Nursing Dissertation to strengthen the Scientific Foundation

Nursing to strengthen the Scientific Foundation - Dissertation Example 4.2.1 Applications of Complexity Theory to Health Care Delivery 76 4.2.2 Advantages of Complexity Theory Conceptualization of Nursing Best Practice 77 4.2.3 Significance of Complexity Theory Conceptualization of Nursing Best Practice 79 4.2.4 Implications of Complexity Theory Conceptualization of Nursing Best Practice 79 4.3 Complexity Science as the Guiding Framework 81 4.4 Descriptive Overview of Conceptual Model of Nursing Best Practice 82 4.5 Proposed Definition of Key Concepts 82 4.6 Summary 88 Chapter V: Conclusion 89 5.1 Introduction 89 5.2 Findings of the Study 89 5.3 Implications for Nursing 92 5.4 Conclusion 92 Chapter I: Introduction to the Study 1.1 Introduction This introductory chapter provides a description of the research problem, as well as the rationale, purpose, framework, and the research questions that guided the study. 1.2 The Problem One of the goals of the discipline of nursing is to increase and strengthen the scientific foundation upon which to base clinical practice. The use of research evidence in practice is an accepted way to achieve this goal and in turn can improve nursing care, optimise patient outcomes, and decrease costs (Higgs, Bum, & Jones, 2001; Titler et al., 1994). However, while the requirement to remain current in knowledge and deliver efficient quality patient care has led to an enthusiastic interest in using research evidence in nursing, as a strategy for the fortification of the basis of the science of nursing, little is known about how evidence is actually translated into nursing practice. One strategy that has been suggested for increasing awareness and the use of evidence in nursing practice is revising and updating organisational policy and procedure manuals based on the... The results of this inquiry provide a new theoretical foundation for nursing practice that is qualitatively different from medicine. This research explains how nurses in practice help patients make transitions and move toward future possibilities by merging the art of nursing with the science of nursing. It further makes visible the experience of nurses and reflects on and claims this work as an essential part of professional practice. The study has the potential to challenge the assumptions that underlie nursing's approach to practice, education, theory and research in its challenge to the dominance of scientific over artistic approaches in the practice of nursing. In particular, this work challenges the analytical, problem focused basis of the nursing process and suggests instead that nurses promote transitions in a process akin to narrative structure in the way that assumes standpoints, makes interpretive leaps, brings events to a climax and recognizes closure. In conclusion, science has approached a better understanding of the universe by reducing phenomena into manageable component parts, and the hallmark of research rigor has been the degree to which confounding influences are isolated or controlled. Management strategies have been focused on finding the best way to achieve desirable performance and then exerting control over process and structure in order to maintain the desired organizational or system performance level. The conceptualization of nursing best practice as an emergent property of a complex adaptive healthcare system.

Everybodys Guilty Essay Example for Free

Everybodys Guilty Essay In â€Å" Everybody’s Guilty – The Ecological Dilemma, â€Å" author and professor of Human Ecology at University of California, Santa Barbara, Garrett Hardin, explains the current issue with invisible reverberations. Hardin calls attention to the readers about how innocent actions by individuals can inflict on the environment. â€Å" We all acquiesce in the system of arrangements and practices that has created our ecological crisis† (Hardin, 40). In order to approve of our actions, individuals tend to hide from reality behind symbols and/or words. Incorporating rhetoric into our everyday lives does this. Garrett Hardin begins his argument by explaining the naming process that may have unintended consequences and then finishes with potentially solutions to this ecological crisis. For example, using the word â€Å"healthy† attracts an audience that is ultimately looking to eat correctly. Without looking at the ingredients, people believe the false advertisement and buy the food that says â€Å"healthy† on the box rather than what is actually good for them. By doing this, consumers are using an unethical form of persuasion while not being aware of the consequences or changes this action may have on people. Hardin wants the readers to view our world not as a society, but â€Å"as an ecological system† (Hardin, 40). Instead of acting as a whole, people need to understand that as individuals, everyone needs to play their part to improve the world we live on. Hardin suggests, â€Å"we [as individuals] can never do merely one thing† (Hardin, 41). The choices that are made everyday can have an impact on something a lot larger than what was intended. In the article, â€Å"Everybody’s Guilty†, Hardin uses the example of damming the Nile at Aswan. By building this dam, workers not only secured a water source for electricity and irrigation, which was their only intention, but they also caused deep distress to Egypt. This proves Hardin’s argument. Although the thought of a dependable water source is efficient, many times the consequences are overseen. Egypt now is suffering from periodic floods, which is slowly eliminating the nutrients within the water. To bring this example into an easier perspective, lets look at what average people do everyday such as pumping gas. Individuals unconsciously pump their gas with the only intention to be able to get from one place to another. Everyone knows the amount of consequences that may arise from this certain action, but no one really pays attention. The amount of pollution that is created from pumping gas is at alarming rates and is slowly taking a toll on the atmosphere. Transportation is the largest single source of air pollution in the United States. This includes air pollution emitted during vehicle operation, refueling, and manufacturing. These simple actions cause over a third of the contaminated chemicals in the air, and all people are worried about is if they will make it to work on time. With both the amount of cars on the road, and the escalating population rates, Hardin is trying to persuade readers that people need to take action and by persuading the audience, Hardin is engaging in a form of rhetoric. â€Å"Pollution will not be controlled unless population is controlled† (Hardin, 44). â€Å"Even what we call ‘success’ may prove to be a bitter failure. Increasing the size of the population is generally held to be a good thing, but an even larger proportion of the world’s people is becoming convinced that the world is already overpopulated† (Hardin, 42). Increasing the population not only limits resources, it also increases the amount of misunderstanding to people â€Å"never do[ing] one thing†, which can potentially lead to a larger ecological crisis. There are many problems when it comes to population. Technology is expensive and with population growing, the price of natural resources is increasing as well. There are solutions to this issue though, but cannot be implemented right away. Hardin looks â€Å"toward voluntarism and persuasion to help create a climate of opinion that can some day support stronger measures† (Hardin, 45). By â€Å"doing the right thing†, Hardin rhetorically persuades the readers to engage in thoughtful actions that decreases the population. The first step to this solution is to create a 100% effective birth control. Society knows that contraception is not completely effective, but because of this, Hardin suggests we create a system for acceptability towards abortions if necessary. If birth control fails, abortions should be included as a â€Å"back up plan† with the cost of being preferably free. The problem with this proposal is that abortions are frowned upon in other countries. To avoid the abortion issue, young girls need to be taught to become independent and goal oriented instead of becoming a teenage mother. Now-a-days girls are so interested in creating their own little families and having children that they tend to forget the hardships of having child. We need to educate all of society so as to reduce this social pressure, and consequently reduce the number of semi-reluctant mothers, who are probably not the best ones to raise children anyway† (Hardin, 46). Having a child when the woman is a child herself is not healthy, but is a prime example to Hardin’s argument. By creating children for the wrong reasons relates to creating an invisible reverberations. At the time it sounds great to have a child, but the aftermath consequences do not balance out. As a society, individuals need to create a culture of acceptability to smaller families. The world is slowly becoming more accustomed to this new culture, but still needs improvement. Garrett Hardin wants to leave his readers with a prolonged thought to help the world. He enriches his readers with evidence that support his idea of having an ecological crisis. Hardin explains that everyone is at fault when it comes to harming the world, but there are ways to solve this conflict and that is population control. Although the solution may not be easy, Hardin wants people to understand the consequences of their actions, because until then, the ecological crisis is going to continue to increase.

AXI Case Study :: essays research papers

Income Disparities of women in the Workplace The existence of male-female income and gender discrimination in the workplace has been noted in countless countries. Over the past few decades, laws barring discrimination in education and employment have helped give workingwomen many opportunities that our mothers never had. Because of these opportunities, women began working in many different fields, each requiring different skills and experience with different pay wages. Although these opportunities has opened many doors for working women all over the world, the doors for pay discrimination still remains tightly shut for women in the workplace. While significant progress has been attained in furthering gender discrimination between men and women in the workplace, countries such as the United Stated and Japan still seems to be reluctant, to grant true income equality in towards women compared to their male counterparts. Thirty years ago women earned just over half the pay of their male counterparts. This was supposed to be resolved with the passage of the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963. Under this act, employers must pay women the same as men for work that is "substantially equal." Additionally, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which covers employers with 15 or more workers, prohibits pay differences based on gender and bars discrimination against women in hiring, promotion, training, discipline and other job aspects . Despite the existence of such laws, unfortunately workingwomen continue to earn less than men. It's extremely obvious that women have come a long way in the labor force ever since the 19th century. At present time, women account for nearly half the nation's workforce, but due to pay discrimination there has been a wage gap that does not seem to close between men and women. For instance, the typical workingwomen in Japan earns 63 percent of the average man’s pay . While in the United States, the average American woman earns about 74 cents for every dollar the average man earns . In comparing these figures, Japanese women are at even more of a disadvantage in the workplace than their peers in the United States. As stated above, laws have been in placed for years that strictly prohibit any type of discrimination in the workplace. So why does the wage disparity persist? In Japan, it is because of traditional expectations that women marry young and devote themselves to child rearing. This factor is always usually the case with Japanese women, however number of women who continue careers after marriage is growing, but companies have been slow to accommodate their needs for child care or maternity leave .

6 Sigma in Banking

Six sigma concept with banking system Finance industry is considerably applying six sigma quality processes with aim of eliminating defects. Earlier six sigma was used only in the field of production, but now it is also used in service industry. Banks have tried to implement 6? by paying attention to customer complaint, time needed for crediting process and time needed for feedback and ultimately they found that 6? is also applicable in financial organization. After implementation of 6? the realization of improvement was done by using DMAIC model, where the process was recorded according to SIPOC model. PARETO method helped to identify the influence of problematic causes and ISHIKAWA model was used in identification of sample root Banks made the first significant step towards 6? with the implementation of ISO 9000:2000 standards. While moving forward with ISO standards, banks started a parallel process which includes PARETO method, measuring customer satisfaction, and audit system an d complaint management with an intention to increase customer satisfaction level.By completing this they received the knowledge on green belt without even knowing it. Now-a-days it is easy to monitor and control the quality process by using SPC. The activities were conducted by using software of CIM College, for whose usage the participants were trained and the activities involved are- * Finding the spot for improvement in order to accomplish greater customer satisfaction * Introduction of following clients need * Establishing direct communication with users of bank’s services * Interviewing of physical person, user of banks services in officesQuestionnaires for measuring customer’s satisfaction are handed over to clients and the results were processed by using the software. To increase the overall satisfaction banks have defined the future quality goals * Simplification of service providing by removing activities to 20% which don’t make additional value of the total process * Increasing customer’s satisfaction by 50% every year for next 2 years to achieve 95% satisfaction evel by the next years * Decreasing mistakes by 50% every year * Increase service faster by 20% each year * Increase profit by share- 10%more than previous year Managers through this CIM software and analyzing the STORY BOARD for crediting process can view the achievements and results of quality process. Further the documentation from a client is done only once and the information are transferred into electronic form and sent to Crediting Board for approval.

