The Need for Stronger Bullying Laws

Bullying is a very negative action and creates major problems in our society. Nothing good ever comes out of bullying someone. It can however change someone’s life forever. It actually does ruin many lives both of the bully and of the victim. The bully if caught and punished will then have a criminal record for the rest of their life. Unless they get psychological help, they will probably end up being a repeat offender. The victim often becomes depressed, withdrawn and often times either commits suicide or becomes a bully themselves. Bullying is more than just a part of growing up.It is a very violent form of aggressive behavior. Anti-bullying Laws will never completely solve the problem; only mask it temporarily until everyone starts working together to stop the root of this cruel behavior. Adults know that this behavior is wrong but many time don’t know when or if they should step in and do something. The important thing to remember when deciding to step in is how the adult feels about taking control of the situation versus how the victim might feel about having a parent or elder stick up for them. Sometimes the victim feels that elder involvement may make the situation even worse.They often feel the only way to solve the problem is to handle it themselves. â€Å"Anti-bullying laws are being enacted in almost every state in the U. S. However, they are not being enforced and are nowhere near strong enough to identify and make the abuser stop or continue to repeat his/her actions again on someone else or even sometime the same victim they began with. Only 44 of our 50 states currently have anti-bullying laws in place. Ohio does have a law in place and is found in the Ohio Revised Code, section 3313. 666. The law prohibits harassment, intimidation, or bullying in schools.It went into effect on March 30, 2007. † (University of Nebraska, 2006). This law applies to every public school in Ohio, however, does not apply to private schools. So, if the law only applies to certain people then how is it supposed to be a solution to the problem? Bullying happens very often off school grounds or even in the home. Often the school will deny that there is a problem and that the victim is either lying or exaggerating the story. When this happens the parent needs to take their complaints even further. The superintendent of the school ystem should be their next step. If that does not work they can then contact an attorney or even their city’s police force. All of these venues need to be reminded that refusal to recognize that the problem is going on violates the Ohio law prohibiting bullying. â€Å"Many parents end up feeling like they have exhausted all efforts in dealing with school authorities and/or they do not feel school officials have been receptive enough in meeting the child’s needs, especially when the child continues to being a victim of ongoing harassment, bullying, assaults, or emotional bullying.If the adul t or parent feels this way then they should not sit back and give up or feel defeated. They can however, pursue other means of support from medical, mental health, social services or even community based programs. But lastly, they can also contact the police. † (McGraw, 2008). As a parent myself of a severely bullied child, this advice really hits home for me. A parent often feels backed in a corner and helpless not being able to stop their child’s pain. This was an excellent book to read to teach parents, teachers and administrators that there is always help out there.They just have to know the channels to follow. In an article from the Register-Herald in Beckley, West Virginia, dated February, 26, 2011, a house panel agreed to arm educators with a stronger law to cope with cyber bullying over objections by some opponents that it goes too far by dealing with off campus texting and other wireless harassment. One major dispute was schools right to deal with bullying beyo nd school grounds, even on a vacation, for example. But in that scenario the bullying would have to spill over into school days and then disrupt the education process before it falls under a teachers right to act.Children should not be afraid to go to school. No matter where kids are no matter what time of year it is, a school now has jurisdiction to discipline now when they come back to school. Although, that is a great law parents also need to be more involved in the children’s lives. They need to know what is going on. They need to make their children feel that their home is their â€Å"safe place† and that they can come to their parents whenever problems arise. But the problem today is that the economy pulls parents in to working multiple jobs while older siblings or babysitters are left to care for the younger ones.Schools need to pay more attention and make use of their city’s Juvenile Court System to deal with unruly and abusive students and children. In another article by Tanya Roth of the York County Virginia Gazette dated August 9, 2010, a case that resulted in suicide caused by bullying resulted in a wrongful death suit seeking ten million dollars in damages. The mother of a high school freshman is suing school officials and one sheriff’s deputy for failing to enforce the anti-bullying policies she believes would have saved her sons life, but did not. Her son hanged himself on May 31, 2010.The suit details a meeting that took place at the school concerning the bullying, with all the defendants present. The school personnel should have been aware of the risk of emotional damage caused by the continued bullying, and should have enforced the anti-bullying policies available to them. Parents, elders and victims themselves are grasping at straws as a means to stop this physical and mental abuse. â€Å"Some parents are even filing law suits based on the theory of â€Å"premises liability. † Under this theory, occupiers and owners of land, including school, are required to keep their premises safe for those who are legally allowed to be there. (University of Nebraska, 2006). These laws are only a band-Aid to the reoccurring problem and in most cases never fully help the victim. The mental damage never goes away therefore just gives a victim â€Å"false hope† that they are going to be safe. Prevention of bullying needs to happen at the school, in class, and at the individual level. Bullying can also be prevented at home. â€Å"At the school level there needs to be better supervision of the students’ activities, an interesting, fun outdoor environment, contact phone numbers for the students and the parents, and teacher training groups.In the classroom there are many things teachers and students can do. They can make class rules against bullying and have activities that encourage good behavior. In the classroom, meetings between the teachers, parents, and students can help to prevent bu llying. Teachers or other authorities can have serious discussions with the bully to reduce the amount of bullying that occurs. † (McGraw, 2008). But everyone needs to wake up and realize that there is a problem in every state of the U. S. and in many cases in every home.Bullying creates a vicious circle. It makes the victim scared of the bully, which encourages the bully and makes it easier for him/her to bully the victim again and again. Repeated bullying keeps adding to the intensity and makes the victim more scared and it many cases suicidal and the circle keeps going on; unless the pattern is broken by someone outside this horrible circle. I chose this topic because I am amazed at the amount and severity of bullying that is allowed to go on in schools, the public and in many cases behind closed doors at home.After reading several books and articles and hours or research that I have spent on this topic; I am convinced more than ever that people truly need to take this prob lem seriously both at home and in school. The biggest problem is that both parents and schools turn their heads as a means to not have to admit that there is a problem to begin with. So, I am back to my original question: Are anti-bullying laws a solution, a band-aid to the problem or just a means of false hope to make the victim temporarily feel safe? I am not sure this problem will ever be solved.BibliographyMcGraw, J. (2008, November). Jay McGraw’s Life Strategies for Dealing with Bullies. New York: Aladdin. University of Nebraska Lincoln. (2006, June). Facts about Bullying. Retrieved from www. targetbully. com/wst_page6. html Porterfield, M. (2011, February 26). Panel Agree to Stronger Bullying Laws. The Register -Herald. Retrieved from http://www. register-herald. com/local/x1709532935/Panel-agrees-to-stronger-bullying-laws/ Roth, T. (2010, August 9). School Bullying: Student Suicide Leads to Suit. York County, Virginia Gazette. Retrieved from:

Tourism in LEDC’s creates environmental and social problems whilst bringing limited economic benefits

