Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Physics of the Human Eye Essay - 2076 Words

Physics of the human eye. The human eye, what a complex but fascinating organ. It has the ability to see past the horizon and observe the different colors of a rainbow. The eye can be quicker then a race car but slow enough to witness a snail crawling across a beach. The eye can capture objects at various different angles, such as birds flying overhead or a person walking right beside you. Yes indeed, the eye is probably the greatest sense a person can have. The eye is so vast and complex. To try and write everything about the eye would take a very long time. Compiling all the information and then putting it down on paper, a person could write another book. The eyeball it self weighs about 7gm., the volume 6.5cc., and its specific†¦show more content†¦(Fig 1.) Normally when we see an image, it is because light passes through the cornea, pupil and lens. Both the cornea and lens work in conjunction to focus the image on the retina. The lens is actual flexible so that it may become flatter or more rounded, so that is able to focus the image on the retina. In normal healthy eyes, the light that passes through the eye and that is focused on the retina. This light has the right focal point. This means that the eye converges parallel light rays from distant objects to a point that is focused on the retina. (6) This focal point is located directly in the back of the eyeball on which the image is formed. (1) (Fig. 2) When light enters the eye, the lens forms an image that is inverted (similar to a camera). This means that the retinas in our eyes interpret the image as being right side up by our eye-brain system. Fig. 1 Fig. 2 (Eye anatomy) (Normal eye) If an individual was experiencing any loss in vision, it would be a good idea to test your vision. A eye chart (see fig 3. Pg.3) could be placed in a well illuminated area and the person would stand about 6 meters from the chart. The lowest line that you can read correctly is you visual acuity. If the chart printed is the correct size, the calibrated line should measure 100mm. If so, the calibration should be multiplied by 2.26. An example, the calibration line is 100 mm, 100 * 2.36 = 236 inches, or 19 feet, 8 inches (which is about 20Show MoreRelatedEssay on Physics in Everyday Life1684 Words   |  7 PagesPhysics in Everyday Life 1 Just about everything you do from moving to eating to listening to music involves physics. Now that I have really explored them I think it is hard to go about our day and not do something that involves physics. Some of the things I will talk about are getting out of bed, the eye and how eye glasses help a person see better, speakers, the Frisbee, sailing, and the pulleys I use to get my jeep unstuck in the mud when I ride in the woods. All of theseRead MorePhysics in Cameras713 Words   |  3 Pagesto do this is through physics. 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Either way I’m shaking in them. My second time up here and I’m still imaging each one of your eyes shooting out space lasers of judgement. So this is one of the rare occasions where I can honestly say it’s you and not me. Kinda ironic, musician, John Mayer use to experience stage fright as well, while performing some of his major hits like his songRead MoreAristotles Teachings Essay examples799 Words   |  4 Pagesmathematics, physics, and even arts, he also had some very complex and advanced teachings on what we would today call psychology. Many of his teachings on ethics and politics would fall under the study of psychology as well. One of the most revolutionary ideas that Aristotle brought to the study of the mind, he also brought to many other studies. 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Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln Essay - 2382 Words

Abraham Lincoln paved a path of equality and freedom for slaves and people of the 1800s as well as having a major impact on society and government; Abraham Lincoln s engagement with the public people skyrocketed his career as being a president and a suitable leader to the people of the United States of America. Born on February 12th, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln in his later years would be known as one of the most influential leaders of all time. Abraham Lincoln was born into a poverty-stricken and illiterate family in the backwoods of Kentucky. Although the greater part of his family was uneducated, Lincoln strived to better educate himself regardless of his families finical and social situation. As a juvenile, Lincoln stood out among many. In his later years, Lincoln found himself in the town of New Salem with a job at a general store. Lincoln used many of his survival skills learned as a child, such as the capability to split trees and performing other hard work, this created a platform for himself and made a name for himself among the community of New Salem. At age twenty-three young Lincoln started his political career. The same year he moved to Salem, he began to run for the general assembly of New Salem. Soon after his announcement of running for general assembly, the infamous Black Hawk War began. While Lincoln was still in the running for general assembly, in place of campaigning, Lincoln turned his efforts in other directions. Lincoln joinedShow MoreRelatedThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln1958 Words   |  8 PagesLeadership and Legacy: Background Research Paper Abraham Lincoln By:Audrey Knight Introduction Great leader and main topic Abraham Lincoln lived in the 1800’s where he accomplished many things in his 54 years of life. He lived in the U.S. through several major events in history and left a legacy that will never be forgotten. As the 16th president of the United States he brought about the emancipation of slavery, preserved the Union during the Civil War, and served the people. His heroic leadershipRead MoreThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln933 Words   |  4 PagesSynopsis Regarded as one of the United States of America greatest heroes, Abraham Lincoln is famous for his unique appeal and incredible impact on the nation. He was the United States 16th president. His story is an astounding one rising from a humble background to become the most powerful man the land. However, at the time when his country needed him most, a tragic and sudden death strikes him. He is assassinated. He left a legacy that endured due to his unique humane personality as a leader of the unionRead MoreThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln Essay2383 Words   |  10 PagesReport Name Abraham Lincoln paved a path of equality and freedom for slaves and people of the 1800s as well as having a major impact on society and government; Abraham Lincoln s engagement with the public people skyrocketed his career as being a president and a suitable leader to the people of the United States of America. Born on February 12th, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln in his later years would be known as one of the most influential leaders of all time. Abraham Lincoln was bornRead MoreThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln1217 Words   |  5 PagesAbraham Lincoln was born in the year 1809 on February 12th in the town of Hardin County, Kentucky to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. Growing up Lincoln had no proper education, consequently he read books and educated himself. During Lincoln’s young adult years, he worked a various number of jobs as a shopkeeper, surveyor, and a postmaster. In 1832, Lincoln became a captain of the Hawk War against the Native Americans. Shortly after the war was over, he began his political career and was elected to theRead MoreThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln1817 Words   |  8 Pagesmore than any of these other men: Abraham Lincoln, the man who freed the slaves. Abraham Lincoln, born February 12, 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky, is widely considered to be one of the greatest presidents to have ever been in office. During the course of his presidency, Lincoln not only lead the Union during the Civil War and tried to unify the nation through a harsh time of crisis, conflict, and bloodshed: through his beliefs, his example and his legacy, Lincoln freed the slaves, gave them the rightRead MoreThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln1826 Words   |  8 Pages Abraham Lincoln’s victory in the 1860 presidential election, was a beacon of hope for many slaves in America. Becoming the 16th president of the United States serving from 1861 to 1865, Abraham Lincoln is one of America’s most celebrated heroes. Holding office during the years of the American Civil War, Lincoln preserved the Union, while creating a new era that consisted of emancipated African American slaves. After winning a victory at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, he issuedRead MoreLegacy Of Abraham Lincoln s Legacy Essay1582 Words   |  7 PagesLegacy Leader: Abraham Lincoln A legacy leader is someone who has left a positive and lasting impression in society due to his or her leadership qualities and/or traits. Abraham Lincoln is a prime example of a legacy leader due to the leadership traits he displayed throughout his presidency. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He exhibited great leadership qualities such as integrity, duty, and selfless service. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and hisRead MoreThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln1500 Words   |  6 PagesAbraham Lincoln has been studied more than any other in American history. In fact, over 15,000 different books have been written about our 16th president. Throughout the pages of these books, President Lincoln is affectionately referred to by many different names, such as the Railsplitter, Honest Abe, and the Great Emancipator. A vast majority of these written works honor Lincoln as one of our greatest presidents. Not everyone feels that way, however. Charles Adams, in his book, When in the CourseRead MoreThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln1292 Words   |  6 PagesAbraham Lincoln has been called the greatest president in all of American history. His principles were dedicated to the survival of the United States during one of the most gruesome and bloody wars in the country s history, the American Civil War. During his presidency, he fought for the emancipation of slaves because he believed the institution of slavery was morally unjust. His ideals, which appealed to the founding principles of the country, energized and mobilized the union and kept it aliveRead MoreThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln928 Words   |  4 PagesP. Thomas, Abraham Lincoln: A Biography (Southern Illinois University Press, 2008). †¢ David Herbert Donald, We Are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and His Friends (Simon Schuster, 2004). †¢ Roy Morris Jr., The Long Pursuit: Abraham Lincoln’s Thirty-Year Struggle with Stephen Douglas for the Heart and Soul of America (Bison Books, 2010). 5. Similar Articles: †¢ Mary Frances Berry, â€Å"Lincoln and Civil Rights for Blacks,† Volume 2, Issue 1, 1980, pp. 46-57 (Journal of The Abraham Lincoln Association)