Money Brings Happiness?

Name: Nguy? n Th? Thu Hi? n Class: Lu? t anh 2 Homework: Many pepple think that money brings happiness. Do you agree with them. Why or why not? Essay: â€Å"Does money bring happiness? † This is the question that everyone has the different answers. I agree with many people about money brings happiness. Money helps we have material comforts and spiritual joy. In fact, if we have no money, we can’t buy goods, clothes, and other necessaries which we need. If we have a lot of money, we can improve our spiritual activities easily.We can go to the movies every weekend, and we can buy any expensive gifts for the people who we love. Money helps the poor have a will-fed life. For the rich, money helps them have pure happiness because they can help the poor and the victims of the disasters. It is said that: â€Å" Money is the root of all evil. † No, it is not true. Money is normally the fruit of labour. The question is how one spends that money. There is nothing good or e vil about money. The same money which can help bring relief to the suffering millions, can be used to build up armaments.The power decides how to spend the money. ————————————————- In summary, the money brings happiness only when we use it properly. The right use of money may bring us a comfortable life and a cheerful heart. Ng? c Tho? i Nguy? n Being poor can certainly bring unhappiness, but having money does not guarantee happiness. Some people assume that because extreme poverty brings extreme unhappiness that the opposite must be true. It is not. There are a lot of very unhappy very rich people.Acquiring money can too easily become the center of life's focus and that can become an obsession. Like most obsessions, it's not a good thing. The Bible says that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. That seems to be a universal truth. When you love money more than anything else in life you will find that you can never get enough of it. When life only revolves around getting money you start to obsess over what it can bring you and then you lose any chance of happiness. ————————————————- The happiest people I know are not the richest.They are the people who have learned to be happy with what they have and make the most of life. I have seen people made deeply miserable by poverty, but at the same time I have seen relatively poor people who are happy because they have a positive and thankful attitude about life. Nguyen Khac Hoang: We are living in the 21th century, when many new inventions have discovered. As far as I know, one of them, which has big influence over the world is internet. So do you wonder: â€Å" Why do they like to use the Internet? † The internet always brings a better life.In fact, without internet people are alive and still exist but nobody can deny the benefits of the it. Firstly, it’s a source of information. People can get the latest information about weather forecast, daily events all around the world†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. at any time as well. Before the Internet was invented, people can’t get the information as fast as now, they must watch TV programs, buy newspapers or magazines. Thanks to Internet, we can widen our knowledge in an inexpensive and convenient way. Secondly, Internet is a source of entertainment. If y feel tired of bored, y can listen to music or watch any films y like.Moreover, many people like to play games on the Internet because they are very interesting, wonderful and this doesn’t cost as much. You can also communicate with friends or ralatives by means of e-mail or chatting. Thirdly, Internet is a good mean of education. Teachers can teach on the Internet. Students can find various kinds of tests to do. In addition, they now can use the Internet as a time – saving decide by online schools or online lessons. In conclusion, almost every aspect of our life is concerned with the Internet. It’s a wonderful invention of our modern life. It makes our world a small village.

Emperors of Chinas Xia Dynasty

Emperors of Chinas Xia Dynasty According to legend, the Xia Dynasty ruled China beginning more than four thousand years ago. Although no firm documentary evidence has yet been found for this period, it is possible that some form of evidence exists, like the  oracle bones  that have proved the existence of the Shang Dynasty (1600 - 1046 BCE). The Xia Kingdom supposedly grew up along the Yellow River, and its first leader was a sort of community organizer named Yu who got all of the people to cooperate in creating dams and canals to control the annual river floods. As a result, their agricultural production and their population increased, and they selected him to become their leader under the name of Emperor Yu the Great. We know about these legends thanks to much later Chinese historical chronicles such as the  Classic of History  or  Book of Documents.  Some scholars believed that this work was compiled from earlier documents by Confucius himself, but that seems unlikely. Xia history is also recorded in the  Bamboo Annals, another ancient book of unknown authorship, as well as in Sima Qians  Records of the Grand Historian  from 92 BCE. There is often more truth than we might guess in ancient myths and legends. That certainly has proved true in the case of the dynasty that came after the Xia, the Shang, which was long thought to be mythical until archaeologists discovered the above-mentioned oracle bones bearing the names of some of the mythical Shang emperors. Archaeology may one day prove the doubters wrong about the Xia Dynasty as well. Indeed, archaeological work in the Henan and Shanxi provinces, along the ancient course of the Yellow River, has turned up evidence of a complex early Bronze Age culture from the correct time period. Most Chinese scholars are quick to identify this complex, called the Erlitou culture, with the Xia Dynasty, although some foreign scholars are more skeptical. The Erlitou digs reveal an urban civilization with bronze foundries, palatial buildings, and straight, paved roads. Finds from the Erlitou sites also include elaborate tombs. Within those tombs are grave goods including the famous  ding tripod  vessels, one of a class of artifacts known as ritual bronzes. Other finds include bronze wine jugs and jeweled masks, as well as ceramic mugs and jade implements. Unfortunately, the one type of artifact not discovered so far is any trace of writing that conclusively states that the Erlitou site is one and the same with the Xia Dynasty. China’s Xia Dynasty Yu the Great, c. 2205 – c. 2197 BCEEmperor Qi, c. 2146 – c. 2117 BCETai Kang, c. 2117 – c. 2088 BCEZhong Kang, c. 2088 – c. 2075 BCEXiang, c. 2075 – c. 2008 BCEShao Kang, c. 2007 – c. 1985 BCEZhu, c. 1985 – c. 1968 BCEHuai, c. 1968 – c. 1924 BCEMang, c. 1924 – c. 1906 BCEXie, c. 1906 – c. 1890 BCEBu Jiang, c. 1890 – c. 1831 BCEJiong, c. 1831 – c. 1810 BCEJin, c. 1810 – c. 1789 BCEKong Jia, c. 1789 – c. 1758 BCEGao, c. 1758 – c. 1747 BCEFa, c. 1747 – c. 1728 BCEJie, c. 1728 – c. 1675 BCE To learn more, go to the list of China’s Dynasties.

E-commerce cures hospitals essays

E-commerce cures hospitals essays 1. Review the EC applications listed and classify them as B2C, B2B, c-commerce, etc. Electronic commerce is basically divided in two parts: business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B). B2C involves online transactions between businesses and individuals, while B2B transactions are between businesses. Another major category is collaborative commerce, which is an electronic collaboration between buyers and sellers. When implementing EC Kaiser Permanente put into service Internet-based communications system. The system included customized Web sites for each organization with which Kaiser had a contract. This is an example of c-commerce. Kaisers customers are whole organizations or individuals. When Kaisers brokers make a sale to an individual they do a B2C transaction. On the other hand when their customer becomes an organization with all its employees, it is considered B2B transaction. Other B2B examples are when doctors and other employees order supplies, equipment or services. The e-procurement system, which expedites shipments, reduces invent ories, and cuts costs is also a B2B application. An example of B2C application is when individual customers schedule appointment via the Internet or email queries. 3. Identify the EC applications related to supply chain management. According to the textbook, a supply chain refers to the flow of materials, information, and services, from raw material through factories and warehouses to the end customers. A supply chain also includes the organizations and processes that create and deliver these products, information, and services to the end customers. Kaiser Permanente links patients to hospitals and doctors. Its main service is to provide efficient health care. Implementation of EC improves the supply chain management. The goal is to change the supply chain from a linear model to a hub-based model. Digitizing the supply chain improved customer servi...

Autobiographical Essays

Autobiographical Essays Autobiographical Essays Autobiographical Essays Almost every student has to deal with writing autobiographical essays,when you need to write a personal essay describing your personality, hopes, life events, childhood, parents, etc. The best way is to show your personality, your background and your character are to organize your writing in a chronological order. Here are some pieces of advice to follow. In addition, you may find it helpful to review tips on writing personal essay, persuasive essay, and narrative essays online. Autobiographical Essays Pieces of Advice Think about the life experience which has influenced your character or remained in the mind as a powerful memory. Recollect the story, words, and other details which have made you stronger, wiser, kinder, etc. Try to make your autobiographical essaysinteresting. Recall an event which pushed you to certain actions or thoughts. For example, if you write about the trip to California as your key life events but fail to show why, your essay will not get a good grade. Thats for sure. But if there you participated in fighting the fire and saved the life of a little girl, it is a unique story worth being praised and written about. Impress your reader. Open your autobiographical essays with unexpected statement or tell the outcome of your story and then proceed backward showing how everything happened. Make each paragraph end with the exciting sentence the reader will be impatient to know what comes next. Organize your thoughts in a specific sequence. Logically, following to the structure of the essay, share how you felt and what you have now due to the past events, but sound positive and prepare the reader for the conclusion. In the conclusion of autobiographical essaysdemonstrate the powerfulness of the events, changes in your life, etc. Cover everything you showed in the main body in one big sentence which leads to the last one, the most important. You should not aim to influence the reader and raise some remembrances; make the audience think about their own mistakes and struggles. It is much better to remain optimistic and positive till the final word. Unless your purpose is to write autobiographical essaysabout difficult times of your life: Autobiographical Essays Help Autobiographical essays writing is not easy and many students find it challenging to choose the most important or the most interesting events of your life. Taking into account that increasing number of requests we receive from students, we introduced autobiographical essays writing service. Our prices are affordable while the academic quality of essays we deliver will satisfy the most demanding students. If you are looking for research paper editing or college essay writing or any other type of professional assistance, we are always ready to help you out! Read more: Dissertation Subjects Dissertation Paper Dissertation Expert American History Thesis Writers of Term Papers

Introducing an Innovative Product to the UK Market Case Study

Introducing an Innovative Product to the UK Market - Case Study Example The Smarttrainer is a shoe also known as 'intelligent' shoes. They are sports shoes that have permanently built-in drip in each shoe. The chips measure a variety of aspects of the user's measurement and upload this in real time to a display/controller worn on the wrist. The chip runs on a built-in battery that is kept charged by the movement of the shoe. The use of the chip is each shoe enables great accuracy in measurement as the movement of the shoes, for instance, stride distance and speed are measured by the chips comparing their location against one another. It is a specially designed shoe which is accompanied by a wrist controller. The shoe adds the wrist controller are sold as one product. Data from the shoe is transmitted wirelessly to the wrist unit. The wrist acts as a display, data store and also a timing device. With this unit, the user can read data and programme the chips to give the information required. The product will come in three types all containing the same chips. These are a track running shoe, a general cross-trainer and a walking shoe. These will be one type of wrist for all types of shoes. It will help the consumer to get vital information on health and other areas especially when exercising. It will help show the progress the consumer is making when exercising. It is important for Goldsport to understand how the product will be classified in the UK market. The Smarttrainer is considered to be a durable product. This is because the product will not be consumed relatively quickly as it last as for a long period of time. () considering this, the company can be aware of how to position the Smarttrainer in the UK market. 4. The Environment To reach the set objectives, it is obligatory to understand the current situation of the firm. It is therefore essential for the company to be aware of the environmental factors that may affect its product in the UK. According to Masterson and Pickton (2004), the environment of a firm can be divided into two parts; internal and external environments using the pestle method of analysis.

