Causes of Macbeths Downfall Essay

Shakespeare’s Macbeth, based on a play written in 1605 explores the life journey of Macbeth as he climbs the ladder of the social hierarchy. Determined to become King, Macbeth will kill any and all that get in his way. Driven by ambition, Macbeth puts his faith in the words and prophecies of three witches after a prediction that Macbeth would gain the new title of Thane of Cawdor. Alongside with ambition, Lady Macbeth, is a key instrument to Macbeths’ ambition to become king, continuously pressuring him, when he fears he has gone too in his schemes for greatness. We can definitely see a well – regarded and loyal soldier of the Scottish army change to a murderous tyrant. His downfall is complete and he is responsible for his fate. It is his ambition, the influence of his wife, Lady Macbeth and the prophesies of the three witches and then his misplaced confidence in his invulnerability that causes his decline. These all contribute to the primary reasons for Macbeth s moral downfall as he climbs the ladder of success. The term ‘moral downfall’ refers to the emotional and social impact as oppose to a physical downfall, which is described as a step back in society, including the loss of money, fortune, family, social life and wellbeing. By succumbing to committing evil acts to achieve his ambition, he basically destroys Macbeths morality, leading to his downfall. Macbeths Ambition In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, ambition is the main theme that the protagonist, Macbeth, possesses. To be ambitious is basically an eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as fame or power. In Macbeth, ambition is a main theme. Macbeth, the protagonist and tragic hero in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, possesses hamartia. Hamartia, named by Aristotle in Poetics, is a tragic flaw possessed by any tragic hero. Over the course of the play, Macbeth’s ambition grows. He succeeds in murdering Duncan, being named the new king, and ruling the kingdom. As his success grows, so does his ambitious nature. Fearing that the rest of the witches’ prophecy will come true (that Banquo’s sons will be kings), Macbeth decides to murder both him and his son (namely Fleance). Still feeling threatened, Macbeth murders Macduff’s family (to send a message of his power to Macduff). It is evident in the play that this theme exists. We can definitely see that Macbet h uses  his ambition to justify bad and evil actions, whereas most will use it for good. Not only it is seen throughout the course of the play, he’s ambition is revealed by Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 7. As mentioned in lines 25-27, Macbeth says: I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’ other. Macbeth, trying to rationalise his impending murder of King Duncan, continues his great â€Å"If it were done† which was a technique incorporated by Shakespeare called a soliloquy. As Macbeth has just explained to himself, there’s no real justification for the crime—Duncan is his relative, a meek and moral man, a good king, and, furthermore, a guest at his castle. All this argues against so bloody a deed, which will appear unjustifiable to mortal and divine eyes alike. Therefore, Macbeth has no â€Å"spur† to prick his intent, which is likened to a wild steed—no motivation to inspire the murder. Continuing the horse metaphor, he can only draw on â€Å"vaulting ambition†: an intense desire for power. His desire vaults even beyond its intrinsic limits (â€Å"oâ€℠¢erleaps itself†) to land on â€Å"th’other† (the other side)—possibly, to land somewhere unknown and beyond reason, as Macbeth regrets that he is motivated only by ambition and not by some more worthy motive. Those propelled by ambition often end up worse than they were before once the deed is done. Through this quote mentioned in Macbeths’ soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 7, it is evident that Macbeth is driven by his ambition to kill for power as his only motivation to gain the crown leading to Macbeths’ moral downfall. Lady Macbeth Alongside with Macbeths’ ambition to become Thane of Cawdor, his wife, Lady Macbeth is another influential being that causes Macbeths downfall. As the lead up to the event of King Duncan’s murder Lady Macbeth tricks Macbeth into killing Duncan by using her cunning and complicated words. She makes Macbeth think that he has to kill Duncan for his benefit. Lady Macbeth deceives him into thinking that only he would gain more power, and it wouldn’t benefit her. Lady Macbeth counters Macbeths’ arguments by saying that he needs to muster up all of his courage, and just follow here directions. Lady Macbeth plans the murder strategies, and influences Macbeth to go along with her strategy. Macbeth doesn’t want to kill a good king for his own ambitions, but is persuaded to do it. From Lady Macbeth persuading  him to kill Duncan, the first evil act he commits, he is drawn into believing the witches’ prophecies, and takes action to make them come true. Through various quotes by Lady Macbeth, it is evident to say that with each other by their sides, was a negative influence to the lead up of Macbeths’ downfall. Lady Macbeth blames her husband for lacking the courage to do the deed, and because Macbeth is a warrior above everything else, her comments manipulate him a good deal. Indeed, â€Å"manliness† is an idea the play interrogates in various ways, such as when Macbeth says â€Å"I dare do all that may become a man who dares do more is none† (1.7.46-47). This is the belief that his wife use against him: â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more a man† (1.7.51-53). In short, it is by means of his manhood, fundamental to his belief of himself as warrior, that Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband. Through these quotes, revealed by Lady Macbeth, we can establish that Lady Macbeth was another factor influencing the decision-making of Macbeth, thereby causing his downfall. Three Witches With the influence of Macbeths’ ambition driving him to kill King Duncan as well as Macbeths’ wife, Lady Macbeth, driving him to fulfil his ambition, although there is another factor in Macbeths’ downfall. At the start of the play, the three witches inform Macbeth that he is destined to be king, as they are responsible for the introduction of the ideas that caused Duncan’s death and Macbeth’s destruction but not for Macbeth’s actions themselves. Ultimately the witches represents his fate and symbolise the dark side of humanity and the evilness of these beings, is evident that from the beginning when they meet and choose Macbeth to be their plaything. They live to torture and harass. While they do not physically create the downfall of any human, they do lead the humans to fall by their own demise, by way of misleading illusions. In Act 1, Scene 3 the three witches make a chilling prophecy saying: â€Å"All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!† and â€Å"All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!† each revealing Macbeths’ future. In these lines, it is evident that Macbeth thinks about what being king would be like and since he is known as a brave warrior, this causes him to break down even more. This is the other role that they play in the downfall of Macbeth. These predictions by the three  witches soon motivates Macbeth to commit actions of evil and selfishness, which includes the murder of his best friend Banquo and the murders of Macduff’s’ family. By Macbeth becoming over confident we can see he has lost his moral values from becoming a well-liked and respected Scottish Gener al to an evil murderous fool. To conclude, the factors contributing to Macbeths’ moral downfall include his ambition to become King of Scotland by murdering his cousin, King Duncan, and the primary factor which was his wife, Lady Macbeth, that influenced him to commit such immoral acts through the insulting nature Lady Macbeth adopts. Finally, the last factor is the witches’ prophecies which drove Macbeth into believing he will be king and will have all this fame and power. However, he soon realises that he lost more than he received. We can see that Macbeth experienced a moral downfall as oppose to a downfall, which is described as a step back in society, including the loss of money, fortune, family, social life and wellbeing. We can see in Shakespeare’s Macbeth that Macbeth experienced a moral downfall as he climbed the hierarchy only to achieve nothing but hatred and loss of loved ones.

