Corporate Identity Essay

Explained by Balmer and Soenen (1999). The International Corporate Identity Group (ICIG), therefore, came up with a statement of corporate identity, The Strathclyde Statement, to describe it. Please refer to Appendix B for the ICIG statement. A commonality between all attempts to define corporate identity, as well as, The Strathclyde Statement, indicates its characteristics which are concluded to be: 1. Collective. 2. Central. 3. Enduring. 4. Identifying of corporate. 5. Manageable. 6. Manifested by corporate-level strategy (vision and mission). 7. Affecting corporate image and affected by corporate image. Can be a source of competitive advantage. In spite all the variations in defining the concept, a clearer image of what corporate identity is emerges after studying its constructs and dimensions. This will be explored in the next section. Corporate identity: The structure What meant by structure is the components that constitute the corporate identity. Regardless of the difference i n categorizations, researchers have more in common when it comes to studying the construct of corporate identity than they had in its definition. Different views were offered of the construct of corporate identity. From a orporate communication paradigm, Birkigt & Stadler (1986) in (Balmer, 1998) have introduced corporate identity mix that focuses on the means by which corporate identity is communicated. Their mix includes corporate personality, behaviour, communication, and symbolism. Birkigt & Stadler mix has been given a good deal of attention by many authors (van Riel, 1995; Balmer, 1998; van Rekom, 1997). Communication is considered an important factor in shaping corporate identity, where it is stated that messages are communicated through behaviour of organization members (Balmer & van Riel, 1997). In 1995, Schmidt’s mix was introduced; it adds external environmental factors and also includes corporate culture to the corporate identity mix. It is composed of corporate culture, corporate behaviour, market condition and strategies, product and services, and communication ; design. Melewar ; Karaosmangolu (2006) suggest a â€Å"seven dimensions† construct for corporate identity that is very similar to Schmidt’s mix. These are corporate culture, corporate behaviour, and corporate communication, corporate structure, corporate strategy, corporate design, and industry identity. Balmer and Soenen (1999) have proposed a corporate identity mix that is composed of three of the human senses; these are soul, mind, and voice, see figure 1. The mind is the vision and philosophy, strategy, products and services, corporate performance, brand architecture, and corporate ownership, the soul consists of values, cultures, employee affinity, and internal images, and the voice consists of the corporate uncontrolled communication, controlled communication, symbolism, personnel and corporate behaviour, and indirect (external/ third party) communication. Figure [ 1 ] [ 1 ] Corporate Identity Mix – Adopted from [ (Balmer & Soenen, 1999)] Corporate culture Corporate culture was devoted proper attention since the early stages in expanding the corporate identity concept beyond the visual identity (Baker & Balmer, 1997; Hatch & Schultz, 1997; Stuart, 1999; Dowling, 1986; Markwick & Fill, 1997; Stuart, 1999; Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Culture epitomises the consensus within a company about how activities should be accomplished and is conceived as a result of a group’s shared experience and learning with respect to atters of external adaptation and internal integration† (Schein, 1985) in (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). It is therefore, represented in the shared values and beliefs among corporate members and also includes corporate philosophy, mission, and subcultures (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Baker & Balmer (1997) consider culture as the most important element in the corporate identity mix. However, in their explanation for corporate identity mix, Balmer & Soenen (1999) consider culture as a different concept from values but they place both of them in the Soul category in their organically inspired categorization. All researchers in the topic state that corporate culture is an important factor in influencing corporate identity. Dowling (1986) puts corporate culture on the same ontological level as corporate identity and argues that culture, identity, and image are related components of a system that defines organizations, while Markwick & Fill (1997) consider corporate culture as part of corporate personality, which directly influence the corporate identity. Bernstein (1984) considers corporate personality as the total characteristics that generate corporate identity. Abratt and Shee (1989) agree to the ame opinion and consider these characteristics as the totality of behavioural and intellectual characteristics of the corporate. Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006) found that culture is usually communicated to stakeholders through employees’ behaviour. Therefore, culture can be considered as a context in which employees’ behaviour is formulated (Stuart, 1999). Corporate Behaviour Many commentators suggest that the actions of a corporation are a fundamental element of its identity (Balmer & van Riel, 1997; Hatch & Schultz, 1997; Kiriakidou & Millward, 2000; Topalian, 1984; Olins, 1995). While Balmer & Soenen (1998) consider behaviour as part of the voice in their categorization, Melewar & Jenkins (2002) gives more attention to the behaviour as described by â€Å"the body language†. Behaviour is one of the most important aspects in corporate identity since corporate identity is rooted in the behaviour of its members (Balmer & van Riel, 1997). This importance comes from the fact that behaviour can be an important media to communicate messages to different stakeholders (Melewar & Jenkins, 2002). Olins (1995) contends that everything that corporate does or ay communicates. Therefore, it is important to align employees’ behaviour totality or the corporate behaviour with the values, philosophies and communication to effectively contribute toward building the targeted identity. Van Rekom (1997) argues that actions that are deliberate are more important than spontaneous ones. Markwick & Fill (1997) argues that the visual cues can be misleading; they rely on other cues such as behaviour, communication, and values to understand corporate identity. It is important, then, to indicate that corporate behaviour has to e managed and aligned with the messages communicated by corporate to enforce its identity. Management behaviour is an important aspect of behaviour since the former are more exposed to stakeholders. Hatch and Schultz (1997) argue that identity and image are influenced by the management behaviour. Melewar & Jenkins (2002) argue that management behaviour should be consistent with the values and vision of the organization not to create confusion or communicate faulty messages. Van Rekom (1997) emphasizes the importance of centrality in corporate identity and suggests that employees’ efforts and behaviour should collaborate owards confirming the organization goals and objectives. Communication and design The purpose of creating a favourable corporate identity is to project a positive image to stakeholders and consequently a good reputation for the organization. Corporate identity has to be communicated in order to be able to take this advantage. Therefore, all communication media’s have to be aligned and coordinated in order to create a consistent corporate identity. Van Riel (1995) considers succession in communicating corporate identity as a factor to measure the effectiveness of corporate communication. Controlled Communication Ind (1992) describes corporate communications as the â€Å"process which translates corporate identity into image†. Where Ind include uncontrolled communication in his definition, van Riel (1995) distinguishes between controlled and uncontrolled communication in his definition of corporate communication as â€Å"an instrument of management by means of which all consciously used forms of internal and external communications are harmonized as effectively and efficiently as possible, so as to create a favourable basis for relationships upon which the company is dependent†. Controlled communication can be classified to include management communication, marketing communication, and organizational communication; which are controlled type of communication (van Riel, 1995). Management communication is vital in communicating the corporate objectives and goals to employees (Melewar & Jenkins, 2002). It is defined as an attempt to â€Å"communicate the vision and mission of the company in order to establish a favourable image and ultimately a good reputation amongst its internal and external stakeholders† (Olins, 1989). Marketing ommunication is generally associated with the 4Ps of product, price, place and promotion, and is aimed at supporting the sales of an organisation’s products or services. Marketing communication include, advertising, public relation activities and direct marketing. Van Riel (1995) puts organizational communication as the one with stakeholders that has an interdependent relationship with the organization; this includes internal and external stakeholders. Uncontrolled Communication Cornelissen (2000) contends that perceived corporate identity is formed by controlled and uncontrolled communication. Olins (1995) and Balmer (1995) agree on that everything the organization does or say communicates. Uncontrolled communication usually occurs by organization’s members dealing with external stakeholders (Moingeon & Ramanantsoa, 1997). It can be concluded that uncontrolled communication mainly occurs through behaviour; therefore, behaviour of corporate members should be aligned with corporate philosophies, values and strategies as mentioned earlier. Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006) suggest that the corporate members’ commitment to the corporate values and goals will reduce the negative uncontrolled communication. A dynamic interrelationship between culture and communication (controlled and uncontrolled) can be concluded from the earlier argument. Corporate culture is usually communicated through employees’ behaviour (uncontrolled communication) (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Corporate Design Corporate design is consisted of the organisation’s name, slogan, logotype and symbol, colour and typography (Melewar & Saunders, 1998). Bernstein (1986) and Dowling (1986) consider the messages communicated through the symbol have more value than the symbol itself. Therefore, it is the communication done by the ymbol that makes the visual identity important to corporate identity. Melewar and Saunders (1998) attest on the importance of visual identity of corporation in influencing purchase decisions by consumers due to the rapid change in technology. The visual manifestation of corporate identity can communicate the corporate values and support the other forms of communication (Baker & Balmer, 1997). Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006) also found that the slogan has powerful effect on stakeholders’ perceptions of the organizations. Structure Corporate structure is fundamental component of corporate identity (Olins, 1986; Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Brand structure Organizations develop branding strategies in order to distinguish itself from competitors (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Olins (1986) have introduced three different brand structures: 1 . Monolithic structure: in this structure, the corporate uses consistent design and name. 2. Endorsed structure: where the names and designs of the subsidiaries are associated with the parent corporate. 3. Branded structure: indicates that the design and name of the parent company is less exposed to customers and different products have separate brands. Organisational Structure Organizational structure refers to the hierarchy in the organization, lines of reporting and communication. The degree autonomy of the managers is determined by the degree of centralization within the organization’s structure. The more decentralize the structure is, the more autonomy managers have, (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006) which may lead to the emergence of new brand structure (Olins, 1986). Strategy All literature reviewed has made a link between corporate identity and strategy. There are different views on the relationship between corporate identity and trategy. The first view indicates that strategy provides a context to encapsulate corporate identity (Markwick & Fill, 1997; Stuart, 1999). The second view argues that as corporate identity encapsulates corporate values and mission and vision, it makes a reference point for the corporate strategy (Balmer & Greyser, 2009). He (2006) suggests a dynamic interrelationship between corporate identity and strategy which can be bidirectional. He (2006) suggests that corporate identity and strategy should have a big enough gap to allow change and enough alignment to maintain onsistency. Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006) have highlighted two strategy types that are: Differentiation Strategy Differentiation strategy is the aspect of the corporate strategy that focus on the corporate strength and competitive advantage which is linked to the basic identity of the corporate (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Positioning strategy Positioning strategy which is, according to Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006), linked to the desired identity for the corporate. Corporate identity management Several models were introduced by academics to manage corporate identity. In the following sections, some of these models are described and analysed. Kennedy (1977) Kennedys model has focused on the creation of a positive corporate image (See Figure 2). She has realised the ability to influence corporate image through behavioural projections of the company. Kennedy has realised that based on the reality behaviour, or as per her wording â€Å"policies operating within the company’, an enduring and robust positive image can be obtained. In this model, Kennedy has acknowledged the importance of the effect of employees perception of the corporate n their behaviour and consequently on the projection of the corporate image to other stakeholders. In other parts of her article she declares the importance of employees in the process of company image formation. Also, there was no mentioning of visual identity of the corporate, as we know it is part of the corporate identity mix. Although her model hasn’t handled corporate identity in its new shape, her model was a starting point for several further models. Kennedys model main contribution was her awareness of the ability to influence corporate image based on corporate reality and behaviour. Figure [ 1 ] [2] Kennedy model for managing corporate image – Adopted from Stuart (1999) Dowling (1986) As seen in Figure 3, Dowling has elaborated on the role of communication in forming image of the corporate. Dowling considered that interpersonal communication represents the images of the firm held by these groups, and that mass media communication represents the company’s perception of itself. His argument is in contrast with the later literature reviewed which distinguishes between corporate identity, which communication is part of, and the corporate image that can be influenced by communication. Van Riel (1995) suggests that corporate communication should be consistent with corporate strategy, corporate identity, and corporate image. Figure [ 1 ] [3] Dowling model for managing corporate image – Adopted from Stuart (1999) In the conception of corporate culture, Dowling has dealt with culture as a determinant where he placed it at the same level with identity (Hatch & Schultz, 1997). However, Hatch and Schultz didn’t share the same opinion with Dowling where they have considered culture as a context of identity rather than being a determinant. Also Dowlings model were criticised for his underestimation of the role f management communication in influencing employees’ behaviour and internal images. Abratt (1989) Abratt’s model has introduced the concept of corporate personality. He argued that from the corporate personality, corporate philosophies can be developed, where the latter include values and culture of the corporate. The strategy was also included in the corporate personality in the model as showed in Figure 4. However, Abratt has defined corporate identity as â€Å"an assembly of visual clues-physical and behavioural by which an audience can recognise a company and distinguish it from others and hich can be used to represent or symbolise the company’ (Abratt & Shee, 1989).

