Individual in Society

Comparative essay The elective ‘the individual in society’ explores the conflict between autonomy and the social conventions that inscribe human behaviour. All societies require conformity, and fear of rejection can allow an individual to compromise their values in order to be accepted. The social constraints of any society can only be understood within their context and both Persuasion and Muriel’s wedding explore the superficial paradigms of marriage, friendship and social class.The restrictive Georgian society in Persuasion where patriarchal institutions position women as objects of economic exchange serves to limit their individuality, whilst Muriel’s wedding offers insight into the social codes that confine the individual both emotionally and physically. When comparing both texts, the fickle nature of romance is incoherent outside of its contextual parameters. This essay also highlights the distinctive difference between the individual’s attribu tes compared to other characters. In Persuasion by Jane Austen emotional and physical boundaries are placed by society restricting individuals such as Anne.Superficial values including class, status, marriage and appearance are held with high importance for many characters such as for Sir Walter Elliot. This is shown through ‘vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot’s character. Vanity of person and of situation’. The repetition ‘Vanity’ is used to exemplify Sir Walter’s pride and stupidity of ‘person’ meaning appearance and beauty and ‘situation’ meaning status. By her use of irony in his comment Anne gives a subtle moral judgement on Sir Walter, and all who possess his qualities of vanity and stupidity.In Muriel’s Wedding by PJ Hogans also depicts the importance of superficial values such as reputation among the characters. This is shown when Muriel’s friend Nicole uses satire â€Å"W e don't want you hanging around us anymore†. The use of satire adds humour to criticize Muriel’s friend exaggerated stupidity. Muriel’s friends continuously worry about the physical appearance as shown in: â€Å"We've told you a thousand times how to do your hair but you never listen. You never wear the right clothes. † Cheryl uses 1st person and 2nd person to signify the difference between them and Muriel, highlighting her isolation from the rest of the group.This adds peer pressure for Muriel to conform to be accepted by the popular group. In Muriel’s wedding the characters only find pleasure through false appearances of marriage they believe it symbolise to them that they are successful because they found someone with high status and appearance. Irony and satire is used to ridicule Sophie Lee’s foolishness that even though her husband cheated on her she continues to appreciate him because of his appearance and status as shown in â€Å"You 'v got to find people in your own level. Like i found chook.He's on my level. Marrying him was the happiest day of my life. I love him so much. That bastard! I'll show him. I'll go on this holiday and sleep with a thousand men. † Muriel is influenced by her and societies expectations of marriage. This is shown when David asks â€Å"what kind of person marries someone they don’t love? † The use of rhetorical question makes the audience consider that Muriel only married because she is obsessed with the appearance of marriage. Marriage in this film equates to acceptance from society because it reflects success.This limits her individuality until the final scenes her true sense of worth comes back after her mother dies that she finally realises that she has not been truthful she repeats the use of first person â€Å"i† to signify the continues lies she has told â€Å"i can’t marry to you, David. I have to stop lying now. I’ve told so many lies. I don’t love you†. In the end she accepts her individuality and is confident within herself and says â€Å"goodbye† to different locations of Porpoise Spit to symbolise that she is free from all the emotional restrictions that Porpoise Spit had placed on her.Unlike Muriel, Rhonda is confident with herself and does not attempt to fit in. She is different from the girls physically and emotionally. The Sophie Lee characters wear similar bright coloured clothes the flamboyant colours of their costume may reflect that they are seeking attention and the similarity in design and colours between the girls’ dresses, hair styles, personality show they are attempting to belong in a group and shows no individuality. Whereas in contrasts to Rhonda’s dark black cropped hair is in difference to Sophie lee, her friends and Muriel.Her character also depicts that she is an individual as she is outspoken and honest. This is shown when she says â€Å"Nicole’s h aving an affair with Chook. Muriel saw them fucking in the laundry room on your wedding day. Stick your drink up your ass, Tania! I'd rather swallow razor blades than have a drink with you. Oh, by the way†¦ I'm not alone. I'm with Muriel. † Her confidence is portrayed through the use of coarse, upfront language and that she tells the truth.The symbol â€Å"razor blades† also portrays this confidence that she is so self-assured that she looks at them as beneath her she exaggerates her opinion of them through this symbol. In conclusion there are many pressures within each society in Muriel’s wedding and Persuasion which confine the individuals Anne and Muriel. There are many factors considered that show Muriel and Anne as individual. Anne does not derive the same pleasure as others in her Georgian society from superficial values such as status, wealth and appearance.In an often satirical portrait of the men and, women Austen subtly and ironically points out fa ults in the system, raising questions about the values of English society and the power structure of the country. Similarly Muriel is also an individual as she does not belong but attempts to conform within the late 20th century suburbia social codes. At the final scenes of the movie she realises that she has told many lies and accepts her individuality. Muriel is an outcast and an individual in the initial scenes of the film. She attempts to conform within the group.This is portrayed when the group rejects her because she is so different from them but Muriel says â€Å"Listen, i know I’m not normal, but i’m tryin to change. † This depicts her desperation to be in the group and low self-esteem, as she even considers herself as worthless using the description â€Å"not normal†. Patriarchal society in which men held the economic and social power. In restrictive Georgian society women attempt to gain a livelihood through a successful marriage which constrain ts Anne to marry her true love Wentworth as he does not have status nor wealth.

