Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Six Sigma Applied to Warehouse Operation

A project Report on â€Å"DMAIC App to improve Warehouse Operation† Undertaken At xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Warehouse In fulfilment of Capstone Project of Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Engineering (PGDIE) By Rajul Agarwal (103) Puneet Jain (107) PGDIE- 41 Under the guidance of Dr. K. Maddulety Professor NITIE, Mumbai National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai-400087 Acknowledgement â€Å"Too often we are so preoccupied with the destination, we forget the guiding light† -anonymousI take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to HCCB, India for offering a unique platform to earn exposure and garner knowledge in the field of Warehousing Management. I wish to extend my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to my guide Mr. Sudhakar Nair, Warehouse Manager HCCB who guided, supported and encouraged me during the entire tenure of the project. I sincerely thanks to Dr K. Maddulety, my faculty guide, who has been guiding me throughout the project. 1. Executive SummaryThis p roject illustrates an approach to address the complexities faced by beverage industry by identifying critical supply chain activities which indirectly affect Customer Satisfaction. The solution is based on Six Sigma implementation through DMAIC Approach at these critical nodes. It has been established through various experiments that Customer Loyalty & Retention is very low in such industry; hence the customer satisfaction is directly affected by product unavailability. So the product availability is found to be a major concern here as it directly affects the customers buying decision.It is observed that in this industry, Product availability is majorly affected by the inconsistencies at the warehouse. This project particularly focuses on these warehousing processes which include the transportation of goods from plant to warehouse, then storing goods at warehouse and finally dispatching of goods to the customers. Based on this we have attempted to provide a blue print of possible ad vantages such as improved fill rates and better service levels. An empirical study was conducted at XYZ Beverage Company which produces carbonated soft drinks (CSD) and Non-Carbonated Beverages (NCB).Subsequently, its complete warehousing operation process was understood and DMAIC approach was used to improve the process dynamics. In the measure phase, using Process Capability Analysis it was found that the warehouse process doesn’t follow six sigma levels owing to the high level of damages/defectives and additionally there was a vast scope of improvement. Henceforth, Root cause analysis was done to identify the various causes of damages/defectives. The major causes identified here were lack of standardized operating procedures (SOP), over stacking & overloading.In the implementation phase, an action plan divided Phase wise, is proposed here so as to take into account variability caused by the two shifts in which the warehouse operates. A strict control needs to be followed s o as to maintain six sigma levels, for which p-chart type should be used in combination with proposed Warehouse Operation check list. Table of Contents: Acknowledgement| †¦1 | 1. Executive Summary | †¦2| 2. Literature Review| †¦4| 3. Introduction| †¦4| 4. Process Mapping| †¦5| 5. Define Phase 6. 1 DMAIC project Charter Worksheet 6. 2 CTQ tree 6. Voice of Customer 6. 4 Voice of Business | †¦5†¦5†¦5†¦6†¦6| 6. Measure Phase 7. 5 data to be measured 7. 6 Process sigma calculation 7. 7 Statistical summary of defectives 7. 8 Control chart 7. 9 Process capability analysis| †¦6†¦6†¦7†¦7†¦8†¦9| 7. Analysis Phase 8. 10 Root Cause analysis| †¦9†¦9| 8. Implementation Phase 9. 11 Proposed action plan 9. 12. 1 Dividing process 9. 12. 2 Major Changes Identified| †¦10†¦10†¦10†¦10| 9. Control Phase 10. 12 identifying the controlling elements 10. 13 FMEA 10. 4 SPC charts| †¦11†¦12â € ¦14†¦15| 10. Conclusion | †¦16| 11. References| †¦16| 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 1. DMAIC Approach to Improve the Capability of SMT Solder Printing Process This paper implements the Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control (DMAIC) approach to improve the capability of the solder paste printing process by reducing thickness variations from a nominal value. Process mapping and identifying key QCH are carried out in the â€Å"Define† phase here, while mean (x) and range R control charts followed by the estimates of process capability indices are adopted in the â€Å"Measure† phase.Then, the Taguchi method including L18 orthogonal array (OA), signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for S/N ratio is implemented in the â€Å"Analyse† phase. Taguchi’s two-step optimization is conducted in the â€Å"Improve phase. † Finally, the x and R control charts for solder thickness are used in the â€Å"Control† phase. This pa per was used to understand the DMAIC implementation process methodology followed by any process. The insights obtained were how Process capability analysis was carried out and furthermore how use of control charts be validated. . Applying Six Sigma Techniques in Plastic Injection Moulding Industry This paper presents an approach to implement a six sigma technique to decrease the scrap rate in a plastic injection molding plant. The primary tools used here are SIPOC, MSA, FMEA, P-Control Charts and Hypothesis Testing. In this case study we compare the average scrap rate for the â€Å"Before† study period with the average scrap rate of the â€Å"After† study period. This paper was used to understand the use of p-charts and how they can be applied in processes were defectives are being looked at.The insights obtained were effective use of FMEA and p-charts in such processes. 3. Introduction: HCCB operates a warehouse in Sewri. It caters to South and central Mumbai. It has a capacity of around 2000 Pallets or approximately 3-4 Lacs bottles (includes Recyclable Glass Bottles + pet bottles + can). It has around 35 mini trucks which daily carries around 38 thousand of bottles dispatched from the warehouse and deliver it to the different stockist/Retailers. The warehouse operates in two shifts every afternoon consignment comes from plant to the warehouse which is unloaded there and then stacked.Every morning at a specified place called floor the pallets are arranged inspected and then containers are loaded to the mini trucks which deliver it to the stockists/retailers. 4. Process Mapping: When a truck containing pallets of soft drinks is loaded at the plant it is fully inspected and then move towards the Warehouse * Once it is reached to the Warehouse, forklifts unload the pallets and then arrange it in the warehouse * FIFO is followed for outflow of goods Now the pallets are arranged at a floor where all the pallets are inspected * Simultaneously with in spection carriers (small trucks) keep on arranging inside the warehouse * During inspection if any damage is found then it is replaced by the same fresh item * After inspection the containers are loaded (Manually) to the carriers * While loading some bottles gets damaged that is also replaced by the fresh one and a count is kept for damaged goods * Once the loading is done the carriers move towards their destiny i. e. either to Stockist/retailers 5. Define Phase: 4. 1 DMAIC project charter worksheetDMAIC Project Charter Worksheet| Project Title: To reduce the damages& improve the productivity of warehousing process| Project Guide:Prof. Madhu Letty,MrSudhakar Nair| Team Members: Rajul Agrawal, Puneet Jain| Business Case: Reduce the cost of warehousing & last mile delivery| Problem Statement: The task is to identifythe sigma level of warehousing process including last mile delivery as a single processand then analyse the process and find the scope of improvement| Goal Statement:To imp rove the warehousing process & reduce damages| 4. 2 CTQ Tree: Reduce damages Men Machine Method * Proper Training Learning Curve * Commitment * Proper Maintenance * Proper Stacking * Use of Rodent boxes * Inspection 4. 3 Voice of Customer: Here the customers are stockists/retailers to whom the goods are delivered. The Voice of Customer (VOC) is used to describe customer’s needs and their perceptions of product or service. The customer requirements from process and product are: * No damage/deformed item should reach to customer * If any damage is found then on the spot replacement * Customers don’t want to keep the track of damaged items which needs to be replaced next time when delivery van will come 4. Voice of Business: VOB is something which is critical from the perspective of stakeholders (WHse managers, Operators, All sorts of employees etc. ) in the business. * Improve profitability * Reduce cost * Least damages * Improve fill rate * Improve customer satisfaction 6. Measure Phase: 5. 1 Data to be measured: The following table shows the defective items noted in the month of October- November. From this data we calculated the defective proportion & defects per million opportunities. Defective Items| Total Items loaded| Defective proportion| DPMO| 145| 392732| 0. 000369209| 369. 2087| 55| 392700| 0. 000394703| 394. 7033| 132| 378243| 0. 000348982| 348. 982| 159| 332345| 0. 000478419| 478. 4185| 165| 402389| 0. 000410051| 410. 051| 145| 345673| 0. 000419472| 419. 4716| 123| 326789| 0. 00037639| 376. 3897| 190| 389023| 0. 000488403| 488. 403| 120| 334565| 0. 000358675| 358. 6747| 110| 324123| 0. 000339377| 339. 3773| 121| 306543| 0. 000394724| 394. 7244| 156| 402489| 0. 000387588| 387. 5882| 212| 437698| 0. 000484352| 484. 3522| 138| 290873| 0. 000474434| 474. 4339| 112| 238945| 0. 000468727| 468. 7271| 119| 367545| 0. 00032377| 323. 7699| 129| 263421| 0. 00048971| 489. 7104| 56| 463752| 0. 000336387| 336. 3867| 145| 375643| 0. 000386005| 386. 0 048| 123| 342356| 0. 000359275| 359. 2751| 90| 289532| 0. 000310846| 310. 8465| 225| 462163| 0. 000486841| 486. 8412| 121| 284532| 0. 00042526| 425. 2597| 175| 404512| 0. 00043262| 432. 62| 180| 403212| 0. 000446415| 446. 4153| 127| 329261| 0. 000385712| 385. 7122| 212| 431962| 0. 000490784| 490. 7839| 132| 337961| 0. 000390578| 390. 5776| 198| 326781| 0. 00060591| 605. 9104| 109| 392861| 0. 000277452| 277. 4518| 5. 2 Process Sigma Calculation: Average no. of items loaded each day = 360418 Average no. of defective items per day = 148Average defective proportion = 0. 000411328 Average DPMO = 411 Value of Sigma = 4. 9 Since the process sigma is 4. 9 which is less than 6. Now the next task is to analyse the process to find the scope of improvement. 5. 3 Statistical summary of â€Å"No. of defective items observed at various days† Observations: * Since P-value >0. 05 so the data passes the normality test * From the histogram it is visible that frequency distribution of defective data can be approximated to normal distribution * Since the data can be approximated as normally distributed we can apply process capability and SPC analysis . 4 Control Chart: Here in this case when the goods are inspected either they will be accepted to be shipped or simply discarded. So here we are not concerned with the no. of defects but concerned with the non-conformances (defectives). So the P-chart has been selected for SPC analysis:- Observations: * The above P-chart shows that all the observations lie inside the natural control limits. * It can be said that the process is under statistical control. * Since the process is under statistical control we can check for its capability. 7. Process Capability Analysis using MINITAB 15: * The desire is to minimise the damages to nil so the target valueis set to be zero. Observations: * Process sigma = 3. 34 * PPM Def = 410 which is lesser than 3. 4 ppm 7. Analysis Phase: 6. 1 Root Cause Analysis: 6 Implementation Phase: 7. 1 Propose d Action Plan: 7. 1. 1 Dividing the whole process of warehousing to deliver goods to the stockist/retailers into 4 stages: The process is divided into 4 stages on the basis of people& machines involved. In stage 1 goods are transported to the warehouse by one set of people (3 PL).Since warehouse operates in 2 shifts so when the trucks come from plant to warehouse that is unloaded by different set of people & in stage 3 â€Å"stacking at floor+ inspection + loading containers to carriers† are done by different set of people (working in 2nd shift). In stage 4 the goods transported from warehouse to stockists/retailers by different set of people and different carriers are involved. The purpose of dividing the whole process into 4 stages is to get more specific causes stage by stage and to get more insights.Since the different people and machines are involved in each stage so some specific plans may be put in place to reduce the damages. The following table shows the different ca uses and actions: Stage| Causes| Action Plan| 1| * In-Transit Damages * Bad Road Conditions * Mishandling by the operators| * Since in stage 1 the transportation is done by the 3PL so while selecting 3PL service provider company can bring some clauses in the agreement related to minimum breakage acceptable * Operators can be nstructed to follow the best route * Maintenance of carriers periodically after a specified time| 2| * Jerk in forklift * Over stacking * Improper training * Mishandling by the operators| * Establish SOP for the forklifts operation * Periodic maintenance of forklifts * Company currently uses diesel run forklifts that can be replaced by battery operated forkliftswhich require less maintenance * Provide incentives to the operators for achieving a certain level of damage free work * Provide ergonomically fithandles to the containers * Pet bottle packets as shown below gets unwrapped sometimes that needs proper packaging * Above kind of packaging can be either repla ced by carton (but that would not be a cost effective solution) or same packaging can be improved | 3| * Improper operation/jerk in forklift * Improper inspection * Mishandling | * Try not to rotate the people involved in inspection so that their learning curve makes them more efficient in that particular task * Provide incentive to the employees * Encourage employees | 4| * Overloading * Improper truck operation| * Avoid overloading * Proper training to the truck operators * Hire experienced operators * Provide incentives| | Environmental Causes * Rat Bite| * Especially tetra packed drinks are attacked by Rats * Use Rodent boxes to kill the rats * Daily check the rodent boxes & clean it if needed| 7. 1. 2 Major changes which can be brought in future to improve the overall process * SOP for forklift operations * Proper maintenance of forklifts and Trucks * Use of battery operated forklifts * Avoid overloading * Avoid over stacking 7 Control Phase: 8. 1 Identifying the Controlling El ements:The Critical-To-Quality Elements needs a proper control and inspection and hence the following Steps can be taken for the same: 1. Fork Lift Inspection Check Sheet: 2. Training Check List/ Regular Knowledge Tests 3. Rodent/ Insects Check List 4. Better Stacking Procedures a. Increasing the strength of the pallets from by increasing the cross pieces by 8 from 5 for the same 5cm x 10cm boards. b. In case of need to over stack during peak demand, we can keep the crates at a cross position so that the load gets distributed 8. 2 Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA): Use of FMEA tool for better analysis of damage reasons will help establishing a better control procedure. FMEA Flow Diagram 8. 3 Use Statistical Process Control (SPC) Charts:The case here is for graphing defectives for a varying sub group set. Hence use of p-chart should be used for continuous control. It will check when the variation is natural and when it needs correction. The following excel template can be used where directly data can be entered and the resulting p-chart will be generated. Excel template for Formulating p-chart 9. ESTIMATED BENEFITS OF PROJECT The biggest benefit of the project is in terms of reducing the risk of product unavailability downstream. The probability of defects can be drastically decreased and remain in specification limits. * 4-Stage Implementation phase for reducing defectives * Increased Sigma Levels approaching six sigma standards Increased Customer satisfaction and Product availability * Laid down Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for better warehouse operations control 10. CONCLUSION The reasons for the excessive defects are found. Over-stacking, Over-Loading & improper forklift operation were found out to be prime reasons using Cause and Effect Diagram. These were considered the CTQ’s for the warehousing operation. Project benefits were estimated and it is found that this improvement can bring the improvement in fill rate. 11. REFERENCES: * ww w. dmaictools. com * www. sixsigmatutorial. com * www. sixsigma. in * Six Sigma Way ? Team Field book by Peter S. Pande, Robert P. Neuman and Roland R. Cavanagh * Six Sigma for managers by Greg Brue