Columbian Exchange: Europe and the Americas

Sagar Shah Columbian Exchange: Europe and the Americas The Columbian Exchange was an impactful spread of culture, food and even frightening diseases between the Old World and the New World. This great exchange started after the accidental discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. Originally, Columbus and his crew set on a journey to find a western sea route to China, India and the spice islands of Asia. Instead, he found a whole new world in the western hemisphere that was eventually named â€Å"The New World†. The Columbian Exchange had lasting effects on both the Old World as well as the New World.The Columbian Exchange had several positive impacts, one of which was the introduction of new staple crops such as maize and potatoes to Europe. These staple crops and even some additional new foods such as capsicum pepper, plain vanilla and coca provided nutrients that the indigenous crops didn’t have. Europe also received quinine which was a medicine that helped d eal with malaria. The Columbian Exchange also had a few negative impacts; the most devastating was the spread of diseases in the Americas that were brought from Europe. Diseases like smallpox, tuberculosis, and bubonic plague quickly transfused across the New World.Overall the Columbian Exchange had a more negative impact on the New World and a more positive influence on the Old World. One lasting impression the New World had on the Old World was the introduction of new crops and foods. One staple food that the Europeans brought back was maize. Maize was a success in Europe because it produces well in a variety of climates. Maize prospers in areas too dry for rice and too wet for wheat making it ideal to grow in many different climates (Crosby W. Alfred 2003). For this reason maize was very popular and adopted quickly. The potato also had a huge effect on the Old World.The potato contains large amounts of calories and nutrients due to the starch in it. The potato is able to sustain life better than any other food that is consumed (Davidson and Passmore, 1965, p. 285). Like maize, the potato can also be cultivated in a variety of climates making it ideal for Europeans to use (Crosby W. Alfred 2003). The first place the potato reached was Ireland. In fact the potato spurred a population growth in Ireland (Nunn and Qian 2009). The reason the potato became popular in Europe was because of the abundance of nutrients that it contains and because it can sustain lives all by itself which other crops cannot do.Even though potatoes and maize had a big impact on Europe, many other foods like capsicum peppers also had a positive impact on the Old World. Capsicum Peppers originated in Bolivia and southern Brazil. When the Europeans came to the Americas, the pepper migrated to Mesoamerica and the Caribbean (Andrews, 1992, 82-83). The capsicum peppers had reached Spain and Africa by 1453. It had also reached the East Indies by 1540 and India by 1542 (Andrews, 1992, 82-83). T he capsicum pepper has also impacted many other countries. In Southeast Asia the capsicum pepper has been used in cuisines.Capsicum peppers are also very nutritious. They contain a good amount of vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C. They also contain large amounts of iron and magnesium. Magnesium is essential because it spurs energy production and iron is important because it speeds up metabolism (Greger 1994). This shows how capsicum peppers that originated in the Americas came to big use in Europe making a positive impact on their society. Another food that had a positive impact on Europe was plain vanilla. Plain vanilla originated in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Plain vanilla comes from the plant Vanilla planifolia.The vanilla pods need to be fermented and it creates the chemical vanillin. The vanillin is the chemical that gives plain vanilla its scent and its distinct flavor (Rain, 1992, p. 37). Plain vanilla was first brought back to Spain when Cortez came to the Americas. It became very popular in a very short amount of time in Europe because factories were using the vanilla to flavor the chocolate. Like chocolate, vanilla too became a luxury that only the aristocrats could afford (Rain, 1992, p. 40). Vanilla was not only used for flavoring, it was also used for scents in perfumes and tobacco (Bruman, 1948, pp. 71-372). This is why plain vanilla grew so popular in the Old World. It’s great taste and smell made it appealing to many countries. Coca was another crop that benefited Europe. People of the Inca Empire first used coca leaves, where they chewed them during religious activities. The first Spanish settlers adopted this idea and brought back to Europe where it became popular. A well-known psychologist by the name of Sigmund Freud started chewing coca after he found out that coca increases stamina, creativity, and it decreases hunger (Hobhouse, 2005, pp. 10-313). After this was discovered, coca became extremely popular in Europe and it began to spread throughout the world. Foods were not the only positive things that helped the Europeans. A gift that the New World gave to the Old World was quinine. Quinine contains anti-malarial alkaloids, which come from the barks of cinchona trees. These trees grow in Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru (Brockway, 1979, p. 108). This medicine was helpful to the Europeans because it let them travel across the world and conquer lands without worrying about the threat of malaria.Even though the Columbian Exchange had an overall positive effect on Europe, it had a negative influence on the Americas. One disease that was brought to the New World was Smallpox. The smallpox virus is caused by Variola, which is closely related to cowpox and monkeypox (Patterson 2002). The infection causes skin rashes and causes mucus membranes to emerge. These rashes stay for about 12 days then the person infected then experiences 104 degree Fahrenheit fever, back pain, and vomiting. Three days later th e rash will spread to the nose, mouth, forearms, throat, hands, and face (Ngan, 2011).Smallpox easily spreads through close contact. â€Å"Estimates of death rates resulting from smallpox epidemics range between 39% for the Aztecs, 50% for the Piegan, Huron, Catawba, Cherokee, and Iroquois, 66% for the Omaha and Blackfeet, 90% for the Mandan, and 100% for the Taino†¦ † (Halverson, 2007). Smallpox epidemics affected the life of many Native American tribes for hundreds of years. This is only one disease that had an awful effect on the Native Americans. Tuberculosis is also another disease that spread from the Old World to the New World. Tuberculosis, is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Paulsen 1987).The bacteria can attack any part of the body, but most frequently attacks the lungs. Tuberculosis of the lungs and throat is infectious. When a person with Tuberculosis coughs or sneezes, the bacteria spread into the air. People nearby may breathe in the se bacteria and become infected. When a person breathes in the bacteria, the bacteria settle in the lungs and begin to grow. The first major outbreaks of Tuberculosis among the native people of North America began in the 1880’s after they were settled on reservations. When Native Americans were required to live in small fixed huts, an epidemic began.As Native Americans were living to reservations their death rates from Tuberculosis increased rapidly. Bates and Stead give the death rates of Native Americans. â€Å"By 1886 the Tuberculosis death rate reached 9000 per 100,000 people. These rates are much higher than ever observed in Europe because the Native Americans lacked immunity to Tuberculosis and were weak in fighting off the bacteria† (Bates & Stead, 1993). The Native Americans were being hit by disease after disease with the Europeans coming over and settling. Another disease that devastated them was the Bubonic Plague. The Bubonic Plague is also known as the Bla ck Death.Bubonic plague painfully causes swollen lymph nodes that appear around the groin, armpit, or neck (Halverson, 2007). The Bubonic plague had already devastated Europe by killing millions and after Europeans came to the Americas, the Black Death killed millions of Native Americans. The Columbian Exchange was a time when European nations sent explorers to the Americas after Christopher Columbus discovered the â€Å"New World†. The Americas were filled with new crops and foods that turned out to be very beneficial to the Europeans. The Europeans brought back staple crops like maize and potato that contain a large amount of nutrients.Other crops include capsicum pepper, plain vanilla, and coca. Each had their own way of helping the Europeans. A medicine that the Europeans took from the Americas was quinine. Quinine fought off malaria, which enormously benefited the Europeans because they were able to conquer lands that have malaria but not die from the disease. The Columb ian Exchange benefited the Europeans, but it did not benefit the Americas. The Columbian Exchange brought many Europeans to the Americas. With many Europeans traveling to the New World, many diseases also came along.Diseases like smallpox, tuberculosis, and the bubonic plague resulted in the death of millions of Native Americans. These diseases even killed off many tribes completely. The Columbian Exchange proved to be beneficial to the Old World while devastating a lot of the New World. Andrews, Jean. 1992. The peripatetic chili pepper: Diffusion of the domesticated capsicums since Columbus. In Nelson Foster and Linda S. Cordell (eds. ) Chilies to Chocolate: Food the Americas Gave the World. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 81-93. Bates, Joesph H. , and William W. Stead. â€Å"Oregon Experience: White Plague. † TB Among Native Americans. N. p. 1993. Web. 07 Apr. 2013. Brockway, Lucile H. 1979. Science and Colonial Expansion: The Role of the British Royal Botanical Garden s. New York: Academic Press . Brooks, Jerome Edmund. 1952. The Mighty Leaf: Tobacco through the Centuries. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. Bruman, Henry. 1948. The culture history of Mexican vanilla. Hispanic American Historical Review 28(3): 360-376. Christian, JL, Greger, JL. Nutrition for Living (4th Ed. ) Reading, MA: The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc. 1994. Crosby W. Alfred. The Columbian Exchange Biological and Cultural consequences of 1492. Westport: Praeger Publishers 2003 PrintDavidson, Stanley and R. Passmore. 1965. Human Nutrition and Dietetics. Baltimore: Churchill Livingstone. Duiker, William J. , and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History. Belmont, CA:: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print. Halverson, Melissa Sue. â€Å"Native American Beliefs and Medical Treatments During the Smallpox Epidemics: An Evolution. † Native Americans and The Smallpox Epidemic. N. p. , Summer 2007. Web. 07 Apr. 2013. Ngan, Vanessa. â€Å"DermNet NZ. † Smallpox (variola). N. p. , 1 July 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2013. Nunn, Nathan and Nancy Qian. 2009. The potato’s contribution to population and urbanization: Evidence from an historical experiment.NBER Working Paper 15157. Patterson, Kristine. â€Å"Result Filters. † National Center for Biotechnology Information. U. S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2002. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Paulsen, H. Jay. JSTOR. N. p. , Nov. -Dec. 1987. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Rain, Patricia. 1992. Vanilla: Nectar of the Gods. In Chilies to Chocolate: Food the Americas gave the World (eds) Nelson Foster and Linda S. Cordell. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 35-45. Wood, Ethel. AP World History: An Essential Coursebook. Reading, PA: WoodYard Publications, 2008. N. pag. Print.

Compare and contrast the City of Bath with another historic city of Essay

Compare and contrast the City of Bath with another historic city of your choice that faces the conflict and challenges of being - Essay Example Oxford is also a historic city which has offered world-class education since medieval times. Many historic sites and buildings in these towns are protected by British laws and international statutes that prevent them from being converted (Great Britain House of Commons, 2009). However, the two cities keep on growing and there are different land use types that are emerging. This paper examines the challenges that arise from the tensions between the preservation of historic and landmark sites with emphasis on Bath and Oxford. It goes further to analyse the ways in which these two cities are dealing with the challenge of using land to meet its historical and tourism needs on one side and its general and economic land use needs. TENSIONS BETWEEN URBAN CONSERVATION & URBAN LAND USE Urban development comes about as a result of the numerous needs of people in society (Cohen, 1999). Different groups of people have different land use needs and this gives the need for various considerations in urban generation and regeneration. A major land use type in cities in England is the historic site usage (Tessa, 2005). Tessa (2005) goes further to identify that urban historic land marks give a physical form to individual and communal history in the form of architecture and edifices that come with countless stories about various timelines in history. This is an avenue for the discharge of some human values as well as economic returns from events like tourism. On the other hand, though, people need lands to fulfil their individual and communal needs. These needs are honoured through consensus between various stakeholder units in the society and it leads to so much debate and tensions (De La Torre, 2005). According to Betty (2011), the main areas that the tensions occur in urban development where heritage site conservation is concerned include: 1. The Need for Growth V Restricted Development Capacity 2. Sustainable Economic Prosperity V Dangers of Destroying priceless landmarks 3. Innovation V protection of Heritage 4. Preservation V Requests of Community for housing, education, jobs and transportation 5. Increasing tourism V Loss of distinctive competitive strengths THE CASE OF BATH & OXFORD Bath and Oxford seem to have similar problems in the area of the constraints between urban growth and heritage site management and conservation. Demographic Issues Bath’s population has remained steady between 85,000 and 75,000 over the past forty years. 1971, the population was about 85,000. It fell to about 80,000 and 79,000 in 1981 and 1991 respectively. In 2001, the population stood around 84,000 (Statistics & Census Information). Over 38% of the residents are over 60 years (Betty, 2011). This huge ageing population indicates that Bath’s younger generation are leaving the town in huge numbers because there are more economic and social opportunities elsewhere. Also, there are challenges like fuel poverty, which affects about 8% of the populace. The situa tion on Bath puts the city authorities in a situation where they need to do something to retain their active population. This entails improving economic and work conditions in the city as well as the creation of socio-cultural

History 101. Comparing facts and fiction in movies Essay

History 101. Comparing facts and fiction in movies - Essay Example Some of the main differences between the original Greek myth and the film is that based from the Greek myths, Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Hera, Aphrodite and Poseidon all played active roles in the Trojan War. In the movie it did not show the gods as existent or actively intervening. The impetus relationship between Paris and Helen making it catalyst for the entire war called the Judgment of Paris is not mentioned. In the movie, it seemed that the Trojan War only lasted for weeks when in fact it consumed 10 years of endless battles. Like any other historical tales and events such as Samson and Delilah or Cleopatra, the woman may be the cause of a man's demise. And if a man is too weak to resist the seductive advances of a woman, an entire nation can suffer same as what has been shown in the movie Troy. The huge army of the Persian Empire is sweeping across the globe, destroying every force that gets in their way. When Persian envoy arrives in Sparta offering King Leonidas power and control over all of Greece if only he will bow down to the wishes of the Persian King, Xerxes, the strong willed leader summons a small army comprised of his empire's best trained fighters and marches to battle. This act however futile is his way of saying that no Spartan King will bow down to foreign invaders. When King Leonidas together with his 300 Spartan men fell to the overpowering Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, the courageous actions of the noble fighters inspired all of Greece to defend their empire against their Persian adversary and wage the battle that would eventually give rise to the modern concept of democracy. In the actual Battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas was joined by forces from other Greek city states having some 4,000 to 7,000 strong men under his command. 300 of those are Spartans being his personal bodyguards which was actually depicted in the movie. In the movie it was said that the downfall of King Leonidas is the betrayal Ephialtes of Trachis but in historical facts it is debated that it could be Onetas and Crydallus. One thing that can be learned from the movie is that no matter the odds, a man should know how to defend his people for the generations to come. In the quest to achieve this, only trusted and well-trained soldiers will ensure victory. Although there is strength in number but even a few but with stronger convictions can ensure success in some sense. References: (1) Pressfield, Steven. Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae. New York: Bantam Books. 2005. GLADIATOR The death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the hands of his murderous and ambitious son, Commodus caused great chaos in the entire Roman Empire. One of the Roman army's capable and trusted generals, General Maximus Decimus Meridius is also the Emperor's key advisor. Even to his death, Aurelius decided to appoint Maximus temporary leadership of the empire and the enraged Commodus. He ordered the execution of Maximus and sends off the Praetorian Guards to murder his wife and son. Maximus escapes his execution but was severely injured. He was then captured and enslaved along the out borders of the Roman Empire. However, Maximus rises through the ranks of the gladiator arena to

Online vs. Traditional College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Online vs. Traditional College - Essay Example According to Dean (2005, p28), online classes originated from computer based e-learning programs that were structured to replicate the traditional learning styles. The classes later developed into a more collaborative learning supported by computer, which enabled sharing of knowledge in a given community. Though these developments mainly took place in the corporate sectors, the mainstream education system adopted the technology in the 1980s when several western universities created an online platform to enhance interaction between students (Bear, 2001, p 36). The internet revolution of 1990s enhanced greater mobility, accessibility of internet-based applications, and by 1993, the first online lecture was delivered through the computer (Dean, 2005, p 37). It is from this successful delivery that educationists created virtual classrooms, which developed to online colleges in the following years. In United States, online education received support from the Congress and since then, its g rowth in the world is phenomenal (Bear, 2001, pp 52-54). Millions of students have enrolled and graduated in various online courses and the rapid growth of information technology has increased the number of institutions offering different online courses around the world. In spite of the popularity of online college, traditional colleges are still the choice of majority students in the world. Advantages of online college Studying online offers many benefits to students and with just average computer skills, earning a degree certificate at the comfort of home is now a reality. Studying online offers flexible schedules and for people engaged in full time commitments such as family and work, online learning is more convenient compared to traditional college. In addition to the flexibility of online college, students complete their studies at shorter time compared with traditional colleges. Online classes are also geographically flexible because students are not required to travel to the campus or the college to study. Accessibility to internet is all that is required and it does not matter whether you are in rural or urban areas. Students from less developed countries do not have to travel to foreign countries to study, spending a lot of money in the travel and living expenses (Dean, 2005, pp30-33). Online classes offer learning that is more flexible because a student is not required to take notes like in traditional college. All learning materials are online and it is easier to access books and other academic materials online. This saves a lot of time traveling to physical libraries, which sometimes do not have the necessary learning materials. The technological applications of online college such as multimedia applications enhance better interactions and discussions between lecturers and students (Dean, 2005, p73). Online college does not require any specific dress code since students learn at their own convenience. In addition, they offer wide range of courses and students who lack admission in the traditional colleges do not only have a wide range of courses to chose from, but also have a better opportunity of studying disciplines of their interest. Moreover, online classes offer better learning environment for students from diverse cultural backgrounds because such classes do not subject them to culture shock and challenges that multicultural

