Reaction paper Blood of a mole

â€Å"Blood of a mole† tells the story of pity, self-sacrifice and trickery. You cannot always give people what they need, no matter how desperate they are. The character gives some of his own life which Is represented by blood because he felt such a compelling need to help the desperate woman. He pitied her and obviously TLD agree with her Ideas In moles' blood, or he wouldn't have tricked the women. During the story the character was going to tell her â€Å"l never had sold moles in the shop and I had never seen one in my life† but he knows that this woman anted to hear good news.The character said â€Å"l have no moles†, this reaction of the women made him feel guilty of himself and made it as if had no choice but to help her. Why do some people feel the need to be a hero? I don't believe he gave the woman his blood out of the goodness of his heart, but it was more of an attempt to console the woman in order to ease his own sense of guilt. After he concedes th at â€Å"Maybe I have some moles†, he states â€Å"l don't know why I acted like this†. The woman had no faith and no longer wanted any help.When he offers her his blood, â€Å"She did not reach for the glass bottle. She turned and quickly went toward the door†. You can see that he wants to help when he doesn't take the money she offers for his service, which he wouldn't have done If he were truly carrying mole's blood In his shop. â€Å"Then she took some money out of her pocket. ‘No. No,' I said†. This shows that he wants to help this woman even though he is not getting anything in return. â€Å"l wanted to accompany her to the corner. I offered her some water but she just ran off,† The story brings to mind the Dry. At overworks himself trying to save every patient, in the meantime his own health and life deteriorates. The story is told from first person point of view. In this way, we know exactly what the protagonist is thinking. This does limit the story in some ways, since no other opinions or observations are told , I wasn't sure what was going on with anyone else. The narrator Is the main character and the only person with a voice, other than some dialogue, throughout the story. The reader sees everything from the eyes of the rotating.There are many observations given, but when speaking of feelings, It gets scarce. There is mostly confusion or fear expressed, but through the observations, a lot of pity is conveyed. â€Å"l was scared. I could feel something evil lurking in the dark†. â€Å"L knew it by her eyes, by the timid stir of her fingers that reached out to touch me† The woman's need for moles' blood is the conflict of the story. The protagonist does not have a mole, let alone mole's blood, but he is compelled to help, comfort or insole the woman.The pity the guy has for her grows larger as he continues observe her. , â€Å"l felt bad because I couldn't help her†. The guy even gives he r his own blood as a substitute for mole blood and tricks her, â€Å"Here It Is,' I said. ‘Here's the blood of the mole. † The climax of this story Is when the woman returns from her Ill son, â€Å"He walks! ‘ the woman sobbed, holding a bittersweet smile behind her hands. ‘He walks! â€Å". But he cannot save everyone. We all have loved one's we do not want to leave us to the other side.The story is resolved when they all come for him â€Å"Everyone had a The narrative structure is clear-cut, direct and uncomplicated. Things occur in a chronological order of time. It starts from the beginning, there are no flashbacks, and everything proceeds in order. It does skip over a few seasons that are â€Å"uneventful†. The scenes are somewhat short, not overly elaborate, but ample detail is given. The author does not state such when months have passed, he uses another poetic technique. â€Å"Cold, uneventful days slipped by.The autumn leaves whirled hopel essly n the wind, giving the air a brown appearance. The early winter blizzards hurled snowflakes against the windows†¦ † He uses weather to foreshadow what is going to happen next Overall, I liked this story about a hero. It made me think a lot about being realistic on how any lives I try to touch in the future. This story really shows the best of humans. There are some people that are going to help even though they get nothing in return. This story is was well written. The dialogue was somewhat lacking, but I guess it fit's the story.

Naturalism in Stephen Crane’s “A God in Wrath” Essay

The 1880s to the 1940s marks a period in American Literature known as Realism and Naturalism. This was the time when most literary works reflected the ideas of pessimism and determinism, and where events and even God oppose human free will or remain indifferent to human desires. One author and poet of this era was Stephen Crane. Crane published â€Å"A God in Wrath† in 1905 in a collection of poems called The Black Rider and Other Lines. The poem, which is about a god torturing a man, reflects the recurring theme of naturalism with instances of pessimism, determinism, and detachment. Naturalism in â€Å"A God in Wrath† Pessimism. Pessimism, or the seeming inevitability of the occurrence of negative events, fills every line of the â€Å"A God in Wrath. † In the poem, the very fact that a god is punishing the man is perhaps the greatest indication of pessimism considering that no man can ever be greater than a god. Therefore, no man can ever escape a god’s wrath and so a man who is suffering from it will surely suffer till the end. Indeed nothing can be more pessimistic than that. One particular line, â€Å"He cuffed him loudly† (Crane), indicates that the man is bound and has no chance of escape ever. Moreover, one should take note that these cuffs are put by a god and therefore impossible to get rid of. Also, the cuffs are in the form of â€Å"thunderous blows that rang and rolled over the earth† (Crane). This means that these are not just simple shackles that simply require a key to remove but that they are as complicated as they are difficult to detach. Perhaps one more indication of pessimism in the poem is the presence of a crowd of people who are not shown to help the man, or are portrayed as helpless creatures that do nothing but observe and add to the man’s injury by saying â€Å"Ah, what a wicked man! † (Crane). The man in â€Å"A God in Wrath† is already in deep suffering when â€Å"All people came running† (Crane). Nevertheless, although he â€Å"screamed and struggled† (Crane), the crowd, instead of helping him, condemns him more by calling him wicked. In real life, one can see people who not only ignore those who ask for their help but even regard them as evil. Such is the picture of the society that Crane may have wanted to show through the element of pessimism in the poem. Determinism. Determinism in â€Å"A God in Wrath† centers around the idea that the man has no choice but to accept the wrath of god and eventually his own fate. The whole poem is a testament to the absence of free will as indicated in the man’s useless struggle to escape. Man’s free will is figuratively strangled when the god â€Å"cuffed him loudly† (Crane) and that although he â€Å"screamed and struggled† (Crane), which means that he wants to assert himself and his free will, no help arrives and there is no escape. Perhaps the man’s last chance of escape is the people who â€Å"came running† (Crane), and maybe he smiles at the fact that all of them seem to come to his aid. Unfortunately, it seems that he is predestined to suffer and perhaps even die of his suffering when he finds out later on that the people who come running actually do nothing but say â€Å"Ah, what a wicked man! † (Crane). Crane here shows that no amount of screams and struggles from the man, or every man in general, can change the course of nature, the will of a god, or man’s destiny to suffer. Detachment. The stone-cold objectivity in Stephen Crane’s tone is felt in the poem in his use of such nameless characters as a god, a man, and all people. The absence of a capital â€Å"g† in â€Å"god,† except perhaps in the title, clearly indicates that this god is not necessarily the Christian God but perhaps any form of deity considered to be a symbol of cruel and inhuman dictatorship. It can even be religion itself which is shown here that makes man suffer. One can also see that in the poem, the man is unnamed, which means that it can represent any human being particularly those who seem to be experiencing a hopeless struggle. Lastly, the phrase â€Å"all people† (Crane) may represent everyone else in the world of the man who suffers. Also, the fact that all of them â€Å"came running† (Crane) tells us that they are united in their action, and that when they all together â€Å"cried, Ah, what a wicked man! † (Crane), one can see that people in general are wicked and often express their ridicule and cruelty in unison. On the whole, the element of detachment in Crane’s â€Å"A God in Wrath† tells us that the situation portrayed in the poem and its painful events are not exclusive to the characters in it but also to every suffering human being. Conclusion Stephen Crane’s â€Å"A God in Wrath† is a poem that portrays the elements of the era of Literary Realism and Naturalism, which include pessimism, determinism and detachment. Pessimism is reflected by man’s seemingly unending struggle with a god that is impossible to conquer and with people who are brutally indifferent to his suffering. Determinism is present in the lines that show that his fate seems inevitable and that no amount of struggle and will to survive may seem enough to free the man in the poem from his suffering. Finally, a sense of detachment is expressed by the fact that the characters in the poem are unnamed. Hence, this makes the particular literary work a mirror of what actually goes on in the life of every human being who suffers and how much pain he has to bear with the wrath of a cruel god and the inaction of his indifferent fellow humans. Works Cited Crane, Stephen. 2010. â€Å"A God in Wrath. † Stephen Maria Crane. Poemhunter. com. May 24, 2010. Crane, Stephen. â€Å"A God in Wrath. † Withered Arm and Other Stories. Ed. George Bess. New Jersey: Viking Penguin, 1999. Print.

Development Economics Final Exam

Thus follows a theory of production from the middle age, wherein production is understood as an increase of matter, which is only achievable through agriculture and the delivery of raw materials. Land as a homogeneous factor is rooted on the following concepts: Land as having a perfectly elastic supply thus land is always readily available and does not decrease Land is not productive on Its own therefore land must be used as a means of production; and the only way to increase land Is through agriculture or raw material resources such as mining.The reason that the assumption of land as a homogeneous factor of production Is no longer tenable is that, in recent years, land has been given a wider definition, thus t is not only limited to areas which are useful for agriculture or mining, but also above and beyond the actual land that can be seen such as forests, bodies of water, mineral resources, recreational areas. Land is given multiple demands which are not limited to agriculture and mining alone. Today, in contrast to classical economics, land is used for building, as capital for production of goods and services, for recreational purposes, etc.Attached to the idea of multiplicity is the concept of value. Such an understanding allows one to realize that besides land being natural, it is also location-specific and dependable. Value Is classified Into: Non-use value refers to the benefit humanity receives from the continued existence of environmental assets and does not need to be experienced. This Is further classified Into either (1 ) option value, wherein the asset can be taken advantage of at a future time or (2) quasi- option value, wherein asset can be kept for future use, thereby making the valuation difficult to estimate.On the other hand, the use-value is also classified into non- extractive or extractive. (1) Non-extractive covers the services that an environmental set provides without the need to extract goods or harvest anything from them. Monetary gai n is not immediate and requires planning, research and creativity to translate this value into something profitable as a livelihood, which is often realized in the long-run. (2) Extractive use or consumption use value refers to the use of goods that can be extracted directly from locality. This Is the most common type of business valuation.Excessive extraction such as In milling and forestry, however, can deplete the asset. Compared to non-extractive use, monetary gains of extractive use are quick and certain. Non-extractive can be further delved Into (1) recreational, which refers to the leisure services which the sites directly provide such as snorkeling, skiing, experience of natural sites such as the case with parks, zoos, mountains, etc. In conclusion, land, as a factor of production is important in the process of economic development since the process involves the increasing utilization of natural resources.A modern sector follows a circular flow of production, which involves a greater intensity in the use of natural resources. Thus, a single increase in production could mean a significant increase in the use of natural resources. The challenge therefore is to have sustainable utilization of dependable resources. A solution is to minimize use of dependable resources. Another is to market certain resources in order to protect them. In any case, such action must be taken in order to ensure proper utilization of land. . What is the low-level equilibrium trap? To what extent is population a problem insofar as long-term economic development is concerned? The low level equilibrium trap is based on Richard Nelson's theory, which explains the relationship between population growth and income growth. As income per pita remains below critical level, then a population growth rate that exceeds that certain income growth rate will always bring the economy back to a low level equilibrium trap. . What is peasant rationality? How can one Justify subsistence production a s rational economic behavior 4.

