Miller Associated Communications

1. How does Miller fit the profile of the average fraud perpetrator? How does he differ? How did these characteristics make him difficult to detect? Miller fit the profile of the average fraud perpetrator is that he has seem to look like everyone else in the business world who is well liked and seem to be an ideal employee. Purpose of Miller is trying to gain the trust of his employer and colleagues. That’s why Miller works so hard on the constant energetic attempt to conceal his fraud. Miller differed from other fraud perpetrators because he was a sensible person. He has realized that embezzle he done was not right. When he caught by the employer, he promised will pay back all the money that he had stolen from earlier fraud. These characteristics made it difficult to detect Miller because he was trusted by his employer and colleagues. He would dedicate and put more effort on his job, and said to do outstanding work. This added by Miller being a very likeable person simply proved to make his evildoings very hard to detect. 2. Explain the three elements of the opportunity triangle (commit, conceal, convert), and discuss how Miller Associated Communications. What specific concealment techniques did his actions? Miller accomplished the three elements of the opportunity triangle in embezzling funds from Associated Communications by stealing money from his employers through forged checks. He would trick colleagues into signing their names to checks requiring two authorizing signatures. He would do this by asking them to sign the checks just in case the company needed to authorize a payment while they were on vacation. Miller concealed the fraud by intercepting the bank reconciliation and destroying the cancelled checks he used to siphon money. He then wrote off the amount to an expense account in order to balance the company’s book balance. Since Miller converted the checks he had written into his personal account to convert the funds into personal gain. 3. What pressures motivated Miller to embezzle? How did Miller rationalize his actions? Pressure is a person’s incentive or motivation for committing fraud. In this case, Miller faced a pressure vanity of his lifestyle which motivated Miller to continue to commit fraud. This is because he needs to buy luxury goods and lavish lifestyle. Miller rationalized his actions by saying he was not a bad person and he promised to all victim companies he would paid back the money that he stole. 4. Miller had a framed T-shirt in his office that said, â€Å"He who dies with the most toys wins. † What does this tell you about Miller? What lifestyle red flags could have tipped off the company to the possibility of fraud? Miller’s framed T-shirt showed that he was extremely motivated by material things and needs a lot of money to support his motivation. The lifestyle red flags could have tipped off the company were that Miller was spending his salary most likely could have supported, such as buying a lavish suburban home, expensive suits, diamond, ruby, a new car, and others. 5. Why do companies hesitate to prosecute white-collar criminals? What are the consequences of not prosecuting? How could law enforcement officials encourage more prosecution? Companies hesitate to prosecute white-collar criminals because they will be going to worry that fraud perpetrators will continue to exploit a company if they going to be prosecuted the fraud perpetrators. Fraud perpetrators will be going to revenge those companies who prosecute them as they are clearly about the weakness of the internal controls of their existing companies. So that, they can easily to sabotage each companies. Law enforcement Officials could encourage companies to report and prosecute fraud and hold them responsible if they know about the fraud committed. This would prevent more fraud acts happen in the future because employees know they will be prosecuted for committing fraud. 6. What could the victimized companies have done to prevent Miller’s embezzlement? Wheeling Bronze could have better enforced proper authorization and approval controls over access to cash and bank checks and to the means of writing and signing checks. Crest Industries could have been prevented or at least detected by better control over monthly bank statements and their reconciliation. In all but the first fraud, a more thorough background check of Miller may have revealed his past fraudulent activities and the company could have avoided the problems that arose after he was hired.

