How ICT Is Applied To The Tourism And Hospitality Industries Essay

How ICT Is Applied To The Tourism And Hospitality Industries - Essay Example e tourism and hospitality industries commonly involves the execution of activities such as incorporation of telecommunications technology with computers and other essential software, which further allows the user companies to access, store as well as share information among their various operational departments. It would not be erroneous to depict in this regard that ICT has its influences in various sections of the business and it acts as a major driving force in deciding the performance of the business operations of companies functioning in any sector including tourism and hospitality sectors. The significance of ICT for companies operating in any sector can be affirmed from the fact that it is actively implemented in certain specific and vital sections of tourism and hospitality business constituted with the various dimensions of production, marketing, research and communication among others. ICT is also a prime tool for tourism and hospitality companies operating in the contempor ary business environment in the context of accomplishing daily tasks, which comprise generating business reports and executing continuous communications with the stakeholders of the business (Hooff & Wijngaert, 2005). Hence, it can be apparently stated that ICT is quite vital for businesses in various distinct domains as it attempts to make significant contributions towards enhancing the value and performance of the businesses operating in any particular sector. Aim of the Study With reference to the determined purview related to ICT, it is evident that it is used in various domains of the business context in the modern era. Consequently, in order to provide a comprehensive understanding regarding the aforementioned aspect, this study evaluates various literatures, studies and practical... The tools of ICT have been in wide use in this particular industrial context, wherein the applicant companies have understood about how these technologies might be helpful for conducting most effective business operations. It has been further observed from the research that ICT helps the players in the tourism sector to interact with the customers on a usual and efficient manner where they intend to build a healthy relationship with the same. The study further revealed that ICT also enables companies to strengthen their communication prospects within the internal and external business environments. Notably, through this approach, tourism and hospitality companies were able to enhance their performance along with operational efficiency. This aspect was justified with the example of performance augmentation of tourism industry productivity of Ireland rewarding better scope for effective communication among various business departments. Apart from this, the research was also able to dep ict the positive effects of ICT in the marketing and financing sector of tourism and hospitality industry. Nevertheless, secondary data used in this paper also revealed both favorable and unfavorable effects of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industries advocating that the benefits of its usage depend substantially on the credibility of its users. In support of this particular inference, case examples related to ICT application in China and Ghana tourism industries were presented in the research study.

Macro & Micro economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Macro & Micro economics - Essay Example With the rising income levels of most of the economies, the demands for entertainment products like dolls have substantially increased. In the modern age, dolls are often made of rubberized plastic materials. These materials comprises of crude oil and national gas in them. There are special machines that help to give shape to standardized pieces of doll parts in the manufacturing process. Nowadays to park more potential buyers, doll manufacturing companies use special chemicals to produce dolls of various skin colors to make them attractive to various types’ customers belonging to different global zones. Car Production Process Unlike doll production, automobile industry or car production process is highly labor intensive in nature. Mercedes, Honda, Tesla, BMW etc are the various companies manufacturing cars. With the growth of per capita income levels and the improvement in the rate of urbanization in most of the economies in the world, the proportions of cars demanded in the market have increased significantly. However it should be considered that manufacturing of cars requires high state of technology and exclusive machineries. It is clearly observed in the video that the level of car production process takes place via various steps, where there are huge modern machines automatically executing the manufacturing process. Thus unlike doll industries, car manufacturing industries requires large amount of electricity and petroleum for its working. Hypothetical Input Output Matrix Industry Input Costs Toy Industry (manufacturing dolls) Automobile Industry (manufacturing cars) Cost of Labor Input $153 million $85 million Cost of Capital Input $ 60 million $200 million (Source: Authors Creation) The above hypothetical input industry 2x2 matrixes clearly shows that the gross cost of labor input is more than capital input in the toy industry producing dolls. On the other hand, the automobile industry manufacturing cars require more expensive capital input cost than labor cost. Thus it is quantitatively proved that the toy industry is a labor intensive industry and the car manufacturing industry is a capital intensive industry. Factor Intensity and Factor Abundance China is the most populated nation in the world. Perhaps this is the reason for which the country is rich in terms of labor resource. The nation always concentrates in labor intensive modes of production. It is a labor abundant nation, where the size of its labor force is 937.27 million as recorded in 2011. On the other hand, U.S. is a nation rich in terms of financial resources. This is the reason for which the country is a capital abundant nation that is rich in terms of technological knowhow. The following section of the essay will concentrate on the factor endowments of the two countries and the factor intensities of the industries in a graphically represented Hecksher Ohlin model. Figure 1: Hecksher Ohlin Model Car Production Doll Production The production Possibility Front iers (PPF) shows the two combinations of two goods that can be produced with the given amount of resources and state of technology1. The steeper PPF is of U.S., signifying capital abundance and intensity in production. The flatter PPF is of China, signifying labor abundance and intensity in production. The convex lines are the isoquants that show the different combinations of inputs that can be utilized to produce the same amount of output. B and E are the points inside the PPF of U.S. and China respectively, showing situations where all the resources are not efficiently used. A and G are the autarky or non trading positions of U.S. and China

