Graduation Speech High School Graduation - 933 Words

High School Graduation With regards to high school graduation, Balfanz, Herzog, and Iver (2007) followed 12,972 Philadelphia students enrolled in traditional middle schools from six grade (1996-1997) until 1 year beyond their expected graduation from high school (2003-2004) in order to understand what indicators would affect their projected graduation date. Unlike many of the early K-8 schools, the population Balfanz et al followed consisted of 64% African American, 19% White, 12% Hispanic, and 5% Asian students. Additionally, 97% of the sample attended schools that were majority minority (2007, p. 227). Balfanz et al found that the four variables, or flags, that had the highest predictive power and yield were: sixth grade attendance, failing math in sixth grade, failing English in sixth grade, and receiving an out-of-school suspension in sixth grade (2007). Second, the more flags that students had the lower their chances of graduating on time became. More specifically, one-flag, tw o-flag, three-flag and four-flag students had a 36%, 21%, 13%, and 7% chance of on time graduation, respectively (Balfanz et al, 2007). In debriefing of this study produced in 2010, Balfanz summarized the importance of his earlier findings: during the middle grades, students in high-poverty environments are either launched on the path to high school graduation or knocked off-track (Balfanz, 2010, p. 7). Psychological Well-Being Another explanation for why students often get knockedShow MoreRelatedGraduation Speech : High School Graduation854 Words   |  4 Pagesfail High School graduation can be an exciting time in a student’s life. It is a time in their lives where they begin to experience the kind of freedom that comes along with growing up. This freedom allows students to choose the type of college or University they would like to attend. It is necessary that they understand how responsible they need to be with the freedom that is being offered to them. When choosing what college or university to attend it may be tempting to want to go to a school thatRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School934 Words   |  4 Pageslife would be graduation. For many people, graduating from high school is an objective. It takes a lot of time, effort, and determination to accomplish that goal. For others graduation is the end of high school, and the beginning of a new chapter in life. When graduated people feel as if adulthood has begun. In the long run, graduating opens a lot of opportunities for people to thrive. I can almost reminisce the day as if it was yesterday. I was sitting in bed like any other school day. It seemedRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School Graduation1507 Words   |  7 PagesForest English 1010 9/9/2014 Graduation During our lives, most of us have hated getting up early. Whether we as humans enjoy mornings or not, we’re always looking forward to that unforgettable day. That special is high school graduation for me. Graduation is a ceremony that recognizes students that have excelled through school. Graduation was one of the best days of my life, perhaps even better than the day that I started college. There is no other day like graduation where there comes this feelingRead MoreGraduation Speech On High School Graduation851 Words   |  4 PagesThere Is No Success Without The Opportunity to Fail High School graduation can be an exciting time in a student’s life. It is a time when they begin to experience the kind of freedom that comes along with growing up. This freedom allows students to choose the type of college or University they would like to attend. It is necessary that they understand how responsible they need to be with the freedom that is being offered to them. When choosing what college or university they would like toRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School852 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to a report from Thomas Nelson Community College website, 15.7 percent is the graduation rate in 2010. 84 percent of students failed to receive their degree. That’s beyond sad. College can be difficulty especially with everyday life is getting harder to main family life work and financials. Because college is challenging, I know that I have issues that I must overcome. I told myself the more patient s I have the better success I will have. Although college will be difficult my goal isRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School Essay2254 Words   |  10 Pages The day I graduated from high school The High school graduation day is a life full of journeys for everyone, high school life is a memorable time for most people, for me as well. High school can be filled with lots of good memories for some people and it could be filled with bad memories, for me it was both I had good times and I had bad times. The High school Graduation day should definitely be the best day of your life because that means no more high school, no more having to wake up at 6Read MoreGraduation Speech : High School1692 Words   |  7 Pagesdespite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher’s quality fall short and other nations outpace us†-President Obama (Splitt). As a recent high school graduate, I was proud of my accomplishments and the fact that I was the first in my family to go to college. Before I started college, my brother started his junior year in high school and learned that the credits needed to graduate had been lowered from 230 to 220. The reasonRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School867 Words   |  4 Pages Many people have different high school experiences or stories about when they finally felt like a highschooler or felt like they belonged. Some people might not even have had that experience yet and are still trying to belong at Wahlert Catholic High School. Personally, I have had many experiences when I finally felt like a high schooler. Such as my first year playing on the Wahlert Freshman Baseball team, talking to upperclassmen, my first year playing on the Wahlert Freshman Basketball team, orRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School1060 Words   |  5 PagesHigh school is supposed to be the place where you have fun and a time in your life you’re supposed to enjoy. Movies often trick you into believing that high school is an amazing time in your life and there is nothing but parties and fun. In Bring it on, they portrayed the fun and exciting part of high school cheer-leading, however they intentionally leave out the tough times high school students’ face in school and in their practices. In other popular movies, such as High School Musical the studentsRead MoreGraduation Speech : High School1041 Words   |  5 Pages Grant High School, set out to improve (Lambertson 42-43). This school quickly went from being in the worst 5% of schools in Michigan to the superior 92% (Lambertson 43-45). This school poured effort into its programs to try to bring up test grades (Lambertson 42-45). Amazingly, Grant High School brought its average ACT score up 2.4 points in around three years (Lambertson 45). However, in the end, was this school successful? Were its students prepared to succeed? A successful high school is a school

History Of The Jewish Samaritan Rivalry - 1975 Words

The History of the Jewish-Samaritan Rivalry. What is a rivalry? How much hatred can evolve from cultural and religious differences? If left unchecked what sort of conflict can ensue? These thoughts had to weigh on Jesus mind as He spoke to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well. As the Second Person of the Trinity, He knew history and lack of love between the Jew and Samaritan. However, it was His mission as savior to all mankind to bridge the vast expanse between these two peoples. The purpose of this paper will be to discover the history behind the Jewish-Samaritan hate and the events leading up to Christ acceptance of the people of Samaria. When a person in 2016 America thinks of the word â€Å"rivalry† the thought that comes to mind is most†¦show more content†¦Israel was one collective nation made up of twelve tribes; one tribe for each son of Jacob (and one of Joseph). These twelve tribes were all resident turned slave to Egypt. The Jewish nation prayed to the Lord their God and He released them from their bondage. They then conquered the Promised Land which God had promised their ancestors. Over the course of several hundred years the Jewish nation was a theocracy led by God and enforced by many Judges. One day the people cried out for a king, just like all the other surrounding nations. Under Saul, David, and Solomon Israel reached its pinnacle of success. It is here that the story takes an unfortunate downward spiral. Solomon was the wisest man to ever live; yet in his old age, he lost touch with God and his people. He married many foreign women and accepted their gods as his own. In addition, he enforced heavy taxes on his kingdom causing intense anger. It is here that God spoke through the Prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam and promised him the Ten Northern Tribes, if he was faithful to God. (I Kings 11:26-40) Jeroboam was an Ephraimite from Zeredah. He was a skilled young man who was put in charge of Solomon’s forced labor camps. He tried to revolt against Solomon but he failed. After his failed revolt, he stayed in Egypt until Solomon’s death. After Solomon’s death, he returned home and tried to peacefully reason with Rehoboam, the heir to Solomon’s throne.

