Swisher Systems Case Study free essay sample

Swisher Systems Corporation (SSC) is an industrial heating company that was established in 1949 (W. C. Benton, 2010). SSC is an innovator of flexible heating products, particularly with its knit and braided heating element. The heating element consists of a multi-stranded resistance wire which is knit and braided with fiberglass and is the center technology for most of all the Swisher Systems’ products. Swisher is also known in the heating industry as being the highest quality flexible heat supplier which manufactures control devices and heating cable. SSC holds several patents that support the company in sustaining market share. The patented grounded heating element provides extra safety that their competitors heating element cannot provide. Mike Watkins is the director of purchasing for Swisher Systems Corporation and is the sole purchaser of procuring all materials for the company. Mike has over thirty five years of industrial purchasing experience with some of that experience gained prior to joining Swisher Systems Corporation. We will write a custom essay sample on Swisher Systems Case Study or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Bill Simpson from engineering has questioned Mike on the prices of various capacitors that he uses on his product. Mike has tried to explain to Bill the pricing strategy with the suppliers and how his responsibility is to look at the overall budget and not just one area. Analysis After reading through the case study for Swisher System Corporation, I am aware that all SSC products are solutions to industrial heating applications. SSC also manufactures fifty percent standard products and fifty percent custom orders. Their custom products can be used for any industry that would require heating products. A few examples of industries that these could be used for would be medical, food processing, petrochemical and others. The largest contributor of SSC’s sales is the cloth heating jacket; which is more expensive compared to their competitors. The competitor’s product is a silicone heating jacket which is machine manufactured; whereas, SSC’s cloth heating jacket is labor extensive and is hand sewn which required a skilled person to sew these which adds cost to the product. Even with the cost associated with the cloth jacket it still is the largest revenue producer for SSC. Mr. Watkins is the only person in Purchasing; therefore, he performs all the necessary tasks required to procure materials for SSC. Mr. Watkins has five essential criteria for qualifying a supplier. These are as listed below: 1. On-time delivery 2. Quality 3. Value 4. Responsiveness of the supplier’s organization 5. Financial stability Mike also views partnerships as a vital part of materials management and purchasing. Mike has taken the time to get to know his suppliers on a personal level which helps when he needs materials on a short notice. Even though he has personal relationships with the suppliers; he still is stern and fair in negotiation which is accomplished through honesty and integrity. On a daily basis, Mr. Watkins sends out roughly fifty purchase orders to his suppliers. The basis of his OEM purchase decisions are as follows: 1) MRP action report – This report is on average 8 – 10 pages long and is developed from the SIM4500 system. Mr. Watkins manually reads this report and determines his MRP system report actions which are based on the below: a) Cancel: indicates no purchase is required b) Purchase requisitions: indicates a purchase order should be placed. c) Slide: indicates purchase could be pushed back. d) Short: indicates no open orders and parts are needed and suggested order date is due. Additionally, Mike prints out a materials analysis report which is approximately 80 – 100 pages which he manually read and sorts out requirements with different suppliers and then creates the purchase orders for each supplier. Mr. Watkins has also stated that the SIM4500 has its limitations on listing the primary and secondary suppliers; which creates problems later down the road. Therefore, he manually controls which suppliers get the business. After he completes his manual analysis, he then prioritizes which suppliers should be called first. Mr. Watkins manually phone, fax or email the purchase order to the suppliers. 2) Current inventory level – Every few days, Mr. Watkins performs a detailed analysis of inventory. He looks for trend that could establish larger-volume buying or reduction in inventory that the MRP action report would not recommend. There are times when volume discounts apply and he consults with the CFO of SSC to determine what the most profitable alternative is for SSC. The decisions are always made by Mr. Watkins and the CFO. 3) Interaction with people who use the part – Mr. Watkins frequently visits the plant floor and talks with the workers to see if there are any concerns with materials. If a need exists, a requisition form is filled out and the purchase will be made. These requests are usually from members of the engineering team and each engineering manager is responsible for forecasting, quality, and controlling cost for his/her specific section. This routine is done every day which takes up quite a bit of Mr. Watkins time also is using quite a bit of paper. Even though the SIM 4500 MRP program prepares the report, Mike relies on his memory to make most of the decisions. Swisher utilizes an inventory requisition form that is manually completed by anyone who removes inventory from the stockroom. This relieves the inaccuracy in inventory as materials are moved in and out during production; which could be missed by the system. Another area of concern with the SIM 4500 system is that it does not suggest volume buying as it solely looks at the bill of materials. Another area of concern is that the database that Swisher uses has over 1,000 suppliers, but only 150 – 200 of those suppliers are active. Mr. Watkins prefers using multiple suppliers rather than a sole supplier due to uncertainties that can occur when a single supplier cannot fulfill the requirement which then causes him to find an alternative supplier that has been cut-off from the supply chain. Mr. Watkins also mentions that he prefers to pay the premium to have stable suppliers. He also stated having a good relationship with the active suppliers is not impossible or expensive. Mr. Watkins also uses his judgment, intuition, knowledge and network to qualify a supplier. Mr. Watkins also believes that to be a skillful purchaser that you must be a great negotiator. He also mentioned that you must be honest and have integrity to get respect from the suppliers. If both purchaser and supplier are honest with one another then trust is built. Every purchaser needs to become an expert on what they buy as it helps with negotiation with the suppliers. Conclusion To conclude, I think Swisher System Corporation is at risk having only one person purchasing for the company. If something would happen with Mr. Watkins the purchasing agent, the company will be in a crisis since he is the only person handling the purchasing function at SSC. Most of the work done by Mr. Watkins is done manually and is very labor intensive. The work done on a daily basis is very tedious and time consuming. The SIM 4500 system does not provide the data needed for their daily operations. Therefore, I would recommend that SSC looks at changing their MRP and purchasing processes to simplify the daily purchasing function and to fit their business needs. Another area that SSC could implement with their suppliers would be the just-in-time (JIT) system. Even though Mr. Watkins stated that most suppliers don’t charge him an expedite fee; SSC could reduce inventory if they would utilize the JIT system. Currently they carry $12,000,000 of inventory at any given time which gives SSC approximately two inventory turns per year. With JIT this could reduce the inventory amount and also increase the inventory turns where inventory is not being held as long. I would also recommend that SSC look at a new system that creates the purchase orders and submits them electronically instead of having Mr. Watkins manually do all the work. This would save time where Mr. Watkins could use to negotiate better deals with the suppliers and also would save  on paper. Today, all purchase orders are printed out and either faxed, mailed or a phone call made to the supplier. With going electronic you will save money from reducing paper and faxing to the supplier. To end, SSC must employ another purchaser and go electronic to make the job easier and less manual. Also, a new system needs to be implemented to make the process of purchasing easier and have it do everything electronically instead of manually. It will also be easier to train another associate on the process of purchasing material for SSC.