Analysing The Political System In Ukraine Politics Essay

Analysing The Political System In Ukraine Politics Essay Before mentioning about the presidents and presidential elections, the political system of the Ukraine is important to analyze its political transition. With its independence, Ukraine had some difficult task which would be solved in short time. A new political system had to be built. New system of national security and defense had to be created. With its Constitution, the general foundations of the political system are defined. Ukraine is an independent, sovereign, democratic and social and jural state in accordance with its organic law. The state power is divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches. According to Constitution, the main responsibility of the state is to establish and promote human rights and freedoms. Ukraine is a unitary state, in which its territory is integral and inviolable. The state has a single citizenship. (http://www.ukraine-arabia.ae/ukraine/politics/president/) As we look into the President of the Ukraine, this post is designated to be Head of State and a guarantor of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and adherence to the Constitution. President is elected by the citizens of the state on the basis of direct universal suffrage. The term of presidential office is five years. In order to be elected as President there are obligations. One of them is living in Ukraine for ten years before the elections, the other is being citizens.(http://www.ukraine-arabia.ae/ukraine/politics/president/) The only legislative body of Ukraine is the Parliament which is called the Verkhovna Rada. Citizens elect the deputies of Ukraine via direct universal suffrage through secret vote. The parliamentary election system is mixed with majority and proportional. 450 deputies are elected 225 of them are elected at single-mandate constituencies in terms of relative majority, and another 225 are elected proportionally at multi-mandate national constituency from the list of candidates who comes from the political parties. Constitution and laws of Ukraine establish the powers of the peoples deputies. They can unite themselves into factions with more than 25 members. These deputy groups are formed on a party and non-party basis. Then, the Cabinet of Ministers which is the supreme executive authority of Ukraine comes. Presidential orders, laws of Ukraine and the Constitution are the legal basis for its actions. The Government is responsible to the President and it is controlled by the Verkhovna Rada. This dependency leads to presidential appointment of a Prime minister with parliamentary consent. Prime Ministers authorities may be suspended and discharged by the President. Furthermore, Members of Cabinet of Ministers are discharged and appointed by President. When we look at the judicial authority system, there are Constitutional Court and Courts of General Jurisdiction. Furthermore, the supreme authority in judiciary is Supreme Court of Ukraine. The system of courts of general jurisdiction is based on the principles of territorial and special jurisdiction. The Constitutional Court of Ukraine is a separate entity and is independent from the Courts of General Jurisdiction. The activities of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine promote constitutional control in all spheres, stabilization and strengthening of constitutional order, the establishment of principle of primacy of law and the supreme legal force of the Constitution, and the promotion of constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens. Ukrainians had to take a program of state and nation building simultaneously. In the process of state building, Ukrainian policy was shaped with the  desire  to  guarantee its  independence. It can be said that Ukrainian independence was accompanied with the qualifications of quasi-state and quasi-nation as a part of the Soviet heritage. Policy of Ukraine since 1991- 1992 until the 2004- 2005 was based on the process of state and nation building. Because of locked within the Soviet borders, Ukraine has isolated from the other world. All the interactions with the entire world were conducted by Moscow, that is the reason why Ukrainian authorities had no experience in cooperation with other states and independent administration of the state. (http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/3/6/1/1/8/pages361183/p361183-20.php) E.2.Presidents of Ukraine While examining the political transition of the Ukraine, it is also necessary to deal with the presidents and elections. After the independence from Soviet in 1991, in Ukraine there held 5 presidential elections in 1991, 1994, 1999 and 2004 and 2010, five parliamentary elections in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2007. The Ukrainian Constitution which was adopted in 1996 and was amended in 2004, stipulates a de-facto dual executive that is dependent on both the president and the parliamentary majority. (Oleksandr Sushko and Olena Prystayko) There held the first presidential election on 1st December 1991. Leonid Kravchuk won the elections with the 61,59 percent of the votes in the first round and became the state President. He showed a degree of political continuity from the Soviet period. He failed in understanding the need for economic reform. Consequently, because of not implementing the reforms in which power was divided between the communists and the opposition, the result became a hybrid regime. (Karpyk, Tamila,8) As it was stated before, the first years of independence was dealing with nation  building  and  political  survival.  