Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 14-15

14 DINNER Travis parked the Chevy on the street in front of Jenny's house. He turned off the engine and turned to Catch. â€Å"You stay here, you understand. I'll be back in a little while to check on you.† â€Å"Thanks, Dad.† â€Å"Don't play the radio and don't beep the horn. Just wait.† â€Å"I promise. I'll be good.† The demon attempted an innocent grin and failed. â€Å"Keep an eye on that.† Travis pointed to an aluminum suitcase on the backseat. â€Å"Enjoy your date. The car will be fine.† â€Å"What's wrong with you?† â€Å"Nothing,† Catch grinned. â€Å"Why are you being so nice?† â€Å"It's good to see you getting out.† â€Å"You're lying.† â€Å"Travis, I'm crushed.† â€Å"That would be nice,† Travis said. â€Å"Now, don't eat anybody.† â€Å"I just ate last night. I don't even feel hungry. I'll just sit here and meditate.† Travis reached into the inside pocket of his sport coat and pulled out a comic book. â€Å"I got this for you.† He held it out to the demon. â€Å"You can look at it while you wait.† The demon fumbled the comic book away from Travis and spread it out on the seat. â€Å"Cookie Monster! My favorite! Thanks, Travis.† â€Å"See you later.† Travis got out of the car and slammed the door. Catch watched him walk across the yard. â€Å"I already looked at this one, asshole,† he hissed to himself. â€Å"When I get a new master, I will tear your arms off and eat them while you watch.† Travis looked back over his shoulder. Catch waved him on with his best effort at a smile. The doorbell rang precisely at seven. Jenny's reactions went like this: don't answer it, change clothes, answer it and feign sickness, clean the house, redecorate, schedule plastic surgery, change hair color, take a handful of Valium, appeal to the Goddess for divine intervention, stand here and explore the possibilities of paralyzing panic. She opened the door and smiled. â€Å"Hi.† Travis stood there in jeans and a gray herringbone tweed jacket. He was transfixed. â€Å"Travis?† Jenny said. â€Å"You're beautiful,† he said finally. They stood in the doorway, Jenny blushing, Travis staring. Jenny had decided to stick with the black dress. Evidently it had been the right choice. A full minute passed without a word between them. â€Å"Would you like to come in?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Okay.† She shut the door in his face. Well, that hadn't been so bad. Now she could put on some sweatpants, load the refrigerator onto a tray, and settle down for a night in front of the television. There was a timid knock on the door. Jenny opened it again. â€Å"Sorry, I'm a little nervous,† she said. â€Å"It's all right,† Travis said. â€Å"Shall we go?† â€Å"Sure. I'll get my purse.† She closed the door in his face. There was an uncomfortable silence between them while they drove to the restaurant. Typically, this would be the time for trading life stories, but Jenny had resolved not to talk about her marriage, which closed most of her adult life to conversation, and Travis had resolved not to talk about the demon, which eliminated most of the twentieth century. â€Å"So,† Jenny said, â€Å"do you like Italian food?† â€Å"Yep,† Travis said. They drove in silence the rest of the way to the restaurant. It was a warm night and the Toyota had no air conditioning. Jenny didn't dare roll down the window and risk blowing her hair. She had spent an hour styling and pinning it back so that it fell in long curls to the middle of her back. When she began to perspire, she remembered that she still had two wads of toilet paper tucked under her arms to stop the bleeding from shaving cuts. For the next few minutes all she could think of was getting to a restroom where she could remove the spotted wads. She decided not to mention it. The restaurant, the Old Italian Pasta Factory, was housed in an old creamery building, a remnant of the time when Pine Cove's economy was based on livestock rather than tourism. The concrete floors remained intact, as did the corrugated steel roof. The owners had taken care to preserve the rusticity of the structure, while adding the warmth of a fireplace, soft lighting, and the traditional red-and-white tablecloths of an Italian restaurant. The tables were small but comfortably spaced, and each was decorated with fresh flowers and a candle. The Pasta Factory, it was agreed, was the most romantic restaurant in the area. As soon as the hostess seated them, Jenny excused herself to the restroom. â€Å"Order whatever wine you want,† she said, â€Å"I'm not picky.† â€Å"I don't drink, but if you want some†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No, that's fine. It'll be a nice change.† As soon as Jenny left, the waitress – an efficient-looking woman in her thirties – came to the table. â€Å"Good evening, sir. What can I bring you to drink this evening?† She pulled her order pad out of her pocket in a quick, liquid movement, like a gunslinger drawing a six-shooter. A career waitress, Travis thought. â€Å"I thought I'd wait for the lady to return,† he said. â€Å"Oh, Jenny. She'll have an herbal tea. And you want, let's see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked him up and down, crossed-referenced him, pigeonholed him, and announced, â€Å"You'll have some sort of imported beer, right?† â€Å"I don't drink, so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I should have known.† The waitress slapped her forehead as if she'd just caught herself in the middle of a grave error, like serving the salad with plutonium instead of creamy Italian. â€Å"Her husband is a drunk; it's only natural that she'd go out with a nondrinker on the rebound. Can I bring you a mineral water?† â€Å"That would be fine,† Travis said. The waitress's pen scratched, but she did not look at the order pad or lose her â€Å"we aim to please† smile. â€Å"And would you like some garlic bread while you're waiting?† â€Å"Sure,† Travis said. He watched the waitress walk away. She took small, quick, mechanical steps, and was gone to the kitchen in an instant. Travis wondered why some people seemed to be able to walk faster than he could run. They're professionals, he thought. Jenny took five minutes to get all the toilet paper unstuck from her underarms, and there had been an embarrassing moment when another woman came into the restroom and found her before the mirror with her elbow in the air. When she returned to the table, Travis was staring over a basket of garlic bread. She saw the herbal tea on the table and said, â€Å"How did you know?† â€Å"Psychic, I guess,† he said. â€Å"I ordered garlic bread.† â€Å"Yes,† she said, seating herself. They stared at the garlic bread as if it were a bubbling caldron of hemlock. â€Å"You like garlic bread?† she asked. â€Å"Love it. And you?† â€Å"One of my favorites,† she said. He picked up the basket and offered it to her. â€Å"Have some?† â€Å"Not right now. You go ahead.† â€Å"No thanks, I'm not in the mood.† He put the basket down. The garlic bread lay there between them, steaming with implications. They, of course, must both eat it or neither could. Garlic bread meant garlic breath. There might be a kiss later, maybe more. There was just too damn much intimacy in garlic bread. They sat in silence, reading the menu; she looking for the cheapest entree, which she had no intention of eating; and he, looking for the item that would be the least embarrassing to eat in front of someone. â€Å"What are you going to have?† she asked. â€Å"Not spaghetti,† he snapped. â€Å"Okay.† Jenny had forgotten what dating was like. Although she couldn't remember for sure, she thought that she might have gotten married to avoid ever having to go through this kind of discomfort again. It was like driving with the emergency brake set. She decided to release the brake. â€Å"I'm starved. Pass the garlic bread.† Travis smiled. â€Å"Sure.† He passed it to her, then took a piece for himself. They paused in midbite and eyed each other across the table like two poker players on the bluff. Jenny laughed, spraying crumbs all over the table. The evening was on. â€Å"So, Travis, what do you do?† â€Å"Date married women, evidently.† â€Å"How did you know?† â€Å"The waitress told me.† â€Å"We're separated.† â€Å"Good,† he said, and they both laughed. They ordered, and as dinner progressed they found common ground in the awkwardness of the situation. Jenny told Travis about her marriage and her job. Travis made up a history of working as a traveling insurance salesman with no real ties to home or family. In a frank exchange of truth for lies, they found they liked each other – were, in fact, quite taken with one another. They left the restaurant arm in arm, laughing. 15 RACHEL Rachel Henderson lived alone in a small house that lay amid a grove of eucalyptus trees at the edge of the Beer Bar cattle ranch. The house was owned by Jim Beer, a lanky, forty-five-year-old cowboy who lived with his wife and two children in a fourteen-room house his grandfather had built on the far side of the ranch. Rachel had lived on the ranch for five years. She had never paid any rent. Rachel had met Jim Beer in the Head of the Slug Saloon when she first arrived in Pine Cove. Jim had been drinking all day and was feeling the weight of his rugged cowboy charisma when Rachel sat down on the bar stool next to him and put a newspaper on the bar. â€Å"Well, darlin', I'm damned if you're not a fresh wind on a stale pasture. Can I buy you a drink?† The banjo twang in Jim's accent was pure Oklahoma, picked up from the hands that had worked the Beer Bar when Jim was a boy. Jim was the third generation of Beers to work the ranch and would probably be the last. His teenage son, Zane Grey Beer, had decided early on that he would rather ride a surfboard than a horse. That was part of the reason that Jim was drinking away the afternoon at the Slug. That, and the fact that his wife had just purchased a new Mercedes turbo-diesel wagon that cost the annual net income of the Beer Bar Ranch. Rachel unfolded the classified section of the Pine Cove Gazette on the bar. â€Å"Just an orange juice, thanks. I'm house hunting today.† She curled one leg under herself on the bar stool. â€Å"You don't know anybody that has a house for rent, do you?† Jim Beer would look back on that day many times in the years to come, but he could never quite remember what had happened next. What he did remember was driving his pickup down the back road into the ranch with Rachel following behind in an old Volkswagen van. From there his memory was a montage of images: Rachel naked on the small bunk, his turquoise belt buckle hitting the wooden floor with a thud, silk scarves tied around his wrists, Rachel bouncing above him – riding him like a bronco – climbing back into his pickup after sundown, sore and sweaty, leaning his forehead on the wheel of the truck and thinking about his wife and kids. In the five years since, Jim Beer had never gone near the little house on the far side of the ranch. Every month he penciled the rent collected into a ledger, then deposited cash from his poker fund in the business checking account to cover it. A few of his friends had seen him leave the Head of the Slug with Rachel that afternoon. When they saw him again, they ribbed him, made crude jokes, and asked pointed questions. Jim answered the jibes by pushing his summer Stetson back on his head and saying: â€Å"Boys, all I got to say is that male menopause is a rough trail to ride.† Hank Williams couldn't have sung it any sadder. After Jim left that evening Rachel picked several gray hairs from the bunk's pillow. Around the hairs she carefully tied a single red thread, which she knotted twice. Two knots were enough for the bond she wanted over Jim Beer. She placed the tiny bundle in a babyfood jar, labeled it with a marking pen, and stored it away in a cupboard over the kitchen sink. Now the cupboard was full of jars, each one containing a similar bundle, each bundle tied with a red thread. The number of knots in the thread varied. Three of the bundles were tied with four knots. These contained the hair of men Rachel had loved. Those men were long gone. The rest of Rachel's house was decorated with objects of power: eagle feathers, crystals, pentagrams, and tapestries embroidered with magic symbols. There was no evidence of a past in Rachel's house. Any photos she had of herself had been taken after she arrived in Pine Cove. People who knew Rachel had no clue as to where she had lived or who she had been before she came to town. They knew her as a beautiful, mysterious woman who taught aerobics for a living. Or they knew her as a witch. Her past was an enigma, which was just the way she wanted it. No one knew that Rachel had grown up in Bakersfield, the daughter of an illiterate oil-field worker. They didn't know that she had been a fat, ugly little girl who spent most of her life doing degrading things for disgusting men so that she might receive some sort of acceptance. Butterflies do not wax nostalgic about the time they spent as caterpillars. Rachel had married a crop-duster pilot who was twenty years her senior. She was eighteen at the time. It happened in the front seat of a pickup truck in the parking lot of a roadhouse outside of Visalia, California. The pilot, whose name was Merle Henderson, was still breathing hard and Rachel was washing the foul taste out of her mouth with a lukewarm Budweiser. â€Å"If you do that again, I'll marry you,† Merle gasped. An hour later they were flying over the Mojave desert, heading for Las Vegas in Merle's Cessna 152. Merle came at ten thousand feet. They were married under a neon arch in a ramshackle, concrete-block chapel just off the Vegas strip. They had known each other exactly six hours. Rachel regarded the next eight years of her life as her term on the wheel of abuse. Merle Henderson deposited her in his house trailer by the landing strip and kept her there. He allowed her to visit town once a week to go to the laundromat and the grocery store. The rest of her time was spent waiting on or waiting for Merle and helping him work on his planes. Each morning Merle took off in the crop duster, taking with him the keys to the pickup. Rachel spent the days cleaning up the trailer, eating, and watching television. She grew fatter and Merle began to refer to her as his fat little mama. What little self-esteem she had drained away and was absorbed by Merle's overpowering male ego. Merle had flown helicopter gunships in Vietnam and he still talked about it as the happiest time in his life. When he opened the tanks of insecticide over a field of lettuce, he imagined he was releasing air-to-ground missiles into a Vietnamese village. The Army had sensed a destructive edge in Merle, Vietnam had honed it to razor sharpness, and it had not dulled when he came home. Until he married Rachel, he released his pent-up violence by starting fights in bars and flying with dangerous abandon. With Rachel waiting for him at home, he went to bars less often and released his aggression on her in the form of constant criticism, verbal abuse, and finally, beatings. Rachel bore the abuse as if it were a penance sent down by God for the sin of being a woman. Her mother had endured the same sort of abuse from her father, with the same resignation. It was just the way things worked. Then, one day, while Rachel was waiting at the laundromat for Merle's shirts to dry, a woman approached her. It was the day after a particularly vicious beating and Rachel's face was bruised and swollen. â€Å"It's none of my business,† the woman said. She was tall and stately and in her mid-forties. She had a way about her that frightened Rachel, a presence, but her voice was soft and strong. â€Å"But when you get some time, you might read this.† She held out a pamphlet to Rachel and Rachel took it. The title was The Wheel of Abuse. â€Å"There are some numbers in the back that you can call. Everything will be okay,† the woman said. Rachel thought it a strange thing to say. Everything was okay. But the woman had impressed her, so she read the pamphlet. It talked about human rights and dignity and personal power. It spoke to Rachel about her life in a way that she had never thought possible. The Wheel of Abuse was her life story. How did they know? Mostly it talked about courage to change. She kept the pamphlet and hid it away in a box of tampons under the bathroom sink. It stayed there for two weeks. Until the morning she ran out of coffee. She could hear the sound of Merle's plane disappearing in the distance as she stared into the mirror at the bloody hole where her front teeth used to be. She dug out the pamphlet and called one of the numbers on the back. Within a half hour two women arrived at the trailer. They packed Rachel's belongings and drove her to the shelter. Rachel wanted to leave a note for Merle, but the two women insisted that it was not a good idea. For the next three weeks Rachel lived at the shelter. The women at the shelter cared for her. They gave her food and understanding and affection, and in return they asked only that she acknowledge her own dignity. When she made the call to Merle to tell him where she was, they all stood by her. Merle promised that it would all change. He missed her. He needed her. She returned to the trailer. For a month Merle did not hit her. He did not touch her at all. He didn't even speak to her. The women at the shelter had warned her about this type of abuse: the withdrawal of affection. When she brought it up to Merle one evening while he was eating, he threw a plate in her face. Then he proceeded to give her the worst beating of her life. Afterward he locked her outside the trailer for the night. The trailer was fifteen miles from the nearest neighbor, so Rachel was forced to cower under the front steps to escape the cold. She was not sure she could walk fifteen miles. In the middle of the night Merle opened the door and shouted, â€Å"By the way, I ripped the phone out, so don't waste your time thinking about it.† He slammed and locked the door. When the sun broke in the east, Merle reappeared. Rachel had crawled under the trailer, where he could not reach her. He lifted the plastic skirting and shouted to her, â€Å"Listen, bitch, you'd better be here when I get home or you'll get worse.† Rachel waited in the darkness under the trailer until she heard the biplane roar down the strip. She climbed out and watched the plane climb gradually into the distance. Although it hurt her face, and the cuts on her mouth split open, she couldn't help smiling. She had discovered her personal power. It lay hidden under the trailer in a five-gallon asphalt can, now half full of aviation grade motor oil. A policeman came to the trailer that afternoon. His jaw was set with the stoic resolve of a man who knows he has an unpleasant task to perform and is determined to do it, but when he saw Rachel sitting on the steps of the trailer, the color drained from his face and he ran to her. â€Å"Are you all right?† Rachel could not speak. Garbled sounds bubbled from her broken mouth. The policeman drove her to the hospital in his cruiser. Later, after she had been cleaned up and bandaged, the policeman came to her room and told her about the crash. It seemed that Merle's biplane lost power after a pass over a field. He was unable to climb fast enough to avoid a high-tension tower and flaming bits of Merle were scattered across a field of budding strawberries. Later, at the funeral, Rachel would comment, â€Å"It was how he would have wanted to go.† A few weeks later a man from the Federal Aviation Administration came around the trailer asking questions. Rachel told him that Merle had beat her, then had stormed out to the plane and taken off. The F.A.A. concluded that Merle, in his anger, had forgotten to check out his plane thoroughly before taking off. No one ever suspected Rachel of draining the oil out of the plane.