Tourism is now the world's biggest industry. It may be defined as the temporary visit of people to a region in which they do not live, for a period of more than 24 hours. Tourism has been promoted by the wealth of the developed countries, aided by the cheap flights offered by low cost airlines, and peoples increased leisure time and their desire to visit more exotic locations. The very nature of tourism brings large numbers of people to an area about which they may know very little. Many regions suffer environmental and social problems and this can be exacerbated by tourism. Also read this  Cheating in a Bottom Line Economy Tourism to Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDC's) is generally by wealthier people from More Economically Developed Countries (MEDC's). There is often a vast disparity between the relative poverty of local people in LEDC's and the wealth of visitors from MEDC's. The vast gap in wealth and a lack of respect for the natives by the tourists can cause resentment, but the LEDC's depend upon the income, which the foreigners bring to the areas they visit. LEDC's as the term implies, suffer from weak economies. Tourism is therefore particularly valuable since it is an export earner, bringing new money from foreign countries. Many LEDC's are now dependent on tourism as a source of revenue. However the flow of visitors can cause considerable problems for popular destinations. Social problems frequently arise from a clash of cultures between the tourists and the indigenous population. Tourists arrive at their destination and expect western food, standards and accommodation. This demand for a home environment brings about the gradual westernisation of shops and services. Local shops and family owned businesses soon find themselves unable to compete with the global dominance of large western firms including fast food chains such as McDonalds. The invasion of tourists particularly in smaller locations undermines the local way of life, resulting in the erosion of indigenous cultures. Such an influx of tourists can be degrading. In Papua New Guinea, ethical issues are raised when the poor natives are pressured into performing for tourist groups. Other islands such as Tonga and Fiji are suffering in the same way. The undermining of culture can lead to alienation, drunkenness, burglary and violent crime among natives. Bangkok and Pattaya in Thailand have become centres of the sex industry. Young girls are taken and even sold from poor agricultural communities and forced into prostitution at a young age and even child prostitution has developed. In Pattaya the beach resort has seen uncontrolled development of hotels and this has caused pollution of the sea to a point where swimming has been unattractive. You can read also Classifications of Restaurants The vast gap in wealth between the tourists and the residents causes considerable resentment and as a result tourists are often targets for theft and crime. The behaviour of tourists can also prompt attacks at popular clubbing destinations. Tourists often become drunk and are offensive to residents, starting fights and causing damage to property, creating conflict between the locals and the foreigners. In places such as the island of Bali, which is part of the world's largest archipelago of Indonesia, the inadequate coverage of clothing worn by tourists when they go out for the evening is insulting to the locals. Places such as Bali often have conservative dress codes as part of their religion and the tourists make no attempt to respect the customs of the locals. Western tourists are often attacked by extremists seeking to publicly display their opposition to the western culture. The most recent example was in the Bali bombing of 2002 by Al Quaeda, who are opposed to western values and their perceived impact upon Muslim countries. The attacks often have political motives and are an attempt to put pressure on the government to implement change. Environmental problems are also an issue for LEDC's. Airports are built, dramatically increasing the flow of tourists and often overwhelming local infrastructures. The vast numbers of visitors arriving at destinations put considerable pressure on the environment and national resources. The need to accommodate the tourists increases the demand for land. Often LEDC's do not have well developed legal and regulatory infrastructure so building regulation and planning laws are less stringent. Western companies and even native companies will exploit the country environmentally, constructing buildings in picturesque, sensitive and vulnerable environments. For example, in the Maldives, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, luxury hotels have been built on formerly uninhabited islands attracting divers and fishermen who are endangering vulnerable species and the coral reefs. Simply the number of people visiting an area can cause erosion of beaches and footpaths and the damage to local habitats. Tourists often lack respect for the environments, which they visit. Mount Everest in Nepal is a popular destination for climbers and walkers, receiving up to 100,000 trekkers a year on popular routes. The tourists cut fuel wood, which has led to deforestation and consequent soil erosion. Also as they climb, tourists cast off items they do not wish to carry and as a result the paths towards the summit of Mount Everest has become littered with detritus and other rubbish discarded by trekkers. Popular tourist destinations suffer from a large influx of visitors causing seasonal congestion and demand for natural resources. There is a need for land, water and energy and in LEDC's people tend to provide these resources in the cheapest way possible, regardless of the environmental damage it may cause. Golf tourism creates problems because the landscape is manicured to provide the greens and fairways while vast amounts of water are required to maintain the courses. This has aggravated the existing water shortage in Thailand. Water shortages and water quality are major problems for developing countries and tourism can exacerbate these problems. Many countries depend upon tourism as the principal source of foreign currency. Some islands in the Caribbean such as Barbados rely on tourism but tourists come by cruise ships which can pollute the sea and beaches destroying the reefs and adversely affecting the life cycle of the flying fish which is the main fish stock of Barbados. Tourism brings vital economic benefits to LEDC's. The inflow of foreign money is valuable to the local economy. In Egypt and Jamaica over 60% of export income is derived from tourism. When a new demand is realised, goods and services are promoted in the area, resulting in a growth pole effect and the rapid expansion of tourism. It is beneficial because it provides income and employment for the residents. The demand for accommodation generates employment in construction and service industries. Once money is being spent in LEDC's the amount of money in the economic cycle has increased. The locals can then spend this money improving their businesses and homes. As the money continues to be spent, it will generate more demand for goods and services and thereby promoting economic growth. This multiplier effect will eventually have an effect on the overall development of the country, enabling the government to increase its tax revenue, improve the balance of payments and aid the overall development of the country. The improvements to services and living conditions, brought about by tourism may be shared by the local population. The transport and communications infrastructure is often the first improvement to be made followed by an increase in the range and quality of facilities offered. Better food is available, water supplies are installed and basic services such as waste disposal are introduced. All these can be enjoyed by the locals, and will increase their quality of life. If the money generated by tourism can be ploughed back into the country's own economy, then the economic benefits of tourism greatly out weigh the environmental and social problems. However this is not always the case. Leakages occur in the economic cycle depriving the country of the revenue vital to continued development. Foreign workers will send their wages abroad and payments to foreign owners of establishments such as hotels, restaurants and nightclubs will contribute to the Gross National Product of foreign countries. One of the greatest losses to regions in LEDC's is through costs to tour operators and the travel fares of airlines and ships. This means that in reality, LEDC's only receive a small proportion of the money spent on tourism. Jobs are often very poorly paid and therefore do not contribute significantly to the development of the country. The income may not filter down to the majority of the population but it may be siphoned off by the ruling elite. The problem of westernisation is considerable. Western companies, can exploit the tourism markets in LEDC's more effectively and more rapidly than any local businesses. The large western firms enjoy economies of scale making it difficult for smaller businesses and local entrepreneurs to compete. The western visitors demand western goods, many of which would be regarded as luxury goods to the locals. These have to be imported from abroad causing yet another leakage out of the economy. Another example is the beautiful island of Phuket in Thailand, which has been over taken by tourist developments in what could be described as ‘neo-colonialism'. This is where the hotels and beaches are owned by multinational companies and most of the profits are taken outside the country. In these circumstances tourism can alienate the local people by drawing them from their traditional agricultural employment but having a negative impact upon their local culture and environment. This has been the case in Gambia on the west coast of Africa. Problems also arise in LEDC's because there is inadequate infrastructure to control growth. The sudden demand by tourism promotes a dynamic expansion, which cannot be sustained if there is a downturn in the tourist flow. The areas receiving money can also become so dependent on the money derived from tourism that a change in fashion and the decline in visitors and revenue may result in the collapse of the local economy. For example the instability caused by the disputes between the Turkish and Greek populations has undermined tourism in Cyprus LEDC's often have vulnerable government structures and a change in the political climate can have negative impacts on the tourist industry. The regime introduced by President Mugabe in Zimbabwe has destroyed much of the tourism industry. His policy of returning farmland owned by white farmers to the native population has destabilised the country. There has been a massive downturn in tourism and the game reserves and associated tourist facilities have closed causing unemployment and a knock on effect on the protection of the environment and the wildlife. For economic benefits to be obtained by LEDC's from tourism, there needs to be an effective distribution of income, towards improving the structure and balance of economic activities. Money invested in valuable schemes and projects can generate more income for the country. However this requires a certain level of organisation and only those LEDC's with more sophisticated levels of development are effective in promoting greater economic prosperity. Often the money generated by tourism is widely used to improve some of the problems it actually causes. The revenue which tourism generates can lead to a sustainable long-term use and investment in the environment. For example in Zimbabwe, prior to recent political developments, ecologically sustainable tourism has been pioneered through innovative schemes known as ‘Campfire' projects. These projects have allowed the local people to have greater control over both tourism and poaching. The locals are given control and management over the wildlife in the National Parks. They can set up hunting trips for tourists and charge them for the privilege. This is beneficial because it ensures that the revenue from tourism goes to the local people. However it also means that it is in the residents' own interests to look after the wildlife and has therefore resulted in a drop in poaching. Money can also be used for the benefit and protection of the environment in other ways. Trends towards eco tourism can arrest the worst excesses of tourism. The government of the Seychelles has developed strict laws to protect the island's beauty and unique wildlife. Money can be spent on the restoration and protection of beaches. For example boardwalks have also been installed on the beach at Goa to prevent people from eroding the footpaths. Other places which have unique and sensitive environments, such as the Galapagos Islands have undertaken to protect the endangered species and their habitats. Specific trails have been marked out to avoid areas known to be inhabited by animals and guides are employed to ensure that the tourists keep to the routes. As a result both in Zimbabwe National Park and at the Galapagos Islands, animals receive better protection as a consequence of tourism. Tourism can also have social benefits. Contrary to the fears that indigenous cultures are eroded by tourism, it can actually sustain traditions. Tourism promotes the development of art and craft industries to reinforce local cultural identity. Tourists are often interested in the native dances and will pay to view traditional dances and customs. This also ensures that the dances are passed down the generations and are not lost. The jewellery produced and worn by locals can be sold and therefore there is an incentive to retain the traditions. Tourism also increases the demand for guides and workers who are knowledgeable about the area in which they live. As a result there has been an increase in the training, skills and general education of the people living in popular tourist destinations. International tourism can bring great economic benefit but it is vital that stringent controls are introduced to direct and limit levels in areas of environmental and social sensitivity. Tourism can only generate economic benefits if the region and it inhabitants are the recipients of the revenue. It is therefore vital that leakages in the economic cycle are limited and that the money received by the region is used effectively to promote and monitor tourist levels. If the income derived from tourism is used productively many of the side effects can be limited. Ultimately the economic benefits must outweigh social and environmental problems; otherwise there would be no incentive to promote tourism.

