VOIP Technology to Make Voice Calls

VOIP Technology to Make Voice Calls Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science Computer Networks Program Course Number CN8814 Course Title Network Mathematics and Simulations Semester/Year Summer 2015 Instructor Dr. Alagan Anpalagan Lab Assignment No Lab 2 Assignment Title QoS for VOIP Submission Date June 21,2015 Due Date June 21,2015 Student Name(s) Ishtiaq Ahmed Mohammad Shariful Ikram Student ID(s) 500666959 500543793 Signature(s) [emailprotected] [emailprotected] Table of Contents (Jump to) Objective Introduction Lab topology: Question 1: Question 2: Question 3: Question 4: Question 5: Question 6: Question 7: Conclusion   Objective In this lab, we have used VOIP technology to make voice calls. We have analyzed by implementing WFQ,CBWFQ and LLQ queuing techniques for improving the call quality. Introduction Quality of Service or QOS is used to increase the performance of voice application. End user can get voice call performance based on the QOS. It is a very critical implementation for voice over IP or VOIP based calls.QOS deals with reducing the delay and drop of packets compare with low priority traffic. If the delays are long, voice quality will be noisy and conversation will be very bad.QOS make sure the standard voice services by using existing resources. With this lab we have learned fragmentation with frame relay, traffic shaping techniques for improving the voice quality. In the first part of this lab, we will make voice call with FRF12 and analyze the voice quality. Then we will implement WFQ,CBWFQ and LLQ queuing techniques and will recognize suitable techniques for voice. In our network topology, router 7 is working as frame-relay switching. Router 1 and Router2 are connected with two telephones. Lab topology: Figure 1 Lab 2 topology We have configured VOIP peer between router 1 and router 2 with our lab instruction. 1. Configure voice over IP over Frame-Relay (FRF.12) and appropriate dial peers at Router 1 and Router 2 with the following information: Committed burst size (Bc) = 12000 bits Committed bit rate (CIR) = 64 kbps Frame relay fragment = 1500 bytes Voice codec: G.729 In this lab, we have used below information between router 1 and router 2: Following table shows initial configuration between router 1 and router 2: 2. Test your configuration by making a call between the two phones. Note the voice quality. With making a call between these phones, we have found voice quality is good. 3. Generate two ping traffic flows with 3000-byte packet size across PVC1. Make a voice call. Note that the voice quality deteriorates. To increase the traffic flow, we have changed the packets size 3000 byte by using extended ping command. After that we make call between our phones and gets distort voice because of delay and jitter. 4. Configure the frame-relay fragmentation and traffic shaping at the serial interfaces to improve the voice quality (the fragment delay is required to be less than 10 ms). To improve the voice quality, we have configured frame-relay fragmentation and traffic shaping between router 1 and router 2 serial interfaces: Question 1: How do you choose appropriate fragment size and committed burst size (Bc) to implement the frame-relay fragmentation and traffic shaping? Why the voice quality is improved after the configuration? In our lab requirements, fragment delay is less than 10 ms. So we have calculated the fragment size based on the following formula: Fragment size (Maximum): †¢ Fragment_size = (0.01 sec) * CIR = (0.01 sec) * 64 kbps = 80 bytes Parameters of Traffic Shapping: †¢ Burst size (Committed): Bc = 0.01 seconds * CIR = 640 bits After these configuration, we have made voice calls and have get better voice quality. Voice quality have improved because of smaller fragmentation. Question 2: Explain why FIFO queuing should not be used if fragmentation is configured. Fragmentation helps to break large data traffic into smaller data traffic. For this voice traffic gets priority and have served faster. In the FIFO technology, if any large data entered into the queue then in that time if any voice traffic comes, then it needs to be wait until large data traffic finishes. There is no way to prioritize the voice traffic in FIFO techniques. 5. Set IP precedence of the voice traffic to 5. Generate two ping traffic flows with 3000-byte packet size across PVC1. Make a voice call. Note the voice quality. In the type of service or TOS byte of Header, we have set IP precedence. IP precedence can identify class of services. Out of seven bits, left three digits are use in IP precedence. These values can be from zero to seven. Here larger number means higher priority. We have set IP precedence 5 and we make ping traffic with 3000 bytes in the PVC1.We have get voice quality good than the previous quality. Following table shows the configuration between router 1 and router 2: 6. Configure a RTP priority queue for voice traffic. Generate two ping traffic flows with 3000-byte packet size across PVC1. Make a voice call. Note the voice quality Following table shows the configuration between router 1 and router 2: We have generated two ping traffic between router 1 and router 2 with 3000 bytes packet size. After that we have test voice calls between our phones. We have get voice quality is good than previous. It has happened because 27 kbps bandwidth is reserve for voice packets and voice packets has no need to wait in the queue. Question 3: Determine the minimum bandwidth required for the RTP priority queue configuration. We have configured voice traffic with RTP priority queue. Our size of voice packet is 66 bytes. So