Monday, December 30, 2019

British Of The British Empire - 1487 Words

In the beginning, the colonies were proud to be represented as British; they were happy under the rule of both the British Empire and with the institution of monarchy. However, by 18th century, the colonies came to believe that they needed to break away from the British empire. For the colonies, being part of the British Empire meant that there were advantages as well as eventual disadvantages. The advantage was that, since the colonies were part of the British empire, they could trade with the richest empire on earth; there was an economic advantage. And, the colonies were relatively safe because the British Empire had the strongest military nation in the world at that time, which helped protect the colonies. The eventual disadvantage was that, colonists had to obey a variety of rules imposed by the British, especially the rule concerning trade. In addition, the British did not consider those living in their colonies, or in other colonies, as citizens who should be represented in t he British Parliament. Therefore, the colonist’s people’s demands were disregarded. For example, even though the colonies wanted full rights as British citizens, the British refused to do so. Thus, the colonies had less political power compared to the people in Europe. In addition, since the British were not able to agree to the colonist’s prime demand, the colonies developed a separate and unique â€Å"American† identity. Therefore, over a period of time, colonists went from viewing themselvesShow MoreRelatedThe American Of The British Empire1041 Words   |  5 PagesIn the late half of the eighteenth century, the colonies of British North America were at a point in which they wanted more of their own identity and separation from Europe. Some of the colonists felt that way and others were quite content in continuing to live under Britain’s iron fist of legislation that they were imposing on the colonies. After the Seven Years War and the Proclam ation Line of 1763, many colonists were outraged and began to display their emotions. The colonist protested throughRead MoreThe American Of The British Empire1550 Words   |  7 Pagessuccession and control over the Spanish Empire, the American colonies sought independence from the British monarchy and government. The Americans wanted a completely new government, without a King or any form of monarchy. While the Spanish crisis was one of leadership, connection to other empires, a desire to avoid partition. The American crisis in government came about through the actions of the King, and the colonists questioning the authority of the British Parliament to rule over them. The AmericanRead MoreBritain And The British Empire886 Words   |  4 PagesAs the British Empire developed into one of the largest in the world, the purpose of the empire was questioned and how the empire would affect Britain created tension within Britain. Throughout the eighteenth century, the British focused their efforts on a commercial and maritime empire that would carry their values of liberty, equality and rule of law with it. The accounts detail aspects of the first empire with the mentality and the treatment that the men have regarding their ideas of Britain andRead MoreThe Remarkable British Empire1429 Words   |  6 PagesOver a number of centuries, The British Empire colonized or invaded all but 22 countries in the world. This is an astonishing feat that would make ancient empire leaders such as Remesses II or Genghis Khan bow down to the power of the British. Since the Middle Ages, The Royal Class in England desired a wide variety of exotic spices. The merchants were under so much pressure to try to satisfy the high demand, that they resorted to committing criminal acts such as piracy in order to fulfill the demandRead MoreThe People Of The British Empire1710 Words   |  7 PagesThe people of the British Empire often saw their colonisation of other lands as a ‘civilising mission’ – an act to bring ‘civilised’ society – that is, their own culture – to the colonised people, who were often referred to as ‘savages’. This was believed for a variety of reasons, including the notion that the British way of life was superior to others, and that it was therefore in the colonised people’s best interests, the belief that a lack of technology was synonymous with a lack of culture, andRead More British Empire Essay2886 Words   |  12 PagesTHE BRITISH EMPIRE The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for a time was the foremost global power. It was a product of the European age of discovery, which began with the maritime explorations of the 15th century, that sparked the era of the European colonial empires. By 1921, the British Empire held sway over a population of about 458 million people, approximately one-quarter of the worlds population. It covered about 36.6 million km ² (14.2 million square miles), about a quarterRead MoreThe American Of The British Empire Essay1672 Words   |  7 PagesIn the British Empire, existed thirteen colonies found between the 1600s and the 1700s on the Atlantic Coast of North America. These thirteen colonies later on combined together into a new nation currently known as the United States of America. Immigrations from Britain and Germany had high growth rates and were all successful and thriving. These colonies had self-governments furthermore to similar political and legal systems. The self-government systems were based mainly on farmers who owned a pieceRead MoreThe British Empire and Colonization975 Words   |  4 Pages When a mighty imperial power adds a new territory to their already enormous empire; the new territory must be pacified in order to control the people of the newly annexed land. Colonization, in which the colonizer introduces new ideas to the native people, results in a culture being nearly wiped from the face of earth. A prime example is found in the Algonquin language of Mesquakie, (a language spoken only by somewhere around 1000 people). The reason this ancient language is in such bad shape isRead MoreDecolonization Of The British Empire6038 Words   |  25 PagesDecolonization in the British Empire is a deliberate process involving the colonial power and emerging local elite. The discussions in Chapters 1 and 2 provide insights into colonial development and the pre-independence environment which provide context for answering the research questions and testing the hypotheses. This chapter examines the first question- why do some newly sovereign states retain ties with the JCPC? B ased on my theory that states chose the final appellant court it expects toRead MoreThe Creation Of The British Colonial Empire1475 Words   |  6 Pagescreation of the British colonial empire was one of the great facts of history. For the Empire, Britain took a larger share than any other nation in developing the movement of people between continents; it also has changed the expansion of Whites, Blacks and Indians. By exporting outside its borders, together with its colonists, civilization, language, and institutions, it contributed mightily to the vast movement of Westernization of the world. Many historians debate on how the empire began. In general

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Analysis Of Ralph Ellison s Flying Home And His Other...

Juan Bautista Mrs.Kotty English III 3/6/16 Ralph Ellison A Pseudo Messiah In Flying Home and his other writings, Ellison presents the concept of a true democratic America; However, Ellison exploits the black struggle to fulfill his own artistic ambitions, which prevented him from becoming great. He did not have the effect of Martin Luther King, because he was not looking to bring a whole class justice, but sought to weasel his way into a world of privilege and fame. Summary of Flying Home In Flying Home, A young, black pilot, spins out of control. He crashes breaking his leg. An old black man and his grandson find him. The old man keeps the pilot company while his grandson brings help. The pilot despises the old man for being uneducated and in a subservient position in society; He is worried that he will be cut from the air force, and become like the old man. The boy returns with white men who mock the pilot and threaten to lynch him. The old man convinces them leave the pilot alone. The pilot returns to the airfield knowing that the white officers will regard his accident as a further sign of racial incompetence. Elision’s Flying Home emphasizes the obstacles the double standard and vulnerability colored people have had in a white ruled society. In Randal Doane’s sociological quarterly review, he concretely analyzes Flying Home, â€Å" Ralph Ellison uses the anecdotes in Flying Home to insist on the same racial theme: Blacks are angels who even in Heaven are ruled by aShow MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesphilologist Karl Morgenstern in his university lectures, and later famously reprised by Wilhelm Dilthey, who legitimated it in 1870 and popularized it in 1905.[1] [6] The genre is further characterized by a number of formal, topical, and thematic features.[7] The term coming-of-age novel is sometimes used interchangeably with Bildungsroman, but its use is usually wider and less technical. The birth of the Bildungsroman is normally dated to the publication of Wilhelm Meister s Apprenticeship by JohannRead MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 Pagesmay not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Snort Free Essays

