Implementing QoS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Implementing QoS - Research Paper Example A majority of organisations have made extensive use of quality of service (QoS) in order to improve services and to ensure that quality is maintained at all levels. Quality of service has therefore been elevated to higher levels when it comes to the degree of its importance, and it is becoming apparent that it will occupy an even more important role in the future management of organisations. I also think that quality of service will evolve to be come more sophisticated and complex as time goes. Implementing Quality of Service There are various methods used in the implementation of the quality of service and differs. Assess the CPU utilization from each router during or in busy period to which it assists on the distribution of the Quality of service among the networks that share the load. Classify the types of traffics to which it flows in groups to reduce the workload .The interface should also be identified to which the traffic will reverse Cruz (1995). After that there should be th e determination of maximum delay that the application can be able to handle and if you needed should adjust its parameters within the traffic The rates are then checked to determine if it can be supported on the type of the interface being used and configure the bandwidth to match with the interface. Slow links are then identified to be able to determine whether the bottlenecks of the network used is located and then choose on which is to be applied in the link efficiency mechanisms for the type of interface chosen. One should use the only interface chosen in its implementation Cruz (1995). Calculation is then used in layer two and three overhead for the type of media type that will be used in the transportation of the traffic. This assists in the correction and also calculation of the bandwidth needed for the classes used Cruz (1995) Advantages of QOS Quality of service is important in organizations as it is used in translating a business in achieving its goals by simplification of its processes (Cardoso et.al 2002). This makes it efficient thus saving time and energy as it makes most of the work to be done or achieved in good time. This leads to an individual or an organization dependence as Quality of service makes its work easier and better enabling the managing their time and work in good time without stress QOS is also used in designing a business’s workflow as it design it to QoS metrics fulfilling not only the business but also the customer’s expectations. It can also be used in controlling and also monitoring an organization’s workflow depending on the type of QoS setting. This thus helps to manage commitments like contracts setting up compensation strategies when undesired metrics are identified (Cardoso et.al 2002). It is used by network administrators in making it efficient in providing services without interfering with their networks and enabling them manage their network. It improves users experience as it reduces a businessà ¢â‚¬â„¢s cost by using the available resources adequately reducing the need for upgrade of the networks (Cardoso et.al 2002). . Disadvantages of QOS It is difficult to know the type of protocol to use in implementing the quality of service. Different networks have different resources as some operate in real time and need a higher share It can controlled on the data from the main source but from you own point or place taking an example if ISP and modem (Cardoso et.al 20