Efficient Pricing of Geomarketing Internet Services Essay

Abstract Geomarketing information is information which enables the user to take better and faster decisions about marketing and sales activities. The main source of information are geographic, demographic, and statistic data. These data are usually collected and maintained by several institutions and come in a variety of forms and formats. The final integrators acquire datasets, sort, filter and organize them, and offer in advance defined analyses. In this paper we focus on geomarketing services offered on the Internet where usually no physical good is exchanged. The subject of trade is geomarketing information the user is able to extract from the datasets. The main issue is how to set a Pareto efficient price for geomarketing information. The situation is Pareto efficient when the sum of user’s and service provider’s surplus is maximized. We investigate nonlinear pricing strategies and their efficiency to serve mass markets and attract users with different willingness to pay. Nonlinear pricing is used in a broader sense to include the practice of selling the same information product on various vertical markets at prices that are not in proportion to the differences in marginal cost. The market research for the GISMO project (Krek et al. 2000) showed that the US market differs substantially from the European. It has characteristics of a commodity market, where providers offer very similar or equal products at similar prices. This is feasible only if the prices for raw datasets, which represent the main barrier to enter the market, are low or zero. Competition among service providers drives prices down and enables them to successfully serve a mass market. The European approach is mostly determined by the high prices of datasets and restrictions on the copyright forced by the National Mapping Agencies. This prevents further production and creation of information products and serves only a narrow group of users with high willingness to pay. We list the most i mportant conditions for Pareto efficient nonlinear pricing of geoinformation services. 1 Introduction Price is a very important element of trade. It can only be discussed in relation to what is offered, how much value the potential user attaches to the product and how much he is willing to pay for it. A geomarketing service in this paper serves as an example for a geoinformation service in general where a Geoinformation product is traded. A Geoinformation product is defined as a specific piece of geoinformation which provides an answer to a particular user’s question. The provider of a geoinformation service has to select the medium of delivery and the price for the service. We concentrate on geomarketing services provided online through the Internet. The service is mostly done automatically, and not by a human. Usually no physical good is exchanged. Gathering information about the product, placing the order, and payment is done over electronic network. In the sections 5 and 6 we analyze different pricing strategies for geographic information and their Pareto efficiency. The s ituation is called to be Pareto efficient when the user’s and service provider’s surplus is maximized. We review marginal cost and nonlinear pricing and explain in which cases they conform to the Pareto efficiency. Setting a price equal to marginal cost is not economically viable since such a price does not cover fixed cost. Some examples of nonlinear pricing, such as quantity discounts, term-volume commitments, and list of price options satisfy the Pareto efficiency requirement if certain conditions are satisfied. We conclude with the list of the most important conditions for the Pareto efficient pricing of geomarketing service. They can be applied to geoinformation services in general. 2 Geomarketing Services A geomarketing service is a service of providing geomarketing information to the user. Geomarketing information is information which enables the user to take better and faster decisions about marketing and sales activities. This information can be delivered to the user in a different form, format and through different media. Geomarketing information is gathered from internal company’s data, which are combined with external demographic, statistic and geographic data. A geoinformation that satisfies a particular information need in a specific decision making situation is called a Geoinformation product. 2.1 Geomarketing Data Geomarketing data consists of internal company’s data and external data. Internal data (the rate of sale, current customers profiles, etc.) is collected and maintained by the company itself. External data comes in a variety of formats and forms, as a collection of numbers, reports, maps, etc., and is gathered by different institutions. Demographic and statistic data is collected and maintained by Statistical Offices and aggregated to a certain extent. Geographic data is provided in Europe mostly by National Mapping Agencies, in USA by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Because of this broad variety of data, their structure, content and formats, they cannot be easily integrated and are not straightforward usable by a non-technical user. 2.2. Geomarketing Information: a Product The source of geomarketing information is geomarketing data. Specialized companies collect the data from different sources, combine them, sort and filter them. For example, the statistical and demographic data have spatial dimension, which is usually given by the street name and house number. This data has to be geocoded in order to link the attributes (purchasing power, age, educational structure, etc.) with geographic data. The providers identify dimensions of data that are valuable for a certain group of users, package them and offer them as a Geoinformation product. A Geoinformation product is a specific piece of geoinformation which provides an answer to a particular user’s question. The answer to the question can come in many different forms; as a selected dataset, combination of datasets, a report, a map, etc. To make the geomarketing service feasible, some in advance designed steps and analyses are offered to the user. The most common are customer profile, site selection, and market penetration. 3 Internet as a Medium of Delivery The Internet changes the way transactions are done. User and seller can enter an electronic relationship without personal contact. The buyer can place an order any time (from the seat at home, late in the evening) and can take as much time as he wants or needs to take the decision about the purchase. Searching for the right product over e-network, he can get comparable information about similar products from other companies, their characteristics and prices. Cooperation with potential and current users of geoinformation services is important. In the Internet world, the gap between service-consumers and services-providers blurs. â€Å"Consumers become involved in the actual production process, their ideas, knowledge, information become part of the product specification process† (Tapscott 1996). In a geomarketing service, usually no physical good is exchanged. The user gets o the result of nly the analysis, the answer to his question. Even more advanced geomarketing services offer the possibility of uploading the data of the user on the provider’s server and combining these data with the collection of the data on the server. A service offered via Internet involves less administration, paper work, and less human resources, which reduces transaction costs. Direct connection to the computer accounting system can provide systematic and efficient registration of the transactions. Security and protection mechanisms enable the service provider to follow and control transactions. Selecting a proper pricing policy in order to attract widespread use of the service is of great importance. In the next sections, we review marginal cost and nonlinear pricing, and analyze their Pareto efficiency. 4 Pareto Efficiency The situation is Pareto efficient if there is no way to make both the user and the service provider better off. The sum of the user’s and provider’s surplus is maximized. It can be a understood lso as maximizing the difference between economic benefits and costs which appear on the user’s as well as on the provider’s side. The economic benefits are the benefits of using the product on the product has to him with his willingness to pay for the marginal unit of the product. If he expects high benefits, he will be willing to pay a high price for the product. Cost incurred on the provider side is mostly high fixed cost of designing and creating the Geoinformation product and enabling the service, and low marginal cost of providing an incremental unit of the product. The user’s cost is the price he pays for the product, the transaction cost and the cost associated with acquiring the information about the product. 5 Marginal Cost Pricing and Pareto Efficiency Marginal cost pricing is pricing where the price equals the marginal cost. The cost of an economic good is an important determinant of how much the producer will be willing to produce. The concept of â€Å"marginal† or â€Å"extra† cost is crucial for the situation on the market of economic goods. It has an important role in appraising how efficient or inefficient any particular price and production pattern is (Samuelson 1967). This observation is valuable for the standard economic good where the total cost of producing the product depends on the quantity produced. The cost structure a Geoinformation product substantially differs from the cost structure of the standard economic good. The total cost of producing the product is mostly a high fixed cost of collecting the data and designing the product, and is not recoverable if the production is halted (sunk cost). The marginal cost of producing t e second and each additional copy of the product is h very low or zero, mostly the cost of disseminating the product. The share of the marginal cost in the total cost of production is negligible. Marginal cost pricing of a Geoinformation product would according to the marginal cost pricing scheme imply very low or zero price. â€Å"Pricing at marginal cost may or may not be efficient: it depends on how the consumers’ total willingness to pay relates to the total cost of providing the good† (Varian 1999). At the first stage of the production, the datasets have low value to most users and they have low willingness to pay for them. The high cost of producing the datasets cannot be recovered. M arginal cost pricing does not imply efficiency because it does not cover the total costs of producing a Geoinformation product. 6 Nonlinear Pricing and Pareto Efficiency Pricing is nonlinear when it is not strictly proportional to the quantity purchas ed. Different prices are charged to different groups of buyers or the same product. Nonlinear pricing is also used in a f broader sense to include the practice of selling the same product on different markets at prices that are not in proportion to the differences in marginal cost. Good examples are phone rates, frequent flyer programs, and electricity (Wilson 1993). The first notion about charging different users differently for the same product was called price discrimination (Pigou 1920) and distinguished among three different forms of discrimination. 6.1 Price Discrimination Pigou (Pigou 1920) first used the term price discrimination and he described the following forms of nonlinear pricing: †¢ First-degree price discrimination The first-degree price discrimination is sometimes known as perfect price discrimination. The producer sells different units of output at different prices and these prices may differ from buyer to buyer. The buyer pays the maximum price that he is willing to pay, irrespective of the cost of production and supply. Usually it is difficult to determine what is the maximum price someone is willing to pay for the product. †¢ Second-degree price discrimination The producer sells different units of output at different prices, but every individual who buys t e h same amount of the good pays the same price. Second-degree price discrimination is much more common in practice. Good examples of this discrimination are volume discounts and coupons. †¢ Third-degree price discrimination The producer sells the output to different people at different prices, but every unit of output sold to a given person sells at the same price. Customers are divided into more groups, which have different demand curves and different price elasticity. The highest price is charged to the groups with the lowest elasticity. Examples of this discrimination are student discounts. 6.2 Two-part Tariff Two-part tariff is an example of a nonlinear pricing and consists of two parts. The first part of the tariff usually comes in the form of a membership, an annual or monthly license and is supposed to cover fixed cost. The second part of the tariff is related to the usage (number of reports transferred, number of bits, layers, etc.) and covers the incremental cost. This pricing scheme is often used in telecommunication. Users are charged for the connection to the network and additionally for the usage. Two-part tariff pricing scheme can be very naturally applied to a geomarketing service. The first part of the tariff represents a membership fee, an annual or monthly licence for access to the data, reports and maps; the second part is a n additional fee usually based on the volume transferred. Price P for a geoinformation service is then P = p0 + p v.q where p0 pv q fixed fee (annual, monthly, membership, etc.) price set for a volume transferred quantity transferred. The revenue collected from the first part of the tariff (p0 ) is supposed to cover the fixed cost of producing the first copy of the Geoinformation product. The price of u sage (pv ) should cover the incremental cost and the cost of transaction. The combination of the membership and usage constructed for the predicted demand is set so that the company’s total cost is recovered. How high the fixed fee and the price of usage s hould be is an important question. Availability of the raw data at low price will change the nature of the market. The price for both parts of the tariff (p0 and pv ) will form according to the equilibrium rules of supply and demand. 6.3 Pareto Efficiency of the Two-part Tariff Two-part tariff can disadvantage a certain segment of the users. Imagine a geomarketing service company offering geographic data over the Internet. For the simplicity of reasoning, imagine there exist two segments of users; those who use data on a regular basis and have a high willingness to pay (governmental institutions, ministries, utilities, etc.), and those who seldom need data (students, individuals, small and medium companies, etc.) and have low willingness to pay. In this case, a high fixed fee excludes the users with low willingness to pay, occasional users who need only a small volume of the data and are not willing to pay an annual membership fee or a license. The necessary condition for Pareto efficiency is not satisfied. 6.4 Quantity Discounts Quantity discounts are a form of a nonlinear price where the provider charges a lower price for a higher volume purchased. The opportunity of selling high volumes at a low price is often neglected in geoinformation business. Increased revenue from the higher volume at lower price enables the provider to improve the service and reduce prices for all users. The quantity discounts are usually designed in order to stimulate sales, but can complicate the billing and accounting system. Pareto efficiency of quantity discounts depends on the volume-price categories offered by the service provider. This pricing strategy might disadvantage users with low willingness to pay, not being able to pay nor interested in purchasing higher volumes. 6.5 Term-Volume Commitments According to this strategy the user agrees with the service provider to pay a certain amount of money for the service in advance. The payment is set according to the predicted demand for the service. This kind of agreement usually involves some discounts, because the whole payment is done at once and at the beginning of the period. Short-term contracts involve lower reduction in price than longer contracts. This strategy reduces billing and accounting cost and is often used by Internet providers. For example, â€Å"a one-year-term commitment to spend $2000/month obtains a discount of 18%â€Å" (Gong and Srinagesh 1998), for the 5 -year contracts the Internet providers use up to 60% discount. Term-volume commitments satisfy the Pareto efficiency requirement if the user can choose among different schemes and are designed indiscriminately. 6.6 List of Price Options Different pricing options can be combined and offered as a list of price options. In geomarketing services, the two-part tariff is often combined with an additional pricing option, the uniform pricing scheme. Under the uniform pricing scheme, the user pays the price (p2 ), which is proportional to the data transferred. Usually the tariff per volume purchased (p2 ) is higher in the uniform pricing scheme than the price (p1 ) proposed in the two-part tariff scheme, but the user need not pay an annual membership fee or license. The user profits if he is an occasional user, who needs a small volume of data. The sum he is willing to pay in this case is lower than the annual membership or license fee plus the cost of the data transferred.

