RoseWood Hotels & Resorts

RoseWood Hotels & Resorts: Branding to increase customer profitability and lifetime value. Rosewood Hotels& Resorts(Rosewood) , a private hotel management company started in 1979, that built a global reputation with iconic luxury hotels such as The Mansion and The Carlyle, became well known for its ability to enhance a property’s value by creating unique, one-of-a-kind properties with a small ultra-luxury residential style. But amidst this, the brand ROSEWOOD became muted, unmentioned. The issue here is to establish Rosewood as a true brand. A branding decision is to be made to establish the company’s future. Rosewood with or without a corporate brand needs to be evaluated in order to arrive at a decision. The first thing is-whether or not a corporate branding. * Establishing a corporate brand would mean to fall into the same league where other corporate brands were in. Rosewood without a corporate branding was at par with the branded ones. Its occupancy rate across years has been almost the same for- be it The Marriott or The Four Seasons Hotels, inspite of relatively higher prices at RoseWood. Moreover, it would mean to keep the brand promise across the properties – by ensuring perfect product/service performance across the portfolio, internal soft branding initiatives and significant marketing investment. But keeping in mind the uniqueness of each Rosewood hotel and their â€Å"SENSE OF PLACE† philosophy, consistent brand-wide performance standards seems a bit unrealistic. Each place has something new and unique to offer its guests. Standardizing it was not the Rosewood way of work. They understood the customer needs according to their functioning place and believed in offering the same. This was their Unique Selling Point and diverting from this would mean a high impact on the customer expectation. A corporate branding is not the only solution to increasing the customer profitability and lifetime value. Surely Rosewood needs cross-property increase. Seeing RoseWood’s statistics, upto 40% customers come back to the same hotel of Rosewood’s But only 5% are involved in cross property usage. In the individual brand range, they typically had 5-10% cross property usage rate and this number went upto 10-15% In case of corporate-branded hotels. But RoseWood was struggling at a mere rate of 5%- the lowermost rate even in the individual brand range. So they need to boost up this number to at least gain the higher edge in their own category of individual brands. I would suggest these short term course of action so as to achieve higher customer profitability and lifetime value. 1. People definitely like being at RoseWood- keeping in mind their occupancy rate (average of 60% for last 3 years) and 40% customers coming back again to the same hotel. Customers are happy to be at RoseWood properties. But little can they relate with other RoseWood hotels. The RoseWood hotel they go to provides them with a comfortable stay. When their guests go to a new place that also has a RoseWood property, they should know what to expect and those who liked it first will definitely want to have the same comfortable stay again. For e. g. A Mc-Donalds store worldwide is known for the food they provide. When going in a Mc-D they know what to expect and what level of food they will get. But even a Mc-D store in Gujarat has customized itself according to the place they are at and provides only vegetarian there. RoseWood’s main strength is their uniqueness. But they need to build an inter relation among their hotels so that they maintain almost same level of service and comfort. People should go in to experience something new but with the faith of same level of service. 2. When a customer checks-out from a RoseWood property, they can be asked to fill a small interactive feedback form and a satisfied customer should be handed with a handout of other RoseWood hotels with a promise that they can have the same satisfaction of stay there as well. . RoseWood can implement that when a guest leaves, he is made aware of other RoseWood hotels with a provision that whenever they are to go to a place having another of RoseWood’s hotels, they can just contact the manager of their regular RoseWood hotel staff/manager and all arrangements for their stay at that place can be made beforehand as per the guests convenience. Also, by this the customers would not go to a new place and make choices whether or not to turn up to RoseWood hotel at that place. They could implement the branding in a bit subtle way like The Mansion-from the house of RoseWood or The Mansion (RoseWood properties) so that people can be aware of and relate to them. 5. They need to collaborate more with the travel agents. They do promote the hotel but not the brand. Educating the customers about RoseWood as well along with the hotel would help the customers to relate and entrust in them. 6. Even the guests who have stayed in RoseWood hotels do not know of RoseWood as a brand. They need to bring the guests’ focus on RoseWood as well during their stay. Logo and promotion should be moved towards higher profile amenities as well. Their conversations on telephone to the dress of the staff should justify that they are a part of the RoseWood. As far as the long term initiative is concerned, being a status symbol never hurts. In Fact it is the need of the hour to be a leader in the competition. So, they might as well like to go for corporate branding if willing to compromise on their â€Å"Sense Of Place† philosophy to some extent.

Contingencies to Airasia’s Marketing Strategy Essay

Suggest three contingencies AirAsia should consider and rationalize your choice. What are the main modifications to the current marketing strategy should AirAsia undertake to respond to these contingencies. There are number of threats that AirAsia faces thus it should have well-prepared contingency plans in case certain situations occur. The following part focuses on analyzing three main contingencies that AirAsia should take into consideration as well as the modifications to the current marketing strategy that it would have to make to respond in case certain events occur. What if price war happens†¦Ã‚  To compete with the rivals, each airline introduced its own strategy. Famous full service carriers like Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways have set up low cost subsidiaries. Malaysia Airlines launched competitive promotion scheme while independent low-cost airlines like Valuair focused on improving customer services through offering additional benefits to customers. Obviously, the harsh competitiveness in the region strengthens the probability that price war might happen. Price war happens when almost all airline companies simultaneously start to reduce their prices and the region’s aviation industry as a whole fails to deliver profit. Price war might have a serious impact on AirAsia if it, together with other airlines in the region, starts to reduce its prices to compete. Customers now will have various choices and would be able to switch to the airlines that offer them the best price as well as best service. If price war does happen, AirAsia should make the following modification to its current strategy: Increase customer satisfaction by improving on-flight service quality as discussed in depth in the third paragraph of question one. What if customers decide to switch to other airlines†¦ Air Asia now has to face up with increasing competition not only from low cost subsidiaries of full service carries but also from the emergence of independent low cost airlines. With the increasing emergence of new airlines which provide customers with not only low fares but also â€Å"a level of service far beyond that expected†, the probability that customers switch to other airlines is very high. Recently, AirAsia has been receiving many complaints from passengers who are unsatisfied with the service quality. Focusing intensively on keeping costs low, AirAsia neglected the satisfaction and convenience of its customers. Thus, the company should consider the possibility that customers might switch to other airlines. In this case the following modifications to the strategy should be made: AirAsia should offer incentives for the customers to stay with the company by introducing frequent flyer bonus miles. To motivate customers’, AirAsia can also offer membership cards which would provide them not only with additional miles but also with regular customers’ discount on specific flights to specific destinations or at special period of time. What if AirAsia is unsuccessful in entering new markets such as China and India†¦ AirAsia is now looking for expanding routes to other countries in the region and China and India are a huge potential. However, these markets have completely different economies and therefore there is a probability that the market will not support a new airline. Also, for example, when going to China – a huge market, AirAsia needs to be ready to face tough competition. Besides good reputation in the market, well-established airlines in China such as China Airline, Cathay Pacific, etc. are offering very high quality service to customer. In addition to that in the meantime, AirAsia has to compete with many tough competitors in its local market. Thus, there is possibility that AirAsia might not take the lead when entering new markets and might not be able to reach its targets in new markets. Therefore, AirAsia should take into account the possibility of low demand and be ready to make modifications to its strategy in order to respond: The Olympic Games 2008 would be a great opportunity for AirAsia to strengthen its image in customers’ mind. To take this advantage, AirAsia should organize some activities to promote the company. Other big companies will certainly promote itself through taking part in such activities as Olympic Sponsorship, On-Air advertisement, etc. AirAsia should choose a different tactic. Instead, it can create association between AirAsia and the Olympic through programs spread via mass media such as: design logo for AirAsia used during the Olympic time or organize a lottery program the prizes of which would be Olympic tickets or flying tickets inside China. AirAsia can also use other promotion programs like offering round trip tickets flying to cities where the Games would take place at the price of 1 reminbi (Chinese currency) for the first 10 customers buying tickets at a random period of time during 6 months before the Olympics. This should help build up the demand for AirAisa’ services among the customers and enhance its position in customers’ mind. To conclude, it is important for AirAsia to be aware of all contingencies that may happen during its operations and to be ready to apply modifications to the strategy to protect itself from any possible issues that might occur. These contingencies may not come to reality but it is essential to have contingency plans and to be able to make necessary modifications to the strategy in case of the price war, or lost of the customers, or difficulties entering the new markets in order to adapt to these changes and continue to operate successfully.