Cultural Challenges That Influence Multinational Operations In China

Question: Discuss about the Cultural Challenges That Influence Multinational Operations In China. Answer: Introduction There is a rapid and fast development in the economies of many countries. There is also an increase in the globalization of the multinational industries as they are becoming more prevalent. These multinational firms are facing a competiton and intercultural communication problems. It is a challenge for the managers to maintain the cultural diversifications. Many MNCs who are planning to develop and expand their business are facing this cross-cultural challenge. In the present study, there is a concept of cultural challenge that China is facing as it is a developing country. We will also look forward to the issues that the multinational firms confront while doing business in the international markets. There are many types of barriers that are faced by companies to build their empire in offshore nations. Such challenges help the companies to experience the market scenario of the country. It is noticed by many of the researchers that the variations in the culture, eventually affect the performance, communication and also the management. These changes have both effects; negative and positive. The negative influence is when the company is unable to survive in the cross cultural environment. The positive impact is when the companies overcomes all the challenges and make it possible for it to survive and grow in the challenge world. Under this study, the learners will understand the importance of study of culture for the companies. We will discuss about the culture of china and the impact of MNCs on chinas culture. There is a brief description about the various challenges that are faces by companies when they allocate their business in international market. Many types of suggestions and advices are given to cope up with the problems faced by the companies. It is important for the management of the organization to understand and study the diverse culture of country before set up of business. It should be initiated I the countries whose culture is least diverse. National Culture Of China The culture of China is an imperative in nature that directly or indirectly affects the multinational operations. People from various places and countries (Ahuja, 2014) have different traditions and demeanor to the business and its operations. China is a country that has an amazing society that is homogeneous in nature that has a strong history, language and culture. There are three philosophies on which the Chinese believes: Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. The Buddhism teaches them the fortune of individuals; Confucianism teaches the relationship among the individuals and (Chanida Jittaruttha, 2015) Taoism is famous for dualism principle. . They both are very different and still interrelated to each other. It helped Chinese people to orient the process of thinking of the individuals and also their behavior. It also guides the principle of commitment, believe on each other, maintenance of strategic distance, etc. while doing business in China, MNCs notice that the people are very implicative an transient. These three theories are the bases of Chinese culture that are playing an imperative role to do business and decision making. New Trends Of Multinational In China Multinational organizations are the companies that are distinctive in nature and they are highly skilled. They also have good knowledge of technical skills, infrastructure, scientific research, etc. China tries to elevate to different nations so that they can collaborate to various nations. Many multinational corporations are investing the money in Chinas companies that is contributing to the markets. This country is involving in the development of economies through foreign capital, domestic endeavors and unites of multinational organizations (Kurian, 2015). The strength of Chinas multinationals development is the strong currency of the country. The Yuan is the currency of China that has kept on putting off the competition in opposition of the dollar. When the Yuan is high, it depicts that the sales in current year in China is a worth to many companies. The United State is proceeding with a magnificent system at the rate of $85 billion every month. Not only this but also the bank of Japan increasing its trust into Chinas economy. The free monetary policies, banks, etc. helps to have less access to the capital (Craft, 2016). It assists to develop interest in the nations like china can offer more prominent returns of the investment and probably less interest rate on loans. China is a developing nation that might need a sector to help in selling, developing and managing the goods and services to the developed nations. The culture of China is different from the other countrys culture as they are not open to adopt MNCs in their country. Before 1970, no company other than China can enter into their market. This will affect the economy of it. As they are unable to do transactions with globalised companies and earn foreign direct investment in their country. Gradually, they start inviting MNCs to run their business in the markets of China. Globalization, privatization, and liberalisataion takes place in the economy of china that resuys in open market for all the MNCs. It results in a very positive manner as the China is enjoying the production and investment done by them. Individuals of China are accepting the products and services manufactures by the MNCs. They are giving equal importance to the goods of other companies then China. Human Resource Challenge It is the most impactful challenge faced by the Chinas companies. It is the major issue confronted by developing nations. Human resource management is a branch of an association that helps to fulfill the staff needs and created targets, goals, aims, objectives, etc for the same. After WTO recommendations, many national and international companies are entering into Chinas market and making plans and policies to establish their own strategies according to the culture of china. Human resource management helps china to improve the e financial development. Though it is observed by, any researchers that it is very difficult to remain recruit qualifies administrative human resource in the diversified and troublesome economy of China. It is found that the hiring of skills and talented employees for managerial profiles is one of the major challenges for the multinational firms due to many reasons (Jing, 2015). One of the major challenges in China is the arts major. For example, management is a policy and marketing is a language which in not come through practice. Here is a need to learn and study both of these aspects as they focus on the theory and perception and not on the science. In the universities of China, art major is the only subject to study. It is also found that arts is not related to other fundamental information like, information technology, mathematics, finance, accounting, etc. It is said that it is very easy for a student to pass the exams and completes the schooling with no theoretical and practical knowledge (Otmazgin, 2014). Generally in China, diploma courses are provided to the students. Addition to this, there is no training of students takes place that results in no basic knowledge. The student skills are not up to the mark and there is an absence of thinking and making decision. A survey was done on the candidates and their skills. It is observed that only 10% cand idates are considered appropriate for work in the 9 occupations like doctors, nurses, support, qualitative analysis, accountants, finances, engineers, life science, researchers, generalist, etc. The benefits to employees and framework for remuneration are a component that affects the HR management procedure of China for MNCs. A survey conducted by Watson Wyatt found that in China the local qualifies workers leaving their organizations due to superior paid work. After the emergence of WTO, the economy of china is encountering a quick advancement. The turnover rate China is also the most astounding in Asia. It has raise around 8% from the previous five years. From such incidents, the China has to understand the pay patter of the country and the development of pay rate. There is a very little remuneration and pay for the managerial staff in China and it depends on their execution in multinational organizations. Cultural challenges that influence multinational operations of Alibaba In the month of 2003, a company named as Alibaba was established by the top managers and programmers of Chinas big companies. The company was e- commerce C2C Company. In that year only, eBay entered into the market of china leading to downfall in the market value of Alibaba. As we know that. eBay is known as the goliath of e-commerce world. It was very difficult for Alibaba to compete with that company. So the mission became impossible. Alibaba was just a start up and they did not have much knowledge about the cultures and markets of china. Hence, the company is still struggling to overcome. In this example, we can understand the need to study the culture and competition before stating any business. Cultural challenges that influence multinational operations of Lenovo Lenovo is a Chinese firm that has shaped itself according to the culture, working environment, and business strategies of China. The organizational structure of the company is in the form of hierarchy which is most suitable in China in which the flow of authority flows from top to bottom. The founder of Lenovo is very much fascinated by the culture of china. Hence, this can be seen in every part of the organisation. They focused on improvement to compete with the competitors. To meet the cross cultural deviations, Lenovo has studied a lot about the environment that can influence it. Cultural integration was brought by the company through increasing the cultural awareness. Business Culture Since 1970s, the view of Chinese for MNCs have drastically changed as they invite FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) and opened the economy and worldwide MNCs, players like 3M, Coca Cola, Volkswagen, etc to began their business in China. In the year of 1980, many diverse MNCs like Motorola, NEC, Philips, etc are introduced and accepted in the country. They initiated valuing the expenses of corporate and paid no obligations of the capital imports. Continuously, the country welcomed MNCs to their nations. The people over there are using goods and services produced by MNCs. These companies (Krlik, 2014) are treated as localize firms. Customers do not make any difference between the products manufactured by domestic nation or MNCs. To do business in china, there are some points that must be remembered; business culture, negotiation process, convention, etc. they say that, think worldwide, however, act locally. The meeting in China is initiated by hand shake and a little nodding in the head. But, they usually avoid the physical contact while performing business operations. During the time of meeting, they believe that there must be full concentration, formal behavior and attentive posture that depict self-attentiveness. No individual is allowed to be casual and keep away from humor. Unlike other nations, the exchanging of goods does not have any bad impact in the culture of chinas business. Even, they believe that gifts are a good symbol of initiating any relation whether business or personal or a sweetener for future. The culture of any country also plays a major role in deciding the marketing strategy of the forms. If the market is certain then it is easy for the firm to study the marketing conditions and vice versa. The certainties of the market decide the input and output of the firm. A company can maximize its profits and sales margins trough an effective marketing strategies. That is directly related to the good analysis of the culture (Nguyen Aoyama, 2014). It also affects the financing policies f a company aboard. The areas which have higher certainties are good for the form. While the lower certainty area means low funding. Culture helps to determine the management structure that a company adopted in their organization. The highly certainties areas depict decentralization of authority while lower certainty area depict centralization of authority in the firm. Government of the country also affects the culture of any nation. Every country has some government intervention regarding doing bus iness. It can either be hospitable or hostile that totally depends on the culture. Government policies may and may not be negative or positive to the organizations (Khanna Karandikar, 2013). Cultural Influences On Various Division Culture And Firm Marketing Strategies The firm marketing strategies are highly influenced by the culture. It happens because a fir always desires to maximize it sales and (Titisari, 2012) profit levels so it should tap into the market as much as it can. It will takes place by understanding the needs of the people in which you are performing your business. It must adopt all the elements of the culture that are considered in the market of china. The marketing strategies help to decide the production capability of a firm as it affects the status of the industry. If the marketing policies and strategies are poor then the demand for the goods and services will tend to fall. Therefore, a firm should concentrate on the marketing strategies which are also cost effective in nature to maximize the profit (Savitz, Shackman, Fitzgerald, 2016). Culture And The Management Structure When a company goes multinational, then the top level of management decides the type of management they want in the organization. Culture helps to penetrate the type of market in which the firm is dealing whether it is hard or easy for the management to tackle. The management comprises of internal and external management like information of marketing and economy, cultural and social factors, legal restrictions, tariff and non- tariff, etc. management styles are also varies depending on the nature and type of production in which the organization involved. It can be formal and informal, lie or staff, centralized and decentralized, chain or line, etc. (Ramos, 2014). Culture And Production Of The Firm The cultural values of a country highly affect the production of any organisation. It is mandatory to fulfills the demand of the localize customers. The objectives of purchasing goods and services always changes according to the changes in the culture of a country. There should be direct relation (Hudson Jr., 2016) between the production of the firm and the demand of the customers. If there is a perfect match between these two variables, then the company can captures a good volume of the market (Huynh, 2016). Culture And Finance From all the possible markets, a firm has to choose a best market for its products and services. The expectation of any firm is to minimize the cost of production (Ramzy Eldahan, 2016) with an increase in the sales and profits of goods and servies. It will be calculated through the rate of return. The organization analyses the entire details including the size of firm, competitors, resources, etc. The determinant factor of this evaluation is dependent upon the cultural background o the market of china. The investment should be done before analyzing all the aspects related to the same (Hock, Clauss, Schulz, 2015). Culture And Government Relations The role of the government is vital for the organizations as they are dealing with foreign countries. It is because the policies, rules, regulations, laws, etc changes I accordance with the government. These (Kansal, 2015) all laws play an important role in making wise decision for the organization. The management should make all the transactions within the legal boundaries of a country to avoid critical situations (Dutta Pundir, 2015). Conclusion To conclude, there are various type of problems and challenges that are need to be considered while starting business. A culture has many important points for any entrepreneur who would like to venture into cross culture or foreign market as culture has a great significance on the profits and sales of the organization in the new markets. The managers must study the aspect related to do the business , its culture, analyze them whether work out in other country will be profitable or not. They also have to study the return on investment that an organization gets after an investment. A proper study of market helps to calculate the risk les in foreign business. When the culture is very diverse culture which means a complicated culture, then the company will not invest much in that country. In such countries, firms enter through intermediaries who are already layers of that country. In contrast to it, the country whose culture is less diverse and less risky, firms generally enters as a joint venture or subsidiaries. At last we can conclude that a culture is a pivot according to which the decisions making of an organization takes place. Whether to manufacture or not, how much, where, entry, exit, market, etc. it s said that the better the understanding of culture, better will be the future of that organisation. Hence, culture is the most important aspect for any business. Referencing Ahuja, I. (2014). IJICBM, 9(2), 229. https://dx.doi.org/10.1504/ijicbm.2014.064190 Jittaruttha, C. (2015). Pyramid Culture and Power Distance: Intangible Barriers Restricting Democratization. China-USA Business Review, 14(5). https://dx.doi.org/10.17265/1537-1514/2015.05.001 Craft, J. (2016). Common Thread: The Impact of Mission on Ethical Business Culture. A Case Study. J Bus Ethics. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3034-9 Dutta, D. Pundir, M. (2015). Impact of U.K Business Culture in India. Imsmanthan, 10(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.18701/imsmanthan.v10i1.5654 Hock, M., Clauss, T., Schulz, E. (2015). The impact of organizational culture on a firm's capability to innovate the business model. RD Manage, 46(3), 433-450. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/radm.12153 Hudson Jr., S. (2016). BUSINESS CULTURE: COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS AND IMPACT ON STRATEGIC GOALS. International Journal Of Advanced Research, 4(8), 661-665. https://dx.doi.org/10.21474/ijar01/1260 Huynh, K. (2016). Sales Promotion Effectiveness: The Impact of Culture on Demographic Level. IBR, 9(4), 123. https://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v9n4p123 Jiang, Y. (2013). Business Negotiation Culture in China - A Game Theoretic Approach. International Business Research, 6(3). https://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v6n3p109 Jing, G. (2015). Diagnosing Corporate Culture Construction Problems in China. IJBM, 10(6). https://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v10n6p234 Johnston, K. (2016). How does culture impact an organizations objectives?, [Online], Accessed on: 26 september 2016, Available at: https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/culture-impact-organizations-objectives-11228.html Kansal, P. (2015). Impact of Host Country Culture on Globalization of Corporate Websites. Ijmbc, 4(2). https://dx.doi.org/10.21863/ijmbc/2015.4.2.011 Khanna, M. Karandikar, M. (2013). Impact of relational collectivism on impulse buying for others. IJICBM, 7(4), 589. https://dx.doi.org/10.1504/ijicbm.2013.056664 Krlik, R. (2014). The Impact of Conflict Management on Organizational Culture in Family Business. Journal Of Intercultural Management, 6(4-2). https://dx.doi.org/10.2478/joim-2014-0054 Kurian, B. (2015). Impact of Culture on Innovativeness in IT Organizations in India. IJARBSS, 5(3). https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v5-i3/1525 Nag, A. (2011). Effects of organizational culture on employment performance, [Online], Accessed on: 26 September 2016, Available at: https://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/positive-organizational-culture Nguyen, N. Aoyama, A. (2014). Impact of Corporate Culture on the Relationship between Efficient Technology Transfer and Business Performance. Global Business Review, 15(4), 637-661. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0972150914543420 Otmazgin, N. (2014). Regionalizing culture. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Ramos, A. (2014). Impact of international careers in national innovation culture. J. For Global Business Advancement, 7(2), 163. https://dx.doi.org/10.1504/jgba.2014.063870 Ramzy, O. Eldahan, O. (2016). An Empirical Investigation of E-commerce in Egypt: The Impact of Culture on Online Purchasing. Global Business Review. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0972150916656651 Savitz, R., Shackman, J., Fitzgerald, S. (2016). The impact of national culture on corporate diversification. IJBG, 17(2), 243. https://dx.doi.org/10.1504/ijbg.2016.078409 Titisari, P. (2012). CULTURE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE WORKING PERFORMANCE OF GOVERNMENT STAFF THROUGH JOB SATISFACTION. Journal Of Economics, Business, And Accountancy | Ventura, 15(2), 219. https://dx.doi.org/10.14414/jebav.v15i2.76