Seismic Analysis

EVALUATION OF SEPERATION GAP BETWEEN MULTISTOREY BUILDINGS SUBJECTED TO DYNAMIC SEISMIC LOAD Dr. G Sridevi1*(0000-0002-5922-3132), Mr. Umesh Biradar 2(0000-0003-0087-9433), Mr. G Sudarshan 3(0000-0002-5129-5465) and , Mr. A Shivaraj 4(0000-0002-7437-1256) 1234 B V Raju Institute of Technology, Narsapur, India Abstract : When structures are under earthquake forces, adjacent structure may collide with each other due to different dynamic characteristics. When building vibrates out of phase and separated gap between buildings are not sufficient to accommodate their relative motions, this can cause severe damage to the structures and it is known as seismic pounding. Most of the time it is not possible to maintain sufficient pounding gap between adjacent buildings. Present work evaluate the minimum separation gap required between high-rise building models considered. Two high-rise building of 10 storey and 15 storey are modelled and analysed for dynamic time history analysis for the EI Centro ground motions and minimum pounding gap between buildings has been discussed.Keywords : Seismic Pounding, RC Building, ETABS, Time History Analysis.INTRODUCTIONBecause of expanding population and land esteems, structures are being built to close to each other. During a quake it is expected that, they will pound against each other. This repeated collision activity is referred as seismic pounding. Pounding of structures could have cause severe damage, as neighbouring structures with various dynamic attributes vibrate out of phase and there is inadequate separation gap to accommodate the relative movements of adjacent structures. This highly congested construction system in the metropolitan cities is the major concern for the seismic pounding. The most simple and viable method for controlling the issue and diminish the harm caused by it is to give enough separation gap between the adjacent structures.LITERATUREShehata (2006) examined structure pounding response and proper seismic hazard dissipation technique. Three categories of recorded earthquake excitation are used for input. The effect of impact is studied using linear and nonlinear contact force model for different separation distances and compared with nominal model without pounding consideration. And it is concluded that, an increasing gap width is likely to be effective to minimize the effect of seismic pounding. Mizam Dogan et.al (2009) carried stress examinations on outline models for various effect focuses and investigation on pounding. It is concluded that pounding forces are not totally absorbable on account of their high esteems but rather their consequences for structure can be decreased by setting versatile materials between adjacent structures or by strengthening basic frameworks.Pushover is a static nonlinear analysis method to estimate seismic structural deformations. It gives force displacement relationship of a structure or structural element. Horizontal load is applied in a specified pattern in increments and for a given applied shear force, associated displacement is found until it reaches its maximum capacity of deformation. As the storey drift increases the columns are subjected to additional moment leading to the failure of the structure. A B Kawade et.al studied the minimum gap to be provided between the adjacent buildings using push over analysis. Response spectrum analysis was carried out by taking the data of EI Centro earthquake on different models. The results indicated that the acceleration and shear force produced because of pounding varies with the storey height and peak storey drift depends on the ground excitation characteristics. The effect of pounding is observed to be more predominate when floor levels of adjacent building are different constructing separate buildings with equal floor heights is one of viable solutions to prevent seismic structural pounding. It was also observed that the separation distance to be maintained increases with the increase in peak ground acceleration values.Jeng-Hsiang Lin et.al (2002) investigated the seismic pounding probability of buildings in the Taipei metropolitan area. Detailed procedures of the analytical method are presented. And concludes that pounding probability of adjacent buildings is found to be significantly affected by the natural period of individual buildings and the period ratio of the adjacent buildings. Due to the lack of proper treatment of the vibration phases of adjacent buildings, it is found that the method used in the current Taiwan Building Code (TBC'97) provides poor estimates for the required building separation distance and produces a non-uniform risk for all the cases investigated in this study.MOTIVATION AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDYTo Study the Dynamic Behaviour of Tall Structures.To Evaluate Seismic Pounding Effect of Adjacent Buildings with Consideration of Vertical Geometrical Irregularity.To Study the Influence of Shear Walls on Seismic Pounding Effect.MODEL DESCRIPTIONIn Present Study Total 3 Models have been Modelled to Evaluate Dynamic Behaviour of High Rise Buildings by Considering Vertical Geometrical Irregularities.M odel 1 : A Plan which consists adjacent multi storey buildings one is 10 Storey and the other one is 15 Storey with a separation of 100mm with Masonry infill walls.Model 2 : A Plan which consists adjacent multi storey buildings one is 10 Storey and the other one is 15 Storey with a separation of 100mm in this particular model all infill walls are modelled and designed as shear walls.-47625012700Fig 1 : Plan View of the Buildings1219200176530Fig 2 : Isometric View of ETABS Model1104900191770Fig 3 : Elevation of ETABS ModelMETHODOLOGYThe principle objective is to evaluate the effects of seismic pounding between two closely spaced multi-storey buildings, to understand the minimum seismic gap between the buildings, modelling is done to study the response of buildings under pounding during EI Centro earthquake.In order to observe pounding effect between adjacent buildings, two RC buildings of 10 and 15 storey are considered. Both buildings have been modelled and analysed in ETABS 2015 so ftware. Based on the analysis results the clear separation distance is provided. all 3 models have been analysed for nonlinear time history analysis to study dynamic behaviour of buildings. The output results were obtained.In Time History Analysis the ground motion records are given as input. The time history analysis has the ability to perform linear as well as non linear analysis . The ability of this method to account for bidirectional effects by applying three components of ground motion helps in predicting the response more precisely. In a Linear analysis, it is assumed that the displacement of whole structure does not exceed elastic limit under the application of design forces. when the structure deforms more than elastic limit, non linearity of the structure in terms of geometry or material are to be considered. Bureau of Indian Standards clearly gives in its code IS 4326, that a Separation distance is to be provided between buildings to avoid collision during an earthquake. The IS code provisions are mentioned in following Table.Fig 4 : Gap Width for Adjoining Structure as per IS 4326 ( Table 1 )Table 1 : Seismic ParametersSoil Type MediumResponse Reduction Factor, R 5Importance Factor, I 1.5Zone IVTable 2 : Material PropertiesConcrete cube strength, fck30 N/mm2 (M30)Characteristics strength of reinforcing steel, fy415N/mm2(Fe 415)Modulus of elasticity of concrete, E 29.5 kN/mm2Unit weight of concrete 25 kN/m3 Table 3 : Sectional PropertiesName of the Element Size in mmBeam 1 300 * 400Beam 2 300 * 500Beam 3 350 * 600Column 1 300 * 300Column 2 300 * 400Column 3 300 * 500Column 4 300 * 600Column 5 300 * 700Slabs 125Exterior walls,w1 300Interior walls,w2 230 6. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Dynamic Time History Analysis of considered models have been performed in ETABS Software. EI Centro Ground Motions were considered as Input Data for Analysis. Effect of Pounding is studied with a reference to storey displacement. The Storey Height Vs Storey Displacement graph has been plotted to understand the dynamic behaviour of Structure.Fig 2 : Storey Displacement Curve for Model 1Fig 2 : Storey Displacement Curve for Model 2Fig 3 : Storey Displacement Curve for Model 37. CONCLUSION :Stiffness of building has got a great influence on displacements in respective directions. In Model – I separation gap between adjacent buildings are 100 mm. Displacement observed was 509.883 mm in X direction and 31.881 mm in Y direction. When masonry wall are replaced with shear wall, lateral displacement has reduced in considerable amount to 36.74 % and 80.8 % in X and Y direction respectively.Effect of pounding can be reduced by providing safe separation gap. By the result of Model – I we can conclude that minimum safe separation gap between building is 540 mm.Stiffness of building can be enhanced by adopting shear wall to reduce the pounding effectREFERENCESA.B. Kawade , Mr. Abhijeet A. Sahane â€Å"Seismic pounding effect in building† Amrutvahini college of engineering, Sangamner.Alireza M.Goltabar.R, Shamstabar Kami, A.Ebadi, (2008) â€Å"Analyzing the effective parameters in Pounding Phenomenon between Adjacent Structure due to Earthquake†,The 14th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, pp. 12-17, Beijing, China.Diego Lopez Garcia, (2004)â€Å"Separation between Adjacent Nonlinear Structures for Prevention of Seismic Pounding†, 13th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Paper No. 478.Jeng-Hsiang Lin, Cheng-Chiang Weng, (2002)â€Å"A Study on Seismic Pounding Probability of Buildings In Taipei Metropolitan Area†, Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 123-135.K.Kasai, V.Jeng, P.C.Patel ; J.A.Munshi â€Å"Seismic Pounding Effects – Survey and Analysis† Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago,USA.Mizam Dogan and Ayten Gunaydin, (2009)â€Å"Pounding of Adjacent RC Buildings During Seismic Loads†, Journal of Engineering and Architecture, Vol: XXII, No: 1.Raja Rizwan Hussain et.al. (2013)â€Å"Non-linear FEM Analysis of seismic Induced Pounding between Neighbouring Multi-Storey Structures†, Latin American Journal of solids and structures, pp. 921-939.Shehata E. Abdel Raheem, (2006)â€Å"Seismic Pounding between Adj acent Building Structures†, Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 6, pp.66-74.Susendar Muthukumar and Reginald DesRoches, (2006)â€Å"A Hertz contact model with non-linear damping for pounding simulation†, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, Vol.35, pp.811-828.Weng Dagen, Li Tao Bashar Alfarah, Fransisco Lopez-Almansa (2017)â€Å"Non linear time history analysis of a base isolated RC building in shanghai founded on soft soil† Tongji University, Technical university of catalonia, paper No. 2634.

