Terrorism in Peru

ENGLISH * Forgiveness Means Love Name: Alejandra Cardenas Modality: Essay School: Villa Caritas Grade:11 B Stage:High School July 2012 Forgiveness Means Love What would happen if a doctor told you are dying tomorrow, would you forgive the people who ever hurt you? Or would you die with that resentment in your heart? Everyone has been hurt at least once by actions or words from another person. It is difficult to forgive such an injury. These wounds can stay forever if you don’t learn to forgive the ones who hurt you.Forgiveness means peace, love, respect, hope. We all talk about a peaceful world, but we don’t make an effort to make it happen. â€Å"Love is around us† but we reject it and prefer to obey our carnal desires. We expect people to respect us, but we don’t respect others, and sometimes we make fun of their believes. Hope is all it is left. Hope to have a better world, hope to become a better person, and hope to forgive others. A clear example of f orgiveness is terrorism in Peru. Today we still have resentment and thoughts of revenge for what Abimael Guzman did.But we need to forgive so we can live our lives in a peaceful way. After a long battle of terrorism in Peru, Abimael Guzman was finally put in jail in 1992. All the families were enthusiastic by the news and felt more secured. He was captured by the Intelligence Special Group, led by Alberto Fujimori, the president on that time. They started investigating various residence of Lima and found out that Mr. Guzman was hiding in a house of a lady. They found some medicines used for a treatment of psoriasis, a disease that Abimael Guzman suffered.Shining Path was a group of terrorists, who believed in marxism-leninism-maoism. They thought that fighting would solve all their problems. They wanted a change but they were not heard. It was a fight between the proletariat and the state, between the landowners and the capitalists in the city. This group of terrorists wanted to rep lace what it was seen as bourgeois democracy with a â€Å"new democracy†. The Shining Path wanted to impose a dictatorship of the proletariat, lead a cultural revolution, and eventually introduce communism and have the complete control of the government.Before he was captured, Abimael Guzman wanted to get the whole power of the Peruvian government. He used violence to achieve his goals. He attacked the Peruvian Armed Forces and the National Police. Guzman placed diverse bombs in schools, houses, streets and popular places. Many people died, and families were devastated with their loss. It was a time of mourning. Every day was a new wake, and every day more people lost faith. Many families, who lived in such a devastating period of time, blamed Abimael Guzman for all their misfortunes. Wished him the worst, and wanted to put him in jail.At the end, Guzman was captured; people were safer but still felt a grudge towards him. But it is necessary to forgive and wish him the best. Everybody makes mistakes, some of them are big or small, but mistakes are made to learn from them and become a better person. Generally, forgiveness is a decision to let go the resentment and thoughts of revenge. Many people may think: Why is it important to forgive a man who hurt so many families? Forgiveness can lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.It doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn't minimize or justify the wrong of his action. Forgiveness brings peace that helps you go on with life. And that’s what Peruvians should do. It’s not easy but it is the right thing to do. We are free to decide what the best is for us, and the best is to always forgive. â€Å"†¦but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool! will be liable to the h ell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. † It is possible that many Peruvians agree to forgive Abimael Guzman. On the other hand, there might be some of them who refuse to even consider forgiving him. Unforgiving means to have anger, resentment and bitterness in your life. Having all this negatives aspects would make life harder to enjoy.Also it is possible to become more negative and insecure. Having a good future means to forgive the past. As Jesus once said: â€Å"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. † It is an obligation for all the citizens to let go that resentment and feeling of revenge towards Abimael Guzman. Peace is not reached easily; it takes time and reconciliation with everyone who has hurt you.Forgiveness means to have an open heart and mind. Forgiveness does not come easy for anyone. Human’s natural instinct is to protect itself when he or she has been injured. Forgiveness can change lives; it brings peace, happiness and emotional healing. It is job of everyone to build a better world, a world with love, peace, kindness and reconciliation. There is no love without forgiveness and there is no forgiveness without love. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Matthew 5:22-24 [ 2 ]. Luke 6:27-29

The Seven Sacraments by Rogier van der Weyden: Early Northern Renaissance

Rogier van der Weyden was one of the foremost artists from the Netherlands. During the Renaissance, religious themes were prevalent. Europe, was predominantly Catholic and the Church was a huge patron of the art that was produced. Northern Europe was different from Italy, the center of Renaissance art, in that it was more ornate the art produced in this area eventually was known as Baroque. The painting The Seven Sacraments by van der Weyden is typical of the art produced in the area. The subjects of the painting The Seven Sacraments, painted in fourteen forty-five, are baptism, confirmation, and penance on the left; the Eucharist in the center; and ordination, marriage, and extreme unction are on the right. The Catholic Church believes in the seven sacraments while the Protestants believe in only baptism and marriage. The religious subject is what makes this painting characteristic of the artistic period of the Renaissance. However, it is typically Northern in that the colors are bright and vivid and they painting is extremely realistic. An example would be that the dying man in the right of the painting is realistic in his body. During this time artist studied the human body at great lengths so that they could produce it realistically. They even studied cadavers so that they would be familiar with the inner and outer elements of the body. The setting for The Seven Sacraments is a large open cathedral. The Crucifixion is displayed in the center while there are angels on each side. Christ is hung above the other figures to symbolize his dominance in the lives of mankind. The angels represent the ever present being sent from heaven. The wedding on the left is not only a literal sacrament, but it also symbolizes the union of Christ and the Church on the day that Christ returns. The dying man on the right symbolizes the guarantee that life will end and man will have to face the unknown. The Seven Sacraments by Rogier van der Weyden is a good example of the early Renaissance painting from Northern Europe. Weyden’s focus on emotion and grief made him the most famed painter of the time when he died. After his death, many artist went on to make the Renaissance the most popular period of art.

Problems Facing India Today – Overpopulation, Illiteracy, Corruption

India is one of the poorest countries in the world. The poverty in India isn't just psycological poverty. The poverty in India isn't just emotional poverty. The poverty in India isn't just social poverty. The poverty in India isn't just religious and cultural poverty. The poverty in India is an absolute poverty. The poverty in India involves poverty in every aspect of life. We all knew India is a very poor country although not so many of us knew how extreme the poverty level was in India. Now it is very clear how extreme poverty is in India. Now it is very clear how poor some Indians are. Now it is very clear how people continue to die from absolute poverty and hunger in India despite numerous efforts to help fight poverty in the world. A new multidimensional poverty Index shows that India is far poorer than Africa in both intensity and in number. The Multidimensional Poverty Index developed by Oxford University (which will appear in the upcoming UNDP human development report) shows that India is far poorer than Africa not just in number but also in intensity. The new poverty measure shows that 8 states out of the 29 states in India have more poor people than 26 poorest African countries combined. The Multidimensional poverty index views poverty from several different angles instead of just GDP figures. India like any other developing country is crippled by so many problems. For example, India's population growth rate is increasing by the day putting pressure on the limited resources and leaving many Indians in absolute poverty. India is very poor in terms of education, in terms of economic improvement, infrastructure, heath care, etc. Here are some of the problems facing India today. In today's India, there is nothing but: 1. HIGH INFLATION RATES. Fueled by rising wages, property prices and food prices inflation in India is an increasing problem. Inflation is currently between 6-7%. A record 98% of Indian firms report operating close to full capacity (2)With economic growth of 9. 2% per anum inflationary pressures are likely to increase, especially with supply side constraints such as infrastructure. The wholesale-price index (WPI), rose to an annual 6. 6% in January 2007 (1) 2. POOR GIRL CHILD EDUCATION Although India has benefited from a high % of English speakers. (important for call centre industry) there is still high levels of illiteracy amongst the population. It is worse in rural areas and amongst women. Over 50% of Indian women are illiterates 3. POOR INFRASTRUCTURE Many Indians lack basic amenities lack access to running water. Indian public services are creaking under the strain of bureaucracy and inefficiency. Over 40% of Indian fruit rots before it reaches the market; this is one example of the supply constraints and inefficiency’s facing the Indian economy. 4. BALANCE OF PAYMENT DETERIORATION Although India has built up large amounts of foreign currency reserves the current account deficit has deteriorate in recent months. This deterioration is a result of the overheating of the economy. Aggregate Supply cannot meet Aggregate demand so consumers are sucking in imports. Excluding workers remittances India’s current account deficit is approaching 5% of GDP . HIGH LEVELS OF DEBTS Buoyed by a property boom the amount of lending in India has grown by 30% in the past year. However there are concerns about the risk of such loans. If they are dependent on rising property prices it could be problematic. Furthermore if inflation increases further it may force the RBI to increase interest rates. If interest rates rise substantially it will leave those indebted facing rising interest p ayments and potentially reducing consumer spending in the future 6. INEQUALITY HAS RISEN It is hoped that economic growth would help drag the Indian poor above the poverty line. However so far economic growth has been highly uneven benefiting the skilled and wealthy disproportionately. Many of India’s rural poor are yet to receive any tangible benefit from the India’s economic growth. More than 78 million homes do not have electricity. 33% (268million) of the population live on less than $1 per day. Furthermore with the spread of television in Indian villages the poor are increasingly aware of the disparity between rich and poor. . LARGE BUDGET DEFICIT. India has one of the largest budget deficits in the developing world. Excluding subsidies it amounts to nearly 8% of GDP. Although it is fallen a little in the past year. It still allows little scope for increasing investment in public services like health and education. 8. RIGID LABOR LAWS As an example Firms employing more than 100 people cannot fire workers without government permission. The effect of thi s is to discourage firms from expanding to over 100 people. It also discourages foreign investment. Trades Unions have an important political power base and governments often shy away from tackling potentially politically sensitive labor laws. These are just a few of the problems facing India today. Life in India is nothing but absolute poverty with little hope of survival in the near future. Good education is the key to economic improvement yet India is lacking this essential key in terms of education and hence in terms of economic improvement. what do you think? what are some of the problems facing India today? How can India overcome some of these problems? Who is responsible and who is to be blamed?