Final exam Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final exam - Term Paper Example AKTSIONERNY KOMMERCHESKI BANK BANK MOSKVY, OTKRYTOE AKTSIONERNOE OBSCHCHESTVO (a.k.a. BANK OF MOSCOW; a.k.a. JOINT STOCK COMMERCIAL BANK - BANK OF MOSCOW, OPEN JOINT STOCK COMPANY), 8/15 Korp. 3 ul. Rozhdestvenka, Moscow 107996, Russia; Bld 3 8/15, Rozhdestvenka St., Moscow 107996, Russia. 1. If revenues and costs are equally sensitive to exchange rate movements, MNCs may reduce their economic exposure by restructuring their operations to shift the sources of costs or revenues to other locations so that: 1. Coca Cola’s consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars. Management must translate revenues, income and expenses, as well as assets and liabilities, into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect during or at the end of each reporting period. Therefore, increases or decreases in the value of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies affect our net operating revenues, operating income and the value of balance sheet items denominated in foreign currencies. 1. The total currency impact on the operating income of Coca-Cola, including the effect of our hedging activities, was a decrease of approximately 4Â  percent and 5 percent in 2013 and 2012, respectively. 1. An MNC is attempting to reduce its economic exposure by financing a portion of its business with loans in the foreign currency. If the foreign currency weakens, the MNC will need ____ of the foreign currency to cover the loan payment, while the MNCs foreign currency revenues will convert to ____ dollars. 1. Coca-Cola sells concentrate to its bottling partner in Venezuela from outside the country. These sales are denominated in U.S. dollars. If the Venezuelan government devalues its currency or prevents dollars to leave the country Coca-Cola will lose value.. 1. Since Coca-Cola transacts in so many different currencies gains in some currencies are often offset

The Erie Canal and its effects Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Erie Canal and its effects - Research Paper Example The purpose of the canal was to access the West to settlers. It also offered a safe and cheap passage for goods and human traffic. Initially the proposal to build the canal was founded in 1768 and it was to join Hudson River with Lake Ontario. In 1808, a survey was carried out and it was decided that the canal would connect to Lake Erie. Governor Dewitt Clinton led the ground breaking to the construction of the canal in 4 July 1817 (Sadowski). At the time, the canal was known as the â€Å"Clinton big ditch†. Upon completion, the name was changed from Clinton’s big ditch, to the Erie Canal. Its length was 363 miles long. It had a depth of 1.2 meters and a width of 12 meters. There were 85 locks constructed to manage a 150-meter rise in height from the Hudson River to Buffalo. Overhead channels were used in order for streams to pass the canal. The cost of building the canal was high. However, this cannot be compared with the reduction in shipping cost. The ease of conduct ing business along the canal, led to sprouting of farms, development and migration to the Midwest. The link between the east and the west was eased and trade increased in these areas. Due to increased activities on the canal, it was widened in 1862. It was widened to 70 feet and the depth increased to 7 feet. This was to allow more and bigger ships use the canal. In 1882 the tolls for using the canal was scrapped. This was because the money used to construct the canal had been recovered. When the canal was opened, other canals were constructed to link the channel to other lakes. Some of the lakes connected to the canal were Lake Champlain, Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario. Later the Erie Canal and other canals in its vicinity were collectively known as the New York state canal system. These days the canals are used for leisure and as tourist attractions (Rosenberg). How the Erie Canal led to an economic revolution By opening up the west, the Erie Canal is said to be the mother of econo mic revolution. The canal gave people residing in the west (mainly farmers) access to markets in the west. In addition, the transportation was cheaper. Before commissioning of the canal, the cost of transporting grains to the east was 10 times higher than the original cost. When traders started using the canal the price fell by 90%. Total tolls collected in the first full year in operations of the canal almost got to the half million mark. Business continued with this tread making it easy to pay the construction fee in a few years. This allowed anyone to use the canal free. The Erie Canal evoked lots of development along the Hudson canal. New cities sprung out amid Buffalo and Syracuse. All these cities were given names ending with the word port. This indicated new docks and packing facilities along the canal. New factories were set up in these towns. Mainly the factories processed iron, hats and clothes. Especially in Albany and Rochester, these factories succeeded. In Oneida Count y, there were over 16 factories, employing over 700 employees. In the same county there were over 20 cotton mills, employing over 2000 employees. New York City became a strategic port for many foreign countries because of the Erie Canal. New York had an edge over other ports along the Atlantic shoreline. This is because the Erie Canal connected rich lands inside the United States and the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The link between these two places was not interrupted thus making transportation cost lower. The success attributed to the canal contributed to additional canals being built across the continent. By 1840, the joint lengths of all canals constructed surpassed the length around the continent. The canals were used to unite the east and the west, the north and

THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR - Essay Example After the First Crusade reclaimed Jerusalem on July 15, 1099, people were pouring in pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This multitude including wealthy pilgrims was the grand attraction to thieves. Surprise attacks along the roads were inevitable and a group of knights proposed to establish a troop that would ensure the safety of the travelers to Jerusalem. One of the knights was Count Hugh of Payns, a knight from the First Crusade. At this proposal, King Baldwin II of Jerusalem permitted Hugh of Payns and Godfrey of Saint-Omer along with other knights to stand guard along the roads to Jerusalem and were eventually recognized by the Council of Troyes as one of the orders of the Latin Church in 1129. The forefathers of this order were Hugh of Payns, Godfrey of Saint-Omer, Roland, Godfrey Bisol, Payen of Montdidier, and Archambaut of Saint-Armand. Hugh of Payns and Godfrey of Saint-Omer’s troop of knights were named The Knights of the Temple of Solomon of Jerusalem. They were named a fter the place where they requested the king to grant them as their official headquarters, the Temple of Solomon. The Knights of the Temple of Solomon of Jerusalem or the Knights Templar followed the Latin Rule, a set of codes which was formulated by Hugh of Payns in 1129 guided by Bernard of Clairvux. In this set of codes, the knights were to follow certain rules regarding their authorities, their garb, rituals on the death of their members, practices on giving alms, duration on standing on foot, on what to eat, the manner on reading, manners on dining, when to sleep, when to rise from sleep, how to coexist with fellow members, prohibitions on clothing, recommended materials of their clothing, the allowed number of pieces of clothing, what kind of shoes to wear, how to groom their hair, how to treat their servants, the number of allowed horses, prohibitions regarding bridles, spurs, spears and shields, on kinds of bags or trunks, on

Supply and Demand Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Supply and Demand Theory - Essay Example Following an objective presentation of the Marshellian demand curve and consumer surplus, as presented in Marshall's Principles of Economics, this essay will present the critical analytical opinions which the aforementioned has generated. Integral to the comprehension and evaluation of the Marshellian demand curve and consumer surplus theory is Marshall's understanding of the implications of value and his classification of markets. Accordingly, this section will commence with Marshall's understanding of both of the stated, if only because they directly inform his supply and demand theory. Marshall claims that the notion of value is intimately connected with that of wealth. After noting, however, that for Smith the term value has two uses (as use and exchange value), he, without apparent justification, contends that it is inaccurate to use the term "value" to express the utility of an object. Accordingly, he uses the term value to connote the exchange value of one thing in terms of another at any time and place, contending that it "is the amount of the second thing which can be got here and then in exchange for the first." Hence, insofar as Marshall is concerned, the term value "is relative and expresses the relation between two things at a particular place and time" (Marshall, p. 51). In explaining exchange... Hence, the "ultimate regulator of all demand" is the consumers' demand" (p. 75). To explain demand, Marshall turns to utility. For him, utility is taken as a 'correlative" to desire or want. Desire, however, cannot be measured directly, only indirectly "by the outward phenomena to which they give rise" and, "in those cases, with which economics is chiefly concerned," the measure is "found in the price which a person is willing to pay for the fulfillment or satisfaction of his desire" (p. 79). In this respect, Marshall is evidently opting for a behavioralist conception of utility. Marshall proceeds to claim that there is a limit to each separate want, expressed as the "law of satiable wants or of diminishing utility:" The total utility of a thing to anyone (i.e., the total pleasure or other benefits it yields him) increases with every increase in his stock of it, but not as fast as his stock increases" (pp. 78-79). If the utility of his marginal purchase is the marginal utility, then the law just stated is, thus: "The marginal utility of a thing to anyone diminishes with every increase in the amount of it he already has" (p. 79). Marshall "translates" this "law of diminishing utility," following a behavioralist interpretation, in terms of price. If the price that a consumer is willing to pay for a good is called his demand price, then the law may be reworded as follows: The larger the amount of a thing that a person has the less, other things being equal (i.e., the purchasing power of money, and the amount of money at his command being equal), will be the price he will pay for a little more of it. In other words, his marginal demand price for it diminishes (p. 80) For Marshall, an

CIPD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

CIPD - Essay Example Some internal and external factors are discussed below to realize their impact on the employment relationship. Discipline and grievances are the guidelines that are incorporated in the company’s policy and have a great significance in shaping the behavior of employees in the company. These guidelines are the rules that teach the individual about the company’s culture or way of conducting operations. These guidelines play a very important role in employment relationship. Ethics in the company also derives from these guidelines and every employee in the organization is liable to follow it. Policies design the structure and that structure shapes the behavior of individuals in the company. (CIPD, 2013a). In the employment law equal pay refers to the equal pay should be given to both men and women for the same job. None of the employer is allowed make biasness in giving equal salary or wages to men and women. The measuring standards for equal pay should be the productivity or other majors that does not consider any kind of discrimination among them. Women and men should be equally treated at the workplace and their rights should be protected completely. Gender discrimination is the only factor that is considered in equal pay law. Another perspective to analyze the injustice in equal pay is the comparison of pay with the market wage rate. If the company is paying low wage rate then it will negatively affect the employment relationship. (CIPD, 2013d). In the employment clause, religious discrimination is properly mentioned. In many countries like UAE and US there are huge number of people does not belong to the religion of most of the US and UAE people but still they are living with their own identity. Government has the responsibility to incorporate in the employment law regarding visas, work permits and emiratisation without any biasness in the processes. The work permits should be given to the deserving candidates by

Cryopreservation of Zebrafish Ovarian Follicles Essay

Cryopreservation of Zebrafish Ovarian Follicles - Essay Example The technologies in cryopreservation have undergone tremendous advances over the last decade. In addition, cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos is also being used as an effective means of treating infertility. In this technology, the clinical application seeks to ensure the optimal survival of embryos and oocytes that are subsequently thawed and stored for transfer . The aim of this practical experimentation is to compare the slow-cooling procedures with vitrification to analyze and evaluate the most effective and safest procedure as well as to endorse suitable recommendation for the adoption of best practices. To do this, it is necessary to test and calculate the viability for control, slow-cooling and vitrification samples. Determining the number of cells in the culture is also important for standardising culture conditions and performing accurate quantitation experiments . The use of viability test with hemacytometer and typan blue staining will enable us to determine the cell number, the correctness of which is inevitable for accurate test results. Live cells appear colourless and bright under phase contrast, while the dead cells sustain blue stains and are non-refractive. To facilitate accuracy and consistency of cell counts, we have used a viability counting system. This involves counting viable, live and dead cells in one or more large corner squares and recording the cell counts. In order to obtain an accurate cell count, 40 to 70 cells will be counted during the test phase. Therefore, it may be necessary to count more than one large corner square. The controlled technique, which is the conservative method used for the purpose of cryopreservation of cells and tissues, is based on the slow-cooling approach. It needs to be appreciated that a large number of non-sensitive cells can be preserved in liquid nitrogen with little damage through slow-cooling