Mutual Funds

INVESTIGATING MUTUAL FUNDS IN GHANA: IT’S RISK, RETURN AND PERFORMANCE ABSTRACT Over the years, investors have been attracted to mutual funds. This study seeks to do an-depth analysis of the Ghanaian mutual fund industry between the years 2006 and 2010. An exhaustive literature review on mutual funds and portfolio diversification will be conducted. An assessment of the performance of mutual funds will be done using the Sharpe and Sortino ratios as well as the Jensen Alpha. Comparisons will be made with analogous indices to determine the attractiveness of the industry. The investment strategy of fund managers will also be analysed and recommendations made. This paper will provide investors with a broad overview of the Ghanaian mutual fund industry, its inherent risks and returns. INTRODUCTION The potential conflict between mutual fund companies and the people who invest in them is a classic example of an agency problem. Consumers would like the fund in which they invest to use its judgment to maximize risk-adjusted expected returns (Chevalier and Ellison, 1997). Measuring the performance, risk and returns of mutual funds thus becomes imperative as rational investors need such information to make investment decisions. According to an article published by All Africa on the 8th of November, 2010, figures released by Ghana’s statistical service indicated that the country’s economy stood at GH? 44 billion, 60% more than estimated earlier. Per this figure, the country was deemed to have attained middle income status. Ghana recorded at the time, the largest Per Capita Income in West Africa and ranked 21st in the continent. The Ghanaian economy’s steady growth has attracted both domestic and international investors. Among the many investment opportunities in the country available to investors is the attractive mutual fund industry which provides numerous benefits to its investors. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the number of mutual fund companies increased from 7 in the year 2008 to 9 in 2009. The total Net Asset Value of funds under management by mutual funds companies was GH? 95,817,222. 27 in 2009 while total fund mobilization stood at GH? 40,433,682. 0. A summary of the performance of the mutual fund industry in 2009 is shown in tables 1 and 2 in the appendix. This information provides several points of interest as to how the Ghanaian mutual fund industry has performed over the years and more importantly how it compares to other analogous mutual funds in the continent and elsewhere. This has informed the choice of enquiry and the need for research in the proposed area. M easuring the performance, risk and returns of mutual funds in the Ghanaian financial market has implications for a host of stakeholders. AIMS AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The general objective of this research is to assess the risks and returns associated with investing in mutual funds in Ghana. The study also aims to draw a comparison between the performance of the Ghanaian mutual funds industry and similar financial markets. To achieve the general objectives, the following specific objectives have been formulated to guide in data collection and analysis. 1. To identify what makes mutual funds attractive to investors in Ghana 2. To identify the types of mutual funds available to Ghanaian investors 3. To measure the performance of mutual funds between 2006 and 2010 4. To compare Ghanaian mutual funds performance with similar market indices 5. To make recommendations to improve the management of mutual funds LITERATURE REVIEW According to Haslem, 2009, investing in Mutual funds has with many advantages. A primary advantage is the professional management of investors’ money. Investors purchase funds because they do not have the time or the expertise to manage their own portfolio. Secondly, by owning shares in a mutual fund instead of owning individual stocks or bonds, an investor’s risk is spread out. The idea behind diversification is to invest in a large number of assets so that a loss in any particular investment is minimized by gains in others. Again, if you buy only one security at a time, the transaction fees will be relatively large. Mutual funds are able to take advantage of their buying and selling size and thereby reduce transaction costs for investors. Finally, mutual funds boost liquidity as an investor can also sell his shares at any time. International mutual funds are key contributors to the globalization of financial markets and one of the main sources of capital flows to emerging economies. Despite their importance in emerging markets, little is known about their investment allocation and strategies (Kaminsky et al. , 2001). Fund managers however have numerous strategies for stock selection, identifying underappreciated or cheap securities, seeking growth potential and following past price trends (Chan et al. , 2002). According to them, most mutual funds adopt investment styles that cluster around a broad market benchmark. Few funds take extreme positions away from the index, but those who do are more likely to favor growth stocks and past winners. Licensing requirements for operating a mutual fund in Ghana A Mutual Fund Company must be incorporated under the Companies Code 1963 (Act 197) as a public limited liability company with the sole aim of holding and managing portfolio of securities and other financial assets. An application is then made by the company to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a license to operate the fund. Company regulation, Management agreement, Custodial agreement and a Prospectus are required by the commission for review before a license is issued (SEC, 2011). These stringent requirements help ensure a robust industry with compliant firms. Measuring mutual funds performance Considerable progress has been made in three closely related areas – the theory of portfolio selection, the theory of the pricing of capital assets under conditions of risk and the behavior of stock-market prices. Results obtained in all three areas are relevant for evaluating mutual fund performance (Sharpe, 1966). A number of measures have been used over the years for measuring the performance of mutual funds. The Sharpe ratio, Sortino ratio and Jensen Alpha are among the few distinguished ones. METHODS OF ANALYSING DATA Data to be analysed will be gathered from company websites. There are a few methodologies that I intend to use for the purposes of analyzing data collected. These will measure the performance of Ghanaian mutual funds, asses its risk, volatility and return. * Sharpe Ratio This is a ratio developed by William F. Sharpe, a Nobel laureate, for the measuring of risk-adjusted performance in 1966. It measures the amount of excess return per unit of volatility provided by a fund. It is calculated by divided the excess return of a fund by its volatility. Algebraically, we have: Sharpe Ratiop All numbers are expressed usually expressed on an annual basis, so the Sharpe ratio itself is expressed on an annual basis. The interpretation of the Sharpe ratio is straightforward: the higher the ratio the better. A high ratio means that the fund delivered a high return for its level of volatility. In contrast, a ratio of 1. 0 indicates a return on investment that is proportional to the risk taken in achieving that return. A Sharpe ratio of less than 1. 0 shows a return on investment lower than the risk taken (Lhabitant, 2006). This ratio is appropriate for measuring the performance of mutual funds in Ghana for the purposes of the study. Sortino Ratio This ratio was developed by Frank Sortino. It is an extension of the idea behind the Sharpe ratio that calls for attention to an investor’s return target or minimal accepted return (MAR). The ratio uses target semi deviation in the denominator instead of the standard deviation. This is particularly useful when the return target is of importance to the investor (Christopherson et al. , 2009). * Jensen Alpha The average return on a portfolio over and above that predicted by the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), given the portfolio's beta and the average market return. Developed by Michael C. Jensen, this measure of a portfolio's alpha value is the most widely used measure of the risk to return trade-off. It is also known as the abnormal return or the risk adjusted excess return (Russell, 2011). The skewness and kurtosis of the distribution of the data will also be analysed and discussed whiles comparing risk and return. RESEARCH STRATEGY, TIME SCALES AND RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS This research will involve the gathering and analysis of quantitative data available to the public. Literature on existing research in mutual funds assessment will be discussed. Other electronic sources of information such as online journals, articles, eBooks and databases will be accessed. Business reports and articles published in Ghanaian newspapers and journals such as the Securities and Exchange Commission Reports will also be consulted. The risk and return of a sample of mutual funds in Ghana will be calculated and discussed. A comparison will then be made with a benchmark performance in a market that has macroeconomic conditions similar to Ghana. This is justified as it enables logical submissions to be made from the comparisons. The use of financial markets indices will be employed. Conclusions will be drawn and recommendations made on how fund managers can heighten the performance of mutual funds in Ghana. Any lapses in the Ghanaian mutual funds industry will be pointed out. There will be no questionnaires involved or the gathering of primary data for the purposes of this study. Microsoft Excel and SPSS are the software packages that will be used to analyse data. No costs will be incurred for their usage as they are already in my possession. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY Secondary data has the limitation of not being effective in predicting the future. Time constraints may also be faced as a number of mutual funds will have to be analysed individually and compared with other indices. The later limitation will however be overcome by effective time management and committing to the developed Gantt chart. RESEARCH ETHICS In the conduct of this research, the highest ethical standards will be observed. The issue of confidentiality of information will not arise as all data to be analysed in the research is already available to the public. The sources of information will be duly referenced and acknowledged. My independence from the organisations under study will ensure accountability and objectivity of the research. Recognized and accepted methods of analyzing data will also be used to avoid fabrication and falsification. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study will fill the gap of knowledge about the performance of Ghanaian mutual funds. Fund managers as well as investors will benefit from the study and its recommendations. The study is significant as Ghanaian investors are increasingly being attracted to the mutual funds industry and its ability to effectively diversify their risk. GANTT CHART Week 1 25/09 | Week 2 2/10| Week 3 9/10| Week 4 16/10| Week 5 23/10| Week 6 30/10| Week 7 6/11| Week 8 13/11| Week 9 20/11| TOPIC AGREED| | | | | | | | | | AIMS & OBJECTIVES| | | | | | | | | | OPENING SECTIONS| | | | | | | | | | DRAFT OUTLINE| | | | | | | | | | LITERATURE REVIEW| | | | | | | | | | METHOD/ APPROACH| | | | | | | | | | ANALYSIS/ RESULTS| | | | | | | | | | DISCUSSIONS/ CONCLUSIONS| | | | | | | | | | REFERENCE/ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT| | | | | | | | | | BINDING| | | | | | | | | | SUBMISSION TO FACULTY| | | | | | | | | | REFERENCES 1. All Africa. Ghana: Nation Attains Middle Income Status. Online]. Retrieved from: http://allafrica. com/stories/201011081261. html (accessed 30 August, 2011) 2. Chan, L. K. C. , Chen, H-L. and Lakonishok, J. , On Mutual Fund Investment Styles. The Review of Financial Studies, Vol. 15, No. 5 (Winter, 2002), pp. 1407-1437. 3. Chevalier, J. and Ellison, G. , Risk Taking by Mutual Funds as a Response to Incentives. The Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 105, No. 6. (Dec. , 1997) pp. 1167 – 1200. 4. Christopherson, J. A. , Carino D. R. and Ferson, W. E. , Portfolio Performance Measurement and Benchmarking. McGraw-Hill (2009), USA. 5. Haslem, J. A. Mutual Funds: Portfolio Structures, Analysis, Management, and Stewardship. John Wiley and Sons (2009), New Jersey. 6. Kaminsky, G. L. , Lyons, R. K. and Schmukler, S. L. , Mutual Fund Investment in Emerging Markets: An Overview. The World Bank Economic Review, Vol. 15, No. 2 (2001), pp. 315-340 7. Lhabitant, F-S. , Handbook of Hedge Funds. John Wiley and Sons(2006), London 8. Russell. Jensen Alpha. [Online]. Retrieved from: http://www. russell. com/us/glossary/analytics/jensen_alpha. htm (accessed 20 July, 2011) 9. Securities and Exchange Commission Ghana. What are Mutual Funds? Online]. Retrieved from: http://ww. secghana. org/investor/display_mutualfunds. php (accessed 20 July, 2011) 10. Securities and Exchange Commission (2009) Annual Report, Accra Ghana. 11. Sharpe, W. F. , Mutual Fund Performance. The Journal of Business, Vol. 39, No. 1, Part 2: Supplement on Security Prices. (Jan. , 1996). Pp. 119- 138 APPENDIX TABLE 1. 0 NET ASSET VALUE OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN GHANA (2009) Source: Securities and Exchange Commission Report (2009) TABLE 2. 0 FUNDS MOBILISED BY GHANAIAN MUTUAL FUNDS (2008 AND 2009) Source: Securities and Exchange Commission Report (2009)

Simple rules Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Simple rules - Assignment Example nds metrics, eliminating differences, establishing formal alliance management systems and structures and managing external relationships with partners. The companies should also put more emphasis on;- developing the right working relationship, creating means metrics, embracing differences, enabling collaborative behavior and managing your own internal stake holders. Solving of differences in the company should be given the highest priority. Because spending a lot of time and retention on reaching agreement sends the message that differences are bad, tends to drive conflict underground. In the solving of the difference Hp exhibited the following strengths; - General expertise related to complex-solution selling to enterprise customers, tends to focus on long term objectives and opportunities, good at minimizing risk in complex situations through careful analysis, in difficult circumstances, it is likely to find the creative solution that others might miss and it is good at understanding and focusing on customer needs and building close durable relationships. On the other hand Microsoft’s strengths were; - technical and support knowledge about exchange, which is essential to successful enterprise solution sales, it has disciplined focus on short term objectives where the objectives could have taken much time to get accomplished, good at capitalizing on opportunities by making decisions quickly, it is unlikely to waste time and effort when the standard answer or solution provides the optimal balance of performance and value and lastly it was good at identifying and responding to competitive threats. From the above scenario we need to look critically at the advice that executives get in relation to their companies. It is the time that the executives realized that alliance management is facing a crisis. In the recent past, companies have been forming alliances and relying on them solely for their growth. What is discouraging is that more than half of them fail.

Population and the Property in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Population and the Property in Australia - Essay Example The students were presented with a set of propositions expressing different views of the war in Iraq and asked to select the response which best reflected their own views. Over 70% agreed either with the proposition that "Australia should never have been involved in the US-led war in Iraq" or "Australia should no longer be involved in the US-led war in Iraq". This contrasts with surveys of young Australians conducted in early 2004, which showed a much higher level of support for Australian involvement in the war. Sample here is the student community whose views are being collected. The population is depicted as the overall population of Australia. Property is the personal views of Australians regarding the govt involvement in War in Iraq. An argument can be evaluated on the basis of certain factors. First of all, the sample case of students being extended to total population is not totally adequate because of the age factor. Students of a university who are not experienced in international affairs and the government working are presenting their personal views which are themselves based on what their peers think. This age factor cannot be extended on to the overall population as there are middle-aged men and women and the older generations who are more mature and experienced. The research methods used are also not considering the viewpoint of people other than young students. Conclusion about the evaluation is deduced as not justified because the views of people more experienced and strong vie w point is not considered. In causal research, why is it important for test group and control group to be similar? What method of test group/ control group selection is most likely to result in the test group and control group being similar? Why? Explain, using an example, why it is not always appropriate to use that more reliable form of test group/control group selection.

