Conflict: Government and Policy Team

Case Study3 : The Poisoned Chalice: By Matthew Mcdonald, University of New South Wales Joseph had been a team leader for two years and felt he was ready to take the next step in his public service career. He had begun his career as a graduate trainee in the Department of Agriculture after completing a double degree in commerce and environmental science. After his traineeship he was offered permanency as a policy officer, eventually rising to the post of team leader. As a team leader Joseph felt he had gained the trust and respect of his four staff member and had learnt the basic skills of being a manager.Joseph applied for various management positions within his own department without success. Undeterred, he applied for a position in another government department responsible for environment and heritage and was successful. The role involved taking over the position of manager of a â€Å"Taskforce† that had been set up five months previously. The taskforce was made up of 10 tea m members responsible for developing and implementing a set of government policies and programs designed to assist primary producers to manage better the environmental threats to their land.Joseph couldn’t have been happier with his new promotion and he looked forward to applying what he had learned as a team leader to the challenges of his new post. The taskforce itself was divided into two teams. The first team- â€Å"the policy team† was responsible for developing policies in consultation with the minister’s office that would underpin the programs to be eventually rolled put all over the country. This team was made up of highly experienced member. The second team- â€Å"the implementation team† was responsible for implementing the policies developed by the policy team.The job of the implementation team was to deal with the logistic of implementing the programs and working with the numerous stakeholders involved. For Joseph, everything started put well in his new position. He gradually got to know each of the team members, who seemed skilled and competent in each of their roles. He also began to understand better the job that the taskforce was required to do. However, as the days turned into weeks some major problems in the taskforce began to appear.The first major problem was that other sections within the department were unhelpful and difficult to deal with when he made requests of them or sought to initiate collaborations. When he asked his staff why this was the case, the most common response was that the department had â€Å"had it in† for the taskforce as posing a threat to their own positions. The bad blood between the taskforce and the rest of the department made Joseph’s position vary difficult because he and his staff were heavily reliant on other areas of the department for their expertise, advice and assistance in order to manage the project successfully.The second major problem was the taskforce itself, Joseph began to realize that the two teams were highly antagonistic towards each other. This was evident in taskforce meetings, where there was an obvious hostility between them. Joseph also discovered that very little had been achieved since the taskforce was setup, and found that it was now well behind the government’s schedule. However, the full implications of Joseph’s predicament became apparent only after a revealing conversation with Alison, a junior member of the implementation team, while working back late one evening.Alison told Joseph that the previous manager of the taskforce, John, had left the position because of the problems associated with it, everything had started out well; however, then the policy team had begun to treat the implementation team as inferior because the implementation team members were younger in age, were less experienced and had made a major blunder in the first few weeks by getting a national farmers’ union offside. After thi s blunder the policy team had begun to refer to the implementation team as ‘the idiots’.The policy team had also taken a superior attitude towards members of other sections within the department because of their close relationship with the minister’s office. This problem came to a head after a chain of emails had been leaked to the rest of the department by a member of the implementation team, who had inadvertently received them, in the emails, members of the policy team had made disparaging remarks about people from other section with whom they had been working, this had created a furors in the department.As a result, a number of formal complaints about members of the policy team had been made. Instead of dealing with this and the other problem associated with the taskforce, the previous manager, John, had closeted himself away in his office, hoping they would go away. Realizing that events were starting to get out of control, John’s manager. Max, had ste pped in to try and sort out the situation. He had done this by speaking with all of the taskforce members both individually and as a group.This had made a difference for a short time: however, the antagonism between the two teams in the taskforce had eventually returned, and it had seemed the nothing could be done to repair the damage inflicted by the leaking of the emails. It was at this point that John had resigned. Due to the taint that hung over the taskforce, no one in the department had been willing to apply for the now vacant position of taskforce manager. After speaking with Alison, Joseph realized he had been handed a â€Å"poisoned chalice† that nobody else wanted.He became very worried that the taskforce would not meet the departments’ and the government’s objectives and timelines, and the he would be blamed for its failure, adversely affecting his long-term career and future promotion prospects. Discussion Questions 1. Using the â€Å"model of confl ict processes†, identify the sources of conflict between the policy team and the implementation team. 2. Were Max’s actions appropriate in this situation? If so, why? If not, what should he have done instead? 3. What actions should Joseph take to ensure that the taskforce meets the government’s objectives and timelines?

Mondavi Wines Competitive Threats

Mondavi: What threats in the business environment does Mondavi face and how is it addressing them? High quality premium wines produced by France, Italy, Spain, Chile and Argentina. In the past years, Demand increased for premium wines, while consumption of inexpensive, lower quality wine had fallen. As a result of changes in consumption patterns, Europe had created a great deal of excess capacity, while wineries of the new world (South America) continued to increase vineyard acreage in response to strong demand for high quality wines. The size of the global wine industry was estimated by 155 billion dollars (approximately), where Europe and South America dominated global consumption of wine with a market share of 70%. Mondavi addresses this issue by leading the production of premium table wines in the US instead. This market participated with 11% of total world consumption representing 17 billion dollars. Analysts expected demand for premium wines to grow at 8% to 10% per annum. Thus, Mondavi focused 90% of its sales in the US through 15 top retailers and 10% to the rest of the world through exporters. Leverage Risks and Capital requirements The premium wine industry is a capital intensive business. Historically, Tim Mondavi and his team had financed its operations and capital spending principally through borrowings, as well as through internally generated funds. They owned vineyards in California, and the joint ventures controlled land in California, US and Italy, which produced 7% of the company’s total grape supply. The company purchased the rest of its grape supply from 360 independent growers through long term legal agreements. Because in the last years property value had risen and competitors had spent large amounts of money pursuing aggressive acquisition strategies, they could not face further growth with the same strategy due to the increasing high cost of capital. On the other hand, they could not outsource more grape from independent growers, since Mondavi worked closely with the growers to guarantee prime quality and the use of the new farming techniques developed by the company’s own vineyards. So Mondavi chose to focus on a different strategy for the future. He planed to grow its internal grape sourcing by 25% by 2005, focusing on organic growth of the wine and appealing to a new segment of consumers. Management plans to take the company to the next phase by enhancing the high quality of their existing brands, appealing to the organic sectors of healthy consumers and strengthening market positions. Product Substitutes Mondavi faced three types of competitors: rival firms that were focused on making premium wines, large-volume producers moving aggressively into the premium wine business, and global alcoholic beverage companies that were acquiring wineries to complement their beer and/or distilled spirits businesses. He estimated that only 12% of the consumers drank 88% of wines purchased in the US. To stimulate demand for his products, Robert Mondavi set out to educate American consumers and to enhance their appreciation of fine wine. Over the years, he became a leading promoter of the California wine industry. He encouraged visitors to tour the winery and to taste the new wines that he created. In addition, Mondavi began to host concerts, art exhibits, and other cultural events at the To Kalon vineyard. In 1976, the company established the Great Chefs program, the first winery culinary program in the US. Robert Mondavi explained his philosophy regarding fine wine, food, and the arts: â€Å"People who enjoy food, art, music, also enjoy fine wines, and they enjoy them more together. . . . Wine is more than a drink. It’s a culture. † Over time, the company began to advertise more extensively to broaden its customer base. Mondavi launched its first major radio advertising campaign to promote the Woodbridge and Coastal brands in 1998 and its first national television advertising in the fall of 2000. The firm’s advertising expenditures, including point-of-sale materials, reached $20 million in 2001. Michael Mondavi reflected back on the limitations of the firm’s marketing strategy of the early 1990s: â€Å"All those black tie events. We were complacent, cocky, and started believing our own press. For decades, our industry sent the wrong message, that wine is for special occasions, while the breweries told people that beer is the beverage of every occasion. That’s crazy. In the old country (Italy), wine was a blue collar beverage, not an elitist, white collar drink. Our goal is to grow the customer base by removing wine’s mystery, while still maintaining the magic. † As previously mentioned, the next step is becoming organic wine producers of its premier brands. While maintaining high quality standards, he will reach the new target audience of green consumers.