Lean management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Lean management - Essay Example r strategy assists firms to get rid of the issues associated with excessive inventory, which is very common with the traditional make to stock strategy. Dell Computers is an example of a corporation that employs the MTO production strategy. The Assemble to Order (ATO) is also a business production strategy by which quick actions are taken on orders placed by customers, and these products are customizable to a certain extent. Under this production strategy, the basic parts of the products are already built but not assembled yet. Once the customer places an order, these parts are assembled quickly to deliver products that are customized to the buyer’s specifications. It is to be noted that the ATO strategy is a hybrid between the make-to-order strategy and the make-to-stock strategy. Finally, the Make to Stock (MTS) is a traditional business strategy used by organizations to match production with consumer demand forecasts. Under this strategy, particular stock levels are maintained to meet the forecasted demand levels. This business production strategy can be efficient only if the product demand is forecasted accurately. However, inaccurate demand forecasts would end up in financial losses resulting from excessive inventory or stockouts. Fleuren, H., Hertog, D & Kort, P. (2006). Operations Research Proceedings 2004: Selected Papers of the Annual International Conference of the German Operations Research Society. US: Springer Science & Business

An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge Essay

An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge - Essay Example Plato invites us to imagine a group of life-long inhabitants of a prison-cave with no knowledge what so ever of the outside world. When shadows appear on the walls of the cave the inhabitants take them to be real entities without knowing that the shadows are actually those posed by the humans outside. This explanation of Plato directs towards the fact that â€Å"most of us live in ignorance most of the time. The worst of this situation is that we do not even know we are ignorant†. (Mitchell, 2008) The truth that we perceive, therefore, seems to be subjective to our experience and conditioning.The emotional states of our inner being determine the way we see the outside world. Great poetry works are inclined to this particular phenomenology. Poet Matthew Arnold, once, sitting over the edge of Dover Beach claimed the â€Å"grating roar† of the pebbles that the sea flung back and forth over the beach to have brought the â€Å"eternal note of sadness in†(stanza 1). Th e withdrawing of the sea from the coast only reminds him of the ignorance of people and their diminishing faith in god. It is the melancholic and sad state of the poet’s mind that makes him behold the sea also as sad. For a sad person, even a bright sunny green day will appear to be boring while for a joyous person, even a rainy, cloudy or a gloomy day might appear to be mirthful! Differences occur among individuals on the way we emotionally react to certain situations. Temper-oriented people do not need much of a reason to go haywire in anger while for those spiritually and morally inclined individuals, even the most aggravating circumstances might be won over by forgiveness. How we take things, therefore, is a matter of our subjective emotional state. The reason that we claim for any happening is purely determined by the kind of mindset we have been brought up with.

Growing Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Growing Managers - Essay Example As for employees who are now her team members, Richardson thinks they need to be constantly motivated and appreciated in order to improve performance. This is reflected by her thoughts on sharing ice-cream and pizza with her team members on a Saturday afternoon while celebrating their success (Booth and Karen 3). She also has the idea of having an open communication channel with them when team building and even during office hours’ time to remove animosity. What is the difference between an account or sales representative and a sales manager? A sales manager is the overall head in charge of the sales team which may comprise of even account or sales representative. The sales manager oversees all the sales operations of the area she or he is managing including even the communication with customers and the greenhouse and acting as their liaison. An account or sales representative on the other hand is the one who looks for customers and persuades them to buy their products. They i n turn report to the sales manager with their sales for accountability purposes and to get further instructions, clarifications among other guidance tips from the sales manager. What did Richardson do right when she started new job? Richardson was right to make early preparations and arrangement of her office and even getting acquainted with the files on her team early enough even before meeting the team in person. This made her avoid wasting time to start on her new responsibility. Reporting to work on her first day (Monday) early and before the others in order to personally welcome them and make them feel comfortable with her (Booth and Karen 5). The other thing was to hold a meeting with her team immediately and letting them know her goals for them and for the office in general. Finally, she made a tour of the greenhouse hence getting to know what to expect and meeting with the rest of the workers in that flower farm and even the other managers. What mistakes did she make? She ma de the mistake of copying her predecessor’s figures of the previous month which had been falsified (although she did not know that) and hence her report was not an indication of what had actually taken place in that period she was writing the report on. The other mistake was not addressing Peterson’s desire to become an accounts representative which led to her lawyer complaining about gender disparity (which may lead to a lawsuit if not properly addressed). What might have helped Richardson get off to a better start? Richardson landed a big client and other clients (Lowes and grocery chain customers) and this helped increase the sales of the month (Booth and Karen 10). She was also determined to make it work despite the lack of cooperation from her team members and this determination is what made her persevere and hence making it to a good start. Critique Richardson's first meeting. How could she have made a stronger impact on her team that first day? Richardson confro nted her team and called for a meeting without even letting them get acquainted with her first. She did not seek their opinion or way forward on how they expected her to work or even about their schedule which made them form an opinion about her leadership authority and power and this made it difficult to get along with her. Richardson should have sought the opinion of the team members and even asked them about how they related or worked with her predecessor in ensuring the organization moves forward. Describe some ways Richardson might effectively build her team. One of the ways is by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each of the team member and capitalizing on that. The other is to look for different motivating techniques that can match the

Theology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Theology - Assignment Example Another event that happened to the followers was the formation of prayer fellowships. They gathered to pray each day (chapter 4). It is attributed to the fact that they realized Jesus was not with them, and to practice His teachings, they had to pray for unity. The fellowships brought into existence, the early church. Believers were first called Christians at Antioch (Chapter 11). Another change is that the disciples were persecuted. Peter was arrested on several occasions and put in jail. During his detention, the rest of the disciples prayed and the angel of God released him out of jail (Chapter 12). James, the brother of Andrew, was beheaded (Chapter 12) while Stephen was stoned to death because of their faith in Jesus (Chapter 6). The church grew in size, and the disciples dispersed to all parts of the world to preach the gospel of Christ. All believers underwent baptism and became a part of the congregation. It is the beginning of evangelism and Paul, after his conversion, preached to