World History 2.03 Worksheet

Eric Kennedy A. Complete this chart by filling in the information for each civilization as explained in the assignment. |What|When|Who|Where|Why| Phoenicians|The political system of the Phoenicians allowed each Phoenician city-state to have its own ruler, its own form of government, and its own chosen god to worship. |1200 BCE to 800 BCE|Canaanites|City-states were Tyre and Sidon, present day Lebanon and Syria. |Trade, farming | Hebrews |Each tribe set up separate governments connected by their customs. 2000 BCE|King David|Hebrews migrated to a region known as Canaan, roughly corresponding to present-day Israel, western Jordan, southern Syria, and southern Lebanon. |Free religion| Babylonians |Highly-developed court system. One of its greatest rulers, Hammurabi, developed a code of laws that is now known as Hammurabi's Code. This major collection of laws gives insight into the social structure and economic organization of the civilization. |18th Century BCE until the 6th Century BCE. King Hammurabi|South of modern Baghdad, Iraq, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. |Slavery | Persians |Common set of weights and measures and a silver and gold coinage system. |560 BCE and lasted until 330 BCE. |The empire was formed from a nomadic people called the Persians and the Medes, both distantly related to the Hittites, Greeks, and Romans. |Asia Minor to India, including present-day Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Military force| Assyrians|Created a large empire known for warfare and cruelty; also built large libraries and created important art and architecture; religion adopted from Babylonians|2000-600BCE; Assyrian farmers date back to 7th century BCE|Semitic people (similar to Hebrews); greatest leader was Sargon II (extended empire, deported people of Israel); strongly influenced by Sumeria; merchants traded throughout the Middle East |Found in what is present day Iraq in the Middle East; Empire eventually extended from present day Turkey to the Pe rsian Gulf|During the height of their empire the Assyrian war machine was the most feared in the Middle East. | B. What are three things that these civilizations have in common that allowed them to be successful? 1. Strong military 2. Farming land 3. Religion

Letter Response to Customer Complaint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter Response to Customer Complaint - Essay Example Pursuant to your rights as enunciated in the DPA and in accordance with our commitment to provide you with the best service we can give, upon receiving your letter, the customer support department has immediately processed your request. Rest assured that we do not intent to contravene nor circumvent the clear mandate of the law. We have endeavored to process and comply with your request within 40 days as you requested, and we apologize for whatever unforeseen delay that may have occurred. In any case, we are attaching with this letter your financial statements for the past six years in case you haven't received them yet. We understand from your letter that there is discrepancy in the financial statements between the actual charges for the period of April 2001- April 2002 period totals 1,571.09 and the estimated charges which amount to 5,000. We assure you that the discrepancy will be resolved at the soonest possible time.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education Essay

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education - Essay Example There are instances that I have encountered such experiences. For instance, someone approaches me and asks why I cook and clean my house. I feel offended because I don’t believe that such house chores belong to the ladies. Racial microaggressions are also common. They are a form of an offensive, racial discrimination. They make one feel inferior due to their race. People who face the vice also feel unwanted and unappreciated in the culture. One of the most common racial microaggression that I face in my life is the situation whereby my friends address me using particular surnames that are not mine. Such are the common names for my race, and everyone thinks that I have the same, because of my race. According to Riggle and Rostosky (9-11), some microaggressions are easier to deal with than others. The ease of handling them depends on the magnitude of stress and discomfort caused. The microaggressions that affect one’s health and family are tougher to handle than those tha t do not. As such, gender microaggressions are easier to deal with than the racial ones. On a similar note, Museums and Chang argue that microaggressions bear different impacts depending on whether they are racial or gender-based. Grey and Parker (57-68) also conform to this argument. Based on personal experience, racial microaggressions are the most common. The reason behind this is that most institutions of higher learning comprise of both Native and international races. Some puns end up being microaggressions. The most commonly committed microaggressions include racial, gender orientation, and gender identity. For instance, I tell my friend that she is too cute for a black girl, and she gets offended. A "good" man does not cook or clean the house. A "good" woman does not do office work. A "good" woman thinks of how to maintain the home and take care of the family.

Hiv the past and present global y Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hiv the past and present global y - Essay Example Because of AIDS, there had been sever distortion in the economy of Africa and also the life expectancy of the region has been significantly affected. It is not only an epidemic suffocating Africa, but all the continents of world are suffering hardly to combat this disease. According to (Ashford,2006)â€Å"By 2005, more than 25 million people had died and an estimated 39 million were living with HIV. An estimated 4 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2005—95percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, or Asia†. HIV is not only a disease devastating global society, but it is also the fourth ranked fatal diseases in the world. The number of children and adults died because of this epidemic is far beyond imagination and statistics. The Origin of HIV It is a common notion among people that origin of HIV/AIDS virus is due to some natural phenomena. It is widely believed that African men contracted AIDS from some chimpanzee during hunting time. As per (Hor owitz,2002(â€Å"Key among these HIV origin theories is the so called "cut hunter theory" in which a human, allegedly African native, received a bloody wound or infected splash while preparing a chimpanzee carrying a similar virus†. But further researched ignored this concept, and accused human for the emergence of HIV and AIDS. The HIV was however, first recognized in 1981, when many gay men developed an unexplainable resistance to medication for their acquired infections and cancers. Interestingly, HIV scientifically called Human Immunodeficiency Virus progressed to become AIDS. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or otherwise called AIDS can harm the immunity of a person and can cause death of the person. Once a person have detected with HIV, then he in few years a victim gets AIDS. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It is only good if the person infected with HIV in the initial stage is treated otherwise he can be diseased with AIDS which is fatal.â€Å"CDC estimat es that about 56,000 people in the United States contracted HIV in 2006.There are two types of HIV, HIV-1 and HIV-2. In the United States, unless otherwise noted, the term â€Å"HIV† primarily refers to HIV-1†(NCH,2010).It can be an astonishing fact, but the origin of HIV is still in ambiguity and up to date science is engaged in study about the origin of this malicious disease. HIV Prevalence in African continent HIV is a condition over the past three decades have cause irrevocable damage to health, wellbeing and sustenance of a person. In 27 years time, HIV has killed around 25 million people and causes debilitating illness and horrifying death states to people in their prime years of life. This disease has not only caused damage to the life of a person but also caused devastation to the family and community surrounding them. Moreover it had kept a very complicated situation in front of African countries in fighting the poverty and improvement of health of their socie ty.As per (Chao,2010,pg.41-50) â€Å"South Africa is at the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic severely affecting nearly all countries in sub Saharan Africa.   South Africa has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world†. The effect of HIV on health can show many symptoms and

Our company is considering entering the manufacturing market for snow Research Paper

Our company is considering entering the manufacturing market for snow skis. You have been asked to examine all material(s) that - Research Paper Example A number of companies mainly in United States and Europe are currently producing Snow skis. Throughout the history, various materials have been used in making of skis and advancement continues to be seen. Skis manufacturing have a long history. Based on archeological studies, a wooden ski was first identified in at Lake Sindor in Russia, the skiing equipment was dated to have been in use between 6300 and 5000 BC.(Burov 393). This is the earliest evidence involving the use of skis. Apart from artifacts of skis, many historical drawings and paintings have shown skiing activities where individuals use the skis. Ski construction started becoming dominant in the end of nineteenth century especially in Austria and Switzerland (Classic skis 1). The architecture of these early alpine skis was simple but they were wide and short. These characteristics enabled the skis to have high agility, hence capable of the ability to penetrate areas with deep snow and elevated areas. Since these early tim es, the designs, shape and the materials used in making skis has continued to diversify. Different types of wood have been used in the construction of the skis, varying from wood, plastics, metals or a blend of the three. The main materials in making of skis have been wood for the better part of the twentieth century. Different wooden materials have been in use depending on the place where the skis are located. Today some companies have retained the use of wood but the technology seems not attract many of the skiers. The initial wooden skis were curved using hands, to make simple skis (Wooden skis 1). In the modern setup, this design has completely changed with the adoption of a torsion box architecture that is more sophisticated and requires additional materials to make. Because of the water-properties of wood, other materials have taken its place. This has created limited use of wood in the modern context. Skis are simple skiing equipment but they are made up several parts. It is important that a ski buyer is familiar with it in order to get the best ski for the desired skiing. The base is the part of a ski that has direct contact with or faces the ground surface. Most of the skis’ bases in the modern times are made of aluminum or fiberglass. The camber is space that is evident at below the centre of the ski. Contact points are the positions of attachment between the ski and the snow without the rider imparting pressure on it. The waist is the part of the ski that is narrowest, usually appearing at the centre of the side cut. Other parts of the ski include the top or otherwise called the deck where the bindings are placed. It also has the effective edge, the tip, the shovel, and the side cut (ABC of Skiing 1). Various categories of the modern day skis are manufactured depending on the material used. The classic wooden skis are curved using hands; they are long and have thin sides, an aberration from the original design. In addition, they have a rectan gular shape but have a curve in one of the ends. Another form of skis was advanced to use steel, these are the so-called edges, and their architecture varies because of the screwed steel at its bottom. Wood and metal laminates have also been developed, the wooden laminate involves pieces of wood that are glued together, and these are flexible, stiff and are lighter. Metal laminates were initially made of aluminum but proved inefficient; they had to blend aluminum with wood. Advancing with the technology the

