Albert Einstein and his Theory of Relativity Essay

Albert Einstein was a man who had such a great mind. He has altered the way man perceives the world armed with a pen and a paper. He saw farther behind nature’s drape than anyone else has ever done besides Newton, and from then on, he lived the rest of his life pulling the drape down for his humility (Pellegrini 1). Today, when the word genius is being uttered, no one else’s face come to mind than his. An exceptional trait appears to radiate in that gloomy and wrinkled exterior, with its tangled white hair that resembles a halo and its expressive brown eyes. The trait was that of a genius, a combination of extraordinary intelligence and thorough imagination that transported him beyond the limits of man’s long – standing scientific convictions and penetrated further into the material uncertainties of the cosmos than any man who came before him (Pellegrini 1; White 96). If there is one thing common in all things in the world, it is relativity. Time, mass, and speed are relative. Light is not weightless, space has bends, and â€Å"coiled with a pound of water,† any substance, is the volatile force of 14 million tons of trinitrotoluene (Pellegrini 2; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen). By the end of the twentieth century, these things have been scientifically proven, 100% because of the man with a great mind (Pellegrini 2; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen; White 98). Man is likely not to condemn the man for the atomic bomb, to any further extent than they condemn Noble for the dynamite (Pellegrini 2; White 98). For it was not the quiet scientist rather the generals the world over who falsified his equation into the most horrible dagger in the history of humanity (Pellegrini 2). At that point in time, the rest of the world has already made him into an icon, the most celebrated prophet since Newton and science’s profound soul. He is genius personified. In a hardly any stroke of sophistication he confined man’s world into that of the universe in a similar equation, and altered forever the manner man perceive the cosmos as well as themselves. It was in the year 1905 when he, the extraordinarily confident and constantly unkempt 26 year old scientist forwarded three papers, written in his free time, to the leading publication, Annalen der Physik to be made available in print if there was space (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org). All three of the papers have been published, and they did just what he expected they would: altered the way man perceives the world. The genius behind such breakthrough would remain anonymous for quite some time though. He turned his Theory of Special Relativity into the Theory of General Relativity which states that light has weight, and that space and time were basically space – time (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen; White 100). The Fundamentals of Einstein’s theory Einstein’s theory is one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of all time. Though he established the Theory of Relativity, his main contribution to the advances of science was the identification that in a vacuum, light speed is constant (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen; White 103). Vacuum is a definite physical border for motion (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen; White 103). This is not so significant in an individual’s daily activities because man travel at a speed much slower than that of light (AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen). Nevertheless, in reference to the Theory of Relativity, objects moving closer to the speed of light will move at a slower speed and would seem to be shorter in length from the view of a person observing from the planet Earth (White 105). He also derived the formula, E = mc2, which shows the relationship of mass and energy (Pellegrini 2; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen). For the success of his concepts on the subjects of relativity, photoelectric effect, as well as blackbody radiation, he was awarded a Nobel Prize in the year 1921 (AllAboutScience. org). The Inherent Limitations of Einstein’s theory Over the years, scientists have carried out several experiments to validate the implications of the Einstein’s theory and develop certain fields as Cosmology and Particle Physics (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org). Yet, some doubt the capacity of the theory to explain as many physical events as has been previously postulated, with several scientists disputing in opposition to it completely (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org). Despite the consequences, just like any other scientific theories, it is not the absolute, complete, and ultimate explanation of the cosmos. Being a scientific theory as it is, it has postulations and estimates of nature and in the end, can not explain some phenomena on the whole (AllAboutScience. org). Einstein’s theory, similar to the Theory of Evolution by Charles Darwin, was popularized as a â€Å"scientific truth† since it presents a basic description to the complexity examined in the natural cosmos (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org). Earlier than 1920 until the time of his death in the year 1955, he attempted to discover laws of Physics much more broad that what has been known since he came (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen; White 102). With regards to his theory, the gravity had been an example of the geometry of both time and space. Other forces present in nature, primarily the force of electromagnetism is yet to be explained in like terms (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen). However, it appeared that as far as he is concerned, the concepts of electromagnetism and gravity could be described as expressions of certain broader mathematical configuration. The search for a description for a unified field theory which would reconcile the two concepts as well as that of time and space, generally consumed a large portion of his life than any other pursuit (AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen). In point of fact, for the most part his life was devoted in an attempt to formulate a Unified Theory of Physics to unite the concept of electromagnetism to that of relativity (AllAboutScience. org). He has failed and up to this day, no one had ever reconciled such concepts (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen; White 105). The Use and Abuse of Einstein’s theory Besides being misused as an indisputable fact, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity has been abused in subjects further than gravitational phenomenon even within the scientific community. His theory was the foundation of the Big Bang Theory which suggests the origin of the cosmos (Pellegrini 2; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen; White 96). Similarly, the Theory of Evolution centered on the origin of the species and, eventually, on that of man. Still both theories are frequently discussed as if they are in themselves two ends of a bigger combined theory. In point of fact, both are not theories in continuity, rather distinct theories concerning two entirely dissimilar physical phenomena (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org; Trefil & Hazen; White 105). Moreover, the purpose of his theory is to explain physical laws of the cosmos alone, not that of philosophy, faith or even the Almighty (Pellegrini 2; AllAboutScience. org). For example, the Theory of Relativity as well as the theoretical principle of moral relativism has nothing in common aside from the word relative, still others consider the two ideas to be synonymous (AllAboutScience. org). Others may possibly claim that moral relativity, the principle that fact and lies, right and wrong, the Almighty and other gods are decided and validated by one’s character, genetics, and upbringing, is an effect of the work of Einstein. It was on April 28, 1955 when one of the preeminent natural theorist who ever lived, breathed his last, handing over a legacy of challenging scientific premises (AllAboutScience. org). To date, scientists continue to investigate the premises formulated by this genius mind. He struggled to find in science what artists strive to find in art (Pellegrini 1; AllAboutScience. org). He tried to escape from the darkness and horrors of the world by connecting with the entire cosmos. He sought logic and beauty of the natural world. In finding out the fundamental principles of the natural world, it appears that he hoped to discover a secret design which would one way or another restore confidence in him about the beauty and creativity of the world into which he is born. His intellectual aptitude as well as his curious mind embodied the spirit of analytical thinking. By means of skilled and constant inquiry they altered man’s idea of the natural world as well as the cosmos. He was only armed with a pen and a paper (Pellegrini 2; AllAboutScience. org). In spite of that he saw beyond what a telescope can reach, deeper than what a microscope can recognize. He went on a lonely grandeur to where the worlds of the visible and invisible met. He articulated each in the language of the other (Pellegrini 3; AllAboutScience. org). If he was ever a success in discovering the secret he has spent most of his life searching for, it lies in the legacy of his observations yet to be examined by sophisticated technology. Does the average man only grasp so little of the vast universe of is it that Einstein only did assume to a great deal? Man has all the advances Einstein has left to civilization. These are the advances which have tapped practically each and every respect of the sciences. For one, civilization has the atomic bomb. Then again, perhaps primarily, in the minds of those he has left behind, his vision is kept no matter how unclearly. The harmony in the world is the very thing man has kept searching for. That one great mind drew man nearer to the facts of life than anyone who has ever existed done for civilization.And Albert Einstein was also well aware of how much more questions he had left under the clouds of uncertainty. Works Cited Pellegrini, Frank. â€Å"Albert Einstein. † Time Magazine 29 March 1999: 1 – 3. â€Å"Theory of Relativity. † 2008. AllAboutScience. org. 3 July 2008 http://www. allaboutscience. org/theory-of-relativity. htm. Trefil, James and Robert M. Hazen. The Sciences: An Integrated Approach. Location: Wiley, 2006. White, Nicholas E. â€Å"Beyond Einstein: scientific goals and missions. † Advances in Space Research 35 (2005): 96 – 105.

Practical Wisdom

First Book Review Schwartz, B. , & Sharpe, K. (2010). Practical Wisdom: The Right Way To Do The Right Thing. Riverhead Books. New York. Summary Schwartz and Sharpe present an interesting array of examples of how there has been a demoralisation of the medical, legal, educational and financial institutions. Where efficiency, accountability and profits become the driving force of organisations, the authors argue this causes a corruption and demoralisation of practitioners where they become discouraged from getting the balance right.The authors suggest we take refuge in rules however the rules keep us from understanding what we are doing. They share how some conscientious professionals who no longer find it possible to practice their profession following the rules and incentives set, have practically applied their knowledge to facilitate a more humane way of practicing which the authors label as practical wisdom. Review The authors refer to what Aristotle named â€Å"phronesis† (p ractical wisdom) which is obtained through learning from experience and applying to new situations. Rules and incentives, sticks and carrots† will not create wisdom. Finding practical ways to apply contextualised knowledge takes courage to question conventional thinking or practices. Practical wisdom as highlighted by the authors is like an antidote to both rules and incentives: it appeals to good judgement and responsibility. This cannot be taught but gained through experiences where these experiences increase awareness and promote critical thinking: encouraging one to examine and assess for themselves â€Å"the right way to do the right thing. In the book an example is given whereby a cleaner was accused of not cleaning the hospital room by a patient’s father even though he had done so. The cleaner chose to not engage in an argument and exercised wisdom about the consequences of holding onto his â€Å"rights† and he just went and re-cleaned the room . Knowing when to exercise this wisdom is at the heart of what the author’s discuss. The author’s encourage you to self-reflect and think more consciously about what you do.Reading some of the examples in this book where practical wisdom was exercised, reminded me of something I once heard: â€Å"in any situation you can choose to be right or kind†. This comment had a visceral impact on me and gratefully comes to mind at times where I am reminded about the way in which I can choose to act in a given situation. I believe this is what the authors are encouraging. I did not learn anything new from this book but it was a great reminder of wanting to be a ‘good person’ in all relationships and encounters and encouraged me to be more mindful of my choices and the impact of my actions.