Chemistry of Cancer

Molly HubnerPeriod 1Extra Credit Paper Chemistry of Cancer Cancerous cells develop when conditions for cells are favorable, therefore following the divisions to continually occur, never stopping. When this happens, a tissue mass of cells called a tumor is formed and does not respond to normal controls regarding cell growth. Cancer cells have the following characteristics: profound changes in the plasma and membrane cytoplasm, abnormal growth and division weakened capacity for adhesion, and lethality. The membrane permeability is intensified and some proteins may be altered or added. Enzyme activities may also change and the cytoskeleton shrinks, causing a chaotic atmosphere. Controls are lost and cell populations will dramatically increase. New proteins cause abnormal increases in small blood vessels. Due to the high numbers, the cells can no longer attach itself to the parent tissue. Unless the cancerous cells are removed, they will kill the individual. Cancer is the number one killer in America today. We can say the known causes of cancer are radiation, sunlight, pollution, cigarette smoking and improper diets. I will explain the major causes of cancer, but before I proceed let me define the term â€Å"cancer. To be defined cancer is an abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells that can spread beyond their natural boundaries to other parts of the body. Cancers can develop in numerous parts of the body. At first oncogene, genes with highly specialized functions were said to be the † cancer genes â€Å". This of course was wrong as oncogene promote normal c ell division and growth as well as the repair and replacement of damaged cells. Cancer starts when one out of as many as one trillion cells goes awry. When first damaged the cell loses its external controls and then the internal controls defect. From this it tries to develop a new set of internal controls by multiplying at a rapid pace which spreads colonies throughout the body. Cancer has been said to have two steps: mutation and promotion. During mutation the cell has been hit and permanently damaged; the cell is primed and ready to be molded known as a cancer cellPromotion is the cell division of the cancerous cell which then loses its controls- it then compensates itself by becoming an autonomous body Cancer can take 10 – 15 years to become fully developed, this depending on the cause or the ggressiveness of the tumor. Mature cells tend to progress slower. Metastases is the final stage when cancer is spread through the body by blood vessels or lymphatic channels. Single metastases can be cured usually by surgery or radiotherapy and multiple metastases is cured by chemotherapy . Metastases follows a path- from the primary tumor to a specific organ or organs. Lung Cancer is a disease marked by uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. The abnormal cells may no longer do the work of normal cells and in turn crowd out and destroy the healthy tissue. Most of the victims of cancer die from lung cancer. Many of these cases could have been avoided because it most often occurs in people over the age of 50 with a history of smoking. There are different types of lung cancer involving different parts of the lungs. They have different symptoms and are all treated differently. If the cancer is located in one of the bronchi it can irritate the lining of the bronchus and cause a chronic cough. Otherwise known as â€Å"smokers cough†. In serious conditions of this cough some might actually cough up blood. If the cancer spreads it may fill up the bronchus so air cannot easily pass in or out. Repeated lung infections and pneumonia are common with this condition. The leading cause of lung cancer is smoking. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 different chemicals, many of which are carcinogens (may cause cancer). The three of the most damaging toxins are nicotine, tars, and carbon monoxide. Second-hand smoke inhaled by both smokers and nonsmokers is another important cause of lung cancer. Smoking is responsible for 90% of lung cancer deaths among men, 79% among women. Also smoking accounts for about 30% of all cancer deaths. Smokers that inhale two or more packs of cigarettes a day, have a cancer mortality rate 12-25 times greater than a nonsmokers. It has been estimated that if all the smokers in America stopped smoking, lung cancer would be virtually gone. The best known carcinogen is asbestos. Others include nickel, chromate, and vinyl chloride. Risk of lung cancer is greatly increased when combined with smoking. It is obvious that cigarette smoking is the single most powerful cause of lung cancer. The increase in risk has been observed not only in men, but more recently in women, for smoking has come engage in activities formerly considered the domain of men. Depending upon the number of cigarettes smoked, and the number of cigarettes smoked each day can increase the risk of lung cancer. It is clear that there is a definite and direct dose-response relationship between the smoking dose and the development of cancer. I believe that if someone smokes even a pack of cigarettes a day it will increase the risk of getting cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. It is a radioactive gas found in the earth's rocks and soil, formed by the natural breakdown of radium. Excessive exposure of radon in the home may increase the risk of lung cancer especially in smokers. If the radon levels are found to be to high, remedial actions should be taken. Another cause of cancer is on the job exposure to carcinogens . You can't see radon. And you can't smell or taste it, but it may very well be a problem in your home. It is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas, and when you breathe air containing the gas, you can get lung cancer. In fact, radon has now been declared the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high. Radon can be found all over the United States. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets in to the air you breathe. Radon can get into any type of building, homes, offices, and schools and build up to high levels. But you and your family are most likely to get your greatest exposure in your home because that is where you spend most of your time. In recent years Cancer is disease that has seemed to scared and infected Americans. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U. S. with more than 1 million new cases occurring a year. With each day scientific findings give a better understanding of the causes of the disease. These findings have opened doors to help treat cancer patients more effectively. Scientists have gained a more specific knowledge of individual cancers and now through the wonders of science have found effective treatments for the disease. To treat Cancer doctors and scientist need an understanding of what the disease actually physically does. Cancer is defined as â€Å"new growth of tissue resulting from a continuing proliferation of abnormal cells that have the ability to invade and destroy other tissues. † Cancer is not restricted to what type of cell and tissue it may emerge from. Therefore, they describe the disease as a large number of diseases as opposed to just on single disease. Because Cancer involves cells that can easily enter the bloodstream the disease has the ability to spread quickly through the body making it an even more dangerous disease and harder to stop. The idea behind surgery for treatment of cancer patients is to remove all malignant cells and tumors. With new, more precise, surgical advances, far less tissue is required to be removed thus resulting in a quicker recovery and less chance for serious disability. Surgery is most effective if done in the early stages of Cancer, although it is effective in more developed stages in relieving symptoms. Surgery is also used to make other forms of treatment, such as radiation, more effective. With the reduction of the tumor through surgery radiation treatment may effectively eliminate the tumor. Radiation treatment of cancer uses gamma rays attack Cancer causing tissue. Since tumors are more sensitive to radiation than normal tissue radiation can effectively eliminate or reduce harmful tissues that surgery can otherwise not remove. Since normal tissues are not as easily harmed by radiation, the negative effects on healthy tissue are not as severe. If the tumor is reduced through radiation, it may become possible for a doctor to eliminate the tumor through surgery. Radiation can also sterilize tumors thus preventing or slowing the spread of the Cancer through the body. This can also help doctors remove the tumor more easily through surgery, and provides a much less involved, painful surgery. The combination of radiation and surgery, if effective, can offer a cure with fewer negative side effects to the patient. The final traditional means of treating cancer is Chemotherapy. This form of treatment involves the use of drugs. Chemotherapy is used when Cancer has grown throughout the body and is no longer accessible through radiation or surgery. Although after chemotherapy, surgery is often used to eliminate remaining Caceres tissue. In this treatment drugs are administered and pass through the blood stream effecting Cancer tissue and healthy tissue. Since the drugs affect healthy tissue the patient will become sick from the treatment but because healthy cells divide faster than malignant cells the patient is able to recuperate. Chemotherapy, like all Cancer treatments, is most effective when administered early the early stages of the disease. It is also important that the treatment is consistent and administered frequently in order to achieve the most successful results. Cancer is one of the most leading causes of death in women, children and the elderly in the United States of America. Cancer is the number one killer in America today. We can say the known causes of cancer are radiation, sunlight, pollution, cigarette smoking and improper diets. Until this day we can say the causes of cancer are many and definitely complex, while the development of most cancers still remain unexplained. Bibliography Avendano, Carmen, and J. Carlos Mendes. Medicinal Chemistry of Anti- Cancer Drugs† ElSever: Hardbook. April 2008 Kotasek, Dusan, and Peter Pannall. Cancer and Clinical Biochemistry. UK:ACB. Venture Publications, 1997

