Product Failure (Malaysia) Essay Example for Free

Product Failure (Malaysia) Essay Product Failure Failure refers to the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic engineering. The criteria for failure are heavily dependent on context of use, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. A situation considered to be a failure by one might be considered a success by another, particularly in cases of direct competition or a zero-sum game. Similarly, the degree of success or failure in a situation may be differently viewed by distinct observers or participants, such that a situation that one considers to be a failure, another might consider to be a success, a qualified success or a neutral situation. It may also be difficult or impossible to ascertain whether a situation meets criteria for failure or success due to ambiguous or ill-defined definition of those criteria. Finding useful and effective criteria, or heuristics, to judge the success or failure of a situation may itself be a significant task. Failure can be differentially perceived from the viewpoints of the evaluators. A person who is only interested in the final outcome of an activity would consider it to be an Outcome Failure if the core issue has not been resolved or a core need is not met. A failure can also be a process failure whereby although the activity is completed successfully, a person may still feel dissatisfied if the underlying process is perceived to be below expected standard or benchmark. Failure to carry out a task Failure to perceive Failure to anticipate Fail product in local market In Malaysia, there is a lot of product failure and it just too numerous to say it one by one, most of them, it did not even catch the public attention, basically, the public don’t even know the existence of the particular product. There is so much factors that can leads to product failure. Failure causes are defects in design, process, quality, or part application, which are the underlying cause of the failure or which initiate a process which eads to failure. Rather than the simple description of symptoms that many product users or process participants might use, the term failure cause refers to a rather complete description, including the pre-conditions under which failure occurs, how the thing was being used, proximate and ultimate/final causes (if known), and any subsidiary or resulting failures that result. The term is part of the engineering lexicon, especially of engineers working to test and debug p roducts or processes. Carefully observing and describing failure conditions, identifying whether failures are reproducible or transient, and hypothesizing what combination of conditions and sequence of events led to failure is part of the process of fixing design flaws or improving future iterations. The term may be applied to mechanical systems failure. One of the product/brand that fail in Malaysia is: M . Mobile or simply known as M. Mobile is an RD and mobile communication design company based in Malaysia. M. Mobile is Malaysias first cell phone manufacturer and is also the worlds first Muslim-owned mobile phone RD and marketing company in a partnership between Malaysia and China. This company is currently in operation under its parent company, Kosmo Technology Industrial Berhad Type: Berhad Founded: 2005 Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia Key people: Norhamzah Nordin,Chairman Industry: Telecommunications Products: Mobile phones Website: M. Mobile M. mobile’s products: Factors that leads to this brand failure The reason why this brand failed in malaysia market because: M. mobile cannot give a better satisfaction to the consumer compare to their competitor that are well established in mobile technology sector such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson , Samsung etc. Promotion (marketing) M. mobile cannot compete with their competitors in term of : Price Features Quality After sales service Promotion M. mobile should have promote their product and brand more aggressively since they enter a market where most of them already loyal to a particular brand, M. obile did not market their product as well as their brand effectively, therefore they able to capture only few attention from the public, most Malaysian don’t even know the existence of the brand. Price Price offered by M. mobile considered less expensive, but somehow, consumer nowadays always think, â€Å"even though it’s not very expensive, but it’s still money, does it worth the money? † instead of taking a risk of buying t he product which they don’t really know the background of the company, consumer prefer to spend their money on trusted brand for the same price or a bit more. Left picture is NOKIA 2690 and on the right picture is M. obile M10, both phone has a pretty similar specification and the price is almost the same(RM300+), most consumer will go for NOKIA because they want to avoid risk from buying unestablishrd brand. Features Most M. mobile product is a low end product and it does not offer variety of features compare to their competitors. As we know, consumer nowadays demand for the latest technology, therefore as a mobile phone manufacturer, knowing the consumer needs and want is the main priority in coming up with a new product, most of the product produced by this company does not reach consumer expectation who demand for better technology. Quality The quality of the product produced by this company proven not to be as good as the other brand’s products, the materials they use to make the product is low in quality, from the mainboard(interior) to the exterior of the phone. After sales service After sales service is the service provided by the company to the customer of their product, M. mobile does not offer a good after sales service compared to another company like nokia and sony ericsson. It shows that the company do not really think about building a long and strong relationship with the consumer. How the product could be successful In order for this brand to be successful, there are so many things that the company have to take into account, its not easy becoming a great company in consumer eyes, there are several things that the company have to take into consideration especially the strength of the competitors, in order to be successful, a company need to have an advantage that can overcome the competitor’s strength. This is the reason why RD very important in coming up with new product. The 1st thing M. obile have to focus on is their promotion, promotion plays an important part in creating a good image in consumer mind, since there’s a lot of well established company in mobile phone sector, M. mobile have to make a huge action in promoting their brand and product. Doing aggressive marketing by keep on promoting the product and brand is the best way to create a good image in consumer mind, of course it will cost a lot, but the return is way better. Psychologica lly, It’s a human nature, the more we hear n see it, the more we favor it, thus it will create the sense of security towards the product or brand. Price, features and quality are related to each other, this is one of the most important things a company need to think about, they need to know what type of product they want to come out with in term of the product’s quality level and the variety of it features, therefore they can set the price for the product, The company have to make sure the price is reasonable with the quality and the features of the product or else consumer will favor the competitors, M. obile comes out with one new product called M10 and the price for the product is around rm300+,Nokia as well comes out with a new product which is nokia 2690 and the price is almost the same with M. mobile m10, both model provide almost the same features, but in term of quality, we know nokia is better, consumer will think, why choose m. mobile instead of nokia? M. mobile have to make sure their offer can overcome their competitors offer, therefore consumer will find the advantage of choosing M. mobile’s products. May be it will take some time for M. obile to keep pace with the other established company in term of product quality and technology, but by putting a correct price, the company can attract more market and the company will grow. A company have to know how important word of mouth and how dramatic change it can do with the influence of word of mouth, satisfied customer will tell the others how good the product is, dissatisfied customer will spread the bad things about the product, do not give a high expectation to the consumer because the possibility of getting dissatisfied customer is high. After sales service is one of the thing people nowadays always talk about, M. mobile have to make sure they can deliver a good after sales service so that their customer will spread a good deal with the others. It is important for M. mobile building a strong and long relationship with the customer because it can create brand loyalty, once customer loyal to the product, they will keep on purchasing the product and influence other people into buying the same product. Good after sales service shows that the company really care about their customer and customer loves it when the company cares about their rights.