ISMG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

ISMG - Essay Example Soon after, in order to fulfill this motive, the couple borrowed US$50,000 and started the first shop in California with the name of ‘Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery’. However, on the basis of the facts regarding ‘resumes’, it can be presumed that reasonable future for Randy Fields’ could have been in the field of economics as a professor of any university or in any organization as a professional dealing with economic concepts. Hence, it can be stated based on the above discussion that the career of cookies business was the most reasonable future option primarily for Debbi Sivyer Fields. The high demand of deliciously baked cookies of Debbi among the clients of Randy acted as an inspiration for the couple. This provoked the couple to start their career with the business of cookies. Moreover, in order to fulfill the dream, Debbi convinced Randy and the couple took a loan and opened the first shop in the Palo Alto of California in the year 1977. Hence, it is apparent from the above factors that the goal of Debbi was to provide delicious chocolate chip cookies so as to make the customers pleased. This would enhance the satisfaction level thereby enhancing the business (The Mrs. Fields’ Brand Inc, â€Å"History†). Although Randy was an economics graduate from the Stanford University, he wished to support Debbi to enhance the business of cookies which might be beneficial for both. Therefore, it can be clearly depicted from the case study that the goal of Randy was to assist Debbi in augmenting the business. As the idea of starting the career with the business of cookies became quite successful, Debbi Fields planned to expand the business. She decided to open the second store in the high-traffic and tourist region of San Francisco, but it was rather quite difficult. This created a great problem, because it called for huge amount of revenue. Thus, the idea was initially crooked down. Along with this,

Budgetary Control in Performance Management Essay

Budgetary Control in Performance Management - Essay Example A budget is a formal statement of financial resources that have been set aside to finance specific activities over a given time period. Through a budget, managers can be able to coordinate organizational activities with it being a point of reference. Integrative Budgetary Control Integrative organizational budgetary control is a technique in which actual results of activities are compared to those specified in a budget and corrective actions undertaken. Differences that exist between actual and planned activities in the budget result in budgetary control measures where responsibility centers are charged with the responsibility of exercising organizational control action or revising the specific budget plans. Through responsibility centers, organization managers can monitor functions of the organizations and make necessary corrections to deviation from plans (Singla, 2009, p.117). A responsibility centre is basically a functional unit in an organization being headed by a hierarchical manager charged unit performance. Responsibility centers may include expense centers, revenue centers and investments centers. Budgetary control with regards to revenue centers involves comparison of actual outputs with budget outputs to ascertain necessary control measures. ... Basically, there is no planning system that can be used successfully in performance management without having an efficient and effective control system. Budget formulation is closely attached to control aspects where executives exercise organization control through budgetary control. Integrated organizational budgetary control involves preparation of a broad variety of budgets, continuous comparison of performance plans with actual performance and budget revision in the light of existing variances. Budget revision requires that a budgetary control system should be able to provide enough flexibility scope for particular initiative and revision measures. Performance management budgetary control is therefore an important device used by executives to control organization in achieving goals and controlling costs more efficiently Budgetary control compels the management of a particular organization to think about the ideal expectations for the future and what measures should be put in plac e with regards to existing shortcomings. The control process forces individuals charged with managerial responsibility to look ahead and manage the organization towards a purpose and direction be setting out detailed plans to achieving the relevant targets. Through this, the management is able to promote communication and coordination within the organization. The process also defines clearly the areas of responsibility, as it requires managers of responsibility centers to be accountable to deviations or underachievement of budget targets. Integrative budgetary control uses a budget as a basis for appraising organizational performance at a departmental level. Organizational performance variance from planned

Equity andTtrusts- problem question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Equity andTtrusts- problem question - Essay Example 250,000, and if the civil partner /spouse has survived more than 28 days of the deceased , then he is entitled to receive whole of ? 250,000 or less. If the net estate is more than ? 250,000 , then , the first ? 250,000 together with the personal possession to civil partner/spouse. Fifty percent of the balance should be equally shared among kids. The civil partner /spouse will also have the right to the interest on the balance amount of deceased estate during his life time only, and then children of the civil partner /spouse will receive the same in equal shares after the life time of the civil partner or spouse. (www.graysons.co.uk). In case of intestacy, if the claimant is not a registered civil partner or married, then he may not get a share in the deceased property automatically. If the deceased has not provided for the cohabitating partner in some other way, then such partner can make a claim under the provisions of the â€Å"Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Ac t 1975.† In case of cohabitation, the surviving partner has to demonstrate that she or he had maintained either partly or wholly by the deceased. Further, a cohabitating partner has to make the claim within the 6 months from the date of the issue of letters of administration. (www.direct.gov.uk) The position of children’s of cohabitated couple is somewhat awkward under U.K laws. Schedule 1 to the Children’s Ac 1989 offers power to the courts to order some financial relief for the advantage of children despite the status of the parent’s affiliation.(Barrington, A,2001). Stack v Dowden This case was about the rights over a property over which cohabitation partners lived together before their separation. This case codifies new structure within which cohabitant rights are to be decided and will pave to greater simplicity and certainty for future cases. In this case, the cohabitant couples separated after having four children. There was one residential place, w hich was co-owned by them and a suit was filed the estranged male partner for equal division. Finally, the House of Lords upheld the Court of Appeal’s ruling that Ms Dowden was entitled to 65% and Mr. Stack to 35% House of Lords might have given higher share to female partner on considering the factor that she had four children and also contributed substantially for the purchase of that house. (www.publications.parliament.uk). In this case, Pauline Jonathan will be the legal heir of Jonathan Reisberg as she is the daughter of Jonathan’s erstwhile wife. In the problem, it has been stated that they were in separation for the last fifteen years and there is no mention about a divorce. Since Lorraine Lexington is a cohabitating partner, either she or his children have no legal rights to inherit Jonathan’s estate as he died intestate. Lorraine Lexington, as a cohabitating partner can make a claim under the provisions of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Depen dents) Act 1975. The triplets can seek relief under Schedule 1 to the Children’s Ac 1989 offers power to the courts to order some financial relief for the benefit of children despite of the status of the parent’s relationship. Validity of a Cheque under UK Laws Under UK laws, there is no definite guideline about the validity of a cheque. Banks in UK normally will refuse to honour the cheques if it is more than six months old. However, it is at the discretion of the bank that deals with it. Cheques will

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 15

Interview - Essay Example The interview perused on issues relating to team management for instance, how I ever managed a team project in the past, difficulties I encountered, decisions I undertook, how I managed the group members, how I met deadlines, and organized the team to work as one. In preparation of the team building questions will give me confidence when going for the interview. I also believe that there are a number of questions which I did not find relevant in the mock exam, for instance, the question asking about situations when I missed deadlines while carrying projects and what I could have done different. I believe such a question is irrelevant in this content. I felt more prepared when questions relating to goals was asked. Ever since I was a young person, I had always been taught about the value of always planning ahead, through having short and long term goals. In addition, I was more prepared when it came to team project management issues since I had experience with it. In school, we used to be grouped in groups of 8 and each group accorded group leader in rotation for each task. As a group leader and project manager, I managed to get some skills in relation to how to make a team stronger and more focused. I felt least prepared in the question which talked about describing some aspects about the company, since i had not research about it well. I also found the question about the most difficult course that I took in school absurd, because I found all to be equally easy. I learnt a lot about myself after the mock interview. I realized that I had a lot to learn and prepare for the real exam. First of all, I realized I would get an average or a fail based on the level of prepared at the mock interview. In order to score highly for the real interview with the company, means I have to prepare well. I also realized the value of being prepared all round as some questions are not directly related to class work, but come as practical examples, like for

Product management- product portfolio and recommendations Essay

Product management- product portfolio and recommendations - Essay Example Customers can search for a hotel using filters such as the city, airport, address or point of interest. Also, they can state the dates that they would like to visit these hotels. Then, they choose their rates from a drop-down menu. Finally, they click on â€Å"Find a Hotel† button, which generates the results based on the filters (Ayeh 2015). IHG has done a brilliant job with its website. However, most customers today use social media more than search engines and websites to look for information and advice. IHG has a Facebook page with 83,865 likes. However, with a company as large as itself, IHG does not frequently update its Facebook page. For example, its last update was on 8th June in which they talked about their service week. Also, some pieces of information are not relevant to the customer. For instance, the next update after the service week news was on May 7th, in which the company had announced its Q1 Interim Management Statement. Most customers do not care about such information. All they want to know is what services they will get when they visit one of IHG’s hotels (Aluri 2015). The trend seen in Facebook can also be seen on Twitter. One update was made fourteen hours ago, the next on June 12th, June 8th and so on. Although the company does a better job with Twitter than Facebook, it does not appeal to the vanity or ego of the customer. What IHG fails to do consistently is tell its customers what they will experience by visiting the hotels. Moreover, the company does not segment its customers based on the many filters available. For example, IHG boasts its presence in approximately one hundred countries. However, people from one country do not have the same tastes as people from other countries. Therefore, the same marketing methods cannot be used. Moreover, with customers shifting to social media, it is imperative that IHG’s social media pages be segmented based on the geography of

Oil and Gas Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Oil and Gas Management - Essay Example Based on a case study in Brazil, the Pantanal case is identified as a key point as to why the horizontal directional drilling can be the best alternative, as opposed to conventional drilling techniques (Pisupati, 2009, p.63). Methods of oil production in most cases determine the impacts on the surroundings and the possible consequences to those living in it. The most common methods available relate to the conventional methods of drilling and the much advanced method called the risk management plans to oil drilling. Petroleum produced in any other method that is not conventional is called unconventional. The most common types of unconventional ways include refining of extra heavy soils and oil sands using extremely heavy metal and high levels of energy. Besides these are the oil shale and thermal depolymerization (Patin, 2009, p.86). The former relates to extractions of shale gas from shale formations using current technology while the latter involves obtaining petroleum from waste pr oducts and decomposing sites. Another basic form of unconventional methods is the conversion of coal and gas using synthetic fuel techniques and advanced technology. Unconventional methods of drilling oil are still in their beginning phase and have come out of the need by the advanced nations to cater for the demand and balance it with the supply for continuous use. However, these methods have had their possible dangers especially to human health and the impacts to the environment (U.S. Geological Survey, 1996, p.3). Drilling Conventional or otherwise the traditional methods pose enormous losses and environmental impacts on the subjects. Firstly, they destroy the formation of the earth’s crust and core. The drilling of the well to create room for exerting pressure so as to extract the oil is by itself noise pollution and especially to the people living around the mining sites and more so to those undertaking the drilling works (Boesch and Rabalais, 2000, p.117). Potential env ironmental disasters arise in the sense that there are threats posed to the wildlife living nearby that has to flee to create room for the drilling process; displacement. This in turn threatens the survival of wildlife and especially with the availability of predators thus causing extinction of some species. Drilling requires broad land occupation and the possible environmental impacts would be release of harmful air into the environment, contamination of ground water from uncontrolled gas, fluids and spills and even uncontrolled waste discharges and leakages. Fluids and flow-backs contain radioactive materials which are hazardous to health and pollutants to the environmental (Shaw, Beven, Chappell and Lamb, 2010, p.243). Ground water if polluted with methane for instance leads to destruction of buildings and potassium chlorine cause salinity in drinking water. The wells once dug are left behind in the long run when the yield is below the targeted amounts or when the production cost s exceed the profits obtained. This poses a potential environmental threat again to the wildlife surrounding such vicinities with death should there be a fall out. The core of the earth is normally unstable, and the natural caused will always act to balance the pressure that mounts deep internally. When these oil wells are dug so deep, regions of imbalance are created within the crust and therefore these can lead to