Snort system softwareBy:College:Course:Professor:Date:AbstractThere has been a battle of supremacy among tech giants for quite a long; one company is always trying to outsmart the other. Positively speaking we can say that this has led to many innovations that have come in handy to make the customers navigations easy (morris-2014). Looking at it from the customers’ eye, selection of good software has been a daunting task as most of them are brilliant if not classic. We will write a custom essay sample on Snort or any similar topic only for you Order Now Selection of an operating is quite easy technology gurus but the situation is different for customers that are drawn to a product just because of peer reference or it popularity. Most of them end up being disappointed with their acquired systems after they underperform or demand other requirements to function. It is this battle that has led to specialization of the products in the technology industry, a keen analysis will show that some operating systems perform brilliantly in one field but fail in another; one is good in programming but moderate in its internet speed and vice versa. This research should be an eye opener for the operating system customers; before they pack bucks to go shopping for an OS they should know the precise features that they want their OS to have and hence need to do detailed digging to avoid confusion and later frustrations. Well, the most common operating system is windows; banking on popularity, but Linux is also catching up. Mac is out of question in this research as it only operates on Apple devices and if one owns the device then he has no option but stick to Mac operating system. On that point, I will be focusing on windows and Linux software in a bid to prove my point clear. The comparisons between these two should clearly show that one is superior to the other; I back the Linux system. To add a mint of credibility I will be sourcing for information from trustworthy online sites and scholarly articles that speak in favor of Linux. This will do away with bias and give the reader relevant insights. In the result section I will be showing that, truly there are benefits of Linux over windows software. In the discussion part I will highlight the requirements to run Linux, its file system location, instructions to run it and give examples of companies that use Linux to prove my point. IntroductionLinux was developed in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. It is a free open source open source operating system that allows users customize their own source code additional to main source code of Linux. It can be used on any device, smartphone, gaming consoles, e-books and desktops, however, it is mainly used as a server because of its openness and easy functionality. A common distribution of linux is the kernel; this is the central operating system component and link between a software application and its data. Other distributions are; downloading tools, system utilities, programs. It also comes in handy when installing or uninstalling updates. The ability of Linux to allow easy data manipulation and have resizable folders, buttons, windows and icons has made a preferred OS over its competitors as web developers use it to train themselves. Its robustness, scalability and flexibility have also made it a base OS for giant companies (gagne-2014). Some of it outstanding benefits are; open source nature, this allows it users to see the codes and make modifications. Community support system, this enables the user to reach share his problems to the Linux community and solutions be offered without waiting for experts. Reliability, it runs smoothly with no delays and reboot commands. Free to use, the customers can access it freely and even run it without subscriptions. Privacy does not pop out additional tools or make commands for information collection. Best for programming, allows a variety of programming applications like c/c++, python, perl and java to run on the OS.Research MethodsI used internet articles and scholarly reviews to build on my case. I mainly focused on the ones that explained the advantages that Linux has and disadvantages of windows. I also read ones that said the advantages of windows over linux. I aggregated the results of one party one party over the other and also summed the disadvantages of one case over the latter. This is the method I used so as to not look biased. I sourced the installation instructions from Linux and Windows official sites so that to give detailed steps and prove which one was simple to install and run and which had additional requirements for the process to begin. Results I discovered that windows has 13 steps to installation of the main and will require an antivirus before you begin to run the operating system. Windows also has a variety of products that are only fit to certain types of devices depending on the year it was manufactured and the storage space on the device. Linux on the other hand has 11 steps that can be downed to 6 and does not need an antivirus installation before it starts running. This feature reduces cost. This proves that Linux is way cheaper and way easy to control than windows. DiscussionThe steps after installation are not essential if you only need the Linux OS to be doing simple tasks like typing and doing calculation (dubey-2016). There also minimal requirements needed to run Linux on your device, they are;2GHz dual core processor2GiB system memory25 GB hard drive space, that can hold a USB stick, memory card on external driveVGA that has 1024 by 768 screen resolutionDVD/ CD or USB port for installer mediaInternet access ( optional)The requirements to install it on your desired servers are also less compared to windows;Processor should be 300MHz by 86 or above RAM should be 256MiB or above Disk space of 1.5GB or aboveMonitor cable and graphic card of 640 by 480 CD driveSystem files or log files are located in the directory of the software; there are different log files for different applications on the system. The most common files are history files that contain installation and removal information. In the directory you can view it at apt then history.logOther file destinations in the directory are;Installer, log files created during installationKern.log, kernel information like errors and warningsAlternatives.log, set of history on alternatives set by different packagesXorg.org, details on graphic driver that includes it warnings and failuresApport.log, saves information about number of crashes the OS has experiencedInstructions to install your Linux software are simple;Download the OS from Ubuntu site, this ensures it is authenticBurn the OS on a CD, memory card or flash diskPartition the computer’s hard driveInsert your installer to the specific portRestart your device and wait for Linux installation window to appearSelect the language on the BIOS and click installCheck both boxes for preparing to install Ubuntu and continueCheck erase disk and install Ubuntu, click install nowFo llow the prompts to set location and time and enter your user informationSelect log in information and restart the computerSelect Ubuntu and press enterConclusion War lines were drawn on the technology industry floor when there was emergence of software and the situation tensed further when modifications were being done on the systems. All fronts have diehards and sycophants to vehemently prove their sides stronger but we must all agree that there are specific tasks that on OS performs better than the other; it is on this truce that I have proved that Linux has a better understanding of its customer base and it is by far the best as it offers simpler and more efficient tools over its arch rival. It is sad that a company’s supremacy is always measured by its net sales and popularity but the judges ignore its suitability and fail to account for the grumbles from the customers. Truth be said, it is this ratings that lead to misleading of more customers. Linux efficiency and supremacy can be proved by giant companies that run on it; facebook, Google, Amazon, McDonalds, twitter, IBM, DELL, NASA and even the American submarines (das-2014). This clientele proves the point that Linux has a high level of privacy, is fast, can be modified to feed specific needs, cannot easily crash, is inexpensive and holds a large amount of data. Thumb rule of any manufacturing company should be; allow customers get the value for their money but meeting their specific needs. What is the need of getting of acquiring an operating system that is not long lasting or one that will need regular updates for it to function? That is how I conclude that Linux is by far much better than Windows operating system.ReferencesLA Morris- 2014Multi-OS (operating system) boot via mobile deviceG Gagne- 2014Operating system conceptsSK Dubey- 2016Implementation of operating system selection using AHP- entropy modelD Das- 2014Performance measurement and management model of data generation and writing time. How to cite Snort, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Continuous Auditing Automated Auditing Capability

Question: Discuss about the Continuous Auditing for Automated Auditing Capability. Answer: Introduction: Some of the strengths in purchase and payment system are that once goods are received, warehouse manager take time to check for the delivery not against ingredients and then enlighten the deliver pump ingredients in the companys storage tank. This is a key strength since it would assist in ensuring that goods are delivered in the right quality without compromising the product quality. The second strength is that as a result of bulk quantity discounts, the warehouse manager place an order of the ingredients for three months whenever one month ingredients are left. This is another key strength since it would enable them to enjoy large discounts and to ensure that the firm is able to deliver products once they are required by their clients without any delay. Thirdly, the act of account payable clerk of checking details of delivery note received for discrepancies before preparing a cheque for amount of invoice as well as forwarding cheque requisition, with invoice and delivery note to financial controller for authorization is another key strength. This is viewed as strength in purchase and payment systems since it help in evading any chance of making payments to products that are not to the required standards or evading any chance of exaggerating the amount to be paid to suppliers. It also assists in reducing any probability of making the wrong amount to the suppliers (Taylor, 2000). Another strength in purchase and payment system is the fact that once the cheque is signed by the managing director and financial controller for authorization, forwarding the document to banking clerk for documentation to general ledger and act of filing the cheque requisition with supporting documentation by the cheque requisition number. This is viewed as a strength in that is assist the firm in ensuring that all the evidence for payment is available for future use in case suppliers state that they did not receive any payment from the warehouse. Some of the weaknesses that can be pointed out during purchase and payment system is that first there no record was kept during the conversation between the warehouse manager and approved suppliers, nor does the manager required any approval. This is a major weakness in that lack of proper record during conversation would result in wrong order being delivered by the suppliers or wrong quantity or quality being recorded whereby the warehouse manager would not have evidence to prove the quantity or ingredients s/he ordered. Secondly, when goods were received by warehouse assistants at no point did they check actual quantity received or delivered to them. Failure to check for actual quantity received is viewed as a weakness in purchase and payment system since it would result in poor quantity being delivered to the warehouse unnoticed which could at some point result to major loss being reported at the end. To test controls for strength associated with the act of warehouse manager taking time to check for the delivery not against ingredients before allowing the deliver pump ingredients in the companys storage tank would be include test for existence. This would comprise of testing or re-performance of control such as checking prices and sighting documents to verify that controls were all complied with (Taylor, 2000). On the other hand, to test control for strength associated with warehouse manager act of placing an order of the ingredients for three months whenever one month ingredients are left would be test for continuity. This would be accomplished by ensuring that samples of the transactions that are to be tested are selected all through the year (Flowerday, Blundell Von Solms, 2006). Further, to test controls for strength linked with the act of account payable clerk of checking details of delivery note received for discrepancies before preparing a cheque for amount of invoice as well as forwarding cheque requisition, with invoice and delivery note to financial controller for authorization would include test of effectiveness. This would comprise of procedures such as checking maths on invoices as well as checking that all the delivery notes contains some supporting documentations. This would assist in ensuring that the controls are correctly identified (Gay Simnett, 2000). Basically, test o f controls for this strength would comprise of selecting sample of organization in the cash receipts journal as well as reviewing evidence which could be matched to specific sales invoices. Finally, to test controls for the strength linked with the act of cheque being signed by the managing director and financial controller for authorization, forwarding the document to banking clerk for documentation to general ledger and act of filing the cheque requisition with supporting documentation by the cheque requisition number would be test for effectiveness. This would comprise of checking whether the control is programmed like checking the authorization codes, or running unauthorized transactions via the program in order to ensure they are properly identified and excluded (Gay Simnett, 2000). To minimize the weakness or risk associated with lack of proper record during conversation between the warehouse manager and approved suppliers would include completeness test. In this case, a test for completeness would be conducted which include evaluation of numerous transactions in the accounting records to satisfy that goods recorded were delivered (Taylor, 2000). In general, given that there is a probability of misstatement due to lack of proper record of the conversations, there is needs to test for clients bank reconciliation. Here, there is need to inspect supporting documents for payments (Gay Simnett, 2000). On the other hand, to minimize weakness or risk associated with failure to check for actual quantity received by warehouse would include test for completeness. This would comprise of performance of substantive tests of the balances and transactions where the manager test whether there is sufficient comfort over specific assertion of the transactions or balances (Rezaee, Sharbatoghlie, Elam McMickle, 2002). In essence, this includes evaluation of account balance components in the firms statements. References Flowerday, S., Blundell, A. W., Von Solms, R. (2006). Continuous auditing technologies and models: A discussion.Computers security,25(5), 325-331. Gay, G. E., Simnett, R. (2000).Auditing and assurance services in Australia. Sydney: Mcgraw-hill. Rezaee, Z., Sharbatoghlie, A., Elam, R., McMickle, P. L. (2002). Continuous auditing: Building automated auditing capability.Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory,21(1), 147-163. Taylor, W. A. (2000). Change-point analysis: a powerful new tool for detecting changes. preprint, available as https://www. variation. com/cpa/tech/changepoint. html.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Airasia Management Info System free essay sample