Analyzing Foreign Financial Statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analyzing Foreign Financial Statements - Essay Example This poses a problem for financial analysts who do not have access to a copy of the organization’s annual report (American Institute of CPAs, 2010). Language poses another problem for analysts looking to analyze foreign financial statements. Numerous global organizations do not generate financial reports in English, making it hard for analyses with English as their native languages (American Institute of CPAs, 2010). For example, the financial record could remain illegible until a possible translator is hired for assistance. Conveniently, many multinationals present their financial statements in their native languages and English ones as well. A third problem is currency. Non-dollar-pegged countries have firms that release their financial statements in their local currencies (Musher, Wilkins, and Shulman, 2012). An analyst from the United States or a dollar-pegged nation would find it cumbersome to convert all entries into dollars for better analysis. Converting all balances at the exchange rate at the closing of the present fiscal year is tiresome, but a solution nonetheless (American Institute of CPAs, 2010). For example, fail ing to use the existing current exchange rate will distort the analyst’s work. To avoid distortion, analyzing the foreign financial statement using ratios improves the outcome irrespective of the currency applied (American Institute of CPAs, 2010). A third problem is terminology. Different countries use different words of the same language to compose their financial records. For instance, the United Kingdom usually uses the word turnover to refer to sales in the United States. In instances of convenience conversions, companies occasionally include terminology that English analysts are not used to (Musher et al., 2012). In this case, the analyst is forced to be versant with foreign trade and accounting diction to help alleviate this issue. For instance, in 2005, differences in the UK and US terminology in

Lizzie Borden's Verdict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lizzie Borden's Verdict - Essay Example Another solid reason for her being guilty is that she was the only one present in the house at the time of murder of her parents. This is a very genuine reason, as someone needs to enter the house, in order to kill her parents. And moreover many of the people like friends and relatives who were known to her parents were busy with other work at the time of murder. If any intruder had killed Borden’s parents then he must have hidden in the house for 3 hours which looks less possible and illogical. And to kill two people brutally, only Lizzie had the time and comfort.Additonally, police were unable to find any intruder entering the house to kill Mr. and Mrs. Borden. For them everything looked like an inside job. One alarming fact is that Lizzie reported she did not hear any loud noise from upstairs during the time of murder of her step mother. Her step mother was axed numerous times and she fell on the floor, despite all of this she did not hear any noise. This looks like a white lie and points that Lizzie is lieing.Moreover; people have seen Lizzie visiting the drug store to buy posion.This shows her inclination to murder both of her parents. She also visited her neighbor on the previous night of the murder to inform them that one of her father’s enemy wants to t kill him and she is scared of the fact. According to (Masha, 2010) â€Å"On the night before the murders, Lizzie told one of her neighbors that and â€Å"enemy of her father would try to kill him† but during the murder there was no sign of forced entry into the Borden residence†. Here we can see that Lizzie is trying to turn the attention of people around her from assuming her as the key murderer. She also lied that in the morning of the day of murder, an unidentified men came asking for her mother with a note but police could not find any evidence of a note or visiting of an intruder.

Diversity in the Office Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversity in the Office - Essay Example This essay "Diversity in The Office" illustrates how is the workplace a confluence of cultures. The structures and processes within the organization that should be examined are the front desk management and the accounts department with the special interest in the public relation personnel data systems along with the basic working force available and are quite effective while confronting the confluence of cultures. The front desk management would be in focus because the public relation personnel is on the top hierarchy of that department and accounts is logically related to the public relation department. It should be looked into the fact is the public relation personnel is soft on the issue and furthermore, it should be noted whether accounts back office evaluation team if following all the instruction laid down by the Health Department. However, these measures are applicable for the entire workforce of the departments in the hospital. (Klare, 2006, 132) B. How can the dynamics of communication between people who see each other without empathy become more effective? The dynamics of communication between people who see each other without empathy become more effective because in such a situation the parties are strictly and chiefly confined to the matter of work and its work ethics. Here the outer bounds are executed with clinical perceptions without any emotion involvement. This makes the work much easier for the employees as they are able to concentrate on the job itself and thus the job becomes the priory make the end result count better.

Goat Farm Making Chees and Yoghurt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Goat Farm Making Chees and Yoghurt - Essay Example It also involves taking into consideration the short-term and long-term goals. The visits to various goat dairy firms will also help one to learn various demands of the business and how to build goat milk houses, cheese plants, and yoghurt plants. These visits will also help to understand the challenges they are likely to encounter in the business (Hempler, 2002, p. 1). Individuals should consider location of their business. This will ensure that they are able to plan their marketing strategies and be able to determine the available market for the given products. Physical location of any business is an important aspect in marketing. It also determines the means of accessing markets for the products, which ensures business success. It is important to identify the target markets for the products which are being produced, as well as to assess the available markets. This can be achieved by carrying out a market viability survey. During the analysis, one is able to create good relationshi ps with the customers and gather responses from them regarding the products to be made. This ensures that the farmer is able to gauge and evaluate the returns they are likely to get from the business (Hempler, 2002, p. 1). ... An entrepreneur should identify equipment, materials and resources needed for the business and the potential supplier. This will ensure that the farm gets the necessary requirements at the right time. Ensure that the supplier of equipment and other materials is able to provide the farm with spare parts and repair services before having these equipment and materials installed in the farm. The equipment and items needed for the cheese and yoghurt plants should be approved by the department of agriculture and markets. The farmer should also seek help of an agricultural inspector. During these sessions it is important that one indicates what they intend to accomplish. This will help the inspector to give the farmer the best methods and means to apply in order to attain success (Roberts, 2001, p. 70). Consultations with the veterinary officer would also help the farmer select the suitable breeds for the business and provide more information on their health, vaccinations and feeding. Obtai ning insurance for the business is an important step in the process. Farmers should, therefore, ensure that they have adequate liability coverage and product liability (New Zealand Food Safety Authority, 2009, p. 18). Regulatory Framework The farmer should also consider various rules and restrictions regarding farmland. There are accepted agricultural practices which every farmer should ensure they are observed on their farms. According to Act 250 on the Land Use and Development, farmers should ensure that they obtain a permit allowing them to use the land. The farmer should also obtain a health permit from the ministry of health allowing them to produce cheese and yoghurt. They should obtain a manufacturing license and medical

The Potential for Alternative Fuels in Transport Essay

The Potential for Alternative Fuels in Transport - Essay Example The various regions of the globe and transportation applications may present different challenges requiring different alternative fuels, but the need to preserve the environment and its resources is universal. (Pelkmans, p.1-3) The Associate Director of the Energy Program at Rice University, Amy Myers Jaffe, argues that the situation is more dangerous now than in 1973 or 1979, as the United States is more dependent on the oil from Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries of uncertain geopolitical stability. "Of the Saudi oil, two-thirds goes through one processing plant and two terminals. " (qtd. in EBS, pars. 3-4) The electric vehicles touted after the oil crisis have not yet made it past the significant hurdles of economic and technical factors. Battery technology has not progressed as predicted, and remains the major weakness in electric vehicles. In the last few years, hybrid vehicles have become available, compromising the fuel-efficiency and environmental benefits of electric vehicles without their long-charging times or short range. Last year, over 86,000 hybrid vehicles were sold in the United States. (Barnitt and Eudy, p. 15) "It turns out that if, in 2025, every car and light truck were as efficient as today's hybrid cars and sports utility vehicles, that would displace two Gulf's worth of oil or a sixth of all the oil in the country," says Amory Lovins, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute. (qtd. in EBS, pars. 3-4) The use of alternative fuels, operating within assumptions of current fuel use and oil supplies, are inevitable. (Sperling, DeLuchi and Wang, p. 1) The United States owns only three percent of the world's oil reserves, but consumes 25 percent of the world's oil. There is a concensus that drilling our way to energy independence is not a feasible solution. (EBS, par. 4) The transportation fuel market represents about 53% of the world refinery product demand. If upstream (the fuel used in producing the fuel itself) consumption, asphalt and lubricant use are included, the transportation sector is responsible for about 60%. This share of the oil market is projected to increase in the next decades. The remainder of the oil products are used for heating, the production of plastics and other synthetics, and for the production of electricity. No large-scale substitute displays identical characteristics as oil-based fuels (gasoline and diesel,) and higher quality transport fuel requires highe r energy use in the refining process. The demand for transporation fuel will determine the demand the for crude oil on the whole. There are sufficient oil resources in place for the period up to 2030, provided that sufficient investments and developments are made in oil recovery. (Gielen and Unander, p. 7) The World Energy Outlook 2004 predicts a growth from 77 million barrels per day to 121.3 million barrels per day in 2030, and the OPEC Middle East share in world oil production is predicted to grow from 24.7% to 42.7% by this time. (Gielen and Unander, p. 8) "Until we find a substitute for the internal combustion engine to reduce our dependence on gasoline, we're stuck with imported oil," says Robert Ebel, the Chairman of the Energy Program at the Center for Strategic and