Boston Beer Company SWOT Analysis

The Boston Beer Company is currently the largest craft beer company in the United States, however, the craft beer industry is growing in an otherwise shrinking market increasing the amount of serious competition that The Boston Beer Company is facing. In order to stay on top of the industry, The Boston Beer Company needs to find new, innovative ways of being the most appealing craft beer available to the average consumer.While The Boston Beer Company offers many different varieties of seasonal beer, they should begin to shift their focus to year-round specialty beers, such as a line of regional flavors based on their consumer’s regional taste preferences. Different regions across the United States have different taste preferences. American’s taste preferences are learned and tend to be centered on the type of food and flavors they consumed when they were growing up.Depending on the region that one grew up in, what culture influenced the local cuisine, and what spices we re readily available to cook with, consumers will tend to have varying tastes and flavor combinations. Consumers in the New Orleans area might prefer a beer with more of a Cajun-spice undertone while consumers in the Southwest United States might prefer a beer with more of a jalapeno or habanero spice undertone. Companies ranging from manufactures of potato chips to BBQ sauce market specific flavors to particular regions across the United States.If the flavor does especially well, then it is slowly released in other regions across the country. There are many different craft beer companies that provide regional flavors across the United States. These craft brewers tend to be much smaller in size than the Boston Beer Company therefore limiting the scope of their reach. The Boston Beer Company already has developed a presence across the United States, allowing the brewer to reach many more customers than their competitors. However, the Boston Beer Company has a variety of flavors that are available in all markets.By segmenting the market into different regions and focusing on regional preferences, they will be better equipped to compete with the smaller, regional competitors. By focusing on popular regional flavors, the Boston Beer Company will be able to increase their market share across the United States and compete with the smaller, local craft beer brewers on a more personalized level. Currently Sam Adams has a 19% share of the overall craft beer market but only a 1% share of the overall beer market.By increasing the overall market share, hopefully the Boston Beer Company will be able to increase their stake in the craft beer company by 6%, bringing their overall share to 25% and increase their presence in the overall beer market by 4%, bringing their share to 5%. As their market shares increase it is reasonable to presume that revenues will also rise. Over the last couple of years Boston Beer Company averaged an increase in revenues of 12% per year. If mark et share increases, then sales should hopefully increase by 8% bringing their annual revenue increase to 20% from the previous year.The first step to achieving these goals is to conduct a market study in each designated region (Far West, South East, Rocky Mountains, Plains, Great Lakes, South East, Mid-East and New England) focusing on the target demographic, 21-30 year olds with a disposable income, to determine which large cities would be more likely to support a nano-brewery, a very small brewery that brews several hundred 10 gallon batches of beer for sampling purposes, almost like a test kitchen, and be a viable test market. An outside, nationwide consultant firm should be hired to begin the regional studies.Market studies should focus on current local craft beers, number of local bars, and current market for new craft beers. Studies should begin at the beginning of the fiscal year and should be completed no later than the end of the second quarter. Each regional study should n ot exceed $75,000. Representatives from the outside consulting firm will report their finding to a carefully determined committee consisting of representatives from the following departments: Research and Development, Sales, Distribution, Real Estate, Finance, and Operations. The committee will then determine the cities with the most potential to move forward with.Representatives from the Real Estate Department will search the area for existing small, already existing brewery locations available to lease or rent. If no pre-existing locations are available, then competitors with the potential to buy out will be identified. Ideally, leases will be signed for a 7 year term, with the option to extend the lease after 5 years. All locations should be determined by the end of the third quarter. As soon as the areas are identified, members of the Human Resource Department will begin searching for Brew Master to run and operate each of the new nano-brewery locations.These Brew Masters can be identified from current brewery locations or from competitors local to the new locations. Training on the methods and policies of the Boston Beer Company should be immediately upon identification. Boston Beer Company should then conduct regional market studies to determine potential flavors for each specific region based off existing local craft breweries and popular regional flavor combinations. Each smaller market study should be conducted by local consulting firms who already have an understanding of the demographics and culture of the region they are studying.These studies should be completed by the end of the fourth quarter and should not exceed $25,000 each. The representatives of each consulting firms will meet with the existing committee to discuss their findings. Research and Development will look at the feasibility of each potential flavor combination and begin working with the Master Brewers for each nano-brewery location to begin production. After locations are determin ed and nano-breweries are functioning Boston Beer Company should conduct a test with a sample population from our target demographic to determine which beers should be put into production.After Master Brewers have several test batches of beer completed a sample population of volunteers will test the beers and provide feedback to the Master Brewers. The surveys and taste tests will be conducted by contracted local market research companies. Potential candidates for the survey and taste tests could be found on local university campuses and military bases, as the members of these groups tend to fall into the desired age demographic and are likely to consume alcoholic beverages in a social setting.Each study should have at least 200 participants, covering a wide variety of taste preferences and demographic back grounds. Instead of monetary compensation, participants will be paid with free beer samples and a case of any currently existing Sam Adams beer product, thereby cutting down on e xpenses. The market research company will provide transportation for study participants in order to insure no member of the research party will drive after consumption of alcohol. Each market study should be no more than $5,000 and be completed over the course of a period (one month).Master Brewers and 5 selected members of the research and development team will then take the compiled feedback and analyze the data provided. The group will be looking for any common trends, such as beers that score high on taste and appeal to decide which beer flavors to pursue and what adjustments, if any, need to be made to less desirable flavors. Lastly, Boston Beer Company should work with local bars and pubs and arrange mutual beneficial agreements where they are able to place newly created flavors on tap for three to six months to determine the beer’s popularity in the regional market.If the beer flavor remains popular for a year, then it will be sent to the brewery in Georgia and be put into increased production and sold to grocery stores and other outlets in bottled form. Local sales of the flavors available in bottled form will be closely monitored in order to determine overall approval. If the sales continue to grow for an extended period of time, roughly one year, than studies will be conducted in other regions to determine if a national release would be profitable.Each region should have their own regional sales team to carefully monitor the local markets in order to find key local bars and regional festivals in which the Boston Beer Company will be able to show case their new flavors. Another critical issue faced by Boston Beer Company is maintaining the freshness of the beer as is passes through the distribution system from the breweries to the direct consumers. To maintain the beers freshness, Boston Beer should construct or acquire more company owned breweries throughout the U. S. to align themselves in better geographical positions in order to reduce stoc kpiling of inventory for wholesalers and distributors.They should do so through the use of efficient information systems that provide accurate forecasts and real-time data. Boston Beer should work with the distributors on developing and integrating such systems. By constructing and acquiring more company owned breweries, Boston Beer can maintain its superior product quality and always give the customer the freshest beer in their selection choice in any environment.The initial costs of expanding will be offset by repeat customers who desire quality beer, which will lead to increased revenues and a greater market share in the industry. Without the additional breweries, Boston Beer Company will continue to store inventory for long periods of time in order to keep up with the demand for the product, but with the new breweries, Boston Beer Company will be able to implement more of a Just in Time approach to inventory management.Also, with the new breweries in better geographical position s Boston Beer will be able to provide its  wholesalers and distributors inventory much quicker than before, thus reducing the size of each order. As opposed to ordering enough inventory to get them through to the next shipment, wholesalers and distributors will order less inventory, but at a more constant rate. Since the orders will be more constant, but much smaller, Accounts Receivable for Boston Beer Company will decrease. To achieve these goals, first, a real estate campaign will go into effect in the first quarter of 2014 to identify real estate properties in Texas.Representatives from the Real Estate Department will search the Texas area for existing already existing brewery locations available to lease or rent. If no such establishment is available, then the representatives will begin searching for possible build locations. Boston will implement the Texas project only if the cost for full implementation is less than $45 million. The company would like to see their new compa ny owned brewery in operation by the fourth quarter of 2014. The campaign will also evaluate breweries in Georgia in the same fashion.The breweries in Georgia will, hopefully, be leased for 5-7 years with the option of renewing the contract after 5 years to maintain their presence in the supply chain network if their efforts prove successful. They will take their findings to the board and display why they chose those potential properties and breweries. The board will consider the value of each property and brewery to determine what implications the proposed projects in those areas will have on their supply chain network. The board has the final say in whether those projects will be taken.The Finance Department will undergo analysis of the capital structure of the Texas brewery and determine the level of debt taken as long as the level of equity is within the board’s set limit of 55%-65%. Final authorization will, however, remain with the board. Once the breweries have been ei ther built or leased, production of beer will begin. This action step will be fully integrated with the action step from the previous critical issue. The new Texas brewery will begin production of Boston Beer Company’s core products, including Sam Adams Boston Lager and Rebel IPA, as well as seasonal beers, including Winter Lager and Summer Ale.Georgia, on the other hand, will focus purely on the specialty beers and the regional beers mentioned previously. Once a new beer from one of the regions has been formulated by the Master Brewers, has passed the taste test by the sample population of volunteers, and then has remained popular for over a year in the local bars and pubs, it is to begin production in bottled form in a different region. The Master Brewer from whichever region the new beer has been produced will be brought to the Georgia brewery to teach the Master Brewer and staff the recipe and how to make the beer.Georgia will then put into production the new beer and for distribution to other regions. In an effort to coincide with the Freshest Beer Program, once the breweries are operating, Boston Beer will assign its logistics department use linear regression and exponential smoothing forecasts to determine the amount of inventory needed to be shipped to wholesalers on a one to two week basis. The logistics department will then meet with the sales and operations departments and report the results of these tests. The operations department will take these results and begin a plan of action to distribute the beer.Boston Beer’s sales department will then begin to work with their wholesaler’s sales departments to help aid in the overall forecasting of the supply chain in order to make more efficient forecasts and production planning schedules. The reduction of inventory by wholesalers will significantly reduce the Accounts Receivables while simultaneously reducing the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Stale Beer Reserve on the books of Boston Beer and allow them to enter into more reliable collection terms on their sales.This will also allow them to carry more cash on hand which they should use for marketing their regional flavors to the Far West, South East, Rocky Mountains, Plains, Great Lakes, South East, Mid-East and New England regions to help stimulate sales for the Georgia brewery as well as market their traditional flagship brands to the Midwest to boost sales for the Texas brewery.In the next step, engineers from the MIS Department will be allocated $150,000 to install operating systems before distribution begins that will be used for the Texas brewery and create e-business tools that allow them to track order and delivery time, manage weather conditions, and respond to quickly changing customer demands. By implementing an effective internal communications system, a team from the Distribution Department will use the data to coordinate its shipping vehicles to their customers and intervene if things drift off course.Management will implement a DMAIC model of Six Sigma to continuously improve the distribution processes and reduce variability in the performance of their distribution system. Boston Beer Company should then hire an outside national consulting firm to search for potential brokers or agents who will distribute and stock its beer for the Georgia and Texas breweries. Currently Boston Beer Company has only one channel of distribution for its products. Since each and every state is different with its laws pertaining to handling alcohol, more distribution channels will need to be implemented.Since most states have laws in place preventing beer manufacturers from selling and distributing beer straight to retailers and consumers Boston Beer Company must use the brokers or agents that the consulting firm will search for. The consulting firm will report its findings with the following departments: Finance, Accounting, Sales, and Operations. The committee will then determine which, if any, of the brokers or agents found to begin operations with. Each study, one in Georgia and one Texas, should not exceed $50,000.Also, with the consolidation of the beer industry, big companies like InBev, SABMiller, and Molson Coors, there is some potential that exists for them to increase their influence with distributors making it difficult to for Boston Beer to maintain favorable contractual agreements with these distributors who carry less Boston Beer products than the bigger company products. To mitigate this risk, Boston Beer will allow $3,000,000 to be invested in order to acquire smaller distributors around their Texas and Georgia brewery.All acquisitions should be completed by the fourth quarter of 2014 to ensure distribution needs will be met for the new facilities. The last step in the process to ensure the freshness of Boston Beer Company’s beer is for the purchasing department for the Texas brewery will contract their malt ingredients with their current vend or in the U. S. They will conduct multi-term deals with their hops ingredients from English vendors of which they already are in connection. They will, however, hedge their foreign currency commitments to minimize the risk of potential depreciation of the Pounds Sterling.The apples will be contracted from various vendors on multiyear deals throughout the European market and yeast will continue to be purchased from current vendors. The productions facility will be allotted $150,000 to construct a cold storage facility that can hold a six months’ supply of hops and to maintain storage facilities for yeast, malt, and apples in order to safeguard against catastrophic events that could occur at other facilities within the company. The Georgia and Texas breweries will follow the same approach as the Boston brewery.

Discussion essay in anthropological topic Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion in anthropological topic - Essay Example The Homo habilis were the earliest of the genus Homo. The transition from Homo habilis to erectus came along with some cultural and physical changes (Grine & Fleagle, 2009).Their body size increased considerably, most likely due to the climate changes and a higher intake of protein from meat. Further, their body proportions were altered, arm length reduced, and the length of legs increased to mirror a more contemporary form of bipedalism. Homo erectus brains were larger reflecting greater intelligence, which enabled them to use refined tools or the Acheulian tools. Such tools were for scavenging and hunting. Homo erectus were the first species to move out of Africa, with their fossil remains discovered in Europe and Asia, showing that this migration came shortly after their first appearance. This can be dated between 1.8 million and a million B.C. They were capable of some speech, although not close to modern language and likely had no grammar. Generally, Homo erectus are often said to have existed until up to 250,000 B.C, and its fossils dated as late as 10,000 B.C. (Nunn, 2011). The species that existed between approximately 500,000 and after 100,000 B.C are referred to as â€Å"archaic Homo sapiens,† a transitional process from the Homo erectus. The â€Å"archaic Homo sapiens† existed in Africa, parts of Asia like China, and Germany and Belgium in Europe. They could deal with cold better that the rectus. Several names have been identified with these transitional forms, usually in relation to where the fossils were discovered. However, the Homo neanderthalensis or the Neanderthals who were the cold-adapted European varieties of the archaic Homo sapiens, were the dominant ones (Grine & Fleagle, 2009). The question of how precisely to classify the Neanderthals relates to the mater of whether they had the ability to interbreed with modern Homo sapiens. Thus, to refer to them as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis would

Profiling and Counter-terrorism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Profiling and Counter-terrorism - Term Paper Example The document addresses four broad approaches of profiling; Crime Scene Analysis (CSA), Diagnostic Evaluation (DE), Investigative Psychology (IP), and Geographic profiling (GP), which employ various techniques of profiling in countering terrorist crimes and attacks. Keywords: Profiling, Crimes, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Physical and Biological Evidence, Terrorism, Suspects, Offenders, Victims, CSA, DE, Geographical Profiling, IP, Crime Scene Introduction to Profiling and Counter Terrorism Investigations in criminal cases around the world have evolved with time to increase the chances of getting to the lead, which can aid private investigators and police teams to solve the case and catch the law offenders. Terrorism crimes are terrifying incidences and every nation’s federal and local government has to be prepared to handle such cases, either in prevention before or after terror occurrences. Some of these crimes tend to occur in various patterns that can be traced, studied, and enable police investigators know the offenders better. Despite the fact that the perpetrators nowadays carry out their unlawful acts after proper planning and execution, more scientific and advanced methods can still help in profiling. According to Muller â€Å"criminal profiling is the process of using available information about a crime and crime scene to compose a psychological portrait of the unknown perpetrator of the crime† (2000, p. 235). The personal behaviours and characteristics in the criminal cases enable the investigators in analysis of the scene, to be able to make a generalization or a prediction of the future incident. Terrorism cases entail forceful attacks to cause destruction among other threatening or injurious incidences. Sometimes, the victims of terrorism are found dead and their bodies act as centres of study, which give an insight as to why they were chosen as victims for the crime, as well as how the offender thinks and acts. The scene of the cri me can tell a lot of information based on crimes and perpetrators by analysing evidence of weapons and the choice of spot of crime if repeated. In most cases, profiling is used in serial crimes and on serial offenders who desire to sustain their own mythology. Profiling is not only a technique employed by antiterrorism units to counter terrorists threats and attacks, but provide these units in the security and defence departments of the government with necessary strategies they can adopt, while interrogating such offenders, since their psychological aspect has been studied. There are different approaches and types of profiling that enable investigators to narrow their search to possible number of suspected criminals. Types can be DNA, criminal, racial, offender, or victim focused among others that are techniques used in various approaches below. Approaches to Profiling Geographical profiling The approach deals with techniques that support in analysis of location linking to a series of crimes to produce leads on the locations of the offenders, or where they are coming from. Most of the geographical profilers use the network and communication systems to monitor, trace, and analyse the signals to spot the original locations. It has been made easier through

Homosexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homosexuality - Essay Example This paper analyses both the genetic and environmental factors involved in homosexuality. One study revealed that â€Å"if one identical twin was gay, the other was also gay 50% of the time. If they were fraternal twins, they were both gay 22% of the time. And if one was adopted, the chances fell to 11%† (Dr.Starr). Ciani et al (n. d) also have pointed out that â€Å"homosexuals have more maternal than paternal male homosexual relatives†. The above statistics and conclusions clearly point towards genetic factors involved in homosexuality. Even though the percentage has slight differences, both identical twins and fraternal twins shows the tendency of becoming homosexuals if they genetic elements of homosexuality. The possibility of existence of homosexuality gene is widely discussed at present. â€Å"Although biologists are still far from answering this question, scattered evidence for a possible gene influencing sexual orientation has recently encouraged scientists to map out a guide to future research† (Is there a homosexuality gene?). Even though, such a gene has not been discovered yet, many of the biologists are confident of identifying such a gene which will answer all the questions related to the reasons of homosexuality. â€Å"Writing in the scientific journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, researchers from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm report that genetics and environmental factors are important determinants of homosexual behavior† (Homosexual behavior due to genetics and environmental factors). Homosexuality is common in military.

The Film War Horse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Film War Horse - Essay Example There are two eminent scenes of cavalry march, one at the Salisbury Plain and the other at the Western Front. The latter turns not a good gesture for Joey, as he falls into the German enemies’ hands where he’s left with no militia tasks. There he’s used to pull German ambulance cats, bring artillery to the barracks and is surrounded by two German solders that keep an eye on him. This attitude was new to be observed as most war movies never portray the life of prisoners of war. These watchers also include an old Frenchmen with his little granddaughter. These episodes have heart-touching moments. There are a number of well-depicted battle scenes, including a suicide attempt at the cavalry march and the great battle of â€Å"Somme†. But in each of these scenes the horse and the human relation is prominent. This relation starts at the very beginning of the movie, when an irresponsible and a poor farmer purchase a horse at the auction which was too expensive fo r him to carry. His son loved it and named it Joey. His son Irvine set up his mind to train his horse so that they can easily travel in that barren land. During the training and because of the love Irvin gave Joey, a deep essence of relationship developed between the two. This horse became there only weapon to tackle the difficult conditions when the war of 1914 broke out. In the upcoming days, Joey faced a number of hardships. Each one that saw it adored it’s beauty and spirit for work and involvement with human mind. To facilitate the spectator the film †war horse† is divided into sections, each image showing up different actions and acts and never allowing the audience to draw away their eyes from the movie. The scenes of war travel through slow-motion mud. The horse â€Å"Joey† companies us throughout the story while his masters and stories twists in every part of it. If we talk about the individual character of Joey, he was not neither compelling nor c apable enough to carry the whole story on his own, rather he’s the side stuff of this masters that carry him throughout the story. 2, what scene in the film "moved" you the most emotionally and stimulated intellectual thought? Why? The rural life as depicted in the film based on a poor family of Albert and his wife, who are struggling to bring up a farm to earn their livelihood, shows the responsible yet yoke life of the region. The starting scenes showing the bonding of Joey (horse) and his first master Albert are quite a bit awkward to me, but most spectators appreciate the glimpse of troubled gooses. The scenes of farm life are dragged a bit more than necessary until the sharp turn Alberto’s father take after he sells his horse to the cavalry officer.    Now Joey is in the hands of a French young girl who also adored him of its beauty. But the German solder forces him to drag more and more artillery, before a before a dramatic film tic sight of its dash through th e channels before getting knotted in snide cable in the war field.    The battle scenes depicted by Spielberg are a state of the art marvel of sight and sound. It shakes the entire cinema with the sounds and thunders of bullets and cannons. He’s not afraid to show you the inside of the battlefield that may blow your head and heart. The blood shedding and

To what extent do companies benefit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

To what extent do companies benefit - Essay Example Such actions suggest that corporations will increasingly be held accountable for activity of concern to multiple stakeholder groups. As a result there will likely be a renewed interest in identifying the dimensions and consequences of corporate social responsibilities. Cameron has suggested that multiple perspectives of organizational effectiveness exist and that "consensus regarding the best, or sufficient, set of indicators of effectiveness is impossible to obtain" (1986: 541). The same arguments can be made regarding social performance as a specific aspect of overall corporate performance. Social responsibility continues to be a poorly defined as well as difficult to measure concept. There appears to be no real agreement as to what constitutes social performance. What is indicated, however, is the need to apply measures which address multiple criteria of social performance. This study attempts to specify the underlying dimensions of a multiple measure of corporate social responsibility and investigate the relationship between corporate social performance and multiple measures of financial performance. For the purposes of this study, corporate social performance represents a measure of a firm's attentiveness to multiple stakeholder groups. ... This perspective generally cast corporate activity as a zero-sum game. Whatever resources were expended in the interests of social responsibility came at the expense of shareholders (Wartick and Cochran, 1985). The interests of shareholders and other stakeholders were defined implicitly as conflicting and mutually exclusive. Many criticisms have been leveled at this perspective and it seems safe to conclude that corporations are no longer viewed, even theoretically, as solely economic institutions (Sharfman, 1992). At a very minimum, there appears to be a consensus that firms serve multiple constituencies and stakeholder groups whose memberships are overlapping and whose interests are interdependent (Aram, 1989; Freeman, 1984; Nash, 1990). An understanding of such relationships and an attendant concern for the interests of all stakeholder groups may force firms to act in a socially responsible way regardless of their motivation (Sen, 1993). Out of these perspectives come varied hypotheses regarding the relationship between social responsibility and corporate economic performance. When corporations are viewed as economic institutions, a negative relationship between social responsibility and profitability is assumed (Ullmann, 1985). The opposing hypothesis suggests a positive relationship between social responsibility and performance. Proponents of this perspective argue that socially concerned management is likely to also possess the skills necessary to achieve superior financial performance (Alexander and Buchholz, 1978; Metzger et al., 1993). A final perspective hypothesizes an inverted U-shaped correlation between social and economic performance. To an

Capital Punishment and Tortures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Capital Punishment and Tortures - Essay Example Taking the deterrence argument first, as the course module suggests, "those who believe that deterrence justifies the execution of certain offenders bear the burden of proving that the death penalty actually is a deterrent." Yet numerous studies have shown that the death penalty is no more a deterrent than life imprisonment, and indeed, those countries such as the United States who widely use the death penalty actually have the highest murder rates in the industrialized world (Bowers and Pierce, 1980). The brutalizing effect of the death penalty, particularly through well-publicized, infamous executions may actually bring about more murders as there is a general atmosphere of acceptable violence within a society (Zimring, 2003). There is thus no concrete proof that the death penalty actually deters violence, and indeed, the opposite may be true. As the module suggests, "those states in the US that do not employ the death penalty generally have lower murder rates than the states that do". Thi This argument against the deterrence effect is further bolstered by the fact that many murders are spur of the moment, emotional outbursts, often within a domestic situation, in which the consequences are not truly considered. These murders are committed by normally rational people while in a temporary state of irrationality in which judgment as to consequences is impossible (deathpenalty, 2007). It is these domestic murders that are most often solved. The 'professional' type of murder such as that which exists within organized crime or within the more haphazard gang killings are similarly undeterred because far fewer of these cases are actually solved (Zimring, 2003). The other, much smaller category of murderers, serial and spree killers, are also unlikely to be undeterred. The first because capital punishment holds little fear for them because of their often objectified view of human worth, including their own (Lahey, 2002). The spree killer will not be deterred because he normally takes his own life at the end of the spree anyway. Capital punishment holds no fears for a dead person. The second major argument for the death penalty si based upon the idea of "justice" and "morality". This claims that it is ethical to have a death penalty because it is a just punishment for the taking of another life. This theory is based upon the "eye for an eye" type of mentality. But as the module suggests, "the concept of retribution is simply another way of describing revenge." In fact, "a mature and civilized society , , , should respect all life, even that of a murderer". So the moral argument against the death penalty is based upon the same set of ethics which makes murder the most serious crime within a society in the first place. The most valuable thing is a human life, according to this type of morality, and so all human life should be preserved, whatever the person has done. This argument