Write a 4-page paper on the issue of GENDER and SEXUALITY in America Research

Write a 4-page on the issue of GENDER and SEXUALITY in America film - Research Paper Example This distorted stereotypical image is common in the American film â€Å"Sex and the City† and the stereotypes are portrayed under different themes as indicated below. The outline of the research will be under four different themes and each theme is going to show explicitly how the gender stereotypes are brought up in the film and the impact of those stereotypes on the characters. writer, Samantha is in the public relations business, Miranda is a lawyer and Charlotte is an art dealer http://www.hbo.com/sex-and-the-city/index.html. The film takes us through the daily lives of these women and it has several gender stereotypes. The stereotypes are however not on the four women only but also on the male characters in the movie. These stereotypes are in careers and relationships and what is expected of the men and also on the women. All these will be discussed below under the different sub titles and the gender stereotype pointed out. This is about being homosexual or heterosexual and the gender stereotype surrounding this orientation. Charlotte has a fashion designer male friend who is gay and a relationship with Carrey’s gay friend who is also into fashion and even cross dresses. This does not appear favorable to Charlotte’s friend and even makes it hard for them to be intimate in public. The stereotype comes in where the gays in the film are portrayed to appear to be only in fashion design and not in other careers. This is a way of making them appear feminine whereas it is a fact that not all gay men are feminine in nature. This is a gendered stereotype because when it comes to lesbians (like the one Samantha was dating at a point in the film, no one seems to categorize them with being in a particular career or expect them to behave in a feminine or masculine manner.) This makes the gay male in the community be stereotyped with everyone expecting them to be in the fashion industry and not in any other job. They are also expected

Dance Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Dance Critique - Essay Example the dancers illuminated and ground break in their distinctive ways and stunning costumes forming â€Å"The Essential Balanchine† for the opening night making it the most thrilling, transcendent and unforgettable one. Socially, Balanchine put prominence on changing into modern form and get rid of the extremes and embellishments of the dance style used during the 19th Century. Additionally, he revolutionizes and redefines the function and place of the ballerina, offering her a daring, innovative mobility style in addition to a sense of freedom and empowerment. Firstly, the kind of costumes worn by many dancers while performing shows a complete change from those used during the 19th Century and this portrays evolution of the dancing performance to the social life of the audience especially young generations as the American school was commonly comprised of young generation. For example, the three ballets were originally choreographed by Balanchine for the school of American Ballet back in 1930-s to act as a class work for students where they could vigorously practice to perfect their dance performances (Walter, 2001). However, the use of stunning dancing costumes can negatively impact the society su ch that some young generations have grown imitating some of the dancers as their role models in terms of dressing, walking and even talking and this has accelerated the incidences of crime in our society such as raping especially to young girls who are going half naked in towns in the name of imitating a particular dancer or artist. Despite a few dislikes in terms of dance setting, costumes and the message of the various dancing rhythms used by dances among the three Ballets, we cannot assume some of the movement skills used by different dancers while performing on the stage. The use of facial expressions/movements, dance steps, and catches are very interesting and cannot go unnoticed by the

Cardiac Disease among African American Male, Age 30 to 50 Essay

Cardiac Disease among African American Male, Age 30 to 50 - Essay Example The objective of the paper is to identify and diagnosis the problem in respect of cardiac disease among the African American males between the ages of 30 to 50. The identification is done by developing a health promotion plan within the target group. The Department of Health and Human Services in the U.S. has greatly influenced the objective to prevent the heart disease and to promote awareness among the people. The literature review done in the paper would enable depicting the reason behind a high rate of cardiac disease among the African American males and females having the highest percentage of mortality rate than the other gender and race. It also depicts the current nursing interventions and the successful and unsuccessful interventions of the heart disease. A short-term objective has been shown to determine the process of conducting awareness and identifying the causes of heart disease that will provide knowledge and promote the awareness among the public about the heart disea se. Part I: Nursing Process: Community Diagnosis Literature Review Healthy People: 2020 ‘Healthy People’ is a designed structure that promotes awareness among the people of the United States regarding health and avoidance of disease with a set of goals, as well as objectives with a 10-year target. The goals of ‘Healthy People’ are to prevent repeated heart attacks and to improve the health of the people through awareness, detection and treatment. Cardiac disease is a major factor leading to death among the people in the U.S. African American males of the ages of 30-50 years are the main victims of cardiac disease. ‘Healthy People’ is a program of the Department of Health and Human Services of the U.S. that provides an idea of science-based objectives to measure and to keep track of the health issues in a particular population. ‘Healthy People’ serves as the institution for activities, such as prevention, as well as wellness among t he people in different sectors of National Government. It is also used as a model to measure health of people at state, as well as at local levels (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Goals of Healthy People: 2020 ‘Healthy People’ program has certain specific comprehensive goals, such as aiming high quality lives for people that is prevented from disease, injury, as well as untimely death.  

LEGAL SYSTEM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

LEGAL SYSTEM - Essay Example The legal system comprises of the various concerned parties of the legal framework namely the court of laws, the lawyers, the plaintiffs, the official staffs of the court of law, the judges and also the society at large as often the judgment are held as records for future purposes and it becomes binding among the people. It was believed that the civil justice system in the United Kingdom was one of the best systems in the world. But like many other nations, any court case called for extensive use of scarce resources like time and money. In order to avoid those, a committee under the chairmanship of Lord Woolf came up with certain recommendations, popularly known as Woolf Reforms, which envisaged reducing the use of time and money in the legal system. This paper aims to provide a critical view of the legal system of United Kingdom especially of the civil justice system with respect to the Woolf Reforms. The United Kingdom comprises of three different jurisdictions namely England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, all with different court system and distinct court system. The civil justice procedure, for which Lord Woolf had elaborate recommendations commences with the County Courts at the bottom of the system. The High Courts of the United Kingdom are basically divided into three divisions like Queens Bench, Family and Chancery. High Courts act as the court of appeals for minor cases as well as court of first instance for major cases. One can appeal the cases also to Court of Appeal (Civil Division). In the United Kingdom, it is the House of Lords that act as the supreme court of appeal where the Law Lords or the thirteen judges designated for the appeal hear the cases. The other indispensable part of the legal framework also comprises of the civil court Judicial Committee of the Privy Council that looks after the matters of the civil justice that arises in the overseas territ ories of United