Organization Analysis of NYS Dept of Taxation and Finances

Organization’s structure NYS department of taxation and finances is logically organized. In most cases, tasks are done by a team, as opposed to breaking it down to accomplished by an individual employee. In IT, working in a team is preferable to working individually.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organization Analysis of NYS Dept of Taxation and Finances specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is because software and hardware problems are sometimes complex and therefore, requires to be input from different people working in a team to come up with a proper solution. There are some bureaus where tasks are subdivided into separate jobs. In data warehousing for instance, there are those taking care of database and those whose work is programming. Jobs are grouped according to departments and sub-categories falling under departments. Departmentalization as a basis of grouping jobs together considers ba sic activities that require to be carried out for the organization to deliver required output (Baligh, 2006). Departmentalization can be done based on functions, product, geographical areas, process or customer. At NYS Dept of Taxation and finances, departmentalization is done based on functions. Activities are grouped according to work done to leverage on shared skills. Under technology management, jobs are further grouped together around a certain specialty in technology, such as database. Hence, we have database administrators under database, and network management under IT infrastructure. Chain of command is important in an organization. It help clarify reporting relationships, enhances responsibility, employees can easily acquire resources requires over the chain, and introduces simplicity (Tsukamoto, 2003). The chain of command may, however, impede free flow of information, and frustrate decision making in today’s world where decisions requires to be made faster (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2010). At NYS Dept of Taxation and finances, the chain of command is clear. The teams under each department have a higher reporting authority. For instance, in the Enterprise Storage Management where I (A. Richard ITS2 p/18) am based, we report to S. Mayo. In management, Span of control is taken to mean the number of workers reporting to a one manager (Baligh, 2006). When the span of control is narrow, the organizational structure must necessarily be hierarchical. A broad span of control produces a flat structure.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In designing the organizational structure of an organization, the biggest question remains how to come up with an optimal manager to employee’s ratio without jeopardizing productivity. NYS Dept of Taxation and finances has a narrow span of control. This is possibly because the work done is reliant on technology, which is complicated to some extent. Also, most of the work in the department is through teams. An organizational structure represents a chain of command. At the top is the senior manager who is involved in matters of strategy. The technical aspects of strategy are worked out by lower lever managers and employees (Joyce Woods, 2001). Major decision making lies with the senior manager who in the case of NYS Dept of Taxation and finances is the assistant director ITS. Further down in the structure, heads of divisions of the bureaus are involved in decision making. Public organization normally operates in a very formal way as opposed to small businesses and upstarts. Upstarts works best in a less formal way, because their products or services are usually innovative (Daft, 2010). As the organization becomes big, it increases in complexity, because it also produces complex products and services. For an organization such as NYS Dept of Taxation and finances, rules and regulat ions are important to direct managers and employees. The IT department requires general directions as opposed to specific rules to follow. This is because IT requires a healthy dose of creative thinking for the simple reason that technology keeps on changing very fast (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson, 2011). Regulations should be imposed to the extent the department’s goals, such as security, are achieved. Technology Much of the stride made in increasing productivity in the workplace is as a result of adopting new technologies. Technology is now one of the hottest topics in the world of business. All organizations, large or small, are racing to adopt the latest technology in what they do as a business. In an organization process, a new technology is likely to increase efficiency and hence boost profitability. For example, adopting information process in tax collection process will help tax department achieve the cannons of taxation, such as economy and convenience. In a sales proces s, customers can easily acquire goods and services. Therefore, technology generally makes things easier for the businesses. Although adopting new, emerging, and relevant technologies is smart, it may nevertheless cause problems in organization processes. A new technology portends change, and people are afraid of change. The problems that technology may cause to a specific organization process are essentially problems related to employee’s inability to fit in a new environment driven a new technology.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organization Analysis of NYS Dept of Taxation and Finances specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More If for instance a new technology was introduced to drive sales, products sold may initially go down before picking up or exceeding previous levels. In tax collection, adopting internet technologies in filing returns may lead to delays in filing returns initially, but later the p roblem does not recur as people learn. Adopting a new technology may render workers redundant. Offloading excessive employees is good, but unemployment increases. A simple technology such as personal computer has the potential to change an organization that does not use computers massively. The same case applies to a goods producing company that adopts computer-aided manufacturing. By adopting the right communication technologies, it’s possible for a large organization to have a larger span of control in its structure without compromising productivity. Technology can also make the relationship between employees and managers more engaging. In general, implanting a technology and information systems have the ability to introduce change in an organization completely (Mangham Mangham, 1987). An erstwhile inefficient organization can, through technology, become very efficient. There are those entrenched cultures that are difficult t change except by adapting new technology. Adopt ing internet and communication technologies may, for instance, enhance communication and dialogue between employees and the management in an organization where this kind of communication was absent. Technology can enhance interpersonal relationship or increase distance between employer and employees (Finlay, 2000). For example, it’s possible for the manager to keep communicating often with a team leader at the head f the project through video. In the same breath, lack of direct face-to-face communication lacks the characteristic human quality that makes people truly bond. Also, internet and communication technologies make it possible to stay connected throughout. This makes it easier to do business and monitor employees. Implementing a new technology is an involving process. Training is required to familiarize employees on the new technology, and it’s a process that requires a lot of resources (Haberberg Rieple, 2007). Training is also required to change the attitudes of employees, not just increasing their technical competence to handle the technology (Clegg, 1990). The success envisaged on implementation of the technology depends partly on the cooperation of employees. Implementing a new technology may require additional extra equipments which the company must acquire. As noted earlier, technology brings change, which may be reason for adopting the technology in the first place (Alkhafaji, 2003). In that case, change management is important. Leadership is also required.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Environment NYS Dept of Taxation and finances is a public institution which interacts with a lot of players, both inside and outside the organization. All these players have competing interests. The biggest problem the organization encounter is how to keep everybody happy. Tax payers expect fast and efficient service. Anything less than that will lead to complains. Government authorities also expect people to get minimum quality of service and anything less than that is unacceptable to it. Other players also have their own demands as well as expectations that must be considered. There is also the scrutiny from the media and other consumer rights groups. This put the department under tremendous pressure. Strategy is developed in response to the results of analysis of the internal environment as well as external environment (Burack, 1975). As such, therefore, it’s the senior manager who pays attention to the forces in the environment. Once the forces are identified, appropriate actions can be instituted. The lower cadre employees are the ones responsible for execution of strategy as developed by the management. NYS Dept of Taxation and finances plays the important role of dealing with taxes. Such a role is necessarily sensitive and the department must be efficient. Deploying the right technology, and doing so flawlessly is a strategic action that must be hatched by the top management, but executed by the lower cadre technical staff (Thompson Martin, 2010). Most of the difficulties that the department face or may face stem from their operational efficiency or lack of it. To provide superior service, the first they need is to continually deploy the latest technology in information and internet technology. The management should also set up a strong consumer service/public relation department to engage outside parties. Perceptions can be changed or modified. The best way to do this is by engaging those likely to change or sway public opinion. The department also has a number of unfilled vacancies. There is no reason why they should continue to be vacant. Integration The department is in the business of collecting taxes and managing finances, as well as providing support infrastructure for doing the same. The work is divided according to functions. Specific functions are carried out by employees hired for that purposes. They could be programmers or database administrators. NYS Dept of Taxation and finances has a logical organization structure with a narrow span of control. It is easy to manager employees. Also, the employees can communicate easily among the management through the internet. A challenging job done well gives immense satisfaction. Some of the tasks there are accomplished in a team. Working in a team is very rewarding. Another reward is of course the salary the employees get. The various bureaus have persons mandated to manage them. These managers themselves are answerable to senior managers at the top. Through these leader s, the whole department is intact and can execute its mandate. Internet and communication technologies are deployed to help coordinate the functions of the department. References Alkhafaji, A. F. (2003). Strategic management: formulation, implementation, and control in a dynamic environment. New York: Haworth Press. Baligh, H. H. (2006). Organization structures theory and design, analysis and prescription. New York: Springer. Burack, E. H. (1975). Organization analysis: theory and applications. Hinsdale, Ill.: Dryden Press. Clegg, S. (1990). Organization theory and class analysis: new approaches and new issues. Berlin: W. de Gruyter. Daft, R. L. (2010). Organization theory and design (10th ed.). Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. Dess, G. G., Lumpkin, G. T., Eisner, A. B. (2010). Strategic management: creating competitive advantages (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Finlay, P. N. (2000). Strategic management: an introduction to business and corporate strategy. New Y ork: Pearson Education. Haberberg, A., Rieple, A. (2007). Strategic management: theory and application. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E. (2011). Strategic management: competitiveness globalization : concepts (9th ed.). Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning. Joyce, P., Woods, A. (2001). Strategic management: a fresh approach to developing skills, knowledge and creativity. London: Kogan Page. Mangham, I. L., Mangham, I. L. (1987). Organization analysis and development: a social construction of organizational behaviour. Chichester [West Sussex: Wiley. Thompson, J. L., Martin, F. (2010). Strategic management (6th ed.). Andover: Cengage Learning. Tsukamoto, S. (2003). Human nature and organization theory: on the economic approach to institutional organization. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. This research paper on Organization Analysis of NYS Dept of Taxation and Finances was written and submitted by user Damarion U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