Role of young engineers and successful examples education essay

Role of young engineers and successful examples education essay INTRODUCTION The term nation building is usually used to refer to the constructive process of engaging all citizens in building social unity, economic prosperity and political stability in an inclusive and democratic way. A nation is built out of the human intellect. This means that a nation cannot be built without the recognition and the collective efforts of all citizens, skilled and unskilled, young and old. Young people are a crucial segment of a nations development. Their contributions, therefore, are highly needed. Young people are social actors of change; and as the saying goes, The youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also the partners of today. It is well known that the most vibrant section of every society is the youth. Therefore, the youth have the responsibility of being at the fore-front of any national exercise. Youth is that period when a man is full of energy, ambitions and zest for life. The power possessed by youth is a recognised force today. The power or the energy can be used for both constructive and destructive purposes. Whenever there is unrest in a country, political forces use youth for their further selfish interests [1]. Youth Leadership skills are relevant to young peoples personal development, as well as their role within a group. On a personal level, youth experiences gain insight into themselves. This helps them analyze their strengths and weaknesses and set personal and vocational goals. On a group level, youth develop the ability to work with others to create a shared vision and to draw on the talents, skills, and energy of others. The task of nation building is very challenging and can be divided into phases. Everyone can contribute towards it according to his or her capabilities. The young people should be made to understand a specific project and its importance to the society. They should be given a suitable direction so that they can work hard for its fulfilment. This will make them satisfied by the realisation that they have been assigned roles in the nation building. They would be prepared to work sincerely for the welfare of the society and the country. Every citizen, including the youths, should always have it at the back of their mind that nation building is a collective effort of all citizens in constructing a desired country. No contribution is too small or too big. It must also be noted that nation building starts from the community level up to the national level. LEADERSHIPS IN NATION DEVELOPMENT FORWARDING TO 1 MALAYSIA AND VISION 2020 The young, according to Pearl S. Buck (a Nobel Laureate in literature) do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible, and achieve it, generation after generation. Youth is that clay which can be melded in either shape one wants. In our belief, this is the sole reason for both exploitation and utilization of youth in the destruction and construction of any nation respectively. It is a fact that, the nations building is highly dependent on youth. Youth is that spark which needs no ignition. Youth is that powerful resource, which can either construct or destruct the whole nation. No doubts youth should step forward to take up on the responsibility in developing the nation. The countrys leadership should also embrace youths, as well as youth organisations, as they are the leaders of the future and would contribute to the nation-building efforts [2]. Awareness among youth is to be raised about the development issues and their potential roles in the country. It is also important to involve young people in the consultative process of designing policies that affect youth. If young people are inexperienced at work, they will also be inexperienced about policies but there are some important lessons that we have learned. For example, youths in their upper teens and 20s have been consulted, if not in decision-making, at least in informing them about legislation that would affect their lives. As such, the government policies and constitutional provisions which safeguard the needy will continue to be implemented. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that the 1Malaysia concepts ultimate objective is to achieve national unity among its people. He said In other words, 1Malaysia is a concept to foster unity in Malaysians of all races based on several important values which should become the practice of every Malaysian [3]. Malaysia is a formula which serves as a prerequisite to ensure realisation of the countrys aspiration to achieve developed nation status by 2020 if it is assimilated in the people and practised by society. If Bangsa Malaysia (the Malaysian race) outlined in Vision 2020 is the ultimate objective of this journey, then 1Malaysia is the guide pointing the way towards that objective. As such, youth leadership is one of the very important elements to ensure that the concept would not deviate from what had been agreed to by our forefathers. In fact, 1Malaysia values and respects the ethnic identities of every community in Malaysia and regards them as assets to be proud of. Y outh in order to make his/her country developed, has to sacrifice not only their lives by protecting their country at the borders but also has to protect from internal threats, and make the society a healthy place to live. It is possible only, if the youth realize to stay healthy by sacrificing selfishness, laziness, evilness etc., and by thinking dedicatedly for the growth of nation. Ignorance, fear, prejudice and apathy, if left unchecked, are fertile ground for breeding hatred, extremism, fatalism and fanaticism, which are the root causes of the worlds ills. So, youths of today play very significant role to demonstrate strong leadership potential, personal drive, and a passion and energy for making a difference in our community and country. No obstacle is too high, too deep or too wide for us to overcome if all of us especially the young generation who will be the leaders of tomorrow willing to join hands, think and act together as 1World. By quoting an old Malay proverb that Together, people could conquer all peaks and traverse all valleys. One way to inculcate youth leadership, youth can participate in the youth leadership academy [4]. The Youth Leadership Academy is dedicated to nurture and to build capabilities of future young leaders. As a participant, we will have the opportunity to improve our leadership skills, and be inspired by Malaysias most successf ul corporate leaders and young professionals. It is true that, youth is highly amendable, but one must show the guts to take up the challenge to guide the youth to a correct path. The central purpose of advocating youth leadership is to support youth in taking the initiative to engage in civic and community activities in order to build on their strengths and self-esteem and to work together as a team in building leadership skills. Youth leadership groups are similar to other youth development groups in that they are structured to offer youth educational, interesting material and resources that address current youth issues. Youth leadership groups are run by the youth themselves, but facilitated by a staff person in your program. Because the groups are self-directed by youth, the facilitator should serve as a support and guide for youth development. The key for the 1Malaysia concept is to practise mutual respect and trust among the different races in Malaysia. However, mutual respect is not just tolerance [5]. That is just the bare minimum. Mutual respect means we have embraced unity in diversity. And secondly, we must trust one another. But trust is not something gained overnight. But if done consciously over time, it will eventually happen. Once trust is developed, Malaysia will be the sum total of all races. We will not be moving as separate communities but as one Malaysia and we will be stronger. It will be a new Malaysia because well change our mindset because we trust and respect each other. We hope all will join us to bring Malaysia to greater heights. That is why youth leadership programs come in handy whereby they enable the youths to learn from the best, and really develop themselves personally and professionally! According to the National Centre on Secondary Education and Transition, youth leadership activities can help contributing to and being involved in promoting the well being of the community, developing and using a positive attitude within leadership activities, developing strong, trustworthy relationships with responsible adults and peers, interacting and collaborating with individuals from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, participating in a wide array of career exploration activities, maintaining a commitment to academic and lifelong learning, maintaining and demonstrating a healthy lifestyle. In a nutshell, the core elements of unity are, firstly, the attitude of acceptance among the races and the people, secondly, principles of nationhood based on the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara (National Ideology), and, thirdly, social justice. As such, the government policies and constitutional provisions which safeguard the needy will continue to be implemented Malaysia has come a long way since its independence. It has survived the Japanese occupation, followed by colonization by the British Empire. After years of power struggle and much bloodshed, Malaysia is now 52 years old and growing since it freed itself from the grip of foreign forces. However, independence was not the final objective of Malaysia. Inspired by the struggle of our forefathers, Malaysia craves for global recognition as a developed nation as well as a place on the world map. Who then is to lead Malaysia into achieving this particular dream? The answer is definitely not the current leaders as human is of finite life. It is worth mentioning a quote from our former premier, His Excellency YAB Tun Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad during one of the recent Malaysian Business Council meetings. He (Dr. Mahathir) mentioned that most of the present council members will not be present on the morning of January 1, 2020; instead, the great bulk of work that must be carried out to ensur e Malaysia as a fully developed nation will obviously have to be done by the present generations youth. However, the current leaders should not neglect their role in guiding them (the youths) as well as lay the secure foundations that the youths will build upon [6]. The ultimate aim of Vision 2020 is to make Malaysia a fully developed country, hoping that Malaysians born today and in the years to come will be the last generation of citizens to live in a country that is called developing. What then you might ask is a fully developed country? Just as Dr. Mahathir put it, a developed country should not only be developed in the economic sense but also be fully developed along with all other dimensions namely politics, social, spiritual, psychology and culture [7]. The aforementioned criteria carry a significant amount of truth in them. In terms of politics, if the ruling government is corrupted and insensitive towards the community he or she serves, the country will not be able to progress. An unstable political system often results in chaos as it results in public demonstrations whereby in some cases, violent clashes between citizens and the nations defense body may occur. Violent situations like this creates an image of fear and insecurity and oft en these are the major factors that influences the decision of foreign investors on whether to invest, continue investing or to pull out. As mentioned earlier on, human life is finite, hence the current governing body will need replacement someday and this replacement will ultimately be succeeded by the current generation the youths. From the above paragraphs, it is noted of the significant role the youths of today will have to bear in the future. What about the current youths? How are they contributing towards the nations growth? Youth bodies or communities such as B.R.A.T.S., Rakan Muda, YouthSays, and the like are led by youths and for youths. Its activities comprise of culture, social, sports, and etcetera. So how is it this a contributing factor towards the countrys development? Recalling what Dr. Mahathir mentioned earlier on, the development of the country should be developed along with other dimensions such as, social, spiritual, psychology and culture. Youth bodies such as the aforementioned promotes social bonding activities via forums, sports, support groups, and so forth. Furthermore, Malaysian culture can be promoted too via its cultural activities in the form of dance, drama, music, and so on. As mentioned earlier on, these bodies are led by youths for youths and it is only through successful leader ship that will permit all these activities to be executed successfully. In other words, the present youths too contribute towards the developing of our nation. To sum it all, youths whether it is present or future play a major role in contributing towards the success of Vision 2020 furthermore the development of the country. Let it be present or future, it is the youths that will eventually succeed their predecessors moreover lead the country towards its goals and vision. The capability of youths is powerful as displayed in their current activities and they are inevitably going to be the nations upcoming successful leaders. This is why youths are the key in succeeding the countrys Vision 2020. EFFORT TO INCULCATE YOUTH LEADERSHIPS IN MALAYSIA YOUNG ENGINEERS AND PARTIES INVOLVED Empowering youths towards leaderships enables all of us to get involved in nation building besides promoting national unity and social integration as well as becoming the role models in the society. Efforts has been undertaken to equip youths with the necessary skills and qualities to ensure them of a better future and to meet the accelerated pace of economic development and the changes in the environment. The strategic thrusts for the development of youths will be as follows [8]: Empowering youths for the future through improved access to education and training; Increasing participation of youths in youth organizations; Inculcating the spirit of competitiveness among youths; Strengthening the legal framework of youth development programs; Promoting national unity and social integration. To encourage youths to participate actively in nation-building, their accessibility to education and training will be further enhanced while leadership and skills training, entrepreneurial development and healthy lifestyles program can be carried out more extensively. In addition, self-confidence and discipline are positive elements which should be incorporated in the character building program. Measures shall be undertaken to increase the accessibility of the youths into life-long learning program through distance education and non-formal education as an effort to ensure balanced development. With the healthy mental and physical attributes, excellence results in nation growth could be achieved. According to the Ninth Malaysian Plan, National Youth Research Institute will be established to undertake research in six areas, namely socialization of youths, culture and religion, youth potentials and integrity, youth organizations, leadership and volunteerism, education as well as political awareness. Besides, national youth act Youth Societies and Youth Development 2007 has been introduced to ensure the youth programs are implemented in an integrated, coordinated and synergistic manner. In the aspect of leadership training, effort has been put to build a new breed of young leaders as prime movers of development. In this regard, the curriculum of leadership training program could be strengthened to make it more proactive and relevant to future needs. It is estimated that about 100,000 youths, including NGO leaders, will be trained under this program [8]. The government will continue to develop and instil leadership qualities among youths by conducting courses and training on good values and positive attitudes. Special courses on values will also be conducted to mould youths as responsible citizens and role models in society. Greater awareness on the important role of youths in forging and promoting unity towards building a united Malaysian nation has been given priority in the leadership training programs A quality youth leader should equip themselves with soft skills in order to outperform as a nation builder. As Malaysia is a multi racial country, interaction and communication among each other should be further enhanced in order to bring our nation to leap on a larger step of improvement with all of us working together on it. Hence, to check racial polarization among youths, more multi racial youth organizations could be established to allow for greater interaction among them. In addition, good moral values such as understanding, harmony, respect for the culture and tradition of other races, goodwill and trust will also be inculcated among the youths to enhance nation building efforts. The private sector will also be encouraged to contribute to youth training as part of their social responsibility. More active participation of youths at the international level could be promoted through intergovernmental and non-governmental institutions. In effort of nation building involving wide range of people, the implementation of Rakan Muda Programs has been strengthened to focus on specific target groups, particularly youths who are out of the education system and the unemployed youths as they are more vulnerable and easily influenced to be involved in negative and unhealthy activities. In this regard, Rakan Muda Program will focus on efforts to create role models among youths who are caring, skilled and dynamic. In addition, these programs will also focus on enhancing cooperation amongst agencies involved in the social agenda [8]. A program named, Program Memperkasakan Tenaga Muda, will be implemented specially for youths who are not selected for PLKN. Activities and modules under the PLKN will be carried out to ensure those who are not selected for the PLKN training to be exposed to similar program which helps a lot in character building towards quality leaderships. To better prepare students for the PLKN, the Government will incorporate this program into the co-curricular and curriculum in secondary schools. The participants of the PLKN will be encouraged to join Rakan Muda Program to continuously nurture the spirit of volunteerism and solidarity amongst them [8]. The various skills and leadership training program aimed at empowering youths has been undertaken by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development and Ministry of Human Resources. Nevertheless, combating social problems among youths could help in nation building. The measures should be taken to avoid the youth from influences by negative and unhealthy activities, but on the other hand improving self inner qualities in order to contribute to the country as well as leading the nation towards progressive development. During the Ninth Malaysian Plan period, the Government has continued to give emphasis on preventive and rehabilitative program to combat social problems among youths. Closer cooperation between the local communities and government agencies in stemming crimes among youths will be established. In addition, training program for youths in the high-risk crime group will be carried out to nurture them to become responsible citizens. Apart from producing a productive and disciplined young generation, youth development program should continue to focus on skills training and entrepreneurial development to encourage self-employment among youths. They will be trained to be resilient and to withstand challenges in a competitive environment through on-the-job training and exposure to real work situations. This is to prepare ourselves towards real time challenge as we ultimately will come to work environment and contributes in different aspect or in different fields. Youth leadership program had given emphasis on the role of youths in society and fostering national unity with a sense of common and shared destiny. ROLE OF YOUNG ENGINEERS AND SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLES One may see an engineer as a person with a university education in engineering who may take an idea and turn it into a useful thing for other people to use. An engineer may make a better mouse trap, or tell people how best to build a bridge or a skyscraper. Whatever things to they wish to do, an engineer is to make sure people are safe and the next is to improve life. They can become very good engineers who can handle tools and machineries. Die-hards and loyal engineers to these perceptions have been losing out in terms of managerial positions, wealth and leadership to those who are enterprising and see business as well as quality management as prime factors to improve life, build better bridges and skyscrapers. In this fast changing world, the expectations towards engineers have changed. Engineers have to leave their cocoon if they wish to be better engineers of today and see the reality of life which is getting more sophisticated and complex. They need skills to manage people, technology, money, physical facilities, time, money and other resources. In addition, they also need to communicate effectively with society and other non-engineering people from various professions. Prestigious universities in the USA have been pushing for changes in their engineering programs. One might wonder why and whats behind the sudden push by universities to produce people-smart engineers? Successful engineers must learn to be a leader not mere follower neither only as a faithful employees in an organization. These skills and knowledge shall be acquired from the humanities and social sciences disciplines. An engineer must no longer a person who is shy away from things and challenges to be confronted as they can be better engineers, scientists and wealthy entrepreneur with their equipped technical and interpersonal skills as well as passion in solving problems for improvements. Engineering is a profession that covers a wide variety of disciplines. The tasks and studies of the various fields of engineering are vastly different, though each requires problem solving through the use of mathematical and scientific principles. Such fields include civil, electrical, aerospace, computer, chemical, environmental and mechanical engineering. No matter what will be the speciality, it requires a time-consuming, intense course of study and efforts beginning as far back as high school in order to become a well equipped engineer. Throughout the years, our government has increases its access to education and training especially on engineering field. We generate young professionals to enhance income generation capabilities, as well as life quality improvement of Malaysians. Nevertheless, the education and training system on engineering field has yet to be restructured, especially with greater private sector involvement in order to cater for the demand and needs of our local industries in their specified fields. Aspiring engineers should focus on developing different types of skills such as detail oriented, keen analytical skill, good communicator, able to work on a team, able to build and improve the way things work, or creative thinker. It is not easy to become a successful engineer in this world without any long journey of hard work. In Malaysia, there are a lot of successful engineer born in this country. Associate Professor Dr. Law Chung Lim is a lecture from The University of Nottingham. Associate Professor Dr. Law Chung Lim of the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the Malaysia Campus was conferred the Young Engineer Award by the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM). This award comes in recognition of Chung Lims involvement in various academic and research undertakings, as well as his societal and voluntary commitments and contributions [9]. Chung Lim has served the Institution of Engineers (IEM) since Jan 2004 and is actively involved in its activities. He has organised technical talks and technical visits for the Chemical Engineering Technical Division and has reported six events in the bulletin Jurutera over the years. Further to this, Chung Lim was a member in the sub-committee of Career and Guidance of Admission Practical Training Committee and IEM Computer Lab Project Committee in 2005. In addition, he served the 1st and 2nd Malaysian ChemECar Competition organising committee as a secretary, MC cum judge in 2004 and 2005. Besides, he also served as secretary cum treasurer and chemical risk and health assessor for the regional ChemECar competition which was held in KL in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Confederation on Chemical Engineering Conference, APPChE. Chung Lim also contributes to the reviewing of manuscripts submitted to the Jurnal IEM [9]. Over the years, Chung Lim has worked extensively on various research areas which has give a lot of important outcome in many aspects, ranging from research publication, equipment design, product development and many other researches. He innovatively modified a conventional fluidized bed dryer and proposed two modified fluidised bed dryers, viz. baffled fluidised bed dryer and two-stage cross flow fluidised bed dryer. The inventions won him a bronze and a gold medal in 2003 and 2005 respectively. Chung Lim obtained two e-Science research grants from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and involved in three MOSTI grants which amount to over RM1.25 million. He has published more than seventy five papers including journal articles, handbook chapters, book chapters and review articles and conference papers. He has produced five equipment designs, fabricated and commissioned three prototypes of unit operation, conducting three product development projects, supervisin g seven postgraduates, received two award of excellence from the institution, and two awards of best paper [9]. As a researcher who is actively involved in drying and dehydration, Chung Lim receives requests to review manuscripts submitted to various journals, namely Drying technology, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering Science, Jurnal of IEM, Pertanika and Jurnal Teknologi. Over the years, he has reviewed more than fifty five manuscripts and technical papers. Chung Lim received a certificate, medal and a prize award of RM500.00. Speaking after receiving the award, Chung Lim said, I shall continue to strive hard to remain worthy of this award. I shall uphold professionalism, make more contribution to promote engineering as a profession and conduct more impactful researches to the enrichment of knowledge [9]. CONCLUSION Nation building is a collective effort of all citizens. As an old saying goes: the youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow but also the partners of today. The Youth, as the energetic ambitious and highly capable people, have the responsibility, passion and power of being at the fore-front in developing the nation in a democratic and constructive way. Undoubtedly, Youth leadership is a significant element to ensure the concept of One Malaysia would not deviate from what had been agreed to by our forefathers. Also, Youth play a very important role to demonstrate their potential, motivation and passions of making a different in our community. The young generation, as tomorrows leaders; have to think together as one. The opportunity of improving our leadership skills is being given to us by taking part in civic and community activities. Youth leadership programmes will give emphasis on the role of youths in society and fostering national unity with a sense of common and shared destiny to develop the mutual trust and respect among different races in Malaysia at the young age and promote the well-being of the country. Moreover, Youth organisations are important and contribute to Malaysian nation-building and development because youth organisations have served as a training ground for many national leaders in Malaysian history. As empow erment emphasizes development of collective rather than individual goals, it will henceforth lead to capacity building and setting the agenda for changes for Malaysia. In an effort to attain developed nation status by the year 2020, the Malaysian government has made strategic thrusts for the development of youths by improving the access to education and training, inculcating the spirit of competitiveness among youths, strengthening the legal framework of youth development programs; increasing participation of youths in youth organizations, and promoting national unity and social integration. Most importantly, the essay would not bring any benefits if we did not know the roles of young engineers in building this nation. With the profession of many disciplines, engineers should not only develop their personal technical skill but also be creative thinker, good communicator and think positively to distribute to group success. In fact, youth leaders, as the powerful pressure groups and guardians of transparency, will enable themselves to query government policies and performance for corrective action to be taken for the development of a Malaysian Malaysia. According to Abdul Rahman Embong, Malaysians (especially with the emergence of a middle class) would like to have greater democracy and a stronger civil society. This is essential for youth organisations and their leaders to champion these new challenges to check and balance in all major issues, government policies and implementation, because youth comprises a significant proportion of the Malaysian population.

