Key Challenges Faced By The Bpo Industry Management Essay

Key Challenges Faced By The Bpo Industry Management Essay Peter Drucker says innovation is a change that creates a new dimension of performance. In todays business world, competition has become fierce and sophisticated. Companies worldwide are striving hard to operate as efficiently as possible and pass on the savings to the end consumers, in a bid to stay ahead of the competition. In the process, many companies are forced to innovate to come up with ways to reduce costs, increase efficiency and identify differentiators not only for their own organizations but also for their customer organizations. In the midst of this dog eats dog global competition, customers are true beneficiaries by demanding additional value, process innovation and business transformation from suppliers. In todays dynamic world, innovation is the hallmark of a competitive and leading organization. With attrition rates and competition in the BPO and ITES sectors rampant, innovation is the logical solution to stem the rot of this exodus and surge ahead of competition. Innovation, however, is not only about discoveries or new inventions; it is a concerted initiative to implement new ideas and methods of doing business to increase the overall efficacy of results (read topline and bottomline).   Innovation in BPO and ITES sectors is now picking up after companies have woken up to the fact that innovation is indispensable for survival and also in creating a competitive edge. Innovation occurs not randomly or accidentally but when there is a proper system/structure in place to encourage it. Any business is the sum total of its capabilities, which may differ from person to person. Nourishing innovation involves understanding the various capabilities in an organization and harnessing them to the best of its ability. These capabilities include: Differentiating capabilities an organizations primary assets that describes its special nature and the real differentiating factor Core capabilities those that are critical to the organizations survival, but may not necessarily help in differentiation Support capabilities those that support the organizations core capabilities and foster them. This paper aims to analyse innovation in the Indian ITES industry, success thereof and the focus needed to excel in the space. In particular, the organozation I was working for was suffering from all the symptoms mentioned in the report. Key Challenges faced by the BPO industry today and ways to fight it Flight to Scale Galloping Manpower Costs Increasing investments in Infrastructure Customer Retention Customer Acquisition People Retention To face these challenges, BPOs are forced to innovate and differentiate themselves in the market place. There are various types of innovation that a BPO can resort to: Business Model Innovation Services/Markets innovation Operations Innovation Business Model Innovation would mean changing the structure of doing business or even changing the billing model. From an hourly billing rate or transaction based billing organizations are now looking at outcome based financial models and sharing the risk and reward with the customer. Services/Markets Innovation would mean targeting entirely new markets based on new or existing offerings. BPOs can also innovate by coming up with entirely a new range of services. For example, many organizations are now talking about platform Platform BPO is about providing Business Processing services using a domain rich vertical or horizontal application (platform). Good examples for Horizontal application would be FA, CRM etc. There are innumerable vertical platforms. Some examples are Mortgage Processing, Collection Management, Insurance Benefits Administration, Policy Administration, Claims Processing and the list goes on. The purpose of the platform is to give credibility to the BPO providers capability. Operations Innovation aims at providing operational excellence with new offerings. Organizations are increasingly investing in analytics to provide the client insights into the way business is conducted and identifying areas of improvement. In one sense, it is akin to consulting services. Other forms of innovation could be in the areas of employee practices and investments in new technology. This is a significant change, which is true also of what is happening in IT and has a remarkable parallel with the transformation and rise of Japan in the post-war period. The transformation first occurs in transiting from cost advantage (wage arbitrage) to quality. Then comes the stage where quality is taken for granted, like hygiene, and clients start demanding innovation as a matter of course. Indian BPO as also IT is here right now and the ability of Indian players to innovate, in which they are still beginners, will determine their future.   A few examples of innovative players to help employee retention Intelenet Global Services, one of the leading BPO companies in India and rated among top-10 by NASSCOM, offering BPO and technology consulting services to clients in various sectors across the globe, has capitalized on its capabilities through employee innovation practices. To eliminate the boredom of the employees and keep them motivated to give their best for continuous value-addition to their clients, it offers its employees three career paths in the form of vertical growth, horizontal growth, and shift to parent company. While 70% of promotions in the organization are internal, only 30% is external. After 2 years of service, if an employee doesnt want to be a team leader (vertical growth), but desires to get into HR or training or other areas, he is allowed to shift diagonally across functions. Moreover, if someone who has worked for 2 years wants to move from nightshift to dayshift, then he is given first preference, subject to a vacancy in the parent company. Intelenet has spon sored offshore domain specialization training programmes for its employees, besides certification programs such as Train