Medical Online Care Consultancy Report Essays

Medical Online Care Consultancy Report Essays Medical Online Care Consultancy Report Paper Medical Online Care Consultancy Report Paper A survey of three online competitors has been conducted in order to give an assessment of the industry. In brief, competitor analysis identifies the strengths and weaknesses of competing products or services before beginning work on prototypes. Since this proposal is a pre-cursor to a prototype model, it is deemed necessary in order to show how typical tasks are achieved. The competitive advantages of each product are discussed, and a short summary of the market position is generated. Conducting a competitor survey offers the benefit of discovering strengths and weaknesses of competing products or services and to develop a list of issues that need to be addressed in order to compete effectively. The first question is always: what is a competitor? A context of use analysis, (who is the intended user? ), of the intended product is important as it will identify the users, the tasks, and the context in which the product is planned to be used. In this proposal the product is an online business that satisfies a user need. The user, typically, is a patient in need of medical care, prescriptions or a medical diagnosis. The key to a lucid competitor analysis is to focus on the user need to be serviced and not on the enabling technology. Below are survey results of three randomly picked competitors in the online healthcare industry with a short evaluation of each.

Simple Tips and Tricks for Cooking Healthy College Meals on a Budget

Simple Tips and Tricks for Cooking Healthy College Meals on a Budget Entering college usually means that you will have to cope with many things on your own, and cooking meals is one of them. Many students find it a challenging task, especially if they have no access to all the needed kitchen supplies and appliances. However, you shouldnt feel desperate in this situation, as weve prepared a full list of useful tips that will come in handy for every college student. So, keep reading, and you will learn how to cook healthy college meals with no effort. Cooking in Dorm Every student knows that dorms arent the perfect place for cooking. Each learning institution is different, thats why living conditions in various dorms may vary. Not every dorm has a kitchen for students, so you need to know beforehand if you should buy a mini fridge and a microwave. If you have no kitchen in the dorm, ask your friends if they want to buy a fridge and a microwave together with you. You can take them for a garage sale and get a good deal. Many students confirm that they dont regret buying kitchen appliances as they used them through the whole studying time. A microwave is usually the only appliance to cook with, as there is no an oven or a stove. Its not the best option, but not the worst one. You still can have healthy meals as there are plenty of easy recipes which perfectly apply to cooking in a microwave. What can you cook in a microwave? Quiche with all kinds of stuffing – cheese, vegetables, chicken, sausages and even bacon. Its a perfect way to start your day and try different flavor mixes. Muffins – sweet or salty muffins with cheese, nuts, berries, chocolate or pumpkin spices are easy to cook in a mug. Just try it out and you will see how quick and easy it is. Baked potato or chicken – spaghetti squash, baked potato with cheese and butter, baked sweet potato, roast chicken with salsa and many more other recipes that you can try even if you dont have cooking skills. Chips – use potato or sweet potato, a pinch of salt and your favorite spices. This is one of the most popular recipes for college students. Fish and vegetables – yes, you really can cook roasted salmon or steamed vegetables using only your microwave. Healthy and fast! Mac and cheese – the favorite dish of many students. Though its not the healthiest meal, sometimes you just crave one. Scrambled eggs – easy breakfast to give your body energy at the start of the day. Microwave can easily substitute the whole kitchen stove if you know how to use it properly. Beat eggs, milk, salt, your favorite spices in a microwave safe bowl or mug. Add the ingredients you like – cheese, chopped sausages, tomatoes, bacon, etc. Microwave on medium-high power for 1 minute 30 seconds or more, stirring your mix a few times during cooking. And its done! These meals are nutritious and easy, so they are the best choice of food for college students in dorms. Besides dishes cooked in a microwave, you can also have these tasty meals: Fresh fruits and vegetables – the best way to get the necessary vitamins and microelements that help you stay healthy and focused. Fresh juices – apples, oranges, pineapples, celery, tomatoes are perfect for fresh and tasty juices that you can bring in a bottle to a library or class. Cookies, crackers, and biscuits – fast snacks; be sure to choose the brands that use a low amount of sugar or harmful chemical ingredients trans fats, sodium nitrites, monosodium glutamate, HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup), etc. Smoothies – berries, fruits, and nuts help your brain process information. Mix different fruits to find your favorite flavor. Add milk and ice-cream to make your smoothie sweet and good. Yummy! Sandwiches – how many types of sandwiches do you know? We think the list is endless. So dont be afraid to use different fillings and types of bread or sauce. Cereal and porridge – oatmeal, granola, millet, grits, polenta and many more which you can serve with berries, fruits, nuts, chocolate, whipped cream or as a side dish along with steamed vegetables, chicken, rabbit or red meat, etc. Salads – easy and fast way to have a healthy meal. There are plenty of recipes of salads that can make you feel full and provide you with energy for the whole day. Use vegetables, fruits, boiled eggs, herbs, spices, meat or fish and sauces to have a quick launch or dinner without spending much time on cooking These meal ideas are just a little part of the dishes you can cook even if you dont have access to the kitchen. Not only they are easy and quick but also affordable and budget friendly. Cooking in the Kitchen Even if you have access to the kitchen with an oven and stove, you might still have troubles with meals. The main question you might be asking is â€Å"Can I cook easy, fast and healthy meals if I have no cooking experience?