Civil Liberties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Civil Liberties - Essay Example In Soering v UK2 the court held that, "In interpreting the Convention, regard must be had to its special character as a treaty for the collective enforcement of human rights and fundamental freedoms Thus, the object and purpose of the Convention as an instrument for the protection of individual human beings require that its provisions be interpreted and applied so as to make its safeguards practical and effective." Judicial interpretation faces evolving challenges due to the advances in information and communication technologies. The principle of legality is pertinent as interference with Article 8 is to be limited to what is legal. The legal basis for restricting Convention rights have to be identified and established by referring to domestic law. The principle of proportionality constitutes a second key principle and the court while deciding the proportionality of a restriction will take into account whether sufficient relevant reasons sustaining such constraints have been adduced; are less restrictive options available; whether a equitable procedure is adopted in the decision-making process; do safeguards against abuse exist and whether these restrictions obliterate the Convention right. The extent of the obligation to promote "respect for private life", has been determined by the Strasbourg court by applying the doctrine of margin of appreciation, which accepts that different contracting states have different cultural and societal standards. Hence, it accepts that local authorities in these states are mo re competent than an international court to decide about the aptness of specific procedures. In Marckz v Belgium3 the court adopted a novel approach to the status of illegitimate children, which had been adopted by most of the contracting states. The principle of proportionality and the doctrine of margin of appreciation are very important. Security agencies have collectively stated that despite significant disparities in resource implications in servicing the structures set up to deal with dangerous terrorist suspects, these result not from the Human Rights Act, but from decisions of the Strasbourg Court in cases such as Chahal4. Further, their conviction is that the courts' approach to Article 8 has not resulted in any difficulties, as interference with the right to privacy has been permitted wherever national security is at stake. The Human Rights Act provides that a public authority can interfere with an individual's rights if required by a democratic society and that such interference has to be minimal. Hence, this act requires the courts to strike a balance between the individual's rights and the interests of society as a whole. 2. Assume that the Department for Constitutional Affairs has established a working group to reflect on the impact the Human Rights Act 1998 has had on the development of human rights law in domestic law. The working group has commissioned you to prepare a report into the following questions. (a) To what extent does section 2 of the Human Rights Act make the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights relevant in domestic courts Section 2 states that a court considering a question

Project Risk Management Plan Essay Example for Free

Project Risk Management Plan Essay First of all we identify our project risks, which are let us know what to expect in the future and how to act during the problem. 1) Risks identification We highlighted couple categories of risks, which are most important to be ready against them. Procedural and technical failures – from failures of internal systems and control errors, organization, fraud, technical failures. Such as non- responding servers, any mistakes in the internal systems, broken servers, late updates, missing information, etc. Human – from individuals or organizations, illness, death. For example if the main IT person do not work cause the illness, we have to be ready to have any other backup to take action if needed. Operational – loss of control of organizational operations. Reputational – damage to reputation in the market. Such as customers dissatisfaction of the slow app working. 2) Qualitative risk analysis – prioritizing risks for further analysis or action by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and impact. Our project idea related with the internet, servers and so on, so our main priority looking into probability of risks are to ensure a well-functioning app without any errors and failures. As a result we have priority of our risks. 1) Procedural and technical failures 2) Human 3) Operational 4) Reputational 3) Quantitative risk analysis – numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives. 1) Procedural and technical failures – could bring dissatisfaction of customers. 2) Human – slower working of the app, errors and  failures of the app cause the misunderstanding information of the servers. 3) Operational loss of control of the organization. 4) Reputational- dissatisfaction of the customers, stakeholders, suppliers, employees. 4) Risk response planning – developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and to reduce threats to project objectives To ensure well-functioning app we have to be ready for any risk and have a plan how to react. To reduce any threats we have to have professional IT specialists, have a great training system, that every employee would know basics how to react in any situation. The training system could lead to faster activities. Every department should be related with each other to get and know the newest information. Also we have to have backup specialists, which would help, if the other employee can’t work cause the illness. Also we can react using different strategies (depending on the risk situation) such as avoid-eliminate the threat entirely, transfer- shift the problem to the third party, mitigate – reduce the probability of occurrence or impact of a risk (adopt less complex processes, conduct more tests), or accept the risk before knowing all the details about that problem. 5) Risk control – implementing risk response plans, tracking identified risks, identifying new risks. Some employees have to be responsible for tracking identified risks, also identify new risks and be ready to act. Checking for newest information, threats and opportunities it is one of the way, how to control risks.

