Read the story of Paul's Conversion described by Luke in Acts of the Essay

Read the story of Paul's Conversion described by Luke in Acts of the Apostles Chapter 9 - Essay Example His mission was to wipe the religion completely from the surface of the earth. Along the way to Damascus, Saul encounters with God’s power, a very bright light that sent him to the ground flashed around him. In addition, a sound confronted him on his persecution mission. He could not see anything as the encounter had made him blind. He remained blind for three days. Ananias was sent to go and pray for Saul. After the conversion, Saul continued living with the disciple. This amazed many people as the story of Saul persecuting Christians had spread all over the place. The name change to Paul was quite significant as it indicated a total conversion of the Former persecutor to a gospel minister. As such, a large number who new Saul as an evil person will not be swayed by their former knowledge of the person, Bryant (2009). This conversion is very important to a contemporary Christian. When God sent Ananias to plead for Saul, God said that he has chosen Saul as a gospel minister. This implies that many of the modern Christians have huge roles in the gospel ministries only that they have not encountered God for a conversion. As for my personal thought of this conversion, I believe that every Christian encounters such episode as Saul. It may not exactly be like that described in the bible that involves a voice from heaven or the lighting that made him blind. No. God manifest ton us in various ways with intentions of changing our life so as to serve Him

Effect of somatic marker hypothesis on making decisions

Effect of somatic marker hypothesis on making decisions The Somatic-marker hypothesis (SMH) was first proposed by Demasio (1996), to explain the process of decision-making, while incorporating the role of emotion. This hypothesis developed after working with neurological patients who had damage to the prefrontal region, specifically in the ventral and medial regions, and presented severe impairments in decision making abilities (Damasio, 1979, 1994). As patients did not show any other impairment to their mental abilities, other than a compromised ability to express emotion, Damasio was able to investigate a link between emotion and decision-making ability. However, this link has been opposed by the Expected Utility Theory, which considers a rational approach to decision-making, in which emotion does not play a role (Friedman Savage, 1948). Demasio states within the SMH that people are able to make decisions through interaction between emotion and rationality, to produce the most appropriate outcome. These interactions are made by the emotional response and information from environmental input being presented in the form of physiological arousal, allowing an individual to assess their emotional response to a situation (Gazzaniga, Ivry Mangun, 2009). He argued that emotion is most commonly presented through alterations in an individuals physiological state, as these emotions are represented within the brain as temporary changes in the activity pattern of somato-sensory structures. Although human emotion has been primarily linked to the functions of the limbic system, the SMH proposed that despite the involvement of emotion, the neuronal circuit involved in decision making incorporates a variety of brain regions outside of these classic limbic system structures (MacLean, 1949). Damasio argues that in this process the emo tional responses require multiple sources of feedback from the periphery brain in order to assist decision making (Damasio, 2004). There have been found to be two different forms of stimuli which cause an alteration in physiological states of humans allowing decision-making to later occur; primary inducers are innate or learned stimuli which rely on the amygdala to produce a physiological change; secondary inducers are entities which are produced through the recall of a personal experience of a primary inducer and rely on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) to activate somatic states; these are most common in the face of uncertain outcomes, as they rely on information provided by similar past experiences. These somatic states, which are experienced when a stimuli is presented, are the result of responses aimed at the brain which lead to; the central nervous system (CNS) releasing neurotransmitters, a modification of the state of somatosensory maps, and an alteration in the transmission of signals from the body to somatosensory regions. The body receives information from these changes, and combines them to be interpreted as an emotion (Bechara, 2004). After a somatic state has been produced by a primary inducer, signals are then received by the brain to produce somatic state patterns in the brainstem nuclei and in the somato-sensing cortices. Once this somatic state alteration has occurred due to the initial presentation of a primary inducer, the pattern is stored for later recall. Later presentation of this primary inducer or a related secondary inducer can cause the somatic state pattern to be recalled and produce a similar emotional response. As a result, the brain is able to produce a prediction model of alterations expected to occur in the body, allowing the individual to respond more effectively and rapidly to the stimuli, without having to wait for the changes in physiology to be produced by the periphery (Dunn, Dalgleish, Lawrence, 2006). This reaction is summarised by the SMH, as the process allows an individual to be influenced in decision-making by the basic biasing signals which are produced as a result of the neurotr ansmitters being released in the cerebral cortex and the diencephalon. For every response to a situation that an individual contemplates, a somatic state is created, which serve as an indicator of the expected outcome (Damasio, Tranel Damasio, 1991; Damasio, 1996). This causes the somatic state to apply a biasing effect of an individuals behaviours, feelings, and cognitive patterns in response to a situation. Evidence of the link between emotion and decision-making was provided by Domasio, when he observed a patient who had damage to the orbitofrontal cortex. He found that the patient E.V.R was able to generate reasonable solutions when presented with a social reasoning task, however, was unable to prioritize these solutions, identifying the most effective (Saver Damasio, 1991). Prior to this, the orbitofrontal cortex had primarily been associated with the control of emotion. This suggests that the decision-making process relies on information provided by the emotion region of the brain, in order to provide a reasonable response. Alternatively, some psychologists argue that the orbitofrontal cortex plays a leading role in applying social knowledge to the decision-making process rather than considering an individuals emotional response, due to the recognition of which rules can be applied to a particular social situation, rather than assessing somatic markers (Gazziniga et al., 2009). More evidence was provided by the neuropsychologist Le Doux (1996) who found that humans and animals responded