Fasting in hinduism and islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Fasting in hinduism and islam - Research Paper Example Fasting is mostly used as a religious term to describe an act of willingly abstaining (Adlakha, 2005) from some or all types of drink, food or both of them for a given period. Some people or religions fast for 24 hours while others for many days. Some types of fasting are only partial merely restricting some types of food, sub substances or drinks (Desika, 1997). Some people’s fasting culture or practice prohibits sexual intercourse alongside other activities that are not food or drink related (Kittler and Sucher, 2007). Particularly, both Hinduism and Islam embrace fasting to certain limits as part of their religion practices. Fasting in Hinduism is embraced as quite an integral component of the Hindu’s religious practices. However, local customs and personal beliefs determine the different kinds of fasts individuals undertake. This is to say that fasting in Hindu is done differently based on individual factors. On the other hand, fasting in Islam is also viewed as one of the most (Adlakha, 2005) valuable parts of the religious practices. Five pillars of religion to which fasting are observed as the fourth one among these pillars guides Islam. In Islam, unlike Hinduism, there are specific periods in which every Muslim is expected to first. For instance, during the month of Ramadan; notably the period in which most Muslims fast (Desika, 1997). Comparing Fasting in Hinduism and Islam Both religions might share a number of similarities in the way they undertake their fasting. However, there are significant differences. These differences emanate from the way it has practiced, the days and the purpose that make every religion to fast. In Hindu, fasting is done differently in that some sections of the Hindus fast on a number of days of the month such as the Ekadasi, pradosha, and Purnima. Some people fast on certain weekdays as dependent on the favorite deity or personal beliefs. For instance, there are those who fast on Monday. These are known as the Shiva devotees (Kittler and Sucher, 2007). Those who fast on Thursdays are known to devote to Vishnu while those who fast on Saturdays are known to be devotees of Ayyappa. Fasting is also done differently in different regions. For example, the southern Indians who fast on Tuesday are said to be the devotees of the goddess Mariamman, in which those who fast eat before sunrise and are only allowed to drink liquids from sunrise to sunset. The northern Indians fast on Tuesday to honor lord Hanuman, in which the devotees can only take fruits and milk between sunrise and sunset. They are also known to fast majorly on Thursday during which they worship Vrihaspati Mahadeva  while they are dressed in yellow clothes (Kittler and Sucher, 2007). The meals they eat are also colored in yellow. It is also dedicated to guru, which makes the followers of guru to fast on Thursday. On the other hand fasting in Islam can also be done in a number of days. Despite the fact that Ramadan is the most notable fasting period, there are also days referred to as non-obligatory days in which members can voluntarily fast. These days include every Monday and Thursday of a week, the 13th, 14th and 15th of each lunar month. In the month, that follows Ramadan; known as Shawwal, there are also non-obligatory six days of fasting. The fast of Prophet David, among the calendar of Islam, is sup posed to be done each other. The tenth day of Muharram; also referred to as Day of Ashura is also a non-obligatory fasting day. It can also be done a day after or before the tenth day (Desika, 1997). Despite this large fasting calendar, Islam forbids fasting on a number of days. First, no one is to fast during Eid Fitr and Eid Adha, which are the 1st Shawwal and 10th Dhulhijjah respectively. Suni Islam prohibits fasting on Tashriq that is on 11th, 12th, and 13th Dhulhijjah. There is also no fasting during Eid Al Adha, the 10th day of Dhu Al-Hijjah in the calendar of I

Hobbes and kant Essay Example for Free

Hobbes and kant Essay The first humans on earth were primative clans that stuck together. As time developed so did the mind of the human. As the minds of humans started to expand, society developed and so did its many other aspects. One of those aspects is the social contract. A social contract are theories that try to explain the ways in which people form states and/or maintain social order. The notion of the social contract implies that the people give up some rights to a government or other authority in order to receive or maintain social order through the rule of law. It can also be thought of as an agreement by the governed on a set of rules by which they are governed. Two theorists that had very strong views on the social contract were Thomas Hobbes and Immanuel Kant. Although both of these theorists believed in a social contract they both had different views on what it exactly meant. Hobbes was a different kind of philosopher that had a very pessimistic view on humanity. In Hobbes’ book the Leviathan, he believed that humans were naturally nasty creatures and needed to be regulated in a society. For Hobbes one thing he also believed in was Utilitarianism, which is the desire for pleasure that drives our actions, basically, the most useful choice for your benefit. Hobbes had a theory that was called â€Å"the state of nature†, which in the eyes of Hobbes was life for humans before any kind of laws or governments. He says that the state of nature is a violent place with no lows. In the state of nature there is no business, no account of time, buildings, and there is always danger around the corner. For Hobbes the â€Å"state of nature† was a savage place that could only be fixed by laws, there is only peace when there is no war and no war is a place with laws. Hobbes came to the conclusion that humans cant live in groups without law. Hobbes was Lopez 2 someone who thought that too much liberty was a bad thing for humans. Hobbes would say that the â€Å"state of nature† is because too much liberty. This is why Hobbes believed in the social contract, a sovereign must be established to regulate on the population. In Hobbes version of the social contract there must be a commonwealth or common state in which all citizens can feel safe. Citizens must feel safe in the common wealth in order for success and it’s the responsibility of the sovereign to make sure it is successful. Yet another important variable of the social contract is the consent of the mass. You must have â€Å"consent† from the governed in order to have a commonwealth. Hobbes does not believe in free will so when he says, â€Å"consent† what he really believes is that the commonwealth will happen regardless of the individuals consent or not. But with giving consent the governed must realize that they are giving up certain liberties and freedoms. One of them being that they can not question the authority of the sovereign to rule, cant kill the sovereign, and/or protest his will. The liberty of the commonwealth is altered because they must now live a certain way in order to live in it. The liberty of the governed is limited to the sovereigns view of liberty. Hobbes also believed that humans had reason. In order for this to happen humans need reason. Reason separates humans from reasonless animals. Humans have reputation, humans know private and public boundries, they can persuade and lie, and use that reason to make them a better liar. Once there is a commonwealth man is turned artificial. Kant’s version of the social contract is a bit different from that of Hobbes. For Kant the sovereign must recognize the original contract as an idea of reason that forces Lopez 3 the sovereign to give his laws in such a way that they could have arisen from the united will of a whole people and to regard each subject, insofar as he wants to be a citizen, as if he has joined in voting for such a will. This original contract, Kant stresses, is only an idea of reason and not a historical event. Any rights and duties stemming from an original contract do so not because of any particular historical provenance, but because of the rightful relations embodied in the original contract. No empirical act, as a historical act would be, could be the foundation of any rightful duties or rights. The idea of an original contract limits the sovereign as legislator. The consent at issue, however, is also not an empirical consent based upon any actual act. The set of actual particular desires of citizens is not the basis of determining whether they could possibly consent to a law. Rather, the kind of possibility at issue is one of rational possible unanimity based upon fair distributions of burdens and rights in abstraction from empirical facts or desires. Kant also believed in cosmopolitan right or ideal. Kants particular discussion of cosmopolitan right is restricted to the right of hospitality. Since all peoples share a limited amount of living space due to the spherical shape of the earth, the totality of which they must be understood to have originally shared in common, they must be understood to have a right to possible interaction with one another. This cosmopolitan right is limited to a right to offer to engage in commerce, not a right to demand actual commerce. A citizen of one state may try to establish links with other peoples; no state is allowed to deny foreign citizens a right to travel in its land. Settlement is another matter entirely. Kant is strongly critical of the European colonization of other lands already Lopez 4 inhabited by other peoples. Settlement in these cases is allowed only by uncoerced informed contract. Even land that appears empty might be used by shepherds or hunters and cannot be appropriated without their consent Cosmopolitan ideal is an important component of perpetual peace. Interaction among the peoples of the world, Kant notes, has increased in recent times. Violations of cosmopolitan right would make more difficult the trust and cooperation necessary for perpetual peace among states. The categorical imperative is the central philosophical concept in the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Introduced in Kants Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, it may be defined as the standard of rationality from which all moral requirements derive. According to Kant, human beings occupy a special place in creation, and morality can be summed up in one ultimate commandment of reason, or imperative, from which all duties and obligations derive. He defined an imperative as any proposition that declares a certain action (or inaction) to be necessary. Kants is similar to the social contract theory of Hobbes in a few important characteristics. The social contract is not a historical document and does not involve a historical act. In fact it can be dangerous to the stability of the state to even search history for such empirical justification of state power. The current state must be understood, regardless of its origin, to embody the social contact. The social contract is a rational justification for state power, not a result of actual deal-making among individuals or between them and a government. Another link to Hobbes is that the social contract is not voluntary. Individuals may be forced into the civil condition against their consent. Social contract is not based on any actual consent, one might say the voluntary choice to join a society. Since the social contract reflects reason, each human being as a rational being Lopez 5 already contains the basis for rational agreement to the state. A substantial difference between Kant and Hobbes is that Hobbes bases his argument on the individual benefit for each party to the contract, whereas Kant bases his argument on Right itself, understood as freedom for all persons in general, not even just for the individual benefit that each party to the contract obtains in his or her own freedom. Hobbes and Kant had similarities and differences but for both the ultimate focus of the social contract was for a sovereign to rule over a society for the good of the commonwealth. Both theorist had different views on the aspects of the social contract. Hobbes believed that too much liberty causes humans to be ruthless and unjust in the â€Å"state of nature†. And the only way to break from the â€Å"state of nature â€Å" was to get a sovereign to rule and regulate. While, Kant believed in rights themselves and the cosmopolitan ideal. Both of these theorist were respected in their day along with their theories. The social contract is still a concept that exists today and could even be applied to our own country but the bottom line is that there will always have to be a social contract between state and population weather anyone likes it or not.

