National Westminster Bank Essay

Q1. Analyse the customer contact process during the account opening procedure. What aspects of the branch’s operation impact on each stage? From analysing the branch’s operation it is clear to see which parts of the banks operation impacts each stage of the account opening procedure. Firstly the customer arrives into the bank, usually customers go to the cashiers section, they are then referred over to the enquiries counter, where they are greeted by enquiry personnel who find out which of the banks service the customer requires. If the customer wishes to open a new account, a member of the records staff comes to administer the account opening procedure. It is the records staff who deals mostly with new customers. The records staff must to have a good basic knowledge of all the banks operations to be able to advise the new customer which account is best suited for them. They must find out if the customer wishes to invest money or if they wish to avail of the banks credit facilities. The records staff would not have an in depth knowledge of the investments available to new customers so more often than not a member of the investment section is called over to advise the new customer. Read more:  Banker’s Draft Natwest For credit facilities, the new customer is referred to the lending section for processing, as this operation is outside the record section staff jurisdiction. Once they account type has been established, the â€Å"formalities† begin (processing of customer details). Records staff go through forms to ensure that all key information has been gathered. This is probably the longest part of the account opening procedure with the customer as a lot of details need to be processed. Once all the details have been gathered by the records staff, the direct customer contact finishes. Customer details are then passed onto the administrative section and the machine room to finalise the opening of a new account and the paper printing (cheque books, log books, ATM cards etc.) How the different operations interact upon the Records section: Q2. How would you improve the process? Once the bank identified their problems the set out an improvement plan. They key areas identified for improvement were identified: > Signage > Inexperienced Staff > Limited staff for rush hours > Uneven flow of walk-in customers at peak times From a recent survey customers identified the following problems: > Account opening forms were not properly explained > Bank’s standard account pack was not sent out to customers > Some customers waited more than the standard 9 days to receive cheque book and bank card > Customer personal details were recorded incorrectly > Staff seemed uninterested in the customers needs > Customers wouldn’t recommend the bank to others All of the above points were taken into account in the banks improvement plan. Firstly the signage issue was tackled. This issue was clearly a problem when we visited the bank, see fig.1 It was evident from this, that the enquiries desk wasn’t clearly noticeable or signposted. To eliminate the problem of new customers queuing at the cashier’s desk (adding to queue delays in the bank) new signage was positioned around the bank clearly highlighting where the new customers were to go. While it was unfeasible to move staff permanently from section to section, records staff who are generally young and junior members of staff could be temporarily move around each of the banks operations. This would add to their training knowledge and enable them to give more specialised advice to customers. By doing this staff will get to know each others jobs, they will become more confident in their work, giving the sense of importance to the banks operation. This increases staff motivation which reduces boredom as boredom leads to mistakes. To assess the overall performance of staff’s training and progress, the bank could introduce ‘mystery shoppers’, a member of staff from another of the banks branches comes to open an account, goes through the whole procedure and at the end evaluates the staffs performance, identifies areas for improvement etc. As it was, the cashiers would go for their lunch, and it was the job of the records section to cover the cashier positions during lunch. This however was the busiest period for new customers wishing to open accounts. During the lunchtime rush customers could feel they were been rushed, inevitably resulting in mistakes occurring. To deal with this issue, lunch time for the bank staff could be divided up more evenly. Only a set amount of cashiers go for lunch at any one time, these cashiers do not take their lunch until the first group comes back, this way there is always somebody covering the records section to deal with new potential customers if they arrive during the lunch time period. To ensure the records section were not over burdened by new customers during the lunch time period, a system of ‘appointment only’ during the lunch time rush was set up. This way the records section could easily deal with walk-in customers in the mornings and afternoons, and during lunch time they knew how many customers to expect and spend the required time needed with each customer opening an account. This way the customer feels more at ease and the records section staff do not feel under pressure and rushed, reducing the amount of mistakes made. Customers felt that the account opening forms were not properly explained to them. This issue was tackled by more staff training and the ‘mystery shopper’ also helped by giving feedback. This helps the junior staff in training to interpret the forms better and be much more capable of explaining the forms to customers. In terms of the bank’s standard account pack not been sent out to customers, the bank set up a system of having all the leaflets on hand so the member of staff dealing with the new customer could make up a package there and then to suit the customers needs. It was identified that some customers waited more than the standard 9 days to receive their cheque books or ATM cards. This waiting period was improved by a more clear line of communication set up between the records staff, administration staff and the machine room. This was also helped as now there were fewer mistakes and the records staff had more time to process the forms during the day as the ‘by appointment only’ and not having to cover the cashier positions fully during lunch had clearly freed up some extra time for them. To deal with the problem of customers personal details not been recorded properly, the customer was asked to fill in a form which clearly legible showing how to spell their name address etc. Once all the forms had been filled out, it was advised that the supervisor provided an extra check on the forms before they were sent for processing. To assist with the implementation of this system a sort of a Kanban system could be set up, â€Å"In-Kanban†, â€Å"Out-Kanban† this way everything was fully completed before it was sent for processing, and there would be no mix ups, on what was processed and what has to be processed. Also as part of this kanban system to finalise the last step, approval by the manager must be signed on the form. The problem of the customers feeling rushed was solved when the records section were released from other duties such as fully covering the cashiers during lunch. If all of the above points are implemented successfully, the bank will be back on track to a successful and complimentary word of mouth.

Elements of Americas market economy in a global setting Essay

Mankiw (2006) characterize a market economy as an economic system where the production and distribution of goods and services through free markets and price systems (p. 7). The amounts of products produced are not pre-determined. At the same time, the amount of goods that will be used is not restricted but bound by market forces. Thus, producers and consumers through the interaction of supply and demand create the market by which products and services are consumed and used. The U.  S. is considered as the icon of this market system which is primarily based on Adam Smith’s capitalism (Rothbard, 2004). To fully understand the mechanism of a market economy, an understanding of its key elements is essential. Some of the key elements that will be discussed through this paper are property rights, competition, and profit. To facilitate this task, discussions will be based on the context of the U. S. market economy. The first element for discussion is property rights. Under the U. S. Constitution, property rights provide the owners of a real, personal or intellectual to exercise ownership, control and sovereignty over their proper (pp. 166-170). Thus, owners are able to utilize the property as they want to, use to gain benefit and protect it from harm. They have the right to benefit from it or from its use. The only constraint with the practice of these rights is that they should contravene any law or inhibit the rights of others (Mankiw, 2006). Competition is described to be the rivalry of individuals or parties because of common or dependent interest (p. 699). In a free market, Rothbard (2004) suggests that competition is the means by which markets determine which suppliers are best to meet demands. Similar to theories on evolution, the process of competition is a means to ensure quality. Thus, competition ensures that consumers are able to get the best product available. However, Rothbard also points out that competition is also a means of controlling the market internally or externally (p. 12-113). Profit is considered the ultimate goal of any economic enterprise. From an economic perspective, profits can be realized when revenues exceed the total cost of inputs (Mankiw, 2006, pp. 271-272). It is achieved when consumers have the capacity to buy a product at more than cost of suppliers’ production. In a simplistic model, profit is what is gained from using various economic resources. Thus, suppliers will continue to want to produce the product because of the economic incentive of its consumption.

