Asian Countries Essay

Many Asian countries such as Singapore, HK, and South Korea have achieved tremendous economic growth in the last forty years of development. One of the key success factors has been macroeconomic stability in these countries. Multiplier effect — population Talk aboit the characteristic of Asian countries-past 40 years –deveoping country –vast raw material 1.  Economic growth is defined as an increased in the level of production of goods and services by a country over a certain period of time. Economic growth can be in terms of real economic growth or potential economic growth. I agree with the author that one of the key factors that have allowed many Asian countries to have achieved economic growth has been macroeconomic stability such as low inflation, low unemployment rate and stable exchange rate in the currency market. However these Asian Countries have achieved tremendous economic growth are also due to other supporting key success factors such as globalisation and political stability enjoyed in these countries which I will explain in this essay. 2.Low Inflation I agree that macroeconomic stability due to low inflation is one key success factor that leads to economic growth in many Asian countries. Inflation is defined as the sustained increased in general price level. When there is low inflation in these Asian countries, it helps to ensure a competitive export industry. This implies that its exports will have a higher price competitiveness over their trading partner hence its export will increased. For example, Singapore, a small and open economy with no natural resources depends mainly on its trade for its economic growth. Hence having a low inflation allows Singapore goods to be relatively cheaper than foreign goods and this cause the net export of Singapore to increase.Low inflation protects domestic industry away from foreign goods competition as the price of the domestic goods is cheaper than foreign goods will cause the demand for imports to fall. Thus low inflation would result in an increased in net export (X-M Low inflation also leads to an increase in the investment expenditure. Since Singapore has low inflation ,it implies that Singapore tends to be more stable and there is less uncertainty, firms and foreign direct investors will find it easier to estimate the costs and revenues of  investments. Hence when inflation is low it will give a good business sentiments and this leads to an increase in investment expenditure. Since net export (X-M) and investment expenditure are components of aggregate demand when net export (X-M) increased and investment expenditure increased, AD will also increase. ( Graph figure1 ) As seen from figure 1,when AD curve shift right from AD1 to AD2 the general price level increase from p1 to p2 and real GDP increases from Y1 to Y2.Thus,Singapore experience real Economic growth as a result of macroeconomic stability due to low inflation. Thus, I agree with the author that one of the key success factors leading to economic growth in many Asian countries is due to macroeconomic stability. 3. Low unemployment Another key success factors that leads to economic growth has been macroeconomic stability due to low unemployment rate. Unemployment is defined as the number of people who is willing and able to work but is unable to find a suitable job and is contantly searching for a job. Asian countries for example Singapore have a low unemployment rate. The low unemployment rate allow the economy in Singapore to produce a larger amount of output and implies a large amount of people in Singapore have income. Thus, having low unemployment rate that the consumers in Singapore have higher spending powers due to higher disposable income and more people having the ability to spend as they holds a job. Thus consumption level in Singapore will increase. In addition, when the unemployment rate in Singapore is low, the government will be able to collect more tax revenue. Also, lesser unemployment benefits is needed to be given to the unemployed and these tax revenue and unemployment funds could be used by government to improve the infrastructure of Singapore which would attract more foreign direct investor. Since consumption( C ) ,(G) government expenditure and (I) investment which are components of AD, when C,G and I increase, AD will also increase. An initial increase in AD will leads to a more than proportionate increase in the real national income through the multiplier process. However for Asian countries like Singapore the mulitiplier size is small due to a small population size and large leakage of the circular flow of income. Hence the extent of shift of the AS curve is greater than the extent of  shift of the AD curve. As seen from figure 2 ,when AD curve shift from AD1 to AD2 and AS curve shift from AS1 to AS2 , the general price level decrease from P1 to P2 and the real GDP increases from Y1 to Y2.Thus , there is econonomic growth where hence there will be increased in real GDP thus there is in the short run there is real economic growth in the short runwhereas In the long run, the increase in investment expenditure will cause an increase in potential economic growth due to the increase in productivity and productive capacity as a result of the increase in capital goods. Hence , Asian countries like Singapore experience real economic growth in the short run and potential economic growth in the long run as a result of macroeconomic stability due to low unemployment. Thus I agree with the author that macroeconomic stability due to low unemployment is one of the key success factors that leads to economic growth in many Asian countries. 4. Stable exchange rate Another key success factors that leads to economic growth in many Asian countries like Singapore has been macroeconomic stability due to stable exchange rate. Stable exchange rate provides good business sentiments for firms and investor as the outlook of the economy is optimistic. Also, stable exchange rate is important especially to investors who depend heavily on importing raw materials for production of their goods. This is because stable exchange rate allows these firms and investors to estimate ahead the costs of operations and the returns in the long run. Thus having stable exchange rate in Asian countries like Singapore provide confidence to investors and hence stable exchange rate serve as an incentive to attract foreign director investor. Since investment expenditure is a component of AD when investment increased, AD will increased in the short run and AS will increase in the long run as investor brings in new technology and more efficient production methods which helps to i mprove the productivity and increase the productive capacity. As seen in figure 3,when AD curve shift right from AD1 to AD2 and AS curve  shift right from AS1 to AS2 ,the general price level decrease from P1 to P2 and the real gd* increases from Y1 to Y2.Since real GDP increased,it implies that there is economic growth. For Asian countries like Singapore, where we are small and open with no natural resources we depend heavily on foreign direct investment apart from trade to achieve economic growth.( Investment revenue statistic how much Investment contribute to GDP†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦)Thus, I agree with the author that macroeconomic stability due to stable exchange rate is one of the key success factors that leads to economic growth in many Asian countries. 5.Globalisation However, to achieve tremendous economic growth in many Asian countries based solely on macroeconomic stability is not enough, hence there are other supporting key success factors such as globalisation and political stability that helps to contribute to the tremendous economic growth in many Asian countries. Globalisation is a phenomenon where the markets of global economy become more integrated. With globalisation it also means that there will be faster diffusion of ideas, information, and technology across the world. Globalisations have led a reduction in trade barriers. Globalisation helps to increase international trade between countries which is especially important for countries like Singapore who depends heavily on export revenue for economic growth. Globalisation has allow the production costs to lower because countries specialise in goods which they have comparative advantage in producing and allow them to import the cheapest raw material helps them to lower their cost of pro duction. Singapore has no natural resources this means that Singapore import all of its raw materials. Thus, the process of globalisation helps Singapore to lower its cost of production and allow the price of its final goods and services to be cheaper. This will increase the price competiveness of Singapore exports as they are relatively cheaper than foreign goods. Since the export revenue will be higher than the import expenditure net exports(X-M) will increased. Net export is a component of AD, thus AD will also increased. As seen from figure 4,when AD curve shift right from AD1 to AD2 the real GDP increases from Y1 to Y2.Thus,Singapore experience Economic growth as a result of macroeconomic stability due globalisation. and real GDP will increased hence economic growth is achieved. Thus globalisation is undeniable playing as key success  factors that leads to economic growth in many Asian countries. 6.Political Stability Political stability provides the outlook of the economy of the country. Many Asian countries like Singapore has very good governance with strict rules and regulations together with the sound infrastructure making it a conducive place for investment. When there is political stability there will be good business sentiments as investor are able to plan ahead their expected costs of operations of the business and the returns in the long term. Politically stable country means the likelihood of civil war or political war is low hence the operation of the firms will be stable and there will be low risk of facing the possibilities of shutting down. Hence foreign direct investors are attracted to politically stable country because of the stability of the business outlook. Since investment expenditure is a component of AD an increase in Investment expenditure will lead to an increase in real GDP and help Singapore to achieve economic growth. Thus Asian countries that are politically stable acts as a key success factors to support other factors to help Asian countries like Singapore to achieve economic growth. 7.Conclusion I agree with the author that one of the key success factors has been macroeconomic stability that leads to economic growth in many Asian countries. However with macroeconomic stability alone, without globalisation and political stability in these Asian countries,it is unable to achieved tremendous economic growth.This the tremendous economic growth is achieved as these key success factors exist together and support each other.If not the tremendous economic growth if based on macroeconomic stability will only be in the short terms but globalisation and political stability allows the tremendous economic growth to last in the long run.