Navigation v Conventional Techniques for Orthopaedic Surgery

Navigation v Conventional Techniques for Orthopaedic Surgery Bone Cutting, Soft Tissue Balancing; Cup Implant, Leg Length Discrepancy: Navigation vs. Conventional technique. Introduction In last decade, navigated implantation has become very popular and used in diverse areas of orthopaedic surgeries. This may be in total knee prosthesis, total hip arthroplasty and to restore leg discrepancies. All above surgeries require an accurate alignment of the implant, which is essential for implants long term survival. This is evident from the fact that in total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries proper bone cutting is necessary [1], total knee arthroplasty (TKA) requires correct soft tissue balancing [2], appropriate implantation of cup and stem in total hip arthroplasty (THA) [3], correcting leg discrepancies in total hip replacement (THR) [4]. Navigation system developed improves the reproducibility over conventional methods and assists surgeons with data for optimal position of implant to each individual patient. [2, 3] It was hypothesized that navigation assisted technique would result in achieving bone cut accuracy, better soft tissue balancing, good implant of cup and stem and enhanced joint reconstruction and control in leg length discrepancy as compared to conventionally used methods. Methods To test positioning time and bone cut accuracy in total knee replacement (TKR). Study involved 40 patients (23 females, 17 males) assigned randomly to TKR surgery using either conventional (n=20, mean patient age= 67.3 years) or Pivotal (n=20 mean patient age= 69.1 years) cutting blocks. Primary indication for surgical treatment was osteoarthritis (n=36), rheumatoid arthritis (n=3) and secondary posttraumatic gonarthrosis after tibial plateau fracture (n=1). All cases had posterior stabilized system with standard patellar component. The surgical approach used was medial parapatellar (n=8) or midvastus (n=32) approach. The implants used during the process were Scorpio PS (n=7), Scorpio Flex (n=20), Next Gen LPS (n=10) and LPS Flex Mobile bearing systems (n=4) fixed to bones by pins and screws. Accurate positioning was obtained by using navigation system. Block position was finalized by surgeon using this navigation system. Statistical differences in time and cut angles were measured by Mann-Whitney test (two-tailed; SPSS for Windows, Version 11.5). The significan ce level was set at p ≠¤0.05 for all analyses. [1] To test soft tissue balancing in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The study included 120 patients [navigation assisted gap-balancing (n=60); conventional resection technique (n=60)], enrolled and randomized using computer-generated numbers. An inclusion criterion was substantial pain and loss of function due to osteoarthritis of knee, with any degree of genu varum deformity. An exclusion criterion was genu valgum deformity, earlier knee surgery that required removal of metallic implant, or revision of TKA. Four patients were lost to follow up and therefore excluded from study. All surgeries were done by single surgeon. Both patient groups showed no significant differences in terms of demographic characteristics, knee functions, preoperative hospital-for-special-surgery (HSS) scores and degree of preoperative deformity. Follow up period was minimum 24 months post-surgery (mean follow up = 28 months). Surgical technique was similar in all patients consisting of midline skin incision and a medial parapatellar approach. Gap measurement was done at full extension and at 90à ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ of flexion on medial and lateral sides of knee joint and defined as medial extension gap (MEG), medial flexion gap (MFG), lateral extension gap (LEG), and lateral flexion gap (LFG).Clinical outcome assessment was measured by HSS and ranges of motion (ROM) scores at latest follow up. All patients went through pre and post-operative (3months after surgery) standing radiographic assessment of AP and lateral views of entire lower limb. Student’s t-test or Mann–Whitney U tests was used for comparison of four variables in study, postoperative post-operative mechanical axes, HSS scores, and ROMs, between the two groups. The chi-square test was used for comparison of proportion of outliers (trapezoidal gaps) in symmetric gap and mechanical axis. [2] To Test good implant of cup and stem in Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) The study involved 84 patients in two groups Navigated (42) Nonnavigated (42), with surgeries performed by investigator. Implant position was evaluated in post-operative anteroposterior radiography 2-3months after index surgery. Pelvic radiographs were taken in standing position of patient. Operated hip joints classified on basis of preoperative radiographs in three subgroups: Group 1: preoperative leg shortening (>5 mm); Group 2: preoperative leg length equality ( ±5 mm); Group 3: preoperative lengthening of the operated leg (>5 mm). Projected values for caput collum diaphysis (CCD) classified in three subgroups: 135 °. If any change in leg length was measured using distal line between teardrop figure and proximal corner of the lesser trochanter as an anatomical landmark. Scaling of pre and post-operative radiographs was distance between two teardrops and the head diameter of the hip replacement. Radiographic cup positions were measured for inclination with respect to teardrop line. All surgeries were done when patient was in 30 ° to 45 ° position. Any complication aroused during intraoperative and post operation was documented. General data (CCD angle, age, BMI) for both groups were compared as per Mann-Whitney U test for nonparametric values and chi-square test for distribution of operated leg, gender and indication. [3] To Test enhanced joint reconstruction and control in leg length discrepancy Retrospective study involved 44 patients divided in two groups A (n=22; navigation/computer assisted THR) B (n=22; conventional free hand THR). Inclusion criteria involved patients with BMI 2 cm), or a major deformity of the femoral head or neck were excluded from study. Each patient in group A was matched in group B. This matching was done on basis of age (max difference +3 years), sex, arthritis level, preoperative diagnosis, and preoperative limb length discrepancy (max difference. + 0.3 cm). The length of involved limbs was less than or equal to that of the contralateral limb in all cases. The two groups were also compared according to hip function and number of postoperative dislocations. The same posterolateral approach was made to the hip joint in both groups, and the same prosthesis was used in all cases. The duration of surgery was documented. Digital radiographs (as per standardised protocol using same magnification) were used for pre and post-operative measurements of li mb length discrepancy and femoral offset. Radiographs were repeated if any mistake detected and these radiographs were assessed by independent radiologist blinded to original procedure. All episodes of hip dislocation were documented. At minimum follow-up of 3 months clinical outcome was evaluated using Harris Hip score. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS for Windows Release 11.0. Differences between two groups were measured using independent Students t-test or Mann-Whitney nonparametric test depending on the data distribution of the continuous variables. [4] Results Pivotal block consumed approximately half the time to adjust saw blade and perform proximal tibial and anterior and femoral resections as compared to conventional block. Statistically significant difference was observed in Pivotal and conventional blocks with respect to angular difference between instrument slots and resultant bone cuts in frontal plane. Also, Pivotal blocks eliminated angular differences >1à ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢. [1] The mean intraoperative gap in conventional resection technique group for MFG (medial flexion gap) was significantly greater (24  ± 3 mm) than navigation assisted (NA) gap-balancing (22  ± 3 mm) (p = 0.028), but other three gaps (LFG, MEG, and LEG) did not differ significantly between the two groups (p = 0.167, 0.693, and 0.471, respectively). Statistical significant difference was seen in terms of kind of gaps in both groups: NA group, 88% (53 knees) -rectangular gaps and 12% (7knees)-trapezoidal gaps. Whereas in conventional group 75% (42 knees) -rectangular gaps and 25% (14knees) had trapezoidal gaps. Greater difference in medial gap difference (MGD; MFG-MEG) outliers in conventional group (23%) than NA group (5%) (p = 0.025). No difference was noticed in average postoperative mechanical axis of lower limb between NA and conventional group (1à ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢  ± 2à ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ vs. 1à ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢  ± 3à ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢; p=0.558). Greater number of outliers were seen in m echanical axis (>183à ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ or Statistical difference was noted in patient’s age at time THA, with p value slightly below 0.05. Significant difference was seen during radiologic analysis of cup position {Non-navigated: 53 °, SD 8.1; Navigated: 44 °, SD 5.6, p135 °. No implant related or navigation technology related complications and no joint dislocations in both groups were noted. [3] There was no statistically significant difference in patient demographics. In both groups preoperative limb length discrepancy, no significant differences were noted. (0.9 cm navigation/computer assisted THR vs. 1.1cm free hand/conventional THR). Mean surgical time was 102.6 min, comparatively longer in navigation/computer assisted THR than free hand/conventional THR (87.7 min) Statistically significant difference was seen in mean postoperative leg length discrepancy of 0.4 cm in navigation/computer assisted THR to that of 0.8 cm (free hand/conventional THR). There were no cases of postoperative cases with leg length discrepancy > 1.0 cm >2.0 cm for navigation/computer assisted THR. However, in 9% cases (2patients) postoperative cases with leg length discrepancy > 1.0 cm was noted and 3patients (13.6%) had postoperative over lengthening mean of 0.4 cm in Free hand/conventional THR group. Recreation of femoral offset better in navigation/computer assisted THR than free hand/conventio nal THR group. Preoperative and postoperative femoral offset difference less in navigation/computer assisted THR than free hand/conventional THR, which was statistically significant. No statistically significant differences in Harris Hip Score in both groups. [4] Discussion The comparison of patient groups in navigated and non-navigated techniques may be a possible method for obtaining useful information regarding various orthopaedic surgeries. In our studies long term survival of prosthesis can be improved by accurate positioning of implant. This can save time and improve accuracy of the procedure. Klima, 2008 showed pivotal blocks used during surgery improved bone cuts and reduced time for positioning and adjustment by nearly 50%. In addition, navigation technique used allowed initial positioning to be achieved in 5-10 seconds. Also, navigation system indicated that all patients were within 3à ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ in frontal plane angular bone cut deviations of ideal mechanical axis. Conventional blocks used were found to be associated with some degree of motion during insertion of pins, but this was not the case with pivotal blocks. [1] Lee. et al, 2010 showed, soft tissue balance can be achieved by having equal extension and flexion gaps after bone cutting and no inclination between medial and lateral bony surfaces. Any error in bone cutting can affect overall postoperative mechanical alignment and quickening of wear process. In study it was found that use of navigation guided gap balancing technique improved in creating accuracy of rectangular space between bones as compared to conventional measured resection technique. Only 12% (7 of 60 patients) in navigation TKAs had outliers of >3mm either medially or laterally in extension gap or 90à ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ flexion were seen as compared to conventional TKAs (25%) [14 of 56 patients]. As compared to earlier studies, this study had outliers of the medial and lateral compartments together. There was no significant gap differences (FGD, EGD, and LGD) in both navigation assisted and conventional groups, in spite of that navigation guided technique proved to be more reliabl e in attaining equal joint gaps as there were small proportion of outliers in that group. Significant difference was seen in medial gap difference (MGD) in two groups. There were limited outliers in MGD observed and moreover navigation technique can be easily reproduced as compared to conventional technique, so this prevents unnecessary any over release of medial soft tissue during TKA. In addition, navigation system helped surgeon in correcting any kind of deformed alignment. Clinical outcomes were similar to both groups even though navigation group showed more accurate gap balancing than conventional