Monday, December 9, 2019

American National Identity In Presidential Rhetoric Rhetorical Analys

Question: Describe about the American National Identity In Presidential Rhetoric for Rhetorical Analysis? Answer: Rhetorical Analysis of the Speech delivered by President Barrack Obama in Prague, April 5, 2009 The rhetorical analysis is the process by which an analyst defines, analyzes, evaluates and interprets the artifacts (Dam, Holmgreen and Strunck). The speech made by the US President Barrack Obama in Prague in 2009 is analyzed on rhetoric grounds with various approaches of ethos, pathos, logos and kairos. The presidential speech was aimed at bearing a moral responsibility for the launch of a new age of nuclear disarmament and thereby eliminating the nuclear stocks. The paper deals in analyzing the rhetoric situation and then implementing the different approaches to the analysis. The main focus of the speech made by Barrack Obama in Prague was aimed at the addressing the challenge of atomic power to which he assures that the advent and the use of nuclear weapons would be banned during his reign. There was urgency in the speech in order to maintain political stability as it was the expiration of the Treaty of Moscow (SORT). The speech was not on political grounds as there was no persuasion on a particular event or a situation where the audience would be required to vote for or against the restoration of the treaty (Weigand). The venue of this speech was selected to be Prague mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, it was the NATO anniversary at Czech and secondly, President Obama has recognizes the support by Czech regarding the military mission in Afghanistan. The narration of the President includes his pathos and rhetoric behavior which is lead to the achievement of his persuasive goals (Zagacki, Kenneth S). The ethos of the speech is reflected in the beginning of exordium. The ethos forms the ethical appeal which is described as the act of convincing the audience by the character of the speaker. The US President Barrack Obama holds that authoritative position where he is able to deliver his speech to tens of thousands of audience gathered in Prague. Some aspects of the ethos are fulfilled as the President had tried to convey the series of incidents, the characters in those incidents to make the audience understand his arguments for building nations free of nuclear weapons. The president clearly stated the long term goal to establish his motives. First, the United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons. To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same. Out of three categories of ethos stated by Aristotle, eunoia fits this type of speech where the aim of the President is to render goodwill towards the audience as America tried to establish the commitment to ensure peace and security of a world by eliminating nuclear weapons (Whately and Ehninger). While there are many critics who expressed their review that this commitment could not be achieved considering the resistance imposed by seven countries that possess nuclear arms. As the president had been skeptical about this strategy when he stated that; Now, I know that there are some who will question whether we can act on such a broad agenda. There are those who doubt whether true international cooperation is possible, given inevitable differences among nations. And there are those who hear talk of a world without nuclear weapons and doubt whether it's worth setting a goal that seems impossible to achieve. This is in the form of a logical fallacy as it falls under the categories of Circular Reasoning and Bandwagon effect. The circular reasoning states that an argument that the speaker states something without any evidences as in the case of the resistance that would be imposed from the seven nations that have nuclear weapons. President Obama had stated to free the world from nuclear weapons which is also falls under bandwagon appeal as the statement is a result of the importance of large number of people who supports the argument (Stuckey, Mary E). The pathos of the speech by President Obama is represented by the constitutive rhetoric and rhetorical devices with the use of metaphors and repetitions. He induces and instills emotional responses through fear and anger by stating the unavoidable threat to nuclear attack. The president also states that the small nations never considered the international stages regarding the nuclear. The pathos is the emotional aspect of rhetoric analysis which occurs when the speaker is able to persuade the audience by appealing at the emotional level. The president is able to influence the audience by rendering them with plausible solution to the challenge of nuclear weapons and war. In this way, the audience is able to be under the control of President Obama and he is able to attain his persuasive goal of disarmament and joining forces with the US (whitehouse.gov). The notion of the speech emphasizes the importance of the eliminating nuclear weapons in a logical way. President Obama addresses his argument with the help of the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the time of the Second World War along with the rocket testing in North Korea. Obama is quite clear with his ideologies and have stated that the Iran and terrorist groups would have to face dire consequences if they do not abide by the norms set by the US. This is best explained by the Toulmin model where Obama has used logos (Fahnestock, Jeanne). The logos refer to the logical persuasion of the audience using appropriate reasoning (McCrisken, Trevor) which appears in his speech. Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something. The world must stand together to prevent the spread of these weapons. Obamas reasoning for his disarmament decision was supported by the logical reasoning that nuclear weapons are destructive and dangerous and its existence meant elimination of living beings on earth. However, Obama also feared about the issue of terrorism and stated that if terrorist possess these harmful nuclear weapons then that will be the end of mankind. This would help US not only to achieve the persuasive goal of eliminating nuclear weapons but also to drive away the threat of terrorism. According to Aristotles rhetoric analysis, Kairos considers the time and space context in which the speech must be delivered. Obama has correctly utilized the time context of the speech delivery as the treaty of Moscow was on the verge of expiry as well as the ensuring the political stability. So basically the notion of Kairos has been represented by the very occurrence of the events that is regarded to be opportune moment (Rowland, Robert C., and John M. Jones). President Obama has also used various rhetorical devices and tools in the form of parallelism, personification and metaphor. The parallelism has been depicted when the president has expressed his global concern regarding safety, security of the society and the economy as a whole for the ultimate survival. The personification is represented when president stated that through the global effort the United States is ready to be the moral leader which implies that the country is personified like a character (Vanessa Beasley). Obama has also used metaphor like the single flash of flash by explaining the notion of explosion in a more dramatic way. Also the verb to combat is an evidence of the metaphorical language Thus, this analysis has proved that the goal of Obama in instilling the issue of disarmament in the minds of the audience has proved to be a sensitive issue. From line 207 to 209 President uses many metaphors which are addressed to Czech: Those are the voices that still echo through the streets of Prague. Those are the ghosts of 1968. Those were the joyful sounds of the Velvet Revolution. Those were the Czechs who helped bring down a nuclear-armed empire without firing a shot. The voices are like the forces of freedom of the Czechs during the reign of the Soviet Union; The Prague Spring is also referred to as the ghosts of 1968. In the words of President Obama, promises towards a secured world has been kept as America was the host of the first International Nuclear Security Summit in April 2010 which almost aimed at the notion of President Obama had stated in his speech in Prague. The rhetoric analysis yields that the three proofs of rhetoric which are ethos, pathos and logos along with kairos are established. References Beasley, Vanessa B.You, the people: American National Identity In Presidential Rhetoric. No. 10. Texas AM University Press, 2011. Dam, Lotte, Lise-Lotte Holmgreen, and Jeanne Strunck.Rhetorical Aspects Of Discourses In Present-Day Society. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars, 2008. Print. Fahnestock, Jeanne.Rhetorical style: The uses of language in persuasion. Oxford University Press, 2011. McCrisken, Trevor. "Ten years on: Obama's war on terrorism in rhetoric and practice."International Affairs87.4 (2011): 781-801. Rowland, Robert C., and John M. Jones. "One dream: Barack Obama, race, and the American dream."Rhetoric Public Affairs14.1 (2011): 125-154. Stuckey, Mary E. "Rethinking the Rhetorical Presidency and Presidential Rhetoric 1."Review of Communication10.1 (2010): 38-52. Weigand, Edda.Dialogue And Rhetoric. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2008. Print. Whately, Richard, and Douglas Ehninger.Elements Of Rhetoric. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010. Print. whitehouse.gov,. 'Remarks By President Barack Obama In Prague As Delivered'. N.p., 2009. Web. 29 July 2015. Zagacki, Kenneth S. "Constitutive rhetoric reconsidered: Constitutive paradoxes in GW Bush's Iraq war speeches."Western Journal of Communication71.4 (2007): 272-293.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The Collection of Intelligence Information in the Current World Essay Example