Critical Review of Contemporary NPD Issues Essay

Critical Review of Contemporary NPD Issues - Essay Example Both the research findings acknowledge that the scale of a company’s operations is irrelevant to the chances of favorable outcomes related to the application of innovation, as Laforet (2011) suggests that the innovative capabilities of small and medium enterprises are comparable to that of large organizations. Another finding asserts that ideation has paradoxical managerial impacts by presenting both negative and positive consequences of the said process in organizations. The scale of the company however, does impact the choices it makes related to innovation, for example, why would a business wish to expand its ideation and innovation capabilities in the first place? Certainly as represented by the findings of the articles which are assessed, it can be noted that large organizations in comparison with small and medium enterprises realize the need to create a strategic fit between their resource capacities and assets as a comprehension of their ideation capabilities is directl y related to the distribution of resources which ultimately allows the formulation of an idea into an innovation. On the other hand, the objectives of a small or medium sized business in engaging in new product development maybe entirely associated with its objective of seeking success or to achieve short-term gain. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the competing ideologies of how New Product Development and Innovation should take place and how it actually takes place, which is either by entirely basing the framework of innovation at an organization upon the components of the ideation process or by engaging in an innovative practice by implementing system wide innovation procedures. Furthermore, the paper will also discuss the managerial implications of the articles’ findings by determining the variables and factors that are dependent upon the success of measures such as NPD, process improvement and ideation potential. Factors affecting innovation: Acc ording to Bjork et al. (2010) the foundation of innovation is idea generation or ideation which is dependent upon the level of creativity and inventiveness of the employees and groups within an organization. Once this principle is recognized by the management, it should try to develop channels through which employees can successfully voice their ideas, such channels can range from technology centered pathways or the utilization of teams that should range across functional departments of an organization. Cooper (2008) favors computer-based ideation techniques such as webpages which can allow external parties to supply ideas related to new products, such facilities are readily used by organizations such as Procter and Gamble which are at the forefront of an ideation revolution. Procter and Gamble’s Connect and Develop ideation model is an example of an open system that invites and welcomes idea stimulation from a range of contributors. Laforet (2011) presents a more traditional and conventional view of the factors that may influence innovation, this

Good or Bad Performance for Cities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Good or Bad Performance for Cities - Essay Example In several studies, graffiti was found to have the following advantages to the cities: (1) it revitalizes the city through â€Å"controlled graffiti†; (2) it is a form of community beautification by spicing up urban blight and (3) it educates the public through disseminating relevant social issues. On the other hand, graffiti has still been viewed as a form of vandalism and a crime in many societies. The City of Calgary, for example, penalizes those caught doing graffiti with a $5000 fine. It is viewed as a waste of time and resources as the city would eventually resort to cleaning and removing them. The costs of removing them are tremendous and take a financial toll to the government. The Journal Live news of graffiti report â€Å"unwelcome art attacks cost  £1m a year MORE than a million pounds is spent every year cleaning up graffiti in the North-East". In addition, prison sentences were handed to members of a gang who work on making graffiti and were found to have destr oyed â€Å"hundreds of buildings and railway bridges in their distinctive tags over eight months, giving transport operators a huge clean-up bill amounting to  £140,000†. The actions of graffiti artists are evaluated according to their specific objectives or purpose for doing their art form. Most governments have recognized the evolution of graffiti art as continuously transforming. Stowers (1997) averred that â€Å"whether or not all of the public agrees that graffiti art is good, bad, or extremely valuable is a different discussion.

Benefits of the CalTex plant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Benefits of the CalTex plant - Essay Example The utilitarian benefits are many for both CalTex and the people of South Africa. Many needed jobs would have been created for workers in South Africa. Native South African would have taken many of these jobs. A job at a CalTex plant might be their best means for improving their own economic situation. CalTex had a history of paying better than average wages and they were also known for promoting employees from within. I know that if I were a black South African, I would have been very upset about the unfair political situation in my own country. But I also know that I would love to have the sort of economic opportunity that would be provided to me by working for a good paying corporation like CalTex. I think I would understand that CalTex was not the reason behind the current political system. I do not believe I would even feel that their presence aided the current political system or helped to keep it in power. The utilitarian benefits I would see as a native South African would be great. I would have a dependable job, food on the table and a possibility for working my way up in a company. I would be living in an unjust society, but I would not blame CalTex for doing business in my country. It is true that the white controlled government would get a more stable supply of petroleum products if the CalTex expansion occurred, but that same expansion meant that all South Africans would have access to more abundant, cheaper petroleum products. The reality of the situation is, South Africa had enough of their own engineers to make their own petroleum refineries. If CalTex completely divested, the only loser would be the corporation. If I were a stockholder, voting on the first two resolutions would have been very easy decisions. I would not have voted to cease operations in South Africa. This would have resulted in a huge drop in the price of my stock. It would have been like taking money out of my pocket and throwing it away for no good reason. There is no way tha t ceasing operations in south Africa would have helped bring the government down or change the rights of the people there. I would have voted a strong no on the first resolution. The second resolution would have received a no vote from me as well. This is quite a ridiculous proposition when you think about it. The proposition required CalTex to withhold sales to the South African government and military. My reason for not voting for this crazy proposition is it creates a litmus test for buying CalTex oil. It basically says that if you are not conducting yourself in a moral manner then we will not sell oil products to you. The problem is simply this, who gets to decide how bad is too bad? A corporation needs to not split hairs determining if a customer is moral enough to buy their product. The American government has been beset by scandals and there is plenty of history of racism and repression. Does this mean CalTex will no longer sell to America? What about the Chinese? The Italian s? All nations have blemishes and inherent injustices built into their systems. It is not the job of a corporation to try to sort all of them out morally. If they have cash, then you sell. The third proposition would have gotten a yes vote from me. Looking at the Tutu principles, I think is would be in the best interest of the company to abide by them. Caring for the family unit and supporting it would have

A Donors Major Gift Path with the Seven Faces Assignment

A Donors Major Gift Path with the Seven Faces - Assignment Example According to the mission, Tzu Chi does not discriminate people but it provides gifts to people without consideration of the religion. The organization is a Buddhist foundation but provides the gifts to members of other religion because it does not require the person receiving the gift to disclose the religious practice (Tzu Ch 2). Tzu Chi has many sub-organizations located in different part of the world. The sub-organizations include international medical association and the college youth association. The foundation was established in 1966 by Master Cheng Yen in Hualien, Taiwan. Other branches for Tzu Chi are located in Asia, Europe, Africa and North and South America. The organization provides services with the help of paid and volunteer staffs. The staffs are recognized in the world with their color of the uniform they ware while providing services. They ware white and blue informs known as the blue angels. The salary for the paid staff is obtained from the gifts provided by the donors. The volunteer are not paid but are given tokens for lunch and personal needs. Tzu Chi undertakes many tasks and it has different workers who provide different services. The services provided by the organization are education, medical, case management and disaster relief. The organization has staff workers who provide services in those departments. The volunteers are given task in respect to their qualification while the paid workers are employed to fill the vacant position which needs specialist or professional (Tzu Ch 5). Most of the donors come from Taiwan. Tzu Chi does not target the rich but accepts a donation from people of different class. The founder, Master Cheng Hen states that giving is the sincere privilege and not privilege of the rich. The donor who was giving out the gift was a man and due to the privacy, his name was not disclosed by the development officer.  

Gamestop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gamestop - Essay Example (Gamestop) The updated information lists its store network at 6,683 stores, all owned by the company, located in four key regions, namely Canada, Australia, Europe and the US. Its range of products extend to software, hardware, personal computer software, accessories, and related merchandise. It has a market capitalization of 2.85 billion dollars, a third of its peak market capitalization achieved in 2007. Share prices at present are comparable to levels in 2006 and have been at those levels since 2009, suggesting that prices are stable and that market prospects are stable as well (Google). It is clear from the business overview that its business strategy centers on excellence in distribution, and diversification to include all key segments of the gaming industry,, across different hardware and software platforms, and including online. It is a business strategy centered partly on achieving scale economies, and akin to the business model for Amazon and Walmart, catering to the targeted market of gaming (Google; Gamestop). A PEST analysis reveals that out of these four external environment factors, the stable political environment in the markets where the company operates means that political factors are not as important as technological factors, owing to the rapid changes in the gaming industry, and in the technology and information technologies industries in general (Google; Gamestop) Gamestops competitive position is ok, given its stable prospects as reflected in its share price, but not particularly invulnerable, given large shifts in the gaming industry from new developments in technologies, so that share prices are stagnant even as the company tries to expand its footprint as well as its sales (Google; Gamestop) Its key strengths include its large store network and online network, its significant gaming properties and its continued drive to expand, which all translate to significant scale economies and