Concept of Prometheus Within Frankenstein

The concept of â€Å"Prometheus† within Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein† Index Introduction – 3 Greek Promethean myth – 4 The Modern Prometheus – 5 Conclusion – 7 Bibliography – 8 Introduction In this short work, it will be made an explanation about what is the Greek Promethean myth and the message behind this myth. It will also be made a comparison between this message and the subjacent theme of the â€Å"Modern Prometheus† in Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein†.Looking at the main character of Mary Shelley’s novel, it will also be important to describe in what way, and according to the Greek Promethean myth, Victor Frankenstein is the â€Å"Modern Prometheus† as referred in the title of the book. Greek Promethean myth The Promethean myth first appeared in the late 8th-century BC Greek epic poet Hesiod's Theogony. He was a son of the Titan Iapetus, one of the Oceanids (keepers of the water). In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan whose name meant â€Å"forethought†, and indeed, he was said to have the ability to look into the future.Prometheus was the creator of mankind. The goddess Athene taught him architecture, astronomy, mathematics, navigation, medicine, and metallurgy, and he in turn taught them to humans. Zeus, the chief of the Greek gods, became angry at Prometheus for making people powerful by teaching them all these useful skills. He is the younger brother of Atlas, who was banished to Tartarus during the Titanomachy. Prometheus, however, sided with the gods in the war, having foreseen their victory. Helios and Epimetheus also chose to defect.In doing so, Prometheus also tried to persuade his brother Atlas and their father Iapetus to side with the Olympians, but both of them ignored his attempts. After the Great War, Prometheus fashioned man from clay and helped them, even to the point of severely angering Zeus and, when the gods chose Prometheus as arbiter in a dispute, he fooled the gullible Zeus into picking the worst parts of the sacrificial bull by hiding them under a rich layer of fat. To punish Prometheus, Zeus withheld fire from men. â€Å"Let them eat their flesh raw,† he declared.In response, Prometheus, snuck up to Mount Olympus, lit a torch from the sun, and hid a burning piece of charcoal in a hollow stalk. He slipped away with it and thus delivered fire to mankind. As punishment however, Zeus then chained him to a mountain for an Eagle to peck out his liver only to have it regenerated through the night. Heracles eventually killed the eagle and freed Prometheus, which Zeus allowed as he deemed Prometheus' suffering sufficient. Modern Prometheus The Modern Prometheus is Mary Shelley’s novel subtitle (though some modern publishings of the work now drop the subtitle, mentioning it only in an introduction).The term â€Å"Modern Prometheus† was actually coined by Immanuel Kant, referring to Benjamin Franklin and his experiments with electricity (this having to do with the way the creature was brought to life). As mentioned before, Prometheus was the Titan who created mankind, a task given to him by Zeus. He was to create a being with clay and water in the image of the gods. Prometheus taught man to hunt, read, and heal their sick, but after he tricked Zeus into accepting poor-quality offerings from humans, Zeus kept fire from mankind. Prometheus took back the fire from Zeus to give to man.When Zeus discovered this, he sentenced Prometheus to be eternally punished by fixing him to a rock where each day an eagle would peck out his liver, only for the liver to regrow the next day because of his immortality as a god. He was intended to suffer alone for all of eternity, but eventually Heracles (Hercules) released him. The way Prometheus makes man from clay and water is a relevant theme to Frankenstein, as Victor rebels against the laws of nature (how life is naturally made) and as a result is punished by his creation.The Titan in the Greek mythology of Prometheus parallels Victor Frankenstein. Victor's work by creating man by new means reflects the same innovative work of the Titan in creating humans. According to the original myth, fire was the one thing that man was not supposed to have because it belonged solely to the Gods, so when Prometheus stole fire for man, it meant that man was trespassing on immortal territory and man suffered because of Prometheus's gift. While Prometheus had his liver eaten every day, Victor didn’t have an organ ripped violently from his lower torso.But he did suffer a similar form of prolonged torture: all his loved ones being singled out and killed. He was not punished for stealing fire, but he was punished for trespassing on immortal territory by playing God. Also, fire is associated with goodness and knowledge. Fire is symbolic of human progress as well as the dangers of human invention, or possibly the dangers of natu re as opposed to humans, and Victor’s creature is paralleled to fire in the Greek Myth: the creature could be good or bad, depending on how much care you take in approaching it. And in Victor’s case, that would be no care at all.While fire is good and useful, bringing warmth and the ability to cook, it can also be a weapon, a massively destructive force, if not properly controlled. The monster is the same. He had so much potential for good. He desired to be good, gentle, kind, and loving, but at every turn he was denied. Because of this he became a destructive force bent on the ruin of his maker. Victor Frankenstein is plagued by his creation. He is hunted, haunted, and tormented. The rest of his life becomes a game, a chase between creator and created. Much like Prometheus, Frankenstein suffers greatly for the good he tried to do. However, there are differences.Fire is an unthinking, unfeeling thing. It need not be taught. It does not require love. Fire did not requir e anything from Prometheus. The monster, on the other hand, was a being of great depth and feeling. He was capable of growth and good, but his master neglected and abandoned him. Frankenstein should not have abandoned the thing he created. He should have faced what he had done and given it a chance at a better life. There is also an other interpretation for this, perhaps a more plain one. In more recent science fiction, the Promethean myth is applied in the following way: mankind receives technology that is beyond their understanding.For instance, in the TV show â€Å"Stargate†, the first human interstellar ship is called â€Å"Prometheus† and it is build with the help of an alien race. This concept can also be applied to the work of Mary Shelley, explaining that men do require time and study to understand things as they truly are. The creature was not bad. It was made bad by men surrounding it. So, it can be said that both Prometheus and Frankenstein successfully crea ted human life and faced results not in line with their expectations. In an attempt to help their creations, both Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein caused more damage and disorder.This eventually led to the harm of both, either through death or eternal torture. Conclusion As we could see, there are many similarities between the stories of Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein. Both tried to do â€Å"bend† the rules, in order to achieve something they believed would be beneficial. But in the end, they both caused more harm than good. Bibliography Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Ed. Susan J. Wolfson. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007 Graves, Robert, The Greek Myths, Moyer Bell Ltd. , 1955. Mellor, Anne K.Mary Shelley: Her Life, her Fiction, Her Monsters. London: Routledge, 1990 Why is Frankenstein subtitled The Modern Prometheus? , available in http://www. angelfire. com/anime5/frank/Prometheus. html Frankenstein as Prometheus, available in http://cmaree. hu bpages. com/hub/Frankenstein-as-Prometheus Analysis on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, available in http://www. articlemyriad. com/analysis-frankenstein-mary-shelley Who was Prometheus? , available in http://www. enotes. com/frankenstein/q-and-a/frankenstein-who-was-prometheus-262555

Good Intentions Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Good Intentions Business - Assignment Example Their promotional policy is that for every pair of shoes bought from the company, company will donate a pair of shoes for a shoeless child. Blake is an American traveler and during his visit to Argentina he observed many children with bare feet. With his pure good intentions, he established a company and named it as TOMS shoes. Keeping the situation of children with bare feet in mind, Blake went to the Argentina in the same year with his colleagues, co-workers, friends and family with 10,000 pairs of shoes, which was made possible by the help of customers of Toms’s shoe. a. The situation TOMS shoes is a company, which has the vision and aspiration to help and give out its finished product (i.e. shoes) to third world societies, where usually the poor roam bare feet. This company gives away a pair in charity against purchase of every pair bought. Mainly they are sending shoes to those countries that are shoeless such as Haiti, South Africa, Ethiopia, Mississippi, Kentucky and Rw anda. This campaign is known as â€Å"One on One†. The situation has led to the high sales of the alpargata in high society of the western world. b. The rationale for your/their actions This â€Å"One on One† campaign is eventually leading the western world; people are buying expensive shoes, as the humanitarian cause is not truly fulfilled through the corporate itself. The prices of TOMS shoes are high comparatively to their competitors, because the customers are getting one shoe pair in price of two pairs. Reason being that the western world consumer is paying for the charity. These shoeless countries are suffering from the diseases like hookworm and elephantiasis; these diseases are found in these countries because more often than usual people roam bare feet on dirty soil. c. The specific poor results However, Blake Mycoskie, the CEO of TOMS Shoes, have initiated this charity work for the shoeless countries, but eventually it ended in the twofold objective. As shoel ess countries are facing diseases due to various reasons such as the hookworm. And such diseases could be tackled by constructing latrine or improve sanitation in Ethiopia. According to the case study, TOMs’ CEO oodles money by keeping the price of the charity purpose pair of shoes same as the normal pair of shoes, but the manufacturing cost of the charity shoe is even lesser than the half of taken. This situation led to running the local shoe industry on the country, as the sales went high up of TOMS shoes and local shoe industry declined. d. The individuals, people, or groups that were affected, and how they were affected Though this charity work has helped a lot of shoeless countries and people, but it has also left negative impact on people’s working there. Donation affected the shoe industry drastically. In a way, TOM shoes were undermining the business of local shoe industry. This in-kind charity can be a short run benefit for the consumers, but the disturbance i n the local industry will lead towards immense poverty in the long run. 2. Using systems thinking apply Singe’s concepts of â€Å"dynamic complexity† and â€Å"circles of causality† to the situation and explain the interactions and relationships. There are two types of â€Å"complexity†, one is detailed complexity which means that a person handles a complex situation that involves

Choose from the list Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Choose from the list - Research Paper Example This paper is focused in arguing the factors that could see India as a potential global superpower. India has been perceived to have the potential of becoming a global super power owning to the fact that it has exhibited a rapid economic growth especially in the industrial sector; which is considered to be the main inductor of the course to global superiority. Nevertheless, this has also been marked with contrary views as analysts look in the situation. As far as many of them support that India can in the near future surpass China and even become the next global Superpower, many of the others are opposed to this observation. This paper will therefore look into both the issues and the ongoing discussion as regards to the potentiality and limits of India becoming the next global Superpower. This paper will also look at the challenges that India is facing that would hinder her from achieving its 21st century goal of becoming the superpower (Mahtaney Pg 104). Introduction Asian countries have shown great potential of becoming superpowers of the 21st century with India proving to be potentially a strong contender in this race. The question that remains however is that will this really happen or is it just a mere speculation that is beyond the reality scopes. For this to happen, it depends deeply in the wisdom, vision and purpose of the Indian leadership. So far, the Indian citizenry have high hopes and are having crossed fingers waiting for this to come to pass. This course can totally fail if India leadership becomes preoccupied with greed for power gaining and simply leading to rhetoric vote fetching at the cost of furthering the course of India’s march to success and prosperity and gaining the status of a global economic superpower. The economic giants of today were worse of at the turn of the 20th century when compared to where India is today (Bhandare Pg 66). But India is not subjected to the same road that the economics giants of today travelled since t here are no similar technological, political, engineering and scientific challenges that existed then. Therefore, with the improvements of these aspects in the contemporary world of today, India is likely to move faster on its road to economic development as compared to the economic superpowers of today. It won’t have to take India six centuries or so in order to attain its state of superpower unless it’s stupid enough to abandon the current industrial status and go back to the past of reinventing the ancient wheels all over again. The United States intelligence has speculated that India would most probably become an economic giant and a superpower by the year 2030 if China slows down (Jaffrelot & Cynthia Pg 107). Why India Can be a Global Power India has a great human resource with nearly 1.1 billion people making it the second most populous country in the world after China. It has a vast are of land huge enough to cater for its population with a lot of natural resour ces that serves its vast population (Lak Pg 53). The Indian economy has had a steady growth of 6% over the last decade and a fabulous 8% economic growth over the last 3 years. India is therefore among the fastest growing economies in the world and currently, it boasts a fast emerging middle class and growing Gross Domestic Products, improving