Smitty :: essays research papers

Hello my name is R, I had been running track all through high school and am just about to start my senior season. I had never been great, but good enough to make states last year in the 100 meter dash. Up until this year (When I transferred to Newark after 3 years at Hodgson) our only coaches were only temporary or who only coached track because they needed some more spending money on their paycheck. Some were even athletes themselves before they let themselves go and now wanted to relive their fantasies of victory through our hard work and sweat. This winter though, events will change. I have an experienced track coach who has championships to prove it and also cares of his athletes as if they were his children. He had run track in both high school and college but chose to be a coach for the love on the sport. His name is â€Å"Smitty† (as though we call him) and he was my ideal coach and person since he obviously was better at it than any of my other coaches. Not only that, but he has more passion than anyone else on the team and all my other coaches. Add to that the fact that he was more successful than most of the coaches in the state in sending athletes to college. He is also a very stern coach that comes with extremely hard workouts. If he hadn't been one of the nicest and most helpful people in the world things might have gotten ugly between him and I very quickly because at Hodgson I didn’t practice much. Instead, he became one of my best friends, as well as part of my family. I don't know exactly why, but Smitty seemed to make me his special project for the season( Calling me the next Brandon Reeves). From the first day of meeting him he pushed me harder than anyone else, spent more time with me and made sure that I pushed myself. Maybe it was because I ran the same distances he ran, but then again so did a few of the other guys. Maybe it was because he saw something in me that none of the other coaches had. I wasn't sure what it was, but at times I enjoyed the extra attention, on the other hand I am sure that I will hate it when he makes me run the extra distance or work extra hard.