The appearance and activities of Rukh (the Peoples Movement of Ukraine) which is a new Democratic Party was important for preservation of national identity among the masses. Vyacheslav  Chornovil  was the leader of the Democratic Party and he had significant characteristics on the spirit of nationalism in Ukraine. In these circumstances, changing into a nation-builder and being a mediator between the nationalist West and the Russified Eastern part of the country was not difficult for the first President Leonid Kravchuk who was former Second Secretary of the Communist Party of Ukraine. However, it was not an easy task. Before his office term ended, he had to call an early election because of the strike of the coal miners on 7th July 1993. (http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/publish/article?art_id=72956cat_id=32588) With the decision of referendum, the early election was held on 26th June1994. Leonid Kravchuk and Leonid Kuchma were among the candidates of this election. In the first round, none of the candidates gained over 50 percent. Leonid Kravchuk got 38,36 percent and Leonid Kuchma got 31,17 percent of the votes. In the second round which was held on 10th July 1994, while the current head of the state received the 45,06, Leonid Kuchma was elected as Ukranian second Head of State with the 52,15 percent. (http://www.turksam.org/tr/a1898.html) It was surprise for Leonid Kravchuk to lose to Leonid Kuchma in the early elections. Leonid Kuchma was the former manager of Ukraines biggest armaments factory. On coming to power, Kuchma devolved greater power to the regions to decide linguistic and national questions. In his election campaign, anti-nationalist sentiment was aired by the Kuchma. (Kuzio, 214) However, this more liberal policy has squarely contradicted his desire for national consolidation and thwarted attempts to make policy implementation by the center in the periphery more efficient and effective. His first year in power led to financial stabilization. However, he could not continue the reform process and that led to small group in power becoming richer and the majority of the people had to find another means for survival. In 1999, during the Office term of Kuchma, The Committee to Protect Journalists stated Ukraine for its restrictions over independent media. The image of Ukraine was influenced in negative way bec ause of disappearance of opposition journalist. (Karpyk, Tamila,20) Kuchma has intimate relations with Putin. His administration can be seen as soft authoritarianism. Corruption, suppression of the media and weakening of the civil society were activities during the period of Leonid Kuchma. He aspired to construct a system of managed democracy which is formal democratic practices but informal control of all political institutions similar to Putins model of government in Russia but he never had such kind of success. Ukraines three largest oligarchic group did back Kuchma and wielded their media and financial resources. (McFaul,50-51) However, Kuchma did not control the rents generated from oil and gas sales that could have been used to purchase the loyalty of societal challengers. Kuchmas regime did not control or own major segments of the Ukrainian economy. The third election was held on 31st October 1999, Leonid Kuchma also took part in this election. There were 13 candidates but none of them got the majority of the votes. Ukrainian Communist Party leader Petro Simonenko and Leonid Kuchma competed in the second round. The former President was re-elected for a second term by taking 56,25 percent of the votes. In 2000, Viktor Yuschenko became Prime Minister of Kuchma. In economic domain, the citizens became hopeful with this change. Especially encouraging privatization, comprehensive reform programs and attempts for prevention of corruption enabled Yuschenko to have support from Ukrainians. As a consequence, he automatically became opponent to Kuchma and he was dismissed from his post. In 2000, a former socialist and oligarch leader released a video record which contains Leonid Kuchmas illegal orders. With this event, a scandal broke out and it brought a different approach to Ukrainian politics. In the parliamentary elections, Yuschenkos bloc got 112 chairs. However Kuchmas party got 104 chairs and it became sign for the upcoming elections for President. (SarÄ ±kaya, p.3) Kuchma has tried to squelch opposition voices. However, his jailing of former Energy Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko, his dismissal of Prime Minister Yuschenko and his apparent collusion in the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze further weakened the state and created more opposition. (McFaul, p.54) As a final impression on Kuchmas term, he did not aspire to construct full blown autocracy. He was prepared to transgress democratic rules to prevent the opposition from coming to power and he also wanted to maintain the appearance of democracy. The fourth Presidential elections were really struggling and it led to the Orange Revolution which will be explained in the following section. The election held on 31st October 2004 had 26 candidates. Two of the candidates were Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych backed by Russia and former Prime Minister and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko supported by the West. The first round was really competitive and in the second round the percentage of the votes of Yanukovych and Yushchenko were close to each other. With the announcement of the international electoral watchdogs about defraud on the elections resulted in the mass demonstrations of the population. Ukrainian High Court explained that the results were not valid. As the new election was held, Yushchenko instead of Yanukovych got the Presidency with the help of the Orange Revolution. Although Yanukovych did not win the election, it was seen that his and Russias political influence power in Ukraine was very strong. (http://www.turks am.org/tr/a1898.html) When Yushchenko first came to power, Ukraines Orange government seemed like it could meet the popular demands for radical political reform and immediate integration into Europe. Yushchenko and