Depends on the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Depends on the article - Essay Example A book published in 2008 focuses on the way children are able to focus after experiencing nature. It might be that the calming soothing essence of nature is what settles the mind of children with this disorder. Whatever it may be that helps it is important to incorporate that with the child’s everyday life. Sometimes our and surroundings have a way of altering ones mood and way of thinking A recent research study has proven, â€Å"nature helps children with ADHD and outperforms prescription medicine†.(Hance 2008) This proven method can highlight a new area of designing. If nature is the simple cure to this ever growing problem, there is so much that can be done to help keep nature alive outdoors and bring nature indoors. The study has results that show children with ADHD who engaged in a 20 minute or more walk in nature, were better able to concentrate on studies. What can be gained by this is simply that the surrounding of children with ADHD has a huge affect on the way they are able to learn. No research can prove the long term affects of this but it is true that a natural way to allow a child to focus and learn is always better then medication. Those involved in the study also believe that after the time, the issues associated with ADHD can be lessened. Schools can take part in this by changing the surroundings in schools. If nature affects the way children with ADHD learn, it will also have affects on children without ADHD. The benefits of bringing nature indoors are great for everyone. Children should have a peaceful environment to learn in. Too many distractions can make it hard to concentrate. When designing a school setting it is important to keep in mind that simplicity will allow the mind to relax. Certain things can be brought into the design element that are from nature. â€Å"Classrooms can have real plants and trees and flowers†. (Taylor,Kuo 2008) Other elements such as a simulated waterfall and aquariums are important. The style of the

A Counter Claim to the Malthusian Theory on Food Production Research Paper

A Counter Claim to the Malthusian Theory on Food Production - Research Paper Example Malthus argues that the society needs to act to prevent such a thing from happening to the human race. He therefore states that people should be encouraged to come up with systems and practices that will ensure that population growth is checked (Malthus 72). He proposes 'positive' population growth checks like increase in death rate and preventive checks like low birth rate (Malthus 72). Although his argument might have been relevant in his time and might still be relevant in this generation, there are many flaws in his argument that are going be explored in this paper. This is in line with the connection of Malthus' ideas with modern day societies, particularly the societies most at risk of the claims he made – the developing world. This paper argues that Malthus' theory is NOT relevant to today's society because there are many ways that the problem of he raises can be dealt with in our modern era. The paper makes a claim that developing countries are NOT at risk of extinctio n or harmful practices because of population growth. Rather, developing countries today can maintain a steady population growth with corresponding improvements in technology, national structures and global interdependency. With these arguments, the paper seeks to prove that the threats of population growth are not applicable to today's society. Critique of Malthus' Position In the book, An Essay on the Principle of Population Malthus drew the attention of Britain and Europe to the dangers of population growth. It was in line with what became known as the Malthus Iron Laws which suggests that when population increases, there will be a large supply of labor and employers will exploit workers by offering lower wages, thereby increasing poverty. To an extent, I agree with this in the present world, because in a nation like China, wages are extremely low because there is a high population and there are no wage regulation laws (Cooke 152). However, this claim puts the independence of Malt hus into question. Right after the claim of the Iron Wage Laws come into prominence, Malthus comes up with this theory that population grows geometrically and food production grows exponentially? Was he writing this essay on the basis of empirical facts, or was he just being pessimistic to put fear into the people of Britain so that they controlled the population. Before Malthus wrote this book, there was no official census in Britain. It was this book that Malthus wrote which made Britain begin to count its people in 1800, two years after Malthus wrote this book (Davey XX). This suggests that Malthus only penned down this model on the basis of his personal sentiment without checking the population of any group of people. This is because Britain was one of the most advanced nations in the world. So if there was no system of taking populations on a regular and accurate basis, where did Malthus draw the conclusion that populations increase geometrically? And which farms did he study t o identify that food production is exponential. This therefore suggests that the conclusions of Malthus were based on personal sentiments and had little facts to back them. Another issue is about the way agriculture was carried out in the time of Malthus. Most people were involved in subsistence farming. Walters state that in the 1700s, 95% of people in England fed themselves through subsistence farming (36). This, again suggests that the proposition put forward by Malthus was based on a world where there

Software Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Software Engineering - Essay Example In this regard, as the year changed from 1999 to 2000, the day became 01-01-00, and the machine considered it as January 1, 1900. Hence Y2K millennium bug proved itself just like a clicking time bomb that affected all the major computer applications (YourDictionary; Halpern). Dates are much Critical A lot of transactions related to various economy circumstances match their dates with database account having a future date or today's date. Thus, if the machine fails to grip the dates in the approved manner, bills do not get compensated, notices do not deliver and also results in date driven computations toward failure. Moreover, after 2000, all the systems those were not familiar with the change in millennium caused mistaken output with those applications that dealt directly or indirectly with future dates (YourDictionary; Halpern). Precautions In this regard, if the problems like Y2K or millennium bug are not remedied in a well mannered way, this could result in disruptions that may c ause delays in air flights and also towards the interruptions of landline services to trade bankruptcies to power fluctuations, and it might also cause in civil disturbances and global decline (YourDictionary; Halpern). ... However, in simple words we can say that a software process model is a simple description of those software related processes which are useful in presentation from diverse perspective. In this scenario, a considerable fraction of the active software manufacturing is obliged to construct software that follows documentation either partially or fully. In addition, it is proposed to guarantee this factor though which delivered software product meets the requirements that are defined properly in documentation (Nutt; Sommerville; Pressman; Acuna and Ferre). Software process models are very useful for giving an inspiration about the development of a product, tool or application that meets the challenges of global economy as much as possible. In addition, by adopting software modeling techniques software developers could be able to characterize new horizons in which they must keep strong view on changing trends of market that could affect our software product a lot. Moreover, a software proc ess model could be helpful for define a process for implementing and designing a software invention/product that complies with the documentation necessities or requirements. Thus, there is a link between business and software process development that’s why they both affect each other. In this regard we can relate business process modeling expertise to the domain of software engineering, which results in exploring weaknesses along with strengths of our developing models of cluster collaboration. On the other hand, if we analyze the basics of software process models no doubt it provides us with an unconventional technique to analyze, design, and track the software production processes. Additionally, it also creates easiness for us to attempt to demonstrate how the replica or model can

Simplify the answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Simplify the answer - Essay Example This additional expertise distinguishes auditors from accountants. GAAS are ten general guidelines that help auditors carry out their responsibilities. GAAS have: three general standards focusing on competence, independence, and due professional care; three on field work and four on reporting. GAAP on the other hand are specific rules for accounting for transactions in an enterprise. Examples of such include any of the opinions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board  (FASB). 4. The first standard of field work requires the performance of the audit by a person or persons having adequate technical training and proficiency as an auditor. Discuss three ways in which auditors can fulfill the requirements of the standard? Auditors can obtain technical training and proficiency through formal education by specializing in auditing and accounting, enough practical experience and continuing professional education. They can show proficiency by becoming CPA licensed, which demands that the Uniform CPA Examination of the U.S. or the equivalent must be completed. Independence of mind means the auditor maintains an unbiased attitude throughout the audit. Independence in appearance is based on others’ interpretation of the auditor’s independence of mind and hence their faith in him. Some of the activities that may only affect independence in mind are: These are appropriateness and sufficiency. Appropriateness is the relevance and reliability of evidence. Appropriateness relates to the audit procedures selected, and the timing of these procedures. Finally, sufficiency is the quantity of evidence and is related to sample size and items selected. Business failure refers to the risk that a business will finically fail and hence be unable to pay its financial obligations. Audit risk refers to the risk that the auditor will conclude that the financial statements are stated fairly and hence an unmodified opinion can be used when in reality they are

Software Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Software Engineering - Essay Example In this regard, as the year changed from 1999 to 2000, the day became 01-01-00, and the machine considered it as January 1, 1900. Hence Y2K millennium bug proved itself just like a clicking time bomb that affected all the major computer applications (YourDictionary; Halpern). Dates are much Critical A lot of transactions related to various economy circumstances match their dates with database account having a future date or today's date. Thus, if the machine fails to grip the dates in the approved manner, bills do not get compensated, notices do not deliver and also results in date driven computations toward failure. Moreover, after 2000, all the systems those were not familiar with the change in millennium caused mistaken output with those applications that dealt directly or indirectly with future dates (YourDictionary; Halpern). Precautions In this regard, if the problems like Y2K or millennium bug are not remedied in a well mannered way, this could result in disruptions that may c ause delays in air flights and also towards the interruptions of landline services to trade bankruptcies to power fluctuations, and it might also cause in civil disturbances and global decline (YourDictionary; Halpern). ... However, in simple words we can say that a software process model is a simple description of those software related processes which are useful in presentation from diverse perspective. In this scenario, a considerable fraction of the active software manufacturing is obliged to construct software that follows documentation either partially or fully. In addition, it is proposed to guarantee this factor though which delivered software product meets the requirements that are defined properly in documentation (Nutt; Sommerville; Pressman; Acuna and Ferre). Software process models are very useful for giving an inspiration about the development of a product, tool or application that meets the challenges of global economy as much as possible. In addition, by adopting software modeling techniques software developers could be able to characterize new horizons in which they must keep strong view on changing trends of market that could affect our software product a lot. Moreover, a software proc ess model could be helpful for define a process for implementing and designing a software invention/product that complies with the documentation necessities or requirements. Thus, there is a link between business and software process development that’s why they both affect each other. In this regard we can relate business process modeling expertise to the domain of software engineering, which results in exploring weaknesses along with strengths of our developing models of cluster collaboration. On the other hand, if we analyze the basics of software process models no doubt it provides us with an unconventional technique to analyze, design, and track the software production processes. Additionally, it also creates easiness for us to attempt to demonstrate how the replica or model can