AirAsia Berhad is the leading airline in Asia which offers the largest low fare for domestic and international flights. It was established as a low cost airline as a dream by making flying is possible for everyone. It is just like their company slogan ‘Now Everyone Can Fly’. It scheduled to travel up to 78 destinations across to 25 countries domestically and internationally. AirAsia was a company originally owned by Malaysian government which was later bought by Anthony Francis Fernandes that commonly known as Tony Fernandes. On September 2011, Fernandes bought this airline for one ringgit. It is an airline that only owned two ageing Boeing 737 jets, 200 employees and 40 million ringgit in debt. Fernandes who was a former music executive successfully turn the company around. After a year operating, the company broke even then turned it into a profitable airline within two years (The story of Tony Fernandes and AirAsia, 2013). Fernendes reformed this highly indebted airline by introducing short haul low cost carrier. We will write a custom essay sample on Airasia Management Info System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The first and main base of AirAsia is the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, while its secondary hubs are at Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Senai International Airport and Penang International Airport. It continues to pave the way for low-cost aviation for international flights and successfully launched the first international flight to Bangkok. In 2007, AirAsia X was established focusing on the low-cost, long-haul segment. Establishing this sister company is to provide high-frequency and point-to-point networks to the long-haul business. AirAsia X’s cost efficiencies are derived from maintaining a simple aircraft fleet and a route network based on low-cost airports, without complex code-sharing and other legacy overheads that weigh down traditional airlines without compromising on safety.. AirAsia X’s efficient and reliable operations are fully licensed and monitored by Malaysian and international regulators, and adhere to full international standards. AirAsia X is committed in offering X-citing low fares, X-emplary levels of safety and care, and an X-traordinary in-flight and service experience to all our guests spreading the amazing AirAsia experience to X-citing destinations in Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India, Middle East and Europe (AirAsia Berhad (â€Å"AirAsia†), 2013). Besides AirAsia X, there are few more other subsidiaries which includes Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, Philippines AirAsia, AirAsia Japan, AirAsia India, AirAsia Zest. Furthermore, AirAsia offers other services as well. They offer cargo services, online shopping services, magazines, booking tickets to international line-up events and an online travel portal. AirAsia Cargo is a division under AirAsia which is the offers cargo services up to 18 countries in Asia and Australia. It has also estabalish an online travel portal, AirAsiaGo that helps travelers to choose hotels, activities and travel services to meet their budget and activities with just surfing the internet. Furthermore, AirAsia has their official inflight magazine, Travel 3sixty that gives their passengers the latest news in travel, arts culture, lifestyle, sports, photography and the brand AirAsia itself. Magazine are not only found on board but it can be downloaded from their website and enjoy it at home and anywhere else. Not to forget about the most exciting thing for most of us especially ladies, the online one-stop-shop. AirAsiaMegastore aims to enhance the travel experience by offering varieties of friendly travel accessories to every customer on board (AirAsia Berhad (â€Å"AirAsia†), 2013). According to AirAsia official website, they were given the title World’s Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax for five consecutive years (2009 to 2013). In the Asia Pacific Top 1000 Brands 200, AirAsia also ranked as the Top 5 among the most recognized and admired airlines (AirAsia Berhad (â€Å"AirAsia†), 2013). Vision, Mission and Values 1. Vision To be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently undeserved with poor connectivity and high fares. 2. Mission To be the best company to work for whereby employees are treated as part of a big family Create a globally recognized ASEAN brand To attain the lowest cost so that everyone can fly with AirAsia Maintain the highest quality product, embracing technology to reduce cost and enhance service levels 3. Values We make the low fare model possible through the implementation of the following key strategies. Safety First: Partnering with the world most renowned maintenance providers and complying with the world airline operations. Valuing our People: Committing to our people’s development and well-being and treating them with respect, dignity and fairness. Customer Focused: We care and treat everyone in the same manner that we want to be treated. Integrity: Practicing highest standards of ethical behavior and demonstrate honesty in all our lines of work in order to command trust and mutual respect. Excellence in Performance: Setting goals beyond the best and reinforcing high quality performance standards and achieving excellence through implementing best practices. 4. Code of Conduct Ensuring we do our business fairly, impartially, ethically, and with the utmost regard to safety. Business Operation and Processes Internet technology is one the most important elements for AirAsia. It has high dependency for the operational and strategic management, and provides an online ticket booking services to traveler online. It is the company key channel of marketing and sales for the company as they are the pioneer airline in Asia that implemented fully ticketless travel and unassigned seats. Customers only need to visit their official website; http://www. airasia. com and they can book flight tickets to their destination. However, AirAsia still maintain the other channel to book flight tickets. Customer can choose to call to the centre, visit the sales office and airport sales counter, go through authorized travel agents, mobile booking via mobile. airasia. com. AirAsia has a simple business model to run their business. They are using the Low-Cost-Carrier (LCC) Business Model (Refer to Appendix A). There are three main components in this business model which includes:- 1. Simple Product †¢ Catering on demand for extra payment. †¢ Planes with narrow seating and only a single class. †¢ No seat assignment. †¢ No frequent flyer programmes. 2. Positioning Non-business passengers, especially leisure traffic and price conscious business passengers. Short-haul point to point traffic with high frequencies. Aggressive marketing. Secondary airports. Competition with all transport carriers. 3. Low Operating Costs Low wages. Low airport fees. Low costs for maintenance, cockpit training and standby crews due to homogeneous fleet. High resource productivity. Short ground waits due to simple boarding processes. No air freight, no hub services, short cleaning times, and high percentage of online sales. IT Implementations The followings are few system implementations that AirAsia have done, Yield Management System (YMS) and Computer Reservation System (CRS) in its marketing and sales activities, Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERS) and Advanced Planning and Scheduling System (APS) in operation activity. Yield Management System (YMS) Since 1990, Yield management has become the mainstream business theory and practices. Yield management is a set of yield, another term of revenue maximization strategies and tactics that is designed to improve the profitability of business. Due to involving several aspects of management control such as rate management, revenue streams management and distribution channels management, yield management is more complex than other strategy or management plan. It is quoted as highly successful new approach because it blends elements of operations, financial management and marketing. Generally, yield management is the process of understanding, anticipating and influencing consumer behavior in order to maximize revenue. Yield management often used for firms which have limited resources such as hotel, airline, advertising industry, cinema and etc. the focus of yield management is to sell the product to the consumer at the right timing and for the right price, which may create price discrimination. Price discrimination can be explained as selling the identical or closely identical products in different prices to maximize the total revenue earn by the firm. The idea of yield management originates from airline companies, American Airlines in United State. Before 1978 the airline industry in the United States are very restricted as the fares and the schedules were manipulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). Flying is considered a luxury and the fares were very high during this period. In 1978 when the Congress passed the Airline Deregulation Act, the whole airline industry was shocked and everything changed. In the act, it said that in four years the industry would be completely deregulated, which mean companies were free to decide their domestic routes and their fares. It is a huge change from a totally restricted industry to complete freedom. When the Act is implemented, it lower the barriers for the new entrant to airline business and one of the newcomers was PeopleExpress. PeopleExpress is a small company with extremely low prices for their tickets, 70% below the bigger airlines. This newcomer has created huge impact for the major airlines as they simply could not compete with such low prices. During this hard time, major airlines like American Airline offering low fares as PeopleExpress will not cover their cost; if they lower their fares will bring the company to bankrupt but kept the higer fares they would lose their passengers. It seems that major airlines could not compete with newcomers as their cost is much lower than them in this new deregulated environment. But Robert Crandall, former CEO of American Airlines, announced his â€Å"Ultimate Super Saver Fares†. Which are American Airlines offering low fares just like PeopleExpress or sometime even lower but with two differences? The first differences is that customer who wanted to enjoy â€Å"Ultimate Super Saver† face have to book at least two weeks prior to departure, and stay at his destination over a Saturday night. On the other hand, the company, American Airlines restricts the number of seats that could be sold for discount price to save seats for full fare customers who book just days before departure. After this is launched, due to most of the customer preferred the major airline’s better service, eventually PeopleExpress was on the edge of bankruptcy. This is the birth of Yield management. Till now, more and more airline companies are applying this and even other industries too, like hotel and car rental companies. This system is also called revenue management, as Yield management is used only by airline companies. Yield management has three levels, which are strategic, tactical and booking control. Yield management strategic is the level, where market segments and the price, set for that particular segment, are determined. This is usually done annually. Yield management tactics is the process of updating the limit of how much units of the capacity can be sold at lower price and determination of it. This is done very frequently, usually daily for airlines companies. on the other hand, Booking control has to be done in real time. When a reservation request arrives for a flight, the system will decide to accept it, or refuse it and wait for another one that can increase the profit more. This decision is made with the help of a reservation system to create booking limits for all the fare classes. There are two kinds of booking limits, one is partitioned and another is nested. For partitioned, the partitioned booking limit contains separate blocks, one for each class. For nested booking limit, the available capacity for different classes overlaps in hierarchical order. This booking limit will excludes the opportunity that a unit is unavailable for a high class customer but in the same time it is available for a lower class customer. Yield management will calculates and updates the booking limits by goes through these four steps, data collection, forecasting and estimation, optimization and control. In data collection, companies store their historical data of customer behavior, demand, prices and other factors in order to make good forecasting and estimation. Data collection is the foundation of all Yield management systems, the more precisely the companies can store the data, the more precise forecast they can make. On the second step, forecasting and estimation, companies have to estimate the parameters of their model, and make predictions using the parameters. Most of the time companies not only forecase demand, but cancellations and no-shows too. This step is important as without a good prediction of demand we cannot optimize the controls. During the optimization step, companies will have to find the optimal set of controls, such as booking limits, discounts, promotions, prices and more. The final step, control is to control the sale of flights using the previously optimized controls. After Yield management has been introduced to the public, there are some ethical issues and questions of effectiveness. Some of the ethical issues is that some consumers are concern about the yield management could unethically penalize them for conditions which cannot be help, such as poorer families who stay in the neighborhoods with rich families will be charged as the price for rich families. But this does not happen much in airline companies as the Yield management that airline using are not able to employ this level of price discrimination. Price discrimination that happens more in airlines are customer who age 30-65 will be charged higher than others, fares right before public holidays are much more expensive than other fares, and etc. These tend to decrease the customer satisfaction and often lead to loss some of the loyalty customer. Overall the performance of Yield management system, in Airasia airline it play an important role as Airasia utilize this system to boost their total revenue Computer Reservation System (CRS) AirAsia’s Computer Reservation System which powered by Navitaire – Open Skies is another reason for its speedy business growth. Navitaires Open Skies technology has truly enabled Airasias growth from 2 million passengers to 7. 