the minimum requirement of bandwidth is 8*66/0.02 or 26,400 bps or 26.4 kbps. We have used G729 codec and voice payload size is 20 bytes. We set our lab bandwidth is 27 kbps. Question 4: Compare the voice qualities at Steps 4, 5, and 6, and explain the causes of quality differences. To compare voice qualities between steps 4,5, and 6, we have found voice quality is worst in step 4.It has happened for voice call and ping is ready at a time, all packets are transfer in the same queue. So lots of packet are drop because of more queuing delay. Voice traffic has high priority when we use IP precedence 5 in step 5.Our voice and data traffic still use the same bandwidth. Data traffic still transfer even voice traffic arrives. So ping traffic transfers and voice traffic waits. For this, voice quality is not good because there is no bandwidth reservation for voice traffic. In step 6,we have configured 27 kbps bandwidth in RTP priority queuing. This bandwidth is reserve for voice traffic. So voice packets always use this defined bandwidth and voice traffic has priority than ping traffic. So in this case, voice quality is better. 7. Configure three classes: VoIP, VoIP signaling, and default. Reserve bandwidth 25 kbps for VoIP class, and 8 kbps for VoIP signaling class, respectively. Do not assign priority queue to any class. Three different classes has been created in this case. They are assign with fix bandwidth. We have used access-lists for voice traffic classification. Following table shows configuration between router 1 and router 2. Question 5: Explain the differences and similarities between CBWFQ and WFQ. CBWFQ can utilize bandwidth effectively compare to WFQ. It is actually the extended version of WFQ. During the congestion period, CBWFQ can guarantee the minimum bandwidth. It will switch when it gets more bandwidth again. In the CBWFQ, we can define different classes and each different classes we can assign separate bandwidth. The differences and similarities between WFQ and CBWFQ are as follows: Similarities CBWFQ has default traffic class but if we do not define this class then CBWFQ and WFQ has no difference in queuing techniques. Differences Based on the user define classes ,CBWFQ can traffic queuing but WFQ cannot queue traffic. For the traffic flow, CBWFQ can make sure specific bandwidth for it but WFQ can not guarantee that. Network administrator can use CBWFQ more flexibly. They utilize this CBWFQ with different priorities for different types of traffic. Question 6: Based on the above configuration, what are the maximum and minimum bandwidths that are available for the default class? The maximum bandwidth that are available for the default class was 64 kbits/s Default class is use all available bandwidth like bandwidth = CIR = 64 kbit/s if there are no voice traffic Because if there is no voice or voice signaling traffic then the default class is use all available bandwidth (bandwidth = CIR = 64 kbit/s). The minimum bandwidth that are available for the default class is 31 kbit/s But if for voice or voice signaling flow, the reserving bandwidth will be 25 kbits/s and 8 kbit/s respectively. Other will be available for default class. So, minimum bandwidth available for default class is: 64kbps (25kbps + 8kbps) = 31 kbit/s We have generated two ping traffic through PVC1 and at the same time we do voice call. Our packet size is 3000 bytes. We have found same voice quality like step 6. 8. Establish a voice call between the two phones. At the same time, generate two ping traffic flows with 3000-byte packet size between the two routers. Note the voice quality. We have generated voice calls in our phones. At the same time between router 1 and router 2 we have generated 3000 byte ping traffic. We have found the acceptable voice quality. For voice traffic we have assign different class but there is no priority assign for this class. So, in the receiver end, both data and voice packets are receive similar way. So voice is not be clear because of delay introduce. 9. Configure a priority queue for VoIP class using LLQ. We have configured priority queue with LLQ. Following table shows the configuration: 10. Make a voice call between the two phones. Note the voice quality. After the configuration, we have make phone call with 3000 byte ping traffic in the same time. We found the improved voice quality. Question 7: Explain why the voice quality is improved after the priority configuration. Voice quality has improved for priority configuration. Previously we do not assign priority for different define classes of voice and voice signaling. So, voice quality is improved because of priority assigned. So for any ping traffic comes first it is served first. With the priority queue configuration, it has been resolved. So for any voice traffic arrival, it is use priority queue with allocated bandwidth. Conclusion In this lab, we have configured two routers and make phone call. We have observed the different call quality. Call quality depends on traffic flow. Traffic flows depends on different parameters like delay, jitter, loss of packets, etc. These hampers the quality of services. We have implemented three queuing discipline here like WFQ,CBWFQ,CBWFQ with LLQ. The objective of this lab is to analyze and improve the quality of voice service. We have found, the best voice quality when we have implemented different class for voice traffic and assign high priority value for voice traffic. Page | 1