the Trainer. It has sent its employees to participate in seminars and conferences of top management institutes and also got them Customer Operations Performance Centre (COPC) certified. Similarly, Prudential Process Management Services (PPMS), the wholly-owned BPO subsidiary of Prudential UK, also offers vertical and lateral growth for its employees, thus enhancing value for its clients as well as employees through employee innovation. eFunds International, a US-based company providing technology solutions in financial risk management and electronic payments, and consultancy services, is creating continuous value for its clients through employee innovation. Whenever an employee joins the organization, he is given a Magic Score Card, which serves as a training passport. eFunds provides its employees training expertise in domain areas and also focuses on leadership skills. Because of its innovation initiatives, eFunds net revenues increased 11% from $532 million in 2003 to $552 million in 2004. Infowavz, another BPO company, offers a 1-year Management Development Program for fresh employees who join the company after completing their MBAs. It also offers an Accelerated Career Development programme for highly motivated and self-driven employees who look for continuous challenges and opportunities to maximize their potential. It has designed a unique Team Innovation programme for top performers who are associated with new projects at the pilot stage or proof-of-concept stage. Infowavz lucidly communicates its career path to employees at the recruitment stage, defining the Key Result Areas, and conducts an exhaustive Training Needs Analysis programme to identify the deficiencies and build employee competencies. There are quite a few BPOs investing on platform technologies to differentiate themselves from competition and also to improve margins. Wipros experience in the outsourcing industry has led to the development of Base, a technology platform that integrates outsourced services with the customers internal business processes and fulfils the following requirements: Flexibility and continuous improvement Control and transparency Complaince Faster time to benefit Accuracy and Quality What it takes to be an innovator A Partnering Attitude. Whats key here is a strong, long-term relationship between the two organizations. Both organizations must discourage adversarial, us-versus-them attitudes. If the provider fails, the client failsand vice versa. This is not about warm, fuzzy feelings; it is about clarifying synergies between the two organizations during the RFP cycle and ensuring alignment of interest just like in joint ventures. The Right Technology Platform. IT should support innovation. The technology platform provider must be able to make new technologies available quickly through the provider. This requires close collaboration between the BPO provider and the technology vendornot just marketing agreements. Also, buyers should select technology vendors with a demonstrated track record in bringing innovations to market over extended periods of time. BPO is long term; it is an innovation marathon, not a sprint. The Appropriate Governance Mechanisms. Buyers must ingrain innovation in their governance. That includes creation of an innovation and technology council with members from both buyer and supplier who meet regularly to review progress, ensure the technology evolves, and check the benchmarks at regular intervals to identify where performance falls behind. And technology evolution must push innovation efficiently, meaning integration is easy because the platform conforms to standards. Buyers can insure their tech platform does this using proactive oversight and agreed-upon standards. Standardized Process Redesign and Related Technology. Buyers need to limit their customization demands whenever they can. If buyers want innovation, the service delivery economics must work for the supplier. Suppliers that make money can afford to bring in innovation. This often becomes tricky because both buyer and supplier have to clearly understand the cost structure of the service delivery. A provider forced to accept a service delivery model that does not harness economies of scale, process optimization, or access to labour arbitrage is never going to be able to innovate, and customers forcing BPO providers to tweak their offerings may inadvertently kill the very root of the economic advantage suppliers are supposed to bring to the table. Better discussions about standardization pains and gains must happen between the client and the provider organization. Absolute top management commitment. No innovation can happen without top management commitment for both human and capital resources. This is very important because when investing in innovation sometimes results are not immediate. The senior management must have the vision and patience to reap the benefits. Conclusion Innovation in the BPO space continues to be a challenge for the following reasons: BPOs are normally under margin pressures and resource commitments for innovation are difficult to make. The SLAs are very stringent and time bound. Moreover daily performance could affect the commercials in a big way. This is because organizations see this as a window to reach out to their customers and a slip here would directly affect their customer satisfaction. Hence contracts are very tight and normally followed to the dot. This leaves very little room for innovation. Running the operations everyday is a struggle in itself People related issues are much higher when compared to the sister industry Information technology. The work hours are odd and the compensation less. This means a good amount of time being spent of motivational issues and coaching and training. Due to all these reasons, innovation in the BPO space continues to be a challenge. But in future as competition stiffens and the line between IT and ITES fades, there is a good chance that the scene gets better, including the organization I was working for.