† Surely, you can! It might be intimidating at first. Choosing the right recipe and finding everything needed in a grocery store is just the start of your meal preparation. Everyone fails at first, so dont be depressed if you dont get the results youve expected. Follow preparation instructions and be attentive to the details. Especially, when it comes to temperature and time. If you have something in your oven, dont forget to set a timer and periodically check the condition of your dish. If this is your first cooking experience and you dont know where to start, you definitely should check the following sites with easy recipes for beginners and healthy recipes for college students on a budget: Jenny Can Cook The Spruce Eats BBC Good Food Start with dishes that have a small number of ingredients and steps. Salads are the perfect way to begin your cooking journey. You will get to know how to process vegetables, fruits, and other products, how to make sauces and what the most common product combinations are. For example, cheese and tomatoes, cherry and chocolate, asparagus and chicken, eggs and bread, fish and citruses, etc. Thats why cooking basics commonly start with salads and side dishes. Learning how to make, for example, chicken salad can save you money which you would spend in a local pizza place. A traditional chicken salad recipe: Ingredients for 6-8 servings: 2-3 lbs chicken (chicken breasts will work the best) 2 tbsp olive oil  ½ cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp dijon mustard 1 chopped celery  ½ chopped onion 1 tbsp chopped parsley  ¼ tbsp salt pepper 1. Turn on your oven and preheat it to 350 °F. 2. Wash chicken breasts and place them on the tray. 3. Rub olive oil over the chicken, add salt and pepper. 4. Bake it for 45 to 55 minutes, check if it is ready by making a cut in the chicken breasts – there should be no pink inside. 5. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it cool. Chop it into middle-sized pieces. 6. Mix chicken with other ingredients – mayo, mustard, celery, onion, and parsley. 7. Voil! You can put your chicken salad on the buns and enjoy your sandwich. This is the most common and traditional chicken salad recipe, which anyone can replicate. If you dont have a kitchen, ask your friends. Maybe some of them live outside of the campus – they might give you an opportunity to use their kitchens from time to time. This is the situation when food prep for a week can save you a lot of time and effort. Meal prep basically means cooking your meals ahead of time. You can prepare only ingredients (like boiling eggs for a whole week or roasting few servings of chicken) or prepare and freeze full dinners or lunches for a few days. Eat healthy food and dont be afraid to try different recipes. You might have no clue how exciting cooking is!

Culture and costums of Korea Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Culture and costums of Korea - Assignment Example Culture refers to a set of socially transmitted human behaviors, beliefs, arts, among other thoughts and works of the human mind. The definition implies that culture is reliant on the interaction and integration of humans. Historically, regions had secluded boundaries owing to the numerous geographical barrier such as mountains, seas and rivers, which enclosed specific regions thus cutting off human interactions. At such times, regions had specific cultures defining their languages, arts, dietary and religion among many other aspects of human lives. However, with the onset of industrial revolution, the use of machines resulted in the invention of better ways of transportation and communication thus overcoming the previously existing geographical barriers. Located in North East Asia, Korea is an expansive territory currently divided into two political territories; North Korea and South Korea because of divergent political interests of both the leaders and the citizens (Kleiner, 2001). The use of the internet in the modern society and the advanced modes of communication such as mobile phones have resulted in the creation of a global village in which people can live anywhere and work anywhere. The intensified human interactions in the contemporary society have therefore revolutionized culture. A conflict between the previously definite traditional cultures and the modern culture has diverse effects depending on the type of the society. Whenever cultures conflict, the people abandon their previous cultural practices that they consider backward and adopt certain features of the new culture that they feel appropriate. Culture in the modern global society is relative and liberal with every individual and social institution choosing only the specific cultural practices that best protects their interests. Korea is one such region in which the conflict between the traditional culture and the modern culture is evident and the effects of the modern culture on the tradition al culture thus manifest itself. The division of the region into two might have affected the culture of the people in the region but since culture is reliant on the interaction of humans, the regions still share some of their cultural practices as they had throughout history with their neighbors in the eastern bloc such as China and Japan. Both the south and North Korea are developed economies and industrial hubs. South Korea for example is home to some of the leading electronics manufacturing companies such Samsung and HTC among many other local and international brands. With an internet infiltration of more than seventy percent, Korea is an active part of the global village as her citizens interact with others throughout the world. Korea has numerous international airports and attracts millions of tourists annually. Such features of both the economy and social structure imply that the intensified human interactions in the modern Korea presents numerous cultural conflicts as the mo dern culture through the revamped interactions and economic activities in the modern society. Previously, Korea had definitive cultural practices and arts. Such practices included specific languages, religions, arts such as ceramics and dietary among others. However, with time the region opened up for trade with the West and other parts of the world such as African and South America. Coupled with the concepts of urbanization, globalizations seamlessly turned the expansive Korean region into a metropolitan society habiting people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Korea thus forms an effective choice for the study assignment since the cultural conflict between the traditional and new culture is evident. The society is developed and industrial; the living pattern of the people has changed with time to the perfect urban settings in the modern Korea. Such a society thus exhibits diverse cultural patterns as native Koreans continue holding onto some of their traditional cultural practice s

Report on International Issues in ther Hospitality Industry Essay