Stepper Motors and Servomotors

Stepper motors and Servomotors Motors are the special electrical devices that have been developed by the engineers for the conversion of energy from one form to another. Engineers have developed the science of motors to an extent wherein they can be used for numerous applications and in several technologies. We would discuss the characteristics of two of the most commonly used types of motors, i. e. the stepper motors and the servomotors. Both these motors serve different purposes and are used and employed for different reasons and different applications based on the need and the requirement.The stepper motors are those motors that work on the basis of the x/y axis coordinates and works on the basis of a special torch, which can help in pointing at all the directions and the synchronization observed between the two coordinates and axes of the motor makes it simple to work. The best characteristic of the stepper motor is that it offers high reliability and not only reliability but als o exhibits extremely high speed, thus making the operations much more efficient. Numerous technologies make use of the stepper motors and that is because they are also inexpensive.Since these motors make sure that they don’t miss the steps, they give and lead to extremely high efficiency and output. The costs and efforts required for the management and repair of these motors are also comparatively less. Servo motors are slightly different as compared to the stepper motors. They are actually the rotary actuators that help in gaining complete accuracy and precision for the purpose of controlling the angular position during the working of the motors. They are high performance motors and usually replace the stepper motors due to their high performances.One major advantage that the stepper motors have but servomotors don’t have is that the stepper motors are comparatively cheaper than the servomotors and hence tend to be more employed and used. Servo motors are also usually bigger and heavier than the stepper motors and are hence used mostly for heavy machinery and big equipments. One thing that amazes users is the intelligence factor that can be embedded for the servomotors. Servomotors can be made interesting and much more automated with certain developments and coding.They are commonly use for different applications including that of robotics and automated manufacturing. By comparing both these types of motors, we see that they both have their own characteristics and their own pros and cons. Though their working dynamics differ significantly, they still can be used at the same place. The final decision however lies on the requirement and the need for the efficiency, cost and size of the motor. Industries make use of both these motor types very frequently. Reference link: http://classof1. com/homework-help/engineering-homework-help

Death Across Time and Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Death Across Time and Cultures - Essay Example Thus, although death is regard as a typical figure or outcome for all human beings, the conceptualization of death events and cultural practices vary significantly (AÌŠhreÃŒ n, P. 154). Among different cultures such as the Chinese, Egyptian and religious cultures, death is seen as a conceived condition that involves sleep, illness or attaining a certain age of life. In contrast, among the European cultures such as the Greeks, death is seen as a total cessation of life. Cultures that views death as a transition between life and death such as the African cultures and Buddhism cultures according to Anna Indych from the ‘’Death Across Time and Cultures’’ video episode sees death as a transition from one to other form of human beings. Similarly, among the Buddhist religious culture, death is seen as a continuous interaction between the living people and the death (AÌŠhreÃŒ n, P. 152). On a broad front, as Hindu cultures’ views death as circular patterns of multiple rebirth and deaths, the Christian religious culture views death as a final end of humanly life that involves no human activities after death. In addition, different conceptions of death as described by Stanley in the view episode in relation to the art of living and grieving, significantly influence the peoples’ way of life and lifestyles. Therefore, different perception of death outcomes for different cultures and people affects their degree in which they fear death, the readiness to die as well as the nature of expression of mourning, grieving and the nature of funeral rituals conducted (AÌŠhreÃŒ n, P.

Construction assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Construction assignment - Essay Example It overlooks the Thames. It lies between the Houses of Parliament and St. Paul`s Cathedral. It is opposite to the Royal Courts of Justice. It is within five minutes walk of the Covent Garden, West End theatres and Trafalgar Square. The building is a 13 storied structure, and has 4 basement levels. The building is made of concrete and inflexible blockwork partitions. The floor to ceiling height is high. Roofs have valley gutters. Iron cramps have been inserted in masonry to bind the blocks together. Bonding timbers have been used in external brick and stone walls. The facade build-up includes glazed infill cladding. There are windows, and the flooring made of wood. The blockwork is inflexible, requiring extensive works. The facade are worn out. The facade are leaky allowing water ingress and air infiltration. VAV dual duct ventilation with open able windows caused high energy consumption. The environmental performance was poor. There are DDA and fire compliance issues. The top three floors were completely gutted. Access for fire escape and fire brigade was poor. Facade, building services and DDA access were not compliant. Major defects have been included in the table below. The occupants gave a negative feedback regarding the internal environment including noise and air pollution. Routine maintenance includes work that has to be carried out at intervals for keeping the building in appropriate condition. There may be requirements for replacement or repairing an item necessitated by natural deterioration of normal wear and tear. According to Chanter and Swallow (2000), routine maintenance is five yearly external decorations and servicing of boilers. According to the Audit Commission, details of maintenance cycles have to be set with a balance between planned and responsive maintenance. The initial focus must be on replacements that could be expected instead of those considered avoidable. The routine replacement items must be identified at the outset

The Phenomenon of Arbitration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Phenomenon of Arbitration - Essay Example In 1931, American Congress came up with Davis-Bacon Act; the act was created for the purpose of minimum wages to be paid to those employees who are under the contracts. In 1932 Norris-LaGuardia Act was passed. The Act was created to entitle labor unions for their strikes. It also gave lots of freedom to labor unions to deal with managements. In 1933 The National Industrial Recovery Act came up with the rule of collective bargaining. This Act talked about fixed working hours of labors. In 1935 National Labor Relations Act also known as Wagner Act. In 1936 Anti-strike breaker law came into the picture. It was known as Byrnes Act. It was very effective in against of force full attempts of managements to break any labor strike. There are different workplace factors that can cause workplace fatalities. It is often being noticed that many organizations are engaged in different risk operations. Labor's day in day out put their lives under serious threats. But labors take very fewer precautions or preventive measures. Sometimes security facilities are absent in factories. It is often being noticed that old outdated technologies or machines can be very risky and dangerous. Workplace fatalities are very common but unwanted incidents. Most of the time's management negligence are towards their workers are responsible for these kinds of mishaps. Occupational Safety and Health Act has reduced the numbers of workplace fatalities. Before this act, there was no such provision to take care of workers safety and security in their workplaces.

Energy Efficient Food System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Energy Efficient Food System - Essay Example Form this explanation; it is very clear that any food system is affected not only by environmental factors but by also social, political and economic factors play a major role. (Michael Webber, Scientific American: â€Å"How to Make Food System More Energy Efficient† Jan 2012) expresses this point by looking at: 1. How food-energy relationships are changing. 2. What ways of food production are over utilizing the available energy, how they do it? 3. Ways of improving the food-energy ratio. According to the article, there has been an increase in the demand for energy especially fossil fuels and diverse countries are trying to fight this demand but are overlooking the food system as a major user of energy. There are certain farming methods which eventually lead to more energy being used to utilize food than that which we get from that same food. Evidence shows that there is a 10.1 ratio of energy input to food output and more energy is used to preserve and prepare food due to the use of more machinery like tractors. The author expresses optimism in improving this ratio, for example, he suggests stopping using corn kernels for starch-based ethanol as this seems like a process of interfering with nature. Conversion of agricultural waste like manure into products of power is another way to curb entering into the energy-danger zone. This can also provide vital nutrients to livestock and make more food available to us, for instance feeding of livestock by algal biomass will enable there to be more corn as food for humans thus less energy used for food production. Drip irrigation are among other pilot methods that have been used successfully not to mention improving our behavior like reducing food wastage and dietary options of eating lesser portions of food will go a long way in improving the 10.1 ratio. The high population increase in the world means a greater demand for food and thus higher demand for energy to produce this food. Some areas which were seen as non-agricultural areas for instance great deserts, were improved so as to be agricultural but there is still high energy consumption through transportation and irrigation and this does not solve this problem. Such a situation is described in instances where more energy is used to make food than that given out by the same food. There are instances where plants only convert less than 2% of solar energy into stored energy which is consumed by animals which are then consumed by humans and is again stored as glycogen instead of being given out. After thorough review of past experiments done by experts, the author believes that there is still hope in improving the 10.1 ratio. From studying researches done, it is clear that if the Americans stop using corn kernels for starch-based ethanol, they will be able to produce up to 15 gallons of corn-based feed-stocks which can be used as feed for both livestock and humans. Other ways of doing this are through; Use of cellulose sources for energy instead of food-based sources Conversion of agricultural waste into power using anaerobic digesters Using carbon-dioxide from smokestacks at coal plants to grow algae for food. Implementing agricultural techniques which have been perfected in pilot diagrams will also reduce the 10.1 ratio. For example drip irrigation creates less water wastage than sprinkle irrigation, in states like Iowa, researchers say