Raymond Williams and His Contribution to the Study of Culture Essay

Raymond Williams and His Contribution to the Study of Culture - Essay Example The essay "Raymond Williams and His Contribution to the Study of Culture" discusses the brief introduction and historical background of the development of cultural studies; theories and theorists advocating the cultural materialist approach; Raymond Williams on cultural studies and cultural materialism and the relevance of cultural materialism in current context. The explanation of cultural materialism is grounded on the theoretical fundamentals of leftist culturalism and Marxist analysis. Williams views culture as a productive process. In accordance with the Marxist theoretical framework, cultural materialism is an elaboration of historical materialism - a way of understanding the diverse social and material production of the works of art. For Williams, culture is located within flexible but identifiable boundaries. The idea of culture with boundaries is problematic and a complicated issue in the age of globalization. Williams theory of cultural materialism describes the relationshi ps between culture and society. Culture is denoted, according to Williams, as a whole way of life material, intellectual and spiritual. This definition is relevant even in today’s globalization period to understand the complicated patterns of diversified cultural relationships. The various perspectives of ‘common culture’ in Williams’ theory include social relations at work, organized politics, public entertainments. The new modes of communicative production in today’s cultures are the technological advancements.

Managing finance of the two companies the Tesco and the Sainsbury Coursework

Managing finance of the two companies the Tesco and the Sainsbury - Coursework Example The intention of this study is financial statement analysis as one of the fundamental practices for investment and analysis of performance in order to present a fast method of evaluating the financial growth of the organization. The analysis and the evaluation of the financial ratios minimize the complications within the financial data in a simple and an arranged manner. The ratio analysis is much informative as it provides information’s, suggestions and recommendations to the shareholders. The study in this context deals with the analysis of the performance of the reputed companies namely the Tesco and Sainsbury. The study is aimed at evaluating the ratios of two firms over the past year financial data of the annual report. It gives the investment suggestions and recommendations to the investors and the shareholders by including and considering the following: †¢ Profitability, †¢ Liquidity level, †¢ Efficiency level †¢ The stage of fund dependency †¢ Earning per share. The Tesco brand first appeared five years later in 1924 when he bought a shipment of tea from a Mr T. E Stockwell and in 1932 Tesco became a private limited company. In 1995 Tesco took up Sainsbury’s as the UK’s largest supermarket. Bearing in mind how determined and competitive the 'supermarket' concept is this is fairly a success brand. Tesco’s favored evaluation of growth is 'like for like' development – sales development on shop floor room, which rejected increase from additional shop floor space in extended or latest stores. Even by this limited measure sales grew 8.3% in every year, improving Tesco’s profits every year. In April 2009, Tesco declared profits of ?1.6bn for the fiscal year concluding on 28 February; ?4.4m profit per day which is 17.6% higher than the earlier year. As an evaluation Tesco made as much income as Sainsbury, Next and WH Smith jointly. Forecasters are at present forecasting that Tesco’s pre-tax profits for coming years will be exceeding by ?2bn mark, quadruple times that of Sainsbury. Comparisons between both the companies are much difficult as they both are good players in the supermarket trade in the state. â€Å"So, rather than doing the usual comparison of  the stores by their top food  deals and booze bargains  (which we do every week in our Frugal Food blog), today, I'm going to take a more original look at which store offers the best financial  deals. I'll also compare their loyalty schemes, so you can see where your  spend at the supermarket will earn you  the most bang for your buck† (Wait 2010). Financial Analysis of Tesco and Sainsbury: The intention of this paper is to financially investigate and state a report of the two firms Tesco and Sainsbury. These two firms have the same industrial background and are both leading supermarkets among whom there are a very healthy and tough competition in order to capture the giant market share. â€Å"Sainsbury's v Tesco: the rumble in the supermarket aisles† (Hall 2009). Both financial as well as non financial factors have played a very vital role in the market fluctuations which have affected both the firms. In order to present a financially investigative report, it is very important to present a report on the financial ratios of the firms. For that purpose some of the most popular ratios investigated are profitability, liquidity, efficiency, gearing and the

Economics College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economics College - Essay Example This event has crippled the economy, leading to a quarterly decline of 1.4% in the third quarter. The attack has "shut down the economy for several days and has had a lasting impact on tourism, the airline industry, and other businesses" (Economists Call it Recession 2001). In an annual basis, the US economy only managed to grow by 0.8% during 2001. The economy has entered a moderate state of recovery during 2002 where it posted 1.6% annual GDP growth. Recognizing the slowdown in the economy, the Bush administration planned to stimulate consumer spending and investment through the use of tax cuts. This fiscal policy was implemented in July 2003, taking immediate effect in the next quarter. The US has enjoyed an annual growth rate of 2.5% during that year which is strongly fueled by the rise in personal consumption expenditures coupled by a higher level of government spending. Also, the tax cut has been effective in creating jobs and boosting business growth. From 2004, the US economy has been posting growth at par with its pre-recession rates. GDP in 2004 rose by 3.9%, which 0.2% higher than the 2000 level. Annual growth rates in 2005 and 2006 are 3.2% and 3.4%, respectively.

Marketing 3000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing 3000 - Essay Example I have observed that generally, consumers are very price sensitive, especially during times of financial and economic crises. The most effective strategy that works to generate sales, repeated product purchase, and gain consistent patronage is if organizations implement a low price, yet high quality strategy. For basic necessities of homogeneous products (like soap, detergents, bread, coffee, milk, eggs), consumers with low purchasing power would opt to select those with the lowest costs. In supermarkets, therefore, organizations that aim to generate more volume in terms of revenues apply the least cost strategy. For example, the single-served coffee is gaining popularity in contemporary times. This market has been dominated by Nescafe where a 12-pack Taster’s Choice House Blend Instant Coffee costs $12.16. To enable to enter this market, Starbucks, which is known for its specialty coffee, previously served only in its respective coffee stores, have launched their single served Via in 12-pack pouches runs $9.95. When I learned of this move, of course, as a customer who perceived Starbucks as a projecting an image of high-priced, high quality coffee, definitely purchased Via, which as even lower in price than Nescafe’s Taster’s Choice. In another experience, the Cola wars between Coke and Pepsi had also undergone some price wars in the past. I remember being a Coke enthusiast ever since I can remember being allowed to drink carbonated drinks. Pegged almost at the same price, Coke and Pepsi have decided not to implement any price war because the strategy would be detrimental to both. However, there was a time when Pepsi came up with a new promotional strategy that enticed consumers to win cash prices by collecting specially printed Pepsi crowns. This promotion led to shifts in consumers’ purchases from Coke to Pepsi, despite the same price due to the offer of hopes to possibly win something big. When things like

People Like Us David Brook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

People Like Us David Brook - Essay Example In essence, Brooks was referring to the depraved reputation Democrats hold against Republicans, who presumably engage in drug abuse, driving pickup trucks made by American companies and often own guns, which they use during their violent acts. Through mentioning tobacco and gun racks to the audience, who are the readers of this article, Brooks engages them emotionally and clarifies the point of homogeneity.He emphatically employs the use of symbolism and simile rhetorical strategies in an interesting manner to drive his point effectively. Owning of pickup trucks symbolizes the loyalty of a person to America, as it is the case with Republicans, and by likening living in Great Falls, Virginia to forcing the Democratic lawyer’s kid into tobacco smoking and compelling her to own guns, emotions are evoked to the reader through the smile.It is easy to evoke emotions in the reader by supporting assertions with quality evidence; Brooks talks about the manner in which people are aiding in creating homogeneity, despite its ill motives, and gives quality evidence on this issue.In his bid to show how people do not care about diversity in the US, Brooks uses several examples of firms, institutions and even suggests the use of the Bell Curve. It is interesting that he uses examples that are widely known and the audience, which of constitute readers, can relate to them without difficulty. When the audience is familiar with what the author is giving as evidence for a given assertion, emotions are evoked.

Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior and Ethics Essay

Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior and Ethics - Essay Example In addition, it studies individual behavior within different organizational structures to determine why an individuals or groups respond as they do to different situations and how management can use this to benefit the organization. Organizational behavior helps the manager derive the desired results from the company while considering the practical and emotional needs of the individual employee. Organizational culture is the system of shared values and norms of the organization’s members. It will dictate how the members form groups and communicate. It will involve the way the members dress, talk, and the language that they use in their business communications. It will also imply a set of ethics to be followed in their approach to business transactions. Organizational culture defines the tone and temperament of the organization that distinguishes it from other organizations. In addition, organizational culture will consist of the rites and traditions that the organization has. This may be as simple as a company picnic, an informal initiation process, or the respect for a chain of command. While this is helpful in developing a shared vision among the members for the company’s objectives, it can also result in negative attitudes or outdated social perceptions in some cases. Racism or sexism may be difficult to eliminate if it is insidious within the organizational culture. Likewise, equality, social responsibility, and community service can be infused into an organization be affecting the organizational behavior. One of the biggest challenges facing the field of organizational behavior is the expanding global marketplace and the increasing diversity in the workplace. Diversity can come in the form of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual preference, or religion. Until recently the impact of diversity in the workplace was often overlooked and minorities were often expected to maintain a company culture that may have been hostile or

How New York Times vs Sullivan changed political thinking Essay Example for Free

How New York Times vs Sullivan changed political thinking Essay The history of the American nation has been evidently marked with many landmarks legal interpretations of its constitution. The case of New York Times vs. Sullivan is one good example of landmark cases which greatly changed the political thinking of the American population. It is clear from the underlying proceedings of the Supreme Court on the case that the legal understanding of the first and fourth amendments of the civil right bill is not to allow any recovery for media reports unless the complainant can sufficiently prove acts of malice when making the defamatory report (FindLaw, 2010). This is what marked the many historical appreciations of the media freedom in our legal justice system. It is indeed a direct result of this 1964 ruling that the media gain freedom to sufficient cover the proceedings of civil rights movement thus aiding in the realization of the ultimate inclusion of the black American’s right to the civil rights in the American constitution. This essay is written as a critical analysis of the New York Times vs. Sullivan and how it evidently changed political thinking in America. The author first gives an analytical discussion on the underlying facts presented in the case. A discussion on how the case set a precedent for public officials and how that is just another thing to consider for public figures getting into politics is also given Summary of the New York Times vs. Sullivan case 1. The trial courts judgment The case of New York Times vs. Sullivan involved a claim by New York Times in an advertisement that the arrest of Martin Luther king junior was a campaign to compromise his efforts in encouraging the blacks to vote (FindLaw, 2010). The advert claimed that the Montgomery police had been allegedly directed their acts against students who were involved in the civil rights demonstrations. The led to the filing of defamation case against New York Times by Sullivan, a commissioner in the police department at Montgomery (Shah Anderson, 2007). It is however here to be made clear that the advert was not directly mentioning Sullivan but Sullivan claimed that it was targeting him since he was the chief supervision of the police department in Montgomery. he low court trial judge in Alabaman found the New York Times guilty of committing an actual malice defamatory statements against a public officer and ordered them to pay Sullivan damage worthy half a million US dollars. 2. The Supreme Court’s judgment and its reflection on the first and fourteenth amendment It is however to be realized that the New York Times did not accept the lower court jury’s judgment thus forcing to file an appeal with the supreme cour t in the quest realizing a fair and just judgment (Tysoe, 2008). At the Supreme Court, the judges clearly confirmed that the provisions of the first amendment of the civil rights bill did not allow a public officer to be granted damages for defamation unless he or she clearly proves that such statements were made will actual malice against them. Still citing the fourteenth amendment to the constitution, the court ruled out that the states is not obliged to award damages for defamation to a public offices based on falsified claims unless the officers sufficiently proves actual malice in the statements (Shah Anderson, 2007). It is also clear from the proceedings at the Supreme Court that an individual statement can never its protection under the American constitution even if it appears in the form of a paid advert. The judges claimed that it is not the purpose of the government to judge the truth and that a public officer must live to take critics from the public unless they can sufficiently proof malicious acts in the statements (Write Lidsky, 2004). It was evidently claimed that any act of allowing Sullivan to be paid damages for insufficiently qualified claims of malice could act as a loophole for compromising any future critics to public officers. Still to be noted here is the fact that such any act could greatly compromise genuine critics for fear of intimidation, a move which could evidently compromise the just and fair provision of services by public officers to the general public. It is based on this reasons that the Supreme Court ruled against the lower courts ruling thus favoring New York Times. How New York Times vs. Sullivan set a precedent for public officials The first lesson is that it became evidently clear that a public official is subject to public criticism. It is quite clear from existing historical information that the realization of just and fair rules and regulations in the American nation has never been without social movements. Still clear is the fact that such realizations were heavily compromised with public office power interferences (Wright Lidsky, 2004). The civil right movement of the twentieth century is no exception to this. It is based on this reasoning and by applying the principles of conclusion by sufficient reasoning that the 1964 interpretation of the American constitution served to protect the political elite and/or public officials from imposing force to the public. Another change that was brought by the impact of the New York Times vs. Sullivan case ruling is that the political elite in the community must be role models (Tysoe, 2008). It is found in the proceedings of the Supreme Court ruling that public officials should be open to critics from the public domain. This was made to emphasis the fact that such are the leaders who should lead the American nation to the next level of fairness and justice for all in the society. It was only by instilling the fact that the general public has a constitutional right to critique their leaders that political comments made by leaders are subject to self liability. This is what has made the political elite of the American nation respectful of the constitutional provisions thus sufficiently realizing greater levels of justice and fairness in the society (Melbourne University Law Review, 2001). Still proved by the case is the fact that sufficiently prove of defamation by actual malice is the ultimate reason for claiming legal awarding of damages (Melbourne University Law Review, 2001). The proceedings at the Supreme Court clearly established that the constitutional protection of claimed statement can not be negated due to the fact that such have been expressed in the context of a paid advertisement. This clear makes public officials subject to proving of actual malice in their damage claim suits. It is to be clearly noted that most true expression which go to the media can be easily disputed by the source (FindLaw, 2010). However, the question of whether or not to get defamatory damages remains subject to the provision of substantial evidence proving actual malice in the presentation of the expressions. How New York Times vs. Sullivan is just another thing to consider for public figures getting into politics The ruling in the case of the New York Times vs. Sullivan also instilled the lesson that no one in the American land is above the rule of law as provided in the constitution. Clear from the ruling of the lower court, it can be claimed that the jury sort less evidence to make the judgment in favor of Sullivan (Wright Lidsky, 2004). This could be closely attributed to the fact that the government was out to control the progression of the Martin Luther King led civil rights movement. It is however clear from the Supreme Court judgment that despite such previous rulings on the case the constitutional provisions must be respected and applied equally to all in the society (Melbourne University Law Review, 2001). The provision for proving actual malice for compensation of defamation of an individual’s reputation should equally respect all even the politically advantaged in the society. It is this that made political influence on justice provisions mitigated thus respecting the rule of rule as reflected in the constitutional provision for independence of the judiciary. Another lesson from the case is that of limiting claim for awarding damage due to purported defamatory speech (Tysoe, 2008). From the advertisement that led to the defamation claims by Sullivan, it is quite clear that it claimed to be the onset of a new pattern of modern freedom. According to the ruling of the Supreme Court, it is quite clear that the constitution sufficiently protects the human right to speech. It is due to this that it found no sufficient claim of defamation in Sullivan’s claims due to the fact that the students involve were being deprived of their constitutional right to speech (Shah Anderson, 2007). It is based on this reasoning that the ruling changing our political approaches to reflective our constitutional right to speech. The last lesson from the case ruling is that it made it clear that freedom of the press must be respected. It is to be noted here that the sole duties of the media is to provide news to the general public on occurrences around them. It is due to this reason that any act of compromise quality and accuracy of such news must be mitigated. Still to be understood here is the fact that the advertisement published by the New York Times was made for overseeing the fair and just execution of the underlying demands of the civil rights movement (Melbourne University Law Review, 2001). This is what made the ruling a greatly political influence blow in civil matters. Still realized from the ruling is the ultimate realizing of freedom of press. Indeed the New York Times vs. Sullivan led to the protection of the media against intimidation in covering the civil rights movement.  It is thus clear that the ruling changed the perception the political and public officials had with regard to the media in the society. Conclusion In conclusion, it has been clearly established that the Supreme Court ruling in the case of the New York Times vs. Sullivan marked the dawn of respect for freedom to speech and the press by public officials. It is thus clear that such a case qualifies to be a landmark case in the history of the American nation. It is this court ruling which mitigated misuse of public office and/or political power to impose legal awards for damages without sufficiently prove of actual malice.