Finance for business decision Speech or Presentation

Finance for business decision - Speech or Presentation Example As such the role of external auditors, regulatory agencies as well as credit rating agencies become critical because they need to highlight the information which may be detrimental for the interests of the shareholders. The overall role of the external monitors therefore should be up to taking care of the fact that the firm reports all the relevant and pertinent information which may have an impact on the decision making ability of the investors. The case of Enron is considered as one of the leading examples where the external monitors of the firm failed to carry out their responsibilities. The Enron was finally liquidated and the investors lost their money owing to the fraudulent accounting practices of the firm which went unnoticed by the firm’s auditors as well as external agencies. (b) Suppose that you decide to invest $1,308.25 in four equal quarterly instalments, at the same rate of 9.2% p.a. compounding quarterly. The first instalment is invested immediately. What is the accumulated value at the end of one year? The differences between the two investment choices are due to the compounding. In first investment, whole amount is invested whereas in second investment, it is converted into an annuity and is invested with compound interest. The second option yielded higher accumulated value because of the impact of the annuity. (a) Francine wishes to invest in a 5-year corporate bond that pays coupons semi-annually. The bond has a face value of $1 million and pays half-yearly coupons at a rate of 4% p.a. Suppose that her required rate of return on this investment is 6.5% p.a. How much is she willing to pay for this bond? The market price of the bond is higher than the value of the bond at Francine’s required rate of return. Since the bond is selling at discount therefore she should not invest into this bond at this market price. Lamb Limited plans to set aside $28,000 at the end of each year in order to accumulate $100,000

Health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Health care - Essay Example Since the system is already fair, the government should not take what the rich have worked hard to get. All the money that the rich give as tax goes to the welfare of all the people. The rich should therefore, be treated with equality with the poor (Musgrove, 2012). Though the government may claim that the rich have more vested interests in the nation, they are humans and increasing their tax rates on the basis of their health care consumption would mean that they have more health care demands than the poor (Borowski, 2012). Therefore, based on how much health care services one consumes or needs, it would still be unfair to increase taxes on the rich. It would also be baseless to say that the rich are prone to more chronic diseases that may take up more resources than the poor (Musgrove, 2012). It is unfair to punish people for making their way through life. Any rich person has worked hard to be where he or she is and it would be a punishment not to reward them but offer an increase in taxes for doing better than everyone else. Borowski,  J. (2012, April 30). Why Shouldn’t the Rich Pay More in Taxes? | FreedomWorks. Retrieved  April  5, 2015, from

Diabetes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diabetes - Research Paper Example There are two types of diabetes, type one and type two diabetes which are more or less the same but differ regarding the causes, treatment and implications. There are three categories of diabetes. 1) Type 1 Diabetes Type 1diabetes refers to the situation where the body fails to secrete insulin and is known by several names like early diabetes. This type of diabetes develops at early ages of 40 and typically begins in people’s teenage or tender ages (Eisenbarth et al. 101). Type 1diabetes is not as prevalent as type 2 in the sense that it accounts for merely 10% of total cases of diabetes (American Diabetes Association 1). Permanent insulin injections are recommended as a remedy to this category of diabetes. Similarly, standard blood tests to detect the degree of sugar in the blood are recommended along with strict adherence to specified diet (American Diabetes Association 1). 2) Type 2Diabetes Type 2 diabetes occurs in cases where the body fails to generate adequate insulin fo r the required functions or when the body fails to appropriately react to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent among the two and accounts for more than two thirds of total cases of diabetes (Eisenbarth et al. 102). ... Therefore, type 2 diabetes is a chronic illness that is more widespread than type one and is a developing illness which becomes severe with the passage of time. In as much as patients may reduce its severity through exercise and other measures, it becomes very necessary to take insulin as time passes. Similarly, the chances of developing the disease are higher as a person progresses in age (Food and nutrition informational centre 1). Causes Type 1 diabetes is supposed to be an autoimmune illness. The body’s immune system purposely assails the cells in the pancreas that generate insulin (Eisenbarth et al. 44). 1. A predisposition to contract type 1diabetes can run in families, but hereditary causes are much more widespread for type 2 diabetes. 2. Environmental aspects, including widespread unavoidable viral illnesses, may also lead to type 1diabetes. 3. Type 1 diabetes is mainly common in individuals of non-Hispanic, Northern European origin, followed by African Americans, alon g with Hispanic Americans. It is comparatively uncommon in those of Asian origin. 4. Type 1 diabetes is somewhat more widespread in men compared to women. Type 2diabetes has strong hereditary links, implying that it tends to operate in families. Numerous genes have been recognized, and several are under investigation which may compare to the causative factors of category 2 diabetes (Eisenbarth et al. 45). Risk factors for contracting type 2 diabetes comprise the following: high fat diet, increased consumption of alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, soaring blood triglyceride levels, ethnicity, aging and high blood pressure (Food and nutrition informational centre 1). Treatment The main objective in treating

Death Penalty Essay Example for Free

Death Penalty Essay Death penalty has been an inalienable part of human society and its legal system for centuries, regarded as a necessary deterrent to dangerous crimes and a way to liberate the community from dangerous criminals. However, later on this type of punishment came to be regarded as a crime against humanistic ideals by many, and its validity in the legal system has been questioned. Until now, the debate rages on. But I’m here to tell you that the death penalty is the right thing to do !! Background: The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.   C. E. in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes. The death penalty was also part of the Fourteenth Century B. C. E. s Hittite Code; in the Seventh Century B. C. s Draconian Code of Athens, which made death the only punishment for all crimes; and in the Fifth Century B. C. s Roman law of the Twelve Tablets. Death sentences were carried out by such means as crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement. In the Tenth Century A. D. , hanging became the usual method of execution in Britain. In the following century, William the Conqueror would not allow persons to be hanged or otherwise executed for any crime, except in times of war. This trend would not last, for in the Sixteenth Century, under the reign of Henry VIII, as many as 72,000 people are estimated to have been executed. Some common methods of execution at that time were boiling, burning at the stake, hanging, beheading, and drawing and quartering. Executions were carried out for such capital offenses as marrying a Jew, not confessing to a crime, and treason. The number of capital crimes in Britain continued to rise throughout the next two centuries. By the 1700s, 222 crimes were punishable by death in Britain, including stealing, cutting down a tree, and robbing a rabbit warren. Because of the severity of the death penalty, many juries would not convict defendants if the offense was not serious. This lead to reforms of Britains death penalty. From 1823 to 1837, the death penalty was eliminated for over 100 of the 222 crimes punishable by death. And in America over 38 states use the death penalty. Now that tells me that almost 50% of the United States uses he death penalty and even john Haynes from the book â€Å"the death penalty† even agrees with me..!!! Mistakes  now let’s move on to mistakes , as we all know back then several ages ago we didn’t have the technology that we do have now. But wait now that we have the world’s smartest people, well at least some. They can assure you that we will give correct D. N. A. answers!!! And if I was to give you a percentage of how many we have gotten correct I would say 100%. Cost of death vs. life in prison: So in the case for money which is better, I would say that the death penalty is a lot better and it’s cheaper than keeping the prisoner there and going through trial after trial after trial, I mean this could go on for weeks and even up to months!!! The death penalty cost the government 1. 5 million- 5. 1 million dollars. The cost of keeping the prisoner $22,218 to 50,000 per year ! In conclusion I know that the death penalty may cost more but do we really want to have our citizen’s life in danger, I know I don’t. Any consideration of the crime rate cancellation would become viable if the crime rate at least for murders goes sharply down. At present, however, capital punishment serves as an important barrier on the way of criminals ready to take another persons life.