16 Essays - Films, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

Myisha Hassan 2/22/16 Essays - Films, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas Myisha Hassan 2/22/16 626 ELA Holocaust Essay In class, we have been learning about one of the darkest moments in world history - the Holocaust. We have read and analyzed the historical fiction text, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas , by John Boyne. We have also read and analyzed various non-fiction texts, examined propaganda posters, analyzed photos, and also listened to and analyzed various eye-witness testimonies. We have come to understand that the Holocaust was one of the worst genocides in world history during which time six million Jews, and millions of others, were systematically murdered by Nazi Germany. There are many central themes throughout the novel and the author utilizes it through the main characters of the story. Innocence is an important theme throughou t the novel. Although Bruno and Shmuel share a certain childlike innocence, the reality is that Shmuel is a prisoner in Auschwitz and has certainly seen horrific sights. Bruno, on the other hand, is fiercely protected by his parents who do not want him to know about the horrors of the reality that is the Holocaust; in particular, they go to great lengths to keep the details of Bruno's father's job a secret from him. The juxtaposition of such innocence with the inherent evil of the Holocaust sets a disturbing tone. This theme increases the idea that hatred and prejudice are learned behaviors. A nother significant theme in the novel is friendship. The desire for friendship is universal and at no time is it more important than during childhood. Bruno and Shmuel exist in two completely different worlds but share a connected desire for f riendship during a difficult and lonely time. In spite of differences , Bruno and Shmuel have a meaningful friendship. As their friendship develops, it is teste d on many occasions as the boys are lead to their individual realities. When Shmuel is brought to Bruno's house to work as a servant, Bruno denies knowing him and giving him food; consequently, Shmuel is punished for stealing food (which Bruno had given him). Both boys know that they would be in terrible trouble if anyone were to find out about their friendship so they keep it a secret. Ultimately, the boys unknowingly march to their death hand in hand with no one in the world but each other. The theme of human nature also proves to be central to the story. Readers will question how Bruno's father and sister, along with so many other Germans, can be such loyal believers in the Nazi propaganda while Bruno remains compassionate and even, some might argue , to the same ideas. Bruno and Shmuel represent all that is kind and noble in humans as well as the potential that they have to do well. Interchangeably , Bruno's father and Lieutenant Kotler reveal man's capacity for evil. The novel points out the choice humans must make regarding how they treat others. On a similar note, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas also considers the dangers of obedience and people's objection to take a stand in the face of misery. As you can see, John Boyne has developed many important themes during the reader read the novel. The author utilized the main characters in order to convey the central theme of the text. The themes innocence, friendship , and human nature have a huge impact on Bruno as well as other characters throughout the novel. Bruno and Shmuel had the same innocence in the beginning of the novel, they did not know why they were on two different sides of the huge tall fence.