Book Response Burned by Ellen Hopkins Essay

Burned written by Ellen Hopkins Is a great novel, and worth the time to read. Burned is about a teen girl who was born and raised a Mormon; Pattyn Von Stratten she is like most teenagers growing up. Her family is extremely religious but in the same prospective her father is a drunk and very abusive. Pattyn is tired of living the fairytale of a Mormon lifestyle and ready to be energized with her own free spirit and way of life. Pattyn slowly starts to rebel against her family, school, church. While her father spends most of his time drunk; its left up to her mother to take care of the house hold and make sure everything is all in perfect running order to not upset Pattyn’s father. Pattyn begins rebelling even more so than she thought it would go. She gets suspended from school and gets sent to live with her aunt who she doesn’t even know. This is the beginning of it all the worst mistake her father could have made and where Pattyn makes decisions that are about to change her life completely. Pattyn soon falls in love with a boy names Ethan who she is bound to be attached to. Pattyn doesn’t see it but she is headed down the complete wrong path and when all she wanted is attention she’s going to get much more attention that she has intended to get. Ellen Hopkins is showing the themes of abuse and dysfunctional relationship, Pattyn’s father is an abusive drunk. I also think Hopkins is showing the theme of growing up and finding your destiny and who you are, when Pattyn is sent to live with her aunt in Nevada and basically create a whole new agenda for herself. Along with dysfunctional relationship, she’s displaying what love is like, too, when the character falls in love. I think she’s trying to prove that life doesn’t always go as planned and you have to work yourself around the problems that you find in life, and bad decision could change your life forever. I believe the main purpose of the novel is to reach out to teens. Ellen Hopkins expresses many different themes in her novel but one main theme I believe is im portant is physiological. Pattyn goes through many different stages of growing up and expressing her true self. She becomes more social with guys and becomes more of a social butterfly then the Mormon nerd she used to be. Pattyn lashes out and rebels against her family and church in many different ways. When Pattyn is set to live with her aunt she meets a boy and which she ends up in a relationship. Pattyn starts growing up and learning more about her sexual self and starts dreaming about all the what if’s. Pattyn starts to experiment with her new boyfriend Ethan and when she goes back home she shares the secret to her family that she is pregnant. Attempting to escape her father’s wrath, Pattyn and Ethan take off for California, unaware that Trevor, a â€Å"perfect Mormon child† who loved Pattyn, has written down the car’s license plate number. When her father finds out, he calls his â€Å"Highway patrolman friend† to track them down, to find them on an icy road. Ethan speeds up in attempt to lose the patrolman, but loses control of his car and crashes. Pattyn wakes up in the hospital, to find out that both Ethan and their baby are dead. Her father disowns her, unable to bear the recent events. Pattyn is left with a life changing decision in the end; shoot and kill all those who caused her pain and Ethan and their baby’s deaths, or move on? Pattyn states that if her father would just say he loved her she would spare him. Ellen Hopkins is an amazing author and has a unbelievable way of relating to teens. Burned is just one of her fabulous novels all having a great meaning to the lives of teens. If I was asked if I would recommend Ellen Hopkins novels I would say she has a great way of reach out to teens in her books and educating them in a non-boring way and I enjoy reading and looking forward to any novel she creates.