7 million passengers in less than two years. Open Skies scaled easily to accommodate our growth. Tony Fernandes, CEO AirAsia (Navitaire FAQ) Navitaires Open Skies airline reservation system is an integrated web-based reservation and inventory system which includes Internet, call center, airport departure control and more. Open Skies have been adopted by some 50 airlines around the world, including Air Asia, AirTran Airways, GOL, JetBlue Airways, Jetstar, Ryanair, and SpiceJet. Introduced in the year 1994, Open Skies are now believed as a leading provider of business solutions to the airline industry and a pioneer in implementing information technology and business process solutions that enable substantial profitability gains for its customers. (MICROSOFT CASE STUDIES) The Open Skies system focus on the main four key areas for Air Asia which is the direct sales, ancillary revenue generation, the use of customer-centric ticketless technology and on demand reporting. The Open Skies System is also known as the industry’s leading direct sales system. With Open skies, Air Asia may now conveniently provide online ticket reservation to the travelers where it can reduce the staff requirement, avoid costly settlement systems. This may help a lot in cost saving as a budget airline in the market. Thru the innovative online reservation, 99% of the clients are direct sales without involving middleman (travel agency). Although the system is well known for its direct sales but it also supported the distribution channels such as bi-directional codeshare booking and travel agency bookings where it effectively eliminates the middleman (travel agents) and the sales commissions that need to be paid to them. Thru the Web reservation system, consumer may also able to see the latest promotion as well as the accommodation bundle packages provide by the Air Asia. Among the conveniences to be found in the reservation system are the login systems where it remembers the user’s detail as a traveler and direct it’s bookings without re-entering the details again. Customer may also give variety choice of payment method including online bank transfer, credit cards or PayPal account payment. The ancillary sales, also known as top-up option sales in the reservation system is one of the first system introduce by Open Skies. Air Asia as a budget airline featured the fully online ancillary revenue generation through seat fees, payment option fees, private lounge option, airport transfer fees, travel insurance sales, baggage allowance fees, food and beverage booking fees and much more. These services may allow travelers to customize their travel experience to be more luxury or budget. Customer may easily find these options upon in their booking after confirming the date, time and details of the travelers. Some budget traveler may opt to give up all these optional choices, where it may be the lowest airfares around the world. With the affordable air ticket fares, Tony Fernandes introduce the Air Asia airline slogan by â€Å"Everyone Can Fly† The Open Skies system use by Air Asia was also the first airline reservation system to use a customer-centric model built on ticketless technology. Ticketless technology is an advanced, fundamentally different approach to reservations and payment. Its unique customer-centric data management system captures booking and financial information at the customer level, enabling customer self-service reservation changes and refunds. Ticketless system also allows airlines to easily create promotions, credits, service recoveries and more and post these directly to customer profiles. These can all be tailored to apply for selected markets, fare types and sales or travel dates. Through the ticketless systems, travelers may also login to the website by their encrypted password and username to views on their booking history for the past, current and future online booking. Another conveniences brought by the ticketless system is the Wireless Delivery System (WDS) is introduced by the Open Skies system to expand its reach via mobile phones. With this, potential customers will be able to book tickets via their mobile phones. This is a strategic move for growth as the Asia-Pacific region has a larger population of mobile phone users rather than internet users. This combined passenger, flight and financial data not only provides greater insights into customer activity, it also supports direct settlement, instant revenue information and reporting, and easy deployment of passenger credits or vouchers. The Forth of the main key features of the Open Skies, the on demand reporting provide a rich customer data base generated by the Open Skies ticketless system, which Air Asia marketers may utilize it for their future promotion. (Navitaire) Besides Open Skies that mainly use by the end user, Air Asia also corporate with Amadeus’s LCC (Low Cost Carrier’s System) since early 2012. This is an all new system where they mainly provide to the travel agency with the ability to more effectively cross-sell LCC ancillary services with more choice and better visibility with each booking. In other word, it will able to summarize the lowest price fares of the flights and provide easier accessibility to purchase the ticket for the customer. Travel agencies that use Amadeus benefit from superior accuracy, through more real-time availability in every transaction. With the connection that Amadeus has with the low cost carriers, travel agency will get access to the best LCC fares at any given time. Improving the control over the total booking process and allowing it show the best rates to the customers (Amadeus). Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) AirAsia has recently opted for a full fledged Enterprise resource planning system (ERP), which is an integrated solution powered by Microsoft Business solutions (MBS) on Microsoft technology platform which is implemented by Avanade consultants in MA 2005. The ERP system, which is business management software, is a system of integrated applications that manages the business of an organization. All facets of an operation, including product planning, development, manufacturing processes, sales and marketing can be integrated by the ERP software. The ERP software comprises of individually purchased enterprise software modules that are based upon the specific needs and technical capabilities of the organization. ERP features and functions comprise of integrating management, staff, and equipment, combining all aspects of your business into one system in order to facilitate every constituent of the manufacturing process. Every ERP module is then focused on a single area of business process, such as product development or marketing. The typically known ERP modules include features and functions for accounting, human resources (HR), manufacturing management, customer relationship management (CRM), and other business functions while ERP systems with manufacturing management functionality include those for product planning, material purchasing, inventory control, distribution, accounting, marketing, finance and human resource. The effectiveness of the ERP system comes from its configuration which uses a common database to store information obtained from a variety of business functions that user can accessed in one form or another. One of the primary benefits of using an ERP system is the solution’s multi-module application framework can be managed within a common information system. This is a clear benefit over the usage of the â€Å"point solutions† which relies on multiple databases that strains IT resources whereas ERP solutions standardize the use of one application to run an entire business. This leads to an increase in efficiencies and the decrease in the overall total cost of ownership (TCO) thus reducing operational costs and improving the company’s profitability. Aside from that, there are additional benefits to be reaped when implementing an ERP system to an organization. One such benefit would be a tighter control over financial compliance declaration as well as other forms of compliance reporting. Next, ERP has a single data source for product and services information such as information regarding suppliers, vendors, customer orders and products that can drive rapid product development and launch cycles which increases a company’s overall market share. With such service in place, there will be an increase in valuable corporate data being accessed with the data delivering a clear, global view of the continuous improvements strategies etched out by the business and establishes common performance metrics as well as a measure to gauge the health of the business. In addition to that, the ERP software fosters decision making at critical levels in the development and manufacturing process by effectively managing it holistically. The ERP software also grants support for streamlined sourcing and procurement processes which drives alignment to customer demands. This support also delivers a centralized buying model to reduce unauthorized and unnecessary expenses. Furthermore, by providing sales and operations planning, it is so much easier to access critical information that can foster â€Å"closed loop† processes where customers will not be overpromised or undelivered by the business. Aside from that, the ERP software also integrates in automated business processes within a single system for things such as invoicing and sales as well as purchase orders in order to further improve forecast accuracy and a reduction in efficiencies. This not only improves forecasting accuracy but it also reduces inefficiencies. Moreover, with the ERP software in place, service levels and customer retention can be improved due to having a single base of information for billing and other customer interactions. Advanced Planning and Scheduling System (APS) Another quintessential component utilized by AirAsia to run their aviation business would be the advanced planning and scheduling (APS) system. The current condition of the low cost carrier industry is a saturated market with high degree of competition between rivalries as they are all vying for the lowest possible fare in order to win the competition. The implementation of the APS system response well to the current challenges tackled by AirAsia as it offers optimisation capabilities for operational planning and scheduling. This will aid AirAsia in creating new sources of cost advantages. The reason why APS matters is because the system optimises AirAsia’s supply chain management which prepares the supply chain activities in relation to customers and requirements by suppliers. These activities geared by the APS system are clustering and classifying customer orders, forecast future fulfilment requirements, set order priorities and checks resources availability, Aside from optimising AirAsia’s supply chain, APS system also increases their overall performance in areas such as event management technology, supplier portals, inventory planning, demand forecasting and maintenance management as well as route profitability analysis. For event management technology, the APS system will assist in the assessment of suppliers’ performance and provide the capability to streamline monitoring process. To circumvent order processing errors from happening, the APS system improves the supplier portals by providing an information hub for airlines and suppliers. Moving on to inventory planning, demand forecasting and maintenance management, the APS system helps the airlines and aircraft manufacturers and other suppliers to have a more efficient collaborative strategy in managing inventory. For the final function, route profitability analysis tools enable airline companies to conduct analysis for planning proficient routes. The development of APS system was founded as the Invention of Operation Production Technology (OPT) during the 1980s due to the limitation of ERP systems and Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP) in optimisation capabilities. In present time, the APS system has been developed into more complex software with the emergence of technological advancement. Based on the Gartner Hype Cycle, the APS software has already been classified as being in the fourth stage known as slope enlightenment where the systems are adequate and customers realizing the benefits and risks of implementing the system. According to a research done, the majority of the aviation companies are expected to save their money on the supply chain optimisation by at least 50%. The combination between market demand and push technology by software vendors signifies the promise of APS being the next source of AirAsia’s cost advantages and given its phase in Gartner Hype Cycle, the risks involved in choosing the wrong vendor is minimized. Furthermore, the implementation of APS system has provided numerous new functions to AirAsia that enables them to increase their performance. These functions include an event management technology, supplier portals, an inventory planning, demand forecasting plus maintenance management capabilities, and a route profitability analysis. Firstly, the event management technology will help AirAsia smooth the progress of assessing suppliers’ performance along with providing the capability to streamline monitoring process. Secondly, the supplier portal will provide information hub for airlines and their suppliers to prevent errors from happening during operational activities such as processing. Third functions are inventory planning, demand forecasting, and maintenance management capabilities. These functions enable airlines and aircraft manufacturers and other suppliers to have collaboration approach in maintenance schedule, and design collaboration, managing the inventory for example spare parts. Last but not least, the route profitability analysis tools enable AirAsia to perform an analysis for planning efficient route. There are two beneficial aspects of implementing APS in the low cost carrier industry i. e. strategic and operational. In terms of APS being strategic, AirAsia will be visible across the whole supply chain as the APS system grants them connectivity in terms of cross-functional scheduling and planning with suppliers and customers whilst warranting that each party works together in integration. The APS system also enables process-centric strategy which is what AirAsia needs to consider as most airlines are making low cost strategy their top priority. Another strategic benefit is the optimization of profit management by the APS system as it minimises the operational cost of AirAsia by using the information generated by the YMS system to improve planning and scheduling for the facilities needed. The last strategic benefit is the optimisation of the flying route in which the APS system will analyse and identify optimal profits for AirAsia. The other aspect that we are to look into would be the operational benefits of applying APS system to AirAsia. Firstly, the APS system would grant AirAsia visibility across functional level which is the capability to integrate processes. This will shorten scheduling cycle, maintenance cycle and lead time therefore an increase in efficiency. Secondly, a flexible and faster response during operation processes means airlines will have a better understanding and control of the interrelationship between different variables constituting total performance. The APS system can be deployed in a proper manner where the complexity of measuring interrelationships can be manipulated. For example, a flight may be due to airport facilities or other variables such as bad weather. The APS system can help by planning in advance on what steps should be taken in order to contain such a situation. Lastly, the APS systems helps in achieving better maintenance management as aircraft maintenance is critical in any airline industry especially AirAsia considering they utilize their aircraft fleet more than standard airlines. Since APS grants visibility across the value chain, it will be much easier and efficient for AirAsia to collaborate with aircraft manufacturers and supplier. This leads to shorten over-haul time thus enabling AirAsia to improve their fleets’ utilisation. With the usage of APS system, it is cost efficient for AirAsia as they save more when dealing with maintenance cost. Furthermore, the system also helps AirAsia schedule activities associated to its facility in advance.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Kingdom of Mali and the Splendor of Medieval Africa