his Prime Minister Tymoshenko showed their incompatibility while working. They criticized each other openly. The Ukrainian political system became more dysfunctional. (Motyl, Alexander, 4) There is also an important and positive improvement. During Yuschchenkos term Ukraine was upgraded to FREE from Partly Free by Freedom House. He failed to understand the need to deal with Ukraines past or how to integrate Ukraine and follow through on pursuing criminal charges against the elites who had murdered journalists, abused their positions of power through massive corruption and theft of state property, and organized mass election fraud. (Kuzio, 217) On the other hand, he actively favored his ethnic Ukrainian base by promoting the Ukrainian language, culture, and identity in schools, government, and the media. With these actions, he alienated many of the ethnic Russians and Russian speaking Ukrainians in the countrys east and south. (Motyl, Alexander, 3) On 17 January 2010, 18 candidates competed in the elections. Current President Yushchenko was also one of the participants. (http://www.turksam.org/tr/a1898.html) In February 2010, Viktor Yanukovych made a remarkable political comeback. It was surprising that Orange Revolution was conducted against Yanukovychs Presidency and now the Ukrainians elected him voluntarily. The economic conditions of Ukraine could be explanation for this situation. In 2009, the countrys GDP fell by 15 percent. People were frustrated and they were willing to support anyone who could fix the economic conditions. And Tymoshenko was seen as guilty and Yanukovych became the winner.At the start of his presidency, Yanukovych laid out his foreign policy priorities: restoring Ukraines close ties with Russia, European integration and building relationships with strategic partners such as the United States. By playing to these priorities and, at the same time, pursuing their own interests in the region, Russia, the European Union, and the United States can help stabilize the Yanukovych presidency and Ukraine.(Motyl,Alexander, 2) Yanukovych claimed that he learned from his mist akes in the past. However, he had already done some mistakes. He redefined democracy as political order. He does not advocate Ukrainian heritage contrary to his opponent Yushchenko. He appointed Dmytro Tabachnyk for Ministery of Education and Science. He was not a good choice because he openly declares his anti-Ukrainian views. He also claims that ethnic Ukrainians in the west of Ukraine are too Westernized to be genuine Ukrainians. His assault on the Ukrainian identity resulted in demonstrations and protests which were directed at Yanukovych and his minister. (Motyl,Alexander, 4) As a result of Yanukovychs centralized and anti-Ukrainian regime, Ukraine does not reach national consensus on the political and economic direction of country. He is not expected to be authoritarian because of not having strong coercive apparatus as Putin but his regime is seen as return to Kuchmism. There created strong opposition to him and Ukraines first President Kravchuk is among them. He criticized lawlessness, permissiveness, use of force and corruption which are done by the team of Yanukovych. It is believed that if he continues to act like this, he can provoke a second Orange Revolution. Lacking the ability, capacity, and will to change the system, Yanukovych will probably try to enhance his regimes legitimacy. However, its Party of Region is not supported by population in Kiev and no reform is expected during his term because of gathering Kuchmas incompetent ministers in his team. Furthermore, the lower natural gas price that Yanukovych negotiated with Russia will bring imm ediate benefits to the oligarchs. Lower gas prices will allow them to keep the costs of their products low and globally competitive without forcing them to modernize or become more efficient. Even if the people welcomes lower gas prices at first Yanukovychs regime is expected to be more corrupt. (Kuzio, 214) After evaluating Presidents of Ukraine, the citizens ideas on democracy are worthy to examine. According to survey which is conducted in 2010, the preference for democracy is highest in Western Ukraine, while apathy toward the type of governing system is highest in Eastern and Southern Ukraine. More Ukrainians do not view Ukraine as a democracy than those who do. Only 25 percent of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine is a democracy compared to 41 percent who do not believe it is a democracy . E.3. The Orange Revolution From over two decades, Ukraine has been facing with a most difficult transition from its authoritarian past. On the way to democratization, it has experienced economic collapse, over lasting constitution making period, border disputes with its neighbors, severe discontinuities and a revolution.(Bohdan Harasymiw, 2002) The fall 2004 presidential election was one of the pivotal movements in the history of Ukraine. The current president Leonid Kuchma and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych who was chosen successor of Kuchma deployed state resources, national media, and private funding from both Ukrainians and Russians to win against Viktor Yushchenko. When this effort was not enough, the government of Kuchma added votes in the second round for Yanukovych. As a response, Yushchenko called his supporters to come to Independence Square. The reason for this call is to protest this fraud in the election. Thousands of people came together in Kiev and stayed there until Supreme Court decided to cancel the second round results. (McFaul, 49) As we evaluate the Orange Revolution, it is understood that domestic factors accounted for most of the drama of this event.but external factors played direct role in constraining some dimensions of autocratic power. It also enhanced some dimensions of the oppositions power. However, Ukrainian democracy did not consolidate after the Revolution. Even if the Ukrainian democracy go back towards autocracy over the long run, this dramatic event is still seen as a democratic breakthrough in this decade.(McFaul, 48) With the Orange Revolution, it was seen that in Ukraine there is a struggle for between a semi-autocratic regime and a democratic opposition. Although there were improvements towards liberal democracy but not guaranteed. Institutional changes remain modest. 