Report on International Issues in ther Hospitality Industry - Essay Example The competition has been intense like never before and the flow of information is regarded as the key decision making factor. The hospitality industry has also not been as exception either. The overall industry of hospitality has experienced paradigm shifts. As it happens with the service industry, the physical environment and the people have been instrumental for the growth and development of the companies that are into the hospitality industry. The other crucial factor that has been immensely important for the success of the companies in this industry has been the continuous research and innovation. The report studies the essence of innovation in the hospitality industry. There is a long pending debate upon the need and the essence of innovation in the hospitality industry. Many of the experts in the domain of hospitality industry are of the view that the increased focus upon the innovation enhances the cost by huge extent. According to them, the increased cost is no match for the rise in expected revenue and therefore, there is no point in focusing on continuous innovation. But the present day industry thinks in a different way altogether. As the industry has become too dynamic, the market leaders believe that it is no longer possible to meet the changing needs of the customer through the age old traditional methods. The three major factors that shape the need of innovation are as follows: The hotel managers often struggle to differentiate their products or services from that of their competitors. This is so because all the competing hotels produce and cater identical products and the services like lodging and fooding. The onus lies upon the individual hotels to present them in a differentiated way in front of the target group of customers and innovation facilitates the process. There is almost no doubt about the fact that the needs of the customers are changing fast. The life has become

Cable Tvs Impact In Their Academic Performance Media Essay

Cable Tvs Impact In Their Academic Performance Media Essay Abstract World has become global village due to rapid development in media, especially in electronic media. Cable TV plays pivotal role in giving educational facilities and spreading information in our society. It has both positive and negative impact on students performance. The main objective of the present study will be to study the perception of the students regarding impact of cable TV in their extracurricular activities. The universe of the present study will be city D.G Khan. Multistage sampling technique will be used for the selection of 120 respondents. There are five sub campuses of universities working in D G Khan. At the first stage, two out of five will be selected through simple random sampling technique. At the second stage 60 students will be selected randomly from each sub campus. The selected students will be interviewed by the well structured questionnaire and the data will be analyzed through appropriate statistical technique. The obtained results would be utilized for the recommendation that will increase the credibility of students. Television is result of technical development of early twenty century. Today, Cable TV has reached in almost every house. International TV channels are available 24 hours which is affecting the attitude and the life style of majority of the people, especially children. The impact of cable TV on students and children is both negative and positive. It depends on the selection of channel and the time spends for watching Cable TV. Cable TV plays role in giving education, entertainment and awareness, students and children are more concerned with the entertainment. Thats why they think that cable TV is an effective medium of entertainment. It gives cultural awareness, leadership ability, and communication skills, but students are used to spending time on watching entertainment programmes instead of watching educational channel when they want to escape from studies (Henning, 2006). In todays life cable TV has gained lot of importance. It is serving as a main source of entertainment. People not only watching it in spare time instead they save time from their busy life for it. Beside it, Cable TV has an impact in the development of the psychological feature of personalities. The programmes of foreign countries on cable TV depict their own way of life and culture through the transmission of programmes on cable TV. Culture of different societies is being diffused within the societies (Nisar, 2002). Electronic media has power to influence human mind, especially it effects the mind of children because foreign channels depict their own cultures, on the protest of providing entertainment, seek to confuse, subvert and change the social values of the younger generations in foreign lands (Sheher, 2003). Cable TV is working as a source of spreading information, education and entertainment. Our social, political and economically issues are also highlighted and people are motivated to actively participate in solving the social problems effectively (Nisar, 2002). Importance of the Study Dera Ghazi khan is much developing and remote in physical infrastructure but educationally it attained a better position especially its Tehsil Taunsa, has a prominent literacy ratio in the district as well as in the province. Presently attraction for Cable T.V is increasing day by day and many networks are working efficiently to defuse knowledge, skill, culture of different nations and countries in all parts of our country and Dera Ghazi Khan is also include in this walk. It has both positive and negative impact especially on students. Thus the present study has been design to investigate the following objectives. Objectives: To study the perceptions of the students regarding impact of cable TV on their curricular and extracurricular activities. To determine the relationship between study hours of students and time watching cable TV. To lay down appropriate policy measure that will increase the creditability of cable for students. v) Review of Literature: Shariffadin (1995) focused at social, cultural and economic issues faced by developing countries due to the new technology. He found that new communication era should not be perceived as purely technological phenomenon. It brings change in the cultural and social pattern of the society. Kunkel et al (1999) observed that television/ cable plays an essential role about the sexual behavior of the children and adults, and it is necessary to study the sexual practices/ trends which are shown on the television. They showed the sufficient trends of sexual behavior on the television. On the television screen discussions about sex and sexual behavior were continuous/ frequent. Most sexual practices are precursory in their sense like physically touching and kissing, and intercourse is also depicted ambiguously, one of the eight programmes of television. And the studies showed that television do not fulfill its responsibilities regarding social behavior. Fatima (2000) studied the impact of cable t v on peoples thinking. She concluded that our tradition is changing due to different foreign channels on the cable t v. So if we want to save our value and norms positive trends need to be introduced instead of glamorization, portrayal of crime and commercialization. Chaudhary (2001) concluded that cable TV has taken children in its grip. It is a source of bringing change in the childrens thinking. Children dont have ability to evaluate the messages from different cable TV programmes. So, they mostly spend their time on watching programmes like Zee Cinema, Star Plus, Star Movies and other entertainment channels. Parents are worried because of this habit of their children. They worried that their children will become completely obsessed with watching TV instead of playing and spend time in studies. Anjum Zia (2003) conducted a study to know the effect of cable T V programs on students. He found that youth is very vulnerable to change of attitudes through media programmes. From 300 respondents the results