The Kingdom of Mali and the Splendor of Medieval Africa Because the world has another faceOpen your eyesAngelique Kidjo1 As an amateur medievalist, I have become keenly aware of how the history of Europe in the middle ages is often misunderstood or dismissed by otherwise intelligent, educated individuals. The medieval era of those nations outside of Europe is doubly ignored, first for its disreputable time frame (the dark ages), and then for its apparent lack of direct impact on modern western society. Africa in the Middle Ages Such is the case with Africa in the middle ages, a fascinating field of study that suffers from the further insult of racism. With the unavoidable exception of Egypt, the history of Africa before the incursion of Europeans has in the past been dismissed, erroneously and at times deliberately, as inconsequential to the development of modern society. Fortunately, some scholars are working to correct this grave error. The study of medieval African societies has value, not only because we can learn from all civilizations in all time frames, but because these societies reflected and influenced a myriad of cultures that, due to the Diaspora that began in the 16th century, have spread throughout the modern world. The Kingdom of Mali One of these fascinating and near-forgotten societies is the medieval Kingdom of Mali, which thrived as a dominant power in west Africa from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century. Founded by the Mande-speaking Mandinka2 people, early Mali  was governed by a council of caste-leaders who chose a ​mansa to rule. In time, the position of mansa evolved into a more powerful role similar to a king or emperor. According to tradition, Mali was suffering from a fearful drought when a visitor told the king, Mansa Barmandana, that the drought would break if he converted to Islam. This he did, and as predicted the drought did end. Other Mandinkans followed the kings lead and converted as well, but the mansa did not force a conversion, and many retained their Mandinkan beliefs. This religious freedom would remain throughout the centuries to come as Mali emerged as a powerful state. The man primarily responsible for Malis rise to prominence is Sundiata Keita. Although his life and deeds have taken on legendary proportions, Sundiata was no myth but a talented military leader. He led a successful rebellion against the oppressive rule of Sumanguru, the Susu leader who had taken control of the Ghanaian  Empire. After the Susu downfall, Sundiata laid claim to the lucrative gold and salt trade that had been so significant to Ghanaian prosperity. As Mansa, he established a cultural exchange system whereby the sons and daughters of prominent leaders would spend time in foreign courts, thus promoting understanding and a better chance of peace among nations. Upon Sundiatas death in 1255 his son, Wali, not only continued his work but made great strides in agricultural development. Under Mansa Walis rule, competition was encouraged among trading centers such as Timbuktu and Jenne, strengthening their economic positions and allowing them to develop into important centers of culture. Mansa Musa Next to Sundiata, the most well-known and possibly the greatest ruler of Mali was Mansa Musa. During his 25-year reign, Musa doubled the territory of the Malian Empire and tripled its trade. Because he was a devout Muslim, Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, astonishing the peoples he visited with his wealth and generosity. So much gold did Musa introduce into circulation in the middle east that it took about a dozen years for the economy to recover. Gold was not the only form of Malian riches. Early Mandinka society venerated creative arts, and this did not change as Islamic influences helped to shape Mali. Education was also highly valued; Timbuktu was a significant center of learning with several prestigious schools. This intriguing blend of economic wealth, cultural diversity, artistic endeavors and higher learning resulted in a splendid society to rival any contemporary European nation. Malian society had its drawbacks, yet it is important to view these aspects in their historical setting. Slavery  was an integral part of the economy at a time when the institution had declined (yet still existed) in Europe; but the European serf was rarely better off than a slave, bound by law to the land. By todays standards, justice could be harsh in Africa, but no harsher than European medieval punishments. Women had very few rights, but such was certainly true in Europe as well, and Malian women, just like European women, were at times able to participate in business (a fact that disturbed and surprised Muslim chroniclers). War was not unknown on either continent just as today. After the death of Mansa Musa, the Kingdom of Mali went into a slow decline. For another century its civilization held sway in West Africa until Songhay established itself as a dominant force in the 1400s. Traces of medieval Malis greatness still remain, but those traces are fast disappearing as the unscrupulous plunder the archaeological remains of the regions wealth. Mali is just one of many African societies whose past deserves a closer look. We hope to see more scholars explore this long-ignored field of study, and more of us open our eyes to the splendor of Medieval Africa. Notes 1 Angelique Kidjo is a singer and songwriter from Bà ©nin who mixes African rhythms with western sounds. Her song Open Your Eyes can be heard on the 1998 release, Oremi. 2 A variety of spellings exist for many African names. The Mandinka are also known as the Mandingo; Timbuktu is also spelled Tombouctou; Songhay may appear as Songhai. In each case I have chosen one spelling and stuck with it. Guides Note: This feature was originally posted in February of 1999, and was updated in January of 2007. The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the books page at one of the online merchants. by Patricia and Fredrick McKissackA good introduction for younger readers that offers enough detail to interest older students. Edited by Said Hamdun and Noel Quinton KingWritings by Ibn Battuta that detail his journeys south of the Sahara have been selected by the editors and presented in this volume, which provides a fascinating firsthand look at Medieval Africa. by Basil DavidsonExcellent general introduction to African history that breaks free of the Eurocentric viewpoint. by Joseph E. HarrisConcise, detailed, and reliable overview of the complex history of Africa from prehistoric times to the present.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Case Study Summary Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary - Case Study Example 3:89-1466-0). The man asked his employees to take into account his claim and made necessary changes, but, as he stated, they had failed to take the steps which had been necessary to resolve the situation. The only way out he was offered is the walls between bunks, but this measure was useless, because there was only one door in the room. The plaintiff asked for a separate room or for a change in schedule that would allow him to stay in one room with a man, not with a woman. The plaintiff complained that the defendants did not want to consider his requirements and failed to resolve the issue as he wanted to have a separate room. The defendants in their turn argued that they offered some resolutions in response, namely the wall installed between the bunks, but the plaintiff denied them and demanded much more. As all the employees should be treated equally and no exceptions should be made, as the same time as the rights of an employee were not violated under the First or Fourteenth Amen dments to the United States Constitution, the Court finds for employers. The second case study is also related to religious beliefs and the violation connected with them. The employee is Jew and, according to the religious rules, Jews should have a rest on some days companies usually work on as religion forbids to work on these days. In connections with this, a woman demanded a personal schedule from her employers that would allow her to miss the days which can’t be working days according to the rules of her religion. Employers agreed and she was provided with a personal schedule, but with less payment due to missing working hours, which were important for the company. Then the employee was terminated and she decided to apply to court saying that her rights were violated, moreover, she was abused because of her nationality and religion. The court came to the conclusion that a woman was not abused at all, because employers tried to meet her demands and provided her