group. This can be attributed to the fact that relatively small amount of asymmetry in soft tissue balancing in conventional group. Also, both groups had relatively short term follow up and inaccurate scoring system. The study had several limitations: during gap measurement patella was in laterally everted position, which is not anatomically correct. Ligament balancing was not taken i n consideration. Gap measurements was done by surgeon who performed operation in the study, this may have led to bias. [2] In a study by Mainard, 2008 showed that comparing navigated and non-navigated techniques can lead to information about benefits and any improvement required for position of implant. In this study, there was a clear and significant improvement of acetabular cup positioning by use of THA navigation. In both methods average total limb lengthening of operated joint was below 10mm (9.2 mm Non-navigated, 8.5 mm Navigated ), i.e. below clinical relevance value and comparable to other studies (mean lengthening 7mm). Mean post-operative limb discrepancy is close to 5 mm (6.2mm Non-Navigated; 4.4mm Navigated) comparable to 3.9 mm in other study with patient pool of 420. This study however had several limitations: retrospective in nature; Measurements of implant position are less accurate than CT based measurements; Radiologic and ante-version taken in standing positions with anteroposterior radiographs (not to exceed deviation of 5 mm compared with CT); Limb length data of un-operated hip join t is small (+ 1.3 mm- navigated ; -1.3mm – nonnavigated); Cup position measurements unimproved as patients radiograph is not in standing position; No change in leg lengthening data using navigated or non-navigated technique. [3] In a study by Confalonieri, et al, 2008 showed that to resurface hip arthroplasty short stem prostheses is an attractive alternative option with same selected indications. In this study 22 patients in each group were match paired using same modular short stemmed femoral component. Strict criteria were adhered to achieve the match. At minimum follow up of 3 months after surgical intervention results showed computer navigation provided better results in correction of limb length discrepancy and restoring original offset. However, there were few limitations associated with the study: Retrospective; patients were not randomized; short follow up; small number of cases in each group (hence, no clinical difference detected and findings for improvement in dislocation risk). [4] Conclusion From above studies it can be concluded that given correct indications navigation guided technique is a minimally invasive surgical option and is significantly better than conventionally used technique in orthopaedic surgeries which proves our original hypothesis. Though it might take a little longer time but can give better and improved results in bone cutting, soft tissue balancing, acetabular implant and correction of limb length discrepancy and restoring original offset depending on patient anatomy. Further research in this area is still directed. References Klima S, Zeh A, Josten C; Comparison of operative time and accuracy using conventional fixed navigation cutting blocks and adjustable Pivotal TM cutting blocks; Computer Aided Surgery, July 2008; 13(4): 225–232. Lee DH; Park JH; Song DI; Padhy D; Jeong WK; Han SB; Accuracy of soft tissue balancing in TKA: comparison between navigation-assisted gap balancing and conventional measured resection; Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc (2010) 18:381–387. Mainard D, Navigated and Nonnavigated Total Hip Arthroplasty: Results of Two Consecutive Series Using a Cementless Straight Hip Stem; Orthopedics; Oct 2008; 31 (10); 22-26. Confalonieri N; Manzotti A; Montironi F; Pullen C; Leg Length Discrepancy, Dislocation Rate, and Offset in Total Hip Replacement Using a Short Modular Stem: Navigation vs Conventional Free-hand; Orthopedics; Oct 2008; 31 (10); 35-39. 1

George Gray Essay -- essays research papers

George Gray â€Å"George Gray† is a poem about a man who missed out on many of life’s opportunities because he was so afraid of failure that he did not even try. He passed up love because he was afraid of being hurt, ambition because he dreaded all the changes that came with it and sorrow because he feared the pain. The poem begins with â€Å"George† staring at his own gravestone and realizing that there was nothing special to be said about him because he had done nothing with his life. He looked back on his life and realized that it would be so much harder then to regain all of his missed opportunities. The whole poem was a metaphor using a boat to represent â€Å"George’s† life and at the end, he let the boat sail freely and be guided by the winds of destiny. He regretted all of the opportunities that he had missed and by the time he realized that he never lived his life, it was too late to live it to its fullest. Therefore, life should be lived to its fulles t so that when it is over, there are no regrets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So many people have ideas of things they want to do, whether they be business-related, something that scares them or even just asking someone else out on a date. Everyone has ideas about how they want to live their lives, but most people never wind up following through. They are so afraid of failure or of looking bad that they run from any kind of challenge. Then later in life, when they realize that they had all these opportunities and never took ad...

Symbols and Symbolism - Light and Dark in Hemingways Indian Camp Essay

Light and Dark Symbolism in Hemingway's Indian Camp The thematic usage of light and dark throughout "Indian Camp" symbolizes racial prejudice as well as the personal growth of the protagonist. The narrative showcases a world of Indian oppression and bigotry that degrades Indians to the role of dark ignorant stereotypes. The white men, on the other hand, seem to live in a self-made utopia of light and understanding. This concept of the lighter skinned white man holding supremacy over the darker skinned Indian permeates throughout the entire narrative. These themes of light and dark are not merely limited to the skin tone of two clashing cultures, but are also symbols of understanding and unenlightenment that affect both the Indians and the story's young protagonist, Nick Adams. "Indian Camp," much like the boat that takes Nick Adams to shore, starts "off in the dark" (1). This dark engulfs Nick Adams as he begins his journey on an unknowing night that parallels his own lack of awareness. Not sure of where he and his father are being led, Nick is rowed toward his future by an I...