An Exploration of the Malay Kompang

AN EXPLORATION OF THE MALAY KOMPANG Name: Chan Tsui Sze Dora Matriculation Number: U1210644K Seminar Group Time: 1330 – 1530 Seminar Group Instructor: Cikgu Zubir Assignment: Research Paper in Malay Music Date: 10 April 2013 Word Count: 2245 Contents Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Kompang3 1. 1 Features of the Kompang4 1. 2 Features of Kompang Music4 1. 3 Performance Context6 Chapter 2: Influences on the Malay Kompang 7 2. 1 Arabic Influences7 2. 2 Portuguese Influences9 2. 3 Thai Influences11 2. 4 African Influences12Chapter 3: Future Changes in the Malay Kompang14 3. 1 Pop and Media Influences14 3. 2 Western Influences15 Chapter 4: Conclusion16 Bibliography 17 Discography/ Videography 19 Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Kompang The Malay Kompang ensemble refers to a Malay drum ensemble that ranges between three performers in a small chamber or accompaniment setting, to a large group of 30 drummers. As an instrument, the Malay Kompang is so familiar to most Singaporeans, yet it encompasses a rich history spanning more than 700 years that would astound and intrigue many.Kompang is mainly an oral tradition (Abdullah, 2005). Like all other non-notational music forms, it is inevitably highly characterized by change, self-improvisation and influences from other cultures. While Kompang music today is admittedly not so frequently heard nor performed as before, there have been efforts to assimilate this traditional music genre into today’s popular culture. This paper will address the diverse cultural influences on Malay Kompang from Arabic, Portuguese, Thai and African sources.Through the main musical elements of instrumentation, rhythm, form, and performance context, a comprehensive musical analysis of the influence of the different cultures on Kompang music will be made. This paper will also examine how elements of popular culture can be infused into the traditional Malay Kompang music genre, and discuss the general developmental direction that Kom pang music is taking. 1. 1 Features of the Kompang The Malay Kompang is part of the membranophone family.It is a wooden-framed, circular, one-sided handheld drum with a skin made up of animal hide and played using the free hand (Abdullah, 2012). There are two main types of tones on the Kompang – the lentong beat played by hitting the side of the drum with closed fingers, and the cerang played by slapping the center of the drum with the palm (Abdullah, 2012). The lentong typically produces a lower-pitched, rounder sound while the cerang typically produces a higher-pitched slapping effect. One of the unique features of the Kompang is its â€Å"wet† and rumbling timbre due to the strong effects of reverberation.Another special feature of the Kompang is its interlocking technique and the unique musical texture heard from this effect. 1. 2 Features of Kompang Music Even though most musical repertoire of the Kompang is oral in nature and neither notated nor formally defined, there is undeniably a wide range of repertoire in the Kompang genre. There is purely instrumental drumming as well as Kompang used to accompany vocal parts, like zikir. The variety in form – the organization of musical elements in time to create structure (Kamien, 2013) – used in Kompang music is very wide.There is the use of Pukulan, which the first section is called Pukulan Mula (introduction beat), the second is called Pukulan Asas (basic beat) and the third is Pukulan Naik (ascending beat), followed by a combination of other sections including Pukulan Turun (descending beat) and Pukulan Naik. Finally the last section is identified as Pukulan Mati (ending beat). (Abdullah, 2005) There is no rule as to how many times each Pukulan has to be played; the combination of Pukulan sections is determined by the length as well as the function of the entire performance.Also, the form of Kompang pieces is also specific to the community that is performing the pieces. For exampl e, the Kompang music performed by the Kompang Ezhar community in Malaysia typically begins with a call-and-response recitation of the Selawat, a reading of a holy scripture, and then continues with the various Pukulan sections. Additionally, there are even more types of Pukulan found in various forms of dance music (Abdullah, 2005). A summary of the different Pukulan specific to the Kompang Ezhar community is shown in Figure 1 below: Figure 1: A summary of the various types of Pukulan found in the Kompang Ezhar (Abdullah, 2005)In Kompang, rhythm is mainly characterized by the interlocking of different parts divided within the Kompang ensemble. Interlocking is basically done with two or more Kompangs playing simultaneously, with one part playing the Basic beat which is usually the downbeats; another part playing the Rhythm beat which is usually the off beats; and an additional part(s) playing the Leading beat which is usually characterized by triplets or a syncopated rhythm that crea tes a unique interlocking texture specific to the Malay Kompang musical genre (Hahril, 2010).In addition, instrumentation is a musical element that is relatively fixed in Kompang; there is usually a group of Kompangs playing together, and occasionally, accompanying voice. 1. 3 Performance Context In the Singaporean context, the Malay Kompang is usually seen performed at weddings and celebratory ceremonies, or at traditional showcases. As the Kompang is usually performed in large, open spaces, it is important that it produces loud, penetrating and thundering sounds. Kompang performances are also popular at social functions like cultural festivals, dinner shows and events, as well as for the royalty (Abdullah, 2005).All these factors underscore the importance and essentiality of this unique instrument in the entire Malay community. Chapter 2: Influences on the Malay Kompang The Malay Kompang is influenced by many cultures, especially from those cultures that introduced the musical gen re into the Malay community in the early 13th century. As Malacca was ruled by different cultural groups throughout its history, the performance of Malay Kompang was also inevitably influenced by these cultures that took over the land at different points in its history. 2. 1 Arabic Influences One main influence on Kompang music is the Arabic culture and its music.In this context, it is of relevance to discuss the main hand drum that is greatly symbolic of Arabic music – the goblet drum, a large single-headed drum introduced in 1100 BCE (Sadie, 1980). Figure 2: African goblet drum The goblet drum is played either with the drum held under the player’s arm, or with the player sitting down and placing it sideways on his lap, or with the drum strapped around his neck. Similar to the Malay Kompang, it is played using only the hands. There are three main tones used. The doum (bass) tone is produced by hitting the center of the drum head with the palm.The tek (higher-pitched) is produced by hitting the edge of the drum head. The pa is a percussive effect produced by hitting the drumhead and then muting it with the palm to create a closed sound. Figure 3: Doum tone on the Arabic goblet drum Figure 4: Tek tone on the Arabic goblet drum Thus, it can be seen that the playing techniques of the Malay Kompang is somewhat derived from the playing techniques of the Arabic goblet drum – such that a higher-pitched sound is heard by tapping the side of the drum and letting the sound ring, and a lower-pitched sound is produced by hitting the middle of the drum using the palm.Although the muting percussive tone is not as established in Kompang performance techniques, this is probably due to the limitations of the Kompang in that it can only be hit with one hand and held with the other, making it hard to execute a muting effect. 2. 2 Portuguese Influences Portuguese musical elements are also evident in the music of Kompang, particularly in its repertoire. This i s not unexpected, as the Portuguese took over Malacca after its successful assault on the city in July 1511 (Leo, 2013) – leading to infiltration of Portuguese elements into the Malay culture and practices then.The main hand drum in the Portuguese tradition is the Tabor. It is a double-headed snare drum made of cylindrical wood, played with one hand. The skin heads are tightened with leather straps and rope tension (Harms, 1989). Figure 5: The Portuguese Tabor The repertoire of the Tabor is mostly military in nature and is used frequently in marching band processions. Additionally, the Tabor is commonly played together with the Portuguese pipe. The player commonly plays the pipe with his left hand and hits the drum with a wooden stick in his right hand.Portuguese pipe music is folk in nature and the rhythms played on the Tabor are accompanimental and characterized by dotted rhythm. As the musical repertoire of the Tabor is not extensive, there is little notation available. He nce a short transcription of the Tabor parts from a Portuguese Pipe and Tabor ensemble has been attempted: Figure 6: Transcription of Pipe and Tabor ensemble recording As seen from Figure 6, each of the three Tabor parts plays different rhythms, but the performance culminates in an interlocking effect such that the three different parts compliment each other’s beats of emphasis.Hence we can derive two insights regarding the Portuguese influence on the Malay Kompang – firstly, the use of the Kompang in Malay processions and weddings could be influenced by the use of the Tabor in Portuguese marching processions. Secondly, the interlocking feature in Kompang music could be taken from Portuguese Tabor ensembles and then developed to the several complex interlocking parts of today, which includes triplets and more complicated syncopation parts. 2. 3 Thai Influences Yet another cultural influence on Kompang music is Thai music.The Malays and the Siamese have had long, diplom atic contact for over half a decade during the Siamese empire of 1403 – 1909. This allowed the Malays to adapt to the Thai culture and music. Two Siamese musical forms that were of great influence to the Malay Kompang were the Wayang Siam and the Makyong (Abdullah, 2012). The Wayang Siam is essentially accompaniment to shadow puppet theatre. The form of Wayang Siam music is mostly free in nature and depends on the theatrics and drama of the performance. Characters are free to move onstage in more or less than the traditional eight-bar phrases (Baier, 1995).The Makyong musical form was primarily performed by a small ensemble of instruments used to accompany theatrical acts, and included improvised monologues and dialogues (UNESCO, 2005), underscoring the flexibility of the form. Similarly, Kompang ensembles accompany dances, weddings and processions and require a certain amount of flexibility to suit the occasion. Despite the flexibility in combination and number of repetition s of Pukulan sections played, it is not as free as the form in Wayang Siam. Nevertheless, the flexibility in form can be seen as a main influence of Wayang Siam on Kompang music. . 4 African Influences The way that the drummers in an African djembe ensemble interact musically is also of influence to the Malay Kompang. One main feature of African djembe ensemble playing is polyrhythm, in which each djembe player plays a repetitive cycle of its own accompanying rhythm which is in a different measure from the other djembe players. This creates a very unique rhythmic texture as there are different downbeats heard simultaneously with the playing of two different measures. This can be seen in the example below, depicting a polyrhythmic effect: Figure 7: Example of polyrhythmIn addition, there is usually also a solo, virtuosic part heard above all the different accompanying parts, which gives even more rhythmic variety to the music. The influence that this has on Kompang is clear in the di fferent parts that are taken on by the different players in the ensemble. However, the interlocking effect in Kompang is not as complex in that it is not as texturally thick as djembe as all the ensemble players are still playing in the same measure. Nevertheless, it still shows a very important influence that African drum music had on the Malay Kompang.In the 13th century in the Malay Archipelago, little polyrhythmic or even contrapuntal music could be found. Hence the interlocking feature of Kompang music was drawn from the polyrhythms in African djembe. Chapter 3: Future Changes in the Malay Kompang In the 21st century today when most people including those in the Southeast Asia region are exposed to popular music due to factors like technological advances and the strong wave of social media, there is inevitably a strong inclination towards fusing traditional music with pop elements.In addition, due to the increased westernization of Asian cultures, many traditional musical forms are gradually evolving into a more Westernized structure. Besides this, the culture where Kompang is performed today also has an effect on how it is performed. For example, Kompang Melayu is a modern style of playing Kompang, specifically found in Singapore (Hahrill, 2010). Based on my research and analysis, there is a strong possibility of two main directions that musical developments in Malay Kompang can take – the pop-infused style and the westernized style. 3. Pop and Media Influences Pop music is a main influence on Kompang music today. Since the 21st century, technology has allowed a growing number of people to be connected to the Internet. With today’s wireless connectivity and infiltration of social media, the immense volume of technological information sharing inevitably causes people to be influenced by songs that are literally popular – those that are accessible to the widest audience (Lamb, 2013). Elements of rock, R&B, country, disco, punk, and hip -hop have been integrated into pop music for the past few decades.The rhythmic elements in these styles have the potential to be incorporated into Kompang. In addition, the form of pop music – verse and chorus – could be another element that could possibly influence Kompang music in the future. 3. 2 Western Influences Due to increasing westernization of Southeast-Asian cultures today as well as the flourish in Western Music education that uses mainly western notation, Kompang music is more frequently notated these days. This is evident from the difficulty that cross-cultural ensembles face in rehearsing due to differences in notational practices. Ross, 2011) Western orchestras, bands and ensembles have also been introduced to the Malay culture in recent years. There could potentially be new compositions that incorporate the Kompang into the scored music. For example, percussion ensembles with Kompang as one of the instruments, or even Kompang concertos could be written in the near future as part of efforts to popularize traditional instruments. Chapter 4: Conclusion In conclusion, the Malay Kompang, although a considerably specific musical genre, is still influenced by a myriad of elements from other cultures.This is especially so with globalization today, causing homogenization of culture throughout many countries. As discussed above, Kompang music was initially influenced by Arabic, Portuguese, Thai and African musical elements. In recent years, it has started to be influenced by pop and western elements, which are mostly caused by the infiltration of media and technology, and the slow but definite westernization of Asian cultures. As such, the growth of Kompang music in ways that are characterized by today’s era can be witnessed. Bibliography Abdullah, M. H. (2005).An Organological and Ethnomusicological Study of A Malay Frame Drum. Retrieved from https://theses. ncl. ac. uk/dspace/bitstream/10443/869/1/Abdullah05. pdf Abdullah, M. H. ( 2005). ENCHANTING THE CULTURE: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AUTHENTIC KOMPANG PLAYING. Retrieved from http://www. academia. edu/380345/ENCHANTING_THE_CULTURE_AN_INTRODUCTION_TO_THE_AUTHENTIC_KOMPANG_PLAYING Abdullah, M. H. (2012). The Role of the Kompang in Malay Society. Retrieved from http://portal. unesco. org/culture/en/files/21753/10891249663abdullah. pdf/abdullah. pdf Charry, E. (2000). A Guide to the Jembe.Retrieved from http://echarry. web. wesleyan. edu/jembearticle/article. html Djembe technique | Inner Groove Percussion. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://innergroove. wordpress. com/learn-to-drum-2/djembe-technique/ Elements of Music. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://historyofmusic. tripod. com/id6. html Kompang! – SHSS ‘O' Level Music. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://shssolevelmusic. wetpaint. com/page/Kompang! Mak Yong. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 2013, from http://www. unesco. org/culture/intangible-heritage/23apa_uk. htm Matusky, P. (1995). Malaysian Shadow Play and Music: Continuity of an Oral Tradition.Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org/discover/10. 2307/1124116? uid=3738992&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21101877205913 Matusky, P. A. (2004). Music of the Percussion Ensembles. Retrieved from http://books. google. com. sg/books? id=x06nBdEkAOMC&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq=kompang+music+scores&source=bl&ots=hjI8kuVMZo&sig=uGiMpUc98bGJcM3GbIV9UH0_gB0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=f_5bUanSH8yUrgeXo4CoAQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=kompang%20music%20scores&f=false Musical Elements : Key, Musical Texture,

Should Electronic Search Devices Be Used in Airports Essay

Should Electronic Search Devices Be Used in Airports - Essay Example Contrary to the expectations of the airport crew who expected the devices to be universally accepted by the people, they have attracted a lot of criticism instead. Since the introduction of electronic search devices in airports, debates on whether the electronic devices should be used to search people have hit the roof. Some people believe that the use of electronic devices will enhance the security level in airports while others question the social ethical issues that the devices have tagged along with their use. Many airports all around the world have installed body scanners, screening wands and metal detectors that are being used to screen the travelers before they board the airplanes. The move is basically to ensure security in a bid to counter terrorism that has brought safety issues all over the world. This paper will focus on the debate on why electronic search devices should not be used in airports. Why the devices should not be used Scientists have proved that the body scann ers that are being used in airports work under electromagnetic radiation. Being subjected to electromagnetic radiation is risky to travelers with implanted electronic gadgets like implantable cardioverter defibrillators, pacemakers and neurostimulators. The recently introduced electronic search devices impel high radiations of high frequency on the body of the travelers. The radiations penetrate the clothes and are reflected back by the person’s skin to form an image of their body and whatever is in their clothes. There is no telling whether certain amounts of the radiations can penetrate through the human skin and affect implanted medical gadgets. The effect on pacemakers would be temporary disruption of output which could be fatal, hence threatening the right to life on the individuals. Different states should be compelled to protect their citizens by halting the use of these devices (Bloxham, 2010). The body scanners use advanced technology to create the exact images of th e travelers being screened. The crew in the observation rooms in the airports is able to see through travelers clothes. The images created portray the person’s naked body. They are actually able to see a revealing image of the passenger’s private parts. This is an outright invasion of personal privacy. There could even be a chance that the images formed could leak to other sources. For this, the devices should be abolished with immediate effect (Savage, 2010). Seeing that the electronic devices allow the people in the control room to view a vivid image of the passenger’s bodies, they reveal their bodily anomalies that could lead to stigmatization. For instance, a passenger could be having certain body deformations that they are very sensitive about. Revealing these body parts deformations would greatly humiliate them and it is invasive of their privacy. Even if the travelers images are kept private, the psychological effects of knowing that someone somewhere has seen their body anomalies could be too much to bear. The affected people could develop fears to travel if everywhere they go their bodies are viewed. This is an indirect violation of their right to free movement (Savage, 2010). The body scanners were introduced to replace the controversial pat-downs. The perplexing thing is the airports have moved travelers from the frying pan into