Personal journal entry 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal journal entry 5 - Essay Example Feminist theory argues that legal positivism is the main reason women have been dominated by men in the past. The theory argues that the law has been written historically baymen to favor the position of men over women. ïÆ'Ëœ Women should be given genuine equality with men in all areas of life as opposed to the current provisions by the law. This is in direct opposition to legal positivism. A good example is the 19th amendment to the USA constitution which gives equal rights to voting for both women and men3. The feminist theory fights for the recognition of the differences between the two sexes as opposed to the sameness that are advocated by the legal positivism. The feminist theory argues that, it is until the law acknowledges the differences between men and women, that it can bring equality between them4. In conclusion, presently, the position of women is much better than it was five decades ago. The effort of the feminist movements has ensured that women achieved considerable progress in the campaign. The position of women in today’s society can be attributed to a large percentage, to the changes in the legislation that have happened over the

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Huck Essay Example for Free

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Huck Essay Sometimes in literature, authors will use minor characters to highlight important qualities of another character. This approach helps the reader better understand the character since character foiling helps to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Mark Twain uses several character foils, each of which have a different impact on Huck’s moral growth. Throughout the classic American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck’s friends help to bring out the best of his traits and morals: Buck, Tom and the King and the Duke. ! For example, Tom Sawyer serves as a character foil for Huck Finn. Tom and Huck’s religious beliefs con? ict since Tom believes in genies, and Miss Watson tries to teach Huck what she thinks is right. Huck comes to the conclusion Tom doesn’t know what he is talking about; â€Å"So then I judged that all the stuff was only just one of Tom Sawyer’s lies† (14). As a result, Tom’s ideas lead Huck to form his own beliefs and challenge the majority of peoples’s way of thinking. Tom also foils Huck at the end of the book when he uses his imagination and knowledge of books to corroborate a plan to free Jim. His unrealistic plan aggravates Huck; â€Å"Good land why, there ain’t no necessity for it† (239). Tom’s foolish childish behavior didn’t bother Huck until now but since Tom is fooling around with Jim’s life and freedom, it makes Huck question his relationship with Tom. Tom’s actions affect Huck is a positive way that help him grow religiously and in maturity. Just as Tom foiled Huck, Twain uses Buck to do the same Buck Grangerford’s lifestyle is not similar to Huck’s which highlights the differences in Huck’s up-bringing. Buck’s home life is much different than Huck’s speci? cally in regards to Buck having someone to wait on him hand and foot: â€Å"My nigger had a monstrous easy time, because I warn’t used to having anybody do anything for me, but Buck’s [slave] was on the jump most of the time† (106). This example shows that Huck is independent and doesn’t need someone to wait on him. Buck can relax and be free of any responsibility. In addition, Buck has â€Å" a might nice family, and a mighty nice house, too† (99). Buck was raised without the worry of when his next meal was going to be put on the table, or if his father would die from his alcoholism problem. Buck is raised with a fair amount of money, an education, and freedom which Huck lacks. Huck’s lifestyle is the opposite of Buck’s and Twain does this on purpose to express the struggle Huck has with his own life. Not only does Twain use Buck and Tom to foil Huck, he uses the king and the duke to contrast Huck. ! The outlandish, inconsiderate Duke and King affect Huck with their remorseless theft and sel? shness. The con-artists’ plans to take money from the innocent townspeople rub Huck the wrong way but when they want to steal from Mary Jane and the Grangerford’s, Huck won’t stand for it. Huck decides to tell Mary Jane that her â€Å"uncles of yourn ain’t no uncles at all: they’re a couple of frauds- regular dead-beats†, because they just want land and money from the Grangerfords (187). The King and Duke’s actions compel Huck to be mature and tell Mary Jane what is actually going on. Later on in the book, Huck sees the King and the Duke tarred and feathered being chased from the town because of what they have done. Huck realizes he is â€Å"sorry for them poop pitful rascals, it seemed like I couldn’t ever feel any hardness against them any more in the world† (230). Huck thinks back on how he hated them and thought they were scumbags because of what they had done to innocent people. Now he feels bad for them even thought they deserved it. Huck has grown as a person who can forgive instead of keeping a grudge. ! Twain artfully uses Tom, Buck, and the King and the Duke as character foils that help Huck grow morally throughout the book. All three sets of foils are different on purpose because Twain wanted to show the readers the affects other characters can have someone. It does not the age or intelligence of the minor character. Twain’s logic is that using character foil gets his point across because the reader may not have picked up on traits or morals a character has since it was not directly stated. Not only do people affect others in literature, in the real world people’s actions affect others. A small kind gesture can change someone’s mood or attitude for the rest of the day. Or even something someone says might change another person’s outlook on a problem they are having or even larger, their life. The use of character foil is very important in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and more importantly the real world today.