Simplified Soft Decision Decoding of LDPC codes

Simplified Soft Decision Decoding of LDPC codes MARUTHI L N K S GURUMURTHY Abstract LDPC codes gained importance since its re-discovery by Mackay and Neil based on Tanner Graph. This paper presents the implementation of forward error correction soft-input, soft-output decoding process that efficiently decodes the received set of data under low signal-to-noise ratios due to which the errors are reduced and hence transmission time is greatly reduced. The implemented algorithm is less complex and does not require knowledge of signal-to-noise-ratio of the received data-path. INTRODUCTION Error correction coding techniques came into existence after existence of channel capacity theorem by Shannon, the father of information theory in 1948 on reliable communication over noisy transmission channels. Thereafter, many coding techniques were developed for efficient coding techniques, like Hamming, Golay and many other techniques were developed. Though Gallagher in 1962 developed LDPC codes, the method employed was not optimal. Hence it was not reviewed for last 3 decades, until 1992, when a paper â€Å"Near Shannon limit error correcting coding and decoding: turbo codes† presented by Berrou, Glavieux and Thitimajshima changed the trend followed by researchers for the past 5 decades. And now, we are aiming to develop such codes through another strategy. The coding gain provided by this method is much higher when compared to other coding systems. The LDPC codes are becoming more popular because of their reduced power for transmission and less complex logic to achieve l ow BER’s which is very essential for reliable transmission over noisy channels. LDPC CODES Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes are a powerful class of forward error correction codes developed by Gallagher in 1962, practically implemented by MacKay in 1995. Low Density refers to less number of 1’s in the Parity Check Matrix (H) of Block Codes. Block codes are a type of Error Correction Codes which uses a Generator Matrix(G) to produces a Code-word of length n for message(D) of length k, where n-k is the redundancy bits added to make a Code-word of length n, higher the redundancy higher the error correction capability and higher the Bandwidth. Hence, there is a trade-off between error correction capability and bandwidth. C=D.G The size of the Matrix G is (n, n-k) and the size of the Matrix H is (n-k, n). Usually redundancy is defined by the term â€Å"code rate† which is given by R=k/n This varies from  ½ to 1/6. The Encoder produces a Code-word which satisfy the condition C.HT=0 If R is the received data from the Transmitter then the acknowledgement of the correct data received is given by the Syndrome(S). S=R.HT The value of S obtained by the above calculation determines whether the received data is free from error or not, i.e. if S=0 then the received data is free from error, otherwise the received data has an error. Since this property is very useful to reduce the calculation time if we receive the data correctly as soon as we receive data. The probability that the received data needs to be retransmitted which in the range of 10-6 to 10-8. Encoding the data as required is an easy process, but decoding the data effectively and efficiently is a very hard process. The proposed algorithm uses the basic concept of block codes, i.e. R=C+E Where R=noise corrupted vector C=Code vector transmitted over noisy channel E=Error vector. The receiver does not know C and E; its function is to decode C from R, and the message D from C. PROPOSED ALGORITHM The base for LDPC decoding algorithm proposed is as described by MacKay and Neil in 1997. Following are the steps that briefly describe the algorithm STEP 1: INITIALIZATION Let rj be the received vector, i.e. the data received from the Gaussian channel We calculate the components of the vectors d02( j), and d12( j) as: d02( j)= (rj+1)2 d12( j)= (rj-1)2 j = 1, 2, . . . , n (1) These first soft estimates of the code symbols are used to initialise the algorithm by setting the following coefficients q0ij and q1ij at each symbol node q0ij= d02( j) q1ij= d12( j) j = 1, 2, . . . , n, i = 1, 2. . . , . n-k, (2) To eliminate the effect of zero in the calculation the expressions for the calculations can be reduced as shown below ln(em+en) = max(m,n) + ln(1+ e-|m-n|) log2(2m+2n) = max(m,n) + ln(1+ 2-|m-n|)(3) The tables required for calculations are computed using the above formula. The complexity is greatly reduced and the reliability of the transmission of signal is increased. STEP 2: HORIZONTAL STEP aij= f+(q0ij , q1 ij ) bij= −f−(q0ij , q1ij) if (−q 0ij ) ≠¥ (−q1ij ) sij= 0 else sij= 1 cij= ikik if ik is even r0n,ij= −f+(0, cij ) r1n,ij= f−(0, cij ) if ik is odd r0n,ij= f−(0, cij ) r1n,ij= −f+(0, cij ) STEP 3: VERTICAL STEP q0ij= d02 (j) + 0n,ij q1ij= d12 (j) + 1n,ij STEP 4: DECISION rm0ij=r0n,ij+ q0ij rm1ij=r1n,ij+ q1ij if rm02(j)12(j) then c(j) = 1 else c(j) = 0 The LUT entries used in the proposed algorithm for equation (3) and the exact value obtained will vary as shown in the figure. Comparison of BER performance of (8 * 12) LDPC SSD decoder (10 iterations) Comparison of BER performance of (8 * 12) LDPC SSD decoder (50 iterations) As explained above, for higher precision the number of iterations is increased to obtain the same performance of the exact equation. The obtained results approach towards the complex algorithm developed by Gallagher with simple iterative approach and provides a high coding gain compared to uncoded signal. And it provides higher performance at larger iterations. This algorithm provides even higher performance for large length codes. CONCLUSION In this paper we have described Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes and decoding of these codes using low complexity algorithms. LDPC codes are used now-a-days in communication systems that take advantage of parallelism, good error correction and high through put. This led to the new algorithm which could decode the errors and yet give similar BER performance as the complex algorithms without the knowledge of the channel noise parameters like variance. This new algorithm is based on repeated use of an antilog-sum operation, and has been simulated on the Tanner graph representation of several LDPC codes and this algorithm can be regarded as a generalized form of belief propagation, where the belief propagated is Euclidean distance estimate rather than a probability estimate. The advantages of the new algorithm are that the performance is as good as the complex algorithm provided the value of base of the logarithm is used properly; that knowledge of noise is not required and that in the simplified form the algorithm needs only additions/subtractions, comparisons and two look-up tables avoiding the use of quotients and products operations that are of high complexity in practical implementations especially using FPGA technology. REFERENCES 1] R.G. Gallager, â€Å"Low Density Parity Check Codes†, IRE Trans. Information Theory, IT-8, 21-28 (1962). 2] D.J.C. Mackay and R.M. Neal, â€Å"Near Shannon limit performance of low density parity check codes,† Electronics Letters, vol. 33, pp 457-458 (1997). 3] L. Arnone, C. Gayaso, C. Gonzalez and J. Castineira, â€Å"Sum-Subtract Fixed Point LDPC Decoder,† Latin American Applied Research, vol. 37, pp 17-20 (2007). 4] Castineira Moreira, Farrell P.G.: â€Å"Essentials of error control coding†, Wiley (2006). 5] Castineira Moreira J., Farrell, P.G.: â€Å"Soft-decision SISO decoding of error-control codes†, Proc. 13th Int. Conf. on telecommunications (SENACITEL ’08), Valdivia, Chile, 12-15 November 2008. 6] L. Arnone, Castineira Moreira, Farrell P.G.: â€Å"FPGA implementation of a Euclidean distance metric SISO decoder,† Int. Symposium on communication theory and applications (ISCTA’09), Ambleside, UK, July 2009. 7] P.G. Farrell, L.Arnone, J. Castineira Moreira: â€Å"Euclidean distance soft-input soft-output decoding algorithm for low density parity check codes,† IET comm. Vol.5, Iss. 16, pp. 2364-2370, (2011). 8] J. Castineira Moreira, M. Rabini, C. Gonzalez, C. Gayaso, L. Arnone: â€Å"FPGA implementation of two very low complexity LDPC decoders,† IEEE papers, (2011). 9] Simon Haykin: â€Å"Digital communications†, John Wiley sons (2006). 10] Bernard Sklar, Pabitra K. Ray: â€Å"Digital communications: fundamentals and applications†, 2nd edn. Pearson education (2009). 11] Shu Lin, Daniel J. Costello Jr.: â€Å"Error Control coding†, 2nd edn. Pearson education (2004). 12] Moon T. K.: â€Å"Error correction coding- mathematical methods and algorithms†, Wiley (2005).

Naval Battles :: essays research papers fc

The battle on March 9, 1862, between the USS Monitor and the CSS Merrimack, officially the CSS Virginia, is one of the most revolutionary naval battles in world history. Up until that point, all battles had been waged between wooden ships. This was the first battle in maritime history that two ironclad ships waged war. The USS Merrimack was a Union frigate throughout most of its existence, up until the Union Navy abandoned the Norfolk Naval Yard. To prevent the Confederate Navy from using her against them, the Union Navy scuttled her. The Confederates, however, raised the ship from the shallow floor of the ocean and began making some major modifications. Confederate engineers cut the hull down to the water line and built a slanted top on it. Then, they bolted four layers of iron sheets, each two inches thick, to the entire structure. Also added was a huge battering ram to the bow of the ship to be used in ramming maneuvers. The ship was then fitted with ten twelve-pound cannons. Ther e were four guns placed on the starboard and port sides, and one on the bow and stern sides. Due to its massive nature the ship's draft was enormous, it stretched twenty-two feet to the bottom. The ship was so slow and long, that it required a turning radius of about one mile. Likened to a "floating barn roof (DesJardien 2)" and not predicted to float, the only individual willing to take command of the ship was Captain Franklin Buchanan. After all the modifications were complete, the ship was rechristened the CSS Virginia, but the original name the CSS Merrimack is the preferred name. The USS Monitor was the creation of Swedish-American engineer, John Ericsson. The ship was considered small for a warship, only 172 feet long and 42 feet wide. Confederate sailors were baffled by the ship. One was quoted describing her as ". . . a craft such as the eyes of a seaman never looked upon before, an immense shingle floating on the water with a giant cheese box rising from its center" (Ward 101). The "cheese box" was a nine by twenty foot revolving turret with two massive guns inside. "The USS Monitor used two of the eleven inch Dahlgran guns . . ." (Lavy 2). These Dahlgran guns were massive rifled cannons that were capable of firing a variety of shot.

Music in the Information Age :: mp3 digital music

The idea that music is information tends to turn people's heads. The art of information stands as the largest growing field in both business and society. How does the age-old art of music fit into this category? Can music even be considered information? The rising popularity of mp3's proves that people value music as a source of information. Hundreds of groups are advertising their band on the web at mp3.com, from popular music groups to those struggling to make a name in society. The web sites serve as a vehicle for bands to display their message to the public in an uncensored atmosphere. This atmosphere cannot be presented solely through record labels because the labels monitor what the public sees. Music speaks to the public through its words and sound. Musicians use the web as a source to present the information their music holds. Music as a form of information implies that music has the ability to influence those people who listen. The record label gives the public a chance to purchase compact discs and tapes, to attend music concerts and to acquire paraphernalia to support the band. However, record labels restrict a band's ability to present a true, unveiled, and strong message. The labels keep a music group in a position where the group will attract the highest number of "customers" or "followers." As a result, the web opens a field of free advertising for these label connected groups. One of the biggest users of the web is Public Enemy, an old rap group who holds strong views. Their web site draws attention to different issues of politics and racial equality, issues that would be difficult to present with a record label dictating the ultimate end product for a band. Public Enemy, themselves, states on their site (www.public-enemy.com) that their next tour is "More than a tour, this is a campaign." The acce ss to a huge source of information, the internet, allows the group to present true reasons for their performances. These reasons can get lost in the process of marketing, but Public Enemy grasps onto the meaning of their music, to address political issues that surround society. Their ability to advertise would seriously decrease without the use of the web. It remains the strongest and quickest vehicle for bands to release the image desired by their music to the greatest number of people. As a result of the freedom of music and its message, the road of communication widens.

Conduct Disorder Essay -- essays research papers

My hypothesis on conduct disorder in children can lead to criminal activity in adulthood. The research that was conducted from this question was that of Memorial University of Newfoundland, the Department of Psychology. Sampson and Laub (1997) discussed conduct disorder as not being a single cause of adult criminal behavior, but instead the start to what they termed as a life of â€Å"cumulative disadvantage†. The conduct disorder might indeed be the initial cause of problems, but may be replaced by the effects of disapproving, negative reactions from others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Based on prior research, Kratzer and Hodgins (1997) were aware of the association between conduct problems in childhood and adult criminal behavior. Children were divided into four groups. The first three groups were based on where conduct problems were displayed. The first group was made up of children who displayed conduct problems in school. The children’s behavior was rated by their teachers in the sixth grade and again in the ninth grade on a three point scale. For the second group a child was considered to have a conduct problem in the community if they had been referred to the Child Welfare Committee as having conduct problems, (such as theft, larceny, vandalism, and substance abuse) before the age of 15 years old. The third group were children who displayed conduct problems in both the community and in school. Finally, the fourth group was made up of children who did not display any con...