Time dilation and length contraction

Time dilation and length contraction INTRODUCTION: Time dilation is a phenomenon (or two phenomena, as mentioned below) described by the theory of relativity. It can be illustrated by supposing that two observers are in motion relative to each other, and/or differently situated with regard to nearby gravitational masses. Length contraction, according to Hendrik Lorentz, is the physical phenomenon of a decrease in length detected by an observer in objects that travel at any non-zero velocity relative to that observer. This contraction (more formally called Lorentz contraction or Lorentz-Fitzgerald contraction) is usually only noticeable, however, at a substantial fraction of the speed of light; and the contraction is only in the direction parallel to the direction in which the observed body is travelling. SPECIAL RELATIVITY : When such quantities as length, time interval and mass are considered in elementary physics, no special point is made about how they are measured This theory has a wide range of consequences which have been experimentally verified, including counter-intuitive ones such as length contraction, time dilation and relativity of simultaneity, contradicting the classical notion that the duration of the time interval between two events is equal for all observers. (On the other hand, it introduces the space-time interval, which is invariant.) Combined with other laws of physics, the two postulates of special relativity predict the equivalence of matter and energy, as expressed in the mass-energy equivalence formula E=mc2, where c is the speed of light in a vacuum.The predictions of special relativity agree well with Newtonian mechanics in their common realm of applicability, specifically in experiments in which all velocities are small compared with the speed of light. Special relativity reve als that c is not just the velocity of a certain phenomenon-namely the propagation of electromagnetic radiation (light)-but rather a fundamental feature of the way space and time are unified as space time. One of the consequences of the theory is that it is impossible for any particle that has rest mass to be accelerated to the speed of light. POSTULATES OF SPECIAL RELATIVITY: TWO postulates are as follows : The law of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference. The speed of light in free space has the same value in all inertial frame of reference. OVERVIEW OF TIME DILATION : Time dilation can arise from (1) relative velocity of motion between the observers, and (2) difference in their distance from gravitational mass. In the case that the observers are in relative uniform motion, and far away from any gravitational mass, the point of view of each will be that the others (moving) clock is ticking at a slower rate than the local clock. The faster the relative velocity, the more is the rate of time dilation. This case is sometimes called special relativistic time dilation. It is often interpreted as time slowing down for the other (moving) clock. But that is only true from the physical point of view of the local observer, and of others at relative rest (i.e. in the local observers frame of reference). The point of view of the other observer will be that again the local clock (this time the other clock) is correct, and it is the distant moving one that is slow. From a local perspective, time registered by clocks that are at rest with respect to the local frame of reference (and far from any gravitational mass) always appears to pass at the same rate. There is another case of time dilation, where both observers are differently situated in their distance from a significant gravitational mass, such as (for terrestrial observers) the Earth or the Sun. One may suppose for simplicity that the observers are at relative rest (which is not the case of two observers both rotating with the Earth an extra factor described below). In the simplified case, the general theory of relativity describes how, for both observers, the clock that is closer to the gravitational mass, i.e. deeper in its gravity well, appears to go slower than the clock that is more distant from the mass (or higher in altitude away from the center of the gravitational mass). That does not mean that the two observers fully agree: each still makes the local clock to be correct; the observer more distant from the mass (higher in altitude) makes the other clock (closer to the mass, lower in altitude) to be slower than the local correct rate, and the observer situated closer t o the mass (lower in altitude) makes the other clock (farther from the mass, higher in altitude) to be faster than the local correct rate. They agree at least that the clock nearer the mass is slower in rate, and on the ratio of the difference. This is gravitational time dilation. FORMULAE OF TIME DILATION AND LENGTH CONTRACTION: TIME DILATION: t0 is the proper time between events A and B for a slow-ticking observer within the gravitational field, tf is the coordinate time between events A and B for a fast-ticking observer at an arbitrarily large distance from the massive object (this assumes the fast-ticking observer is using Schwarzschild coordinates, a coordinate system where a clock at infinite distance from the massive sphere would tick at one second per second of coordinate time, while closer clocks would tick at less than that rate), G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the object creating the gravitational field, r is the radial coordinate of the observer (which is analogous to the classical distance from the center of the object, but is actually a Schwarzschild coordinate), c is the speed of light, and r0 = 2GM / c2 is the called the Schwarzschild Radius of M. If a mass collapses so that its surface lies at less than this radial coordinate (or in other words covers an area of less than 4pG2M2 / c4), then the object exists within a black hole. LENGTH CONTRACTION: This effect is negligible at everyday speeds, and can be ignored for all regular purposes. It is only when an object approaches greater speeds, that it becomes important. At a speed of 13,400,000 m/s, the length is 99.9% of the length at rest and at a speed of 42,300,000 m/s still 99%. As the magnitude of the velocity approaches the speed of light, the effect becomes dominant, as can be seen from the formula: Note that in this equation it is assumed that the object is parallel with its line of movement. Also note that for the observer in relative movement, the length of the object is measured by subtracting the simultaneously measured distances of both ends of the object. For more general conversions, see the Lorentz transformations. AN EXAMPLE OF TIME DILATION: A spaceship is flying a distance of 5lighthours, for example from Earth to the dwarf planet which Earth and Pluto are motionless. Formula used : t.. time indicated by the spaceship clock t.. time indicated by the clocks of the Earth-Pluto-system v.. speed of the spacecraft relatively to the system of Earth and Pluto c.. speed of light REMARKS: In a simplifying way there was assumed an inertial system in which Earth and Pluto are motionless; especially the motion around the Sun was neglected. According to an important result of the theory of relativity, an observer in the Earth-Pluto-system would see the spacecraft shortened in the direction of motion. This so-called Lorentz contraction was not taken into consideration in order to make it possible to read off the spaceships clock. BASIS IN RELATIVITY: The origin of length contraction in the special theory of relativity can be traced to the operational definitions of simultaneity and length.According to Milne and Bondi the following operational definitions are assigned to simultaneity and length: an observer moving uniformly along a straight line sends out a light signal at time t0 to a distant point (stationary according to the observer), where it arrives and is immediately reflected at time tr, arriving back at the observer at time ta. What time does the observer ascribe to the time of reflection tr, or, what event is simultaneous with the reflection? Let l be the distance to the point of reflection. An observer, with his or her definition of c,says it takes time l / c for light to reach the reflector. Because light travels at the same speed c in both directions, it takes the same time both ways, so it returns to the observer at time ta = t0 + 2 l / c, or in other words, the distance to the point of reflection is l = c ( ta t0 ) / 2, and the time at which reflection occurred is simultaneous with the clock registering ( t0 + ta ) / 2. With these operational definitions for determining length and simultaneous events, two observers in constant relative motion at velocity v are considered, and their time and length scales compared. The result of the above definitions is that time and length are connected by the Lorentz factor ?: PHYSICAL ORIGIN OF LENGTH CONTRACTION: Length contraction as a physical effect on bodies composed of atoms held together by electromagnetic forces was proposed independently by George FitzGeraldand by Hendrik Lorentz . The following quote from Joseph Larmor is indicative of the pre-relativity view of the effect as a consequence of James Clerk Maxwells electromagnetic theory: if the internal forces of a material system arise wholly from electromagnetic actions between the system of electrons which constitute the atoms, then the effect of imparting to a steady material system a uniform velocity of translation is to produce a uniform contraction of the system in the direction of motion, of amount (1-v2/c2)1/2 The extension of this specific result to a general result was (and is) considered ad hoc by many who prefer Einsteins deduction of it from the Principle of Relativity without reference to any physics.In other words, length contraction is an inevitable consequence of the postulates of special relativity. To gain a little physical insight on why length contractions occur, consider what those postulates involve: by requiring the speed of light (a quantity dependent on the fundamental properties of space and time) to be invariant in all frames of reference (including ones in motion) one can appreciate that it would require the distortion of the measures of length and time. Apparently Lorentz did not agree to the criticism that his proposal was ad hoc. the interpretation given by me and FitzGerald was not artificial. It was more so that it was the only possible one, and I added the comment that one arrives at the hypothesis if one extends to other forces what one could already say about the influence of a translation on electrostatic forces. Had I emphasized this more, the hypothesis would have created less of an impression of being invented ad hoc. (emphasis added) The Trouton-Rankine experiment in 1908 showed that length contraction of an object according to one frame, did not cause changes in the resistance of the object in its rest frame. This is in agreement with some current theories at the time (Special Relativity and Lorentz ether theory) but in disagreement with FitzGeralds ideas on length contraction. EXPERIMENTAL CONFIRMATION: Time dilation has been tested a number of times. The routine work carried on in particle accelerators since the 1950s, such as those at CERN, is a continuously running test of the time dilation of special relativity. The specific experiments include: Velocity time dilation tests Ives and Stilwell (1938, 1941), An experimental study of the rate of a moving clock, in two parts. The stated purpose of these experiments was to verify the time dilation effect, predicted by Lamor-Lorentz ether theory, due to motion through the ether using Einsteins suggestion that Doppler effect in canal rays would provide a suitable experiment. These experiments measured the Doppler shift of the radiation emitted from cathode rays, when viewed from directly in front and from directly behind. The high and low frequencies detected were not the classical values predicted. Rossi and Hall (1941) compared the population of cosmic-ray-produced muons at the top of a mountain to that observed at sea level. Although the travel time for the muons from the top of the mountain to the base is several muon half-lives, the muon sample at the base was only moderately reduced. This is explained by the time dilation attributed to their high speed relative to the experimenters. That is to say, the muons were decaying about 10 times slower than if they were at rest with respect to the experimenters. Hasselkamp, Mondry, and Scharmann(1979) measured the Doppler shift from a source moving at right angles to the line of sight (the transverse Doppler shift). The most general relationship between frequencies of the radiation from the moving sources is given by: as deduced by Einstein (1905). For phi = 90^circ(cosphi = 0,) this reduces to fdetected = frest?. Thus there is no transverse Doppler shift, and the lower frequency of the moving source can be attributed to the time dilation effect alone. Gravitational time dilation tests Pound, Rebka in 1959 measured the very slight gravitational red shift in the frequency of light emitted at a lower height, where Earths gravitational field is relatively more intense. The results were within 10% of the predictions of general relativity. Later Pound and Snider (in 1964) derived an even closer result of 1%. This effect is as predicted by gravitational time dilation. Velocity and gravitational time dilation combined-effect tests Hafele and Keating, in 1971, flew caesium atomic clocks east and west around the Earth in commercial airliners, to compare the elapsed time against that of a clock that remained at the US Naval Observatory. Two opposite effects came into play. The clocks were expected to age more quickly (show a larger elapsed time) than the reference clock, since they were in a higher (weaker) gravitational potential for most of the trip (c.f. Pound, Rebka). But also, contrastingly, the moving clocks were expected to age more slowly because of the speed of their travel. The gravitational effect was the larger, and the clocks suffered a net gain in elapsed time. To within experimental error, the net gain was consistent with the difference between the predicted gravitational gain and the predicted velocity time loss. In 2005, the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom reported their limited replication of this experiment. The NPL experiment differed from the original in that the caesium cl ocks were sent on a shorter trip (London-Washington D.C. return), but the clocks were more accurate. The reported results are within 4% of the predictions of relativity. The Global Positioning System can be considered a continuously operating experiment in both special and general relativity. The in-orbit clocks are corrected for both special and general relativistic time dilation effects as described above, so that (as observed from the Earths surface) they run at the same rate as clocks on the surface of the Earth. In addition, but not directly time dilation related, general relativistic correction terms are built into the model of motion that the satellites broadcast to receivers uncorrected, these effects would result in an approximately 7-metre (23ft) oscillation in the pseudo-ranges measured by a receiver over a cycle of 12 hours. Muon lifetime A comparison of muon lifetimes at different speeds is possible. In the laboratory, slow muons are produced, and in the atmosphere very fast moving muons are