Homeless vietnam veterans and what is being done to help them Essay

Homeless vietnam veterans and what is being done to help them - Essay Example According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, the number of homeless Vietnam era veterans exceeds the number of fatalities that occurred during the war. Statistics show that forty seven percent of the homeless veterans served during the Vietnam Era. At present there are more than 200 community-based veteran organizations, besides the federal and state agencies in the United States, that are working toward providing the best possible care to these unfortunate war veterans. Besides these there are also some organizations in Australia, Canada, and South Korea that are helping the homeless veterans in their nation. Many of them have quite an impressive achievement record. There has been a lot of support and a vast number of people have benefited from the various programs. But statistics still show that more than 600,000 veterans are homeless at some point during the year. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) The VA was one of the first organizations that extended its wholehearted a nd sincere support to the homeless Vietnam War Veterans. ... Over the years, the VA has launched many new programs, which dealt with specific problems faced by the war veterans (NCHV Releases FY 2010 Annual Report, 2011). Project CHALLENG In 1994, the VA launched the project CHALENG, which assessed the needs of the homeless veterans living in a particular area and then focused on their health care, education, job assessment, training, placement, and counseling. It also prepared a list of all the homeless services in the local area and encouraged coordinated services, which proved to be much more beneficial than individual efforts (HUD, VA Release Supplemental Report on Veteran Homelessness, 2011). Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program This program reaches out to the thousands of homeless people who are currently not receiving any kind of benefits and so are most vulnerable. Prompt assistance is offered and the fundamentals problems that led to homelessness are addressed. They are then provided with individual care that includes getti ng physical and mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and help finding food, shelter, clothing and transportation (Homeless Veterans, n.d.). HCHV/Grant Per Diem Program The purpose of this program is to fund community agencies that provide services to the homeless veterans. It promotes the development of supportive housing for the homeless veterans to achieve residential stability. This program provides grants through a competitive process for up to 65% of the costs of construction, renovation, or acquisition of a building for use as service centers or transitional housing for the homeless Veterans. The VA has recently founded a National Call Center. This Homeless Veterans hotline ensures that the homeless Veterans or

Yahoo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Yahoo - Research Paper Example Latest financial reports from Rockland Trust Company indicated that Yahoo announced an increase in net income for the full year to over $ 45.4 as appreciation or improvement of 12.9% when compared to previous year. Furthermore, annual sales for the year 2011 increased tremendous with acquisition of new customers all over the world. In 2011, yahoo experienced diluted earnings per share trading at $0.52. This shows a decrease of $0.04 on a diluted per share premises. In addition, this result incorporates a $757,000 prepayment penalty at the start of the fourth quarter that emanated in a $0.02 per share charge on the stock market coming from the company’s application or use excess money to pay down borrowings. In India, yahoo has embarked on talent acquisition program in order to capture young and vibrant generation who are interested to use its services such as getting sports updates and entertainment. This strategy has worked well since there is an increase in number of Indians employed by Yahoo Corporation and those who use its services. This strategy that the company has adopted in India is corporate strategy which is rational considering the business environment in which it operates in. It has worked well since in that young people in India are using Yahoo services in their corporate work. In Kenya, yahoo has changed its business strategy by focusing on middle income earners to participate in online businesses. The company gives chance to business people in Kenya to develop their websites and hosted free in order to boost its growth. This strategy has worked well in Kenya because the number of those who use Yahoo services has greatly increased. The strategy adopted in Kenya is marketing strategy. This strategy is resonant because businesses in Kenya are transforming to online services. It is showing success owing to the rate at which businesses are turning to

Hiring and Firing Professors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hiring and Firing Professors - Essay Example Moreover, the type of school is another point of consideration. A private school and a public school have different working conditions. This may include tenure and security. For private schools, teachers are less secure and are easily dismissed from service. Another cause is the tendency to do research more over teaching because research is more attractive and more interesting for it gives more pay and is counted much more in terms of professional advancement (Etzioni). Amitai Etzioni's "Confessions" gives insights on this question of student participation. According to him: "On the question of hiring, firing and promoting faculty, we favored some student participation." This is through the "fine teaching-evaluation instrument" which is a questionnaire given out to students by semester to evaluate the professor's teaching. He adds that the result must be "given to committee which passes on promotions and renewal of contracts, as a students report on teaching." The student assessment of the teaching performance "would provide some systematic information and thus might increase the reward - and maybe pressure - for good teaching, at least as seen by the students." I agree with the idea of Etzioni that students must have a part in the hiring and firing of professors but limited only on the teaching-evaluation instr... nd promoting faculty, we favored some student participation." This is through the "fine teaching-evaluation instrument" which is a questionnaire given out to students by semester to evaluate the professor's teaching. He adds that the result must be "given to committee which passes on promotions and renewal of contracts, as a students report on teaching." The student assessment of the teaching performance "would provide some systematic information and thus might increase the reward - and maybe pressure - for good teaching, at least as seen by the students." I agree with the idea of Etzioni that students must have a part in the hiring and firing of professors but limited only on the teaching-evaluation instrument, except on rare cases of grave misconduct and abuse of authority of the teacher. There are several reasons why students' participation should be limited to the questionnaire only. One is that students are "transient members of the university community and will not have to live with the consequences of their action." This refers to undergraduate students. For graduate students, the case may be a little different for they stay beyond the four or five years' stay of the undergraduates. Another reason is that "students often have a highly unrealistic idea of what 'the system' can realistically do" such as "much larger faculty staff to provide for more intimate instruction; but they are horrified at any suggestion that students should pay a still higher tuition fees" (Etzioni). In addition, "there are matters that students can have no say - for example, what political views a teacher may have or must not have when hired or retained, what he will teach specifically (as distinct from what areas will be taught), or what specific competence will be required for

History 101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History 101 - Essay Example Besides the Goths taking over the Roman Empire, and the Franks and Gauls rising up to form the Frankish Kingdom, Christianity was spreading quickly and had already permeated in Roman society and still survived even the fall of Rome. All of this resulted to the integration of various cultures and practices. The Carolingian Dynasty was perhaps the earliest successful of a prosperous medieval kingdom. It was considered a model or example of how a successful merging of different cultures and practices can mix well to bring out a stable political structure, a flourishing society and a thriving intellectual atmosphere. This was all possible and caused by and during the rule of Charles the Great or Charlemagne. The Carolingian period was stable in rule, but nothing really as compared with that of the Roman Empire’s political structure. While the Romans had their Caesars as absolute rulers and the Senators as representatives of the people as well as advisors to the Caesars, the Carolingian rulers formed what seemed to be a different form of government. What developed were kingdoms -- the king had to constantly move around his land in order to show and prove himself to his subjects (Kreis, â€Å"Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance†). This of course was called the Feudal system, or Feudalism, in which the land was divided among the nobles in power who laid their allegiance to the king of the realm. This was particularly very Gallic and Germanic influence because they did not maintain for the sole reason that Rome had built a government around the emperor and his elaborate and extensive administrative bureaucracy (Kreis). The Roman political structure relied on its efficient and effective system of political management to keep the state running properly. Proper protocol is followed among the hierarchy of powers, and the various political positions are there to check each other and maintain balance and order. The legal system, as well as