Activation Of T Lymphocytes Essay Example for Free

Activation Of T Lymphocytes Essay Different types of T lymphocytes exist and each type performs a specialized function.   Helper T cells, also known as TH cells, serve as messengers of the immune system.   When helper T cells are activated, these cells proliferate and produce cytokines, which are small proteins that control the extent of immune response that a biological organism will express.   Several types of cytokines exist and each cytokine triggers the maturation of helper T cells into specific subtypes such as helper T cell subtype 1, 2 and 17 (Balandina et al. , 2005). Another type of T lymphocyte is the cytotoxic T cell (CTL), which is also known as the TC cell.   Cytotoxic T cells are responsible for the destruction of cells that were infected by viruses, as well as for the annihilation of tumor cells.   These cells also play a major role in determining whether a cell is normally part of the system or a foreign cell.   Cytotoxic T cells are known to be the first in line to react and reject if an organ transplanted into a recipient is not compatible in terms of tissue compatibility. The cytotoxic T cells that are associated with tissue rejection are designated at CD8+ T cells, based on the idea that these cytotoxic T cells produce a specific CD8 glycoprotein that is displayed on its cell membrane.   These CD8 glycoproteins interact with helper T lymphocytes, of which may trigger its transformation into regulatory T cells.   The major role of regulatory T cells is to inhibit the onset of an autoimmune disorder within the system of the organism. Another type of T lymphocyte is the memory T cell which is produced as soon as an infection occurs in an individual.   These specific T cells continue to circulate in the blood system for several months even when the infection has been stopped.   Memory T cells further differentiate into effector T cells when they find the same antigen that was associated with the previous infection, hence the term memory is appropriate to apply to this type of function.   Two general types of memory T cells include the central and effector cells.  Ã‚   Memory T cells are known to carry either the CD4 or the CD8 glycoprotein on its plasma membrane (Wildin et al., 2001). Regulatory T cells are another type of T lymphocytes that play a crucial role in sustaining the tolerance of the immune system (Khattri et al., 2003).   These T cells were earlier called suppressor T cells and their primary role is to prevent immunity that is caused by other T cells during the later stages of an immune response (Fontenot et al., 2003).   Regulatory T cells are also responsible for inhibiting the immune reaction towards other cells of the body or self cells because this is important in maintaining the stability of the entire immunological system. Specific conditions result in the immune response towards self cells and this is usually observed when the thymus experiences difficulty in distinguishing self cells from non-self or foreign cells.   There are two major types of CD4+ regulatory T cells that have been characterized.   Naturally occurring regulatory T cells originate from the thymus and are sometimes referred to as CD4/CD25/ForP3 T regulatory cells. The other major type of CD4+ regulatory T cell is the adaptive T regulatory cell which is produced when an innate immune response occurs.   This type of cell is also called Tr1 or Th3 cell (Hori et al., 2003).   A distinguishing feature that facilitates is the differentiation of naturally occurring T regulatory cells from the rest of types of T lymphocytes is the occurrence of the FoxP3 molecule that is situated within the cytoplasm.   Research has shown that mutations incurred in the FOXP3 gene results in the inability of regulatory T cells to differentiate, which in turn influences the onset of the lethal condition of autoimmunity. Another type of T lymphocyte is the natural killer T cell which is serves as the communicator between the adaptive and the innate immune systems.   Different from the standard T lymphocyte that identifies protein antigens that are harbored by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), the natural killer T lymphocytes distinguish glycolipid antigens that are shown by the protein molecule CD1d.   The natural killer T lymphocyte is then activated and subsequently acquires the ability to execute specific functions that are related to Th and Tc cells, including the secretion of cytokines and the expression of cytolytic molecules that are responsible for the destruction of foreign cells that have invaded the body. Gamma-delta T lymphocytes represent a small subtype of T cells that carry a unique receptor on their plasma membrane.   Most of the T lymphocytes carry a receptor that is comprised by two strings of alpha and beta glycoproteins.   In gamma-delta T lymphocytes, the receptor is composed of a gamma and a delta glycoprotein string.   Gamma-delta T lymphocytes are quite rare, comprising only approximately 5% of the entire T lymphocyte population but are found in high concentrations in the epithelial lining of the stomach, as part of population of intraepithelial lymphocytes. Protein antigens that trigger a response from gamma-delta T cells have still yet to be determined.   It is interesting to know that gamma-delta T lymphocytes are not exclusively assigned to carry major histocompatibility complex molecules and are actually capable of identifying entire proteins than simply perceiving short protein chains carried by the major histocompatibility complex molecules on lymphocytes that harbor antigens. There are particular gamma-delta T cells that have the capacity to identify a specific type of major histocompatibility complex molecules, specifically class IB.   In the human immune system, the Vgamma9/Vdelta2 T lymphocyte makes up the majority of the gamma-delta T lymphocyte population that is circulating in the bloodstream.   These specific T lymphocytes have the function of quickly reacting to a tiny metabolite that originates from microorganisms, known as the isopentenyl pyrophosphate precursor.   Another type of T lymphocyte is the autoaggressive T cell which is highly specialized based on its ability to secrete the CD40 protein molecule (Miura et al., 2004).   CD40 is generally linked to T lymphocytes that present fragments of an antigen and this protein molecule is commonly produced by a subtype of T helper lymphocytes. Th40 cells are present in all human beings but the levels of this specific type of cells quickly increase during conditions of autoimmunity.   In patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus, the Th40 cells usually react to self-antigens.   In the case of patients diagnosed with non-autoimmune individuals, the Th40 lymphocytes do not react with these antigens.   An important function of the CD40 protein molecule on T lymphocytes is to trigger the recombinase proteins RAG1 and RAG2 in directing the receptor of a T lymphocyte. The receptor of a T lymphocyte serves as the route through which a T lymphocyte is able to identify a specific antigen.   It has been determined that the two recombinase proteins be produced exclusively in the thymus during the development of T lymphocytes.   It was, however, observed that the RAG proteins were secreted again by the T lymphocytes that were circulating in the bloodstream.   In addition, it was also observed that the CD40 protein associated with Th40 lymphocytes, resulting in the production of RAG proteins.   Subsequent to the expression of the RAG proteins, modifications in the receptor of the T cells take place, suggesting that the Th40 lymphocytes carry the ability to adapt for the entire duration of an individual’s life. The procedure of modifying the expression of the receptors of T cells that are circulating in the bloodstream has been names as TDR revision.   Research has reported that TCR revision influences the expansion of the repertoire of T lymphocytes, as well as generates T lymphocytes that are autoaggressive.   This observation therefore shows that the revision of the receptors of T cells is another method of T lymphocyte tolerance. THE DEVELOPMENT OF T LYMPHOCYTES IN THE THYMUS T lymphocytes are developed from the stem cells of the hematopoietic system which is located in the bone marrow.   These stem cells migrate from the bone marrow to the thymus, where they are expected to proliferate through the process of cell division and generate immature thymocytes.   Young thymocytes generally do not secrete any CD4 or CD8 proteins hence these cells have been described as CD4-CD8- cells. During their course of development, the young thymocytes acquire the capability of secreting CD4 and CD8 molecules and these thymocytes are now classified as CD4+CD8+ (Sakaguchi, 2000).   Further maturation of these cells involves the specific secretion of only one protein, either the CD4 or the CD8 molecule.   Once this has been determined in each thymocytes, these cells are then expelled by the thymus in order for them to circulate to the rest of the body.   Approximately 98% of the thymocytes produced by the thymus are expected to disintegrate during its maturation, resulting in only 2% of the thymocytes reaching maturity and categorically expelled by the thymus as immunocompetent T lymphocytes. Immature thymocytes that harbor the two types of antigens, CD4 and CD8, migrate into the core of the thymus in order to associate with antigens that are generated by the T lymphocyte.   These thymocytes interact with the major histocompatibility complex molecules that are present of the plasma membrane of the cells of the epithelium.   