Factors responsible for Industrial-Economic Revolution in America Essay Example for Free

Factors responsible for Industrial-Economic Revolution in America Essay The last decades of the nineteenth century saw tremendous development ion the industrial and economic sectors. The boundless economic expansion was triggered and augmented by the entrepreneurs like Carnegie, Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan etc. the innovations of the Thomas Edison. This scientific and technological adventures coupled with entrepreneurial risks and innovations introduced by great businessmen pushed America toward a new industrial era and helped it develop as an industrial-economic power. The history fabricated by many historians illustrates that late 19th century of American history is marked with the economic exploitations of robber barons† that deprived American citizens of the potential benefits of industrialization and collected huge profits for themselves. But some of the great industrialist and businessmen of the 19th century America like Carnegie, Vanderbilt, and Rockefeller helped America to establish itself on sound economic footings and constructed huge infrastructures of banks, railroads, steel mills and cities etc. Although these entrepreneurs were market oriented businessmen but whatever their ambitions and objectives were, they contributed in the industrial and business sector. Andrew Carnegie remained the greatest industrialist in American history. His entrepreneurial competencies and his business acumen were the foremost qualities that capacitated him to grasp every opportunity to build a well-advanced business empire. Livesays (1975) manifests that his ability â€Å"to recognize the potential of a new service or product and to seize upon an auspicious moment to associate himself with it. Time and again he manifested this acumen, shifting his talents from factory to telegraph, from telegraph to railroad, from railroad to iron and then steel, meanwhile investing his money in express companies, oil fields, sleeping cars, and telegraphs before he finally fused his energies and capital in Carnegie Steel† (19). Rockefeller and Morgan were the other businessmen who set an impetus for heavy industry; mass production and merger of small industries. They further capitalized on the new ideas, activities of scientist and technologists like Edison whose experimentation revolutionized the industrial world. Mergers and acquisitions were an important phenomenon that capacitated the American industry to grow by leaps and bounds. Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thompson-Houston Electric Company in 1892 and hence the great industrial conglomerate i. e. General Electric came into being. Morgan further established Federal Steel Company and later on merged it with Carnegie Steel Company. In 1901, he further assimilated many small steel and iron mills to establish the United States Steel Corporation. In this perspective, life of the laborers in this industrial domain was subject to long working hours and dangerous working settings. Several of the policies of the industries had only obligations for the workers but there rights were never recognized and granted. This resulted in the low production output as workers were not satisfied. This background led many labourers to try to institute the rights of the workers in the form of labor unions regardless of well-organized resistance from entrepreneurs and the courts. After the recognition of these labor unions, collective bargaining resulted in much improved wages and working conditions for the laborers as well the productivity. So the industrial development further progressed. So it is quite clear from the above-mentioned facts and supported arguments that American industrial and economic development in the last decades of the 19th century was primarily due to the endeavours of the great entrepreneurs, scientific and technological innovations and the emergence of labor unions.

Avoiding the Alignment Trap in Intormation Technology Essay Example for Free

Avoiding the Alignment Trap in Intormation Technology Essay An alarming pattern has surfaced in that many companies are concentrating on alignment and are finding that their performance is either declining or moving sideways. Companies are focusing on the wrong solutions with respect to their Information Technology problems, resulting in severe bottlenecks to growth. Companies need to learn how to break out of the trap and build IT organizations that allow for growth rather than obstruct it. Companies will need to be committed as doing so will require a continuous effort. The essential goal for these companies in order to succeed is to move IT into the upper-right quadrant, where they will be highly effective and highly aligned, and where IT appears to be enabling growth rather than inhibiting it. In order to move in this direction, it is my recommendation that the companies begin by installing local area networks locally, as well as a central database stored on a server to connect to head office. This option is economically feasible, will improve local efficiencies and will allow the sharing of resources and records. I would also recommend that the companies begin feasibility testing to explore the implementation of an internal ERP system to support global operations in the near future. Doing this will help companies to keep up with the competition. Current Situation Companies are getting caught in an â€Å"alignment trap† whereas they are spending large amounts of resources towards being highly aligned and not realizing the importance of being highly effective as well. There are four quadrants within which companies are being categorized with respect to their ability to be effective. They are being measured based on the ineffectiveness as far as completing projects on time and on budget, and the ineffectiveness of alignment to an important business objective. The first of these quadrants is â€Å"alignment trap†. Despite being highly aligned, the companies within this group are less effective in completing budgets on time and within the budget. Charles Schwab Co. is currently in this position and as a result, continues to spend money on projects and seeing no growth. The second quadrant is â€Å"maintenance zone†. Companies in this quadrant are less aligned to major business objectives but are maintaining below average levels of growth even though they are less effective and spending more in IT as a result. In this zone, IT is not performing well, is not valued and is segregated from the company’s main functions. Management is budgeting enough to keep the system running, but IT is not providing any added value to the business. Third is the â€Å"well-oiled IT† quadrant which can be categorized as second best. In this group, companies are highly effective at bringing projects in on time and on budget. They are more focused on execution. Still, companies are less aligned meaning that their IT group does not fully understand the priorities of the business and where to spend the resources. Lastly, the â€Å"IT-enabled growth† quadrant is where all companies would like to be. This quadrant encompasses those companies who are not only highly effective at making IT projects successful, but are also highly aligned in relation to their business objectives. Examples of companies who have succeeded in this respect are Nestle, Wal-Mart, FedEx and Dell. The following are IT-related issues that organizations are currently facing as they attempt to align their business goals with IT technology: Believing that alignment is the solution to their IT problems, companies are spending enormous amounts of money without solving any problems. Various divisions are driving independent initiatives, each one designed to address its own competitive needs, resulting in complexity of IT systems (no standardization). As a result, costs increase and the fragmented divisions make it harder for managers to coordinate across business units. Complexity in systems is making enhancements to systems and improvements to infrastructures more and more difficult to implement and potential benefits are left unused. Redundant applications that perform the same or similar functions. Outsourcing the wrong activities. Data in multiple information systems are viewed as â€Å"garbage† and producing inconsistencies (i.e. salespeople are promoting products that are discontinued) In companies similar to Charles Schwab Co. for example: IT staff response have become slow and expensive; IT engineers are spending more time fixing bugs in the systems than ever before; and several big and ambitious projects are overdue and preventing the company from being competitive. Criteria The following criteria will be used to evaluate each of the alternatives: IT spending must be aligned with the company’s growth strategies (need to reduce IT costs i.e. savings on software licensing costs where bleeding money, and head count). Must be shared ownership and shared governance of IT projects. Need to reduce complexity (or emphasize simplicity). Increase efficiency (doing things in a cost effective way with no duplication of time and effort). Economically feasible. IT infrastructure to support networked operations in multiple locations. Need to centralize and simplify the IT functions. Need high effectiveness to achieve an objective through the use of: 1. simplicity (or reducing complexity) – by implementing companywide standards, replacing legacy systems, building new solutions on simplified and standardized infrastructure; 2. right sourcing – choosing the right source for a capability and maximizing effectiveness while minimizing cost; and 3. accountability – executives should get the information they need to measure the progress of IT and IT people should be held accountable for outcomes. IT needs to be reliable, without excess complexity, and needs to deliver projects consistently with desired functionality, timing and cost. IT systems need to run smoothly and reliably. IT functions such as architecture and infrastructure need to be balanced with respect to the needs of the entire organization and those of individual businesses. Need a good governance structure so as to set parameters to keep an organization on track (i.e. no more than four new technology releases per year).