Analysis of Quality Services in VoIP

Analysis of Quality Services in VoIP Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Background to Research Due to the Innovative changes in telephony devices and related technologies world wide, the time has come to analysis the quality in telephone devices and provide improved versions of communication channels. Locally the implementation of telephony services is getting increased; many new organizations are setting up their resources to make this system and its facilities available to the users. The research in the telephone industries is in progress since last many years shown a great improvement in all over the world. Previously this telephony service used PSTN [3] which uses 54 kbps channel now after the improvement and change in the technology this telephonic service shifted to internet protocol. As Internet is a widely used medium for data receiving and transfer. Now this new technology becomes Voice over IP. The concept of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) [4] originated in about 1994, when hobbyists began to recognize the potential of sending voice data packets over the Internet rather than communicating through standard telephone service. This allows PC users to avoid long distance charges, and it was in 1994 that the first Internet Phone Software appeared. While contemporary VoIP uses a standard telephone hooked up to an Internet connection. Previous efforts in the history of VoIP required both callers to have a computer equipped with the same software, as well as a sound card and microphone. These early applications of VoIP were marked by poor sound quality and connectivity, but it was a sign that VoIP technology was useful and promising. The evolution of VoIP occurred in next few years, gradually reaching the point where some small companies were able to offer PC to phone service in about 1998. Phone to phone service soon followed, although it was often necessary to use a computer to establish the connection. Like many Internet applications in the late 1990s, early VoIP service relied on advertising sponsorship to subsidize costs, rather than by charging customers for calls. The gradual introduction of broadband Ethernet service allowed for greater call clarity and reduced latency, although calls were still often marred by static or difficulty making connections between the Internet and PSTN (public telephone networks). However, startup VoIP companies were able to offer free calling service to customers from special locations. The breakthrough in VoIP history [9] came when hardware manufacturers such as Cisco Systems and Nortel started producing VoIP equipment that was capable of switching which means that functions that previously had been handled by a telephony service now implement in computers CPU and will work as switching a voice data packet into something that could be read by the PSTN (and vice versa) could now be done by another device, thus making VoIP hard ware less computer dependent. Once hardware started becoming more affordable, larger companies were able to implement VoIP on their internal IP networks, and long distance providers even began routing some of the calls on their networks over the Internet. Usage of VoIP has expanded from the year 2000, dramatically. Different technical standards for VoIP data packet transfer and switching and each is supported by at least one major manufacturer no clear winner has yet emerged to adopt the role of a universal standard. Whereas companies often s witch to VoIP to save on both long distance and infrastructure costs, VoIP service has also been extended to residential users. In the Span of few years, VoIP has gone from being a fringe development to a mainstream alternative to standard telephone service. At present there are two standards that are in use for VoIP switching and gateways: SIP and H.323. SIP [7] mainly relates to end-user IP Telephony applications, while H.323 is a new ITU standard for routing between the circuit-switched and packet-switched worlds used for termination of an IP originated call on the PSTN, but the converse is also becoming common at a very fast rate. As the technology getting advanced and many improvements have been implemented in making sure to maintain the quality of voice and data over the internet should be maintained. The main purpose of this thesis is to discuss the techniques to maintain the quality of VoIP and the role of protocols in VoIP which are H.323 and SIP Area of Research The area of research focuses on Study and Analysis of Quality Services in VoIP and the discussion of Role of H.323 and SIP [7] Protocols. Many techniques and mathematical models have been developed and implemented. As a matter of fact this thesis is not intended to provide any new model or strategy for improving Quality services in VoIP but to get the picture based on the standard matrix of measurement of QoS of VoIP like MOS [10]. Analysis of Quality Services of VoIP Due to the emerging and advancements in the telecommunication making All-IP integrated communicating infrastructure capable to support applications and services with diverse needs and requirements. During the last few years a lot of attention is given to delivering voice traffic over both the public internet and corporate Intranets. IP Telephony, or VoIP, does not only provide more advanced services (example personalized call forwarding, instant messaging etc) than PSTN, but it also aims to achieve the same level of QoS and reliability [1],[2]. As opposed to PSTN, VoIP utilizes one common network for signaling and voice transport and thus enjoys several advantages with respect to the telephony services that are through All-IP networks infrastructures. The most important factors that influence the adoption of VoIP include improved network utilization by using advanced voice CODECS that compress the voice samples below 54 Kbps, possibilities to offer value added services(i.e. instant m essage, personalized call forwarding etc.) just to mention a few. In VoIP world many Quality impairments [34] introduced today by the Internet, it is important to provide mechanism in order to measure the level of quality that is actually provided today in the internet to interactive multimedia applications. That is, to measure how extensive are the loss, the delay and delay jitter impairments and how bad their impact on the perceived QoS, [3] is. There are a large number of methods proposed and some of them standardized which monitor the distorted signal and provide a rating that correlates well with voice quality. The most important parameters that affect the VoIP Quality are the following: CODECS Network Packet Loss Jitter Latency Demonstration Methodology; Simulation The OPNET Simulation is used during aforesaid research work [12] and is a very powerful network simulator. Main purposes are to optimize cost, performance and availability. The following tasks are considered: Build and analyze models. Configure the object palette with the needed models. Set up application and profile configurations. Model a LAN as a single node. Specify background service utilization that changes over a time on a link. Simulate multiple scenarios simultaneously. Apply filter to graphs of results and analyze the results. Role and Analysis of H.323 SIP Protocols Based on the research works that has been done so far, this part of the thesis will discuss and elaborate the H.323 and SIP [7] protocols and a comparative analysis of these two protocols based on their specification will discuss in detail in the next chapters Results and Conclusions The final conclusion of the simulation results will be shown and a comparative analysis of different CODECS with their performances from the simulated results and Role of H.323 and SIP protocols will be discussed. Chapter 2 VoIP and Quality of Service Introduction In past traditional technology, telephone calls are carried through Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), which provides high-quality voice transmission between two or more parties. Whereas the type of data such as email, web browsing etc. are carried over packet-based data networks like IP, ATM and Frame Relay. In the last few years, there has been a rapid shift towards using data networks to carry both the telephone calls and the data together. This so called convergence of voice and data networks is very appealing due to many considerations. VoIP systems digitize and transmit analog voice signals as a stream of packets over a digital data network. VoIP technology insures proper reconstruction of voice signals, compensating for echoes due to the end-to-end delay, for jitter and for dropped packets and for signaling required for making telephone calls. The IP network used to support IP telephony can be a standard LAN, a network of leased facilities or the Internet. VoIP calls can be made or received using standard analog, digital and IP phones. VoIP gateways serve as a bridge between the PSTN and the IP network [9]. A call can be placed over the local PSTN network to the nearest gateway server, which moves it onto the Internet for transport to a gateway at the receiving end. With the use of VoIP gateways, computer-to-telephone calls, telephone-to-computer calls and telephone-to-telephone calls can be made with ease. Access to a local VoIP gateway for originating calls can also be supported in a variety of ways. For example, a corporate PBX (Private Branch Exchange) can be configured so that all international direct dialed calls are transparently routed to the nearest gateway. High-cost calls are automatically supported by VoIP to obtain the lowest cost. To ensure interoperability between different VoIP manufacturers, VoIP equipment must follow agreed upon procedures for setting up and controlling the telephone calls. H.323 is one such family of standards that define various options for voice (and video) compression and call control for VoIP. Other calls setup and control protocols being utilized, and or being standardized include SIP, MGCP [27], and Megaco. IP Telephony goes beyond VoIP transport and defines several value added business and consumer applications for converged voice and data networks. Examples include Unified Messaging, Internet Call Center, Presence Management, Location Based Se rvices etc. During the last few years, the voice over data network services have gained increased popularity. Quick growth of the Internet Protocol (IP) based networks, especially the Internet, has directed a lot of interest towards Voice over IP (VoIP). The VoIP technology has been used in some cases, to replace traditional long-distance telephone technology, for reduced costs for the end-user. Naturally to make VoIP infrastructure and services commercially viable, the Quality of Service (QoS) needs to be at least close to the one provided by the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). On the other side, VoIP associated technology will bring to the end user value added services that are currently not available in PSTN. VoIP and QoS In the networks of packet switching, the traffic engineering term is abbreviated as (QoS) or Quality of Service [3], [4], which refers to resource reservation control mechanisms instead of it, is to be understood as achieved service quality. Quality of Service (QoS). This Quality of services guarantees are important for the limited capacity network, for example in cellular data communication, especially for real-time streaming multimedia applications, for example voice over IP and IP-TV [4]. Quality of Service may or may not be agreed by Network or protocols and software and reserve capacity in the network nodes, for example during a session establishment phase. But in the entire the achieved level of performance, for example the data rate and delay, and priorities in the network nodes. The reserved capacity might be released during a tear down phase. Quality of Service does not supported by the Best Effort network Service. The ITU standard X.902 as defined the QoS quality requiremen ts on the collective behavior. The Quality of Service on all the aspects of a connection, such as guaranteed time to provide service, voice quality [3], echo, loss, reliability and so on. Grade of Service term, with many alternative definitions, rather than referring to the ability to reserve resources. The convergence of communications and computer networks has led to a rapid growth in real-time applications, such as Internet Telephony or Voice over IP (VoIP). However, IP networks are not designed to support real-time applications and factors such as network delay, jitter and packet loss lead to deterioration in the perceived voice quality. In this chapter, brief background information about VoIP networks which is relevant to the thesis is summarized. The VoIP network, protocol and system structure along with the brief over view of the QoS of VoIP [4] are described in this chapter. Voice coding technology and main Codecs also discussed in the thesis (i.e. G.729, G.723.1)[8] are discussed. Network performance characteristics (e.g. packet loss and delay/delay variation) are also presented in next sections. Problem In past years when the Internet was first deployed, it lacked the ability to provide Quality of Service guarantees due to limits in router computing power. It is therefore run at default QoS level, or best effort. The Technical Factors includes reliability, scalability, effectiveness, maintainability, Grade of Service, etc. Dropped packets Delay Jitter Out-of-order delivery Error QoS Mechanism Quality of Service (QoS) [8] can be provided by generously over-provisioning a network so that interior links are considerably faster than access links. This approach is relatively simple, and may be economically feasible for broadband networks with predictable and light traffic loads. The performance is reasonable for many applications, particularly those capable of tolerating high jitter, such as deeply-buffered video downloads. Commercially involved VoIP services are often competitive with traditional telephone service in terms of call quality even though QoS mechanisms are usually not in use on the users connection to his ISP and the VoIP providers connection to a different ISP. In high load conditions, however, VoIP quality degrades to cell-phone quality or worse. The mathematics of packet traffic indicates that a network with QoS can handle four times as many calls with tight jitter requirements as one without QoS. The amount of over-provisioning in interior links required to replace QoS depends on the number of users and their traffic demands. As the Internet now services close to a billion users, there is little possibility that over-provisioning can eliminate the need for QoS when VoIP [8] becomes more commonplace. For narrowband networks more typical of enterprises and local governments, however, the costs of bandwidth can be substantial and over provisioning is hard to justify. In these situations, two distinctly different philosophies were developed to engineer preferential treatment for packets which require it. Early work used the IntServ philosophy of reserving network resources. In this model, applications used the Resource reservation protocol (RSVP) to request and reserve resources through a network. While IntServ mechanisms do work, it was realized that in a broadband network typical of a larger service provider, Core routers would be required to accept, maintain, and tear down thousands or possibly tens of thousands of reservations. It was believed that this approach would not scale with the growth of the Internet, and in any event was antithetical to the notion of designing networks so that Core routers do little more than simply switch packets at the highest possible rates. The second and currently accepted approach is DiffServ or differentiated services. In the DiffServ model, packets are marked according to the type of service they need. In response to these markings, routers and switches use various queuing strategies to tailor performance to requirements. (At the IP layer, differentiated services code point (DSCP) markings use the 5 bits in the IP packet header. At the MAC layer, VLAN IEEE 802.1Q and IEEE 802.1D can be used to carry essentially the same information). Routers supporting DiffServ use multiple queues for packets awaiting transmission from bandwidth constrained (e.g., wide area) interfaces. Router vendors provide different capabilities for configuring this behavior, to include the number of queues supported, the relative priorities of queues, and bandwidth reserved for each queue. VoIP Networks VoIP Networks Connections Common VoIP network connections normally include the connection from phone to phone, phone to PC (IP Terminal or H.323/SIP Terminal [25]) or PC to PC, as shown in Figure 2.1. The Switched Communication Network (SCN) can be a wired or wireless network, such as PSTN, ISDN or GSM. Perceived QoS or User-perceived QoS is defined as end-to-end or mouth to ear, as the Quality perceived by the end user. It depends on the quality of the gateway (G/W) or H.323/SIP terminal and IP network performance. The latter is normally referred to as Network QoS, as illustrated in Figure 2.1. As IP network is based on the best effort principle which means that the network makes no guarantees about packet loss rates, delays and jitter, the perceived voice quality will suffer from these impairments (e.g. loss, jitter and delay). There are currently two approaches to enhance QoS for VoIP applications. The first approach relies on application-level QoS mechanisms as discussed previously to improve perceived QoS without making changes to the network infrastructure. For example, different compensation strategies for packet loss (e.g. Forward Error Correction (FEC)) and jitter have been proposed to improve speech quality even under poor network conditions. The second approach relies on the network-level QoS mechanism and the emphasis is on how to guarantee IP Network performance in order to achieve the required Network QoS. For example, IETF is working on two QoS frameworks, namely DiffServ (the Differentiated Services) and IntServ (the Integrated Services) to support QoS in the Internet. IntServ uses the per-flow approach to provide guarantees to individual streams and is classified as a flow-based resource reservation mechanism where packets are classified and scheduled according to their flow affiliation. Diff Serv provides aggregate assurances for a group of applications and is classified as a packet-oriented classification mechanism for different QoS classes. Each packet is classified individually based on its priority. VoIP Protocol Architecture Voice over IP (VoIP) is the transmission of voice over network using the Internet Protocol. Here, we introduce briefly the VoIP protocol architecture, which is illustrated in Figure 2.2. The Protocols that provide basic transport (RTP [3]), call-setup signaling (H.323 [7], SIP [8]) and QoS feedback (RTCP [4]) are shown. VoIP System Architecture Figure 2.3 shows a basic VoIP system (signaling part is not included), which consists of three parts the sender, the IP networks and the receiver [13]. At the sender, the voice stream from the voice source is first digitized and compressed by the encoder. Then, several coded speech frames are packetized to form the payload part of a packet (e.g. RTP packet). The headers (e.g. IP/UDP/RTP) are added to the payload and form a packet which is sent to IP networks. The packet may suffer different network impairments (e.g. packet loss, delay and jitter) in IP networks. At the receiver, the packet headers are stripped off and speech frames are extracted from the payload by depacketizer. Play out buffer is used to compensate for network jitter at the cost of further delay (buffer delay) and loss (late arrival loss). The de-jittered speech frames are decoded to recover speech with lost frames concealed (e.g. using interpolation) from previous received speech frames. Chapter 3 Analysis of QoS Parameters Introduction A Number of QoS [11] of parameters can be measured and monitored to determine whether a service level offered or received is being achieved. These parameters consist of the following Network availability Bandwidth Delay Jitter Loss Network Availability Network availability can have a significant effect on QoS. Simply put, if the network is unavailable, even during brief periods of time, the user or application may achieve unpredictable or undesirable performance (QoS) [11]. Network availability is the summation of the availability of many items that are used to create a network. These include network device redundancy, e.g. redundant interfaces, processor cards or power supplies in routers and switches, resilient networking protocols, multiple physical connections, e.g. fiber or copper, backup power sources etc. Network operators can increase their networks availability by implementing varying degrees of each item. Bandwidth Bandwidth is probably the second most significant parameters that affect QoS. Its allocation can be subdivided in two types Available bandwidth Guaranteed bandwidth Available bandwidth Many Networks operators oversubscribe the bandwidth on their network to maximize the return on investment of their network infrastructure or leased bandwidth. Oversubscribing bandwidth means the BW a user is subscribed to be no always available to them. This allows users to compete for available BW. They get more or less BW depending upon the amount of traffic form other users on the network at any given time. Available bandwidth is a technique commonly used over consumer ADSL networks, e.g., a customer signs up for a 384-kbps service that provides no QoS (BW) guarantee in the SLA. The SLA points out that the 384-kbps is typical but does not make any guarantees. Under lightly loaded conditions, the user may achieve 384-kbps but upon network loading, this BW will not be achieved consistently. This is most noticeable during certain times of the day when more users access the network. Guaranteed bandwidth Network operators offer a service that provides minimum BW and burst BW in the SLA. Because the BW is guaranteed the service is prices higher than the available BW service. The network operator must ensure that those who subscribe to this guaranteed BW service get preferential treatment (QoS BW guarantee) [24][25] over the available BW subscribers. In some cases, the network operator separates the subscribers by different physical or logical networks, e.g., VLANs, Virtual Circuits, etc. In some cases, the guaranteed BW service traffic may share the same network infrastructure with available BW service traffic. This is often the case at location where network connections are expensive or the bandwidth is leased from another service provider. When subscribers share the same network infrastructure, the network operators must prioritize the guaranteed the BW subscribers traffic over the available BW subscribers traffic so that in times of networks congestion the guaranteed BW subscribers SLAs are met. Burst BW can be specified in terms of amount and duration of excess BW (burst) above the guaranteed minimum. QoS mechanism may be activated to discard traffic that use consistently above the guaranteed minimum BW that the subscriber agreed to in the SLA. Delay Network delay is the transit time an application experiences from the ingress point to the egress point of the network. Delay can cause significant QoS issues with application such as SNA and fax transmission that simply time-out and final under excessive delay conditions. Some applications can compensate for small amounts of delay but once a certain amount is exceeded, the QoS becomes compromised. For example some networking equipment can spoof an SNA session on a host by providing local acknowledgements when the network delay would cause the SNA session to time out. Similarly, VoIP gateways and phones provide some local buffering to compensate for network delay. Finally delay can be both fixed and variables. Examples of fixed delay are: Application based delay, e.g., voice codec processing time and IP packet creation time by the TCP/IP software stack [32] [38]. Data transmission (queuing delay) over the physical network media at each network hop. Propagation delay across the network based on transmission distance Examples of variable delays are: Ingress queuing delay for traffic entering a network node Contention with other traffic at each network node Egress queuing delay for traffic exiting a network node Jitter Jitter is the measure of delay variation between consecutive packets for a given traffic flow. Jitter has a pronounced effect on real time delay sensitive applications such as voice and video. These real time applications expect to receive packets at a fairly constant rate with fixed delay between consecutive packets. As the arrival rates increases, the jitter impacts the applications performance [22] [27]. A minimal amount of jitter may be acceptable, but as jitter increases the application may become unusable. Some applications, such as voice gateways and IP phones, [35] can compensate for small amounts of jitter. Since a voice application requires the audio to play out at constant rate, in the next packet time, the application will replay the previous voice packets until the next voice packet arrives. However if the next packet is delayed too long it is simply discarded when it arrives resulting in a small amount of distorted audio. All networks introduce some jitter because of va riability in delay introduced by each network node as packets are queues. However as long as the jitter is bounded, QoS can be maintained. Loss Loss can occur due to errors introduced by the physical transmission medium. For example, most landline connections have very low loss as measured in the Bit Error Rate. However, wireless connections such as satellite, mobiles or fixed wireless networks have a high BER that varies due to environment or geographical conditions such as fog, rain, and RF interference, cell handoff during roaming and physical obstacles such as trees, building and mountain [2][4][25]. Wireless technologies often transmit redundant information since packets will inherently get dropped some of the time due to the nature of the transmission medium. Loss can also occur when congested network nodes drop packets. Some networking protocols such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) offer packets loss protection by retransmitting packets that may have been dropped or corrupted by the network. When a network becomes increasingly congested, more packets are dropped and hence more TCP transmission. If congestion continues the network performance will significantly decrease because much of the BW is being used to retransmit dropped packets. TCP will eventually reduce its transmission window size, resulting in smaller packets being transmitted; this eventually will reduce congestion, resulting in fewer packets being dropped. Because congestion has a direct impact on packet loss, congestion avoidance mechanism is often deployed. One such mechanism is called Random EARLY Discard (RED). RED algorithms randomly and intentionally drop packets once the traffic reaches one or more configured threshold. RED takes advantage of the TCP protocols window size throttle feature and provides more efficient congestion management for TCP-based flows. Note that RED only provides effective congestion control for application or protocols with TCP like throttling mechanism Emission priorities Determine the order in which traffic is forwarded as it exits a network node. Traffic with higher emission priority is forwarded a head of traffic with a lower emission priority. Emission priorities also determine the amount of latency introduced to the traffic by the network nodes queuing mechanism. For example, delay-tolerant application such as email would be configured to have a lower emission priority than delay sensitive real time applications such as voice or video. These delay tolerant applications may be buffered while the delay sensitive applications are being transmitted. In its simplest of forms, emission priorities use a simple transmit priority scheme whereby higher emission priority traffic is always forwarded ahead of lower emission priority traffic. This is typically accomplished using strict priority scheduling (queuing) the downside of this approach is that low emission priority queues may never get services (starved) it there is always higher emission priority traffic with no BW rate limiting. A more elaborate scheme provides a weighted scheduling approach to the transmission of the traffic to improve fairness, i.e., the lower emission priority traffic is transmitted. Finally, some emission priority schemes provide a mixture of both priority and weighted schedulers. Discarded priorities Are used to determine the order in which traffic gets discarded. The traffic may get dropped due to network node congestion or when the traffic is out of profile, i.e., the traffic exceeds its prescribed amount of BW for some period of time. Under congestion, traffic with a higher discard priority gets dropped before traffic with a lower discard priority. Traffic with similar QoS performance can be sub divided using discard priorities. This allows the traffic to receive the same performance when the network node is not congested. However, when the network node is congested, the discard priority is used to drop the more eligible traffic first. Discard priorities also allow traffic with the same emission priority to be discarded when the traffic is out of profile. With out discard priorities traffic would need to be separated into different queues in a network node to provide service differentiation. This can be expensive since only a limited number of hardware queues (typically eight or less) are available on networking devices. Some devices may have software based queues but as these are increasingly used, network node performance is typically reduced. With discard priorities, traffic can be placed in the same queue but in effect the queue is sub divided into virtual queues, each with a different discard priority. For example if a product supports three discard priorities, then one hardware queues in effect provides three QoS Levels. Table 3.1 illustrates the QoS performance dimensions required by some common applications. Applications can have very different QoS requirements. As these are mixed over a common IP transport network, without applying QoS the network traffic will experience unpredictable behavior [22][25]. Categorizing Applications Networked applications can be categorized based on end user expectations or application requirements. Some applications are between people while other applications are a person and a networked device application, e.g., a PC and web server. Finally, some networking devices, e.g., router-to-router. Table 3.2 categorizes applications into four different traffic categories: Interactive Responsive Timely Network Control Interactive applications Some applications are interactive whereby two or more people actively participate. The participants expect the networked applications to respond in real time. In this context real time means that there is minimal delay (latency) and delay variations (jitter) between the sender an