World War Ii Timeline

World War II Timeline [pic] [pic] [pic] 1933 January 1. 30. 1933- Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany, bringing ideas of Nazi Party with him June 6. 14. 1933- Nazi party outlaws all other political parties, signaling the beginning of a totalitarian regime October 10. 1933- President Roosevelt recognizes the USSR and establishes diplomatic relations 10. 14. 1933- Germany leaves the League of Nations 1934 December 12. 29. 1934- Japan denounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930, identifying that Japan would no longer abide by the treaties which were intended to prevent an arms race and massive navies. 935 March 3. 16. 1935- Hitler violates the Treaty of Versailles by enforcing military conscription. This signifies that Germany was re-arming itself and preparing for war. August 8. 31. 1935- President FDR signs First Neutrality Act- prohibiting arms shipments to wartime belligerents October 10. 3. 1935- Italy, under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, invades Ethiopia. 1936 February 2. 29. 1936- President FDR passes Second Neutrality Act this act renewed the First Neutrality Act (1935), and also forbade the granting of loans to wartime belligerents March 3. 7. 1936- German troops occupy the Rhineland. Germany was forbidden to take ver more land, as per the Treaty of Versailles. July 7. 18. 1936- Civil War erupts in Spain November 11. 1. 1936- Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany come together, forming the Rome-Berlin Axis. This event holds significance because it was alliances which brought the world into WWI. 11. 25. 1936- Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. This pact was aimed directly against the Soviet Union and the International Communist Movement. 1937 July 7. 7. 1937- Japan invades Nanking, China, killing more than 250,000, most of whom were civilians. This attack essentially begins the â€Å"War in the Pacific† September . 14. 1937- President FDR forbids US ships to carry arms to Chi na or Japan, again signaling American Neutrality. October 10. 5. 1937- President FDR gives a speech in which he urges the ‘collective security and quarantining of aggressor nations'. This implies the fact that FDR would like the US to remain isolationist. December 12. 12. 1937- Japan sinks the gunboat, the U. S. S. Panay in the Yangtze River in China. Japan formally apologizes after the attack, and pays reparations to the US 1938 February 2. 20. 1938- Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler, formally announces that Germany will support Japan.This further incites desire for war as now three nations (Japan, Germany and Italy) have once again entangled alliances, coupled with militarism and previous actions show a great potential for a second world war. March 3. 12. 1938- Germany launches Anschluss,(union) with Austria. 3. 13. 1938- Germany annexes Austria. May 5. 17. 1938- Naval Expansion Act is passed. This act allotted $1 billion for the US to build a â€Å"Two Ocean Navy,† or a navy which would have bases in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This act recognized the need for protection on both coasts of the country. September 9. 29. 938- Munich Pact- Britain, France, Germany and Italy sign the Munich Pact, allowing Germany to invade the Czechoslovakian territories known as the Sudetenland. Britain chose to utilize a policy of appeasement in making the decision to sign the pact. 1939 January 1. 4. 1939- US/Germany/Italy Correspondence- FDR writes to Mussolini and Hitler, requesting that they not attack any country, on a specified list, for 10 years. Hitler writes back saying that FDR has â€Å"nothing to fear. † This statement by Hitler may be determined to be mocking FDR, as in his inaugural address, FDR stated, â€Å"we have nothing to fear, but fear itself. 1. 5. 1939- Senatorial Rejection- The Senate rejected a Presidential request for permission to offer economic assistance to Britain and/or France in case of war. This decision support s the isolationist way of thinking. March 3. 15. 1939- Hitler violates his own promise made in the Munich Pact (1938) and annexes all of Czechoslovakia. August 8. 23. 1939- Hitler (Germany) and Josef Stalin (USSR) sign a Nonaggression Pact which allowed Hitler to invade Poland, while allowing the Soviet Union to strengthen its western borders. September 9. 1. 1939- Hitler invades Poland. , as permitted by the Nonaggression Pact, 9. . 1939-England, France, Australia, and New Zealand declare war on Germany, thus beginning another world war. 9. 10. 1939- Canada declares war on Germany November 11. 3. 1939- Congress grants FDR's request to change neutrality laws as well as repeal an arms embargo so that munitions could be sold to Britain and France, and prevent American ships from sailing into war zones. 1940 March 3. 1940- Germany utilizes its Blitzkrieg warfare, pummeling France in less than one day. April 4. 1. 1940- Germany conquers many of the â€Å"low† countries, including , Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg.May 5. 16. 1940- Increased Defense spending- FDR requests that more money be allocated for defense, public opinion supports the new defense program, signaling a shift in public feeling in regards to the conflict. June 6. 10. 1940- Mussolini and his Italian forces attack France from the South. 6. 22. 1940- France Surrenders to Germany and signs an armistice saying as such. Great Britain is now left to stand alone to the Axis powers. July Selective Training and Service Act-Congress enacts the first peacetime draft in history. This forebodes to upcoming US involvement in the war. 7. 10. 940- Battle of Britain-Germany bombs Britain, most notably the firebombing of London. 7. 26. 1940- US withholds gasoline from Japan. In an attempt to make Japan surrender, and weaker. September 9. 3. 1940- FDR agrees to give Britain 50 Destroyers in exchange for naval bases in Newfoundland, Bermuda, and sites in the Caribbean and the South Atlantic. 9. 25. 1940- Expansion of Japanese Embargo. The US now includes steel and iron to the Japanese Embargo, which already included gasoline (July 26,1940) 9. 27. 1940- Tripartite Agreement- Japan joins the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and now Japan) October 10. 1. 1940- Battle of Britain ends. German Luftwaffe bombing strategy fails to quash British morale. November 11. 20. 1940- Hungary and Romania sign the Tripartite Agreement. Becoming part of the Axis powers. (Germany, Italy, Japan, and now Hungary and Romania) December 12. 29. 1940- FDR Fireside Chat- FDR claims that the US must be an â€Å"Arsenal of Democracy. † Similar to the reasoning for WWI, which was â€Å"To make the world safe for Democracy† 1941 March 3. 1. 1941- Bulgaria signs the Tripartite Agreement. Becoming part of the Axis powers. (Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania and now Bulgaria) 3. 11. 941-Lend-Lease Act- authority to sell, transfer, or lease war goods to the government of any Allied country. E NDED AMERICAN NEUTRALITY 3. 30. 1941- US Seizure of Ships- US seizes 65 Axis ships which have sailed into American ports. April 4. 13. 1941- USSR and Japan sign a neutrality pact. May 5. 15. 1941- American Merchant ship- Robin Moor- sunk by German torpedo in south Atlantic Ocean. FDR declares a National State of Emergency. June 6. 22. 1941- Germany invades Soviet Union. Violated nonaggression pact. US Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, estimates that Germany will conquer the USSR in 3 months. . 24. 1941- US extends the Lend Lease Act to the Soviet Union. July 7. 7. 1941- FDR Announces that the US will protect Iceland for the duration of the war. Similar to Teddy Roosevelt's â€Å"Roosevelt Corollary† to the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the US would be the â€Å"international police force for Latin America. † August 8. 14. 1941- Great Britain and United States sign Atlantic Charter. Joint opposition to fascism, even though US is still nominally neutral. 8. 17. 1941- US warns Japan to stop being aggressive, or else. (face the wrath of the US forces, that is) December 2. 7. 1941- â€Å"A Day Which Will Live in Infamy† Pearl Harbor- Japan launches a surprise attack on the US navy at the base in Pearl Harbor. Resulting in the death of over 2,300 service men and 68 civilians. 12. 11. 1941- War Declarations Germany and Italy- Declare war on US United States- Declares war on Germany, Italy and Japan 1942 April 4. 9. 1942- Japan captures US and Filipino forces at Manila. Bataan Death March Begins. May 5. 7. 1942- Battle of the Coral Sea- US Navy repels Japanese forces, saves Australia June 6. 4. 1942- Battle of Midway- US again defeats Japanese.Coupled with the victory at the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 7, 1942) *****TURNING POINT FOR THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC***** 6. 18. 1942- Manhattan Project begins, design the atomic bomb. 1943 January 1. 1. 1943-Churchill and Roosevelt Plan- Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President FDR meet in Casablan ca, North Africa to plan attacks on all fronts, invade Sicily and Italy, send forces to the Pacific, and to better aid the Soviet Union. 1. 31. 1943- Battle of Stalingrad over 90,000 German troops surrender to the Soviets **TURNING POINT IN WAR AGAINST GERMANY** July 7. 25. 943- Mussolini's Fascist government in Italy is overthrown! New Italian Government begins peace talks September 9. 8. 1943- Italy officially surrenders to Allied powers December 12. 1. 1943- Cairo Declaration- Allies declare intention to establish an international organization meant to maintain world peace. 1944 June 6. 6. 1944- D-Day Invasion- Allied forces invade Normandy, France, to begin the reclaiming of Western Europe from Germany. July 7. 24. 1944- Normandy and Brittany- Allied troops force a German retreat by reclaiming large portions of Normandy and Brittany August 8. 25. 944- Paris liberated from Nazi control by US forces and the Free France Campaign. 1945 February 2. 11. 1945- Yalta Conference- the â⠂¬Å"Big Three† (Churchill, FDR, and Stalin) met to discuss Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe Results: Dual administrations in Berlin, the break up of Germany, and the prosecution of war criminals. (Nuremberg Trials) April 4. 12. 1945- President FDR dies of a Cerebral Hemorrhage. 4. 28. 1945- Italian soldiers catch Mussolini attempting to sneak out of the country and murder him. May 5. 8. 1945- V-E Day Victory in Europe is declared August 8. 6. 1945- Atomic Bomb Little Boy is dropped over Hiroshima Japan 8. . 1945- Atomic Bomb Fat Man is dropped over Nagasaki, Japan Both of these bombings resulted in severe, grave destruction 8. 14. 1945- Japan Surrenders! 8. 15. 1945- V-J Day Victory in Japan is declared September 9. 2. 1945- Japan signs formal surrender agreement aboard the U. S. S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay. ****ENDS WWII**** Works Cited â€Å"1945. † World War II Timeline. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"APUSH SparkChart 1865-2004. † Www. Sparknotes. com. Sparknotes. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"The History Place – World War II in Europe Timeline. † The History Place. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"World War II Timeline. † Shmoop. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. .