Chinese philosophy Essay Example for Free

Chinese philosophy Essay Taiji (literally great pole) is a Chinese cosmological term for the Supreme Ultimate state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potentiality, contrasted with the Wuji ( , Without Ultimate). The term Taiji and its other spelling Tai chi (using Wade-Giles as opposed to Pinyin) are most commonly used in the West to refer to Taijiquan (or Tai chi chuan, ), an internal martial art, Chinese meditation system and health practice. This article, however, refers only to the use of the term in Chinese philosophy and Daoist spirituality. Contents [hide] 1 The word 2 Taiji in Chinese texts 2. 1 Zhuangzi 2. 2 Huainanzi 2. 3 Yijing 2. 4 Taijitu shuo 3 Core concept 4 See also 5 References [edit]The word Chinese taiji is a compound of tai ? great; grand; supreme; extreme; very; too (a superlative variant of da ? big; large; great; very) and ji ? pole; roof ridge; highest/utmost point; extreme; earths pole; reach the end; attain; exhaust. In analogy with the figurative meanings of English pole, Chinese ji ? ridgepole can mean geographical pole; direction (e. g. , siji four corners of the earth; worlds end), magnetic pole (Beiji North Pole or yinji negative pole; anode), or celestial pole (baji farthest points of the universe; remotest place). Common English translations of the cosmological Taiji are the Supreme Ultimate (Le Blanc 1985, Zhang and Ryden 2002) or Great Ultimate (Chen 1989, Robinet 2008); but other versions are the Supreme Pole (Needham and Ronan 1978), Great Absolute, or Supreme Polarity (Adler 1999). [edit] Taiji in Chinese texts Taiji references are found in Chinese classic texts associated with many  schools of Chinese philosophy. Zhang and Ryden explain the ontological necessity of Taiji. Any philosophy that asserts two elements such as the yin-yang of Chinese philosophy will also look for a term to reconcile the two, to ensure that both belong to the same sphere of discourse. The term supreme ultimate performs this role in the philosophy of the Book of Changes. In the Song dynasty it became a metaphysical term on a par with the Way. (2002:179) [edit]Zhuangzi The Daoist classic Zhuangzi introduced the Taiji concept. One of the (ca.3rd century BCE) Inner Chapters contrasts Taiji great ultimate (tr. zenith) and Liuji six ultimates; six cardinal directions (tr. nadir). The Way has attributes and evidence, but it has no action and no form. It may be transmitted but cannot be received. It may be apprehended but cannot be seen. From the root, from the stock, before there was heaven or earth, for all eternity truly has it existed. It inspirits demons and gods, gives birth to heaven and earth. It lies above the zenith but is not high; it lies beneath the nadir but is not deep. It is prior to heaven and earth, but is not ancient; it is senior to high antiquity, but it is not old. (tr. Mair 1994:55) [edit]Huainanzi The (2nd century BCE) Huainanzi mentions Taiji in a context of a Daoist Zhenren true person; perfected person who perceives from a Supreme Ultimate that transcends categories like yin and yang. The fu-sui (burning mirror) gathers fire energy from the sun; the fang-chu (moon mirror) gathers dew from the moon. What are [contained] between Heaven and Earth, even an expert calculator cannot compute their number. Thus, though the hand can handle and examine extremely small things, it cannot lay hold of the brightness [of the sun and moon]. Were it within the grasp of ones hand (within ones power) to gather [things within] one category from the Supreme Ultimate (tai-chi ) above, one could immediately produce both fire and water. This is because Yin and Yang share a common chi and move each other. (tr. Le Blanc 1985:120-1) [edit]Yijing Taiji also appears in the Xici Appended Judgments commentary to the Yijing, a late section traditionally attributed to Confucius but more likely dating to about the 3rd century B.C. E. [1] Therefore there is in the Changes the Great Primal Beginning. This generates the two primary forces. The two primary forces generate the four images. The four images generate the eight trigrams. The eight trigrams determine good fortune and misfortune. Good fortune and misfortune create the great field of action. (tr. Wilhelm and Baynes 1967:318-9) This two-squared generative sequence includes Taiji, Liangyi Two Polarities; Yin and Yang, Sixiang Four Symbols (Chinese constellation), and Bagua Ba gua. Richard Wilhelm and Cary F. Baynes explain. The fundamental postulate is the great primal beginning of all that exists, tai chi – in its original meaning, the ridgepole. Later Indian philosophers devoted much thought to this idea of a primal beginning. A still earlier beginning, wu chi, was represented by the symbol of a circle. Under this conception, tai chi was represented by the circle divided into the light and the dark, yang and yin, . This symbol has also played a significant part in India and Europe. However, speculations of a Gnostic-dualistic character are foreign to the original thought of the I Ching; what it posits is simply the ridgepole, the line. With this line, which in itself represents oneness, duality comes into the world, for the line at the same time posits an above and a below, a right and left, front and back – in a word, the world of the opposites. (1967:lv) [edit]Taijitu shuo Zhous Taijitu diagram The Song Dynasty philosopher Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073 CE) wrote the Taijitu shuo Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate, which became the cornerstone of Neo-Confucianist cosmology. His brief text synthesized aspects of Chinese Buddhism and Daoism with metaphysical discussions in the Yijing. Zhous key terms Wuji and Taiji appear in the opening line , which Adler notes could also be translated The Supreme Polarity that is Non-Polar! . Non-polar (wuji) and yet Supreme Polarity (taiji)! The Supreme Polarity in activity generates yang; yet at the limit of activity it is still. In stillness it generates yin; yet at the limit of stillness it is also active. Activity and stillness alternate; each is the basis of the other. In distinguishing yin and yang, the Two Modes are thereby established. The alternation and combination of yang and yin generate water, fire, wood, metal, and earth. With these five [phases of] qi harmoniously arranged, the Four Seasons proceed through them. The Five Phases are simply yin and yang; yin and yang are simply the Supreme Polarity; the Supreme Polarity is fundamentally Non-polar. [Yet] in the generation of the Five Phases, each one has its nature. (tr. Adler 1999:673-4) Instead of usual Taiji translations Supreme Ultimate or Supreme Pole, Adler uses Supreme Polarity (see Robinet 1990) because Zhu Xi describes it as the alternating principle of yin and yang, and †¦ insists that taiji is not a thing (hence Supreme Pole will not do). Thus, for both Zhou and Zhu, taiji is the yin-yang principle of bipolarity, which is the most fundamental ordering principle, the cosmic first principle. Wuji as non-polar follows from this. [edit]Core concept Taiji is understood to be the highest conceivable principle, that from which existence flows. This is very similar to the Daoist idea reversal is the movement of the Dao. The supreme ultimate creates yang and yin: movement generates yang; when its activity reaches its limit, it becomes tranquil. Through tranquility the supreme ultimate generates yin. When tranquility has reached its limit, there is a return to movement. Movement and tranquility, in alternation, become each the source of the other. The distinction between the yin and yang is determined and the two forms (that is, the yin and yang) stand revealed. By the transformations of the yang and the union of the yin, the 5 elements (Qi) of water, fire, wood, metal and earth are produced. These 5 Qi become diffused, which creates harmony. Once there is harmony the 4 seasons can occur. Yin and yang produced all things, and these in their turn produce and reproduce, this makes these processes never ending. (Wu, 1986) Taiji underlies the practical Taijiquan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan) A Chinese internal martial art based on the principles of Yin and Yang and Taoist philosophy, and devoted to internal energetic and physical training. Taijiquan is represented by five family styles: Chen, Sun, Yang, Wu(Hao), and Wu (NQA {Meeting}).

Significance Of Social Media Of Pepsi Marketing Essay

Significance Of Social Media Of Pepsi Marketing Essay Marketing has always been a challenge for firms since making the company, brand or product appealing to the customer with the intention of increasing sale volume. Companies therefore tend to come up with innovative marketing strategies to gain customers attention. Traditional marketing approaches such as TVCs, printed advertisements, telemarketing etc. have lost their charm due to bombardment of same old marketing techniques. Customers are now fed up of promotional activities and tend to get annoyed due to excessive marketing. Moreover customers are so much aware and knowledgeable now a day thanks to internet that they themselves pick out what marketing activities they need to see and what to block out. Moreover social networking communities on the internet have created the flow of information more dense and fast since positive peer reviews, marketing blogs and number of Likes on a companys page now make up the customer equity of a firm. This is why more companies are moving towards social media marketing as it is a rather inexpensive and easy way to reach a large audience with similar taste. We can say that the proverb Birds of the same feather flock together is the basis of notion for increasing interest in social media marketing. The major reason is that social networking websites have communities in which people loyal to a particular brand or users of a product or any specific taste or activity tend to get involved and interact. This interaction and engagement is what we call as Resonance in the brand resonance model which is the top most stage of brand development (Kevin Lane Keller, 2001). More and more companies are now adopting this strategy to directly communicate with the targeted customers while providing them with exactly what they need. Such marketing strategies also enhance the chances of positive word-of-mouth marketing which is the most influencing marketing strategy we know till now. This report will further determine how different companies im plement this marketing strategy along with the positive and negative aspects associated with this strategy. Pepsi Refresh Project Pepsi is one of the worlds largest companies and a leader in the beverage market with a tough competition from Coca Cola. In fact we can even state that both these companies tend to form a kind of Oligopolistic competition in the market and enjoy large market shares by strategically dividing the worlds region among them. Pepsi is well known for innovative TVCs and tend to spend a huge amount of capital in this marketing strategy. In 2010 however marketers at Pepsi got the idea of utilizing the social media marketing technique for enhancing the brand equity. They played a huge gamble by trading their Super bowl opening ad position with a social campaign worth $20 million. This was a huge risk for Pepsi since they initially did not have a large following on social networking websites like Twitter and facebook in contrast with more than 4 million facebook fans of Coke (Digital Buzz Blog , 2010). However Pepsi launched this marketing campaign in which grants were to be made to an innovat ive idea which impacts the community or environment and gets the highest number of votes on social networking websites namely Twitter and facebook. Pepsi very interestingly combined two marketing techniques in their strategy one was using social media and the other one was marketing for social good. Thus Pepsi was actually looking at mutual benefits and gaining free publicity for this strategy. This technique proved a great success for the firm since the mere number of visitors on their website increased by 800% (Moir, 2010) and their following on Twitter and facebook increased significantly too. Other companies say their success and tried to imitate as well since the successful execution of this viral marketing strategy was as living proof that social media is the future of marketing. Significance of Social Media As stated earlier and in several other sections of this report social media is gaining popularity day by day. According to statistics facebook has more than 800 million active users and 100 million active users of Twitter and growing. Thus we can see that these social networking websites are themselves a huge ground to market the company and create awareness with increased recognition and recall strategies. It is not only the mere number of user but there are several other features which allow the companies to interact with the customers in a rather innovative manner. For example companies can post their pictures, activities, information regarding products and about the company. Moreover the more significant aspect of social media is getting live on spot feedback from the customers. Companies can even measure their brand equity and build it through social media since it allows customers to engage with the company and other customers. Before the emergence of social media concept of co mmunities and brand engagement was not so popular so we can say that this marketing channel has a great impact on marketing strategies of today as well as tomorrow. Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Marketing Even though social media marketing has gained popularity and companies claim that it has a significant influence on the profit of a company yet the relevance of number of followers on a social networking website with the actual sales is debatable as stated earlier. There are a number of advantages and disadvantages associated with this strategy. We will first look as the advantages Inexpensive marketing strategy as compared to traditional techniques Direct communication channel with the customers Innovative marketing techniques allows sharing the experiences and associations of consumers Ability to reach a large audience without any geographical boundary with no additional cost Encourages customers to engage with the brand community and other customers such creating brand resonance Even with all these advantages on hand there are some disadvantages associated with this marketing technique such as lack of expertise required to handle social media marketing (Sandilands, n.d.). If not executed properly which means updating statuses and posts on at least daily basis then this strategy can only become an additional cost for the company without any positive impact on the revenue. Moreover since social media is based on freedom of speech almost anyone can say anything therefore any negative comments might also trigger negative emotions over a large scale just like positive comments do. In the same way as positive viral marketing is healthy negative viral marketing by a competitors or any regular person may prove to be detrimental for the company. Impact of Social Media Marketing on Pepsi Pepsi gained huge advantage from implementation of this viral marketing strategy. However we might say that the correlation between the popularity of a social media marketing strategy with the actual increase in revenue is still a topic to be debated yet companies find a significant increase in their brand equity after successful implementation of social media marketing techniques such as Pepsi did. As a proof we can see that the number of followers of Pepsis facebook page in 2010 was around 25,000 however as of today the number has leaped to more than 9 million followers. This can be regarded as a huge success (even though it is still far behind Coca Cola with 55 million+ followers) since it is also a fact that only those companies enjoy a large following who have higher customer loyalty which is indirectly judged by the will to engage with the brand. The company tends to promote their brand by posting videos, pictures and updates regarding events organized by Pepsi. They encourage customers to upload their own photos regarding experiences with the product and ask random questions like Who hides their Pepsi in the fridge to connect and relate in a rather informal way with the customers. The company also boasts about the number of Tweets it gets per minute regarding a certain project. This strategy has proved to be quite beneficial for the company since more people following the page means more people talking about the product and more people talking about it means higher engagement with the brand which indirectly enhances the revenues of the company. The Chief Consumer Engagement Officer at Pepsi, Frank Cooper, states that at Pepsi they believe that social relationships are a foundation for the effectiveness of their marketing plan the customers tend to communicate with real life social networks about why they love the product and this word-of-mouth marketing influences revenue and profit (Silverstein, 2010). Social Media Marketing in Other Businesses As states above social media marketing and online presence has become a norm in the business sector. The main reason behind it is the growing number of internet users. People tend to Google products they want and read their specifications and reviews online before making a purchase. Therefore every other firm is adopting social media marketing strategy and integrating it as a formal marketing strategy in their business plans. We will discuss two other business which are implementing this marketing technique and enjoying its benefit. Samsung Samsung has its own page on facebook called Samsung Mobiles USA it is one of the several pages associated with the company. The page currently has more than 21 million users following it which makes this page a huge success. The customers interact with other users of the product, share their experiences, give reviews and even take part in contests arranged by the company. The company also uses this page to advertise the latest releases and informing customers about upcoming products. For example the recent post of Samsung Mobile USAs page is about the innovative features of Galaxy Note II which has around 40,000 Likes. By analyzing the data we can conclude that Samsung also rests on top of the Brand Resonance Model and enjoys great customer engagement thus strengthening its brand equity. Lamborghini Another example is of luxury cars manufacturing company Lamborghini which has official community on facebook and Twitter. The company has around 5 million followers on facebook alone which makes a huge fan following since this company tends to target a niche market. The company uses these social media channels to promote their cars along with additional products such as Lamborghini Original Accessories which lovers of this brand can buy even. The company also uploads videos regarding sneak peeks into the luxury cars and other specifications which might interest the customer. We can see that companies dealing in any business sector from beverages to cars to automobiles tend to utilize social media to communicate with the most precious asset of a company Customers. Impact of Social Media Over the Next Decade A major impact of Social Media over the next decade as stated by Asur, S., Huberman, B. A. (2010) will be that companies may be able to predict the success or failure of an offering without actually launching it. This will be done through social networking websites just like companies are doing right now however statistical models can be applied to check the success rate of a product/service. Moreover marketing gurus state the e-marketing will be the future of marketing since customers are no longer attracted to the traditional marketing techniques. What the customers now need is a rather customized and direct approach through which they are listened as much as companies communicate about themselves. To achieve this target companies will be using social media channels such as facebook and Twitter to form long-term relationships with the customers. We can even say that social media might become the next big thing for advertisement leaving TVCs and print media behind. The main reason is obviously the changing preferences of targeted customers which are mostly Generation X and Y who tend to be more tech savvy and internet users. Even the current statistics of facebook and Twitter show the road ahead as researches state that 55% users of facebook state that they are likely to recommend a brand after becoming its fan and 34% of the marketers have stated to generate their leads through Twitter (Digital Buzz Blog, 2012). With such statistics we can conclude that social media has a bright future ahead and over the next decade who knows we might be teaching the business students 4 Ps of Social Media Marketing Mix. Moreover this marketing channel will cause a paradigm shift a will change the face of marketing as we know it. Old marketing practices will be abolished and considered obsolete. The companies which will not move forwards and adapt this new strategy will be losing on a major competitive edge which companies highly active on social networking websites will gain . Conclusion Since social media marketing has itself become a viral marketing technique it has become a business norm for companies to mark their presence online or else they might be considered lacking in their marketing aspects. However such innovative marketing techniques since totally different from the traditional marketing techniques need to be implemented tactfully. Just like marketers were needed for developing a traditional marketing plan in the same way experts are needed for socializing on the social media with the public and making their pages meaningful, relevant and distinctive for the customer. The marketing campaigns should also include something customers can relate with since it is more like an informal interaction channel with the customer through which companies can communicate about them along with listening to what the customers have to say. This is why companies tend to encourage customers on social networking websites to share their feelings, associations and experiences w ith the product. Such sharing of information creates a healthy and long-term relationship between customer and the company. This marketing strategy allows the companies to disseminate information regarding any upcoming event, product or launch directly to the end user thus eliminating any intermediary cost which was incurred in traditional marketing approach. However as stated earlier that this strategy along with several advantage has some drawbacks to it as well but which strategy doesnt? Even if the pros are contrasted with the cons of social media strategy we will see that its benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore companies who need to build brand equity must get themselves socially involved with the public and build relationships with their customers just like Pepsi did. The proof of success of viral marketing through social media can be seen in numerous examples one of which is the new song Gangnam Style by PSY which gained millions of views in a matter of days thus s ocial media is the next big thing in marketing.

