into a marlin, and the fish pulls his fishing boat. The fishing experience goes wrong, and he endures a lot of pain while holding the fishing equipment. Blood appears in the waters, attracting sharks; he kills them but they eat the marlin; nevertheless, he takes the skeletons to his ramshackle. The following day fellow fishermen gather around his boat in amazement and Manolin is excited upon seeing Santiago safe in bed. The story depicts bravery of Santiago, who ventures out into the sea despite having caught no fish in eighty four days. Despite the difficulties Santiago endures a nd conquers, the victory of sea and sharks is the ultimate point in the story. Our Time This is a collection of fifteen short stories. In the first part, Nick Adams is brought into an Indian Camp by his father, and a woman gives birth there. Later, Nick’s father argues with an Indian. Nick Adam’s love life follows that of Nick, and his friend Bill drinks at Bill’s house. In chapter five, Nick is thrown off a train and meets an old friend of his. Thereafter, a soldier falls in love

Quality Management at EMC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quality Management at EMC - Research Paper Example Two aspects of process capability relates to: measuring the variability of the output of a process; and comparing that variability with a proposed specification or product tolerance level (Wikipedia 2011). The output of any process is expected to meet the requirements of customers’ specifications or product tolerances. Before process capability can be determined a survey needs to be carried out to determine customer specifications. The process should then be allowed to run several times to determine whether the process is stable. Statistical process control is used to test if a process is stable or unstable. If processes drift or shift significantly process capability indices are not applicable as they require statistical control. If the process is out of statistical control then capability does not mean anything as it only points to a general problem instead of being specific. There seems to be some knowledge of what the problem is at EMC and so process capability studies sho uld be possible. The plating and finishing process needs to be given close attention since the complaints relate to plastic insert falling out and sharp edges on the brackets. Last year there were 56 complaints; however, within four months of the current year there are 49 complaints. The fact is that no information is given in terms of how many products were manufactured last year or if the products that were found to be defective this year relates to last years production. Since there is some uncertainty there a number of process runs will be required in order to find out where the problem lies as there may be more problems than those that have been identified so far. Statistical control can be carried out to determine the measure of variability of each process. Statistical process control or control chart is a graph which is used to study how a process changes overtime (ASQ n.d.). If the process is stable then the mean and standard deviation can be reliably estimated. Process capa bility studies and statistical process control can be implemented by EMC but this has to start with management. They have to believe that a problem exists. Additionally, they have to have a specification that they require and this should be based on the customer requirements. The survey will assist management to determine which processes needs to be improved and which does not add value and therefore needs be eliminated. Quality improvements need to be a team effort and all employees at EMC need to be involved. The information from process capability studies and statistical control will indicate what level the firm is at. This can be translated into Sigma to determine how far the company is from achieving Six Sigma and ultimately zero defects. If EMC does not have persons who are qualified to coordinate the process then a consultant needs to be employed. A systematic approach has to be taken to solving the problem and as Deming suggests EMC needs to practice PDCA - Plan what is need ed; Do it; Check that it works; Act to correct any problems or improve performance (Business Balls n.d). Utilizing a Six Sigma Program A number of companies including Motorola and General Electric have utilized the Six Sigma program in their program to help improve their bottom line. This led to Motorola achieving the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in

The Margaret Sanger Memorial Park Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Margaret Sanger Memorial Park - Essay Example This essay discusses that the monument will serve as a direct remembrance for women of how hard the fight for equality has been, and similarly, how much further we as Americans have to go. For the visitor, it will symbolize the strength not only of the need for everyone to have freedom but also that even one voice, if persistent, can have a huge impact on American society. Ms. Sanger is emblematic of American’s, using her freedom and voice to help and protect millions of others. A monument to her can only serve as a monument to every citizen and visitor who believes that one person can make a difference. To create this memorial, the author proposes a small park, of no more than one city block. The park shall be open on all sides, welcoming people to come and rest. There will be no vendors allowed in the park, to allow people to simply enjoy. In one corner of the park, a playground shall be built, commemorating Ms. Sanger’s love of children, and belief that children from a planned family will be happy and well cared for. In the center, a statue shall be erected with her image, and on the bottom, a quote â€Å"No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother†. While it will be simple, it is merely a celebration of her life and allows life to go on around it, much as Ms. Sanger would have wanted. She devoted her life to serving others, and there is no better monument than a place where people can relax and be happy, and to enjoy watching children run and play. Socially, this monument supports women and also those who believe that anyone can make a difference.