5 years after this movement, election of Yanukovych can be surprising and made the Orange Revolution waste of time. It has just postponed his Presidency. F.3.Ukraine-Turkey Relations: Turkey and Ukraine are neighbors on the Black Sea. When we look at the general situation between these two countries it can be said that it is good but not sufficient compared to their current potential. Especially in the issue of security in Black Sea, Ukraine has great importance for Turkey. Furthermore, its location on the energy lines, being one of the significant Black Sea countries, the historical ties with Crimea region and nearly 265000 Crimean Turks living in Crimea makes their relations substantial and sensitive. (http://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkiye-ukrayna-ekonomik-iliskileri.tr.mfa) As it is all known Ukraine has importance on the international relations with its strategic position. Ukraine sees Turkey as a key country for exit for Middle East and Mediterranean Sea. Ukraines foreign policy in its South axis aims to improve relations with Turkey. For Turkey, Ukraine is a buffer zone in order to prevent Russians to reach Black Sea. Turkey also attaches importance to Ukraine in terms of the stability of the region and strives to further develop its bilateral relations with Ukraine in every field especially economic and trade. (http://www.turksam.org/tr/a1512.html) Turkey is one of the first countries which recognized the Ukrainian Independence. Because of the discontinuity of the political relations, economic and the trade relations moved ahead of them. The Protocol on the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Turkey and Ukraine was signed on February 3, 1992. The legal framework which regulates the relations and cooperation between these two countries is almost complete after the signing of several agreements and protocols in political, military, economic, cultural, educational and intelligence related fields. (http://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkiye-ukrayna-ekonomik-iliskileri.tr.mfa) In 1994, Trade Economic Cooperation Agreement entered into force. There has been no serious political problem and there is an increase on the economic dynamic. There is an unbalanced situation of trade. Although Turkey imports more, its exports to Ukraine remains very low. 70 percent of Ukraines exports to Turkey is composed of iron, steel and the other mine products. There has been an increase of the Turkeys exportations on coal, organic and inorganic chemical substances, wood, aluminum, paper, plaster, stone and cement from 2007.  Turkeys investment in Ukraine is towards 135 million US dollars. There are over 500 enterprises. Another part of the relationship between these two countries is composed of Black Sea Economic Cooperation which both are the members. (http://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkiye-ukrayna-ekonomik-iliskileri.tr.mfa)    Moreover, Turkey and Ukraine support each other in international organizations such as UN, CoE, and OSCE. Military relations are conducted both on bilate ral basis and within the framework of NATO-Ukraine Commission, BLACKSEAFOR and Operation Black Sea Harmony.(http://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkey_s-political-relations-with-ukraine.en.mfa) In 2003, Turkey declared Ukraine as privileged State status so Ukraine became privileged in Turkeys foreign policy. There have been several negotiations of the Foreign and Prime Ministers of both countries. In January 2007, Prime Minister Yanukovich visited Turkey and Operation Black Sea Harmony was signed. G.Conclusion In conclusion, after evaluating the Ukraines triple transition period, we have reached some important points. Although there have been some attempts to fully implement democracy, there are some obstacles. At first glance, the problems seem to be resulted from its communist past and Russian influence. Ukraine does not fully integrate as Ukrainian society. The problematic national transition of Ukraine can be traced back to this period. Seperatist minority groups, ethnic Russians and Crimean Tatars, keep Ukraine deal with its internal problems rather than economic ones. Economic crises which resulted from the price of gas fluctuations led to frustration within the country. Another obstacle that Ukraine faces with is its dependency on Russia in terms of energy. If it does not overcome this struggle, it seems to restrict Ukraines regional power. However, explaining Ukrainian internal conflicts only with the Russia based reasons would be wrong. Russia is extremely influential factor but we should not underestimate the other factors. In Ukraine, there are not only two cleavages that split the country. Ukrainians are divided also among themselves. It is clear that Ukrainian part and Russified part in Ukraine exist and surprisingly there was no civil war because there is no clear distinction between these counterparts. One of the most important sign for democracy is civil society and in Ukraine it can be seen as the strongest among the other Post-Communist states though it is not in Western standards. This led to the Orange Revolution that increased the political competition however; it could not succeed in long term reforms. Political instabilities and crisis environment became continuous in which Yanukovychs pro-Russian attitudes and Yushchenkos Ukrainian nationalism competed. Besides Ukrainian society chose best of the worst option because of the high level of corruption. As a matter of fact that in the first place Ukraine should focus on the problem of high level of corruption as the society expected to do so. The reason hidden behind societys choice for Yanukovych is his claims on economic solutions rather than his political views. After all, the analytical outcomes show that Ukraine does not fully achieve a consolidated democracy. Although civil society and independent media paint a promising Picture, it has more things to do in order to reach the standards of Western democracies. Especially, the deficiency in the reforms on the political institutions should be reconsidered. Nevertheless, Ukraine succeeded sufficient triple transition, coming after the Baltic States, when we compared it to the remaining post-Soviet countries like the Caucasus and the Central Asia.