The Daily Life of Ancient Greeks :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Daily Life of Ancient Greeks Life in Greece in ancient times would remind you of your own life in many ways. There was school, family, athletic competition, and social gatherings. Knowing that participants in their sporting events competed nude or that you rarely knew your husband/wife until the wedding day does however, make you grateful for the society that you live in today. Â   Babies Life for the Greeks in Athens began in their home. Babies were delivered by the women of the family, and only in cases of serious complications was a mid-wife called. Large families were not desired by Athenians since the inheritance was to be divided up equally among sons and daughters requiring dowries. So, unwanted children were not uncommon. Killing the babies was illegal, but a new-born could be exposed to die. These unwanted babies were left outside in a clay pot either to be claimed by a childless woman or rescued and brought up as a slave (Connolly, 32). Slaves were common in ancient times, if a family was reasonably well off they usually had two or three slaves. Slaves would take on the tasks of motherhood, some would even breast feed the babies. The slaves also worked the fields and helped the mother with other household duties, such as making clothes (The Study of Women, online). Â   Education Boys would begin school at age seven. They were also given a paidagogos, a slave that accompanied them everywhere. The paidagogos taught the boy manners, punished him when he did wrong, and even sat through classes with the boy to make sure he did his work. School went from half an hour after daybreak to half an hour before the sun set. Physical education was a big part of a boys education (Connolly, 34). When boys were 18, they no longer went to school; instead they began their 2 year military training. Young girls did not go to school. Middle and upper class girls leaned to read and write from a female tutor at home (Connolly, 35). Girls generally stayed at home until they were married, which was around the age of 15 (Ancient Civilizations, online). They helped their mother in the house and worked in the fields when they were needed (Exploring Ancient, online). Â   Marriage Marriages were arranged. Because girls lived such sheltered lives, they usually had never even met the men their fathers agreed for them to marry. Men were mostly in their twenties when they got married, the girls were usually 15.

Being Careful about Putting Animals in Captivity Essay -- essays resea

Animals in captivity. It has been an issue since the first zoo was opened. Many people are for and against it. I think that there are many pros and cons to having them in captivity. The main issue in the world is how do you possibly make it as close to the animal’s natural environment in captivity. It is almost impossible. You can’t start building sea world all over the ocean and hope the animals show up. I live in Agoura hills, big for horse property. At my grandma’s we have three Arabian horses. The thing is that they are wild animals, and need to do what they do best, RUN. We have three acres of pasture they can run around and play and be horses. Now let me tell you, they love their treats. Animals love to learn. I see it in our horses every day. They are happy. They get kept clean, fed, ridden, and get treats. Wild horses live on hundred of thousands of acres. If you take one of those and train it they love it. They like being fed, cleaned, and get treats. Now a lot of people would say that is different than keeping a killer whale at sea world. In some ways it is and in some ways it isn’t. The whales at sea world are always happy and love attention that they receive. I watched a program on the discovery channel a while a go. It was about the marine animals that were in captivity. Those whales loved being trained and getting a reward of fish when they do something correct. Now look at the con of this situation. Is this anything close to what they would get in nature. No. They do not get the mass oceans to swim. They do not get the freedom to live. But in some ways it is better. The have some of the most amazing trainers, vets, and marine experts in the world on call 24/7. Now I am not saying that we should take ... ...est care and get sick or die (Keiko in Mexico) So you see their a lot of pros and cons. Another point people bring up is the mental stability of the animal. There have been cases that have occurred where the animal snaps and attack the human is usually in captivity. If some idiot goes walking in the Brazilian forests and get attacked by a jaguar that’s his fault. The elephant that attacks humans is usually the humans fault. Either the elephant is cooped up to long and snaps or the trainer did something that made them snap. They are wild and this is the risk. Usually the animals don’t want to hurt the trainers or keepers. This is the risk of having wild animals in shows and captivity. If you can take the risk that is fine but you must make sure all the pros are met and cons kept in mind. They are wonderful creatures and they want to please, but there is a limit. Being Careful about Putting Animals in Captivity Essay -- essays resea Animals in captivity. It has been an issue since the first zoo was opened. Many people are for and against it. I think that there are many pros and cons to having them in captivity. The main issue in the world is how do you possibly make it as close to the animal’s natural environment in captivity. It is almost impossible. You can’t start building sea world all over the ocean and hope the animals show up. I live in Agoura hills, big for horse property. At my grandma’s we have three Arabian horses. The thing is that they are wild animals, and need to do what they do best, RUN. We have three