Disadvantages of Organizational Culture: Dell Case Study

Disadvantages of Organizational Culture: Dell Case Study There are many aspects of organizations in todays business world. Each institution in the market over all stock market profits and achieve competitive advantage sought. A variety of organization structure, which is working according to their needs. These structures collectively through effective management and behavior contribute to the success of these organizations. Popular business students study organizational behavior, these days, and managers, and organizational structure related to the behavior of experts and systems practice and practice to achieve progress in the future of any business and organization to find the best strategy is relevant to the study economies. In this test, many in practice, culture and organizational structure see related aspects. Dell in the computer industry that the new company is a successful global networking. In this study, we will find how the Dell company in the development of a competitive environment and treated with a certain kind of structure to a different strategy implementation. Dell technology development is an American multinational company, and sells some of the products and services associated with computers supports. Michael Dell founded Dell in 1984, the company ranks as one of the largest computer related. Majority in the United States between 96 000 employees in all parts of the world. In 2009, a company that personal computers, servers, data storage equipment sells, network, few programs, as well as computer accessories switch. Dell now sells high-definition television, camera, printer, and MP three players and electronic, which are produced by other manufacturers. Companys supply management and is known for innovation in electronic commerce. Fortune magazine in May 2010 and Dell as the largest United States and 38 in Texas, developed by Big 5 corporations. This is the second largest non-oil. Michael Dell started selling directly to customers, and computers, Ltd. is trying to understand customer needs. It was Michael Dell dropped out of school to keep their poultry family, also received $ 300,000 to expand their family. They first designed in 1985 the company successfully Turbo PC, which sold $ 795 in the United States was called to produce its own computer. Computer Computer, the consumers and all of the above allocation of assembly for the direct selling regulations were limited advertising in national magazines. Companies more than $ 73 million for the first year are growing. In 1988, the company changed its name to Dell Computer Corporation also has the world will begin to expand. à  Ã‚ ¤Ã…“à  Ã‚ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ¨ 1988 Dell 30 million to 80 million have been. In 1992, Fortune magazines Worlds largest 500 companies in the Dell Computer Corporation put even Michael Dell, a Fortune 500 company than a smaller companys chief executive announced. Of 1996, Dell started selling computers in 2002 to its website, Dell TVs, printers and digital audio players and portable devices of the computer product line expanded. Lackluster performance, however, in low-end computers has led to Michael Dell as CEO to take over again. Founder and announced a so-called change campaign to reduce the number of employees and the companys products to diversify Dell 2.0. The company argued in January 2008 to achieve equality in the market for iSCSI storage become stronger. Dale effective manufacturing process already because of the companys products under the equity and reason t o the prices of manufacturing industries integration. In 2009 Peru Dell systems technology and outsourcing services company founded by H. Ross Perot. In September 2009, Dell announced its intention to Peru, to $ 3.9 billion in a deal Systems (Plano, Texas-based) get reported. Peru brought the application systems development and systems integration, the United States and 10 other countries through its operations and strategic consulting services. In addition, it offers a variety of services, business process operations including claims processing and call center outsourcing. August 16, 2010 in, Dell to get your data storage company 3PAR announced. On September 2, 2010 Hewlett-Packard Co. launched the $ 33 per share, which Dell refused to match. In this study, we see the behavior of organizational culture and Dell. Server: Our products and services include the following: Storage Printing and Imaging System Workstations Laptops Desktop Computers Networking Products Software and peripheral products Managed Services Professional Services Deployment Services Dell Support Services Training and Certification Services 3. Organizational Structures Organizational structure is defined as institutions that support and contribute to a common goal to serve the concept of hierarchical subordination? I like this definition for several reasons. One is that it is easy to understand and the point where the reading during the transition to the next after the last sentence of the definition of long ago forgotten to the contrary. The other is that it defines the word as the organizational structure spoke to him harshly. Management and organizational structure for Talisman and out of all the requirements because only the truth a hierarchical structure that takes place each employee in the organization. Organizational structure and thus a total of all material and legal aspects concerning the structure and organization of work. Organizational structure while there is still a very old concept, and develop business models for years to keep pace with today have passed on. New models continued to work in crop cultivation, and management processes required to keep pace so that organizations can take the best of its structure. And organizational structure and bureaucratic red tape after the first line can be divided. And organizational structure and leadership and communication on the line in terms of industrial base on the old state, not only in one direction to lower a high level of authority. Lower level is also expected to follow any ordered not to respond. The latest structures that have emerged in the 1970s, and encourage two-way communication and consideration of proposals to allow the lower level. Mid-1800s, which was effective during the 1970 first period of organizational structure. In this era, an organization that was perfect in itself. Organization, the presence of clear boundaries between suppliers and customers. The next input at the gate of the institution, and the final product or any service that the organization was going on. Everything was provided with the internal process. 4. Types of Organizational Structures Type of organizational structure means that the institutions organizational structure is designed business area. Organizational structure based on either work or people can be. Lets look at them one by one. 4.1 Functional structure Functional organization is divided on the basis of acts performed by them, and the division manufacturing, sales and marketing and human resources departments such as accounts management, and so forth in each of the departments of art, and employees alike implement a series of tasks. Within each section there is a new structure. For example, a model for marketing management. 4.2 Structure People There is the structure for the division responsible for different products divide. As the description suggests, the structure of the companies that produce products will be used by more than one. For example, you division for small cars, and SUV category and division, the company car can split Trucks 4.3 Matrix structure It is quite clear that very large enterprises that have only two structures is not possible. Large institutions, which have different structures, all structures and functional division is a combination of people or need to work a large number of people and is based on both a timely manner. This structure is called a matrix. Matrix structure and is divided into sections: The first organization and the departments. As big companies Dell, the matrix or mixed culture and structures. The best organizations in the world today are outside the formal organizational structure and trying to form structures minimums. Although very few of todays enterprises have successfully implemented the idea of implementing agencies and large companies are very simple, it is an organization where none may be inevitable. And lines and other government departments that work across the company encourages everyone Employee destruction. Matrix organizational structure that combines two types of organizational structure and the structure of a unique combination of people or purely service-oriented work environment for people to create a unique combination. The organizational structure and design is useful for most of the appointments that you have projects, the many different professionals working with the troops, and will be contracted to work are working. For example, the matrix organizational structure employed many engineers work in a similar compilation of their experiences. That is where a company of professionals with the same team produces two types of products. Each entity in the company structure should be working correctly. Arrange To get into the world of chaos and structure and organizational culture so that it becomes possible to perform effective returns. Organizational structure means that any kind of hierarchical organization is needed so that there is an appropriate division of duties and responsibilities of various units of work can work in harmony so that the final goal is reached. The need for which the organizational structure of companies is responsible for the formation of many types. In the following article, however, we focus on one type of structure and composition of the matrix should have. If this issue than ever was any confusion, read the following articles to learn more about the organizational structure and whether it involves a matrix. Typically, the structure for each and every one of them a report on the project two or more employers and employees. Hence the matrix organizational structure, and exchange of information for the effective and smooth implementation is essential. Each project and project manager of different teams, and that is expected to provide him with work. Turn report directly to the organization or authority, such as the proposed Vice President to head. There is also a functional management (chaired by the Director of the Department) for a sound technical and leadership skills and organizational excellence through the work to maintain progress by making sure the organization responsible for maintaining the technical operations is. 4.3.1 Benefits Due to the unique combination of the structure, there are advantages to be seen. Here are some of them: Dell has a dedicated team in their work tasks based on the properties and functions are selected. Dell to create a standard for hiring professionals for project needs. Allow more opportunities for success. Part of a team working within the framework of other teams after the appointment of key people is a question of cost-effective because the project cost to Dell corporate culture, its importance is less. Where the structure is not balanced that there is time, and Dell will be a proper balance between the cost performance. And conflict resolution à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Del are the least likely, and even if they do, because they are easy to set up the hierarchy. Project Manager at Dell just to make sure the project is completed on time and within budget is responsible for. Therefore, no obvious problems that arise, and there is less chance of external factors affecting the project other than. There is a greater chance of success of the company because of various forces working on the project has a lot of thinking, and thus pressure on energy and problem solving abilities are strong. 4.3.2 defect Although there are benefits matrix organizational structure, and aware of some disadvantages that should be as well. Here are some of them: There may be a lot of confusion and conflict if there are resources shared by teams or group of factors such as ambiguity, two or more at Dell can work. You increase the cost to Dell for the job if there is a lot of contract project manager could. After the main show goes to the heart that there is power and freedom of decision and development of team members or even the project manager is a lot, there used to delay completion of the project is . 5. Organizational Culture Make good on our understanding of organizational culture, and we need to know to what culture? Culture, values and customs that basically people who live anywhere in the world, followed by a set of. If we apply this definition of culture with the word phenomenal, we have a bias or prejudice, without fundamental principles and organization that is fixed and applies to all staff, prices are a matter of organization. The public and private behavior and organization in all of this work is based on peoples reactions. Organizational culture is not convincing. Its best behavior and attitudes, values and belief system of employees can be understood through the study. The color is what distinguishes our perception of the business unit. Any employee to be effective regardless of how efficient it is unable to adapt themselves to the work culture. Organization with a focus on culture, since the growth and success depends on the prevailing culture types company.Does threatened staff members do not feel or daughter there a way to work, grow desire, and they do not prepare for or as a group to go their separate ways? Companies like Dell, traditional management systems, organizational culture is rich with some of the innovations. 5.1 Understanding Organizational Culture I protect my job related as far as the employees do not feel? Manage a difficult boss? Answering these questions will help the organizations culture can appreciate. Some organizations began working on behalf of employees up to encourage. These organizations have a large number of employees who have been with the company for many years, is characterized by the presence of. Seniority is a very important role in these organizations are to a certain degree of job security guarantees. A culture that promotes work and for a short period of time, some business organizations family.In people get together before leaving for good. And managers to consider and hard taskmasters. It is expected the staff to follow strict deadlines. All work and no play culture of these organizations. Of course the interaction between the staff is limited. Might not work or a place is very friendly and comfortable. There are people of intense competition and strive to provide the best can be. Also, people burn out because of stress to be. Peoples expectations of the organization reflect the organizational culture. Key features and innovative culture within Dell claims the support and ambition. Commitment to the unique solution. It is based on the merits of this culture, All business functions as an essential part of the team here and measurable success by meeting the objective says. Direct connection Empowerment Dell sense Tell Dell 5.2 Type of organization culture In todays business environment consists of the following types of organizational culture. 