Design statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Design statement - Essay Example Financially sponsored by the universities, the website of AustraLearn is designed to promote and offer valid information about a total of 31different universities located throughout the Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific free services to interested foreign students. It also offers the prospective students not only long-term courses but also some short-term programs like a semester or a year abroad program, opportunity to participate in a high quality internship in Australia or New Zealand, the January term, or the summer abroad program. In line with this matter, the website provides the viewers the benefits of studying at each of the listed universities. It also accepts enrolment inquiries related to degree offered in each listed universities, the step-by-step application processes, financial aid, student visa, airline tickets, accommodation, etc. promoting only the different universities throughout Australia. Considering that the proposed program segregates all the Australian universities according to the geographical boundaries such as the Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania; there is a higher chance that the viewers would decide to enrol in one of the Australian universities instead of the universities located in other countries. Furthermore, the simplicity of my design might be conducted the students to choose or not Australia as preferred study destination. The goal of this project is to provide the students the opportunity to choose a university based on the standard of teaching, tuition, lodging, the distance away from home, and the courses offered in accordance to their desired future career. From the educational perspective, the program will create a democratic learning environment by giving the students the freedom and opportunity to express their own

Direct and indirect messages Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Direct and indirect messages - Assignment Example We felt fortunate for your company to install an iron gate for one of our business tenants at 921NW 23rd Ave., Portland OR 97210 six months ago; your workers were prompt and fast. Enclosed is a copy of the invoice for the said installation. However, we received a complaint on the said gate from our business tenant who complained of it struggling to open and close. Upon inspection by our management, we found out that the two doors of the gate have settled and do not march in height. The gate gets stuck, and takes too much force to open, close, and lock it.We were glad to transact with your company as it had provided us with a one year warranty for the gate should we encounter a problem with its operation. It is upon this backdrop that we kindly ask you to send your team to inspect the gate and remedy the problem as soon as possible. I would like to inquire for your rates on a retreat package for our staff on either of the following periods; January 12-16. We are a team of 55 marketing and media professionals who are interested in conference/retreat/vacation facilities for four days. They will be accompanied with their partners or significant others and thus he would like to find out if they can provide them with approximately 50 rooms. Kindly provide me with information regarding all the stated requests by September 15th and if you could offer us a discounted group rate since we might be visiting during peak times. Further, could you let me know if your hotel operates a shuttle to and from Jackson Hole airport?  

Company is Burberry clothing group PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Company is Burberry clothing group PLC - Essay Example Part of its growth strategy is to license third parties or franchise other entities to manufacture and distribute it produces under the Burberry trademark though the majority of its operations are through the mainline stores and departmental stores across the globe. There were about 70 franchise stores, 227 concession stores, 215 mainline stores and 55 outlets as of 31 March 2014 (managementtoday.co.uk/go/burberry/) The company has employed an elaborate branding strategy, dividing its operations into three distinct brands. This helps to develop brand loyalty which in turn would increase the revenue volumes of repeat sales. The second expansion strategy that has been employed is the use of the franchise away from the traditional company operated mainline stores which increase the cost of doing business. Franchising has enabled the company to have a wider physical presence with less capital needs for expansion and growth into new markets. The company has also ventured into the eCommerce selling its products online to capture the growing trend in eCommerce and reach out to even more wider clientele not just the individuals who can access their physical stores. The company’s products are mainly continuity products that have relatively short life cycles and fashion products that respond to the prevailing trends. This consequently reflect that the company must ensure it position itself uniquely and also be able to target its more trendy conscious customers. The main competitors include Gucci, Polo, Coach and Armani which are top luxury fashion brands globally (wpp.com). To achieve a competitive advantage the Burberry Company has ensured that its expansion into new and emerging markets has been slow and steady as well as increasing its product range to include even logo less apparels. The company generated revenues of  £ 2,330 million, which resulted in a net profit of  £332.4

Screening for early detection of Colorectal Cancer Research Paper

Screening for early detection of Colorectal Cancer - Research Paper Example The condition in its early stages may not be noticed by the person concerned, but can be detected in a number of ways. The United States Preventative Services Task Force recommends that every citizen aged between 50 and 75 be tested, thus prolonging the lives of 60 % of those affected. Those over this age can request a test. Detection can be done by testing stools for the presence of blood. This is done either using the chemical guaiac or by seeking for antibodies. Somewhat more invasive is a sigmoidoscopy, i.e. the lower bowel is examined using a flexible tube. A colonoscopy is a more extensive version of this, but searches the whole colon and may involve the removal of any suspicious polyps. This would normally be a follow up to other tests. In some cases a barium enema is used and the results x-rayed. In some cases a complete stool is sent for analysis. There is continued research on this topic. Pertinent issues to the delivery of healthcare raised by this topic. Because this cond ition is so prevalent in American society it is important that as much as possible to cut its incidence and severity as a life threatening condition. This can be done be early detection so that any polyps can be removed before they become cancerous. Therefore it is necessary that all those aged 50 – 70 have regular checks – perhaps every two years. If this is to be achieved the subject will need publicity, education, central organization and funding. Another area that requires public education would be in the area of diet. Americans tend to consume a high fat, high dairy food diet. Something similar to the ‘5 a day’ campaign in the United Kingdom . ... Something similar to the ‘5 a day’ campaign in the United Kingdom - that is the promotion of the idea that everyone needs to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day. ( NHS Choices , 5 a Day). Putnam, Allshouse and Kantor (2002) report a huge jump in average calorie intake within the United States over the last 25 years, this despite a recent tendency to use lower fat options. According to a report cited by Barone, (2007) those with colon cancer who ate a healthier diet, i.e. one based upon fruit, vegetables, poultry and fish, stand a better chance of total recovery than those who continue to consume lots of red meat, fats, refined carbohydrates, fat and sugar. The latter have a higher chance of the cancer recurring according to a study by Meyerhardt. Government Involvement In 2010 the NIH Consensus Development Program, part of the United States Human and Health Services, produced a statement entitled ‘Enhancing Use and Quality of Colorectal Cancer Screening.’ This document covers such things as trends in screening and how this might be improved. It considers such things as how screening can be monitored and what research is required and so indicates that this topic is one of concern to government agencies. The aim was ‘To provide health care providers, patients, and the general public with a responsible assessment of currently available data on enhancing use and quality of colorectal cancer screening.’ In 2004 the American Food and Drug Administration approved new treatment for advanced colorectal cancer. However more new treatments have since become available and require assessment and acceptance. Literature National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of

The COPPS Philosophy & The SARA Method To Solve Community Problems Assignment

The COPPS Philosophy & The SARA Method To Solve Community Problems - Assignment Example The drinking issue by underage young people also presents the environment for further crime to be committed such as robberies and assault, along with gang fights. Introduction One of the most important aspect of policing efficiently is the use of patrol units that regularly canvas the same neighborhoods on a regular basis. Officers in patrol cars or on foot patrols get to know the neighborhood and the people when they see the same places with the same people over and over again (Craven 2009). This also helps to establish relationships between the police and the people in the neighborhood and is essential when there are a rash of crimes being committed as police can go to the people and request help in reporting suspicious activity (Allen & Sawhney 2009). A good representation of this is the Neighborhood Watch team which has neighborhood members who drive or walk around neighborhoods and then call in to the police anything that looks suspicious (Hunter & Barker 2011). Utilizing the pr inciples of COPPS (Community Orientated Policing and Problem Solving) requires that the police department engage with the community and develop efficient trusting connections that will promote information gathering techniques from the community to the police department which oversees that community. This will help to promote a safer community for all where people can live and raise their families (COPPS 2013). In this example, there has been a surge in street racing of cars and other vehicles, seriously compromising the safety and security of the neighborhood. Along with this, there has also been underage drinking reported among those who have been caught, either driving these vehicles, or creating a public nuisance in various areas of the neighborhood such as the playgrounds. A program will be studied and devised to assist in eliminating these issues before there is a serious life-threatening accident, particularly to young neighborhood children when they are out playing with their friends (Allen & Sawhney 2009). Both COPPS and the SARA principles will be used in combination to create, develop and implement this program (SARA 2013; COPPS 2013). First Steps – SARA In designing a program to solve a neighborhood problem, the tools of SARA must be implemented first to begin in the information collection process of the problem. SARA is comprised of the four tools of Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment (SARA 2013). The first three tools are essential for use in information gathering and mapping the situation in order to design the response needed. The scanning of the neighborhood is important to understand layout factors, what current patrols are already in place, sorting through the reports of problems over a specific time period (a year), and then mapping these to get a visual picture of where the majority of the crimes are being committed (SARA 2013; Hunter & Barker 2011; Cordner & Scarborough 2010). If a sector presents itself as being a hot spot of activity, based on the reports analysis, then a higher level of patrol cars will be detailed to that area, particularly if it is noted that these crimes occur mainly in the late hours of the day. The analysis will also show if there is a higher volume on the weekends when young offenders are not at school and therefore, out on the

Theories of FDI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theories of FDI - Essay Example According to US, FDI is the "ownership or control of 10 percent or more of an enterprise's voting securities, or the equivalent interest in an unincorporated business" (Pustay & Griffin, 2006) Foreign Direct Investment can either be inwards or outwards. In the inwards flow, is where the foreigners take control of the host country's assets (Razin & Sadka, 2001). Governments of third world countries usually encourage such investment since it is beneficial for the country as higher currencies come in the host country. They usually give tax holidays, subsidies, low interest loans, grants, lifting of certain restrictions etc. to foreign investors to encourage them further. In the outwards flows, the residents of the host country take control of the foreign assets. This can happen through either purchasing available resources in the foreign country or by making investments in new buildings, lands and equipment in a foreign country or by leading a joint venture with a local partner in a for eign country (Razin, 2002).3. Why to opt for going abroad - An investment abroad can be to gain profits found due to lower costs, capitalize on the market opportunity or get the knowledge of host countries operations to reduce costs and increase efficiency.John Dunning, professor at the University of Reading (UK) and Rutgers University (US) provided the Eclectic theory of FDI which is also known as OLI paradigm. This paradigm is a combination of three concepts which helps to answer some of the questions asked in the preceding section. 1. Ownership Advantages The ownership advantage addresses the "WHY" question of reason for going abroad. A firm trying to go abroad either sees a market opportunity where it can gain profits or it sees a chance for it establish itself and survive in the long run. It gives firm specific advantages in either a costs cuts or higher revenues. China has emerged as a very lucrative place for investment due to lower manufacturing costs. Many of the industry giants including Sony, Honda, Apple etc. have started to manufacture their products in China after staring in Japan. Although the foreign firm (or individual) would be outsider with limited knowledge about the internal systems of the host country, the benefits resulting from the FDI will be far greater than the costs incurred to gain local market knowledge and to communicate and operate at a long distance. (Enderwick, 2005) (Dunning, 1993) (Dunning, Kogut & Blomstrom, 1990