introduced by cosmic rays. Taking the muon lifetime at rest as the laboratory value of 2.22  µs, the lifetime of a cosmic ray produced muon traveling at 98% of the speed of light is about five times longer, in agreement with observations. In this experiment the clock is the time taken by processes leading to muon decay, and these processes take place in the moving muon at its own clock rate, which is much slower than the laboratory clock. TIME DILATION AND SPACE FLIGHT: Time dilation would make it possible for passengers in a fast-moving vehicle to travel further into the future while aging very little, in that their great speed slows down the rate of passage of on-board time. That is, the ships clock (and according to relativity, any human travelling with it) shows less elapsed time than the clocks of observers on Earth. For sufficiently high speeds the effect is dramatic. For example, one year of travel might correspond to ten years at home. Indeed, a constant 1g acceleration would permit humans to travel as far as light has been able to travel since the big bang (some 13.7 billion light years) in one human lifetime. The space travellers could return to Earth billions of years in the future. A scenario based on this idea was presented in the novel Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle. A more likely use of this effect would be to enable humans to travel to nearby stars without spending their entire lives aboard the ship. However, any such application of time dilation during Interstellar travel would require the use of some new, advanced method of propulsion. Current space flight technology has fundamental theoretical limits based on the practical problem that an increasing amount of energy is required for propulsion as a craft approaches the speed of light. The likelihood of collision with small space debris and other particulate material is another practical limitation. At the velocities presently attained, however, time dilation is not a factor in space travel. Travel to regions of space-time where gravitational time dilation is taking place, such as within the gravitational field of a black hole but outside the event horizon (perhaps on a hyperbolic trajectory exiting the field), could also yield results consistent with present theory. LORENTZ TRANSFORMATION: In physics, the Lorentz transformation, named after the Dutch physicist Hendrik Lorentz, describes how, according to the theory of special relativity, two observers varying measurements of space and time can be converted into each others frames of reference. It reflects the surprising fact that observers moving at different velocities may measure different distances, elapsed times, and even different orderings of events. The Lorentz transformation was originally the result of attempts by Lorentz and others to explain observed properties of light propagating in what was presumed to be the luminiferous aether; Albert Einstein later reinterpreted the transformation to be a statement about the nature of both space and time, and he independently re-derived the transformation from his postulates of special relativity. The Lorentz transformation supersedes the Galilean transformation of Newtonian physics, which assumes an absolute space and time (see Galilean relativity). According to special relativity, this is only a good approximation at relative speeds much smaller than the speed of light. LORENTZ TRANSFORMATION RELATIVISTIC LENGTH CONTRACTION: One of the peculiar aspects of Einsteins theory of special relativity is that the length of objects moving at relativistic speeds undergoes a contraction along the dimension of motion. An observer at rest (relative to the moving object) would observe the moving object to be shorter in length. That is to say, that an object at rest might be measured to be 200 feet long; yet the same object when moving at relativistic speeds relative to the observer/measurer would have a measured length which is less than 200 ft. This phenomenon is not due to actual errors in measurement or faulty observations. The object is actually contracted in length as seen from the stationary reference frame. The amount of contraction of the object is dependent upon the objects speed relative to the observer. Temporal coordinate systems and clock synchronization In Relativity, temporal coordinate systems are set up using a procedure for synchronizing clocks, discussed by Poincarà © (1900) in relation to Lorentzs local time (see relativity of simultaneity). It is now usually called the Einstein synchronization procedure, since it appeared in his 1905 paper. An observer with a clock sends a light signal out at time t1 according to his clock. At a distant event, that light signal is reflected back to, and arrives back to the observer at time t2 according to his clock. Since the light travels the same path at the same rate going both out and back for the observer in this scenario, the coordinate time of the event of the light signal being reflected for the observer tE is tE = (t1 + t2) / 2. In this way, a single observers clock can be used to define temporal coordinates which are good anywhere in the universe. Symmetric time dilation occurs with respect to temporal coordinate systems set up in this manner. It is an effect where another clock is being viewed as running slowly by an observer. Observers do not consider their own clock time to be time-dilated, but may find that it is observed to be time-dilated in another coordinate system. SIMPLE INFERENCE OF TIME DILATION : Time dilation can be inferred from the observed fact of the constancy of the speed of light in all reference frames. This constancy of the speed of light means, counter to intuition, that speeds of material objects and light are not additive. It is not possible to make the speed of light appear faster by approaching at speed towards the material source that is emitting light. It is not possible to make the speed of light appear slower by receding from the source at speed. From one point of view, it is the implications of this unexpected constancy that take away from constancies expected elsewhere. Consider a simple clock consisting of two mirrors A and B, between which a light pulse is bouncing. The separation of the mirrors is L, and the clock ticks once each time it hits a given mirror. In the frame where the clock is at rest (diagram at right), the light pulse traces out a path of length 2L and the period of the clock is 2L divided by the speed of light: From the frame of reference of a moving observer traveling at the speed v (diagram at lower right), the light pulse traces out a longer, angled path. The second postulate of special relativity states that the speed of light is constant in all frames, which implies a lengthening of the period of this clock from the moving observers perspective. That is to say, in a frame moving relative to the clock, the clock appears to be running more slowly. Straightforward application of the Pythagorean theorem leads to the well-known prediction of special relativity: The spacetime geometry of velocity time dilation Time dilation in transverse motion. The green dots and red dots in the animation represent spaceships. The ships of the green fleet have no velocity relative to each other, so for the clocks onboard the individual ships the same amount of time elapses relative to each other, and they can set up a procedure to maintain a synchronized standard fleet time. The ships of the red fleet are moving with a velocity of 0.866 of the speed of light with respect to the green fleet. The blue dots represent pulses of light. One cycle of light-pulses between two green ships takes two seconds of green time, one second for each leg. As seen from the perspective of the reds, the transit time of the light pulses they exchange among each other is one second of red time for each leg. As seen from the perspective of the greens, the red ships cycle of exchanging light pulses travels a diagonal path that is two light-seconds long. (As seen from the green perspective the reds travel 1.73 (sqrt{3}) light-seconds of distance for every two seconds of green time.) One of the red ships emits a light pulse towards the greens every second of red time. These pulses are received by ships of the green fleet with two-second intervals as measured in green time. Not shown in the animation is that all aspects of physics are proportionally involved. The light pulses that are emitted by the reds at a particular frequency as measured in red time are received at a lower frequency as measured by the detectors of the green fleet that measure against green time, and vice versa. The animation cycles between the green perspective and the red perspective, to emphasize the symmetry. As there is no such thing as absolute motion in relativity (as is also the case for Newtonian mechanics), both the green and the red fleet are entitled to consider themselves motionless in their own frame of reference. Again, it is vital to understand that the results of these interactions and calculations reflect the real state of the ships as it emerges from their situation of relative motion. It is not a mere quirk of the method of measurement or communication. The four dimensions of space time In Relativity the world has four dimensions: three space dimensions and one dimension that is not exactly time but related to time. In fact, it is time multiplied by the square root of -1. Say, you move through one space dimension from point A to point B. When you move to another space coordinate, you automatically cause your position on the time coordinate to change, even if you dont notice. This causes time to elapse. Of course, you are always travelling through time, but when you travel through space you travel through time by less than you expect. Consider the following example: Time dilation; the twin paradox There are two twin brothers. On their thirtieth birthday, one of the brothers goes on a space journey in a superfast rocket that travels at 99% of the speed of light. The space traveller stays on his journey for precisely one year, whereupon he returns to Earth on his 31st birthday. On Earth, however, seven years have elapsed, so his twin brother is 37 years old at the time of his arrival. This is due to the fact that time is stretched by factor 7 at approx. 99% of the speed of light, which means that in the space travellers reference frame, one year is equivalent to seven years on earth. Yet, time appears to have passed normally to both brothers, i.e. both still need five minutes to shave each morning in their respective reference frame. As it can be seen from the above function, the effect of time dilation is negligible for common speeds, such as that of a car or even a jet plane, but it increases dramatically when one gets close to the speed of light. Very close to c, time virtually stands still for the outside observer. Time expands, space contracts Interestingly, while time expands from the perspective of the stationary observer, space contracts from the perspective of the moving observer. This phenomenon is known as Lorentz contraction, which is exactly the reciprocal of the above time dilation formula: l=l*sqr(1-v ²/c ²). Thus the space traveller passing by Earth at a speed of 0.99c would see its shape as an ellipsis with the axis parallel to his flight direction contracted to a seventh of its original diameter. That is of course, if he sees it at all, given the enormous speed. Therefore, space travel is shortened with the velocity of the traveller. A journey to the 4.3 light-years distant Alpha Centauri C, the closest star to our Sun, would take only 7.4 months in a space ship moving at 0.99c. The effect of time dilation has been experimentally confirmed thanks to very precise caesium clocks that can measure extremely small periods of time. Unfortunately, time dilation is completely outside of human experience, because we have not yet devised a way of travelling at speeds where relativistic effects become noticeable. Even if you spent your whole life in a jet plane that moves at supersonic speed, you would barely win a second over your contemporaries on the ground. And, not even todays astronauts can perceive the Lorentz contraction. Imagine you are a cosmonaut on board of space station Mir, moving at 7700 meters per second relative to Earth. Looking down upon Europe from space, you would see the entire 270 kilometre east to west extent of Switzerland contracted by a mere 0.08 millimetres. Can we travel at the speed of light? The hope that one day mankind will be able to travel at near-to-speed-of-light velocities seems farfetched, because of the incredible amounts of energy needed to accelerate a spacecraft to these speeds. The forces are likely to destroy any vehicle before it comes even close to the required speed. In addition, the navigational problems of near-to-speed-of-light travel pose another tremendous difficulty. Therefore, when people say they have to hurry in order to win time, they probably dont mean it in a relativistic way. Kant: Space and time are properties of thought The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), maintained that time and space are a priori particulars, which is to say they are properties of perception and thought imposed on the human mind by nature. This subtle position allowed Kant to straddle the well-known differences about the reality of space and time that existed between Newton and Leibniz. Newton held that space and time have an absolute reality, in the sense of being quantifiable objects. Leibniz held against this that space and time werent really things, such as cup and a table, and that space and time have a different quality of being. Kants position agrees with Newton in the sense that space and time are absolute and real objects of perception, hence, science can make valid propositions about them. At the same time, he agrees with Leibniz by saying that time and space are not things in themselves, which means they are fundamentally different from cups and tables. Of course, this view of space and time also introduc es new problems. It divides the world into a phenomenal (inner) reality sphere and an noumenal (outer) reality sphere. From this academic separation arise many contradictions in epistemology. We will, however, not deal with this particular problem at this point. Life in a spacetime cubicle From Relativity we learn that time and space is seemingly independent of human experience, as the example of time dilation suggests. Since our own perception of time and space is bound to a single reference frame, time appears to be constant and absolute to us. Physics teaches us that this is an illusion and that our perception deceived us within living memory. Thanks to Einstein, we are now able to draw relativistic spacetime diagrams, compute gravitational fields, and predict trajectories through the four-dimensional spacetime continuum. Still, we are hardly able to visualise this spacetime continuum, or deal with it in practical terms, because human consciousness is bound to the human body, which is in turn bound to a single reference frame. We live within the confinements of our own spacetime cubicle. Considering that in Relativity, spacetime is independent of human perception, the Kantian understanding of space and time as a priori particulars seems to be obsolete. They are no longer properties of perception, but properties of nature itself. But, there is more trouble looming for Kant. Relativity stretches the distincti