Essay --

Solution WPA2 Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) based on the IEEE 802.11i standard is an improvement to the 802.11 standard that specifying security mechanisms for wireless networks. On June 24th, 2004, this standard been uses to replaces the previous security specifications, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), which was shown to have severe security weaknesses. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) had previously been introduced as a solution to WEP insecurities. WPA implemented only a subset of IEEE 802.11i. WPA2 makes use of a specific mode of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) known as the Counter Mode Cipher Block Chaining-Message Authentication Code (CBC-MAC) protocol (CCMP). CCMP provides both data confidentiality (encryption) and data integrity. The use of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a more secure alternative to the RC4 stream cipher used by WEP and WPA. 802.11 Security solution WEP WPA WPA2 Cipher RC4 RC4 AES Key Size 40 bits 128 bits encryption 64 bits authentication 128 bits IV Size 24 bits 48 bits 48 bits Data Integrity CRC-32 Michael CCM Header Integrity None Michael CCM Replay Attack None IV Sequence IV Sequence Key Management None EAP-Based EAP-Based WPA2 Authentication One of the major changes introduced with the WPA2 standard is the separation of user authentication from the enforcement of message integrity and privacy, thereby providing a more scalable and robust security architecture suitable to home networks or corporate networks with equal prowess. Authentication in the WPA2 Personal mode, which does not require an authentication server, is performed between the client and the AP generating a 256-bit PSK from a plain-text pass phrase (from 8 to 63 characters). The PSK in conjunction with th... ...sed VPN offers high network throughput, better performance and more reliability, since there is no processor overhead. However, it is also more expensive. 3. A software-based VPN provides the most flexibility in how traffic is managed. This type is suitable when VPN endpoints are not controlled by the same party, and where different firewalls and routers are used. It can be used with hardware encryption accelerators to enhance performance. 4. An SSL VPN (Secure Sockets Layer virtual private network) is a form of VPN that can be used with a standard Web browser. In contrast to the traditional Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) VPN, an SSL VPN does not require the installation of specialized client software on the end user's computer. It's used to give remote users with access to Web applications, client/server applications and internal network connections.

Prelude to American Revolution

Creating the New Nation The social, political, and economic consequences of the Revolutionary War and the early American Republic have served as a blueprint for global freedom enabling subsequent generations and the nations to secure the blessings of liberty. With the culmination of the French and Indian War, British and American ethos clashed causing the American colonists to create a new nation founded on the principles of self-government and human liberty. The following paragraphs will detail a succinct history of the events that shaped this watershed historical and political movement. The year is 1754.After years of feeling envious of the Spanish spreading culture around the globe, the British decided to follow in their footsteps, hoping for the same successful results. They set their sights on the New World that promises, â€Å"Land as far as the eye can see† and religious freedom. So they set sail to travel to the Promised Land, only to soon find themselves in a major co nflict. It’s not before long that the British are in battle with the current French habitants. Both sides try to receive as much help as possible, by befriending local Native American tribes. This war is now famously known as The French and Indian War.This brutal, exhausting war lasts seven years. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris is signed to finally end the warfare. Taking note of this, the British Parliament issues the Proclamation of 1763, which forbade any British colonists to settle past the Appalachian Mountains. The tired, beaten-up, colonists were outraged. Some refused to comply and moved out west anyways. This is significant because this is the first sign of rebellious acts that the colonists made leading up to the American Revolution. The damage from the French and Indian War was far more devastating than people realized.Britain was severely in debt and stripped of resources. As a result, a few taxes were placed on the colonies. The most important being The Stamp Act o f 1765. The idea was for the British to place a tax on all documents produced in the British colonies. This was the main form of communication, so having to pay even more for something they used very often frustrated the colonists to an even greater extent. Many colonists thought it was against their rights to be taxed without their consent. The phrase, â€Å"taxation without representation† became more and more popular within the general public.Some colonists even formed rebellious groups and protested the British Parliament’s taxes. On March 5, 1770, a group of protesters were on King Street in Boston, Massachusetts. They began verbally abusing and harassing eight soldiers stationed in front of a building. Without order, the soldiers fired into the crowd, instantly killing three people and wounding others. This major event is known as the Boston Massacre. After several similar events, significant figures such as Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and many others, signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776.This document stated that America is declaring its independence against the British Government. The thirteen colonies considered themselves â€Å"independent†, not knowing the major actions that Britain was going to commence. The American Revolution had officially begun. A disgruntled colonist named Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet criticizing not only the British, but the colonists also. He thought that no one was actually taking actions in preparations for the war against Britain. He constantly used biblical references to try and influence people to take action.This pamphlet, titled â€Å"Common Sense† is famously known as being the most popular pamphlet in the revolutionary era. In the midst of the Revolutionary War, the young country of America thought they needed some type of constitution; therefore, The Articles of Confederation were established. The A of C loosely linked the 13 states mainly to d eal with foreign affairs. It didn’t create an executive branch. Each state had a single vote and 9 of the 13 states had to vote for a bill before it passed. The main problem with this was that Rhode Island had the same amount of power as Virginia, which had three times Rhode Island’s population.Also, The A of C did not provide the government power to tax, raise an army or navy, and regulate commerce for national interests. States, however, could enforce taxes. Frustration continued throughout the American states for years. A farmer named Daniel Shay, led a small army and tried to revolt against the government. Shay’s Rebellion was stopped, but exposed several major problems. First, there was not standing army to stop a rebellion. Second, many people, including Thomas Jefferson, agreed with Shay. Jefferson stated, â€Å"The tree of liberty has to