Durham Cathedral :: Papers

Durham Cathedral Source A refers to the changes made in Durhamcathedral since the 12th century. There are certain aspects that have remained the same. The north doors remain unchanged although they have replaced the real sanctuary knocker with a replica. Although the main structure and architecture of the cathedral have not changed, particular things have, for example in the source it shows pointed towers. As this is an interpretation of an idea of what it may have looked like at the time, it isn't based on any real fact so we don't know if the towers were indeed pointed, they may have been cones. But the towers now are not as they were in the 12th century; they are gothic, flat and have battlements. The towers were replaced after lighting struck the north tower and a fire broke out. They replaced all of the towers so that the north tower wouldn't look out of place. The Romanesque window in the east of the north transept has been replaced with a large elaborate gothic stained glass window. They found that the pointed arch supported more weight therefore they could make it larger and more intricate. The apse has been replaced by the chapel of the nine altars. The apse originally contained three apses, but was replaced in the thirteenth centaury they had become dangerous and were replaced The Galilee chapel has been added on to the west of the cathedral. It is a ladies chapel as women were not allowed to mix with men in the chapel of the nine alters. In conclusion the sketch of the 12th century cathedral is a good perception of what it may have looked like then, based on the sketchy facts provided, although there may be a few things wrong with it, but on the basis it is very accurate. Source B relates to the theory that Durham cathedral was built by cowboy builders. Although it is true that the pillars in the nave are hollow and filled with builder's rubble, the doorway to the Galilee