Only a specific fraction of thymocytes will be able to completely bind with the major histocompatibility complex molecules thus resulting in a signal that indicates the survival of the thymocyte. The rest of the thymocytes that were not able to achieve a complete association with the major histocompatibility complex molecules are thus classified as incapable of performing immune functions or even illicit an immune response.   This specific group of thymocytes thus undergoes the process of apoptosis, which involved the disintegration of the nucleus which eventually leads to cell death.   The cellular debris that results from the apoptotic pathway are enveloped and eaten by macrophages.   The entire process of differentiating immuno-competent from immuno-incompetent thymocytes based on the ability to illicit an immune reaction is known as positive selection. Thymocytes that endure positive selection travel towards the perimeter of the cortical and middle regions of the thymus. While situated in the middle region of the thymus, the thymocytes are presented with an antigen of its self in association with the major histocompatibility complex molecules on antigen-presenting cells (APCs), including the dendritic cells and macrophages.   Thymocytes that intensely associate with the antigen are sent a signal that induces their programmed death and the rest of the thymocytes that were first generated are trigger to disintegrate during this selection process in the thymus. A small fraction of the cells that survived is induced to develop regulatory T cells.   The other cells subsequently depart the thymus as differentiation naive T lymphocytes.   This mechanism is designated as negative selection, an essential process of immunological tolerance that controls the development of T lymphocytes that react to self cells and are able of to cause an autoimmune disease in the body of an individual (Shevach, 2000). Although the specific mechanisms of activation vary slightly between different types of T cells, the two-signal model in CD4+ T cells holds true for most. Activation of CD4+ T cells occurs through the engagement of both the T cell receptor and CD28 on the T cell by the Major histocompatibility complex peptide and B7 family members on the APC respectively. Both are required for production of an effective immune response; in the absence of CD28 co-stimulation, T cell receptor signalling alone results in anergy. The signalling pathways downstream from both CD28 and the T cell receptor involve many proteins. The first signal is provided by binding of the T cell receptor to a short peptide presented by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on another cell. This ensures that only a T cell with a TCR specific to that peptide is activated. The partner cell is usually a professional antigen presenting cell (APC), usually a dendritic cell in the case of naà ¯ve responses, although B cells and macrophages can be important APCs. The peptides presented to CD8+ T cells by MHC class I molecules are 8-9 amino acids in length; the peptides presented to CD4+ cells by MHC class II molecules are longer, as the ends of the binding cleft of the MHC class II molecule are open. The second signal comes from co-stimulation, in which surface receptors on the APC are induced by a relatively small number of stimuli, usually products of pathogens, but sometimes breakdown products of cells, such as necrotic-bodies or heat-shock proteins (Brunkow et al., 2001). The only co-stimulatory receptor expressed constitutively by naà ¯ve T cells is CD28, so co-stimulation for these cells comes from the CD80 and CD86 proteins on the APC. Other receptors are expressed upon activation of the T cell, such as OX40 and ICOS, but these largely depend upon CD28 for their expression. The second signal licenses the T cell to respond to an antigen. Without it, the T cell becomes anergic and it becomes more difficult for it to activate in future. This mechanism prevents inappropriate responses to self, as self-peptides will not usually be presented with suitable co-stimulation. The T cell receptor exists as a complex of several proteins. The actual T cell receptor is composed of two separate peptide chains which are produced from the independent T cell receptor alpha and beta (TCR? and TCR?) genes. The other proteins in the complex are the CD3 proteins; CD3 and CD3 heterodimers and most importantly a CD3? homodimer which has a total of six ITAM motifs. The ITAM motifs on the CD3? can be phosphorylated by Lck and in turn recruit ZAP-70. Lck and/or ZAP-70 can also phosphorylate the tyrosines on many other molecules, not least CD28, Trim, LAT and SLP-76, which allows the aggregation of signalling complexes around these proteins. Phosphorylated LAT recruits SLP-76 to the membrane, where it can then bring in PLC?, VAV1, Itk and potentially PI3K. Both PLC? and PI3K act on PI(4,5)P2 on the inner leaflet of the membrane to create the active intermediaries di-acyl glycerol (DAG), inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and phosphatidlyinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3). DAG binds and activates some PKCs, most importantly in T cells PKC?, which is important for activating the transcription factors NF-?B and AP-1. IP3 is released from the membrane by PLC? and diffuses rapidly to activate receptors on the ER which induce the release of calcium. The released calcium then activates calcineurin, and calcineurin activates NFAT, which then translocates to the nucleus. NFAT is a transcription factor which activates the transcription of a pleiotropic set of genes, most notably IL-2, a cytokine which promotes long term proliferation of activated T cells. Overview of interactions between T cells and APCs T cells are a subset of lymphocytes that play a large role in the cell-mediated immune response of adaptive immunity. T lymphocytes are divided into 2 major classes distinguished by the expression of the cell surface molecules CD4 or CD8. CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) primarily destroy virus-infected cells whereasCD4 helper T lymphocytes are involved in activating B cells and macrophages. The response of both classes of T lymphocytes is dependent on interactions through the T cell receptor (TCR) and coreceptors (CD4 or CD8) with target APCs that present peptides in the context of MHC class I or class II molecules. MHC class I and class II molecules are structurally similar but differ in their source of antigenic peptide and in the transport mechanisms for their peptides. Class I MHC molecules present self peptides or viral products from the cytosol to CD8 T lymphocytes, whereas MHC class II molecules present peptides from pathogens that either reside or were endocytosed into intracellular compartments (Fontenot and Rudensky, 2005). T cells are activated on encountering antigen, which results in either lysis of target cells by CD8 T lymphocytes or recruitment of other effector cells by CD4 cells.   Modulation of the plasma membrane alters the T cell Ca2+ response.   A series of studies from showedthat unsaturated free fatty acids (FFAs) could inhibit specific aspects of cytotoxic T cell function by perturbing membranes.   Initially, it was shown that short-term exposure of murine allogeneic effector T cells to low levels of unsaturated FFAs (10 mol/L), including PUFAs, inhibited lysis of target APCs. The change in lysis of target cells was a direct consequence of the FFA added to the CTLs, because lysis could be inhibited by extracting the unsaturated FFA with bovine serum albumin before CTL-target conjugation. Specific aspects of T cell function inhibited by unsaturated lipids included the initial rise in intracellular [Ca2+] on conjugate formation, protein phosphorylation events and subsequent CTL esterase release.   On the other hand, release of inositol phosphates and binding to target cells were unaffected. Because the inhibition in CTL calcium release linearly correlated with the decrease in membrane acyl chain order induced by the presence of increasing unsaturation in the plasma membrane , it was hypothesized that modulation of membrane structure affected T cell Ca2+ signaling. References Balandina A, Lecart S, Dartevelle P, Saoudi A and Berrih-Aknin S (2005):   Functional defect of regulatory CD4( )CD25 T cells in the thymus of patients with autoimmune myasthenia gravis. Blood   105:735–741. Brunkow ME, Jeffery EW, Hjerrild KA, Paeper B, Clark LB, Yasayko SA, Wilkinson JE, Galas D, Ziegler SF and Ramsdell F (2001):   Disruption of a new forkhead/winged-helix protein, scurfin, results in the fatal lymphoproliferative disorder of the scurfy mouse. Nat. Genet.   27:68–73. Fontenot JD, Gavin MA and Rudensky AY (2003):   Foxp3 programs the development and function of CD4-CD25 regulatory T cells. Nat. Immunol.   4:330–336. Fontenot JD and Rudensky AY (2005):   A well adapted regulatory contrivance:   Regulatory T cell development and the forkhead family transcription factor Foxp3. Nat. Immunol. 6:331–337. Hori S, Nomura T and Sakaguchi S (2003):   Control of regulatory T cell development by the transcription factor Foxp3. Science 299:1057–1061 Khattri R, Cox T, Yasayko SA and Ramsdell F (2003):   An essential role for Scurfin in CD4-CD25 T regulatory cells. Nat. Immunol.   4:337–342. Miura Y, Thoburn CJ, Bright EC, Phelps ML, Shin T, Matsui EC, Matsui WH, Arai S, Fuchs EJ and Vogelsang GB (2004):   Association of Foxp3 regulatory gene expression with graft-versus-host disease. Blood   104:2187–2193. Sakaguchi S (2000):   Regulatory T cells: key controllers of immunologic self-tolerance.   Cell 101:455–458. Shevach EM (2000): Regulatory T cells in autoimmmunity. Annu. Rev. Immunol.   18:423–449. Wildin RS, Ramsdell F, Peake J, Faravelli F, Casanova JL, Buist N, Levy-Lahad E, Mazzella M, Goulet O and Perroni L (2001): X-linked neonatal diabetes mellitus, enteropathy and endocrinopathy syndrome is the human equivalent of mouse scurfy. Nat. Genet.   27:18–20.