Indian Automobile Industry Essay Example for Free

Indian Automobile Industry Essay A. Introduction The Automotive Industry in India is one of the larger markets in the world and had previously been one of the fastest growing globally, but is now seeing flat or negative growth rates. Indias passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the sixth largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 3.9 million units in 2011. According to recent reports, India overtook Brazil and became the sixth largest passenger vehicle producer in the world, grew 16 to 18 per cent to sell around three million units in the course of 2011-12. In 2009, India emerged as Asias fourth largest exporter of passenger cars, behind Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.In 2010, India beat Thailand to become Asias third largest exporter of passenger cars. As of 2010, India is home to 40 million passenger vehicles. More than 3.7 million automotive vehicles were produced in India in 2010 (an increase of 33.9%), making the country the second (after China) fastest growing automobile market in the world in that year. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, annual vehicle sales are projected to increase to 4 million by 2015, no longer 5 million as previously projected. The majority of Indias car manufacturing industry is based around three clusters in the south, west and north. The southern cluster consisting of Chennai is the biggest with 35% of the revenue share. Chennai, with the India operations of Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Mitsubishi, Nissan, BMW, Hindustan Motors, Daimler, Caparo and PSA Peugeot Citroà «n is about to begin their operations by 2014. Chennai accounts for 60% of the countrys automotive exports. The western hub near Mumbai and Pune contributes to 33% of the market. The Chakan corridor near Pune, Maharashtra is the western cluster with companies like General Motors, Volkswagen, Skoda, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Motors, Mercedes Benz, Land Rover, Jaguar Cars, Fiat and Force Motors having assembly plants in the area. Nashik has a major base of Mahindra Mahindra with a SUV assembly unit and an Engine assembly unit. Aurangabad with Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen also forms part of the western cluster. The northern cluster around the National Capital Region contributes 32% of the Indian market. Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana form the northern cluster where the countrys largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki is based. Another emerging cluster is in the state of Gujarat with manufacturing facility of General Motors in Halol and further planned for Tata Nano at their plant in Sanand. Ford, Maruti Suzuki and Peugeot-Citroen plants are also set to come up in Gujarat. Kolkata with Hindustan Motors, Noida with Honda and Bangalore with Toyota are some of the other automotive manufacturing regions around the country. B. Major Players The Major Market Players C. Product Segmentation While there are multiple ways of segmenting this industry like based on price and engine size but the most prevalent and the official method is based on dimension. i.e. the length of the vehicle under consideration. A1 Segment Mini – Up to 3400mm (M800, Nano) A2 Segment Compact – 3401 to 4000mm (Alto, wagon r, Zen,i10,A-star,Swift,i20,palio,indica etc) A3 Segment – Midsize – 4001 to 4500mm (Manza, City, Sx4, Dzire, Logan, Accent, Fiesta, Verna etc) A4 Segment Executive – 4501 to 4700mm (Corolla, civic, C class, Cruze, Optra, Octavia etc) A5 Segment Premium – 4701 to 5000mm (Camry, E class, Accord, Sonata, Laura, Superb etc) A6 Segment – Luxury – Above 5000mm (Mercedes S class, 5 series etc) B1 Segment Van – Omni, Versa, Magic etc B2 Segment MUV/MPV – Innova, Tavera, Sumo etc SUV Segment CRV, Vitaraetc While it is easy for SIAM to segment the vehicles as per dimensions but for consumers, it becomes a tad difficult. This is primarily because of the widely varying / spread out prices of the vehicles. A 2 segment, as per the above criterion, will range between 3 lakhs to 7 lakhs. And A 3 will be between 4.5 to 9 lakhs. Such wide variation in prices has distorted the image of segments in the minds of consumers. Hence, for simplicity purposes, a different segmentation has cropped up. The details are as follows:- A Segment – Approximately below 3.5 lakhs Alto, Eon, Nano, Spark, 800 B 1 Segment – Hatchback largely below 6 lakhs – Wagon R, Indica, Beat, Santro, A Star, Micra, Estilo B 2 Segment – Hatchback majorly below 7.5 lakhs – Swift, I 10, I 20, Ritz, Figo, Polo, Liva, Vista, Jazz, Punto, Brio, Fabia, Pulse, Aveo UVA C 1 Segment – Sedan below 8 lakhs – Dzire, Indigo, Etios, Sunny, Fiesta Classic, Verito, Accent, Ambassador, Aveo C 2 Segment – Sedan below 9.5 lakhs – Linea, Manza, Verna, Rapid, Vento, City, SX 4, Verna New, Optra D 1 Segment Premium Sedan below 15 lakhs – Corolla, Civic, Cruze, Laura, Jetta, Fluence D 2 Segment – Luxury Sedan below 25 lakhs– Superb, Passat, Accord, Camry, Sonata, Teana, Kizashi B1 Segment Van – Omni, Versa, Magic etc B2 Segment MUV/MPV – Innova, Tavera, Sumo etc SUV Segment CRV, Vitaraetc If we analyze the 1st Quarter of 2012-13, then total vehicle sales has been around 6.32 lakh units. The hatchback segments has totaled to 56% of the entire passenger car sales in India. This comes to 355857 units. This clearly shows the popularity of smaller cars in the Indian market. Alto continues to be the top selling brand with 17422 in July. It is followed by Swift (11421) and Wagon R (9582) – all Maruti brands. This is an indication of how well the Maruti team has understood the Indian market. i 10, I 20, Nano, Beat, Figo, Santro Polo are some of the high selling models in these segments and these models continue to clock more than 3000 units monthly. Nano has been a disappointment so far with huge expectations but it is showing some kind of resilience off late. As a segment, the Utility segment is showing the maximum growth. In fact, this segment has outclassed the other popular segments of A, B 1 B 2. With 128110 units under its hood in the 1st quarter, the segment is definitely making some good progress. Maruti’sErtiga, Mahindra’s XUV 500 Bolero has been instrumental in pushing the volumes of this segment. Innova and Omni too are raking in good numbers. What has been disappointing is the performance from the Tata Motors stable Venture, Safari and Sumo have been showing steady decline in the numbers per se but definitely possess huge potential to challenge the other models. Among the sedans, Maruti Dzire continues to lead the pack. With 11413 numbers in July, it is way ahead of its next model Verna (5300). The iconic models of City, Linea, SX4 have been showing consistent under growth and seriously calls for some introspection by their respective manufacturers. Vento Rapid also showed some slack but given the aggression of VW and Nissan, it wont be long before they start to pull in good numbers. Tata’s Indigo and Manza were on a slightly negative terrain all these months but somehow the trend has been reversed in July. 6816 for these 2 models augurs well for the company. D. Indian Automobile Industry : Barriers to Entry (and Exit) Barriers to entry (or, BTE) are anything that hinders the movement of firms into an industry. That is, BTE reduce or eliminate the entry of new businesses into an industry. Sometimes BTE can be almost insurmountable: no new firms can enter an industry. Other times BTE can slow down the entry of new firms: new firms appear but only slow. Very low BTE, however, means that new firms can enter the industry relatively rapidly. What can act as a BTE ? 1. Amount of capital The amount of capital required to enter the auto industry is in billions of dollars. So, very few outsiders can ever hope to enter the industry. This major financial requirement services as a significant barrier to entry for many industries. The auto manufacturing industry is considered to be highly capital and labor intensive. The major costs for producing and selling automobiles include: * Labor While machines and robots are playing a greater role in manufacturing vehicles, there are still substantial labor costs in designing and engineering automobiles * Advertising Each year automakers spend billions on print and broadcast advertising, furthermore, they spent large amounts of money on market research to anticipate consumer trends and preferences 2. Limited capacity of parts suppliers Existing parts suppliers have downsized their operations to the point that they do not have excess capacity. 3. Competition There are already significant numbers of well established competitors. 4.Government regulations The stringent regulations regarding safety, design, emission standards and fuel efficiency may sometimes act as a deterrent. 5. Patent protection laws This may prevent the use of certain innovations at low cost. 6. Marketing Marketing a new brand can be difficult and very expensive. 7. Economies of scale Economies of scale give large producers a significant cost advantage over small rivals. Where a firm has grown very large and significant economies of scale exist, they can have cost competitiveness. New entrants generally start small and therefore, have much higher unit production costs than the giant firms. These new, small entrants find it nearly impossible to survive against the large rival because they just can’t be price competitive given their much larger unit production costs. 8. Entry-deterring behavior A firm can protect itself from competition by deliberately acting in a way that convinces potential competitors not to enter the industry. Some firms spend huge amounts of money on advertising to keep new rivals from starting up business. Or, firms can act exceedingly aggressive if faced with new competition by perhaps starting a major price war every time a new competitor enters their market. Lawsuits against new rivals have been used to drive them out of business or to, at the very least, raise the cost of entering the business to very high levels. 9. Knowledge and Technology Ideas and Knowledge that provides competitive advantage over others when patented prevent others from using it and thus creates barrier to entry. For eg. TATA motors have great knowledge/ experience in the automobile industry and have renowned technological advantage because of the recent acquisition and mergers. 10. Product Differentiation and Cost Advantage The new product has to be different and attractive to be accepted by the customers. Attractiveness can be measured in the terms of the features, price etc. For an entrant to attain this, it requires lot of effort as compared to an established player. TATA Nano is an example where till now, no new entrant has entered as a competitor. Barriers to Exit: Obstacles or impediments that prevent a company from exiting a market. A company may decide to exit a market because it is unable to capture market share or turn a profit or for some other reason altogether. High barriers to exit might force it to continue competing in the market. The factors that may form a barrier to exit include: 1. High investment in non-transferable fixed assetsThis is particularly common for manufacturing companies that invest heavily in capital equipment which is specific to one task. 2. High redundancy costsIf a company has a large number of employees, employees with high salaries, or contracts with employees which stipulate high redundancy payments (layoff costs), then the firm may face significant cost if it wishes to leave the market. 3. Other closure costs. Contract contingencies with suppliers or buyers and any penalty costs incurred from cutting short tenancy agreements. 4. Potential upturn Firms may be influenced by the potential of an upturn in their market that may reverse their current financial situation. 5. Government policies In India, the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 puts restrictions on employers in the matter of reducing excess staff by retrenchment, by closure of establishments and the retrenchment process involved lot of legalities and complex procedures. Also, any plans of retrenchment and reduction of staff and workforce are subjected to strong opposition by trade unions. E. Role of Non-Pricing Competition Non-price competition refers to firms competing with one another not in terms of reducing the price to attract consumers instead, in form of brand name, advertising, packaging, free home- delivery, free service, sponsorship deals and so on. These are the different forms of non-price competition. The main aim of non-price competition is product development. As products are differentiated in monopolistic competition, to prove and show how ones product is superior than others- colour, appearance, packaging, skill level etc. It is been done to create an inelastic demand for the product. Following parameters can be used for competition instead of reducing cost: Quality: If consumers must choose between two products of the same price but they can see that one is of a higher quality, they generally pick the product of higher quality. In this way, if a firm can figure out how to produce an item at a cost comparable to what its competitor charges but make it of higher quality, that firm may be able to steal the market from its competitor. Now in case of automobiles, within a given price range people generally don’t comprise with the quality aesthetics. For example : Recalls of vehicles sold. Recently, Honda Cars India Ltd recalled 42,672 units of second generation Honda City cars manufactured in 2007 and 2008 to replace their power window switch. HCIL carried out preventive part replacement of power window switch. The company is proactively replacing Power Window Switch which may malfunction in case water or any other liquid enters the driver side window. Honda Cars India is carrying out the part replacement as part of a global exercise by Honda Motor Company to ensure stringent quality standards for its products. However, a problem with this approach is that it may take some time for consumers to realize any difference in quality. Perception and Branding: In some cases, little possibility of quality differentiation exists between two products. However, the long-term sustainability of such an approach may be difficult because, as such brand advantages arise through consumer trends, consumer trends may also lead to their demise. We can take example of Hyundai’s Eon and Maruti’s Alto 800. Maruti being a well-known brand it was difficult for Hyundai Eon to compete with it. Hyundai India offers its Eon fleet within a price bracket of Rs. 2.8 to Rs. 3.8 lakhs in the country. Maruti Suzuki has pitched its Alto 800 models with a slightly humble pricing falling in the range starting from Rs. 2.4 lakhs that goes on till Rs. 3.6 lakhs in the Indian auto market. Sales Comparision between Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon Source: http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/car-nama/2012/07/13/alto-vs-eon-eight-months-on/ Product Design: In some cases, firms may compete by changing the