Argument Essay †Illegalize Alcohol Essay

Our country is facing a growing problem. It is a problem of moral decay. The legal and open use of alcohol is an unnecessary vice that is enjoyed and accepted by a majority of the United States population, unfortunately, it leads to social and moral downfalls. Alcohol should be held to the same standards as other illegal mind and body-altering substances, as alcohol is addicting and has no medical value. Lawmakers and active voters should put an outright ban on alcohol. The revenue that is generated from the manufacturing, distributing, and sales of alcohol is a major source of taxable income that is a benefit. As of 2007 the U. S. Government was collecting $5. 6 billion dollars annually from the taxation of alcohol (joshritchie). This revenue has tended to increase each and every year. Although the revenue is important, the question must be asked, is it moral? Is it moral for our government to profit off the sale of a frivolous vice that causes fatalities and creates addicts? The revenue that is made from the taxation of alcohol could be lost, and would simply increase our never-ending national debt by a miniscule amount. Through out history our country has faced several social epidemics that have resulted in many people becoming substance abusers. Though these times our government has stepped in and enforced laws to restore the moral and social fabric of the infected areas. The current epidemic that we are facing is the abuse of alcohol. It is widespread and available almost everywhere in our country. â€Å"According to the Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) tool, from 2001–2005, there were approximately 79,000 deaths annually attributable to excessive alcohol use. † (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Beyond the number of the deaths that are related to alcohol every year, a staggering number of people in the United States are alcoholics. According to the National Library of Medicine, â€Å"nearly 17. 6 million adults in the United States are alcoholics or have alcohol problems†. (U. S. National Library of Medicine) We need to completely ban alcohol so that we can start working on decreasing the number of addicts in our country rather than encourage the use to every single person just as he or she turns a certain age. The United States government has already tried to ban alcohol in the past, it was a complete failure and subsequently repealed. This attempt resulted in a spike in organized crime and was an obvious failure. Eventually the government conceded and re-legalized the use of alcohol. I too will concede that it was a failure on the part of our government in enforcing the prohibition of alcohol. Even today we are fighting the exact same battle by the DEA with the Controlled Substances Act. There is already a long list of illegal substances that are given priorities and schedules and are subsequently enforced. It would not be a stretch to incorporate alcohol into this list of illegal drugs. Many would assert that it would be difficult to enforce the mere consumption and manufacturing of small amounts of alcohol by individuals in there own homes. It is a very simple process to either brew low alcohol content drinks or to distill higher alcohol content spirits. The enforcing of these laws would be similar to current laws of cannabis cultivation. These laws would seem just as hard to enforce, yet they are enforced. The manufacturing of homemade alcohol could be given the same fear of punishment and could be enforced on incident-to-incident bases. Alcohol has the tendency to increase the probability of someone committing a violent crime. If alcohol were banned and harder to get a hold of this number of crimes would greatly diminish. The National Center for Victims of Crime has referenced the U. S. Department of Justice concerning drug and alcohol related crimes. The report states, â€Å"The U. S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey asks the violent crime victims who reported seeing their offenders whether they perceived the offender to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. According to the 1999 survey, over a quarter of the violent crime victims could make such a determination. About twenty-eight percent (28%) of those reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The most common substance identified was alcohol alone. About sixteen percent (16%) reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol alone (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001). † (The National Center for Victims of Crime) This only takes into account the victims that were able to see their offender; this means that there are possibly more unaccounted for alcohol related crimes. The legal and open use of alcohol as a vice is leading to the downfall of our society. It is creating addicts while not offering a single practical medical benefit. The United States Government has already invested time, money, and effort to enforcing its Controlled Substances Act. Alcohol should be held to the same standards as all other physically altering substances are held to. Alcohol poses the risk of dependence and has no beneficial medical value. In order to start the moral fabric of our country we need to do away with the crime inducing substance alcohol. Lawmakers and active voters, it is our duty to hold our selves to higher standards and completely abolish the manufacturing, sale, and use of alcohol. Works Cited â€Å"Alcoholism: MedlinePlus. † National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health. 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. . â€Å"CDC – Alcohol and Public Health Home Page – Alcohol. † Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. . â€Å"Drug Related Crime. † The National Center for Victims of Crime. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. . Joshritchie. â€Å"How Much Is the Government Making Off of Alcohol? | Tax Break: The TurboTax Blog. † Tax Break: The TurboTax Blog | It’s All about the Refund. 5 July 2010. Web. 01 Dec. 2011.

Portrait and a Dream Essay

Abstract expressionists, James Pollock created an abstract full of symbolically hidden messages, called The Portrait and a Dream, 1953.   First impressions that are given off by this painting sends messages of confusion, anger, hopeless dreams, perhaps the inner thought and feelings of the artists when he made the abstract. The art work portrays someone who furiously scribbled many lines across the canvas in no controlled manner, working from hostile and angry emotions. If music was made to match this painting, it would not be smooth jazz or classical, but like rap with an angry fast techno beat producing violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When considering the title of the painting, and looking at the line arrangements, Pollock was telling a story about his frustrations over empty dreams. Dull, plain off color canvas is chosen as the background for this art. To the right is a very black and Halloween orange colored head, perhaps an indication of what is going on in his mind as he was painting; or it could be a resemblance of him in his sleep at night. The main theme or point behind this painting appears to send messages to let someone know this person is upset. Many artists write songs, create paintings, choreograph dances to get certain points to someone who has made them upset. Pollock seems to be sending an underlying message to one person, a person who somehow blocked him from his achievements, even though many people are fascinated with this abstract. To the center gearing to the right, is an eye that can be of human form. The rest of the face takes on the identity of an animal, perhaps a wild cat. The selected mixture of autumn colors with hidden images of a cat peaking through to the audience implies this painting applies to Halloween, or fall season. The overall shape of the Halloween colored ball or head has a few stray extensions leading away from the ball. The head is looking toward the mass of confusion, on the left side of the painting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the left side, is many scribbled black lines, portraying confusion, or despair. The black fills in some of the empty spaces overseeing the left side of the portrait. Most of the painting is hollowed or emptied, just lines zigzagging and crossing one another. A couple of potential faces are drawn into the scrambled lines. One of the faces centers the overall portrait, another is found at the bottom right side.   The face centering the portrait has clenched teeth, the eyes resemble anger. The potential face at the bottom right very much looks like a skeleton with cross bones, the national symbol for poison or danger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Looking at the overall view of this painting, the round colored object on the right of the painting is smaller than the confused lines on the left side of the painting. The drawing portion of the art fills up most of the space, dividing into two separate forms, lays against a solid background. The circular object on the right side resembling his own head, revealing the inner secretive contents looking out at the painting resembling confusion, indicates that his confusion, despair and hopelessness is , perhaps to much for him to bear. The interpretations of this painting can be limitless. However, anyone can look at this painting, instantly recognize this painting is not conveying a pleasant, peaceful or calm tonality.   Lack of bright contrasting colors may portray images or ideas that are the total opposite of confusion. Someone else may interpret the hidden meanings of the abstract portrait as lots of energy, or hyperactivity, unable to sit still or even a pleasant excitement.

Native American Essay Essay

?From as early as before the time of the arrival of the European settlers, Native Americans have suffered tremendously. The establishment of the early English colonies and the future creation of the American nation impacted the lives and destiny of the Native American people extremely. One example of this is the Trail of Tears, an event which brought lots of people sadness and grief. Another example is the loss of their land, something which exceptionally changed the lives and destiny of the Native Americans. The last example is diseases, something that the Native Americans caught very often. In summary, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation impacted the lives of Native American people more than one will ever know everything about. To begin with, the English colonies and the American nation at the time forced the Native Americans through something everyone now knows as â€Å"The Trail of Tears. † This â€Å"trail† was a forced relocation of the Native Americans to another land the U. S. had provided. Although they were forced to make the agreement, some thought it was a good opportunity to start a new life and grow new crops. It was nothing like that at all. The majority of the Native Americans died of starvation, diseases, and because many did not have any shoes on their feet and were walking through snow, they also died of the cold. The Trail of Tears took place due to the Indian Removal Act passed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830. For years prior to the act, many disputes had taken place over land the Native Americans resided on. A previous law made it impossible for Native Americans to technically own land in the United States, then giving Jackson the ability to force them to relocate. Overall, the â€Å"Trail of Tears† is one of the many examples of how the English colonies and the American nation impacted the lives of the Native Americans greatly. Second, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation caused loss of Native American land. Even after the Indian Removal Act and the â€Å"Trail of Tears† caused the Native Americans to relocate to another land, the English colonies and the American nation took their relocated land too. Also, before that, a little after the Indian Removal Act, a law that authorized him to negotiate with the Native Americans for their removal in exchange for their homelands. All in all, the Native Americans suffered lots of land loss due to the American nation taking it away for them as they did not want Native Americans on their land. Lastly, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation caused the Native Americans to catch many diseases. This resulted in many deaths and a great amount of suffering, not only for themselves, but for their family members as well. Many of the diseases, such as smallpox, measles, and mumps, were of European origin, and Native Americans exhibited little immunity because they had no previous exposure to those diseases. Even though the European settlers caused these diseases, the Americans were also to blame because they came after the Europeans â€Å"discovered† the land. Many deaths occurred because of smallpox in particular but other diseases as well. In summation, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation caused the Native Americans to catch diseases, resulting in many deaths and losses. In conclusion, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation caused the Native American people great losses and many deaths in their tribes. One example is the Trail of Tears, an event which made the Native Americans relocate to another land. Another example is the loss of their land, something which the American nation could just not stop doing to them. The last example is diseases, something that the Native Americans caught very often, causing many deaths and lots of suffering. The creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation impacted the lives of Native American people to extreme measures.