Issues in global economy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Issues in global economy - Research Paper Example This piece of writing will center on the strengths, weaknesses, and legality through explanation and in depth analysis. James argues that the effect of information technology on Global perspective has not been deliberately considered. He further stipulates that some developing countries are not in a spot to enjoy the technical changes in the information technology. James further posits that developing countries should become accustomed to the plentiful uniqueness of the information technology such as capability of eliminating irrepressible competition in the business globe. He added that there are great ideology and procedures linked with the information technology (Bigman 2007, p.3-5). James draws his strong points from a World Bank publication that was published in 1996. The document was entitled Global Economic Prospects and The Developing Countries. This document showed findings on irregular participation of developing countries in overseas trade and investments. Good number of d eveloping countries experienced undeniably inferior foreign investments to GDP ratios. Technology situates its control on a range of aspects of the economy such as societal, political, and monetary factors (Bertho 2008, p.168-170). James argues that in the midst of developing countries, the NICs more than any other cluster of developing countries have immensely improved by having a clear understanding of the benefits of information technology and enhanced interaction amongst them. The author supports his argument by giving examples of the countries who have realized dire need of involvement in information technology such as Taiwan, Singapore, and Korea. He emphasizes that these countries had sensed the revolutionary changes and transformations brought about by the information technology. The countries deemed it necessary to increase their competitive edge by thoroughly involving themselves in technological transformation of the complete economy (French 2008, p.80-81). James derived his arguments from very rich sources such as the World Bank and other scholarly sources. Additionally, it comes into reader’s mind that the issue of technology in advancement of the economy has been immensely studied. James argues that developing countries should be able to comprehend and absorb the various benefits coupled with technology in enhancement of the economy. The author, who acknowledges the uneven distribution of globalization, adds that governments should come up with very clear policies that aspire to incorporate the developments of information technology in the developing countries (Bertho 2008, p.163-165). James elaborately, describes and relates the thought of information technology with the global economy by recurrently giving examples. He stipulates that information technology have ease communication amongst countries by stating e-commerce among the advantages gained by technology. He further argues that there are numerous cot saving ideas that are found in technology. According to James, the countries involved intensive use of technology, gains a competitive advantage and better infrastructure thus increasing their foreign investments (Bigman 2007, p.4-6). The article’s motive was to relate globalization with the information technology but this has not been entirely considered by James. The author does not clearly explain in this article, how information techn

Issues of Trust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Issues of Trust - Essay Example By developing effective pedagogical strategic plan of fully engagement of culturally diversified parents towards the learning process, which avoids any events that can be interpreted as discrimination of the low-income CLD families. I will foster collaborative decision-making, which is made hard by less active parents in the school by involving parents, family and the community will ensure that all students’ needs are met without racial, culture, and level of income discrimination. The focus of the engagement is to enhance collaboration and testing the response from different cultures in my school, which will help in coming up with universal goals towards representing students from diverse backgrounds. Promoting more effective and efficient federal policies guarantees equal opportunities for all CLD families irrespective of their race, gender, culture, or socio-economic status; hence, this is a practice that I will engage in to provide a culturally responsible teaching environment. The policies will be published after gathering extensive information from all families including low-income CLD families, which will enhance the accomplishment of a collaborative governance of the teaching process free from criticism. The policies have to address all differences that arise from CLD families, stipulating considerations of the special attention required by the low-income families, which ensures that all students receive quality service. This is to ensure that what I offer in the curriculum would be my move to ensure that I foster a strong nous of a culturally responsive learning environment for culturally and linguistically diversified students. This is a practice that I believe plays an important role in enhancing collaborative ties in a school despite the cultural differences. I will put measures to promote consistent communication ensures that students develop self-empowerment regardless of their cultural

Challenges in developing new Products in a Global Economy Essay

Challenges in developing new Products in a Global Economy - Essay Example Another major challenge is to anticipate the changing needs of consumers as this is essential for the success of any product launch (Chen, 2011). Consumer needs in a global market are changing rapidly and this is why it is difficult to keep up in a rapidly changing market. Because of this positioning of the product in the market becomes important. The launch of Apple’s I Pad is a very good example of how difficult it is to launch and market a product in a global marketplace. There are some many things happening in the world that it is difficult to garner the attention of the customers and this is a significant challenge. This is essentially why Apple creates a buzz on the internet before its product launches with rumors and speculations. The product launch is telecasted on the internet so that the global audience can have access (Friedman, 2012). While announcing a new product, Apple also focuses on exclusivity and invites only a limited number of technology experts. All this depicts the challenges that a firm face while launching a product for a global market. The launch of Samsung Galaxy S4 Smartphone is also an example of how firms are challenged when dealing with a global clientele. Samsung used different acts or plays to make it easy for the consumers globally as to how the phone can be used in performing day to day functions. One of the main challenges in marketing communication is to create a global message. This challenge was overcome by Samsung by using a medium (acting) that is understandable all over the world. Samsung is mainly a design oriented company that focuses on innovative designs that suits the needs of the consumers (Jones, McCormick, & Dewing, 2012). This was communicated to the consumers by playing daily life situations on the stage. Another major challenge for brands is to build a positive association in the international market before the launch of the new product. This is where power of branding comes into play. Positive associa tions and branding is so important that Research in Motion decided to change the name of its company to Blackberry in order to build a positive association in the minds of consumers before the launch of its highly anticipated BlackBerry 10 device (The Berkshire Eagle, 2013). By doing this RIM tried to associate itself with BlackBerry in the eyes of the public because BlackBerry had become a household name. How technology Assist in Development and Launching of New Products? Technology has assisted a lot in marketing of new products to global consumers. Internet has redefined communications industry and has dissolved geographical borders. People all over the world can stay connected with each other and this has done wonders for the marketing world. Now marketers can use innovative techniques to attract a large target market without spending too much money in a more targeted way. All this is possible because of the advent of internet and advancements in communications technology. Apple used internet to broadcast its launching all over the world which is a good example of how technology can assist in marketing of new products (Friedman, 2012). The company used technology to market its product to consumers as there was no other way to make sure that consumers all over the world can watch the launching ceremony easily. This is how technology can

War Photographer and Stealingby Carol Anne Duffy Essay Example for Free

War Photographer and Stealingby Carol Anne Duffy Essay In Both the War Photographer and Stealing By Carol Anne Duffy the occupations of the narrator play a leading role even the titles are names of the occupations they both partake in. This is interesting because it seems that their jobs are their life and feeling even so they both share an extent of guiltiness related to their occupations, In War photographer he is guilty that he is at home in comfortable quiet rural England and all the people he photographs are still suffering. But in Stealing the guilt is underlying, less obvious and more of a guilt to himself like he owes himself a life without stealing or boredom. This shows a degree of selfishness which is evident when he takes pleasure in knowing the the children will cry in the morning he then goes on to say lifes tough like he had to harden to the world at a young age and so should they, he shows a bitterness towards the children as they have a childhood and he didnt and this bitterness seems to be aimed at all outsiders in both the poems . The Thief and the writer are issolated form society and therefore resent society as they see it and most of the suffering in the poems is blamed on the people The readers eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre lunch beers. Because the people see the suffering and carry on with their on lives the narrator thinks the readers dont care so their portrayed as heartless and cold. Carol Anne Duffy seems to have a flair for writing poems from other peoples point of view this is most evident in Stealing were she tries to understand the narrators motive and attempts to make the reader sympathise and justify what he does when normally he would be portrayed as the bad guy . The thief wallows in self pity throughout and even says he is better of dead and is so lonely even a snowman is good enough to be his friend I wanted him, a mate The snowman is a metaphor for what he has had in his life he steals it then dustructs it like he is destructing himself. The stealing is a ploy for attention he wants to be caught or noticed as he would have a reason to have contact with people eventhough he insults the people or outsiders in the poem sometimes I steal things,I dont need. I joy ride cars to nowhere, break into houses just to have a look. It is hard to establish what the message is in the war photographer at times he is praising the war photographers job And condeming the people he works for at other time he shows compassion to the victims he encounters but in the last line The narrator seems numb to what he witnesses as he works From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where he earns his living and they do not care This line defeats what he has said before when he developed the films the feelings the images conjured up made him remember the suffering he encountered but that was soon forgotten on the way to his next job he is turning in to what he condemns. The use of the word they signifies his view of society, the people that read newspapers he puts them all in the same cattergory and labels them accordingly. The war photographer is set in four regular stanzas which emphasises the pattern of the war photographers day. The poem opens with the Photographer coming home from his job and ends with him flying out to another job this implies his life runs in a cycle. It is also written in present tense which make the events more realistic and shocking to the reader. Stealing is also in equal stanzas this time five . And ocaisionly the end of one line falls into another (enjambment) which help the reader to enact the incidents which occur. A sense of mystery surrounds the narrator in stealing you dont know if he is male or female or his age and background although many assume the narrator is a man due to stereotypical criminal gender.In War Photographer we are told the narrator is male this is the only information surrounding the narrator intrestingly there is no desriptions of the physical attributes of the narrators or outsiders which poems usually include to help the reader relate to the charactors within the poems. In the War photographer photographical launguage is used as metaphors to shocking images the war photographer encountered ; spools of suffering set out in ordered rows conjures images of body bags holding victims of war laying side by side. The only light is red the colour red is used to remind the reader of the blood shed during war. These metophores seem to be effective by shocking the reader I think Carol Anne Duffy has intended the reader to start to think of the effects of the war not only on the victims but on the people who work their such as the War photographer, newsreaders or charity workers who arent necessarilly thought of being affected by war. In stealing the thiefs motive seems to be lonliness and this is explored subtbly but although theres only traces of lonliness it seems to be the main theme in both the poems. Although they resent outsiders it is only because they wish they could be like the outsiders as their not doing a job which issolates them from society this jelousy also seems to be one of the themes which explain how and why the outsiders are portrayed. I cant decide if I like these poems or not I dont really feel anything for the characters Carol Anne Duffy hasnt made them likeable by not describing them and showing the bad traits of their personality which makes the poems seem gritty. There is many hidden messages which seem obvious but effective but the fact that I had to read them both five times before they made sense put me off right away.But maybe thats because im The cat in the hat rhyming poem kind of a girl !