Develop an interview methodology for a digital forensic examination Research Paper

Develop an interview methodology for a digital forensic examination - Research Paper Example It will depict the instructions and definitions for the forensic examiner. Examination: This phase is meant to facilitate the evidence visibility while providing an explanation regarding its origin and significance. The examination phase also involves the revealing of hidden information and the relevant documentation (Kohn, 2012). Developing the interview methodology is very critical in a digital forensic investigation. The major steps involved in the development process include preparation for the interview, selecting/determining participants, establishing a pilot test/study, Constructing the research question, following-up the question, implementation of the interviews, and data interpretation (Selamat, 2008). The first and one of the most important things to do is to initiate a preparation for the digital forensic examination interview. The interview preparation will help in breaking the forensic investigation process in such a way that any problematic circumstances are alleviated or exacerbated. Such problems usually occur after the investigation is fully implemented (Turner, 2010). The forensic examiner should determine the possible problems and establish a way of evading or dealing with them. The preparation should be done in such a way that unambiguous focus is established. This is meant to enhance the feasibility and the associated benefit of the digital forensic examination (Turner, 2010). To ensure an effective interview preparation, the forensic examiner needs to choose the forensic investigation setting. This choice of forensic investigation setting will ensure that the examination is done within a feasible context. The purpose of the forensic interview should also be explained effectively. Further, the confidentiality terms need to be addressed. This requirement is very important because respondents will require guaranteed safety once they provide

Current Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Current Issues - Essay Example Now training and development is one of the main pillars of human resource management. There is a high level of involvement of computers in almost every field of life, so the employees need to excel the computer skills. Every organization is focusing on the vital importance of these job-training programs and thus tries to arrange the regular sessions of experts. These experts come, meet the employees, and give tips to them. These job trainings create innovation in the routine duties of the employees. The expert managers appreciate creative and innovative ideas from the employees. The training programs can be multidisciplinary and thus aimed at the long-term benefit of the organization (McKay 2). The associated benefits with these job-training programs are beneficial for the organization. Job training programs actually aim to polish the skills and expertise of the employees and managers of any organization. Now almost every organization is focusing on this perspective. The impact of training programs is very much effective. The employees and managers become more productive and thus improve the output of the organization. In this way, the organization is more profitable. These skilled labor or the expert individuals are beneficial factors for the economic development. They can play their role in the regional and economic development by the use of their expertise. A successful job training is always future oriented and thus can be linked t the economic development of the organization. By arranging such job trainings, an organization can achieve efficiency and effectiveness, build more production capacity in the employees, and motivate the employees to work faster. With the help of these future oriented job-training programs, an organization can prepare itself for the upcoming changes and challenges in the competitive market. The expertises of the employees are actually the real strength or the competitive advantage of the firm. An author is of the viewpoint

Retail Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Retail Marketing - Essay Example Today Waitrose is considered to be the sixth largest supermarket in the UK. It has a total of 241 branches, 18,000 stock lines and its grocery market share in the UK is estimated to be 4.3%. The retail business has fresh, quality, and safe products, quality customer service, and proper home delivery services. Through this, the grocery is known for its good reputation and image. The grocery has new and loyal customers (John Lewis Partnership, 2010). Waitrose is known to be a luxurious supermarket because of its provision of high quality goods and excellent services to the customers. The grocery’s employees have remained loyal hence, low turnover of staff. They are committed to meeting the various needs of customers. Through all this, the company has continued to thrive. The major competitors of Waitrose include, Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, and Morrison’s. The pricing of goods in Waitrose supermarket is higher compared to that of its competitors. International retail ing International retailing involves expansion of retail operations; concepts, management expertise, technology, and buying function beyond the domestic market. Retailers are faced with several operational challenges as they seek to expand their business beyond their borders. These challenges are; demand for products that are new and trendy, diversity and brands, retailers have to ensure their products remain exclusive. There is also increased competition, rapid globalization, E-commerce and complexity in terms of technology. The impact of these challenges increases as the rate of change accelerates and global markets become more volatile and turbulent. For survival in international markets, retail enterprises will have to embrace the new realities. Simpson and Thorpe’s PLIN Model is appropriate in the assessment of Waitrose international viability. In this model four main factors helps to differentiate Waitrose domestic market. These factors provide the basis to consider int ernational expansion as a possible growth strategy. They include product, lifestyle, image and niche, which are reflected in the various strategies adopted by Waitrose. Waitrose has segmented its products. In terms of lifestyle, Waitrose is considered a luxurious company dealing with quality and safe products. The image of the Waitrose is reflected in high price perception of the company, specialty in fresh and quality food products. Niche on the other hand is reflected through Waitrose specialization on fresh food products that are of high quality. Strategies of Waitrose Waitrose supermarket has specific strategies in place which help to attract more customers, expand its market share and increase its profits. These strategies are useful in the assessment of Waitrose international viability. They include; online shopping, home delivery service, specializing in products of wide range, maintaining the freshness and the quality of products, setting aside vital products that are low pr iced, better customer service and market segmentation. Waitrose has also introduced meaningful ideas which help in cost control and reduction. Its image and reputation has also been boosted by the grocery participation in corporate social responsibility (John Lewis partnership annual report, 2010). The value chain of Waitrose is important, Michael (1985) and Johnson et al (2005) highlights the basic activities of value chain. It includes the following; the first is inbound logistics. Leckford

Impact of Industrialization on the National Business Systems and the Essay

Impact of Industrialization on the National Business Systems and the National Competitiveness - Essay Example To understand the questions completely, each of the fundamental terminologies which are to have an impact on the final question needs to be addressed and needs to be linked to the main question in pursuit. INDUSTRIALIZATION: The early phase of industrialization was from 1750 to the 1800s.Although, it can be debated over the exact timings of the industrialization in the different parts of the world, but it was the above mentioned period during which industrialization emerged in its totality. Europe in general and Britain in particular was the main element in crafting the early period of industrialization (Henderson, 1954). Until then, work was majorly done using manual labor and the amount of production, as a result, was squat. But it was end of the 18th century which actually saw the revolution in production processes and changed the dynamics of production and industry concepts. Enhanced use of machine-driven principles, including steam power, to develop in Great Britain produced an identifiable change in economic structure and growth (Spielvogel, 2011). The period saw the emergence of factory system where workers were grouped together and capital structures changed from the earlier used methods to cost effective technology driven methods. Cotton and iron were the key dynamics in this course (Thomas, 1964). Cotton was earlier processed through manual labor which tool time and effort but did not produce in mass volume. The production capacity was low and thus, the efficiency was significantly less. But now machines were developed which were, at first, powered by water and later on, with thw advancement in the system, by steam, and which now increased the production immensely. The number of people employed naturally increased. Moreover, the new process caused the cost of the final products to sharply decrease making them competitive. It was vital for Britain to acquire the new technology. It helped Britain to cement its dominance on the worlds economical and the resulting political sphere (Henderson, 1954). It took little time for industrialization to travel from Britain to the rest of the western world. It can be said that industrialization did not take more than fifty years to travel from Britain to the rest of the western world including America. But it has taken time to encompass the eastern boundaries. This statement is essential to understand because it has been one of the fundamental differences between the eastern and the western world.The eastern world could not be the recipient of the process of industrialization because its majority was under the colony system of one or more of the European countries. United States of America became a grateful receiver of the new dynamics in the production processes. The concept of corporations emerged whereby the people were given the new concept of working in huge setups and in a pronounced number of people.Because of the complexity of the new organization setup, several theories and ways of ef ficiently working in corporations were also developed. The early phase saw the owners of the corporations to receive the greatest benefit out of the sales and the workers in these firms to suffer the low wage rates and pitiable working conditions (Wilensky, 1965). It was natural for this phenomenon to take toll. This is because it was the part of the evolution through which the countries had to go in order to accept the new paradigm of industrializat

Assess the Significance of Henry Viii as a Renaissance Monarch Essay Example for Free