Tolstoys Three Hermits Essay -- essays research papers fc

Between 1875 and 1877, Leo Tolstoy, nobility by birth, wrote installments of Anna Karenina. While writing Anna Karenina,† he became obsessed with the meaning and purpose of life. This led Tolstoy to compose the essay, My Confession, detailing his agonizing religious and moral self-examination, published in 1882. He devoted another three years to the discovery of the meaning and purpose of life. At the close of the seven years of only non-fiction essays, Tolstoy resumed writing and publishing fictional works. However, he did write two more essays devoted to the meaning of life, What Then Must We Do (1886) and The Kingdom of God is Within You (1892). Tolstoy, in 1886 wrote a particularly intriguing tale of a bishop and three old men, The Three Hermits,† which reflects Tolstoy’s search for purpose and the meaning of life. The Three Hermits is a journey, both physical and spiritual, similar to Tolstoy’s faith journey. â€Å"A bishop was sailing from Archangel to the Solovetsk Monastery, and on the same vessel were a number of pilgrims on their way to visit the shrine at that place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tolstoy, p. 1). The story goes on to say that a fisherman on board relayed the tale of the three hermits who live on an island near where they currently were sailing. The Bishop becomes very curious, and insists upon meeting the hermits. The other pilgrims protest at the idea of stopping. The captain also objects and informs the bishop, â€Å"The old men are not worth your pains. I have heard said that they are foolish old fellows, who understand nothing, and never speak a word, any more than the fish in the sea† (Tolstoy, p.3). This passage makes an ironic point. The pilgrims travel to Solovetsk, home of a monastery considered one of the holy places in Russia, to pay homage and receive Godâ€⠄¢s favor, yet they are unwilling to learn from people close to God, much like the people of Tolstoy’s time, too wrapped up in the church’s doctrine to see the way to God. Tolstoy wrote in Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand, a chapter of The Kingdom of God is Within You that Christians must aspire to the Kingdom of God, not the kingdoms of the world, meaning that the idols and relics of the church are worthless, people should instead visit God through meaningful prayer, good deeds, and work. The tale continues on to say, â€Å"the cable was quickly let out, the anchor cast and the sails furled†¦ Then... ...rought to life in a fable. The Three Hermits span time in understanding the journey to the meaning of life. To this day, the puzzle never has been solved and may never be solved. In the immortal words of Tolstoy, â€Å"If you are content with the old world, try to preserve it, it is very sick and cannot hold out much longer. But if you cannot bear to live in everlasting dissonance between your beliefs and your life, thinking one thing and doing another, get out of the medieval witted sepulchers, and face your fears. I know very well it is not easy† (The Anarchist Library, p.1). Works Cited Tolstoy, Leo. The Three Hermits. Democritus University of Thrace. 8 January 2000 . Leo Tolstoy. The Anarchist Library. 12 January 2000 . Forster, Stephen. The Gulag's Archipelago. 12 January 2000 . Crosswalk.com: Bible Study Tools. Crosswalk.com Network. 14 January 2000 . â€Å"Tolstoy, Leo.† World Book. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1998.

Communication Skills :: Communication, Effective Communication

Communication can be defined as the transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver in an understandable manner (Sanchez, N, 2009). An example of communication in healthcare is between clinical professionals and staff, patients and their relatives or carers, professionals doctors, occupational therapists, social workers, midwives, physiotherapists and administration staff (Darley, 2002). For their communication to be effective, each of them needs to put the responsibility for clear communication on himself (Healthcare Benchmarks & Quality Improvement 2009) which means that each of them should endeavour to send clear messages and to receive messages with as little distortion as possible (Mind Tools Ltd, 2009). The NHS believes that effective communication is essential for high quality service and care, and to avoid communication breakdown complaints and problems (Hamilton Mercer, 2009) such as ill informed patients, worried relatives and bad publicity Darley (2002). To avoid communication breakdown, the HPC requires radiographers to be able to use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication and to use an appropriate interpreter if necessary when communicating with service users and others (Health Professions Council’s (HPC) Standards of Proficiency - Radiographers, 2008). Minardi and Riley (1997) state that it is very important to recognise the communication skills that may improve effectiveness. Verbal and non-verbal communication are the main forms of communication (Cant and Aroni, 2008). Verbal communication is subdivided into the vocal category which includes spoken language, and the non-vocal category which includes written communication and communication conveyed through sign language or Braille (Communication and Language). The HPC requires Radiographers to be able to communicate information, advice, instruction and professional opinion in English (HPC’s Standards of Proficiency - Radiographers, 2008) since it is the main language in the United Kingdom (Mandy Barrow, 2009). For example, when performing an examination, they need to give clear instructions by explaining what they are doing and why they are doing it (Bach and Grant, 2009). If the receiver does not understand English, a good interpreter is needed to avoid misunderstanding. The receiver may also not understand the examiner’s professional language and as Minardi and Riley (1997) point out, the professional should explain technical terms in order to be understood. Written communication is the ability to write effectively in a range of circumstances and for different audiences and purposes, in good English (The University of Sydney, 2009) using memorandums, reports, bulletins, job descriptions, employee manuals, electronic mail (e-mail) letters, telegrams, faxes, contracts, advertisements, brochures or news releases (Reference for business, 2010).

How Does Marxism Explain the Role of Education in Society?