showed that young people only acquire entertainment from cable t v and majority of the college and university students had their own access to the cable t v and they spend 3-4 hours daily on watching cable t v. international information, programmes of general information, religious programmes, News and current affairs did not receive enough response rate. Fatima (2003) stated that the craze for cable TV is continuously increasing. She termed the Indian media as a powerful and destructive weapon. And by this India is trying its best to take away Pakistanis from the DAU QUAMI NAZREA (the Ideology of Hindustani and Pakistani) we all still remember the words of Sonia Gandhi. Now Pakistan has become a source of earning for India and India is trying to fulfill its political purposes, using the name of culture. Sheher (2003) stated that youth is a backbone of the country, and media was considered a source to develope their Psyche. So cable TV was a powerful source to contract with youth. The information which was downloaded by Internet was the Socio-Culture Impact of Cable TV on youth generation. Gender was considered as the construction and sex was considered Biological accident. The construction is done by planning, while the accidents happen. A large part of Pakistan youth was consumer of the Television programs. Youth was considered a profitable source for the private sector. It was very challenging then. Hussain (2004) said that children get certain facts of life mysteries contradiction tragedies and violence those were considered suitable for those to know. He continued that TV programmes and films had mostly violence and tragedy scenes, and in almost every home watched and generate social problems for people have no exception to children. In his opinion parents should check their children by watch TV with them on the timing and program watching should be for short time. He stated that and stressed that TV sets should be removed from bedrooms, monitoring on the websites they visits. Set the time period of such act ivies and find alternate activities for their children which would be very beneficial in the reduction of such negativity on the personality of children. He exclaimed that Television should be used as a baby sitter. Ansari (2005) stated that satellite channels are indispensably changing the perception of our productive youth. Apart for socio-political influence the programmes offered at different TV channels are by threat to our cultural survival. Laying the examples he further argued that Indian programmes are rigorously destroying the roots of our culture. There synthetic societies presented on the TV did not allow prevail anywhere. The luxuries and glamorous way of living presented on TV create material thrust among the young boys girls that inspire them to illegal ways of collecting the money. Shejawal and Purayidathil (2006) described that the affect of watching cable TV on academic achievement and mathematical reasoning was observed in a group of higher secondary students continuing 654 students (368 boys, 286 girls) from Maharashtra, India in both sexes, watching Cable TV with academic achievement had negative correlation while watching cable TV mathematical reasoning were only among boys negatively correlated. Poor were heavy viewers in comparison with light viewers in their academic achievement and mathematical reasoning. Significant gender difference was observed in both academic achievement and mathematical reasoning. TV watching explained 13% of variance in the academic achievement of the students. Li et al (2007) calculated the number of urban school aged TV viewing children and to observe their influence with sleep/wake patterns, sleeping time period and sleeplessness. It was concluded that in Chinese school-aged childrens bedroom had 18.5% and 18.3% cable or computer respectively. Presence of media and use of media in the bedroom were positively correlated with later sleeping and awakening times. It was found that watching cable TV is associated with sleep disturbance. Some affected sleep behaviors were bed time and awakening time on the weekends, then will check the sleeping time duration during the week days. And the sleep time disorders of bed time resistance and sleep wordiness/depletion. The presence of media in the childs bed room and media use had negative effect on the children sleep time and the wakens patterns. There is duration of sleep disorders. Johnst (2008) stated that in current situation that society access to different kinds of information is broadening. Television had become a key source to valuable and one of them is for, important information. It was found that the TV had negative impact on the children especially youth. It was concluded that the most of the criminal activities were increasing due to cable TV programmes among the students. vi) Methodology/ Procedure: The main objective of methodology is to explain various tools and techniques apply for data collection, data analysis and interpretation of data related to research problem. According to Nachmias and Nachmias (1992) The Scientific methodology is a System of explicit rules and procedures upon which research is based and against which claims for knowledge are evaluated. The universe of the present study will be city D.G Khan. Multistage sampling technique will be used for the selection of 120 respondents. There are five sub campuses of universities working in D. G. Khan. At the first stage, two out of five will be selected through simple random sampling technique. At the second stage 60 students will be selected randomly from each sub campus. The selected students will be interviewed by the well structured questionnaire and the data will be analyzed through appropriate statistical technique. The obtained results would be utilized for the recommendation that will increase the credibilit y of students. vii) Literature Cited: Ansari, S. 2005. Star Plus Injecting poison in Pak Household. The Daily Newspaper The News, September 8, Pakistan Chaudhary, A. W. 2001. Newspaper article. An engine of Social change. The daily Nation: weekly edition: The Review on May 6, 2001 Fatima, N. 2000. Effects of Satellite Channels (ZEE TV) on Middle Class of Lahore. M.A. Thesis, University of Punjab, Lahore. Page 60 Fatima, H. 2003. Indian Films Must be Band. The daily newspaper Nawa-e-Waqt, July 07, Pakistan. Henning, T. 2002. NYC High School Students Get Pull to the Challenge. The Telecommunication Industurys AIDs Action Organization. New York. Hussain, A. 2004. Pakistan: Effects of media on mind discussed. Media News Daily Dawn Johnst, H. D. 2008. The impact of TV on todays youth. OPPAPERS.com. http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Impact-Tv-Todays-Youth/151232 Kunkel, K., M. Cope and E. Biely, 1999. Sexual messages on television: Comparing Findings from tthree stydies. Journal of Sex Research, Volume 36, Issue 3, Pages 230-236. department of Communication, Univ. of California Santa Barbara, United States. Li, S., X. Jin., S. Wu., F. Jiang., C. Yan and Shen, X. 2007. the impact of media use on Sleep, 1:30(3):361-7. Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. Nachmias, C. F. and D. Nachmias. 