Analysis of Patrick Henrys Speech to the Virginia Convention

â€Å"Give me liberty or give me death!† This statement from Patrick Henry’s â€Å"Speech to the Virginia Convention,† delivered to the House of Burgesses, has been quoted by many, becoming almost clichà ©. However, the declaration is truly understood by a select few. The unjust Stamp Act passed by the British crown in 1765, brought fame and notoriety to Henry as he spoke out against the unjust taxation without representation. Ten years later on the eve of revolution, Henry calls upon the Colonial government of which he is part, to act for the betterment of the people. Patrick Henry attempts to persuade the House of Burgesses to revolt and declare war against Britain by logically convincing them that it is their natural right to be free and calling on their patriotism and pride as leaders of colonial America. Throughout his speech, Henry justifies his argument for going to war, by logically explaining himself to the leaders of the American colonies. Obviously â€Å"men often see the same subject in different light.† Therefore, Patrick Henry uses this in a step-by-step explanation of why he believes that the colonies should join together in revolt. He states, because men have different views, he wishes to express his own, without â€Å"be[ing] thought disrespectful,† to anyone in the House. This shows his call on logos, because he logically goes through a process of explaining why his opinion even matters to the House. Continuing, he asserts that because he has an outlook on the topic, he therefore should express that viewpoint, or he would consider himself, â€Å"guilty of treason.† He believes he would be hurting his country by not standing to assist it in the way he sees best fit. In addition to the previous example, as Henry is speaking, he asks, â€Å"What... ...e colonial leaders, by stating he is ready to die for his cause. This would make the members of the house introspective and look into their hearts to see if they are ready to die for their cause. Henry excites fear by stating he is so passionately ready to sacrifice for his country. This play towards pathos, or appealing to the audience’s emotions, is an effective way of trying to convince the House to go to war against Britain. This pathos combined with the logic of Henry’s speech, makes for a convincing argument. Logically taking the house step by step from stating that because he has an outlook on their situation, he should express it to them, to stating his argument before the House, to saying that lacking freedom is worse then death, then taking it full circle pronouncing he would prefer to be â€Å"give[n] death† then to have his freedom taken away by the British.

Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays

Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is said to be the single greatest epic poem of all time. The opening story of the character of Dante the Pilgrim is told in the first of the three divisions: The Inferno. The Inferno is a description of Dante’s journey down through Hell and of the several degrees of suffering and many mythical creatures that he encounters on the way. Throughout his travel Dante displays many different feelings and actions but the emotion that summarizes the entire poem is fear. While some of his character traits change as his mind matures and acknowledges the justice being carried out, from the very beginning until the final Canto, his fear does not subside. This does well to reinforce the symbolism of Dante as Everyman and serves to direct the reader to the moral purpose of Divine Comedy, because of the humility and dependence upon God that fear produces. In the first Canto, which serves as an introduction to the entire comedy, Dante encounters the three beasts which impede his progress out of the dark woods. Coming upon the She-Wolf he writes: "This last beast brought my spirit down so low / with fear that seized me at the sight of her, / lost all hope of going up the hill" (I.52-54). Dante is so shaken by the appearances of the three beasts that he rushes headlong into the dark woods he has just come out of. This is only the first obstacle Dante encounters, but it proves an insurmountable one. When Dante and Virgil reach the gate of Hell, Dante is overcome with fear upon reading the inscription above the gate and hearing the screams and lamentations of those inside. He reacts to the inscription by crying out, " ‘Master,’ I said, ‘these words I see are cruel.’ " (III.12). By this he shows his fear of the unknown because he does not yet know exactly what he will witness during his descent. One of Dante’s truest display of fear occurs upon reaching the vile City of Dis. When the "fallen angels" deny the travelers access through the city, Virgil, usually unflappable, even appears shaken up. Understandably, this does not help Dante’s nerves at all. He actually makes a side comment to the reader declaring the terror he felt after the angels had defied Virgil’s request saying: "And now, my reader, consider how I felt / when those foreboding words came to my ears! / I thought I’d never see our world again!" (VIII. Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is said to be the single greatest epic poem of all time. The opening story of the character of Dante the Pilgrim is told in the first of the three divisions: The Inferno. The Inferno is a description of Dante’s journey down through Hell and of the several degrees of suffering and many mythical creatures that he encounters on the way. Throughout his travel Dante displays many different feelings and actions but the emotion that summarizes the entire poem is fear. While some of his character traits change as his mind matures and acknowledges the justice being carried out, from the very beginning until the final Canto, his fear does not subside. This does well to reinforce the symbolism of Dante as Everyman and serves to direct the reader to the moral purpose of Divine Comedy, because of the humility and dependence upon God that fear produces. In the first Canto, which serves as an introduction to the entire comedy, Dante encounters the three beasts which impede his progress out of the dark woods. Coming upon the She-Wolf he writes: "This last beast brought my spirit down so low / with fear that seized me at the sight of her, / lost all hope of going up the hill" (I.52-54). Dante is so shaken by the appearances of the three beasts that he rushes headlong into the dark woods he has just come out of. This is only the first obstacle Dante encounters, but it proves an insurmountable one. When Dante and Virgil reach the gate of Hell, Dante is overcome with fear upon reading the inscription above the gate and hearing the screams and lamentations of those inside. He reacts to the inscription by crying out, " ‘Master,’ I said, ‘these words I see are cruel.’ " (III.12). By this he shows his fear of the unknown because he does not yet know exactly what he will witness during his descent. One of Dante’s truest display of fear occurs upon reaching the vile City of Dis. When the "fallen angels" deny the travelers access through the city, Virgil, usually unflappable, even appears shaken up. Understandably, this does not help Dante’s nerves at all. He actually makes a side comment to the reader declaring the terror he felt after the angels had defied Virgil’s request saying: "And now, my reader, consider how I felt / when those foreboding words came to my ears! / I thought I’d never see our world again!" (VIII.

Robert Hooke :: biographies bio

Robert Hooke was an Englishman, born in Freshwater, Isle of Wight on July 18, 1635. He died in London on March 3, 1703. During his life he contributed a great deal to the world of science, contrary to what was expected of him at an early age. As a child, Robert Hooke was constantly in poor health. It was never expected that he would live past his childhood. He had frequent headaches which made studying for school very difficult. His parents decided to quit pursuing an education for their son, and Hooke was left to learn on his own accord. He became fascinated by mechanical objects such as toys and clocks. He also developed a talent for drawing. Hooke did survive to see adulthood, and old age. In his 68 years he held many positions in different fields. * Apprentice to Peter Lely, a portrait painter of the time * Professor of geometry at Gresham College in London * Assistant to Robert Boyle * London City Surveyor * Curator of experiments for the Royal Society of London * Lecturer on mechanics * Secretary of the Royal Society of London Robert Hooke invented many instruments for variable purposes. The following is a limited list of his many inventions. * modern air pump * wheel, double, & marine barometers * anchor escapement of clocks * spring control of the balance wheel in watches * arithmetic machine * 1st Gregorian telescope * compound microscope * reflecting telescope * diving engine * spiral gear * universal (Hooke's) joint * iris diaphragm * lens grinding machine * conical pendulum * springy saddle * horizontal sail for windmills * applied telescopic sights to surveying instruments * air gun Robert Hooke's first publication was in 1661, on the subject of capillary action.