The Collection of Intelligence Information in the Current World Essay â€Å"So much information is now available on the Internet (even if some of it is inaccurate) that intelligence collection in the traditional sense is now no longer necessary†. Do you agree? What kinds of information might or might not be available? As a decision-maker would you agree to give up intelligence sources? Introduction Governments â€Å"run â€Å" on information. They need to be constantly aware of what is occurring around them, and how this could affect their interests, in order to take the right decisions at the right time. However not all the information they need is publicly available, which is why intelligence agencies were created with the objective of collecting, analysing and using confidential information, obtained secretly, to advise decision-makers. The collection process takes place after certain tasks have been assigned by the decision-makers, and consists of acquiring the necessary information which will then be treated at a later stage of the intelligence cycle. Traditionally, the collecting process of such agencies comes from either human intelligence, meaning information directly transmitted from a trustworthy person to an intelligence officer, or technical intelligence, which uses technology and machines to obtain this information. Today, however, the collection process of all information-seeking organizations has been transformed with the Internet. It is the largest, fastest-expanding source of information worldwide, where anybody on any point of the globe can post or have access to information. We will write a custom essay sample on The Collection of Intelligence Information in the Current World specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Collection of Intelligence Information in the Current World specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Collection of Intelligence Information in the Current World specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The impact of the Internet on Intelligence agencies is undoubtable, and it has become a major component of open-source intelligence (OSINT, the process of acquiring information from public sources to be treated and put in use for intelligence purposes). It provides information which is cheaper, more accessible, more timely and easier to disseminate in a shorter time. This has lead some people to believe that: â€Å"So much information is now available on the Internet (even if some of it is inaccurate) that intelligence collection in the traditional sense is now no onger necessary†. Has the Internet revolutionized the information collection process to the point of making the traditional methods obsolete? In this paper, I will defend the view that it has not, thus disagreeing with the statement above[1]. I will discuss that information available on the Internet is no replacement to information collected in the traditional sense, both theoretically (I) and in practice (II), even though it is a useful instrument which can also be used to guide decision-makers (III). I) The theoretical distinction between information available on the Internet and traditional intelligence collection In 2005, General Michael Hayden, from the US Open Source Centre, stated that â€Å"just because information is stolen, it does not make it better†[2]. This is true, however, what if the information was â€Å"stolen† because it was not available anywhere else? One must not confuse the terms information and intelligence. Information is made up of the facts agencies seek; intelligence is the process of acquiring and making use of confidential information which responds to the governments interests. Of course, if this information was available on the Internet, no rational organization would prefer to spend more money, more resources and a greater effort on high-risk operations, which is what information collection implies in the intelligence domain. The problem is that the information intelligence agencies seek is voluntarily hidden by the entity that controls it, which is why it is confidential, and for obvious reasons not posted on the Internet. Moreover, the more people that have a piece of information, the harder it is to have control over it, which incites organizations detaining information to keep it to themselves. By definition, intelligence information is therefore unavailable elsewhere. Consequently, the information on the Internet has a different content to information coming from intelligence, hence it cannot replace it. Furthermore, the definition of intelligence does not only regard the content of the information, it also concerns how the information is collected. According to David Chuter’s definition, intelligence means that the entity from which information is obtained does not want you to have it, and does not realize you have acquired it. On the contrary, the person posting information on the Internet wants you to have access to it and is aware anybody could acquire it. [3] Therefore, in both aspects of the definition of intelligence, there is a clear distinction between information coming from intelligence and from the Internet, and because of their difference in nature, one cannot replace the other. However, in practice, this theoretical distinction is blurred due to the fact that anybody can post on the Internet, including holders of confidential information. They could, for example, want to harm the person or organization they work for by making such information public through the Internet. II) In practice, the Internet is no replacement to traditional information collection The Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1988, General Alfred Gray Jr. , said that â€Å"most of the intelligence which needs to be known could be obtained via open-source information†[4], which the Internet is a major source of. Undoubtedly, with the huge amount of information available on the Internet, this must be true. There are examples of confidential information been publicly made available through the internet, such as the major Wikileaks information release on confidential subjects- the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq, amongst others. We could then ask ourselves: what if confidential information has been canalized through the Internet and we no longer need intelligence to retrieve it? The information intelligence agencies search for must be important and useful, or it would be irrelevant to the governments that need it. This means it must go through numerous filters and a high discrimination process. The Internet, while it may provide useful facts, has such an enormous amount of information that it impedes this selection process from being efficient. John McLaughlin, a former deputy CIA director, says In the Cold War, we struggled to get data. Today, the problem is that there is too much data–more than we can handle. [5] This can result in an information overload, meaning huge amounts of time and effort to be used to scan the information and select which is actually important. The difficulties in collecting information from the Internet go further than the quantitative issue. Because the information available on the Internet is what the person publishing it wants others to see, it can be dangerous because depending on this persons interests the information could be contradictory, misleading or even false, hampering the whole intelligence cycle. To avoid this, and as with any information collection, the source must be considered trustworthy, and this is always a difficult matter. On the Internet it is even more so: information is often anonymous, and meta-data (such as the circumstances surrounding the piece of information or the motivations of the person providing it) is extremely limited. Just like Jorge Luis Borges illustrates in his short story The Library of Babel, if one cannot tell what is true from what is false, the information is useless. Consequently, further sources are needed to prove the truthfulness of information and avoid being mislead. This means returning to traditional intelligence collection methods, in which case the Internet cannot be considered a source of information in itself. It can be seen, however, as inspiration for a further investigation. Moreover, the immensity of information available on the Internet incites certain types of behaviour in the information collectors, linked to their subjectiveness, that are also counter-productive for information collection. Political pressure is a potential source of error because it encourages agents to search in a certain direction, which the Internet, with its near-infinite information, is sure to justify. Firstly, it must be noted that not all information an agency looks for is necessarily available, however, the large amounts of information available on the Internet encourage people to believe such information exists. Secondly, misleading sources can exaggerate and create non-existent threats, which is sometimes what intelligence agencies are looking for in order to justify their utility. Thirdly, it is part of human behaviour to struggle to admit you are wrong, especially after investing effort in trying to prove the opposite. Once again, of all the information available on the Internet, that which proves you are in the right direction is likely to be picked, and the rest avoided, encouraging wish-fulfilment behaviour and confirmation bias. With these practical issues concerning information collected from the Internet, it can therefore be considered dangerous for it to be considered a source of information in itself. Nevertheless, it should not altogether be denied a role in information collection. The usefulness of the Internet and its place in the decision-making process If not a trustworthy source by itself, the Internet certainly contributes to a better information collection. Firstly, it directly facilitates the collection of open-source information which is then used for intelligence purposes. Such is the case, for example, with radio or television broadcasts which are now available online. In this example, it means monitors no longer have to be near the broadcast source, nor is complex equipment needed (antennas ) to obtain these broadcasts. [6] The Internet has an incredible logistical advantage, providing cheaper sources in real time all around the globe. Open-source information is useful in providing complementary information to the confidential one. It helps determine the context and the circumstances in which the information is transmitted; it serves to â€Å"fill in the gaps†. This is essential, seen as a piece of information taken out of context makes no sense or cannot be used efficiently. Intelligence failures often come from an inability to understand â€Å"the bigger picture† or the general context of a given situation. For example, during the Vietnam war, the strategic concept of the conflict was misunderstood: the US believed it was mainly a Soviet-Chinese supported conflict and ignored the major influence of Vietnamese communists and nationalists. Moreover, information coming from he Internet is in real-time, so it can help those who collect the information assimilate new situations which arise from social or economic change for instance, and to do so quickly. It is therefore important source of collateral information, which enhances traditional information collection and enables it to be understood and interpreted. From a decision-makers point of view, most confidential information is not available on the Internet (despite some examples whi ch today are still very limited), which signifies traditional intelligence sources of information can by no means be given up on. The Internet is however an essential tool which must be integrated in the collection process, and in the other stages of the intelligence cycle, in order for the information provided to be pertinent. It can also serve as inspiration for further investigation, as long as its potential dangers are understood, for it is easy for decision-makers, who are under political power, to get carried away by misleading available on the Internet. Conclusion In summary, on one hand, most of the information available on the Internet is not the one which interests intelligence services because they seek mainly confidential information. On the other hand, some of the information on the Internet hampers information collection because it can be misleading, contradictory, or even false and can lead to counter-productive behaviour from the intelligence agents. Consequently, the information available is not always the one intelligence services are looking for. In addition, there is a theoretical distinction linked to the fact information coming from intelligence must be unavailable elsewhere, which means information from the Internet cannot replace traditional intelligence. This does not imply the Internet should be avoided by intelligence services, on the contrary, it can provide essential information in complement to that obtained by intelligence services. It simply means the dangers of the Internet should be kept in the mind of decision-makers who must find the balance between these two sources of information. [1] Only the collection stage of the intelligence cycle will be discussed concerning the impact of the Internet, as this is what the statement points to. [2]http://www. usnews. om/news/national/articles/2008/09/12/spy-agencies-turn-to-newspapers-npr-and-wikipedia-for-information. [3]According to this definition, open-source intelligence is not a actually a source of intelligence, the concept open-source information in use for intelligence purposes is therefore more appropriate. [4]Global Intelligence Challenges in the 1990s, American Intelligence Journal (Winter 1989–1990) [5] http://www. usnews. com/usnews/news/articles/061103/3dni. an alysts. htm [6]https://www. cia. gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol48no3/article05. html

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Mobile Communication Satellite Systems The WritePass Journal