The Physics Of A Crystal :: essays research papers

The Physics of a Crystal Most simple chemical compounds consist of crystals. If you were to examine a lump of crystalline material very closely, you would be able to see tiny individual crystals. All crystals have a definite geometric shape, determined by the way the atoms are linked together.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mineralogists recognize 32 different classes of crystal, which are grouped into seven crystal systems. Crystal systems are described by their axis, which are imaginary lines that join the center of opposing faces of a crystal. For example, if a cubic crystal has three sets of opposing faces, it has three axes. They are all of equal length and are all at right angles to each other. Cubic crystals are described as being isometric, but not all isometric crystals are plain cubes. If the corners of a cube are cut off, the result is a polyhedron with six octagonal faced and eight triangular ones. Aside from the isometric system, there is also; a tetragonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, triclinic and hexagonal system. Crystals may form when a solution of a substance evaporates. Crystals may also form when a vapor or molten substance solidifies. Allotropes are different forms of the same element. For Example, oxygen has two allotropes, normal oxygen and ozone. Pure carbon also has two allotropes, diamond and graphite. A crystal of diamond is in fact a single giant molecule in which every carbon atom is linked to four other, by four equal, strong bonds. These bonds are arranged tetrahedrally round each atom and there are no planes along which the giant molecule can easily be split. This quality is what gives diamond its tremendous hardness.

On the First of October 2017

On the first of October 2017, the Catalonian president Carles Puigdemont held a succession vote to declare the territory of Catalonia as independent from Spain. Ninety percent of votes were in favor for independence (Catalonia). Later in the month, on the 27th of October, Puigdemont declared the northwestern territory of Spain as independent. The Spanish government responded by suspending the Catalonian government and managing the region under the central government, which is justified under Article 155 of their constitution which entitles that the government of Spain can â€Å"take the measures necessary† to â€Å"protect general interests† (The Spanish). But the succession forces in Catalonia are trying to challenge the Spanish Constitution over the illegality of their independence. The question is if these blockades imprinted in the Constitution are moral to be put into place. This situation of political chaos has escalated to the extent where the former regional leaders of Catalonia are either in jail in Madrid or in exile in Belgium and if they were to return to the region of Catalonia, they would face prosecution for treason (Minder). However, this has not stopped the succession forces in the region to try and put Puigdemont and his cabinet back into office. The controversy in these situations lies on a case to case basis. The campaign in territories seeking independence is based on the prosecution and legality of the laws set in place by the mother country. In Kurdistan, the Kurds want to succeed from the Iraqi government due to the oppression the people have had from historically being manipulated by other governments (Ali). The debate on the independence referendum in Scotland is based around the kingdom's decision to remain part of the European Union or leave with the rest of the United Kingdom. To reach a decision in these debates, one must look into the social, political, and economic viewpoints for the morality of the independence situation for these territories. Initially, â€Å"the Kurds have long fought for their freedom, and have faced unimaginable oppression as a people† (Ali). This is the view of the 35 million Kurdish peoples long fight for independence starting back in World War Two. However, this movement has found conflict both in this region of Iraq and in the Western powers. In the case of Kurdistan, the debate if the territory should have their own state and if the United States and the other Western powers should support the Kurdish independence movement. Mohammed Ali's opinion on this, the referendum in 2014 followed disputes on the sharing of oil proceeds between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi Government (Ali). This has had lukewarm reception by the Western governments. The Kurdish people have just reasoning and have proven reliable, so why would governments want to inhibit this process? So why, would the vote for independence in the region be condemned. Overall, Mohammed Ali is a journalist for the Independent and has articles about the situation in Kurdistan. Ali's bias, as formally stated, makes his statements very questionable and focused on his side of the argument. Krishnadev Calamur is a senior editor at The Atlantic and focuses mostly on news reports in the Middle East and Asia and on the United States involvement, which adds a sense of bias for Kurdistan to his articles.Subsequently, â€Å"Scotland is being dragged out of the EU against our will,† and this underlines the need for Scotland to have self-determination (Clock). The issue in Scotland and their movement towards succession is based around the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. Some of the nationalist parties in Scotland are organizing a referendum after the parliament of the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union (Clock). These parties say that Scotland had little say in this matter and they think that Scotland would have better hopes of governing itself inside of the European Union (Clock). The increased following on the nationalist parties and the formation of a referendum would need to happen sooner than later if any movement is to happen in this territory. To analyze, The Herald newspaper in Scotland backed a no vote in the independence referendum but proclaims itself to be unbiased from any political belief. The newspaper is the eighth oldest newspaper in the world and has political bias depending on which authors are working for The Herald. With all of this noted, it can be inferred that the bias of this article is to the nationalistic side of the Scotland argument due to bold statements against leaving the European Union.In Catalonia, the constitution instituted Article 155 in Catalonia to stop the region from leaving Spain. This independence movement has hurt Catalonia as a whole. â€Å"Unemployment, retail