The Law of Healthcare Administration Essay Example for Free

The Law of Healthcare Administration Essay 1) Compare and contrast the Stark Self-Referral Laws and the Anti-Kickback Statute.   Both the Stark Self-Referral Laws and the Anti-Kickback Statute were enacted to prevent healthcare providers from improperly benefiting from their referrals.   The Stark Self-Referral Laws are three separate provisions which govern physician self-referral for Medicaid and Medicare patients. The Stark Law states in essence that a physician wouldn’t be allowed to refer a patient to a place where the physician has either a compensation arrangement or ownership interest if payments for services will be made by the Medicaid or the Medicare programs.   The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits anyone from willfully and knowingly from soliciting or offering any type of payment or gift to give referrals of services or items Medicaid, Medicare or most any federally funded program (excludes Federal employees Health Benefits Program). A defendant would have to be proven by the government to have specific intent to be disobedient to this law.   Unlike the Anti-Kickback Statute which gives the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services the ability to make exceptions, the Stark Law came with the exceptions already in place. Also, unlike the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law doesn’t allow referrals for specific health services.   The Anti-Kickback Statute is a criminal statute whereas the Stark Self-Referral Laws are civil statutes. Therefore, violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute would be considered felonies with penalties up to $25,000 and five years in prison. Also, civil penalties could be up to $50,000 and dismissal from the Federal Program. Whereas, violations of the Stark Law could result in penalties and non-payment, however, violators of the Stark Law wouldn’t be threatened with imprisonment.   Although they both can be confusing, the Stark Self-Referral Laws are more confusing because of how they came with numerous exceptions in place. 2) In examining the relationship between hospitals and physicians, under what conditions can the hospital be held liable for the physicians negligence? Under what conditions will the hospital not be liable for the physicians` negligence? If the hospital has prior knowledge of or should reasonably be expected to have knowledge of the incompetency of said physician and the hospital failed to protect the patient(s), the hospital could reasonably be held liable for that physician’s negligence. I would turn that around then and state that if it is reasonable that the hospital had no prior knowledge of incompetency on the physician’s part, and it could not be proven that the hospital was aware of any past incompetent actions of said physician, they would not be held liable. However, there is another complication to this which I will just include as a quote because I could make it more complicated in my own words, â€Å"The entity employing independent contractors is generally not liable for the negligence of such independent contractors, since the employing entity does not control the means and methods of the work to be accomplished by the independent contractors. However, hospitals may remain liable for actions performed by independent contractors on a variety of grounds† (Scott, 1998). 3) Discuss your perspective on whether a hospital should revoke a physician`s privileges. provide examples in your discussion. Are your examples â€Å"ethical and/or Legal in nature†?   I feel that a hospital should revoke a physician’s privileges if his license to practice is suspended, revoked or restricted. Also, if the physician loses Medicaid or Medicare privileges, their board certification or loses their Drug Enforcement Administration. In addition, I feel a hospital has the right to revoke a physician’s privileges if the physician is found to use illegal drugs or alcohol and if the physician is convicted of a criminal act. Having said that, I also support the physician’s request for a cure period which could be negotiated between the hospital and the physician. However, the hospital should have this in writing so that staff are aware of it prior to any revocations. Most of the examples I list can be considered as both ethical and legal in nature. 4) As the chief executive officer of a hospital and a member of its executive board, what are some of the key attributes you and your board should consider when hiring physicians and other clinical personnel? Could one actually deny a physician to a hospital without receiving backlash?   I would look for leadership qualities and if there is any experience or volunteer work in their past to indicate they have been in a leadership position in some respect. I would also look for good to excellent communication skills. This can be beneficial for a physician and clinical personnel in many ways. If there is something to indicate they are a strategic thinker, I would value this in regards to those positions. Of course, being a team player would be a valued attribute I would look for also. In addition to those attributes, physicians and clinical personnel considered for these areas need to demonstrate that they handle stressful situations well.   I feel one could absolutely deny a physician to the hospital and whether or not they receive backlash will depend on the staff involved in the interview process and how their morale is and trust in the final judgment of whoever it is that makes that judgment. 5) Please discuss your perspective on U.S. hospitals admitting illegal immigrants as patients? I am not opposed to U.S. hospitals admitting illegal immigrants as patients, however, just like U.S. residents, they need to be contractually and financially obligated to pay for their medical expenses or pay repercussions, which could and possibly should include deportation. Although I believe in humane treatment for all, we cannot allow the financial obligations created by illegal immigrants to fall on U.S. citizens or be absorbed by the U.S. health care system which in turn makes it more difficult and more expensive for U.S. citizens to receive affordable health care. 6) Healthcare organizations in the USA have been impacted with personnel turnover leading to such issues as closures of clinical units or diversion of patients to other hospital emergency departments. Based on your reading of hospital admission, please discuss your perspective of hospitals diverting patients to other facilities. Is this a Legal act? What can we do to effectively address the diversion issue in the US?   It is not illegal to divert patients to other facilities. This is often a necessary move especially if a hospital is full, too busy, if the patient is more critical than the hospital is rated for and a â€Å"for profit† hospital may divert non-paying patients. The hospital should make sure the patient is stable prior to doing any transfer or diversion. However, there are methods of effectively addressing the diversion issue in the U.S. For example, one cause of this diversion is patient-flow problems. Some hospitals have begun installing bed-tracking and patient-tracking systems that are aimed at reducing this patient-flow problem. United Hospital’s emergency department in Minneapolis used to have one of the highest divert rates in that area. However, a year after implementing a bed-tracking system, United Hospital had the lowest patient diversion rate in the Twin Cities metro area (Going, 2003). 7) Discuss a hospital’s process for ensuring it is in compliance with â€Å"HIPAA† of 1996. The hospital needs to have meetings to address the HIPAA and any modifications, and revisions to all of its affected staff. The staff then is given the information and must sign off on having read and understood it. The personnel needs to be able to direct staff to the site or person(s) that can answer additional questions pertaining to HIPAA. â€Å"HIPAA consultants who were intimately familiar with the details of the legislation and offered their services to ensure that physicians and medical centers were fully in compliance† (Health, 2007). 8) Identify a negative aspect of HIPAA, then develop a 200-300 word memo to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that addresses the identified concern and your suggestion for improving it. July 03, 2007 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In all due respect, many other physicians including myself are finding lack of clarity in what needs to be basic issues the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Because we must attempt to understand laws and new health care data on an ongoing basis, it is important that it be written as clearly as possible for we very much want to be compliant in this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having said this, in speaking with many of my colleagues, we are unclear of who all can have access to the privacy medical records in regards to how this is written up in HIPAA. At first I felt I possibly was the only one having this difficulty, however, after speaking with my colleagues it appears to be an item that is unclear for all of us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When you update or revise this, please address this issue and let it be known that I represent many others in this field who are having difficulty with this. If it were just myself, I wouldn’t take the time to compose this letter. I do sincerely appreciate your time and effort in this matter. I will be looking forward to reading and understanding your revised copy of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Sincerely, Your Name 9) Can a physician who is receiving a large increase in Medicaid patients legally dissolve the physician-patient relationship with these patients because of the poor reimbursement rate? Explain your position. No.   By federal law a physician cannot dissolve a patient due to poor reimbursement of their Medicaid payment. One cannot pick and choose patients dependent upon the time it takes for the Medicaid reimbursement to arrive. 10) Discuss your perspective of physician-patient relationship and physician assisted suicide in your discussion, include whether a physician has the legal and ethical right to dissolve the relationship because of the patient wishes to end his/her life. Also, discuss your perspective if the physician honors this patient`s request. A physician has the right to tell the patient that he could not perform that particular procedure dependent upon the procedures they are expected to perform and recommend alternatives to the patient. If the patient is serious about what they want, the patient could then initiate the dissolution of the relationship and go elsewhere. However, I don’t believe the physician should dissolve the relationship because that puts the patient in too vulnerable a position. As a physician, I would follow the guidelines of where I work. I would also inquire as to those guidelines in such an area as this and make my decision as to whether that would be a place I would want to be employed by dependent upon matters and required procedures such as these. 11) How can the US contain the high cost of professional liability insurance? One way would be in changing the laws the way they currently address liability issues in the area of medicine. Other countries don’t even allow for this, however, even modifications in the current laws could help. As mentioned in one of the previous answers, going towards independent contractor physicians takes some of the cost away in that the hospital is not made responsible in most of these cases. References (2003, December). Going with the flow: tracking system helps Midwest hospital   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   streamline patient flow and lower emergency room divert rate. Retrieved July 2, 2007,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from findarticles.com Web site:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DUD/is_12_24/ai_111646161 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. (2007, June 27). In Wikipedia, The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:37, July 2, 2007, from  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_Insurance_Portability_and_Accountability_Actoldid=141030639 Scott, R (1998, June 4). Hospital liability for negligence of independent contractor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   physicians. Retrieved July 2, 2007, from Healthlaw Web site:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.law.uh.edu/healthlaw/perspectives/Tort/980604Hospital.html Showalter, J (2003). The law of healthcare administration. Chicago, IL: Health   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Administration Press. Watnik, R (2000, March 1). Antikickback versus Stark: Whats the difference?. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   July 2, 2007, from AllBusiness.com Web site: http://www.allbusiness.com/health-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   care-social-assistance/468779-1.html