Mobile Communication Satellite Systems Introduction Mobile Communication Satellite Systems IntroductionReferences:Related Introduction In this era of 21st century one cannot imagine human life without mobile communication. From mobile handsets to computers, smart-phones to laptops, iPads and Cable Television systems everything is part of this mobile communication era. As the countries are progressing, competition among them is increasing all over the world. With the advancement in technology lives of people are getting faster and busier, businesses and industries are expanding globally, therefore, the demand for mobile communication is increasing immensely with every passing day. Scientists, researchers and engineers are always looking for ways to serve the world with this demanding technology in every possible way. During the last 25 years there has been a tremendous growth in the field of satellite communication. The idea of using the Satellite Systems for mobile communication has appealed to many people in the past and it still continue to do so. There has been an extensive research going on in this particular area globally. A lot of progress has been achieved so far but it is a fact that advancement in technology can probably never end. As the demand for communication is increasing, means and resources to carry out this communication are often limited. For instance if communication of information is to take place between the countries that are hundreds of miles apart, across the ocean, the typical wired medium cannot always be used. And also how are we supposed to communicate when we are not connected to the land communication systems by any means? Here satellite systems come into play. With the help of satellite systems we can provide mobile communication services even to very fast moving vehicles, to the aircrafts during flights, to ships and submarines in oceans, and also to remote areas of earth where there is no communication infrastructure. So in this way we are able to provide services to the areas where application of wired cable medium is not always practically possible. Satellites are the object that revolves around the earth in fixed orbits. These satellites are at typically 400 km to 36000 km above the earth surface. Our purpose of communication over long distances is served by these satellites. Another advantage of using the satellite systems for communication is that they can cover a very large geographical area over the earth surface to provide communication means. When we are using a satellite system we are not limited by the problem factors that we encounter on earth such as laying hundreds of miles of expensive cables, space and land to store machinery and equipment to handle this sort of communication, buildings to handle all the infrastructure needed etc. Therefore, Satellite Systems are often given a thought as a better alternative for mobile communication. Before we look into the details of how mobile communication takes place through these satellites, we need to first understand the satellite systems in general as well to have a better understanding of how the whole technology works. Satellites are sent into space from earth. When in space above the earth surface, these satellites are made to revolve around the earth in fixed orbits with the help of gravitational force of the earth. To understand the phenomenon we can take a very simple and well known example from nature and that is of the Moon. Moon is the natural satellite and as it revolves around the earth, it shines over a huge geographical region of the earth. In a similar fashion, man made artificial satellites, though not as big as the moon but still, covers a considerably large section of the earth to provide communication. These artificial telecommunication satellites can be in four different kinds of orbits above the earth surface depending on the purpose they were sent into space. These can either be geo-stationary orbits, elliptical orbits, medium earth orbit or low earth orbits. In geo-stationary orbits, as shown in Figure 1, the satellite remains at a fixed location over the earth surface which means it covers the same geographical region of the earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Figure1: Geo-Stationary Orbit Elliptical orbits are used when satellites are required to cover a certain geographical area of the earth for longer period of time than the other geographical region of the earth. Figure 2 displays in general a satellite in an elliptical orbit. Figure2: Elliptical Orbiting Satellite Medium earth orbit is between 5000 km to 15000 km above the earth surface. While in low earth orbits, satellites revolve around the earth in circular orbit at about 400 km above the earth surface. Figure 3 depicts the low earth orbits (LEO) and medium earth orbits (MEO) of a satellite. Figure3: LEO and MEO orbiting Satellite Three types of services can be offered by a telecommunication satellite. First is FSS (Fixed Satellite Services), which is for long distance telecommunication services provided by different telecommunication networks on earth stations. Second is DBS (Direct Broadcast Satellite services), which is used for direct Television signals broadcasting from large earth stations. And third is MSS (Mobile Satellite Services), which is used to provide mobile communication services to different stations on earth. In the year 1976, Mobile Satellite Communication was started by Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), which is a US based company belonging to the field of telecommunications. The communication satellites launched by them were called MARISAT (Maritime Satellites) and later an International Maritime Satellite organization (INMARSAT) was formed which now provides Mobile Satellite Communication Services [1]. Earlier satellite communication used to take place by routing calls and information from public landline to an earth station first, and then forwarding them to the satellite. But now mobile communication can take place directly between a satellite and a station or handset on earth. This entire phenomenon fantastically sounds simple but there can be few problems as well in using satellites for mobile communications. For instance, keeping the satellite in its orbit is not an easy task. The orbital motion does not depend only upon the earth’s gravitational pull. When a satellite is in its orbit, its orbit is also affected by the presence of other bodies such as the Moon and Sun. Moreover, our earth is not a perfect sphere so its own gravitational force on a satellite can vary at different locations and the Moon and Sun have their own gravitational forces as well that affects the path of a satellite. Under all these circumstances, satellites do drift from their original path which needs to be adjusted in order to keep the satellite on track. To transmit and receive signals, these telecommunication satellites have a number of antennas to receive signals from one mobile earth station and transmit it to one or more mobile earth station. There is a Doppler Shift as well in the transmitted signal which occurs because of the movement of the satellite and rotation of the earth about its own axis. Mobile communication satellite systems can provide services to those areas that cannot get services from networks on earth. These systems can be of three possible forms [2]. First is that a direct link to the gateway of satellite station can be given to a mobile earth station to connect to the network. Second is that a mobile earth station can be connected to a translator station through a radio link which is responsible to transmit the data from a mobile earth station to the gateway station through a satellite link. In the third type of mobile communication satellite system again a direct link can be provided to a mobile earth station but a dedicated satellite system would be required for this purpose. Different frequency bands are allocated to the satellites to perform mobile communication. Mostly used frequency bands are L-Band, C-Band, Ka-Band and Ku-Band. L-Band has the uplink frequency of 1.6 GHz and a downlink frequency of 1.5 GHz for commercial mobile satellite services (MSS). The long wavelength of this band allows it penetrate building structures and also get least affected by rain. Therefore, less powerful antenna transmitters are required. C-Band has the uplink frequency of 6 GHz and a downlink frequency of 4 GHz. Ka-Band uplink and downlink frequencies are 30 GHz and 20 GHz respectively for commercial use of mobile satellite mobile services and 44 GHz and 20 GHz of uplink and downlink frequencies for military use. This band has very large spectrum and high bandwidths available. But due to short wavelengths, it is largely affected by rain. Therefore, to increase the signal power very high power transmitters are required. On the other hand, Ku-Band has the medium range of frequencies. The uplink frequency is 14 GHz and downlink frequency is 12 GHz for fixed commercial use. Due to medium wavelengths, its signals can also penetrate many structures and are still able to provide high bandwidths but still they are affected by rain. As the earth terrestrial networks, satellites are also required to serve a number of users simultaneously. So at a time when millions of users are accessing satellite services there is a need to have some sort of mechanism to differentiate and secure each user’s transmission. For this purpose, there are a number of multiple access schemes of which the three most commonly used are TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). In TDMA, there are different time slots. Each mobile earth station transmits its data in chunks in a specific time slot at the same frequency. So the data of each user is differentiated in different time slots. In FDMA, different frequency bands are allocated to different users for both the uplink and downlink channels. However, TDMA is a better because of its lower distortions of inter-modulation. In FDMA, downlink bandwidth is divided among a number of users whereas in TDMA full downlink bandwidth is available to all users during a specific time slot allocated. Also in FDMA, we may have to decrease transponder power by one half to minimize the distortion due to inter-modulation. The third most commonly used multiple access scheme CDMA has no restrictions as in TDMA and FDMA. Each user can transmit its data at any time and can also use the same frequency bandwidth. In CDMA, each mobile earth station’s transmission is separated by a unique code. Signals transmission are separated by using spread spectrum technology that is why CDMA is also called Spread spectrum Multiple Access. Spread spectrum scheme assigns to each mobile station a unique code to generate a pseudorandom sequence to separate signals transmission and to spread the transmission across the whole bandwidth available from the satellite. When the signals transmission arrives at the receiver, it can be extracted by using the same sequence generated initially. The only limitation of the CDMA scheme is that it is very expensive to implement and can support a very limited number of mobile earth stations at a time. As the science has advanced in technology, there are a number of mobile communication satellite systems now. Now we have a look at the different mobile communications satellite systems that exist today. These mobile communication satellite systems are divided into three groups namely: Geo-Stationary Systems, Big Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Systems and little Low Earth Orbit Systems. In Geo-stationary systems, INMARSAT and MSAT are the two satellite systems that we have. In Big LEO systems we have IRIDIUM, ARIES, ELLIPSO and ODYSSEY satellite systems. For little LEO systems we have LEOSAT, STARNET, ORBCOMM, and VITASAT satellite systems. Of these satellite systems, International Maritime Satellite (INMARSAT) System is a very well known global mobile satellite telecommunication system. These satellite systems are connected to PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Networks) and they provide connectivity and communication services to a mobile earth station all over the world. Which means a user with a satellite mobile handset connected to the INMARSAT satellite system can receive services while roaming in any part of the world without being dependent on local terrestrial public networks. So a satellite connection proves to be really helpful in case something goes wrong with the terrestrial network such as a natural disaster etc. INMARSAT is running its operation on four geo stationary satellites providing global coverage namely: INMARSAT-A, INMARSAT-M, INMARSAT-B and INMARSAT-C. High quality telephone, fax and high speed data services are provided by INMARSAT-A satellite system. In addition to dialling to a telephone or fax number directly, it can also provide image and video transmission services. INMARSAT-M provide services at a much cheaper rate as compared to INMARSAT-A. It has a fully digital and portable terminal to provide high quality cellular voice and data transmission services. Additional functionalities are added in INMARSAT-B satellite system compared to INMARSAT-A at a much lower charges. Along with new services, it provides very high quality voice services and very high data rates with a scope to increase them further in future. INMARSAT-C comes as a low cost communication system with a light weight terminal powered by a battery. It comes with a small personal computer to communicate with the network headquarter whenever needed. The following Figure 4 shows the statistics of the INMARSAT satellite systems all over the world [3]. Figure 4: INMARSAT Satellite System Coverage and Service Providers [3] Iridium Satellite System was proposed and developed by the Motorola Company in collaboration with a few other companies. This satellite has been purchase by the Iridium, Inc Company. In this satellite system, satellites are set into orbits in 6 different polar orbital planes with a total of 72 satellites at about 780 km above the earth surface [4]. Satellites are divided into groups of 11 with equal distance among them.   These are all Low Earth Orbit Satellites. L-Band frequency band is used by mobile earth stations to access satellite link using TDMA or FDMA schemes. Access of the mobile stations need to be synchronized to enable them to transmit and receive in the same time frame slot. Each satellite can handle more than 1000 calls at a time. All the satellites can route traffic to each other as well. This satellite system is designed in such a way that global coverage is achieved and gateway stations, which need to be connected to public switched telephone network on earth, req uired are less in number. Two other LEO satellites systems are ARIES and ELLIPSO which are set into circular orbits above the equator to provide low cost services. Another very well known satellite system is GLOBALSTAR system which provided full global connectivity. This system consists of 48 satellites divided into groups of 6. These satellites are set into orbit in eight different planes at 1414 km above the earth surface and are inclined at 45degrees and 135degrees to the equator. There is no exchange of data among these satellites as in the Iridium System. Therefore, a mobile earth station can only get access to the satellite link when the satellite has a line of sight path to the gateway earth station. Mobile stations can access the satellite using L-Band frequency band. Code division Multiple Access (CDMA) scheme is used to separate transmission of each mobile station. Six spot beams are used to cover the same geographical area on earth as is required by the Iridium satellite system. Satellites in GLOBALSTAR system complete their lifecycle between 5 to 15 years. OrbComm launched its first two satellites in 1995. This satellite system is capable of providing remote monitoring and mobile tracking along with many other commercial services. OrbComm also contains 48 satellites which are in Low Earth Orbits. Access by mobile earth stations to these satellites is made on VHF (very high Frequency) band. The uplink band is 148 MHz to 150 MHz and the downlink band is between 137 MHZ to 138 MHz. Signal and data transmitted from the satellites are not directly forwarded to hand held devices first, rather they are first diverted to the gateway station on earth or public switched telephone network and then they are forwarded to mobile handsets. Satellites in this system have a lifecycle of about four years. Intermediate Circular Orbit (ICO) satellite system consists of ten satellites with the help of which it can provide full global coverage. These satellites are divided into groups of five into two orbital planes at about 10,355 km above the earth surface. They orbit the earth the earth in about 6 hours serving a geographical area on earth for 20 minutes. Each satellite in the Intermediate Circular orbit can provide up to 4500 channels for voice data traffic and access to these channels is made secure and reliable by using the Code Division Multiple Accessing (CDMA) scheme. The terminals ICO systems are capable of supporting dual mode which means that they can operate with satellite and as well as public switched telephone networks. In this entire scenario, each type of satellite system has its own advantages and disadvantages. Geo-Stationary satellites can be useful for one form of mobile communication but in some scenarios it may be more feasible to use Low Earth Orbit satellite system. Like with the help of three Geo-Stationary satellites we can provide almost full global coverage. As the satellites remain at the same point above the earth in Geo-Stationary system, the transmitters and receivers can have the fixed antenna positions without the need to keep track of the satellite which at times can become a very tedious task. Because they are located at about 36000 km above the earth, they are less affected by the atmosphere around the earth during its orbit making its life cycle greater than the other satellite systems. On the other hand, there are certain disadvantages of the Geo-Stationary system as well. Besides almost having no coverage at the north and south poles, one of the biggest problems in this sys tem is performing voice and data communication over these satellites. Because they are far away from earth’s surface, there is very high latency or delay in the transmission and reception which makes it unfeasible for voice traffic. And also because of its large distance from earth’s surface, very high power antennas are required for these satellites which consumes a significant battery power. Moreover, sending a satellite into a Geo-stationary orbit from earth is very expensive as compared to other Low Earth Orbit satellites. While with the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems, transmission rates of about 2.4 kbps can carry out voice data communication efficiently. Because these satellites are orbiting the earth at much lower altitude as compared to Geo-Stationary satellites, transmission power required for the antennas is much less which in turn saves the overall battery power consumed. And for the same reason, the delay or latency in the transmission is much less which can compete with the wired cable terrestrial networks on earth. Higher elevation of these satellites to the equator enables are better coverage at the north and south poles. And also because the geographical area covered by one satellite in LEO system is smaller; frequency reuse policy can be best utilized. On the other hand, the very obvious and possibly the one of the biggest problem with this satellite system is the need to have a large number of satellites to provide global coverage. As the satellites in this system do not stay at a fixed position over the earth surface, their serving time geographical is only about 10 to 15 minutes which require very complex antenna mechanism on earth to keep track of the satellites. Another disadvantage of having low earth orbits is the very short lifetime of a satellite. Friction from earth’s surrounding atmosphere can severely effect the lifetime of a satellite in LEO satellite system. If a satellite mobile user is roaming around the world, providing global connectivity to that user also require interconnectivity of these large number of satellites. Mobile Communication Satellite Systems are evolving very quickly in this era to keep pace with the increasing demand of communication globally. The trend is shifting towards the LEO satellite systems from the Geo-Stationary satellite systems because of very less latency delays in LEO systems as far as voice data communication is concerned. However, these satellite systems cannot fully replace the need of terrestrial networks because of these systems are still very expensive for an average user and not all countries of the world are developed enough to cope up with these satellites systems. References: [1]  Handbook of Antennas in Wireless Communications, Chapter 2, Michael John Ryan,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   University of New South Wales [2]   Requirements for a Mobile Communications Satellite System. Volume 1: Executive   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   summary, Final Report, 15 Dec. 1981 31 Mar. 1983, TRW, Inc., Redondo Beach, CA. [3]   The Use of Mobile Satellite Communications in Disaster Mitigation, Eugene I. Staffa,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction Technical Committee Session C [4]   The Past, Present and Future of Satellite Communications, John V. Evans