5.2.1 Standard culture Organization standards, and accurately according to specific standards and regulations focused on implementation of regulatory functions. The film, to a high standard of business ethics culture is like. Dell sets standards, but to make employees afraid to get a job in the nervous system horibl not. 5.2.2 Practical Culture Unlike standard cultures, the focus is on meeting our customers desire. In this type of organizational structure, no rules are set by the company and the customers needs is of utmost importance. Dell is keen to more customers, and practically can be named. 5.2.3 Academy Culture This type of culture, highly skilled workers in the organization to develop and improve skills of staff atmosphere offers. This kind of culture, in contrast to hospitals, universities and big companies always do not follow the example of Dell, but still a good learning environment where employees remain with the organization, and grow within do. 5.2.4 Culture Club Usually a senior staff position or level for a long time for an upgrade to keep up with the organization. In the case of using these workers, it is necessary to have special skills needed and desired by the organization. Regulation and corporate law, are examples of this type of force, and Dell do not follow this type. 5.2.6 Castle culture Staff believe that he not be put off or organizations are not. In many cases, the organization is subject to tremendous change. This type of culture, and loans, savings, and big auto companies, in some instances, Dell does not come in this culture. 5.2.7 work hard / play hard This type of regulation does not involve a lot of risks, and organizations originally well-established customer a strong relationship with the party composed by. And large organizations that have strong customer service culture by most of the type selected. Organization with special jargons been equipped with this type of culture and several group meetings with eligible. This is where Dell is focused and they halthy such a culture where competition for employees to learn and try to get. 5.2.8 The process of culture This kind of culture does not include feedback process. This type of culture, and in the organization for the maintenance of law and commitment that are cautious about the choice. The culture of the organization provides stability and better public services. 5.3 Changing work culture The most difficult tasks in the organization, the work culture is changing. Organizational culture change in the presence of the organization for its policies, business ethics and management system needs to be amended. The basis for operations, which support functions, and production processes and the floor, which ultimately affect the organizations total output included the need to start. Comprehensive reform of the whole system, and preferably not as many organizations require a long and boring, which requires patience and tolerance. 6. Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior and personality, cognition, behavior and job satisfaction, group dynamics, politics, and design and leadership role in the organization of work, and pressure is the sum of the effects work and decision-making process, and a series communications company , culture and weather. They technology and these elements and assess their impact on individuals and groups each have a variety of methods, and organizational efficiency and effectiveness of use. Science and practice, said Gibson and others (Gibson, et al, 1994) We structure and organizational behavior, behavioral science field a bit for each discipline offers a different focus, and analytical framework provides the basic principles , and the subject. to help managers answer questions about themselves, and administrative staff, and environmental forces. With individuals and groups, and researchers in relation to an attempt to determine why people behave the way they do. They explain the behavior of individuals has developed a variety of design models. The factors that genetic factors, and conditions and environmental development, cultural and social influence individual development, including checks. The researchers also different personality types and examine their impact on business organizations and others. The study by researchers at a major organizational behavior used in these and other areas of work satisfaction study tool. And the use of these tools not only in specific areas wages, benefits and promotional opportunities as to measure job satisfaction, and working conditions but also corporate culture, individual and collective measures of influence behavior patterns, both positive and negative. 6.1 Organizational Behavior and Corporate Culture Corporate Culture and organizational behavior is sometimes used interchangeably, but in reality, there are differences between the two countries conditions. Corporate culture, shared values, attitudes, customs and beliefs and other characteristics that determine the companys operating philosophy includes. Organizational behavior at the same time, it may be under way and some academic studies of corporate culture and its various elements, as well as organizational structure and organizational processes as other important elements of behavior stood. Gibson said, organizational behavior, Ivancevich, and Donnelly (Gibson, et al, 1994), studying the methods and theories and theories from different disciplines to find out personal values and ability to learn depends on the ideas of the area and procedures while working in groups and at home overall, and organization and human resources impact analysis of the external environment, mission, objectives, and strategies for effective managers you know what you are looking for in terms the structure, process and culture, and knew how to do it the status of agents, managers must therefore develop clinical skills, and characteristics of the problem should be trained to determine the circumstances require further attention to the problem at Indicators include low quantity or quality of work, and in the absence or delay increases, and negative attitudes of staff members from each of these issues profit organizational issue. Organizational studies and organizational behavior, organizational theory pointed to, and a systematic study of how people work within organizations including the correct application of knowledge. Dell and unique culture in which companies, and the most appropriate strategy to adopt maximum and a high-performance behaviors that contribute to its success and employees with a sense of your estate is responsible, leading to London, get the shipping culture production. Cultural changes over time as yield concrete results, however, some urgent and meaningful for Dell, as specified in the quarterly evaluation studies told Dell was able to keep track of. Management says employees and their work and efforts to achieve a better balance between life support is expected. Employees more clearly the relationship between their actions and see the Dell company objectives. Those who live in other places the percentage of Dell rose than the fact that 57 per cent, it is still as high as the administra tion wants despite the offer, noting. Dell original size in any way change our culture? Probably not. But he clearly culture that allowed him to come quickly now that the positive aspects was used. Relevant company to introduce Dales 20, Dell still feels like. But also admire the strength and achievements of the company would not much flavor. Whats better now 38 years old I . I m 40 years to look back and be proud of? .. 6.2 System Structure System is also important within the framework of organizational theory, organization and complex dynamic goal-oriented processes. Kurt Lewin and special regulatory system and the term ideological systems principle of effective ethical conduct in the context of developing countries, which in psychology has become an obstacle to sustainable work was the disappointment. (Ash, 2008) and complexity theory perspective of systems approach to other organizations and associations. Negative entropy through openness and feedback system depends heavily on organizations to gain perspective. On illegal disciplinary integrated look. In other words, the ideas of individual subjects, and the integration of the code is common, or more precisely on the basis provided by public bodies based on systems theory is behind. System approach to cross, and not the system gives priority to the elements. Some of these relationships, emerge.In recent years a new system, the dynamic characteristics of systems thinking to the reductionist conventional methods widely studied technique to provide fully developed. Frederick Herzberg two factor theory Expectancy theory Organizational culture and behavior 6.5 Organizational culture and practice correlation An organizational culture and practice in the management of these days the most common words. Organizational culture, although the meaning of them there are differences in the importance of managing people is very clear. It is mainly these employees need to understand all the circumstances relating to the organizational psychology, and there are many tools that department efficiency and increase the employment rate for workers in the organizations ability to achieve effective for use can be. Culture and organizational practices associated with each other. The two are interrelated, and all roads other inter-changing influence. Links to organizational behavior to examine how employees act as individuals in their organization. These are important areas of human resource management. Individuals who are viewed by their organizations to study the behavior of organizational behavior. About workers and the response of the public and private conduct that they are used for certain purposes. It is expected that individual group dynamics and team is important in creating an organizational culture. Managers and employees to understand their behavior in a certain way so understanding the reasons behind their actions that they later make it better when the work is needed to reduce errors is needed. Over the years many theories have been proposed for organizational behavior. These principles have different models of organizational systems. Organizational behavior, and says a shared vision and inspire employees to the success of the organizations leadership, and are developing such an organizational culture intact. 6.6 workplace relations Whether personal or business, you should be building relationships in the workplace. However, fishing how to deal with these relationships because the person with the fall of his career can lead to success. Workplace following a link with a partner should not be considered to fall again about some aspects of the relationship. It is true that the workplace where you have all the business acumen and skills gained through training and experience we put to use. However, we all know that work is not just numbers, and conversation. Associates with the president, relationships, and other staff, as well as with business partners so much about relationships. Relations in the workplace that are based purely on a commercial basis, and get emotionally close to colleagues in the workplace also are also common. 6.7 Maintaining relationships in the workplace Dell employees in the workplace to establish good relations between different strategies. However, it still has the skills of workers that determines success, but also how they behave and that behavior is controlled and the organization is to achieve maximum results. Here are some ways to the extent that Dell tags to monitor and maintain a positive image in the workplace to the employees conduct within the control are: However, professional and friendly: Manager staff believe that the employee is at work in their offices to be sure. To work for them before it all comes clear. However, they are not far away in times of need are. This is a good workplace relationships and who stands in a good position to manufacture. Professional boundaries: it first started a friendly but the person may later have problems at work. The professional staff and secure long-term problems as everything is fine for Dell managers. However, they are the kind of careful. They give a clear signal to allies Dodd they are at work. They always maintain professional ethics. They are professional and personal aspects of a mantra for success in the workplace the right balance between form. Avoid gossip: Dell desirable and is encouraged in the workplace communication. However, as very limited office gossip is detrimental to the organization and its employees. Waste of time to indulge in gossip, the main thing. Dell also managers keep order / Confidence parameter: Although called a professional relationship in the workplace, and ideas that may not be professional in all of nature for the exchange to maintain everyones needs. Each one has a friend in the workplace so there is no problem in the workplace a friendly Dells more because it encouraged the Dell is one of the industry-friendly work environment. 6.8 Impact of technology Dell is a global technology leader and has a good reputation for advanced technology. Always according to the needs of new technology adoption. Technology, organizational structures, cultures and practices has brought many changes. I last changed the relationship between man and technology in the workplace because of the associations between rapid progress. Companies now producing a quick decision and impressions, communication and implementation of the resolution. The change management processes and departments has changed now. 7. Conclusion Different organizational structures used by man since the creation of human organizations. People who were hunters and farmers start of military or tribal right to a mans decision to lead the pack in the team delivery of everyones daily operations will be treated as some have. From ancient times, a pyramid scheme that was being followed everywhere. Appointments and tasks and people according to their abilities after learning the definition. Each person has the responsibility to set aside certain actions were required to become a key role in the distribution. Finally there is a strong reporting system structure, where he analyzes and questions have been under the responsibility and accountability, and there was a kind of performance evaluation. Itself a formal community organizational structure that is selected. Business and human rights organizations still change with advances in new forms that all organizational structures, cultures and practices was made. Dell is always taken as ne eded changing. Other innovations such as Dell and its culture, structure, and behavioral adjustments to meet the needs of the market to achieve the maximum.