Espionage and Intrusion Technology in Russia

Espionage and Intrusion Technology in Russia Neil McGeever Spying and intrusion had been happening years before technology became involved. The increase in technology and the dependency on the internet has made espionage and intrusion simpler and more widespread. Various technology has been developed that allows different ways of collecting unlawful information and spying on enemies. Valuable data is being gathered and stored online, and will continue to increase with an emphasis on technology for performing tasks and operations over the internet. This data can be intercepted to provide priceless information. Spying on the public and hacking sensitive information is certainly breaching the law and new laws are being introduced to protect the government and organisations for partaking in these activities. The public have the right to civil and privacy protection from these actions and should be obeyed, however there are certain cases when this should be permitted, such as against terrorist groups and organisations. This paper will discuss the different technologies being used to collect private information and data. It will also explain the laws that it affects that exist to protect the public and the new laws being introduced to protect the government. Espionage, Intrusion, Technology, Legal, Russia. Russia, and previously the Soviet Union, has long been recognised as a country involved in spying and intrusion on rival countries and organisations since the early 1900s. The Soviet Union employed spies in the Cold War to collect information and secrets about the United States of America and were previously used in World War One. This continues today but very different, as specialised technology has been developed to hack and interfere with information, data and communications associated with their enemies. Different technology enables different ways of gathering and collecting this information and data. This revolutionary technology allows for quick and effective hacking and intrusion, which is nearly impossible to stop when it is happening and difficult to detect who is responsible. It can be performed hundreds and thousands of miles from the intended target so the offender, or offenders, cannot be caught nearby or close to the crime. Most of the technology used for these activities worldwide was developed in Russia, enabling the Russian government and organisations to easily obtain this technology without having to travel overseas. The Russian privacy law, the Personal Data Protection Act, is intended to protect the civil and privacy rights of the Russian people. This should be adhered to by the Russian government, but unfortunately it is not. Russia is a country that enjoys to spy on its own people and it has a mass surveillance system in operation to monitor its citizens every move and communications (Russias Spying Craze, 2013). The people of Russia are not happy with this as they should be given a right of privacy in their lives without having all their movements and phone calls monitored and recorded. This document will describe cyber-attacks performed by Russia on other nations, and their severity. Technology created and developed by Russian companies that are used by the Russian government and organisations to interfere and hack confidential and private information or data on other countries and its own people, will also be explained. The law to protect the privacy of Russian citizens will also be discussed and how it is side-stepped by the Russian government for their own convenience. Russia is regarded as one of the most active and prevalent nations involved in espionage and intrusion. Cyber-espionage is employed by Russia to hack and obtain secret information from top departmental government agencies and buildings for their own intelligence. They are supposedly responsible for hacking and leaking emails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to WikiLeaks in 2016 and to have violated the network at the White House and the State Department activity (Penn-Hall, 2016). The gains and ease of these cyber-attacks on other nations, and because it is difficult to identify who is involved or responsible for the attacks, allows them to continue with this. James Adams, the CEO and Co-Founder of Infrastructure Defense Inc. (iDefense), regards the Internet as a revolutionary system and declared that Cyberspace has become a new international battlefield (Constantine, 2012). The internet has no governing body or police force, which is perfect for executing such attacks and not be detected. Each country must stand on their own or with their allies, to strengthen their cyber security and defences, and continuously fear that another nation may make a significant breakthrough that poses additional threats to them (Interviews, 2001). This makes each country cautious of new and severe attacks that they may not be able to defend or protect from. Russia has been accused of organising cyber-attacks on many nations. Between 1998 and 2000, a succession of incidents and attacks on the US became known as the Moonlight Maze. This was an attack on hundreds of government databases such as the Pentagon, NASA and other agencies by a group of hackers that used specialised computer equipment (Constantine, 2012). The attacks were apparently traced to a mainframe located in Russia, however, they denied this and the perpetrators are supposedly still unknown. Russia has also been accused of a 3-week long cyber-attack on Estonia in 2008. These attacks started when Russia and Estonia were in dispute over Estonias plans to remove a Soviet Union war memorial in the countrys capital Tallinn. This encouraged Russia to target some of Estonias biggest organisations and corporations such as the president, government ministers, political parties, news organisations and the banks. Russia again denied involvement with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sta ting that no way could the state be involved in terrorism (Thomas, 2009). Russia are not afraid to attack neighbouring countries, especially when they are much too powerful for lesser nations. More recently in March 2017, two Russian spies were charged with breaching Yahoo in 2014. This was performed with two other computer hackers and it affected over half a billion user accounts. It is regarded as one of the largest data breaches to occur in the United States of America. The Department of Justice have previously charged Russian hackers related to cyber-crime, however this is the first time that a criminal case has been brought against Russian government officials (US charges two Russian spies, 2017). Despite these charges, this will not deter Russian government officials and organisations to ending these activities. Many of the most common and most-used spy and intelligence technology employed today was developed in Russia. This technology was created from ideas the Soviet Union had to learn and uncover information and intelligence from other countries and from their own people. The Soviet Union wanted many ways of gathering knowledge and information in secrecy, so having various technologies to perform this, allowed to plan for every situation and scenario. One technology would be more useful than another in certain circumstances which prevented the attackers from being discovered and exposed. These technologies have only been developed from the late 1980s and upwards after the advancements in computers and other technology such as satellites and wired communication. The following will describe the technology used for collecting this information and data. Voice recognition technology was developed by the Speech Technology Centre (STC) in the city of Saint Petersburg. STCs beginnings started from a secret Soviet Union unit that had the backing of the Committee for State Security (KGB) and was developed during the Gulag system under Stalins rule. The roots of the company grew from a neighbouring prison that housed scientists and engineers, which was called the Sharashka Marfino. These scientists and engineers were forced to work to identify voices that were calling to foreign embassies in Moscow. Speech Technology Centre has also started to develop face recognition technologies along with voice recognition. STC announced in December 2012 that it installed the worlds first biometric identification platform, at a nation-wide level, that combines voice and face identification capabilities. This new system will allow authorities and governments to store images of suspects and criminals on a large database. STC has also claimed that it has invented algorithms that deliver reliable results even when facial characteristics have undergone physical changes, and the systems voice and face modalities can be used together or separately a voice sample or facial image alone is sufficient to make an identification. STC has publicly made it known that its surveillance technology is only used for utilitarianism uses, however they have been made available to strict and dictatorship government states such as Uzbekistan and Belarus. Most people will be unhappy with these developments as they fe ar that they will no longer have the right to privacy as their voice may be recorded without consent and that face recognition technology may mistakenly identify them for doing wrong. Another Russian firm have developed a facial recognition app. This involves submitting photos into the app and the app then searches through Vkontakte, the Russian social network version of Facebook, to find a match for the photo. The app is believed to have a 70% accuracy rate (Russian facial recognition, 2016). While some have no issues with the release of the app, others have concerns about privacy and the potential disclosure of personal information. The company do not have their own privacy policy but they have produced an acceptable use policy and licensing agreement to use on their American customers. The acceptable use policy states that the app can only be used for lawful purposes and the licensing agreement expects the licensee to establish their own privacy expectations (Chiel, 2016). Intercepting and interfering with private communications by the law has different procedures and standards in Russia compared to other countries. MFI-Soft is a Russian company that develops information security and telecommunications products for law enforcement agencies, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) carriers and internet service providers. The company has developed an interception technology capable of storing, detecting and analysing information that travels over the internet. The company also states that it develops products for national security and intelligence agencies and for the military. It is the largest Russian producer of telecommunications traffic interceptors and has developed a deep packet inspection filtering tool called Perimeter-F. Russia has recently implemented a new law that states that companies must store data associated with Russian citizens on Russian soil. This law is an attempt by Russia to gain control of the internet and to eliminate all the data stored on Russian people from other countries. The authorities want superior access to online data by domestic security services and to reduce the access to the data by other countries. Multi-national companies such as Facebook and Google are not happy with this law as they would have to move massive data to servers within Russia borders and to inform Roskomnadzor, the Russian internet watchdog, about their location (Walker, 2015). This is a massive operation for multi-national companies to accomplish as Russia is a huge country with a population of well over 100 million people. Russia has recently blocked LinkedIn because they didnt comply with the new laws and didnt store information about Russian people on servers inside Russia. Roskomnadzor had discovered that LinkedIn had broken their laws on storing data and acted accordingly. President Putins spokesman Peskov again said that the blockage is in strict accordance with the law and that the Kremlin will not intervene or interfere with the banning of LinkedIn (Matthew, 2016). Companies that do not adhere to Russian laws regarding data storage will be punished. The traditional way of listening in on private incoming phone calls is done by monitoring the telecom operator. Due to the massive and continuous increase in mobile phone usage over the years, it is much simpler and effective to intercept phone calls there and then on the spot. Discovery Telecom Technologies (DTT) was established in Moscow and have developed a system that makes this possible. The companys In-Between Interception System operates by imitating a mobile phone tower and draws in the signals that allows the devices operator to secretly listen and record the phone call. It claims to have the Kremlin and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) as some of its clients. Some Russian people are evidently not happy with this surveillance. The Russian government were brought before the European Court of Human Rights because of their surveillance and interception of mobile phone communications in accordance with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (See Appendix A). Roman Zakharov, complained that Russian law did not sufficiently protect against uncertainty and abuse from authorities and that it breached his right to privacy (European Court, 2016). Although this system was aimed at protecting the public and preventing crime, it did not guarantee protecting against abuse. The Court suggested that there was high risk with a system that had direct access to all mobile phone communications. The Court also believed that Russian law did not meet the quality of law requirement and that it was not necessary in a democratic society (Soldatov Borogan, 2013). The Russian government has introduced new laws and amended the Constitution in recent years because of espionage and intrusion, to lessen and prevent these problems in the future. Article 15, paragragh 4 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation outlines that universally-recognized norms of international law, and international treaties and agreements of the