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Contract of Documents between Macbeth and Noddy Bank

The contract for sale which Macbeth had entered with Weetocrunch Ltd is a separate contract with that of the contract entered with the banks with regards to the documentary credits. For the purposes of this question, we are only dealing with the contract of the documents between Macbeth and the confirming bank, Noddy Bank. Noddy bank had been authorized in this case by the issuing bank, Toytown Bank to pay the beneficiary, also known as the seller, Macbeth for the goods he had shipped to Weetocrunch.It is only upon presentation by Macbeth of valid documents that complies with the terms and requirements stated in the Letter of credit that had been opened by Toytown Bank on behalf of Weetocrunch, that he can receive his payment. As it is the letter of credit acts as some form of safeguard for seller that he will receive his payment as once the bank opens the letter of credit, they are under a contractual obligation to pay the seller upon presentation of complying documents.In this case , it can be seen that the documents presented by Macbeth had been ejected twice by the bank, first on the grounds that the documents are not original and secondly where the description of the goods in the bill of lading differs. For that we refer to the body known as Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (UCP) which governs the practice of documentary credit. It should be noted that the law construed by UCP must be incorporated into the contract by the parties for it to have legal effect.However, even if it is not incorporated, the courts are likely to view it as impliedly incorporated as it has gained igh level of acceptance among international bankers. Therefore, assuming that IJCP applies in this case, the documents involved are bound by the UCP articles. Under UCP 600, article 15, the bank that is presented with documents have to ensure that they comply with the terms of the credit and if the document complies, they have to pay and under IJCP 500 article 13(a), th e bank is to examine the documents with reasonable care to ascertain whether they appear on the face to be in compliance with the requirement of the credit.If the documents are however not in ompliance, the bank under UCP 600 article 14(b) reserves the right to reject them. It is therefore establish here that the bank do have a right to reject documents. In this case then, the two issues to be dealt with are (1) whether the bank had the right to reject the photocopied custom certificate and (2)whether the bank had the right to reject the bill of lading because of the description error.Issue 1: UCP 600, Article 17(b) states that there should at least be one original of each stipulated document be tendered to the bank and it shall be treated as original it it ore an original signature, mark, stamp or label of the issuer of the document unless the document indicates it is not original and under 17(c), a bank shall also accept a document as original if it appears so be written, typed or stamped by the document issuer's hand, or by the document issuer's original stationary or states that it is original.In this case, it is not stated whether the document had any kind of markings of whether it was indicated as original on it, it was merely stated that it was a photocopied version that was rejected. Assuming that there were no markings as uch, then It could be inferred that the rejection was Justified following the case of Glencore International AG v Bank of China where the documents were rejected because the photocopies were not marked as original.In that case, it was also stated that a signature on photocopied piece does not make it an original but merely an authenticated copy. However, following the case of Credit Industriel et Commercial v China Merchants Bank, it was held that for obvious original documents, they need not be marked and for photocopied documents where there is a stamp of the upplier's name, address and telephone no. with an ink signature, the cour t accepted it as original even though it was not stamped ‘original'.Therefore if there were such markings found on the photocopied custom certificate and the bank had rejected it, the bank may be liable for wrongly rejecting the documents. Issue 2: As mentioned earlier, the bank have to put up with strict compliance when handling documents presented by the beneficiaries. They have to ensure that the documents meets the necessary terms and conditions stated in the letter of credit and as once emarked by Viscount Sumner in Equitable Trust Co of New York v Dawson Partners Ltd, there is no room for documents which are almost the same, or which will do Just as well. In Seaconsar Far East Ltd v Bank Markazi Jomhouri Islami Iran, the letter of credit stipulated that all the documents presented must bear LC number and the buyer's name. When one of the document failed to have the LC no. on it, the bank rejected it and the court found that its action was Justified. Similarly, in JH Rayn er & Co Ltd, Hambro's Bank Ltd, the credit stipulated â€Å"Coromandel Groundnuts† but the eller presented a bill of lading that states â€Å"Machine-shelled groundnuts. Though it had been known for these terms to be used interchangeable, the court found that the bank had the right to reject the documents. By following this case itself, we might be able to infer that the bank was right in rejecting the documents when the bill of lading states ‘Eastern Wheat' instead of ‘Ruritanian wheat'and that fact that it is well known in the wheat trade that the wheat are identical will not matter.However, Macbeth may still have a chance if they are able to prove that the error was ne of trivial discrepancy. As stated under IJCP 600 article 30(b), the IJCP do allow certain discrepancies. However, what is meant by trivial is unclear. In Glencore International AG v Bank of China, the word branch which was used instead of brand was tound to be merely an error whereas the court w as not as generous in Beyene v Irving Trust Co. , where the bill of lading which had misspelled Mohammed Soran instead of Mohammed Sofan was rejected.It is therefore not certain whether Macbeth will be able to reply on this but chances are it appears to be very slim. b) As explained in question (a), the bank will have to put up with strict compliance when handling with the documents presented by the beneficiaries and they reserve the right to reject the documents when following their own Judgment and feels that it does not comply with the terms and conditions of the letter of credit.In this second situation, it not much about an accepting or rejecting documents matter but one which involves fraud. An amendment has been made to the bill of lading by someone to change the date of shipment from 2 February to 31 January and although it has een clearly stated that Macbeth was not responsible for this amendment, he may still be liable for fraud under misrepresentation if he carries on to seek for payment as he was aware of the alteration.In the case Standard Chartered Bank v Pakistan National Shipping Corpn, it was held that there will be fraud if the beneficiary or their agent presents documents knowing they contain untrue statements and intending they should be acted on by the person receiving the documents and it will not matter whatever their motive was. It will be a totally different issue however here the beneficiary or the agent was not aware of the untruth and had acted in good faith.In this case however it appears unlikely to be so as Macbeth had made a discovery. Therefore, if Macbeth continues to tender the shipping documents to the Noddy bank, Noddy bank will reserve the right to refuse payment if the bank is able to rely on the alteration of the dates on the bill of lading as compelling evidence of fraudulent presentation by Macbeth. What Macbeth will have to do now after rejection is to after the original company where he had bought the wheat from.