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Budget Deficit in Oman Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

The Budget Deficit in Oman - Research Paper Example Overall vote of thanks goes to all people and Oman citizens who have had both directly and indirectly contributed in accomplishment and delivery of this research both real field research and report preparation. Financing team and field directors are not left out due to their special contribution in data collection for actual study. Submission of heartfelt appreciation is to all and sundry. Chapter One: Introduction Aim The goal is to establish the factors that make the budget deficit in Oman and formulation of ways of reducing budget deficit in the country. The research establishes ways of reducing the impact of the factors contributing to large government expenditure which results to large government expenditure. In order to accomplish the research objective, there are various research methodologies used for data collection and analysis. Objectives 1. To establish the causes of the current budget deficit in Oman based on various economic factors such as government spending. 2. To establish the contribution of corruption in oil management to current budget deficit in Oman by questioning many managers and citizens working in the oil firms. 3. To establish long term solutions to the current budget deficit in Oman. The views of different economists about the high budget deficit in Oman are obtained alongside their opinions on ways of resolving the issue on a long term ba sis. 4. To establish ways through which the Oman government can reduce government expenditures in order to reduce occurrences of budget deficits in future. This is achieved by reviewing various government expenditures and formulating mechanisms of reducing such expenditures. 5. To establish the different income-generating avenues in Oman so as to reduce government’s over reliance on the oil market projections. This goal is geared towards establishing other ways through which the Oman government can obtain revenues in order to minimise the governments dependency on

Monday, November 18, 2019

Renewable Energy Literature Survey Dissertation

Renewable Energy Literature Survey - Dissertation Example It demonstrated how capital can be obtained for project financing through a combination of debt and equity investment, debt being available through bank loans, institutional debt or through public markets. The paper mentioned the possibility of procuring equity from internal or external sources in public and private markets, and sponsorship through developers, contractors, equipment suppliers, operators, off-takers and fuel suppliers, who are active equity investors. The factors limiting project finance of renewable energy power projects (REPP’s) were examined. The author indicated that resource and technology risks were high and that financial institutions lacked the experience in evaluating risks related to REPP’s. The author also noted that with the rapid change in technology and the shortage of REPP technology engineers, they would have lacked the technical expertise in this area to assess and monitor REPP’s. ... This therefore results in a smaller margin for project financing and consequently puts pressure on costs related to maintenance and overheads. The author also pointed out that government policies, which are often unpredictable, greatly affect the economies of REPP’s. The paper gave focus to the importance of equity, seeing it as the main protection against risks. Lenders will therefore favour equity contributions in the initial part of the project. Lenders see equity investment as a form of commitment by the developers and sponsors. The author also found that security was another significant consideration for the lender, so they would implement safeguards such as a fixed charge over the projects site; a floating charge over the assets of the projects company; requiring that all cash flow be paid into a project account where they would have control, and contingency funds in place for unforeseen problems. The experience and credit worthiness of all participants would also be con sidered by the lender. There financial strengths would be assessed and the ability of these parties to carry out their contractual obligations with the project company would be determined. The article highlighted a number of risks that should be considered. The risk areas include the project itself, technology, construction, fuel/resource, the market, regulatory risks, mitigation and pass through. Project risks affect the amount, timing and availability of funds for the project finance. For technology lenders want to ensure that it is tested and proven, and that it will not be obsolete anytime soon. In relation to the construction risks the paper looked at the probability of cost overruns and delays in completion; most importantly