Renewable Energy Sources In Malaysia

Renewable Energy Sources In Malaysia Today, energy challenge turned out to be a grave threat to sustainable development in developing countries since their energy needs is increasing more quickly than advanced countries. On the other side, fossil fuel combustion cannot maintain longer in the foreseeable future because of the environmental impact and the reduction of resources. Malaysia is experiencing dramatic growth of population and the economy and need to search for options energy sources in support of its inhabitants and business energy needs. Fourth-largest energy source in the world is biomass and was rich in the countries. Malaysia blessed with the tropical forests and moist climate all the year round which is a wonderful opportunity for full exploitation of agricultural and tropical rain forests possible. Term of waste-to-wealth has been started at the end of 1990, and it has become common. This idea is based on undesirable waste that is converted into useful energy while minimizing waste generation and to increase the economic-impact used primarily for cooking, for heating and electricity. Presently, coordinated attempts and different biomass energy plans are persuaded by the government for growth, commercialization and demonstration. This studys purpose to this present state and perspectives of the biomass use and strategy promoted to the future development of Malaysia. Keywords: Renewable Energy biomass potential Policy Sustainable Malaysia Introduction Malaysia covers a landmass of 329,847 square kilometers which consist of two regions; Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo which are separated by the South China Sea [1]. With its population growth of 1.7% 1.6% per annum [2], Malaysia is heading to its governments vision to become a humane industrialized country by year 2020 and with such ambitious vision, the growth of Science and Technology is continuously developing hence contributing to increase need of energy [3]. Malaysia relies on non-renewable energy and is currently venturing into renewable energy. There are a number of identified renewable energy sources ; for example solar power, hydro power, oil palm biomass and waste materials [4] which are being used and further studies are being conducted to improve its quality and performance. The usage of renewable energy has contributed to reduced pollutions to the environment, cost saving cheaper source of energy [5], and does not reduce the natural sources [6]. As a developing country, Malaysias population continues to grow and live increasingly energy dependent lives the future of energy supply is growing. This paper is revised the present potentials of energy resources especially biomass and then the future contributions to the national energy generation in Malaysia. Information Analysis Energy crisis is becoming a serious threat to sustainability mainly in developing countries and communities of the last decades. Between 1990 and 2000, the Asia Pacifics developing countries met 27% increase in conventional energy consumption whereas the consumption of world energy was 11% [7]. Growing in the energy demand is predicted to continue in the future. Fossil fuels have been the main source of energy since first sparks of technology appeared in mankind lives, however, depletion of fossil fuel reserves as well as significant environmental impacts, leads the governments and authorities to focus on renewable energy resources. In most recent years, demand for petroleum-derived fuels is increasing as a result of grow in population and economy [8]. The contemporary Malaysian economy is a net energy exporter with 11% of export income in 2004 derived from crude oil, LNG and petroleum products [9]. The final energy demand of Malaysia is expected to grow at 2.9% per year, reaching 69.39 MTOEÂ  [1]Â   in 2020, nearly double the 2002 level. The industry sector will have the highest growth rate of energy demand at 3.38%, followed by transport at 2.74%, residential at 1.86% and commercial at 1.14%, as shown in Fig.1 [10]. Fig.1. Predictions of Malaysian energy demand by sector (1980-2020) [11] Energy position in Malaysia Malaysia produces and utilizes both conventional and renewable sources of energy. The largest conventional energy resource found in Malaysia is petroleum (i.e. oil and gas). According to the Oil Gas Journal (OGJ), Malaysia held proven oil reserves of 4 billion barrels as of January 2010, and its oil reserves are reported to be the third highest in the Asia-Pacific region. Malaysia was the worlds tenth largest holder of natural gas reserves in 2010 and the second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas after Qatar in 2009. OGJ states that Malaysia held 83 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas reserves as of January 2010. Coal deposits can also be found in Malaysia. However, only a small percentage is being mined [12]. Malaysia is a significant oil and natural gas producer and is strategically located amid important routes for the seaborne energy trade. Malaysias oil reserves are the third highest in the Asia-Pacific region after China and India. Fig.2. The electric power generated by different sectors in Malaysia (in 2009) (Source: trading economics) [13] It is evident that Malaysia is still very much dependent on fossil fuels in all its commercial energy demand and electricity generation (Table 2). Table2. Percentage of electricity generation based on fuel types [14] Year Coal (%) Petroleum (%) Gas (%) Hydro (%) 1994 9.30 22.30 51.70 16.70 2000 15.00 5.00 70.00 10.00 2010 18.00 2.00 50.00 30.00 2020 29.00 1.00 40.00 30.00 The most important sources supplies were crude oil and petroleum products and then followed by the natural gas. It can be stated that the total supply of energy is increased gradually from 1978 to 2013 (Fig.3). In 2013, the percentage of crude oil and petroleum products descending to under 10 % but the percentage of natural gas is ascending to just over 62 %. Although crude oil and petroleum had contributed the largest percentage of total amount supply, an increase in the usage of coal and coke had reduced the annual growth rate of oil supply. The contribution of the other sources whereas had remained the same. The cost effective, quality, reliability, and security supply need to be considered to produce optimal energy mix from domestic sources. The international market price of crude oil is projected to remain high so that alternative approaches need to be make to reduce the dependency on petroleum products. Fig.3. Fuel mix trend in power generation in Malaysia [15] Renewable energy resources The most important sources of renewable energy in Malaysia are biomass and solar and sustainable use of energy has been emphasized in the countrys development plans and supported by Government initiatives. Under the 10th Malaysia Plan, the Government will be introducing the feed-in tariff (FiT) of 1% to be incorporated into the electricity tariffs of consumers to support the development of renewable energy (Fig.4). 330 MW Biomass Biogas Mini-hydro Solar PV Solid Waste 100 MW 290 MW 65 MW 200 MW 41.5 23 X 2015 2009 5.5 % % of total electricity generated Planned increase in renewable energy capacity Fig.4. Moving towards renewable energy replaces the need for fossil-fuel power plants [16] Solar power The RE sector is fast gaining ground as a new growth area for many countries with the potential it presents environmentally and economically. It plays a major role in meeting energy needs, making it possible for businesses to reap energy cost savings while combating global warming. Currently, Malaysia is world the third largest producer of solar cells after China and Germany (Fig.5). Malaysia already has companies across the entire value chain, from silicon production to solar cell manufacturing and module assembly. With the committed amount of fund for the rolling out of the first FiT incentive for 2012 2014, Malaysia is on the right direction to achieve a targeted revenue of at least RM70 billion from the private sector by 2020. Fig.5. Predicted solar manufacturing from 2006 to 2020 by different regions [17] Predicted to be a clean energy of the future, solar energy has been at the forefront of power development in the developed countries and a possible source of energy for developing countries similar to Malaysia. This paper introduces Malaysias solar energy or solar photovoltaic development prospects. The study was carried out by first searching in the countrys energy policy linked to solar power. Key players in solar power development as government organizations are presented. Initial solar energy programs and key projects entitled Malaysia Building Integrated Photovoltaic (MBIPV) and the successful initiatives will be submitted. Measures that adopted by the government of Malaysia include appealing incentives to promote solar photovoltaic development, solar energy potentials of the country, foreign investment and the future direction and the feed-in tariff plan will be submitted with a length provide a wide range of solar power development in Malaysia. The prospects were positive and the country was actively promoting solar as alternative energy sources and aware of the benefits it bring for economy development in future [18]. Hydropower Hydropower is the only renewable energy technology that is presently commercially viable on a large scale. It has four major advantages, namely it is renewable, it produces negligible amounts of greenhouse gases, it is the least costly way of storing large amounts of electricity, and it can easily adjust the amount of electricity produced to the amount demanded by consumers. Hydropower accounts for about 17% of global generation capacity and about 20% of the energy produced each year [19]. Malaysia has a total land mass of 332,000 km2 and its mean elevation is about 300m. The average rainfall is slightly more than 2,600mm per year. The total gross hydro potential is 414,000 GWh/year, of which about 85,000 GWh/year is available in Peninsular Malaysia. Hence, whilst Peninsular Malaysia has 39% of the land area, its share of hydropower resources is only slightly more than 20% [20]. Tenaga Nasional Berhad operates three hydroelectric schemes in the peninsular with an installed generating capacity of 1,911 megawatts (MW). They are the Sungai Perak (1249 MW), Terengganu (400 MW) and Cameron Highlands (262 MW) hydroelectric schemes with 21 dams in operation. A number of Independent Power Producers also own and operate several small hydro plants. At present, hydro power is the only renewable energy source in Malaysia that is considered to be economically viable on a large scale. As for future hydro development in Peninsular Malaysia, several projects have been identified and studied at feasibility and pre-feasibility levels. These potential projects have to compete with alternative energy sources such as coal and gas in terms of economic viability. Wind The potential for wind energy generation in Malaysia depend on the availability of wind resource that varies with location. Understanding the site specific nature of wind is a crucial step in planning wind energy project. Detailed knowledge of wind on site is needed to estimate the performance of wind energy project. Average wind speeds are low in Malaysia and harnessing wind energy is only practical on remote islands or east coast states of peninsular Malaysia where the wind may reach 30 knots or more during periods of strong surges of cold air from the north. 30 knots is equivalent to about 15.4 m/s, which is about 55 km/h. However, application of wind energy at Malaysia can be used widely if the turbine can operate in country average wind speed which is 3-5 m/s. There was some study [21] done successfully to produce the electricity that suitable with wind condition of Malaysia, classified as low wind speed wind turbine. The northwest coast of Sabah and Sarawak region also potential to application of wind energy due to strength wind that reach 20 knot or more [22]. Due to maximum wind can be obtained during monsoon season which is between Octobers to March, the hybrid system of wind energy is feasible to compliment electricity supply during monsoon season. The first wind farm in Malaysia was set up on Terumbu Layang-Layang Island, Sabah. A Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia study in 2005 has shown that the use of 150 kW turbine on the island has shown a good degree of success [23]. This study mentioned that Terumbu Layang-Layang Island has the largest wind energy potential compared to other places in Malaysia. Tidal energy is also promising renewable energy source available in Malaysia. Until recently, a preliminary study was carried out to explore the potential of ocean energy for electricity generation in Malaysia [24]. Study by Ref. [25], identified that Pulau Jambangan, Kota Belud and Sibu are the locations with great potential for tidal energy extraction. The total amount of electricity that can be generated on those locations is about 14.5 GWh/year. Biomass Nowadays, biomass is regarded as one of the primary sources of energy in the developing and developed countries. Malaysia with a large quantity of biomass waste as a source of power generation is considered as one of the possible countries in this area [26]. Oil palm is one of the main economic plants in the large number of countries. Malaysia alone generates about 47% of the global palm-oil supplies and can be regarded as the worlds leading manufacturer and exporter of oil palm. Malaysia also produces great quantities the oil palm biomass as oil coconut stems, oil palm leaves, blank product bundles, shells and fibres as waste from palm-oil product harvesting and oil extraction treatment. At now there is a constantly growing interest in the use the oil palm biomass of the source of cleaner energy. One of the main interests is hydrogen fuel from oil palm biomass. Hydrogen from biomass is clean and effective source of energy and is expected to make a major role in the future energy needs because of the raw material availability [27]. There are different types of thermo-chemical processing to convert the oil palm biomass to hydrogen wealthy petrol. Fig. 6 shows the cultivated area for oil palm in Malaysia (divided into three categories, i.e. Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak) within 34 years. The total oil palm planted area in the country increased by 4.5% to 4.69 million ha in 2009 [28]. In Sabah and Sarawak, the drastic increase in the 1990s can be attributed to the government policy in the intensification of palm oil industries in East Malaysia [29]. Malaysia produces about 15 million metric tonnes of palm oil per year. One tonne produces about 414 kg of biodiesel. With a caloric value of about 40,000 kJ/kg, this results in a total energy supply of about 7.8 GW/year from palm oil. Cultivated areas for oil palm in Malaysia.jpg Fig.6. Cultivated areas for oil palm in Malaysia, 1975-2009 [22] While the total energy available from residues and landfill gas has been estimated as 3.1 GW [30]. Major agriculture crop in Malaysia are oil palm (43.67%), rubber (30.56%), rice (12.68%), cocoa (6.75%) and coconut (6.34%). These provide Malaysia huge of biomass resources. In fact, government of Malaysia has announced the 5th Fuel Policy that states To supplement the conventional supply of energy, new sources such as renewable energy will be encouraged and biomass resources such as oil palm and wood waste as well as rice husks, will be used on a wider basis mainly for electricity generation [31]. Currently, residue from agriculture crops like paddy, rubber and sugar are use as fuel for generation of electricity in Malaysia using the cogeneration system. However, the percentage of using this residue for electricity generation is still low. Biomass residues are the main source of energy input to the mills using cogeneration system. It has been estimated the total biomass energy potential is equivalent to 2-3% of total power production in the country [32]. Report from [33], about 14 mills already used agriculture waste for energy demand, both for steam and electricity wit h total capacity amount 1567.2 MW. The increasing amount of paddy production make highly potential in CHP technology to convert the paddy husk residue for energy purpose. Around 20% of paddy is husk, rice husk in turn contains 16-22% ash, and 90-96% of the ash is composed of silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2). According to [34], by 2020 Malaysia will produce 768,290 tonnes of rice husk. As refer to [35], 1.5 kg of rice husk can generate 1 kWh, this mean by 2020 Malaysia can produce 512 TWh using rice husk residue. Some example of cogeneration project based on rice husk installed in Pendang Kedah Darulaman, which uses a steam boiler, 6.5 tonnes/h, 30 bar, saturated, connected to a 450 kW back pressure turbine and heat exchanger [36]. Electricity produces use for their owned consumption. Other example of rice husk project cogeneration that connected to system grid is installed at Titi Serong Rice Mill [37]. In Malaysia, the annual production of sugarcane bagasse reaches a number of million tonnes [38]. Nearly 30% of that number will turn into bagasse when it is crushed in a sugar factory [39]. Sugarcane baggase is the fibrous waste that remains after recovery of sugar juice via crushing and extraction. A ton of bagasse (50% mill-wet basis) is equal to 1.6 barrels of fuel oil on energy basis. The total of sugarcane energy content on dry basis, excluding ash (around 2-3% of weight) can be divided into three main parts. Malaysia produces 274,620 tonnes of sugarcane for 2009, with a moisture content of 50%. This means we can get 150,000 tonnes of dry bagasse annually. The caloric value for dry bagasse comes to be 17.33 MJ/kg, which make to total energy potential of 0.421 million boe per year. At the time, all the bagasse is being used as boiler fuels in sugar mills operating in the country. Most agriculture crops in Malaysia can be used to generate electricity. If all crops are fully utilize can help reduce the dependency on fossil fuel sources. Conclusion Biomass could be Remarkable as a stable and suitable replacement for fossil energy in Malaysia that cover appropriates 76% of land by thick and compact kind of tropical agricultural and forest. Currently, high motivation of biomass consumption in order to generate energy, sustainability of bio-sources, economic impact and environmental aspects are considered. Therefore, improving technologies related to bio-power and bio-fuel is continued. Recycling and using residues of forest and agriculture are valued in order to convert to useful energy and by product. Establishing biomass projects such as CDM by Malaysian Government is prominent in order to allocate subsidy to this kind of projects. Allocated subsidy is one common way of support biomass project. However, still there are many obstacles such as , knowledge development of biomass in Malaysia, risky situation for applying new technology, cost-benefit with financial indicators in comparison with conventional energy, energy demand in market place, speed of commercialization, feasibility of knowledge transferring, and the policies of government still are not successful to persuade and encourage industries to use biomass and efficient communication and negotiation with suitable strategy including integration, alignment and balancing situation between government and industries concern based on win-win is considered. Outlook of using biomass depends on the total cost of producing biomass energy in compared with fossil fuels. Using biomass instead of fossil energy with the decreasing cost of biomass is achievable and it can respect to environment.