design of their products to make them more appealing without significantly changing production costs or quality levels. Such a strategy can prove effective at stealing business from competitors, but it can also backfire, because it can cause the company to alienate its existing consumers, who may be knowingly choosing the existing design over other products with different designs specifically because it appeals to their tastes. Product Differentiation: Not all consumers are the same. By offering a range of similar products geared toward different market sectors, firms can expand their market base. However, such product differentiation can result in significantly higher overhead costs for production. For example every model has variants in following aspects: Fuel used (petrol, diesel, LPG, CNG) Cost varients (low end to high end with addition of features like sunroof, airbags etc.) Model| Price (INR)| Mileage| Volkswagon Vento PetorlTrendline| 7,29,000| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Comfortline| 7,75,805| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Style Limited Edition| 8,10,805| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Trendline| 8,44,000| 20.54| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Highline| 8,74,805| 15.04| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Comfortline| 8,90,805| 20.54| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Style Limited Edition| 9,25,805| 20.54| Volkswagon Vento Petrol Highline AT| 9,74,805| 14.4| Volkswagon Vento Diesel Highline| 9,89,805| 20.54| Sales Structure: When two firms are competing with similar products, one may be able to enjoy more market share and a deeper level of penetration due to a more effective and aggressive sales structure. By engaging in direct sales, firms can appeal to prospective buyers who otherwise would not feel compelled to buy due to advertising or other kinds of marketing. Multilevel marketing is one way in which firms rapidly build their consumer base. However, by turning buyers into sellers as well, such schemes may require significantly higher prices. A typical supply chain in Indian Automobile Industry Source: ImaginMor, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation The description and the role of each of the contributors to the supply chain are discussed below. Third Tier Suppliers: These companies provide basic products like rubber, glass, steel, plastic and aluminium to the second tier suppliers. Second Tier Suppliers: These companies design vehicle systems or bodies for First Tier Suppliers and OEMs. They work on designs provided by the first tier suppliers or OEMs. They also provide engineering resources for detailed designs. Some of their services may include welding, fabrication, shearing, bending etc. First Tier Suppliers: These companies provide major systems directly to assemblers. These companies have global coverage, in order to follow their customers to various locations around the world. They design and innovate in order to provide â€Å"black-box† solutions for the requirements of their customers. Black-box solutions are solutions created by suppliers using their own technology to meet the performance and interface requirements set by assemblers. First tier suppliers are responsible not only for the assembly of parts into complete units like dashboard, breaks-axel-suspension, seats, or cockpit but also for the management of second-tier suppliers. Automakers/Vehicle Manufacturers/Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs): After researching consumers’ wants and needs, automakers begin designing models which are tailored to consumers’ demands. The design process normally takes five years. These companies have manufacturing units where engines are manufactured and parts supplied by first tier suppliers and second tier suppliers are assembled. Automakers are the key to the supply chain of the automotive industry. Examples of these companies are Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, and Honda. Innovation, design capability and branding are the main focus of these companies. Dealers: Once the vehicles are ready they are shipped to the regional branch and from there, to the authorised dealers of the companies. The dealers then sell the vehicles to the end customers. Parts and Accessory: These companies provide products like tires, windshields, and air bags etc. to automakers and dealers or directly to customers. Service Providers: Some of the services to the customers include servicing of vehicles, repairing parts, or financing of vehicles. Many dealers provide these services but, customers can also choose to go to independent service providers. The increased usage of IT at different tiers of the supply chain is on the increase in all the companies in India. An important finding that emerged from the findings was that the integration of supply chain is being done at all the cities in the country i rrespective of the market share. F. Key Developments in Indian Auto Sector Major Developments Investments * Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd is expecting to sell over 60 per cent more units this year on the back of the launch of its upgraded small car Nissan Micra * Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) exported its first lot of 64 Fuso trucks manufactured at its Oragadam plant in Chennai. * Mahindra USA, a subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra (MM), will set up an assembly and distribution centre, expanding one of the four tractor facilities in North America, by January 2014 * The Japan-based automobile manufacturer Isuzu Motors local subsidiary Isuzu Motors India has entered into an agreement with Hindustan Motors (HM) for contract manufacturing of Isuzu SUVs and pickup trucks * A year after introducing the popular MINI range of cars in India, luxury car maker BMW has started local production of MINI Countryman at its facility in Chennai * New Holland Fiat India plans to invest Rs 1,100 crore (US$ 184.56 million) to set up a new green-field plant in Maharashtra and also to increase its tra ctor manufacturing capacity by 50 per cent in the next three years * Hero MotoCorp has bought a 49.2 per cent stake in its US-based technology partner Erik Buell Racing (EBR) for US$ 25 million. This is Hero MotoCorps first-ever equity purchase in an overseas company. Also, Hero MotoCorp has entered into the African continent with launch of its brand and products in Kenya, where it has also set up an assembly unit. The company has also partnered with Ryce East Africa to sell its two-wheelers in the country * Daimler is developing its Indian commercial vehicle operations as an export hub. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) will export locally assembled trucks from the conglomerates Mitsubishi Fuso range in 15 markets in Asia and Africa. Government Initiatives The Government of India plans to introduce fuel-efficiency ratings for automobiles to encourage sale of cars that consume less petrol or diesel, as per Mr. Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. The Union Budget 2013-14 announced by Mr. P Chidambaram, the Union Finance Minister, Government of India, in the Parliament on February 28, 2013, had a few add-ons for the industry. The analysis by Deloitte on the Union Budget highlighted the following: * The period of concession available for specified part of electric and hybrid vehicles till April 2013 has been extended upto March 31, 2015 * The basic customs duty (BCD) on imported luxury goods such as high-end motor vehicles, motor cycles, yachts and similar vessels was increased. The duty was raised from 75 percent to 100 percent on Cars / motor vehicles (irrespective of engine capacity) with CIF value more than US$ 40,000; from 60 percent to 75 percent on motorcycles with engine capacity of 800cc or more and on yachts and similar vessels from 10 percent to 25 percent * In addition, an increase in excise duty from 27 to 30 per cent has been allowed for SUVs with engine capacity exceeding 1,500 cc, while excise duty was decreased from 80 to 72 per cent, in case of SUVs registered solely for taxi purposes * An exemption from BCD on lithium ion automotive battery for manufacture of lithium ion battery packs for supply to manufacturers of hybrid and electric vehicles * The excise duty on chassis of diesel motor vehicles for transport of goods reduced from 14 per cent to 13 per cent Moreover, the Government of India allows 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the automotive industry through automatic route. The Government also plans to accelerate the supply of electric vehicles over the next eight years. It is expected that there will be a demand for 5-7 million electricity-operated vehicles by 2020. The contribution of automotive sector in the gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to double, reaching a turnover worth US$ 145 billion in 2016, with special focus on export of small cars, MUVs, two three wheelers and auto components, as per the Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2006-2016. Road Ahead Global and Indian manufacturers are focusing their efforts to develop innovative products, technologies and supply chains in the industry. Car makers are launching a slew of car models, mostly compact SUVs, in the coming months. The automobile body SIAM expects the launches to be able to brighten the market. Lastly, the vision of AMP 2006-2016 sees India, â€Å"to emerge as the destination of choice in the world for design and manufacture of automobiles and auto components with output reaching a level of US$ 145 billion; accounting for more than 10 per cent of the GDP and providing additional employment to 25 million people by 2016.† G. Major Challenges and Suggested Measures Challenges: 1. Strong decline in economic growth- * It affects the consumer buying behavior- Buyers driven by fear of job loss, moved aggressively to increase their rate of saving. At the same time, high cost and growing longevity of motor vehicles prompted buyers to postpone purchases that they might have otherwise made. * Freezing of credit markets meant cancelledorders, unpaid supplier invoices, and ‘temporarily’ shuttered plants. * High excise duty- 12 % for sub 4 meters cars and 24 % for over 4 meters cars. * High interest rates as well as difficulty to obtain loans for purchase. 2. Duplicate spare parts- Indian market has always suffered from duplicate products and cheap counterfeits. This puts pressure on OEMs to reduce the prices and compete with these cheaper counterfeits. According to the study conducted by market research agency nielson co with acma, 41 % of total spare parts belong to OEMs and OESes, 23 % belong to imported segment and 36 % are duplicate. 3. Lack of infrastructure- Lack of proper road infrastructure, resulting into heavy Traffic has become major concern in most of the cities in India. Parking problem, parking cost adds to it. Bad roads, Bad drivers on road further add to the problem. 4. Availability of skilled man-power- As per data published by NSDC(National Skill Development Corporation), automobile sector in India is going to face a shortfall of 35 million skilled manpower by 2022. Limited availability of skilled manpower is bound to pose a great challenge to the positive growth of the Indian automotive manufacturing industry. 5. High Ownership cost- Small car sales are likely to fall by a couple of percentage points in 2013-14 due to continued uncertainty over income growth, high fuel costs arising from a deprecating rupee and still relatively high inflation.Diesel cars will lose their sheen, particularly in the small car segment, due to the gradual deregulation of diesel prices and the expected fall in petrol prices. 6. IR related issues- The $73 billion automobile sector has witnessed abhorrent industrial unrest in the recent 5 years with disputes in Maruti Suzuki, Hero Honda, Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India, Rico,Hyundai, Ashok Leyland, MRF, Apollo Tyres, Sona Koyo and Toyota Kirloskar Motors Ltd. Thissector, to generate double revenue needs a flexible workforce of 25 million with an amicableatmosphere to hire and fire workers to cope with the cyclical swings in demand for cars, trucksand bikes but the archaic labour laws governing employment of contract labour has fan thesetensions. This speculates the lack of efficient implementation machinery. Industrial unrestsaccompanying murders of the executives have also been committed in 2-3 instances recently,demonstrating the urging to address the issue by the social partners. 7. Global competition— Competition will only increase in the years to come, as more international players enter India and the pace of innovation accelerates. This would elevate both RD and selling and distribution costs, thereby impacting margins. Despite these headwinds, India would continue to remain an attractive market, as volumes across segments are projected to grow at a five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 10 per cent. Suggested Measures India has a very low car penetration about 10 per 1000. This number is expected to become 382 by 2025, this means that there is plenty of room to each automobile giant to grow in Indian market without affecting the volume of other competitors. Few of the following suggested measures may have a bounce back effect on the Indian Automobile Industry; 1. Friendly government policies: Tax benefits for RD development and Skill related investments, subsidies for hybrid vehicles are the measures if taken can boost the Indian automobile sector. Similarly extension of 200 % weighted deduction of R D expense under income tax law andweighted deduction of 150 % for expenditure in skill development by industries seem to be positive steps towards the cause. 2. Healthy Industrial Relations through better contract worker policies: As in most of the developed countries thecontract workers are covered under the social security provisions and are paid at par with the permanent workers. Such transparent policies may definitely promote positive industrial relations and foster industrial growth. 3. Technology up gradation measures-Automobile industry is slowing down, but at the same time we are seeing long waiting periods for new launches, which means people are no longer going for same old trusty brands and models and want more value for their money. Which gives me hopes that if Auto makers focus on launching more new models and more global launches they will surely find customers. 4. Promoting Hybrid vehicles or better fuel efficiency—To counter the problems of high fuel prices, it’s the need of the hour to develop higher fuel efficient products and also the products running on alternative fuel to decrease the ownership cost. For this concession on import duty on specified parts of hybrid vehicles are necessary. Stringent laws and strict exercise to eliminate spurious auto-spare part business. 5. Ensuring easy loan availabilityThe industry should also approach the banks and NBFCs for better and easier loan availability to the car buyers. 100% finance and lower EMI with longer loan tenure will definitely help.