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Making Money from Farm Magazines

Making Money from Farm Magazines After publishing an article in  N.D. REC  magazine about  Toy Farmer  magazine, the TF editor asked if I would write for them. I said no; I knew green was John Deere equipment and red was International Harvester, but I knew almost nothing about farm toys. â€Å"Doesn’t matter,† editor Cathy Scheibe said. â€Å"Just be accurate.† Just be accurate! Of course! Accuracy is the hallmark of any article if you want to get it published and make money at writing. She named two collectors within ten minutes of me. How could I refuse? Thus began a working relationship that morphed into writing for a dozen other farm-related magazines, relationships which continue today, thirty years later, half my writing income every month, at ten cents a word to $350 an article, depending on which magazine, pay-on-publication. Writing for  Toy Farmer  at that time required photo sessions at farm homes of collections of thirty to a thousand toy tractors, combines, plows, and other miniature equipment, ranging from about 1.5 inches long to 18 inches long. Or toy trucks, which led to articles in  Toy Trucker Contractormagazine. Invariably after the session farmers would say, â€Å"Let me show you my other toys,â€Å" leading me to a Quonset filled with a dozen or two or more, real, big, tractors. Another opportunity, which led to articles in magazines featuring the big tractors:  Red Power, Green Magazine, Polk‘s Antique Tractor Magazine, Antique Power, Steam Traction, Farm Show, Farm Times, and  Farm Ranch Living. But the real steady money-makers were Gas Engine (68 articles, and counting,)  Farm Collector, (233 articles, and counting,) and the granddaddy of them all,  Toy Farmer  (293 articles, and counting.) As well as seven books about farm toys and tractors. The key to success at selling to these markets is threefold: 1. Finding the collectorsnot as difficult as it seems. Rather than going from farm to farm as I used to, now the simplest way is attending thresher shows or toy shows, held all over the U.S. Or finding neighbors or friends who collect. 2. Taking publishable pictures of collections at the shows, and if possible, getting the telephone numbers of collectorsnot always easy as they are often busy elsewhere in the show. These photos alone, or plus a quick chat with a collector at the show, if possible, is your research for your query letter to the magazines. Sometimes the pictures you take don’t become an articlethe life of a writer. Right now I have 59 sets of photostaken at a series of shows ready to query to my regular magazine editors. Judging Collectors often help with photos; for example, with my latest piece with Farm Collector, the interviewee revealed he owned a very rare tractor he hadn’t had at the show. He provided photos. 3. Set up telephone interviews. You’ll discover farm collectors are very passionate about their collections. They often tell great stories you can use: â€Å"As kids, my brother got mad at me, grabbed my cast-iron tractors, and smashed them on the sidewalk one These markets require basic information about the collection and collector, which they are more than willing to give. After you’ve studied a couple of the magazines, give them a try. The field is wide open. Farm Magazines: Farm Collector Magazine,  www.farmcollector.com Farm Show Magazine,  www.farmshow.com Gas Engine,  www.gasenginemagazine.com Green Magazine,  www.greenmagazine.com Red Power Magazine,  www.redpowermagazine.com Toy Farmer Magazine,  www.toyfarmer.com Toy Trucker Contractor Magazine,  www.toytrucker.com

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Foster Children That Received Improved Relationship From Foster Essay