Data Analysis Chapter Analysis

Data Analysis Chapter Analysis Part One: Based on my NTU username (N0687816), my data set is: (0,6,8,7,8,1,6) Section A) Forming a 99% confidence interval for my data set:       Our confidence interval is: We can therefore say with 99% confidence that the mean number of tattoos per student for the population of all students at NTU is between 0.54 and 9.74 Using Minitab for a 99% confidence interval for data set (0,0,0,1,3,3,7): Section B) Looking for evidence at the 97% confidence level of a difference between the samples: Sample 1 (0,6,8,7,8,1,6) Sample 2 (0,0,0,1,3,3,7) Sample sizes Sample means Sample variances I am going to use a two-sample T test to analyse this data as there are two small samples formed from data that is not paired. We can say with 97% confidence that there is no difference between the two samples. Using Minitab: Section C) Testing data from trialing a new inhaler Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Before 0 6 8 7 8 1 6 After 0 0 0 1 3 3 7 To analyse this data, I will use a paired T-test as there are two sets of data for the same group of people (before and after using an inhaler). It is also unknown if the data is normally distributed and the sample is small which are both other factors which suggest the use of a T test. This test could be one or two tailed depending on whether you were looking for an improvement/reduction or a general change. In this case, however, we want the inhalers to have improved the peoples lung function so we will do a one tailed test. Null hypothesis Alternative hypothesis. (The data is for recovery time in seconds so a reduction in the mean recovery time shows an improvement in lung function). Decision Rule: Performing the test: Let So There is not a specified confidence interval so I will use a 95% confidence interval so: Therefore:       We can therefore say with 95% confidence that the inhaler did improve the lung function of the people who used it. Testing the Manufacturers Claim I am going to use a one tailed hypothesis test. This is because it does not matter if the inhaler improves lung function in over 80% of cases, only if it does not reach this claim. I will take to be that and to be that . The lung function recovery time reduced in four of the seven trials so 4 events out of 7 trials, leading to and   Part Two: Section A) The Lady Tasting Tea Experiment The lady tasting tea experiment was a statistical experiment conducted by Ronald Fisher. As explained in The lady tasting tea experiment (Winkler, 2015), a lady claimed she could tell whether milk or tea was poured first in a cup of tea she tasted. Ronald Fishers book The Design of Experiments (see Winkler, 2015) outlined the ideas behind this test: [It] consists in mixing eight cups of tea, four in one way and four in the other, and presenting them to the subject for judgement in a random order. The subject has been told in advance [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] that she will be asked to taste eight cups, that these shall be four of each kind Fisher, 1935. According to Imai (2016), Fisher introduces the idea of a null hypothesis, which in this case, is the idea that the woman is guessing and cannot actually distinguish between the cups. Fisher then used the ladys answers to work out the likelihood of her getting this result whilst guessing. From this, he found that there were 70 ways to choose 4 cups out of 8 and that from these, there was 1 way of getting none and four correct, 16 ways of getting one and three correct and 36 ways of getting two correct, as shown by Inglis-Arkell (2015). Although pioneering, however, the test itself was not powerful. As explained by Stark (2010), the small sample size caused the probability of her guessing randomly only coming out less than 0.05 (the condition required to reject the null hypothesis) if she got a perfect score. This is because guessing all four correctly carried a probability of whereas guessing three out of four correctly carried a probability of . This issue would have been reduced with a much bigger sample size. For another mathematical example, we will look at the following question: Suppose the lady samples 10 cups of tea, among which 5 had the teapoured first and 5 had the milk poured first.a. What is the probability she correctly identifies all five cups which had the tea poured first? Sloughter, 2006. Following the logic displayed by Stark (2010) for the lady tasting tea problem, there would be only 1 way of choosing all five correctly. Using the formula (Simmons, 2016), we get ways of choosing five cups of tea out of the ten. This means that the probability of getting all five correct is . As stated by Inglis-Arkell (2015), the number of cups that the lady guessed correctly is unknown. Despite this, the lady tasting tea experiment is still extremely influential and led to Ronald Fisher being praised for his book The Design of Experiments due to how clearly he explained why randomisation is important and how he decided what would be acceptable evidence to accept or reject a statement. Reference List Imai, K., 2013. Statistical Hypothesis Tests [online]. Princeton University. Available at: http://imai.princeton.edu/teaching/files/tests.pdf [Accessed 9th January 2017]. Inglis-Arkell, E., 2015. How A Tea Party Turned Into A Scientific Legend [online]. Io9. Available at: http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-a-tea-party-turned-into-a-scientific-legend-1706697488 [Accessed 9th December 2016]. Simmons, B., 2016. Combination Formula [online]. Mathwords. Available at: http://www.mathwords.com/c/combination_formula.htm [Accessed 9th January 2017]. Sloughter, D., 2006. Mathematics of a Lady Tasting Tea [online]. Furman University. Available at: http://math.furman.edu/~dcs/courses/math15/lectures/lecture-19.pdf   [Accessed 9th December 2016]. Stark, P., 2010. StichiGui [online]. Available at: https://www.stat.berkeley.edu/~stark/Teach/S240/Notes/ch3.htm [Accessed 9th January 2017]. Winkler, A. 2015. The lady tasting tea experiment [online]. Brainder. Available at: https://brainder.org/2015/08/23/the-lady-tasting-tea-and-fishers-exact-test/ [Accessed 5th December 2016]. Declaration: 1. I am aware of the Universitys rules on plagiarism and collusion and I understand that, if I am found to have broken these rules, it will be treated as Academic Misconduct and dealt with accordingly. I understand that if I lend this piece of work to another student and they copy all or part of it, either with or without my knowledge or permission, I shall be guilty of collusion. 2. In submitting this work I confirm that I am aware of, and am abiding by, the Universitys expectations for proof-reading. 3. I understand that I must submit this coursework by the time and date published. I also understand that if this coursework is submitted late it will, if submitted within 5 working days of the deadline date and time, be given a pass mark as a maximum mark. If received more than 5 working days after the deadline date and time, it will receive a mark of 0%. For referred or repeat coursework, I understand that if the coursework is not submitted by the published date and time, a mark of 0% will be automatically awarded. 4. I understand that it is entirely my responsibility to ensure that I hand in my full and complete coursework and that any missing pages handed in after the deadline will be disregarded. 5. I understand that the above rules apply even in the eventuality of computer or other information technology failures. Sign  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Date Georgia Mold09/01/2017 _______________________________  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   ________________________

Essay on Okonkwo and Nwoye in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart

Understanding Okonkwo and Nwoye in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart  Ã‚   Two passages from the story Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, provide the reader with a more profound understanding of Okonkwo, and his son Nwoye.   The two do not have a good relationship and it becomes worse as the story progresses.  Ã‚   Throughout the book the two become increasingly distant and it is apparent that Okonkwo is very disappointed in his son.   After the death of Ikemefuna, Nwoye begins to question many aspects of his life, especially religion.   As the Christian missionaries spend more time with the members of the village, Nwoye becomes interested in this new religion.   The first passage I have chosen discusses Nwoye’s feelings about Christianity.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"But there was a young lad who had been captivated.   His name was Nwoye,   Okonkwo’s first son.   It was not the mad logic of the Trinity that captivated him.  Ã‚   He did not understand it.   It was the poetry of the new religion, something felt in   the marrow.   The hymn about brothers who sat in the darkness and in fear seemed   to answer a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul - the   question of the twins crying in the bush and the questions of Ikemefuna who was   killed.   He felt a relief within as the hymn poured into his parched soul.   The words   panting earth.   Nwoye’s callow mind was greatly puzzled (147).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This passage shows the reader that Nwoye is extremely different from many members of his family and the other members of the village.   After Okonkwo learns that his son is interested in the new religion he is furious.   Okonkwo has always been disappointed in his son.   He believes that Nwoye is not as strong as a man of their clan should be.   When Okonkwo was Nwoye’s ... ... clansmen, his ancestors, and worst of all himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the beginning of the story, Okonkwo’s relationship with his son was strained.   Toward the end of the story, Nwoye has left is his family and will never see his father again.   The elders of the village put much emphasis on family life and helping fellow clansmen.   Okonkwo’s family life had increasingly gone downhill as the story progressed.   This book can be related to any family, even though it was written in a different time and place.   Family problems affect everyone and this story shows the reader how certain problems are dealt with.   I don’t believe, however, that Okonkwo’s family took care of their problems in a productive manner.   With better communication, Nwoye’s leaving and Okonkwo’s death may have been prevented.    Works Cited: Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Oxford: Heinemann, 1986.