Assess the Significance of Henry Viii as a Renaissance Monarch Essay Henry Viii was crowned in the early 16th century, during the renaissance period. The renaissance period reflects back on the 15th century Florence, Italy where the rise of religious philosophy, nationalism and interest in the arts, humanities and architecture was dominated in pop culture. Henry Viii reflected these aspects as a renaissance monarch. However his significance to the world today was his influence in the birth of the Church of England. â€Å"In 1534 Henry Viii released the atomic bomb he had been brandishing for several years at the pope† as said by Imperato. This atomic bomb is in reference to the Henretian Act of Supremacy, a milestone of how Henry viii is conjugated as a Renaissance Monarch when looking at religious Philosophy. The Act of Supremacy was the act which officially turned the church in England to the Church of England (as stated by Morrill). Henry was named supreme head of the church, and England became a protestant nation. However religious philosophy wasn’t properly explored until later when the Tyndale Bible was handed to the king. Tyndale had translated to bible from Latin to English, which was a distinct maxim of Martin Luther, the reformer. Henry sentenced Tyndall to be executed for heresy. It was later that Thomas Cranmer; Henry’s self-appointed archbishop of Canterbury said that the bible should be written in English and that all church services should be celebrated in English also. So when the Matthew Bible which was another English written bible arose it was quickly adopted by the Church of England. , this was Henry’s first action in realising religious philosophy. Jones states, â€Å"at first the church didn’t change, by all but name it was still Catholic†. Jones continues,† Tyndall was sentenced to death for heresy although it wasn’t until Cranmer said that English bibles were acceptable that another English version, the Matthew bible was adopted†. Morrill argues that, it was Anne Boleyn who convinced Henry to allow English bibles to be used. She used her influence over him to legalise such bibles. However in contrast Imperato states that it was a mix of the two members seeking conference about Martin Luther’s 95 thesis and its benefits on England. It is acknowledged that Henry VIII didn’t really want the church to reform as much as members of his court did at the time. Where religious philosophy is a key fundament to a Renaissance monarch so is the rise of a sense of Nationalism. Henry VIII explored the rise of nationalism in the form of the Act of Absolute Restraint of Appeals. This act was used to allow Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon to be annulled, as it was a National ‘issue’ not a papal ‘issue’ and therefore should be dealt with at a national level. The act absolutely annihilated any other court’s jurisdiction or influence in an English court case. And so, England seceded from Rome’s power, becoming its own Nation with its own secure jurisdictional court. Hence Henry’s renaissance monarchy rose with a sense of individual Nationalism. The rise of Nationalism was also explored In The Field Of Cloth Of Gold (1520), which was a very expensive meeting between Francis I’s court of France and Henry’s English court in the area of Calais, England’s only occupied area on the mainland of Europe. The field was supposed to be an exciting set of fun competitions to initiate an alliance between England and France. Among the land lay tents decorated with Cloth of Gold, which was a cloth of silk and cloth, but most importantly it was expensive as both monarchs were trying to best the other and very soon the meeting turned into a grandeur match between the two monarchs. The meeting did not result in an alliance being agreed to. However when Henry returned to England, he signed to an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V who, two weeks later opened war with France. The alliance between England and Spain was in itself a rise of nationalism as a military alliance was established in 1520 to strengthen the impact of England in the Renaissance world. Anderson states, â€Å"The act in restraint of appeals really plugged the already fuming relationship between Rome and England (1534)† Davis agrees by stating, England’s secession from Rome really was the beginning of a new nation, with its own jurisdictional powers only appeared to itself. From this it can be said that Henry used to Act to raise England into becoming a nation with its nationalist maxims and powers. On the matter of the Field of Cloth of Gold Shelly states, Henry’s attempt at an alliance with France was abruptly called to an end when the Field gave no results to what Henry was trying to achieve. Johnson continues Henry VIII’s attempts may have failed with France, but Charles V was more than ready to open an alliance with England. The rise of nationalism is conjugated here by the fact that Henry extended his kingdom’s power by linking with the Holy Roman Emperor in 1520. Another important fundamental component to a renaissance onarch is an interest in art and architecture which Henry upheld, an example of this is the Field of Cloth of Gold itself. The Field of Cloth of Gold was named after the grand tents made of such fabric which were flamboyant, expensive but most importantly was an expression of interest in modern (renaissance) art. The tents were made with jewels and gold thread to give it a more grandiose appearance. As previously stated, the Field was i ntended to be the birthplace of an alliance between France and England, however such never occurred. The Field was where dignitaries from the English and French courts operated for 3 weeks. The entire occasion was one where each monarch would take his turn at beating the other on things that ranged from jousts to poetry and everything in between; even the clothing that each king wore was a contest, each day both of them would be wearing clothes that out-did the clothes they wore the day before by tenfold. So instead of being a fun occasion where a real friendship between Francis I and Henry VIII it was simply a back and forth competition to show how rich and powerful each king was. The humanities and arts were explored in the Field by both monarch; plays were showed daily, poetry was recited publically, chess was played and songs were written. Henry even payed an esteemed composer and orchestra to play during the king’s dinner feast, inside Henry’s temporary palace, made of wooden beams with painted canvas that gave the full illusion of a brick interior and exterior. Jones states, The Field (oCoG) was simply a besting competition of who was the better renaissance monarch, judged on what they presented in the artistic region of renaissance maxims. From this it can be concluded that the Field of Cloth of Gold was just an expression of each king’s grandeur and how integrated their courts were with the renaissance and how wealthy they were. In conclusion, Henry VIII can be seen as a significant renaissance monarch by the expression of the rise of religious philosophical reforms shown in the Church of England’s creation. Alongside the rise of nationalism and the development of the \ of the Arts and Humanitarian concepts. All of which were fundamental components of the renaissance. However the main significance of Henry VIII today was his influence in the rise of the Anglican Church.

China beer market competetor analysis

China beer market competetor analysis CHINA BEER MARKET COMPETETOR ANALYSIS Quick Over view: Aire Breweries plc. Is UK based beer marketing company that been selling premium beers. The company is enjoying fairly good market share. The beer market has become saturated due to intensive competition and in-line pricing strategies. The Aire Breweries plc. as a part of logical extension decided to enter Chinese market, where beer market is largest in the world next to USA. The Strategic Triangle- 3Cs: The strategic triangle proposed by Kenichi Ohmae states that any company success in long run pivots around 3factors: Corporation, Customers Competition. In construction of Business strategy above factors must be examined thoroughly to arrive at marketing plan. The Corporation: Aira Brewries is beer selling company selling beer brands like Hostenbech- European style lager beer, San Bernanardo Cameolet- British style dark bitter beer, Ark royal British style dark bitter beer, pot of gold- Irish style dark stout beer with premium price. The brands are promoted through super markets, fashionable markets, Up market city centre bars. The copany has high cost structure and has efficiency as its strength. The Customer: The proposed target market China is undoubtedly a large consumer market in the world and beer in particular. The vast spread of consumers with varied languages make MNCs experience the difficulty of convincing Chinese consumers. The competitors: In china due to liberalisation policy many MNCs are trying to make a mark in China market. The competition in china Beer markets is very intensive. China market expects to come up with cost effective products where local sellers have an edge over MNCs. San Miguel is one of top three selling brands in china and largest selling brand in china. Sabmiller is the world second largest selling has 47 breweries and operating in 13 provinces of China. Bud Light beer has bottom line structure. Various players include CBR Brewing company inc. china Food beverage company, China resource enterprise ltd., Fomento Economico Mexicano SA de CV, Scottish new castle, Fujian Yanjing Huiquan Brewing group Kirin Brewery Company Ltd., etc. Quick glance at China Economy: China has recorded 11.9% GDP growth rate accounts for $ US 3565 billion (USD 1 = RMB7) is a clear indication that Chinese have got fair standards of living and spending power of consumer has been remarkable Economic Indicators 2007 2006 GDP (RMB trillion) 24.7 21.1 Per capita GDP (RMB) 2,200 16.084 Per capita disposable income of urban households 13,786 11,759 Per capita Net income for rural households 4,140 3,587 Table: 1 Source: National Bureau of Statistics Market Opportunities threats in China: Due to vast population China will offers great opportunities for potential marketers, provided the market is analyzed and a feasible program is developed. The barriers usually for any MNCs are inadequate market data, inappropriate entry strategy. Poor access to supply chain, vast spread of geographical market, cultural differences etc. It is advocated to distinguish the gap between the developed and less developed markets. Uniform marketing strategy is not suitable in view of large market. The beer market is not similar every where; it is more of localized driven by local tastes and preferences. It could be defined as pool of regional markets. Domestic players will play dominant role and take maximum market share. But their presence is limited to maximum of 2% of national market. Majority of market share i.e. 45% is controlled by 4 players. Beer Market Scenario in China: The high spending level of consumers in China has lead to growth of Beer market in manifolds and ignited by Foreign Direct investment. China has now became largest national beer market in the world crossing USA. There were 4 companies in china and has grown to 60 by 2007. McKinsey Global institute has thrown light on newly emerging segment in the recent past- Urban Middle class who has been earning RMB 100000 ($12000) a year became a hot button to every beer marketer. Table 2 Year Million Liters Annual Growth (%) 2007 32035,83 10.04 2008 33459.42 4.44 2009 34 904.69 4.32 2010 36,371.42 4.20 2011 37.860.59 4.09 Source: http://www.globalbusinessinsights.com/content/rbaa0012m.pdf Growth of China Population Trends: It is a known fact that china is most populated country with 1321 millions as per 31 December 2007 comprise of 51% male 49 percent female. The population size makes china a land of opportunities driven by advanced technology usage while producing. Understanding Chinese Market Risk Element: Small Medium enterprise like Aire breweries may need to mobilize recourses to tap the potential of Chinese beer market. In this regard they have to analyse their strengths weaknesses. Most of MNCs fail because of the poor distribution system and failure to identify a piggy back partner. More over the law in china has been very stringent. Unless the marketer study the cultural aspects thoroughly it may lead to chaotic situation. Cultural aspects of China Market: Chinese consumers are very patriotic and do practice their culture meticulously. Due to strong socialistic approach they support local products. Foreign players may suffer from non-acceptance of their offering due to invisible influences of culture which cannot be demonstrated. Law at China: The china legal system is very complicated and frustrating to MNCs. The familiarity to china culture will facilitate the understanding of law. It is always better to have a local partner to promote the business and as a part of political risk (i.e. confiscation of assets or blockage of funds) handling mechanism Geographical Segmentation: It is wise to adapt Regio-centric approach or Multi Domestic approach to reach vast china market. Here subsidiary in each province of china has to devise their plan to suit the need Preferences of that region. This approach demand to have varied marketing mix with coordinated efforts of other territories. Demographic Profile of Consumers: China population (1341 millions male female ratio 51:49) has been multi-religious ranging from Buddhism, Taoism, Catholics, Protestantism, and Islam, interestingly deal business according to their religions and Socio-cultural values. Since ages Chinese companies have been transferring ancestral values to present generation which establish relationships refer to term â€Å"guan xi†. Relations drive the businesses to offer extent of product mix. Distribution of Population income wise: Table 3 Population (million) Gross National Income (Billion) Low Income 2512 10.20 Middle Income 2667 49.22 High Income 955 49.22 Source: US census Bureau, World Bank group, McKinsey analysis Marketing Mix: Product: China has been largest beer market but with different tastes across the nation. 500 ml and 750 ml are most preferred quantities served in bottles cans. The per capita consumption 18 ltrs has not been impressive when compared with USA (84 ltrs) UK (74 ltrs) per capita consumption. Aire Breweries need to develop localized tastes along with their premium brands. The test marketing will help company to know the preferences. Price: The beer in china market is sold at pretty cheap. 750 ml beer costs 25 cents. Locally made MNC brands Carlsberg and Pabst blue are also sold at fairly cheaper rates. Aire breweries plc., has to adapt bottom line pricing or inline pricing to get acces in the market Promotion: As many languages are used across china, mandarin is widely used language, it is a difficult task to develop a theme while advertising. Few MNCs failed to translate the essence of ad copy lead to waste. It may be advocated to be cautious to understand cultural dimensions while developing ad copy to rural folks Place (Distribution): The mechanism of distribution of beer products in China takes place via Distributors appointed by Manufacturers in turn retailer super markets. Distributor is focal point from which whole-salers supply the goods. Each distributor holds rights to sell one brands. Wholesalers will buy different brands from different distributors and dispense. Foreign players suffer from effective reach. Joint venture structure of distribution will help to overcome problems. Piggyback model of distribution will strengthen Distributor- retailer model. Multi channel mode of distribution will serve the purpose. Marketing Planning: International marketer need to deal with at least two level of uncontrollable uncertainties. The success of marketing program depends on optimal adjustment to business climate in which you are operating. After analyzing opportunities and select the province of china next step is to define the target market. Chinese are got enough disposable income and have been accepting beer as food beverage. Target market will give a direction to develop marketing mix and total number of potential consumers approximately. Aire Breweries should have good local partner to implement marketing strategy and extend support to reach target market. The price and promotion campaign need to be devised according to local practices. Entry Strategy: Once the market profiling is done, it is always good to enter in to the Chinese market through a joint venture. For many years, the Aire Valley Breweries plc, a UK company focused its marketing effort on premium-priced products. As beer market is growing at good rate, it is high time to get in to China market with constructive marketing strategy. A Joint-venture with local partner will offer ease in operations procurement of recourses, recruitment and handling beaurocratic issues. The local partner knowledge on competition, language, culture and business systems can influence the government policy. Conclusion: China is very potential because of vast population but high levels of risk has been demonstrated.Aire breweries may take assistance of local marketing research organisation to seek first hand information for political socio-cultural aspects. References: Kenichi Ohmae, (1990), The Next global stage available at http: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3c%27s_model Jeffrey Hays (2008) wine beer in China available at http://www.factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=142catid News Report (Dec 2006) Beer market in china http://www.globalbusinessinsights.com/content/rbaa0012m.pdf National Bureau of statistics of China, available at http://www.chinaknowledge.com/market/book- Starmas international Business consultants (2009) China trends available at http://www.starmass.com/china_review/economy/_overview/china_macroeconomic.htm China Knowledge Bureau report, (2008) available at http://www.chinaknowledge.com/market/book-china consumer.aspx?subchap=1content=3 Chinese Beer Industry Report, (October 2007) Koncept Analytics Publishers, UK available at http://www.reportbuyer.com.food_drink/alcoholic_drinks/beer/chinese_beer_industry Beer Market in china (2008), A Market analysis of Aroq Ltd. Published at UK available at http://www.justdrinks.com/store/product.aspx?id=68150 Jeffrey Hays (2008) wine beer in China available at http://www.factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=142catid 10. Richard Benson-Armer, Joshua Leibowitz, And Deepak Ramachandran (1999) Global Beer: Whats On Tap? available at https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/ghost.aspx?ID=/Global_beer_Whats_on_Tap_321 News Report, (December 2006 ) Beer market in China http://www.globalbusinessinsights.com/content/rbaa0012m.pdf Don Lee, (29, April 2009), China relaxes business regulations, Los Angeles Times, available at http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/29/business/fi-chinaregs29 Charles W. L Hill, 2005, 5th Ed, International Business, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, India p- 166 Philip R Cateora, John L Graham (2008) 3ed, International Marketing, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, India p26 InfoPacific Development Inc. (2009), Kompass, China http://www.chinatoday.com/general/a.htm Prof. Jiangang (Jim) Dai Prof. Chen Zhou (March 2008), Beer Distribution In China, Georgia Institute of Technology, available at http://www.scl.gatech.edu/research/china/beerreport2008.pdf China Business Intelligence analysis available at http://chinabizintel.com/industry-updates/several-major-problems-in-chinas-beer-market.html