Foster Children That Received Improved Relationship From Foster Parents Can Develop Secure Attachment - Essay Example This is due to the lack of time for working parents, specifically mothers, to nurse for their children. Likewise, growing costs of home care also allowed for professional foster caregivers a better option. It is therefore necessary to find out and seek best environments for children needing foster care but this cannot be established without extensive research and findings. Dozier et al (2001) suggested that babies in foster care "organize their attachment behavior around the availability of their new caregivers" although acknowledged that it is possible that previous experiences lessen the babies' chances of forming trusting relationships with new caregivers. This study will specifically find out if foster children that received improved or high quality relationship from the foster parents can develop secure attachment. It will answer the question will foster children that received high quality or improved relationship from the foster parents can develop secure attachment Since there are several acknowledged factors that suggest attachment behaviors are organized around the availability of caregivers (Dozier et al, 2001), this study proposes that foster children that received improved or high quality... It will try to establish definitive structure of a "quality relationship" and "secure attachment" and how these could be developed in a foster care setting. Likewise, it will also distinguish foster parental from professional foster care in relation to caring foster children in the process. This study will be relevant as a guide for future and present caregivers, whether foster parents or professional care providers for children from infanthood to pre-school or even schooling children. Dozier et al (2001) suggested that it is necessary to establish attachment quality "because it reflects the quality of the (children's) relationship with the caregiver and [] it is associated with the child's later interpersonal functioning." Likewise, the three aspects: internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior and trouble with peers shall also be considered in this research as these are qualitative factors that define the aim of this study. Background of the Study: Marcus (1991) established that children are "placed in foster care when any local Department of Social Services and the courts have determined that current parental care for those children has fallen below acceptable community standards and the child is at risk to be harmed." While Ericksona and Egeland (1987) proposed that "foster care may be haven from further neglect or abuse," it is possible that child may bring to this arrangement the sequel of maltreatment, including feelings of rejection, lowered self-esteem, mistrust and resentment. Marcus (1991) provided for basis of quality care in the form of social supports, perception of affection from adults, and the quality of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Treadway Tire Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Treadway Tire Company - Case Study Example This high level of dissatisfaction by the line-foreman segment was being manifested through an increased trend of employee turnover. In 2007 alone 23 line-foremen left the Lima plant both voluntarily and involuntarily. This high turnover has negatively implications on the plant’s productivity and cost. It prevents the Lima tire plant from realizing its potential of being Treadway’s lowest cost producer and number one plant for productivity in North America. Four elements of the work system that contribute towards the problems at Treadway are: (1) inadequate training and development for new hires; (2) poor communication from upper management; (3) a poor organizational and/or power structure; and (4) a performance review system. From the case it is clear that for one to effectively perform the duty of a line foremac one needed skills in areas such as understanding union contracts, employee and production scheduling, pay and so on. However, at Treadway’s Lima plant new line foremen received only informal training, which was conducted at the discretion of the general supervisor and area manager (Skinner and Beckham 5). This situation is aggravated by the poor or limited communication between upper management and line-foremen segment. In such a scenario it would not be far-fetched to expect the quality of this informal training to be inadequate. The line foremen were expected to take charge of the hourly employees and were held responsible over the hourly-employees’ actions yet they lacked the authority needed to do so. This reflects a poor power structure – which reflects poor organizational structure. In a good organizational structure the person who bears responsibility has to be given the authority to perform whatever needs to be done with regards to that responsibility. This in a way made line-foremen to be undermined by their charges. Lastly, we are informed that in order to get a good review, line foremen were expected to meet targets without

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The History of Automobile Essay Example for Free

The History of Automobile Essay 1. The history of automobile The first working steam-powered vehicle was probably designed by Ferdinand Verbiest, a Flemish member of a Jesuit mission in China around 1672. It was a 65 cm-long scale-model toy for the Chinese Emperor, that was unable to carry a driver or a passenger. It is not known if Verbiests model was ever built. Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is widely credited with building the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile in about 1769; he created a steam-powered tricycle. He also constructed two steam tractors for the French Army, one of which is preserved in the French National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. His inventions were however handicapped by problems with water supply and maintaining steam pressure. In 1801, Richard Trevithick built and demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive, believed by many to be the first demonstration of a steam-powered road vehicle. It was unable to maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods, and was of little practical use. In 1807 Nice phore Nie and his brother Claude probably created the worlds pce first internal combustion engine which they called a Pyre olophore, but they chose to install it in a boat on the river Saone in France. Coincidentally, in 1807 the Swiss inventor Franc Isaac de Rivaz designed his own de Rivaz internal combustion ois engine and used it to develop the worlds first vehicle, to be powered by such an engine. The Nie pces Pyre olophore was fuelled by a mixture of Lycopodium powder (dried Lycopodium moss), finely crushed coal dust and resin that were mixed with oil, whereas de Rivaz used a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. Neither design was very successful, as was the case with others, such as Samuel Brown, Samuel Morey, and Etienne Lenoir with his hippomobile, who each produced vehicles (usually adapted carriages or carts) powered by clumsy internal combustion engines. In November 1881, French inventor Gustave Trouve demonstrated a working three-wheeled automobile powered by electricity at the International Exposition of Electricity, Paris. Although several other German engineers (including Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Siegfried Marcus) were working on the problem at about the same time, Karl Benz generally is acknowledged as the inventor of the modern automobile. An automobile powered by his own four-stroke cycle gasoline engine was built in Mannheim, Germany by Karl Benz in 1885, and granted a patent in January of the following year under the auspices of his major company, Benz Cie. , which was founded in 1883. It was an integral design, without the adaptation of other existing components, and included several new technological elements to create a new concept. He began to sell his production vehicles in 1888. In 1879, Benz was granted a patent for his first engine, which had been designed in 1878. Many of his other inventions made the use of the internal combustion engine feasible for powering a vehicle. His first Motorwagen was built in 1885, and he was awarded the patent for its invention as of his application on January 29, 1886. Benz began promotion of the vehicle on July 3, 1886, and about 25 Benz vehicles were sold between 1888 and 1893, when his first four-wheeler was introduced along with a model intended for affordability. They also were powered with four-stroke engines of his own design. Emile Roger of France, already producing Benz engines under license, now added the Benz automobile to his line of products. Because France was more open to the early automobiles, initially more were built and sold in France through Roger than Benz sold in Germany. Bertha Benz, the first long distance automobile driver in the world In August 1888 Bertha Benz, the wife of Karl Benz, undertook the first road trip by car, to prove the road-worthiness of her husbands invention. In 1896, Benz designed and patented the first internal-combustion flat engine, called boxermotor. During the last years of the nineteenth century, Benz was the largest automobile company in the world with 572 units produced in 1899 and, because of its size, Benz Cie. , became a joint-stock company. Daimler and Maybach founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) in Cannstatt in 1890, and sold their first automobile in 1892 under the brand name, Daimler. It was a horse-drawn stagecoach built by another manufacturer, that they retrofitted with an engine of their design. By 1895 about 30 vehicles had been built by Daimler and Maybach, either at the Daimler works or in the Hotel Hermann, where they set up shop after disputes with their backers. Benz, Maybach and the Daimler team seem to have been unaware of each others early work. They never worked together; by the time of the merger of the two companies, Daimler and Maybach were no longer part of DMG. Daimler died in 1900 and later that year, Maybach designed an engine named Daimler-Mercedes, that was placed in a specially ordered model built to specifications set by Emil Jellinek. This was a production of a small number of vehicles for Jellinek to race and market in his country. Two years later, in 1902, a new model DMG automobile was produced and the model was named Mercedes after the Maybach engine which generated 35 hp. Maybach quit DMG shortly thereafter and opened a business of his own. Rights to the Daimler brand name were sold to other manufacturers. Karl Benz proposed co-operation between DMG and Benz Cie. when economic conditions began to deteriorate in Germany following the First World War, but the directors of DMG refused to consider it initially. Negotiations between the two companies resumed several years later when these conditions worsened and, in 1924 they signed an Agreement of Mutual Interest, valid until the year 2000. Both enterprises standardized design, production, purchasing, and sales and they advertised or marketed their automobile models jointly, although keeping their respective brands. On June 28, 1926, Benz Cie. and DMG finally merged as the Daimler-Benz company, baptizing all of its automobiles Mercedes Benz, as a brand honoring the most important model of the DMG automobiles, the Maybach design later referred to as the 1902 Mercedes-35 hp, along with the Benz name. Karl Benz remained a member of the board of directors of Daimler-Benz until his death in 1929, and at times, his two sons participated in the management of the company as well. In 1890, Emile Levassor and Armand Peugeot of France began producing vehicles with Daimler engines, and so laid the foundation of the automobile industry in France. The first design for an American automobile with a gasoline internal combustion engine was made in 1877 by George Selden of Rochester, New York. Selden applied for a patent for an automobile in 1879, but the patent application expired because the vehicle was never built. After a delay of sixteen years and a series of attachments to his application, on November 5, 1895, Selden was granted a United States patent (U. S. Patent 549,160) for a two-stroke automobile engine, which hindered, more than encouraged, development of automobiles in the United States. His patent was challenged by Henry Ford and others, and overturned in 1911. In 1893, the first running, gasoline-powered American car was built and road-tested by the Duryea brothers of Springfield, Massachusetts. The first public run of the Duryea Motor Wagon took place on September 21, 1893, on Taylor Street in Metro Center Springfield. To construct the Duryea Motor Wagon, the brothers had purchased a used horse-drawn buggy for $70 and then installed a 4 HP, single cylinder gasoline engine. The car had a friction transmission, spray carburetor, and low tension ignition. It was road-tested again on November 10, when the The Springfield Republican newspaper made the announcement. This particular car was put into storage in 1894 and stayed there until 1920 when it was rescued by Inglis M. Uppercu and presented to the United States National Museum. 2. Direction of automobile industry 2. 1Fuel technology As we all know, the earths resources are limited, so human beings develop fuel technology, let us make better use of these resources. There are many resources we can use, like Air engine, Battery-electric, Solar, Bioalcohol, Hydrogen and Hybrid vehicle. A hybrid vehicle uses multiple propulsion systems to provide motive power. The most common type of hybrid vehicle is the gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, which use gasoline (petrol) and electric batteries for the energy used to power internal-combustion engines (ICEs) and electric motors. These motors are usually relatively small and would be considered underpowered by themselves, but they can provide a normal driving experience when used in combination during acceleration and other maneuvers that require greater power. The Toyota Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997 and it is sold worldwide since 2000. By 2010 the Prius is sold in more than 70 countries and regions, with Japan and the United States as its largest markets. In May 2008, global cumulative Prius sales reached the 1 million units, and by September 2010, the Prius reached worldwide cumulative sales of 2 million units. The United States is the largest hybrid market in the world, with more than 2 million hybrid automobiles and SUVs sold through May 2011. The Prius is the top selling hybrid car in the U. S. with 1 million units sold by April 2011. The Honda Insight is a two-seater hatchback hybrid automobile manufactured by Honda. It was the first mass-produced hybrid automobile sold in the United States, introduced in 1999, and produced until 2006. Honda introduced the second-generation Insight in Japan in February 2009, and the new Insight went on sale in the U. S. on April 22, 2009. Honda also offers the Honda Civic Hybrid since 2002. Among others, the following are popular gasoline-electric hybrid models available in the market by 2009: Ford Escape Hybrid, Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra Hybrid, Lexus RX 400h, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Saturn Vue Green Line, Lexus LS600hL, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Hybrid, and Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid. Several major carmakers are currently developing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Chinese battery manufacturer and automaker BYD Auto released the F3DM PHEV-68 (PHEV109km) hatchback to the Chinese fleet market on December 15, 2008. The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is the first mass produced PHEV launched in the United States, and it was introduced in November 2010. Other PHEVs undergoing field testing as of December 2010 include the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, Volvo V70 Plug-in Hybrid, and Suzuki Swift Plug-in. The Sinclair C5 pedal-assisted battery vehicle. The Elantra LPI Hybrid, launched in the South Korean domestic market in July 2009, is a hybrid vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine built to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a fuel. The Elantra PLI is a mild hybrid and the first hybrid to adopt advanced lithium polymer (Li–Poly) batteries. 2. 2 Driverless car A driverless car is a vehicle equipped with an autopilot system that is capable of driving from one point to another without guidance by a human operator. This is intended to produce several direct advantages: Avoiding crashes by eliminating driver error 2. Increasing roadway capacity by reducing the distances between cars and better managing traffic flow 3. Relieving vehicle occupants from driving and navigating chores, so allowing them to concentrate on other tasks or to rest during their journeys Indirect advantages are anticipated as well. Adoption of driverless cars could reduce the number of vehicles worldwide and eliminate the need for drivers licenses, rules of the road, traffic lights, traffic signs, highway patrols and vehicle insurances. The systems currently under development work by simulating human perception and decision-making during steering of a car via advanced computer software linked to a range of sensors such as cameras, radar and GPS. Current driverless passenger car programs include the 2 get there passenger vehicles from the Netherlands, the DARPA Grand Challenge from the USA, and Google driverless car.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Comparative Mythology: What Similarities and Differences Between Mythos