to stimuli which could potentially harm them so quickly it was unlikely they could have considered the risks posed to them being in that situation. He argued that this quick emotional evaluation of stimuli is an innate response which has developed with evolution to preserve our species in the face of danger, rather than cognitively processing the unfolding events. Considering his evidence, LaDoux explains that our emotional circuitry is designed to have a greater influence on our rational approaches to decisions, rather than our rational thoughts over-riding our emotions. Despite the SMH satisfactorily explaining how our emotions have an unconscious effect on our decision making process, we must also consider the fact that emotions are also known to act consciously on our rational judgement. Some psychologists have suggested that this allows us to employ our emotions as another form of information which we integrate into our logical decision-making process (Schwarz, 2000). When presented with a range of alternatives, it is suggested that we consider the emotions relating to the options before us, which we are often very aware of. Strong empirical evidence has been provided from data on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), a decision-making task which is believed to rely on emotional-related feedback from the body to enable an appropriate response (Bechara, Tranel, Damasio Damasio, 1996). The data indicated the lesions in the VMPFC cause impairments in decision-making, particularly the ability to select the most appropriate and advantageous option. This behavioural impairment has therefore been associated with the absence of predictor signals which allow an individual to differentiate between good and bad decisions. IGT has been praised as a sensitive, ecological measure of decision-making impairment, however, assumptions required for it to support the SMH have been criticised as unsound. The first assumption was that this learning is possible due to predictor marker signals produced by the body. Evidence from psychophysiological profiles compiled during the IGT did not support this suggestion (Tomb, Hauser, Deldin Caramazza, 2002), resulting in the lack of a causal relationship being established between disrupted feedback from the periphery and impaired decision-making. This suggests that the predictor changes may actually represent the expectancy anticipation towards the outcome, once the decision has already been made (Amiez, Procyk, Honore, Sequeira Joseph, 2003). It is also suggested that the tasks which aimed to measure implicit learning as the reward/punishment schedule as being cognitively inexplicable, in fact demonstrated accurate knowledge of the tasks possible outcomes (Maia McClelland, 2004). It was found that cognitive mechanisms, including working-memory exert a strong influence on task performance. Further support was given for the SMH in the business environment, as it is able to explain why we often rely on gut feelings when making a decision, and find them to be better predictors for a decision outcome than market data and past research. Physiological evidence from these studies identifies the involvement of the striatum and anterior cingulated in recognizing patterns and calculating the probabilities of outcomes. It was found that these areas respond immediately when presented with repeated or alternative somatic state patterns (Huettel et al. 2002). Alternatively, Rolls (1999) provides criticism, as he argues that the SMH proposes a very inefficient view that peripheral responses are located in the execution route, and for interpretation and measurement of this peripheral response to occur simultaneously. Rather, he suggests that reinforcement association, located in the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala, is more than efficient enough to allow emotion-based learning to occ ur. This learning would consequently alter behaviours via the orbitofrontal-striatal pathways, through implicit or explicit processes. An alternative theory to decision-making is the Expected Utility Theory (EUT) (Bernoulli, 1738 cited 1997) which states that an individual is able to select an appropriate resolution in risky circumstances by comparing their expected utility values. These are calculated by adding the utility value of the outcomes multiplied by their respective probabilities, for each option available (Mongin, 1997). The expected utilities are determined by considering the probability of each possible outcome (gain or loss) for a particular option (Hoogendoorn, Merk Treur, 2006). This theory of decision-making considers a rational approach, in which emotion does not cause a bias towards the decisions made. However, much criticism has been provided by Kahneman and Tversky (1974, 1979) when considering this theory as a practical model for human decision-making. They found in numerous studies that humans are particularly bad at estimating probabilities objectively, and so their emotions may cause a bias in the final decision-making process. This has been reinforced by many others (Ellsberg, 1961; Fellner, 1961) who highlight the difficulty in determining the level of uncertainty in a given situation. They also suggest that people are not often aware of the exact probabilities associated with the possible outcomes, and so this problem, combined with the issue of ambiguity has been the focus for much further research Kahnenman Tversky, 2000). To conclude, the Somatic Marker Hypothesis proposed by Damasio (1994) suggests that when an individual experiences a situation, alterations in their physiological state are represented within their body as changes in their somato-sensory state. These changes are represented as an emotion towards that particular situation and act as an indicator of the expected outcome. When faced with a similar situation in the future, which requires a decision, Damasio suggested that an individual extracts emotional information supplied by somatic marker to facilitate them in the decision-making process. Evidence for this theory has been provided by numerous studies of neurological patients who had damage to the prefrontal region, and presented severe impairments in decision making abilities (Damasio, 1979, 1994). However, psychologists Gazziniga et, al. (2009) suggest that although emotion does play a role in decision-making, it is involved in the recognition of socially acceptable activities, rath er than assessing somatic markers. In contrast, the Expected Utility Theory approaches decision-making in a much more rational way. It states that an individual assesses the probability of loss or gain for each available outcome in order to select the most advantageous choice of action. Bachara Demasio (2005) has since suggested further research to fully explore some unanswered questions posed by the SMH. Little research has previously been conducted into the different kinds of decision-making and the relationship it may have with recruiting different neural networks for different tasks. Secondly, he proposed investigating if we are able to successfully identify when emotions are helpful or a hindrance in decision-making and if there are any individual differences.