Personal History Essay -- Personal Statement

I am satisfied with what I have become; a student specializing in Physics with special interests in experimental Condensed Matter Physics. I grew up in a very small town. A town not fully developed; there were very few resources and not many quality schools to acquire a solid education. I had to pass an entrance exam to get into a good school for 8th grade at a time when most students in my town would drop out of school after 7th grade in order to search for work and support their families. My parents could not complete their undergraduate studies because they had to work to support their families, but their emphasis on the importance of education, their dedication and massive effort inspired me to search for the highest education possible. My family has sustained me throughout my education as best as they can. My high school days made me more independent and resourceful because I had to balance the challenges of commuting three hours daily plus studying in order to earn good grades. I was also an active member in various school activities such as, basketball, badminton, and various community events. I also acted as a leader for my high school basketball team for state level competition. With hard work and continuous dedication, I earned many awards in high school for my preeminent performance in the fields of science. I was one of 30 students, out of 80, who graduated from high school in my class. Since childhood, I have been drawn to scientific activities and inventions that amaze me so my family and friends have always encouraged me to enhance my intellect by giving me different scientific puzzles, articles and books. With the course of time, I sensed a keen interest in science and decided to choose it as my career. I... ...th the conviction to deliver a true spirit of teamwork to the study group and school community. The more I know, the more I seek. My acceptance to your university will increase my wanderlust to go deeper into unanswered questions and unexplored realms. My academic, extra-curricular and, social endeavors have firmly established my trust in the scientific canon. They have helped me appreciate and inculcate the values like quest for knowledge, courage to question, systematic reasoning, open-mindedness and team spirit. I have been working on experimental research for almost four years now. I believe that a few years from now, my abilities, creativity, effectiveness, hard work, interest, research skills (especially in experimental Condensed Matter Physics) and motivation will enable me to become a successful independent experimentalist and pleased individual.

The Teaching Profession Essay -- careers jobs education educator teach

The Teaching Profession Becoming an educator, especially in recent years has been considered one of the most demanding yet rewarding professions in the work force today. Teaching, with its benefits and intellectual motives has risen to become one of the most sought after jobs in society. But even after taking such rewards into consideration, one might want to analyze how time consuming and emotionally draining teaching young people may turn out to be. Along with its rewards and demands, teaching is not only a potentially prestigious profession but also a very unique and sometimes life long career opportunity. Exploring teaching has become a popular tactic in recent years for people to make a better decision on whether or not teaching is a career for them. Individuals, especially in today’s society, tend to choose their professions based on a variety of different reasons. For many, the opportunity to do something they enjoy in life attracts them to that particular area of work. For many people, young and old, having the skills to teach an individual and being able to properly use these skills has proven to lead to some of the most exhilarating experiences anyone could ever have on any given day. Although some people choose teaching as a career because they want to follow in the footsteps of former admired teachers or family members, the main reason usually is to be able to work with young people. Interaction with children on a day to day basis in or out of the classroom not only helps them, but also gives the teacher that needed sense of accomplishment. It feels good knowing you were able to help and guide someone through not only schoolwork but also life, as is true with young people. Being needed by young people gives teach... ... a career, one can then make the important decision of whether teaching is really for them or not. If being able to communicate with young people and knowing that you are needed on a day to day basis is enjoyable for an individual, then teaching may be something to get involved in. As far as a challenging career is concerned, teaching requires patience, flexibility and knowledge. If way above average salaries and a non-complex profession are what someone is seeking, teaching may not be a career to get too serious about. More or less, teaching is quite the prestigious job and is looked highly upon by many which has over the years, put a very high value on teaching and education. With all of the many good and poor aspects of teaching available to people, now they are able to make a solid judgment on whether or not they are capable or willing to get into such a career.