Short Story Essay

The characters In the science fiction genre are too small minded to see the big picture. These characters are unable to evaluate the consequences of their actions. The characters are also resistant to the warnings of others. As a result, their ignorance may not only have jeopardized their own life and freedom, but may also have Jeopardized the lives and freedom of others. Characters in the science fiction genre are unable to evaluate the consequences of their actions and as a result jeopardize their own lives and freedom or the lives and freedom of others.To begin, in the short story â€Å"Men are Different† by Alan Bloch, the Robot is unable to see that treating the man as he would a fellow robot could result in the mans death, and ultimately the end of mankind. In the story the Robot decides that the man needs to be fixed and attempts to see what Is wrong with him: â€Å"†¦ His thermostat circuits were shot†¦ I turned him off without any trouble† (Bloch 1). The robot archeologist Is here studying the last man In the system. When the man begins complaining of the heat the Robot assumes he can fix him by opening him up as he loud do to another Robot.This shows that the Robot is unable to evaluate the consequences that may occur if he tries to fix this man. He is unable to see that he does not have the knowledge to fix a human and ultimately ends up killing the man, and ending mankind as a whole. Next, in the story â€Å"Random Sample† by T. P Caravan, the little girl could not see that by being mean and aggressive towards the aliens she could be putting her life, and the lives of others in Jeopardy. The little girl is telling the psychologist about her encounter with the aliens when she explains, â€Å"Anyway, hey paid a lot of attention to him, so I went over and punched him a couple of times.I'm afraid we broke up the insides of their spaceship a little† (Caravan 2). Here, the little girl Is telling the doctor about how s he Interacted with the aliens. She starts explaining what happened and It Is shown that she was very mean and aggressive towards them. By misbehaving and hurting the aliens and their spaceship, it proves that the little girl was unable to evaluate the consequences that would follow her actions. Ultimately, by acting this way towards the aliens she gave them a bad impression of humans which made them return to earth and kill off the human race. Lastly, in the story â€Å"Before Eden† by Arthur C.Clark, the scientists were unable to think about the consequences to Venus and its life forms if they buried their waste on the planet. After Hutchins and Garfield burry their waste and leave, the carpet plant comes back and discovers the garbage they left behind: â€Å"As the carpet crawled back to the lake, it carried contagion to all Its world. Even as the Morning Star set Its course for her distant home, Venus was dying† (Clark 6). When Hutchins and Garfield bury their garba ge on Venus, they do not think about how It could affect the planet. The carpet ends up coming back, finding the garbage and then eating It.The concentrated food, chemicals and nicotine from cigarette butts end up infecting the their garbage on the planet, they ultimately killed off all of the life on Venus. In conclusion, these characters in the science fiction genre were unable to evaluate the consequences of their actions and in all cases either put their own lives and freedom r the lives and freedom of others in Jeopardy. The characters in the non-fiction genre are resistant to the warnings of others and as a result, put their own lives and freedom or the lives and freedom of others in harms way.To start, in the story â€Å"The Weapon† by Frederick Brown, the doctor does not listen to the warning of Mr†¦ Maenad about his creation of the weapon. When Mr†¦ Maenad comes to Dry. Graham's house he expresses his concern about what Dry. Graham is creating: â€Å"Dry. Graham, you are the man who's scientific work is more likely than that of NY other man to end the human race's chance for survival† (Brown 1). As soon as Mr†¦ Maenad enters the doctors home, he warns him of how dangerous the weapon he is creating will be to mankind. Dry. Graham is resistant to his warning and claims that he is only advancing science.Ultimately, Dry. Graham ignores the warning and creates a weapon that could destroy mankind. It is only when Mr†¦ Maenad gives a gun to his mentally ill son, that he realizes how destructive the weapon really is if put in the wrong hands. Next, in the story â€Å"A Sound of Thunder† by Ray Bradbury, the hereafter Sickles does not listen to Travis' warning about leaving the Path and how it could change the future. When Sickles asks why they cannot leave the Path, Travis explains, â€Å"Step on one mouse and you leave your print, like a Grand Canyon, across Eternity.Queen Elizabeth might never be born†¦ There m ight never be a United States at all. So be careful. Stay on the Path. Never step off† (Bradbury 7). Here, Travis is explaining to Sickles why it is important to never leave the Path. While Travis is explaining this, Sickles questions him and does not believe that what Travis is saying sakes any sense. Sickles ignores the warning and later on in the story when he is running back to the time machine, he steps off the Path and changes the future.Ultimately, he puts peoples lives and freedom in danger by ignoring the warning and changing the future. Lastly, in the story â€Å"The Murderer† by Ray Bradbury, Mr†¦ Brock does not listen to the warning the psychiatrist gives him about damaging technology and as a result Jeopardizes his own freedom. When the psychiatrist is speaking to Mr†¦ Brock, he asks him if he's aware that the technology he is damaging is not his and says, Mimi don't want any further help from the Office of Mental Health? You're ready to take the consequences? (Bradbury 4). The psychiatrist is here explaining that because the technology he destroys is not his, if he does not take help from the Office of Mental Health he will be punished. Mr†¦ Brock ignores the warning and says it is only the beginning. By ignoring the warning, Mr†¦ Brock puts his own freedom in jeopardy and therefore has to remain in prison. The characters in the non fiction genre were too resistant to the warnings of others, and as a result put their own lives ND freedom or the lives and freedom of others in Jeopardy.In the science fiction genre, characters put their lives and freedom or the lives and freedom of others in Jeopardy. Characters in this genre cannot evaluate the consequences of their actions. The characters are also resistant to the warnings of small minded and blinded by what they want. The characters go by their own agenda rather than considering the greater good. They do not look at the bigger picture which results in their own de ath and loss of freedom, or the death and loss of freedom of others.