What Goals I Plan to Accomplish Through a College Education Essay Example for Free

What Goals I Plan to Accomplish Through a College Education Essay Succeeding through failure What is the true meaning of success? Life has its difficulties and everybody experiences success and failure. But what is success what do we categorize as a failure? Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. Winston Churchill To most people, success means achieving a goal. What success means to me is being the best I can be. What makes me a successful person? To be a successful person you must be a great leader. There’s probably nothing more difficult than being a great leader. It’s easy to be selfish, it’s easy to only be concerned with your needs, your wants and your desires. But to succeed you have to lead! When you lead, you will succeed. The term successful can have a number of meanings for different people. For some a successful person is a person who earns a lot of money in their job, or maybe success might be found in a person with a purpose to succeed. To most people success can mean the gaining of fame, not for you but for others. Whether we succeed or not will mostly be a result of our own work towards our goals. Success doesn’t always have to be about gaining power or fame it can mean doing what you have plan, getting things done for you . Different paths to success, Success is a term we are comforted with every day. Positive thinking is one way to become successful. Depending on your personality and attitude towards life and work, there are several ways to achieve success. A different path to success is help from others. Some people benefit a lot from teamwork and working together with others instead of alone. Another approach to success is hard work. A hard-working person dedicates his or her life to achieving his or her goals in order to be successful. Personally I work better when I’m in groups so that I hear everyone’s point of view, but I know I don’t need anyone to help me succeed in life or wh at I plan to do. According to Adapt, â€Å"Success comes through rapidly fixing our mistakes rather than getting things right first time. Confidence is the companion of success.† If you don’t believe in your abilities and what you can do, don’t be surprised if no one else will either. Your negative thoughts about yourself send a  signal throughout the world that others pick up on and respond that’s what I have to tell myself when I think I can’t do anything. But when you believe in yourself and know that you can do anything you set your mind to, people pick up that signal, and they will treat you according to how they believe you should be treated. What can I do in order to become successful? What exactly makes me achieve great success in life? Success can be achieved within different areas of life. It is important to have achievement of success right in front of you. Success is like preparation. To succeed, you must be ready when opportunity comes. Spend your time preparing for success, when your opportunity comes, you’ll be very happy you prepared. Not a lot of people look at the true meaning of success. You may see someone rich or famous and think they are successful. Often you will read about a star that has overdosed on drugs or is involved in a messy divorce. They will sometimes get themselves committed to a rehab facility or something worse. That does not sound like success to me. I was reading this article on one of the most richest men in Canada. He was also one of the most miserable. He was so afraid of people trying to take advantage of him that he never let anyone close. He died alone. I don’t think he knew the true meaning of success. â€Å"Failure is not an option, to many in our success-driven society, failure isn’t just considered a non-option—it’s deemed a deficiency, says Kathryn Schulz, author of Being Wrong. â€Å"The quickest road to success is to possess an attitude towa rd failure of ‘no fear,’ † says Heath. â€Å"To do their work well, to be successful and to keep their companies competitive, leaders and workers on the front lines need to stick their necks out a mile every day. They have to deliver risky, edgy, breakthrough ideas, plans, presentations, advice, technology, products, leadership, bills and more. And they have to deliver all this fearlessly—without any fear whatsoever of failure, rejection or punishment.† I think what she means by that is to achieve your personal best, to make the impossible possible what I’ve always heard, you can’t fear failure, you must push yourself. Here are some examples where you can be successful. Family, friends, work, community, also mankind, environment, martial things and yourself. To be truly successful in each of these examples you need to be balanced. Set a goal to equal the important ones, just try not to ignore any of them. When trying to accomplish your goals your have to take risk. You’ve  got to keep finding better ways to run your life, or someone will take what you’ve accomplished. Keep moving forward is what I tell myself when I’m faced with something hard every day. When it comes to failing, our egos are our own worst enemies. As soon as things start going wrong, we are on defense mode .It seems to be the hardest thing in the world to admit we’ve made a mistake and try to fix it. It requires you to challenge you own thinking .No one wants to fail everyone wants to succeed in everything. Being able to recognize a failure just means that you’ll be able to change it into something more likely to succeed, wise women told me. One tip I can give on how to survive failure is to expect it before it happens. Dont get me wrong, Im not encouraging negative thinking. Theres a difference between expecting failure to happen and not reaching for your dreams and expecting failures and becoming ready to face it so you can reach for your dreams. What Im talking about is we can read about the lives of successful people. So theres no use in denying it. Instead, if we are aiming to succeed, we must expect and accept the reality that failures will come and we must take it as it is. So ask yourself this what is the true meaning of success, what is success what do we categorize as a failure? Work cited page www.news.google.com/newspapers?nid1915dat=19130417 www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adapt [emailprotected]