The Millionaire Next Door Expert Summary, Critique, and Review

The Millionaire Next Door Expert Summary, Critique, and Review SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Thomas Stanley and William Danko didn’t expect The Millionaire Next Door, their case study of America’s millionaires, to become a huge bestseller. Both academics at the University of Georgia, they set out to learn about the habits and lifestyles of the nation’s highest earners, not to write a personal finance bible. Readers were blown away by Stanley and Danko’s findings, though, namely that most millionaires don’t own fancy cars or throw lavish yacht parties. On the contrary, they live by principles of â€Å"thrift, low status, discipline, low consumption, risk, and very hard work.† From this book, many readers realized that the dream of amassing over $1 million was not as out of reach as they had thought. Stanley and Danko’s 1996 bestseller can still teach us a lot about personal finance today, but it also falls short in a few key ways. Read on for a full summary and critique of The Millionaire Next Door. The Millionaire Next Door: Summary What do you picture when you hear the word â€Å"millionaire†? Sprawling mansions in Beverly Hills? Fancy restaurants, antique cars, and weekend trips to St. Bart’s? According to Stanley and Danko, real millionaires look nothing like the extravagant stereotypes in our cultural imagination. Instead, they’re more likely than not to be your next-door neighbors who live in their starter home and have been driving the same used Volvo for the past ten years. Most millionaires, they discovered, gradually amassed their wealth over time. Many of the people surveyed in The Millionaire Next Door owned a so-called â€Å"dull-normal† small business. They were â€Å"welding contractors, auctioneers, rice farmers, owners of mobile-home parks, pest controllers, coin and stamp dealers, and paving contractors." How did these people with a relatively ordinary income become millionaires? They all saved a larger-than-average proportion of their earnings by keeping consumption costs low and making early investments. By the time Stanley and Danko interviewed them to explore the secrets of the millionaire mind, these people had a net worth between $1 million and $10 million. The authors focused on this bracket, because, at the time of writing, 95% of the country’s millionaires had between $1 million and $10 million. Out of all American households, only 3.5% were classified as millionaires. That means that only 5% of that 3.5% had wealth totaling greater than $10 million. Our images of private jets and shiny yachts, therefore, only apply to a tiny population of people and not to the â€Å"average† millionaire. Because the majority of people in The Millionaire Next Door did not inherit their wealth, the authors concluded that â€Å"this level of wealth can be attained in one generation. It can be attained by many Americans.† This optimistic premise is one reason that so many readers embraced the book when it was published and still do today. Let’s look closer at the book’s driving thesis. William and Danko found that most millionaires owned "dull-normal" businesses, like mobile-home parks or welding companies. The Millionaire Next Door: Main Premise The main premise of The Millionaire Next Door can be found right in its title - the average millionaire could be anyone’s next door neighbor. Most of the country’s millionaires don’t look the part, or, at least, they don't look like we imagine they do. When we think about the lifestyles of millionaires, we have an unrealistic and flawed view. Most members of the millionaire's club aren’t flashy spenders working superstar jobs. They’re not lottery winners or movie stars dropping $6k on the regular for table service at nightclubs. In fact, Stanley and Danko consider people who spend a lot on non-essentials to be â€Å"UAWs,† or under accumulators of wealth. Their net worth ends up being less than it should be as a result of all their spending. On the contrary, the vast majority of the country’s millionaires live cautiously and modestly. They have a decent income, but they choose to live well below their means. Because of their careful, intentional budgeting, they become â€Å"PAWs,† or prodigious accumulators of wealth. They have a greater net worth than you would expect because they keep their costs so low. In the end, The Millionaire Next Door shows that most of the country’s millionaires are PAWs with higher than average, but by no means superstar-level, incomes. The book clears away some of the aura around the word, millionaire, and suggests that it’s more attainable than most people realize. Is this is a realistic message for the book to impart to its readers? According to the authors, someone with a flashy car might be an Under-Accumulator of Wealth (UAW), because they spent large portions of their money. The Millionaire Next Door: Full Critique Stanley and Danko are technically spot on when they reframe our thinking about what it means to be a millionaire. If we define â€Å"millionaire† as an individual with a net worth of $1 million or more, then we’ll find that the vast majority of millionaires don’t have stratospheric net worth. Rather, most just make the one million dollar cutoff or go a little beyond, and they got there by saving and investing a higher-than-average percentage of their income. Because superstar earners are so few and far between, the vast majority of us are not going to become rich that way. We should avoid â€Å"get rich quick† schemes and not include â€Å"become a movie star† or â€Å"get recruited by the NFL† in our personal finance plans. Instead, we should learn from this book’s realistic assessment about how most millionaires amassed their wealth. Their commitment to hard work and early investments, along with their aversion to excessive consumerism, forged a path to financial independence. If you’re serious about saving money and working toward financial security, then this steady approach is the most likely path. Of course, not everyone who lives by principles of thrift, hard work, and under consumption will become a millionaire. But most people who have become millionaires abided by those values. At the same time, these lifestyle choices are not necessarily what most readers have in mind when they say they want to be a millionaire. Read on to learn more about the weak points in The Millionaire Next Door. Most millionaires didn't amass their fortune from a get-rich-quick scheme. Where the Book Falls Short: 2 Major Weaknesses Stanley and Danko challenge conventional ideas about what it means to be a millionaire, but they have too extreme an emphasis on low consumption. Their conclusions, furthermore, are not as revelatory as they seem at first glance when you consider the statistics behind their work. Read on to learn more about both of these weak points in The Millionaire Next Door. #1: It Over-Emphasizes Low Consumption Many readers buy this book because they want to learn about how to become a millionaire. The book offers a potential path: careful savings, long-term investments, and lifestyle choices that include staying in a starter home and driving a used car. But is this what most people mean when they say they want to be a millionaire? Probably not. A lot of readers want their quality of life to improve along with their net worth, rather than having money invested in assets while their day-to-day lives remain exactly the same. As Felix Dennis, author of How to Get Rich, asks, would you rather have no money in the bank, but a fairy that pays for everything you buy, or have one billion dollars in the bank, but never be allowed to touch it? Most of us would choose the fairy. Stanley and Danko, however, veer a little too close to the second scenario as they stress the importance of self-denial. Their thrifty definition of being a millionaire is not relevant to the wants and needs of many people. While their definition can usefully reframe our thinking about what it means to be a millionaire, it also has its limitations. As writer, trader, and risk analyst Nassim Taleb says, â€Å"I see no special heroism in accumulating money, particularly if, in addition, the person is foolish enough to not even try to derive any tangible benefit from the wealth...I certainly do not see the point of becoming [a millionaire] if I were to adopt Spartan (even miserly) habits and live in my starter house." Part of the reason that the authors focus so much on â€Å"next door millionaires† is that they technically represent the â€Å"average† millionaire. Most millionaires have something like $1 million and not $10 million, and most saved this sum from hard work and thrift. But when readers say they want to be a millionaire, are they necessarily focusing on the lifestyle of the â€Å"average† millionaire? It’s almost like you said you wanted to get a Ferrari, and the book told you that most Ferrari owners got their car in the Hot Wheels section of Toys R Us. While this might technically be true (the stat includes everyone from age three to age 93), it’s not what you had in mind when you said you wanted a Ferrari. You didn’t want to take an average of all Ferrari owners, six-year-olds included, but rather wanted to use much narrower and more personalized parameters, like adult owners of real cars who have a similar financial profile as you. Stanley and Danko offer a potentially fruitful path toward becoming a millionaire, but it’s one that may not appeal or apply to all readers. The second weakness in this book has to do with its overall conclusions. From a mathematical standpoint, the book states some rather obvious statistics. Read on to learn why. The book's characterization of what it takes to become a millionaire are a bit too Puritanical for some people's tastes. #2: Its Conclusions Are Not All That Surprising Part of this book’s popularity has to do with its so-called surprising findings about what it means to be a millionaire. Millionaires aren’t tucked away behind security gates on their own private tropical islands, the book insists. They live right next to you and me! From a mathematical standpoint, though, the conclusion that most millionaires amassed their wealth through high saving, rather than high earning, is not astonishing. On the contrary, it’s totally predictable. To understand why, first, consider this representative example involving people and hats of various heights. Let’s say we want to learn more about people who are nine-feet tall. In our scenario, we’ll count hats as part of the height. In this scatterplot, you have people of various heights along the x-axis and hats of various heights along the y-axis. Hat heights are evenly distributed, but the number of people above six feet drops off rapidly. Heights and Hats: Diagram 1 Now let’s look at the people who are nine feet or taller, hats included. Above this line, everyone is nine feet or taller, while everyone below it is less than nine feet. Heights and Hats: Diagram 2 As you can see, there are a lot more people who hit the nine-foot mark because they’re wearing a hat. Only one person is nine feet on his own without a hat, because there are so few nine-foot tall people wandering the earth. Now, we’re not really talking about heights and hats; we’re talking about income and savings rates. Let’s use this same scatterplot to learn about people who have $1 million or more. Do they make a high income, or do they just have a high savings rate (or, as the analogy goes, wear a tall hat)? Here, income is represented along the x-axis and the rate of savings is represented along the y-axis. Income and Savings Rates: Diagram 1 Now let’s estimate a line through the data so that we’re roughly focusing on everyone with a net worth of $1 million or higher. Income and Savings Rates: Diagram 2 Just as there are only a few 8-foot tall people, there are also only a few people with incomes close to $1 million or higher. The rate that people save their money, rather than how much they earn, is much more evenly distributed across income levels. When you look at the way income levels rapidly extinguish as you get closer to a million, you can conclude that it’s a lot more common for people to accumulate $1 million or more by significantly raising their savings rate than by boosting their income into the six digits. This math shows us that most millionaires amassed their fortune through saving a lot. While this is useful to know, it’s not necessarily as revelatory as the marketers of The Millionaire Next Door have made it seem. By simply looking at the numbers, you can figure out on your own that most millionaires became wealthy by spending little and saving a lot. Given this mixed review of The Millionaire Next Door, what’s the final verdict? Should you read this book? The hats in the example above are a metaphor, as hats so often are. Reader’s Choice: Should You Read The Millionaire Next Door? All in all, The Millionaire Next Door has a lot to teach us about the choices and lifestyles of the average millionaire in the US. Whether or not it’s the most enlightening book for you largely depends on what you’re looking for. Is your main financial goal to save over $1 million in the bank and assets while spending little? If so, then this book will be right up your alley. Or would you rather spend well on things that you enjoy, but not necessarily go over the tipping point from $900k to $1 million? If this sounds like you, then this book may not apply as well to your financial goals. It's also important to remember that this book came from a study of the nation's millionaires. It's valuable and interesting for those who want insight into how others accumulate wealth rather than tips for how to do it themselves. In closing, let’s go over the main takeaways from The Millionaire Next Door. Remember that The Millionaire Next Door came from the studies of two academics. It wasn't meant to be a how-to guide for your personal finances. The Millionaire Next Door: Final Takeaways The Millionaire Next Door offers several lessons that endure for people today. To responsibly manage your finances, you generally want to save more, spend less, and avoid debt that you can’t afford. You should also take advantage of compound interest growth by making smart investments early in life. At the same time, you won’t find much discussion of quality of life or increasing your spending in a sustainable way in these pages. After all, it was not originally meant to be a personal finance guide, but rather an in-depth study of the nation’s millionaires. The book does not promise that anyone who saves and invests will become a millionaire, nor does it discuss social realities of inequity and privilege. You should read with a critical eye, so that you don’t come away with an overly idealized view of economic mobility or forget that some people experience barriers to wealth while others have more doors open. Ultimately, the book's lessons about what it means to be a millionaire can be useful for anyone who is trying to set financial goals and find realistic ways to work toward them. Readers will need to strike their own balance between self-denial and consumption as they take control of their personal finances.

Seminar in criminology - Discussion 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminar in criminology - Discussion 10 - Essay Example However, it cannot be determined chiefly by looking at the offender’s arrest data. The drawback is that not all forms of crimes get recorded in official police documents. Nonetheless, by measuring the time that has elapsed until the offender committed another crime is one of the ways of measuring recidivism and has no drawback. Interviewing the offender to establish whether he or she has committed more crimes after enrolling in a probation program is also helpful. The drawback is that the offender may lie. Another way to measure would be to make charts of the new offenses that the offender commits over the amount of time that elapses. Lastly, making an analysis of the criminal events that the offender carries out such as violations, convictions and new arrests is also helpful. The drawback in this case is that not all offenders get arrested based on truthful causes. Burgess found that those offenders who had no favorable items and those who had nine unfavorable items were the ones who were not likely to succeed while on probation (Thistlethwaite & Wooldredge, 2014). On page 294, it is evident that Burgess found that they only had a 45% chance of succeeding (Thistlethwaite & Wooldredge,