sales, and tourist numbers all came in worse than expected for the end of 2017 while the growth of the Catalan economy lagged behind the nation as a whole† (Savitsky). This economic situation did not trouble Catalonia before this active movement for succession. Catalonia has added up to sixteen percent of the population and twenty percent of the Spanish economy, which is 223.6 billion euros as of October 2017 (Bosch). If the government of Catalonia is able to succeed, the tensions between the two sides would reduce, and the governments could focus on more important issues, like the economy, and be able to progress further separately.To evaluate, this side of the Catalonia issue shows that if the region of Catalonia is able to succeed, it would allow both Spain and Catalonia to progress from their currently regressed economic situations. From this position, it would be the best for both sides for Catalonia to become independent. From the opposing viewpoint, Kurdistan would have a struggling economy if they became independent. An Iraqi trader mentioned that â€Å"the market would die† if the Kurds threats became reality (Dziadosz). The economy in the region is based on oil sales that add up to ninety percent of its revenues (Dziadosz). This could bring a problem of self-reliance for the Kurdish people. Also, the majority of the oil goes to Turkey, which questions to the viability of the economy of an independent Kurdistan arise (Dziadosz). Despite this, even Turkey is against the independence of the Kurds. The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned the Kurds vote for independence as â€Å"treachery† and that the region would â€Å"not find food or clothing† if independence ensued (Dziadosz). This threat has kept the Kurds from becoming independent is due to the one dimensional economy of oil and the fact that basic goods in the region need to be imported (Dziadosz). Based on the facts, should Kurdistan become an independent nation with the knowledge that it cannot support itself economically.To evaluate, Alex Dziadosz is a freelance journalist currently based in Lebanon and has been awarded the New York Press Award for his reporting in Iraq. Based on this, Dziadosz has seemed to take evidence of his findings from the Middle East to make his own credible statements and this article seems to be no exception. Moreover, Scotland is seen to be better off if Scotland stays with the United Kingdom. As a whole, the United Kingdom is a world power that is both relatively small both geographically and in population. Scotland benefits from being considered a world power. Scotland also values the United Nations, where the United Kingdom is one of the five permanent members on the world security council (McCafferty). This makes Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland stronger together than in their separate ways. As well, the complaint that Scotland is not represented in the United Kingdom is not true. Based on evidence, Scotland has more money spent on public services per person than that of England, a  £1,460 difference (McCafferty). As with that, the general public opinion in Scotland is that they are â€Å"equally Scottish and British† and many Scots have family across the border (McCafferty).In analysis, Ross McCafferty is a writer for the Scotsman that talks about his views on politics and sports in the United Kingdom and Scotland. The fact that McCafferty states his views in his articles could make them have questionable bias if they are not backed up with facts and not recognize the other side of the issue. McCafferty's article has a bias for continued union with the United Kingdom but is no less reliable based on the facts and evidence proposed in the article.Furthermore, the issue of the independence of Catalonia is a risk of uncertainty for the region. Economists at Berenberg Bank, one of the leading private banks based in Germany, mentioned that there was no practical way for Catalonia to become an independent nation inside of the European Union (Kottasovà ¡). With independence, Catalonia would not be a World Trade Organization member, and would face major trade barriers (Kottasovà ¡). With these blockades, the price of imported goods into the region would rise, and would result in more unemployment (Kottasovà ¡). The region could also use the euro as a currency, but with no representation, as they would not have a seat in the European Central Bank (Kottasovà ¡). With this, the region of Catalonia would face barriers far larger than the ones that they currently have with Spain. This would most likely result in the loss of the rest of the Spain as a trade partner. With this, would they be able to risk the uncertainty that would ensue with independence?To evaluate, Ivana Kottasovà ¡ is a reporter at CNN Money that covers European business and economy. The article covers both sides of the issue in Catalonia but focuses mostly on the perspective of Spain. The author's credentials and the evaluation of both sides of the case makes the case of the economics seem credible. Thus, after the evaluation of the cases, one can decide the logical perspective that each case should be placed into. Initially, my perspective on the issue was for the independence for these territories. But after extensive research and contemplation on the subject matter, my perspective has changed. Currently with the Kurdish people, there is evidence of an inefficient economy based solely on oil with an unestablished government. Secondly, in Scotland, the country would be better prepared, both economically and politically, to stay with the rest of the United Kingdom. No matter what the nationalistic politicians claim, they are receiving help from the rest of the union. However, I still believe the circumstance in Catalonia is still under debate. The Catalans have a diverse economy in a territory around the size of Belgium. The territory also has the political leaders ready to take the next step from Spain with the public opinion of the region on their side. In final analysis, the information presented is still very limited. There is a need for the evaluation of the individual bias of the leaders of each government to ensure that their beliefs are for the best. Along with that, there is the need for the analysis of past territories that have either become independent or have stayed with their union. The issue at hand is very complex and is in need for further review for each case independently. Overall, I stand that the territories should be able to show their protest, but in the cases provided, these territories should stay with their current nations.