1992. Research Methods in Social Science Published by Edwards Arnold. A division of Hadder and Stoughton. London. Nisar, A. M. 2002. Cable operators should promote our social value and cultures. The Daily newspaper The News Sep. 16 Shariffadin, T. M. A. 1995. New Communication Era: Economic, Social and Cultural Consequences for Development Nations. Media Asia: An Asian Mass Communication Quarterly, 20.pp 183-197. Sheher, B. 2003. Cable TV Scenario. Daily Newspaper The News Sep. 17 Shejawal, B. R. and J. Purayidathil. 2006. Television viewing of higher secondary students. Psychology and Developing Societies, 18(2): 201-213. Signatures: Student: Seema Munir __________________ Supervisory Committee: Miss Sumaira Bano (Chairperson) __________________ Mr. Muhammad Ali Tarar (Member) __________________ Mr. Muhammad Imran (Member) __________________ Forwarded: __________________ Head of Section Social Sciences and Rural Development College of Agriculture Dera Ghazi Khan Faculty Scrutiny committee: ______________ _______________ a) Dr. Shafqat Nawaz b) Dr. Muhammad Mudassar Maqbool ______________ ______________ c) Mr. Muhammad Shahid Nisar d) Dr. Fida Hussain Forwarded: _________________ Principal College of Agriculture Dera Ghazi Khan Sub-Campus University of Agriculture Faisalabad

Second Foundation 16. Beginning of War

For reason or reasons unknown to members of the Galaxy at the time of the era under discussion, Intergalactic Standard Time defines its fundamental unit, the second, as the time in which light travels 299,776 kilometers. 86,400 seconds are arbitrarily set equal to one Intergalactic Standard Day; and 365 of these days to one Intergalactic Standard Year. Why 299,776?- Or 86,400?- Or 365? Tradition, says the historian, begging the question. Because of certain and various mysterious numerical relationships, say the mystics, cultists, numerologists, metaphysicists. Because the original home-planet of humanity had certain natural periods of rotation and revolution from which those relationships could be derived, say a very few. No one really knew. Nevertheless, the date on which the Foundation cruiser, the Hober Mallow met the Kalganian squadron, headed by the Fearless, and, upon refusing to allow a search party to board, was blasted into smoldering wreckage was 185; 11692 G.E. That is, it was the 185th day of the 11,692nd year of the Galactic Era which dated from the accession of the first Emperor of the traditional Kamble dynasty. It was also 185; 419 A.S. – dating from the birth of Seldon – or 185; 348 Y.F. – dating from the establishment of the Foundation. On Kalgan it was 185; 56 F.C. – dating from the establishment of the First Citizenship by the Mule. In each case, of course, for convenience, the year was so arranged as to yield the same day number regardless of the actual day upon which the era began. And, in addition, to all the millions of worlds of the Galaxy, there were millions of local times, based on the motions of their own particular heavenly neighbors. But whichever you choose: 185; 11692-419-348-56 – or anything – it was this day which historians later pointed to when they spoke of the start of the Stettinian war. Yet to Dr. Darell, it was none of these at all. It was simply and quite precisely the thirty-second day since Arcadia had left Terminus. What it cost Darell to maintain stolidity through these days was not obvious to everyone. But Elvett Semic thought he could guess. He was an old man and fond of saying that his neuronic sheaths had calcified to the point where his thinking processes were stiff and unwieldy. He invited and almost welcomed the universal underestimation of his decaying powers by being the first to laugh at them. But his eyes were none the less seeing for being faded; his mind none the less experienced and wise, for being no longer agile. He merely twisted his pinched lips and said, â€Å"Why don't you do something about it?† The sound was a physical jar to Darell, under which he winced. He said, gruffly, â€Å"Where were we?† Semic regarded him with grave eyes. â€Å"You'd better do something about the girl.† His sparse, yellow teeth showed in a mouth that was open in inquiry. But Darell replied coldly, â€Å"The question is: Can you get a Symes-Molff Resonator in the range required?† Well, I said I could and you weren't listening-â€Å" â€Å"I'm sorry, Elvett. It's like this. What we're doing now can be more important to everyone in the Galaxy than the question of whether Arcadia is safe. At least, to everyone but Arcadia and myself, and I'm willing to go along with the majority. How big would the Resonator be?† Semic looked doubtful, â€Å"I don't know. You can find it somewheres in the catalogues.† â€Å"About how big. A ton? A pound? A block long?† â€Å"Oh, I thought you meant exactly. It's a little jigger.† He indicated the first joint of his thumb. â€Å"About that.† â€Å"All right, can you do something like this?† He sketched rapidly on the pad he held in his lap, then passed it over to the old physicist, who peered at it doubtfully, then chuckled. â€Å"Y'know, the brain gets calcified when you get as old as I am. What are you trying to do?† Darell hesitated. He longed desperately, at the moment, for the physical knowledge locked in the other's brain, so that he need not put his thought into words. But the longing was useless, and he explained. Semic was shaking his head. â€Å"You'd need hyper-relays. The only things that would work fast enough. A thundering lot of them.† â€Å"But it can be built?† â€Å"Well, sure.† â€Å"Can you get all the parts? I mean, without causing comment? In line with your general work.† Semic lifted his upper lip. â€Å"Can't get fifty hyper-relays? I wouldn't use that many in my whole life.† â€Å"We're on a defense project, now. Can't you think of something harmless that would use them? We've got the money.† â€Å"Hm-m-m. Maybe I can think of something.† â€Å"How small can you make the whole gadget?† â€Å"Hyper-relays can be had micro-size†¦ wiring†¦ tubes – Space, you've got a few hundred circuits there.† â€Å"I know. How big?† Semic indicated with his hands. â€Å"Too big,† said Darell. â€Å"I've got to swing it from my belt† Slowly, he was crumpling his sketch into a tight ball. When it was a hard, yellow grape, he dropped it into the ash tray and it was gone with the tiny white flare of molecular decomposition. He said, â€Å"Who's at your door?† Semic leaned over his desk to the little milky screen above the door signal. He said, â€Å"The young fellow, Anthor. Someone with him, too.† Darell scraped his chair back. â€Å"Nothing about this, Semic, to the others yet. It's deadly knowledge, if they find out, and two lives are enough to risk.† Pelleas Anthor was a pulsing vortex of activity in Semic's office, which, somehow, managed to partake of the age of its occupant. In the slow turgor of the quiet room, the loose, summery sleeves of Anthor's tunic seemed still a-quiver with the outer breezes. He said, â€Å"Dr. Darell, Dr. Semic – Orum Dirige.† The other man was tall. A long straight nose that lent his thin face a saturnine appearance. Dr. Darell held out a hand. Anthor smiled slightly. â€Å"Police Lieutenant Dirige,† he amplified. Then, significantly, â€Å"Of Kalgan.