Russian Federation shall be a component part of its legal system (Data Protection, 2016). This includes the ratification of the Strasbourg Convention for the Protection of Individuals regarding the Automatic Processing of Personal Data (ETS No. 108) by Russia in 2005. The right to privacy, which includes the privacy of telephone and other communications is recognised in Article 23 of the Constitution, and the collection, use and storage of information about a person without their consent is prohibited in Article 24. The laws and requirements of data protection and privacy are outlined in the Federal Law No. 149-FZ on Information, Information Technologies and Data Protection and the Federal Law No. 152-FZ on Personal Data actions (Data Protection, 2016). These laws and articles of the Constitution are implemented to protect the public from the illegal collection of data and intrusion on their life. Individuals have the right to privacy and to only agree to this by giving consent for those. The Russian government are happy to collect information and spy on the public and this was evident in 1995. The Law on Operative Search and Seizures was legalised that allowed the FSB to operate a legal interception system called SORM, which enabled authorities to receive information from internet providers and phone operators. This technology allowed the Russian Security Service to monitor emails, phone calls and internet searches. Without consent and with improper use, the Russian people could fight for their right to privacy if they feel they are being violated against. Other laws have been established and signed to protect against international intrusion and surveillance. The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, signed the new Federal Law No. 374 on July 6, 2016, on Amending the Federal Law on Counter Terrorism and Select Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Concerning the Creation of Additional Measures Aimed at Countering Terrorism and Protecting Public Safety. This recently adopted law contains several conditions that specifically outline the rights of intelligence and secret services when observing private electronic communications and allows law enforcement agencies to collect individual computer information. The law describes the requirements about the identification of users and the safeguarding of metadata that is transmitted across networks by operators of telecommunication networks. This law works in parallel with the Federal Law on Information and Information Technology, which is an obligation of network operators, to keep metadata about all connections, transmissions, and receipts of voice information, written texts, images, sounds, video, and other messages transferred through communications networks for three years. Transmitted messages, telephone communication records and other communication information must be saved by network operators for up to six months. The law also enforces providers of information to report all information required for the description of received, transferred, or delivered electronic communications to the Federal Security Service. Failing to provide this information results in a fine (New Electronic Surveillance, 2017). The Russian government are introducing these laws to protect themselves and other agencies from repercussions and from legal action being taken. However, people can bring their case to the European Court if they feel they have been severely and wrongly victimised. In 2012, Russian President Putin signed another bill into law regarding crimes by espionage and state treason. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSS) proposed the bill to highlight that espionage and revealing state secrets are a form of state treason. The FSS also wanted the new law to emphasise the need to prosecute people or organisations that are involved in helping international organisations engaged in antagonistic activities such as state treason. This new legislation covers the assistance given to an international organisation by a Russian national targeting the security of Russia, in addition to support given to a foreign country or organisation showing aggressive movements against Russia. The support given to foreign countries or organisations that define state treason is explained in Article 2, paragraph 4 of the Law as financial, material, technical, advisory or any other support given to a foreign country or to international or foreign organizations engaged in activities against the security of the Russian Federation (Federal Law No. 190-FZ). Another area of Federal Law No. 190-FZ has been amended to state that any person that gains knowledge of state secrets and discloses such information to a foreign or Russian organisation will be liable for such act, whereas before, it was only persons who had been entrusted with the information that would be liable and prosecuted. This law has also established a new crime for anyone convicted of breaking this law, which may provide a prison term of up to four years or a fine. This new law covers illegal access to state secrets due to theft, violence and other methods. This punishment for this crime may be a prison term of betw een three to eight years if the person or people are convicted of using more specialised techniques of espionage (Espionage and State Treason, 2017). Russia will continue to spy on other nations and hack confidential information as they will constantly be paranoid and in fear that other countries and organisations are planning terrorism or other attacks against the state. They are also aware that enemy countries are engaged in spying and intrusion as most of the super power nations of the East and West are involved in this activity. Russia recognises that information is a valued asset, which needs to be protected, whether at peace or at war. When using this information and data correctly, the enemy can be beaten militarily and politically, and without having to occupy the country. New laws will be introduced in the future and the Constitution will be amended as ambiguities will be exposed in Russian laws as an unhappy Russian society will continue to pursue their protection for civil and privacy rights. Also, large corporations, who can seek powerful legal advice will not be intimidated or afraid to stand against the Russian administration. In recent years, the ban on overseas companies and organisations from storing data about Russian people outside of Russia was introduced, however multi-national companies were causing no harm and only storing the data on databases for their own use. Russia just does not want this data in the hands of other groups and organisations out of fear of the knowledge gained from others from this data. Data is the new oil was phrased by Clive Humby in 2006, a UK Mathematician and architect of Tescos Clubcard scheme (Data is the new oil, 2013), to highlight the massive use of technology and storage of data. Data and information collected legally and illegally is a powerful resource for government bodies and organisations. The increase in the use of technology and the internet has led to a growth in data stored online. For example, data uncovered may have been used to plan and prepare for organised attacks against the state, or for criminal gangs and groups to plan their own attacks. Technology used to collect this data will divide opinions, and if the technology is used unlawfully such as secretly collecting data about Russian people, it will cause discontent among the Russian public. This technology will clearly be a benefit for uncovering and capturing criminals but should not be used widespread to collect information on everybody. The Russian government needs to be careful about crossing this dividing line. References ComputerWeekly. 2017. Russian personal data law set to come into force despite fears. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Russian-personal-data-law-set-to-come-into-force-despite-fears. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Early Cold War Spies: The Espionage Trials That Shaped American Politics Central Intelligence Agency. 2017. Early Cold War Spies: The Espionage Trials That Shaped American Politics Central Intelligence Agency. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol51no2/intelligence-in-recent-public-literature.html. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. The Guardian. 2017. Spies, sleepers and hitmen: how the Soviet Unions KGB never went away | World news | The Guardian. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/19/spies-spooks-hitmen-kgb-never-went-away-russia-putin. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. International Business Times UK. 2017. Russia gets new Putin-approved cybersecurity doctrine following cyberespionage attack fears. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/russia-gets-new-putin-approved-information-security-doctrine-following-cyberespionage-attack-fears-1595050. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Roland Heickerà ¶. 2010. Emerging Cyber Threats and Russian Views on Information Warfare and Information Operations . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.highseclabs.com/data/foir2970.pdf. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Chapter 1. The Fundamentals of the Constitutional System | The Constitution of the Russian Federation. 2017. Chapter 1. The Fundamentals of the Constitutional System | The Constitution of the Russian Federation. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-02.htm. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Dentons Russias new anti-terrorist law . 2017. Dentons Russias new anti-terrorist law . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dentons.com/en/insights/alerts/2016/july/19/russias-new-anti-terrorist-law. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Practical Law . 2017. Practical Law . [ONLINE] Available at: http://uk.practicallaw.com/2-502-2227#a594893. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. History Learning Site. 2017. Spies of the Cold War Era History Learning Site. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/the-cold-war/spies-of-the-cold-war-era/. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Fox News. 2017. Russian facial recognition app sparks interest, controversy | Fox News. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/12/14/russian-facial-recognition-app-sparks-interest-controversy.html. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Fusion.net. 2017. Hyper-accurate face recognition tech goes global | Fusion. [ONLINE] Available at: http://fusion.net/story/358817/findface-ntechlab-face-recognition-privacy/. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Mail Online. 2017. Moscow blocks LinkedIn because it does not store data on citizens on Russian servers | Daily Mail Online. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3946982/Moscow-blocks-LinkedIn-latest-clampdown-Internet-freedoms-does-not-store-data-country-s-citizens-Russian-based-servers.html. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. International Justice Resource Center. 2017. European Court: Russian Interception of Mobile Phone Communications Violates Convention | International Justice Resource Center. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ijrcenter.org/2016/01/14/european-court-russian-interception-of-mobile-phone-communications-violates-convention/. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. WIRED: WIRED. 2017. 5 Russian-Made Surveillance Technologies Used in the West | WIRED. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.wired.com/2013/05/russian-surveillance-technologies/. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. The Cipher Brief. 2017. Russia, China, and Cyber Espionage | The Cipher Brief. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/tech/russia-china-and-cyber-espionage-1092. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Interviews James Adams | Hackers | FRONTLINE | PBS. 2017. Interviews James Adams | Hackers | FRONTLINE | PBS. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hackers/interviews/adams.html. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Russia Data Protection 2016 ICLG International Comparative Legal Guides. 2017. Russia Data Protection 2016  · ICLG International Comparative Legal Guides. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.iclg.co.uk/practice-areas/data-protection/data-protection-2016/russia#chaptercontent1. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Russia: New Electronic Surveillance Rules | Global Legal Monitor. 2017. Russia: New Electronic Surveillance Rules | Global Legal Monitor. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/russia-new-electronic-surveillance-rules/. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Russia: Espionage and State Treason Concepts Revised | Global Legal Monitor. 2017. Russia: Espionage and State Treason Concepts Revised | Global Legal Monitor. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/russia-espionage-and-state-treason-concepts-revised/. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Inquiries Journal. 2017. Cyber Terrorism and IR Theory: Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism in the New Security Threat Inquiries Journal. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/627/cyber-terrorism-and-ir-theory-realism-liberalism-and-constructivism-in-the-new-security-threat. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Timothy L. Thomas. 2008. Nation -State Cyber Strategies: Examples from China and Russia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://ctnsp.dodlive.mil/files/2014/03/Cyberpower-I-Chap-20.pdf. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. The Guardian. 2017. Russian data law fuels web surveillance fears | World news | The Guardian. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/russia-internet-privacy-laws-control-web. [Accessed 19 February 2017]. Russias Spying Craze. 2017. Russias Spying Craze. [ONLINE] Available at: https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/russias-spying-craze-29105. [Accessed 24 February 2017]. Data is the new oil: Tech giants may be huge, but nothing matches big data. 2017. Data is the new oi