The Three Levels of Business Strategy :: Business Management Studies Essays

The Three Levels of Business Strategy Strategies can be formulated on three different levels:  · Corporate level,  · Business unit level, and  · Functional or departmental level Strategy may be about competing and surviving as a firm, products are developed by business units. The role of the corporation is to mange its business units and products so that each is competitive and so that each contributes to corporate purposes. Corporate Level Strategy Corporate level strategy fundamentally is concerned with the selection of businesses in which the company should compete and with the development and coordination of that portfolio of businesses. Corporate level strategy is concerned with:  · Reach – defining the issues that are corporate responsibilities; these might include identifying the overall goals of the corporation, the types of businesses in which the corporation should be involved, and the way in which businesses will be integrated and managed.  · Competitive contact – defining where the corporation competition is to be localized.  · Managing activities and business interrelationships – corporate strategy seeks to develop synergies by sharing and coordinating staff and other resources across business units, investing financial resources across business units and using business units to complement other corporate business activities. Igor Ansoff introduced the concept of synergy to corporate strategy.  · Management Practices – corporations decide how business units are to be governed: through direct corporate intervention (centralization)or through more or less autonomous government (decentralization) that relies on persuasion and rewards Corporations are responsible for creating value through their businesses. They do so by managing their portfolio of businesses, ensuring that the businesses are successful over the long-term, developing business units, and sometimes ensuring that each business is compatible with others in the portfolio. Business Unit Level Strategy A strategic business unit may be a division, product line, or other profit center that can be planned independently from the other business units of the firm. At the business unit level, the strategic issues are less about the coordination of operating units and more about developing and sustaining a competitive advantage for the goods and services that are produced. At the business level, the strategy formulation phase deals with:  · Positioning the business against rivals  · Anticipating changes in demand and technologies and adjusting the strategy to accommodate them.  · Influencing the nature of competition through strategic actions such as vertical integration and through political actions such as lobbying. Michael porter identified three generic strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, and focus) that can be implemented at the business unit level to create a competitive advantage and defend against the