Spice Mobiles: Sales and Distribution Strategy

Spice Mobiles: Sales and Distribution Strategy Indian wireless sector has been an epitome of growth and success story all along as the cellular subscriber base increased from 1.9 million as on March 31, 2000 to 584 million as on March 31, 2010. As the sector has matured, the baton of growth has been passed-on to novel concepts such as Telecom Infrastructure Companies (commonly known as the tower companies), Value Added Service providers (popular application being Caller Ring Back Tone-CRBT) and more recently the home-grown Mobile Handset (HG) players. The Indian Mobile Handset Market is dominated by established international brands such as Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, LG etc. Nokia has been a clear market leader followed by Samsung, a distant second. There has been a continuous jostle for the third position with players like Motorola, Sony Ericsson, LG vying for the spot. Apart from the braded cell-phones, the market is also flushed with cheap, unbranded imported mobile phones that get routed through grey markets to reach domestic consumers (most of these unbranded mobile phones, hitherto, were without any International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers). When mobile phones were introduced in India in the mid-90s, US based Motorola, Swedens Ericsson and Finlands Nokia dominated the handset market in India. Over the years, the old order has changed. Asian players like Samsung and LG, European brands Philips and Siemens now compete with Motorola and Sony-Ericsson. Now with the emergence of local players like Micromaxx, karbonn and Spice etc., the competition has got all the more intense and the fight for consumers pocket has increased. Nokia, the undisputed leader is now challenged by local players like Micromaxx which has replaced Samsung to become the third biggest mobile selling vendor in the country. If we look a bit deeper, its not only the price or technology, but the reach of these new players in terms of distribution that has given them such a big chunk of the market and that to so soon! HOME-GROWN MOBILE HANDSET PLAYERS Given the backdrop of the growth in the domestic wireless subscriber base coupled with no dominant mobile handset player in India apart from the international brand, Nokia, provided business opportunity for Indian firms to take a plunge into the market; thus, the creation of HG players including Spice Mobiles, Micromax, Karbonn, Lava, Videocon etc. The business model followed by most HG players is relatively simple. These players have research and innovation teams that provide India-centric design specifications to contract manufacturers in neighbouring countries of China, Taiwan etc. These phones are shipped to India which are then routed through the domestic distribution channel for sale in the domestic market. Time-to-market from design-to-production-to-end market is critical in this sector as such players have set-up three-layered distribution system that includes regional distributors to support micro-distributors that in turn service the retail outlets. The initial part of the success of HG players was largely attributable to the price-elasticity of demand prevalent in the Indian market. These players provided phones loaded with various features at an affordable price. Other key aspect of the strategy followed by these players was to initially tap the rural markets where consumers are relatively less brand conscious and more price conscious. We believe it was not just the price differential that made these players tick; the home-grown players provided innovative offerings to rural markets (such as multi SIM handsets, mobile phones with 30-day battery back-up) that provided value-for-money rather than mere price-differential a key success mantra to tap the fortune at the bottom-of-the-pyramid. (Hitherto, the key market segment for these players) The inflection point for the growth of HG players in the recent times also came from the directive from the Government of India to bar handsets without IMEI numbers to be used in India. These handsets were a direct competition to the HG players and a ban on them provided huge growth opportunities for these players. Encashing on this opportunity, the HG players have grown from strength-to-strength and are slowly but surely cementing their place in the Indian Mobile Handset market. Attuned to its primary market segment i.e. Tier-I and Tier-II cities, the marketing by HG players were hitherto more of the push-strategy whereby greater pass-through margins were given to Distributors and Retailers. However, off-late they have also initiated the use of pull-strategy by venturing into brand building initiatives such as roping-in of brand ambassadors and sponsoring of sports tournaments. We see these initiatives as a prelude before venturing into more lucrative urban markets. However, going f orward the HG players shall have to contend with various challenges such as to constantly invest on innovation and brand building; to build and strengthen their distribution network after-sales services; to move-up the value chain both in term of technology (providing 3-G Technology, QWERTY format phones) and markets (from Tier-II/ Tier-III segments to Urban markets) and to counter direct competition from Chinese players who are looking to set-up shops in India. Here in this study, we will discuss the key distribution strategies and challenges of one such home grown player Spice Mobile. A DIFFERENT DISTRIBUTION MODEL The distribution of mobile phones varies considerably from that of other consumer electronics and appliances such as LCD TVs or Air conditioners. This is because the pace of sales of mobile phones is a lot faster than the other consumer electronic goods. Also, the physical size of the products also is a factor. The mobile phone, being a quite fast moving product, hence is not handled by the distributors handling TVs and audio products or washing machines and refrigerators. Hence the supply chain management and logistics management of the two products distribution becomes very different. The great Indian mobile revolution is all set to move to the rural part of the country, with handset manufacturers gearing up to come out with market-specific products to acquire maximum share. The next big opportunity for telcos will be in the hinterland where two-thirds of the countrys 1.17 bn population lives.There are many factors driving handset manufacturers and operators to the rural market. Th ough India is emerging as one of the biggest telecom markets, metros and tier-2 cities are already reaching saturation point. Hence, companies have no option but to explore newer markets to sustain the growth. As of now, India is adding around 9 mn subscribers a month, and in June 20010 the country added 11 mn subscribers. E.g. if we look into Samsung Indias distribution chain, we find that every Samsung product other than the mobile phone (and IT products, which again has a different distribution chain) are distributed by the same wholesaler. For mobile phones, there is a totally different Distribution. This is a result of the above two major factors (pace of sales and physical size of product). Example: Distribution of mobile phones by Samsung The Distribution of Samsung mobile phones is divided by zones primarily. This strategy is more or less similar for all major mobile phone manufacturing companies. The northern region, comprising Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, have four distribution partners for Samsung Mobile. Now for better reach and response to consumer demands and to cater to them efficiently Samsung are looking to add five more distribution partners to the Northern Region. Samsung has recently strengthened its distribution network in the country by appointing SSK and Link as its distributors for mobile sales in the Western and Eastern part of the country, respectively. The company already has Telemart and United Telelinks as its distributor in the Northern and Southern parts of the country. There are usually two distributors between the company (Samsung Mobile) and the retailer. E.g. there is a chief distributor for the products for the western zone. Under that distributor, there are other wholesalers for the mobile handsets which are usually for particular cities in case of cities with considerable size and market. E.g. Ahmedabad has two distributors which supply to the retail firms in the city. While some of the smaller cities/towns have a distributor in common. Also, some of the premium retail firms might buy directly from the chief distributor (only if the quantities justify it). Example strategy: Franchisee retailers Also, Franchising Strategy for some companies has also helped in driving sales and profitability. E.g. Nokia Priority franchisee showrooms. Nokia has setup priority dealers to boost growth in organized trade. The following have been the benefits for Nokia as a result of the success in franchisee retailing: Positive brand experience across segments in a controlled environment Channel drives retention for Nokia Win the war before the battle Positive retail experience drives higher avg. selling prices Harnessing entrepreneurship spirit of franchisees Retail space investment by franchisee Nokia drives location selection, branding merchandizing support, media support Tackles fakes effectively The Value contribution to Nokia by Nokia Priority dealers in 2007 was around 10% of the total revenue generated by Nokia in India. It is expected to be around 20% by 2010. A TYPICAL DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL FOR MOBILE HANDSET VENDORS Consumer Manufacturer Mobile Devices National Distributor RDS Retailer/ Key Account When we contacted retail outlets like Hotspot, The mobile store, which comes right before the end user in the distribution system, they gave us similar details regarding the channel members which are above them for various hand set providers. This information was further substantiated by visiting the redistribution stockists of companies like nokia, samsung, LG, spice etc. However, although the above structure is pretty common in industry, the Indian players like Spice, Micromax etc have gone away with the concept of national distributor. We will discuss the implications of this decision by taking Spice Mobile as our information source. INDUSTRY LEADER: NOKIA DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL Nokia India(ND) HCL India(ND) Bright point India(ND) GSM Handsets South and west India GSM Handsets North and East India Margin 3.5% CDMA Handsets National Distributor Margin 3.5% Redistribution Stockist Pan India 150 Nos Margin 2.2% South and West India 90-100 Nos(Urban+rural) Margin 2.2% Redistribution Stockist Redistribution Stockist North and East India 90-100 Nos(Urban+rural) Margin 2.2% Micro Distributor(Rural) 500 Nos Margin 3% Retail Outlets (includes Telecom Outlets, Electronics Stores, Nokia Priority Dealers, Key Accounts, Modern Trade, Operator Stores) 100,000 nos. (Nokia has a numeric reach of 99% and a weighted reach of 99% Margin 3-5% TRANSPORT OF GOODS: STRUCTURE NOKIA This is the flow of goods from the production/assembly units in china and Malaysia to the end user. For Nokia, central warehouses are located in Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi, which then transfer handsets to regional warehouses, typically 1 in each state. From these regional warehouses, handsets are then transferred to the redistribution stockist wherein the actual sales to retailers happen mostly on ready stock basis. SALES TEAM STRUCTURE: NOKIA For Nokia, the last level in its sales force is Area sales manager. Earlier, they used to have sales officers and sales managers under nokias direct control and pay scale but now these two profiles have been shifted or in some cases omitted to/by distributor. Sales executives, ISDs all are on the pay scale of distributors. SPICE MOBILE: DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL STRUCTURE After sales Support Centralized Repair Center Modern Trade State/Regional Distributors Located in Delhi Company operated request center Directly by Spice Mobile Dedicated sales team at regional level Margin 6-7% Pan India 56 Nos (state wise) Margin 2.2% Micro Distributor (RDS) 500 Nos (Tier2, Tier3 cities) Margin 6% Authorized regional repair center (ARC) Central distribution and collection center for parts and faulty handsets 32 (in each state) Authorized service center (ASC) Multi brand service centres Total 76 in number across India Retail Outlets (includes Telecom Outlets, Electronics Stores, Hotspot Dealers, Key Accounts, Modern Trade, Operator Stores) 50,000 nos. Margin 3% atleast rest depends on consumers bargaining As opposed to other competitors, the differentiating factor about spice distribution chain is the removal of one layer in the distribution chain, namely the national distributor level. They distribute their products directly to regional distributors, who in turn distributes to the micro distributors and then, to retailers. Micro distributors provide the extensive reach to them as they have strong presence in the rural areas/villages where they operate. The key advantage of operating such a structure according to our discussion with Spice sales team is the margins that the national distributor makes, which can be passed down the chain to the regional distributors and retailers. This results in higher profitability for channel partners ie. regional distributors, micro distributors, retailers, which in turn results in them being more aggressive in promoting the Companys products to its customers. The entire warehousing and distribution management has been outsourced with effect from 31st October, 2005 for the period of 5 year to AFL Logistics, a division of AFL Pvt. Ltd. (AFL), one of the logistics management companies in India, which is responsible inter alia for shipment of goods to regional distributors through its controlling warehouse based in Delhi. KEY PARTICIPANTS IN DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL: ROLES AND RESOURCES Now lets discuss in details the various function of channel members Company: Spice mobile manufactures the goods in Himachal plant or assembles them once procured from China and send the same to the distributors. The logistic partner (AFL) assist the company in the same. The company does the negotiations and promotion activities on its own. The credit and payment policies are also handled and negotiated between the company and distributors. Also company directs certain promotions to retailers. Regional Distributors: Ownership is transferred once invoice is generated by spice to state/regional distributors. They transfer the products from company to distributors. They basically take order form the distributors and provide them with the products. They bear risk and negotiations are also handled by them. These parties absolve company from appointing more personnel and funds for the activity of mere transportation and inventory holding from warehouse to the distributor. Micro Distributors: They are the primary buyer of company. The sharing of information, risking and payment are carried out between regional distributors and distributors and then between regional and company. Distributors provide market coverage to the company also create orders. In Spice mobile, promotion activity is carried out by distributors. Retailers: They usually undertake all the functions and transfer the physical possession and ownership to customers. They usually only perform promotion along with company, for rest of the function they interact with distributors. They act as the final source of information and payment to the company. Members Regional distributors/Stockist Stockist / Micro Distributor Retailer Role Involved in the business of re-distribution to authorized micro distributors Responsible for warehousing, transport of goods to next tier and payment collection May be non-exclusive, but have separate set-up for each business Involved in the business of re-distribution to wholesalers and retailers May be exclusive to the business Includes all classes of retail outlets Involved in counter sales and not in the business of redistribution Not required to be exclusive to the business Resources High financial strength with ability to hold stocks Infrastructure Office, IT capability, godown space High financial strength with ability to hold stocks and provide credit in the market Infrastructure IT Limited spend on localized sales promotion Appropriate store location and size SALES TEAM STRUCTURE: SPICE ISSUES IDENTIFIED IN SPICE SALES AND DISTRIBUTION Multiple Micro distributors in a given territory Having multiple distributors in a territory can spell problems for the company because when two or more distributors supply to the same retailer it can cause disputes. Also the distributors do not pledge loyalty to the company. This problem is faced in dense markets like NCR where distributors are very closely located. Like in Gurgaon sector 14 market, spice distributor itself is doing retailing as well although there are other retail stores in the market whom he himself sell! There is a clear limited control over distribution; i.e. spice people cannot take action against any non performer or in some cases high performer doing some leakage in the system. The company does not have any MIS at the distributor level The company does not have any MIS at the distributor level where it can measure the sales done by the distributor. The distributors have their own software in which they fill in their sales of a period and send it to the company. Thus secondary sales are not captured frequently and spice is dependent on distributor for this data. It seems spice is not at all interested in tracking the final sales. There is no clear cut liability of goods damaged in transportation As told by the distributors, there is no clear cut rule for the liability of the goods damaged in transportation. Sometimes it is borne by the company and sometimes by the distributor. But if the value of the damaged goods is significantly high, it can result in a conflict between the company and the distributor. No exclusive retail stores to capture urban markets Spice has a very strong presence in tier 2 and tier 3 towns. But, in metros and tier 1 cities they fall way behind Nokia, Samsung etc. One reason is that spice on mobile store, Hotspot doesnt work on exclusive spice model but carry a full range of competitor products. Thus to capture the interest of urban consumer, apart from new higher end models, spice also need a strong independent stores more in the lines of Nokia priority dealers as part of its distribution network. No dedicated sales force to monitor distributor As per our discussion with Spice distributor and Spice sales team, sales person or ISDs are on a pay scale of State distributor. Although their targets and region is set by distributor, sometimes with the help of Area sales manager, since ASM does not have any ownership of sales force, all push efforts and execution of sales plans cannot be tracked to a definite level.