National Constitution Center

The Independence Hall is located in the exact place where the Declaration of Independence was signed. This building therefore is a reminder of that victorious day when at last America had decided to do away the yoke of Great Britain. History lessons says that it was also here that George Washington was appointed as the Commander of the Continental Army and it was also here that the design of the American Flag was agreed upon ( Perry 432). To preserve the historic moments in American history through this Hall, the government had made the effort to maintain its appearance at it was then and to use the furnitures of that time.The importance that the Hall received seems to suggest that the fight for Independence was indeed something that should be done and that all were united to fight for it. And because of that, the Independence Day is very significant; a day of united heroism and nationalism. But this was not actually the case. The people back then had divided loyalties. Some of them (about 20 %), do not see the need for separation so that they do not want Independence from Britain and many others do not support the Americans or the British.It was not a united movement as it is being promoted by the Independence Hall. It was only a work of a third of American Patriots and political leaders who were brave enough and enthusiastic enough to fight for liberty from Britain (Perry 432). So it was really a fantasy to believe that Independence from Britain was a movement desired by all. But the importance given to the site carries the covert message that it was so. However, I greatly respect Independence Day myself and had great admiration for people who took part in it.Another issue that I would like to raise is the fact that America had neglected or forgotten that they were a nation who also bound another: the original inhabitants of the land. The Indians are the first settlers of America but the whites, who came from Europe, after a matter of time, thought that it wa s theirs. They deprived these people of their homeland and drive them to the mountains; the white made promises of which most they never keep. Now the Indians are claiming what was promised to them, their rights to certain lands, but their pleas went unheard.Moreover, they become a neglected and deprived people in America. How ironic then that America was freed by Great Britain but they never freed the real settlers whose hands they bound with a tight grip within the territory. If they demand for their rights as a separate nation, how much more should the natives demand for the rights of which they once owned? So when I look at the Independence Hall I can see there the pretense of the past. Just as they keep the appearance of the Hall as it once was, they keep the natives bound until today.The National Constitution Center The Constitution Center can also be found in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Aside from the historical artifacts that can be seen around the building, visitors in the museum are also entertained through watching theater presentation or participating in interactive exhibits. The topics of all these activities are centered on the history and place of the United States Constitution in the life of the American people. In the theater they present a show called Freedom Rising. In the presentation the visitors are informed of how the Constitution came to be.Moreover in the interactive exhibits one can see not surprisingly many historical artifacts connected to the story of the Constitution, especially the original documents that the founders or the signers used and the people who were involved in it. Also inside, one can see the preamble of the Constitution. The Center’s interesting activity is on the opportunity to have â€Å"talk backs† about issues that has been of great debate and has challenged the Constitution like the issue of death penalty. Moreover, they have the chance to decide a court case there as part of an interactive activi ty.But perhaps the most interesting activity there is that one may take a presidential oath of office (â€Å"The National Constitution 2008). I think this is also the very coolest feature there for perhaps most people would actually want to do that in real life! So what does the Center and all of its activities and features there are trying to say? It is pretty obvious that it is educating the visitors about the Constitution. That how people fought for it and how the Americans of the past go into great pains of debates to enact it. It therefore not only informs but also aims to instill respect for the Constitution.In a way it also aims to bring admiration for the Constitution or an admiration for democracy of which the Constitution stands for. It is a known fact of how much America took pride in their democracy which for them equates to respect of human rights and dignity and of course the ever elusive equality. But I really think that what this Center is really trying to do is to shape the mind to believe that we, individually, are perfectly democratic. The Constitution is democracy and the people who made the Constitution are therefore democratic.The Center encourages an admiration for the Constitution and as people who made them an admiration for ourselves. We are therefore led to believe that we are very democratic who exercises respect for the rights of others and upholds equality. This is of course an illusion. The federal system that the Constitution upholds was at first created not with thoughts of democracy but to keep the now frees states from trade wars and to hold the states together. Since they experience the tyranny of Britain they do not want it to happen to them so that they shared the power through the federal system.In a sense the Constitution was founded not at first with democracy (in modern sense) in mind. As proof, they still do not free the slaves by this time (Perry 433). The issue of racial discrimination has always been a big dilemma of our country and I believe that it is not yet resolved. Although the Constitution had successfully declared in its pages that no man should be discriminated by his color, discrimination still exist not in color but this time in subtle biases called color blind discrimination.For example, most would admit that it is not right to think that a certain person should be disqualified for an office by virtue of his color but they would comment that based on his background he may not be able to handle it. As before I realized that most Americans are not as democratic as the Constitution had been at first. The Gettysburg Museum The Gettysburg Museum is situated in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It is a museum that â€Å"brings history back to life. † What this museum is trying to revive is one of the dramatic moments of American history: the Civil War.The turning point of that war is the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863 that forecast the defeat of the South. If one visits the place he can see many life size figures and battle room exhibits representing a scene of that Battle. And of course the famous Abraham Lincoln Gettysburg Address can be seen in animation (American Civil War 2008). This site is a historical performance of the liberation of the South from slavery. Civil War is portrayed as giving liberty to those who are bound in slavery, particularly the Blacks.It was a war that strengthens the American reputation for love democracy and equality. The Gettysburg museum is a reminder of such a lofty ideal and tends to promote the idea that this is what the American people had in mind. But this was not the case. The people in the South who fought the North are also white. They are as American as the North were. As the North pushed for liberation from slavery; the South fought for its retention. The reason was economic, the liberation or emancipation from slavery would hurt the plantation business of the South. The Americans therefore was not so against slaver y.They are more interested in their own economic gains so much so that they are willing to treat a man as a property. If plantations were a flourishing business in the North as the South, I wonder if all of the Northern States will support the emancipation. Works Cited Perry, Marvin. A World in History. New York: Houghton-Mifflin, Inc. , 1988. American Civil War Museum and Gift Center. 2008. Accessed December 15, 2008 < http://www. gettysburgmuseum. com/>. The National Constitution Center. 2008. Accessed December 15, 2008

Reflection on “The Children’s March”

As I watched the video entitled, â€Å"The Children's March†, I just sat with mouth open as I watched the absolute dedication and passion for a cause. The kids decided to pick up the cause when the adults sat and did nothing in an effort to put an end to segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. As a teacher who strives to make multicultural education a daily routine within the classroom, I really think about how a unit in civil rights would be of huge benefit to kids in the 2nd and 3rd grades. This age to me is an age where they still have some of their usual belief that there is inherent good in everyone.It, unfortunately, is also an age where many students witness or experience racism on different level, whether it is towards a relative, or towards themselves. I think about the absolute power and solidarity that kids can find in watching a video like this as part of a civil rights unit and how it can often bring solidarity and belief in whats right to a classroom. I have personal ly seen this in a 3rd grade classroom that my son was in 2 years ago and it served to jump-start a belief within the classroom that â€Å"we are all in this together†.It really made for a cohesive and caring classroom atmosphere and the 3rd graders really seemed to understand the true dynamics of the civil rights movement. Some very endearing conversations were had between my son and his parents and to this day, his understanding of racism and the civil rights movement is an understanding of equality and concern that it could happen again. As a Jew, he is even more in tune with this so has mad a connection between this movement and the Statement, â€Å"Never Again† as was uttered by millions of Jews before they were killed in the German gas chambers.One of the things that strikes me as an educator is a similarity in what the kids did in Birmingham, and the approach that I believe will have to happen in order to create truly multicultural classrooms. First and foremost, too many of our educators that have been teaching for a long time are not prepared for change in the classroom. In our staff developments, more attention needs to be paid to having a truly inclusive multiculturally diverse classroom. Secondly, we are going to have to learn from our students. They come to us each year with a wealth of experiences and beliefs.It is our job as educators to figure out how to best make that unique characteristic a part of our diverse learning community within the classroom. If our kids are so accepting of each other and the similarities and differences that we all bring into the school, then we as educators need to realize that creates an initial bond within our classroom that is hard to break. Just as our parents disliked having people of color, or people with different sexual preferences around, our children today are growing up with that reality and they really don't think anything of it!Being in a class with kids of different ethnic backgrounds is p art of the unique tapestry of that class. Ultimately, having a classroom where multicultural diversity is our responsibility as educators. There will always be stumbling blocks that try to derail that effort, but as our kids overcome those barriers, so shall we as teachers. Let the kids help us understand that we're really no so different and that all any kid wants to do is learn and be accepted for who they are†¦.. a kid!

Lincoln’s Goals of Emancipation and Preservation of the Union

Abraham Lincoln’s experience as a lawyer in Illinois and a member of congress for a short time could not have fully prepared him for the challenges of his presidency. His main obstacle was the disunity of the nation, and his main goal during his presidency was to reunite the country. In his own words â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand†. He also faced the challenge of slavery, which was a problem that had plagued America since its early days, and a major cause in starting the civil war.Lincoln believed that slavery should be abolished, more importantly though he believed in the preservation of the union, and in the end he issued the emancipation proclamation in order to preserve the union. As a person, Lincoln held the ideal of slavery to be wrong, and morally believed that slaves should be freed. He believed in the equality of all men. In an address to congress Lincoln said â€Å"the United States ought to cooperate with any state which may adopt gradual abolishment of slavery, giving to such state pecuniary aid† (Document A).This shows that he supported the abolition of slavery and was willing to support any other nation which was to do it. Lincoln also said in the Gettysburg address: â€Å"our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal† and he resolved that â€Å"that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth†. He believed in the ideals of America very strongly, including the idea that all men are created equal.Lincoln wanted to free the slaves, since he did not think it was right that they were enslaved. In addition to that Lincoln adamantly wanted to preserve the union, and so he took special wartime actions for that purpose. During the war, it was likely that the border states might have seceded from the union. To prevent this in Kentucky Lincoln instituted martia l law to keep control. In Maryland he had all the pro-secession members of the state congress arrested.These drastic actions showed how serious he was about preserving the union. Lincoln also suspended the writ of habeas corpus – the legal protection requiring a court to determine if a person is lawfully arrested. Under this suspension, over 13,000 anti-union Americans were arrested. These included legislators and newspaper editors among others. These arrests were enacted in order to silence anti-union voices, and the fact that this took place showed how concerned Lincoln was with preserving the union.Ultimately, Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation was issued as a way to help preserve the country, because of the advantages it gave the union in the war. It was more important to him to save the union than free the slaves, as he once said â€Å"If I could save the union without freeing any slave I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would so it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it†.Lincoln also said that â€Å"emancipation would help us in Europe, and convince them that we are incited by something more than ambition. †(Document B). Indeed, once the emancipation proclamation was issued it ended any possibility that European nations would aid the confederacy in the war. This was a strategic move on Lincoln’s part, to mitigate the support that the confederates received, in order to win the war and preserve the union. The emancipation proclamation was also strategic because of the effects that it had on the black people of the south.Freed blacks were encouraged to join the US army with promotional posters such as that in Document D. Lincoln knew that this would help in the war by adding to their ranks. Furthermore the southerners experienced a labour shortage, because their slaves considered themselves free, and left work undone which was left to be done by the white people of the South. The Emancipation proclamation truly was a brilliant strategic move on the part of Lincoln, engineered for the purpose of keeping the United States intact.Although he believed that slavery was wrong , Lincoln was more concerned with preserving the union, and his actions in freeing the slaves through the emancipation proclamation were done to meet the latter goal. Lincoln knew that slavery was one of the root causes of the war, and it was always an impending issue throughout the war. At the end of the day though, the slaves were freed in order to bring greater unity to the country. His actions ended up bringing increased freedom to black Americans, saved the country’s unity, and have forever defined him as one of the greatest presidents in American history.