Monday, July 29, 2019

People Resourcing and Discrimination Laws in United Kingdom Essay

People Resourcing and Discrimination Laws in United Kingdom - Essay Example The researcher states that the Discrimination Law in United Kingdom that tends to bring about equality in the workplace works in parallel to the Equality Act of 2010. It tends to indicate discrimination at the workplace on the following sub-heads. The Equality Act of 2010 condemns an employer who tends to discriminate between the employees based on racial differences. Racial differences can be observed between the different people in regards to their skin colour or in regards to their native birth place. Herein an employer who tends to render lower wages to an employee owing to racial differences or maltreats a staff because of his or her skin colour is rightly condemned by the law. The law states that an employer is required to render positive action to such staffs that belong to the under-represented communities and thus has needs different from the normal community. The employer is required to safeguard such people from being victimised and should render moral and professional sup port. People subject to such discriminatory acts can directly confront with their immediate superiors or can take help of tribunals pertaining to employment. The Equality Act of 2010 also condemns the discriminatory acts in the workplace that tends to create differences of opportunities among men and women along all levels of an organisation and in regards to the various human resource functions. Thus men and women are required to gain the same opportunity to grow with the concern professionally, financially and personally. Victims of sexual discrimination are required to firstly bring such acts in the eyes of their superiors and also they can take help from employment tribunals if the matter does escalate (Directgov-a, n.d.). Discrimination owing to Disability Similarly the law also condemns the discriminatory act of the employer on the part of an individual suffering from permanent or temporary disability. Herein also the law requires the victimised individual to have an informal course of talk with the employer in regards to such discriminatory acts. The victim can also take recourse to the support of employment tribunals through the advisory and arbitration services of the United Kingdom government (Directgov-b, n.d.). Discrimination owing to Old Age The law also focuses on rendering protection to the old age people who are still working in business organisations from being discriminated. Herein the law safeguards the old people from the acts of the employer in penalising the old people through discriminatory redundancy policies by making them turn jobless. Further after April 2011 the age of retirement has been totally abolished for which a person can continue working a concern till he or she desires to and henceforth cannot be made redundant (Directgov-c, n.d.). Discrimination in regards to Religion The law tends to safeguard individuals working in organisations from being discriminated against his or her religious beliefs. The employer cannot forcibly r equire an individual to abstain from wearing religious clothes and ornaments and in abstaining to take to foods against one’s religious belief. Such people who feel victimised by such discriminatory activities can take resort to the arbitrations and advisory

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Texts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Texts - Essay Example A development that has been emulated by the US, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand with a similar trend being noted in other emerging and developed economy countries. This is a sector growth that has seen an increase in enrollees and simultaneously, teachers, textbooks, journals, conferences, support systems and organizations for tourism education (Airey and Johnson, 1999). This is a growth that has worried the Council for Academic Awards (1993) who made known their unease at the rapid growth in the area. Citing Airey and Johnson, (1999) a lack of common agreement regarding the tourism program curriculum and the lack of basic definitions and parameters within which the course should be taught and developed made the organization worry about the teaching methodology used by the varying universities and educators. As of 1997, this has yet to be agreed upon (Tribe, 1997) due to the ability of the academics to develop its own concepts and approaches. According to Cooper, Scales, and Westlake (1992) this is because the course curriculum tends to take on the knowledge and ability of those teaching the courses involved. WhileKoh (1994) developed studies that indicated the individual influences of the educators had the ability to affect the biases of the professors depending upon their experiences within the tourism industry. Airey (1997) does not see any problem with this type of teaching as the curriculum is in its infancy stages and still has room for perspective and insight development. One of the biggest problems that this non-uniform definition creates is the confusion that it causes for the course applicants, students, and employers. As Koh (1994) explains: if tourism hopes to gain professional recognition, curriculum diversity cannot be allowed to continue because professionalism demands standardization. Jaspers (1997) supported this assumption by

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Video games and its positive effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Video games and its positive effects - Essay Example A lot of research has been conducted in this regard and there exists useful information from psychologists that point to the relationship between video games and intelligence. According to Carmel et al. (2009), video games are a great avenue for learning and developing skills and expertise as individuals commit their time in the play. Scholars from different fields have recognized video games as being very beneficial to players. In as much as the video games have negative effects on the players, there are a wide range of positive effects that people can get from playing these games. This essay will seek to address the positive impact of video games on individuals in terms of their intelligence and social interaction among other benefits. Renowned psychologist Shawn Green from the University of Wisconsin supported the claim that video games are in fact useful in brain development of players, thereby improving their intelligence (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). He acknowledges that the video games alter the physical structure of one’s brain in as much as reading and learning to play a piano does to an individual. He compares the effect of a combination of concentration and the rewarding surges of neurotransmitters such as dopamine to the brain to the effect that physical body exercise has on building muscles (Olthouse, 2009). Video games help to strengthen the neural circuits which lead to brain development among the video game players. Video games help to enhance a wide range of skills among the players, which in turn improves the intelligence of the players (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). Some of the skills developed by video games include the aspect of following instructions, problem solving skills and logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills, multi tasking, quick thinking and decision making, strategy and anticipation, estimating skills, memory and concentration, situation awareness among other skills. Video games are enjoyable to play as well as being addictive and the players play the games in order to become victorious over the opponents or to successfully complete missions in a specific game. This requires good decision making, strategizing and concentration on the part of the players. The video games enhance the ability of the players in following instructions. The games require players to perform various things in order to achieve specific goals in the game. By following these instructions, the players get to develop their intelligence in terms of following instructions whenever they want to complete a task or achieve certain objectives. The players, through coming up with strategies to complete their missions and achieve their objectives in the game, they learn how to develop their problem solving skills and development of logic (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). Games such as Angry Birds and The Incredible Machine are very great in developing problem solving skills since they require players to solve some challenging task s in the game. Other games, such as the shooting games, help to develop the players’ hand-eye coordination. In the shooting games, the character can be engaged in both shooting and running and the player needs to ensure both are done simultaneously in order to be successful in the mission. This process also requires great coordination between the players’ hands and eyes as they play. This in turn works on developing the mental skills of the players. Research has shown that

Friday, July 26, 2019

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 50

Case study - Essay Example Above all, FAA is mandated to oversee the operations of USA air carriers even outside USA territory. The essence for this is to ensure the service level expected to be offered by USA airline companies is maintained to attract as many as possible passengers and to choose USA airline companies as the best at all times. Taking for instance being an airport manager for Los Angeles International Airport, the magnitude of task and flow of planes in and out of an airport is massive. The manager has a responsibility of ensuring the operations within the airport runs smoothly and improves continuously. Government funding to enhance the facilities in airports, cannot be sufficient, therefore, the manager should move out of the norm to look for other sources of that are reliable. Passengers can be charged for using the airport facilities, leasing space for investors to open up businesses and charging of planes for using the airport facilities will generate income. However, the charging should be logical as far as costing and returns are concerned or else it will scare away possible investor (Wells, 2000). From these sources, the manager can invest on technologies that will minimize level of sound pollution caused by planes jetting in and out of the Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 17 Case study - Essay Example One of the greatest leaders known is Nelson Mandela, a former South African President who oversaw his country gain independence after going through a difficult racial segregation period. Nelson Mandela had a wide range of leadership traits that earned him global admiration and which were also instrumental in ascertaining the success of his leadership. Among key traits that Mandela displayed in his leadership, which also have a theoretical foundation include reconciliation, self-esteem, and humility. Reconciliation formed a large part of Mandela’s leadership ideology. In the Video clip, Mandela can be seen to display the reconciliation trait by offering white members of his cabinet a chance to serve in his government. This was deemed impossible and from their body language during that first cabinet meeting, the white leaders who had spearheaded the racial apartheid movement had feared for the worst and were looking forward to being sacked from public service. Mandela on the other hand chose to forgive them and work with them for the benefit of the country. With regard to self-esteem, Mandela was very instrumental in giving his followers the belief that they were not inferior to the white who had created a notion that blacks were inferior citizens. This self-esteem is shown several times in the video clip when Mandela decides to work at par with both whites and blacks to demonstrate that no race was superior to the other. His treatment of the Rugby team, which was predominantly white, indicated his belief that all people are equal. Humility is also displayed on several instances in the movie clip and in deed in Mandela’s life and leadership. He always mixed with common citizens and other junior leaders listening to them and giving them advice. When he mingled freely with the rugby team captain sharing leadership experiences as if they are at par,

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Managing Attention in an Office Environment Essay

Managing Attention in an Office Environment - Essay Example Sitting at a desk or in a cubicle all day doesn’t provide much stimulation, and minds will inevitably wander. The human desire for variety, fed by a diet of fast-cut films and 30-second commercials, inevitably leads employees away to something more engaging or entertaining than another spreadsheet, another email, other earnings report. This distraction, this need for stimulation and entertainment, is death to productivity, and thus to profitability.   It would be easy to say that one should simply install blocking software to keep social networking sites, game sites, media sites, political blogs, and so on. However, that â€Å"and so on† is murder. Either employee will find ways around the software or, if the software is good enough and the ban comprehensive enough, they will lose the ability to find needed information online. Even if a perfect distraction firewall existed, employees would still flick balls of paper at the ceiling to relieve boredom. If a ban on paper-flicking is introduced, a new distraction will be invented. The solution to the problem of distraction should not be playing Whack-A-Mole with the concept of boredom.   The most addictive video games work on the concept of a â€Å"dopamine drip,† a steady flow of feedback, of minor feelings of accomplishment and pleasure, that is doled out in response to the player’s actions. If a game were designed so that nothing the player did matter or changed anything in the game until the very end, nobody would want to play it. Even if they did, they would find more entertaining things to do while playing.   An employee who tosses crumpled pieces of paper across a corridor, trying to sink them into the wastebasket, isn’t having a wildly entertaining time. The game of it, however, is providing him that feedback. Every time he nails that wastebasket, he feels a sense of progress, of accomplishment.   