W.E.B. Dubois: His Vision For Freedom Essay -- Racial Relations, Afric

African Americans during the 1900s lived lives full of uncertainty. They were no longer slaves, but still looked upon by many as inferior to the white race. However in this period of tension, there were men who sought to bring their race to new heights. One of these men was W.E.B Du Bois. Few have influenced the lives of African Americans in such a way as W.E.B Du Bois. The vision he had for African Americans was one that many found great hope in. He sought for the day that his race for finally have civil equality in every aspect of life. In the time of Du Bois, African Americans may have been considered free but still lacked many civil liberties, that the whites were easily granted. One of the biggest civil liberties they lacked was voting rights. To Du Bois voting for African Americans was one of his greatest hopes, he believed that â€Å"with the right to vote goes everything† (NMS 1). If African Americans could gain this right, the doors to other civil equalities would then open. However this was not such an easy tasks, there were so many â€Å"flagrant...political scandals that reputable men began to leave politics alone† (Son of Masters 5). The African American men and women had been so put down by the whites, that voting to them became too much of a hassle. Even though views toward voting seemed hopeless and a great hassle, Du Bois spoke out the with the biggest question of them all â€Å"It is possible, and probable, the nine million of men can make effective progress in economic lines if the y are deprived of political rights† (Du Bois 5)? How could African Americans build their lives, if they had no say in any of it? It was clear to Du Bois that voting was essential, without it his people would not be able to live equally among th... ...he separation and how these ugly vision that the races had of each other, made Du Bois realize that if African Americans could again regain the direct contact they once had with whites they may also begin to see the good in each other, and with this would come the general civil right they so desperately needed. They would be able, to choose who â€Å"to walk, to talk and be with (.NMS 2), where they wanted to watch a show, even how they got to that show. The general freedoms of everyday life is what Du Bois wished to see. African Americans in the 1900s may have not reached complete freedom just yet, but thanks to the men like Du Bois who took a stand, all hope was not lost. Du Bois brought a vision that with small victories in voting, education, and overall daily freedoms, the African American people would finally be seen as equal to their white brothers and sisters.

Comparing Anzia Yezierskas Bread Givers and Soap and Water Essay

Anzia Yezierska's Bread Givers and Soap and Water       In Anzia Yezierska's works Bread Givers and "Soap and Water", she uses similar aspects of the characters that portray her own life. Both of the stories resemble similarities of Yezierska's life and appear to be autobiographical to her personal experiences. The author portrays, in both the stories, a belief that the majority culture is "clean" while the minority culture is dirty. Sarah in Bread Givers and the narrator in "Soap and Water" each have a hunger that drive them in different directions: actual hunger for food, progress into society and a hunger for knowledge. The ladies in both of the stories share similar desires: to become a teacher, go to college, and feed a constant hunger. Though the stories are alike they differ in some areas: outcomes of college life, self -portrayal and chances of getting started in the professional world.    Yezierska's work appears to reflect her own lifestyle. In fact, since the use of the first person narration many think that her work his autobiographical. Most of her works portray the Immigrant woman is in pursuit of the American dream (Drucker 1-3).   Like the Characters in Yezierska's stories Bread Givers and "Soap and Water", Yezierska had the same goals and accomplishments and came from a similar background: going to college, becoming a teacher, working in the laundry business and being raised in poverty. Although the stories resemble Yezierska's life, they are not, according to her daughter, completely accountable. According to Henriksen's "A Writers Life", he claims Yezierska's daughter warns against the accuracy of her mother's writing. "Although most of her writing was autobiographical, she was inc... ...ctions: actual hunger for food, progress into society and a hunger for knowledge. The hunger is what leads them to their ultimate goal.    Works Cited Druker, Sally. Homepage. 15 April 2014.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.georgetown.edu/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/yezierska.html Ebest, Ron. "Anzia Yezierska and the Popular Periodical Debate Over the Jews." Melus. Spring 2000 http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m2278/1_25/63323838/p1/article.jhtml?term=Anzia+and%20the+the+popular+periodical+debate Prentice-Hall. Homepage. 14 April 2014. http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/keating/chapter6/custom17/deluxe-content.html Yezierska, Anzia. Bread Givers. New York: Persea Books, 1925. ---. "Soap and Water." Imagining America: Stories from the Promised Land. Ed. Wesley Brown and Amy Ling. New York: Persea Books, 1991. 105-110.

Central Dogma

The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology was founded by Francis Crick in 1958. A central dogma of biology provides an explanation as to how gene expression occurs. The central dogma is the main thesis of molecular inheritance. It states that DNA makes RNA, which makes protein. Genes control the traits by controlling which proteins are made. The process of Central Dogma of Molecular Biology is when DNA transcripts into RNA and then translates into protein. Transcription is the transfer of genetic information from DNA forming into RNA.The differences between DNA and RNA are the sugar that’s in DNA which is called deoxyribose and ribose for RNA which does not have sugar. When DNA replication begins, it begins at a specific point in the DNA molecule called the origin of replication site. The enzyme helicase unwinds and separates a portion of the DNA molecule. After the DNA polymerase separates a portion of the molecule it then initiates the process of replication in which DNA polyme rase can add new nucleotides to a pre-existing chain of nucleotides.Therefore, replication begins as an enzyme called primase and it assembles an RNA primer at the origin of the replication site. The RNA primer consists of a sequence of RNA nucleotides, complementary to a section of the DNA strand that is being prepared for replication. The RNA primer is then removed and replaced with a sequence of DNA nucleotides. Then Okazaki fragments are synthesized and the RNA primers are replaced with DNA nucleotides and the individual Okzaki fragments are bonded together into a continuous complementary strand.During transcription deoxyribose nucleic acid is formed into another nucleic acid which is ribonucleic acid or RNA. Transcription begins when RNA polymerase binds onto the double stranded DNA molecule. RNA polymerase moves along the strand of DNA making a complementary single stranded RNA molecule. Here’s a good thing you could remember, take the root word ‘scribe’ ou t of transcription and think of it was a person who writes copies of important documents because that is what scribe means.Next is translation, it is the process of using the code in RNA to put together the protein and translation is a word that describes the transfer of information from one to another. Translation begins when messenger RNA binds to the ribosome. The RNA passes along the ribosome and brings out 3 nucleotides at a time. While that’s happening the amino acid that is being carried is also being transferred to the amino acid chain. After that is done the ribosomal complex falls apart and the protein is released into a cell.During protein synthesis, amino acids build a protein molecule that’s, of course, called protein synthesis. Synthesis means ‘putting together’, so that is a good way to remember protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is the cellular process of building proteins. Translation has a part of the central dogma that is also included in protein synthesis and transcription is not. Translation is just the decoding of RNA to make a chain of amino acids that will then, later, turn into protein. Overall in central dogma, DNA is simply the instructions to making proteins.

Islam and Arabic Language Essay

In 571, Mohammad the Prophet took his first order from the God, which is â€Å"read†. Then after many orders, Kor’an the holy book was completed. After the completion of Kor’an, it has been single and certain guide for all the muslims. Yet, if a person want to read and understand that book, that person has to know Arabic Language. The problem is why is Arabic main language of Islam and Koran even though the islam is universal? Before the Islam, arabic was just one of the Language that was spoken in only certain regions in Arabia. But after the Islam whole Arabia had started to talk in arabic because arabia is the region which is starting point of Islam. It was natural but after spreading other parts of the World, The arabic had became main language of some regions which was unnatural. In christianity, for example, for many centuries, Latin was the language of Bible but it could not influence people that made people’s who live in Europe lanugage change. Because unlikely to Islam, people can prey and worship in other language. These restrictions in Islam influence people’s language because worshipping and preying take a lot time and they have to be done everyday. In addition to that Kor’an has to be read in Arabic. Due to these reasons from tunus to Iraq arabic is the main language even though it is not their ancient language. Due to many reason arabic language has spread but some countries such as Iran and India has preserved their language altough they are muslims. The answer lies under their culture. Changing religion just not change belief of community, it also changes culture of community. Thus Iran and India which posses strong culture and language whose roots are older than 3000 years old. It is impossible to change cultures that old. After the Islam, India has become a Great Britain Empires Colony and Iran was ruled by Seljuks yet the results were same these cultures could preserve itself. In a nutshell, spread of arabic language inevitable because of spread of Islam whose main language is arabic but also this influence cannot approach to certain nations due to their strong cultures. Yet it is still unclear that why is the universal religion islam’s main language is arabic? It is still being claimed that Kor’an has not been changed but this reason makes people think that maybe it has been changed because of this reasons.