Diversity Management In Tesco And Asda

Diversity Management In Tesco And Asda 1. TITLE Managing Diversity in Global Organizations. A Case Study of Managing Diversity in Tesco and Asda 2. BACKGROUND OF STUDY As organizations increasingly become global in their operations and business activities, there appears to be a need to come to terms with the issue of having to deal with a diverse workforce. A global organization is more likely to translate into a diverse workforce. Managing diversity is mostly typical of multinational organizations. Globalization has made it imperative for organizations and multinational organizations alike to effectively manage a diverse workforce in such a manner that it translates to improved organizational performance. To better understand the far reaching implications of workforce diversity, Hofstede (2001) noted that close to half of the workforce in the United Kingdom now consists of immigrants, minorities, and women. This shows that organizations are increasingly faced with the challenge of having to deal with the issue of managing individual differences. Furthermore, diversity of workforce also arises when organizations expand into foreign markets. In such a case, Millmore et al. (2007) noted that having a diverse workforce can present organizations with the wherewithal to understand the nature of foreign markets. Different definitions have been provided to help describe what diversity management is all about. Holden (2002) noted that effective diversity management is mainly centred on the need to create an egalitarian work environment where employees, irrespective of their differences, can feel free to express themselves. Millmore et al., (2007) suggested that diversity management borders on the need to take proper advantage of cultural pluralism which is the result of the internalization of the organization. In the past, diversity management was generally viewed as a being a human resource function. This is not really the case as Harvey and Allard (2009) noted that the subject of diversity management within organizations transcends normal human resource functions. In this regards, everyone within the organization has a responsibility towards effective diversity management. As cited earlier, diversity management is based on the need to accommodate and harness individual differences in such a manner that it leads to achievement of organizational goals and objectives. Friday Friday (2003) were of the opinion that diversity management is an integral aspect of the change management process. In this context, the need for diversity management comes as a result of having to cope with the changing demographic profile of workforce. Managing a diverse workforce is something that most organizations cannot avoid; this is particularly the case with multinational organizations. The workforce in most global organizations is a representation of the changing demographic outline in the organizations external environment. Cultural pluralism is something that organizations have to cope with (CIPD 2005). Worman (2005) noted that organizations can leverage on individual differences in manner that stimulates creativity and innovation in the workplace. In most multinational organizations, the workforce profile usually consists of different ethnic groups, women, different sexual orientation, d ifferent religious orientation etc. Individual differences, from the perspective of employees, ought to be a beneficial to the organization concerned if harnessed properly. For one, Turnbull et al., (2008) noted that effective diversity management encourages creativity and innovation within an organization especially bearing in mind that employees are allowed to freely express themselves. This is why McCarthy (2004) noted that diversity management is central to attracting and retaining talent within an organization. 3. PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF LITERATURE The concept of diversity management has its foundations in the subject of equal opportunities (EEO). Snape Redman (2003) noted that the concept of equal employment opportunities (EEO) starts externally and is usually enforced by laws while diversity management starts within the organization (internally). This is in line with the earlier observation that diversity management is based on the need to develop an egalitarian environment within the organizations. An egalitarian work environment is on where individual differences, from employee perspectives, are tolerated and as such, employees feel free to express themselves. When employees feel free to express themselves, they tend to maximize their innate potentials. Turnbull et al., (2009) suggested that a free and tolerant work environment can be encouraged through increased employee inclusiveness. Increased employee inclusiveness within an organization involves a range of variables like giving employees a fair chance at career progre ss, increased employee involvement in the decision-making process, fair reward packages etc. In line with the observation that diversity management has its origins in the subject of equal employment opportunities (EEO), it is also important to note that EEO is a backdrop of the civil rights movement which was aimed at eliminating discrimination and stereotypes. In this particular context, a free and fair work environment is one that is devoid of any form of discrimination and stereotypes; employees are treated based on their religious orientation, sexual orientation, gender, ethnic and racial differences. Thomas (2002) noted that diversity is not synonymous with differences, but includes differences and similarities. In the context of this particular observation, diversity refers to the collective mixture of differences and similarities along a particular dimension. Diversity management focuses on the broader picture hence, it is often regarded as a strategic function. This is why most multinational organizations have a corporate diversity strategy in place to deal with the changing nature of workforce especially with regards to the issue of attracting and retaining key talent. Friday Friday (2003) noted that, given the immense rush for talent in todays global and competitive business environment, there is a need to assess and execute a corporate diversity strategy using a planned approach to not only value diversity, but to also systematically manage and include diversity as part of organizational culture. Again, Worman (2005) added that effective diversity management is guaranteed when corporate diversity strategy is a considerable aspect of corporate culture. There are many benefits that can be derived from the implementation of a workable diversity policy and strategy within an organization. Friday Friday (2003) highlighted some benefits that are derived from the effective implementation of diversity management; improved creativity, improved innovation, improved employee-employer relationship, and improved decision-making. The lack of an effective diversity management strategy within an organization can lead to certain pitfalls. Some of the pitfalls of non-implementation of a workable diversity policy within an organization include reduced employee involvement, increased employee turnover, reduced employee commitment and poor employer-employee relations. One of the reasons why organizations need to have a workable diversity policy is to eliminate all forms of discrimination in the workplace especially bearing in mind that creativity and talent is constrained in such a scenario. The fact that diversity management transcends normal human resource functions does not eliminate the role that human resource management plays in the effective implementation of diversity management within an organization. One of the starting points of diversity management in organizations is at the recruitment stage. In the current fast-paced global environment, recruiting and managing a diverse workforce is imperative for success. McKernan (2008) noted that recruitment and selection processes within organizations should reflect their commitment to diversity as this is the consideration for attracting and retaining talent within the organization. Furthermore, while writing for the Harvard Business Review, Williamson (2001:189) noted that building diversity centres on the need to cultivate effective relationships especially with regards to employer-employee relationships. In this regards, an organization that earns the reputation for being a diversity-friendly organization is likely to attract a huge array of talent both in its applicant po ol and employee profile. Retail-oriented organizations like Tesco and Asda place premium on diversity management. Tesco, for instance, boasts of its diverse workforce thus reflecting its commitment to eliminating discrimination in the workplace. Tesco has a Diversity Advisory Group which convenes semi-annually to monitor and ensure that Tescos workforce at every stage, reflects the composition of population at every moment in time. To combat discrimination against disabled people, Tesco was the first organization in the United Kingdom to establish targets for the recruitment of disabled people; this is why Tesco was given a two-tick symbol by Remploy (Tesco-careers.com). The need to conduct this particular research is informed by one of my academic modules; human resource management to be precise. Examining the implications on globalization on the workforce diversity within organizations will offer useful insights on how organizations can leverage on employee differences in such a manner that it leads to improved organizational performance. 4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS In order to carry out this particular research, the following research questions listed below have been developed: 1.) What is the relationship between workforce diversity and organizational performance? 2.) How can diversity policy and processes be inculcated effectively into organizational culture? 3.) How can employee differences be leveraged upon by organizations that it engenders a work environment that encourages creativity and innovation? 5. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Based on the research questions outlined above, the following research objectives outlined below have been developed by the researcher: 1) To ascertain if workforce diversity can lead to effective organizational performance. 2) To critically examine the sustainability of the diversity management strategy of Tesco and Asda. 3) To establish how diversity management can be effectively inculcated as a part of organizational culture. 4) To establish how individual differences, such as different ethnic background and race, can be leveraged in such a manner that it contributes to increased employee productivity and better organizational performance. 5) To generate workable conclusions and recommendations based on findings from the research. 6. RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES In researching the issue of diversity management in organizations, the interpretivist research paradigm will be employed especially when taking into consideration the fact that most of the data that will be gathered will be largely qualitative in nature. Millmore et al., (2007) noted that the issue of managing diversity in organizations is mainly concerned with creating a free and environment within the workplace; such an environment engenders creativity and innovation. Furthermore, Collis Hussey (2005) noted that the interpretivist research paradigm mainly deals with the understanding of variables as opposed to the measurement of variables. The fact that the interpretivist research paradigm will be employed in the conduct of this research also highlights the fact that this research will be largely inductive in nature and as such, the qualitative research approach will be employed. Collis Hussey (2003) noted that the qualitative research approach has its attendant limitations; one of which is the fact that the qualitative research approach is usually likely to be subjective in nature since it is largely dependent on the analytical perspectives of the researcher concerned. 7. RESEARCH DESIGN The research design is an integral aspect of any research. There a host of reasons for this, one of which is the fact that the research design gives focus and direction to a research (Collis Hussey 2005). The research design enables the researcher to fulfil the main requirements of a research without carrying out needless work. For the purposes of this particular research, the case study research design was used. According to Jewell (2010:4.9), this case study research design as a result aids in the removal of decisions, why and where such decisions are taken, how they are carried out and with what result with respect to both the independent and dependent variables under investigation. In the context of using the case study research design, the case study for this particular research is the critical examination of diversity management in Tesco and Asda. Again, the comparative research design will be used in this particular research. The comparative research design will involve compa ring the diversity policy and processes in Tesco with what obtains in Asda. 8. DATA COLLECTION METHODS To meet the objectives of this research outlined earlier, data will be gathered from both primary and secondary sources. 8.1 Primary Data Collis Hussey (2005) defined primary data as raw information. Saunders et al., (2003) suggested that primary data is data that is gathered through the efforts of the researcher carrying out a particular research. Primary data is a useful source of information for any research especially bearing in mind that it offers intricate insights on a particular subject matter. The logistics involved in the gathering of primary data makes primary data an expensive form of gathering information. For this research, primary data will be sourced through three open-ended interviews; two interviews will be conducted with employees at Tesco and one interview with an employee of Asda. I currently have a job as a part-time shop floor worker at Tesco Arena in Coventry and have been guaranteed an interview with my shop floor team leader. I have also been assured with one of the line managers at Tesco Arena. My previous part-time job was at Asda; I have been in contact with my former line manager at Asda and she has assured me that she will be available upon request for my proposed interview session. These three open-ended interviews will provide useful insights on effective management of a diverse workforce within organizations, especially global organizations. The decision to use the open interviews is informed by the wealth of information that can potentially be gathered. The interviews will be analysed using content analysis; in this regards, feedback from the interviews will be analysed in line with information gathered from secondary sources. 8.2 Secondary Data Secondary data is another important way of gathering information for any research. Secondary data is also referred to as complementary information. Collis Hussey (2005) suggested that secondary data is information that is collected by other people. Most research studies always use secondary data and secondary data will be play a significant role in the conduct of this particular research. Secondary data will be used to develop the theoretical framework for this research. Secondary data for this research will be sourced from textbooks, peer reviewed academic journals like the journal of managing diversity, company reports (media relations reports of Tesco and Asda about their diversity policies), company websites (Asda and Tesco), other published and unpublished materials. The peer reviewed academic journals to be used in this particular research will be sourced well known academic databases like Emerald, Ebscohost and Sage. Again, articles from the Chartered Institute of Personnel D evelopment (CIPD) will also be used in the conduct of this research. 9. LIMITATIONS OF THIS RESEARCH Every research is likely to have its attendant limitations. One of the limitations of this research is that only one research approach will be used; in this case, only the qualitative research approach will be used. One of the main limitations of the qualitative research approach is the fact that it is usually subjective in its nature and scope. Again, the subjectivity characteristic of the qualitative research approach is also highlighted by the fact that it is usually dependent on the views or opinions of the researcher. In a situation where the qualitative research is not used properly, it could give a research an awkward tone. Another limitation of this research stems from the sample size of interviewees; in this context, the sample size of just three interviewees may be viewed as too limited to generate sufficient data for this research. To deal with this particular limitation, use of both secondary data and primary data will help to generate much needed information to carry out this research. Another limitation of this research is the fact that it will be difficult for the researcher to assess the frame of mind of the interviewees especially bearing in mind that the best responses from the interviewees will be obtained when they are in a proper frame of mind. 10. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS The conduct of this particular research will be in accordance with the regulations of Coventry University especially with regards to plagiarism. All external information used in this research will be appropriately acknowledged using the Harvard referencing style. Coventry Universitys ethics form will be filled before the conduct of any interviews. The interviewees will not be forced into disclosing any information they wished not to disclose. Again, all data gathered during the course of this research will only be used for research purposes and no other purpose. 11. PLANNING Carrying out an effective research is largely dependent on having a workable plan in place. In terms of the need for a plan in this research, a Gantt Chart will be used to show necessary timescales and milestones for this research.

Overview Of It Infrastructure And Emerging Technologies Information Technology Essay