In the films you have studied to what extent do you find Lady Macbeth to be a fourth witch? Essay

Roman Polanski’s version of Macbeth was staged in 1971, Macbeth was played by Jon Finch and Lady Macbeth was played by Francesca Annis. The BBC production was staged in 1982, Macbeth was played by Nicol Williamson and Lady Macbeth was played by Jane Lapotaire. The Royal Shakespeare Production was staged in 1978, Macbeth played by Ian McKellen and Lady Macbeth played by Judy Dench. In Polanski’s production Lady Macbeth was first introduced at the start of Act one Scene five, when she receives a letter from Macbeth unveiling the prophesies from the witches. Her costume is Shakespearean in period, in keeping with the time the play was written and it is bright and colourful. Polanski interprets Lady Macbeth to be a young and beautiful lady and also she is shown frail and innocent; for example, at the last speech of act one scene five, Lady Macbeth calls evil spirits to possess her body. This is a very dramatic and powerful speech but yet she talks faintly. Apart from Francesca Annis in my opinion acting out this speech poorly, Polanski leaves out a vital part of this speech: â€Å"Nor keep peace between Th’effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murth’ ring ministers, Whatever, in your sightless substances, You wait on Nature’s mischief.† I feel this was a great mistake by Polanski. This scene was shown as if it had no importance; it was rushed through, not giving a true affect on the audience. Lady Macbeth through this speech is running down the stairs to meet Duncan, this doesn’t show that she is serious in calling evil spirits which I think Shakespeare intended it to be. Lady Macbeth’s witch like character is first shown in this speech as she blocks out the good and calls up the spirits of evil. In the BBC production Lady Macbeth’s appearance is different to Polanski’s version, as she has dark hair and seems more powerful and thick skinned, and although their costumes are from the same period Jane Lapotaires are much duller and less decorative. At the end of this scene when Lady Macbeth calls on evil, Jane Lapotiare plays her with passion and shows that Lady Macbeth beyond doubt wants what she is praying and truly shows Lady Macbeth as a fourth witch. The point made in Lady Macbeth’s speech about her ‘unsex’-ing and her ‘woman’s breasts no longer being used for milk but for murder shows us to what extent she has to suppress the feminine side of her nature. In this production they did not in my view ruin this speech by omitting half of it like Polanski; the speech was given great importance to the play. Also the BBC production staged a middle aged woman of 38 for Lady Macbeth rather than a younger woman of 27 like Polanski. I believe this was a very good idea as it makes Lady Macbeth more eager for her husband’s ambitions as it suggests through the play that Lady Macbeth had a child but lost it and now was unable to have children. It was imperative in Shakespeare’s time that you had at least one child to carry on the family name, I think this would drive Lady Macbeth more to want her husbands happiness as she was unable to give it to him through children. In the Royal Shakespeare production Lady Macbeth’s appearance is very different from the two other films I have studied. Lady Macbeth looks a lot older. Also Judy Dench’s costume is very distinct compared to the other two costumes, she wears a black dress and black head scarf and her speeches are made more prominent by a spot light focused on her face. I believe this has the best effect of the three plays as you can truly focus on the words of Shakespeare, In Polanski’s version I could not keep Shakespeare’s words the centre of my attention as there was so much going on in the background. In Act one scene seven Lady Macbeth tries to persuade Macbeth to murder Duncan. In Polanski’s version this scene is set very near the Banquet for Duncan, I think this was a wrong decision as there was no focus on the scene itself, Polanski has a habit of doing this though out the play. When Lady Macbeth is debating with Macbeth to do this deed she starts to weep. I feel this was a good input to the play as it shows a human side to Lady Macbeth. A great weakness of this scene was the cutting of the speech: â€Å"I have given suck, and know How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this.† This part of Lady Macbeth’s speech I believe changed Macbeth’s decision form a definite no to an uncertain yes, and was of absolute importance to the persuasion scene. This scene played by the BBC production had a totally different feel. The start of Lady Macbeth’s speech shows more anger and makes Macbeth look like more of a fool. Lady Macbeth is very controlling and powerful in this production compared to Polanski’s version. Her outlook in this scene shows a fourth witch character as she smirks when Macbeth gives in to her persuasion saying: â€Å"If we should fail?† Also in the Royal Shakespeare production, Judy Dench is the dominant partner in the relationship but in this scene their loving relationship still remains whereas in the BBC production it dies down the end of Act one scene five. In Act two Scene two Lady Macbeth is played well by Francesca Annis, she put on a brave front but also shows a little fear through her eyes whilst saying: â€Å"A little water clears us from this deed† In this scene we get a glimpse of Lady Macbeth’s humanity as she says: â€Å"Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t .† This sentence might show that Lady Macbeth is not a fourth witch, she is just misunderstood, and she might have wanted this murder of Duncan to happen purely for the ambition of her husband. Lady Macbeth in the BBC production gave a taste to the audience of how scared she was when waiting for her husbands return and I feel she played this scene exceptionally well. In Act five Scene one of Pulaski’s version, Lady Macbeth losing her sanity is shown very well, she is walking around naked rubbing her hands to get imaginary spots out of her hand: â€Å"Out damned spot: out I say† This I feel, is a very good interpretation of the sleepwalking scene. This nude scene of Lady Macbeth also parallels the nude witches in the film. This might suggest that Lady Macbeth is in fact a fourth witch. From the Films and the text of Macbeth I have studied, I have found that Lady Macbeth has many characters: the fourth witch, the ambitious wife, determined, dependant, haunted, misunderstood etc. I think from all the films I have viewed they have had different main characters, Polanski’s Lady Macbeth was misunderstood, The BBC production’s Lady Macbeth was a fourth witch and the Royal Shakespeare Company showed Lady Macbeth to be an ambitious wife. I believe Lady Macbeth was a fourth witch in some ways and also played many other characters. Shakespeare’s intention was to let the audience decide.

Islamic poltical sceince and culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Islamic poltical sceince and culture - Essay Example slim immigrants groups up to form the greater terrorism network that keep expanding with increasing following and agents assigned in different countries (Cesari 87). This is the case of France which in recent past experienced violence perpetrated by Muslims affiliated terror groups against the Jews institutions. Some outlawed groups like Salafist influence in mosques and prayer rooms in France and enumerated 541 activists is seen as their infringement on security rules hence resistance towards integration.The 9/11 terror attack in the US has equally portray Muslims as a threat to peace and security hence the challenges of integration experienced by the Muslims community (Cesari 87). The societies in western nations practice liberal lifestyle that significantly diverges from the Muslim culture which is more reserved. In USA for instance, the young generation leads a very vibrant secular lifestyle and this is likely to compromise their observation of the Muslim conservatives. The Muslim immigrant community living US has therefore found it really challenging to integrate in the big social culture of the liberal society. This is one major obstacle posed by the receiving society against the efforts of integration by the

Event Risk Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Event Risk Research Paper - Essay Example This multinational event can help to determine not only basic risk management needs for events, but also provides insight into the specialized problems and risks that come with sporting events that are held at a multinational level. Defining risk management for different events is one that is essential for the success of any event. The first aspect of this is known as quantitative risk management, which is understood by how much risk is at a specific event, as well as how different organizations should respond to this. Measuring the amount of risk through political and sociological concepts can provide a broader understanding of the preparation that needs to take place as well as how one can respond to this. Models that are known to assist with the risk management are able to create thresholds, which defines how much an organization needs to prepare without moving over the needed components of the models. The mixture of security measures that are taken are then able to create a better understanding of what is needed with the event to create an elimination of potential risks (McNeil et al, 7, 2005). To effectively reach the quantitative analysis of an event is the need to understand the various factors that create risk. For instance, if the event includes a multinational component, then this will need to be a part of the risk management process. By doing this, there will be the ability to create a strategic model that will affect the way that the event is approached. The risks will then define the event through the organizing committee, stakeholders of an event and the individuals that are participating in the event either as athletes or as audience members. Creating best practices that are a part of an event and making sure that safety, security and avoidance are a part of the risk management can help to create a different response from those that are

Discuss some of the reasons why the Greeks were successful in every Essay

Discuss some of the reasons why the Greeks were successful in every major battle during the Persian Wars (490-79 BC) - Essay Example The Persian Empire under the rule of Xerxes and Darius were defeated. There was a series of battles which took place in the Persian Wars, some lost by the Greeks, and some won. Following is a short account of how the Greeks managed to win most of the battles in the Persian Wars.1i The Siege of Naxos took place in 499 BC. This battle marks the start of the Persian Wars which lasted for about fifty years. The Milesian tyrant Aristagoras had the full support of Darius the Great of the Persian Empire in the futile attempt to take over the island of Naxos in the name of the Persian Empire. This attempt of Aristagoras however failed horribly. Aristocrats who had been exiled from the island of Naxos and were looking for a way to go back to their land contacted Aristagoras. Aristagoras saw this as an opportunity to make his position in the Miletus stronger. For assistance in this matter, Darius the Great and Artaphernes the local satrap were consulted and plans were made to conquer Naxos. The Persians agreed to g on the mission of conquering Naxos and a force of 200 triremes was assigned to Megabates. The mission however soon turned out to be a complete disaster. On the way to Naxos, Aristagoras and Artaphernes broke out into a quarrel and the Naxians were informed a bout the oncoming force beforehand, quite possibly by Artaphernes. Upon the arrival of Persians at the gate of Naxos, they encountered Naxos as a city which was prepared to the fullest to undertake and go through a siege. The attackers were obliged to attack in spite of the great defense as they had travelled a long way but after four months of no success in the battlefield they ran out of money and resources and had to retreat back to Asia Minor. Aristagoras sensed that after this disaster he would no longer be appointed to rule and so he turned the people of Ionia against Darius the Great and rebelled against him. The Ionian Revolt and the failed attempt to conquer Naxos angered Darius