Wooden Furniture Industry In Malaysia

Wooden Furniture Industry In Malaysia Being one of the worlds top tropical timber producers, Malaysia has been the choices of the world demand on wood products. Seals with different types of wooden products, the consumers market have been eyeing this country for its establishment in such field. From office furniture to home furniture, this sector plays a vital role in building up the countrys economy. The value of the product produced and the number of employment held within this industry is significant that the government of Malaysia has come out with various incentives to assist this industry where it is part of the small-medium industries (SMIs). Although this industry deals with low technology involvement and high intensive labour skills, its yet to be recognized as the leading raw woods producers which driven by the demand all over the world. Taking advantage of the Malaysia Industrial Master Plan (1986-1995), foreign investors investing in furniture industry have shown a good performance where these investors spurred the money flow into the industry as the rise in demand was accelerating despite having to transfer the technologies to local entrepreneurs. Malaysia is not only the main tropical timber production especially for wooden products like furniture. The country is even competing with 5 worlds leading exporters like China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Year 1990s was a glory for Malaysia as the country managed to catered demands from Singapore, Japan and USA which then contributed to the total export value of RM3, 776.8 million by the year 2000. This significant achievement was due to the fact that Malaysia is rich with the resources and unskilled labour which led to lower cost of production and production can be increased to meet the demand. Malaysia furniture industry however, facing numerous internal and external factors that eventually affect its development including such threats from competitors, technologies, quality, branding and more. Thus theres a need for a better improvement in strategy adopted by all the furniture producers despite to implement better and improved marketing strategy to capture more clienteles. T he high value of their comparative advantage also is needed to bring Malaysia one step ahead as the world leading furniture exporter. Background of Study As the saying once a new technology rolls over you, if youre not part of the steamroller, youre part of the road by Steward Brand, this show how improvement in technology is essential in recognizing the prospect of being efficient in production. Efficient production lead to better quality product thus can cater more demand either current or new demand. Thus, this paper will prove why substantial technology improvement is needed in order to bring the furniture industry in Malaysia to a higher level and then beat the other worlds leading exporters. Apart from technological advancement, comprehensive marketing strategy also considers as the crucial part in determining the level of acceptance of Malaysias furniture products locally and abroad. This marketing strategy will cover all aspect from the internal and external factor on the basis of marketing principles which are price, product, place and promotion. Moreover, the comprehensive marketing strategy develop should also be taken into consideration the Malaysia Industrial Master Plan introduced by the government since 1986. The continuous improvement made the government have given the industry a huge opportunity for growth in the mentioned industry. Moreover, the success rate of the Malaysia furniture industry was also driven by rigorous moves introduced by the government of Malaysia. The implementation of Industry Master Plan started from year 1986 was a total success. In the Industry Master Plan has outlined several ideas on how to improve the whole Malaysia industries especially furniture industry. This master plan is also being implemented until now to safeguard and path for continuation if the furniture industry. Apart from the Industrial Master Plan, the new economic policy or DEB is also was created to channel the growth flow of the furniture industry to a higher level above the major competitors like Indonesia. However, the discussion on furniture industry is much more comprehensive in Industry Master Plan Malaysia thus this paper will discuss how this Industry Master Plan can assist the sustainability of the industry. 1.3 Problem Statement The furniture industry in Malaysia plays a vital role in stabilizing the economy. The growth rate of this industry was significant that Malaysia has recorded a high growth ever since the industry was introduced commercially in Malaysia. Malaysia even became one of the major competitors after Indonesia and Thailand and furniture products produced by Malaysia were exported around the world. Thus from this situation, we would like to analyzed the growth probability involving furniture industry in Malaysia for the past edges. This wills include the process of examining the technology involved in the industry that caused the acceleration of the industry growth. In technology, the flow of capital is crucial in determining the technology know-how used to develop the furniture industry in Malaysia from traditional production onto advance tech machines. Either than that, this paper will also show why Malaysia furniture industry is well accepted around the world as for its quality or for its low cost. The market share will be also examined as to proof the industry is in a good shape. Apart from these views, few suitable marketing strategies for the industry will also be outlined to improve the awareness of consumers around the world on Malaysia furniture. A good and comprehensive marketing strategies are crucial to drive the performance of the industry especially when it comes to capturing new market share or increasing the market share. Meanwhile, the current strategies are included as for discussion purposes and to outweigh the effectiveness of the strategies implemented currently. 1.4 Objective of the Study To study the advancement of technologies used that driven the industry performance in export and import To investigate the current marketing strategies used and new comprehensive strategies that can be used to accelerate the performance to a better level as at the par with other competitors. To review the importance of the Industry Master Plan (IMP) introduced by the government of Malaysia in playing a vital role to validate the current growth rate of the furniture industry. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW There are four major sectors in Malaysian wood-based industry which are sawn timber, veneer and panel products that include plywood and other reconstituted panel products such as fireboard, moldings and builders joinery and carpentry (BJC). The wood-based industry is fully owned by Malaysian and it is calculated that 80 to 90 % of the businesses comprise small and medium size establishments. The manufacturers of Malaysian furniture produce an extensive range of furniture for households as well as for office use. Before 1995, the activities of Malaysian industry are were mostly in logging, sawmilling and plywood manufacturing. During the period of the 2nd Industrial Master Plan (IMP) (1996 2005), the industry more emphasized value-added processing such as furniture, MDF, panel products and veneer. During this period, the wood based industry has achieved a 5% growth rate. The highest export value is furniture, followed by plywood, sawn timber, logs and fiberboard. The star performer was the burgeoning furniture sub-sector which brought in an impressive double digit return of 11% growth or in real earnings RM 5.8 billion. The 3rd IMP (2006 2020) has earmarked a growth rate of 6.4 per annum for the wood-based industry to achieve RM 53 billion of export value by 2020. The main contributors of this planned growth and export value is to come from furniture and panel products mainly from MDF and plywood. This chapter consists of literature review regard to the wooden furniture export from Malaysia to existing world market. It covers the various aspects of the wood based industry in Malaysia and export of wood based products including wooden furniture to the world countries. The method used in this study to analyze the data was also included to provide a better understanding about the process of analyzing data. According to (MTIB 1994) Malaysia is one of the largest exporters of tropical hardwoods tropical sawn timber, plywood and hardwood moulding. The rapid development as well as the establishment of other primary wood processing industry were supported by large amount of log supply coming from forestland. Once in a while, the wood based sector is dominated by primary processing activities such as sawmilling, veneer and plywood production. However, in recent years, downstream processing activities such as the manufacture of mouldings, furniture and joinery have increased significant ly (Anon, 1 996). According to Lew (1977), the timber industry in Malaysia is an export oriented industry. Malaysias export of major wood based products has increased gradually over the last decade. Even though there is a considerable increase in wood based export, Malaysia is still a small producer in the global market for wood based downstream products. This means that there is a considerable room for expansion in the value added products category. To ensure the continued development of the industry in future, Malaysia is actively pursuing a program of promoting the wood based downstream industry. Many plans and activities have been organized to help the industries in all kind of sectors. These activities including globalization strategy, the knowledge-driven strategy, strengthen cluster development and others. Comparative advantage involves the concept of opportunity cost either in producing or exporting a particular good (Mohd Arif, 2008). According to Mohd Arif (2008), the comparative advantage of one country against others may reflect from the difference of the domestic cost and the world price. The higher the cost differential, the higher is the advantage for the country in producing that good. Some other factors such as abundant resources, technology, telecommunication, subsidized fuel and road development (including low transportation cost) could play their role in the comparative advantage. Additionally, Hunt and Morgan (1995) believed that the efficient use of existing resources and innovation in the production may lead to the comparative advantage of the products. Reduction in trade cost and facilitation of goods and services between places can be done by improving the road infrastructure (Bhattacharyay, 2009). In 1998, Malaysia ranked fifth and seventh in the world ranking of wooden furniture export leaders for office and other wooden furniture, respectively. The United States (US), Japan, Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK) were among the largest destination for Malaysian wooden furniture. Export value of wooden furniture in 1996 was RM 1.6 billion, which placed Malaysia as the second largest exporter in this region, after Taiwan, whilst the 15th in the world (Anon., 2000c). The export value has been increasing every year and it reached RM 3.8 billion in year 2000. However, since early 80s export of Malaysia wooden furniture was mainly to the US and Japan where it accounted more that 50% of the total exports (Anon., 2001) As timber industry in Malaysia traditionally is an export oriented industry, hence the export market is vital in enabling the timber industry in Malaysia to reach its desired growth, despite the continuation from domestic market. During the 70s, major output of the industry which was logs, sawn timber and plywood were largely exported. The export of processed products such as molding has experienced a sudden increase during 80s due to growing demand from overseas market and also governments drive for export which charted out in the Industrial Master Plans (IMP), 1986-1995. The export of molding, furniture and joinery there on continued to increase. The international marketing research, found that there was several dimensions used by the researcher indicate marketing strategy. Previous researchers acknowledged firm strategy (Aaby and Slater, 1989), export marketing strategy (Julian, 2003 ; Akyol and Akehurst, 2003; Zou and Stan, 1998; Cavusgil and Zou, 1994; Koh, 1991), export strategy ( Aulakh et al.,2000;Chetty and Hamilton,1993), business strategy (Baldauf et. Al,2000) or strategy (Cicic et al.,2002; Thirkell and Dau,1998). The International Tropical Timber Organization (2008), Have ranked Malaysia as the biggest exporter of tropical logs amounting to 35% market share. There is an overall of RM22.5 billion worth of Malayasia Timber and related products being exported in 2008. Europe is one of the biggest markets of Malaysia wood products since many decades ago. From ( Boon-Kwee, Ng* and Thiruchelvam, K., 2001) in his statement, Malaysias furniture industry is largely wooden and cane based. The industry is highly fragmented, and the large number of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the industry is very prevalent. As one of the manufacturing sectors, the industry has adopted the standard definitions of SME that have been approved by the Central Bank of Malaysia in year 2005, that is, firms with total number of fulltime employees less than 150 people, or total annual sales turnover less than MYR 25 million. According to the Department of Statistics (2009), the total establishments in the furniture industry were mostly constitute by SME. However, However, SME and large enterprise have equal share in terms of value of gross output, value added, employment salary and value of asset. Ratnasingam (2004) views the value of furniture is based on perception, as it is sold based on a perceived value, rather than on an actual value. This shows that the creation of value-added furniture is not about producing it using high quality equipment neither state-of-the-art technologies, but rather it is about expressing a way of life creatively and innovatively. The uniqueness of thus furniture determines its value, while the scientific aspects ease the production method. Similar view of the value of furniture has been advanced by Ettema (1981), who argued that furniture is an important tool of self-presentation, and thus sensitive to the way it is displayed. He states that technology had caused degradation of style furniture industry. In general, machines have allowed furniture production to increase, but they have also failed to crate variation in style, because machines are incapable of producing inexpensive copies of an expensive-looking pattern As stated by (Z. Noor Aini, 2009), Malaysia is one of the developing countries in Southeast Asia which experienced extraordinary economic growth especially in industrialization in the past few decades. Exports of the natural resources and related products as well as manufactured goods have contributed to the development of Malaysian economy. Besides that, with the fact that 60 percent of Malaysia is covered with natural forest, it is difficult to ignore that forest product industry plays an important role in further developing the economy. Malaysia is currently one of the worlds top tropical timber producers. This work supports the idea of Uusivuori and Tervo (2002) that a country which has richer forest assets will have larger net exports of forest products. Furthermore, the country with a larger forest endowment exhibits the comparative advantages in their exports as in comparison to countries with lesser forest endowments. According to (Shabboo,2011), challenges of maintaining sustainability could be various depending on different factors such as the type of product, knowledge of established principles, consumers expectations, manufacturers policies and facilities, legislation, local resources, etc. In Malaysian furniture industry, a survey that is conducted in 2009 revealed that the adoption of green manufacturing practices is limited among wooden furniture producers. Another study in 2008 discovered that the readiness to adopt chain of custody certification among wooden furniture manufacturers was low. This certification has the objective to ensure the wood products really come from an environmentally certified source. Although the number of studies on the environmental aspect of furniture industry is still small in the country, all results demonstrate the poor implementation of sustainability. In addition, integrating sustainability into furniture industry has not been studied from design perspectiv e yet. Ratnasingam and Thomas (2008) argue that the level of technology employed by the Malaysian furniture industry is on same level with other countries which manufacture furniture, if not higher. The MTC (1998) has stated that most of the countrys furniture manufacturers have invested very much in machinery and equipment. Ratnasingam (2000) states that the machine-operated process is the most important value-addition operation in furniture production, as it convert the raw materials into the sophisticated finished product. The quality of the machine had contributed to smooth and effective production process. However, most of the machinery purchased is special function machinery which is aimed at reducing used of man labor in the manufacturing outfit, with the aim of reducing the manufacturing cost or unit cost. This is to be expected, as the industry is labor intensive in nature, and there is an increasing reliance on foreign-contract workers within the industry (Ratnasingam, 2005). Procedures adopted are also in place in order to meet the increasingly high business standards in terms of price-cutting, quality and material properties. A periodic review of the existing polices is necessary to ensure that the industries will remain competitive. However, the critical problem faces by industries is mismanagement of land utilization, provided the insufficiency of readily available land for the cultivation of plantation forests. Research and development (RD) is hence important for introducing not only new products and new processes that will increase the industrys competitiveness, but also new technology that will reduce the land intensity of rubber tree growing, i.e. clones with shorter gestation and richer wood.( Professor Mohamed Ariff, 2011). According to (Professor Mohamed Ariff, 2011), to counterbalance the decline in rubber wood supply and the lack of possible alternative wood sources, in order to support the ongoing development of the WBI, one solution can be taken include the importation of logs from abroad and increase of plantation forests at home. However, logs importation face problems like log bans from neighboring countries as well as its high transportation cost. Thus, forests plantation within the country are thought to be a better option. Several countries have successfully adopted this approach, which has encouraged the development of substantial downstream industries in forest products. This, in turn, has led to the growth of clusters of supplementary industries. While the Malaysian WBI is predominantly rubberwood-based now, other species including Acacia, Sesendok, Albizia, may well prove equally suitable in future. A study by Bojei et al., (2002) on global marketing strategies in the Malaysian wooden furniture industry, the marketing strategies used by the wooden furniture companies, either original equipment manufacturing (OEM), own design manufacturing (ODM) or own brand name (OBM), the most important factors influencing the success of those strategies were firms primary characteristics, decision makers expectation of exporting and global marketing strategy. Lastly, since export marketing strategy has been considered as one of the key determinants on export performance (Cavusgil and Zou, 1994), though not all of the marketing strategy elements will affect the export performance simultaneously. Study by Koh (1991) found that the relationships among organizational characteristics, marketing strategy and export performance has found that only export pricing, direct buyer, and channel strategies of marketing strategy variations have effects on export performance. However, adapting marketing mix variables cater the specific needs of developed country markets would enhance export marketing performance (Aulakh et al., 2000). In contrast, a study by Julian (2003) to identify the key factors influencing export marketing performance found that export marketing strategy has no effect on the Thai firms export marketing performance. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.0 Research Methodology The research methodology requires collecting data from the secondary sources, which is overview of Malaysian Furniture Industry: Malaysian furniture export, import and destination that are located in the Annual Report from 2007 to 2011 of the Malaysian Furniture Promotion Council (MFPC) that is being published at its website. There are 10 countries being selected based on the complete data and information of the chosen countries. The data is being analyzed using the Shift Share Analysis. Table 3.1 shows the values of Malaysian Furniture Export from the 2006 to 2011 in (RM million). The initial period consists of year 2006 to 2008, while the terminal period consists of year 2009 to 2011. The data is being analyzed using Microsoft Excel. FINDING,ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION Actual Change Let Vj,t represents the values of Malaysia furniture export for country j at the terminal time period t, Vj,t-1 represents the values of Malaysia furniture export for country j at the initial time period t-1, and  Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Vj be the actual change in market j over the specified period of time. Therefore, The formula of Actual change, = 0 , the Malaysian Furniture Export to the particular country remain unchanged > 0 , the Malaysian Furniture Export to the particular country is increasing According to table 4.0, it shows that the value of Malaysia furniture export to 8 out of 10 countries are declining, excluding Singapore which has an increase of RM 442.2 million, and Japan by RM 150.72. B. Total Growth Rate K = Total Value of Malaysia furniture export for terminal period Total Value of Malaysia furniture export for initial period = RM16600.9 million RM17950.45 million = 0.924818041 (92.4818041%) According to Table 4.0 , the total value of Malaysia furniture export for terminal period was RM16600.9 million, and total value of Malaysia furniture export for initial period RM17950.45 million. Therefore, on average, the Malaysia furniture export is declining by 7.5181959% (1-0.924818041). C. Expected Value E(Vj.t )= K(Vj,t-1) The expected export value of Malaysian furniture in each countries at the terminal period, E(Vj.t ), is the actual export value of initial period(Vj,t-1) multiply with the total growth rate (K). D. Expected Change Expected Change is the difference between the expected value at terminal period E ( Vj,t) and actual value for the market at the end of the initial time period, Vj,t-1. Let E( Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Vj) represents the expected change. Thus, E ( Vj) = E ( Vj,t) Vj,t-1 = Vj,t-1 (K-1) E. Net Shift The difference between the actual change and the expected change of a given market is the net shift. This difference is denoted as Nj. Thus, The sum of the net shift values for all markets should be zero: Each country is experiencing 0 growth in Malaysia furniture export. Therefore, there is no relative gain or loss in the value of Malaysia furniture export to these countries in the given time period. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Based on the results, it showed that the sum of the percentage net shift of Malaysian furniture industry to these 10 countries is equal to 0. Therefore, there is no relative gain or loss in furniture export. Therefore, the producers of furniture in Malaysia, particularly wood based furniture segment, have to be alert and adapt to changes in preferences of the importers on these aspects: price, product, place(distribution), and promotion, so that it will be favourable to them. Despite the strong competition from lower priced Chinese and Vietnamese furniture, Malaysian furniture quality is far more superior. The initiative of the government to expand the export market of Malaysian furniture can be seen by penetrating into the Algeria and Greece in the near future. The government also has set an annual growth rate target of 6.5 % for wood based furniture, which estimates to reach up to RM53 billion by year 2020.