Effect of Blast Loading On a Person Protected By Body Armour

Effect of Blast Loading On a Person Protected By Body Armour Executive Summary The ballistic threat has been presented to military forces for hundreds of years in one form or another, from spears to bomb fragmentation. A lot of work has gone into countering this ballistic threat and the protection currently provided is very good. The standards of body armour ballistic testing is rigorous. Due to the modern asymmetric battlefield that modern military personnel now face, the threat has evolved. More often, the personnel are being subjected to blast from improvised explosive devices emplaced by irregular forces. This paper will review the some of the research that has been carried out into the effects of blast loading on a person protected by body armour. British Army studies show there was a higher incidence of primary blast injury in fatally injured soldiers wearing body armour that in civilian bystanders (Committee on Testing of Body Armor Materials for Use by the U.S. Army 2012) involved in IED incidents in Northern Ireland. This paper will explore the effects of blast loading on a person wearing body armour. Introduction. Soft body armour is designed primarily to protect the wearer from the most dangerous battlefield threat, projectiles, and fragmentation, with the 3 main testing standards for body armour (NIJ (U.S. Department of Justice 2008), HOSDB (Croft Longhurst 2007) and STANAG 2911 (North Atlantic Treaty Organization 2015)) only specifying testing criteria for ballistic protection. Due to the increasing use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in modern asymmetric warfare, there is a growing risk of personnel being subjected to blast associated injuries (Tranchemontagne 2016). This paper will review the effects of blast loading on a person protected by body armour; this will be broken down into: Theory of blast impact, Research into blast loading on different materials. Theory of blast impact. Blast waves are generated from the rapid expansion of gases produced during an explosion during which a shock wave, travelling faster than the speed of sound, propagates from the source of the explosion omni-directionally. One of the most important characteristics of a blast to consider is peak overpressure, which is, in effect, the strength of the blast. A further and equally important characteristic is the positive impulse duration, which determines the time that the force will be imparted on any object or structure. Both the peak overpressure and the positive impulse duration need to be known to effectively calculate the effects of a blast on an object. If you have two blasts of equal peak overpressure but one is acting for longer, the total force imparted on the object will be greater for the longer impulse and will affect the object more. Figure 1 shows an ideal blast wave representation. The pressure increases almost instantaneously to the peak overpressure and decays over time , a negative pressure phase then follows. Fig 1. Ideal blast wave resulting from an explosion in air. (Goel et al. 2012) The effect a blast wave has on a person is complicated due to how the blast wave interacts with the irregular shape of the human body. Blast wave diffraction around the human body results in a complex pressure load on the body all of which need to be understood to successfully gauge how a wave will affect a person. Figure 2 shows how a blast wave interacts with an irregularly shaped object, such as a human body. Fig 2. Illustrating the blast wave interaction with an irregularly shaped object. (Gibson 1989) Initially, a portion of the blast wave is reflected from the front of the body. The outer parts of the shock wave continue and diffracts around to the rear of the body where they are weakened. Rarefaction waves move across the front of the body (1), reducing the peak pressure of the reflected wave whilst vortices form at the rear of the body (2) and (3). The complicated gas flow means that the body is loaded for an extended time (Gibson 1989). The injuries caused by this peak initial pressure/positive impulse duration are known as primary blast injuries (PBI). The organs most susceptible to PBI are the gas-filled organs such as the ears, the lungs, and the gastrointestinal tract. The mechanism of injury on these organs is a form of barotrauma, which is an injury, caused by the pressure differential of the internal organs and the outer surface of the body at the moment the pressure wave impacts. Blast waves can be sub-divided into stress waves and shear waves. Shock waves are a special type of stress wave, which are longitudinal like sound waves but travel much faster, and cause primary blast injury (PBI) of the lung and small bowel. Shear waves are trans- verse waves, characterised by long duration, low velocity, and cause compression of visceral structures. In the abdomen, stress waves cause damage at the microscopic level, whereas the shear wave causes tearing of the tissues due to gross body wall and visceral motion. Laceration of solid abdominal viscera is related to very high blast loading (Housden 2012). Research into the effects of blast loading on a person protected by body armour. An interim report produced by the US Army Natick RDE Centre in 1989, titled Response of Clothing Materials to Air Shock Waves (Gibson 1989) provided remarkable insight into blast loading of high impact shock waves. The report focuses on testing the then, in-service body armour of the US Army (The Personnel Armor Systems, Ground Troops (PASGT)). The report covered four areas: Blast wave characteristics, Blast biology, Blast protection, Blast attenuation by porous and compressible materials. The main objective of the report was to ascertain how blast waves interacted with PASGT and it stated there was previous evidence that the materials contained within the body armour were causing a blast amplification effect. Initial thoughts were that this amplification might have been due to how the blast wave propagated through the multi-layered design of the armour. The report described the construction of the body armour (13 layers of Kevlar ® 29 cloth sandwiched between an inner and outer nylon shell fabric). The report explains that the armour was designed purely to provide ballistic protection and no thought had gone into providing protection against blast effects. The reports main focus was the lack of protection afforded to the wearer of the body armour from enhanced blast weapons such as Fuel-Air Explosives (FAE). A person can sustain injuries from a blast with overpressures that result in ranges as little as 10 20 psi whereas a typical FAE event can produce much more substantial psi, as high as 300. In this circumstance, the lack of protection armour would provide to the wearer was highly concerning. Prior to this report, a lot of basic work on the response of mammals to blast waves had been conducted by The Lovelace Foundation, The Research Institute of National Defence (Sweden), and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. This work identified how various characteristics of the blast can vary the effect of the blast on a body, such as the orientation of the body in relation to the blast wave. In one study conducted by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, human volunteers were subjected to low level blast waves. The volunteers internal lung pressure was measured during the study whilst wearing several different types of protective clothing. The study showed that the volunteers wearing the PASGT body armour gave test measurements showing the greatest increase of internal lung pressure. This would suggest that the body armour would increase the risk of lung damage at higher blast overpressures. This study was extended to higher blast overpressures using sheep instead of human volunteers. Half of the sheep were fitted with PASGT body armour. During this testing, the level of damage to the sheeps lungs was measured by the percent increase of the lung weight. An assumption was made that this would directly relate to the blast damage. This extended study showed that the sheep wearing body armour displayed far greater blast damage to their lungs than the unprotected sheep. Analysis of the experimental data on how shock waves were transmitted through layers of material showed that there was a significant increase in the reflected pressure when compared to testing were no fabric was present. There was a trend of the pressure increasing in line with the number of layers of Kevlar or cotton present. This continued to a certain point. It was noted during these experiments that there was not significant difference between the increases of pressure when using layers of cotton compared to layers of Kevlar. This suggested that the type of material was not as significant as the number of layers and the density of the fabric. Analysis of the computer modelling showed an increase in peak internal lung pressure of around 50% between the unprotected chest model and the model wearing the body armour. A point to note, the experimental data compiled shows a measured increase of 20% in the human volunteers wearing the body armour compared to the unprotected volunteers. This disparity could be due to the difficulty in modelling the complex reaction of blast waves influencing a human body. The report concluded that soft body armour does not offer wearers protection from blast effects. On the contrary, the wearing of soft body armour may actually increase the blast effects on the personnel wearing the armour. The report does indicate that this counter -intuitive phenomena might be reduced with the introduction of hard armour plates to the body armour. A more recent confirmation of these findings were detailed in a journal article titled, Shock Enhancement Effect of Lightweight Composite Structures and Materials (Zhu et al. 2011). This review looks at the broader range of lightweight materials that are used to provide protection (namely ballistic). The author concludes that the research into the effects of lightweight materials is still very limited but the evidence still points to shock enhancement when using multi layered soft armour as PPE. A further study into shock attenuation was made following clinical studies into the increasing reporting of brain injury and not pulmonary injury following blast exposures. The article titled, Attenuation of Blast Pressure Behind Ballistic Protective Vests (Wood, 2012). This article concludes that following shock tube testing on two variants of body armour (NIJ Level 2 soft armour and NIJ Level 4 hard armour); results show a substantial increase in protection to the torso against blast injuries whilst wearing these armours. The behind armour overpressures were reduced by a factor of 14.2 and 56.8 for the NIJ 2 and NIJ 4 body armour, respectively. Conclusion This paper presents a review of the effects of blast loading on a person protected by body armour. A vast majority of the experimental data shows that the wearing of soft body armour enhances shock waves and the person is subjected to much higher peak overpressures. The combinations of differences in impedance between the atmosphere, the layers of fabric, the body itself, and the gas filed organs is likely to cause this phenomenon. Figure 3 shows the effect of interfaces in relation to shock waves. Using the shock impedance equation, you can show what is likely to be causing the enhancement of the blast. Stress is conserved across the interface between the air, the body armour, and the person: Z1 = 0 (Air) à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ´ à Ã†â€™2 = 2 x à Ã†â€™1 Assuming that the torso was of a similar impedance to the body armour, the next interface would be the gas-filled organs, which again would be of a lower impedance. This would result in the release of a tensile wave within the chest cavity, which could cause spalling of tissue with an increase of up to a factor of 2. Fig 3. Illustration of the effect of interfaces (Appleby-thomas 2017). Although there are many reviews on this subject, most of them seem to be focused on historical work. Teland (2012) noted that most of the blast injury prediction models are based on the Bowen curves, the Bass curves, and Axelsson BTD model. The report mentioned that there were many disadvantages and limitations to using these models and there is a need for further experimentation produce more reliable data. This may be due to the Computational models of how blast waves interact with the body armour and the wearer can be used but the theoretical models are limited. Using extrapolated data from experiments involving humans has limited uses because of the restriction on the size of blast you can subject a volunteer to without them becoming injured. The use of animals is of limited use due to the form fit of the body armour and the different anatomical makeup of the animals. Throughout the reports, reviews and articles studied during the writing of this paper, it is clear that a need for further study has been identified. Whether these recommendations have been carried out or not is not clear, there are no open source reports providing evidence; it may be that the information is classified. References Committee on Testing of Body Armor Materials for Use by the U.S. Army, 2012. Testing of Body Armor Materials: Phase III U.S. Department of Justice, 2008. Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor. NIJ Standard-0101.06. Croft, J. Longhurst, D., 2007. HOSDB Body Armour Standards for UK Police (2007) Part 2: Ballistic Resistance. NATO Standardization Agency, 2003. STANAG 2920 PPS (Edition 2) Ballistic test method for personal armour materials and combat clothing. , pp.1-F2. Tranchemontagne, M., 2016. The Enduring IED Problem. Why we need doctrine. Goel, M.D. et al., 2012. An abridged review of blast wave parameters. Defence Science Journal, 62(5), pp.300-306. Gibson, P.W., 1989. Response of Clothing Materials to Air Shock Waves. Housden, S., 2012. Blast injury: A case study. International Emergency Nursing, 20(3), pp.173-178. Zhu, F., Chou, C.C. Yang, K.H., 2011. Shock enhancement effect of lightweight composite structures and materials. Composites Part B: Engineering, 42(5), pp.1202-1211. Wood, G. W. (2012). Attenuation of blast pressure behind ballistic protective vests. Injury Prevention 19(1):19-25. Injury Prevention, 19(1): 19-25. Appleby-thomas, G.J., 2017. Introduction To Shockwaves Part 3 MSc EOE Transition To Detonation. , pp.1-45. Teland, J.A., 2012. Review of blast injury prediction models. Kashuk, J.L. et al., 2009. Bomb Explosions in Acts of Terrorism: Evil Creativity Challenges Our Trauma Systems. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 209(1), pp.134-140.

Kinetic Sculpture :: Creative Writing Sculpture Essays

Kinetic Sculpture A six foot circular cast iron table is perfect to gather around for conversations. If one drops a glass on it there’s no doubt it will shatter. Tonight me and three kinetic sculptors will gather around the table to eat and discuss matters of sculpture. Where it is moving and what the best parts of it there are. Wm Dubin is on a plane from Ireland right now. He is an excellent craftsman who’s been around for a long time, since the abstract expressionist movements of the early 1950’s. His work is quite elusive, it has never been collected by anyone. He is somewhat like William Blake. He’s an older man now, he’s got hairy ears. Keeps to himself. People I’ve talked to say he can be found wandering the streets of industrial zones, top hat and cane just staring at the steel ghosts of the Irish industrial era. This is where he pulls most of his inspiration. Its always hard to please old people, they must have things their way, they’re just used to it. My guess is that he probably eats like an old factory worker. Mashed potatoes, stew, beef stuff that a factory worker eats after a hard days work. His sculptures look like industrial parks fit for a world of people a quarter inch tall. There is gears, motors, engines, and polished pipes that lead to unknown places. The constant sound of electricity and firing of pistons all in uniform motion. He has such skill at precision tuning he could have been an excellent machinist. He believes in balancing technical skill and creative intuition. In the 1950’s this was looked down upon by the schools and artists, due to the abstract expressionist movement. Dubin was considered the enemy, his sculptures were polished, technical, and functional and in a school were free expression and uselessness of methodical approaches were embraced Dubin was an outsider. Maybe this is why he keeps to himself. The American