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Essay -- Essays on Anxiety Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a disease that many people know of, but few people know about. Many people associate repeated washing of hands, or flicking of switches, and even cleanliness with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), however there are many more symptoms, and there are also explanations for those symptoms. In this paper, I will describe what obsessive compulsive disorder is, explain some of the effects of it, and explain why it happens. I will also attempt to prove that while medication doesn’t cure OCD, it vastly improves one’s quality of life. Furthermore I intend to show that behavior therapy (cognitive based therapy) is another useful tool in helping a person to overcome their OCD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder foundation (www.ocfoundation.org), â€Å"OCD is a medical brain disorder that causes problems in information processing.† They compare OCD to a brain hiccup; the brain gets stuck on a certain thought and cannot move forward. The brain is incapable of dealing with thoughts of worry or doubt. This causes many side effects that can clearly distinguish a person as OCD. The text book for Dr. Steinberg’s Brain and Behavior class (that I took last year)spells it out a little clearer. â€Å"Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) consists of two behaviors that occur in the same person, obsessions and compulsions.† (Garrett, 387)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a form of an anxiety disorder. The WHO classifies OCD as one of the top ten most â€Å"disabling illnesses.† (The Practitioner, 1) The most well known side effects of OCD is the repeated washing of one’s hands. However, there is more to this compulsive hand washing then meets the eye. While it could technically be classified as a need to feel cleansed, it is actually more of a fear of germs or other impurities. The cleansing will proceed until the person is satisfied, which in some cases is never. This is the reason a person with OCD will wash their hands repeatedly. People with OCD also are known to have a fear of unlucky numbers or words, illness or injury (which relates back to the hand washing), uncertainty, thinking bad or harmful thoughts against someone, object symmetry, and many other issues, which to a non OCD person, seem almost miniscule.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How is it possible for people to get OCD? I... ...BBC Interactive (BBCi) Science and Nature:Human Body and Mind, retrieved April 5th, 2004 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/disorders/gallery/gallery_case4.shtml?disorder=4&submit.x=5&submit.y=10 (7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nangle, Douglas W., O’Grady, April C., Sallinen, Bethany J., Successful Medication Withdrawal Using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for a Preadolescent with OCD. Journal of Academic Child Adolescence Psychiatry, 43:11, 1441-1444. November 2004. (8)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Multiple Authors, Fluoxetine in Children and Adolescents with OCD: A Placebo Controlled Trial. Journal of Academic Child Adolescence Psychiatry, 41:12, 1431-1438. December 2002. (9)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lippincott/Williams & Wilkins, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry., Retrieved April 2005. (10)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Barrett, Paula, Healy-Farrell, Lara, March, John. Cognitive-Behavioral Family treatment of Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A controlled Trial. Journal of Academic Child Adolescence Psychiatry, 43:1, 46-62. January 2004 (11)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Practitioner, 181-183, March 2002.

The Social Effects of Television Essay -- TV Media

The Social Effects of Television The social effects of television are numerous and definitely vary in positive and negative ways. Since television was first introduced it’s been a very large part of America’s society. Television started as a form of entertainment that would be watched by the family for an hour a night as a relaxing way of getting away from the stresses of real life. Television has now turned into one of the biggest industries in the world, and has more influence than anyone could have imagined. Many people view television as a very positive form of entertainment, as it is without a doubt the most popular kind in the world. There are also those people who say that television is going to be the downfall of our society and we are becoming much to dependent on it. Television allows the viewer to leave their everyday life and enter into a world full of fun, adventure, and even love. Television is now used by many children for educational purposes. Everyone has seen at least a little of Barney, a show that helps kids learn the alphabet and many life lessons as well. There are now tens if not hundreds of shows that are like Barney broadcast all over the world. These shows help a child develop the social skills that one needs at such a young age. Television can be argued to have brought families together. It may not be good that dinner is served in front of the television every so often, but at least the family is together. In this world of fast paced activity, it is hard to find a family that actually sits down to dinner more than once a week. Television is arguably the best form of media and current information that can be found. Everyday of the week, 24 hours a day a person can find current news b... ...their lives are nothing like the ones seen on television. Television is fast-paced, exciting, and very often a little overboard. A large drawback of television is that many people, women and men, perceive themselves as less of a person. Often, one is not as beautiful or as handsome as a person seen on television. Or one is not as smart, or as good at sports as people on television. Television can be seen as a very good thing to have come out of the 20th Century, and it can be seen as something that should never have been invented. There is no arguing though about the dependency and love many people have for television. Much of the world, especially America, depends on television for a great range of things from education, to information, to entertainment. Television has shaped and changed our society and our world in ways that can never be fully understood.