be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants from time to time.It is as natural as manure. † And thirdly, the A of C were not working AT ALL. In 1787, a quorum of 55 emissaries from 12 states gathered in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson called this a â€Å"Convention of Demigods†, but it was formally known as the Constitutional Convention. They issued many major compromises. One being the CT Plan/Great compromise. This set a standard to how many representatives in each state could be in Senate (equal) and the House of Representatives (based on population). Another compromise they established was the 3/5 compromise.This stated that slaves were to be counted as 3/5 of person. This greatly impacted when bills or policies were in the voting stages. Lastly, The Electoral College was created. The idea of this was to be used for future presidential elections. They were to use the number of congressional electors from each state to determine the president based on the state’s power. For example, California would have more Electoral College votes than Oklahoma because it has a higher population. Realizing that the A of C has led to be a string of failures, George Washington appointed James Madison to construct the U.S. Constitution. Many Anti-Federalists sharply criticized the Constitution because it did not recognize many civil rights. The first 10 amendments of the Constitution, commonly known as the Bill of Rights, is a necessity to the most precious of our rights. It prohibits too much intrusion by the government. In other words, it greatly limits the government’s power. As the country became more and more in debt, Alexander Hamilton argued that Assumption was the right way to go because the debts were caused by the shared goal of Independence.In addition, it put the states under more power by the federal government. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison met with Alexander Hamilton for dinner in Philadelphia one greatly historic weekend. They made a deal: Jefferson would support Assumption and Hamilton would support moving the Nation’s capital to the Chesapeake area. This is why the capital is in the South and called Washington D. C. Once George Washington left office, John Adams took his place as President. Adams was not going to take any negativity for the way he ran things.So the Adams’ Administration established the Alien and Sedition Act which enforced arrest on any people who criticized the government. Thomas despised the way Adams took things during his presidency. So Jefferson runs against him and sabotages Adams’ presidency and wins the Election of 1800, aka The Revolution of 1800. Immediately, Jefferson with the help of James Madison tried to thwart the federal government’s power. In conclusion, Early America, despite all the rebellious acts and criticism, served as a blueprint for global freedom enabling subsequent generations and nations to secure the blessings of liberty.Thanks to many great leaders such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and many more , there is a standard set in the country that the Government must abide by. The impact of events such as the American Revolution, Boston Massacre, Constitutional Convention, etc. , the country has grown stronger and more knowledgeable about foreign affairs and globalization. Although America is still considered to be a young country, the history within this great nation is one of the richest in the world.

The Alcatel Lucent Merger

Running Head: THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! The Alcatel-Lucent Merger-What went wrong? American Public University 1 THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 2 The Alcatel-Lucent Merger-What went wrong? Referring to the case and this chapter, discuss what conditions and negotiation factors pushed forth the merger in 2006 that were not present in 2001. In 1999, as the Internet boom was approaching its apex, Lucent Technologies was the world’s largest telecommunications equipment company (Lazonick & March, 2011). With revenues of $38. 3 billion, net income of $4. billion, and 153,000 employees for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, Lucent was larger and more profitable than Nortel, Alcatel, and Ericsson, its three major global competitors (Lazonick & March, 2011). Unfortunately for Lucent, as quickly as it rose to the top, it began to fall to the bottom. Lucent recognized, and so did its competitors, that something had to be done to sustain profitability in its market. In 2001, Alcatel of France, the communications equipment maker in Paris, and Lucent Technologies, the U. S. telecommunications giant, began negotiations for a merger of the two companies (Deresky, 2011, p. 76). In 2001, many communications companies began to see a fall in sales due to an internet crash. Companies like Lucent that were just years prior at the top of its game in the market were now quickly loosing sales and on the brink of bankruptcy (Lazonick & March, 2011). Creating a merger was a choice that Lucent had to again gain power and profitability, but mergers rarely go easily. As in this case there are two competitors attempting to come together and negotiate for a mutually acceptable agreement that affects the future of both companies and the employees.THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 3 By the mid-2000s it became evident that Lucent was faced with the choice of becoming merely a â€Å"niche† player in the communications technology industry or finding a partner to supplement its resourc es so that it could compete once again as a â€Å"full line† supplier. In May 2001, Alcatel and Lucent held initial merger talks with a view to creating a $50 billion global firm. A year earlier Lucent would have dominated such a combination. By May 2001, however, Lucent had already been severely damaged by the downturn in the telecommunications industry.In contrast, Alcatel sales and profits remained strong at the time of those merger talks. If the merger had gone through, Alcatel shareholders would have owned 58 percent of the combined company. It had been agreed that the new headquarters would be in Murray Hill, New Jersey and that Alcatel Chairman Serge Tchuruk would run the company. In the end, the 2001 merger failed when Alcatel insisted that because of its stronger position it would select 8 of the 14 board members, while Lucent Chairman Henry Schacht insisted that his company send two more members for an even split (Sorkin and Romero 2001).The 2001 merger was not succ essful because negotiations were not successful. For longterm positive relations, the goal should be to set up a win-win situation-that is to bring about a settlement beneficial to all parties concerned (Deresky, 2011, p. 152). Unfortunately, that was not the case with this merger. The two companies could not agree on how much control the French company would have. Lucent’s executives apparently wanted the deal as a â€Å"merger of equals,† rather than a takeover by Aslcatel (Deresky, 2011, p. 176).Furthermore, according to Deresky (2011), the negotiation process should encompass fives stages: preparation, relationship building, exchange of task-related information, persuasion, and concessions and agreement (p. 153). The entire negotiation process in 2001 had flaws. THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 4 Research the status of the merged company at the time of your reading this case. What has happened in the industry since the merger, and how is the company faring? In 2006, Alc atel was almost twice the size of Lucent in terms of revenues and employes