Langston Hughes: Harlem a Dream Deferred Essay

A dream cast aside can rankle a person’s will in the deepest of ways. It tends to permeate their every thought and becomes an unshakable burden. In the poem â€Å"Harlem (A Dream Deferred)† by Langston Hughes, the language used describes how a suspended goal can frustratingly linger. The writer first poses a question: â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred?† He then compares a postponed dream to a dried up raisin or a festering sore, giving a reader the idea of how treacherous it can be to put off one’s goals. What only can make it worse is when we have little control over our fate; when the determination of whether or not our goals are achievable is decided by someone else as was done with the African American population in the United States throughout the early 20th century.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Life for the black population of America throughout the early 1900s was less than ideal. While they’d been free from slavery for nearly 100 years, they remained i n segregated schools and were restricted to menial work nonetheless. Between 1920 and 1930, a movement was followed by African Americans across the United States known as the Harlem Renaissance (see Great Days In Harlem). The movement aimed to establish an identity for blacks in America and gave many hope that they might be seen equal to their white counterparts. The movement lost momentum, but its ideals remained in the hearts of the people; their dreams of equality left behind to fester in the backs of their minds. So what happens when a dream such as this is deferred? If it is a true dream, reflecting our hearts desire, it cannot be forgotten easily. Hughes, an African American in the Harlem Renaissance era, writes a poem full of bitter possibilities reflecting his frustration.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Evidently, Hughes felt frustrated when he wrote this poem in 1951. It was 30 years after the start of the renaissance movement, and it seemed to him that the black identity had made no steps toward equality. At this point in time, the African Americans were feeling neglected; their goals cast aside and their lives seeming more like a nightmare than a dream. But what happens to a dream deferred? Hughes offers many responses to this question, all equally unpleasant. In using similes, the writer creates imagery allowing a reader to imagine a festering sore or a piece of rotten meat and understand how toxic a postponed dream can be for a person.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Equally unpleasant is allowing oneself to â€Å"sugar over†, to simply nod ones head and accept the crushing of ones dreams as reality. To be sweet to those who’ve taken away every ounce of one’s dignity can be just as irksome. Then the idea that was once a dream will linger evermore, weighing a person down, sagging like a heavy load. In the final statement of the poem, the writer leaves it as a separate sort of thought, â€Å"Or does it explode?† This final question seems more like a warning, an indication of the author being at wit’s end. A dream deferred can linger so long that a person can no longer bear the load and they may retaliate. In this instance, the writer as well as his fellow African Americans were beyond frustrated with the exhaustion of carrying the load of their unfulfilled dreams. Harlem’s ideals had been forgotten.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨From the language used to the thoughtful structure, â€Å"Harlem (A Dream Deferred)† speaks to a reader. The writer creates strong imagery that can be connected to the situation he’s describing. A dream deferred really takes its toll on a person, or as proved by the context surrounding the poem, a group of people. To have ones goals setback is hard enough, but having them dismissed by another simply makes it linger and inflame. We’re brought back to the question of what happens to a dream deferred? As suggested it can rot like meat and dry up like a raisin but eventually we crack under the pressure. There’s only so much a person can take; in the end our deferred dreams will cause us to explode.

Financing the Short Term Obligations of The Business Assignment

Financing the Short Term Obligations of The Business - Assignment Example And, the day-to-day operations include payment of wages to employees and payment for inventory as well. Technically speaking, time duration covering the definition of short term finance is of one year. Any short term finance must be repaid within one year period. Following are the four different sources of short term finance available to business: Overdrafts Trade credit Short term loans Lease finance Overdrafts Overdraft means the amount overdrawn from bank (Siddiqui & Siddiqui 2007).Overdrafts are deficits which are financed by the bank. The overdrafts are results of payments exceeding income in the current account. Overdrafts can easily be availed and remain flexible with regard to the amount borrowed at any point of time and only sum of interest is paid when the account is overdrawn. A particular overdraft limit is set that should not be surpassed. Repayment is carried out on demand and security depends on the facility size or overdraft limit. Trade Credit Trade credit may be def ined as credit which is granted on account of transactions of one firm with other firms (Ball 2009). Trade credit is a type of short term loan. Trade credit represents an interest free short-term loan. And, the main purpose of extending this facility is to enable businesses to purchase current assets on credit with payment terms normally existing between 30 to 90 days. Short term loans A short term loan is a loan for a specified fixed amount for a particular period. It is drawn in toto at the start of the short term loan period and through defined instalments, it is repaid. Some conditions are attached with the short term loan and the borrower is under compulsion to comply with. Short term loan is not repayable on demand by the bank. The examples of short term loans are trade credit, bank loans and commercial papers (Gitman & McDaniel 2006). Lease finance A business instead of buying an asset outright may lease an asset consuming available resources or borrowing funds. The ownership and control are not availed by businesses. The lessor retains the asset ownership. The lessee enjoys asset possession and use of the leased asset on payment of a particular sum of rentals over a period. And, operating lease is a form of short term lease (Bhole & Mahakud 2009). Sainsbury and Tesco meeting their short term obligations Companies account for their short term obligations under the label of current liabilities. Sainsbury is using almost every source of short term finance in order to meet its short term obligations in the financial year 2011. Sainsbury uses overdrafts, bank loan, which is due in 2012 and finance lease obligations which are also due in the same year. The closer analysis shows that Sainsbury has used borrowings of 74 million pounds and 59 million pounds from derivative financial instruments. This shows that the company has used more borrowings than derivative financial instruments (Sainsbury Annual Report 2011). Tesco has also used borrowings and derivative financial instruments to fulfil its day-to-day cash requirements. Tesco borrowed ? 1386 million and ? 255 million were obtained through derivative financial instruments (Tesco Annual Report 2011). In the borrowed figure, finance lease amount was ? 50 million and bank

International Service Quality Mystery Shopper Essay

International Service Quality Mystery Shopper - Essay Example In short, mystery shopping is a tool that helps companies in understanding where their services stand and helps them to rectify the problems their customers face and improve their services. 1 Mystery shopping was basically developed in the 1940s and 1950s in order to expose the deceitful employees that were working for companies. In the early days, much of it was carried out by private investigators and many had no idea about what the term actually meant. With the passage of time, many of the companies realized that the information revealed with the help of mystery shopping services was far more authentic and important in helping to improve their business. Also, the information revealed about customer care service issues, safety and environment were also considered important and service providing companies realized that the information about the operations was far more important than any other data (Ilisha, 2004). The most common places where mystery shopping techniques are applied are the services industry, such as movie theatres, restaurants, banks, fast food chains, health clubs etc where much emphasis is paid on the service quality and their customer base and reputation is dependent on it. Therefore, the management of these companies make sure they have sound methods and techniques to gauge their services in a non-biased way in order to correct any faults.2 HOW IT WORKS A mystery shopper first has to register himself/herself to an organization specialized to conduct mystery shopping. There is a Mystery Shopping Providers Association with which companies are registered and provide mystery shopping services to the people. The mystery shopper once registered, is given an assignment, specific to the area in which he or she is living and a number of topics on which he or she has to undertake the assignment. Most of the dealings between the company and the mystery shopper are done online which reduces the hassle of paper work for the mystery shopper and it is a source of easy money for many. MYSTERY SHOPPING AND MARKET RESEARCH Mystery shopping is considered as a tool of market research as it helps to understand the market a company is catering too. However, it is different from market research on many accounts. Mystery research is more associated to operations research. Mystery research is more of an operational research that provides feedback on quality control, training and inducement purposes. These shoppers are specially recruited in such a way that their demographics and social profile is similar to the target market of the organization. Mystery shoppers also visit certain areas and on certain times, it cannot predict every customer's opinion and experience of the service (Mystery-Shoppers.co.uk, 2008). Also, customer satisfaction cannot be gauged because a mystery shopper is just a job that the shopper is doing and customer satisfaction relates to the subjective idea of a real customer's thinking. Therefore, mystery shopping should just not be used to gauge customer satisfaction. Mystery shopping provides us with a unique feedback of the customer and the people who are the mystery shoppers exactly know what they have to evaluate and the front line workers who are being evaluated have no idea about it. However, ethical