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Assignment

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Reporting Standards Have Impacted Significantly on the Reporting - Assignment Example This paper focuses on the requirements of U.K. companies for representing financial statement while maintaining some accounting standards and company laws as well as the comparison of financial reporting standards of U.K with that of USA. The current requirements for the reporting of the financial performance of companies in the U.K. In June 2002 the European Union adopted the International Accounting Standards (IAS). For this reason the listed companies in European Union (EU) security market including banks and insurance companies have to prepare their financial statements in accordance with International Financing Reporting Standards. United Kingdom is one the members of EU. For that the U.K. companies have been following the rules and regulation of IFRS since 2005 (Delloitte, 2012). Under the U.K. Companies Act 2006, the directors of the company have to prepare financial statement according to the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). Under this company law the direct ors have to approve their financial statement by considering that, the statements give the exact and original value (Harthorn & King, 2011, p.70). Director’s report should include the analysis using the key performance indicators and these things indicate the information’s of environmental and employee matters (Elwin & Hirst, 2006, p. 2). There are various operating and regulatory bodies like Financial Reporting Council, Accounting Standard Board, Auditing Practice Board, Accounting and Actuarial Discipline Board. These are involved in setting up the requirements for financial reporting of a company. Financial reporting exposure draft (a document released by Financial Accounting Standard Board) indicates the presentation of information about the company’s financial performance in both the primary statement and supporting notes. It was a proposal, issued in the year of 1992. When the new proposal implemented, it has changed some existing requirements of financial reporting for the companies of U.K. The proposal was made for the advancement of financial reporting standards in some below mentioned field (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 3-7). 1. The profit and loss account and the total gain & loss statement are combined to form a single financial indicator. 2. The above mentioned statement will indicate all the gains and losses during the time period in which the statement was made. 3. The company should divide the statement in to three parts a. Operating b. financing and treasury c. Other gains and losses 4. While preparing the performance statement for a particular period the amount of dividend paid to the share holders does not get included in that. (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 11-12) 5. Balance sheets, income statements, retain earning statements and cash flow statements are the four types of primary statement. Primary statement should consider the ownership interest (Primary Financial Statement). Financial Reporting Exposur e Draft (FRED) proposes that Earning Per Share (EPS), dividends for a particular period should be mentioned as a memorandum items. These items are shown in the balance sheet but these things are not added in the final total. A letter note including reserves note and note of gains and losses in past days are made optional for the companies

The Cold War Essay Example for Free

The Cold War Essay It was in the latter part of the 1960s when America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration succeeded in landing a manned mission on the moon. But this event is not enough to define the 60s; it was the Cold War between the USSR and the United States of America that can rightfully make this claim. A closer look into the motivations behind the space program will reveal that the driving force was President Kennedy’s desire to show the world that the American way of life is better than what communism has to offer. In 1960, Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet Russia’s commander-in-chief declared that America’s grandchildren would live under communism† (Shapiro, 2004). In 1963 America was in the brink of a nuclear war with the USSR. The Cuban Missile Crisis was averted only at the last minute. Both Russia and the United States were determined to show the whole world which ideology was the best (Westad, 2007). It is a good thing that both nations were evenly matched and so the world was spared another global war. But since Khrushchev made that UN speech, Americans could never rest easy. Although there were no Russian-made nuclear warheads that found its way into American soil, people still live in dread. According to Shapiro, â€Å"We constructed mock air raids in our schools; we engineered civil defense plans to expedite evacuations of metropolitan areas, we built up our military forces and armament† (2004). In short the Cold War consumed the whole of the United States and its impact will be felt three decades later.a

Lifes Many Obstacles - Catcher :: essays research papers

Life’s Many Obstacles   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In J. D. Salinger’s â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye† the protagonist, Holden, is faced with many obstacles. Like most tragic heroes, he is a man who is reasonably happy at the beginning of the tragedy, but as the tragedy develops, some failure in his personality begins to affect events, so that his progress is a movement from happiness to misery. The ultimate misery results from his final awareness of his personalities limits or failures. Much of Holden’s misery is a result of his inability to successfully handle particular problems regarding adolescence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Holden’s loneliness and overall low self-esteem are the primary adolescent motivaters for his breakdown. Holden’s general need for female companionship leads him to a reasonably accurate self-analysis: he thinks that he is the â€Å"biggest sex maniac you ever saw,† but later admits that he really doesn’t understand sex or know much about it. Holden, however, finds himself feeling rather â€Å"horny† and decides to call upon the service of Faith Cavendish. She â€Å"wasn’t exactly a whore or anything but she didn’t mind doing it once in a while...† Holden feels this experience will thrust him into what he considers the adult world. The conversation with Faith was a long one but inevitably led to nothing. An incursion into the adult world, or what Holden considers it to be, had been thwarted. In part, the failure happens because he doesn’t really know the rules, and also because loneliness is not a subs titute for experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Habitual lying is a trait not only found in adolescence but also in people of all ages. It is sometimes generated from a lack of self-esteem, boredom and self-preservation. Holden exaggerates many truths not out of a conscious decision to deceive, but rather to lend emphasis to facts he is unsure of as when he states, â€Å"Pencey Prep advertises in about a thousand magazines.† However, Holden also has no convictions against telling outright untruths if he can come out for the better on the other side of the exchange. â€Å"I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It’s awful. If I’m on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I’m going, I’m liable to say I’m going to the opera. It’s terrible. So when I told old Spencer I had to go to the gym to get my equipment and stuff, that was a sheer lie.