Emphasizing Cultural Attributes Essay

Abstract Students identified for special education programs, either for the gifted or for students in need of more intensive instruction, are often identified solely by their qualifying label or diagnosis in close to all circumstances. The emphasized focus on this one attribute often results in a lack of acknowledgement for the culture of the child and how that culture affects learning style and social behavior. The students in these programs may not have the self-awareness to know and be proud of their heritage nor might their peers have an idea of how each are the same and different because of these ancestral qualities. This lack of recognition disrupts the efforts that both schools and communities put forth in establishing multicultural environments for learning and socializing. It causes people to view special education students with a narrow perspective which then affects the manner in which they ultimately view all other groups. Reversing this trend and helping people to consider special education students as whole persons is achievable through simple yet intensive education of both students and professional educators. A combination of special education curriculum and professional development focusing on differentiation between cultural characteristics and label-related behaviors would provide the framework, tools, and training needed to implement a consistent education about cultural diversity as well as broaden the awareness of administrators, teachers, and instructional staff regarding different cultures and ways of life. Resistance from districts or schools would be challenged with research based findings and statistics as well as active experiences from educational establishments already piloting the program. By infusing a diversity curriculum for special education and helping professional educators to consider these students for all of their natural qualities, including but certainly not limited to their qualifying factors for special education, the multicultural movement is perpetuated. Teachers are the greatest role models for both students and community members. Providing curriculum and training in the area of cultural diversity empowers teachers to make subtle and grand changes to their schools and communities. Throughout our education system, students are labeled and categorized so as to ensure proper delivery of instruction and academic services. This labeling process occurs via a series of assessments, observations, and includes correlation with any accompanying medical diagnosis or characteristics of such. Students whose assessment results place them outside the average or normal range are grouped either as â€Å"gifted† or â€Å"in need of more intensive instruction† and placed in special education. Once in a special education program, these students are primarily identified by their diagnosis, such as autistic or cerebral palsy, or label, such as gifted or savant. While this information is crucial to developing an academic plan that will challenge the student and initiate academic growth, these labels tend to cause educators and instructional support staff to lose sight of the student as a whole person. By failing to identify the cultural characteristics of students in special education, the school system makes itself vulnerable to failing the child. Children and their behaviors are shaped by their lifestyles at home and in the community. Households adhere to a variety of procedures and routines from how to manage hygiene to cooking practices to sharing and interacting with others. For students with additional traits that yield enrollment in special education, it is crucial to consider the cultural aspects of their lives so as to enhance the effectiveness of instruction and learning. By disregarding cultural characteristics, the students are at risk of being seen only for their disability or label and provided instruction based on statistics and research taken on other children with similar labels rather than truly individualized for each student. As a special education teacher, I can attest to the simplicity of developing lesson plans based on the disabilities seen in the classroom. Particularly if the classroom is tailored to one diagnosis, such as Autism, using pre-determined and proven methods that lend themselves to the disability are an easy way to deliver instruction and leave oneself believing the lesson was the best it could be. Unfortunately by adhering to published numbers and data collected about other students, scholars suffer both a diminished accessibility to the curriculum as well as misidentification of demonstrated behaviors during both academic and social time. When blinded by published data, educators are more prone to eliminate behaviors that are undesirable under the heading of the disability or label even though the same behavior is common in the culture of the student. Scholars are unable to fully connect with instruction or activities because cultural traits related to learning may be redirected or stopped. In a way, by identifying the student only by qualifying label and not also by gender, culture, or race, the school system is inadvertently causing the students to become more engrained in the shortcoming of their disabilities rather than giving them the knowledge and tools to overcome their obstacles. Additionally, the school forces the students to assimilate to a model of non-culture which results in a total loss of culture identification. In the case of gifted students, not emphasizing cultural differences leaves these leaders of the future short-handed in both social and networking skills. They will lack an understanding of themselves which can isolate them from their cultural peers as well as damage their ability to associate to their peers and colleagues both as children and as adults. Students, professional educators, and the community would benefit from a combination of diversity curriculum and professional development addressing the topic of cultural diversity in special education. As role models for both the students and the community, teachers will reap the most benefit from implementing such a program as well as have the greatest influence over the effectiveness of the results. By establishing a cohesive awareness about the cultural identities of students in special education, the manner in which the students and the community view all social groups will be improved. (MAISD, 2013) Curriculum written to the level of special education students would help both gifted and underachieving students gain a greater understanding and perspective about cultural diversity, allowing them to identify themselves and their peers as members of rich and honorable histories. (Minnesota State Colleges & Universities, 2013) This curriculum would parallel that of general education curriculum but with modifications to make it more accessible to the target audiences of special education. Additional lessons and activities about self identification and awareness, stereotypes of different cultures, comparison of cultural practices, and comparison of specific cultural behaviors and disability-related behaviors provide the foundation knowledge that many special educations students are lacking. Curriculum for special day classes would include creating consistent visual cues for identifying different cultures and the basic characteristics associated with each one. Gifted students would be given opportunities to delve into deeper thinking about their own heritage in comparison to that of their peers, the pros and cons of how different cultural lifestyles and attitudes affect society and the economy, and project how different cultural attributes may affect the future. (Schroeder, 2011). Implementation of this curriculum would be coupled with professional development for all school personnel. The professional development would focus on identifying students in special education by culture, gender, and race in addition to diagnosis or qualifying factors. Participants would receive a general foundation education about how different cultures look in the classroom and how those behaviors mimic the behaviors related to different disabilities or levels of genius. For example, students with Asian heritage tend to avoid eye contact which is also a classic trait of Autism. An Asian student with an autism diagnosis should not be encouraged to make eye contact with adults even though eye contact is an area of social interaction that many autism programs focus on improving. Data taken on the student’s behavior should not include frequency of eye contact because results will yield poor performance that may or may not be related to the disability. In addition to increasing understanding in this area, teachers will be given the knowledge to find students whose cultural behaviors may have led to a misidentification for special education. Our public school system continues to demonstrate a disturbing number of students who have been wrongly identified for special education due to cultural characteristics or inability to relate to assessment tools because of cultural experiences or beliefs. By learning to differentiate between cultural and disability/label related behaviors, teachers will have a first-hand opportunity to ensure that all students are placed in appropriate classrooms offering them a just-right challenge. Professional development will include information about different White cultures for these students are often lumped together as â€Å"cultureless† and therefore disregarded as displaying behaviors that can be attributed to their heritage. (Perry, 2001) White students come from a myriad of ancestries; French, South African, Australian, Spanish, Welsh, and German to name a few, and each display their own unique array of culturally related behaviors. For example, the French culture adheres to hygiene practices that are different than most cultures. As a result, a French special education student may be adverse to water because of lack of exposure. It is important to refrain from automatically attaching the adverse reaction to sensory disregulation or irrational fear, two common characteristics of many disabilities. A special education student with South African roots may only eat meat and avoid vegetables, which reflects the heavy meat diet enjoyed by persons in this region. (Oplan, 2013) It would be easy to label this as â€Å"finicky eating† and relate it back to a diagnosis of Autism or Down Syndrome, disabilities that often manifest a very limited diet. Doing so, however, damages the child and his perception of his culture as it relates to American society. Implementation of curriculum and professional development would be relatively simple as long as districts and schools are willing to make an attempt. Upon introduction to school districts, both the curriculum and training would be supported by research based findings and statistical information regarding instances of misidentification for special education, the rise of disability diagnosis as compared to the increase of culturally diverse students in public school, parallels between cultural and disability related behaviors, and rates of school failure of students whose cultural needs were not served in the classroom. The program would include additional training for district selected educators to act as support personnel for both the curriculum and training as well as regional support contacts. An online live chat forum would be established and made available 24 hours per day, seven days per week to allow educators to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and share successes. Teachers would have opportunities to provide feedback so as to keep the training and curriculum current as well as help them feel acknowledged and empowered to continue implementing the program. Education of special education students beyond the basics is crucial if they are going to have the tools and knowledge needed to actively participate in their communities as adults. In order to interact socially with others as well as protect themselves from bigotry and slander, these students need to understand cultural differences and how those differences both benefit and plague society. They need to know what their role is in establishing a greater sense of multiculturalism in school and the community and be able to share information so as to educate others. Gifted students need a well rounded education about the world and how it interacts, most especially as related to cultural differences. They need to know how to find the threads of commonality among cultural groups while simultaneously celebrating diversity. By maintaining these skills, the students will be in the best position to have a positive influence on society and increase cultural awareness and understanding as well as diminish misguided stereotypes about both disabilities and cultural behaviors. References Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. (2013). Building Respect for Diversity. Retrieved from http://ctlrespectdiversity. project. mnscu. edu/index. asp? Type=B_BASIC&SEC= %7B9F44AF3C-4968-437C-88B2-3AFE80A0D1DD%7D MAISD. (2013). Multiculturalism and Diversity. Retrieved from http://www. muskegonisd. org/ academicservices/for-community/multicultural/ Schroeder, Connie. (2011) Infusing Diversity into the Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www4. uwm. edu/acad_aff/climate/2011_campus_conversation/march11-infusing-diversity-presentation. ppt Perry, Pamela. (2001). White Means Never Having to Say You’re Ethnic: White Youth and the Construction of â€Å"Cultureless† Identities. Retrieved from http://jce. sagepub. com/content/ 30/1/56. abstract Oplan, David. (2013). South Africa. Countries and Their Cultures. Retrieved from http://www. everyculture. com/Sa-Th/South-Africa. html#b Banks, J. A. & Banks, C. A. M. (2012). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. (8th Ed. ). Danville, MA: John Wiley & Sons, In.