acres of pasture they can run around and play and be horses. Now let me tell you, they love their treats. Animals love to learn. I see it in our horses every day. They are happy. They get kept clean, fed, ridden, and get treats. Wild horses live on hundred of thousands of acres. If you take one of those and train it they love it. They like being fed, cleaned, and get treats. Now a lot of people would say that is different than keeping a killer whale at sea world. In some ways it is and in some ways it isn’t. The whales at sea world are always happy and love attention that they receive. I watched a program on the discovery channel a while a go. It was about the marine animals that were in captivity. Those whales loved being trained and getting a reward of fish when they do something correct. Now look at the con of this situation. Is this anything close to what they would get in nature. No. They do not get the mass oceans to swim. They do not get the freedom to live. But in some ways it is better. The have some of the most amazing trainers, vets, and marine experts in the world on call 24/7. Now I am not saying that we should take ... ...est care and get sick or die (Keiko in Mexico) So you see their a lot of pros and cons. Another point people bring up is the mental stability of the animal. There have been cases that have occurred where the animal snaps and attack the human is usually in captivity. If some idiot goes walking in the Brazilian forests and get attacked by a jaguar that’s his fault. The elephant that attacks humans is usually the humans fault. Either the elephant is cooped up to long and snaps or the trainer did something that made them snap. They are wild and this is the risk. Usually the animals don’t want to hurt the trainers or keepers. This is the risk of having wild animals in shows and captivity. If you can take the risk that is fine but you must make sure all the pros are met and cons kept in mind. They are wonderful creatures and they want to please, but there is a limit.

A Systematic Review on the Comparison of Avandia and Actos in Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a condition that is characterized by a chronic rise in the glucose levels of the blood.   It can lead to changes of the blood vessels of the retina, nephron, heart, nerves, etc, causing a lot of complications.Individuals, who suffer from type 2 diabetes, may or may not require insulin (as the condition primarily occurs due to insulin resistance or improper utilization of insulin by the blood cells).   In many cases, people who suffer from type 2 diabetes, are ultimately given insulin, even though the drug is not very effective in control the high blood sugar levels (Ligaray, 2008).Studies conducted in the UK effectively demonstrate that 25 % of the patients who suffer from type II diabetes require insulin within 6 years of initiating therapy with oral hypoglycaemic agents (Edelman, 2005).In clinical practice, type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the commonest diseases that are seen.   The insulin levels may be low, defective in nature or the very utili sation of insulin by the fat, liver and the muscle cells may be hampered.   The individual may not depend on insulin for bringing back the blood glucose levels back to normal.   Ketosis seldom develops, but is common under stressful conditions (Inzucchi, 2007).Today, in the US, the screening for diabetes is usually performed in elders or high-risk individuals, and as such there may be several members of the general population who may be silently suffering from the disorder.The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the US is about 7 %, but in individuals above the age of 50 years, the incidence may be about 15 %.   Certain minority groups including the Hispanics, African-Americans, Native Americans, etc, are at a higher risk of developing the disorder.   The mean age of incidence of the disorder in high-risk populations usually occur at a younger age compared to the White American populations.   If we look at the prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 throughout the world, the incidence is high in Indians, Polynesians, Micronesians, Latin Americans, etc.In Australians, Africans, Aborigines, Asians, etc, the incidence is relative lower when they live in the native countries.   However, when they migrate to the US, the prevalence of the disorder is relatively higher, owing to the change in lifestyle, poor control over risk factors, etc.A great proportion of diabetic patients die from cardiac diseases such as heart attacks, stroke, etc.   Studies have effectively demonstrated that the risk for cardiac disease raises two-folds in men, and up to four folds in women (Ligaray, 2008).The main pathophysiology of diabetes is the rise in the blood glucose levels (hyperglycaemia) due to the low insulin levels in the blood, improper utilisation of insulin by the cells, defective functioning of the insulin or resistance to insulin.   The pancreatic beta islet cells may not produce sufficient amounts of insulin required by the body or several groups of cells pres ent in the body such as the fat, muscle, liver, etc, may be resistant to the action of insulin.Studies conducted during autopsy have effectively demonstrated that the beta cell mass in type 2 diabetics are reduced to about half the normal size.   The body cells find it seemingly difficult to utilize glucose resulting in lower amount of glucose transportation to the muscles, greater production of glucose by the liver and greater breakdown of fat (Ligaray, 2008).Other causes of diabetes type 2 include production of substance by the body that hamper the action of insulin, glucotoxicity and lipotoxicity.   