Analysis of Indias Sports Goods Industry

Analysis of Indias Sports Goods Industry The Sports Goods Industry was founded by Sardar Bahadur, Sardar Ganda Singh Oberoi in the year 1883 at Sialkot and Sports Equipment became the first Indian Industrial Product to be exported in 1885.The Sports Good Sector consists of both organised and unorganized sections of the industry. The Indian Sports Goods Industry thus has its origins in Sialkot, Pakistan. When India got partitioned in 1947, many Hindu artisans migrated from Sialkot to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in India. Jalandhar is the most primary centre of Indias Sports Goods Industry followed by Meerut in UP and Gurgaon in Harayana. India is one of the largest producers of footballs and other inflated balls. The Indian Sports Goods Industry has grown tremendously since 1947. Some of the products like Cricket bat, ball, football and nets have been steadily gaining fame all over the world. The Sports goods Industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the past five decades and has contributed significantly to the Indian Economy by way generating employment, exploiting the rural and urban potential and also by way of exports, which are increasing every year. The Indian sports goods industry manufactures more than 300 items. United kingdom is the one of the major importer of sports goods manufactured in India followed by countries like USA, Germany, France and Australia. Some of the major items that are exported include inflatable balls, hockey sticks and balls, cricket bats and balls, boxing equipment, fishing equipment, indoor games like Carrom and Chess boards and some protective items. The sports Goods Industry thus provides a useful livelihood avenue and has helped preserve traditional skills acquired over generations. As some exquisite sports products require highly skilled processes to be followed for their production, the need for skilled workers in the industry is even more prominent inspite of the introduction of automated systems. After liberalization of India and introduction of the WTO agreements, sports goods sector is experiencing tremendous competition from foreign brands. Currently, the industry in mainly focused in the small-scale and cottage sector backed by some of the governments liberalized industrial policies. There is also a wide scope for improving the marketing of products and modernizing the technology used for manufacturing them. SPORTS GOODS INDUSTRY IN INDIA The Sports goods industry is divided into various manufacturing clusters. We would be discussing the clusters of Jalandhar, Meerut and Kashmir in detail as follows: Manufacturing cluster of Jalandhar: This cluster is called a transplanted cluster, as a major segment of this cluster which was originally part of Sialkot, Pakistan moved to Jalandhar on Indias partition. It is an important supplier of quality sports goods to more than 130 countries including some of the developed nations of the world. The Jalandhar cluster is also the only cluster to introduce the concept of machine-stitched footballs to meet the demands of the FIFA world cup 2010 and beyond. Skilled workers engaged in this industry are the most important parts elements in the production and are settled in camps adjacent to the manufacturing unit. The entrepreneurs setting up modern units with mechanized production systems are shifting to open space with more area to achieve better results and are away from crowded localities. The official estimate of the total number of persons working in the industry in about 1,70,000 while the unofficial estimate is 3,00,000. MANUFACTURING CLUSTER OF MEERUT: There are about 1250 registered and 2000 unregistered big and small sports goods manufacturing units providing direct and indirect employment to approximately 70,000 persons in the Meerut District of Uttar Pradesh. Supporting organizations have also grown to supply adequate quantity of raw materials to the sports goods industry and to provide training to the workers during the last few years. At the same time many schemes are operational for the development of the cluster. If given the right business opportunity to the sports goods manufacturers, this cluster can flourish. The production is low because the units are not mechanized as only 20% of them use machinery. Also latest technology is not available which acts as a deterrent in respect of the competition from China, Pakistan, etc. About 60% total production is being exported to Australia, South Africa, England, America, West-Indies, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh etc., through middle men and the remaining products are sold in the domestic market across India. There are various government bodies that help in the monitoring the progress and development of the cluster. These are listed and described briefly as under: Directorate of Industries, U.P.: This Government body is supporting the cluster in every respect by providing training, Technical Support etc. Process cum Product Development Centre (PPDC): It meets the technical needs of sports goods industry throughout the country in collaboration with Govt. of U.P. All India Sports Goods Manufacturers Federation (AISGMF): It supplies the information, technology and technical training to the Industry. It also arranges the raw material for the Industry. Export Promotion Bureau: It helps the small manufacturers to collect their product in one platform or the other so that they could export their product to other countries on low prices. Cricket Bats Manufacturing Cluster in Kashmir: The history of cricket bat industry in Kashmir goes back to pre-partition days when Sialkot (Pakistan) was the sports goods centre. With the partition of the Indian sub-continent, the skilled craftsmen of Sialkot shifted to Jalandhar, Meerut and the cleft makers of Kashmir turned toward newly established centers. In due course of time, the demand of the cricket bats in the country increased and cricket bats started getting manufactured to meet this demand. The finest willow is English Willow, followed by Kashmir Willow for manufacturing cricket bats. Over 80% of all cricket bats today are manufactured in Jalandhar, Meerut, Kashmir and Jammu cities. All of them depend on Kashmir for their willow clefts. World famous Kashmir Cricket bats industry is now facing a slow death. Cricket Bat Manufacturers Association revealed that out of a total 300 cricket bat manufacturing units in Kashmir valley, half of them have shut their units. The cricket bat industry is battling for survival in the state. Jammu region, which boasted of 77 cricket bat manufacturing units a few years back, has now a mere 10 units, while the scenario in Kashmir valley is no different. Major Sports Goods Production Centers/Clusters and Product Categories: Major Sports Goods manufacturing clusters and major product categories of sports goods produced are compiled in the following table: Sl. No. Location/ Cluster Major Product Categories 1. Jalandhar Inflatable ball( Soccer /Rugby/Volley/Net/ Hand Basket ball) in PU PVC Boxing Equipment Cricket Equipment Sports ware Track and Field Equipments Sports Training equipment Hockey Equipment Hockey Foam Moulded Goalie Range Shipguards All kinds of Nettings 2. Meerut Weight Lifting Equipment Cricket Equipments Athletics Equipments Boxing Equipments Table Tennis Badminton Carrom board Fitness and Exercise equipment Lane Markers Basket ball Netball rings TT accessories Sports Apparel 3. Jammu Kashmir Cricket Bats 4. Delhi Football Carrom Board Chess Cricket Equipment Billiards/Snooker/Pool Tables Accessories Football Bladders Boxing equipment Punching Sports Helmets Educational Puzzles Board Games 5. Gurgaon Golf Equipment Board Games 6. Mumbai Water Park Slides Carrom Board Payground Fitness Equipment Sports Nets Helmets 7. Kolkata Skipping rope Carrom Board Magic tricks magic apparatus 8. Chennai Tennis Balls, Sports Shoes and Apparels 9. Bangalore Bowling Equipments Sports Medals Trophies Gym Health Equipments Productivity Growth of Indian Sports Goods Sector Indian sports good sector is a fast growing revenue generating sector. Industry is clustered mainly at Jalandhar, Meerut and Jammu belt providing high employment to locals. Industry is bolstered by high labour productivity, low wage rates and high skill sets of labour class involved. Indian sport goods industry has dualistic nature with cheap skilled labour as one pillar and handmade product being the other. Sports Goods sector in India comprises of organized sector which is registered under FACTORY ACT 1948 and unorganized sector (cottage industry) scattered around sports zone of Jalandhar and Meerut. Recent globalization and skilled labour has increased productivity which resulted in significant portion of total product exported from India. Fig. 1: Labour, Capital and Total factor Productivity Growth Indices From the above graph we can conclude that capital productivity has increased but the same period witnessed decline of labour productivity and total factor productivity. This aspects requires high capital investment, FDI Research and Development for debottlenecking the growth and production. Export Competitiveness of Indian Sports Goods Industry Sports good market is facing an all out competition with expansion of Sporting giants like NIKE, ADIDAS, PUMA and REEBOK. Inspite of all these factors Indian sports goods industry has shown tremendous growth. Improved operation strategies, aggressive marketing and investment in Research and development has increased the quality production and stamped India as one of major supplier of sporting goods in global arenas. The international market awareness resulted in revamp of the industry, instigating better product development and diversification trends. Impact of above can be seen in double digit growth rate (in RS) of Sports industry in last financial year when other sectors where facing growth crunch because of global recession. Overall Export Performance of Sports Goods from India According to Sports Goods Export Promotion Council (SGEPC) total export value of Indian sports industry is estimates to be around Rs 586 crores. This shows year on year growth rate of 13%.Top 5 performers which constituted for more than 60% of the total export value are Hammocks, Inflatable Balls, Boxing Equipment, Cricket Bats General Exercise Equipment. In this Hammocks recorded a massive growth of 76% (in Rs). Indias Export of Major Sports Goods 2002-03 to 2008-09 Country Wise Export of Sports Goods Financial year 2008-2009 saw increase in export destination from 127 countries(2007-2008) to 137 countries (2008-2009).Top 5 destinations includes U.S.A, U.K., Germany, Australia, South Africa and accounted for 70% of the total export by industry. Indias Export of Sports Goods 2004-2005 to 2008-09(Rs in crore) During period 2003-2004 to 2007-2008 Export and import Trade ratio shows that India was net importer of Table-Tennis equipments ,Lawn Tennis and badminton rackets, Track and fields equipments .During the same period India was a net exporter of Cricket balls, Hockey sticks, Cricket bats, Fish hooks and other line fish nets. RECENT GOVERNMENT POLICIES FAVOURING SPORTS GOODS INDUSTRY Global Scenario in the Sports Goods Industry The Sports goods manufacturing industry is booming owing to the large scale viewership of sports and the overall sports industry reaching the dizzying heights of $ 500 million this year. Thus there are even more people who are keen to join this bandwagon and look at sport as not just a hobby but as a serious retail manufacturing business. With the major sporting events marketed in a grandeur fashion coupled with the dire need for corporate brains to emulate the health is wealth concept, more individuals are purchasing sports goods there by promoting the global sports goods industry to elevated heights. Online sales of sports goods is booming at 32% increase over the 12 months end of June 09. Thus selling on the net has many opportunities for sport brands, when many new retailers are entering the market on a regular basis. An independent association called The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) is formed by global manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, country specific federations and other sporting brands and goods related businesses. It is the world body for sporting goods industry and the IOC also recognizes it within its Olympic family. The WFSGI does not work for its own gain and is a non-profit organization helping the conglomerate of sporting bodies to work together. The WFSGI helps the promotion of fair trade wherein more people are actively involved in sports both as a business and a career. The federation updates its members on important laws and regulations for product safety and improved working conditions. They represent the sporting goods industry and are like a liaison between the international organizations like the UN, WTO, etc and international sport organizations like the IOC, International Federations, etc. Sports goods manufacturers There are many renowned manufacturers like Adidas, Nike, Puma, Slazenger, Yonex etc that are internationally acclaimed and are the global leaders in sports goods manufacturers. We will take a look at the top 3 manufacturers, Adidas (Herzogenaurach, Germany) is an international giant for manufacturing footwear, accessories and apparels. Adidas manufactured footwear includes football, basketball, running, golf, training, outdoor and cycling shoes for men and women. Among accessories, it manufactures footballs and shin guards, tennis wristbands and caps, workout and weekender bags. The apparels include jerseys, socks, shorts and training outfits. Its subsidiaries include Reebok, Rockport and the Golf brand TaylorMade. Nike (Beaverton in Oregon) undertakes the distributing, marketing and designing of accessories, apparels and footwear on a global basis. Nike is a world leader in sports goods manufacturer with its subsidiaries like Umbro, Hurley International, Converse and Cole Hann designer. Puma (Herzogenaurach, Germany) Puma is into cricket equipment manufacturing since an early stage and the big boys of Adidas and Nike have recently joined the band wagon. Puma also designs, distributes and makes sports equipment, apparels and accessories. International Policies Every country does its bit to ensure that the imports are low and the local manufacturers have a fair share of the markets in its domestic markets. We have given the policies of a few countries to help in this endeavour. Brazil: The anti dumping law is a major roadblock to exploring the impending businesses forecasted due to the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. According to this every product manufactured in China will have to pay an anti dumping charge to the Brazilian Government and this increases the price of product to be sold in Brazil. Thus local Brazilian manufactured products stand to gain from this and the international community is trying hard to revoke this anti-dumping policy. Indonesia: To reduce the imports, every consignment of imports that enter Indonesia is subject to a stringent inspection and the cost of this is a burden to the importer. Thus the importation time increases and this encourages local manufacturers. USA: The Obama Government has implemented a Section 421 that imposes certain tariffs on tires imported from China and this is expected to hold fort against the textile and apparels also from China. Since US imports 97% of its apparels, this import tariffs on China has been done to try shifting the manufacturing industry from China to Central America. China: Many countries take a safeguard against goods manufactured and imported from China by implementing various anti-dumping laws and thus protect their trade interests with China. South Africa: Increase in the import tariff which was already high at 40% to 45% further increases the price of imported goods in the country but this has not seen any stark change in the increase in the profits of the local manufacturers. With the sporting events like the Football World Cup and the Cricket Champions League T20 these import tariffs have not been a deterrent and the local sales plunder downwards further. Environmental factors to be considered Recycled materials in development of sports goods: This can be achieved by using recycled materials in part with other materials. Environmental conservation in development of sports goods: Products that should not harm the environment have a long shelf life and are easily disposable. Energy conservation in development of sports goods: Provides the body with the right amount of heat and cold to maintain the body temperature. Ecological friendly methods in development of sports goods: Products that do not degrade the environment during its manufacturing process and toxic substances should be emitted away from human inhabitation. Reuse methodology in development of sports goods: Products that are retooled and can be reused or may be can be converted into a different product. Challenges faced by the Sports Goods Industry Some of the challenges faced by the Sports Goods Industry are as under: Most of the industry is in tiny sector and the Production volumes are low Low mechanization in the MSME(Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) industry. The thrust is mainly on manual labour. There is a dearth of research and development facilities Lack of synergy and coordination amongst various manufacturers critical for Component Approach Higher production cost due to low scale of production Comparatively higher interest rates for loans Insensitivity to customer needs/ poor channels of customer feedback and customer complaint redressal system. Minimal expenditure on brand building, advertising Lack of professional management Lack of opportunities for sports goods manufacturers Lack of Tax exemption, government support, inefficient transportation and distribution system has resulted in loss of customer and opening of many new exporting countries like China and South Korea. Many of the importing countries are preferring Bio-Degradable goods and failure of Indian industries to come into this term has resulted in further loss of global market share. Sports equipment does not include Gyms health equipment, which are now very popular. The power supply to most of the industrial units in major clusters of sports goods (Jalandhar, Meerut and Srinagar) is very erratic Summary and Recommendations The sports goods industry is a sector with vast potential to grow in the near future. The resilience of this industry was displayed for the world to see when it remained largely unaffected by the global economic recession in 2008. But an important obstacle to the growth of the Indian sports goods industry into an internationally competitive sector is its relatively small scale of operations (it is mainly confined to Jalandhar, Meerut, Srinagar and Delhi), as a result of which it is not able to cater to bulk demand. Some recommendations to turn India into a world-class sports goods manufacturing hub are: Setting up of sports manufacturing complex Sports manufacturing clusters should be set up in Punjab, U.P and Jammu Kashmir, where majority of sports goods are manufactured, with facilities like an information centre where all the latest information on raw materials, technology, specifications etc. is available; skill development centre for training workforce for various products being manufactured, etc. Infrastructure: Infrastructure at ports should be upgraded to meet international standards with quick off-loading and on-loading facilities. Also, the power supply at most of the industrial clusters is very erratic, with some units getting power only 3-4 days a week. To solve this problem, industrial units should be given power supply for at least 12 hours a day. New product development According to studies conducted by leading agencies, only 20-25 product groups are manufactured in India whereas over 100 product groups have been identified as sports equipment internationally. There is an urgent need for product diversification which can be met by establishing an R D centre to conduct research on new products. Raw materials The sports goods industry faces many hurdles in obtaining several essential raw materials for manufacture of sports goods. For example, willow, which is used to manufacture cricket bats, is a type of wood which is available only in Jammu Kashmir. However, the government has banned the movement of willow outside the state. Similar is the case with cane, which is available only in the Andaman Nicobar Islands and the north-east. Such bans on the movements of essential raw materials should be removed. Fiscal measures Special incentives, for example, a tax holiday of 5 years, could be given to industries in this sector which adopt automated and modern methods for manufacturing. Marketing and product promotion Domestic It is important to popularize Brand India domestically. International events which are held in India could be compulsorily required to use sports goods manufactured in India, which pass international specifications and standards. In fact, the Commonwealth Games, to be held in India in October, would be an ideal opportunity to enhance the image of Indian sports equipment and popularize Brand India. Another method could be to encourage the national sports channel, DD Sports, to air advertisements of national sports brands at concessional rates. Currently, most local brands cannot afford to promote their brands on TV. International Participation of small and medium Indian manufacturers at international sports fairs and exhibitions should be encouraged, with the Government subsidizing the cost of participation. Brand India should be promoted at these international fairs with publicity support from the Government. Also, the cost of obtaining international certification, which is necessary for Indian goods to be used in international tournaments, should also be borne by the Government. Lean manufacturing techniques A separate study on the sports goods sector should be commissioned by the government for studying the present production processes and suggest changes to improve productivity and minimize wastages and make the sector more cost-effective. The total world trade in sports equipment, sports apparels, sports shoes, etc. is estimated to be around $80 billion. Of this, 70% is accounted for sports apparels and sports shoes, 5% for sports accessories and remaining 25% for sports equipments. This classification does not include gym equipment, which is now becoming very popular. In India, sports equipments alone are considered as sports goods and sports shoes and sports apparels are not considered as sports goods at all. All 4 categories of sports goods should be brought together on a common platform to project Indias capabilities in holistic manner.