Population growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Population growth - Essay Example Geometric growth can be contrasted to arithmetic growth rate, which grows in a sequence, for instance 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, .... One of the principles behind geometric growth is that the bigger a number gets, the faster it grows, this is the case with population since the larger the population becomes, more people will be available for reproduction hence the greater growth (Berlatsky, 133). For instance, a population having 500,000 people will grow five times faster than a population which has just 100, 000. From this equation, if r is greater than zero and b is greater than one, then the population will grow at exponentially, however, if r is less than zero and b is greater than one or if r is greater than one and b is between one and zero, then the population will reduce exponentially. A geometric decay curve for population would look something like this Geometric continuous time model of population growth is more realistic when it comes to determining population growth since they involve all parameters of population such as birth rates and death rate (Turchin, p96) In order to calculate the population growth rate using the continuous growth model, the following formula can be derived. If a population has Nt individuals where t is time in years, the number of children being born in a year is a fraction represented by the symbol ï  ¢ and the number of people that die in a year is a fraction that is represented by the symbol ï  §. These geometric progression equations have been used for a long time to calculate population growth rates of countries or of the world at large, for instance, the following figure show a curve of world growth rate that was calculated from the available data and backward projections of population. Geometric progression has been use in population growth and without it, calculating

Misrepresentation-Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Misrepresentation-Contract Law - Essay Example In Moore v. Landaeur [1921], we find adherence to S 13 of the SOGA, concerning tins of fruit and Beale v. Taylor [1967], involving a car that turned out to be a collection of soldered vehicles. Also in S14 of the SOGA the goods are to be of satisfactory quality. Examples are Grant v. Australian knitting mills [1936], itchy underpants and Wilson v. Rickett, Cockerall & Co. [1954], exploding coal. S14 deals with instances where goods are useable but have some form or defect. Examples include Rogers v. Parish and Another v. Parish (Scarborough) LTD. And Another [1987], where the court of Appeal held that a series of defects in a Range Rover made it unmerchantable (not satisfactory quality) even though it was fit to drive. S14 (2a) states: goods are of satisfactory quality if they meet the standard that a reasonable person would regard as satisfactory taking into account of any description of the goods, the price (if relevant) and all the circumstances.

HST 321-Modern History of China(Final Examination Take-Home Component) Essay

HST 321-Modern History of China(Final Examination Take-Home Component) - Essay Example This difference of ideologies between the reds and the experts, affected every aspect of Chinese life and more specifically it was key in the revolutions that were witnessed in the history of china. The ideologies were also seen to be affecting the literature in China. In fact, from the year 1949 when the when the communist leadership led by the Chinese Communist Party, there was a change in the education system so that it included the changing the curriculum of literature from the liberal literature to the study of systematic Chinese literature. This of course affected the literature and arts that are produced by the people who studied the two different curricula. The aim of the CCP was to make sure that the education system resembled that of the Soviet Union since both were communist states. Apart from changing the curriculum for those that were studying the government under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party also tried to control the literature produced by the established writers and actors. Literature or arts that did not seem to be revolutionary or that went against the communist ideologies which were actually redness in this case was unaccepted and could not be published. Writers and artists were urged to take a stand and pick a political standpoint in their literature, literature that seemed to be lukewarm were seen by the government as empty and could not pass the required message to the readers and was therefore not published. The only form of literature that could be published are those that praised the communist ideologies or those that called the readers to act against anti- socialistic ideas. The government was doing all this in order to try and maintain the people’s minds on the communistic ideas. The communist government did not want the scientist or other scholars who included the artist who were open minded about both the socialism and communism to

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Marketing plan - Essay Example Since the customers go to Pizza Restaurant for quality, changes in prices are not that important to them. Therefore the price elasticity of demand is not important in this case. Demand for the products and services would be influenced to the minimal extent by price. The company is located in a rich city where the customers are richer than the customers in other parts of the country. Therefore the most influential demand factors are lifestyles and cultural considerations (Kotler and Keller, 2006, p. 65). The demand would be more influenced by price if the customers came to the company to get lower prices. However they purchase the products and services because the products and services deliver quality of taste. 60% of the customers are from rich families who will be more concerned about the quality. Therefore demand in this case will not be affected by price to any great extent. Answer to Question 2 The unique selling proposition is the quality of products and services. Therefore the recommended pricing strategy is premium pricing. This will ensure favorable perception among the customers (Armstrong and Kotler, 2005, p. 34). In this case, it is recommended that the management should maintain high prices in order to maintain the brand reputation which is the source of its unique selling proposition.

Mate Selection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mate Selection - Essay Example (Greenberg, et. al., 2011, p. 73) Communication also involves sexual communication. Intimacy also plays a big role in the success of a relationship. An individual who would like to let another person be a part of his or her life for a long period of time will search for someone who can share his or her views on sex. I think an example of this can be found in the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces starring Barbra Streisand as Rose and Jeff Bridges as Gregory. In this movie, Rose is a plain-looking but witty and charming woman who had been single all her life and would like to find a handsome man to marry. Gregory, on the other hand, is a smart and sexually active professor who is trying to find a life-partner who is plain and not sexually attractive. Because sex is always appealing to him, Gregory is usually in a dilemma with sexually attractive partners because he gets easily distracted and loses focus. The two eventually marry but later separate because Rose is dissatisfied with the lack of intimacy in the marriage. Even if they were able to consequently resolve their sexual problem during the movie, their obvious miscommunication was the main reason for their separation. Another example, this time in real-life, is what happened to someone I know. He is American and married a Japanese woman. After having their child, the wife started sleeping in the child’s room more often than sharing her husband’s bed. The couple also did not have sex as often as they did before. After a year, the American husband filed for divorce. Now, he is married to an American woman who enjoys drinking, rock music and sex like he does. He says it is like being married to himself. An example of a successful relationship based on communication is that of the longest married couple in America. John and Ann Betar of Connecticut celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary in November 2012. (Sher, 2013) When

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Final Exam - Essay Example Leibniz essay was in response to an earlier publication of Pierre Bayle who argued that the presence of evil in the world proved that God was not all good. The study of Theodicy involves studying and understanding the concept that God allows humans to suffer even though He is good and omnipotent. This has baffled many philosophers for ages and many students of theology have given several explanations and understanding. The four main theodicy are enestological, protological, eschatological and Christological. Enestological theodicy focuses on the present time. It states that in spite of the existence of evil in the world God conquers evil with His goodness at all times. Eschatolological theodicy is the belief that suffering is temporary and God will bring an end to suffering sometime in the future. This reasoning predicts that good will be compensated ultimately. The righteous will be vindicated in the end. Protological theodicy looks at Gods plan for humanity. The Garden of Eden serves as an example of this type of theodicy. God had everything planned for humanity. Everything was provided including food and companionship but man had a choice other than what God’s plan for him. Christological theodicy concentrates on the goodness of God rather than on righteousness. It looks at God’s grace and how His love surrounds us. If one examines the life of Christ it is filled with images of His love and grace rather than of Him being judgmental. The prophets in the Old Testament share similar views about suffering. One common theme is that suffering comes from man’s disobedience to God’s will. Moses continually told the people about the consequences of obedience as well as disobedience. â€Å"If you continue to heed the voice of the Lord, your God and are careful to observe all His commands which I enjoin on you today, the Lord, your God will raise you high above all the nations of the earth† (Deuteronomy 28:1). On the other hand he also

Economy of the United States Before During and After World War Ii Essay Example for Free