Friday, November 15, 2019

Tracing The Development Of Indian English Writing English Literature Essay

Tracing The Development Of Indian English Writing English Literature Essay Indian writing in English is primarily a result of the English colonial rule in India spanning almost two centuries. There is an undeniable relation between the literary work and the historical background out of which it arises. In spite of the western imperialism and colonialism the Indian culture has grown incredibly over the past two hundred years. It is a well known fact that the Englishmen came to India on the pretext of trade and immediately realized that a stable political control would substantially increase their profits. The Industrial Revolution in England could only sustain itself through the capital made in the Indian territories in the form of revenue collection. They then commenced to annex different territories in and around India and set up a colonial empire. The British rule completely ruined the agricultural self-sufficiency of the farmers and the trade of silk cloth saw a downslide due to the English factory produced cloth more easily and cheaply available. The we avers and artisans lost their job and had to sustain themselves by working in cotton plantations. The old existing order underwent a complete and systematic destruction and overhaul bringing misery, poverty and death to millions of Indians. After a few years of colonial rule and consolidation, the English empire got embroiled in a hotly debated and discussed issue of introduction of the English language in educational institutes. In a watershed decision English was introduced in the Indian education system, and was understood to be a different epistemological template in which not only the language but lifestyle and culture was imposed. Many reformers especially Raja Rammohun Roy, the founder of the Brahmo Samaj, vociferously supported the teaching of the move to bring about economic reforms that would provide new employment opportunities in the administration that required the knowledge of the English language. A systematic enterprise detailed by Macaulay, a member of colonial Indian parliament, than began in which mimic men were produced through the education system in India, who were a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions who we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and in intellect.  [1]  The old methods of teaching were made redundant and died a slow death as the earlier system of education was insufficient to cope with the changing social, economic and political circumstances. As it is apparent with scorn and despise towards Indian languages, the sole purpose regarding English was to strengthen their rule and brainwash the colonized; and not to empower or produce scholars. Moreover, the colonizers only had contempt and disdain for the established languages, knowledge, beliefs, religion and educational institutes, labeling them as being irrational, pagan, barbaric, unscientific and immoral. Macaulay articulated the sense of superiority that the westerners felt regarding their culture and knowledge by making a very derogatory and biased statement that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature India and Arabia.  [2]  He believed that an educated minority would gradually educate the others, this concept came to be known as the filtration effect but it remained flawed and unsuccessful. With the introduction of the English language the missionaries got a better hold on the country and political the empire established the notions that it is a benevolent authority and has now taken the responsibility of bringing light in the form of knowledge to the ignorant population. As a result of English education a few writers an d poets converted to Christianity and imitated a style of writing prose and poetry like the English Romantics and classics. The first phase of Indian English literature roughly comprises the half century before the Great Revolt of 1857. This was a period when English education and Western ideas had begun to act as a great liberating force in a country which had been suffering from political instability for about a century. Henry Derozios Poems written in 1827, reflect his reformist idealism and iconoclastic zeal and he along with a few other visionary writers, poets and artistes worked for the eradication of social evils and called themselves the young Bengal. In fact his contemporaries like Michael Madhusudan Dutt had great technical competence and wrote a long poem on the Christian theme of the original sin, Visions of the Past (1849). Krishna Mohan Banerjeas play The Persecuted (1831) showcased the religious orthodoxies plaguing the Hindu society. The colonizers were initially largely successful in creating a class of interpreters between them and the masses. Education as a tool in the hands of the English proved to a great ideological weapon to legitimize their authority in the colonies. Evidently a hierarchy is created in which the western education model encompasses wisdom and knowledge as against the colonized people who are imbeciles. The education introduced was naturally lopsided and it not only valorized English traditions and way of life, it also provided the newly urban English educated a very limited and constricted space for liberal thought. The Indians began to believe that the colonizers had a moral responsibility to fulfill as the country was depicted to be infected by depravity, bestiality and religious bigotry. The evangelists propagated Christianity in schools indirectly by teaching biblical scriptures rather than English grammar. The weaving together of morality with a specifically English literature had imp ortant ideological consequences  [3]  , which would mean that English behaviour leads to a moral behaviour and ultimately the colonizing country ostensibly projected itself as being a guiding light to civilize the colonies. Though the English always had their propaganda and selfish intention intact, a positive consequence was that the Indians had mastered the colonisers language [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and further, had by the 1820s begun to adopt it as their chosen medium of expression. These pioneering works of poetry, fiction, drama, travel, and belles-lettres are little read today except by specialists, but when they were published they were, by the mere fact of being in English, audacious acts of mimicry and self-assertion. More than this, the themes they touched on and the kinds of social issues they engaged with would only be explored by other Indian literatures several decades later.  [4]   The middle class Indian intelligentsia created by the English for their convenience was never considered as an equal by the colonizers as they were inherently racists. The British defined themselves as the efficient, ethical, hardworking, courageous and masculine rulers of India, they came to characterize Indians increasingly as slothful, deceitful and immoral.  [5]  The English deemed Indians unfit for self-governance and never gave them any important positions in the administration. The partition of Bengal in 1905 falsely done in the name of administrative convenience broke the powerful intelligentsia that had formed in Bengal. The Swadeshi movement that followed brought in a lot of cultural changes and a revival of old Indian traditions of celebration of festivals, theatres and folk songs focusing on national pride and patriotism. The entry of Indian English writing in the English canon is often debated as some of the critics are of the opinion that this genre got an acceptance only in the late 1950s when the Indian writers decided to establish it as a discipline, while others regard the works initially written by Indians in the English language as the real formation of this literary genre. The first novel by an Indian in English Bankim Chandra Chatterjees Rajmohans Wife appeared quite late in 1864 and is his only novel in English, the rest fourteen successful novels he wrote in Bengali. Kylas Chunder Dutts A Journal of Forty-Eight Hours of the Year 1945 (1835) preceding Bankims novel is about an imaginary armed uprising against the British but cannot be classified as the first novel as it came out in a journal. Mehrotra elucidates on Kylas Chunder Dutts work that: Insurrections seems a commonplace idea, until we realise that the idea is being expressed for the first time in Indian literature, and would next find expression only in folk songs inspired by the events of 1857. It is uncanny that the year of the uprising in Dutts imagination comes within two years of Indias actual year of independence; uncanny, too, the coincidence that the work should have been published in the same year that Macaulay delivered his Minute. In a double irony, the insurgents are all urbanized middle-class Indians with the best education colonialism could offer, the very class Macaulay had intended as interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern. Thus, the language of command is stood on its head and turned into the language of subversion, suggests itself as the imaginative beginnings of a nation.  [6]  The revolt of 1857 was a turning point and India became an empire under the British rule, represented by the viceroy. The revolt saw a unification of the warring Indian states against a common enemy. The heroism, valour and courage demonstrated by Indians inspired a lot of folk songs, poems and literature detailing the battle and brutality with which it was suppressed. The possibility of toppling the British rule looked viable but it took a century for Indians to attain independence. The British formulated numerous rules and regulations to stipulate the authority of Indian princely states and other autonomous bodies and gained complete control over India. Censorship of literature increased many folds as the colonizers strictly monitored any writing that was seditious to the British policies, government or laws. Political t hemes were now discussed through literature in the guise of historical novels or romances which glorified the past rulers. Ironically Shakespeares poetry rings true when placed in the context of Indian English writing, in his play The Tempestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..says You taught me language and my profit in it / Is I know how to curse.  [7]   Meenakshi Mukherjee in her detailed and informative essay Beginning of the Novel  [8]  traces the rise of the early English novel in India that was primarily aimed at an English audience and usually began with titles that would pull the attention of the English towards the orients as unlike novelists in the Indian languages who were confident about a sizeable readership within their specific region, the writer in English suffered from uncertainty about his audience. The earlier tracts written by Kylas Chunder Dutt, Shoshee Chunder Dutt among others did not strictly adhere to the demands of novelistic traditions. The later novels written in the century were more obsequious and tolerant of the British rule and many writers wrote praising the empire and paid homage to the Queen through their writings. The only woman writer who wrote in English during that period has now become an obscure figure. Women in that era were not encouraged to get any education and were scarcely taught the English language. Krupabai Satthianadhans Kamala, A Story of Hindu Life (1894) and Saguna, A Story of Native Christian life (1895) detail topical issues concerning gender, caste, religion and other social issues. To the critic Mennakshi Mukherjee the greatest achievement of the canonical Indian English writing is not the awards or critical acclaim won by the writers now, rather the breaking free from The tentativeness of nineteenth century novelists, not only about writing in an acquired colonial language but also about their readership, has been replaced by an overwhelming confidence among post colonial writers that the English language belongs to them as much as to anyone else. The novels of the nineteenth century brought to limelight the social injustices, superstition and the abominable conditions of the peasants and workers that plagued the Indian society. Womens emancipation, education and widow remarriage also became common themes in the novels and this phase is dubbed as the renaissance of Indian writing in English.  [9]  The tradition of novel writing in India is an imitation of a western phenomenon and thus different from most of the earlier writings that engaged in a quest of metaphysical and transcendental knowledge, where the present world is depicted and painted to be a mere appearance. Another luminary figure is that of Tagore who wrote an expansive body of prose fiction, poetry, and songs. His creative ingenuity is unparalleled in either Bengali or English. He conceptualized and started a democratic, artistic and cultural revolution by training young minds in the university founded by him, Shantiniketan, which attracted teachers and studen ts from all over the world. Tagores Gitanjali (1912) is a great lyrical achievement and his prose fiction deals with human condition and emotions, societal norms and also revolution. His works inspired an entire generation of writers, artists, singers, and the common man. Most of his work is in Bengali and is present to us in translation. Besides, the dangerous of considering English Indian writing as national literature especially in western universities is manifold, primarily because it is written by a minority that is upwardly mobile. Text written in English language should not be the only source of highlighting Indian culture and way of life; this would marginalize the importance of the texts produced in regional languages that have their own values and narratives. The accommodation of Indian writing in English in the English canon is a momentous achievement because it provides autonomy to this genre as it is not merged with Commonwealth writing or is merely labeled as an imitation. The polemics of criticism in earlier days refused to accept it as an area of academic scrutiny as it did not proliferate to the degree it has now. Indian writing in English belongs to a particular class of people who are of Indian origin and have learnt the language well to be writers of that language, and those who are able to read the English language and are to an extent more proficient and comfortable in English than in their mother tongues. These conditioning does not makes them less of a writer rather they are experts in explicating the thoughts and lives of Indian characters living in India but not speaking, thinking or living an English life. It requires great talent, insight and exceptional grasp of bilingualism to express in English the lives of people who do not speak that language. Thus we have Raja Rao in his foreword  [10]  to the novel Kanthapura debating: English is not really an alien language to us. It is the language of our intellectual make-up like Sanskrit or Persian was before but not of our emotional make-up. We are all instinctively bilingual, many of us in our own language and in English. We cannot write like the English. We should not. We can only write as Indians. We have grown to look at the large world as a part of us. Our method of expression therefore has to be a dialect which will some day prove to be as distinctive and colourful as the Irish or the American. Time alone will justify it. One of the major reasons for the proliferation of Indian writing in English is the Indians assertion of autonomy in writing their own histories. Bamkinchandras call We have no History! We must have a History! highlights the need for self representation and expression. The mere act of writing and narrating ones past hints at an inherent power struggle because the mode of recalling the past relies on who has the authority to re-create and re-tell the past. The colonizers perspective would naturally differ from that of the colonized. James Mills History of British India (1817) is only one sided and prejudiced attempt at detailing Indias past. To wrench authority and power from the colonizers one has to narrate ones own stories. Thus, the primary novels written by Indians seemed to be historical fiction which went on to be read and gradually merged with the aspirations of budding nationalist struggle. Likewise, the theme in earlier novel was nation and nationalism and it was developed as historical romances depicting the life of a historical figure in a romantic alliance that showcased the glorious past of the Indian nation, for instance, T. Ramakrishna Pillais Padmini: An Indian Romance (1903). By 1930, Indian English literature became a century old yet failed to produce a single novelist who had a plethora of work to his credit. Then three novelists known as the Big Three wrote and published their works that proved to be an epoch making enterprise. Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and N.K.Narayan revolutionized Indian novel writing on an unprecedented scale and brought to fore not only the views and idealism of Gandhiji but also provided a poignant, realistic picture of fellow Indians under the colonial rule suffering acute poverty, social discrimination, unemployment and illiteracy. Further, Raja Raos Kanthapura (1938); Mulk Raj Anands The Sword and the Sickle (1942) and R.K.Narayans W aiting for the Mahatma (1955) deal with nationalism and impact of Gandhism in lives of Indians. Regarding the works of Narayan both western and Indian scholars opine that his novels are deeply traditional, apolitical and humanist, yet at the same time his work is highly representatively Indian in their spirituality. His theme and form has enabled him to explore the minutiae and subtleties of human emotions and feelings and to his ironic vision towards human life is aptly universal. Although, the importance of Hinduism in Narayans work is identified by many, a number of his novels probe the limitations and contradictions inherent in Hindu worldview and identity. In Meenakshi Mukherjees assessment R.K.Narayan falls in that category of novelists who do not indulge in any generalizations about what is Indian and what is western. Their characters are a curious blend of the East and the West which all Indians are but they refuse to sift the elements.  [11]  Natural to the writer of po st independence, Kamala Markandayas novels focus on the changing socio-economic scene. Her preoccupation with the theme of hunger in Nectar in a Sieve (1955) and Handful of Rice (1966) and her picture of uprootedness of Indian villagers on account of the menacing growth of industrial civilization derive their vigour from Gandhis pleading for village economy. The process of modernization is satirized in her later novels like The Coffer Dams (1969) and The Pleasure City (1984). Patriotism, freedom struggles, exploitation of the factory workers and the relationship between the colonizer and the condition of the colonized formed the corpus of Indian writing in English. Gandhiji inspired and influenced the writers and poets immensely and this fact is clear in the way activism and courage was liberated from aggressiveness and violence. The tumultuous political situation of the nineteen thirties due to the civil disobedience movement under the leadership of freedom fighters created a readership that wished to explore and get information about their countrys rapacious plunder and the miserable, starving plight of its citizens. The prevailing nationalistic fervor and political situation witnessed a portrayal in the literature produced at that time. Some writers advocated the Gandhian method of non-violence to attain freedom while the others wanted independence through any means whether it involved violence or not remained immaterial to them. The partition of the s ubcontinent had a prolonged disturbing and traumatic effect on the psyche of millions of Indians and became one of the most discussed, debated and analyzed theme in numerous novels. For instance Khushwant Singhs Train to Pakistan (1956) lead to a significant contribution to the genre namely Partition literature in the canon of English Indian writing. The events portrayed in the novel revolve around the depiction of unprecedented violence, brutality and desperation. The novel captures the mindlessness of communal violence and provides a protest against the Indian bureaucracy. Salman Rushdies Midnights Children (1981) and Amitav Ghoshs The Shadow Lines (1988) deal with the theme of partition in a very different perspective. After independence, the era of hope and certitude got sidelined by an age of self scrutiny, skepticism and an attempt to deal with the ones sense of identity exposed to divergent cultures, Indian and Western. Post independence fiction reflected an anxious reality O n one hand freedom had been won; ostensibly the exploiter had been expelled and the forces of evil were no longer in the land. But on the other hand, writers and intellectuals generally felt that the only change effected by independence was the change in the colour of the exploiters skin.  [12]  Political satire and a growing disillusionment with the current state of affairs were highlighted in numerous novels by writers of different vernacular. Moreover, the theme of partition and the consecutive wars with China and Pakistan created a sense of despair in the literary arena and greatly affected the works of writers. Caste and communalism have become major issues in Indian English writing Mulk Raj Anands Untouchable is read as a remarkable and revolutionary novel by both critics and readers, and in this novel he illustrates the pitfalls of a parasitic casteist Hindu society. The concept of marginalization is a common leitmotif in the novels depicting lower caste people and women. Meenakshi Mukherjee says that A huge social divide exists between those have proficiency in English and those who do not. Given the fact that English today is the language not only of upward social mobility and outward geographical mobility, but also a major tool for accessing knowledge at the higher level.  [13]  One cannot remain blind to the major characteristic feature of Indian English literature, both linguistic and cultural, that its influence extends beyond the limits of any elitist paradigm. Along with marginality a sense of alienation is an underlining concern in numerous novels. Anita Desais Cry, the Peaco ck (1963) focuses on the female sensibility at odds with the male dominated society. Her later novels like Fire on the Mountain (1977) describe the isolation and alienation of man from family and society. Upamanyu Chatterjees English August dissects and beautifully expresses the estrangement felt by the characters in the novels. Iyengars pioneering work in the creation of a history of Indian writing in English opened up new avenues of criticism and these studies have done much to establish the parameters of a discussion of the nature and role of Indian writing in English including its form, its audience and its effectiveness.  [14]  The readership and production of numerous writings both in quality and quantity in vernacular languages in India is by far larger than the English counterpart. One has to assess the readership of Indian English writing which is at best nominal in India, the target thus, seem to be the widely English speaking western world. A few popular novels by Kipling, Kim and The Jungle book became extremely popular but the perspective remained of the white man. E.M.Forsters A Passage to India provides an imperial writers ambivalent attitude towards the other, non- Eurocentric culture and the distrust is palpable. One can argue that the earlier writers of English did write to a Christian western world, explaining almost apologetically Indias pluralism and trying to fit in the constraints demanded by English literature and are accused of exoticisng India to the foreign readers. The readership issue of Indian English literature has assumed dimensions more varied than just simple publishing politics. Even now the debate continues and those who choose to write in English argue that English is also an Indian language and they know this language the best. They are accused by those writing in vernacular of not being in touch with the masses and aiming only for self aggrandizement. Interestingly, a new generation of writers has slowly emerged that does not feel the need to provide a glossary for Indian vernacular terms or the Indian way of life. Desai reiterates the fact that a new generation of Indian writes, addressing Indian subjects and items in a language taken from Indian streets newspapers, jou rnals, and films, and a class of enterprising business who decided they were worth publishing marked the 80s and 90s.  [15]   Now a new emergent prototype of writers known as being the diasporic writers have established themselves. Due to colonialism a lot of people from England settled in different parts of the world and a lot of people belonging to numerous places from each and every corner of the word made Britain and other colonizing countries their home; some of them came as indentured labours or as slaves. Britain and other colonizing countries witnessed a spurt in immigration as they needed labourers to work in their factories or healthcare systems, besides many people came looking for better employment opportunities, income and for studies. Therefore, Diaspora can be defined by emphasizing a sense of collective community that one feels while living in one country and looking across time and space for another. It should be noted that the generation born to the migrants who are now settled in another country, might not have the same emotional and sentimental attachment to the old country. Also the jou rney from ones old country to the adopted country creates a sense of shared history and the difference in language, generation, religion and culture make diaspora spaces dynamic and shifting, open to repeated construction and reconstruction.  [16]  The reason for the inception of diasporic writer can be explained as the massive migrations that have defined this century- from the late colonial period through the decolonization era into the twenty first century.  [17]   Naipauls work on Trinidad did not find readership in America because the critics found it stylistically too British. In England Naipaul was rejected because he was too foreign. In more recent times, however, the conference of the Nobel Prize on Naipaul celebrates the acceptance of the author outside Trinidad. For that matter, R.K.Narayans first novel, Swami and Friends, portraying life in a small south Indian village, enjoyed considerable readership in England when first published in 1935. Ruskin Bonds semi-autobiographical reminiscences of living in and out of Dehra Dun bazaar among Indian urchins appeared in a book form The Room on the Roof (1952), it was crowned the prestigious John Lellwyn Rhys Memorial Prize. Bond made India his permanent home unlike other Anglo-Indians who chose to return back. The recognition awarded to the books coming from different places and elucidating the diverse upheaval, lifestyle and attitude towards life we can assess the fact that readership patter n of foreign literature has seen a tremendous change due to the growing socio-cultural influences of globalization. The linguistic effects of Ruskin Bonds minimalist approach or Raja Raos attempts at making English seem to be natural easily acceptable are positive in the sense that they have gained wider popularity outside the realm of colonial modernity. A common thread binds the variant diasporic writers together they are marked by their hybridity and heterogeneity cultural, linguistic, ethnic, national and these subjects are defined by a traversal of boundaries demarcating nations and diaspora.  [18]  A diasporic writers constant struggle with the past that stressed on ones ancestry and valued the pure over the hybrid or the composite is a highly discussed concept in postcolonial literature.  [19]  These writers have transformed the meaning and dimension of Indian writing in English and have made it more dynamic, accommodating and expansive. Indian writers, like Rushdie and Naipaul, Anita Desai, Shashi Tharoor, Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth et al have carved a niche for themselves while residing abroad and writing about the sense of rootlessness and displacement that is experienced because of geographical causes and the problems faced by those who are immigrants, refugees or exiled. Their identity is neither lost nor submerge d by overlapping of multiplicity and diversity. The Indian diasporic writer born and brought up in a post-colonial world [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] have had no reason to feel self-conscious in handling the English language, which carries no colonial baggage for them.  [20]  Most of these writers write about Indian subcontinent and present the vastness, pluralism and celebration of multiculturalism that is now associated with India. Rushdies incisive comment on the migrant sensibility is one of the central themes of the displaced personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the effect à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦has been the creation of new types of human beingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ people in whose deepest selves strange fusion occur, unprecedented unions between what they were and where they find themselves à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦migrants must of necessity make a new imaginative relation with the world.  [21]   The psycho-social predicaments of the self under colonialism and its dispensation of a new worldview bridging the east-west divide after independence are investigated. Amitav Ghosh problematizes and delineates a sense of rootlessness in the character of Ila in The Shadow Lines. Her father is a diplomat and she has been brought up in western countries. As a result, she is reduced to th