The Woodlanders :: Free Essays Online

The Woodlanders Thomas Hardy, the author of The Woodlanders, is "considered one of the greatest novelist in English literature"(Vol. 4). This genius was born on June 2nd of 1840 in Bockhampton, Dorset, England. He was the oldest boy in his family. Hardy began his writing career in 1862, at the age of twenty-two. In 1867, at the age of twenty-seven, he wrote his first novel. The novel was entitled, The Poor Man and the Lady. Today only bits and pieces of this book remain. Some critics did not think that Hardy’s first book was cut out for publication. George Meredith, a reader for Chapman and Hall publishers, advised against the publication of The Poor Man and the Lady. He thought Hardy had potential and encouraged him to continue writing(Pettit). Practice makes perfect. In November of 1872, at the age of thirty-two, Hardy was asked to write a serial novel for Cornhill Magazine. This was the start of something really good for Hardy. Soon after this, his career sky rocketed and he started pumping out the manuscripts. In 1874, Hardy began writing Far from the Madding Crowd. He was engrossed in the making of this book; it consumed him. While attending college classes, he resorted to writing on leaves, woodchips, stones, and whatever else he could find while moving between classes. This book marked the turning point of his career. Not to long after this, his wife passed away. It did not seem that Hardy was too broken up over this tragedy because soon after his wife’s death, he married his secretary. The marriage only lasted for a little while because on January eleventh of 1928 Hardy died in his hometown of Dorset, England. His heart was buried in the "Wessex" countryside, in the parish churchyard at Stinsford. His ashes were placed next to those of Charles Dickens in Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey. Wessex is a fictional place in England that Hardy made up, and placed his novels in its scenery. Its lush landscape is what is described in most of Hardy’s novels, especially The Woodlanders. The book has been described as being "alive with landscape"(Woodlanders). James Wood describes the book by saying it "is an anguished and contradictory meditation on belonging, on what it means to be rooted in a place"(Woodlanders). Wood also says that Hardy’s works are like Shakespeare’s, except Hardy’s works are like hard comedies and hard tragedies. The Woodlanders was first published simultaneously in monthly serial parts in England’s Macmillan’s Magazine and in weekly parts in the United States in Harper’s Bazaar.