when the merger that created Alcatel-Lucent took place (Lazonick & March, 2011).Since then, the merger has proven to be successful overall. To support this, in February 2013, a five year managed services agreement was announced by Alcatel-Lucent with KPN, the leading telecommunications service provider in the Netherlands (Mena Report, 2013). According to the report, Alcatel-Lucent will plan, design and implement an end-to-end solution to provide KPNs network with increased capacity, upgraded equipment, and best-in-class customer service processes.Alcatel-Lucent will also help KPN transform its existing multi-vendor voice and core networks enabling its customers to access and share multimedia content from wherever they are or using the device of their choice be it a smartphone, computer or tablet (Mena Report, 2013). Two years after the merger, Alcatel-Lucent University received a certificate of quality from t he European Foundation for Management Development, an honor bestowed on only 14 corporate universities throughout Europe (Alcatel-Lucent University, 2010).Evaluate the comment that the merger is â€Å"a giant transatlantic experiment in multicultural diversity. † What evidence is there that the company has run into cross-cultural problems since the merger took place in 2006? THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! The comment was made because there were so many multicultural and diversity issues surrounding the merger. While Lucent was an American company that conducted its business within the borders of the United States, Alcatel was already a global business before the merger.Alcatel â€Å"already operated as an international company with a wide mix of nationalities† (Deresky, 2011, p. 176). The question was raised by many during the merger, â€Å"how will the merged company deal with cross-cultural conflicts? †, but Tchuruk said that, while cultural issues could arise, e verything is under way to make sure this human factor is dealt with (Deresky, 2011, p. 176). This statement of confidence was actually part of the reason why the merger was actually somewhat ironically poised with problems because there were indeed many problems related to multicultural diversity.Some of these problems included language barriers between members of the merged companies, their stockholders, and other stakeholders. Analysts quickly suggested that the corporate culture of Lucent clashed with Alcatel’s French business model (Deresky, 2011, p. 177). This was coupled with Russo’s inability to work well with Tchuruk and it soon became clear that it was a poor decision to appoint leaders based on their nationality rather than their skills. Russo was also the first woman to run a company listed on the CAC 40 in the male dominated world where French business and politics overlap (Deresky, 2011, p. 77). Chinese rivals were also at Alcatel-Lucent’s doorstep providing similar service and technology for less money. According to Deresky (2011), a Barron’s article in August 2008 noted that â€Å"while it might have been helpful if outgoing CEO Patricia Russo had spoken French, that’s not why she and Chairman Serge Tchuruk failed to make a go of the 2006 merger of Alcatel and Lucent Technologies (p. 177). 5 THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 6 How much of the decline do you attribute to leadership problems, as opposed to industry factors?I think the majority of the decline was attributed to leadership problems. The structure of the organization is only effective if the leaders within it are committed to achieving company objectives and working with each other as a team. They must perform their roles and responsibilities knowledgeably and creatively when necessary. The cultural change that was required to create an entrepreneurial sprit throughout the company began with executives being willing to relinquish some of their existing co ntrol to drive decision making downward through the organization.The purpose was to enable faster and better decisions and more competitive responses to market conditions and customer desires (Lazonick & March, 2010). What, if any, factors should have been negotiated differently? Just about everything should have been done differently during the attempted first merger in 2001, but both companies did learn a lot from that merger and they were better prepared in 2006, although still a far cry from being as ready as they should have been.The executives of both companies really did not take cultural values and differences into consideration as much as they should have and as it turned out they had a difficult time communicating with each other, not only due to language barriers, but also just because business was conducted so differently between the French and American cultures. THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 7 References Alcatel-lucent to transform KPN s fixed network operations in the ne therlands over next five years. (2013). MENA Report, Retrieved from http://search. roquest. com/docview/ 1313279184? accountid=8289 Alcatel-lucent university. (2010). Development and Learning in Organizations, 24(2), 31-32. doi: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/14777281011019515 Lazonick, W. , & March, E. (2011). The rise and demise of lucent technologies. Journal of Strategic Management Education, 7(4), 201-270. Retrieved from http:// search. proquest. com/docview/1015336210? accountid=8289 Sorkin, Andrew Ross, and Simon Romero, 2001, Alcatel and Lucent call off negotiations toward a merger. New York Times, May 30. The Alcatel Lucent Merger Running Head: THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! The Alcatel-Lucent Merger-What went wrong? American Public University 1 THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 2 The Alcatel-Lucent Merger-What went wrong? Referring to the case and this chapter, discuss what conditions and negotiation factors pushed forth the merger in 2006 that were not present in 2001. In 1999, as the Internet boom was approaching its apex, Lucent Technologies was the world’s largest telecommunications equipment company (Lazonick & March, 2011). With revenues of $38. 3 billion, net income of $4. billion, and 153,000 employees for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, Lucent was larger and more profitable than Nortel, Alcatel, and Ericsson, its three major global competitors (Lazonick & March, 2011). Unfortunately for Lucent, as quickly as it rose to the top, it began to fall to the bottom. Lucent recognized, and so did its competitors, that something had to be done to sustain profitability in its market. In 2001, Alcatel of France, the communications equipment maker in Paris, and Lucent Technologies, the U. S. telecommunications giant, began negotiations for a merger of the two companies (Deresky, 2011, p. 76). In 2001, many communications companies began to see a fall in sales due to an internet crash. Companies like Lucent that were just years prior at the top of its game in the market were now quickly loosing sales and on the brink of bankruptcy (Lazonick & March, 2011). Creating a merger was a choice that Lucent had to again gain power and profitability, but mergers rarely go easily. As in this case there are two competitors attempting to come together and negotiate for a mutually acceptable agreement that affects the future of both companies and the employees.THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 3 By the mid-2000s it became evident that Lucent was faced with the choice of becoming merely a â€Å"niche† player in the communications technology industry or finding a partner