Customer Relationship Management Systems

Abstract: Customer relationship management systems are used in the contemporary business environment to facilitate relationship marketing and other practices, which help firms enhance relationships between themselves, their customers, suppliers, employees, and other partners in their business processes. CRM systems provide all parties with vital information which helps make operations more efficient and enhances profitability. However, CRM systems also have drawbacks. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of CRM systems and illustrates the mentioned concepts through a case study upon Dell. Introduction: A few decades ago, customers would personally go to supermarkets or other stores where they had previously purchased products or availed a service in order to either register complaints, to inquire about other products and services, or in order to purchase the product or book the service again. Likewise, businesses would attempt to observe and manually record which items left their shelves sooner and which items were less popular with customers amongst other data such as sales figures, regular purchasing patterns of customers, and how many customers were satisfied/dissatisfied with a product/service (Reinartz, Kraft, & Hoyer, 2004). While it previously took weeks or months for businesses to attempt to gather this information, such information is now available to businesses within seconds. However, the benefit of convenience is not only limited to businesses as customers also enjoy the facility of lodging complaints, asking questions, placing orders, and getting a fully personalized c ustomer service based upon their interests and preferences. While some customers enjoy the fact that businesses are aware of everything about them including their birthdays and the number of members in their family, some customers are not as enthusiastic about this sphere of customer relationship management software systems. Accordingly, customer relationship management software systems have their respective advantages and disadvantages (Chen & Popovich, 2003). This paper will discuss the manner in which customer relationship management systems have revolutionized e-business practices and integrated people, processes, and technology both within and across organizational contexts followed by a discussion of the best practices of firms using customer relationship management systems. The paper will then continue to discuss the challenges posed by the customer relationship management system and the social implications of its use with specific emphasis upon privacy issues. A case study o f Dell will be provided further in the paper in order to illustrate the applicable concepts mentioned. The paper will conclude with a summary of the main points emphasized in the paper and recommendations for improvements in the use of customer relationship management systems. Customer Relationship Management Systems and Their Effect on E-business: â€Å"E-business is an overall strategy which enables the proper management of business functions including time cycle, speed, globalization, enhanced productivity, reaching new customers and sharing knowledge across institutions for competitive advantage† says Lou Gerstner, CEO IBM (Lecture 2). Previously, businesses were not properly aware of what their customers needed and attempted to fulfil those needs and wants through guesswork or by asking a few customers what they preferred over what they did not desire in a product. Thus, managers recorded customer complaints in registers and attempted to resolve them eventually, while this process often resulted in delays over months. However, the implementation of e-business systems and the widespread use of e-commerce have enabled the introduction of customer relationship management systems, which include the â€Å"methodologies, software, and communication capabilities, that help organizations to structure and manage their custo mer relationships and interactions with the objective to increase customer satisfaction with the organisation’s products or services† (Lecture 3). Therefore, customers are now able to access reliable, accurate, and vital information regarding the products and services that they have used with the click of a mouse (Bose, 2002). Customer relationship management systems have benefitted firms by integrating people, processes, and technology to increase the level of efficiency in organizations and enabling firms to use customer information to their advantage. The system enables the production of a customer database recording all customer details and creating a customer profile, which provides the company with details regarding the customer’s needs and frequent purchases. While previously companies would attempt to sell the same product to every customer in the same manner, customer relationship management systems allow the information regarding customer preferences to be used to differentiate and specifically target the firm’s products to a customer (Payne & Frow, 2005). Customer relationship management systems are not only used to remain in communication with customers, but are used as a tool to connect a firm’s customers, distribution channel members, suppliers, and other similar parties within the same platform and maximising all of these relationships to increase profitability in the business. This is done through the various features of the customer relationship management systems which provide vital information for all of the parties involved in the business, thus making the conduction of business more convenient, information easily accessible, and operations efficient and cost-effective (Payne & Frow, 2005). For example, the sales force automation function of customer relationship management systems provides information on customers, previous deals, and competitors to support the sales force of the team. Thus, the system hel ps the sales force of the firm perform their job more effectively and also provides the suppliers of the business information regarding customer preferences and the products in highest demand amongst different target groups. Other functions of the system include customer service and support systems, which enable customers to track their orders, monitor their requests, and enables managers to reply to customer queries promptly thus aiding both customer service personnel and customers to fulfil their functions with ease. Field service is a function that allows remote staff to quickly and effectively communicate with the customer service personnel to meet individual needs. Thus, the customer relationship management system provides information to remote staff regarding customer needs in order to enable them to meet them more adequately (Jayachandran et al, 2005). The marketing automation function of the system allows up-to-date information on customers’ buying habits to enable th e construction of effective marketing campaigns. Accordingly, the system also facilitates the marketing team of an organization to construct and design specifically targeted and effective marketing campaigns which may help increase the profitability of a firm (Bose, 2002). Therefore, the customer relationship management system provides information for several parties involved in the business process and thus integrates the use of technology with people in order to improve and enhance business processes. This is one of the main reasons that customer relationship management systems are becoming highly popular amongst firms. The use of the system enables a firm to grow revenue, provide better customer service, introduce repeatable and consistent sales processes, create new value and increase customer loyalty (Campbell, 2003). It also allows firms to implement the three phases of customer relationship management systems, which enables the acquisition of new customers, enhancement of the profitability of existing customers, and the retention of profitable customers for life. It enables the implementation of core customer relationship management processes including cross-selling and up-selling, direct marketing, customer support, and sales force automation. Thus, the use of these processes brings substantial improvements in marketing campaigns, product development, sales, and field service (Lin, Chen, & Chiu, 2010). The use of customer relationship management systems has enabled firms to communicate within their organization, with customers, and across their organization to other firms, who may be members of the distribution channel or the firm’s suppliers, by sharing and gathering vital information regarding customers and processing this information to make it useful in the business process. The best practices of customer relationship management systems include well-establishment of organizational needs, good inter-departmental communication, the integration of front-end and back-office data-mining procedures, and the establishment of an up-to-date central warehouse of data (Oztaysi, Sezgin, & Ozok, 2011). Many firms currently apply customer relationship management strategies through the implementation of social customer relationship management and the use of social media to get their message across to customers effectively. Platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, are used in order to communicate with customers and advertise products/services to them (Bose, 2003). However, while the use of customer relationship management systems provides extensive advantages to a contemporary business, there are still challenges involved in the use of these systems. While many customers are now accustomed to buying products online, other customers are still highly wary of using such systems and exposing personal information on such websites. Moreover, while the people of some cultures prefer communicating via an electronic source, others a re only satisfied with personal contact (Oztaysi, Sezgin, & Ozok, 2011).These challenges will be discussed in the next part of this paper. Challenges of Customer Relationship Management Systems and Social Implications of their Use: In order to gather all of the data needed to meet customer needs and provide information to suppliers, sales force, managers, and other parties in the business process, the business needs to use the aid of cookies to track customer surfing details and to record what types of products customers purchase from other websites. The problem is that some customers regard this as an invasion of privacy and refrain from shopping online because they are aware that firms are monitoring their actions. Statistics show that 51% of shoppers are highly concerned about privacy online and 48% refrain from shopping online because of privacy issues (Lecture 3). This can pose serious problems for firms who want to efficiently use their customer relationship management systems and prevent customers from using spyware protection software, making the use of these systems redundant (Fan & Ku, 2010). Other challenges posed by the use of customer relationship management systems include the lack of appropriate executive support as some customers feel that they do not receive adequate service online while some business executives also feel that these systems are not satisfactory for use in organizations and refrain from using them. Additionally, many firms lack rationale when they decide to use customer relationship management systems (Ang, 2011). For example, a firm who has a highly personal relationship with customers and thrives upon the personal contact that it enjoys with its customers may not benefit from the adoption of a customer relationship management system as it may lose the element of being able to personally attend to customers. Other problems with the use of customer relationship management systems include an inappropriate network infrastructure, user resistance, and the lack of cultural preparation of these systems (Fan & Ku, 2010). One of the major flaws of CRM systems includes their lack of adaptability to different cultures. Contemporary business research has found that customers belonging to different cultural backgrounds tend to act differently when interacting with businesses and have varying preferences regarding the type of contact that they find suitable in business settings. While consumers belonging to masculine cultures may prefer or be comfortable with using technological solutions and communicating with customer service personnel online, customers belonging to feministic cultures may prefer more personal contact. Moreover, customers belonging to certain cultures may consider the invasion of privacy that these systems encompass highly inappropriate while customers from other cultures may believe it to be useful in helping them find the right product (Chen & Popovich, 2003). Customer relationship management systems may also be hard to use for the company’s existing management and employees and they may resist a change to the use of these systems as it may involve a change in organizational culture. The appropriate implementation of these systems requires communication, culture, and coordination which helps employees adapt to the systems more appropriately (Campbell, 2003). It may be difficult to integrate the system with other departments in the organization, which will result in the adoption of the system to be expensive. The system may not coordinate well with other accounting and finance software which may cause the organization additional unnecessary expenditure in attempting to adjust the customer relationship management software with their existing technology, existing business processes, and the people associated with the business (Campbell, 2003). It is evident that while the customer relationship management system offers numerous advantages to firms and customers, there are specific challenges that the implementation of the system faces, especially in the realms of resistance shown by customers in allowing an invasion of their privacy. The next section of this paper will outline the manner in which De ll Inc. used customer relationship management software to its advantage and how it incorporated the system within its firm. Dell Case Study: Dell is a globally renowned company offering customers leading global systems and services and the company required the aid of a customer relationship management system to integrate its customers and other global sales teams with the business. Previously, the company used multiple systems, internally designed by the company, which were used in each of the regions that the company operated in. However, the company wished for a flexible and convenient system which was globally accepted and used widely. While the company aimed to find a solution themselves, it was proving to be highly expensive. Thus, the company implemented the use of SalesForce CRM, which is a software allowing the company to integrate with technological partners, customers, employees, and other agents in their business processes. The company required a solution to gather feedback from its 80,000 employees worldwide and also wanted to begin a global partner program in the near future for which it required an appropria te communication platform enabling it to efficiently and effectively communicate with potential technological partners. Thus, the use of SalesForce CRM integrated various departments within the organisation and also allowed the organization to communicate with other organizations using the same interface (Dell Case Study, 2011). The company solved several of its problems using the customer relationship management system which included communicating with approximately 3 million customers everyday and also collaborating with 80,000 employees worldwide. The use of the system enabled the company to extract the top ideas for innovation and better understand what customers were looking forward to by gathering and processing customer feedback on the system. Moreover, employees were also required to give innovative ideas for future technological solutions and business processes and this information was also automatically sorted by the system in order to show Dell’s business executive s the most popular opinions. Top ideas were generated through comments and voting upon the posting of various opinions on the system (Dell Case Study, 2011). The company greatly benefitted from the implementation of this system as it generated over 2,500 ideas on innovation in the first week and approximately 700 ideas related to employee feedback regarding business processes. The company has been able to use vital customer feedback in order to design desktops and consumer notebooks and also left Windows XP as a pre-installed operating system in the computers because of customer demand. The technology implemented in the customer relationship management systems enabled the company to track main technological trends and develop products accordingly (Dell Case Study, 2011). Using the Salesforce CRM system enabled the company to integrate various players in its business processes via one platform and also enabled the company to design some its own software solutions which allowed the co mpany to enhance its relationship marketing strategies. However, one of the problems that the company faced with the implementation and use of the Salesforce CRM system was user adaptation of the system. Teaching users worldwide how to operate the various functions that the system offered was an obstacle that the company overcame through offering training sessions on the use of the system and teaching employees and other users worldwide how to use the system within fourteen days. Thus, because Salesforce CRM is an easy-to-use system, users were able to adapt to the new technology easily and within a short period of time. Dell significantly benefitted from the use of the system and the system proved to be cost-effective, efficient, and highly beneficial in increasing the revenue of the company. Obstacles such as adaptation were overcome through the provision of training sessions and through company focus upon implementing and using the system. While the initial installation and provi sion of training for the system was expensive, the system aided Dell in collaborating with both employees and customers and enabled the company to devise its own technology. Moreover, the company did not use the system to â€Å"spy† on customers or invade their privacy which proved to be an added advantage. The system was used in various manners by the company to solve its current problems and can be used in other ways in the future. Thus, customer relationship management systems can prove to be an addition of value for a company and an important tool used to integrate processes, people, and technology to enhance relationships within the organisation and outside the realms of the organisation as well. The next section of this paper will discuss the main points emphasized in the paper and provide recommendations regarding the use of customer relationship systems and for Dell Inc. Conclusion and Recommendations: There are various advantages associated with the use of customer relationship management systems which include the functions such as sales force automation, direct marketing, customer service, field service automation, and others. Hence, the use of such systems promotes convenience, access to information and information-processing, and enhances the efficiency of business operations. Moreover, it also allows the integration of people, processes, and technology. This has been illustrated in the case of Dell who use SalesForce CRM to integrate inter-department functions with other organizations that it wishes to partner with. However, the drawbacks of using customer relationship management systems include the issue of customer privacy, user resistance, lack of adaptability, and the inability to prepare the software for use by different cultures. Accordingly, it is recommended that customer relationship management software not be used in place of personal contact but can be used as an ad ditional resource helping keep customers and businesses connected. However, businesses should frequently encourage personal and face-to-face contact with their customers and ask customers for feedback regarding products/services or their personal preferences instead of tracking customers’ surfing data through the use of cookies. If the business deems it necessary to track customer information through cookies, the company must aim to ask customers for permission and inform them that this will enable the business to serve them better through products customized and tailored to suit their needs. Additionally, customers must attempt to adapt the system to suit people of different cultures and nationalities in order to make the system suitable for use by all. In the case of Dell Inc. it is recommended that the company use its CRM system to freely communicate with clients, enable them to customize their computers, provide feedback, and can also use it to motivate employees. This ca n be done by using it as a portal to provide hard-working employees with recognition for their contribution to the organisation. The company can also use it as a marketing tool in order to inform customers of new products based upon their recent purchases. Thus, the company can use the CRM system for multiple purposes. References Ang, L. (2011). â€Å"Community relationship management and social media.† Journal of Database Marketing & Customer Strategy Management. Vol. 18(1) pp. 31-38. Bose, R. (2002). â€Å"Customer relationship management: key components for IT success.† Industrial Management & Data Systems. Vol.102(2) pp. 89-97. Campbell, A. J. (2003). â€Å"Creating customer knowledge competence: managing customer relationship management programs strategically.† Industrial Marketing Management. Vol. 32(5) pp.375-383. Chen, I. J., & Popovich, K. (2003). â€Å"Understanding customer relationship management (CRM): People, process and technology.† Business Process Management Journal. Vol. 9(5) pp. 672-688. Dell Case Study (2011) Dell-Case Study. Accessed on: March 11, 2014 Available at: http://doblegroup.com/dell-case-study/ Fan, Y. W., & Ku, E. (2010). â€Å"Customer focus, service process fit and customer relationship management profitability: the effect of knowledge sharing.â⠂¬  The Service Industries Journal. Vol. 30(2) pp. 203-223. Jayachandran, S., Sharma, S., Kaufman, P., & Raman, P. (2005). â€Å"The role of relational information processes and technology use in customer relationship management.† Journal of Marketing. Vol. 69(4), pp.177-192. Lin, R. J., Chen, R. H., & Chiu, K. K. S. (2010). â€Å"Customer relationship management and innovation capability: an empirical study.† Industrial Management & Data Systems. Vol.110(1) pp.111-133. Oztaysi, B., Sezgin, S., & Ozok, A. F. (2011). â€Å"A measurement tool for customer relationship management processes.† Industrial Management & Data Systems. Vol. 111(6) pp. 943-960. Payne, A., & Frow, P. (2005). â€Å"A strategic framework for customer relationship management.† Journal of Marketing. Vol. 69(4) pp.167-176. Reinartz, W., Krafft, M., & Hoyer, W. D. (2004). â€Å"The customer relationship management process: its measurement and impact on performance.† Journal of Mark eting Research. Vol. 41(3) pp.293-305.