Economy of the United States Before During and After World War Ii Essay They were also encouraged to ration their food and gas, and often grew Liberty Gardens. Unfortunately, World War II also made the American Government used to relying on deficit spending (government spending of borrowed money), causing economic problems that still linger today. Thats all I have. Hope it helps! Everything listed above is definatly true to a point, Im a history major who has to answer this question for an exam later this week so I thought Id help add some more information for the people who are looking WWII was an expensive war, it would cost $304 billion just to finance it. For this reason the governmnet pushed war bonds which encouraged common people to help support the war both with their money and with their hearts. From the get go the war was marketed to the common people, proven by the use of popular movie stars in the promotion of War fund-raising and compliance with governmnet measures. After pearl harbor, the American people were ready to pour everything they had into the war effort. Women donated thousands of tons of aluminum cooking supplies to help build planes though it was later found that only virgin aluminum was good enough for aircraft and so their pots and pans were melted down and sold back to them as pots and pans. In the first months of the war Washington was a mess, and mobilization was slow. This is because our governmnet is not made to act swiftly, it was designed to take time and thought before any decision can be made. Scrap drives were unorganized and so were the efforts of the common people. Those who could not physically join the armed forces wanted to know what they could do to help but the governmnet expected little more from them than the purchasing of war bonds and for them to practice conservation of goods. Other items which were recycled included bone and fats which were used in making explosives and other materials. One of the greatest failures of American govenmnet was the policies which did not encourage the full use of all of the American people. While Rosie the Riveter posers might make it seem that women were begged to help in factories, the truth is that Americans tried to keep the women home for as long as possible before labor shortages around 1943 made it nessisary for factories to stop policies of discrimination. Comming out of the Depression, America had 9 million men that needed jobs. Each and every one was employed before women and minorities were given a chance to go to work. Even more difficult than the position of minorities was that of married women, especially those with the men of their families fighting overseas. America had been progressing socially as a nation under FDR, but his social reforms had taken a back seat to the war effort. Day care was almost non-existant, and where it was it was impossible to afford. Many stores also chose to keep the same hours they had during peace time and so women who worked late had a hard time getting the items they needed. Married women who had husbands in the workforce were also discriminated against because a common attitude was that the man should be the sole bread-winner of a household and children would be denied proper care if their mothers worked. Many goods that people took for granted disapeared, and with more money than they had seen in years the American public had little to spend it on. Gasoline was rationed and in many cities Sunday driving was banned, those who violated the laws had their gas coupon books taken away. The decrease in driving worked both to save gasoline and to put many new business, which depended on drive-in coustomers, to fail. Most people were given a card that allowed them 2 gallons of gas per week, with unrestricted gas reserved for emercency vehicles, police officers, and a few unscrupulous congressmen. Meat was also rationed at 2lbs per person per week which was very difficult for some people to live with. Conservation and the war effort also found its way into popular fasion. Durring the war shoes could only be found in limmited colors (i. e. 4 shades of brown, and black) and clothes were not allowed to be made with any more material than was absolutly nessisary, pleats, ruffles and other embelishments were thrown out for the durration. (This is one of the reasons why short skirts and bare-backed dresses were all the rage). A black market of rationed goods and consumer goods (such as sheets) was strongly revived during this period, but was not so pervasive as to undermine the system. With money burning holes in their pockets, Americans turned to the entertainmnet industry, which with its glamourous actors and fantastical stories, helped to distract the public from their problems. Also, the governmnet had its own idea about what Americans should do with their extra money, during the war the income tax was introduced to suppliment GI spending and has been with us ever since. One thing I would like to correct from what is stated above is the idea that minorities gained rights as a result of the economic boom and the war effort. What happened is that minorites began to actively fight for their rights after WWII. Women did not want to be thrown out of their positions after the men came home from the war, they liked the freedom of having their own income and enjoyed doing something other than cooking and cleaning. African-Americans also were feircly discriminated dirring this time. It would not be until after the death of FDR that the new president Harry Truman would finally desegrigate the military. This nations minorities were fighting overseas for freedom and equality when in fact they were not given these freedoms at home. After the war, blacks who had served in the military moved out of the south and sought a better life in the north where they could escape the racial caste system which existed there. Jews were also discriminated here as well as in many other countries. We were eager to condemn Hitler for murder and open persecution, but we did not want to take the Jews off of his hands alive. If you need more info, consult this book: ONeil, W. L. (2002). A Democracy at War: Americas Fight At Home and Abroad In World War II. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Most of my ideas come from that text, nothing is quoted directly. Hopefully this helps too!

European Union Countries

European Union Countries Introduction European Union itself reflects globalization by changing laws of European countries, and also European Union is very important in worlds economy strategies. What does globalization mean, indeed? By definition, globalization is a process of change in some kind of area such as technology, trade market of war, which affects the whole world. Sometimes globalization can bring a great gift for the people of the world, sometimes not. The main idea of the European Union means to bring the peace to the whole world by respecting human rights and by uniting people together. As I said above the globalization has to affect at least few countries or whole world, other wise it is not globalization. The point is that European Union consists of twenty seven sovereign countries. And decision which comes from the European Union affects all this twenty seven countries. Also European Union has big influence in world trade market, because of the currency of the European Union is in the second place in tra de market. Also, economy of the European Union stays on the second place by the worlds rates. In addition, the European Union has voice in United Nations organization, and it can change most of the decisions either in good way or bad. The history of the European community is incredible, and it had experienced almost everything. European community had experienced wars between neighbor countries, revolutions, colonialism and many other things. However, now European community is one of the strongest economical powers in the world. Most of the time the European Union was an international organization, but now it has big influence in military services, also it functions in monetary system of the European countries, and it has big importance in economy. The European Union is a part of the government for each European country. Also, the monetary system of the European Union is one of the significant systems in Eurasia, which provides economic stability in European Countries. European Union All the great and powerful unions were not made at once. Unions were made step by step, and improving their visible and weak factors. In our days one of the powerful and influenced unions is European. â€Å"Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single, general plan. It will be built through concrete achievements, which first create a factor of solidarity†. (Robert Schuman). With this words Schuman declaration accurately predicted the way in which the Community has become the Union today. When the European countries created the European Union, the first target of the union was to gain a peace between European countries. In 1950 the European organizations such as European Coal and Steel Community started to unite countries, because this organizations wanted to keep the peace between European countries, and also it was big benefit to European countries in economical and political spheres. Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg and the Netherlands were the countries which formed first European Union. The speech given by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman inspired European countries to unite. (The history of EU). One of the successes which European Union gained was stopping of custom charges between European countries. Also, the member countries of the European Union made contract between each others to control production of food. This decision was made to improve agricultural structure, and the European Union wanted to produce enough food for the member countries. (The ‘Swinging Sixties a period of economic growth). â€Å"1962 The Council of Europe adopts the first directive. It establishes the EEC global foodstuff regulation by defining which colorants can be added to food.† (BBC News, 5 December, 2000). In 1967 the European Union had united the main ruling institutions, such as European Parliament, Commission and Court. (History of the European Union). Which meant that European institutions work as one system, and each member country of the European Union had a person who presented the countys interests. In 1992 the Treaty of Maastricht offered to have one single army, which in the situation of the threat they can protect each others interests as one power (History of the European Union). The European Union consists of twenty seven sovereign countries. Member countries of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (Member State of the European Union). As the facts shows there are more countries which want to join European Union, and one of the main candidate is Turkey. The main achievement of these counties is democracy. Democracy means to protect human values, and it means freedom. These are the main values which European countries store. For over half a century, the European Union has: delivered half a century of stability, peace and prosperity within its member countries. European Union raised its citizens standards of living to unprecedented levels, and even strengthened Europes voice in the world. The European Union has given its member countries citizens many different benefits in different aspects of life. It has made life easier and more convenient in many ways. It has even promoted peace and a spirit of brotherhood between old rival nations. Another benefit of the European Union is a single currency. Joining European Union has many benefits, such as political, economical, social, and environmental. Republic of Poland, for example, gained all these benefits joining the European Union. The political benefit of Republic of Poland is to participate in acceptance of the laws in European institutions. Also, joining to the European Union provides Polish people to travel without visa in Europe, and Polish people can f ind the jobs in any part of the European Union. In addition, Republic of Poland can count on European Armys support in a situation of war conflict. The economical benefits are open market, changes in agriculture, and Poland can stabilize their inflation. Open market will provide Poland to sell their products in every European country, which will help to increase competition between companies, and it will decrease the prices of goods. (Joining European Union, List of Benefits) The social benefit which Poland gained was European standards of life. Also the Polish students who study in other parts of European Union can get scholarship, and they can provide their knowledge about Poland to student abroad. Another important benefit is environmental benefit which Republic of Poland gained joining European Union. The Poland should follow the environmental aspects of European Union, which means they will improve their environmental problems. (Joining European Union, List of Benefits). The European Union has given its citizens greater freedom of movement. Traveling within the European Union nations is now very convenient. In most of the European Union you can travel without carrying passport and without being stopped for the checks at the borders. A citizen of the European Union can travel, study and work wherever she or he chooses to in any of the European Union countries. Departments and policies of European Union The European Union has a very complex system. It has different bodies carrying different important jobs that make the system work properly. Each job has its significance. While all the member countries of the European Union work as one, and its system function well as one body, they become very successful as they take on many difficult tasks of accomplishing a united, integrated Europe. The countries that make up European Union are all committed to the same fundamental values, such as peace and democracy. And in this bases all ruling institutions has been made. The main institutions of the European Union: the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice and the European Court of Auditors. (EU institutions and other bodies). The European Parliament is one of the main institutions of the European Union. The main job of the European Parliament is to introduce the new legislations. Also European Parliament gives opinions on new legislations, and it makes decisions about new legislations together with the Council of Ministers. The final decision of the new legislation has to be taken by the European parliament and the Council of Ministers. In addition, the name of the European Parliament is â€Å"watch dog† of the European Union. They named European Parliament as â€Å"watch dog† because it monitors all operations in European Union. Also European Parliament monitors budget of the European Union, because the money of the EU budget has to be distributed lawfully. The locations of the European Parliament are Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxemburg. The Members of the European Parliament are elected by the people whose country they represent. Also, the European Parliament is elected every five years by the citizens of the European countries. (The European Parliament) The Council of the European Union is a main institution which takes final decisions passing new legislation. The Council of the European Union consists of twenty seven ministers. Every minister represents the country in which he or she has been selected to represent country. When the Council of the European Union is going to accept new legislation which can affect sphere of transportation, then the Minister of Transport will attend, and so on. (The Council of the European Union) The European Commissions main job is to prepare new legislation and laws before the legislation will be accepted in the European Parliament. The European Commission also does a job as the peacemaker. When the member countries of the European Union argue between themselves the European Commission will solve their problems. Every member of the European Commission has to put the interests of the European Union first, rather than their own country. When some kind of problem or situation happens in European Union the members of the European Commission have to solve these problems as uniform system. (The European Commission) The European Court of Justices location is in Luxemburg. The European Court of Justice consists of one judge from every member country of the European Union. Most of time thirteen judges take part in court to solve the problem. The main job of the European Court of Justice is to monitor the laws. Every citizen of the European Union has to obey the Court of Justice and laws of the European Union. (The Court of Justice) The European Court of Auditors work is to monitor the budget of the European Union. This organization makes sure that documentations of the taxpayers are legal and right. In some cases if the documentations are wrong the European Court of Auditors have right to investigate any types of economical operations. In additions, the European Court of Auditors doesnt depend on other institutions; however, it keeps touch with other institutions. (The European Court of Auditors) European Union Monetary When the European Union created monetary system for whole European countries, the first target of the monetary system was to prevent economic damage, and stabilize economic situation in a moment of need. When the European Union created European Monetary Institute the first target of it was to create uniform currency for European member countries. (European Monetary System). The main idea of the European monetary system is to create more jobs for citizens of the European community, and to make European economy function better. On 1st January, 1999 the European Union has let out uniform currency, named Euro. The number of the first member countries of European Union which made Euro their national currency was eleven. On the other hand, member countries such as United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden did not adopted Euro as their national currency, they decided to keep their own national currencies. After the adaptation of the Euro, it did not show the success compared to other currencies. In addition, at the beginning the Euro felt down to 30% in world trade market. (BBC News, 5 December, 2000). â€Å"The Euro symbol @ -, developed by the European Commission, was inspired by the Greek letter epsilon and also denotes the first letter of the word â€Å"Europe†. The two parallel lines refer to the stability inside the Euro area.† (The Euro) Every system has its weaknesses and benefits. According to the economists of the United States and Europe the last analyses shows that European Monetary Union has advantages. The first benefit is that European countries do not need costs of current exchange. The second benefit is exclusion of the currencys destabilization between member countries of the European Union. The third benefit is the fast growth of economy of European Union countries. The fourth benefit is the solvency of the more complicated monetary problems. (â€Å"Benefits and Costs of European Economic and Monetary Union†, Gerhard Fink; Dominic Salvatore) With the advantages every monetary system also has problems, such as inflation. Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices overtime. It may also refer to rise in the prices of a specific set goods or services. In either case, it is measured as the percentage rate of change of a price index. According to the â€Å"EuroStat† statistics the inflation has made 2.3% in European Union in August. Compared to 2006 the inflation norm was 2.2% in 2005. In 2006 the norm of inflation rose 0.1 percent every month (Gian Luigi Mazzi and Rosa Ruggeri Cannata, August 2006). In a low inflationary spheres have got countries such as Finland, Sweden, and Poland. The inflation average in these countries was 1.5 percent. (2006). In a high inflationary sphere have got countries such as Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia and Spain. The inflation average in these countries was 4.9 percent. (2006) The European Union always wanted to avoid the misunderstandings between member countries, and it always wanted to advance the unity of European community. Also, the main raisin of the European Union is the European Monetary System. On the other hand, todays trade market showed to European community that it is difficult to maintain current single currency. In addition, the main problem of the single currency for the European community is instability of Euro. When the leading companies of the Europe invest money abroad it can change the income of the companies, because when the currency is unstable it will change the amount of the money when they expressed to Euro. (Richard W. Stevenson, July 31, 1993) Conclusion In conclusion, the European Union is one of the powerful organizations in the whole world. It has influence in military, worlds economy and so on. Before the unifying Europe had gone through the difficult times, such as war, economic disasters, and unemployment. European countries gain many benefits by unifying. European countries realized that they can not succeed along, the unity of these countries was the great step which they gained. The economy of the member countries of the European Union increased to many times after the unity. Still remains the question will the European Union stay the same or will it change the directions of unity. People of the Europe has big pessimism about European Union, people say unemployment is still stays unstable. However, Europe would never gain these kind of success if they were not united. Can you imagine what European countries could gain if they had been united in ancient times. They could have avoided the wars between European countries. However, European countries are united now, and this is a huge success in a history of Europe. â€Å"A day will come when all the nations of this continent, without loosing their distinct qualities or their glorious individuality, will fuse together in a higher unity and form the European brotherhood. A day will come when there will be no other battlefields than those of the mind open marketplaces for ideas. A day will come when bullets and bombs will be replaced by votes† (Victor Hugo, 1849)