Persuasive Bullying Essay

This article is a practical help for you in your persuasive bullying essay writing. In order to write a good persuasive bullying essay, you have to become determine with the fact what the bullying is and how badly it influences the people. The definition of the notion of bullying is as follows: bullying is an open aggression towards a person or towards a group of people by the other person or a group of people. There are so many kinds of bullying, however, we are going to deal with the bullying, which is taking place in the colleges and other higher educational establishments because of this problem is too sharp in this very field nowadays. In order to write a professional persuasive bullying essay you have to write it from the prism of psychology. That is why be ready to investigate and analyze a lot while your persuasive bullying essay writing. A Topic Addressing a Common Occurrence Bullying Essays Need Novel and Fresh Perspectives Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever bullied someone? Sometimes what we think as simple teasing may amount to bullying in the eyes and the minds of someone with a sensitive mind. Therefore, this is a common occurrence which has repercussions which most of us may not foresee. Writing a bullying essay, can contain the feelings you had when either being bullied or bullying someone. On the other hand, it could be about the repercussions as mental trauma undergone by the victims. There are many ways in which to write this essay. However, firstly, we need to understand what bullying is. Defining Bullying Bullying is behaviour where one individual who is usually physically bigger act obnoxiously, annoying and physically and mentally disturbing another individual. Most often bullying comes from people who are either lacking in social skills or some form of personal affliction or a complex. Bullying is most common in young children. There are many instances where a small made child is often bullied by bigger and aggressive children. But we also see adults resorting to bullying younger children or more timid individuals. Write a Bullying Essay Which Address this Social Bane The Dire Repercussions of Bullying can be addressed in a Bullying Essay Bullying is something which can occur in many places. Bullying will begin mainly in schools, beginning at the age of ten or twelve. However, it is something which many people do regardless of age as well. This extends the habit to colleges, work place and even home. Writing a bullying essay will educate you and others on the repercussions of bullying. Your essay on bullying can be handled in various ways. If you wish, you will be able to concentrate on the repercussions of being bullied, especially once itâ„ ¢s carried too far, how to stop bullying, and the reasons for bullying. Make sure that you develop a proper essay layout and plan what part of bullying you will concentrate on in your essay.