Political Manifesto

Political Manifesto â€Å"Let the people rule† was the slogan of former United States President and first Democrat of the people of the United States, Andrew Jackson. Democracy was made for the people, but not many Americans know a lot about the political party they support and what it does to help them. First I’m going to discuss some of the issues like gun control, Health care and the environment and also a brief history of the Democratic Party.Next I will tell you about a few leaders that not only influenced my following of the Democratic Party, but also supported a lot of the same views and morals I follow every day. And finally I will discuss some of the social movements like, the Students for a Democratic Society, which affected Democratic students around the United States. The Democratic Party was formed from Anti-Federalist factions that were against fiscal policies in the 1790s and was then founded in the modern era in 1828 and led by Andrew Jackson.The party h as the lengthiest record of continuous operation in the  United States and is among the oldest political parties in the world. (Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. , Democratic Party) The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United states along with the Republican Party and current President of the United States Barack Obama is the 15th Democrat to hold the office of the Presidency. (â€Å"American Presidents: Life Portrait. C-SPAN. Ret-Jan 12, 2009) There are a lot of issues in our society that Democrats are trying to take care of as well, such as the environment.Many Democrats believe that the government should protect the environment by favoring expansion of conservation lands and exploring new means of alternative energy sources. The Democratic Party also encourages open space and rail travel to relieve highway and airport congestion and improve air quality and economy. Another issue that is taking a toll on Democrats today is health care re form. Democrats call for affordable and quality health care and many advocate an expansion of government intervention in this area.More Democrats favor national health insurance or universal health care in a variety of forms to address the rising cost of modern health insurance. The Progressive Democrats of America, a group operating inside the Democratic Party, Has made single-payer universal health care one of their primary policy goals. (â€Å"Progressive Democrats of America-Priorities (Health Care for All)† Pdamerica. Org, ret-2010-06-07) Now when we talk about the issue of gun control, that can be a touchy subject with certain people Democrat or not.With a stated goal of reducing crime and homicide, the Democratic Party has introduced various gun control measures. Some Democrats, especially rural, Southern, and Western Democrats, favor fewer restrictions on firearm possession and warned the party was defeated 2000 presidential election in rural areas because of the issu e. (Abramsky, Sasha (2005-04-18). â€Å"Democrat Killer? † the Nation. Retrieved 2006-10-10) Many men in the history of the Democratic Party have influenced the way many of us live today.A few of these men, like Andrew Jackson, who was the first President of the United States that was a Democrat, helped shaped the party for future Americans. Andrew Jackson’s followers went on to create modern Democratic Party. The period during which this happened, 1830-1850, became later known as the era of Jacksonian Democracy (Wilentz, Sean. â€Å"Andrew Jackson† (2005), p. 2, 35) I believe Andrew Jackson was a great Democratic figure because of his appeal to the common citizen and how he supported states and federal rights.Franklin D. Roosevelt was also a key Democrat in American history. His efforts as President of the United States were very crucial in helping the society grip together during very enduring times. He was a dominant leader of the Democratic Party and was the only American president elected more than two terms. He built a New Deal Coalition that realigned American politics after 1932, as his domestic policies defined American liberalism for the middle third of the 20th Century. In 1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G. I.Bill-a historic measure that provided unprecedented benefits for soldiers returning from World War II, including low-cost mortgages, loans to start a business, and tuition and living expenses for those seeking a higher education. And our current President of the United States Barack Obama is also a Democrat who was involved in many economic issues in America at the time of his inauguration. Mainly I choose to support Barack Obama because he was my former Commander in Chief, but also because of his involvement in foreign policy with enacting the draw-down of troops from Iraq in December 2010.During its tenured history in America, the Democratic Party has seen its share of social movements, mainly of the few is Environm entalism. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment. It advocates the preservation of the natural environment, and may be referred to as a movement to control pollution. (Environmentalism Definition; Merriam-webster. com. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2012-06-20) Also having a big effect on Democratic students in America was the Students for a Democratic Society.This group was a student activist movement in the United States that developed and expanded rapidly during the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969. The group centered mainly on the issues of direct action and student power within the nation. In the early 2000s the 9/11 Trust movement is ongoing and many conspiracy theories have surfaced during this time as well. These social movements were such an integral part of our history and in some way had an effect on our nation, no matter how little the issue may h ave seemed.Picking the Democratic Party says a lot about a person and the morals they abide by. Aside from being one of the oldest political parties in the world, the Democratic Party has lots of issues that have affected the way they live their lives, like gun control across our nation, reform of a new nationwide healthcare plan and the effect we are having on our environment and what we can do to improve and/or preserve its current conditions not only across our country but around the world as well.There were many big political figures like former United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the current and 44th President of the United States Barack Obama and the first Democratic President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, that helped not only influence my choice in the Democratic Party, but also in the way America was shaped.Beyond the many figures that paved the way for Democracy to flourish in America, we had lots of social movements that also added to the way people live . Environmentalist movement, the 9/11 truth movement and the Students for a Democratic Society are just a few of the social movements that played a role in not just the Democratic Party, but the history of our great nation, the United States of America.

Barbie Doll essays

Barbie Doll essays For ages women everywhere had struggled to become the perfect woman. This struggle isnt the kind to help bring out the best in everyone; it creates problems, dissatisfactions, hate and other negativity. Everyone wants to be under Gods good graces, to be perfect, but everyone is wrong in not realizing that to be perfect can never be attained. The author, being one of the few who notices, depicts this by discussing a tragic attempt to be perfect. At birth, everyone is innocent and ready to be mold. What becomes of the child fixedly depends on the environment she or he is in. One major impression on the child is constructed by stereotypes. They are passed around among fathers, sons, mothers daughters, so on and so fourth. Stereotypes could actually be in disguise, dressing as a family tradition, passing as a joke taken seriously, there is no end to what they could become. Why is it that girls are always given little pots and pans on Christmas and boys are always given cars and trucks? The answer lies in the past; all we know today is that it has been a tradition that has been practiced from as long as anyone could remember. The toys that the child received are to be considered as a training stage. It helps them to get used to what they are going to be dealing with the rest of their lives. But as time move forward, changes are bound to happen. When the Womens Suffrage occurred and more opportunities are opened to women, toys had to change as well. The Barbie Doll, which came out already, made sure to keep up with the time. When the Barbie Doll just came out, she immediately captured the hearts of her loyal fans. How could someone adore a plastic figurine? Maybe it was of her stunning beauty or her intelligent mind. Her idolization went on an unstoppable uprise while every girls self esteem went plunging down. When more jobs and schooling became available to girls, Barbie onl ...