Analysis of a Career Assessment Instrument Essay

Analysis of a Career Assessment Instrument - Essay Example Additional reason for choosing the MMPI relates to its enhanced accuracy after having undergone series of rephrasing and adjustments to overcome unnecessary biases. The original MMPI underwent revisions to become MMPI-2, MMPI-2RF and MMPI-A. Additionally, the choice for the instrument was due to the possibility of using it in legal and criminal settings to understanding psychological behaviors of criminals, and high-risk employment setup to measure mental fitness of candidates. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a clinical test and measurement tool mostly used for investigating mental health issues. The instrument has a number of benefits that are important to recognize. To begin with, the instrument provides counselors with ability to avoid discriminations. This aspect is a factor of many revisions that the MMPI passed through with the latest taking place in 2008. For instance, the initial MMPI had certain elements that focused more on Christianity while ignoring other religions. Another benefit of using the MMPI relates to the availability of about 10 scales of measurement that target different forms of mental illness. For instance, Scale1 is hypochondriasis scale, Scale 2 is depression, Scale 3-hysteria, Scale 4- psychopathic deviate scale and Scale 5 refers to masculinity-femininity scale. As argued by Brown and Lent (2013), this division of scales makes it easy for professional counselors using the tool to conduct quick assessme nt whose results are mostly specific and accurate. Even with the scales, the instrument allows users to avoid prejudging patient conditions, and advocates mention of scale number as in â€Å"Scale 1† instead of hypochondriasis. Another benefit of MMPI relates to its synchronization to technological advancements that has made it compatible with computer. It is possible to analyze the test outcomes using computer software. The Minnesota

The history of Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The history of Jazz - Essay Example r can be recognized with her sultry, sensuous voice which sounds intimate in small club settings and the same soars with passionate intensity in the festival arena (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). â€Å"Whether it’s Ellington or Sting, Ms. Anderson’s interpretation of a song is infectious.† (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). The lady has been absolutely charming and vivacious on stage and her joy in the music has been delighting audiences from Sweden to Japan (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). The jazz expert has already recorded over 30 albums and has performed at all the major jazz festivals along with receiving four Grammy nominations (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Ernestine has been one of the 75 women who were selected for the book, I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America, by Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Brian Lanker (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Some of Ernestine’s popular expertise encompasses Hot Cargo in 1958, Never Make Your Move Too Soon in 1981, Big City in 1983, Now and Then in 1993, Blues, News & Love News in 1996, Isn’t It Romantic in 1998, etc. (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Apart from down-home blues, poignant ballads and sassy swing are also her specialties (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Her all-time favorite, blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music which is based on the blue notes (â€Å"Blues†). The typical instruments of blues encompass guitar, piano, harmonica, bass, drums, saxophone, vocals, trumpet and trombone (â€Å"Blues†). Its most popular derivative form is jazz (â€Å"Blues†). Among Ernestine’s stunning success, Never Make Your Move Too Soon recorded in 1981 and Now and Then recorded in 1993 are worth listening. Both the recordings reflect her as a virtuoso of the blues and both have been a Grammy nominee (â€Å"Ernestine Anderson† 1). Both the recordings reveal a true jazz and blues vocalist extraordinaire. The title song of the album Never Make Your Move Too Soon on track number one is typical of her

Core Values in International Relations and Their Application in the Essay

Core Values in International Relations and Their Application in the Kigndom of Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The researcher states that international relations can be referred to the field of public policy and academy, which in this case, can be normative or positive. This field makes an analysis and formulation of different foreign policies for various countries. Being a political activity, the practice traces its origin back to the times of Thucydides, a Greek historian (460-395 BC). At the beginning go of the 20th century, international relations became an important and discrete academic sector in political science. In general, it is important to realize that international relations have become an important interdisciplinary field that people go to study in colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning. Apart from the field of political science, international relations derive its intellectual materials from various other fields like history, technology, philosophy, geography and international law among many others. The particular scope of the field of international rel ations understands such issues as ecological sustainability, nuclear proliferation, nationalism, international security, human rights among other important fields. International relations traces its history from many centuries ago; for instance, Buzan and Little Richard are believed to have considered the interactions in many of the ancient city-states of Sumeria as a form of fully-fledged and operational international relations. These interactions are believed to have started taking place around 3500 BC. When based on sovereign states, the history regarding international relations can be followed back to the time of Westphalia in 1648. During this time, it is believed that the development of international relations was a major stepping-stone towards the development of the current state systems. Before this particular development, organizations in political authorities in the European medieval period were depended on some kind of vaguely developed hierarchical religious orders.

Amusment Park Job Essay Example for Free

Amusment Park Job Essay Introduction A ride host has given you the all clear, the train begins to a ascend slowly up the mammoth 200ft steel mountain, your heart begins to race, you struggle to catch a breath as you are aware of the many twists and turns that are presumed to follow as you creep your way over the ominous peak. Life in many ways can be alluded to the adrenaline rush of racing on a roller-coaster. To experience that rush on a daily basis and you become the driving force behind what makes these chaotic machines of terror and excitement operate with such grace and cohesion would be much more than a career. The role of park manager can be a very difficult and stressful position, but the daily compensation is much more that can be put in a bank account. I will be discussing the job description, requirements, work conditions and prospects of this position. Job Description A theme park manager works in a very dynamic environment and this job requires a vast assortment of responsibilities and tasks that are mainly influenced by the size of the park you are managing. Managing a smaller park, such as Coney Island, would entail much less complexity in everyday operations in comparison to a larger park, such as Cedar Point, but would be just as rewarding and present its own challenges. Although vast and varying based on a particular parks values and needs, Brad Thomas director of operations at Silver Dollar City Branson MI states the position description as â€Å"Directors of Operations manage the overall operations of the theme park. He or she must do extensive planning and budgeting. He or she makes sure that the plans are in place, so the attraction or park does not make any promises it cannot keep. He or she also must see that all decisions made are within the park’s mission, vision, and values. Directors of Operations exert authority over every activity taking place in the attraction or theme park. † Each park has varying degrees of accountability delegated to the operations manager, but the basic function doesn’t vary from park to park. Job Requirements In this position, field experience is just as important as the educational requirements. Most parks look for someone that has worked their way up within a park and has first-hand experience with the park and its daily functions that includes everything from a ride host to admissions. The ideal candidate would be someone who has grown and developed their experience and education at the park they are seeking to manage. A job listing for a park management position at Coney Island requested the following requirements for their applicants: †¢A minimum of 5 years of experience in a management role within an amusement park or entertainment facility. †¢Post-secondary education in business, recreation, or hospitality management. †¢Excellent communication, interpersonal, and customer service skills along with strong team building and motivating abilities. †¢A firm grasp of financial business principles, safety compliance, time-management, and computer skills. †¢Ability to work long hours-weekends/nights are required. This is a position that is not usually given to someone just out of college. You must earn this position by working your way to the top. Work Conditions Work conditions depend on the location and whether or not the park is seasonal. Most parks operate from May through October, and can experience everything from scorching heat during the summer to freezing fall temperatures. This is prevalent to the position of park manager because most of the day is spent not in the office but throughout the park monitoring daily operations. They must be on site to ensure that the park is functioning properly and guest satisfaction is optimal. Rain or shine a park manager must monitor the parks activities and maintain guest satisfaction at all times. Salary Range Once again the details of the position vary greatly upon the size of the park and what that specific park delegates to the park manager. Brad Thomas stated that â€Å"An average salary range for a Director of Operations is from $21,900 to $86,500. The smaller properties have the lower salary, while the larger and more prestigious properties have the larger salaries. † This may not seem like a fortune to most but the people in these positions have a true passion for their respective parks. Job Prospects There are currently 285 operating parks with at least one roller coaster according to rollercoaster database (rcdb. com). Considering that new parks are rarely established and with most parks only having one park manager, this leads to the position of park manager being a very competitive career path. Although with limited opportunities, those who have a passion for this industry have the ability to make themselves stand out and increase their chances for success in seeking management employment. Conclusion In conclusion, the prospects of gaining this position may not seem obtainable due to the limited number of park managers. However, if you have the passion, education and skill requirements, then you have the potential of progressing your way to a park manager. Those who have received and hold this job title have spent countless years dedicating their lives and efforts to this industry. They have truly found an exceptional experience to call a career. The monetary benefits are overshadowed by the joy they bring to thousands of guests that visit their park on a yearly basis. Works Sited Amusement Park Search Results. Rollercoaster Database. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Similar Jobs Recommended For You. Similar Jobs Recommended For You. N. p. , 16 Jan. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2013. Theme Park Manager: Job Description. Prospects. ac. uk. N. p. , 1 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Thomas, Brad. Director of Operations Attraction/Theme Park. Entertainment Management. N. p. , 01 Nov. 2000. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.