How does Marxism explain the role of education in society? The sociology of education is the study of how public institutions and individual experiences affect education and its outcomes. It is most concerned with the public schooling systems of modern industrial societies, including the expansion of higher, further, adult, and continuing education. Education has always been seen as a fundamentally optimistic human endeavour characterised by aspirations for progress and betterment.It is understood by many to be a means of overcoming handicaps, achieving greater equality and acquiring wealth and social status (Education and Sociology 1992). Education is perceived as a place where children can develop according to their unique needs and potential. It is also perceived as one of the best means of achieving greater social equality. Many would say that the purpose of education should be to develop every individual to their full potential and give them a chance to achieve as much in life a s their natural abilities allow (meritocracy).However some take a particularly negative view, arguing that the education system is designed with the intention of causing the social reproduction of inequality and creating a workforce for society. One of the main sociological approaches that use theory to explain the role of education is Marxism. The Marxist perspective is critical of the educational system, arguing that it is unfair, and serves to coerce people into accepting their â€Å"roles† in an unequal society. The concept of the ‘hidden curriculum’ is key in the understanding of the Marxist perspective.The aim of the hidden curriculum is to socialise young people into accepting the role assigned to them by the capitalist class. It is argued the teachers subconsciously deliver this ‘hidden curriculum’ making pupils aware of the respect and obedience that should be given towards the established organisation [Karl Marx, 1983]. As well as this, sub tle skills such as time keeping and organisation are taught. In introducing these skills from a young age, society will accept them as norms and not question there status in society.The correspondence principle is a theory used by Marxists to explain how much of what we learn in school is preparation for our future roles as workers is in capitalist society. Many sociologists who support this principle argue that education is just a means of maintaining social class boundaries. Many argue that schools in capitalistic societies are geared toward giving children different types of education based solely on their social standing rather than by their inherent skills. Under this principle schools are believed to give lower class children a different type of education compared to their upper class counterparts.Typically, it is said that lower class children are put on an educational track that will prepare them for ‘blue collar’ jobs. It is thought that the education of lower class children is different because it prepares them to enter the work force directly after secondary school. Schooling teaches working class children to sit quietly at their desk, obey the teacher’s authority, and also acquaints them with becoming familiar with repetitive tasks. Similarly, the education of upper class children is thought to be geared toward upper class or ‘white collar’ professions.With upper class children, instead of focusing on preparing them to enter the workforce, there is added emphasis is on preparing them to move on to four year colleges and universities after secondary school. Here they are trained to be professionals and capitalists by teaching them how to think critically and instilling in them a sense of responsibility and authority [Frank M Howell 1982] Louis Althusser was a structural Marxist who, through the influences of Karl Marx, introduced the concept of an ‘ideological state apparatus’.He argued that economic rel ations structure education so as to reproduce these same economic values into teaching. He went on to state that education is part of the system of the reproduction of labour power. Schools work to ensure that those who are to do the work will do so co-operatively, out of the belief that the situation is just and reasonable. From this point of view, the failure of so many pupils in schools is not a failing of the system but actually what the schooling system is designed to do. Working class children, who opt out, fail, or find schools alien, are indications that schooling is working successfully.Thus, education is not designed to develop human potential, but to limit it. The correspondence principle (Bowles and Gintis 1976) takes this point further stating that education introduces the acceptance of hierarchy and motivation by external rewards. For example; teacher says, pupil does; boss says worker does. Hierarchy comes into place in the form of the teachers roles e. g. head, deput y head, head of year, head of department etc. Many pupils are not interested in the subject knowledge they are taught are school, the only reason that have for going to school is to get exam passes i. e. an external reward.This prepares us for the world of work where we do not work for the love of the job but for the wage. Thus what happens at school corresponds to what happens at work. There are several examples present in today’s society that support Marxist theories of education. The introduction of the Youth Training Schemes (YTS) in 1983 [online] is one of these. Known as ‘on-the-job training courses’, these YTS represented ‘working class’ and job specific qualifications for the needs of capitalism. Another example of such schemes are General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ’s) which are now know as NVQ’s.Such courses are said to favour the working classes as the structure is mainly coursework based. Many of the courses invo lve hands on learning which again, teach the hidden disciplines needed to work for the capitalist society and prepare a skilled work force. The Class biased system of education is shown by league tables and examination results and the principle of student loans represents the way in which the disadvantaged (working classes) are ‘priced’ out of the system. In conclusion of the Marxist perspective, it is clear they take a very critical approach on the education system.The promotion of ruling class ideologies through institutions such as the education system is seen to supress the working classes keeping them conformed to the norms and values of society. The teaching of these values at a young age means fewer questions are likely to be asked and the capitalist society can continue to work as it does, for the benefit of the economy. A second sociological perspective that takes a different view on education is that of functionalism. This is, in contrast to Marxism, a non-con flict approach. Functionalists believe that the education system has three main functions.Firstly it socialises young people into key cultural values such as equality of opportunity, competition and religious morality. Education is said by functionalists (especially Durkheim) to emphasise moral responsibilities in society that people should have towards each other [Education and Sociology 1922]. If these norms were not passed down through generations then there would be a tendency for individualism (where people believe that they are more important than social groups). An example of how education goes about promoting these values is through the subjects that are taught.Citizenship and religious education were introduced as compulsory subjects in schools to see that young people did things with thought for the society. The second function is to do with the skills that education teaches children, from literacy and numeracy to more job-specific skills. Occupational jobs are becoming mo re specialised and this in turn will lead to more years in education. The final function of education, according to functionalists is the allocating of roles of young people in society. Examinations and qualifications are said to allocate people for their most suited job.The equality of opportunity took place and so higher talented people are given the most functionally important jobs for the society. Emile Durkheim is one of the main influential and well known functionalists. He stated that ‘society can survive only if there exists among all its members a sufficient degree of homogeneity; education perpetuates and reinforces this homogeneity by fixing in the child, from the very beginning, the essential similarities that collective life demands’ [Education and Sociology 1922]. Homogeneity is defined as the quality or state of being of the same or similar nature having a uniform structure throughout [online].Durkheim saw sociology as a science and concentrated on the st udy of social facts rather than what motivates the actions of individuals. He argued that education has many functions; to reinforce social solidarity in subjects such as history (learning about individuals who have done good things for the many makes an individual feel insignificant) and through the pledge of allegiance in America (making individuals feel part of a group and therefore less likely to break rules); to maintain social role (school is a society in miniature. It has a similar hierarchy, rules, and expectations to the â€Å"outside world. It trains young people to fulfil roles); and to maintain division of labour (school sorts students into skill groups, encouraging students to take up employment in fields best suited to their abilities) [Education and Sociology 1922]. Although many of these points are similar to that of Marxism, the functionalists look at the positives of such class divisions. Two more perspectives that challenge the views of Marxism are Interactionism and Feminism. Interactionists take a micro approach looking at what happens in the classroom environment, specifically pupil and teacher interaction.They also concentrate on the way teacher expectations and perceptions of pupils can affect the life chances and educational chances of pupils. Whereas Marxists and Functionalists tend to focus on the structural sides to society, interactionists examine the relationships between the education system and the individual. This sociological group place a strong emphasis on labelling theology. Hargreaves, Hester and Mellor (Deviance in Classrooms 1975) studied how pupils became typified and classified. They conducted their study in two schools by interviewing teachers and observing in class.They found that teachers have a limited knowledge about their pupils when they first arrive at school, so they speculate, using the information that they already have, such as the pupils’ appearance, how far they conform to discipline, and their en thusiasm for work. This is elaborated over time until the teacher reaches a stage when they feel â€Å"they know† the pupil. It is therefore a gradual process that changes over time. Through this process the teacher can have an important influence on the progress of their pupils.It can affect the attention and encouragement a pupil can receive. The self-fulfilling prophecy follows on from the stereotyping and subsequent labelling of pupils. This theory argues that predictions made by teachers about the future success or failure of their pupils will tend to come true. The teachers’ interaction with their pupils will be influenced by the labels that they have attached. If a pupil has been labelled by their teacher as a potentially bright student they may receive extra encouragement to attain the higher marks.Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) tested the validity of self-fulfilling prophecy. They discovered that teachers’ expectations could significantly affect their pu pils’ performance The feminist perspectives generally focus on how education promotes patriarchy and a ‘male dominated’ society. There are many different branches within feminism such as liberal, radical and Marxist feminists however they all share the view that the education system is very male orientated and that women are socialised to conform to this dominance thus supressing them.Some of the more radical approaches go as far to say that ‘patriarchy will only end when women are freed from the physical and emotional violence inflicted by men in the classroom and the playground’ [online] In conclusion, the Marxist approach takes a very critical view of the education system arguing that is merely reinforces inequalities in society. They go on to state that in teaching a ‘hidden curriculum’, the system is only in place to create a dominant and trained work force to work for and fit the needs of the capitalist society.From a young age chi ldren begin to be shaped to fit these societal needs and are made to believe that their place in society is already decided for them through norms and values. In conforming to what they believe is normal, societies avoid anomie and complete social collapse as well as keeping the social classes from rising above their stations or asking questions. In contrast to such a negative outlook on the education system, functionalists look at how the teaching of norms and values creates social solidarity where shared beliefs bring together all classes.Interactionists take yet another view exploring the concept of pupil to teacher interaction and how labelling can shape behaviour. Finally, feminists take the view that the education system works in favour of males in giving them a higher status in the economical market thus justifying the suppression of women. References -Bottomore, Tom; Goode, Patrick [1983] ‘Readings in Marxist Sociology’ Clarendon Press (London) -Durkheim, Emile [1895] ‘The Rules of Sociological Method’ 8th edition, trans.Sarah A. Solovay and John M. Mueller, ed. George E. G. Catlin (1938, 1964 edition) -Durkheim, Emile [1956] ‘Education and Sociology’ Macmillan Publishing Co. , inc. & Collier Macmillan Publishers (London) -Howell, Frank M. ; McBroom, Lynn W. (1982), SOCIAL RELATIONS AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CORRESPONDENCE PRINCIPLE, 55, American Sociological Association -http://socyberty. com/education/the-functions-of-education-according-to-functionalists-and-marxists/#ixzz1HN8LoWUv [accessed on 13. 3. 2011] -http://socyberty. com/education/the-functions-of-education-according-to-functionalists-and-marxists/#ixzz1HNLMioDC [accessed on 9. 03. 2011] -http://www. educationforum. co. uk/sociology_2/functionalist. htm [accessed on 9. 03. 2011] -http://www. le. ac. uk/education/resources/SocSci/zoe. html [accessed on 9. 03. 2011] -http://www. marxists. org/glossary/people/a/l. htm [accessed on 9. 03. 2 011] -http://www. thestudentroom. co. uk/showthread. php? t=185151 [accessed on 13. 03. 2011]