Literature review: learning on the internet

Literature review: learning on the internet RESTRICTED CHAPTER TWO LITREATURE REVIEW LITERATURE ON THE SUBJECT 1.Internet is an important tool in the modern day context. All searches pertaining to any kind of search to are within the finger tips. There by it has become a topic for researchers to research and write the thesis on covering various aspect of the internet. Saunders says that a thorough understanding of, and insight into, previous research that relates to a project is essential for the quality of the study, this usually being achieved by means of critically reviewing the extant literature1 2.My literature review of research will be based on publications such as subject related text books .E books, articles, journals, periodicals, projects proposals and unpublished thesis, pamphlets, completed reports and other available literature information resources already published by external authors on the respective subject area. According Timothy and Ellis they state that the literature review should be structured in following stages. So that I have used this model in order to sequence my literature review.2 On the attributes of a critical literature review Saunders, Mark N. K.1 Rojon, Cà ©line21School of Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom;2Department of Psychology School of Management, University of Surrey,Guildford, GU2 7XHUnited Kingdom Achieved by means of critically reviewing the extant literature.1 2A Systems Approach to Conduct anEffective Literature Review in Support of Information Systems Research Yair Levy and Timothy J. Ellis Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences,Nova Southeastern University, Florida, USA INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNET 3.There are plenty of definition can be find on what internet and this what the oxford dictionary says â€Å"A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols†. The definition itself brings out what it exactly does and also it describes under which conditions it should use. According to Linux information project on 2005 describes it as a network that is composed of a number of smaller computer networks which connects thousands of networks and hundreds of millions of computers throughout the world. It shows that no barriers on using the internet for any kind of a user for the benefit of him or for his organization. 4.The internet is a unique collection of networks, or a network of networks, that was made possible by scientists with vision to implement a compatible communication standard. These standards’ allow computers built by a variety of manufacturers running on different operating systems to exchange data. The internet, therefore, is able to facilitate the sharing of resources among participating organizations, which include government agencies, educational institutions, and private corporations.3 HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF INTERNET 5.The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of sustained investment and commitment to research and development of information infrastructure. Beginning with the early research in packet switching, the government, industry and academia have been partners in evolving and deploying this exciting new technology4 6.The history of the Internet begins with the development of electronic computers in the 1950s. Initial concepts of packet networking originated in several computer science laboratories in the United States, Great Britain, and France. The US Department of Defense awarded contracts as early as the 1960s for packet network systems, including the development of the  ARPANET(which would become the first network to use the  Internet Protocol.) The first message was sent over the ARPANET from computer science Professor Leonard Kleinrocks laboratory at  University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA) to the second network node at  Stanford Research Institute(SRI)4. 7. Access to the ARPANET was expanded in 1981 when theNational Science Foundation(NSF) funded theComputer Science Network (CSNET). In 1982, theInternet protocol suite(TCP/IP) was introduced as the standard networking protocol on the ARPANET. In the early 1980s the NSF funded the establishment for national supercomputing centers at several universities, and provided interconnectivity in 1986 with theNSFNETproject, which also created network access to thesupercomputersites in the United States from research and education organizations. CommercialInternet service providers(ISPs) began to emerge in the late 1980s. The ARPANET was decommissioned in 1990. Private connections to the Internet by commercial entities became widespread quickly, and the NSFNET was decommissioned in 1995, removing the last restrictions on the use of the Internet to carry commercial traffic4. 8.Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on culture and commerce, including the rise of near-instant communication byelectronic mail,instant messaging,voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) telephone calls,two-way interactive video calls, and theWorld Wide Webwith itsdiscussion forums,blogs,social networking, andonline shoppingsites. The research and education community continues to develop and use advanced networks such as NSFsvery high speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS),Internet2, andNational LambdaRail. Increasing amounts of data are transmitted at higher and higher ___________________________________________ exploring the internet by Clive C. Sanford 4http://www.internetsociety.org/internet/what-internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet#Origins(accesed on 03 march 2014) speeds over fiber optic networks operating at 1-Gbit/s, 10-Gbit/s, or more. The Internets takeover of the global communication landscape was almost instant in historical terms: it only communicated 1% of the information flowing through two-waytelecommunicationsnetworks in the year 1993, already 51% by 2000, and more than 97% of the telecommunicated information by 2007.[1]Today the Internet continues to grow, driven by ever greater amounts of online information, commerce, entertainment, andsocial networking4. 9.The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location.3 10. The graph below shows how the expansion of internet from 1996 to 2014. Sri Lanka as a developing country 31mpeople out of hundred use intenet accordind to the cences given by the international telecomunucation union. Internet users per 100 inhabitants Source:International Telecommunications Union POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET 11.Educational achievement is perhaps of secondary importance to many of the children; however, it too seems to be a real advantage. From 10 years of age onwards, there is a pressure from school to get the internet and a sense that access to the internet allows the willing student to attain a higher quality of extra information relevant to the subjects.4 12.This research suggest that it also has a role re-engaging some of the educationally disengaged, as they enjoy the control and fun of working with a PC. It can also enable the academically able to find more relevant information and research more effectively. For some though, who are not particularly interested in schoolwork, they remain uninterested whether they have internet access or not. 13.Research about the Internet generally has focused on social effects, such as psychological well-being; for instance, children are more likely to use the internet when they feel lonely. A study by Michigan State University has found that the internet has had a positive effect on reading but not mathematics. One explanation is the internet is a text rich environment with fewer opportunities to foster mathematics or science skills; however, both the Internet and children are changing. Students increasingly use visualization, which can relate to mathematics and science as much as creative writing.4 14.The internet can facilitate a game like learning environment, which is highly motivating and interesting to students. Unlike in traditional classrooms, students do not sit across from the teacher, hold a textbook, and take a final exam. Instead, they can explore new information on the internet like a game combining both the learning journey and entertainment. More research is needed in this area as additional online games are built specifically for history, mathematics and science. Gaming has the potential to have a different kind of cognitive impact than traditional learning. 15.The internet’s is more exciting and challenging as a research environment than earlier media because it is a complex virtual, social and physical world that school children participate and co-construct, rather than something that is merely watched TV or PC. It becomes a complex virtual universe behind a small screen on which developmental issues play out in old and new ways, offering new views in to the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of schoolchildren’s. This universe will continue to expand as web-connected cell phones and other new internet applications emerge. Thus, existing theoretical models, research programmes and methodological techniques in developmental psychology are both challenged and stimulated by interactions between youth and the internet.5 16.According to the research done by three Japan universities regarding â€Å"Children and the Internet in Japan†, they identified that junior high school students enrolled in the school that use the internet had higher skills for practical use of information compared to students in the school that did not use the internet in its classes. This indicates that internet use in school activities helped in increasing the ability of students to use information practically. In this research, they proposed that â€Å"skills for practical use of information† are composed of six sub skills, namely, skill of collections, the skill of judgment, the skill of expression, the skill of processing, the skill of creation, and the skill of communication. In terms of these skills, students in the school that used the internet in its classes had particularly better skills of collection, judgment, expression, processing and communication compared to the students enrolled in the school that d id not use the Internet in its classes.5 17.Students possibly will feel bored if they only study from textbook day by day. That is why internet can be good alternative media to improve students’ motivation in studying. By using internet as a learning media, students can see relevant pictures or animations, which are related to lesson. Based on some reliable researches, students’ motivation in studying can increase fast if teachers or lectures use pictures or animations in explaining lesson.5 2-1 RESTRICTED Unethical Act Among Contractors: Class F in Selangor Unethical Act Among Contractors: Class F in Selangor 1.0 INTRODUCTION Contractors are the independent entity that agree to construct certain number or quantity of goods, material, equipment personnel ,or services that meet the requirement of specifications at a mutually price with a specific timeframe with another independent entity call contractee or project owner (Oxford Times). All contractors are rated Class F are Bumiputera. According to Article (160(2)) the concept of a bumiputra ethnic group in Malaysia was coined by activist Tunku Abdul Rahman. It recognized the special position of the Malays provided in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, in particular Article 153. But, the constitution does not use the term bumiputra; it defines only Malay and aborigine (Article 160(2)).This means that the contractor is Class F Bumiputera contractors and do not need to apply for Recognition of Bumiputera. According to PKK (Pusat Khidmat Kontractor) until 26th June 2010 there are 4210 registered class F contractors in Selangor. A countrys economic system, irrespective construction industry plays a role in, construction industry plays a substantial role in a countrys national economic system (Zantanidis Tsiotras, 1998). Indeed, this sector is an important employer of a nations workforce as it employs between 2% to 10% of total workforce of most countries (Abdul Rashid Hassan, 2005). Malaysia has gained an impressive economic growth during the last three decades (Abdul Rahman et al, 2005) and this sector has employed an estimated 798,200 workforce nationwide in 2004 (CIDB, 2006). The Malaysian Government has given a much needed boost to the countrys construction industry under the 9th Malaysian Plan where a total of 880 projects worth RM15billion is to be tendered (The Star, 2006). It should be foregrounded that the issue of poor quality in the construction sector has, nevertheless. been identified as a major concern even as far back as the mid 1980s (The Star, 2006). Generally, it is a rule that constructi on projects must be completed within the planned cost, scheduled time and required quality. Quality may sometimes be ignored in this industry to cut the costs or to shorten the project time (Turk, 2006). To deal with the low quality problem faced by the industry, quality management is seen as an approach to achieve the required level of quality of the end product and has been given great attention worldwide over the past three decades (Hiyassat, 2000; Berawi and Woodhead, 2005). However, there is a perception that majority of quality related issues are caused by human factor. In response to that perception, a study was performed to look into the relationship between professional ethics among participants of construction sector and the quality related issues in Malaysian construction sector. It should be noted that for this purpose of survey, contractors and clients are regarded as professions and they are required to demonstrate a high degree of professionalism in performing their t ask, in response to the Governments effort who has introduced the National Integrity Plan to enhance integrity and ethics in the nation. Unethical acts of fraud, waste, abuse, and corrupt practices are what receive prominent treatment in the media worldwide. Such as inappropriate gifts, unauthorized payments, and fiscal