The Greeks and the Norse are the two sectors of humanity most well known for their mythologies. Both countries have vastly different climates, the Greek were flourishing with their fertile Mediterranean soil and during the country’s prime it was considered a paradisical society. The Norse, however, were stuck with frigid stubborn land and short growing seasons. This is reflected in both mythologies as Greek Mythology, while still explaining heavy subjects such as death and illness, had a much more cheery feel compared to the constantly brooding Norse Gods. The Greek creation myth begin with Chaos a veil of nothingness that surrounds the entire universe. Chaos is also surrounded by an unending stream of water ruled by Oceanus. The goddess Eurynome came out of the stream and with the help with of Ophion, a snake of the North Wind she gave birth to Eros. With the joy of her child she danced upon the waves of Oceanus’ stream making the land and populating it with diverse creatures. Three of these creatures were the Moirae the three sisters of fate who assign men’s birth, destiny, and death. Also born out of Chaos was Gaia, the goddess of the Earth; Ouranus, the god of the sky; Tatarus, the god of the underworld. Gaia and Ouranus had six sets of titan twins and six other monstrous children. Ouranus banished the cyclopes and giants to Tartarus which made Gaia furious. Gaia then called on her Titan children for help exacting her revenge. Only Cronus offered to help cut his father into pieces using a sickle. Cronus then had six children with Rhea, his sister. He proceeded to eat each of these children in paranoia that they were to overthrow him. Rhea, however tricked him of eating Zeus by giving him a rock instead. Zeus then grew up o... ...led an axis mundis and is â€Å"an imaginary vertical axis running as a center pole from the zenith of the sky through the ground, uniting heaven, Earth, and the Underworld.† (p.516, Rogers). The two examples of this are Bifrost and Yggdrasil, the second of which might represent how important plant life is to the Nords as if Yggdrasil were to die the apocalypse would erupt.Norse believe that the Titan, Ymir, had to die for Earth’s creation, while the Greeks believe that the Earth was created by Eurynome simply bounding on the ocean. This may further reflect the ease in which crops grow in the origins of the mythos. Works Cited Rogers, Eugene F, Jr. Theology and Secuality: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Inc., 2002. Print. Myers, Nicole. Comparisons of Creation Myths. Seminole State College of Florida. 19 Feb. 2009. Web. 20 May 2014.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Sample Market Analysis