Haptic Technology Essay

Haptic is the â€Å"science of applying tactile sensation to human interaction with computers†. The sensation of touch is the brains most effective learning mechanism –more effective than seeing or hearing –which is why the new technology holds so much promise as a teaching tool. With this technology we can now sit down at a computer terminal and touch objects that exists on â€Å"mind† of the computer. By using special input/output devices (joysticks, data gloves or other devices),users can receive feedback from computer applications in the form of felt sensations in the hand or other parts of the body. In combination with a visual display, Haptic technology can be used to train people for tasks requiring hand- eye coordinatio , such as surgery and spaceship maneuvers. In our paper we have discussed the basic concepts behind haptics along with the haptic devices and how these devices are interacted to produce sense of touch and force feedback mechanisms. Then, we move on to a few applications of Haptic Technology. Finally we conclude by mentioning a few future developments. Introduction: Haptic technology, or haptics, is a tactile feedback technology which takes advantage of the sense of touch by applying forces,vibrations or motions to the user.This mechanical stimulation can be used to assist in the creation of virtual objects in a computer simulation, to control such virtual objects, and to enhance the remote control of machines and devices (telerobotics). It has been described as â€Å"doing for the sense of touch what computer graphics does for vision†. Haptic devices may incorporate tactile sensors that measure forces exerted by the user on the interface. Haptic technology has made it possible to investigate how the human sense of touch works by allowing the creation of carefully controlled haptic virtual objects. These objects are used to systematically probe human haptic capabilities, which would otherwise be difficult to achieve. These research tools contribute to the understanding of how touch and its underlying brain functions work. The word haptic, from the Greek á ¼â€¦Ãâ‚¬Ãâ€žÃŽ ¹ÃŽ ºÃÅ'Ï‚ (haptikos), means pertaining to the sense of touch and comes from the Greek verb á ¼â€¦Ãâ‚¬Ãâ€žÃŽ µÃÆ'ÃŽ ¸ÃŽ ±ÃŽ ¹haptesthai, meaning to contact or to touch. WHAT IS HAPTICS Haptics is Quite Literally The Science of Touch. The origin of the word haptics is the Greek haptikos, meaning able to grasp or perceive. Haptic sensations are created in consumer devices by actuators, or motors, which create a vibration. Those vibrations are managed and controlled by embedded software, and integrated into device user interfaces and applications via the embedded control software APIs. You’ve probably experienced haptics in many of the consumer devices that you use every day. The rumble effect in your console game controller and the reassuring touch vibration you receive on your smartphone dial pad are both examples of haptic effects. In the world of mobile devices, computers, consumer electronics, and digital devices and controls, meaningful haptic information is frequently limited or missing. For example, when dialing a number or entering text on a conventional touchscreen without haptics, users have no sense of whether they’ve successfully completed a task.With Immersion’s haptic technology, users feel the vibrating force or resistance as they push a virtual button, scroll through a list or encounter the end of a menu. In a video or mobile game with haptics, users can feel the gun recoil, the engine rev, or the crack of the bat meeting the ball. When simulating the placement of cardiac pacing leads, a user can feel the forces that would be encountered when navigating the leads through a beating heart, providing a more realistic experience of performing this procedure. Haptics can enhance the user experience through: * Improved Usability: By restoring the sense of touch to otherwise flat, cold surfaces, haptics creates fulfilling multi-modal experiences that improve usability by engaging touch, sight and sound. From the confidence a user receives through touch confirmation when selecting a virtual button to the contextual awareness they receive through haptics in a first person shooter game, haptics improves usability by more fully engaging the user’s senses. * Enhanced Realism: Haptics injects a sense of realism into user experiences by exciting the senses and allowing the user to feel the action and nuance of the application. This is particularly relevant in applications like games or simulation that rely on only visual and audio inputs. The inclusion of tactile feedback provides additional context that translates into a sense of realism for the user. * Restoration of Mechanical Feel: Today’s touchscreen-driven devices lack the physical feedback that humans frequently need to fully understand the context of their interactions. By providing users with intuitive and unmistakable tactile confirmation, haptics can create a more confident user experience and can also improve safety by overcoming distractions. This is especially important when audio or visual confirmation is insufficient, such as industrial applications, or applications that involve distractions, such as automotive navigation. HISTORY OF HAPTICS In the early 20th century, psychophysicists introduced the word haptic to label the subfield of their studies that addressed human touch-based perception and manipulation. In the 1970s and 1980s, significant research efforts in a completely different field,robotics also began to focus on manipulation and perception by touch. Initiallyconcerned with building autonomous robots, researchers soon found that building adexterous robotic hand was much more complex and subtle than their initial naive hopeshad suggested. In time these two communities, one that sought to understand the human hand and one that aspired to create devices with dexterity inspired by human abilities found fertile mutual interest in topics such as sensory design and processing, grasp control andmanipulation, object representation and haptic information encoding, and grammars for describing physical tasks. In the early 1990s a new usage of the word haptics began to emerge. The confluence of several emerging technologi es made virtualized haptics, or computer haptics possible. Much like computer graphics, computer haptics enables the display of simulated objectsto humans in an interactive manner. However, computer haptics uses a display technology through which objects can be physically palpated. Basic system configuration. Basically a haptic system consist of two parts namely the human part and the machine part. In the figure shown above, the human part (left) senses and controls the position of the hand, while the machine part (right) exerts forces from the hand to simulate contact with a virtual object. Also both the systems will be provided with necessary sensors, processors and actuators. In the case of the human system, nerve receptors performs sensing, brain performs processing and m-uscles performs actuation of the motion performed by the hand while in the case of the machine system, the above mentioned functions are performed by the encoders, computer and motors respectively. Haptic Information Basically the haptic information provided by the system will be the combination of (i)Tactile information and (ii) Kinesthetic information. Tactile information refers the information acquired by the sensors which are actually connected to the skin of the human body with a particular reference to the spatial distribution of pressure, or more generally, tractions, across the contact area .For example when we handle flexible materials like fabric and paper, we sense the pressure variation across the fingertip. This is actually a sort of tactile information .Tactile sensing is also the basis of complex perceptual tasks like medical palpation ,where physicians locate hidden anatomical structures and evaluate tissue properties using their hands. Kinesthetic information refers to the information acquired through the sensors in the joints. Interaction forces are normally perceived through a combination of these two information’s. Creation of Virtual environment (Virtual reality) Virtual reality is the technology which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, whether that environment is a simulation of the real world or an imaginary world. Most current virtual reality environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through special or stereoscopic displays, but some simulations include additional sensory information, such as sound through speakers or headphones. Some advanced haptic systems now include tactile information, generally known as force feedback, in medical and gaming applications. Users can interact with a virtual environment or a virtual artifact (VA)either through the use of standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices such as a wired glove, the Polhemus boom arm, and omnidirectional treadmill. The simulated environment can be similar to the real world, for example, simulations for pilot or combat training, or it can differ significantly from reality, as in VR games. In practice, it is currently very difficult to create a high-fidelity virtual reality experience, due to largely technical limitations on processing power,image resolution and communication bandwidth. However, those limitations are expected to eventually be overcome as processor, imaging and data communication technologies become more powerful and cost-effective over time. Virtual Reality is often used to describe a wide variety of applications, commonly associated with its immersive, highly visual, 3D environments. The development of CAD software, graphics hardware acceleration, head mounted displays; database gloves and miniaturization have helped popularize the motion.The most successful use of virtual reality is generated 3-D simulators. The pilots use flight simulators. These flight simulators have designed just like cockpit of the airplanes or the helicopter. The screen in front of the pilot creates virtual environment and the trainers outside the simulators commands the simulator for adopt different modes. The pilots are trained to control the planes indifferent difficult situations and emergency landing. The simulator provides the environment. These simulators cost millions of dollars. Virtual environment The virtual reality games are also used almost in the same fashion. The player has to wear special gloves, headphones, goggles, full body wearing and special sensory input devices. The player feels that he is in the real environment. The special goggles have monitors to see. The environment changes according to the moments of the player. These games are very expensive. Haptic Feedback Virtual reality (VR) applications strive to simulate real or imaginary scenes with which users can interact and perceive the effects of their actions in real time. Ideally the user interacts with the simulation via all five senses. However, today’s typical VR applications rely on a smaller subset, typically vision, hearing, and more recently, touch. Figure below shows the structure of a VR application incorporating visual, auditory, and haptic feedback. Haptic Feedback Block Diagram The application’s main elements are:1) The simulation engine, responsible for computing the virtual environments Behaviour over time;2) Visual, auditory, and haptic rendering algorithms, which compute the virtual Environment’s graphic, sound, and force responses toward the user; and3) Transducers, which convert visual, audio, and force signals from the Computer into a form the operator can perceive. The human operator typically holds or wears the haptic interface device and perceives audiovisual feedback from audio (computer speakers, headphones, and so on) and visual displays (for example a computer screen or head-mounted display).Whereas audio and visual channels feature unidirectional information and energy flow (from the simulation engine toward the user), the haptic modality exchanges information and energy in two directions, from and toward the user. This bi-directionality is often referred to as the single most important feature of the haptic interaction modality. HAPTIC DEVICES A haptic device is the one that provides a physical interface between the user and the virtual environment by means of a computer. This can be done through an input/ output device that senses the body’s movement, such as joystick or data glove. By using haptic devices, the user can not only feed information to the computer but can also receive information from the computer in the form of a felt sensation on some part of the body. This is referred to as a haptic interface. These devices can be broadly classified into:- a)Virtual reality/ Tele-robotics based devices:- Exoskeletons and Stationary device, Gloves and wearable devices, Point-source and Specific task devices, Locomotion Interfaces b) Feedback devices:- Force feedback devices, Tactile displays Virtual reality/Tele-robotics based devices:- Exoskeletons and Stationary devices: The term exoskeleton refers to the hard outer shell that exists on many creatures. In a technical sense, the word refers to a system that covers the user or the user has to wear. Current haptic devices that are classified as exoskeletons are large and immobile systems that the user must attach him or her to. Gloves and wearable devices: These devices are smaller exoskeleton-like devices that are often, but not always, take the down by a large exoskeleton or other immobile devices. Since the goal of building a haptic system is to be able to immerse a user in the virtual or remote environment and it is important to provide a small remainder of the user’s actual environment as possible. The drawback of the wearable systems is that since weight and size of the devices are a concern, the systems will have more limited sets of capabilities. Point sources and specific task devices: This is a class of devices that are very specialized for performing a particular given task. Designing a device to perform a single type of task restricts the application of that device to a much smaller number of functions. However it allows the designer to focus the device to perform its task extremely well. These task devices have two general forms, single point of interface devices and specific task devices. Locomotion interface: An interesting application of haptic feedback is in the form of full body Force Feedback called locomotion interfaces. Locomotion interfaces are movement of force restrictiondevices in a confined space, simulating unrestrained mobility such as walking andrunning for virtual reality. These interfaces overcomes the limitations of using joysticks for maneuvering or whole body motion platforms, in which the user is seated and does not expend energy, and of room environments, where only short distances can betraversed. b) Feedback Devices:- Force feedback devices: Force feedback input devices are usually, but not exclusively, connected to computer systems and is designed to apply forces to simulate the sensation of weight andresistance in order to provide information to the user. As such, the feedback hardware represents a more sophisticated form of input/output devices, complementing others such as keyboards, mice or trackers. Input from the user in the form of hand, or other body segment whereas feedback from the computer or other device is in the form of hand, or other body segment whereas feedback from the computer or other device is in the form of force or position. These devices translate digital information into physical sensations Tactile display devices: Simulation task involving active exploration or delicate manipulation of a virtualenvironment require the addition of feedback data that presents an object’s surface geometry or texture. Such feedback is provided by tactile feedback systems or tactile display devices. Tactile systems differ from haptic systems in the scale of the forces being generated. While haptic interfaces will present the shape, weight or compliance of an object, tactile interfaces present the surface properties of an object such as the