infractions are the unethical act problems most noted. The Conference Board in New York reported that the above issues have widespread agreement on each of these issues as being a serious concern among the leaders of the free world, including those in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Due to the increased of public awareness toward the contractor unethical acts and also decreased of public tolerance for wrong-doing, it is important for contractor to focus specifically on the question of how professional ethics should be incorporated into awareness of individual to make sure every projects should be completed as standard. The ethical statement can describe the act was right or wrong, or act with a right or wrong which it can provide a line of distinction between good and evil of the act or the tendency of a person or at least it can develop guidelines that can be made with various moral considerations(J.L Mackie, 1971). Ethical act are very important because it use to determine the thoughts, actions and behavior of members of the organization to fulfill their responsibility and trust as an employee. It is also to create statements and coordination between the contractors as a key institution for national development. Ethical act also important to maintain and improve client confidence in the organization, 84% of FMIs respondents said that theyve seen an unethical act committed in the construction industry in the past year is an alarming statistic. Contractors, can take little comfort in the probability that incidence of unethical behavior is just as high in other industries these days. FMI had offer f our solution and one of the solutions is to stiffer the penalties for those caught in unethical or illegal acts is the least likely to succeed. Secondly, the FMI had suggest to develop an industry-wide code of ethics which these codes of ethics need to be enforced in every country. A less formal but corollary solution would hit closer to home. Companies should place more emphasis on social responsibility in their dealings with other firms. This approach is easier said than done, of course, although a few respondents in the survey say they have walked away from projects or companies and suffered short-term consequences as a result. They did not indicate, however, that they regretted their decisions in the long term. Training in ethical conduct is the fourth solution, and its the one that holds the most promise as long as it is coupled with commitment to these practices from the top ranks of any construction company. The FMI report states that unethical acts can signal a failure of management to know how to get the job done the right way. 1.2 Problem statement Due to many issues in our country regarding construction industry that lead to the unethical act by the contractors in running the projects such as the issue on the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2( MRR2 ), Matrade building and also the issue on the Navy Recruit Center. If this ethical issue still going on in our construction industry, it will affect our construction quality. According to the Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, more than 18,000 contractors and sub-contractors were either paid late or have yet to receive payment for completed work totaling RM23.7billion since 2000. This is a very huge sum, about 14% of the allocation for development projects under the 9th Malaysia Plan. The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) had carried out a six-month survey on 330 contractors, in which 273 cases of payment problems involving RM877.8mil were reported. Another example for the issue in Malaysian construction industry is the Plaza Rakyats project. The government will iss ue a warning notice to the Plaza Rakyat project contractors to continue the project as early as next week, initially, and if defaults, the tender will be forfeited. Minister of Federal Territory and Welfare Commissioner, Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said, a notice will be given to contractors in a week or two so that they continue construction work. 1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH. The aim of this research as far as the unethical act among contractors class F in Selangor is concerned, is to identify the effect in the construction quality. These main objectives are broken down to more specific objectives in order to better understand the topic at hand. To achieve the desired aim of the research, there are some of the objectives had been choose for this research. Objectives for this research are: Assess the level of professional ethical standards and its practice in the Selangor construction industry, To identify the problems associated to unethical acts in construction industry Determine the role of professional ethics in improving quality management in construction industry. 1.4 Organization of Study Chapter 1 introduces the research topic. It discussed about the unethical acts, definition of contractor, definition of bumiputera, issue related to unethical acts in construction industry problem statement and the objectives that initiated this study. Chapter 2 involves the extensive review of literature relating to the relevant topic of the subject matter of research including the professional ethic and relationship between ethic and construction. Chapter 3 discussed the methodology used in this study. It includes the developed hypothesis and data collection methods. It also includes a brief explanation on the data analysis methods. Chapter 4 reports data analysis and findings of the survey obtained from the findings. Chapter 5 involves detail finding and discussion on the result of survey base on the analysis. Chapter 6 present conclusions and recommendation based on the findings of the study. Key recommendation and their future prospect have been outlined which may assist in future plans to facilitate knowledge sharing plan in school. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction In this chapter a great extent of literature of relevant concepts are being reviewed in order to get insight of and identify variables which have impact on the objectives of this research. The researches which are done by different scholars and researches will be reviewed. 2.1 Quality In Construction Industry Quality is a measure of excellence or a state of being free from defects, deficiencies, and significant variations, brought about by the strict and consistent adherence to measurable and verifiable standards to achieve uniformity of output that satisfies specific customer or user requirements. ISO 8402-1986 standard defines quality as the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs Since tribal chiefs, kings, and pharaohs ruled the issues of quality have already existed (Gitlow, 2005). In a project scenario, quality can be defined as meeting the legal, aesthetic (Arditi Gunaydin, 1997) and functional requirements of a project (Berawi, 2006). Customers nowadays place more emphasis on the quality of products rather than the price which was the major concern in the past. Hence, a rapid expansion of international competition in quality has occurred (Tsiotras Gotzamani, 1996; Abdul Rahman Berawi, 2002). In America, the professional societies have prepared codes of ethics since before early twentieth century. These have been incorporated to a greater or lesser degree into the regulatory laws of various countries. Such as The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in the UK, they have a code of ethics incorporated into its standards of conduct and as for Canadian societies of professional engineers likewise have such codes of conduct as well (Bowen, P., R. Pearl and A. Akintoye. 2007). Mainly for practical and professional use, codes of ethics are developed for supplementing the building codes and other acts of law. These ethical aspects were considered based on mans natural morals (Darabarek Symotink, 1999). In terms of quality in construction industry, Turk (2006), citing Arditi Gunaydin (1999), mentioned that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"high quality building project includes factors like the design being easily understandable and applicable, conformity of design with specifications, economics of construction, ease of operation, ease of maintenance and energy efficiency. According to S. Fryer, Buro Happold, UK (2007), no matter how clever or elaborate the design of a structure is, any construction project will ultimately be judged on the quality of the finished product. Zantanidis Tsiotras (1998) and Abdul Rahman Berawi (2002) mentioned the expectations for quality construction projects will continue to grow rapidly as the number of affluent, educated and quality conscious customers are increasing. With the globalization of economy, construction firms worldwide are actively engaged to achieve internationally accepted quality levels to ensure their position in the emerging international market especially in those developing economies. Thus, the need to have a proper system that ensures quality is critical, coupled with high level of attention paid to quality management in construction industry (Abdul Rahman, Berawi, et al, 2006). Scholars indicate that quality management has been adopted by many countries in their construction industry including Hong Kong (Leung et al, 1999; Au Yu, 1999 and Tang Kam, 1999), Singapore (Low Omar, 1999 and Low Yeo, 1997), Greece (Tsiotras Gotzamani, 1996 and Zantanidis Tsiotras, 1998), Turkey (Turk, 2006), Jordan (Hiyassat, 2000), Saudi Arabia (Bubshait Al Atiq, 1999), Sweeden (Landin, 2000), United States (Chini Valdez, 2003), South Africa (Rwelamilla, 1995) and Malaysia (Chew Chai, 1996). As for Malaysia,we have the code of ethics for co ntractor which need to be followed by the contractors. In that code of ethic it emphasizes more about the level of professionalism, productivity, and quality. Excellence in the construction industry is very much determined by the level of efficiency, productivity, quality and professionalism in the delivery services. The delivery of construction services is connected directly or closely related integrity of the construction contractors in the performance responsibilities. This aspect has been dealt with when Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP): 2006-2015 enacted. CIMP has given special emphasis on increasing productivity, image and professionalism in the construction industry as the strategic thrusts of this industry to greater high. For this purpose CIMP also has proposed legislation Code of ethics to further strengthen the practice of values and moral ethics among contractors in the country in implementation of construction works. Many developers were also fined for not confo rming to the Housing Development Act, including not preparing reports on schedule, especially work progress reports every six months (NST, 2010). This quality in our construction industry can be improved if everybody doing their part. For every developer, starting a new housing project is a new business. So, if they understand their responsibility as a developer and follow the agreement, they must complete the projects according to the dates set. According to Michael S. Poles, the quality of the construction can be control by competence supervision. It is the duty of the contractor to complete the work covered by his or her contract, in accordance with the approved plans and specifications. The contractor must carefully study the approved plans and specifications and should plan their schedule of operations well ahead of time. If at any time it is discovered that the work which is being done is not in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, the contractor should immed iately correct the work. In order to assure that the work being done is in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, the contractor must always supervise, and coordinate of all of the work that need to be completed. 2.2 Professional Ethic in Construction Industry Profession is an occupation that requires both advanced study and mastery of a specialized body of knowledge and undertaken to promote, ensure or safeguard some matter that significantly affects others well being (Vee Skitmore, 2003). Almost every profession has its codes of ethics to provide a framework for arriving at good ethical choices. Therefore, professional ethics is a system of norms to deal with both the morality and behavior of professionals in their day to day practice, and ascribes moral responsibility not to an individual, but to all professionals practicing in a particular profession. For the building and designing professions, the incalculable value of human life demands nothing less than the highest moral considerations from those who might risk it otherwise (Mason, 1998, cited in Vee Skitmore,2003). Professional ethics concerns the moral issues that arise because of the specialist knowledge that professionals attain, and how the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public (Ruth Chadwick, 1998). The construction industry is a perfect environment for ethical dilemmas, with its low price mentality, fierce competition, and paper thin margin (FMI, 2006). Jordan (2005) stated that unethical behavior is taking a growing toll on the reputation of the industry. From a survey conducted by FMI, 63% of the respondents whom are the construction players feel that construction sector is tainted by unethical conducts (FMI, 2006). Surveys conducted by researchers in Australia (Vee Skitmore, 2003) and South Africa (Pearl et al, 2005) identified several unethical conducts and ethical dilemmas in the construction industry such as corruption, negligence, bribery, conflict of interest, bid cutting, under bidding, collusive tendering, cover pricing, frontloading, b id shopping, withdrawal of tender, and payment game. It is evident that there exist significant areas of concern pertaining to the ethical conducts practiced by the construction professionals. There are many other efforts taken to increase the ethical standards and integrity among the professionals in construction sectors worldwide. According to Pearl et al (2005), the regulatory professional Acts relating to