When the individual consumes carbohydrates, there are chances that the blood glucose level would raise further, as insulin is not available to control (Inzucchi, 2007).The ability of the body to use insulin immediately to control carbohydrate and sugar level following ingestion is difficult (Ligaray, 2008).   Studies may have shown that although the insulin deficiency may be mil d, the ability of the insulin to stop an immediate rise in the blood glucose level would be absent.   When the individual suffers from mild type 2 diabetes during the initial stages, there are chances that the insulin secretion would respond to other secretogogues such as amino acids.However, in severe type 2 diabetes, the condition does not respond to other secretogogues resulting in a severe deficiency of insulin.   In individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes, there may be deposition of an amyeloid-like substance in the beta-cells of the pancreatic islets.   The beta-cells begin to malfunction following the deposition of amyloid (Inzucchi, 2007).In some of the type 2 diabetics the insulin secretion may be defective in nature.   The ability of the cells to respond to insulin is reduced and the normal response is less.The cells may not be able to use the insulin effectively to ensure utilization of glucose by the cells.   In an environment of hyperglycaemia, the cells fi nd it very difficult to utilize the insulin and the glucose.   The body finds it difficult to produce glycogen from glucose in the liver and breakdown of fats, as a result of the decreased sensitivity of the insulin.The exact reason for the poor response of the cells to insulin is not understood clearly, but scientists suggest that it has to do with the defective mitochondrial functioning and the accumulation of free fatty acids in the cells that are usually supposed to respond to insulin.   The insulin receptors in such cells may be normal, but the insulin pathways that are related to the insulin receptors may go haywire.The functioning of the glucose transporting agent GLUT may become abnormal.   Scientists also feel that the defects in insulin use and glucose transportation may be due to a genetic defect.   Obesity also increases the risk of the individual developing resistance to insulin.   The presence of free fatty acids in the body would suggest greater amount of li pid deposition in the liver and the muscles thus playing a major role in developing insulin resistance (Inzucchi, 2007).When the blood glucose levels are high, the sensitivity of the cell to insulin and the ability of the cell to utilize glucose are seriously affected.   Besides, a rise in the lipids in the blood can affect glucose metabolism, causing a raise in hepatic gluconeogenesis, and raising the free fatty acid levels.   The pancreas functions abnormally and the muscles are unable to utilize glucose effectively (Inzucchi, 2007).It may be difficult to assert whether the primary defect in type 2 diabetics is due to insulin insufficiency or insulin resistance.   Studies have demonstrated that in high-risk populations, the initial defect is primarily due to insulin resistance and a decrease in the insulin sensitivity.However, diabetes would not occur only with insulin resistance alone.   Studies have shown that frequently due to the secretory defects, the beta cells seem to get exhausted.   It may also be that chronic stimulation of the beta-cells along with the genetic defects would result in insulin insufficiency (Inzucchi, 2007).Evidence strongly supports that genetics and environmental factors both play a major role in the development of diabetes mellitus type 2 (some even suggest complex genetic factors).   Most of the forms of type 2 diabetes mellitus have been polygenic in nature, whereas maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) has been monogenic in nature.   There is a clear familial linkage seen in diabetes mellitus type 2, but there seems to be no classical Mendelian inheritance (Inzucchi, 2007).Diabetes mellitus patients are at the risk of high mortality in case their condition worsens and complications develop.   Hence, one the keys to ensure a longer lifespan in diabetes patients is effective management using drugs and medications.Studies have clearly demonstrated that diabetes patients require an aggressive, intensive and e arly intervention that would be able to identify a rise in the blood sugar level and ensure that it is brought within normal range.   One of the most difficult complications of diabetes patients would be developing is heart disease.The mortality from heart disease is quite high (70 %) in diabetics.   Besides, the costs of managing a patient suffering from diabetes and heart disease are about three times higher (Unger, 2008).Diabetes mellitus is mainly diagnosed on the basis of the plasma glucose levels.   The fasting blood glucose level should be more than 126 mg per dl of blood.   The post prandial blood glucose level should be greater than 200 mg per dl of blood (typically taken 2 hours after a meal).   The impaired glucose tolerance levels include 140 to 199 post-prandially.In diabetes, a random blood glucose test should demonstrate reading above 200 mg per dl along with the presence of symptoms of diabetes.   For the individual to be classified as diabetic, the blood glucose tests should demonstrate consistent results.   Haemoglobin A-1c is also useful in demonstrating the retrospective glucose levels, but cannot be taken as standard as there are several potential errors that may be associated with this test (Buse, 2008).