Communism and its fall essays

Communism and it's fall essays The shocking fall of communism in Eastern and central Europe in the late eighties was remarkable for both its rapidity and its scope. In each of the nations, the communist regimes in power were forces to transfer that power to radically different institutions than they were accustomed to. Democracy had been spreading throughout the world for the preceding two decades, but with a very important difference. In Europe, the shift from communism was taking place in a different context then that of the Soviet Union. The peoples involved were not looking to affect a narrow set of policy reforms, rather what was at stake what the shift from communist ideology to a more western plan for governmental and economic policy development. It seemed that the sole reason that the downfall of communism took so long was the veto power of the Soviet Union. Due to Eastern Europes longtime adherence to communist policies, these nations faced great difficulty in making the transition to a market economy without being forced to unite with another economic system. Mikhail Gorbachev was a different kind of Soviet leader. He recognized that communists in the Soviet Union could not remain politically and economically isolated and that the Soviet system had to be changed if it was to survive. The key pieces to his plan was a series of reforms that included Glasnost - an openness and greater form of expression for the people, Perestroika - a restructuring as to decentralize the soviet economy with market reforms all of which were designed to reform, not abolish socialism, and the renunciation of the Brezhnev Doctrine. Central planning in a modern economy brought many inefficiencies. The socialist system was ineffective in that communism promised a classless society with collective ownership but instead it produced a new class of communist party functionaries. In addition, the soviet state could not longer afford the high defense spending tha...

Pope Urban II Odo of Lagny

Pope Urban II Odo of Lagny Pope Urban II was known for beginning the Crusade Movement, instigating with his call to arms at the Council of Clermont. Urban also continued and expanded on the reforms of Gregory VII, and helped the papacy become a stronger political unit. Urban studied at Soissons and then at Reims, where he became archdeacon, before becoming a monk and retiring to Cluny. There he became prior, and after only a few years was sent to Rome to assist Pope Gregory VII in his attempts at reform. He proved invaluable to the pope, and was made a Cardinal and served as a papal legate. Upon Gregorys death in 1085 he served his successor, Victor II ​until Victor died. He was then elected pope in March 1088, and influenced affairs throughout France, Italy, Europe, and the Holy Land. Also known as:  Odo of Chà ¢tillon-sur-Marne, Odon of Chà ¢tillon-sur-Marne, Eudes of Chà ¢tillon-sur-Marne, Odo of Lagery, Otho of Lagery, Odo of Lagny Important Dates Born: c. 1035Elected Pope: March 12, 1088Speech at Council of Clermont: Nov. 27, 1095Died: July 29, 1099 The Pontificate of Urban II As pope, Urban had to deal with the antipope Clement III and the ongoing Investiture Controversy. He was successful in asserting his legitimacy as pope, but his reform policies did not take thorough hold throughout Europe. He did, however, establish a softer stance on the Investiture Controversy that would later make a resolution possible. Long aware of the difficulties pilgrims had been having in the Holy Land, Urban used Emperor Alexius Comnenos call for help as the basis for calling Christian knights to arms in the First Crusade. Urban also called together several important church councils, including those at Piacenza, Clermont, Bari, and Rome, passing notable reform legislation. Sources Butler, Richard U.  Pope Bl. Urban II.  The Catholic Encyclopedia.  Vol. 15.  New York: Robert Appleton Company,  1912. Halsall, Paul. â€Å"Medieval Sourcebook: Urban II (1088-1099): Speech at Council of Clermont, 1095, Five Versions of the Speech.†Ã‚  Internet History Sourcebooks Project, Fordham University, Dec. 1997.

Robinson Crusoe (Close reading) REBIRTH AND DELIVERANCE Research Paper

Robinson Crusoe (Close reading) REBIRTH AND DELIVERANCE - Research Paper Example A matter-of-factly attitude attests to much of the aloof charm and consequent pleasurable reading of the book. There are little to no embellishments that make for an almost autobiographical account of it. The reader is acquainted and intimated to the character and all of his struggles and personal conflicts that are revealed in further reading of Daniel Defoe’s classic tale. The theme of cannibalism in the book gives a mental image to the cultural reality that was evident years ago and quite possibly still at play at some remote barbaric villages unheard of. This first appeared in the book when he was offered by some villagers he came across with. â€Å"They offered me some of the flesh, which I declined, pointing out that I would give it them; but made signs for the skin, which they gave me very freely, and brought me a great deal more of their provisions, which, though I did not understand, yet I accepted† (Defoe, p.48). The idea of eating another human being’s flesh is repulsive to say the least. This is something that no normal and civilized person would ever be capacitated to do. This is one of the most stimulating imagery and ultimately reality that Defoe depicted in his telling of the story of â€Å"Robinson Crusoe.† It may not be pleasing by all means but that doesn’t make it untrue. Eating another person whether he is already dead or not would make anyone convulse at the very thought. This is the kind of plot that suspense and horror films are made of. But â€Å"Robinson Crusoe† is neither a suspense thriller nor a horror film, it rings true not just because of the literal connotation it presents but also because of its figurative meaning. Surely there is much barbarity into consuming a person while he was still alive to than when he is already dead. A person who is still filled with emotions and feelings eaten alive by his fellows. Cannibalism is caused by a lack of food

Constitution questions Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Constitution questions - Article Example That said, however, I would advise that you follow certain guidelines. First, the funding should go to organizations which do not discriminate based upon religious belief or affiliation. Second, the group must not link the distribution of the social benefits to attendance at a church or conversion to a faith. If these guidelines are followed, then the funding of the faith-based initiatives should be fine. Let me begin by stating that free speech is guaranteed under the First Amendment, and should not be abridged except in the most serious of circumstances. This case, as you can see hardly rises to this level; indeed, the pamphlets are merely descriptive and carry no political or ideological message which might be construed as an incitement to violence or the causing of a panic. That something may be offensive is hardly a justification for abridging speech. Without more, these pamphlets, however distasteful to some, ought not to be censored. It must be noted at the outset that defamation, the publication of a fact which is false and harms a person's reputation, is not accorded First Amendment protection in many situations.

An American painting. Winslow Homer Research Paper

An American painting. Winslow Homer - Research Paper Example The artist had done this painting during the last 10 years of his life, when he was 63 years old. The painting of ‘The Gulf Stream’ was created in 1899 and it was a sort of synopsis of the artist’s own lifetime experiences which were steeped in adversity and combined with the memories and reflections of his life. This was not the only painting of ‘The Gulf Stream’ but he had created two other variants of the same with watercolors. In addition to this he also made a few sketches on the same subject. The artist drew inspiration for this painting from different sources. Since he frequently visited Nassau and Florida, his journey took him through the Gulf Stream and this could have been a source of inspiration to him. Studies show that the painting was based on the two winter trips made by the artist to the Bahamas3 in 1884 – 85 and 1898 – 99. Another source of the artist’s inspiration is believed to have come from ‘Mc Cabe†™s Curse’4 which is a Bahamian story that tells of how a British Captain had been robbed and had to survive a terrible storm. Homer also drew inspiration from his father’s death as he was left lonely and abandoned. Painting Description 4 The painting of ‘The Gulf Stream’ was an oil on canvas painting whose dimensions are 28.1 inches by 49.1 inches (71.5 cm x 124.8 cm) Presently, this painting is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.5 The background of the painting shows a rough and violent seascape and a partially lit sky. The center of the painting shows a small rudderless boat, devoid of mast and sails, bobbing up and down on its dark waters. The solitary figure of a man, battling the waves, with huge hungry sharks all around him stands out against the dark background of water. On the right of the boat in the distance a water spout can be seen rising up into the clouded sky. The actual painting of the rough sea is done with brush strokes of blue an d gray that occurs alternating with scant brush strokes of reddish brown. The entire scene is bathed in a creamy white light depicting either dawn or dusk. In the far away distance is the ghostly outline of a ship, very vague in its form and shape, but unfortunately the ship is not noticed by the man in the boat. There is a sort of aesthetic realism6 that is portrayed in this composition. In as much as the author consciously separates the good and evil elements he portrays them together, showing that both good and evil exists in our midst. The helpless man symbolizes vulnerability and abandonment on one hand, but on the other hand he is shown to be calm and at ease among the sharks in the water. Homer’s 5 underlying meaning could have been one of hope with nothing much to fear and suggests strength of character. There is another area of possible symbolism and that is the ebony cross located on the bow of the boat suggesting impending death and a funeral to follow. The open ha tch also could suggest a sort of tomb or a grave. The ethereal ship shown in the distance could symbolize redemption by making peace with ones self. The artist’s use of line and color is so mature showing his experience on oil and canvas. The lines are smooth and the colors such as the shades of grey, blues and creams blend well against each other giving the whole scene an ominous appearance. The color and contours of the figures gives it a dark mood filled with impending danger. From the exquisiteness of the painting it is clearly understood that Winslow Homer was a highly skilled artist of his time. I really liked the painting for its