Biometric Applications for Information Security

Biometric Applications for Information Security Chapter 1 1 .0 Introduction In recent times, the use of computer towards accessing information has increased and this has made our lives simplified in different ways, whereby easing people around the globe to communicate and share information. Due to this growing computer technology, the need for an improved network service which involves public accessing these devices is to be put in place. Generally, this advancement in knowledge towards the use of modernised technology has lead to the investigating and unveiling of new threats to computer system security which affects the todays organisations. From my research carried out it has been noticed that most organisations are in search of better means of improving their information security system, and also a cost effective means towards safeguards against fraud and impersonation .As we all know that data protection is a valuable resource which must be kept strictly, controlled and managed properly in an organisation. In the nutshell, the term security basically referred to as the protection and guidance of a system from unauthorised access, be it intentional or accidentally, irrespective of the service provided by the database management system. This work will generally involve the use of keystroke dynamics as a means of establishing a unique identity, which will be used as an additional measure towards enhancing information/data security in an organisation (e.g. Banks, Institutions, legislative departments, finance houses, production firms etc). This unique identity will help present a safeguard towards authenticating the acces s to computers by recognizing an individual based on his stored features i.e. mouse movement, keyboard application, typing rhythm etc. The protection of an information database system at all level in an organisational system, has over the years become an essential concern, this is as a result of different type of threats and unauthorised advances made by malicious individuals. Many organisations, over the years gone ahead towards the development and adoption of a stronger web-based services of computer controls, because from my research I gathered that information and transaction worth fortunes are been dealt with on a daily basis and the organisation has to ensure its protection by all means. Because any breach of security will lead to fatal destruction of the system. During my report it was noticed that in most organisational application, the access to information database system where usually restricted through the use of a login ID/password protection scheme. This has been in place for years and if by any means this scheme is breached, and then the organisations information is generally exposed towards any possi ble fraudulent misuse. During my research work I gathered that, hardware based security managed systems has a positive impact towards the reduction of unauthorised access by imposter. According to â€Å"David Zhang and Anil Jain† 2006, in there book â€Å"Advance biometric† it stated that acceptance rate is still study dependent and the results indicate that the false acceptance ratio (FAR) is still on the order of 5%, beyond the acceptable risk level of many organizations, considering the costs in terms of hardware and training time. In the nutshell it will be said that security and database plays an important role in all areas where computers are used, including business, electronic commerce, engineering, medicine, law, library science and many lot of more fields. I would like to give a brief definition of what database is all about and its surrounding topics on which we will deal with as we proceed on the project work. Generally, database can be said to be a cart where information are stored, updated and retrieved, it is a very important part of everyday life, and has to be secured from utterances. The term Biometric said to be gotten from the combination of the Greek words ‘Bios, which means life, and ‘Metrikos which is said to be measuring. This technology is said to be the ability to identify an individual based on their unique characteristic, which can either be physiologically (passive) or behavioural (active) characteristic mode of identification. Over the years it has been notice that one of the most secured and effective means of authenticating and identifying an individual involves the verification of their personal unique characteristic. This is sometimes usually done in conjunction with a PIN or token (known as multi-factor authentication) also by users name and password. One of the proper ways of managing biometric secured information database includes its registration, storage, and verification which is known as â€Å"Biometric Identity Management†. However, from research Information security is known to be one of the fastest growing areas in the IT world, and its efficiency is to be assured by minimising exposure to external and internal attacker. â€Å"Enhancing information security using keystroke dynamics (Behavioural Biometrics) as an additional measure in organisations† as my research topic was brought to light. This research report is basically aimed at reviewing information database security system and the use of keystroke biometric towards security enhancement, where by reviewing the effective implementation, design and management of information system in organisation, and protecting it from intruder. Also it will clearly highlight on the pros and cons of traditional means compared to biometrics means of application. I will strictly focus on keystroke biometrics, which is a human behavioural biometric whereby need for any form of physiological attribute, is not needed. This study (Information security and biometric application) will be place into the following stages: (Nanavati. S, (2002), Von Solms S.H (2000)) Identification and authentication An individual been identified and authenticated; Authorisation Being authorised to use certain resources; Confidentiality Ensuring confidential information i.e. data or software, stays confidential and accessible only to authorised individuals; Integrity Making sure only authorised individuals can change the content of data or software; Non-denial Ensuring that an individual cannot deny the authorisation of a transaction (e.g. in Banks), like changing the content of data. The deployment of Biometrics and the above stages will require a solid understanding of the technology and why it is been deployed, its mode of function, performance and accuracy will be looked into and analysed. Also the choice of which biometric application to use depends highly on the intended application of the system, here are some of the biometric applications in existence today: finger print; face recognition, hand geometry and iris recognition etc. Some of these biometric features are applied in areas like, time and attendance systems, voters registration, immigration and border control, access control, computer security, and financial firms. This project research work will involve a practical part of the application and to achieve the aims successfully, the following objective will be put into consideration. Objectives: Presenting details of biometric applications for information security purposes. Comprehensive review on information security threat, breaches, awareness solutions and discussing case studies on its effect on organisational system. Building / implementing a keystroke access database application. Critically analyse and evaluate the impact of the design keystroke enable database(Pros and Cons) To conclude on findings and recommendation for future developments of information security system. 1.1 Why the Study and Goals The scope of this study is to present, review and analyse problems which are been faced in organisations information security, where by been able to create and suggest a means of securing sensitive information from external sources and mostly internal sources. In recent times from information gathered it has been found that most security breaches /threat in organisations have been linked to internal sources. Here I will recommend a keystroke biometric application in organisations which are known to have a friendly environment between member of staff and the easy of sharing personal details, are on the high side. Generally I am not saying there are no securities measures in organisations to curb these intrusions, but as earlier mentioned most of these leakages are carried out by internal sources. But most organisations make use of traditional login process (user names and password, chip and pin). Alternatives to password-based authentication, keystroke biometric can either be used as an additional measure or replace the traditional method, this can help identify intruded and access are denied. A special focus will be on keystroke dynamics, in which firstly, the goal is to verbalize requirements which these alternative authentication schemes need to satisfy. After reviewing the alternative methods from a security and usability point of view, the result should be to answer the question whether the presented schemes is capable of being alternatives to password-based authentication mechanisms or not. 1.2 Related Studies. In the past and at present a lot of studies and researches is been carried out, in regards to users identification, verification and authentication, with their respective ways of securing information system. Keystroke dynamics was first introduced in the early 1980s as a method for identifying the individuality of a given sequence of characters entered through a traditional computer keyboard (R. Gaines, W. Lisowski, S. ). Keystroke dynamics originated from studies of the typing patterns exhibited by users when entering text into a computer using a standard keyboard. Researches in this field focused on the keystroke pattern in terms of keystroke duration and keystroke latencies. Evidence from preliminary studies indicated that typing patterns were sufficiently unique and easily distinguishable from one another, much like a persons written signature (R. Gaines, W. Lisowski, S., R. Joyce and G. Gupta ).Here are some studies which have been carried out towards information security such a s that conducted by â€Å"Arwa Al-Hussain (2008)†, â€Å"Biometric-based Authentication Security†, â€Å"Saleh Bleha†, â€Å"Charles Slivinsky†, and â€Å"Bassam Hussein†: â€Å"Computer-access security systems using keystroke dynamics†, â€Å"R. Joyce and G. Gupta†: User authorization based on keystroke latencies. And also â€Å"Revett, K. and Khan, A†, 2005, carried out a research on Enhancing login security using keystroke hardening and keyboard griddling. But In my research work I will look into all aspect of biometric applications in regards to keystroke dynamic application and it suitability towards detecting intruders trying to gain access into a database information system. 1.3 Problem Statement In this research which is to attempt the implementation of keystroke biometric and mouse application as a security measures towards preventing the gaining of access to sensitive data from unauthorised individual in organisation, also to prevent password sharing and identity theft from within and outside the organisation. To be able to achieve this, I will be looking into the different types of biometrics and the added advantage presented by keystroke biometrics in relation to cost and easy of application. Finally I will not neglect the difficulties that may be encountered towards the successful achievement and completion of this research, also all necessary steps will be taken to have a conclusive project work. 1.4 Outline of Dissertation Topics and Organisation The other part of this paper work is organised and subdivided in the following pattern. Chapter 2 will focus more on the in-depth of Biometrics application, the benefits of biometrics compared to traditional authentication methods, advantages and disadvantages of the different identification mechanism ,it challenges and effect on todays society and finally the different types of biometrics. Chapter 3 will concentrate on the information security issues, social engineering and security solutions presented by biometrics enhanced system. In Chapter 4 an in-depth analysis of the keystroke biometrics will be look into and its application towards information security. Chapter 5 will concentrate mainly on implementation of keystroke biometrics, a demonstration of its design application and functions, towards security enhancement and also user acceptability survey on the application mode will be analysed. Finally in chapter 6 I will conclude on findings and recommendation for future developme nts of information security system. Chapter 2: 2.0 Introduction: From my research it has been gathered that access to most organisation‘s computer systems which content various information are done by using authentication and identification means. The commonly used security approach towards identification and authentication is by â€Å"login process†, which involves the users ID and password. This has been in use for years towards the verification of a person trying to gain access to a computer information system. This mode of security approach has over the years been a big problem to most organisations security management system, as a result where workers could routinely share passwords with one another, sometimes forgetting their passwords or stored them in places which they could be easily seen by other people. This has lead to the level of security breaches, threats and fraudulent transaction increasing to a disturbing state, due to this the need for highly secure identification and personal verification technologies is being sear ched for. From researches carried out it has been found that biometric authentication can solve some of these problems, whereby help in reducing this growing security threat to a minimal level. Another importance of biometrics is its ability to improve the usability of a system since the person in use does not need to remember his or her passwords when trying to gain access to the information system. Biometrics as we know is not a new discovery to the world at large this has been in existence, during the BC and AD, just that of present more attention is been shown towards biometrics and its applications. 2.1 Why Biometrics Applications In the application of biometrics towards security setting is â€Å"Ten times† the security for that of traditional means and also cost effective in the long run. Due to issues relating to Identity theft, terrorism and increase in the general level of crime which have also combined to heighten the need for a just technology security approach.( Security Seminar K. Tracy 1998) Biometrics application over the years has been the recommended solution choice for many organisational systems towards information security, both privately owned and government companies are in use of biometric application towards maintaining secured environmental system for information sharing and distribution. Lets imagine the ability to unlock the door, obtain money from a machine, authenticate a credit card, retrieve information from a system or even start a car with just a glance at a camera or a touch, that is what bio application is all about and has helped to improve users security application by there uniqueness. 2.2 Introduction to Biometrics What Is Biometrics: The word biometrics is known to be gotten from a combination two words from Greek origin meaning (bios =life, metrikos (metrics) =measure).The terms Biometricshave been in existence since the 20th century and was used to refer to the field of development of statistical and mathematical methods applicable to data analysis problems in the biological sciences (Nanavati. S. 2002). In the nutshell biometrics can be said to be an automated method in science and technology which is used in recognising, measuring and statistically analyzing biological data of an individual. These bio measurements are done based on ones physiological or behavioural characteristics, which can be used to verify the identity of the individual. Some of the examples of biological characteristic include DNA, blood group genes, whereby physical characteristics include fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, facial patterns and hand measurements, and behavioural characteristics include signature, v oice, gait and typing patterns (keystroke). One of the greatest important advantages of biometrics lies in the fact that physical or behavioural traits cannot be transferred to other individuals, or can they be forgotten. (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, (2006),) 2.3 How does biometrics work? Biometrics can be classified in two main types, which are as follows: â€Å"physiological biometrics†, this involves the use of physical trait, such as a fingerprint, iris, hand or face for recognition of an individual. Here the physical traits are collected, then analyzed, measured and stored for use. In the case of fingerprint, it is automated through a numeric encryption of its ridges, splits, dots, valleys, furrows and minutiae points. This encryption is called an algorithm, creating a binary encoded template. The iris is also digitally stored using an algorithm in the same way. (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, (2006)) The other type of biometric solution is â€Å"behavioural biometric†. This mainly involves the use of a persons behavioural trait or pattern, such as a voice, signature or key stroke. These traits are stored in the same way to that of the physiological traits except that they are updated regularly to be able to cope with the ever changing patterns in the trait. The both type of biometrics are relevant to different situations and circumstances. Naturally it has been gathered that physiological biometrics has proved to be more reliable than that of behavioural biometric, in the sense that physical traits generally stay the same all time irrespective of the age, while that of behavioural trait changes due to one or two situation which can be caused by advancement in age, learnt habit or accidental causes. 2.3.1 Mode of biometric operations: Identification: In biometrics operations, when the device/networked server hold a database of registered users and when these traits are presented, it is then authorizes the searching of the database so as to establish a match with the presented trait. In theory the device is asking â€Å"Do I know you?† This method of identification is called one too many (1: N) according to â€Å"www.posid.co.uk†. Authentication: The theory here is that the device is requesting â€Å"Are you who you claim to be†? By presenting a user id number or a Smartcard (containing the biometric algorithm) you then prove who you claim to be. In order to prove that this id number or Smartcard belongs to the user, one is requested to present his /her biometric trait directly to the device. You are authorized if they match and denied if they do not match. This method is called one to one (1:1) â€Å"www.posid.co.uk†. Authorization: In the nutshell this is known to be the last stage of a biometric system function, after identification the system search for a match and then confirms it authentication where by requesting unique feature and if matched with the stored details, you are then authorized. (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, (2006)) 2.4 Importance Of Biometrics Over Traditional Authentication Methods:- In present times most organisation, make use of Login passwords, PINs, and token towards verification and authentication for gaining access to there information database system. This are mainly designed to help protect and secure the organisations computer information network and its applications. However in most cases these technologies have been discovered to having some problems associated with them, mostly when faced with modern technology applications, like online transactions, which could involve the accessing of sensitive information such as medical reports, financial or income support information. In order to reduce these increasing problems, biometrics features are been introduced in some of these computer information applications areas. As earlier stated, â€Å"Biometrics† is known to be an automated methods of recognizing and identifying an individual based on their physical or behavioural characteristics.†(Samir Nanavati, Michael Thieme, Raj Nanavati 2002) Ev ery individual different biometric characteristic which are unique and peculiar to them, no two person have or share the same biometric features. Some of the commonly known used biometric applications in todays society are facial, fingerprint, iris, hand scan, voice and dynamic signature. Biometric data application as a means and methods of identification is well preferred by organisation due to its several advantages over the known traditional method, which have been highlighted earlier in this chapter. Some of the major reason for the preference of bio data for information security system is that the individual to be identified is required to be present physically during the identification process, and this identification process does not require the need for password remembrance in any form. With the present increasing integration of computer, as well as internet usage in our day to day activities towards information accessing, this has called for a growing need to use a more pro tective method on information system assessing. This could be done by either replacing the PINs (traditional method) totally with biometrics or combining the both towards effective security measures whereby prevents unauthorized access to computer information system. As stated in previous chapter, one of the biggest issues with the use of PINs or passwords as a security measure is that it could be forgotten, likewise tokens such as passports and drivers licenses may be forged, stolen, or lost which is unlikely in biometric traits. Basically biometric applications can be used for real-time recognition, and the most popularly used is face, voice, signature, iris and fingerprint. (S.Nanavati, M. Thieme, R. Nanavati 2002) In view to biometric application compared to the traditional application, a biometric system is basically known to be a pattern of recognition of an individual by determining the authenticity of a specific physiological or behavioural characteristic possessed by the pe rson. Several important issues are put into place during designing a functional biometric system. Basically all biometric systems consist of three (3) basic elements, which are as follows: Enrolment: It is known to be the process which involves the collecting of biometric samples from an individual, and this is captured and stores in a secured template in a central database or a smart card issued to the user. Templates: This is a storage cart where all the data or information representing the individual/enrolees biometric features is stored. The template is usually been retrieved when identification is to be carried out on an individual.Biometrics system can operate using either verification (authentication) or identification mode. Matching: It is a process which involves the comparing and analysing of individual biometric details which has been stored in the database system templates. Mainly the enrolment is the first stage during authentication, in which a template is then generated and will be used towards matching of the users authentication. 2.4 Types of Biometric Technologies Biometric can be classified into two main classes which are Physiological and Behavioural biometrics, this involves two main modes of applications, which can be said to be contact and contactless biometric applications. The main function of biometric technology system is to assist in the controlling of access to a network system, and also helping to authenticate an individual by establishing there identity by comparing it with already stored details, which are unique to the individual. The most significant factor which enable the implementation of a biometric towards authentication is it uniqueness, i.e no two person can have same bio data and can not be lost or guessed. Looking at the recent increase in the breach of information system, biometric authentication system is a more reliable, efficient and effective to reduce this increasing threat compared to the traditional password based authentication process. 2.4.1 Physiological Biometrics:- In this type of biometric application, the individual is required to have biometric features stored in the bio data storage device (scanner).This device is where the users details are collected and stored for feature use. Due to reason that a person or individual stores their bio-data and need to make direct contact when needed to gain access to an information system, has made many people have to consider this to be a technology which invades on ones personal privacy .Below are some examples. Fingerprint Evaluation: This is the most commonly used biometrics and the most advanced of all the biometric technologies and it is highly accurate. The challenges lies in varying quality of fingerprints across individuals and in dealing with wear in the defining irregularities in the ridges and valleys of ones finger (Nanavati. S, (2002),). New technologies have recently employed the use of pattern matching and ultrasonic scanning rather than evaluation of the irregularities which has increased the accuracy of fingerprint scanning and reduced the risk of misidentification. By scanning the geometry of an individualshand, including height, width, shape and proportion, security systems can accurately recognize and identify individuals. This method is primarily used for physical access control and is considered the most useful in terms of durability and application. In fact, hand scanning is used effectively where other biometrics technologies cannot work due to frequency, volume, or environmental disruptions. Here is a finger print sample from Wikipedia. Retina Scanning: is considered among the most accurate of the biometric technologies through its evaluation of the shape and make-up of inner surface of the back of the eye. This method, while highly accurate, is also fairly costly and often perceived as difficult to use. Other complications include interference from foreign objects such as eye glasses or contact lenses. Further, scanning of a sensitive area such as ones eye decreases receptivity and willingness to use. Even so, the accuracy of retina scanning and the minimized risk of imitation make it useful in extremely high security areas where accountability is of utmost importance (Nanavati. S, (2002),) . Hand/Finger Geometry Hand or finger geometry is an automated measurement of many dimensions of the hand and fingers. Neither of these methods takes actual prints of the palm or fingers. Only the spatial geometry is examined as the user puts his hand on the sensors surface and uses guiding poles between the fingers to properly place the hand and initiates the reading. Hand geometry templates are typically 9 bytes, and finger geometry templates are 20 to 25 bytes. Finger geometry usually measures two or three fingers. Hand geometry is a well-developed technology that has been thoroughly field-tested and is easily accepted by users. (Nanavati. S, (2002),) See example below of a typical hand geometry. Iris scanning: This is similar to retina scanning in method and level of accuracy. However, its application is considered less intrusive and is thus becoming more common. Recently, it has been introduced into the airline and banking industries and while system integration remains a challenging part of implementation, improvements are continually being made (5). Facial Scanning: These applications are most often used in conjunction with other verification methods such as identification cards systems or with existing security cameras and monitors. This method utilizes high resolution images of distinct facial features such as eye sockets, shape of the nose, and/or the position of certain features relative to each other (1). Problems arise with this application if the subject is not properly positioned for the camera or if environmental changes such as lighting changes prevent an accurate read. (Nanavati. S, (2002)). 2.4.2 Behavioural Biometrics: Behavioural biometrics is said to be the ability for a system to be able to recognizing, identifying and authenticating a users based on there behavioural characteristic, which are unique to them. Basically this type of biometric can be learnt or developed over a period of time, and may follow a particular pattern of usage by the individual. Example of some behavioural traits used in biometrics is as follows: handwriting, speech, keystroke, walking pattern, e.t.c. In the nutshell, this type of biometric identification over a certain period can be changed due to some factors like age, weather etc. As a result of the changes in this type of biometric application, for the system to still maintain a secured system training or registering repetitions is to be carried out from time to time. Some of the behavioural biometrics are stated here below and will be explained further as we proceed in this research work.( Nanavati. S, (2002)) Signature Verification: This verification means has been existing for a long time, they are mostly used in the banking sectors to identify individual who make use of there services. They are used mostly to give authorisations to documents like cheques, contracts and sensitive documents. Despite its long time existence, automating the recognition process remains a challenge because peoples signatures are not always identical and can change drastically over time. These changes could be as a result of some factors like old age, mental or physical state e.t.c Voice Recognition: Is a behavioural biometrics which is mainly based on an individuals speech pattern. Here a persons voice is compared or recognized based on its previously recorded stored voice output. Voice verification is a sensitive biometric type of approach because of its acceptability by a lot of user and also high rated error could be significant since it is not really invasive like the physiological biometrics, an example of its use is in â€Å"telephone transactions†. (Nanavati. S, (2002)) Keystroke Biometrics: This type of behavioural biometrics is an automated method of examining and monitoring the typing patterns of an individual on a keyboard. The technology examines and determines the dynamics characteristic rhythms, speed, and pressure, also calculating the total time used in typing a particular word, the time the individual or user takes to hitting certain keys. This technique could be combined with the traditional password system to improve security when accessing sensitive information on computer systems using keyboards or mouse .Basically this method of verification is quite new and still in it development stage, but not to say it has not been in use. Also the â€Å"keystroke biometrics is of high flexibility† because it can accommodate the changing of password over a time when users observes behavioural changes. The keystroke biometrics as it has advantages so does it have its disadvantages as well. In the nutshell these said biometrics applications (Keystroke biometrics) will be talked about more as we proceed in the research work. 2.5.0 Advantages and Disadvantages of the Different Identification Mechanisms. The pros and cons associated with specific devices are highlighted below: Fingerprint Readers Pros  · Not much storage space is required for the biometric template Cons  · Has traditionally been associated with criminal activities and thus users could be reluctant to adopt this form of biometric a