Facial Recognition Technology for Identification

Facial Recognition Technology for Identification Abstract Facial recognition is a crucial factor of everyday identification processes: human beings recognize and evaluate each other by means of the face. Whenever driving licences, identity and membership cards are checked or wherever access is controlled by security staff, the identity is verified by looking into somebodys face. Thus, unlike other biometric features, e.g. the fingerprint or iris recognition, facial recognition is a transparent procedure well-known to human beings. However, especially in the context of the international fight against terrorism it has become obvious that the traditional way of identifying individuals is insufficient. There are certain limits to the natural recognition process carried out by human beings: The recognition performance is not only impaired by difficulties with the recognition of people from other ethnic origin or deceptions due to a different hair-do or beards, but also by subjective impression based on a persons outward. The requirement of successful personal identification in access control and in other cases leads to using the results of biometrics. Biometrics Face recognition is a passive, non-invasive method for verifying the identity of a person, Offers the benefits of its unique facial technology in the form of customized overall solutions for the areas of access control, border control, ID-Management, search for criminals and video surveillance Face recognition has come to be an active research area with numerous applications in recent years. In this thesis, a variety of approaches for face recognition are reviewed first. These approaches are classified according to basic tasks i-e Face Detect, face Normalization, and Face recognition. Then, an implementation of the face recognition method, the Eigenface recognition approach is presented in detail as well as other face recognitions methods i-e Local Feature Analysis, Neural Networks and Automatic face processing are discussed in general. Introduction Ever since the birth of first mankind, human beings have continually been seeking for personal possessions. From the very basics of food and clothes, to cars, houses, and the more recent substantial property of data and information, it is becoming increasingly important that such valuable assets be sheltered by means of security control. Throughout history, the types of technologies used on the access control systems are countless. From the traditional systems such as security guards checking personal IDs to the very fundamentals of keypads and locks and password or entry code, the focus now has moved to the more advance technologies, particularly in todays multifaceted society. Organisations are continuously seeking for a more secure, suitable and economical way of property protection. The problem associated with traditional mechanisms is that the possessions could be lost, stolen, forgotten, or misplaced. Furthermore, once in control of the identifying possession, any other unauthorised person could abuse the privileges of the authorised user. Therefore there is a need of another approach to properly differentiate the correct (right) person from an impostor by positive identification of the person seeking access. Biometrics is one rising development in the field of access control system that provides true identification. Although the word biometrics sound very new and high tech, it is in fact the oldest form of identification known to man. Since the dawn of man, a persons face and voice was used to identify him/her. Before the digital age, a hand written signature was the only method used by a person to assert a unique form of identification that was difficult to copy. Popular biometric systems in use today include fingerprint recognition, iris recognition, voice recognition, and facial recognition systems. These systems are in practice in different organizations like banks, airports, social services offices, blood banks and other highly sensitive organizations. Biometric system offers the most accurate authentication solution and convenience. Biometrics systems can be integrated into any application that requires security, access control, and identification or verification of people. With biometric security, we can dispense with the key, the password, the PIN code; the access-enabler is human beings not something he/she know, or something in his/her possession. Chapter 02 This part of the dissertation provides the general overview of biometrics. Definitions such as Automatic, Physiological and Behavioural characteristics are also discussed as well as different types of biometric systems i.e. one-to-one and one-to-many. General Biometrics Base systems model, how it works and Multimodal Biometrics systems are also discussed in detail. In the last section of this chapter, a comprehensive overview of the right approach in selection of different technologies for an origination in terms of business objective, user acceptance, FFR, FAR, organisational environments, cost and a comparison of all biometrics are also presented. Chapter 03 Different types of biometric technologies are described in this chapter i.e. finger prints, iris and retina, voice, biometric signature and how these technologies work and the main features of these technologies with the help of diagrams. Chapter 04 This chapter is one of the most important chapters which explain the general back ground of face recognition technology and how face recognition works. It gives a brief discussion of how verification and identification is achieved with the help of face recognition system. Actual techniques involved during face verification and identification i.e. faces detection, face normalisation and face recognition are also discussed in detail. Steps involved during the face detection i.e. coarse detection phase and refined search phase are discussed as well as how Normalisation is achieved through different steps i.e. lighting normalisation, scaling normalisation, rotation normalisation and background subtraction. Face recognition and methods of face recognition i.e. Eigenfaces, feature analysis, neural network and automatic face processing are discussed in this presentation. Chapter 05 In this chapter of my dissertation, a proposed model of face recognition system for attendance of university students is discussed. The specification of the system is also compiled after the extensive study of face recognition products of different Vendors. Chapter 06 This final chapter of my dissertation contains the conclusion, future work and issues involved with face recognition system. A review of the biometrics technology Biometrics: An overview In todays networked and digital world the role of system security has a vital importance. In originations a large number of professional people are involved in one form of electronic transaction or another. Securing a companys digital assets and identities is a necessity for financial success. Ignoring IT security increases the risk of losses for any company moving through this electronic world. Logging on to a system by entering user ID and password is very simple but its simplicity makes serious security problems. There are, however, people who use easy guess passwords or leave written passwords near to their computer. In this situation there is no way to confirm that the person is logged on the system using his/her ID and password or some one else, nothing can prevent someone else from accessing sensitive material. Its like a passport system that doesnt require a photograph. In addition, time consuming tasks behind the management of user ID and passwords divert already insufficient resources from other important responsibilities. Establishing an accurate identity is the main focus of the information systems security in recent years and great efforts are made in this field. Two types of identification systems are in use now today. In one type identification system flawed identity checking results in unnecessary duplication, fraud and client disruption, resulting costs and risks. While in other type of identification system an accurate identification procedure and effectiveness may be undermined by unpopularity resulting falsification and evasion. Chapter2 Three conventional forms of identification are in use. Origination ID or smart cards. The use of passwords or Personal Identification Numbers, mother name, place of birth, home address etc. The third form of identification is to identify something unique about a person, such as fingerprints, voice recognition, hand geometry, face structure, iris and retina. This third form of identification is known as Biometrics. Biometrics is a branch of science in which we study, what makes us biologically unique. It is also referred to the science and application of statistical analysis of biological characteristics (Physiological/ Behavioural). In security terms, Biometrics refers to technologies that analyse human characteristics for security purposes. Therefore Biometrics technologies are concerned with the physical parts of the human or personal trait of human being. There are different definitions of security base biometrics that have been circulating for a numbers of years. According to Ashbourn, an expert in Biometrics, Biometrics is a measurable physiological and / or behavioural trait that can be captured and subsequently compared with another instance at the time of verification). [1] The Biometrics Consortium states Biometrics is automated methods of recognizing a person based on a physiological or behavioural characteristic. [2] The international Biometrics Group defines biometrics as the automated use of physiological or behavioural characteristics to determine or verify identity [3] Physiological characteristics are fingerprint, Hand geometry, iris pattern ,retinal, ear shape and facial scans etc Behavioural characteristics are voice pattern, key strokes, signature etc. As mentioned, biometric technologies are anxious with the physical parts of the human or personal mannerism of human beings. The word automatics basically means that biometrics technology must recognise to identify /verify human characteristics rapidly and automatically, in real time. Unique physiological characteristics or behavioural mannerisms are examined in biometrics verification for an individuals identity. Physiological characteristics are essentially unchangeable such as hand geometry, iris pattern , palm prints, face structure and vane shape etc .while behavioural characteristic such as ones signature, voice or keystroke dynamics are changeable and these behavioural characteristics can change over time. They are both controllable and less controllable actions. The initial sample of the biometrics template, which is stored in the data base during the Enrolment, must be updated each time it is used. Although behaviour characteristics based biometrics is less costly and less intimidating to users, physiological characteristics have a tendency to offer greater accuracy and security. In any case, both techniques grant an extensively higher level of identification and verification as compare to smart cards or passwords technologies. A password or personal identification number (PIN) is not unique for an individual ,it can be stolen ,forgotten or lost, while a biometric characteristic is unique to each individual; it can be used to prevent fraud or theft. It cannot be lost, stolen or forgotten. There already many places such as research laboratories, defence (military) installations, VIP offices, day care centres and cash points where access is guarded by biometrics base authentication system. The following biometric identifiers currently obtainable or under development are fingerprints, body aroma, ear shape, face recognition, keystroke dynamics, palm print, retinal scan, iris pattern, signature, DNA, vein check and voice pattern. Biometrics-based Systems A biometric based system is a system that in some way uses physical characteristics or personal traits of a human being. These systems are not only, mainly used for security, but also use for encryption. Encryption The processes of translating a message (plaintext), with the help of software, into a programmed message/encoded text (Cipher text), called Encryption. This is usually accomplished using a secret key and a cryptographic code. [4] Type of Biometrics-based Systems There are two types of Biometrics-based systems. One-to-one systems (Verification system) One-to-many systems (Identification System) One-to-one system (verification) This type of biometric system works on the base of one to one matching and authentication principles where the system asks and attempts to answer the question Am I who I claim to be? At first a biometric sample of a person is provided to the system and then the system matches this sample to the previously stored template during the enrolment mode for that person. The system then decides whether that is the person who claims the identity. After a successful matching of the fresh sample with the stored template, the system authenticates the person. These types of systems are also referred to as verification systems. The verification system is a fast response system because it minimises the use of resources and time by providing biometrics sample/ information to the system which specifies the stored template in the data base for that person. [5] One-to-many system (identification) This type of biometrics system works on the base of one to many recognition principles. The system attempts to answer the question, Who am I? The basic purpose of this system to identify a persons identity by performing matches against all biometrics templates stored in a data base or a data library. A person does not claim his/her identity to the system; instead the person just gives the system some biometric data. The system then performs to match this data to all templates previously stored in the database and decides whether a match can be made. It is not necessary that the system responds with the persons name, it could be the persons ID or other unique identity. These types of systems are referred to as identification systems [6]. Identification systems have a slow response as compared to verification systems. This is because they require much more powerful resources due to the fact that more comparisons are required by identification systems. The biometrics identification system also prevents a person from registering twice on the system and ensures that a person is not already present in a data base. This type of system can be used in a large scale public benefits organisation, such as being used at banks where a person would try opening a second account on another name. This system can also be used with immigration where a person could try to enter the country on false documents. General Biometrics Base Authentication System Model A general biometrics base authentication system model consists of three major components, hardware, software and interface. Hardware is used to capture the biometrics information and software is used to maintain and manage it while an interface with application system that will use the result to confirm an individuals identity. The system operates in two different modes: Enrolment mode Authentication mode Enrolment mode: In this mode a users biometrics data is provided to a system, which stores this users biometric sample in a database or data library as a template. Hardware such as a biometrics