Overview Of It Infrastructure And Emerging Technologies Information Technology Essay IT infrastructure consists of a set of physical devices and software applications that are required to operate entire enterprises. But IT infrastructure is also a set of firm wide services budgeted by management and comprising of both human and technical capabilities. These services include the following: Computing platform used to provide computing services that connect employees, customers and suppliers into a coherent digital environment, including large mainframes, desktop, and laptop computers, and personal digital assistance and internal appliances. IT management services that plan and develop the infrastructure, coordinate with the business units for IT services, manage accounting for the IT expenditure, and provide project management services. IT standard services that provide the firm and its business units with policy to determine when, how and which information technology will be used. IT education services which provide training in system use to employees and offer managerial training on how to plan for and manage IT investment. IT research and development services that provide the firm with research on potential future IT project and investments that could help the firm differentiate itself in the market place. This service platform perspective makes it easier to understand the business value provided by infrastructure investment. For instance, in the US, the real business value of a fully loaded personal computer operating at 3 gigahertz that costs about $ 1000 or a high speed internet connection is hard to understand without knowing who will use it and how it will be used. Define IT infrastructure from both a technology and a services perspective. Technical perspective: Defined as the shared technology resources that provide the platform for the firms specific information system applications. It consists of a set of physical devices and software applications that are required to operate within the entire enterprise. Service perspective: Defined as providing the foundation for serving customers, working with vendors, and managing internal firm business processes. In this sense, IT infrastructure focuses on the services provided by all the hardware and software. IT infrastructure is a set of firm-wide services budgeted by management and comprising of both human and technical capabilities. Information technology infrastructure has the shared technology resources that provide the platform for the firms specific information system applications. IT infrastructure includes investment in hardware, software and services such as consulting education, and training that are shared across the entire firm or across business units in the firm. An IT infrastructure firm provides the foundation for serving customers, working with vendors, and managing internal firm business processes. Stages and technology drivers of IT infrastructure evolution Technology drivers of IT infrastructure evaluation The changes in IT infrastructure describes the result in development of computer processing, memory chips, storage devices, telecommunication and networking hardware and software design that have exponentially increased computing power while reducing costs. The term hardware, software and firmware occur frequently in any literature concerned with computer. It is important at the outset to have some understanding of their meanings. Hardware: Physical components in computer circuits, keyboards, disk drivers, disk and printers are all examples of pieces of hardware. Software is a set of instructions, written in specialized language, the execution of which controls the operation of the computer programmes. Firmware Is the permanent storage of programme instruction in hardware. It is usually used to refer to a set of instructions that is permanently encoded on micro-chips. The term firmware is used because it is the inseparable combination of hardware and software. (Business information system by Graham Curtis and David Cobham 6th edition 2008). List each of the eras in IT infrastructure evolution and describe its distinguishing characteristics. Five stages of IT infrastructure evolution include: General-purpose mainframe and minicomputer era (1959 to present): Personal computer era (1981 to present): Client/server era (1983 to present): Enterprise computing era (1992 to present): Evaluation of infrastructure The IT infrastructure in organisations today is an outgrowth of over fifty years of evolution in computing plate forms. There have been five stages in this evolution, each representing a different configuration of computing power and infrastructure elements. The five eras are general purpose mainframe and minicomputer computing, personal computer, client/server networks, enterprise computing and cloud computing. Infrastructure components IT infrastructure today is composed of 7 major components. These components constitute investment that must be coordinated with one another to provide the firm with a coherent infrastructure. Describe the evolving mobile platform, grid computing, and cloud computing. Mobile platform: more and more business computing is moving from PCs and desktop machines to mobile devices like cell phones and smart phones. Data transmissions, Web surfing, e-mail and instant messaging, digital content displays, and data exchanges with internal corporate systems are all available through a mobile digital platform. Net books, small low-cost lightweight subnotebooks that are optimized for wireless communication and Internet access, are included. The emerging mobile digital platform As computing increasingly take place over the network, new mobile digital computing platform has emerging communication devices such as cell phone and smart phone, the blackberry and iphone, taking on many functions of hand held computers, including transmission of data, surfing the web, transmitting email and instant messages, displaying digital content, and exchanging data with internal cooperated system. The new mobile platform also includes small low cost light weight sub note books called net books optimized for wireless communication and internet access, with core computing function such as a word processing, and digital e book readers such as amazon, kindle with some web access capabilities. More and more business computing is moving from PCs and desktop machines to these mobile devices; managers are increasingly using these devices to coordinate work and communicate with employees. GRID computing Grid computing: connects geographically remote computers into a single network to create a virtual supercomputer by combining the computational power of all computers on the grid. Grid computing takes advantage of the fact that most computers in the United States use their central processing units on average only 25% of the time for the work they have been assigned, leaving these idle resources available for other processing tasks. Grid computing was impossible until high speed internet connection enabled forms to connect remote machines economically and move enormous quantities of data. Grid computing requires software programmes to control and allocate resources on the grid. Client software communicates with a server software application. The server software breaks data and application code into chunks that are than parcelled out to the grids machines. The client machine can perform their traditional task while running grid application in the background. The business case for using grid computing involves cost saving speed of computation agility. For example, Royal Dutch/Shell group is using a scalable grid computing platform that improves the accuracy and the speed of its scientific modelling applications to find the best oil reservoirs. Cloud computing Cloud computing: a model of computing where firms and individuals obtain computing power and software applications over the Internet, rather than purchasing their own hardware and software. Data are stored on powerful servers in massive data centres, and can be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection and standard Web browser. The growing bandwidth power of the internet has pushed the client/server model one step further, towards what is called the cloud computing model . Cloud computing refers to a model of computing where firms and individuals obtain computing power and software application over the internet, rather than purchasing their own hardware and software. Currently cloud computing is the fastest growing form of computing, with an estimated market size in 2009 of $8 billion, and a projected size of $160 billion 2012. In Cloud computing hardware and software capabilities are provided as services on the internet. Data is permanently stored in remote servers in massive data centre and accessed and updated over the internet using clients that include desktop, notebook, entertainment centre net book and mobile devices. For example, google application provides common business application online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and user data are stored on the server. Since organisations using cloud computing generally do not own the infrastructure, they do not have to make large investments in their own hardware and software. Instead, they purchase their computing services from remote providers and pay only for the amount of computing power that is actually used. Some analysts believed that cloud computing represents a sea change in the way computing will be performed by corporations, as business computing shift out of private data centres into the cloud computing is more immediately appealing to small and medium size business that lack resources to purchase and own their own hardware and software. However large corporations have huge investment complex proprietary systems supporting unique business process, some of which give them strategic advantages. The most likely is a hybrid computing model where firms will use their own infrastructure for their most essential core activities and adopt cloud computing for a less critical system. Cloud computing will gradually shift firm from having a fixed infrastructure capacity toward a more flexible infrastructure, some of it owned by the firm and some of it rented from joint computing centres owned by computer hardware winders. Current trends in computer hardware platforms? Computer hardware platform In 2008,285 million PCs were shifted worldwide, with a market value or $253 billion. There were Investments of more than US$ 18 billion in hardware manufacturing in India including telecoms hardware. This has stoked expectations of a hardware boom. These components include client machines (desktop PCs, mobile computing devices such as I-phones and blackberrys, and laptops)and server machine. The server market is more complex, using mostly Intel or AMD process in the form of blade servers on racks. Blade servers are ultrathin computers consisting of a circuit board with a processor, memory and network connection that are store in a rack. The supply of computer hardware has increasingly become concentrated in top firms such as IBM, HP, DELL, SUNMICRO system, three chip producers, Intel AMD and IBM. The industry has collectively settled on Intel as the standard processer, with major exceptions in the server market for Unix and Linux machine, which might use sun or IBM Unix processer. Businesses can benefit from autonomic computing, virtualization, and multicore processors. Autonomic computing Benefits of autonomic computing include systems that automatically do the following: Configure themselves Optimize and tune themselves Heal themselves when broken Protect themselves from outside intruders and self-destruction Reduce maintenance costs Reduce downtime from system crashes Virtualization Benefits of server virtualization include: Run more than one operating system at the same time on a single machine. Increase server utilization rates to 70 percent or higher. Reduce hardware expenditures. Higher utilization rates translate into fewer computers required to process the same amount of work. Mask server resources from server users. Reduce power expenditures. Run legacy applications on older versions of an operating system on the same server as newer applications. Facilitate centralization of hardware administration. Multicore processors Benefits of multi-core processors: Cost savings by reducing power requirements and hardware sprawl Less costly to maintain as fewer systems need to be monitored. Performance and productivity benefits beyond the capabilities of todays single-core processors. Handle the exponential growth of digital data and the globalization of the Internet. Meet the demands of sophisticated software applications under development. Run applications more efficiently than single-core processors giving users the ability to keep working even while running the most processor intensive task in the background. Increase performance in areas such as data mining, mathematical analysis, and Web serving. Current trends in software platforms Define and describe open source software and Linux and explain their business benefits. Open-source software provides all computer users with free access to the program code so they can modify the code, fix errors in it, or make improvements. Open-source software is not owned by any company or individual. A global network of programmers and users manage and modify the software. By definition, open-source software is not restricted to any specific operating system or hardware technology. Several large software companies are converting some of their commercial programs to open source. Linux is the most well-known open-source software. Its a UNIX-like operating system that can be downloaded from the Internet, free of charge, or purchased for a small fee from companies that provide additional tools for the software. It is reliable, compactly designed, and capable of running on many different hardware platforms, including servers, handheld computers, and consumer electronics. Linux has become popular during the past few years as a robust low-cost alternative to UNIX and the Windows operating system. Thousands of open-source programs are available from hundreds of Web sites. Businesses can choose from a range of open-source software including operating systems, office suites, Web browsers, and games. Open-source software allows businesses to reduce the total cost of ownership. It provides more robust software thats often more secure than proprietary software. Declining communications costs and the internet. A fourth technology driver transforming IT infrastructure is the rapid decline in the costs of communication and exponential growth in the size of the internet. An estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide now have internet access. The exponentially declining cost of communication both over the internet and over telephone network (which increasingly are based on the internet). As communication costs falls towards very small numbers and approach zero, utilization of communication and computing facilities explodes. To take advantage of the business value associated with the internet, firms must greatly expand the power of their clients/server networks, desktop clients, and mobile computing devices. There is every reason to believe these trends will continue. One reason for the growth in the internet population is the rapid decline in internet connection and overall communication cost. The cost per kilo bits of internet access has fallen exponentially since 1995. Digital subscriber line DS L and cable modems now deliver kilobits of communication for a retail price of around two cents. Standards and network effects Todays enterprise infrastructure and internet computing would be impossible both now and in the future-without agreements among manufacturers and widespread consumer acceptance of technology standards. Technology standards are specifications that establish the compatibility of product and the ability to communicate in a network. Technology standard unleashing powerful economy of scale and resulting in price declines has resulted in manufacturers focussing on the product built to a single standard. Without these economies of scale, computing of any sort would be far more expensive than currently is the case. In the 1990s, corporations started moving towards standard computing and communication plate forms. Windows PC with the windows operating system and micro soft office desktop productivity applications became the standard desktop and mobile client computing platform. Widespread adoption of the UNIX has made possible the replacement of proprietary and expensive main frame infrastructure. In telecommunications, the Ethernet standard enabled PCs to connect together in small local area network, and TCP/IP standard enable these LANs to be connected into firm-wide networks, and ultimately, to the internet.

OSI Model Essay examples -- Essays Papers

OSI Model During the past two decades there has been a tremendous increase in the numbers and sizes of networks. Many of the networks, however, were built using different implementations of hardware and software. As a result, many of the networks were incompatible and it became difficult for networks using different specifications to communicate with each other. To address this problem, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) researched many network schemes. The ISO recognized that there was a need to create a network model that would help network builders implement networks that could communicate and work together (interoperability) and therefore, released the OSI reference model in 1984. This chapter explains how standards ensure greater compatibility and interoperability between various types of network technologies. In this chapter, you will learn how the OSI reference model networking scheme supports networking standards. In addition, you will see how information or data makes its way from application programs (such as spreadsheets) through a network medium (such as wires) to other application programs located on other computers on a network. As you work through this chapter, you will learn about the basic functions that occur at each layer of the OSI model, which will serve as a foundation as you begin to design, build and troubleshoot networks. The concept of layers will help you understand the action that occurs during communication from one compu...