Glaciers Essay examples -- Ice Glaciers Essays

Glaciers As many people hear the word glacier they immediately think about the Titanic and how it sank because it ran into a glacier. What many people do not know is the history of glaciers. There are a couple different types of glaciers, for instance the type that the titanic ran into is a Tidewater glacier, which is a glacier that flows in the sea. There are also alpine glaciers which are glaciers that are found in the mountains, and there are Continental glaciers which are associated with the ice ages, and that covers most of the contnents at one time; including Indiana. Glacier ice is the largest amount of fresh water in the world only second to the oceans as the largest reservoir of water total. Glaciers are found on every continent except Australia. Glaciers are more or less permanent bodies of ice and compacted snow that have become deep enough and heavy enough to flow under their own weight. Glaciers require very specific climatic conditions. Glaciers develop where the temperatures are cold enough to allow the snow to accumulate and compacted. Most are found in regions of high snowfall in winter and cool temperatures in summer. These conditions ensure that the snow that accumulates in the winter isn't lost (by melt, evaporation, or calving) during the summer. Such conditions typically prevail in polar and high alpine regions. There are two main types of glaciers: valley glaciers and continental glaciers (Armstrong).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When it comes to the snow lasting ...

Gregor Samsa

Not only was he underrepresented by his undeserving family, but constantly taken advantage of. This awakening resulted in malnutrition and soon after death. The Metamorphosis is told from a third person limited perspective. Thus, a speaker Is never profoundly Introduced; however, the story heavily focuses on Gorge's perspective of events. Because a speaker Is not acknowledged It Is fairly difficult to assume any information, however, one can infer that the speaker comes from a higher middle class based on the characters lifestyle, such as the presence of a maid.Perhaps one can also assume the narrator is male due to. Of course, many would probably disagree with this assertion that a speaker is never clearly addressed, and thus may assume that that the speaker is Gregory himself. And though on one hand, I may agree that Gregory Is Indeed the speaker, I still Insist that the speaker Is simply a narrator. Why? I believe by making the speaker a narrator, It makes any argument or statemen t the speaker wishes to portray more credible. A third person perspective allows the audience to better understand all the characters, or at least feel as though they understand all the characters.The Metamorphosis may be written in third person perspective, but it tends to greatly focus on Gregory and his feelings causing the audience to feel great sympathy for Gregory instead of any other character. I'd Like to change the subject to something that not yet been addressed, the subject. The subject of the book seems to be the grand â€Å"metamorphosis† that is experienced. We as an audience not only experience the physical transformation from Gregory Same as a human to Gregory Same as a bug, but we get to see the aftermath and how it affects each of the characters directly.These â€Å"metamorphoses† are illustrated throughout the plot with the help of the third person limited perspective. Greet Same, Gorge's sister experiences her own transformation from being a girl at the beginning of the book to becoming a woman. She does not just grow physically, but she matures emotionally, but taking on adult duties not required of her before her brother's transformation. Gorge's father also undergoes his own transformation. He goes from a man with no pride or motivation to a man who takes great pride in his work and becomes heavily invested in money. Lastly, Gorge's family as a whole undergoes a separate transformation.At the beginning of the book, the Same family Is hopeless and feels as though their responsibility until completely free from, Gregory. Their separation from Gregory completes their metamorphosis allowing them to feel relieved, secure, and optimistic once again. The author, Franz Kafka articulates a nonchalant attitude about the transformation that has occurred. This attitude is expresses through the characterization used throughout the book. For example the Gorge's character can illustrate the nonchalant tone of the story through his percept ions of his current situation.When Gregory is first transformed into a bug he isn't very distraught or worried, but indifferent. He is only worried about being able to continue in his daily activities and as time continues, Gregory seems to slowly lose interest in becoming â€Å"normal† once again thus, expressing Franz Kava's feelings toward social acceptance and isolation. To a large extent, the entirety of the book appears to be extremely absurd and ironic in that Gorge's transformation though appears a great burden to al, helped released Gregory of all the pressures of daily life.The metamorphosis saved Gregory from his unwanted Job and forced Gregory to trade positions with his family in that they now where in charge of caring for him and everything else they owned. In conclusion, The Metamorphosis, does not simply tell the story of a naive man who turned into a bug, was betrayed by his family, and died. No. The Metamorphosis, I believe is a metaphor something other than Just transformation. I believe in plain context The Metamorphosis, tells the story of an average man, who soon wakes ups and finds he lives a life he is not proud of.This man now see the world in a new light and feels isolated from all those who once understood him. He no longer has the same motivation and feels as though he is a burden to all those he loves resulting in suicide. My point is this: The Metamorphosis entails the story of a typical depressed man. Because the book is told from a third person point of view we see the â€Å"burden† Gregory has caused. However, this idea is not necessarily certain. So it is fairly simple to assume that he was never truly a burden, but delusional as any clinically depressed person would be.

4. Discussion and Analysis About the Link Between Business Intelligence and Web Analytics for Argos

COURSEWORK BRIEF This coursework is worth 60% of the total module marks available for this module. This is an individual piece of work. You have been asked to review and propose a course of action for a large online retailer (www. argos. co. uk) as an independent web analytics consultant. Your review should include an overview of the site, stating where and what web analytics techniques and tools you could use. Indicating the rationale for this and how it could be used to understand visitors' behaviour, clickstream, and how to improve the website's success, performance and business decision making.You should also include in your overview, a discussion about how Argos's business intelligence can be linked to its web analytics data, providing a case for this based on academic theory. This coursework should take the form of a REPORT and should be no longer than 2500 words, excluding executive summary, tables, diagrams and references. It is expected that you provide academic support for your proposed solutions, discussions analysis and recommendations. MARKING CRITERIA The marking criteria are the things that marks will be awarded against.They should not be seen as the structure of the report nor expected headings of your report. †¢ Executive summary ; introduction – 10% †¢ Analysis of the ARGOS Web site – 20% †¢ Discussion and analysis about the link between business intelligence and Web analytics for ARGOS – 20% †¢ Making recommendations/suggestions for the appropriate use of Web analytics tools in order to understand the visitors’ behaviour, improve the Web site usage and business performance – 30% †¢ Conclusions – 10% †¢ Choice of references properly cited within the work – 10%