object’s surface texture. Tactile feedback applies sensation to the skin. c)COMMONLY USED HAPTIC INTERFACING DEVICES:- PHANTOM: It is a haptic interfacing device developed by a company named Sensible technologies. It is primarily used for providing a 3D touch to the virtual objects. This is a very high resolution 6 DOF device in which the user holds the end of a motor controlled jointed arm. It provides a programmable sense of touch that allows the user to feel the texture and shape of the virtual object with a very high degree of realism. One of its key features is that it can model free floating 3 dimensional objects. Cyber glove: The principle of a Cyber glove is simple. It consists of opposing the movement of the hand in the same way that an object squeezed between the fingers resists the movement of the latter. The glove must therefore be capable, in the absence of a real object, of recreating the forces applied by the object on the human hand with (1) the same intensity and (2) the same direction. These two conditions can be simplified by requiring the glove to apply a torque equal to the interphalangian joint. The solution that we have chosen uses a mechanical structure with three passive joints which, with the interphalangian joint, make up a flat four-bar closed-link mechanism. This solution use cables placed at the interior of the four-bar mechanism and following a trajectory identical to that used by the extensor tendons which, by nature, oppose the movement of the flexor tendons in order to harmonize the movement of the fingers. Among the advantages of this structure one can cite:- †¢Allows 4 dof for each fingers †¢Adapted to different size of the finger Located on the back of the hand †¢Apply different forces on each phalanx (The possibility of applying a lateral force on the fingertip by motorizing the abduction/adduction joint) †¢Measure finger angular flexion (The measure of the joint angles are Independent and can have a good resolution given the important paths travelled by the cables when the finger shut. Cyber glove Mechanism Mechanical structure of a Cyber glove: The glove is made up of five fingers and has 19 degrees of freedom 5 of which are passive. Each finger is made up of a passive abduction joint which links it to the base (palm) and to 9 rotoid joints which, with the three interphalangian joints, make up 3closed-link mechanism with four bar and 1 degree of freedom. The structure of the thumb is composed of only two closed-links, for 3 dof of which one is passive. The segments of the glove are made of aluminum and can withstand high charges; their total weight does not surpass 350 grams. The length of the segments is proportional to the length of the phalanxes. All of the joints are mounted on miniature ball bearings in order to reduce friction. Fig 3.4 Mechanical Structural of Cyber glove The mechanical structure offers two essential advantages: the first is the facility of adapting to different sizes of the human hand. We have also provided for lateraladjustment in order to adapt the interval between the fingers at the palm. The second advantage is the presence of physical stops in the structure which offer complete security to the operator. The force sensor is placed on the inside of a fixed support on the upper part of the phalanx. The sensor is made up of a steel strip on which a strain gauge was glued. The position sensor used to measure the cable displacement is incremental optical encoders offering an average theoretical resolution equal to 0.1 deg for the finger joints. Control of Cyber glove: The glove is controlled by 14 torque motors with continuous current which can develop a maximal torque equal to 1.4 Nm and a continuous torque equal to 0.12 Nm. On each motor we fix a pulley with an 8.5 mm radius onto which the cable is wound. The maximal force that the motor can exert on the cable is thus equal to 14.0 N, a value sufficient to ensure opposition to the movement of the finger. The electronic interface of the force feedback data glove is made of PC with several acquisition cards. The global scheme of the control is given in the figure shown below. One can distinguish two command loops: an internal loop which corresponds to a classic force control with constant gains and an external loop which integrates the model of distortion of the virtual object in contact with the fingers. In this schema the action of man on the position of the fingers joints is taken into consideration by the two control loops. Man is considered as a displacement generator while the glove is considered as a force generator Haptic Rendering: It is a process of applying forces to the user through a force-feedback device. Using haptic rendering, we can enable a user to touch, feel and manipulate virtual objects. Enhance a user’s experience in virtual environment. Haptic rendering is process of displaying synthetically generated 2D/3D haptic stimuli to the user. The haptic interface acts as a two-port system terminated on one side by the human operator and on the other side by the virtual environment. . Applications The addition of haptics to various applications of virtual reality and teleoperation opens exciting possibilities. Three example applications that have been pursued at our Touch Lab are summarized below. †¢ Medical Simulators: Just as flight simulators are used to train pilots, the multimodal virtual environment system we have developed is being used in developing virtual reality based needle procedures and surgical simulators that enable a medical trainee to see, touch, and manipulate realistic models of biological tissues and organs. The work involves the development of both instrumented hardware and software algorithms for real-time displays. An epidural injection simulator has already been tested by residents and experts in two hospitals. A minimally invasive surgery simulator is also being developed and includes (a) in vivo measurement of the mechanical properties tissues and organs, (b) development of a variety of real-time algorithms for the computation of tool-tissue force interactions and organ deformations, and (c) verification of the traning effectiveness of the simulator. This work is reviewed in [9]. . †¢ Collaborative Haptics: In another project, the use of haptics to improve humancomputer interaction as well as human-human interactions mediated by computers is being explored. A multimodal shared virtual environment system has been developed and experiments have been performed with human subjects to study the role of haptic feedback in collaborative tasks and whether haptic communication through force feedback can facilitate a sense of being and collaborating with a remote partner. Two scenarios, one in which the partners are in close proximity and the other in which they are separated by several thousand miles (transatlantic touch with collaborators in University College, London, [11]), have been demonstrated. †¢ Brain Machine Interfaces: In a collaborative project with Prof. Nicolelis of Duke University Medical School, we recently succeeded in controlling a robot in real-time using signals from about 100 neurons in the motor cortex of a monkey [12]. We demonstrated that this could be done not only with a robot within Duke, but also across the internet with a robot in our lab. This work opens a whole new paradigm for studying the sensorimotor functions in the Central Nervous System. In addition, a future application is the possibility of implanted brain-machine interfaces for paralyzed patients to control external devices such as smart prostheses, similar to pacemakers or cochlear implants. Given below are several more potential applications: †¢ Medicine: manipulating micro and macro robots for minimally invasive surgery; remote diagnosis for telemedicine; aids for the disabled such as haptic interfaces for the blind.   Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Entertainment: video games and simulators that enable the user to feel and manipulate virtual solids, fluids, tools, and avatars.   Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Education: giving students the feel of phenomena at nano, macro, or astronomical scales; â€Å"what if† scenarios for non-terrestrial physics; experiencing complex data sets. †¢ Industry: integration of haptics into CAD systems such that a designer can freely manipulate the mechanical components of an assembly in an immersive environment. †¢ Graphic Arts: virtual art exhibits, concert rooms, and museums in which the user can login remotely to play the musical instruments, and to touch and feel the haptic attributes of the displays; individual or co-operative virtual sculpturing across the internet APPLICATIONS, LIMITATION & FUTUREVISION MEDICINE Haptic interfaces for medical simulation may prove especially useful for training in minimally invasive procedures such as laparoscopy and interventional radiology, as well as for performing remote surgery. A particular advantage of this type of work is that surgeons can perform more operations of a similar type with less fatigue. It is well documented that a surgeon who performs more procedures of a given kind will have statistically better outcomes for his patients. Haptic interfaces are also used in rehabilitation. By using this technology a person can have exercise simulated and be used to rehabilitate somebody with injury. A Virtual Haptic Back (VHB) was successfully integrated in the curriculum at the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Research indicates that VHB is a significant teaching aid in palpatory diagnosis (detection of medical problems via touch). The VHB simulates the contour and stiffness of human backs, which are palpated with two haptic interfaces (SensAble Technologies, PHANToM 3.0). Haptics have also been applied in the field of prosthetics and orthotics. Research has been underway to provide essential feedback from a prosthetic limb to its wearer. Several research projects through the US Department of Education and National Institutes of Health focused on this area. Recent work by Edward Colgate, Pravin Chaubey, and Allison Okamura et al. focused on investigating fundamental issues and determining effectiveness for rehabilitation. Video games Haptic feedback is commonly used in arcade games, especially racing video games. In 1976, Sega’s motorbike game Moto-Cross, also known as Fonz, was the first game to use haptic feedback which caused the handlebars to vibrate during a collision with another vehicle. Tatsumi’s TX-1 introduced force feedback to car driving games in 1983. Simple haptic devices are common in the form of game controllers, joysticks, and steering wheels. Early implementations were provided through optional components, such as the Nintendo 64controller’s Rumble Pak. Many newer generation console controllers and joysticks feature built in feedback devices, including Sony’s DualShock technology. Some automobile steering wheel controllers, for example, are programmed to provide a â€Å"feel† of the road. As the user makes a turn or accelerates, the steering wheel responds by resisting turns or slipping out of control. In 2007, Novint released the Falcon, the first consumer 3D touch device with high resolution three-dimensional force feedback; this allowed the haptic simulation of objects, textures, recoil, momentum, and the physical presence of objects in games. Personal computers In 2008, Apple’s MacBook and MacBook Pro started incorporating a â€Å"Tactile Touchpad† design with button functionality and haptic feedback incorporated into the tracking surface. Products such as the Synaptics ClickPad followed thereafter. Windows and Mac operating environments, will also benefit greatly from haptic interactions. Imagine being able to feel graphic buttons and receive force feedback as you depress a button. Mobile devices Tactile haptic feedback is becoming common in cellular devices. Handset manufacturers like LG and Motorola are including different types of haptic technologies in their devices; in most cases, this takes the form of vibration response to touch. The Nexus One features haptic feedback, according to their specifications. Nokia phone designers have perfected a tactile touch screen that makes on-screen buttons behave as if they were real buttons. When a user presses the button, he or she feels movement in and movement out. He also hears an audible click. Nokia engineers accomplished this by placing two small piezoelectric sensor pads under the screen and designing the screen soit could move slightly when pressed. Everything, movement and sound is synchronized perfectly to simulate real button manipulation. Robotics The Shadow Hand uses the sense of touch, pressure, and position to reproduce the strength, delicacy, and complexity of the human grip. The SDRH was developed by Richard Greenhill and his team of engineers in London as part of The Shadow Project, now known as the Shadow Robot Company, an ongoing research and development program whose goal is to complete the first convincing artificial humanoid. An early prototype can be seen in NASA’s collection of humanoid robots, or robonauts. The Shadow Hand has haptic sensors embedded in every joint and finger pad, which relay information to a central computer for processing and analysis. Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania and Bielefeld University in Germany found The Shadow Hand to be an invaluable tool in advancing the understanding of haptic awareness, and in 2006 they were involved in related research. The first PHANTOM, which allows one to interact with objects in virtual reality through touch, was developed by Thomas Massie wh ile a student of Ken Salisbury at MIT. Future Applications: Future applications of haptic technology cover a wide spectrum of human interaction with technology. Current research focuses on the mastery of tactile interaction with holograms and distant objects, which if successful may result in applications and advancements in gaming, movies, manufacturing, medical, and other industries. The medical industry stands to gain from virtual and telepresence surgeries, which provide new options for medical care. The clothing retail industry could gain from haptic technology by allowing users to â€Å"feel† the texture of clothes for sale on the internet. Future advancements in haptic technology may create new industries that were previously not feasible or realistic. Future medical applications One currently developing medical innovation is a central workstation used by surgeons to perform operations remotely. Local nursing staff set up the machine and prepare the patient, and rather than travel to an operating room, the surgeon becomes a telepresence. This allows expert surgeons to operate from across the country, increasing availability of expert medical care. Haptic technology provides tactile and resistance feedback to surgeons as they operate the robotic device. As the surgeon makes an incision, they feel ligaments as if working directly on the patient. As of 2003, researchers at Stanford University were developing technology to simulate surgery for training purposes. Simulated operations allow surgeons and surgical students to practice and train more. Haptic technology aids in the simulation by creating a realistic environment of touch. Much like telepresence surgery, surgeons feel simulated ligaments, or the pressure of a virtual incision as if it were real. The researchers, led by J. Kenneth Salisbury Jr., professor of computer science and surgery, hope to be able to create realistic internal organs for the simulated surgeries, but Salisbury stated that the task will be difficult. The idea behind the research is that â€Å"just as commercial pilots train in flight simulators before they’re unleashed on real passengers, surgeons will be able to practice their first incisions without actually cutting anyone†. According to a Boston University paper published in The Lancet, â€Å"Noise-based devices, such as randomly vibrating insoles, could also ameliorate age-related impairments in balance control.† If effective, affordable haptic insoles were available, perhaps many injuries from falls in old age or due to illness-related balance-impairment could be avoided.