Aime Cesaires A Tempest Clarifies Shakespeares The Tempest Essay exam

Cesaire's A Tempest Clarifies Shakespeare's The Tempest      Ã‚  Ã‚   "Negritude, originally a literary and ideological movement of French-speaking black intellectuals, reflects an important and comprehensive reaction to the colonial situation of European colonization" (Carlberg).   This movement, which influenced Africans as well as blacks around the world, specifically rejects the political, social, and moral domination of the West.  Ã‚   Leopold Senghor, Leon Damas, and Aime Cesaire are the three pioneers of the revolution.   The founder who expresses his ideas more broadly, though, is Cesaire, who uses literary works to express his viewpoint on colonization.   An excellent example of such a tactic is his play, A Tempest, which is a revision of William Shakespeare's The Tempest.   Both Shakespeare and Cesaire accentuate the greed of Europeans in their plays.   However, Cesaire is more obvious in his approach to exposing it.   A comparison of the two plays demonstrates that Cesaire's version, written in the late 1960's, is written as a confrontation of Shakespeare's play.   He is attempting to comment on the corruption of Colonialism and the European domination of the New World through such strategies as making seemingly minor changes, switching the main character role, and altering the storyline itself.    Incorporating alterations such as ethical changes, using different language, and the change in title may seem ineffective initially, but close reading proves that Cesaire uses these strategies as his reaction to European colonialism.   Because it was written in the 1600's, a time when European domination of the East was present and blacks were nothing more than servants, William Shakespeare's play does not include, nor mention black... ... Theories of Colonialism & Postcolonialism", Brown Univ. 1993 Available: http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/landow/post/poldiscourse/negritude.html   Cesaire, Aime. A Tempest. Trans. Richard Miller. New York: UBU, 1992. Davis, Gregson.   Aime Cesaire.   United Kingdom : Cambridge Univ. Press, 1997. Dayan, Joan. "Playing Caliban; Cesaireà ­s Tempest." Arizona Ouarterly. 48.4 (1942): 125-145. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. Frank Kermode. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1958.    Works Consulted Breitman, George. The Bible. Malcolm X Speaks; Selected Speeches and Statements. New York: Pathfinder, 1989. Neilson, Francis. Shakespeare and The Tempest. New Hampshire: Richard C. Smith Inc., 1956. West, Cornel. Race Matters. New York: Vintage, 1992. Wood, Joe, ed. Malcolm X: In Our Own Image. New York: St. Martins, 1992.         

Boston Teaparty :: essays research papers

Boston Teaparty In 1773, Britain's East India Company was sitting on large stocks of tea that it could not sell in England. It was on the verge of bankruptcy. In an effort to save it, the government passed the Tea Act of 1773, which gave the company the right to export its merchandise directly to the colonies without paying any of the regular taxes that were imposed on the colonial merchants, who had traditionally served as the middlemen in such transactions. With these privileges, the company could undersell American merchants and monopolize the colonial tea trade. The act proved inflammatory for several reasons. First, it angered influential colonial merchants, who feared being replaced and bankrupted by a powerful monopoly. The East India Company's decision to grant franchises to certain American merchants for the sale of their tea created further resentments among those excluded from this lucrative trade. More important, however, the Tea Act revived American passions about the issue of taxation without representation. The law provided no new tax on tea. Lord North assumed that most colonists would welcome the new law because it would reduce the price of tea to consumers by removing the middlemen. But the colonists responded by boycotting tea. Unlike earlier protests, this boycott mobilized large segments of the population. It also helped link the colonies together in a common experience of mass popular protest. Particularly important to the movement were the activities of colonial women, who were one of the principal consumers of tea and now became the leaders of the effort to the boycott. Various colonies made plans to prevent the East India Company from landing its cargoes in colonial ports. In ports other than Boston, agents of the company were "persuaded" to resign, and new shipments of tea were either returned to England or warehoused. In Boston, the agents refused to resign and, with the support of the royal governor, preparations were made to land incoming cargoes regardless of opposition. After failing to turn back the three ships in the harbor, local patriots led by Samuel Adams staged a spectacular drama. On the evening of December 16, 1773, three companies of fifty men each, masquerading as Mohawk Indians, passed through a tremendous crowd of spectators, went aboard the three ships, broke open the tea chests, and heaved them into the harbor.As the electrifying news of the Boston "tea party" spread, other seaports followed the example and staged similar acts of resistance of their own.