1984 vs. Animal Farm Essay Example for Free

1984 vs. Animal Farm Essay In both novels Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm there are many similarities. Three main topics, which will be discussed in this essay, are: control, isolation, and rebellion. The governing powers in each society of the two novels use control and isolation as tools for suppressing rebellion to ensure their reign of the social authority for future years to come. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government, also known as the Party, controls the society Winston lives in. This takes place near the eastern side of the world and it is separated into three areas: Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania. These three lands are constantly at war with each other and are controlled by different governors. Winston lives in Oceania and the Partys leader is someone named Big Brother. No one has ever seen this person before, but is said to exist. The Party abolishes every type of art including the art of having free will. These abilities were destroyed, smothered, and obliterated through careful means, and anyone having them was stated insane, dangerous, and antisocial. To prevent these laws from being broken, the Party brainwash people and have Telescreens that can monitor everyones actions and a security task force called Thought Police to enforce these laws with torture and pain. The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed, even if he had never set pen to paper, the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime could not be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they ware bound to get you (pg. 166) The Thought Police are so feared that even Winston is afraid to break any of the laws. He knows he wants to write, but is already afraid before he even starts. This is how the Party suppresses the society. Likewise, in Animal Farm, control is involved with its society as well. The animals portrayed in this novel represent human beings. The pigs are the smartest animals in the farm and they take control and manipulate the other  animals to do their dirty work. One of the pigs, Napoleon, has taken the throne of power with force and he controls the farm by using all the animals for his own benefit. Like Nineteen Eighty-Four, there are laws in Animal Farm, but as time goes by they are changed and shaped to his liking. To enforce Napoleons way of life, he uses savage dogs (which he raises from birth) to suppress the society (the animals). The dogs are just like the Thought Police in Nineteen Eighty-Four. All that year the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that everything they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings.  (pg. 51) Napoleon and the Party are the same. They both control the society with manipulation or control and anyone who does not follow their rules, are dealt with. Isolation in Nineteen Eighty-Four, is displayed by the whole society itself. It can be seen through the laws of each land and how the wars between them. The Party constantly tells the society false information to keep them where they are. It tries to keep the population from leaving their land and moving to another, even though it is impossible since every other land is equally isolated. The society is constantly given false information about their land being in war with this one to frighten the people. The Party tries to keep the society separated from other ones to ensure that no other power can overthrow them. For example, if another land were to gain a higher population, they would have more power and more control. Thus, showing the Partys isolation. Once when he happened in some connection to mention the war against Eurasia, she startled him by saying casually that in her opinion the war was not happening. The rocket bombs which fell daily on London were probably fired by the Government of Oceania itself, just to keep people frightened. (pg.  154) Just the same, Animal Farm, is isolated. The animals take over the farm and they keep themselves away from the humans. They even change the original name of the farm to Animal Farm once they have taken it over. The farm is isolated from the rest of the society. The animals in the farm are separated and even have their own governors. In the farm, the animals believe that all animals are comrades and the only enemy against them is man. They believed that they were better off without the humans and that they would live even better lives than the humans. The animals were happy as they had never conceived it possible to be. Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure, now that it was truly their own food, produced by themselves and for themselves, not doled out to them by a grudging master (pg. 24) The animals are isolated from the humans and now that they are, they believe that they are truly happier and productive than they were in the past. Many of the people in Nineteen Eighty-Four are brainwashed and are made to believe that they are living a prosperous life. The people have no idea that the world they live in is actually a lie, except for Winston, who believes otherwise. Inside his heart, he hates the Party even though he works for them. His work is to produce false information and deliver it to the society. Winston hates this, thus leading him to rebel. To fight against the Party, there is a group led by a man named Goldenstein and the only purpose of the group is to stop the Party. In the end the rebellion is useless and nothing actually comes good out of it. Nothing can change the Party and nothing will. He was walking down the white-tiled corridor, with the feeling of walking in sunlight, and an armed guard at his back. The long-hoped-for bullet was entering his brain? He loved Big Brother (pg. 300) Even though Winston has joined the rebellion, it is shown that it wont  succeed. The rebellion is proven that it wont succeed in this quote. Winston represents the rebellion in general and the bullet represents the Party. The bullet has entered Winstons brain and has killed him, just like how the Party will kill the rebellion. Similarly, Animal Farm has a rebellious group. Like Nineteen Eighty-Four, the animals represented the rebels and that man represented the Party. Man, just like the Party, had complete control over the farm. Then the animals decided it was time, and raged war with man. The difference is that the animals did actually overthrow the government unlike the rebels in Nineteen Eighty-Four, but the rebels in both novels still have the same goal. Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself  (pg. 7) The animals rebel for same reasons as Winston did. They are living in a world where they are all mistreated. To sum it up, there are many similarities between Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm. Both powers in each novel have complete control of the society, and use isolation and force to subdue them. This never-ending fight for control will never stop and any change will just result in a large cycle leading back to the same problems.

Analysis Of Mobile Communication Communications Essay

Analysis Of Mobile Communication Communications Essay Wireless communication has become a ubiquitous part of modern life, from global cellular telephone systems to local and even personal-area networks. This book provides a tutorial introduction to digital mobile wireless networks, illustrating theoretical underpinnings with a wide range of real-world examples. The book begins with a review of propagation phenomena, and goes on to examine channel allocation, modulation techniques, multiple access schemes, and coding techniques. GSM and IS-95 systems are reviewed and 2.5G and 3G packet-switched systems are discussed in detail. Performance analysis and accessing and scheduling techniques are covered, and the book closes with a chapter on wireless LANs and personal-area networks. Many worked examples and homework exercises are provided and a solutions manual is available for instructors. The book is an ideal text for electrical engineering and computer science students taking courses in wireless communications. It will also be an invaluabl e reference for practicing engineers. Wireless communication technology is diffusing around the planet faster than any other communication technology to date. Because communication is at the heart of human activity in all domains, the advent of this technology, allowing multimodal communication from anywhere to anywhere where there is the appropriate infrastructure, is supposed to have profound social effects. Yet, which kind of effects, under which conditions, for whom and for what is an open question. Indeed, we know from the history of technology, including the history of the Internet, that people and organizations end up using the technology for purposes very different of those initially sought or conceived by the designers of the technology. Furthermore, the more a technology is interactive, and the more it is likely that the users become the producers of the technology in its actual practice. Therefore, rather than projecting dreams and fears on the kind of society that will result in the future from the widespread use of wireless communication, we must root ourselves in the observation of the present using the traditional, standard tools of scholarly research. People, institutions, and business have suffered enough from the unwarranted prophecies of futurologists and visionaries that project and promise whatever comes to their minds on the basis of anecdotal observation and ill understood developments. Thus, our aim in this report is to ground an informed discussion of the social uses and social effects of wireless communication technology on what we know currently (2004) in different areas of the world. We would have like to consider exclusively information and analyses produced within the rigorous standards of academic research. This constitutes a good proportion of the material examined here. The rise of mobile communication Mobile communication has diffused into society at a rate that is unprecedented. On a world basis, the number of mobile phones rose 24% between 2000 and 2005. According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), there was about one telephone subscription for every third person in the world (2005).2 At the same time there were about half as many who had access to the intent (ITU 2005). The highest adoption rates are found in Europe where there are approximately 82 subscriptions per 100 persons. In Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, etc.) there are 69, and in the Americas there are 52 subscriptions per 100 persons. Following this Asia had 22 subscriptions per 100 and Africa had 11. While the adoption rate in Europe has levelled off, there is an almost Klondike like atmosphere in many other countries. The growth rates in India and China are far above 50% per year. In addition, growth in sub-Saharan Africa often tops 100% and sometimes even 200% per year.3 Thus, in the last decade; we have seen the widespread adoption of a new form of communication. One of the unique aspects of mobile communication is that it changes the locus of interaction. When thinking of landline telephony, we call to specific locations. The metaphor is that we call to a persons home, their work or to some other physical location in the hopes that the individual is someplace near by. Mobile communication and mediated ritual This new channel of interaction allows more nuanced forms of micro-coordination (Ling and Yttri 2002). It provides us with various forms of safety and security (Ling 2004; Baron and Ling forthcoming) as well a different types of phatic interaction (Ling 2005b). In short, the mobile telephone allows us to elaborate and develop cohesion that is often generated in copresent situations. This is not to say that relationships can be founded and developed in the absence of copresent interaction. While there are examples of friendships and â€Å"communities† that have been fostered and developed exclusively via mediated interaction dating all the way back to telegraphy (Standage 1998), for all practical purposes social interaction needs copresent interaction in order to coalesce into a cohesive form, this process can be aided through the use of mediated interaction. Thinking, for example of romantic relationships, the meeting of individuals, their wooing and the development of a common sense of involvement is largely a copresent activity. Following the discussion above, it is also a heavily ritualized interaction. There is the need to come into contact and there is the need to engender a mutually recognized sense of the relationship. The couple goes through a series of stages as they enter into a more intense and intimate sense of their coupled status (Ling 2000). Much of the process has to do with the mapping of common interests and the development of a mutual sense of trust. The assembly of the group, the use of â€Å"tie signs† (Goffman 1971) the establishment of a mutual focus of attention, the development of a common argot or set of symbols and the building of a barrier to outsiders are all parts of founding an intimate relationship (Collins 2004, 193; Berger and Kellner 1964). Mediated interaction, and in particular interaction via the mobile telephone is an obvious channel of communication that can be drawn into this work. In survey material from Norway, for example we see that in an interestingly asymmetric finding that 50% of teen girls and 32% of teen boys reported that they had flirted on a weekly basis via the mobile telephone.5 This finding underscores the role of the mobile phone in this process. Indeed the mobile telephone is well designed for the purpose. It is a technology of the individual. It allows for the communication of both synchronous and asynchronous messages directly between the concerned individuals and these messages need not be observed by others.6 During the establishment of the relationship the mobile telephone provides a channel through which the interests of the individuals can be mapped and the intensity of the nascent relationship can be explored. This might include simple information regarding which type of mus ic they like or the timing of their next assignation. It might also include risquà © â€Å"pick up† lines and perhaps the exchange of pro-vocative or quasi-provocative photos. This contact, along with copresent interaction play into each other as the couple moves toward the establishment of a coupled identity. TYPES OF SYSTEM In a mobile communication system at least one of the transceivers is mobile. It may be on board a vehicle that can move at high speeds, or it may be a handheld unit used by a pedestrian. Basic types of systems include base/mobile, peer-to-peer, repeater, and mobile satellite systems. In a base/mobile system, a base station connected to a public network communicates with a mobile unit. This gives the mobile unit access to the public network. More than one mobile at a time can be supported if a different channel (such as a narrow band of spectrum) is assigned to each user. In most systems, channels are assigned to users as needed rather than giving each user a dedicated channel that is reserved for that user at all times. This is called trunking and allows large numbers of users to be supported with a limited number of available channels, with a small probability that any given call will be blocked because all channels are busy. Cellular telephony uses the base/mobile configuration to give mobile users access to the public switched telephone network. In peer-to-peer systems, mobile units communicate directly with each other. Mobile units sharing a frequency channel can communicate with one another, and independent conversations can take place on different channels. Many amateur, and most CB radio contacts fit into this peer-to-peer model. In peer-to-peer systems, a mobile can sometimes hear only one of two other mobiles that are using a channel, when a total of three users are active. In this system, all users transmit on one channel and listen on a second channel. The repeater, a transceiver that is located at a high point, retransmits the signals with greater power on the second channel. In this system, all users can communicate with each other using one pair of frequencies. A repeater system allows communication over a much greater range than in a direct peer-topeer system. Repeaters are used for public services and some amateur radio operations at VHF and UHF frequencies. A variation is a trunked radio system that uses several frequency pairs and assigns a frequency pair for each conversation between mobiles. A trunked system can support many more users than the number of frequencies available because all users typically do not operate at once. In a mobile satellite system, one or more satellites relays signals between a mobile user and an earth-based base station or â€Å"gateway† that connects to the public switched network. The large distances and high speeds of the satellites introduce some difficulties, but a system of this type can provide worldwide coverage. Characteristics of wireless LANs Advantages very flexible within the reception area Ad-hoc networks without previous planning possible (almost) no wiring difficulties (e.g. historic buildings, firewalls) More robust against disasters like, e.g., earthquakes, fire or users pulling a plug Disadvantages typically very low bandwidth compared to wired networks (1-10 Mbit/s) {10-4 compared to 10-10 in fiber optics} many proprietary solutions, especially for higher bit-rates, standards take their time (e.g. IEEE 802.11) products have to follow many national restrictions if working wireless, it takes a vary long time to establish global solutions like, e.g., IMT-2000 Interfenece Conclusions Wireless and mobile communication is currently a hot topic and it is thus important to include it in the education of computer and telecommunication engineers. The benefit of teaching wireless mobile communication in a virtual course is that students from polytechnics all over the country, and also from foreign polytechnics, can share and participate in the same course without being physically present. Since students from several different polytechnics participate, feedback and development suggestions are retrieved in a much larger perspective, compared to in an internal course, which results in a higher quality of the course material. The production of a virtual course is, however, a much more demanding task than the production of a traditional internal course. Experts, like graphical designers, have to be included in the production team. The graphical layout of the learning environment is important in order to make the learning and browsing of the course material interesting and ea sy as well as to lead the students attention to the essential parts. Before the course is in its final form many prototypes have to be tested and feedback from the students is needed. A proper choice of computer software and IT technology is necessary. A sufficient and realistic budget is also essential. Teaching and learning in a virtual course is also more demanding than in an ordinary course. Students cannot directly interact with the course teacher in the same way as during lectures and teacher assisted exercise sessions. Email and newsgroups is not enough for assisting students since they dont provide direct communication. It is thus important to provide the students the possibility to use real-time E-communication channels such as text, voice, and video chat. REFERENCE http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/07/biztech/articles/05talk.html http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/threeg/ceareportoct2000.pdf http://www.business2.com/b2/web/articles/0,17863,513551,00.html http://weatherhead.cwru.edu/pervasive/Paper/UBE%202003%20-%20Yoo.pdf http://jite.org/documents/Vol3/v3p189-217-038.pdf http://informingscience.org/proceedings/InSITE2006/IISITBerg205.pdf http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2005/isbn9512279819/isbn9512279819.pdf http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem02.html http://www.gsmworld.com/services/messaging.shtml http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/ http://journal.fibreculture.org/issue6/issue6_proitz.html. http://www.160characters.org/documents/SocialEffectsOfTextMessaging.pdf