Contrast of Carrefour and Wal-Mart Essay

Since the American entrepreneur, Clarence Saunders, opens his first Piggly Wiggly store in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1916, the concept of self-service store has swept the globe. With the largest population in the world, China is expected to be the world’s biggest retail market which is now already the world’s fastest-growing market. ( Anon, 2011:1) As the world’s first and second largest retail groups, Carrefour and Wal-Mart are one their way piling in. However, with 5000 years of traditional history and 30 years of planned economy, china has already formed its own market tradition. Though, the two giants both need to face the special Chinese market, in some aspects, they use different strategies and have different market feedback. This essay will illustrate the similar strategies the two retail groups have been using and also analyze the ways they use to adapt to the Chinese market differently. To begin with, for opening the Chinese market, Carrefour and Wal-Mart both choose to cooperate with the local commercial. $1 billion was given to Wal-Mart’s 100 hypermarkets’ supply chain, ranging from food to electronics (Shu-Ching, 2010, P. 1). Similarly, Carrefour also tried to adapt to local conditions, i. . cooperate with Lianhua Supermarket Company in Shanghai. The reasons why they cooperate with local partners is not just because of the legal considerations, but also to have a deep understanding of the difficult and complex Chinese market (Peter, 2006, P. 6). Nevertheless, they use different strategies according to different company development plan. Wal-Mart focuses more on the long term partnership nationally or even internationally. Considering the different regional culture and local policy, Carrefour changes partnerships by local markets (Peter, 2006, P. ). Furthermore, Carrefour adopts different strategy throughout all its global market, focusing on locally sourced products, as well as its local management teams, which are almost comprised of domestic employees to be more familiar with the local tastes. Also, on purchasing larger market shares, expansion strategy is common used by the two retail market giants. Since Carrefour opened its first store in china in 1995, it has already operated 73 hypermarkets in 29 cities which makes about $2 billion profit (Peter, 2006, P. ). Likely, 338 shops in 124 cities makes Wal-Mart $7 billion annually which is just a little bit lower than whole Carrefour shops’ profit (Anon, 2011, P. 2). Moreover, they both regard second- and third-tier cities as a good growth opportunity, and have already built shops in western cities which are not so developed. Even though, they perform different strategies in expanding their market. Firstly, Wal-Mart aims at making central distribution center, while local distributors are more considered by Carrefour. Secondly, hypermarkets often constitute larger shopping and entertainment complexes, therefore, a large amount of Carrefour stores are built at the city center for customers to go by foot or by bike. Comparing to this, edge-of-town is where Wal-Mart outlets often located, where customers can have large parking facilities or even shuttle bus provided (Moreau, 2008, P. 1). Last but not the least, Carrefour builds its stores based on the organic expansion primarily. By contrast, Wal-Mart combines organic growth with large-scale acquisitions, which leads to its Chinese revenues doubled. Lastly, to perform well in Chinese tradition market, Carrefour and Wal-Mart both have their changes in shops and marketing. On the one hand, for saving a million yuan in electricity and water costs, two retail chains’ common aim is to achieving â€Å"zero-carbon† stores by next year, which forces them to open a range of new energy saving stores in China, such as using waste gas to heat water and fluorescent lights, making use of natural lighting and integrating energy-saving technologies (Anon, 2009). On the other hand, to discover new growth areas in retail profit, selling medicine has been put on the agenda. The two giants have already been in close contract with the Ministry of Commerce on the medicine retail business and affirming that world’s largest retailer’s distribution network will be covered by medicine sales (Anon, 2005). Although there are a lot of similar strategies in market development, the two retail groups also have their different development focus. In the first place, Wal-Mart awards its employees based on profit-sharing stock, which will improve employees’ skills, trust and constant work, while Carrefour focus more on salaries. In addition, Carrefour adopted a multi-format strategy, i. e. open smaller outlets in the discount format to create another profit growth, while Wal-Mart develops its presence in the hypermarkets format exclusively (Moreau, 2008, P. 3). In details, proved to be a dynamic format competing against hypermarkets operators, department stores get a CAGR increase of 9%, 2002-2007. Therefore, department stores sales continue to be boosted by the expansion period decided by Carrefour (Moreau, 2008, P. 2).