the built environment professional sector in South Africa were totally overhauled in the late 1990s and a new suite of professional Acts were promulgated in 2000 to enhance the professionalism. Meanwhile, in America, the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) has updated its code of ethics to include a wider range of professional services as well as professional services among construction players (CMAA, 2006). A Standard of Professional Conduct to govern the ethical practices in the American civil engineering profession was published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE, 2007). On the other  hand, Australia has their own codes of tendering to enhance fairness and transparency (Ray, 1997). In Malaysia, the government is very serious about improving ethics in both public and private sector. For instance, the construction industry has introduced codes of ethics for contractors to encourage self regulation among the contractor in this sector (The Star, 2006). Stakeholders of construction projects were asked to enforce the existing code of ethics to safeguard the engineers good name (The Star, 2006). The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) of Malaysia also host integrity courses for contractors to promote the importance of integrity and plans to make the course as a pre9requisite for contractors when renewing their registration (The Star, 2006). Finally, the launching of the Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP) by CIDB in 2004 also had in the master plan an objective to enhance professional ethics in the local construction industry (Construction Industry Master Plan 2006 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 2015). According to Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, 1,345 developers and more than 5,000 directors of such companies involved in problematic projects have been blacklisted because they abandoned housing projects and also those that were not completed on schedule. They are not only been blacklisted, they also fined for not conforming to the Housing Development Act, including not preparing reports on schedule, especially work progress reports every six months(NST 2010). 2.3 Relationship between Professional Ethic and Quality Related Issues Besterfield et al (2003) mentioned quality is dependent on ethical behavior, whereby quality and ethics have a common care premise which is to do right things right and it is a proven way to reduce costs, improve competitiveness, and create customer satisfaction. It is evident that low  ethical standards among construction professional will lead to quality problem. These issues were highlighted in the media and received great concern of public (Fleddermann, 2004; NST, 2004; and RTM, 2006). As an example, the ethical related case in the construction industry was the collapse of the Hyatt Regency Kansas City walkways (Fleddermann, 2004). It is a hotel project in 1970s with walkways suspended over the large atrium. With the intention to save the cost, the subcontractor for the fabrication and erection of atrium steel suggested changes in the structure and it was approved by the consulting structural engineer. During the construction, part of the atrium collapsed and the engineer came out with the report saying that the design was safe and ready to be opened for business in 1980. The tragedy happened one year after the completion of the project during a dancing party in the atrium lobby. Some of the walkways on which people were dancing collapsed onto the crowded atrium floor, leaving more than a hundred people died and almost two hundred injuries. Investigation was then conducted by the Missouri Board of Architects, Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors reported that the original design was only marginally acceptable to the Kansas City building code where the walkways would only have had approximately 60% of the capacity required by the code. The situation was even worse in the new design proposed by the steel subcontractor and approved by the engineer. The consultant was found negligence in its investigation of the atrium collapse and places too much reliance on the subcontractor. Therefore, the engineer has been charged for negligence, incompetence, and misconduct. Both the engineer and the consultant firm lose license of practicing. This case strongly indicates that unethical behaviour will lead to quality problems and structural failures. In Malaysia, as an example, a newly opened specialist hospital in Johor Bahru was closed due to fungi attack on the equipments and walls (RTM 2006). It was found that many of the hospitals equipments such as oxygen piping and sewerage system are not according to the specifications. This clearly shows the poor ethics of the contractor who failed to do right things right. The contractor was given three months to rectify problems including leaking pipes, broken ceilings and faulty air conditioning ducts (NST, 2004). Another substandard quality of construction project in Malaysia is the RM238 million Middle Ring Road Two (MRR2) flyover which was closed to traffic after cracks were found in 31 pillars and structural movements were detected (The Sun, 2004). The Government engaged an independent consultant from the United Kingdom to investigate the defects. The independent consultant identified that design deficiencies and improper anchoring of the columns to the crossbeam were the main cau se of the cracks (NST, 2004). Design deficiency is found to be a negligence on the design team and the repair works was then carried out at an estimated cost of RM20 million. Contractors confront dozens of issues, many of which have substantial impact on their own self or organization, as well as others involved in the project. Many decisions have a straight forward answer determined by contract language or budget. Some, however, require entering an indistinct gray zone where the contractor must use best judgment to devise a course of action. Ethical questions raised include: what happens when professional codes and regulations lag behind technological innovations; what precautions must engineers take when trying to balance the benefits, new technologies bring against risks to public safety, often associated with engineering innovation and what are engineering and corporate responsibilities to the public for failed innovation; and should he hold then payments for the benefit of his organization. Often these challenges are managed with little or no preparation or formal guidelines and sometimes with negative results. Engineering ethics is attracting interest in colleges of engineering throughout the world. Therefore, the new technology must address the human being as its central subject and has to be introduced by ethics (Cywinski, Z. 2001). The construction of the new national palace at Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur has doubled in a period of four years from RM400 million to RM 811 million. Contracts for the construction were awarded to three companies through direct negotiations instead of open tenders ( NST 2003). Government will focus on overcoming the problem `leakage of tenders in the Ninth Malaysia Plan (RMK-9) are exploring the possibility of tightening conditions of the application to the contractor class F. Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the conditions were studied for class F contractors license applican t is to ensure that applicants undergo interview, examination, has offices and operations background of the net. The number of contractors has increased dramatically recently that 46.983 of the contractors registered with the Contractor Service Centre (PKK) in the country. Of the total, 35,544 are Class F contractors. The contractors will face intense competition in seeking jobs or contracts, and more disturbing is the number of contractors that own more than the number of contracts offered, especially from the government. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction This section describes the methodology used in conducting this research. It starts by describing the sample selection, research design, variables and hypothesis and continues with the description of the methods of data collection and data analysis. Finally, some of the limitations and key assumption of the findings are described. Primary source were used to collect data from the sample to assess the perception of respondents toward knowledge management and knowledge sharing, the school culture and work environment, individual barriers and organization barriers toward knowledge sharing. The selected data was tested and conclusions were drawn. There are 6 procedures used in completing this study. First, a review of literature was conducted. The review was focused on the emergence of knowledge economy and knowledge management. Then the roles of knowledge sharing were discussed. A further potential barrier toward knowledge sharing was reviewed. Variable which has affected on knowledge sharing was also discussed. The review of literature served as a frame work for the study, and offered contrasting opinions of the authors. Second, a rough draft of the survey instrument and possible methods of testing and assessment of variables was done. A questionnaire was tested and validated before implementation reviewed for preventing any bias and avoiding errors. Questionnaire survey is the main research methodology used to achieve the research objectives. Five hundred (500) sets of questionnaires were distributed to targeted respondents in Selangor state by post ,via the internet , by hand. Targeted respondents ranging from consultant firms and contractor personnel within Selangor area .To ensure the reliability of the questionnaire survey, the sample size taken was then compared to match with the sample size recommended by Krejcie and Morgan (Sekaran, 2000: 295). Third, a survey was implemented. Questionnaire was sent to the list of all class F contractors which registered under PKK within Selangor area. Fourth, the result of the survey was assessed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 15.0 software. The result were tested and presented with illustration. Scores were converted into percentage rating and presented in graphical format using excel 2003. Fifth, the conclusion was driven from data analysis and findings. Important points were highlighted and recommendations were given. Research Design The research was designed to explore the unethical acts among contractors regarding the issue on the construction quality in Selangor. The data produced from the research was then analyzed so that the following objective could be achieved. The stated hypothesis could be tested and further recommendations could be made with regard to specific focus of this research. To identify areas for further, and more specific areas of research Quantitative method utilizing survey method is used for gathering information. Variables Variables are classified into three groups including dependent variables, moderate variables and independent variables. Dependent Variable Unethical act is considered as dependent variable Independent Variable Contractors and construction quality are considered as independent variables. Data Collection A comprehensive literature review and self administered questionnaire were used to provide an insight to the study. These instruments provide informative ideas on the possible issued experienced by factors affecting perception of respondents about unethical acts will effected the construction quality The survey aimed is to target contractor class F in Selangor. The aimed was chosen because of two reasons. Firstly, there are too many contractors class F in Selangor. Secondly, the issues that involved contractor class F are more major in our construction industry and this give the author the possibility to sent the questionnaires to some contractor firm on one to one basis. The author would have preferred a larger sample of respondents to participate in the research, but due to limitation of time, this was not possible. The survey was aimed at the contractors class F in Selangor area. Data were collected from 500 contractors selected randomly from different firm and background. Questionnaire was send through mail and respondents were given three weeks to respond before they were send back to the author. 3. 4 Research Assumptions When conducting this study a number of assumptions have been made with regards to the literature reviewed and the respondent sample selected. These assumptions are identified as below. The secondary data collected from various resources have been assumed to be valid and based on the research done by authors. The secondary data has been assumed to present public interest as a whole and without any biases. The respondents have responded to the questionnaire without any biasness and to the best of their abilities. Instrumental Biases In administrating the questionnaire, there has been a significant degree of biasness that was exercised by researcher. The questionnaire was developed based on the respondents. This minimizes the respondent biasness to a certain level. Various scaling methods were utilized where appropriate to minimize biasness. Sample size Approximately 500 contractors were randomly selected from the target population of different firms. The simple random sampling method was utilized in this situation. This was to deter any sample biasness that could have distorted the result. The respondents samples of contractors were surveyed in the Selangor area. The contractors who responded came from various hierarchy levels of different firms. Scaling of Questionnaire In order in measure the operationally defined and elements of a variable, the rating scale has been used to elicit responses with regard to the person studied. A number of rating scales techniques and measurements were utilized when administrating questionnaire involving Category scale and Likert scale. Example: Category Scale What is your highest educational qualification? PHD degree Bs degree Ms degree Diploma/STPM Knowledge sharing is fully supported by school administrator. Extremely disagree/ Strongly disagree/ Disagree /Agree /Strongly Agree/Extremely A