Spatial Filtering Fundamentals

4/28/2008 Spatial filtering fundamentals by  Gleb  V. Tcheslavski:  [email  protected] lamar. edu http://ee. lamar. edu/gleb/dip/index. htm Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 1 Mechanics of spatial filtering Considering frequency domain filtering, the effect of LPF applied to an image is to blur (smooth) it. Similar smoothing effect can be achieved by using spatial filters (spatial masks, kernels, templates, or windows). We discussed that a spatial filter consists of a neighborhood and a pre-defined operation performed on the image pixels defining the neighborhood.The result of filtering – a new pixel with coordinated of the neighborhood’s center and the value defined by the operation. g y p If the operation is linear, the filter is said to be a linear spatial filter. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 2 1 4/28/2008 Mechanics of spatial filtering Assuming a 3 x 3 neighborhood, at any point (x,y) in the image, the response of the spatial filter is g ( x, y ) = w(? 1, ? 1 ) f ( x ? 1, y ? 1) + w(? 1, 0) f ( x ? 1, y ) + †¦ + w(0, 0) f ( x, y ) + †¦ + w(1,1) f ( x + 1, y + 1) Filter coefficient Pixel intensity In general: g ( x, y ) = s =? a t =? b ? ? w(s, t ) f ( x + s, y + t ) a bSpring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 3 Mechanics of spatial filtering Here a mask size is m x n. m = 2a + 1 n = 2b + 1 Where a and b are some integers. For a 3 x 3 mask Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 4 2 4/28/2008 Spatial correlation and convolution Correlation is a process of moving the filter mask over the image and computing the sum of products at each location as previously described. Convolution is the same except that the filter is first rotated by 1800. For a 1D case, we first zeropad f by m-1 zeros on each size. We compute a sum of products in both cases†¦ Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 5 Spatial correlation and convolutionCorrelation is a function of displacement of the filter. A function containing a single 1 with the rest being zeros is g g g called a d iscrete unit impulse. Correlation of a function with a discrete unit impulse yields a rotated version of a function at the location of the impulse. To perform a convolution, we need to pre-rotate the filter by 1800 and perform the same operation as in correlation. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 6 3 4/28/2008 Spatial correlation and convolution In a 2D case, for a filter of size m x n, we pad the image with m-1 rows of zeros at the top and bottom and n-1 columns of zeros on the left and right.For convolution, we pre-rotate the mask and perform the sliding sum of products. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 7 Spatial correlation and convolution Correlation of a filter w(x,y) of size m x n with an image f(x,y) is w( x, y ) f ( x, y ) = s =? a t =? b ? ? w(s, t ) f ( x + s, y + t ) ? ? w(s, t ) f ( x ? s, y ? t ) a b a b Convolution of a filter w(x,y) of size m x n with an image f(x,y) is w( x, y ) ? f ( x, y) = s =? a t =? b Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 8 4 4/28/2008 Vector representatio n of linear filtering It is convenient sometimes to represent a sum of products asR = ? wk zk = w T z k =1 Filter coeffs Image intensities mn For example, for a 3 x 3 filter: p , R = ? wk zk = w T z k =1 Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 9 9 Generating spatial filter masks Generating an m x n linear spatial filter requires specification of mn mask coefficients. These coefficients are selected based on what the filter is supposed to do keeping in mind that all we can do with linear filtering is to implement a sum of products. Assuming that we need to replace the pixels in an image with the average pixel intensities of a 3Ãâ€"3 neighborhood centered on those pixels.If zi are the intensities, the average is R= 9 1 9 ? zi 9 i =1 Which is: R = ? wi zi = w T z; i =1 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP wi = 1 9 10 Spring 2008 5 4/28/2008 Smoothing spatial filters Smoothing filters are used for blurring and noise reduction. Blurring may be implemented in preprocessing tasks to remove small details from an ima ge prior to large object extraction. The output of a smoothing (averaging or lowpass) linear spatial filter is the average of the pixels contained in the neighborhood of the filter mask.By replacing the value of every pixel in an image by the average of the intensity levels in the neighborhood defined by a filter mask, the resulting image will have reduced â€Å"sharp† transitions in intensities. Since random noise typically corresponds to such transitions, we can achieve denoising. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 11 Smoothing spatial filters However, edges (characterized by sharp intensity transitions) will be blurred. Examples of such masks: 1) A box filter – spatial averaging filter 3Ãâ€"3; 2) Weighted average filter – attempt to reduce blurring: g a g ( x, y ) = s =? a t =? b ? ? (s, t ) f ( x + s, y + t ) s =? a t =? b b ? ? w(s, t ) 12 a b Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 6 4/28/2008 Smoothing spatial filters The effect of filter size. The original 500Ãâ€"5 00 image And the results of smoothing with a square averaging filter of sizes m = 3, 5, 9, 15, 25, and 35 pixels. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 13 Smoothing spatial filters Frequently, blurring is desired for ease of object detection: an original Hubble image, the result of applying a 15Ãâ€"15 averaging mask to it and the result of thresholding with a threshold of 25% of the highest intensity. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 14 7 4/28/2008Order-statistic (nonlinear) filters Order-statistic filter are nonlinear spatial filters whose response is based on ordering (Ranking) the pixels in the neighborhood and then replacing the value of the center pixel by the value determined by the ranking result. The median filters are quite effective against the impulse noise (salt-and-pepper noise). The median of a set of values is such that half the values in the set are greater than the median and half is lesser than it: Ex: the 3Ãâ€"3 neighborhood has values (10, 20, 20, 20,15, 20, 100, 25, 20 ). These values are ranked as (10, 15, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 25, 100).The median will be 20. There are also max and min filters. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 15 Order-statistic (nonlinear) filters Original image with salt-andpepper noise Spring 2008 Noise reduction with a 3Ãâ€"3 averaging mask ELEN 4304/5365 DIP Noise reduction with a 3Ãâ€"3 median mask 16 8 4/28/2008 Sharpening spatial filters: foundations The main objective of sharpening is to highlight transitions in intensity. Since averaging is analogous to spatial integration, we y g g g p g can assume that sharpening is analogous to differentiation in space. The derivatives of a digital function are defined in differences.The first derivative must be: 1) Zero in areas of constant intensity; 2) Non-zero at the onset and end of an intensity step or ramp; 3) Non-zero along ramps of constant slope. The second derivative must be: 1) Zero in areas of constant intensity; 2) Non-zero at the onset and end of an intensity step or ram p; 3) Zero along ramps of constant slope. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 17 Sharpening spatial filters: foundations The first-order derivative: ?f = f ( x + 1) ? f ( x) ? x The second-order derivative: ?2 f = f ( x + 1) + f ( x ? 1) ? 2 f ( x) ? x 2 It can be verified that these definitions satisfy the conditions for derivatives.Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 18 9 4/28/2008 Sharpening spatial filters: foundations The circles indicate the onset or end of intensity transitions. The sign of the second derivative changes at the onset and end of a step of ramp. The second derivative enhances fine details much better than the first derivative. This is suitable for sharpening. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 19 Using the second derivative for image sharpening – the Laplacian We consider isotropic filters – the response is independent of the direction of the discontinuity in the image Such filters are image. rotation invariant.The simplest isotropic derivative operator is the L aplacian: ?2 f ? 2 f ? f = 2 + 2 ? x ? y 2 Therefore: ? 2 f = f ( x + 1, y ) + f ( x ? 1, y ) + f ( x, y + 1) + f ( x, y ? 1) ? 4 f ( x, y ) The Laplacian is a linear operator since derivatives are linear operators. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 20 10 4/28/2008 Using the second derivative for image sharpening – the Laplacian The Laplacian can be implemented by these filter masks Since the Laplacian is a derivative operator, its use highlights intensity discontinuities in the image and deemphasize regions with slow varying intensity levels levels.It tends to produce images having grayish edge lines and other discontinuities, and a dark, feature-less background. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 21 Using the second derivative for image sharpening – the Laplacian Background features can be preserved together with the sharpening effect of the Laplacian by adding the Laplacian image to the original. If the definition of the Laplacian has a negative central coefficient, the La placian image must be subtracted rather than added to obtain a sharpening result. In general: g ( x, y ) = f ( x, y ) + c 2 f ( x, y ) ? ? ?Output intensity Input intensity -1 – if the center is negative; +1 otherwise Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 22 11 4/28/2008 Using the second derivative for image sharpening – the Laplacian The Laplacian Laplacian with scaling The original (blurred) image The image sharpened with mask 2 The image sharpened with mask 1 Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 23 Unsharp masking and highboost filtering An approach used for many years to sharpen images is: 1. Blur the original image; 2. Subtract the blurred image from the original (the result is called the mask): g mask ( x, y ) = f ( x, y ) ? f ( x, y ) Original Blurred image 3.Add the mask to the original: g ( x, y ) = f ( x, y ) + k ? g mask ( x, y ) Here k is a weight. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 24 12 4/28/2008 Unsharp masking and highboost filtering When k = 1 – unsharp masking ; k > 1 – highboost filtering; k < 1 – de-emphasize the contribution of a mask. The shown intensity profile can be viewed as a horizontal scan through a vertical edge transition from a dark to li ht t a light region. i This approach is similar to Laplacian method. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 25 Unsharp masking and highboost filtering Original ( slightly blurred) image Smoothed with a Gaussian smoothing filter 5Ãâ€"5 Unsharp maskResult of using unshapr mask (k = 1) Result of using highboost filtering with k = 4. 5 Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 26 13 4/28/2008 Gradient method First derivatives can be implemented for nonlinear image sharpening using the magnitude of the gradient: ? ? f ? g x ? ? ? x ? ? ? f ? grad ( f ) ? ? ? = ? ? ? g y ? ? ? f ? ? ? y ? ? ? The gradient vector points in the direction of the greatest rate of g (x,y). g (length) gradient change of f at location ( y) The magnitude ( g ) of g 2 2 M ( x, y ) = ? f = g x + g y Is the value of rate of cha nge at (x,y) in the direction of gradient. Spring 2008ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 27 Gradient method M(x,y) is an image of the same size as the original and is called the gradient image. Magnitude makes M(x,y) non-linear. It is more s itable in some applications to use: suitable se M ( x, y ) ? g x + g y For an image where z5 represent the pixel f(x,y) and z1 represent the pixel f(x-1,y-1), the simplest (Roberts) definitions for gradients are: M ( x, y ) = ( z9 ? z5 ) + ( z8 ? z6 ) 2 2 M ( x, y ) ? z9 ? z5 + z8 ? z6 However, Roberts cross-gradient operators lead to masks of even sizes, which is inconvenient. ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 28 Spring 2008 14 4/28/2008 Gradient methodThe smallest masks with central symmetry (ones we are interested in) are 3Ãâ€"3. The gradient can be approximated for such masks as following: ?f = ( z7 + 2 z8 + z9 ) ? ( z1 + 2 z2 + z3 ) ? x ? f gy = = ( z3 + 2 z6 + z9 ) ? ( z1 + 2 z4 + z7 ) ? y Therefore, the mask could be: gx = M ( x, y ) ? ( z7 + 2 z8 + z9 ) ? ( z1 + 2 z2 + z3 ) + ( z3 + 2 z6 + z9 ) ? ( z1 + 2 z4 + z7 ) Roberts operators They are Sobel operators. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 29 Gradient method The coefficients in all masks shown sum to zero. This indicates that mask will give a zero response in an area of constant intensity as expected of a derivative operator operator.Original image of contact lens Sobel gradient Defect Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 30 15 4/28/2008 Combining spatial enhancement techniques Frequently, Frequently a combination of several methods is used to enhance an image†¦ 1) Original image – 2) Laplacian – 3) image sharpened by Laplacian – 4) Sobel gradient of the original image – 5) Sobel image smoothed with a 5Ãâ€"5 averaging filter – 6) product of Sobel image with its smoothed version – 7) sharpened image (a sum of the original and 6) – 8) power-law transformation. Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 31 Spring 2008 ELEN 4304/5365 DIP 32 16