The Lost Symbol Chapter 119-121

CHAPTER 119 In the chamber at the top of the House of the Temple, the one who called himself Mal'akh stood before the great altar and gently massaged the virgin skin atop his head. Verbum significatium, he chanted in preparation. Verbum omnificum. The final ingredient had been found at last. The most precious treasures are often the simplest. Above the altar, wisps of fragrant smoke now swirled, billowing up from the censer. The suffumigations ascended through the shaft of moonlight, clearing a channel skyward through which a liberated soul could travel freely. The time had come. Mal'akh retrieved the vial of Peter's darkened blood and uncorked it. With his captive looking on, he dipped the nib of the crow's feather into the crimson tincture and raised it to the sacred circle of flesh atop his head. He paused a moment . . . thinking of how long he had waited for this night. His great transformation was finally at hand. When the Lost Word is written on the mind of man, he is then ready to receive unimaginable power. Such was the ancient promise of apotheosis. So far, mankind had been unable to realize that promise, and Mal'akh had done what he could to keep it that way. With a steady hand, Mal'akh touched the nib of the feather to his skin. He needed no mirror, no assistance, only his sense of touch, and his mind's eye. Slowly, meticulously, he began inscribing the Lost Word inside the circular ouroboros on his scalp. Peter Solomon looked on with an expression of horror. When Mal'akh finished, he closed his eyes, set down the feather, and let the air out of his lungs entirely. For the first time in his life, he felt a sensation he had never known. I am complete. I am at one. Mal'akh had worked for years on the artifact that was his body, and now, as he neared his moment of final transformation, he could feel every line that had ever been inscribed on his flesh. I am a true masterpiece. Perfect and complete. â€Å"I gave you what you asked for.† Peter's voice intruded. â€Å"Send help to Katherine. And stop that file.† Mal'akh opened his eyes and smiled. â€Å"You and I are not quite finished.† He turned to the altar and picked up the sacrificial knife, running his finger across the sleek iron blade. â€Å"This ancient knife was commissioned by God,† he said, â€Å"for use in a human sacrifice. You recognized it earlier, no?† Solomon's gray eyes were like stone. â€Å"It is unique, and I've heard the legend.† â€Å"Legend? The account appears in Holy Scripture. You don't believe it's true?† Peter just stared. Mal'akh had spent a fortune locating and obtaining this artifact. Known as the Akedah knife, it had been crafted over three thousand years ago from an iron meteorite that had fallen to earth. Iron from heaven, as the early mystics called it. It was believed to be the exact knife used by Abraham at the Akedah–the near sacrifice of his son Isaac on Mount Moriah–as depicted in Genesis. The knife's astounding history included possession by popes, Nazi mystics, European alchemists, and private collectors. They protected and admired it, Mal'akh thought, but none dared unleash its true power by using it for its real purpose. Tonight, the Akedah knife would fulfill its destiny. The Akedah had always been sacred in Masonic ritual. In the very first degree, Masons celebrated â€Å"the most august gift ever offered to God . . . the submission of Abraham to the volitions of the supreme being by proffering Isaac, his firstborn . . .† The weight of the blade felt exhilarating in Mal'akh's hand as he crouched down and used the freshly sharpened knife to sever the ropes binding Peter to his wheelchair. The bonds fell to the floor. Peter Solomon winced in pain as he attempted to shift his cramped limbs. â€Å"Why are you doing this to me? What do you think this will accomplish?† â€Å"You of all people should understand,† Mal'akh replied. â€Å"You study the ancient ways. You know that the power of the mysteries relies on sacrifice . . . on releasing a human soul from its body. It has been this way since the beginning.† â€Å"You know nothing of sacrifice,† Peter said, his voice seething with pain and loathing. Excellent, Mal'akh thought. Feed your hatred. It will only make this easier. Mal'akh's empty stomach growled as he paced before his captive. â€Å"There is enormous power in the shedding of human blood. Everyone understood that, from the early Egyptians, to the Celtic Druids, to the Chinese, to the Aztecs. There is magic in human sacrifice, but modern man has become weak, too fearful to make true offerings, too frail to give the life that is required for spiritual transformation. The ancient texts are clear, though. Only by offering what is most sacred can man access the ultimate power.† â€Å"You consider me a sacred offering?† Mal'akh now laughed out loud. â€Å"You really don't understand yet, do you?† Peter gave him an odd look. â€Å"Do you know why I have a deprivation tank in my home?† Mal'akh placed his hands on his hips and flexed his elaborately decorated body, which was still covered only by a loincloth. â€Å"I have been practicing . . . preparing . . . anticipating the moment when I am only mind . . . when I am released from this mortal shell . . . when I have offered up this beautiful body to the gods in sacrifice. I am the precious one! I am the pure white lamb!† Peter's mouth fell open but no words came out. â€Å"Yes, Peter, a man must offer to the gods that which he holds most dear. His purest white dove . . . his most precious and worthy offering. You are not precious to me. You are not a worthy offering.† Mal'akh glared at him. â€Å"Don't you see? You are not the sacrifice, Peter . . . I am. Mine is the flesh that is the offering. I am the gift. Look at me. I have prepared, made myself worthy for my final journey. I am the gift!† Peter remained speechless. â€Å"The secret is how to die,† Mal'akh now said. â€Å"Masons understand that.† He pointed to the altar. â€Å"You revere the ancient truths, and yet you are cowards. You understand the power of sacrifice and yet you keep a safe distance from death, performing your mock murders and bloodless death rituals. Tonight, your symbolic altar will bear witness to its true power . . . and its actual purpose.† Mal'akh reached down and grasped Peter Solomon's left hand, pressing the handle of the Akedah knife into his palm. The left hand serves the darkness. This, too, had been planned. Peter would have no choice in the matter. Mal'akh could fathom no sacrifice more potent and symbolic than one performed on this altar, by this man, with this knife, plunged into the heart of an offering whose mortal flesh was wrapped like a gift in a shroud of mystical symbols. With this offering of self, Mal'akh would establish his rank in the hierarchy of demons. Darkness and blood were where the true power lay. The ancients knew this, the Adepts choosing sides consistent with their individual natures. Mal'akh had chosen sides wisely. Chaos was the natural law of the universe. Indifference was the engine of entropy. Man's apathy was the fertile ground in which the dark spirits tended their seeds. I have served them, and they will receive me as a god. Peter did not move. He simply stared down at the ancient knife gripped in his hand. â€Å"I will you,† Mal'akh taunted. â€Å"I am a willing sacrifice. Your final role has been written. You will transform me. You will liberate me from my body. You will do this, or you will lose your sister and your brotherhood. You will truly be all alone.† He paused, smiling down at his captive. â€Å"Consider this your final punishment.† Peter's eyes rose slowly to meet Mal'akh's. â€Å"Killing you? A punishment? Do you think I will hesitate? You murdered my son. My mother. My entire family.† â€Å"No!† Mal'akh exploded with a force that startled even himself. â€Å"You are wrong! I did not murder your family! You did! It was you who made the choice to leave Zachary in prison! And from there, the wheels were in motion! You killed your family, Peter, not me!† Peter's knuckles turned white, his fingers clenching the knife in rage. â€Å"You know nothing of why I left Zachary in prison.† â€Å"I know everything!† Mal'akh fired back. â€Å"I was there. You claimed you were trying to help him. Were you trying to help him when you offered him the choice between wealth or wisdom? Were you trying to help him when you gave him the ultimatum to join the Masons? What kind of father gives a child the choice between `wealth or wisdom' and expects him to know how to handle it! What kind of father leaves his own son in a prison instead of flying him home to safety!† Mal'akh now moved in front of Peter and crouched down, placing his tattooed face only inches from his face. â€Å"But most important . . . what kind of father can look his own son in the eyes . . . even after all these years . . . and not even recognize him!† Mal'akh's words echoed for several seconds in the stone chamber. Then silence. In the abrupt stillness, Peter Solomon seemed to have been jolted from his trance. His face clouded now with a visage of total incredulity. Yes, Father. It's me. Mal'akh had waited years for this moment . . . to take revenge on the man who had abandoned him . . . to stare into those gray eyes and speak the truth that had been buried all these years. Now the moment was here, and he spoke slowly, longing to watch the full weight of his words gradually crush Peter Solomon's soul. â€Å"You should be happy, Father. Your prodigal son has returned.† Peter's face was now as pale as death. Mal'akh savored every moment. â€Å"My own father made the decision to leave me in prison . . . and in that instant, I vowed that he had rejected me for the last time. I was no longer his son. Zachary Solomon ceased to exist.† Two glistening teardrops welled suddenly in his father's eyes, and Mal'akh thought they were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Peter choked back tears, staring up at Mal'akh's face as if seeing him for the very first time. â€Å"All the warden wanted was money,† Mal'akh said, â€Å"but you refused. It never occurred to you, though, that my money was just as green as yours. The warden did not care who paid him, only that he was paid. When I offered to pay him handsomely, he selected a sickly inmate about my size, dressed him in my clothes, and beat him beyond all recognition. The photos you saw . . . and the sealed casket you buried . . . they were not mine. They belonged to a stranger.† Peter's tear-streaked face contorted now with anguish and disbelief. â€Å"Oh my God . . . Zachary.† â€Å"Not anymore. When Zachary walked out of prison, he was transformed.† His adolescent physique and childlike face had drastically mutated when he flooded his young body with experimental growth hormones and steroids. Even his vocal cords had been ravaged, transforming his boyish voice into a permanent whisper. Zachary became Andros. Andros became Mal'akh. And tonight . . . Mal'akh will become his greatest incarnation of all. At that moment in Kalorama Heights, Katherine Solomon stood over the open desk drawer and gazed down at what could be described only as a fetishist's collection of old newspaper articles and photographs. â€Å"I don't understand,† she said, turning to Bellamy. â€Å"This lunatic was obviously obsessed with my family, but–â€Å" â€Å"Keep going . . .† urged Bellamy, taking a seat and still looking deeply shaken. Katherine dug deeper into the newspaper articles, every one of which related to the Solomon family–Peter's many successes, Katherine's research, their mother Isabel's terrible murder, Zachary Solomon's widely publicized drug use, incarceration, and brutal murder in a Turkish prison. The fixation this man had on the Solomon family was beyond fanatical, and yet Katherine saw nothing yet to suggest why. It was then that she saw the photographs. The first showed Zachary standing knee-deep in azure water on a beach dotted with whitewashed houses. Greece? The photo, she assumed, could have been taken only during Zach's freewheeling drug days in Europe. Strangely, though, Zach looked healthier than he did in the paparazzi shots of an emaciated kid partying with the drug crowd. He looked more fit, stronger somehow, more mature. Katherine never recalled him looking so healthy. Puzzled, she checked the date stamp on the photo. But that's . . . impossible. The date was almost a full year after Zachary had died in prison. Suddenly Katherine was flipping desperately through the stack. All of the photos were of Zachary Solomon . . . gradually getting older. The collection appeared to be some kind of pictorial autobiography, chronicling a slow transformation. As the pictures progressed, Katherine saw a sudden and dramatic change. She looked on in horror as Zachary's body began mutating, his muscles bulging, and his facial features morphing from the obvious heavy use of steroids. His frame seemed to double in mass, and a haunting fierceness crept into his eyes. I don't even recognize this man! He looked nothing like Katherine's memories of her young nephew. When she reached a picture of him with a shaved head, she felt her knees begin to buckle. Then she saw a photo of his bare body . . . adorned with the first traces of tattoos. Her heart almost stopped. â€Å"Oh my God . . .† CHAPTER 120 â€Å"Right turn!