to supplement its resourc es so that it could compete once again as a â€Å"full line† supplier. In May 2001, Alcatel and Lucent held initial merger talks with a view to creating a $50 billion global firm. A year earlier Lucent would have dominated such a combination. By May 2001, however, Lucent had already been severely damaged by the downturn in the telecommunications industry.In contrast, Alcatel sales and profits remained strong at the time of those merger talks. If the merger had gone through, Alcatel shareholders would have owned 58 percent of the combined company. It had been agreed that the new headquarters would be in Murray Hill, New Jersey and that Alcatel Chairman Serge Tchuruk would run the company. In the end, the 2001 merger failed when Alcatel insisted that because of its stronger position it would select 8 of the 14 board members, while Lucent Chairman Henry Schacht insisted that his company send two more members for an even split (Sorkin and Romero 2001).The 2001 merger was not succ essful because negotiations were not successful. For longterm positive relations, the goal should be to set up a win-win situation-that is to bring about a settlement beneficial to all parties concerned (Deresky, 2011, p. 152). Unfortunately, that was not the case with this merger. The two companies could not agree on how much control the French company would have. Lucent’s executives apparently wanted the deal as a â€Å"merger of equals,† rather than a takeover by Aslcatel (Deresky, 2011, p. 176).Furthermore, according to Deresky (2011), the negotiation process should encompass fives stages: preparation, relationship building, exchange of task-related information, persuasion, and concessions and agreement (p. 153). The entire negotiation process in 2001 had flaws. THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 4 Research the status of the merged company at the time of your reading this case. What has happened in the industry since the merger, and how is the company faring? In 2006, Alc atel was almost twice the size of Lucent in terms of revenues and employes when the merger that created Alcatel-Lucent took place (Lazonick & March, 2011).Since then, the merger has proven to be successful overall. To support this, in February 2013, a five year managed services agreement was announced by Alcatel-Lucent with KPN, the leading telecommunications service provider in the Netherlands (Mena Report, 2013). According to the report, Alcatel-Lucent will plan, design and implement an end-to-end solution to provide KPNs network with increased capacity, upgraded equipment, and best-in-class customer service processes.Alcatel-Lucent will also help KPN transform its existing multi-vendor voice and core networks enabling its customers to access and share multimedia content from wherever they are or using the device of their choice be it a smartphone, computer or tablet (Mena Report, 2013). Two years after the merger, Alcatel-Lucent University received a certificate of quality from t he European Foundation for Management Development, an honor bestowed on only 14 corporate universities throughout Europe (Alcatel-Lucent University, 2010).Evaluate the comment that the merger is â€Å"a giant transatlantic experiment in multicultural diversity. † What evidence is there that the company has run into cross-cultural problems since the merger took place in 2006? THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! The comment was made because there were so many multicultural and diversity issues surrounding the merger. While Lucent was an American company that conducted its business within the borders of the United States, Alcatel was already a global business before the merger.Alcatel â€Å"already operated as an international company with a wide mix of nationalities† (Deresky, 2011, p. 176). The question was raised by many during the merger, â€Å"how will the merged company deal with cross-cultural conflicts? †, but Tchuruk said that, while cultural issues could arise, e verything is under way to make sure this human factor is dealt with (Deresky, 2011, p. 176). This statement of confidence was actually part of the reason why the merger was actually somewhat ironically poised with problems because there were indeed many problems related to multicultural diversity.Some of these problems included language barriers between members of the merged companies, their stockholders, and other stakeholders. Analysts quickly suggested that the corporate culture of Lucent clashed with Alcatel’s French business model (Deresky, 2011, p. 177). This was coupled with Russo’s inability to work well with Tchuruk and it soon became clear that it was a poor decision to appoint leaders based on their nationality rather than their skills. Russo was also the first woman to run a company listed on the CAC 40 in the male dominated world where French business and politics overlap (Deresky, 2011, p. 77). Chinese rivals were also at Alcatel-Lucent’s doorstep providing similar service and technology for less money. According to Deresky (2011), a Barron’s article in August 2008 noted that â€Å"while it might have been helpful if outgoing CEO Patricia Russo had spoken French, that’s not why she and Chairman Serge Tchuruk failed to make a go of the 2006 merger of Alcatel and Lucent Technologies (p. 177). 5 THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 6 How much of the decline do you attribute to leadership problems, as opposed to industry factors?I think the majority of the decline was attributed to leadership problems. The structure of the organization is only effective if the leaders within it are committed to achieving company objectives and working with each other as a team. They must perform their roles and responsibilities knowledgeably and creatively when necessary. The cultural change that was required to create an entrepreneurial sprit throughout the company began with executives being willing to relinquish some of their existing co ntrol to drive decision making downward through the organization.The purpose was to enable faster and better decisions and more competitive responses to market conditions and customer desires (Lazonick & March, 2010). What, if any, factors should have been negotiated differently? Just about everything should have been done differently during the attempted first merger in 2001, but both companies did learn a lot from that merger and they were better prepared in 2006, although still a far cry from being as ready as they should have been.The executives of both companies really did not take cultural values and differences into consideration as much as they should have and as it turned out they had a difficult time communicating with each other, not only due to language barriers, but also just because business was conducted so differently between the French and American cultures. THE ALCATEL-LUCENT MERGER ! 7 References Alcatel-lucent to transform KPN s fixed network operations in the ne therlands over next five years. (2013). MENA Report, Retrieved from http://search. roquest. com/docview/ 1313279184? accountid=8289 Alcatel-lucent university. (2010). Development and Learning in Organizations, 24(2), 31-32. doi: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/14777281011019515 Lazonick, W. , & March, E. (2011). The rise and demise of lucent technologies. Journal of Strategic Management Education, 7(4), 201-270. Retrieved from http:// search. proquest. com/docview/1015336210? accountid=8289 Sorkin, Andrew Ross, and Simon Romero, 2001, Alcatel and Lucent call off negotiations toward a merger. New York Times, May 30.