Essay --

The Journey Beyond The characters in Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorn both leave their wives to embark on a journey for different reasons, experiencing different conflicts, and return home with a different attitude about their life. On their journey, both characters encounter bizarre, unnatural events. Throughout both stories, the authors construct a clear picture of how society was, the role of gender, and religion. Rip Van Winkle and Young Goodman Brown both take place in small, early American villages. Rip Van Winkle is a resident of Catskill, New York, just next to the Hudson River. He was a kind-hearted, willing to please, neighborly man who was greatly admired by the women, children, and dogs of the town. Rip Van Winkle was always willing do favors and help neighbors out whenever they asked, but never wanted to do any work on his own farm. Rip Van Winkle was married to Dame Van Winkle. Dame was a short tempered woman who spends all of her time criticizing and nagged Rip about his responsibilities to the family and farm. Rip and Dane did not get along and the relationship continued to get worse. He would often leave the house to go to the bar or hunting in the woods to get away from his nagging wife. Goodman Brown is a resident of Salem, Massachusetts. He came from a Christian family that is known in the community as being godly men. He newly married to his wife, Faith. Faith wears pink rib bons in her hair, representing innocence. Like Goodman Brown, Faith is pure-hearted and religious. He viewed her as beautiful, trusting, and representation of purity and high moral standards. Both Rip Van Winkle and Goodman Brown have different motives as to why they are departing from t... ... world. He cannot believe the words of the minister and does not fully love his wife which lead him to live his life in sadness and dismay. The characters in Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorn both leave their wives to embark on a journey for different reasons, experiencing different conflicts, and return home with a different attitude about their life. Rip Van Winkle left his wife on a journey to get away from her, facing many obstacles like the old man with the keg, and returned home happy with his life away from work, King George, and his wife. Goodman Brown sets out on a journey away from his wife because he promised to meet someone, he too facing many obstacles such as the old man with the staff who turns out to be the devil. He then returns home believing that everyone is bad and there is no good in the world. Essay -- The Journey Beyond The characters in Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorn both leave their wives to embark on a journey for different reasons, experiencing different conflicts, and return home with a different attitude about their life. On their journey, both characters encounter bizarre, unnatural events. Throughout both stories, the authors construct a clear picture of how society was, the role of gender, and religion. Rip Van Winkle and Young Goodman Brown both take place in small, early American villages. Rip Van Winkle is a resident of Catskill, New York, just next to the Hudson River. He was a kind-hearted, willing to please, neighborly man who was greatly admired by the women, children, and dogs of the town. Rip Van Winkle was always willing do favors and help neighbors out whenever they asked, but never wanted to do any work on his own farm. Rip Van Winkle was married to Dame Van Winkle. Dame was a short tempered woman who spends all of her time criticizing and nagged Rip about his responsibilities to the family and farm. Rip and Dane did not get along and the relationship continued to get worse. He would often leave the house to go to the bar or hunting in the woods to get away from his nagging wife. Goodman Brown is a resident of Salem, Massachusetts. He came from a Christian family that is known in the community as being godly men. He newly married to his wife, Faith. Faith wears pink rib bons in her hair, representing innocence. Like Goodman Brown, Faith is pure-hearted and religious. He viewed her as beautiful, trusting, and representation of purity and high moral standards. Both Rip Van Winkle and Goodman Brown have different motives as to why they are departing from t... ... world. He cannot believe the words of the minister and does not fully love his wife which lead him to live his life in sadness and dismay. The characters in Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorn both leave their wives to embark on a journey for different reasons, experiencing different conflicts, and return home with a different attitude about their life. Rip Van Winkle left his wife on a journey to get away from her, facing many obstacles like the old man with the keg, and returned home happy with his life away from work, King George, and his wife. Goodman Brown sets out on a journey away from his wife because he promised to meet someone, he too facing many obstacles such as the old man with the staff who turns out to be the devil. He then returns home believing that everyone is bad and there is no good in the world.

Benefits that are important to employees: A review of employee benefit programs Essay

When employees look for employment compensation is important. However, employee benefits programs can be the deciding factor when it comes down to decision making; accept or decline a job offer. Having a â€Å"good benefits package† is the most desired attributes in an employer and it attracts human talent (Conlin, 2008). Even the decision to stay with at an organization or to leave, the topic of employee benefits resurface. Human Resource Managers are tasked with the responsibility of administering the company’s benefit program. This includes keeping track of the benefits, giving the basic overview, managing enrollment period just to name a few which can be time consuming not to mention costly. Employers provide benefits to attract the best talent, to retain or incentivize employees for high performance, and because some benefits are required by the law (Bohlander & Snell, 2010). But employee benefits makes up a large part of administration cost in terms of payroll thu s creating an expense and major concern to the employer (SHRM, 2011). Employees want great benefits because of the security it provides by lowering their out of pocket expenses and preparing them for the unknown yet immediate future. A common theme, on both side of the spectrum for employer and employee is â€Å"expense† or â€Å"cost† and for that reason this research paper will evaluate what benefits are important to employees and what are employers doing about it; a review of employee benefit programs. Employee Benefits Program Available and HR There are many benefit programs available to the employee from the basics like healthcare, to benefits in form of employee service like prepaid law. However, a good and competitive benefit program aligns strategically with the goals and objective of the organization which may differ depending on  company. Additionally, the benefit program needs to cover the desires of the employee while meeting the demands of the law. Last, the benefit program must be managed properly to work and be cost effective. Human Resource intranet system (HRIS) allows the organizations to save money on administrative cost, empower the employee through self-service, relieves managers of time-consuming administrative work, and it’s an effective communication tools (Kumar &Pandya, 2012). Technology advances and globalization has made HRIS somewhat a standard in many but not all organizations. The word benefit has several meanings which many applies in terms of employee benefit program. Merriam-Webster defines benefits as an advantage; promoting well-being, it’s a financial help when sick, old or unemployment and as in health insurance as service or a right the employers provide in addition to wages or salary (Merriam-Webster, 2012). Organizations strategic plan for employee benefits considering today’s dynamic in the workforce, again may vary by industry. But some objectives that may be popular are improving employee work satisfaction, draw and influence employees, retain top-performing employees and maintain competitive edge (Bohlander & Snell, 2010). Benefit program offered by the employer should be decided by the employees needs while considering the organization’s objectives of meeting their goals thus fostering flexibility. Minimum Employee Benefits mandated by Law A required benefit implies that certain services must be done by law. There are two categories; mandated employer benefits and employer offered option compensation. Employee benefits that are required by law are social security, unemployment, workers’ compensation, and disability insurance (SBA.gov, 2012). These four benefits are forms of insurance therefore the employer can get group coverage for them at a premium. Social Security Insurance (SSI) permits the covered individual to have income security in event of loss earning such as retirement or disability (Socialsecurity.gov). Many of the millennials fear that by the time they retire there will be no social security; this adds to the importance of employees having good benefits (Conlin, 2008). If an employee is laid off, and paid into social security then the employee is eligible for up to 26 of unemployment benefits. Worker’s compensation is usually state mandated and can be private  or funding through the state i n case an employee is injured on the job (www.dol.gov, 2012). Disability insurance is only required in 5 states and Puerto Rico. Consolidated omnibus budget reconciliation act (COBRA), family and medical leave act (FMLA), and older workers benefit protection act (OWBPA) are acts in place by law under employee benefit. They are employer offered option compensation (www.dol.gov, 2012). Benefits Important to Employees and Cost Many of the benefits that are important to employees are optional such as healthcare, paid time off, retirement programs. Continuous rising cost of healthcare makes it the most important employee benefit to both employer and employee (Smerd, 2007). Annually, employers are spending $300 annually on health insurance for