† Langdon shouted from the backseat of the commandeered Lexus SUV. Simkins swerved onto S Street and gunned the vehicle through a tree-lined residential neighborhood. As they neared the corner of Sixteenth Street, the House of the Temple rose like a mountain on the right. Simkins stared up at the massive structure. It looked like someone had built a pyramid on top of Rome's Pantheon. He prepared to turn right on Sixteenth toward the front of the building. â€Å"Don't turn!† Langdon ordered. â€Å"Go straight! Stay on S!† Simkins obeyed, driving alongside the east side of the building. â€Å"At Fifteenth,† Langdon said, â€Å"turn right!† Simkins followed his navigator, and moments later, Langdon had pointed out a nearly invisible, unpaved access road that bisected the gardens behind the House of the Temple. Simkins turned in to the drive and gunned the Lexus toward the rear of the building. â€Å"Look!† Langdon said, pointing to the lone vehicle parked near the rear entrance. It was a large van. â€Å"They're here.† Simkins parked the SUV and killed the engine. Quietly, everyone got out and prepared to move in. Simkins stared up at the monolithic structure. â€Å"You say the Temple Room is at the top?† Langdon nodded, pointing all the way to the pinnacle of the building. â€Å"That flat area on top of the pyramid is actually a skylight.† Simkins spun back to Langdon. â€Å"The Temple Room has a skylight?† Langdon gave him an odd look. â€Å"Of course. An oculus to heaven . . . directly above the altar.† The UH-60 sat idling at Dupont Circle. In the passenger seat, Sato gnawed at her fingernails, awaiting news from her team. Finally, Simkins's voice crackled over the radio. â€Å"Director?† â€Å"Sato here,† she barked. â€Å"We're entering the building, but I have some additional recon for you.† â€Å"Go ahead.† â€Å"Mr. Langdon just informed me that the room in which the target is most likely located has a very large skylight.† Sato considered the information for several seconds. â€Å"Understood. Thank you.† Simkins signed off. Sato spit out a fingernail and turned to the pilot. â€Å"Take her up.† CHAPTER 121 Like any parent who had lost a child, Peter Solomon had often imagined how old his boy would be now . . . what he would look like . . . and what he would have become. Peter Solomon now had his answers. The massive tattooed creature before him had begun life as a tiny, precious infant . . . baby Zach curled up in a wicker bassinette . . . taking his first fumbling steps across Peter's study . . . learning to speak his first words. The fact that evil could spring from an innocent child in a loving family remained one of the paradoxes of the human soul. Peter had been forced to accept early on that although his own blood flowed in his son's veins, the heart pumping that blood was his son's own. Unique and singular . . . as if randomly chosen from the universe. My son . . . he killed my mother, my friend Robert Langdon, and possibly my sister. An icy numbness flooded Peter's heart as he searched his son's eyes for any connection . . . anything familiar. The man's eyes, however, although gray like Peter's, were those of a total stranger, filled with a hatred and a vengefulness that were almost otherworldly. â€Å"Are you strong enough?† his son taunted, glancing at the Akedah knife gripped in Peter's hand. â€Å"Can you finish what you started all those years ago?† â€Å"Son . . .† Solomon barely recognized his own voice. â€Å"I . . . I loved . . . you.† â€Å"Twice you tried to kill me. You abandoned me in prison. You shot me on Zach's bridge. Now finish it!† For an instant, Solomon felt like he was floating outside his own body. He no longer recognized himself. He was missing a hand, was totally bald, dressed in a black robe, sitting in a wheelchair, and clutching an ancient knife. â€Å"Finish it!† the man shouted again, the tattoos on his naked chest rippling. â€Å"Killing me is the only way you can save Katherine . . . the only way to save your brotherhood!† Solomon felt his gaze move to the laptop and cellular modem on the pigskin chair. SENDING MESSAGE: 92% COMPLETE His mind could not shake the images of Katherine bleeding to death . . . or of his Masonic brothers. â€Å"There is still time,† the man whispered. â€Å"You know it's the only choice. Release me from my mortal shell.† â€Å"Please,† Solomon said. â€Å"Don't do this . . .† â€Å"You did this!† the man hissed. â€Å"You forced your child to make an impossible choice! Do you remember that night? Wealth or wisdom? That was the night you pushed me away forever. But I've returned, Father . . . and tonight it is your turn to choose. Zachary or Katherine? Which will it be? Will you kill your son to save your sister? Will you kill your son to save your brotherhood? Your country? Or will you wait until it's too late? Until Katherine is dead . . . until the video is public . . . until you must live the rest of your life knowing you could have stopped these tragedies. Time is running out. You know what must be done.† Peter's heart ached. You are not Zachary, he told himself. Zachary died long, long ago. Whatever you are . . . and wherever you came from . . . you are not of me. And although Peter Solomon did not believe his own words, he knew he had to make a choice. He was out of time. Find the Grand Staircase! Robert Langdon dashed through darkened hallways, winding his way toward the center of the building. Turner Simkins remained close on his heels. As Langdon had hoped, he burst out into the building's main atrium. Dominated by eight Doric columns of green granite, the atrium looked like a hybrid sepulcher– Greco-Roman-Egyptian–with black marble statues, chandelier fire bowls, Teutonic crosses, double-headed phoenix medallions, and sconces bearing the head of Hermes. Langdon turned and ran toward the sweeping marble staircase at the far end of the atrium. â€Å"This leads directly to the Temple Room,† he whispered as the two men ascended as quickly and quietly as possible. On the first landing, Langdon came face-to-face with a bronze bust of Masonic luminary Albert Pike, along with the engraving of his most famous quote: WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR OURSELVES ALONE DIES WITH US; WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR OTHERS AND THE WORLD REMAINS AND IS IMMORTAL. Mal'akh had sensed a palpable shift in the atmosphere of the Temple Room, as if all the frustration and pain Peter Solomon had ever felt was now boiling to the surface . . . focusing itself like a laser on Mal'akh. Yes . . . it is time. Peter Solomon had risen from his wheelchair and was standing now, facing the altar, gripping the knife. â€Å"Save Katherine,† Mal'akh coaxed, luring him toward the altar, backing up, and finally laying his own body down on the white shroud he had prepared. â€Å"Do what you need to do.† As if moving through a nightmare, Peter inched forward. Mal'akh reclined fully now onto his back, gazing up through the oculus at the wintry moon. The secret is how to die. This moment could not be any more perfect. Adorned with the Lost Word of the ages, I offer myself by the left hand of my father. Mal'akh drew a deep breath. Receive me, demons, for this is my body, which is offered for you. Standing over Mal'akh, Peter Solomon was trembling. His tear-soaked eyes shone with desperation, indecision, anguish. He looked one last time toward the modem and laptop across the room. â€Å"Make the choice,† Mal'akh whispered. â€Å"Release me from my flesh. God wants this. You want this.† He laid his arms at his side and arched his chest forward, offering up his magnificent double-headed phoenix. Help me shed the body that clothes my soul. Peter's tearful eyes seemed to be staring through Mal'akh now, not even seeing him. â€Å"I killed your mother!† Mal'akh whispered. â€Å"I killed Robert Langdon! I'm murdering your sister! I'm destroying your brotherhood! Do what you have to do!† Peter Solomon's visage now contorted into a mask of absolute grief and regret. He threw his head back and screamed in anguish as he raised the knife. Robert Langdon and Agent Simkins arrived breathless outside the Temple Room doors as a bloodcurdling scream erupted from within. It was Peter's voice. Langdon was certain. Peter's cry was one of absolute agony. I'm too late! Ignoring Simkins, Langdon seized the handles and yanked open the doors. The horrific scene before him confirmed his worst fears. There, in the center of the dimly lit chamber, the silhouette of a man with a shaved head stood at the great altar. He wore a black robe, and his hand was clutching a large blade. Before Langdon could move, the man was driving the knife down toward the body that lay outstretched on the altar. Mal'akh had closed his eyes. So beautiful. So perfect. The ancient blade of the Akedah knife had glinted in the moonlight as it arched over him. Scented wisps of smoke had spiraled upward above him, preparing a pathway for his soon-to-be- liberated soul. His killer's lone scream of torment and desperation still rang through the sacred space as the knife came down. I am besmeared with the blood of human sacrifice and parents' tears. Mal'akh braced for the glorious impact. His moment of transformation had arrived. Incredibly, he felt no pain. A thunderous vibration filled his body, deafening and deep. The room began shaking, and a brilliant white light blinded him from above. The heavens roared. And Mal'akh knew it had happened. Exactly as he had planned. Langdon did not remember sprinting toward the altar as the helicopter appeared overhead. Nor did he remember leaping with his arms out-stretched . . . soaring toward the man in the black robe . . . trying desperately to tackle him before he could plunge the knife down a second time. Their bodies collided, and Langdon saw a bright light sweep down through the oculus and illuminate the altar. He expected to see the bloody body of Peter Solomon on the altar, but the naked chest that shone in the light had no blood on it at all . . . only a tapestry of tattoos. The knife lay broken beside him, apparently having been driven into the stone altar rather than into flesh. As he and the man in the black robe crashed together onto the hard stone floor, Langdon saw the bandaged nub on the end of the man's right arm, and he realized to his bewilderment that he had just tackled Peter Solomon. As they slid together across the stone floor, the helicopter's searchlights blazed down from above. The chopper thundered in low, its skids practically touching the expansive wall of glass. On the front of the helicopter, a strange-looking gun rotated, aiming downward through the glass. The red beam of its laser scope sliced through the skylight and danced across the floor, directly toward Langdon and Solomon. No! But there was no gunfire from above . . . only the sound of the helicopter blades. Langdon felt nothing but an eerie ripple of energy that shimmered through his cells. Behind his head, on the pigskin chair, the laptop hissed strangely. He spun in time to see its screen suddenly flash to black. Unfortunately, the last visible message had been clear. SENDING MESSAGE: 100% COMPLETE Pull up! Damn it! Up! The UH-60 pilot threw his rotors into overdrive, trying to keep his skids from touching any part of the large glass skylight. He knew the six thousand pounds of lift force that surged downward from his rotors was already straining the glass to its breaking point. Unfortunately, the incline of the pyramid beneath the helicopter was efficiently shedding the thrust sideways, robbing him of lift. Up! Now! He tipped the nose, trying to skim away, but the left strut hit the center of the glass. It was only for an instant, but that was all it took. The Temple Room's massive oculus exploded in a swirl of glass and wind . . . sending a torrent of jagged shards plummeting into the room below. Stars falling from heaven. Mal'akh stared up into the beautiful white light and saw a veil of shimmering jewels fluttering toward him . . . accelerating . . . as if racing to shroud him in their splendor. Suddenly there was pain. Everywhere. Stabbing. Searing. Slashing. Razor-sharp knives piercing soft flesh. Chest, neck, thighs, face. His body tightened all at once, recoiling. His blood-filled mouth cried out as the pain ripped him from his trance. The white light above transformed itself, and suddenly, as if by magic, a dark helicopter was suspended above him, its thundering blades driving an icy wind down into the Temple Room, chilling Mal'akh to the core and dispersing the wisps of incense to the distant corners of the room. Mal'akh turned his head and saw the Akedah knife lying broken by his side, smashed upon the granite altar, which was covered in a blanket of shattered glass. Even after everything I did to him . . . Peter Solomon averted the knife. He refused to spill my blood. With welling horror, Mal'akh raised his head and peered down along the length of his own body. This living artifact was to have been his great offering. But it lay in tatters. His body was drenched in blood . . . huge shards of glass protruding from his flesh in all directions. Weakly, Mal'akh lowered his head back to the granite altar and stared up through the open space in the roof. The helicopter was gone now, in its place a silent, wintry moon. Wide-eyed, Mal'akh lay gasping for breath . . . all alone on the great altar.