readers/ scanners, cameras are used to capture biometrics sample. This stored template is then labelled with a user identity e.g. name, identification number etc. The way biometrics operate Some biometric base authentication systems may need a number of biometrics samples in order to build a profile of the biometric characteristics. These exclusive characteristics are then extracted and changed in to mathematical code by the system. Which is then stored in to the biometric system as a biometric template for the person who enrolled? The template is store in the memory storage of the system, or in computer database, smart card or barcode. A threshold is set in to the biometrics base authentication system according to the level of security [7], (a high threshold is set for high level of security) To secure the template to the person, a trigger or other mean of securing such as personal identification number, or a smart card that store the template which read by a card reader during the authentication mode, are use in biometrics. In some biometrics system when ever a person interacts with the system a new biometrics sample is provide to the system which is compared to the template. If this new sample and stored template is match (the score of new match if exceed from the set threshold then access is granted to that person). As both physical and behavioural characteristics are inconsistent with time, this change may be due to the age of the person, general health condition, working and environmental conditions and time pressures etc. the biometric base authentication system must allow for these delicate changes, in this case before a match is recorded a threshold *1 is set. This can take the form of an accuracy score *2. The comparison between the template and new sample must exceed this set threshold. If it not exceeds the system will not record the match and will not identify the person. This use of a threshold gives biometric technologies a significant advantage over passwords, PINs and ID badges. The use of a threshold affords a tremendous degree of flexibility and if the comparison between the new biometric sample and the template exceeds the stated threshold, identity will be confirmed. Threshold:-a predefine number, often controlled by system administer, which establish the degree of correlation necessary for a comparison to be deemed a match. Score: A number indicating the degree of similarity or correlation of a biometrics match Capture, extraction, comparison and match/non match are the four stages use by all biometric authentication systems. Capture A physical or behavioural sample is captured by the system during enrolment. Extraction unique data is extracted from the sample and a template is created. Comparison the template is then compared with a new sample. Multimodal Biometric System In some environments a signal biometrics identifier base system such as finger scan, face scan or iris scan etc often not able to meet the desired performance requirement of the organization. Different biometrics base identification system such as face recognition, finger print verification and vice verification, is integrated and worked as a single biometrics base identification system. Multimodal biometrics base identification system is use to over come the limitation of the single identifier biometrics base identification system. Initial experimental results reveal that the identity established by such an integrated system is more reliable than the identity established by a signal biometrics identifier base system. [8] Selecting the Right Approach In Different Environment Different biometrics base authentication systems are used. To choose the right approach to biometrics authentication it is necessary to understand the requirement of the organisation, the application of the biometrics system, and characteristics of the biometrics devices itself. Following factors are also important to choose a biometrics base authentication system, which most devices cant store raw fingerprints and that fingerprints cant be reconstructed based on the data stored within these systems. Intrusiveness is another factor affecting user acceptance of some devices, particularly iris and retinal scanning systems. [9] Business objective of the organisation The most important aspect to consider when selecting a biometrics base authentication system is the organisation business objectives. The choice biometrics system must meet or exceed organisational business objectives as well as sustain organisation in the coming years. Business objective is the bottom line where organisation starts and end. User acceptances Some biometrics, such as fingerprints, may be apparent as an assault of personal privacy. The system must not associate with other govt agencies biometrics (finger print) recognition system that most devices cant store raw fingerprints and that fingerprints cant be reconstructed based on the data stored within these systems. General intrusiveness can be another factor affecting user acceptance of some devices, particularly iris and retinal scanning systems. Following are the errors of biometrics base authentication system. False acceptance rate (FAR) False acceptance rate (FAR) is a system error. It is the rate at which an interloper can be recognized as a valid user. In one -to-one match during user verification, false acceptance is based on fake attempts, not on the total number of attempts by valid users. If FAR is 1%, it means one out of 100 users trying to break into the system will be successful [10]. FARs become more critical when you attempt to identify users based on biometrics, instead of simply trying to verify a person with a one-to-one or one-to-few operation False reject rate (FRR) False reject rate (FRR) is another type of error of biometrics system. It is the rate at which a valid user is rejected from the system. Consider a finger print recognition system; unfortunately, the conditions under which the original sample was collected can never be exactly duplicated when the user submits subsequence biometrics information to be compared. False reject rate may occur due to following variations. Rotation and Translation because of different positioning of the finger on the finger print device. Downward pressure on the surface of the input device which changes the scale of input device. Non-permanent or semi-permanent distortions like skin disease, scars, sweat, etc To over come FRR it is essential that all biometrics base authentication systems have a threshold value in order to allow for minor differences. With out threshold value FRR occurs and valid users will be probably rejected by system. If the threshold value is too high FAR occur [9]. It is there for necessary to find a proper threshold value. Organisational environments As stated it is important to consider the organisational environment when selecting biometrics base authentication system. Users with wet, dirty or dry hand have experienced problems with finger and palm recognition system. People using gloves generally cant use these systems. Face recognition system cant be easily be used in medical environments where hood and masks are used by users. Cost The direct cost of the system (hardware and software) is the initial considerations. Due to the improvement of features and functionality the over all cost of biometrics system reduces. It not only reduces fraud and eliminating problems associated with stolen or forgotten passwords but also reduces the help desk role. Summary The subject of this chapter is biometrics, which is defined as a method of verifying an individuals identity based on measurement of the individuals physical feature(s) or repeatable action(s) where those features and/or actions are both unique to that individual and measurable. A biometrics system which consists of enrolment mode and authentication mode, unique physiological characteristics or behavioural mannerisms are examined in biometrics verification for an individuals identity. All biometric systems essentially operate in a similar way in a four-stage process that is automated and computerized which are Capture, Extraction, Comparison and Match/non-match. Biometrics system one-to-one is based on one to one matching and authentication principles and is mainly used for verification purposes, while biometrics system one to many works on the principles of one-to-many recognition and is used for identification. Multimodal biometrics base identification system is used to over come the limitation of the signal identifier biometrics base identification system in which different biometrics base identification system such as face recognition, finger print verification and vice verification, is integrated and worked as a single biometrics base identification system. Methodologies of Biometrics Authentication An overview As stated, different biometric systems are use in different organisations according to their requirements. The most common biometrics system in use today includes fingerprint recognition, iris recognition, and voice recognition and face recognition systems. There are also other biometric systems available like retina recognition, vein pattern recognition, signature and DNA matching systems. These systems are not as widely used yet for various reasons. These biometrics systems can be integrated into any application that requires security, access control and identification or verification of people. With biometric security we can dispense with the key, the password and the PIN code; the access-enabler is a person, not something person know or something in his /her possession. Biometrics systems secured resources are based on who a person is. Biometrics systems also minimise the risk that is associated with less advanced technologies while at the same time offering a higher level of security and convenience. Fingerprint Recognition System Fingerprints are one of the human physiological characteristics that do not change throughout someones life. Even identical twins have different fingerprint patterns. The chance of identical twins to have the same fingerprint is less than one in a billion. Fingerprint recognition is generally considered the most practical system for its reliability, non-intrusive interfaces, and cost-effectiveness. In recent years, fingerprints have rallied significant support as the biometric technology that will probably be most widely used in the future. In addition to general security and access control applications, fingerprint verifiers are installed at different organisations such as, defence/military organisations health care, banking and finance, application services providers, immigration, law enforcement etc. The fingerprints strength is its acceptance, convenience and reliability. It takes little time and effort for somebody using a fingerprint identification device to have his or her fingerprint scanned. Studies have also found that using fingerprints as an identification source is the least intrusive of all biometric techniques. [15] Verification of fingerprints is also fast and reliable. Users experience fewer errors in matching when they use fingerprints versus many other biometric methods. In addition, a fingerprint identification device can require very little space on a desktop or in a machine. Several companies have produced capture units smaller than a deck of cards. One of the biggest fears of fingerprint technology is the theft of fingerprints. Skeptics point out that latent or residual prints left on the glass of a fingerprint scanner may be copied. However, a good fingerprint identification device only detects live fingers and will not acknowledge fingerprint copies. [12] Main Feature of Finger print verification system Analysis of minutia points i.e. finger image ridge (verification) endings, bifurcations or branches made by ridges. One of the most commercially successful biometric technologies. Important for applications where it is necessary to verify the identity of those who gain access. How fingerprint recognition system works In biometrics systems fingerprint recognition system is the fastest verification /identification (One-to-One / One-to-Many) system as shown in figure 3, 4, 5. Like other biometrics recognition systems it performs fingerprint recognition with the help of specialised hardware. This specialised hardware is supported by the conventional computer hardware and special software. All biometrics systems operate in two modes, enrolment mode and authentication mode (as discussed in the previous chapter). A sample of the fingerprint of a live person is provided to the system which is then converted into mathematical code (Template) and stored for the enrolee into the database. In the first step of the authentication process, a fingerprint impression is provided to the system. The system takes a digital image (input image figure 3:1:1 below) using different techniques including scanner, optical, and ultrasound or semiconductor chip technologies. The digital image of the fingerprint includes several unique features in terms of ridge bifurcations and ridge endings, collectively referred to as minutiae. [22] In the next step the system uses an automatic feature extraction algorithm to locate these features in the fingerprint image, as shown in Figure 3:1:2. Each of these features is commonly represented by its location (x, y, and z) and the ridge direction at that location; however the feature extraction stage may miss some minutiae and may generate spurious minutiae due to sensor noise and other variability in the imaging process. The elasticity of the human skin also affects the feature extraction process. [33] In the final stage, a final decision of match and non match is made on the bases of similarity between the two sets of features after compensating for the rotation, conversion and dimension. This similarity is often expressed as a score. A decision threshold is first selected. If the score is below the threshold, the fingerprints are determined not to match; if the score is above the threshold, a correct match is declared an authentication is granted to the person. Iris and Retina Recognition System Biometrics which analyse the intricate and unique characteristics of the eye can be divided into two different fields, Iris and Retina. Iris and retinal scans both deal with the human eye. They are done in an extremely different way as compared to other biometrics technology. Iris Recogniton System Iris recognition biometrics base authentication systems have unique characteristics and features of the human iris used to verify the identity of an individual. The iris is the area of the eye where the pigmented or colour circle, usually brown or blue, rings the dark pupil of the eye. It consists of over 400 unique distinguishing characteristics that can be quantified and used for an individual identity. However, only about 260 of those characteristics are captured in a live iris identification process [25]. Iris are composed before birth and, except in the event of an injury to the eyeball, remain unchanged throughout an individuals lifetime. Eyeglasses and contact lenses present no problems to the quality of the image and the iris recognition /scan systems test for a live eye by checking for the normal continuous fluctuation in the pupil size. As Iris patterns are extremely complex and unique they carry an astonishing amount of information. The fact that an individuals right and l eft eye are different and that patterns are easy to capture, it establishes iris recognition