† And Darell turned to stare with force at the young man. â€Å"Police Lieutenant Dirige of Kalgan,† he repeated, distinctly. â€Å"And you bring him here. Why?† â€Å"Because he was the last man on Kalgan to see your daughter. Hold, man.† Anthor's look of triumph was suddenly one of concern, and he was between the two, struggling violently with Darell. Slowly, and not gently, he forced the older man back into the chair. â€Å"What are you trying to do?† Anthor brushed a lock of brown hair from his forehead, tossed a hip lightly upon the desk, and swung a leg, thoughtfully. â€Å"I thought I was bringing you good news.† Darell addressed the policeman directly, â€Å"What does he mean by calling you the last man to see my daughter? Is my daughter dead? Please tell me without preliminary.† His face was white with apprehension. Lieutenant Dirige said expressionlessly, † ‘Last man on Kalgan' was the phrase. She's not on Kalgan now. I have no knowledge past that.† â€Å"Here,† broke in Anthor, â€Å"let me put it straight. Sorry if I overplayed the drama a bit, Doc. You're so inhuman about this, I forget you have feelings. In the first place, Lieutenant Dirige is one of us. He was born on Kalgan, but his father was a Foundation man brought to that planet in the service of the Mule. I answer for the lieutenant's loyalty to the Foundation. â€Å"Now I was in touch with him the day after we stopped getting the daily report from Munn-â€Å" â€Å"Why?† broke in Darell, fiercely. â€Å"I thought it was quite decided that we were not to make a move in the matter. You were risking their lives and ours.† â€Å"Because,† was the equally fierce retort, â€Å"I've been involved in this game for longer than you. Because I know of certain contacts on Kalgan of which you know nothing. Because I act from deeper knowledge, do you understand?† â€Å"I think you're completely mad.† â€Å"Will you listen?† A pause, and Darell's eyes dropped. Anthor's lips quirked into a half smile, â€Å"All right, Doc. Give me a few minutes. Tell him, Dirige.† Dirige spoke easily: â€Å"As far as I know, Dr. Darell, your daughter is at Trantor. At least, she had a ticket to Trantor at the Eastern Spaceport. She was with a Trading Representative from that planet who claimed she was his niece. Your daughter seems to have a queer collection of relatives, doctor. That was the second uncle she had in a period of two weeks, eh? The Trantorian even tried to bribe me – probably thinks that's why they got away.† He smiled grimly at the thought. â€Å"How was she?† â€Å"Unharmed, as far as I could see. Frightened. I don't blame her for that. The whole department was after her. I still don't know why.† Darell drew a breath for what seemed the first time in several minutes. He was conscious of the trembling of his hands and controlled them with an effort. â€Å"Then she's all right. This Trading Representative, who was he? Go back to him. What part does he play in it?† â€Å"I don't know. Do you know anything about Trantor?† â€Å"I lived there once.† â€Å"It's an agricultural world, now. Exports animal fodder and grains, mostly. High quality! They sell them all over the Galaxy. There are a dozen or two farm co-operatives on the planet and each has its representatives overseas. Shrewd sons of guns, too- I knew this one's record. He'd been on Kalgan before, usually with his wife. Perfectly honest. Perfectly harmless.† â€Å"Um-m-m,† said Anthor. â€Å"Arcadia was born in Trantor, wasn't she, Doc?† Darell nodded. â€Å"It hangs together, you see. She wanted to go away – quickly and far – and Trantor would suggest itself. Don't you think so?† Darell said: â€Å"Why not back here?† â€Å"Perhaps she was being pursued and felt that she had to double off in a new angle, eh?' Dr. Darell lacked the heart to question further. Well, then, let her be safe on Trantor, or as safe as one could be anywhere in this dark and horrible Galaxy. He groped toward the door, felt Anthor's light touch on his sleeve, and stopped, but did not turn. â€Å"Mind if I go home with you, Doc?† â€Å"You're welcome,† was the automatic response. By evening, the exteriormost reaches of Dr. Darell's personality, the ones that made immediate contact with other people had solidified once more. He had refused to eat his evening meal and had, instead, with feverish insistence, returned to the inchwise advance into the intricate mathematics of encephalographic analysis. It was not till nearly midnight, that he entered the living room again. Pelleas Anthor was still there, twiddling at the controls of the video. The footsteps behind him caused him to glance over his shoulder. â€Å"Hi. Aren't you in bed yet? I've been spending hours on the video, trying to get something other than bulletins. It seems the F.S. Hober Mallow is delayed in course and hasn't been heard from† â€Å"Really? What do they suspect?† â€Å"What do you think? Kalganian skulduggery. There are reports that Kalganian vessels were sighted in the general space sector in which the Hober Mallow was last heard from?† Darell shrugged, and Anthor rubbed his forehead doubtfully. â€Å"Look doc,† he said, â€Å"why don't you go to Trantor?† â€Å"Why should I?† â€Å"Because â€Å"You're no good to us here. You're not yourself. You can't be. And you could accomplish a purpose by going to Trantor, too. The old Imperial Library with the complete records of the Proceedings of the Seldon Commission are there-â€Å" â€Å"No! The Library has been picked clean and it hasn't helped anyone.† â€Å"It helped Ebling Mis once.† â€Å"How do you know? Yes, he said he found the Second Foundation, and my mother killed him five seconds later as the only way to keep him from unwittingly revealing its location to the Mule. But in doing so, she also, you realize, made it impossible ever to tell whether Mis really did know the location. After all, no one else has ever been able to deduce the truth from those records.† â€Å"Ebling Mis, if you'll remember, was working under the driving impetus of the Mule's mind.† â€Å"I know that, too, but Mis' mind was, by that very token, in an abnormal state. Do you and I know anything about the properties of a mind under the emotional control of another; about its abilities and shortcomings? In any case, I will not go to Trantor.† Anthor frowned, â€Å"Well, why the vehemence? I merely suggested it as – well, by Space, I don't understand you. You look ten years older. You're obviously having a hellish time of it. You're not doing anything of value here. If I were you, I'd go and get the girl.† â€Å"Exactly! It's what I want to do, too. That's why I won't do it. Look, Anthor, and try to understand. You're playing – we're both playing – with something completely beyond our powers to fight. In cold blood, if you have any, you know that, whatever you may think in your moments of quixoticism. â€Å"For fifty years, we've known that the Second Foundation is the real descendent and pupil of Seldonian mathematics. What that means, and you know that, too, is that nothing in the Galaxy happens which does not play a part in their reckoning. To us, all life is a series of accidents, to be met with by improvisations To them, all life is purposive and should be met by precalculation. â€Å"But they have their weakness. Their work is statistical and only the mass action of humanity is truly inevitable. Now how I play a part, as an individual, in the foreseen course of history, I don't know. Perhaps I have no definite part, since the Plan leaves individuals to indeterminacy and free will. But I am important and they – they, you understand – may at least have calculated my probable reaction. So I distrust, my impulses, my desires, my probable reactions. â€Å"I would rather present them with an improbable reaction. I will stay here, despite the fact that I yearn very desperately to leave.