Philippine Republic Act No. 8436

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8436 AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS TO USE AN AUTOMATED ELECTION SYSTEM IN THE MAY 11, 1998 NATIONAL OR LOCAL ELECTIONS AND IN SUBSEQUENT NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTORAL EXERCISES, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Section 1. Declaration of policy. — It is the policy of the State to ensure free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections, and assure the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot in order that the results of elections, plebiscites, referenda, and other electoral exercises shall be fast, accurate and reflective of the genuine will of the people.Sec. 2. Definition of terms. — As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean: 1. Automated election system — a system using appropriate technology for voting and electronic devices to count votes and canvass/consolidate results; 2. Counting machine — a machine that uses an optical scanning/mark—sense reading device or any similar advanced technol ogy to count ballots; 3. Data storage device — a device used to electronically store counting and canvassing results, such as a memory pack or diskette; 4.Computer set — a set of equipment containing regular components, i. e. , monitor, central processing unit or CPU, keyboard and printer; 5. National ballot — refers to the ballot to be used in the automated election system for the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections. This shall contain the names of the candidates for president, vice-president, senators and parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system. This ballot shall be counted by the counting machine; 6.Local Ballot — refers to the ballot on which the voter will manually write the names of the candidates of his/her choice for member of the House of Representatives, governor, vice-governor, members of the provincial board, mayor, vice-mayor, and members of the city/municipal council. For the purpose of the May 11, 19 98 elections, this ballot will be counted manually; 7. Board of Election Inspectors — there shall be a Board of Election Inspectors in every precinct composed of three (3) regular members who shall conduct the voting, counting and recording of votes in the polling place.For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, there shall be special members composed of a fourth member in each precinct and a COMELEC representative who is authorized to operate the counting machine. Both shall conduct the counting and recording of votes of the national ballots in the designated counting centers; 8. Election returns — a machine-generated document showing the date of the election, the province, municipality and the precinct in which it is held and the votes in figures for each candidate in a precinct directly produced by the counting machine; 9.Statement of votes — a machine-generated document containing the votes obtained by candidates in each precinct in a city/municipality; 10. City/municipal/district/provincial certificate of canvass of votes — a machine-generated document containing the total votes in figures obtained by each candidate in a city/municipality/district/ province as the case may be; and 11. Counting center — a public place designated by the Commission where counting of votes and canvassing/consolidation of results shall be conducted. Sec. 3. Qualifications, rights and limitations of the special members of the Board of Election Inspectors. No person shall be appointed as a special member of the board of election inspectors unless he/she is of good moral character and irreproachable reputation, a registered voter, has never been convicted of any election offense or of any crime punishable by more than six (6) months imprisonment or if he/she has pending against him/her an information for any election offense or if he/she is related within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any member of the board of elec tion inspectors or any special member of the same board of Election Inspector or to any candidate for a national position or to a nominee as a party list representative or his/her spouse. The special members of the board shall enjoy the same rights and be bound by the same limitations and liabilities of a regular member of the board of election inspectors but shall not vote during the proceedings of the board of election inspectors except on matters pertaining to the national ballot. Sec. 4. Duties and functions of the special members of the Board of Election Inspectors. — 1. During the conduct of the voting in the polling place, the fourth member shall: a) accomplish the minutes of voting for the automated election system in the precinct; and (b) ensure that the national ballots are placed inside the appropriate ballot box; 2. On the close of the polls, the fourth member shall bring the ballot box containing the national ballots to the designated counting center; 3. Before t he counting of votes, the fourth member shall verify if the number of national ballots tallies with the data in the minutes of the voting; 4. During the counting of votes, the fourth member and the COMELEC authorized representative shall jointly accomplish the minutes of counting for the automated election system in the precinct; 5.After the counting of votes, the fourth member and the COMELEC authorized representative shall jointly: (a) certify the results of the counting of national ballots from the precinct; and (b) bring the ballot box containing the counted national ballots together with the minutes of voting and counting, and other election documents and paraphernalia to the city or municipal treasurer for safekeeping. Sec. 5. Board of Canvassers. — For purposes of the May 11, 1998 elections, each province, city or municipality shall have two (2) board of canvassers, one for the manual election system under the existing law, and the other, for the automated system. For the automated election system, the chairman of the board shall be appointed by the Commission from among its personnel/deputies and the members from the officials enumerated in Sec. 21 of Republic Act No. 6646. Sec. 6. Authority to use an automated election system. To carry out the above-stated policy, the Commission on Elections, herein referred to as the Commission, is hereby authorized to use an automated election system, herein referred to as the System, for the process of voting, counting of votes and canvassing/consolidation of results of the national and local elections: Provided, however, That for the May 11, 1998 elections, the System shall be applicable in all areas within the country only for the positions of president, vice-president, senators and parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system. To achieve the purpose of this Act, the Commission is authorized to procure by purchase, lease or otherwise any supplies, equipment, materials and services needed for the holding of the elections by an expedited process of public bidding of vendors, suppliers or lessors: Provided, That the accredited political parties are duly notified of and allowed to observe but not to participate in the bidding.If, inspite of its diligent efforts to implement this mandate in the exercise of this authority, it becomes evident by February 9, 1998 that the Commission cannot fully implement the automated election system for national positions in the May 11, 1998 elections, the elections for both national and local positions shall be done manually except in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) where the automated election system shall be used for all positions. Sec. 7. Features of the system. — The System shall utilize appropriate technology for voting, and electronic devices for counting of votes and canvassing of results. For this purpose, the Commission shall acquire automated counting machines, computer equipment, devices and materials and adopt new forms and printing materials.The System shall contain the following features: (a) use of appropriate ballots, (b) stand-alone machine which can count votes and an automated system which can consolidate the results immediately, (c) with provisions for audit trails, (d) minimum human intervention, and (e) adequate safeguard/security measures. In addition, the System shall as far as practicable have the following features: 1. It must be user-friendly and need not require computer-literate operators; 2. The machine security must be built-in and multi-layer existent on hardware and software with minimum human intervention using latest technology like encrypted coding system; 3.The security key control must be embedded inside the machine sealed against human intervention; 4. The Optical Mark Reader (OMR) must have a built-in printer for numbering the counted ballots and also for printing the individual precinct number on the counted ballots; 5. The ballot paper for the OMR counting machine must be of the quality that passed the international standard like ISO-1831, JIS-X- 9004 or its equivalent for optical character recognition; 6. The ballot feeder must be automatic; 7. The machine must be able to count from 100 to 150 ballots per minute; 8. The counting machine must be able to detect fake or counterfeit ballots and must have a fake ballot rejector; 9.The counting machine must be able to detect and reject previously counted ballots to prevent duplication; 10. The counting machine must have the capability to recognize the ballot's individual precinct and city or municipality before counting or consolidating the votes; 11. The System must have a printer that has the capacity to print in one stroke or operation seven (7) copies (original plus six (6) copies) of the consolidated reports on carbonless paper; 12. The printer must have at least 128 kilobytes of Random Access Memory (RAM) to facilitate the expeditious processing of the printing of the consolidated reports; 13. The machine must have a built-in floppy disk drive in order to save the processed data on a diskette; 14.The machine must also have a built-in hard disk to store the counted and consolidated data for future printout and verification; 15. The machine must be temperature-resistant and rust-proof; 16. The optical lens of the OMR must have a self-cleaning device; 17. The machine must not be capable of being connected to external computer peripherals for the process of vote consolidation; 18. The machine must have an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS); 19. The machine must be accompanied with operating manuals that will guide the personnel of the Commission the proper use and maintenance of the machine; 20. It must be so designed and built that add-ons may immediately be incorporated into the System at minimum expense; 21.It must provide the shortest time needed to complete the counting of votes and canvassing of the results of the election; 22. The machine must be able to generate consolidated reports like the election return, statement of votes and certificate of canvass at different levels; and 23. The accuracy of the count must be guaranteed, the margin of error must be disclosed and backed by warranty under such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Commission. In the procurement of this system, the Commission shall adopt an equitable system of deductions or demerits for deviations or deficiencies in meeting all the above stated features and standards.For this purpose, the Commission shall create an Advisory Council to be composed of technical experts from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Information Technology Foundation of the Philippines (ITFP), the University of the Philippines (UP), and two (2) representatives from the private sector recommended by the Philippine Computer Society (PCS). The Council may avail itself of the expertise and services of resource persons of known competence and probit y. The Commission in collaboration with the DOST shall establish an independent Technical Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee, herein known as the Committee, composed of a representative each from the Senate, House of Representatives, DOST and COMELEC.The Committee shall certify that the System is operating properly and accurately and that the machines have a demonstrable capacity to distinguish between genuine and spurious ballots. The Committee shall ensure that the testing procedure shall be unbiased and effective in checking the worthiness of the System. Toward this end, the Committee shall design and implement a reliability test procedure or a system stress test. Sec. 8. Procurement of equipment and materials. — The Commission shall procure the automated counting machines, computer equipment, devices and materials needed for ballot printing and devices for voting, counting and canvassing from local or foreign sources free from taxes and import duties, subject to accounting and a uditing rules and regulations. Sec. 9. Systems breakdown in the counting center. In the event of a systems breakdown of all assigned machines in the counting center, the Commission shall use any available machine or any component thereof from another city/municipality upon the approval of the Commission En Banc or any of its divisions. The transfer of such machines or any component thereof shall be undertaken in the presence of representatives of political parties and citizens' arm of the Commission who shall be notified by the election officer of such transfer. There is a systems breakdown in the counting center when the machine fails to read the ballots or fails to store/save results or fails to print the results after it has read the ballots; or when the computer fails to consolidate election results/reports or fails to print election results/reports after consolidation. Sec. 10. Examination and testing of counting machines. The Commission shall, on the date and time it shall set and with proper notices, allow the political parties and candidates or their representatives, citizens' arm or their representatives to examine and test the machines to ascertain that the system is operating properly and accurately. Test ballots and test forms shall be provided by the Commission. After the examination and testing, the machines shall be locked and sealed by the election officer or any authorized representative of the Commission in the presence of the political parties and candidates or their representatives, and accredited citizens' arms. The machines shall be kept locked and sealed and shall be opened again on election day before the counting of votes begins.Immediately after the examination and testing of the machines, the parties and candidates or their representatives, citizens' arms or their representatives, may submit a written report to the election officer who shall immediately transmit it to the Commission for appropriate action. Sec. 11. Official ballot. à ¢â‚¬â€ The Commission shall prescribe the size and form of the official ballot which shall contain the titles of the positions to be filled and/or the propositions to be voted upon in an initiative, referendum or plebiscite. Under each position, the names of candidates shall be arranged alphabetically by surname and uniformly printed using the same type size. A fixed space where the chairman of the Board of Election inspectors shall affix his/her signature to authenticate the official ballot shall be provided. Both sides of the ballots may be used when necessary.For this purpose, the deadline for the filing of certificate of candidacy/petition for registration/manifestation to participate in the election shall not be later than one hundred twenty (120) days before the elections: Provided, That, any elective official, whether national or local, running for any office other than the one which he/she is holding in a permanent capacity, except for president and vice-president, shall be deemed resigned only upon the start of the campaign period corresponding to the position for which he/she is running: Provided, further, That, unlawful acts or omissions applicable to a candidate shall take effect upon the start of the aforesaid campaign period: Provided, finally, That, for purposes of the May 11, 1998 elections, the deadline for filing of the certificate of candidacy for the positions of President, Vice President, Senators and candidates under the Party-List System as well as petitions for registration and/or manifestation to participate in the Party-List System shall be on February 9, 1998 while the deadline for the filing of certificate of candidacy for other positions shall be on March 27, 1998. The official ballots shall be printed by the National Printing Office and/or the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas at the price comparable with that of private printers under proper security measures which the Commission shall adopt. The Commission may contract the services o f private printers upon certification by the National Printing Office/ Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas that it cannot meet the printing requirements. Accredited political parties and deputized citizens' arms of the Commission may assign watchers in the printing, storage and distribution of official ballots.To prevent the use of fake ballots, the Commission through the Committee shall ensure that the serial number on the ballot stub shall be printed in magnetic ink that shall be easily detectable by inexpensive hardware and shall be impossible to reproduce on a photocopying machine, and that identification marks, magnetic strips, bar codes and other technical and security markings, are provided on the ballot. The official ballots shall be printed and distributed to each city/municipality at the rate of one (1) ballot for every registered voter with a provision of additional four (4) ballots per precinct. Sec. 12. Substitution of candidates. — In case of valid substitutions after t he official ballots have been printed, the votes cast for the substituted candidates shall be considered votes for the substitutes. Sec. 13. Ballot box. There shall be in each precinct on election day a ballot box with such safety features that the Commission may prescribe and of such size as to accommodate the official ballots without folding them. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, there shall be two (2) ballot boxes for each precinct, one (1) for the national ballots and one (I) for the local ballots. Sec. 14. Procedure in voting. — The voter shall be given a ballot by the chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors. The voter shall then proceed to a voting booth to accomplish his/her ballot. If a voter spoils his/her ballot, he/she may be issued another ballot subject to Sec. 11 of this Act.No voter may be allowed to change his/her ballot more than once. After the voter has voted, he/she shall affix his/her thumbmark on the corresponding space in the voting r ecord. The chairman shall apply indelible ink on the voter's right forefinger and affix his/her signature in the space provided for such purpose in the ballot. The voter shall then personally drop his/her ballot on the ballot box. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, each voter shall be given one (1) national and one (1) local ballot by the Chairperson. The voter shall, after casting his/her vote, personally drop the ballots in their respective ballot boxes. Sec. 15. Closing of polls. After the close of voting, the board shall enter in the minutes the number of registered voters who actually voted, the number and serial number of unused and spoiled ballots, the serial number of the self-locking metal seal to be used in sealing the ballot box. The board shall then place the minutes inside the ballot box and thereafter close, lock and seal the same with padlocks, self-locking metal seals or any other safety devices that the Commission may authorize. The chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors shall publicly announce that the votes shall be counted at a designated counting center where the board shall transport the ballot box containing the ballots and other election documents and paraphernalia.For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, the chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors shall publicly announce that the votes for president, vice-president, senators and parties, organizations or coalitions participating in the party-list system shall be counted at a designated counting center. During the transport of the ballot box containing the national ballots and other documents, the fourth member of the board shall be escorted by representatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines or from the Philippine National Police, citizens' arm, and if available, representatives of political parties and candidates. Sec. 16. Designation of Counting Centers. The Commission shall designate counting center(s) which shall be a public place within the cit y/municipality or in such other places as may be designated by the Commission when peace and order conditions so require, where the official ballots cast in various precincts of the city/municipality shall be counted. The election officer shall post prominently in his/her office, in the bulletin boards at the city/municipal hall and in three (3) other conspicuous places in the city/municipality, the notice on the designated counting center(s) for at least fifteen (15) days prior to election day. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, the Commission shall designate a central counting center(s) which shall be a public place within the city or municipality, as in the case of the National Capital Region and in highly urbanized areas.The Commission may designate other counting center(s) where the national ballots cast from various precincts of different municipalities shall be counted using the automated system. The Commission shall post prominently a notice thereof, for at least fifteen (15) days prior to election day, in the office of the election officer, on the bulletin boards at the municipal hall and in three (3) other conspicuous places in the municipality. Sec. 17. Counting procedure. — (a) The counting of votes shall be public and conducted in the designated counting center(s). (b) The ballots shall be counted by the machine by precinct in the order of their arrival at the counting center.The election officer or his/her representative shall log the sequence of arrival of the ballot boxes and indicate their condition. Thereafter, the board shall, in the presence of the watchers and representatives of accredited citizens' arm, political parties/candidates, open the ballot box, retrieve the ballots and minutes of voting. It shall verify whether the number of ballots tallies with the data in the minutes. If there are excess ballots, the poll clerk, without looking at the ballots, shall publicly draw out at random ballots equal to the excess and without looking at the contents thereof, place them in an envelope which shall be marked â€Å"excess ballots†.The envelope shall be sealed and signed by the members of the board and placed in the compartment for spoiled ballots. (c) The election officer or any authorized official or any member of the board shall feed the valid ballots into the machine without interruption until all the ballots for the precincts are counted. (d) The board shall remain at the counting center until all the official ballots for the precinct are counted and all reports are properly accomplished. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, the ballots shall be counted by precinct by the special members of the board in the manner provided in paragraph (b) hereof. Sec. 18. Election returns. After the ballots of the precincts have been counted, the election officer or any official authorized by the Commission shall, in the presence of watchers and representatives of the accredited citizens' arm, p olitical parties/ candidates, if any, store the results in a data storage device and print copies of the election returns of each precinct. The printed election returns shall be signed and thumbmarked by the fourth member and COMELEC authorized representative and attested to by the election officer or authorized representative. The Chairman of the Board shall then publicly read and announce the total number of votes obtained by each candidate based on the election returns.Thereafter, the copies of the election returns shall be sealed and placed in the proper envelopes for distribution as follows: A. In the election of president, vice-president, senators and party-list system: (1) The first copy shall be delivered to the city or municipal board of canvassers; (2) The second copy, to the Congress, directed to the President of the Senate; (3) The third copy, to the Commission; (4) The fourth copy, to the citizens' arm authorized by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. In the conduct of the unofficial quick count by any accredited citizens' arm, the Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to ensure, among others, that said citizens' arm releases in the rder of their arrival one hundred percent (100%) results of a precinct indicating the precinct, municipality or city, province and region: Provided, however, that, the count shall continue until all precincts shall have been reported. (5) The fifth copy, to the dominant majority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; (6) The sixth copy, to the dominant minority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; and (7) The seventh copy shall be deposited inside the compartment of the ballot box for valid ballots. The citizens' arm shall provide copies of the election returns at the expense of the requesting party. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, after the national ballots have been counted, the COMELEC authorized representative shall implement the provisions of paragraph A hereof. B.In the election of local officials and members of the House of Representatives: (1) The first copy shall be delivered to the city or municipal board of canvassers; (2) The second copy, to the Commission; (3) The third copy, to the provincial board of canvassers; (4) The fourth copy, to the citizens' arm authorized by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. In the conduct of the unofficial quick count by any accredited citizens' arm, the Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to ensure, among others, that said citizens' arm releases in the order of their arrival one hundred percent (100%) results of a precinct indicating the precinct, municipality or city, province and region: Provided, however, That, the count shall continue until all precincts shall have been reported. 5) The fifth copy, to the dominant majority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; (6) The sixth copy, to the dominant minority party as de termined by the Commission in accordance with law; and (7) The seventh copy shall be deposited inside the compartment of the ballot box for valid ballots. The citizens' arm shall provide copies of election returns at the expense of the requesting party. After the votes from all precincts have been counted, a consolidated report of votes for each candidate shall be printed. After the printing of the election returns, the ballots shall be returned to the ballot box, which shall be locked, sealed and delivered to the city/municipal treasurer for safekeeping. The treasurer shall immediately provide the Commission and the election officer with a record of the serial numbers of the ballot boxes and the corresponding metal seals. Sec. 19.Custody and accountability of ballots. — The election officer and the treasurer of the city/municipality as deputy of the Commission shall have joint custody and accountability of the official ballots, accountable forms and other election documents as well as ballot boxes containing the official ballots cast. The ballot boxes shall not be opened for three (3) months unless the Commission orders otherwise. Sec. 20. Substitution of Chairman and Members of the Board of Canvassers. — In case of non-availability, absence, disqualification due to relationship, or incapacity for any cause of the chairman, the Commission shall appoint as substitute, a ranking lawyer of the Commission.With respect to the other members of the board, the Commission shall appoint as substitute the following in the order named: the provincial auditor, the register of deeds, the clerk of court nominated by the executive judge of the regional trial court, or any other available appointive provincial official in the case of the provincial board of canvassers; the officials in the city corresponding to those enumerated in the case of the city board of canvassers; and the municipal administrator, the municipal assessor, the clerk of court nominated by th e judge of the municipal trial court, in the case of the municipal board of canvassers. Sec. 21. Canvassing by Provincial, City, District and Municipal Boards of Canvassers. — The city or municipal board of canvassers shall canvass the votes for the president, vice-president, senators, and parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns.Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, senators and members of the House of Representatives and elective provincial officials and thereafter, proclaim the elected city or municipal officials, as the case may be. The city board of canvassers of cities comprising one (1) or more legislative districts shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective city officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, the board shall print the canvass of votes for president, vice-president, and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives and city officials.In the Metro Manila area, each municipality comprising a legislative district shall have a district board of canvassers which shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective municipal officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives and municipal officials. Each component municipality in a legislative district in the Me tro Manila area shall have a municipal board of canvassers which shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective municipal officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns.Upon completion of the canvass, it shall prepare the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and thereafter, proclaim the elected municipal officials. The district board of canvassers of each legislative district comprising two (2) municipalities in the Metro Manila area shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators and members of the House of Representatives by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the municipal board of canvassers of the component municipalities. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print a certificate of canvass of votes f or president, vice-president and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives in the legislative district.The district/provincial board of canvassers shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective provincial officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the board of canvassers of the municipalities and component cities. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives and the provincial officials. The municipal, city, district and provincial certificates of canvass of votes shall each be supported by a statement of votes. The Commission shall adopt adequate and effective measures to preserve the integrity of the data storage devices at the various levels of the boards of canvass ers. Sec. 22. Number of copies of Certificates of Canvass of Votes and their distribution. (a) The certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives, parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system and elective provincial officials shall be printed by the city or municipal board of canvassers and distributed as follows: (1) The first copy shall be delivered to the provincial board of canvassers for use in the canvass of election results for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives, parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system and elective provincial officials; (2) The second copy shall be sent to the Commission; (3) The third copy shall be kept by the chairman of the board; and (4) The fourth copy shall be given to the citizens' arm designated by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. It shall be the duty of the c itizens' arm to furnish independent candidates copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. The board of canvassers shall furnish all registered parties copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. b) The certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president and senators, parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system shall be printed by the city boards of canvassers of cities comprising one or more legislative districts, by provincial boards of canvassers and by district boards of canvassers in the Metro Manila area, and other highly urbanized areas and distributed as follows: (1) The first copy shall be sent to Congress, directed to the President of the Senate for use in the canvas of election results for president and vice-president; (2) The second copy shall be sent to the Commission for use in the canvass of the election results for senators; (3) The third copy shall be kept by the chairman of the board; and (4) The fourth copy shall be given to the citizens' arm designated by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. It shall be the duty of the citizens' arm to furnish independent candidates copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. The board of canvassers shall furnish all registered parties copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. c) The certificates of canvass printed by the provincial, district, city or municipal boards of canvassers shall be signed and thumbmarked by the chairman and members of the board and the principal watchers, if available. Thereafter, it shall be sealed and placed inside an envelope which shall likewise be properly sealed. In all instances, where the Board of Canvassers has the duty to furnish registered political parties with copies of the certificate of canvass, the pertinent election returns shall be attached thereto, where appropriate. Sec. 23. N ational Board of Canvassers for Senators. — The chairman and members of the Commission on Elections sitting en banc, shall compose the national board of canvassers for senators.It shall canvass the results for senators by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the district, provincial and city boards of canvassers of those cities which comprise one or more legislative districts. Thereafter, the national board shall proclaim the winning candidates for senators. Sec. 24. Congress as the National Board of Canvassers for President and Vice-President. — The Senate and the House of Representatives in joint public session shall compose the national board of canvassers for president and vice-president. The returns of every election for president and vice-president duly certified by the board of canvassers of each province or city, shall be transmitted to the Congress, directed to the president of the Senate.Upon receipt of the certificates of canvass, the president of the Senate shall, not later than thirty (30) days after the day of the election, open all the certificates in the presence of the Senate and the House of Representatives in joint public session and the Congress upon determination of the authenticity and the due execution thereof in the manner provided by law, canvass all the results for president and vice-president by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the district, provincial and city boards of canvassers and thereafter, proclaim the winning candidates for president and vice-president. Sec. 25. Voters' education. — The Commission together with and in support of accredited citizens' arms shall carry out a continuing and systematic campaign through newspapers of general circulation, radio and ther media forms, as well as through seminars, symposia, fora and other non-traditional means to educate the public and fully inform the electorate about the automate d election system and inculcate values on honest, peaceful and orderly elections. Sec. 26. Supervision and control. — The System shall be under the exclusive supervision and control of the Commission. For this purpose, there is hereby created an information technology department in the Commission to carry out the full administration and implementation of the System. The Commission shall take immediate steps as may be necessary for the acquisition, installation, administration, storage, and maintenance of equipment and devices, and to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. Sec. 27. Oversight Committee. An Oversight Committee is hereby created composed of three (3) representatives each from the Senate and the House of Representatives and three (3) from the Commission on Elections to monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act. A report to the Senate and the House of Representatives shall be submitted within ninety (9 0) days from the date of election. The oversight committee may hire competent consultants for project monitoring and information technology concerns related to the implementation and improvement of the modern election system. The oversight committee shall be provided with the necessary funds to carry out its duties. Sec. 28.Designation of other dates for certain pre-election acts. — If it shall no longer be reasonably possible to observe the periods and dates prescribed by law for certain pre-election acts, the Commission shall fix other periods and dates in order to ensure accomplishment of the activities so voters shall not be deprived of their suffrage. Sec. 29. Election offenses. — In addition to those enumerated in Sec. s 261 and 262 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, As Amended, the following acts shall be penalized as election offenses, whether or not said acts affect the electoral process or results: (a) Utilizing without authorization, tampering with, destroying or s tealing: 1) Official ballots, election returns, and certificates of canvass of votes used in the System; and (2) Electronic devices or their components, peripherals or supplies used in the System such as counting machine, memory pack/diskette, memory pack receiver and computer set; (b) Interfering with, impeding, absconding for purpose of gain, preventing the installation or use of computer counting devices and the processing, storage, generation and transmission of election results, data or information; and (c) Gaining or causing access to using, altering, destroying or disclosing any computer data, program, system software, network, or any computer-related devices, facilities, hardware or equipment, whether classified or declassified. Sec. 30. Applicability. — The provisions of Batas Pambansa Blg. 81, As Amended, otherwise known as the â€Å"Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines†, and other election laws not inconsistent with this Act shall apply. Sec. 31. Rules a nd Regulations. — The Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations for the implementation and enforcement of this Act including such measures that will address possible difficulties and confusions brought about by the two-ballot system. The Commission may consult its accredited citizens' arm for this purpose. Sec. 32. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the Commission. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continuous implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.In case of deficiency in the funding requirements herein provided, such amount as may be necessary shall be augmented from the current contingent fund in the General Appropriations Act. Sec. 33. Separability clause. — If, for any reason, any Sec. or provision of this Act or any part thereof, or the application of such Sec. , provision or portion is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder thereof shall not be affected by such declaration. Sec. 34. Repealing clause. — All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. Sec. 35. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved: December 22, 1997