Bill of Material Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bill of Material - Essay Example and SAP Inc. designs the BOM for many enterprises depending on the nature and ERP needs of the enterprise in question. The technology companies have to make the BOM application user-friendly so that the management may find ease and efficiency when using it. BOM is a merely a list of the components required to build a product by detailing and providing the manufacturers part number and the amount of quantity need for a particular component. For example, Microsoft deals with production of computer hardware, which typically consists of different parts. The company, therefore, uses the BOM track the components needed to complete a single computer hardware. That enables the company to track the production cost per unit head. Similarly, SAP is a computer technology and hardware company that assembles computer hardware parts to supply to their clients. Consequently, SAP uses the BOM track the cost of particular parts needed for completion of a single product design. Additionally, SAP management can use the information generated to manage its stock and plan for deliveries from suppliers in time. The policies concerning stock control effectiveness is easily monitored through BOM In general, BOM benefits Microsoft Dynamics and Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) in many ways. Some of the benefits include; facilitating and the location of items. Hence, it saves time spent. Additionally, the software identifies the changes that materials have undergone with respect to a particular time. The rules that govern the use materials can be useful using BOM. Lastly, BOM software, gives reports of the full audit of the material usage, all the approvals made during requisition of materials and all the costing involved (Hua & He, 2010). He, P., & Xu, X. (2009). Improving process flexibility through products assignment with bill of material constraints.  Robotics And Computer-Integrated Manufacturing,  25(3), 582-588.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

5th street Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

5th street - Essay Example Yet to ensure that these cyclist do not get into accidents especially where the street has intersections, the bike lane has ramps. It serves like the bumps that help to inform the bikers of the intersection and thereby alerting them to reduce their speed. The making of the road and the signposts also help to inform all the road users of the need to keep watch of each other. There are areas, islands that are raised to help prevent accidents from other motorists coming from other lanes, fig a3. This way, it offers simple ways to avoid such clashes. There are signposts along major intersections where more than two lanes intersect. They provide adequate information to both the bikers and the motorists. The sign like the one shown in FIG is a stop sign with details 4-way intersection on the left of the signpost. Along the fifth street, there are special places that are set apart for the elderly and even the parents. Streets have bulb outs, as shown in fig b1 are both effective and efficient for the elderly and for parents with children. The reason is that hey shorten the distance that is taken crossing roads or intersection. Like the one shown in fig b2, it is thereafter followed by a raised seating area for these group of individuals. The reason for such consideration is that this group of individuals are much slower and may require to make several stop overs before getting to their destination. It provides them with sessions of taking breaks and a good place to also read their mail online if they so choose. For children in particular, there are so many considerations that have been put in place to ensure that they are safe. Some of the measures include warning the road users of the speed limit they are to observe. This is the case in fig c1. At such a limit, braking is easier to avoid accidents. Other measures are having sign posts that give warning to road users about the presence of children, especially school children crossing the road. The signs are

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Business Globalisation in Central and Eastern Europe Assignment

Business Globalisation in Central and Eastern Europe - Assignment Example These changes have occurred in different stages and businesses have undergone various transformations in order to remain relevant in the market. This paper explores different stages of globalization with a special focus on how Coca-Cola Company has responded to every phase of liberalization. Pearce (2006: 28) argues that every institution and business must commit to enhancing its global competitiveness as a crucial strategic goal. In the current business environment characterized by intense competition, no business organization can succeed if it fails to match with the high standards set by its competitors in the particular market niche. There are two phases of globalization recorded in the history of international trade namely old and new globalization (Manea and Robert, 2004: 203). International trade undertaken from 1893 to 1913 is classified in the old phase while the new phase entails trade from 1915 to the present. Although these phases are defined by an increasing gross domest ic product ratio and growing international investments, there are distinct differences. In the old phrase, there were high barriers to trade caused by high tariffs. However, the new phase has witnessed a drastic reduction of tariff barriers, resulting in the opening international borders to a high volume of trade (Manea and Robert, 2004: 215). The new globalization has witnessed the expansion of new markets, services and the emergence of global brands. Many countries are members of international trading organizations formed to set the norms and standards of trade. In addition, emerging issues such as democracy, human rights, and market economy are increasingly defining the norms and rules of new globalization. At a business level, the new globalization creates the necessity of expanding from local to regional levels. This implies that businesses should no longer distinguish between foreign and domestic market, but concentrate on enhancing the quality of their products, because of in tense competition at both levels (Anderson, 2000: 62). Businesses undergo five stages before becoming global firms. Generally, exporting goods or services is the initial stage of engaging in international business by local firms. In later stages, most businesses establish ventures in foreign countries (Anderson, 2000: 86). Narula (2003: 35) identified five stages that businesses undergo before developing into a global corporation. The first stage entails exporting using overseas dealers and distributors. In this stage, the business is predominantly domestic and it engages the services of foreign dealers as it expands into new overseas markets. In the second stage, the company has already established a foothold in foreign markets and therefore exporting its products using its own distributors and dealers (Narula (2003:43). During the third stage, the company is more established in the foreign markets. The firm begins undertaking to manufacture its products, sales, marketing, and othe r activities on its own (Pearce, 2006: 57).  

Monday, July 22, 2019

John Taylor Gatto Against School Essay Example for Free

John Taylor Gatto Against School Essay When it comes to the traditional education, John Taylor Gatto’s â€Å"Against School† questions whether we really need the nine month, drawn out, traditional curriculum. Gatto goes on to name several successful people through history that were not products of a contemporary school system. When I think of Gatto’s theory of forced schooling, a friend of mine named John Smith who goes by the alias of Viper comes to mind. Viper is in his late 20’s, lives in South Philadelphia, and has worked as a Roofer for the past 10 years. Viper went to a public school in South Philadelphia. Viper went to a school where said, â€Å"It wasn’t easy. I was scrawny and white and we were poorer than the jigs that went to school wit us, so we caught alota shit.† Viper’s school was extremely underfunded. â€Å"Some days there would be trash laid out by the trash cans cause nobody would change the trash bags, the food was shit, and the bathrooms†¦forget it.† He would walk twelve blocks back to his house just to go to the bathroom. There were no extracurricular activities like book clubs and band and the school was rundown and decrepit. Eventually he started to miss classes regularly. He felt that the teachers did not care. Classes were extremely boring to him. He was actually approached by his biology teacher and told he could cut class everyday as long as he turned in his work and he would receive a D at the end of the year. He was not amused by the offer, he was not even interested in graduating anymore. â€Å"I expected to be a laborer for the rest of my life so I felt like education was unimportant.† Viper’s education started taking a back seat to work around his sophomore year of high school. He was the middle child in a family of four, all of whom have dropped out of high school and are laborers today. â€Å"My parents made me get a job when I was thirteen, that’s the way it was with all my brothers,† says Viper. Eventually he started to make a decent amount of money and admits to being extremely naà ¯ve, saying â€Å"Why the fuck was I gonna go ta school for eight more years if I was makin’ 25-30 thousand dollars a year. Do the math, instead of spendin 100 thousand dollars in college and waste my time in school I coulda made 200 thousand dollars by the time I was 24.† One day Viper decided to make an appointment with a school counselor. He was hardly going to class, working every day when he was supposed to be in school, and partying every night and having fun. School was more of a social event. He was just going to school to see his friends and make plans for the weekend. When he told the school counselor that he was planning on dropping out the counselor stood up, looked him in the eye, extended his hand and said, â€Å"Good Luck!† â€Å"The guy didn’t even give a shit!† Viper said. By the time December came around of his sophomore year, he was a high school dropout. He was working everyday by that time already so he was not stagnant. He was still living with his parents. The fact that he dropped out was ok with them because he could â€Å"contribute to the house,† as his father put it. Viper eventually saved enough money to get his own place and now lives with his wife of three years and their two children who are two and five years of age. He said, â€Å"I always thought I learned more out of school than in high school, but it’s not what my kids are gonna do†. He aspires to open his own roofing company one day. Although I do not agree with the path that Viper chose in life, he is happy and successful today. He is a great father and happily married. He does not drink anymore and devotes every second of his free time to his family. In a way he is almost a survivor to me. He is not well spoken or the brightest guy in the world, but he would d o anything in his power to help any person in a bind.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Impact of Social Injustice on Nigeria