A Review Of Recent Evidence

A Review Of Recent Evidence PROJECT MANAGEMENT EMERGED FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS OF APPLICATION INCLUDING CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, AND DEFENSE AS A DISCIPLINE. THE 1950S MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE MODERN PROJECT MANAGEMENT ERA. BEFORE 1950S, PROJECTS WERE MANAGED ON AN AD-HOC BASIS USING GANTT CHARTS, OR INFORMAL TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS. PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS THE DISCIPLINE OF PLANNING, ORGANIZING, SECURING AND MANAGING RESOURCES (I.E. MANAGEMENT) TO BRING ABOUT THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF SPECIFIC PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. B: DISCUSS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ELEMENTS ONCE PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS PUT IN PLACE ORGANIZATIONS GET THE NECESSARY TOOLS AND INFORMATION THAT ARE NEEDED TO COLLABORATE AND MANAGE THEIR WORKLOAD AS A TEAM. FOLLOWING ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS FOR BETTER PROJECT MANAGEMENT: 1. CLASSIFY -DEFINE THE TYPE OF WORK: IT HELPS EVERYONE UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE E.G. NEW FEATURE, ACTION ITEM, DEFECT ETC. 2. TARGET -TARGET SETS YOUR PROJECT ¿Ã‚ ½S MILESTONES. MEASURING PROGR ESS IS EASY WITH METRICS WHEN REMAINING TASKS AND ISSUES CAN BE RELATED BACK TO THE PLAN, KEEPING TEAM MEMBERS FOCUSED AND WORKING TOWARD A COMMON GOAL. 3. PRIORITIZE – EACH TEAM MEMBER SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE PRIORITY SYSTEM. 4. COLLABORATE -RIGHT TASKS BE ASSIGNED TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE. MAKE SURE THAT OWNERSHIP BE CLEAR AND REASONABLE. WORKLOAD HAS TO BE BALANCED AND FAIR AND IT SHOULD BE EASY FOR PEOPLE TO GET HELP IF NEEDED FROM OTHER TEAM MEMBERS. 5. CHECK STATUS -TASK STATUS SHOULD BE REGULARLY TRACKED. IT SHOULD BE EASY TO SEE WHAT IS COMPLETED, WHAT REMAINS TO BE COMPLETED, AND WHAT ISSUES EXIST. 6. TRACK COMPLIANCE – KEEP A COMPLETE HISTORY FOR EVERY TASK. IT HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ISSUES REMAIN, HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PLANS, UNDERSTAND AND CORRECT PROCESS ISSUES, AND COMPLY WITH APPROPRIATE INDUSTRY STANDARDS LIKE ISO9000 CERTIFICATION ETC. C: DISCUSS EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS INFLUENCING PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT CAN BE AFFECTED BY THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FACTORS IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT. THE EXTERNAL FORCES THAT AFFECT PROJECT MANAGEMENT INCLUDE SOCIOLOGICAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL. EXTERNAL FACTORS: 1. SOCIOLOGICAL: IT INCLUDES THE DEMOGRAPHIC STATUS, TRENDS, WORK ETHICS, PERSONAL VALUES, AND GENERAL CULTURES. THESE FACTORS INFLUENCE DIFFERENTLY ON HOW A PROJECT MANAGER ACCOMPLISHES ITS GOALS. THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT IN EACH COUNTRY IS UNIQUE AND AS THE BUSINESS BECOMES INTERNATIONAL, MANAGEMENT HAS TO UNDERSTAND THESE UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTS IN ORDER TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE AND DESIGN PRODUCTS FOR A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE. 2. ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL: IT INCLUDES THE ESSENTIAL FACTORS SUCH AS COMPETITORS, SUPPLIERS AND CUSTOMERS. PROJECT MANAGEMENT MUST STUDY THE ECONOMY AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT FOR A CONTINUAL AND DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP. BY STUDYING THE COMPANIES, SUPPLIERS, COMPETITORS, CUSTOMERS AND CURRENT POLITICAL FACTORS, THE MANAGEMENT IS CAPABLE OF MAKING EFFECTIVE MANAGERIAL DECISI ONS. THUS THE PRODUCTS DESIGNED UNDER THIS POSSES PLACE, FORM AND TIME UTILITY TO SUCCEED IN THE MARKET PLACE. 3. TECHNOLOGY: TECHNOLOGY HAS THE MOST DRAMATIC EFFECT ON PROJECT MANAGEMENT AS ANY CHANGE IN THIS EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT IS OFTEN QUICKLY FELT BY FIRM. AS THE MARKET CAN CHANGE OVERNIGHT THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE IN A POSITION TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT WILL PUT THE COMPANY IN A FLEXIBLE POSITION TO ADAPT WITH THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES.

Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Popular Culture - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  the role of culture is to struggle and win consent of the players by the civil society. The popular culture acts as a source of pleasure and the human desire will make us always seek for it. The mediums such as books have enhanced this. For example the American youths girls read romance books and get different experience and behaviours.They find sources of encouragement, strength and pleasures that change their ideologies and reasoning. Therefore, the culture that emanates from the reading the romance books brings contradictory effects that enable the youths enter into uncouth and unacceptable behaviors.  This discussion highlights that  the youth have a role to create popular culture while engaging cultural citizenship. Ordinarily, the cultural practices have power to create social change and alter the social condition and foundations of people’s lives. Instead of the youths accepting the education they are refusing to school because of the structures that are in place. The challenge in social formation and the quest for democracy and freedom by the youths makes them to resist institution of schooling only to look for jobs so as to be in working class. They therefore follow their parents into manual labor jobs so as to earn a living.  For the youths to be effective in popular culture, cultural citizenship and radical democracy, they should take part in public sphere and politics for they would be practicing cultural citizenship.

Observing Global Warming & the Harm of It Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Observing Global Warming & the Harm of It - Essay Example Like many are already aware of, carbon dioxide plays a major role in its own right as it comes to the warming of the Earth and the resulting weakness of the global inhabitants that comes as a result of that warming. Another culprit is the continued robbing of the forests through the means of deforestation. Those trees are meant to act in a way that turns the CO2 into breathable oxygen for human consumption. Most importantly, the industrial nature of the modern world has served as a means of killing the natural world that is forced to co-exist with it. The technological desires of mankind have forced the Earth into a tailspin that, if not caught, will continue to force it into a continued destructive phase that will ultimately tear it apart at the core. With the increase in human population and other expansion, it has increased the need for a building that has taken small cities and built them into metropolises of great grander. These Cities feed the advancement of man, without any kind of thought to the environmental damage which is inflicted upon the Earth. As many knows, greed itself sells. Humanistic nature overwhelms, as well as strangles, in most cases, the needs of those things around them, especially in the precious environment that is drowning as each day goes by. The desire of people for their own self-serving interests takes hold and crushes anything in its surrounding path that may interrupt that. As the analysis shows within the presentation, human nature is at the root of the current state of the environment. Humans need shelter to survive and as such trees need to be cut down for the construction of those dwellings. Only those trees are what create the breathing oxygen. Charcoal aids in cooking food, and so much  mo re.  

Finance for non finance managers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Finance for non finance managers - Assignment Example 40 million from the debt market. Using debt to run the business has both advantages and disadvantages. Advantages Debt is a low cost capital. Using debt the company does not have to pay tax on it. Hence the company will have to pay less tax overall. Using debt the Earning per share of the company fluctuates more than using only equity as the source of capital. Hence during good times the Earning per share of the company will rise much higher than when the company use only equity (Tuller, 2007, p. 211). This satisfies the shareholders as they will get more in return. Hence they will always want some portion of the capital to be raised as debt. Again using debt the company don’t have to share the ownership rights with the shareholders. They don’t have to go back to the shareholders each time they need to take an important decision. All they want is to get fixed return on the investment that they have made. Again the lenders don’t have any claim on the future earnin gs. Furthermore if a debt can be paid on time, then the credit rating of the business will improve and they will readily get finance easily from the market next time they went to any financial institutions for loan. Disadvantages The company has to make regular monthly payment of instalment and interest. Barnet Solutions is going to expand in the European market for the first time. ... 176). Hence it is like a double edged sword. If the economy in the European market deteriorates the Earning per share of the company will fall down drastically. The shareholder then may ask tough questions to the management regarding their decision making process. Pure Equity The company can use Equity as the source of fund. Advantages Using Equity the company can avoid the hassle of going through the long process of applying for loan. It takes more time to raise debt than equity. It is less risky than a loan because the company will not have to pay back the obligation if they cannot afford it. The company can easily tap into its investors’ network and add more credibility to the business. The investors here takes a long term view and don’t expect and immediate return. The company also don’t need to payback if the business fails (Mason, 2010, p. 212). Disadvantages The investors can demand returns more than the interest rate the company will have to pay for debt. The investors also will require ownership of the company. They have to be consulted before making any big decision. It also takes time and effort to find the right investors for the company. Period 2012 2011 D/E 1.18 0.92 The standard Debt-equity ratio of any company is 2:1. Hence it is advisable for the company to raise fund through both debt and equity. The company can go 80:20 ratio of raising the money from the market with the majority being debt and other being equity. Hence the company can raise ? 32 million from the debt market and ? 8 million from the equity market. After using the above capital the debt equity ratio will become Period 2012 2011 D/E 1.28 1.04 This shows that the company will be well within the standards limits of the Debt-Equity ratio. Answer 2 The