Material Selection & Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Material Selection & Design - Essay Example ors that may be mentioned, such as optical transparency, ability to retain optical characteristics, ability to be labeled easily and cheaply, aesthetics, and ease of cooling of the container (Callister, 2007, p. 10), but these properties are not the main focus of this report. The main purpose of this report is to provide a comparison of the cost and environmental impact analysis of three beverage container materials in the light of the factors mentioned. Through studies compiled by the Intel Corporation (Intel Corporation, n.d.) under their Design and Discovery program, shows the following statistics with regards to cost associated with these containers in terms of material and manufacturing: This world is our home, and only we can make it better or worse. As a materials engineer, it is not our duty to just focus on the material properties aspect of any choice of materials we make, but also consider the environmental impact of the decisions we make. It is observed that even though awareness campaigns focus on the utility of recycling and promoting that trend, a lot of the beverage containers make their way to landfills. Startlingly, more than twice the recycled amount is thrown away into the landfills (Container Recycling Institute, 2003-2010). This results in generation of toxic waste, greenhouse gases, waste water, and land destruction and occupation. Still, the recycled amount is large enough to suggest its benefits. Aluminum recycling can decrease 4.5lbs of carbon dioxide emission for every recycled pound due to the large carbon emissions during refining of aluminum from ores (Intel Corporation, n.d.). Plastics and glasses do not have that much of an impact on the carbon dioxide emission. Aluminum and plastics have their advantages over glass containers, thus making our discussion boil down to these two only. Beverage containers made out of plastics are cheaper than aluminum. But their recyclability is poor, both economically as well as scientifically.

Eassy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Eassy - Essay Example No wonder, the writer compared it to today’s terrorism rather than calling it a war. Since Warfare differs from terrorism in that the violent actions in the former are aimed at the combatants on each side and public generally is made aware that a war has erupted. Terrorist acts target innocent people deliberately. In warfare, innocents are not the primary targets. But this definition of war does not apply to Hiroshima bombing. Berger further proves his point as: â€Å"The two bombs dropped on Japan were terrorist actions. The calculation was terrorist. The discriminacy was terrorist. The small groups of terrorists operating today are, by comparison, humane killers" (273). The writer supports his comment by saying that terrorists also attack unaware common people at the railway station, in the market or people going home after the work. The war and terrorism are the evils and it is first duty of human kind to fight against evils and preserve life. This concept of ‘evil’, however, has been abandoned and it remains just an adjective today. The writer also discloses that today’s terrorists are from small nation who have dispute over large powers while Hiroshima atom bomb attack was made on a nation that had conceded defeat and was ready for negotiations (273). â€Å"While doctor and nurses at hospitals across the city tended to hundreds of damaged people, a disquieting sense grew throughout the day at other triage centers and emergency rooms that there, would, actually be less work: the morgues were going to be busiest.† (418) In the normal life, even a distant thought of a loved one’s death creates fear and we scold ourselves for such a thing, but seeing the gory dance of death and losing precious lives due to such outrageous and mindless violent act is unbelievable to most of us. A war without principles and terrorism are both extremely cowardly deeds. He continues: â€Å"But the real carnage was concealed for now by the twisted, smoking,

Health Demand, Elasticity, Principle and Agent in Determining Demand Coursework

Health Demand, Elasticity, Principle and Agent in Determining Demand for Medical Care - Coursework Example The cited unique factors may be classified within the â€Å"health status† variable that impact expectation but their role are far too important in the healthcare setting to be relegated as a mere sub-factor. This is the case because the patients are the ones seeking care and that demand is initiated based on their healthcare needs. Afterwards, the physician then prescribes the quantity as well as type of treatment/medical product or service to be needed. For instance, a person is admitted into emergency care because of severe diabetes. Upon examination, the physician has determined that one of his legs has to be amputated in order to save his life. Here, the demand for the surgery and the medications entailed were determined based on the condition of the patient and the judgment of physician. I believe that if the patient is insured the impact of income and price may be diminished. This can also be highlighted in the dynamics behind the decline of price and its impact on dema nd. In conventional goods, a decline would precipitate demand. However, in the case of health care a decline in price, say, of a diabetes drug, would not immediately translate into demand or a significant change in the demand curve because it will be dependent on the number of diabetics and their need and health status. Imagine a situation where consumers have incomplete information about their health status and about the productivity of medical care. Examine the roles of the principal and the agent in helping consumers to determine the demand for medical care in the described situation. Provide at least one (1) detailed example of such roles in action to support your response. Let us suppose that the patient is covered by medical insurance. He is, in effect, the principal in this situation while the physician serves as his agent, acting in his best interest since his decisions are made to improve the patient's well-being. This is the ideal scenario where the agent recommends care services and medications for the client’s benefit. For instance, the physician could prescribe highly-paid and, therefore, effective procedures. The patient without any medical knowledge as to his condition or the treatment would not have known the difference between such procedures and low-paid primary care. But t he condition and the physician’s influence move the demand curve towards highly-paid care and specialties.

Research & Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research & Development - Essay Example To cope with the changing situations, the essence of research and development is increasingly felt. Constant research and development in almost every aspect of life is being continuously conducted to generate better value to its related factors. Like other sectors of industry (e.g. technology, communication, marketing and finance, etc), labor sector is also under the constant purview of research and development. The most important feature which makes labor industry significantly different from that of other functions is the psychological touch involved in it along with the technical expertise. The laborers of any industry are human beings in first place and so they have aspirations, goals, objectives and needs. Again these psychological factors differ from laborers to laborers depending upon their culture, backgrounds, perceptions and prejudices and other factors. In order to make the labor industry efficient in its functions and performance all the above factors are to be considered and continuous research and development should be initiated. So, it can be conferred that the research and development in the labor industry is critical and important, sometimes even more than other organizational functions. Research and development is initiated generally to upgrade any working system from its present condition or performance. Popularly known as R & D, research and development can be defined as, "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications" (OECD. 2008). Research and development generally can be subdivided into three sub parts namely basic research, applied research and experimental research. Basic research is a type of research activity where investigational and theoretical initiatives are undertaken basically to acquire knowledge base of the underlying facts and figures. This type of research activity is done generally as part of academic interests as there are not much application or usage of the results of basic research. Applied research is built upon the basic research and is also done to acquire new knowledge domains but with more specified and certain objectives. It deals with the core of the subject. In comparison to the first two types of research, the third component i.e. the experimental research deals with more application. It develops the research output from the basic as well as applied research and is concerned with development of new products or installation of new processes. It also deals with improvement of devices already installed or produced. Traditionally, labor has been classified as a person who sold his physical strength in order to earn his livelihood. The payment that he received for such a sale was known as 'wage'. So the laborers are also known as wage earner. But today the term labor has a more broad perspective. In the present world, laborers are generally classified under three broad heads i.e. the skilled labor, the semi skilled labor and the unskilled labor. It can be well presumed that the skilled laborers are those who have certain technical knowledge about the task they perform and so generally receives the highest pay among the three classes. Semi-skilled

Rational Choice Theory Essay Example for Free

Rational Choice Theory Essay A Significant theory to me will be the Rational Choice theory. This theory explains how people make decisions by seeking the most cost-effective means to achieve a specific goal without reflecting on the worthiness of that goal; to maximize personal advantage by weighing costs against benefits without moral or ethical values. It is a popular theory as it is an efficient system that explains and predicts a behavior of a person, and to larger extent, a collective group of people. Understanding this theory would allow a person to understand quickly how decisions are made, and the impact of the decisions on a society — how it functions and performs economically. Based on this theory, people’s measured decisions are often calculated based on financial benefits and costs. Singapore, by and large, has functioned on this theory, which has benefited from this tool of measurement and prospered since the days of nation building. However, this theory will work perfectly only if everyone in the society shares the same values, had perfect information, and the ability to make the most rational decisions at any point in time. People living in a society with homogenous values, such as Singapore, have similar behavioural patterns, which enable this theory to work. However, on a global scale, this theory will no longer work as peoples’ values are varied and culturally diverse. The most rational choice for one man might be an irrational choice for another. And when this occurs, there will be unpredictability and the results that follow can be disastrous. The Great Financial Crisis is a good example of the rational choice theory gone awry. Financial institutions’ goal is to maximize profits. To maximize profits, financial institutions have to find ways to create profits. One of these methods was to get creative with offering mortgage to people who wanted to own homes. Credit terms were made easy and the securities in place to safeguard the process were ignored. These consolidated loans were sold to big investment banks which resold them as securities offering high returns. Credit agencies working for these investment banks told investors’ that securities were safe. Selling a financial product based on a large group on loans was supposed to limit the risk if a few loans went bad. However, a large number of loans, later known as toxic, were borro wed by individuals with no financial means. Furthermore, many of these loans were offered in the form of adjustable rate mortgage, which started out with an initial period of low interest rate, and later ballooned up to three times the initial rate. All these borrowers were saddled with a monthly mortgage payment way beyond their monthly income. To make matters worse, the sprint to own a house on such easy terms had created a housing bubble, causing house prices to escalate astronomically. This phenomenon further pushed people to borrow way beyond their means. Consequently, millions of homeowners were unable to repay their mortgage loans. The financial institutions disregarded moral and ethical values to draw up shady credit schemes. Consolidated mortgages were bundled in with the toxic ones and resold for profits. Individuals felt the need to buy a house simply because everyone else was buying a house without the discretion of affordability and the hyper-inflated housing prices. Ea ch acted on imperfect knowledge to maximize personal benefits and disregard moral and ethical values. Rational choice theory can be an efficient method as a decision-making tool to attain goals, but it is definitely too simple an application on a macro context. To make a good decision, one has to balance cost-benefit analysis with moral and cultural factors.