*** â€Å"No! Because I yearn very desperately to leave.† The younger man smiled sourly. â€Å"You don't know your own mind as well as they might. Suppose that – knowing you – they might count on what you think, merely think, is the improbable reaction, simply by knowing in advance what your line of reasoning would be.† â€Å"In that case, there is no escape. For if I follow the reasoning you have just outlined and go to Trantor, they may have foreseen that, too. There is an endless cycle of double-double-double-double-crosses. No matter how far I follow that cycle, I can only either go or stay. The intricate act of luring my daughter halfway across the Galaxy cannot be meant to make me stay where I am, since I would most certainly have stayed if they had done nothing. It can only be to make me move, and so I will stay. â€Å"And besides, Anthor, not everything bears the breath of the Second Foundation; not all events are the results of their puppeting. They may have had nothing to do with Arcadia's leave-taking, and she may be safe on Trantor when all the rest of us are dead.† â€Å"No,† said Anthor, sharply, â€Å"now you are off the track.† â€Å"You have an alternative interpretation?† â€Å"I have – if you'll listen.† â€Å"Oh, go ahead. I don't lack patience.† â€Å"Well, then – how well do you know your own daughter?† â€Å"How well can any individual know any other? Obviously, my knowledge is inadequate.† â€Å"So is mine on that basis, perhaps even more so – but at least, I viewed her with fresh eyes. Item one: She is a ferocious little romantic, the only child of an ivory-tower academician, growing up in an unreal world of video and book-film adventure. She lives in a weird self-constructed fantasy of espionage and intrigue. Item two: She's intelligent about it; intelligent enough to outwit us, at any rate. She planned carefully to overhear our first conference and succeeded. She planned carefully to go to Kalgan with Munn and succeeded. Item three: She has an unholy hero-worship of her grandmother – your mother – who defeated the Mule. â€Å"I'm right so far, I think? All right, then. Now, unlike you, I've received a complete report from Lieutenant Dirige and, in addition, my sources of information on Kalgan are rather complete, and all sources check. We know, for instance, that Homir Munn, in conference with the Lord of Kalgan was refused admission to the Mule's Palace, and that this refusal was suddenly abrogated after Arcadia had spoken to Lady Callia, the First Citizen's very good friend.† Darell interrupted. â€Å"And how do you know all this?† â€Å"For one thing, Munn was interviewed by Dirige as part of the police campaign to locate Arcadia. Naturally, we have a complete transcript of the questions and answers. â€Å"And take Lady Callia herself. It is rumored that she has lost Stettin's interest, but the rumor isn't borne out by facts. She not only remains unreplaced; is not only able to mediate the lord's refusal to Munn into an acceptance; but can even engineer Arcadia's escape openly. Why, a dozen of the soldiers about Stettin's executive mansion testified that they were seen together on the last evening. Yet she remains unpunished. This despite the fact that Arcadia was searched for with every appearance of diligence.† â€Å"But what is your conclusion from all this torrent of ill-connection?† â€Å"That Arcadia's escape was arranged.† â€Å"As I said.† â€Å"With this addition. That Arcadia must have known it was arranged; that Arcadia, the bright little girl who saw cabals everywhere, saw this one and followed your own type of reasoning. They wanted her to return to the Foundation, and so she went to Trantor, instead. But why Trantor?† â€Å"Well, why?† â€Å"Because that is where Bayta, her idolized grandmother, escaped when she was in flight. Consciously or unconsciously, Arcadia imitated that. I wonder, then, if Arcadia was fleeing the same enemy.† â€Å"The Mule?† asked Darell with polite sarcasm. â€Å"Of course not. I mean, by the enemy, a mentality that she could not fight. She was running from the Second Foundation, or such influence thereof as could be found on Kalgan.† â€Å"What influence is this you speak of?† â€Å"Do you expect Kalgan to be immune from that ubiquitous menace? We both have come to the conclusion, somehow, that Arcadia's escape was arranged. Right? She was searched for and found, but deliberately allowed to slip away by Dirige. By Dirige, do you understand? But how was that? Because he was our man. But how did they know that? Were they counting on him to be a traitor? Eh, doc?† â€Å"Now you're saying that they honestly meant to recapture her. Frankly, you're tiring me a bit, Anthor. Finish your say; I want to go to bed.† â€Å"My say is quickly finished.† Anthor reached for a small group of photo-records in his inner pocket. It was the familiar wigglings of the encephalograph. â€Å"Dirige's brainwaves,† Anthor said, casually, â€Å"taken since he returned.† It was quite visible to Darell's naked eye, and his face was gray when he looked up. â€Å"He is Controlled.† â€Å"Exactly. He allowed Arcadia to escape not because he was our man but because he was the Second Foundation's.† â€Å"Even after he knew she was going to Trantor, and not to Terminus.† Anthor shrugged. â€Å"He had been geared to let her go. There was no way he could modify that. He was only a tool, you see. It was just that Arcadia followed the least probable course, and is probably safe. Or at least safe until such time as the Second Foundation can modify the plans to take into account this changed state of affairs-â€Å" He paused. The little signal light on the video set was flashing. On an independent circuit, it signified the presence of emergency news. Darell saw it, too, and with the mechanical movement of long habit turned on the video. They broke in upon the middle of a sentence but before its completion, they knew that the Hober Mallow, or the wreck thereof, had been found and that, for the first time in nearly half a century, the Foundation was again at war. Anthor's jaw was set in a hard line. â€Å"All right, doc, you heard that. Kalgan has attacked; and Kalgan is under the control of the Second Foundation. Will you follow your daughter's lead and move to Trantor?† â€Å"No. I will risk it. Here.† â€Å"Dr. Darell. You are not as intelligent as your daughter. I wonder how far you can be trusted.† His long level stare held Darell for a moment, and then without a word, he left. And Darell was left in uncertainty and – almost – despair. Unheeded, the video was a medley of excited sight-sound, as it described in nervous detail the first hour of the war between Kalgan and the Foundation.