The Purpose of Lines 1 through 18 of Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

The Purpose of Lines 1 – 18 of â€Å"Beowulf†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  August 31, 2005 â€Å"Beowulf† begins the British literature. As a classic heroic epic, it outlines the tribal history of the Jutes, providing a great insight into the Anglo-Saxons’ epoch. In the poem â€Å"Beowulf,† we meet the most heroic man in the time of the Anglo-Saxons; a man with all the extraordinary characteristics necessitated to being a true hero. Beowulf was his name. He slaughters the monster Grendel, a descendent of Cain, Grendel’s mother and a dragon. By including the mere first eighteen lines of the section The Coming of Grendel in the poem â€Å"Beowulf,† the anonymous author successfully reflects the various customs of the Anglo-Saxons, the magnanimity of King Hrothgar and the values of the Anglo-Saxons. It is perhaps the most suitable opening for a work of admirable heroism; revealing grandiose, powerful and gloriousness of the Anglo-Saxons’ period. Anglo-Saxons lived in times when people believed war was essential for survival whether it was against man, or a ferocious creature. Through such conditions developed the battle customs of the Anglo-Saxons. The battle customs of the Anglo-Saxons, taking into account that Jutes are always victorious, seems to be the division the spoils among everyone, â€Å"old and young.†(9) With King Hrothgar taking the throne, it was impossible for the Jutes to face defeat. Drinking a cup of mead, they celebrate their victory in the mead-hall. For his comrades and kinsmen King Hrothgar opens a banquet for every victory, and the Jutes eat, drink and speak in Herot, a place considered peaceful and of community. They again verify their loyalty to the king and promise for continual dedication. As the King of the Danes, King Hrothgar is portrayed as a wise and generous leader of his people. Not only does he equally distribute the spoils amongst everyone, but also he grants mercy by â€Å"leaving the common pastures untouched, and taking no lives.†(10-11) By displaying compassion for those who do not fight in battles, King Hrothgar earns more respect from his followers. Such generosity is rarely found in the man of war. King Hrothgar’s grandeur temperament also pulls attention. When he is for something he truly desires, he has to make it grand and appealing. He built the â€Å"most beautiful of dwellings†(14) named Herot, a mead-hall where he can commemorate his victories and share the spoils from battle. When time comes to congratulate his victories in battle, he was glad to â€Å"[open] out his treasure-full hands†(18) for a banquet.

Self Taught Guitarist :: Music Musician Instruments Essays

Self Taught Guitarist I believe that every person has the ability to learn how to play an instrument. With enough practice, dedication and the right information, which is easy to asses via the web, you can accomplish almost anything. There are many web sites dedicated to all guitar playing levels. It is just a matter of finding the right one (or ones) for your needs and areas of improvement. Out of most web sites that I researched, there are two that I choose to talk about. These are Guitartricks.com and Cyberfret.com. Both of these websites have very good and extensive information that could keep any guitarist of any level entertained for weeks. One of the websites is also very interactive, meaning that you can post your own music on the web site for others to see and play. The topics range from beginner’s lessons to scales and even reading music! Both websites use tablature to show their audience different compositions, practice exercises and other user postings. Tablature is a series of six lines which represent the six strings on the guitar. Each line has a specific note which are E, A, D, G, B, and E from the bottom up. Then, numbers are placed on the lines to represent when and where your fingers have to be on the frets. The numbers represent the frets (frets are like keys on a piano) on the guitar and range from one all the way to twenty-two or twenty-four, depending on the guitar that you use (some guitars have twenty two frets and some have twenty-four). A very good aspect of Cyberfret.com is that it uses the treble clef as well in many of its lessons. The treble clef is a more professional and sophisticated way to write music. It is how Beethoven and J.S. Bach kept their countless inventions and masterpieces alive over so many years. Nevertheless, both of the websites focus on tablature in their beginnerâ€⠄¢s section, as well as tuning and naming all the parts of the guitar. Their content for a beginning audience is excellent and would facilitate anyone’s first understandings of the mechanics of the guitar. Since every person has their own style of music, the first thing I took into consideration when evaluating Guitartricks.com and Cyberfret.com was their assortment of styles to research.