Natural Language and Computer Programs :: Computers Technology Technological Essays

Natural Language and Computer Programs Anyone who has tried to explain the workings of a computer, or even a VCR, to an older relative has a very good idea of why natural language operation is a goal of computer science researchers. Simply put, most people have no desire to learn a computer language in order to use their electronic devices. In order to allow people to effectively use computer-based systems, those systems must be programmed to understand natural language – the language a regular person speaks – and respond in kind. Most natural language-processing systems break that task down into two parts, comprehension and production. Some systems, like the search engine ask.com, where the user types in a whole interrogative sentence instead of a few terms to search for, are programmed to take commands in English and so have comprehension as their goal. Others, particularly those designed to pass the test proposed by Alan Turing in which a computer must pass as a human in conversation with an interrogator, are designed to simply produce realistic responses, sometimes without bothering to break down the input at all. For the purposes of simplicity, most natural language programs operate through typed input and printed or on-screen output, since speech recognition and production are just complications at this point and can always be integrated later, simply by having the program convert the speech to text and vice-versa. By working only with typed input, a whole host of obstacles to understanding are avoided. People, when speaking, have accents, slur words, change sentence structure mid-thought, stick in â€Å"like† anywhere they want, and do many other things that make everyday speech much less straightforward than the slightly more formal process of typing. Even typed, however, an English sentence is not an easy thing to parse. An example of this difficulty can be seen in the sentence â€Å"I left a job for my wife†. Out of context, it is impossible to determine which of two possible meanings is the correct one. Did the speaker leave a job (i.e. quit) because of his wife, or did he leave a job (i.e. let one remain) for his wife? A computer must be able to refer to the context around such a sentence in order to extract the meaning from it.