Sample Market Analysis Market Analysis Customers Family Farmers Choice has developed a database of present customer who buy on a regular basis and customers who have bought only occasionally as the opportunity presents itself, such as at farmers markets. Customer demographics show the current customers are in an income range of $45,000 or more, two income families, professional occupations, concerned about the environment and located primarily in urban areas. Research also shows these customers are Internet users and willing to order product from our business via the Internet.Research conducted by Farmers Choice has verified that there is a market segment large enough to justify the investment in the processing facility. Further, the premium these consumers are willing to pay will allow the shipment of products to nearly all geographic locations in the country. Focus groups, market surveys and product demonstrations at several locations were used to develop demographic profiles of ea ch promising location so that zip codes could be used to easily identify future markets when expansion is deemed appropriate. (Note: Results of the surveys can be provided if additional information is desired. A significant number of consumers are concerned about where their meat products are coming from and how these products are processed. The company will market directly to that group. Since they are highly informed consumers, however, a major task will be to establish credibility. In the farmers markets targeted for sales there are an estimated 100,000 potential customers (based on census estimates). At present, Farmers Choice has reached only a fraction of that customer base. Based on data in the U. S. Census Bureau databases, estimated customer potential is as follows: Big Town Farmers Market |55,000 | |Lotus |10,000 | |Keeper |10,000 | |Sagmore |15,000 | |Cool Springs |5,000 | Market Size and Trends 99718. 2 billion pounds of pork produced 199819. 0 billion pounds of pork produced 199919. 4 billion pounds of pork produced Source: Steve Meier, National Pork Producers Council. 1999 figures based on USDA estimate. Average prices received by the producer have decreased in recent years: 1997$52. 90 per hundred weight 1998$34. 40 per hundred weight U. S. per capita consumption of pork is declining: 198057. 3 pounds per person 199649. 1 pounds per person In spite of declining per capita consumption of pork, consumers still spend more money on pork per year than on poultry and fish.Average annual expenditures for pork in 1998 were $146 per person per year, second only to beef at $218. The expenditures for all meat (beef, pork, poultry and fish) decreased slightly from the 1997 annual expenditures. (Source: Consumer Expenditures Survey, 1984-98, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics) According to USDA data, higher expenditures for pork versus poultry may have been due to retail prices. For example, in June 1998, the average retail price for po rk was $2. 29 per pound, compared to chicken at $1. 55 per pound.Consumer Perceptions of Pork According to a survey conducted by the National Pork Producers Council, more than three out of four family cooks believe pork is a healthful choice. The same study indicated families prefer pork because it tastes good. Survey respondents also cited pork’s versatility, nutrition and value as key reasons for its popularity. Ranking of the favorite cuts: 1. Chops 2. Tenderloins 3. Roasts 4. Ribs Pork producers work hard to deliver the product that the consumer wants. Consumers wanted leaner pork and they got it!Compared to 1983, pork of 2000 has about 31 percent less fat content. General Trends in Meat Consumption There are a number of new and emerging trends in meat marketing which are relevant to the interest of this feasibility study. In general there are three consumer preferences today which are driving major changes in the meat industry. †¢ Consumers are demanding meats that require little preparation time. Population and labor trends are driving this preference. An unprecedented number of women are in the workforce today.There is an increasing number of single adult households in the U. S. ; of those, the number of single parent, female-headed households is increasing, resulting in more than ever limited time for meal preparation within U. S. households. A Yankelovich poll (reported by the American Meat Institute) claims that half of all Americans spend less than 45 minutes cooking an evening meal compared to the two-hour meal preparation typical in American households 30 years ago. People have a limited amount of time and don’t want to spend it cooking.Add to this the fact that at 4 p. m. , 60 percent of Americans do not know what they will eat for dinner. The implications are that the meat marketing industry has a whole new challenge for capturing palates and dollars. †¢ Consumers have little knowledge of and skills for cooking. Studies r eport that many consumers feel that their knowledge of cooking and skills for meal preparation are more limited than those of their parents and grandparents. Furthermore, the American Meat Institute reports that many American consumers find meat preparation to be challenging.Implications for meat marketing are that meats are becoming increasingly available as meal-ready or with minimal preparation. †¢ Consumers are concerned about health and nutrition when buying meat. The Food Marketing Institute claims that nearly 80 percent of Americans want to eat food they perceive to be extremely healthy and that 42 percent are willing to pay more for low-fat versions of commonly consumed products. In the lunch meat and hot dog markets, a record 50 percent of the products offered are items with reduced or low fat. Consumers are demanding changes from the meat industry and the industry is responding. Numerous options and innovations can be observed at all levels in production, processing a nd packaging. The retail point of sale is taking on a new look. Emerging Trends in Meat Marketing Case-Ready Meat: These are value added fresh meat products that the supermarket purchases in precut packages. Due to new packaging technologies, precut, tray-ready packages tend to offer a longer shelf life than conventional products.Often hermetically sealed, they offer customers trimmed, individually wrapped, consistent portions. Case-ready meats eliminate extra steps in handling for retailers and consumers alike. Consumer-Ready Products: These products go a step beyond the case-ready meat products by including preparation tips, cooking instructions, spices, or seasoning packets. Portions are indicated on the package. Consumer-ready products include items such as marinated meats, stuffed chops, kabobs and seasoned steaks and roast which are ready to take home and pop into the oven, microwave or place on the grill.Home Meal Replacement: These are fully prepared products which free the consumer from all responsibility of meal preparation. They often come packed and portioned as entrees with options to purchase complementary side dishes or extras. Also known as TOTE (Take Out To Eat), these dinners in a bag are the way in which supermarkets and grocery stores are competing with restaurants to gain business from Americans who choose not to prepare their own meals. The market analysis shows a broad range of prospective clients.The green labeled, eco-labeled, naturally labeled, food industry is in a boom period. While there are a growing number of items from a growing number of vendors becoming available, Family Farmers Choice is approaching the market as a multi-choice provider of products with a face. The owner/members of Family Farmers Choice have spent 10 years carefully laying the groundwork and learning the methods for success. The value-added cooperative is now poised to make the most of established connections with consumers and other marketers of natural item s handcrafted on family farms.Family Farmers Choice is set to offer food, fiber and manufactured products that nourish, provide comfort or address a desired taste or want. The members of Family Farmers Choice have proven an ability to adjust their product lines while also displaying a tenacious desire to provide whatever level of sweat equity is required to preserve their independent ways of life as family farmers. The owners/members have also provided 50 percent of the equity requirements per early feasibility estimates. The food-with-a-face concept of marketing is still relatively new and enjoys some sense of novelty in the marketplace.The genuine authenticity that can be verified by Family Farmers Choice is not yet common in the commercial consumer marketplace, which gives the Family Farmers group a leg up on the competition. The industry of specialized foods and handmade, one-of-a-kind products is on a steady upward growth curve; and Family Farmers Choice is poised to capitalize on the consumer’s desire for these items. While a bouncing economy can affect many areas, specialty food items and unique crafted goods are generally less affected than the main, with unique items typically finding favor in the marketplace.The following article, reprinted, provides a degree of verification. Farmers Rated Best in Ensuring Food Safety Survey Identifies Consumer and Editor Opinions about Food Issues DES MOINES, Iowa— Tuesday, September 29, 1998— Food safety has surpassed issues such as crime prevention, health and nutrition, environmental protection, water quality and recycling as the most important public issue facing consumers. However, consumers give farmers high marks for their efforts to assure a safe food supply, a survey by the International Food Safety Council, a restaurant and foodservice industry coalition, shows.Fifty-nine percent of consumers surveyed said farmers are doing an excellent job to ensure a safe food supply. Supermarkets ca me in a close second at 57 percent, followed by food processors (44 percent), restaurants (42 percent), consumers (38 percent), government agencies (34 percent), and meat/poultry packers (29 percent). â€Å"The survey clearly shows that consumers hold farmers in high regard for their efforts to produce safe and wholesome products,† said Bill Brewer, public relations counsel for the Food Practice Group. â€Å"This offers an opportunity for the agricultural community†¦Ã¢â‚¬  998 Food Issues Survey News Release Presented in association with the International Food Safety Council, a restaurant and foodservice industry coalition. [pic] The following tables show the pricing strategy that Farmers Choice will use for their products: [pic] Potential Markets [pic] Product Distribution and Sales Meat products are sold in a variety of ways somewhat dependent on fresh or frozen and size of package. At present, ethnic markets and specialty markets are underserved. A survey of the pho ne company’s yellow pages showed only two markets selling to ethnic groups in our proposed trade area.Regardless of whether the market is a niche or traditional market, the meat sales are still handled in the same manner. Types of sales include: †¢ Over the counter in locker plants or meat shops †¢ By mail order †¢ Via Internet †¢ Door-to-door sales and delivery †¢ Grocery stores †¢ Institutional food vendors †¢ Specialty marketing †¢ Prepared food sales Farmers Choice will not have any unique food sales methods. Rather, the company will sell via specialty markets, such as farmers markets, as frozen foods, shipping product sold via Internet or phone orders and over the counter at the processing facility.For a small company, Farmers Choice will cover as many marketing avenues as time and resources permit. Estimated Market Share and Sales The potential sales volume for the projected sales area is $10 million. This is Web sites and Iowa St ate University Extension estimates, which combine population numbers and consumption numbers. With a projected sales volume of $500,000, Farmers Choice will not have a large market share. Competition Competition is formidable. The competitors have more buying power, more clout in the marketplace and more financial resources to cut deals with suppliers.Farmers Choice has no illusions of coming into the market place and easily capturing sales. It will need to work hard to gain and keep sales. Customers have well established buying habits for meat products coupled with established preferences for products, packing and freshness. Competition is in the form of three main categories: 1. Large chain grocery stores for retail customers. 2. Small independent locker plants with retail counters. 3. Meat brokers and institutional food sales groups selling to restaurants. The main competition will be pork products marketed in the traditional manner, i. e. as a commodity. Typically, the consumer does not know where the product comes from and where and how it was processed. Family Farmers plans to differentiate its products from commodity meats in the following manner: †¢ Preserve the identity of products from the hog raiser to the consumer, whether the product is sold in meat markets, grocery stores, restaurants or delicatessens. †¢ Hogs will be raised in open pastures on a rotation basis, as opposed to highly dense confinement buildings, thus minimizing the investment required and eliminating waste disposal and related environmental problems.Studies have shown that hogs raised in this manner have fewer health problems, thus reducing the need for medicines of various types, further reducing production costs. †¢ Establish that the brand â€Å"Family Farmers Choice† offers products that are safe and are of consistent high quality, thereby deserving of a premium price. Who are our competitors? We do not know the annual meat sales volume of our competitors or their market shares. Such figures, if published, were not available for this study.Farmers Choice prices will be competitive and, in some cases, higher than competing pork products found through other distribution channels. The higher cost, about 5 cents per pound higher on average, will result from the key differences of Farmers Choice product versus competitors’. Again, the sales history indicates consumers are willing to pay a very slight premium to get product that meets their criteria. Some key differences of our product include: †¢ It is a natural product, free of hormones. †¢ It is provided by farmers known to the consumer, as in â€Å"food with a face. †¢ Quality is assured as all hogs are raised to an audited quality system. †¢ No quality problems will come from processing due to our small facility and worker responsibility for quality. †¢ Doorstep delivery is available where possible. †¢ Customers can visit the factory where the fo od is made. Competitive Advantage and Analysis The following table outlines how Farmers Choice compares to the competition in terms of product and other factors, including strengths and weaknesses. The analysis is of Farmers Choice against the competition by major groups.While there may be key differences against individual stores or businesses, these do not exist in large enough quantity to affect sales or strategy of Farmers Choice. [pic] Following is an analysis of Farmers Choice strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats: SWOT Analysis (Strengths and Weaknesses Opportunities Threats) [pic] What Does the Coop Have to Sell? Carcass Breakdown(Pork) Typical Market Pig Live weight (pounds)250 Carcass weight (pounds)184 Backfat 10th rib (inches)0. 9 Loin-eye area (square inches)5. 2 Fat-free lean index (percentage)48. 0 Pounds of lean meat88. 6 [pic] [pic]