Are People Inherently Honest? Essay

There are numerous theories that attempt to explain the motivation behind people acting in certain ways. This paper will address three of these theories, apply these theories to how people choose to behave honestly or dishonestly, and will attempt to determine whether or not people are inherently honest. Before looking into the motivation behind people’s decision to be honest, it is important to define some key terms in order to fully understand and explore what it means to be inherently honest. Merriam-Webster defines honest as â€Å"free from fraud or deception,† or simply put, truthful. It defines inherent as â€Å"belonging by nature or habit. † The majority of people simply associate something being inherent as ‘natural’ or ‘innate’. Interestingly, this definition expands our view on what one may consider ‘inherent’ by noting how past habits can also play a vital role in how one behaves. Now that we have defined what honesty and inherent behaviour entails, we can now look at the various theories that attempt to identify the motivation behind people behaving honestly. One of these theories is the fact that humans choose to act honestly or not based on what we feel is ‘morally good’ or the ‘right thing to do’ according to a very personal set of rules and morals. An individual’s behaviours are heavily influenced in order to satisfy this individual set of rules. Of course, there are a number of positions one can take on when defining this set of rules. Deontologists would argue that one should be honest one hundred percent of the time, regardless of the situation. They believe that it is ones’ moral obligation to behave honestly and have a duty of adhering to this universal rule. On the other hand, utilitarianism claims that the decision to act honestly or dishonestly varies depending on the situation, considering all costs, benefits, and consequences that will result from the behaviour. Regardless of the person’s moral standpoint, their choice to behave honestly or not is strongly influenced by their personal, or inherent, set of behaviours that they consider morally ‘right’. This supports the argument that people are in fact inherently honest. Another theory that attempts to explain the motivation behind behaving honestly is focused on the consequences that will result from behaving honestly or dishonestly. Uri Gneezy’s paper on the role of consequences in lying looks at how different benefits and costs influence one’s decision to behave honestly or dishonestly. From his studies, he comes to a number of conclusions describing how people conduct a cost-benefit analysis when deciding to lie or not. First, he finds that people are particularly sensitive to their personal gain when deciding to lie, meaning that they place a high priority on personal gain in their cost-benefit analysis. He also finds that people also tend to lie less when the lie harms another party. However, this harm plays less of a role in choosing not to lie compared to the increased gains from lying. This suggests that the marginal personal gain from a lie is greater than the marginal harm that is caused from the lie. Because people are constantly trying to maximize their personal utility, these findings display how one will behave dishonestly when doing so maximizes their utility. This suggests that people do not inherently behave honestly, but rather behave in a way that will create the most personal gain. A third theory that explains how people behave is based on the image that is associated with behaving honestly or dishonestly, as well as the use of excuses to justify dishonesty. There tends to be a negative stigma attached with lying; therefore, people are inclined to be honest simply to maintain a positive image of themself. There are a number of ways to look at this. First, people have a natural desire to see themselves in a positive light and like to feel that they are doing what is right. Much of this plays into the previously discussed individual set of morals that people have and doing what they consider ‘morally right’. However, there are cases when people create excuses to justify to themselves that acting dishonestly is the right thing to do. For example, if a man lies by telling his pregnant wife that she doesn’t look overweight, he will justify this lie to himself by claiming that he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings, maintaining a positive image of himself. In addition, people will tend to lie less to avoid making a bad impression to others. Similarly to above, people may use excuses to justify acting dishonestly, simply to maintain their positive impression on others. This shows that in order to maintain a positive impression of oneself on oneself as well as on others, people are inclined to behave honestly and are willing to make excuses to justify acting dishonestly to maintain this impression. This suggests that due to the natural desire to create and maintain a positive impression, people are inherently honest. The above theories and discussion suggest both that people are and are not inherently honest. This is precisely why many social scientists have difficulty in this area. On one hand, people behave honestly to satisfy their personal set of morals and to promote a positive image of themselves (in their own as well as others’ eyes), but are willing to be dishonest if it results in enough personal gain to justify the lie. From this, we conclude that one cannot make an overarching statement claiming that people are or are not inherently honest. Whether a person is inherently honest depends on how they weigh and balance the importance of their morals, personal gain, their self-image, and the image they want to portray to others.