employees and their families with the numbers expected increase (Weatherly, 2004). Over the years health care cost increase due change in the law, Medicare, baby boomers causing a greater need for health, technological advances, elevated cost of malpractice insurance, prescription cost and misuse of health care services; just to name a few (Andrews,2004). The constant increase in cost and changes within healthcare legislation makes cost containment a priority in the HR department and the organization (SHRM, 2011). There are many cost containments companies are doing to lowering cost of healthcare such as reducing the benefits, including or increasing deduction and premi ums, adding copays, and coordination of benefits (Bohlander & Snell, 2010). In the last few years, health saving account (HSA), flexible saving account (FSA) are becoming more common and is a form of cost efficiently (Johnson, 2012). There is a growing interest in in HSA due to the low cost on CDHP plan with high deduction (Thomas, 2004). It’s important to note the 3 different medical delivery systems that aid in cost control and they are health maintenance organization (HMO), preferred provider organization (PPO) and consumer-driven health plan (CDHP). HMO’s regulators cost having the primary care physician (PCP) who coordinates the patients care within a close network and referrals are needed. PPO’s are a similarity however provides greater freedom and there is no referral need for specialist, nor do the patients have to choose a PCP. Consumer-driven health plan is newer than HMO’s and PPO’s and it pro’s and con’s. CDHP appears to work better with wellness programs and HAS because it a lifestyle  change in behavior to focus on health (Johnson, 2012). However it can hurt some that are medically vulnerable because CDHP have flexible accompanied with low premiums thus target low-income population who are usually the ones with chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease (Miller, 2011). 2014 is fast approaching which means health care reform is nearing its effective day and it will have an impact on employee benefits. Effects of the Affordable Care Act and Healthcare reform March 23, 2010 marks the affordable care act become law and on June 28, 2012 the supreme court decision rendered a final decision to uphold the health care law (Supremecourt.gov, 2012). There are 10 titles to the Affordable Care Act. The act gives individuals, families, and small business owners control over their health care, reduces premiums and provides tax relief to the middle class (Healthcare.gov, 2012). In terms of the medical and insurance industries, it caps out of pocket expenses, and requires preventive care to be covered without cost. The act allows those without insurance or those who can’t get insurance a change to be insured while keeping insurance companies transparent with its customers (Healthcare.gov, 2012). The effect of the affordable care act will start in 2014 therefore some organization are looking at how the health care reform will affect the upcoming benefit enrollment in 2013 (Spears, 2012). Cases on different business among many industries reveal th at healthcare reform may lead to reduce in cost, ensure healthcare benefits, restructure on existing employee benefits plan (Spears, 2012). The affordable care act changes may aid in lowering cost of healthcare overtime because it promotes preventive care and capping on the cost medical out-of-pocket ultimately allowing savings in several issues with in healthcare in general. For example, professional services cost for children health care in 2010 is a large portion of healthcare cost 40.3 % (Spears, 2012). The healthcare reform and affordable care act full impact is yet to come however it appears it will have some positive and negative affects depending on how one views it Paid Time off (PTO) Healthcare benefit has a direct effect on paid time off for example sick time. Paid time off is another important benefit to employees. It includes  paid vacation, holidays and sick time. A survey conducted in 2002 shows that 73% of employees was satisfied with the paid time off programs (Thomas, 2004). However, from the employer point of view, it’s delicate balance of cost and employee satisfaction because paid time off is an expense to the company. In effort to offset some of the cost, paid time off is being managed online through HRIS systems to save time and money. For example in 2006 it was reported by EBN quick poll that 59% of HR professional stated their company uses online tracking for paid time off such as absences (Shepherd, 2006). PTO is usually accrued with the employee seniority. But some industry trend setters are awarding PTO in lump sum and based on experience in the industry to attract human talent (Finch, 2011). Speaking of experience and seniority brings up the next employee benefits; life insurance and retirement programs. Employees work to support their families, care for love ones and themselves if ill, protect and secure their well-being and for these reasons retirement programs and life insurance is essential. Counting on just social security is not enough especially considering that millions of baby boomers are exiting the workforce and the cost of health cost. Therefore many employees utilize retirement benefits to supplement wages lost from no longer working. Baby Boomers were once the largest generation however millennials are expected to exceed baby boomers by 2016 (SHRM, 2011). Younger employees, known as millennials, are concerns that social security dead and gone well before retirement age is attained (Conlin, 2008). Employers and HR professional will have to be creative and think ahead to meet the objectives of the company. No one likes to talk about the unspeakable, death how ever employees think about love ones that maybe left behind therefore life insurance most be discussed. Life insurance is one of the oldest and most popular employee benefit (Bohlander & Snell, 2010). Life insurance is popular among employee benefits because some are unable to qualify or afford life insurance without the employer sponsoring it which many employers provide at no cost. Employers usually provide group term life insurance which has a nominal premium because of the amount of people insured. Implications for Managers Meeting employee needs and balancing cost while meeting the organization’s objectives and goals will always have some challenges. For HR managers to  overcome these challenges they should consider: Monitor and stay aware of trending topic in HR regarding employee benefits Evaluate current employee benefits annually to ensure its aligned with the business objectives and goals ïÆ' ¼Communicate regularly with employee on what benefits matter most as well as communicate changes early and frequent through the use of HRIS and other tools (Robbins, 2012) Use cost containment measures for offset the rising cost of health care such as CDHP with high deduction and HAS and promote healthier life choices/well-being programs Continue to keep the HR managers knowledgeable on changes in the law as it affects benefits Utilize technology such as HRIS and other online tools to lowering administrative cost Review pay structure frequently to use employee benefits as a device to negative pay and to stay competitive why attract and retain talent Employers and HR professional need to stride toward an equilibrium regarding employee benefit through flexibility and innovation both parties involve can have a successful outcome. References Andrews, S. (2008). Generic: The golden age of cost savings. Workspan, Bohlander, G., & Snell, S. (2010). Managing human resources . (15th ed.). Mason, Ohio: South-Westrn,Cengage Learning. Conlin, M. (2008, January 21). Youthquake. Business Week , Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-01-08/youthquake Dol.gov. (2012, October). Department of labor . Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/workcomp/index.htm Finch, C. (2011, July 16). Leveraging base pay, paid time off and incentives to develop a dexterous pay structure. Employee Benefits News, 25(9), 16. Healthcare.gov. (2012, October). Healthcare.gov . Retrieved from http://www.healthcare.gov/law/full/index.html Johnson, W. R. (2012). HSA programs for groups: Employer versus employee responsibilities. Benefits Quarterly, 28(3), 43-51. Kumar, M., & Pandya, S. (2012). Leveraging Technology towards HR Excellence. Information Management & Business Review, 4(4), 205-216. Merriam-Webster. (2012). Merriam-Webster, incorporated . Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/benefit Miller, S. (2011). SHRM. Don’t Hurt the ‘Medically Vulnerable’, Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/articles/pages/medicallyvulnerale Robbins, M. (2012, September). Employers win gold for benefits communications. Employee Benefit News , 26(11), 30. SBA.gov. (2012, October). Required employee benefits . Retrieved from http://www.sba.gov/content/providing-employee-benefits Shepherd, L. C. (2006, July). A digital evolution for paid time off. Employee Benefit News , 20(9), 12. SHRM. (2011). The top workplace trends according to HR professionals. Society for Human Resource Management SHRM , Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/Research/FutureWorkplaceTrends/Documents/0014WPF_Posting_6.pdf Smerd, J. (2007, April 12). You can do anything but don’t mess with my health insurance . Retrieved from http://www.workforce.com/article/20070412/NEWS01/304129975/do-anything-but-dont-mess-with-my-health-insurance Socialsecurity.gov. (2012, October). Social security administration. Retrieved from http://www.socialsecurity.gov/planners/about.htm?p&gclid=CNrVk8vD9bICF Spears, V. P. (2012). Health care reform changes the landscape for upcoming benefits enrollment season. Employee Benefit Plan Review , 67(3), 23. Supremecourt.gov. (2012, October). Supreme court . Retrieved from http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-393c3a2.pdf Thomas, T. (2008, November 08). Workers favor health care over pay raises: Ebri. National Underwriter Life & Health, Weatherly, L. (2004, September 01). the rising cost of health care: Strategic and societal considerations for employers. HR Magazine , 49(9), 1-10.