Impact of Social Injustice on Nigeria The question of social justice is a question of what is a proper social order, which can guarantee human equitable and equally distribution of benefits and burdens in a society, which will lead to a flourishing state where individuals are treated equally by the state regardless of society status or creed. A just social order cannot allow for a society of slaves, where for some people, resources external to them are been subjected entirely to communal control, such that they having no control or very little control of means of life, thus leading to their autonomy been undermined. With regards to the Nigerian situation, the Nigeria’s socio-political conundrums stem from numerous complicated tides. Egharevba (2007) states that the â€Å"nation-state of Nigeria emerged out of political amalgamations of extremely diverse ethnic groups and class configurations brought together as a colonial necessity in 1914. In other words, Nigeria’s problems are predicated on the partition ing of Africa by European at the Berlin conference. This conference left the continent with an illogical pattern of geographical distribution which also reflected on the amalgamation of Nigerian by the then colonial masters (Mentiki, 2002). Ammo (1997) sees the make-up of the Nigerian state as an embodying the merging of different people with different worldview that lacks a coherent and functional unity and is consequently fragile. As will be shown in the following analysis, this research seeks to analyse how the impact of social injustice in the Nigeria state has led to the bigger problem of ethnic cleavages which has further prevented the country from attaining any meaningful development. Balewa a former Prime Minister of Nigeria, states that some problems facing the nation include the problems of indiscipline, tribalism, lack of patriotism and declining productivity. But one of the most obvious is the tribal prejudice inherent in the nation’s polity as a result of the inequitable distribution of the ethnic groups across her landscape and the persistent attempt of the giant ethnic groups to monopolize control over state resources thereby usurping and undermining the far lesser groups in the nation’s polity. This assertion has been arrived at having keenly analysed the views, lamentations, opinions and findings of some Nigerian socio-political thinkers on the problem of social injustice in the Nigerian state (Oyeshile, 2005). According to these authors, it is the repressing of the interests of some groups (disadvantaged in size, status, ethnicity, etc.) that has characterized the bane of attaining social justice and by extension, social development in the country (ibid). Anikpo identified the appropriation of available resources in Nigeria as characterized by the fundamental concept of Marx’s theory which defines the instability arising particularly from distorted production and rewarded system; as societal goods are distributed to individuals based on their social class or productivity ability. Hence, this situation of polarization of various ethnic groups, social groups and class lines, etc. has led to the formation of ethnic militias raising several questions about social justice in the society. According to Oyeshile (2005), social injustice in terms of unfair and inequitable distribution of social goods satisfactorily among the multi ethnic groups in Nigeria over the years has resulted in the sharpening of the individual’s allegiance to ethnic inclinations rather than to state authority.1 This reality, according to him, has led to the weakening of the federal government and state authorities in propagating agendas of national interest and development, â€Å"since it has become the case that issues of national interest can no longer be considered in their own merits but on how they affect the ethnic groups†2. In other words, the diversities in a contest complicated differences in language, religion and level of economic attainment has further disintegrate the various ethnic tribes in the Nigerian state. In buttressing the above claim, Oguejiofor (2005) refers to the attitude of Nigerians towards the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election, an election which could have consolidated democratic rule in the country years ago. According to him, the North did not want a revisit of the June 12 election simply because its annulment ensured that it (the North) remain in control of power. He states further that â€Å"the other sections of Nigeria did not see their interest attacked by the cancellation of the election (and as such did not protest), while for most Yoruba who mounted serious protest, it was doubtful whether they would have done so if the candidate who won the election were not of Yoruba extraction† (ibid). In a further analysis of the Nigerian socio-political situation, Oladipo observed another deepening effect of social injustice in the Nigeria polity. He observed that at the receiving end of the ethic pervasiveness, structural imbalance and poor distribution of social w ealth, is the common man. The common man in Nigeria has, for reasons quoted above, found life extremely burdensome and unbearable because of the inability to access the essential things of life. Oladipo further made a call for the restructuring of the body polity of the country from an ethical and ideological perspective4. Furthermore, Ograh (2014) avers that structural imbalance and social injustice in Nigeria is represented in two main forms. Firstly, in the exertion of control and appropriation of state resources by more advantaged ethnic groups over the disadvantaged ones even when the later seem to be the main producers of such resources. Secondly, structural imbalance and social injustice in the Nigeria polity consists in the overwhelming gulp between the living standards of the few elite citizens and the majority commoners. Having considered the above analysis, it is clear therefore that measures must be taken towards restructuring the social order in Nigeria in order for meaningful progress and development can be achieved. Sadly, only few attempts have been made by the government towards achieving the aforementioned objective. Even those few attempts have ended in futility because as Oladipo () acknowledges that where the ideological underpinning is strong and resilient the society survives and thrive but where it is weak, the society’s capacity for social progress becomes impaired5. What this means is that there is need for strong ideological foundation for the rectification of the social disorder and injustice which is on display in Nigeria. This is where I find the theoretical postulations of John Rawls on social justice very useful because Rawls’ conception of justice contains ideological guides for rectifying social injustices in multi-ethnic societies like the Nigerian federation. R awls believes that the major function of the basic structure of any society is to distribute the benefits and burdens of that society equitably. The benefits of social cooperation, are wealth and income, food and shelter, authority and power, right and benefits among others while the business of the social cooperation included, duties, obligations and liabilities. However, the most important value of this research is to reemphasize the critical role of the concept of social justice in the formation and sustenance of a stable, viable, humane and progressive society.