Origins of Cold War Essay

The Cold War was one of the most important historical events in the world, which had created a great impact that is still felt within the international community. The United States and the Soviet Union became the two most influential and powerful forces during this era. The relationship between the two former allies was anchored on political, ideological and economic interests, which at the end of the Second World War came as threats wherein developed bitterness and rivalry for power over the years (Hoesel, 1992). The Cold War which has been referred to as the period of â€Å"elusive peace† dictated that the United States of America as the world’s leading hegemonic power, with the defeat and disintegration of the Soviet Union at the end of the war. The Cold War indeed has been a conflict involving former allies, United States of America and the Soviet Union due to the difference in political ideologies held by the two superpowers (Nosotro, n.d).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The difference in political ideologies caused the development of animosity and hostility between United States and the Soviet bloc. The United States having been supportive of capitalism clashed with the communist Soviet Union (Nosotro, n.d). Although there had been no direct confrontation between the two world superpowers, indirect confrontations among the United States and Soviet allies were enough to assess the impact of the Cold War. Economic, political and military affairs of the two states and their allies underwent massive policy changes in order to keep abreast with the happenings during the Cold War. The â€Å"arms race† was one of the most important indirect military offensives that took place between United States and Soviet Union, both states trying to produce more sophisticated weapons ahead of the other. This in turn created a great impact on the two states’ economic and social services sectors (Kishlansky, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As such, the political allies of both United States and Soviet Union were also affected as both governments of the two states worked towards spreading influences in less developed countries. The series of decolonization became rampant and emphasized in regions such as Asia, Latin America, Africa and Middle East. And as such, the conflicts brought by the Cold War were instantly shifted and transmitted within these areas (â€Å"The Elusive Peace The Cold War,† 1992). References Hoesel, F.V. (1992). The Soviet Union and the United States. Soviet Archives Exhibit. Retrieved August 23, 2008, from http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/soviet.exhibit/intro2.htmls Kishlansky, M. (2005) Civilization in the West, Volume C (since 1789), 7th edition. Nosotro, R. (n.d). The cold war. Hyperhistory. Retrieved August 23, 2008, from http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/big/w30coldwar.htm The elusive peace the cold war. (1992). History World International. Retrieved August 9, 2008, from http://history-world.org/coldwar.htm

Implicit Parameters in Java

Implicit Parameters in Java The implicit parameter in Java is the object that the method belongs to. Its passed by specifying the reference or variable of the object before the name of the method.  An implicit parameter is opposite to an  explicit  parameter, which is passed when specifying the parameter in the parenthesis of a method call. If a parameter isnt explicitly defined, the parameter is considered implicit. Explicit Method Example When your program calls a method of an object, its common to pass a value to the method. For example, here, the object Employee has a method called setJobTitle: Employee dave new Employee(); dave.setJobTitle(Candlestick Maker); The String Candlestick Maker is an explicit parameter being passed to the setJobTitle method. Implicit Method Example However, there is another parameter in the method call that is known as the implicit parameter. The implicit parameter is the object the method belongs to. In the above example, its dave, the object of type Employee. Implicit parameters are not defined within a method declaration because they are implied by the class the method is in: public class Employee {  Ã‚  public void setJobTitle(String jobTitle)  Ã‚  {  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  this.jobTitle jobTitle;  Ã‚  } } In order to call the setJobTitle method, there must be an object of type Employee.