The Power of Knowledge

The Power of Knowledge Our present day cabinet of curiosities (the â€Å"Cabinet†) is akin to early modern representations, which contained a vast range of objects representing the power of divine creation, in that the Cabinet represents, through its display of five objects, the power of human knowledge. Each of these objects helps mankind acquire and/or use knowledge.The order of objects displayed has been designed to reflect the evolution and utilisation of knowledge: an illustration of the DNA spiral helix (the building blocks of life); seed samples (the growth and development of organisms); the electron icroscope (allowing detailed examination of objects); the tablet-style computer (the dissemination and democratisation of knowledge); and the moon rock (exploration of space). DNA Spiral Helix The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) helix is the only object in the Cabinet which is a representation.Whilst DNA exists in every cell it would need the Electron Microscope to render DNA v isible. Two strands are shown twisted into a helix with rods between the strands. How does this represent DNA? Phillip Cohen (2006) describes the helix thus: Each strand spells out the genetic code as a chain of four chemical letters alled bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). A,C,G and T sit on the rods between the two strands which are made from a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule (Genetics Home Reference, 2013).The discovery of DNA and the evolving knowledge of it, has proved immensely powerful because of what it enables us to do, for example: to detect a criminal's guilt from a single hair beyond reasonable doubt; detect family connections by comparing DNA from two or more people, dead or alive; (hence the certainty that it was Richard Ill's remains found in Leicester); and to give the power to cure or eliminate previously incurable diseases, through the mapping of the human genome.Seed Samples Seed samples appear on the shelves at the seed bank of The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, labelled in see-through closed plastic containers. The first seed bank was established by N. Vavilov in 1926 outside St. Petersburg, for scientific research and cross-breeding purposes (BBC, 2013). Since then the world has changed dramatically, resulting in an increased consumption of natural resources. Seed banks around the world have assumed a new and very important ole in the preservation of rare and dying species of all kinds of plant forms.Today the Millennium Seed Bank in Kew Royal Botanic Gardens is working on the ‘Noah's ark project and has acquired ten percent of the world's plant species threatened by climate change and the expansion of human habitats (Kew, nd). Seed samples preserved by seed banks provide not Just the opportunity for detailed study but also the power, opportunity and possibility for future generations to preserve most of the plant forms in the world (as we know it now) and to regenerate species to help feed the growing world population. An Electron Microscope This electron microscope is linked to three computer screens, showing typhoid bacteria in pink.Invented in 1 by German natural philosophers Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska, the electron microscope, though cumbersome and expensive is â€Å"capable of high magnification and greater resolving power than a light microscope† Oohn Innes Centre, 2013). Its capability to magnify finer details by two million times, revolutionised the studies of the behaviour and treatment of light resistant bacteria (such as typhoid bacteria) and viruses and enables detailed forensic analysis to take place. This object symbolises man's quest not only to understand his natural environment, but his ambition to control and manage it.The micrographs are artefacts in their own right; they can be displayed on their own as scientific evidence. The electron microscope can be displayed alone in a science museum, as a demonstration model for public use or in the Cabinet with the other four items chosen, to show the prominence and ever-increasing possibilities of technology and science and to illustrate man's evolving knowledge. A Tablet Computer Tablet-style computers combine several electronic components, such as a computer, amera and hand-held gaming device, into one convenient portable package (Martin, 2013) which is affordable for many consumers.The invention of the personal computer allowed individuals to access academic libraries and newspapers/ magazines via the internet (Slaughter, 2010) and (eventually) to communicate with other users, subject to a web connection. A tablet computer allows access to a wealth of information. A search engine acts as a filter to any subject; this enables appropriate content to be accessed. The rising popularity of internet-enabled phones, results in thousands more opportunities to access and create data being pened up. This technology enables knowledge to be shared and democratised – no longer resting with a narrow elite (Slaughter, 2010).The tablet computer incorporates a camera to allow for the quick transfer of photographs and videos around the world. The camera can challenge and record human behaviours: this ability to provide a contemporaneous record of human behaviour has resulted in the power of Governments to dictate the historical record of events being publicly challenged. Early computers also helped plot the course to the moon of the Apollo 11 flights in 1969. (Taylor, 2013). A Piece of Rock from the Moon Moon rocks are of various shapes and sizes and â€Å"range in age from about 3. billion years up to about 4. 5 billion years old† (Museumwales, 2009). A wealth of previously unknown knowledge has been gained from studying these rocks, they have â€Å"been of great value in advancing our understanding of the Moon and the history of our solar system† (Astro. washington, 2009). Scientists believe that earth rocks and moon rocks were once e ither part of the same body or were originally combined before they were formed (Natural history museum, nd). On religious grounds, this could challenge raditional views on God's formation of the earth.Moon rocks can be exhibited on their own as artworks – as natural art that reflect the universe in a microcosmic form in accordance with the Chinese tradition of the Philosopher Stones (BBC News, 2012). Moon rocks are priceless due to their scarcity, given the high cost of returning to the Moon to obtain more. In conclusion, the Cabinet symbolises the startling possibilities of human potential and the evolution of knowledge. The discovery of DNA and the creation of the Electron Microscope enabled, in their turn, turtner discoveries and developments to ake place. Conversely, the collection of seed samples allows for the preservation of what currently exists. 0 The tablet computer encapsulates the democratisation of knowledge, through ever-increasing access to data. 0 The moon ro cks represent the ambition to move beyond the world and the infinite possibilities of exploring and understanding our universe. 0The Cabinet is designed to inspire awe in the observer through the display of symbols of the technological and scientific progress that has led to a better understanding of our world and beyond.