Fighting Racism in Africa

In September 1984, the segregated townships of the blacks in South Africa’s Vaal Triangle, around twenty five miles away from Johannesburg, were suddenly lit up – burned by the fury of resistance. It seemed as though the helplessness felt by the blacks for two years during which their rebellion had been controlled had suddenly turned into extreme anger. In any case, it became apparent at the time that the region was ungovernable by all means. Moreover, it appeared as though the Soweto revolt of 1976 was being repeated in the history of South Africa (Davis). After all, the blacks had not been able to secure their rights in their own countries during that time. It is ironic that the blacks have had to fight racism in their own countries for a very long time. The African National Congress was established to struggle for their rights. On its website, the African National Congress describes itself thus: The ANC is a national liberation movement. It was formed in 1912 to unite the African people and spearhead the struggle for fundamental political, social and economic change. For nine decades the ANC has led the struggle against racism and oppression, organizing mass resistance, mobilizing the international community and taking up the armed struggle against apartheid. The ANC achieved a decisive democratic breakthrough in the 1994 elections, where it was given a firm mandate to negotiate a new democratic Constitution for South Africa. The new Constitution was adopted in 1996. The ANC was re-elected in 1999 to national and provincial government with an increased andate. The policies of the ANC are determined by its membership and its leadership is accountable to the membership. Membership of the ANC is open to all South Africans above the age of 18 years, irrespective of race, color and creed, who accept its principles, policies and programs (â€Å"What is the African National Congress†). Stephen Davis, in his book, Apartheid's Rebels: Inside South Africa's Hidden War, describes the African National Congress in greater detail. According to the author, this movement has acted as the chief mobilizing agency of black resistance in South Africa. Furthermore, the unrest experienced by South Africa during the mid-1980’s was staged by the African National Congress through a tremendous transformation of the blacks. The unrest was neither unplanned; nor was it short-lived. Rather, the main adversary of Pretoria – the African National Congress – had developed it through an ever-widening network of secret cells where blacks were politicized as well as schooled in all manners of confrontation (Davis). Although the African National Congress has played a part in the governance of South Africa, Davis claims that the movement is rather unruly in the sense that it employed clandestine couriers that slipped across international borders, in addition to insurgents that primed themselves for attacks, including sabotage, against their enemies who were understood to be superior in both numbers as well as weaponry. The author also details the relationship between the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party – an ally. The propaganda of Pretoria had exploited this connection, while the legislators of the United States had been troubled by the effect that sanctions would have had on this friendship. According to Davis, the South African Communist Party was influential enough in the policymaking process of the African National Congress to be a cause of worry. The surge of new recruits that had been trained in violent rebellion had also given rise to apprehension within the African National Congress. Oliver Tambo, an exiled leader of the African National Congress, had taken a rather radical position because of this friendship. Nevertheless, Tambo argued that the majority of the blacks would simply balk at the endorsement of Marxist rule if free elections were to take place in South Africa. Hence, Davis believes that the relationship between the South African Communist Party and the African National Congress was merely one of convenience for the latter. The African National Congress enjoyed the assistance of the South African Communist Party in its underground operations. Moreover, the South African Communist Party was known to supply weapons as well as intelligence information from its Russian sponsors to the African National Congress. At the same time, the South African Communist Party acknowledged the importance of the struggle against apartheid that the African National Congress was engaged in. What is more, the South African Communist Party hoped to establish a Marxist society once the African National Congress had won its struggle (Davis). Thus, Davis’ study describes the struggles, divisions, and weaknesses of the African National Congress, while also dwelling on the successes of the movement. As an example, the African National Congress was able to transform itself at a time when it was almost forgotten. The movement was able to spread its roots far and wide by nurturing alliances with the United Democratic Front, a movement of mass protest, in addition to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Davis). Undoubtedly, the African National Congress has come a long way. At the same time, however, its history leaves a number of questions unanswered for the reader. The main question seems to be the following: In a world applauding the power of information and knowledge – must we continue to fight against discrimination? Sadly, the answer is, ‘Yes, our world is not civilized enough at this point. ’