Coffee Marketing in Mana Woreda

Coffee Marketing in Mana Woreda 4.5.1. Market Places Market is an important factor that affects household decision-making in agricultural activities. Access to markets is a distance measured in kilometers to reach the nearest market. The study revealed the infrastructure in Mana woreda is generally satisfactory. There is an availability of market places near to villages with easy road access and proximity to larger towns. This has assisted farmers to reduce their transport cost and enlarge their market surplus and margins. The access has further supported to increase coffee production by the farming households. According to the survey result, it is confirmed that the average distance from the main road is at about 2km and from a rather close average distance from the main village market is at about 3.7 Km. Sample households are also located at a distance of 4.2km from cooperatives. The main market center is in Yebbu town, which is the woreda capital. 4.5.2. Market Participants Coffee passes through several stages before it reaches the ultimate consumers. These stages are local collection station, processing, storage, transportation and grading, exporting and domestic distribution. Both governmental and private enterprises are participating in collecting, processing, wholesaling and exporting activities (Elias, 2005). This study identified different coffee market participants in the exchange functions between farmers and final consumers. The major coffee market participants in the study area include coffee farm households, local collectors, wholesalers (suppliers) and Cooperatives. Coffee growers are the primary actors who cultivate and supply coffee to the market. They do not have adequate, reliable and timely market information than traders which forced them to sell their produce at low selling price. Local collectors are farmers or part time traders in assembly markets who collect coffee from farmers in village markets for the purpose of reselling it to wholesalers and consumers in the main market center. They use their financial resources and local knowledge to collect a bulk of coffee from the surrounding area. Wholesalers are known for purchase of coffee in a large amount with better financial and information capacity. They purchase coffee either directly from farmers or local collectors. They distribute large amount of coffee to the regional market (Jimma) and to terminal markets (Addis Ababa). Service Cooperatives (primary societies) made up of different local peasant associations play an important role in organizing farmers. They own washing stations a nd warehouses. They purchase coffee from the farmers and distribute to unions. 4.5.3. Marketing Channels Generally, four marketing channels were identified in the study area where coffee was passing from producers to consumers. The first channel was passing coffee from producers via coffee primary cooperatives to export through secondary cooperatives (Unions). In the second channel producers sold dried coffee to collectors who were selling to primary cooperatives to be exported directly through the Union. The third channel is a principal marketing channel with larger number of marketing agents through which sun dried coffee is passed from the coffee growers to coffee collectors and dry processed coffee is passed from coffee wholesalers to export market. In the last channel, coffee growers sell their coffee to wholesalers to export through exporters. The coffee marketing channels of the study area can be sketched like this: Therefore, the structure of coffee marketing system in the study area was characterized by the presence of individual coffee farmers to the production side and coffee primary cooperatives, local collectors and wholesalers (suppliers) to the marketing side. The Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union and private exporters were the members of the coffee marketing structure outside the study area. 4.5.4. Place and Price of Coffee Sale As the starting point for the distribution of coffee from producer to final consumer, farm respondents were asked where they were selling their different forms of coffee. According to the sample respondents, the major market places for selling both red cherry and sun-dried coffee were the nearest local markets for collectors, primary cooperative associations and Yebbu town (main market center of the woreda) for wholesalers and other marketing agents. With respect to whom the sample farm households are selling their coffee among the different marketing agents (intermediaries), they responded differently with regard to red cherry and sun-dried coffee. Farmers sell their coffee in the form of red cherry during harvesting and in sun-dried form after storing for some months. For the red cherry coffee, the majority (about 72.3%) of the farm household were sold to the Cooperatives. The remaining 19.2% and 8.6% were sold to Local collectors and Wholesalers respectively. Local collectors purchase the bulk of coffee in the case of sun dried (70.8%) from farm households where as the remaining 22% and 7.2% of sun-dried coffee bought by coffee wholesalers and cooperatives respectively. As indicated in the above table 4.10, from the total production of coffee, the sample farm respondents are producing more of sun-dried coffee (63%) than that of red cherry (37%). The red cherry coffee will be sold immediately after harvesting mostly for cooperatives which have washing stations and hand pulpers. According to the survey result, the principal cost of the farmers was cost of transporting coffee to the market followed by labor cost. Regarding with price, there is a difference in the price between red cherry and sun-dried coffee. The price of sun-dried coffee was higher than that of red cherry. All of the sample farm respondents in the study area reported that the average price for red cherry was nearly 6 Birr/kg during the last harvest season whereas for sun-dried coffee the mean price was 24.4 Birr/kg. But the prices of both types of coffee were fluctuating from time to time. Farmers sell their coffee for cooperatives as well as local traders. They preferred to sell their coffee to cooperatives because most of the sample farm households are members of the cooperatives and the prices of cooperatives for red cherry and sun-dried coffee were better than the other local traders. But, cooperatives were not active participants in the early and late seasons and favored to buy red cherry. During this time farmers were forced to sell their coffee (especially sun-dried) to local traders at a lower price due to limited bargaining power. According to the survey result, the sample respondents replied that there is no uniform coffee price at the market place. The reason for difference in the price of coffee was color difference (2.6%), quality difference (89.7%) and Farmer’s negotiating capacity (8.7%). Prices were exclusively determined by traders negotiating with farmers during time of transaction. Majority of farmers responded that they were price takers. Price setters were mostly local traders (81.7%) and only 18.3% of the farmers were in a position to decide on coffee price. Regarding with the terms of payment, 76.2 percent of the respondents stated that they were selling their coffee on cash basis and received the price as soon as they sold. According to the survey result, 71.3 percent of the respondents replied that the trend of coffee market is apparently decreasing across time. The reason behind this is the fluctuation and volatility of coffee price. Hence, the benefits earned from the production of coffee are significantly deteriorating because of the declining prices of coffee in the market.

the rifle Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Rifle   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‚  By: Gary Paulsen   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the story â€Å"The Rifle† that took place in 1786 there was a gunsmith named Cornish McManus. He built a rifle that had the best accuracy and finish of all time. But a problem came up; he had a new wife to care for and had to sell the rifle. He sold it to a man named John Byam. He is a patriot fighting for independence in the Revolutionary war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While he fought in the war the first person he killed was a British officer and the rest of the troops were picked off one by one. All of Byam’s troops admired the rifle and asked to see it all the time. After the killing of the officer they had been chased to a British fort but hadn’t been seen. John sniped out one of the officer’s and hid in a nearby trench. Slowly John became known and admired by all, for his amazing skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One day John drank dirty water and got really sick. The rest of his troops knew it was only a matter of time before he died. Three days after he died and was buried with the others that died of sickness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After he died a woman named Sarah took it and put it in-between the...