Nursing Homes are a Haven for the Elderly Essay -- Nursing Homes Perso

Nursing Homes are a Haven for the Elderly A.) Security 1.)Curfews 2.)Lost faculties (No need to drive) 3.)Away from con-artists B.) Activities 1.)Entertainment/Songs (Brownies example) 2.)Activities/Crafts (Beta Club example) 3.)People of similar age C.)Health Care 1.)Takes stress off of the family 2.)Help with prescriptions and medicine 3.)In case of emergency... The Nursing Home: A Haven for the Elderly Today's nursing homes are excellent environments for our elderly. These establishments provide health care, entertainment, security, and above all, a home for over 1,000,000 American citizens over age 70. There is no better place for an individual who is slowly losing his or her faculties. During one's "golden years," one should not have to worry about daily chores like washing the dishes or mowing the lawn. One should be able to relax and enjoy life. Nursing homes give the elderly a chance to do just that. Security is a primary focus in most nursing homes. Curfews exist to insure the safety and protection of the residents. Also, busses take the senior citizens to places of common interest, such as the grocery store and local shopping malls. This alleviates the everyday stress of driving for those residents who are losing some of their basic faculties, and creates a safer driving environment for everyone. In addition, these ol...

Prison Health Care Essay

Health care is a major issue. The issue of health care, no matter who views, takes on many perspectives, however, the point of view of prison is a another world of its own. Federal and state laws in place states that correctional facilities and/or prisons must provide prisoners with medical facilities that would oversee their medical needs. This paper will identify a governmental agency that regulates prison health care, the impact on health care, the duties the agency carries out, this agency’s regulatory authority in relation to health care and the processes for accreditation, certification and authorization. The Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is an agency created on May 14, 1930. Its main headquarters is in Washington, D.C. The BOP is a subdivision of the United States Justice Department and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. Its sole purpose is to provide more open-minded and compassionate care to those who are federal inmates with the United States prison system. As time passed and laws were changed, The BOP’s responsibilities grew and by the end of 1930, the agency operated 14 facilities for well over 13,000 inmates (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2015). By 1940s, the BOP grew to having 24 facilities with over 24,000 inmates. As a result of Federal law enforcement efforts and new legislation that altered sentencing in the Federal criminal justice system, the 1980s brought an  increase in the number of Federal inmates. According to the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, â€Å"established determinate sentencing, abolished parole, and reduced good time.† During the 1990s, the population doubled as efforts to combat illegal drugs and illegal immigration contributed to a significant increase in conviction rates. To present date, the population continues to increase with Federal prisons reach a current population of over 210,000. Impact on Health Care To control rising costs of health care, since the early 1990s the BOP implement initiatives aimed at providing more efficient and effective inmate health care (Efforts to Manage, 2008). These on-going initiatives included assigned most inmates to institutions based on the care level, installing an electronic medical records system that connects institutions, implementing tele-health to provide health care services through video conferencing, and implementing a bill adjudication process to avoid costly errors when validating health care related invoices (Efforts to Manage, 2008). Since the early 1990s, BOP has attempted to increase efficiency and economy of health care delivery to prisoners through various cost containment initiatives, such as restructuring medical staff, obtaining discounts through quantity or bulk purchases, leveraging resources through cooperative efforts and other governmental entities and even privatizing medical services at selected facilities (Containing Health Cost for Inmate Population, 2008). Duties of the Federal Bureau of Prisons The mission of the BOP is to protect society by confining offenders in the controlled environments of prisons and community based facilities that are safe, humane, cost efficient and appropriately secure and that provide work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist offenders in becoming law abiding citizens (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2015). This agency is responsible for providing medically needed health care to inmates in agreement with federal and state laws. One of the most negative aspects of the BOP is it is responsible for carrying out all judicially mandated federal executions, including lethal injection of inmates who have been sentenced to death for a crime they have committed (Federal, 2015). This agency maintains the lethal injection chamber of a prison before, during,  and after an execution, making sure that the lethal injection is set up appropriately. The structure of the BOP is made of several divisions with board of directors. Inmates are confined in facilities spread out across the United States. Each facility reports to a regional office, which provides close oversight and support to that site. At the headquarters, national programs are developed and functional support is provided to the entire agency by division (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2015). Regulatory Authority: Accreditation, Certification and Authorization Accreditation is necessary for prisons as it contributes to making the prisons operations, policies and procedures clear as well as increase the accountability of those operating the prisons. Accreditation provides and verifies the standards that an organization is required to meet. The American Correctional Association (ACA) performs the function with regard to the general operational activities of the correctional facilities (Hamilton, 2015). The American Correctional Association developed national standards for safe, effective, and professional operation of the correctional facilities. These standards are essential guides to policies and processed that protect the health and safety of prisoners and facility staff. These standards are regularly revised by a 20 member committee. Revisions are based on court decisions, and governmental agency practices and experiences (Hamilton, 2015). Although participation in the accreditation process is voluntary, many correctional facilities ask to be accredited. As these agencies ask for accreditation the ACE sends the appropriate standards material, a manual policy and procedure, and compliance checklist. At this point, a regional manager is appointed to serve as an adviser. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care accredits all of the BOP’s and health service units and medical referral centers. Many correctional facilities are also guided by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) standard without seeking accreditation. The accreditation process is a difficult and challenging one, especially those seeking new accreditations. It is the mission of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to protect society by confining offenders in the controlled environments of prisons and community  based facilities that are safe, cost efficient and secure. Each facility reports to a regional office and this agency is spear headed by a Board of Directors. Each region has functional support and provided the entire agency by each division.

Compare Wal-Mart Essay

1.Compare Wal-Mart. com with Amazon.com. What features do the sites have in common? Which are unique to Wal-Mart? To Amazon.com? Walmart.com and amazon.com have a lot of similarities. Some of the common features between the two include setting up a user account, they both have the shopping cart feature, both these websites have the search bar at the top of the page, they both allow you to sort through products based on price, popularity, relevance, customer review, they both show you a list of items viewed that matched what you searched for, they both have a gift registry, purchases made on the Wal-Mart can either be shipped to your home or to a nearest store either by Wal-mart or by a third party vendor from the marketplace. Amazon too has tie ups with a number of vendors all over the world that you can buy from. Both websites graphically display user reviews for each item. Both websites allow you to track your order. Both sites have the deals of the day. Amazon’s is called today’s deal and Wal-Mart’s is called value of the day. The only thing I found unique about Wal-Mart’s website is that it has a button on the top of the page called ‘weekly ad’ that displays little coupons that users can redeem. Amazon does not have this feature. Another difference between the two websites is their return policy. Wal-Mart has a 90 day return policy whereas Amazon has a 30 day return policy. 2.Will Wal-Mart become the dominant e-tailer in the world, replacing Amazon.com, or will Amazon.com dominate Wal-Mart online? What factors would con- tribute to Wal-Mart’s success in the online market place? What factors would detract from its ability to dominate online sales the way it has been able to dominate physical retail sales in many markets? Currently, Amazon.com offers a much larger and more varied inventory as well as a variety of features and benefits that Walmart.com is unable to match. While Walmart’s retail stores have a huge customer base, many of whom will turn to Walmart.com for convenience, Walmart.com’s inventory is mostly composed only of products that are available in Walmart stores. Meanwhile, Amazon has a vast array of products in virtually every category imaginable, from all over the world. In addition, Amazon has many used items that are available for lower prices, as well as rare, vintage, and antique items that are not part of Walmart’s stock. Amazon also offers an online â€Å"marketplace,† where shoppers can connect with sellers anywhere in the world, compare products  and prices, and sometimes even negotiate with sellers. Much of Walmart’s dominance in the physical retail market is due to its business model of buying in such large bulk quantities that it can offer lower prices to customers, as well as being a one-stop shopping destination; however, because Amazon customers have the ability to comparison shop between Amazon sellers, and because Amazon is able to offer a much larger variety of products, both of Walmart’s advantages are negated. Therefore, it is very unlikely that Walmart.com will ever be able to replace Amazon. 3.Check the shopping aids offered at Wal-Mart. com. compare them with those at Amazon. com. Walmart.com has a searchable database as well as categories that allow customers to browse through their available products. Search results can be sorted by relevance, price, customer rating, best-selling, etc. Customers can create profiles that store their shipping and billing info for convenience, as well as previous order information. Orders can be tracked online. Customers who search for items at Walmart.com are also offered recommendations for other products that might also interest them. Gift cards can be purchase online, and gift card balances can be checked. Walmart.com also offers wedding and baby registry services, as well as a â€Å"Wish List† that can be viewed by others. A â€Å"Value of the Day† is offered to showcase items that are on sale for even lower prices. Free shipping is often available on select purchases. All of these shopping aids are comparable to those on Amazon.com. Walmart.com does offer one shopping aid that Amazon does not have; many items can be shipped to the customer’s nearest Walmart store for free, which can lead to significant savings. 4.What online services can be purchased on Walmart.com? Walmart.com offers the following services online: †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Straight Talk No-Contract Phones,† where customers can purchase a pre-paid phone, have it delivered to their address, and activated online or over the phone; †¢Same-Day Photo Pickup,† which allows customers to upload digital photos to Walmart.com, which can then be transferred onto photo prints, mugs, cards, calendars, etc., or even onto posters or faux canvases. Most of these products can then be picked up at the customer’s local store that same day; †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Contact Lenses at Walmart,† which allows customers to enter  their prescription contact lens information and order a variety of brand-name contact lenses at bargain prices; †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Enroll in a Medicare Part D Plan,† a service which helps eligible applicants apply for Medicare, as well as receive discounts at Walmart’s pharmacy; †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Walmart MoneyCenter,† which provides a variety of financial services online, including credit cards, pre-paid deb it cards, money transfers, tax preparation services, and Bluebird, a â€Å"debit and checking alternative† sponsored by American Express that offers many of the same services as traditional banks. In addition, the Walmart Pharmacy offers many services online, including prescription refills and delivery. Walmart also has a Wellness Center that offers health tips and tools online.