Incident Response Essay Example for Free

Incident Response Essay The emergency services (Police, Fire and Ambulance) have to respond to all emergency situations, but they have different roles and responsibilities and they have graded response policies. All emergencies are graded by the call handler according to the information from the caller and not by the way the incident is reported. If a caller dials 999 believing an incident is an emergency the call handler will assess the information and then decide whether it is top priority or if the incident does actually require an emergency response. Call handlers work under the supervision of team managers and incident managers. The standards of fire cover all fire services in the United Kingdom and were set originally in the 1930’s but were established in 1958 by the Home Office. They were more clearly defined and revised in 1974 and again in 1985. Fire risk assessment, until the current year, has been based upon this guidance, which consists of a prose description of the risk categories and a formula designed to determine a points rating or fire grading of premises. When the risk category of an area had been determined, the criteria set by the Home Office demanded that the fire service response to emergency calls, met minimum requirements in terms of speed and weight of attack. Grading of incidents by the Fire service is split into 5 categories: Category ‘A’ Built up areas in large cities containing large commercial and industrial premises or high rise property where there is a strong chance of fire spread. The recommended minimum first attendance was three pumps, two to attend within five minutes and one within eight minutes, to be achieved on at least 75% of occasions. Category ‘B’ Refers to large cities and towns with multi-storey buildings, including large areas of residential housing as well as industrial estates with high-risk occupants. The recommended minimum first attendance was two pumps, one to arrive within five minutes and the other within eight minutes, to be achieved on at least 75% of occasions. Category ‘C’ Refers to the outskirts of larger towns and the built-up areas of smaller towns and extensive areas of residential dwellings such as terraced houses  and semi-detached houses, blocks of flats as well as light industry/commercial properties. The recommended minimum first attendance was one pump within eight to ten minutes, to be achieved on at least 75% of occasions. Category ‘D’ Consisting of rural property, villages and farms and all areas that do not come under categories A-C. The recommended minimum first attendance was one pump within 20 minutes, to be achieved on 75% of occasions. Rural and remote is a separate category and has no pre-determined response time. The majority of Merseyside (91%) is classed as C or D risk. http://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/foi/Information%20Classes/Policies/item11547.pdf Grading of incidents by the police in England and wales are graded as ‘emergency ‘or ‘non-emergency’ in four grades. Grade 1 is the emergency response. An emergency contact will result in immediate police response. It involves circumstances where an incident is reported to the police which is currently taking place and there is a risk of danger to life, the use or immediate threat or use of violence or serious injury to a person or property. Criminal conduct will be dealt with as an emergency if the crime is going to be serious and is in progress, an offender has just been disturbed at the scene or the offender has been detained and there is a high risk that he is a threat to the general public. When the incident involves traffic collision it will be classed as an emergency if it involves or is likely to involve serious personal injury and also if the road is blocked due to the collision and if there is a dangerous or excessive build up of traffic. Also if the call handler who takes the call feels strongly that the incident should be classed as an emergency. The urban response time for this Grade is 10 minutes and the rural response time is 17 minutes. Grade 2 is classed as a Priority response. The call handler feels that the incident is important or urgent but does not need an emergency response. This could include incidents such as a concern for someone’s welfare, an offender has been detained but is not a threat to anyone, a road traffic accident that has injuries or has caused a serious obstruction, a witness may be lost or a person is suffering distress and is believed to be vulnerable. Resourses for a Grade 2 incident should be sent as soon as is safely possible and  within 15 minutes. Grade 3 is classed as a scheduled response. This is when the needs of the caller can be best achieved by scheduling a response. This could be when the response time is not critical when apprehending offenders or a better quality of policing can be given if it is dealt with by a scheduled response by a police officer or even by that person attending the police station. Incidents should be resolved to satisfaction level of caller as soon as possible and must be within 48 hours of first call. Grade 4 is classed as Resolution without deployment. This is used when an incident can be re solved through telephone advice, help desk, frequently asked questions or other appropriate agencies or services. The caller is advised of an agreed call-back time and to be as soon as possible and within 24 hours. Grading of incidents by the Ambulance Service are placed in three categories, this grading also applies to urgent calls from GPs and other health professionals, as well as calls from the general public. Category A is Priority. This is when an incident is considered to be immediately life-threatening examples are when a person is suffering with chest pains/cardiac arrest, unconscious/fainting or has breathing problems. The response time for a category A is within 8 minutes or less. Category B is where an incident is serious but not immediately life-threatening, examples are when someone has fallen or has serious bleeding, a sick person with no priority symptoms or overdose/poisoning. The response time for category B is within 14 minutes in urban areas and within 19 minutes in rural areas. Category C is when an incident is not serious or life-threatening, examples when someone has fallen over and assistance is required, and a sick person with a range of non-serious conditions such as d iarrhoea or someone with abdominal/back pains. In 2000 the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) became responsible for assessing the training and standards of all drivers who drive emergency response vehicles which are fitted with blue lights and sirens. When talking to other agencies the DSA drew up the Blue Light Users Working Party Expectations Document. This document contained a list of the expectations that drivers of emergency response vehicles should meet before being allowed  to drive these vehicles. This document was accepted by the three main emergency services (police, fire and ambulance). This document includes performance criteria and knowledge and consists of these three elements. All emergency drivers need to be over the age of 18 and in good health also must not have any motoring convictions against their name and this is checked every three years. Element one is the ability to assess the need for an emergency response. Element two is the ability to drive the vehicle safely to emergencies and element three is the ability to show the correct attitude when responding to emergencies. Police Service Drivers have to meet the standards set by the DSA but the police service also have their own driving centres. At the driving centres police are trained and graded according to National Training Standards, which is then approved by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). The type of driver training depends on the job role of that police officer. Police drivers can be graded as Standard response drivers, advanced drivers or pursuit drivers. Advanced drivers and pursuit drivers have intense training and they use high powered vehicles and advanced techniques for responding quickly and safely to emergencies. Fire Service Drivers The fire service also has its own driver training centres where drivers are trained to the standards met by their Fire Authority. To drive an Emergency Fire Appliance drivers must hold a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) Licence and have received the necessary training and assessments. Only then can they be allowed to drive when responding to emergency situations provided the vehicle is fitted with audible/visual warning devices. Ambulance Service Drivers need to hold C1 (medium sized vehicle) and D1 (minibus) licences and receive the appropriate training by the DSA. Although some Ambulance Services especially in London state that ambulance drivers must hold a LGV licence. Ambulance driver training and assessments are usually carried out by independent driver training centres and not the Ambulance Service. Drivers of emergency vehicles also have to understand that bad driving can cause accidents. Drivers of emergency vehicles are not above the law even when attending emergencies they have to show that whilst going to an emergency they drove with care and attention and did not drive in a dangerous way, if they were foun d to have driven dangerously then they can be prosecuted in the same way as a member of the general public can. Also if the driver is convicted of a  serious traffic offence they may be disqualified from driving both emergency and privately owned vehicles. To reduce the danger to themselves and the general public the drivers of emergency vehicles must use their sirens and blue flashing lights to warn other road users as well as pedestrians and cyclists that their vehicle is responding to an emergency. Flashing blue lights and sirens should only be used when attending emergencies although police drivers can use flashing blue lights and sirens when attempting to stop another driver. Drivers of emergency vehicles have to follow the same traffic laws as everyone else, but when using flashing blue lights and sirens they are exempt from a number of motoring rules which means they can go through a red traffic light, pass to the right of a keep left sign, drive on a motorway hard shoulder even against the direction of the traffic and not follow the speed limit. The Highway Code is a book of rules which all drivers have to abide by the Highway Code makes no special rules for the emergency services other than for members of the general public to listen for the sirens and look for the blue flashing lights and to let them pass safely but still taking notice of all traffic signs. During unsociable hours consideration is given to the use of sirens especially around residential areas, unless conditions are bad and they need to use their siren. Blue lights would only be used as they are visible to road users at night. When there is an advantage to a silent approach then driving is altered and speed reduced. Members of the Public service are often judged harshly from the public, when it comes down to the pursuing of stolen vehicles. Although the public services do a good job when they pursuing stolen vehicles or on their way to an emergency incident there have been cases where their have been incidents where it has affected the public services. Example At 11.20 on the 19th of May 2008, Haley Adamson a 16 year old school girl was struck by a police car going 70mph whilst she was crossing a road in a residential area in Newcastle which had a 30mph speed limit. Hayley died immediately from the impact of the police car. The police car was being driven in pursuit of a vehicle that had just been registered on the police number plate recognition system. At the time of the incident the driver Pc