The Popularity Of Hollywood Movies Media Essay

The Popularity Of Hollywood Movies Media Essay It is believed that Hollywood is the greatest national source of entertainment for many people of all ages, races, sexes, and ethnicities. Hollywood movie industry depicts numerous images of a variety of races throughout its films for more than nine and a half billion dollars in 2002 (U.S. Census Abstracts, 2002). Despite the wide variety of shows, movies and images produced by Hollywood, audience of various backgrounds are allowed to generate thoughts, views, and opinions that go a long with their own perceptions. Therefore, many films appear to be non-redundant and convenient though they implicitly include wide variety of repeated plots, characters, and specific characteristics. Regardless of the quality level of movies, they last for long times as they are hard to be imitated or changed. Plato states, in the Republic, those who tell the stories also rule society (Shaheen, 2001, p. 5). The most effective images are those left behind contributing in shaping audiences beliefs, opinions and attitudes toward certain events and nations. Arab and Muslim culture was a main target and content for Hollywood movie industry. Savage (2002) believes that Hollywood films have a major influence on the American public, and millions of people have grown up believing that they know Arab and Muslim culture through what they view on the big screen (Savage, 2002, p. 8). Hollywood movie industry has strongly established its popularity in the United States and worldwide. According to Shaheen (2001), Hollywoods motion pictures reach nearly everyone. Cinematic illusions are created, nurtured, and distributed world-wide, reaching more than 100 countriesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦No sooner do contemporary features leave the movie theaters than they are available in video storesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Shaheen, 2001, p. 5). Teenagers and children were one of the most affected audiences by the sustained popularity of Hollywood movies. Shaheen (2001) remarks that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦teenagers are avid moviegoers and nowadays purchase four out of ten movie tickets (Shaheen, 2001, p. 5). It is also noted that Hollywood movies and American media are consumed by 150 nations worldwide (Shaheen, 2002). However, the meanings of images conveyed by Hollywood movies to audiences play a crucial role in shaping various stereotypes of peoples. Paul (1998) comments on research findings saying lat erally, Studies indicate that stereotypes are automatically or unconsciously generated in the mind, and that categorizing is an important part of the mental process of evaluating the world (Paul, 1998, p. 52). Hollywood filmmakers employ various stereotypes as an effective tool that establishes protagonists and antagonists; however, frequent appearance of Arabs in antagonistic roles affects audience to believe that such shows are real and true. The stereotypical myths about Arabs reach beyond ordinary audience to become self-perpetuating when more films adopt the same premises. El-Farra (1996) states, it is the myths about Arabs which often inspire directors, producers and screenwriters to develop a product which is then based on stereotypes (El-Farra, 1996, pp. 4-5). Stereotypes Existence and Harm According to Paul (1998), the stereotypes explain why things are the way they are. Other scholars believe that A person develops stereotypes about a groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦from information and disinformation, distortions, and/or opinions made available through family, friends, and the media (Abreu, Ramirez, Kim, Haddy, 2003, p. 693). Generally speaking, stereotypes can negatively affect any race, ethnicity, or a group of people if the negative implications about such groups are synonymous with their members. Abreu et al ( 2003) say that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦when one perceives an individual as a member of a particular stereotyped group, the perceivers mind activates the group-relevant cognitive structure and processesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦judgments and attitudes within the framework of that particular stereotype (Abreu et al., p. 693). Crocker and Major (cited in Pitner, Astor, Benbenishty, Haj-Yahia, Zeira, 2003) report, holding negative beliefs about other groups is functional in that it could bo lster the image and esteem of ones own group. Therefore, Hollywood movie makers can portray some races as favorable for audience whereas others cultures are placed in the negative side of audiences awareness. Several of Hollywoods most blatant patterns of bias fall within the categories of race, ethnicity and/or national origin included in this group are negative and/or stereotypical portrayals of Arabs and Arab-Americansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Cones, 1998). All races may be shown as negative groups at certain times; however, some races such as Arabs and Arab-Americans are featured negatively all the time. Seen through Hollywoods distorted lenses, Arabs look different and threatening. Projected along racial and religious lines, the stereotypes are deeply ingrained in American cinema. From 1896 until today, filmmakers have collectively indicted all Arabs as Public Enemy #1- brutal, heartless, uncivilized religious fanatics and money-mad cultural others bent on terrorizing civilized Westerners, especially Christians and Jews. (Shaheen, 2001, p. 2) Several terroristic events which took place before September 11 had been exploited by media and Hollywood movie makers to show Arabs as terrorists in spite that Arabs were not involved in those events. For example, Arabs were blame for the bombings of Oklahoma City and World Trade Center even before investigations launched, and all Arabs were blamed for the invasion of Kuwait by only one Arab country (Iraq). These events were used to convey a message to public saying that Arabs cannot be trusted since they support crimes and mass destruction against humanity as a whole. Popular culture of any people is formed in part through their knowledge and experiences which are mostly acquired by mass media. Shaheen (2001) believes that individuals are influenced by a continuous flow of seen one, seen em all headlines (Shaheen, 2001, p. 28). Therefore, Hollywood movie industry depends upon current evets and headlines to influence their desired perception for purposeful goals when producing new movies. According to Goodstein (1998), Each set of villains reflected headlines and anxieties of its eraà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦with Soviet pretensions shattered and aliens from outer space passà ©, the new cinematic enemy is the Muslim extremist. Stereotypes and Myths About Muslims, Arabs and Arab-Americans El-Farra (1996) defines a stereotype as the creation of a biased opinion or view- an individual will take the behavior of one person and state that all people belonging to that particular group, be it an ethnic, religious or social group, behave in the same manner (El-Farra, 1996, p.1). In this sense, Hollywood portrays target groups stereotypes as absolute truths ignoring the fact that there is only some truth born by these stereotypes. However, focusing on and encouraging positive portrays of certain stereotypes make audience view all related members positively. It is believed that in spite of many procedures have been taken to improve stereotypes of certain racial and ethnic stereotypes, Shaheen (2001) thinks that Hollywoods stereotype of Arabs remained the same. Over the last three decades stereotypical portraits have actually increased in number and virulence (Shaheen,2001, p. 28). Portraying Arabs in negative roles all the time even through fictitious stories rather than factual ones whether in movies or TV shows leaves audience more likely to view Arabs as if they really act the roles portrayed in movies and shows and thus public think that all Arabs can only behave accordingly. Therefore, such negative portrayals of Arabs enhance the publics biased judgments, views or attitudes toward Arabs nation and culture. After years of virtual invisibility, Arab-Americans are finally finding prominence in Hollywood movies- as terrorists and villains. They are only the latest in a long line of ethnic groups and nationalities cast in stereotypical bad-guy rolesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Goodstein, 1998). According to Shaheen ( 2001 ), there are four types of myths that pertain to the Arabs and Arab-Americans stereotypes: They are all fabulously wealthy, they are barbarians and uncultured, they are sex maniacs with a penchant for white slavery, and they revel in acts of terrorism (El-Farra,1996, p. 2). Such myths about intentionally imagined Arabs stereotype encourage all participants of Hollywood movie industry including directors, producers, and screenwriters to make their films and TV shows accordingly. In fact, scholars find it hard to explain these representations of Arabs. For example, Shaheen admits such dilemma stating, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I cant say the celluloid Arab has changed. That is the problem. He is what he has always been-the cultural other. In fact Arabs are not the only group that is exposed to negative portrayals of Hollywood. Some critics remark that other minorities stereotypes such as African-Americans and Latinos have been characterized as offensive. Shaheen (2001) stated that History reminds us that the cinemas hateful Arab stereotypes are reminiscent of abuses in earlier times. Not so long ago-and sometimes still-Asians, American Indians, blacks, and Jews were vilified (Shaheen, 2001, p. 4). On the other hand, Cones (1998) believes that there is no such constraint on depicting Arabs as oily and oversexed or shifty-eyed and violent (Cones, 1998). Therefore, it is noted that in spite of the sufferings Arabs and Arab-Americans face as a result of untrue images in the public eyes, Hollywood does nothing to improve or change the current situation of Arabs image in public eyes. This view can be understood and interpreted appropriately if one considers how Hollywood plays a crucial role in directing hatred against Arabs and Arab-Americans. To achieve success in this regard, Hollywood has employed its pre-identified image of Arabs as evils and enemies of humanity in many related media productions (Savage, 2002, p. 7). However, the frequent work of portraying certain stereotypes negatively may not achieve the expected profits for Hollywood movie industry since they would exclude those races and ethnicities members from lists of consumers. Those ethnicities would view such negative images of their cultures as offensive which may reduce their interests in Hollywood productions. Therefore, Hollywood movie makers may think that audience of various backgrounds particularly Arabs would be open-minded enough to view such media campaigns against them as entertainment rather than vicious anti-Arab propaganda. In case that such audiences were not up to Hollywood expectations, Hollywood may have done serious and critical risks in that it would not only threaten its industry but would also contribute to the creation of national and international political struggles that are based on racism and religious discrimination. (Cones, 1998). A group of factors underlie the exposure of Arab stereotype to negative images in Hollywood. These factors include political reasons, profitable box offices, apathy, and the absence of Arab-Americans in the industry. However, Shaheen (2001) ironically says: the fact remains: You can hit an Arab free; theyre free enemies, free villains, where you couldnt do it to a Jew or you cant do it to a black anymore, affirms Sam Keen(Shaheen, 2001, p. 6). The negative image of Arabs in Hollywood productions could also be attributed to what other minorities experienced along the course of forming their cultural awareness and experiences in that Hollywood aims at founding a bad-guy whom exists as battle fuel in movie industry. This is certainly easier for movie makers than attempting to establish other stereotypes in the mentality of the mainstream society. Hollywood audience especially American people have little knowledge about Arabs and Arab-Americans. The main sources of knowledge about Arabs multi-culture are represented for Americans through depictions provided by Hollywood movies and mass media. Convenience of audiences in what is portrayed for them regarding Arabs images may be the most important factor that support the frequent negative productions of Arabs and Arab-Americans. Shaheen believes that convenient stereotypes make it easier for movie producers to create and recreate negative images of Arabs including making good joke of Arabs and inserting a stumbling and bumbling sheikh or an Arab terrorist. Levesque (2002) states, We all know what they look like from watching movies and TV without any thought required. (Levesque, 2002). Reviewing the state of art may reveal that there is a need to create a balance of stereotypes depicted by Hollywood; however, it is believed that such notion is not insistent or pressing since there is no real action to support or at least to reduce the impacts of what is going on in Hollywood movie industry. According to Cones (1998), Hollywood movies involving Arab characters demonstrate that the U.S. film community portrays Arabs in a stereotypical manner and that little or no effort has been made by Hollywood filmmakers to balance portrayals of Arabs with positive portrayalsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Cones, 1998). Historical, Cultural, and Religious background of Muslims, Arabs and Arab-Americans Hollywood industry may have misrepresented most information about Arabs background. It is believed that this industry associate Arabs history with negative attributes such as terrorism and violence which contributes to the process of demonization and dehumanization (Savage, 2002, p. 4). In Fact Hollywood defines the term Arab differently. For example, the word Arab is used to describe any person who is originally from the Middle East countries regardless of their diverse cultures, beliefs and religions El-Farra (1996, p.1). The term limits individuals and countries within a distinct target that is open to stereotypes and bias. However, Shaheen thinks that the term refers to the 265 million people who reside in, and the many more millions around the world who are from the 22 Arab states (Shaheen, 2001, p. 2). Historically speaking, a mixed ethnicity have existed in the Arab world which from 5000 BC to the present. According to Shaheen (2001), The Scots, Greeks, British, French, Romans, English, and others have occupied the area (p. 3). In fact, Arabs have crucially contributed to the development of human civilizations. For example, Shaheen (2001) says that Arabs have developed essential sciences that are considered bases of modern technologies including algebra and the concept of zero, for instance. He adds that many English such as algebra, chemistry and coffee are of Arab roots. Arabs proved to be pioneers in several sciences in the middle age. For example, they created and used astrolabes for navigation, star maps and celestial globes in astronomy. In addition they are the first who used the concept of the center of gravity. Moreover, the water clock is one of their conventions; besides inspired the European Gothic style in architecture. In Agriculture, the Arabs were the first nation to introduced oranges, dates, sugar and cotton and to use water irrigation nets. According to Shaheen (2001), 70 percent of the population is under the age of 30 (p. 3) who are mostly share common language, cultural heritage, and religion (Islam). That does not mean that there is non-Muslims in the Arab world as it has been thought by some. Shaheen states that Though the vast majority of them are Muslims, about 15 million Arab Christians reside there as well (Shaheen, 2001, p. 3). The same can be claimed regarding the Arab-Americans who reside in the United States. Shaheen claims that the majority of the United States Arab-American population is also Christians; about 40 percent are Muslim (Shaheen, 2001, p.3). In spite that