Financial and marketing analysis Research Paper

Financial and marketing analysis - Research Paper Example Apart from financial analysis, the study also highlights the information pertaining to different sections of the real estate market in Russia. It is worth mentioning that the whole study gives emphasis on JLL operating in Russia. In Russia, JLL plays an important role in drawing investment from real estate investors. It is one of the major places in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, in which JLL has developed lucrative business. The company has offered huge space for office purposes and has covered 323,000 square meters of space. It has also delivered about 11 office buildings to Russians. There are three types of real estate investment in Russia: commercial, residential and industrial. All the three mentioned sectors are crucial for the company as it drives revenue. The company has encountered increasing revenue and profit trend over the years from 2004 to 2013. However, there were a series of challenges for the company, which made significant changes in its financials following changes in earning per share. The challenges were exchange rate volatility, slow down of the Russian economy and most importantly uncertainty in Ukraine, which affected the confidence of investors in real estate marke t. The investor confidence decreased with the decrease in investment patterns in the first two quarters of 2014. In February 2014, the armed forces of Russia began to take over Crimean Peninsula that is situated in Ukraine. Till date the conflict continued as a result there are huge changes in the financial markets in Russia. It caused turbulence in the financial markets and fell drastically due to instability. After the event the real estate market in Russia is also affected. However, after the financial shock in 2008 to 2009, the country’s real estate market was recovering excellently but the sudden conflict made the situation worse for the real estate companies in Russia (The Economic Newspaper Limited, 2014). The

Regulatory and Compliance Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Regulatory and Compliance Issues - Assignment Example This might include insurance policies (Corporations Act 2001, Section 763C). Non-cash payments refers generally to alternatives to cash payments such as cheques, credit cards, debit cards, travellers cheques and so on (Corporations Act 2001, Section 763D). B. Plain English Definition A plain English definition of financial advice is guidance and recommendations from an individual who is qualified and knowledgeable about financial products, estate planning and asset protection. Financial advice is not only based on knowledge, but also based on due diligence. In this regard financial advice is given after taken into account investment, savings, debt creation, debt management and so on that is compatible with the client’s needs and resources. C. Examples of Financial Products in Australia Examples of financial products available in Australia include, managed investment portfolios, derivatives, securities, and foreign exchange agreements. Managed investment portfolios refer to a c ollection of investments made by and on behalf of the owner of financial assets. The idea is to invest those assets in particular undertakings with the expectation that the owner of the assets will acquire some returns. ... Securities are documents that substitute for actual assets or interests in assets. Examples of securities are bonds, stocks, debentures and certificates such as share certificates. Foreign exchange agreements are contracts in which a party agrees to purchase foreign currency at a specified rate on a specific date. Question 2: The Role of the Financial Planner The role of the financial planner in Australia is to evaluate the client’s financial needs and his or her financial circumstances with a view to preparing and implementing a financial plan that realistically helps the client meet his or her financial needs. In this regard, financial planners in Australia provide a variety of services including retirement plans, income planning, superannuation, fund investments, the acquisition of shares, managing risks, managing or reducing debts, implementing savings plans, investing in futures and/or securities, filing taxes, insurance plans, business planning, estate planning and so on (Toten, 2006). Each of these services are tailored toward financial planning and/or asset protection depending on the client’s needs and resources. For example, estate planning would involve the distribution of assets during the life time of the client with the expectation that the estate will not be subject to probate. In such a case, the client might be advised to create a trust deed in which trustees manage the client’s estate for the benefit of the client and his or her children. An insurance plan will also involve financial planning as it would involve making interim payments toward an insurance policy that would insure the client’s life or medical care and thus ensure that the client leaves money to loved ones upon death or has access to

Obamas Need for Help Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Obamas Need for Help - Essay Example To handle the presentation, after the three views are presented, a synthesis will be presented for Obama, since this form is consistent with what he ought to be doing for the United States. From the thoughts of the philosophers, gathering the possible solutions on the part of the president shall then be formulated to assume the different procedures of creating the most efficient approaches to meeting the needs of the government and the present American society. Considerably, through this process, the attention needed for the different aspects of the government of Obama could be provided which is highly assisted through the idealisms of the most known thinkers of the history of the human civilization. With the Global Crisis in place, the magic question is, "How should Obama handle the economic and monetary policies of the United States so that a good number "may pursue the full measure of their happiness" How can Obama show that his administration will be much, much different from previous administrations There are the essential questions for the discussion. Everything begins with an idea. For every idea in that exists in the world of ideas, there exists a counterpart in the world of objects (Plato, Internet). If wealth in the real world is disappearing and more people are losing money each day, might we not consider that the root cause of everything is in the world of ideas How Americans are thinking of poverty and lack. This mentality is damaging since once this evil is born in the world of ideas, it will take form in the world of matter. In our case, evil is the current financial crisis. Taking all these things together, people ought to create money in their mind (Plato, Internet).. By first doing it, it will be possible for the creation of money and prosperity by people mindful to work and trade. Martin Luther on the US Economy "First of all, we should acknowledge the hand of God in our current crisis, and it is only just to say that it is the punishment of the Just God to an unjust nation" (Luther: Internet). On the economy, it has been practiced of old to tax the subjects and people in order to fund wars. The root of all these problems is the unjust tax structure, and the unjustified use of credit. This love of money has rooted in the Institutions of the United States that unless it will repent of her sins, no hope can be offered. John Locke on the US Economy The state should intervene in the crisis. After all, the people has entrusted their will to the government in a social contract. However, it is questionable whether the government should take so drastic things like nationalization of bankrupt companies (STCG: Internet). This shall only give undue burden to people because taxpayers' money shall be used. Obama's Synthesis of the Three Advices on the Economy For Obama, it was indeed the fault of "the irresponsibility of some" that the United States is in real trouble. The proposals by Locke and Luther are good and pro-people. This should be done, but this will be hard. Only time will tell if this could be implemented, but for a start, cutting costs like pulling out of Iraq is the least that this government could do. For Plato, it seems that he wanted Ron Paul to win. Supposed Paul is really right, this cannot be implemented

Regulatory and Compliance Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Regulatory and Compliance Issues - Assignment Example This might include insurance policies (Corporations Act 2001, Section 763C). Non-cash payments refers generally to alternatives to cash payments such as cheques, credit cards, debit cards, travellers cheques and so on (Corporations Act 2001, Section 763D). B. Plain English Definition A plain English definition of financial advice is guidance and recommendations from an individual who is qualified and knowledgeable about financial products, estate planning and asset protection. Financial advice is not only based on knowledge, but also based on due diligence. In this regard financial advice is given after taken into account investment, savings, debt creation, debt management and so on that is compatible with the client’s needs and resources. C. Examples of Financial Products in Australia Examples of financial products available in Australia include, managed investment portfolios, derivatives, securities, and foreign exchange agreements. Managed investment portfolios refer to a c ollection of investments made by and on behalf of the owner of financial assets. The idea is to invest those assets in particular undertakings with the expectation that the owner of the assets will acquire some returns. ... Securities are documents that substitute for actual assets or interests in assets. Examples of securities are bonds, stocks, debentures and certificates such as share certificates. Foreign exchange agreements are contracts in which a party agrees to purchase foreign currency at a specified rate on a specific date. Question 2: The Role of the Financial Planner The role of the financial planner in Australia is to evaluate the client’s financial needs and his or her financial circumstances with a view to preparing and implementing a financial plan that realistically helps the client meet his or her financial needs. In this regard, financial planners in Australia provide a variety of services including retirement plans, income planning, superannuation, fund investments, the acquisition of shares, managing risks, managing or reducing debts, implementing savings plans, investing in futures and/or securities, filing taxes, insurance plans, business planning, estate planning and so on (Toten, 2006). Each of these services are tailored toward financial planning and/or asset protection depending on the client’s needs and resources. For example, estate planning would involve the distribution of assets during the life time of the client with the expectation that the estate will not be subject to probate. In such a case, the client might be advised to create a trust deed in which trustees manage the client’s estate for the benefit of the client and his or her children. An insurance plan will also involve financial planning as it would involve making interim payments toward an insurance policy that would insure the client’s life or medical care and thus ensure that the client leaves money to loved ones upon death or has access to

Rights for the Non-human Animals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Rights for the Non-human Animals - Essay Example Many noted theorists such as Tom Regan, Julian Franklin, Evelyn B. Pluhar, Paola Cavalieri, Mark Rowlands and Gary Francione have made critical contributions to the cause of animal rights. The issue of animal rights involve many legal dilemmas about the direction of changes in the law, the degree of animal welfare must be sought, animal suffering-reduction, compulsory animal rights education and the nature of proto-rights for all animals. The purpose of the essay is to look at the possibilities of broadly defining rights theory in order to recognise the rights of nonhuman animals. The Background: Human-Nonhuman Animal Relations and Postmaterial Society Inglehart’s (1977) theoretical elaboration of the concept postmaterialism well captures the changes occurred in the last fifty years, especially with the developed countries. Postmaterialism also involves the changes brought about in the realm of human-nonhuman relations. Postmaterialism mainly deals with the value changes in th e society as result of the profound transformations. Inglehart’s major point is that â€Å"the new â€Å"value-orientations† among people born after World War II yield better empirical purchase in the study of political movements than the â€Å"interests† at issue in the commonly deployed class-based theories. Referring to â€Å"quality of life† rather than to the instrumentally economic rationality typical of modernization, â€Å"Postmaterial values† arose from the conditions that liberated most people in developed countries from spending their lives on basic material demands and that opened new opportunities for self-expression and aesthetic satisfaction† (Franklin, Tranter and White, 2001, p. 129). Scarcity and socialisation are the basic themes which Inglehart follows in defining the attitude change towards animal rights. It is important to note that people can have differing opinions based on the resourcefulness of their background. Ing lehart’s notion of existential security highlights the â€Å"the fundamental difference between growing up with an awareness that survival is precarious, and growing up with the feeling that one’s survival can be taken for granted† (Inglehart, 1997, p. 31). It does not mean that there is no place for materialism in the developed countries; materialism certainly could come to the forefront but postmaterialism is the dominant trend in the lives of the people in the advanced Western countries. Sica (1988) too has forcefully asserted that postmaterilaism is also essentially a product of postmodernisation. No more the societies in the developed world are determined by the forces of materialism either class based or rational-legal. Present world is increasingly characterised by cultural differences in which lifestyles play a prominent role in defining distinct social groups. Human-animal relations too are being completely reconstituted by the postmaterialist values. I t is argued that â€Å"one of the most significant postmaterialist values that emerged on several fronts concerned the extension of civil rights and social inclusiveness, the breaking down of boundaries drawn on the basis of ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, and age.