Blue Jeans †American Cultural Artifact Essay

Blue jeans in the last thirty years have attained such world wide popularity that they have come to be considered an American icon. However jeans have not always been held in high stead, but rather have had a troubled history including its beginnings within the working class movement, being considered unsavory by religious leaders and also seen as a rebellious statement about ‘western decadence’. According to the University of Toronto, no other garment has served as an example of status ambivalence and ambiguity than blue jeans in the history of fashion. Throughout this essay I will discuss how jeans have become such a common treasured and even expensive item crossing over class, gender, age, regional, and national lines as reflected by the many changing political views and acceptance from various social classes over the past 50 years. History of Blue Jeans According to the University of Toronto, blue jeans were originally created for the California coal miners in the mid-nineteenth century by the Morris Levi Strauss, a Bavarian immigrant who relocated to New York in 1847. Mr Strauss’ fate and the history of clothing changed forever when in 1872 he received an offer from Jacob Davis, a tailor from Reno Nevada. Mr. Davis, in order to improve the durability of the pants that he made for his clients, had been adding metal rivets to the highly stressed seams. The idea was successful and he wished to patent it, but due to financial constraints required a partner and hence Levi became the financial backer and partner. In 1873, the new partners received a patent for â€Å"an improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings†, and thus the history of blue jeans as we know them began. Blue jeans were originally called â€Å"waist overalls† by Levi Strauss and Co and in the 1920’s these were the most widely used worker’s pants in America. The name of these trousers changed to â€Å"jeans† in the 1960’s when Levi Strauss and Co. recognized that this was what the product was being called by the young, hip teenage boys. The history of â€Å"waist overalls† continues as the history of blue jeans. â€Å"Jeans† is now generally understood to refer to pants made out of a specific type of fabric called â€Å"denim† (Fashion Encyclopedia). Blue Jeans through the decades The popularity of blue jeans spread among working people, such as farmers and the ranchers of the American West. According to the Encyclopedia of Fashion, in the 1930’s jeans became so popular among cowboys that Wrangler formed just to make denim work clothing for those who rode the range. Jeans have tended to follow along in popularity with popular culture as evident with the popular Western films which found adventure and romance in the adventures of the cowboys who rode horses, shot bad guys, and wore blue jeans. Those who wished to imitate the casual, rugged look of the cowboys they saw in films began to wear jeans as casual wear (Fashion Encyclopedia). This effect is not hard to understand, as even today fashion trends are greatly influenced by what highly publicized celebrities choose to wear. During World War II blue jeans became part of the official uniform of the Navy and Coast Guard, and became even more popular when worn as off-duty leisure clothing by many other soldiers. In his book, â€Å"Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon†, James Sullivan states that the rise of the popularity of jeans after the WWII can greatly be attributed to the influence of the film and music industry, during the 1950s many young people began to wear jeans when they saw them on rebellious young American film stars such as Marlon Brando and James Dean. By 1950, Levi’s began selling nationally and other brands started emerging, such as Lee Coopers and each with its own particular fit (Sullivan 287). According to the University of Toronto, in the 1960’s and 1970’s jeans were embraced by the nonconformist hippie youth movement, and the history of blue jeans even gets linked to the downfall of communism. Behind the iron curtain, jeans became a symbol of â€Å"western decadence† and individuality and as such were highly sought. Jeans had become extremely popular, but were still mainly worn by working people or the young. In the 1980’s through to the 1990’s jeans were no longer seen as rebellious or a source of individuality, but they were transformed as the term ‘designer jeans’ was discovered. Many designers such as Jordache and Calvin Klein came on board to create expensive jeans and some jeans even reached haute couture status (Fashion Encyclopedia). In the new millennium denim is seen on designer catwalks and there are now hundreds of styles, types and labels available and of various price ranges. Changing Popularity According to Peter Beagle in his book â€Å"American Denim: A New Folk Art†, the popularity of jeans can be attributed to the fact that jeans can be seen to embrace the American democratic values of independence, freedom and equality. Some Americans even consider jeans to be the national uniform. Blue jeans have evolved from a garment associated exclusively with hard work to one associated with leisure. What began as work clothes has transformed into one of the â€Å"hottest† items available on the consumer market today. What was once apparel associated with low culture has undergone a reversal in status. Blue jeans were the first to accomplish a rather revolutionary cultural achievement bringing upper class status to a lower class garment. Conclusion At one point or another throughout history, blue jeans have been the uniform of many groups and are considered the one garment of clothing that has remained hip for over a century and has survived everything from World War II to the eighties. For half a century blue jeans have helped define every youth movement, and every effort of older generations to deny the passing of youth. Fifty years ago America invented the concept of teenager, and it is probably no coincidence that the enduring character of blue jeans, claiming independence and the right to self-expression, can be traced to the same time. Jeans were once seen as clothing for minority groups such as workers, hippies or rebellious youth, but are now embraced by the dominant American culture as a whole.