Fliptop Battle: the Modern Balagtasan Essay

Introduction: As a developing country on a contemporary period dominated with diverse influences, different sectors and government organizations as well as the non-governmental organizations anticipate on how to elevate and preserved the most powerful tool for communication – Language. Language is used to express inner thoughts and emotions, make sense of complex and abstract thought, communicate with others, as well as to establish rules and to preserved culture. It is used to inform people of what a person might feel, desire, anticipate, and communicate effectively with words, gestures, and tone of voice in a multitude of situation. Language is a special gift from God to mankind; if language doesn’t exist, human civilization would be impossible. Apart from being a means of communication, it is also a source of thinking as well as an expression. This is the reason why it is termed as â€Å"species uniform† possession of human beings.1 Language change and shifts as time passes by for a variety of reasons responding on social, economic, and political pressures. History records many examples of language changed and shifts fueled by invasions, colonization, and migration. Even without these kinds of influences, a language can change and shifts dramatically if enough users alter the way they speak.2 Media is a general form for modern channels of public information. Traditionally, they are radio, televisions, films, newspapers, and internet. These disseminate information and entertainment on a wide scale and their powers of manipulating public opinion are the subject of much discussion and research.3 Media are changing the terms of our engagement with language and social semiosis in late modernity, and with linguistic variation and dialect as part of that. Media made a great impact on language change by means of word adaptation as well as familiarization of words especially on Filipino people as shown on television, internet, radio, or even newspaper. Multimedia serves as a pathway for manifesting new ideas on preserving languages like the newl y formed Filipino rhythmical poetry debate known as â€Å"Fliptop Battle† popularized through â€Å"Youtube†, a very popular video sharing Web site that lets anyone upload short videos for private or public viewing. 4 Fliptop Battle is a rap battle league in the Philippines partake by young Filipino rappers or popularly called as battle  Ã¢â‚¬Å"emcees† considered as geniuses on a contemporary Filipino language and made to help Philippine rappers promote and train both rap skills and abilities as well as to educate the masses both on a hip-hop cultural level and on a commonsensical level. The league places these rappers in a pit against each other in a battle of lyrical creativity and innate musical rhythm.5 Balagtasan is Filipino art of publicly arguing in extemporaneous, scaled and rhymed poetry manner formed by a group of Filipino poets in April 6, 1924 to commemorate the birth of Francisco Balagtas. Similar to the Fliptop Battle of contemporary period, this were fought by two different â€Å"Makata†, has a moderator, and has jurors that will decide whether who among the two excelled. 6 Balagtasan is a prominent type of literature from the time when is was discovered in 1924 unt il the world war II started. Balagtasan brightens the popularity of lots of makata. Well-noted theatres such as Opere House, Olympic Stadium, and Teatro Zorilla as well as the different theatres in the Philippines were fulled by public. A very expressive battle of discourse on Magazines, Newspapers, and even on the Radio were labeled before the world war II started. Different versions of Balagtasan pop-up in every regions of the language, as well as adopted language like English and Spanish. Being a form of national literature, it is still part of the lives of every filipino not just the whole form balagtasan but every piece of it as a cultural expression.7 Fliptop Battle and the conventional Balagtasan are both battle of wisdom and free-flowing poetic discourse. They give entertainment through humorous approach, bullying using hard-hitting words, and proving who among them is the best. Fliptop Battle as the modern Balagtasan is the focus of this study. Analyzing and critiquing is the main purpose of this research paper. Specifically, this study sought why Fliptop Battle dubbed as Balagtasan of modern day. This study was likewise anchored on the assumption that Fliptop Battle: The Modern Balagtasan as one of the modern significant pathway on the preservation of Philippine Language and educating masses on a new breed of wordsmith and calling attention on a dying culture in the Philippines. Statement of the Problem: The study intends to investigates and analyze the benefits together with the profile of Fliptop Battle as the modern balagtasan. Specifically, this study  sought to answer to the following questions: 1. What are the characteristics of the Fliptop Battle: The Modern Balagtasan and the Conventional Balagtasan? 2. What is the common feature of the modern and the conventional balagtasan? 3. What are the existing influences of â€Å"Fliptop Battle: The Modern Balagtasan† poses along: a. Music b. Literature c. Language d. Entertainment 4. What is the significant contribution of â€Å"Fliptop Battle: The Modern Balagtasan† to the preservation of Philippine Language and Culture? Scope and Delimitation: The primary objective of the study is to know why Fliptop Battle is called as the â€Å"Modern Balagtasan† and how will it aid on the preservation of the Philippine Language and Culture. The secondary objective of this study is to know its role and to understand how Fliptop Battle: The Modern Balagtasan affects and influences the Philippine Music industry, Entertainment, Literature, and Language. As an addendum, the study will only include major information concerning Fliptop Battle. Significance of the Study: The reason why this study is significant can be explained from three aspects. First, this study investigates the nature, quality, traits, attribute, peculiarity, and distinctiveness of Fliptop Battle: The Modern Balagtasan to the conventional Balagtasan. Consequently, this research might offer an empirical awareness to the reader on a dying culture reincarnated through a modern method. Second, this study will give knowledge to the readers regarding the stand of Fliptop Battle to Philippine Music industry, Literature, Language, and Entertainment. Third, it is hoped that this study may help the readers, as well as the authorities on providing the information addressed to the contribution of Fliptop Battle to Philippine Language and Culture. The researchers believed that this study would be beneficial to the following: Literature and Language Teachers — this study will help them in demonstrating and discussing the Modern Balagtasan in  contrast to the conventional balagtasan and encourage the students to love for own culture. Other Researchers – the study will serve as their reference encouraging them to research on different issues concerning cultural problems that needs a corresponding action and a guide for their studies and related purposes. Authorities – this study will serve to different sectors, governmental and non-governmental organizations as additional reference and will call their attention not just on the preservation of Philippine language and literature but also on the conservation and promotion of Philippine culture. NOTES 1Brown, Steven & Attardo, Salvatorre â€Å"Understanding Language Structure, Interaction, and Variation: An Introduction to Applied Linguistics and Sociolinguistics for Non-specialists†, The University of Michigan Press, 2000,2005., Pp. 160 2Mulfwene, Saliko S. â€Å"Language Evolution: Contact, Competition, and Change†, Cromwell Press, Wiltshirem, Great Britain, 2009 Pp.197 3Hawksby, Lester â€Å"Philip’s Encyclopedia† Octopus Publishing Group, c2007., Pp. 505 4 http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/YouTube 5http://neillangit.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/modern-balagtasan/ (August 9, 2010) 6Zafra, Galileo S. â€Å"Balagtasan: Kasaysayan at Antolohiya† Ateneo de Manila University Press, Quezon City Philippines, c1999., Pp. 4-11 7 Ibid., 13. Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature and Studies This chapter presents the related literatures and studies gathered from various books, published and unpublished materials, internet and other references which are related to the present study. This section also consists of synthesis of the state of the art, analytical framework, analytical paradigm, definition of terms, and notes. Related Literature: This present the related literature reviewed â€Å"Fliptop Battle: The modern Balagtasan – An Analysis† is a product of research, and reading on several literatures and studies. Several books such as encyclopedias, journals, magazine, newspapers, audio-visual materials, and other standard reference were used. The Balagtasan: Kasaysayan at Antolohiya of Galileo S. Zafra is a collection of past events, origins, and literary works of popular â€Å"makata’s† in the Philippines since the era of Balagtasan has started and wrote about transforming the consciousness and fighting alien interests and the ills of the society concerning cultural awareness.1 In a documentary video done by Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, it was discussed that Fliptop Battle is a new tool in preserving and reviving the forgotten oral tradition of the Filipinos namely the â€Å"Balagtasan†. Traditions of every ethnicity serve as an identity who they are and where they came from. Based on the documentary, the so-called Modern Balagtasan popularly known as Fliptop Bat tle is being practiced by youths anywhere such as in school, street, and bars. On one of the video footage where CBCP’s Fr. Melvin Castro was featured, he stressed that Fliptop Battle is a very good invention of the youth and can be developed, purified, and elevate the quality.2 Saab Magalona (2010) is a writer of Philippine Star Newspaper. She featured and wrote about Aric Yuson, the founder of the Balagtasan of the modern day. Aric is the son of Alfred Yuson, a well respected Filipino writer and according to the interview done by Magalona, Aric has always been a fan of the battling aspect of hip-hop and watches different battle leagues online such as the biggest rap battle in the world Grind Time Now by America and Canada’s King of The Dot. â€Å"As for rap or emcee battles, I enjoy the spontaneity, competition, and of course, the relatively twisted humor employed in degrading your opponent† Aric shares. The facet is entertaining in itself, but ultimately he enjoys how concepts are formed and then articulated in battle verse. He wanted to apply it to Philippine culture that’s why the Fliptop Battle was born. The merit of Fliptop Battle is to educate the masses on both hip-hop and dying culture in the Philippines which is the Balagtasan especially on the promotion of social awareness.3 In the documentary film done by Motorcycle Diaries of GMA News TV, Jay Taruc presented facts about the Fliptop Battle considered as the Balagtasan of the modern day, its nature, and how Fliptop battle is being practiced. The documentary also reveals that Fliptop Battle is somewhat a pathway for  rappers to promote and educate masses about the hip—hop culture.4 â€Å"Teenagers have a playful mind that’s why it is natural for them to invent their vocabulary; in fact they can form little language. Changes in Language are normal in every existing language like Filipino†. – It is according to Virgilio Almario, a Philippine National Artist for Literature on an interview done by Television channel GMA News TV on the show Balitanghali regarding the impact of Bekimon, Jejemon, and Fliptop Battle: The Modern Balagtasan to Filipino Language.5 In the July, 2010 issue of FHM Magazine, Fliptop Battle was featured together with the founder of it namely Aric Yuson, popularly known as ANYGMA. They presented facts about Fliptop Battle, its origin, behavior, nature, concept, and other important details. The article also stressed that â€Å"Fliptop Battle is one of the Youtube sensations of 2010 because it has gone viral with several of video hits million views in just a couple months†. Related Studies: This presents the related studies, which the researchers were able to find. The development of this study was taken from published and unpublished theses. The Published Doctor in Filipino Thesis of Galileo S. Zafra entitled, The â€Å"Dalumat ng Katuwiran mulang Duplo hanggang Balagtasan† is a study were Balagtasan is being invoked. It is the continuation of his past study entitled â€Å"Kasaysayan at Retorika ng Balagtasan. This study is vital to the following mainly the Literature, History of poetry, Ethnography of Native Culture, and to the Filipino and Ancestral Philosophy. In literature, it provides unique principles to elevate the native literature particularly in rhetorical and oral traditions of regarding verbal jousts and Balagtasan. In history of poetry, distinctions between poetical joust and Balagtasan from native rituals, it can be used as a cradle to reintroduce the history of poetry in the Philippines. In ethnography of native culture, this offers vital promulg ation of fundamentals which will awaken the existence of past events and can be used as a tool for studying culture and data. In Filipino and ancestral phisophy, the study could be a reference in philosophical discourse through the use of criticism. This study is related to the present study since both dealt with Balagtasan as a nearly forgotten tradition in the Philippines. Loreviza, et.al., â€Å"Philipine seditious dramas as a tool for  social awareness† a study mainly to create social awareness on every readers and researchers about the events may happen on the environment using the most powerful tool on influencing the masses – Media. â€Å"As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever – Clarence Darrow†, as part of the community people are subjected to be more critical thinker. If all of these wrongs get ignored, ancestral heritages would probably be forgotten especially the new generation. This study is related to the study since both dealt with social awareness. â€Å"Social issues are inevitable†, a phrase which was stressed on the study â€Å"Social problems reflected in the selected essays from Time Asia Magazine† by Bongalon et.al.,This study focuses on several essays concerning present social issues and aimed to have an understanding on the problems found in their surroundings and its implication to the society which has been taken for granted. In relation to the present study, both aims to persuade the masses in appreciating literary works and create social awareness regarding social issues. Synthesis of the State of the Art: The related literature reviewed helped the researchers on finding necessary information relevant to the present study, including the concrete definition of Balagtasan. The evolution of it from the early period to the present as well as how Balagtasan as a literary form has contributed to the lives of every Filipinos and how it mirrors the society. Especially on the Zafra has a wide scope of Balagtasan on his study â€Å"Ang Dalumat ng Katuwiran Mulang Duplo Hanggang Balagtasan†. He included the â€Å"Duplo† or poetic jousts in his study which is said to be one of the influences of Balagtasan although, the whole dissertation talks about Balagtasan itself. This study becomes the basis of the present study on the contextual of traditional Balagtasan and he then clearly portrays the Balagtasan as a whole. He proved Balagtasan as a form of literature that has vital role in traditions which is culture to the Filipinos. The presentation of the Balagtasan is unique, original, and convincing because of his methodology and ethnography which lead to an evident of the literature and to the society where it belongs. Bongalon et.al., focused on persuading the masses in appreciating literary works of Filipino writers and to generate awareness in the social issues. They used  essays from a magazine regarding social issues which nowadays have been overlooked by many. Loveriza et.al., objective was to convince the readers as well as researchers to become more socially aware on their society and to be more patriotic in their cultural heritages which is similar to the present study. They used Philippine Seditious Drama as a tool which will aid on the witlessness of the present society and in comparison to the present study, both uses audio-visual materials. In this regard the researchers were inspired by this study because no one has yet conducted a research about the Fliptop Battle as the Modern Balagtasan considering that is new in the present society which has a great bearing and significance to the society as whole. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK This study rests on the theory of Max Horkheimer’s (1937) Critical Theory. It deals with revitalization of radical, social and cultural criticism. This theory has two core concept: first is that â€Å"critical theory should be directed at totality of society in its historical specificity, and the second is that critical theory should improve the understanding of society by integrating all the major social sciences including geography, economics, sociology, history, political science, anthropology, and psychology. 2 The first concept deals with addressing it to the society through historical approach. In society, history is part of culture; failure to preserve cultural heritages will lead to overlooking. That’s the reason why Horkheimer have come up with this concept. The second concept states that critical theory should elevate the awareness of society by invoking the components of social sciences. A broad understanding of milieu particularly on societal components will aid on the preservation of cultural heritages and social awareness of every society. This theory aims not just to determine what was wrong with the contemporary society of the present but, by identifying progressive aspects and tendencies within it to help transform society for better.