Impact of Cultural Revolution on China

Impact of Cultural Revolution on China What effects did the Cultural Revolution have on life in rural China? Introduction In 1966, China’s Communist leader Mao Zedong launched a movement in which became to be known as the Cultural Revolution in order to reassert his authority over the Chinese government. Mao called on the nation’s youth which formed the Red Guard and was Mao’s personal army to purge the impure elements of Chinese society. The Cultural Revolution continued for a decade until Mao’s death in 1976. The Cultural Revolution had such a tormented and violent legacy that it still resided in Chinese politics during the post-revolution era. The Cultural Revolution was a great political movement that took place in the People’s Republic of China in 1966. Mao Zedong was the in charge of starting this movement as he wanted to enforce communism more on the country by trying to remove capitalist and certain elements from the current Chinese society that were affecting his party negatively. This revolution helped Mao Zedong back into power even after the failed five year plan of the ‘Great Leap Forward’. This movement significantly affected China economically and socially which in turn had heavy negative effects on China’s position politically. Many of the youths of China started to from the Red Guard groups as an appeal to Mao to help bring more control and spreading of his influence. These groups conducted a mass purge even on senior officers who were so called accused of being more in favour to the capitalist side rather than following the road of communism that Mao Zedong wants all of China to follow. This group grew significantly and rapidly as more youths were influenced to join the cause in helping Mao and his movement. â€Å"During this turbulent decade, many events happened in China with the most notably the Red Guard movement, nationwide revolutionary rebels and great chaos, the fall of Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, the Lin Biao affair and the movement of millions of youths and intellectuals to the rural country sides. During the different events and stages of the Cultural Revolution, millions of people were killed or who have suffered unspeakable hardships both physically and psychologically.† (Chang, 1999) Context The Cultural Revolution affected the Chinese system as a whole which resulted in many consequences. In the short run, political instability and the economy produced a slower economic growth which resulted in a significant decline in government expenditure and services. Although there were many problems in the main city’s the rural and countryside areas life prospered during the Cultural Revolution as many educated youths who joined Mao’s movement and became a Red Guard moved to the rural areas. â€Å"This first generation of educated rural youth helped village production brigades begin to mechanize agriculture, develop irrigation on a large scale, introduce chemical fertilizer, and experiment with new seeds, crops, and methods, and they also staffed the more than 2,500 small factories and other enterprises set up by Jimo villages during the Cultural Revolution decade.† (Han, 2008) During the Cultural Revolution, Mao who is in charge of the Communist Party implemented a policy which was known as the Down to the Countryside Movement, which was to move the educated youths from the urban areas down to the rural and countryside areas to live and learn. These youths were educated by farmers in understanding a greater role in agrarian labor. These educated youths which were mostly the Red Guards were moved out of the urban areas so that there would be less social disruption than in the urban areas during this conflict. Each individual youth learned the many ways of agrarian labor and were inducted into this new society. As the Cultural Revolution continued on there were a large number of experienced health personnel that were deployed to the countryside. Farmers were given the opportunity of medical training and the building of health centers was established in the countryside to help further improvement of life in the rural areas. This process led to a high improvement in health and life expectancy of the general population in rural areas. â€Å"There were massive expansion of rural middle schools and the development of rural-oriented vocational education during the Cultural Revolution decade.† (Han, 2008) â€Å"Agricultural production began to substantially improve and rural industry took off in Jimo County. The expansion of rural schools and especially the new vocational education programs provided village youth with the training required to modernize agriculture and develop small factories.† (Han, 2008) By June of 1966 many schools and universities all over China had closed down due to the majority of students spending all their time joining the Cultural Revolution movement and becoming a Red Guard for Mao. Millions of these youths were ordered to take part in attacking other citizens and high elite personal that are not wanting or following the movement’s ideologies. Many of the rural villages start to rise up and challenged village officials face to face with public debates, posters and mass meetings. In the first time ever in China, farmers were able to stand up and fight against the government and criticize them for all their faults especially during the Great Leap Forward years. The government officials in charge of the villages were significantly outnumbered and succumbed to the new communes of farmers. Government officials and leaders had lost all of their power and influence during the Cultural Revolution. â€Å"Enthusiastic urban youths in middle schools and colleges formed Red Guard organizations and served as Mao’s crusading army against the traditional party and state establishment before all 17 million in total were sent to the countryside to receive reeducation from local peasants. Deprived of regular school education in their formative years, most members of this cultural revolution generation were at a loss in the competiti on for employment in the post-Revolution reform era.† (Guo, Song Zhou, 2006) Government officials had no choice but to either leave back to the city or reform to the movement’s ways and activities. Many of them did reform and started new life’s and worked as farmers. They had to follow the rules implemented by the farmer’s communes and their new democratic culture which was now being heavily implemented by all villages in the rural areas during the Cultural Revolution period. As time passed on during the Cultural Revolution period, ordinary farmers were empowered and were given more control in the management of the affairs of production teams and brigades. During the revolution years the farmers started many committees which were democratically election. This helped provide the farmers with fair and equal election. With the elected leaders of each committee, production plans and budgets were greatly improved thus improving economic activities and providing a higher growth rate. This improved life greatly in the rural areas during the Cultural Revolution. â€Å"Hence Mao’s idea of a spiral of growth in the villages beginning from simple, labor-intensive, nil-gestation investment and leading on to the modernization of rural China.† (Gray, 2006) Conclusion In conclusion life during the Cultural Revolution period in China for the rural areas was quite successful. With a high number of youths that moved to the rural areas during the down to the countryside movement, the rural areas had a significant increase in overall production and economic growth as new societies were created and increase in infrastructure and services most notably agricultural factories were built. Although this revolution had terrible consequences during the short term such as millions of people suffering or being killed the revolution proved beneficial in its long term as it impacted the entire country for decades to come. â€Å"The Cultural Revolution involved virtually all Chinese people and indirectly many other countries in the world. During the Cultural Revolution, revolutionary art, music and dramas were pursued and major reforms in education, factory management, economic planning, medical care and other areas of Chinese life were carried out. Many of these actually brought bitterness and injury to the Chinese people. During this turbulent decade, China also encountered difficulties, setbacks and isolation in the international relations area in the late 1960s and only made some efforts to try and improve its relations with other countries and expand its diplomatic base in the 1970s.† (Chang, 1999) â€Å"This 10 yearlong class struggle on a massive scale caused unprecedented damage to traditional culture and to the nation’s economy. To a great extent, it was the disaster of the Cultural Revolution that prompted post-Mao Chinese communist leaders ahead of their soviet counterparts to implement pragmatic economic reforms. Major policies that the post-Mao government has adopted, even today may still be best understood as a reaction to the racial politics of the Cultural Revolution. â€Å"(Guo, Song Zhou, 2006) Word Count: 1447 Bibliography Chang, T. (1999). China during the Cultural Revolution, 1966-1976 (1st Ed.). Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. Depts.washington.edu. (2014). Cultural Revolution. Retrieved 19 April 2014, from https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/9wenge.htm Gray, J. (1990). Rebellions and revolutions (1st Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Gray, J. (2006). Remembering Jack Gray (1st Ed.). Guo, J., Song, Y., Zhou, Y. (2006). Historical dictionary of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1st Ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. Guo, J., Song, Y., Zhou, Y., Guo, J. (2009). The A to Z of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1st Ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. Han, D. (2001). Impact of the Cultural Revolution on Rural Education and Economic Development. Modern China, 27(1), 5990. Han, D. (2008). The unknown cultural revolution (1st Ed.). New York: Monthly Review Press. HISTORY.com. (2014). Cultural Revolution Facts Summary HISTORY.com. Retrieved 19 April 2014, from http://www.history.com/topics/cultural-revolution HsuÃÅ'ˆ, I. (1970). The rise of modern China (1st Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Kissinger, H. (2011). On China (1st Ed.). New York: Penguin Press. Potter, S. (1988). The cultural construction of emotion in rural Chinese social life. Ethos, 16(2), 181208. Singhal, D. (1972). A year in upper felicity: life in a Chinese village during the Cultural Revolution (1st Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall. Zhou, X., Hou, L. (1999). Children of the Cultural Revolution: The state and the life course in the Peoples Republic of China. American Sociological Review, 1236