Hills Like White Elephants :: Hills Like White Elephants Essays

Herodotus and ‘Rhampsinitus and the Thief’ BY: Layla Brown Herodotus, the first Greek historian, has been called by some "the father of history" and by others "the father of lies." Born in 485 B.C to a wealthy family at Halicarnassus, in Asia Minor, he was exiled to Samos soon after his birth because of his family’s opposition to the Persian domination of Ionia. During his youth, he traveled widely, studying the manners, customs, and religions of the people he encountered. His histories are made up of tales told to him by people from Egypt, Syria, Babylon, Colchis, Paeonian and Macedonia. He was criticized by several ancient writers for creating stories and passing them off as the truth. Herodotus is most famous for the nine books he wrote on the rise of the Persian Empire, the Persian invasion of Greece in 490 BC and 480 BC, and the final Greek victory. Although it received quite a lot of praise and is still considered a masterpiece, itâ€℠¢s trustworthiness has been questioned both in ancient and modern times. The story that I’m covering is of Rhampsinitus and the Thief (pg. 277). This is a tale that Herodotus learned in Egypt and many believe that this anecdote was told to him by Egyptian priests, claiming it a true story. Herodotus, himself, didn’t actually believe this particular story but he felt it was his duty to report what he was told. Now, for those of you who didn’t read it, I’ll quickly give a brief synopsis of the story. A dying father tells his two sons how to break into the king’s vault, which he, himself, built. The father then dies, leaving the family with no way to support themselves. So the two sons begin their thieving. They manage to escape with the treasure three times before the king sets up a trap, in which one of the brothers gets caught. At his captured brother’s urging, the other brother cuts his sibling’s head off, taking it with his, so the family’s identity would not be known. The next day, the king was bewildered at the sight of a headless thief. He then ordered his sentries to hang the body on the outer wall and arrest anybody seen mourning the headless corpse. The two thieves’ mother, so absolutely distraught over the death of her son, threatens her surviving son, saying that if he didn’t collect the his brother’s body, she would turn him in herself.

A Dream of Life Essay

Try to picture this: A big white house with light blue shutters and a big porch. Two young children are playing with their dog without arguing or fighting. The mom is preparing dinner ready at 6 o’clock in the big kitchen. Meanwhile, the dad is just arriving from work in his BMW and stops to play a little with his kids. The mom comes out the porch, tells them â€Å"dinner is ready, go wash your hands† and gives the husband a big hug and a welcome kiss. They are the perfect American dream family. This perfect life is what most Americans dream of when they work an eight-hour day in exchange for a two-week vacation and a one-week sick leave. Americans work all this time because they think that the democratic government in the US is working hard to provide them the right of equality, prosperity, and adventure. The people of this nation become slaves of themselves and their dream of life by working too much for something only few get. The right of equality is a big part of this American Dream. But is equality being attained by every citizen? There are myths that stop citizens from acquiring this equality. Simone De Beauvoir in her â€Å"Myth and Reality† essay explains how myths are used to break this equality between women and men. She explains how the eternal myth that women are mysterious and incomprehensible to men affects the equality at work. In a relationship of master to slave, it is always the slave who is mysterious and difficult to understand (818). This myth keeps the women in a lower status than the men, and the equality wanted by every American citizen is not met. There are more myths about equality. For example the myth of working hard to have a secure job, this myth might have been formed by people that had a business and wanted employees to work as hard as possible, so they would make more profit. Americans follow these myths to have a better economic status, but all they are gaining is to be in an uneven equality status. They work hard and slave themselves to their masters (or bosses in this case) to gain this dream, but instead they end up trapped working for life. In contrast, democracy by the society is not always used in a prudent way. Alex De Tocqueville makes a strong point explaining how equality among individuals eventually produces a desire for centralization in government. Consequently the people will be too busy with their own activities and lives making their own fortune. As the outcome, this society will expect the government to take care of the nation so that they will be free to peruse their own opportunities (566). This freedom of democracy might consequently produce governors whose power will be concentrated in a way that the people will exercise this freedom unwisely. The conditions that produce equality on the citizens might as well produce a despot. If a ruler with absolute power if produced from equality then equality stops being equality for everybody, because this ruler will divide the power among the people according to what might be better for him. Furthermore, Alex De Tocqueville explains that â€Å"the principle of quality, which makes men independent of each other, gives them a habit and a taste for following in their private actions no other guide than their own will† (569). This independence tends to make them live with a natural favoritism towards free institutions. For example, the killings of Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Shah of Iran, Pol Pot, Pinochet and others could have been prevented by a free institutionalized government. The problem with this is that â€Å"private life in democratic times is so busy, so excited, and so full of wishes and of work, that hardly any energy or leisure remains to each individual for public life† (573). With no time for public life, half of the dream is gone, and gone not to ever come back again. But people work even harder to get more time, but the harder they work the less time they have. This busyness of working fifty two weeks a year for this freedom makes the society slaves of itself, takes away the freedom generated by equality. Additionally, stereotypes formulated by the government about the people living in this society break the equality given to them by democracy. James Baldwin was a Negro revolutionist, in his essay of â€Å"The American Dream and the American Negro† he explains how the stereotyped generated by the government, of the people living within the society do not allow them the same equality. â€Å"One of the things the white world does not know, but I think I know, is that black people are just like everybody else. We are also mercenaries, dictators, murderers, liars. We are human, too.† There is no exception to who is an American, but the society seems to be making exceptions for color, race or religion. This exception shatters equality, and prosperity is not the same for everybody anymore, but still people work so hard to attain what they dreamed for that they spend too much time doing so, and they lose the occasion of adventure. The American dream is not for everybody as the society seems to believe. Americans are willing to enslave themselves in order to attain their big white houses with light blue shutters. Different myths stop them in the middle of slavery where they stay for the rest of their lives, still trying to reach that dream. While all this is happening, centralization is occurring in the country, and the society is too busy with their own activities and lives making their own fortune, expecting the government to take care of the nation so that they can be free to peruse their own opportunities. This leaves a huge unsecured gap in the government for rulers to have absolute power over the nation. Citizens then become slaves of the country, working endless hours that never seam to end until they die, and their sons and daughters do the same thing, and it becomes a vice circle. At the end, only a few citizens attain their big houses with enough financial security to adventure the world. Those few li ve the American dream. Works cited: Baldwin, James. â€Å"The American Dream and the American Negro.† A World of Ideas Essential Reading for College Writers. By Lee A Jacobus. Sixth Edition ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. 261-. Rpt. in A World of Ideas Essential Readings for College Writers. Beauvoir, Simone De. â€Å"Woman: Myth and Reality.† A World of Ideas Essential Reading for College Writers. By Lee A Jacobus. Sixth Edition ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. 75-81. Rpt. in A World of Ideas Essential Readings for College Writers. Tocqueville, Alexis de. â€Å"Influence of Democratic Ideas and Feelings on Political Society.† A World of Ideas Essential Readingfor College Writers. By Lee A Jacobus. Sixth Edition ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. 247-257. Rpt. in A World of Ideas Essential Readings for College Writers.

The Mark of Athena

Rick Ordain Intro: When you find yourself on a flying ship waiting to land and then suddenly meet an exploding statue you're in Amenable Chases life. The crew of the 4 demigods in the Prophecy Seven venture out to Camp Jupiter, a Roman camp. They go there to find Percy, Frank, and Hazel the 3 other demigods for the prophecy. They ride on the Argon 2nd, a ship that one of the demigods made which can travel in the air and water. After landing in peace, one of the seven demigods started firing the ballista at the Romans and had no control over his body!The seven demigods barely made it out alive. Speeding away from the Romans as fast as they could they head out to save Nice did Angelo and stop the giants from destroying the gods. Amenable has her own dilemma though. She has to follow the Mark of Athena to find and bring back something that the Romans stole from the Greeks that was dedicated to Athena. The catch is that she can only go alone. No help, no powers Just her smarts. Go with h er as she unravels why so many children of Athena have never come back from trying to mind that holy figure that was taken by the Romans.Will the seven demigods make it in time to save Nice did Angelo? Will Amenable complete the mission that her mother sent her on, which nobody has ever came back successfully or have even survived? Will they stop the giants who imprisoned Nice? Read â€Å"The Mark of Athena† to find out because, I'm not telling you. My favorite character in this book is Amenable because; she goes through denial with her mother and gets the Job to follow the Mark of Athena. She is a very realistic teenager in America.Having a boyfriend and having problems with her mother. The only real difference between the seven demigods and real teenagers is that they have weapons, godly parent's and powers according to their godly parent. I could only find one thing in this book that I didn't like. It is that Rick put almost all of the bad luck on Percy and Amenable. All t he other demigods just helped out and barely shared the bad luck except Leo. The rating I give to this book is 9. 99/10 only for the unjust distribution of bad luck.

Christmas Day

Christmas is a Christian festival. Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian faith, was born on 25 December. Hence the day is observed as the ‘Christmas Day' in order to commemorate Christ's birth. On the day, the Christians dress themselves colourfully with a gay spirit. They wish ‘Merry Christmas' to their friends and relatives. They visit one another's house in order to exchange good wishes. The Christians decorate their houses on the occasion with the Christmas Tree which is an evergreen (artificial) tree beautified with small electric bulbs and zari laces or other tiny pieces of decoration like dazzling paper stars, halls etc. hat add a typical festive mood to the occasion. They prepare Christmas pudding rich dark plum cakes which are eaten at Christmas. The Christians all over the world enthusiastically celebrate the Christmas festival. It is a great day also for the children, who sing the carol, which is a Christmas hymn in chorus in memory of Christ's birth. They fervently look for Santa Claus or the Father Christmas who is supposed to appear to distribute attractive gifts to the children on the day.Santa Claus dress ­es himself in red and white, wears white and long false beard, and carry a bag full of presents for the children. The shops, hotels, churches, schools, colleges-all are decorated with various types of coloured paper flowers or other designs, balloons and lamps on the Christmas day. The festival is now-a-days found to be enjoyed and celebrated also by other communities not as a religious belief, but as a festive occasion.