Acting and Identity in Sizwe Banzi is Dead and in Death and the Kings

Both "Sizwe Bansi is Dead", (written by Athol Fugard in collaboration with John Kani and Winston Ntshona) and "Death and the King's Horseman" (written by Wole Soyinka) are both set in South Africa, in two important and significant cultural moment for the country. "Swize Bansi is Dead" tells the difficult reality of Africa under apartheid (1950s), analysing the complex issue of identity in that time. The rules of Apartheid meant that people were legally classified into a racial group, mainly Black and White, and separated from each others. This division restricted black people from being able to vote, having medical care, education, or other public services, and if when, in rare cases these were possible, they still were of a lot inferior compared to what white people were entitled to. Not only Black people were thus deprived of their write as human beings, as persons, but what most suggested that they'd lost their identities is that all of them had to have an "identity book". This item, insert them into a system of figures, where each one of them wasn't identified by a name anymore, they were recognised and registered by a number. This is a very important issue of the play, in fact the focal point is to show us how irrelevant the name and the "identity" had become for those people. Is your name your identity? And if not, is it possible to maintain a stable and truthful inside identity when deprived of all signs of uniqueness such as your own name? This theme is very much confronted in Sizwe Bansi is Dead. The main character, Sizwe Bansi is forced into talking a terrible decision. Taking a dead man's identity book, therefore stealing his "official" identity, to be able to get on with his life and keep in contact with his f... ...the characters show how loosing their write to vote and therefore express their opinion, and especially having to carry an identity booklet all the time (just because of the colour of their skin) can generate an inside crisis on one's identity. Is our identity determined by our name? Can we change name and be able to keep a stable identity? This play also raises the issue of being actors, just to survive in the society they lived in. Not being able to show their feelings and their disappointment at any time, obliged them to smile, sing, and fake. These issues are also raised in "Death and the King's Horseman", but more with showing how important and determinant our culture is for our personal identity. Thus, living in an era where this one is changing, because of the rough imposition of a new one, can torn one's personality, making them doubt all of their beliefs.

Anthropology: Examining the Physical and Cultural Characteristics of Hu

Anthropology: Examining the Physical and Cultural Characteristics of Humankind This course has provided interesting field studies of cultures that are drastically different than what I would consider â€Å"everyday life.† Anthropology examines not only who we are as a people, but also, importantly, who we were as a people. The studies of past cultures is a good place to start to answer questions about societies and cultures today, and to bridge together the gap between the past and present, and maybe even predict where we are headed in the future. Anthropology spans millions of generations, examining the physical and cultural characteristics of humankind. Often the artifacts recovered from a past civilization can tell us a great deal about how those people lived, their level of technology, their patterns of subsistance, and so on. Anthropology uses methods and tools from multiple scientific disciplines, such as the scientific method which allows the testing of falsifiable hypotheses. This approach seems to be a strong basis for many of the different areas of anthropology, namely archeology, ethnology, and linguistics. I had thought that male dominance and superiority (â€Å"man the hunter† model) was a highly conserved cultural characteristic in past societies, and even in many â€Å"less developed† areas of the world today. I was surprised by the case studies of the !Kung San (traditional foraging society, not sedentary), in which females were just as important as males in...

Deception Point Page 94

Crouched beside the powerboat untying the moorings, Corky glanced up just as the machine guns beneath the chopper erupted in a blaze of thunder. Corky lurched as if hit. Wildly, he scrambled over the gunwale and dove into the boat, sprawled himself on the floor for cover. The guns stopped. Tolland could see Corky crawling deeper into the powerboat. The lower part of his right leg was covered with blood. Crouched below the dash, Corky reached up and fumbled across the controls until his fingers found the key. The boat's 250 hp Mercury engine roared to life. An instant later, a red laser beam appeared, emanating from the nose of the hovering chopper, targeting the powerboat with a missile. Tolland reacted on instinct, aiming the only weapon he had. The flare gun in his hand hissed when he pulled the trigger, and a blinding streak tore away on a horizontal trajectory beneath the ship, heading directly toward the chopper. Even so, Tolland sensed he had acted too late. As the streaking flare bore down on the helicopter's windshield, the rocket launcher beneath the chopper emitted its own flash of light. At the same exact instant that the missile launched, the aircraft veered sharply and pulled up out of sight to avoid the incoming flare. â€Å"Look out!† Tolland yelled, yanking Rachel down onto the catwalk. The missile sailed off course, just missing Corky, coming the length of the Goya and slamming into the base of the strut thirty feet beneath Rachel and Tolland. The sound was apocalyptic. Water and flames erupted beneath them. Bits of twisted metal flew in the air and scattered the catwalk beneath them. Metal on metal ground together as the ship shifted, finding a new balance, slightly askew. As the smoke cleared, Tolland could see that one of the Goya's four main struts had been severely damaged. Powerful currents tore past the pontoon, threatening to break it off. The spiral stairway descending to the lower deck looked to be hanging by a thread. â€Å"Come on!† Tolland yelled, urging Rachel toward it. We've got to get down! But they were too late. With a surrendering crack, the stairs peeled away from the damaged strut and crashed into the sea. Over the ship, Delta-One grappled with the controls of the Kiowa helicopter and got it back under control. Momentarily blinded by the incoming flare, he had reflexively pulled up, causing the Hellfire missile to miss its mark. Cursing, he hovered now over the bow of the ship and prepared to drop back down and finish the job. Eliminate all passengers. The controller's demands had been clear. â€Å"Shit! Look!† Delta-Two yelled from the rear seat, pointing out the window. â€Å"Speedboat!† Delta-One spun and saw a bullet-riddled Crestliner speedboat skimming away from the Goya into the darkness. He had a decision to make. 114 Corky's bloody hands gripped the wheel of the Crestliner Phantom 2100 as it pounded out across the sea. He rammed the throttle all the way forward, trying to eke out maximum speed. It was not until this moment that he felt the searing pain. He looked down and saw his right leg spurting blood. He instantly felt dizzy. Propping himself against the wheel, he turned and looked back at the Goya, willing the helicopter to follow him. With Tolland and Rachel trapped up on the catwalk, Corky had not been able to reach them. He'd been forced to make a snap decision. Divide and conquer. Corky knew if he could lure the chopper far enough away from the Goya, maybe Tolland and Rachel could radio for help. Unfortunately, as he looked over his shoulder at the illuminated ship, Corky could see the chopper still hovering there, as if undecided. Come on, you bastards! Follow me! But the helicopter did not follow. Instead it banked over the stern of the Goya, aligned itself, and dropped down, landing on the deck. No! Corky watched in horror, now realizing he'd left Tolland and Rachel behind to be killed. Knowing it was now up to him to radio for help, Corky groped the dashboard and found the radio. He flicked the power switch. Nothing happened. No lights. No static. He turned the volume knob all the way up. Nothing. Come on! Letting go of the wheel, he knelt down for a look. His leg screamed in pain as he bent down. His eyes focused on the radio. He could not believe what he was looking at. The dashboard had been strafed by bullets, and the radio dial was shattered. Loose wires hung out the front. He stared, incredulous. Of all the goddamned luck†¦ Weak-kneed, Corky stood back up, wondering how things could get any worse. As he looked back at the Goya, he got his answer. Two armed soldiers jumped out of the chopper onto the deck. Then the chopper lifted off again, turning in Corky's direction and coming after him at full speed. Corky slumped. Divide and conquer. Apparently he was not the only one with that bright idea tonight. As Delta-Three made his way across the deck and approached the grated ramp leading belowdecks, he heard a woman shouting somewhere beneath him. He turned and motioned to Delta-Two that he was going belowdecks to check it out. His partner nodded, remaining behind to cover the upper level. The two men could stay in contact via CrypTalk; the Kiowa's jamming system ingeniously left an obscure bandwidth open for their own communications. Clutching his snub-nose machine gun, Delta-Three moved quietly toward the ramp that led belowdecks. With the vigilance of a trained killer, he began inching downward, gun leveled. The incline provided limited visibility, and Delta-Three crouched low for a better view. He could hear the shouting more clearly now. He kept descending. Halfway down the stairs he could now make out the twisted maze of walkways attached to the underside of the Goya. The shouting grew louder. Then he saw her. Midway across the traversing catwalk, Rachel Sexton was peering over a railing and calling desperately toward the water for Michael Tolland. Did Tolland fall in? Perhaps in the blast? If so, Delta-Three's job would be even easier than expected. He only needed to descend another couple of feet to have an open shot. Shooting fish in a barrel. His only vague concern was Rachel standing near an open equipment locker, which meant she might have a weapon-a speargun or a shark rifle-although neither would be any match for his machine gun. Confident he was in control of the situation, Delta-Three leveled his weapon and took another step down. Rachel Sexton was almost in perfect view now. He raised the gun. One more step. The flurry of movement came from beneath him, under the stairs. Delta-Three was more confused than frightened as he looked down and saw Michael Tolland thrusting an aluminum pole out toward his feet. Although Delta-Three had been tricked, he almost laughed at this lame attempt to trip him up. Then he felt the tip of the stick connect with his heel. A blast of white-hot pain shot through his body as his right foot exploded out from under him from a blistering impact. His balance gone, Delta-Three flailed, tumbling down the stairs. His machine gun clattered down the ramp and went overboard as he collapsed on the catwalk. In anguish, he curled up to grip his right foot, but it was no longer there. Tolland was standing over his attacker immediately with his hands still clenching the smoking bang-stick-a five-foot Powerhead Shark-Control Device. The aluminum pole had been tipped with a pressure-sensitive, twelve-gauge shotgun shell and was intended for self-defense in the event of shark attack. Tolland had reloaded the bang-stick with another shell, and now held the jagged, smoldering point to his attacker's Adam's apple. The man lay on his back as if paralyzed, staring up at Tolland with an expression of astonished rage and agony. Rachel came running up the catwalk. The plan was for her to take the man's machine gun, but unfortunately the weapon had gone over the edge of the catwalk into the ocean.