mass media keeps attempting to show Islam as a religion of terrorism, Muslims are Americas fastest growing religious group, and they include immigrants from more than 60 nations, as well as African-Americans(Shaheen, 2001, p. 4). Hollywood movie industry and other American media prefer to show all Arabs as Muslims. Shaheen thinks that A majority of the worlds 1.1 billion Muslims are Indonesian, Indian, and Malaysian, but only 12 percent of the worlds Muslims are Arabs. Shaheen indicates that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Moviemakers ignore this realityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Repeatedly, they falsely project all Arabs as Muslims and all Muslims as Arabs. As a result viewers tend to link the same attributes to both peoples (Shaheen, 2001, p. 4). On the other hand, the religion of Islam does not go untarnished. As a result of the representations of stereotypically fanatic Arabs that are bent on destruction, Islam is assumed to be linked with acts of mass destruction and violence. Todays image makers regularly link the Islamic faith with male supremacy, holy war, and acts of terror, depicting Arab Muslims as hostile alien intruders, and as lecherous, oily sheikhs intent on using nuclear weapons (Shaheen, 2001, p. 9). It is noted that portraying Arabs and Arab-Americans by using such negative characteristics has, similarly, led to presenting Islam to most movie viewers. Shaheen (cited in El-Farra, 1996) says, In an attempt to place Islam in a category that Americans can understand, the media portrays images of Muslims as belonging to a faith of 800 million people, consisting of strange, bearded men,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in robes and turbansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. According to El-Farra, the distortion of Islam leads audience to think that it is a mysterious religion prone that encourages acts of terrorism, violence, and fanaticism. These themes are maintained by movies industry (El-Farra, ). On the other hand, the majority of Hollywood movie makers and other mass media ignore basic facts about Islam including its message that calls for equality and peace. In order to show respect and appreciation for Muslim religious leaders, arabs call them as. Shaheen defines the word sheikh literally as a wise elderly person, the head of the familyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Shaheen, 2001, p.19). However, it has completely misuded by Hollywood and moviemakers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in the 1920s he was a swarthy sheikh, wiggling his eyebrows and chasing the Western heroine around a tiled courtyard. After the 1973 oil crisis producers revitalized the image of the fabulously wealthy and slothful sheikhà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Shaheen,2001, p.19). instead of showing sheikhs as wise men or leaders of society, screenwriters often present them as stooges-in-sheets, slovenly, hook-nosed potentates intent on capturing pale-faced blondes for their harems (Shaheen, 2001, p.19). The negative image of the sheikh appeared to shift, by time, to one of excessive violence. Shaheen (2001) says that earlier movies would depict indolent sheikhs lounging on thrones. But, contemporary films pres ent oily, militant, ostentatious sheikhs reclining in Rolls Royces, aspiring to buy up chunks of America ( p. 21). Further, recent images have completely changed portrays of sheikh even from the Arab definition of the term. According to (Shaheen, 2001, p. 21), current movies introduce anti-Christian and anti-Jewish Arabs armed with nuclear weapons, and plenty of oil and cash. In fact these views are always produced in the context of Islam which is showed to justify violence against the West, Israel, and fellow Arabs. Movie makers have not drop arab women from their similar negative considerations. For example, shaheen (2002) notes that Arab women in the Middle East are portrayed mainly as bundles of black cloth, submissive harem maidens or carrying jugs on their heads. He adds that They have no identities whatsoever, and theyre always mute (Shaheen, 2002). Shaheen(2001) believes that image makers can make personal and political statements depending on the customes and steryptypes women are presented in. he adds that By covering the reel Arab woman in black and relegating her to silence, the costumer links her to oppression. But throughout the Arab world, women wear a variety of apparel. (Shaheen, 2001, p. 23). Shaheen (2001) states that Arab woman are usually portrayed with negative roles in Hollywoods movies. For instance, they usually appear with no effective acts wearing black dresses all time. Shaheen (2001) also emphasizes that even they do not have speaking or working roles. Such extreme negative portrays of Arab women in Hollywood images may lead audience to link Islam with negative message of oppression against women rights. The constant negative portrays of women and their ideology of Islam leave strong effect against the social and cultural life of Arabs and Muslims as a whole among audience. Therefore, Hollywood ignores the fact that Arab and Arab-American women can effectively be positive contributors to their society or humanity in general. Economically, Hollywood images keep drawing Arabs as the only owners and suppliers of oil around the world. Thisw results in making audience believe that arabs life is based on only oil fortune without having other economic resource to live on. On the other hand, Hollywood and in large world audience think that OPEC is an Arab organization despite the fact that only seven of the thirteen OPEC members are Arab nations. Moreover, According to El-Farra, 1996), of the five largest oil-producing countries, only one is an Arab nation, Saudi Arabia (p. 2). However, one may not be sure whether people around the world really believe that. For example, an economic editor states that the worlds supplies of oil and price levels are manipulated and controlled by greedy Arabs (El-Farra, p. 2). Such pre-identified ideas may only contribute to continuing negative attitudes toward Arabs and Arab-Americans. Current Events Involving Muslims, Arabs/Arab-Americans Large amounts of present worldwide events may also have contributed to drawing peoples attitudes, perceptions and feelings toward Arabs and Arab-Americans. Such events may have also affected Arabs image in Hollywoods eyes. For example, the Arab-Israeli conflict is considered one of the most important factors that is used to feed audiences attitudes toward Arabs. This conflict which extended along more than half a century period and still going on may have provided the American media with a rich source to portray Arabs as extremely aggressive while Israelis who are generally supported by west are innocent victims. Kressel (cited in El-Farra, 1996) believes that the American media which be considered the strongest around the world practiced unequal roles in covering the Arab Israeli conflict attempting to put Arab states as powerful ones depending on violence and aggressions in their conflict with Israel who, in turn, is portrayed as a small country found in the midst of aggressive large states. Arabs in this image are shown as those who attack Israel which tries its best to preserve democracy, freedom and its people lives. In this sense, Mark Twain (cited in Shaheen, 2001) says, We are all ignorant, just about different things. However, when it comes to the Middle East, many Americans are ignorant about the history and plight of the Palestinian people (Shaheen, 2001, p. 26). Shaheen thinks the repeated negative images about Palestinians which portrayed by Hollywood movie makers and mass media left a myth among audience that all Palestinians are the enemy of humanity, violent and extremely terrorists. Apart from Israeli-Palestinian movies supported by Hollywood, one notes that human dramas show Palestinians as a normal people who is characterized with universal humanistic attributes like all peoples. These incomparable art works with Hollywoods portray Palestinians as innocent victims whereas Israelis as non-merciful occupiers. One cannot find a Hollywood movie that present reality about Israeli soldiers and settlers who frequently attack Palestinians farms to uproot their olive orchards or threaten Palestinians lives as it appears in some media news. Shaheen (2001) states that there American movies does not show the everyday actual struggle of Palestinian families under the highly pressing occupation, Palestinian refugee camps which are considered the largest in the world, or how Palestinians are exposed to most difficult circumstances in their pursuant to get back to their own home land (Shaheen, 2001, p. 26). Research has indicated that showing Arabs as terrorists repeatedly directs American audiences attitudes to take them as enemies. According to Martin (cited in El-Farra, 1996), the word terrorism was used by the press in describing events and individuals they disapproved of. Yet, when describing these same acts by individuals who are not Arabs, the media was careful to appear neutral and unbiased. On the other hand, Shaheen states that news reports selectively and relentlessly focus on a minority of Arabs, the radical fringe. The seemingly indelible Arab-as-villain image wrongly conveys the message that the vast majority of the 265 million peace-loving Arabs are bad guys (Shaheen, 2001, p. 28). In the 1990s Arabs and Arab-Americans images got worse in American audiences eyes. For example, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, which led to the second Gulf War, and the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center lead some Americans to believe that all Arabs are terrorists and that Arabs do not value human life (Shaheen, 2001, p. 29). This, in turn, strengthens the ideology that Arabs are aggressive and real enemies of America. Moreover, public opinion seems to be influenced directly by the way these events were covered in mass media. Therefore, both the intentional negative use of media against Arabs and the dominant prior stereotypical judgments were the main reasons of the continual Arab-bashing according to Shaheen (2001). Further, some movie makers found that such portrays of arabs provide them with rich opportunities to justify their productions. Shaheen remarks that the news programs which are used by some producers and directors deny that they are actually engaged in stereotyping. Shaheen reports their objection literally when they say, Were not stereotyping, just look at your television set, those are real Arabs (Shaheen, 2002, p. 29). It is noted that the disappointing use of media has been occurred through a prejudicial way presented during the issue of Okalahoma City Bombing. According to El-Farra (1996), In 1995, within minutes of the event, news reporters were insinuating that the bombing was an act of terrorists. Raised with unpopular stereotypes of Arabs, the American public was quick to develop images of Arab terrorists destroying American property (El-Farra, 1996, p.1).Government officials were also quick to point an accusatory finger at Middle Eastern terrorists. An Arab-American spokesman believes that the American people were so quick to blame Arabs for Oklahomas events as a result of Hollywood movies negative influence upon them. Cones (1998) states that most Americans, including politicians and media leaders, have been affected by Hollywood propaganda. According to El-Farra (1996), even experts of terrorism (e.g. Steven Emerson) do not believe Islamic groups when they denied involvement ( p. 1). Consequently, it was hard for the American public to attribute terrorism to Americans themselves that is why El-Farra (1996) states that terrorism appear in movies mostly points out unconsciously to Arab culture and people. El-Farra (cited in Bazzi, 1995) points to the 1995 report of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee which indicates that 250% increase in hate crimes against Arabs were from the previous year (pp. 1-2). According to (Cajee, 1995), The Oklahoma Hate and Harassment Report states that along the period taken to arrest the suspect Timothy McVeigh all people of middle eastern appearance have become suspects in bombing Alfred Murrah Federal Building. Therefore, Muslims and Arabs, in particular, were the most to suffer from the bombings effects. it was also found that manifistations of arabs and American arabs of suffers i ncluded widespread fear and intimidation, commonplace verbal harassment at school, in public and in the workplace, and a significant number of physical assaults and hate crimes (Cajee, 1995). Cajee (1995) found out that reports of most serious events of hate crimes include: Reports that associated Muslims to terror bombings of Oklahoma led some angry Americans to attack an Iraqi young refugees home in Oklahoma City on April 20th and cause loss of her baby. The windows of a mosque and community center in Stillwater, Oklahoma were caused by drive-by shootings on April 19th and 20th. Using knives to attack Arabs in an apartment parking lot or beating a student in a supermarket parking lot were only some examples of physical assaults reported by students. It was reported by Local Islamic centers and some Arab or Arab-Americans that they were frequently exposed to an onslaught of hate calls. Therefore, Arabs, Arab-Americans, and similar ethnicities were the core subject of unjust and violence in a very short period of time as a result of medias aggressive influence against them. Shaheen (2001) states that Though no American of Arab descent was involved, they were instantly targeted as suspects. He adds that Speculative reporting, combined with decades of harmful stereotyping, resulted in more than 300 hate crimes against them (Shaheen, 2001, p.7). Negative stereotypes may impact the perceptions of the public particularly when they are related to their attitudes toward certain races. Moreover, such stereotypes may also affect the way some races feel about their heritage, culture, religion, and self-esteem. Repeatedly over time, movie makers in Hollywood use some images of stock caricatures to focus on. For instance, American Arabs or Muslims are frequently shown as members of isolated communities until audience believe that Muslims are entirely different from other Americans (Shaheen, 2002). Therefore, movies which include true depiction of Arabs and Islamic culture seems to be nonsexist in Hollywood most of the time. In fact, there is a big need for founding new positive images of Arabs and Muslims in American movies and mass media. However, most Arabs and American Arabs believe that they are a subject of embarrassment whenever they have to replace audiences negative attitudes towards them by more objective ones. This sociological and psychological dilemma is strongly exist among Arabs and Muslims themselves who live in America. The most affected category in this regard in the children. In order to avoid embarrassments resulted from the wide influence of media and Hollywood movies upon Arabs, one can easily note how Arabs avoid introducing themselves as Arabs or Muslims. For example, it is noted that they deny their original identities saying literally, Im not Arab, Im Spanish, or Im Italian. Therefore, the widespread of negative attitudes toward Arabs results in killing Arabic heritage and leaving feelings of shame among Arabs (Shaheen, 2002). According to Monteith (cited in Paul, 1998), by five years of age, many children have definite stereotypes about blacks, women, and other social groups. He adds, Children do not have a choice about accepting or rejecting these conceptions, since theyre acquired well before they have their own cognitive abilities or experiences to form their own beliefsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ they must compete with all the forces that would promote and perpetuate these stereotypes: peer pressure, mass media (p. 58). In the same sense, at a time Arab youth learn negative stereotypes of Hollywood movies, arab children would find it hard to go long with this image as long as they have their own Arabic heritage. According to Shaheen (2001), the persistent images of Arabs in media and movies contributes, to great degree, in shaping their perceptions towards themselves and