Movie Analysis: A Walk to Remember Essay

A Walk To Remember is a romantic movie based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. It is a 2002 Warner Bros film which starred the 90s pop singer Mandy Moore as the demure, religious, and bookish Jamie Sullivan and punk rock musician Shane West as the popular but rebellious Landon Carter. Directed by Adam Shankman, the story is set in the small town of Beaufort, North Carolina. Landon and his entourage of hooligans have an initiation ritual which, as usual, involved some defiance of authority. One night, after drinking, Landon and his clique trespassed in a cement factory and decided to jump into a pond only in their underwear. While doing their inanities, one of their friends got hurt from jumping off from the cement apparatus. They panicked and got the attention of the security guard so they decided to run away. All of them were able to escape except Landon and his friend who was still unconsciously lying beside the pond. Because he’s still a minor, he’s punishment was doing after-school community service and participating in a school play. Joining the school play got him involved with Jamie Sullivan, the reverend’s daughter who had nothing in common with him. Jamie was dedicated in everything she does and excelled in school. Because of her Baptist upbringing, she often wears the same old and loose sweater and that created an impression of â€Å"oddity† from others. This usual faà §ade of hers made Landon cold and distant from her. At first, he was only using Jamie to help him memorize the lines in the play. But as he spent more time with her, he discovered the real Jamie and realized that she’s far from the person he thought she was. In the final act of the play, he got astounded by Jamie’s beauty as she sang Only Hope with her melodic voice. It was the first time she ever saw Jamie all made up. He got carried away and kissed Jamie even though it was not part of the script. After the play, he tried to be closer to her and to make up for all the offensive things he said and did. But Jamie just kept pushing him away. Not until Langdon’s friends publicly humiliated Jamie in school by placing a picture of her head in body of an indecently dressed woman. This embarrassed Jamie so much. Though he knew it would ruin his relationship  with his friends, Landon took Jamie’s side and defended her. He then gained Jamie’s trust again and Jamie did not avoid him anymore. Landon continued to do special things for Jamie by taking her to a date, buying a new sweater for her, and taking her to special places. Not long after, he started to develop strong feelings for her, something he did not expect to do. But a heart-breaking secret becomes known that puts their relationship to the test, Jamie confessed to Langdon that she had leukemia and had stopped responding to treatments. Despite of this, Langdon still held on with her. He was there when she needed him the most and fulfilled the most important wish in her wish list – to get married in the church where her deceased mother also got married. The actors Shane West and Mandy Moore have chemistry with each other. Both have portrayed their characters well. Mandy Moore’s voice was an asset in the movie. The part where he sang the Only Hope was the most unforgettable and amazing part she did. She’s also the voice behind most of the soundtracks the movie used such us Cry, Lighthouse, and Someday We’ll Know. The musical directors have chosen songs that perfectly fit the scenes in the movie. An example was the part where Landon danced along with her mother and the song was â€Å"Mother, we just can’t get enough† by the New Radicals. The songs are also remarkable that whenever the song Cry is heard, people who have watched would always associate it with the movie. Other soundtracks were also recorded by the Switchfoot band. Another positive thing about the movie is that it did not end with Jamie on the death bed. It just showed Landon watching the sunset smiling and still believing that Jamie is still with him. Like the air, he couldn’t see her, but he could feel her. That created an optimistic ending for the movie. The movie fits all ages. Though it is a romantic film, it is wholesome. Jamie and Landon did not go beyond kissing. It also teaches the audience the true essence of faith, forgiveness, and love. Faith was manifested by Jamie and her father who did not lose their trust in God despite Jamie having leukemia. Forgiveness was also shown when Shane pardoned his friends who  hurt and despised him and his father who left him for another woman. And love was omnipresent all throughout the movie. The reality of death was not a hindrance for Jamie and Landon’s love for each other; it wasn’t a reason to lose their faith in God. Indeed, love never fails. Over all, it’s a must-see movie. It’s a movie for those who wants to know what love is, who wants to be in love, and who are already in love and wants to stay in it. It’s a timeless movie that would surely make one’s heart melt in awe.

Sasmsung Poter 5 Forces

CHM1022 Lab Report 1 Rate Law of an Iodine Clock Reaction Name: Sashini Naomi Wijesekera Student ID: 23877847 Lab Partner: Zahiya Imam Lab Session: Monday 9. 00am Aim The aim of the experiment is to determine the factors that affect the rate of a reaction, by performing the iodine clock reaction and repeating it changing different initial conditions in order to measure and compare the rate of reaction for each experiment and experimentally determine the rate law. MethodRefer CHM1022 Laboratory Manual, Semester 1 2013. Results and Calculations- Part A- Calculations of rate for one set of conditions 1. n(S2O32-)=CV =0. 0025M*(10/1000)L =2. 50*10-5mol Molar ratio of I2 : S2O32- = 1 : 2 n(I2)=0. 5*n(S2O32-) =0. 5*(2. 50*10-5mol) =1. 25*10-5mol Mean time taken for blue colour to appear = (131sec+135sec+145sec)/3 =137seconds Rate of reaction=n(I2)/t =(1. 25*10-5mol/137sec) =9. 12*10-8mols-1 [H2O2]: C1V1=C2V2 0. 8*1=C2*99 C2=8. 8*10-3M [I-]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 025*10=C2*99 C2=2. 53*10-3M [H30+] : C1V1= C2V2 0. 36*35=C2*99 C2=0. 127M [S2O32-]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 0025*10=C2*99 C2=2. 53*10-4M Part B-Results and calculations B4 (i) n(S2O32-) = 0. 0025*(5/1000) = 1. 25*10-5mol Molar ratio of I2 : S2O32-=1: 2 n(I2)=0. 5*n(S2O32-) n(I2)= 0. 5*(1. 25*10-5) =6. 25*10-6mol B4 (ii) n(S2O32-)= 0. 0025*(20/1000) = 5*10-5mol Molar ratio ofI2: S2O32-=1:2 n(I2)=0. 5*n(S2O32-) n(I2)=0. 5*(5. 0*10-5) =2. 5*10-5mol Part B-Results and calculations | | | | | | |Time/s |n(I2)/mol |Rate/mol s-1 |Concentration/M | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |Mean time/s | | | | |B1[H202] (i)higher (ii)lower | 66 | 63 | 61 | 67 | 69 | 60 | 64 | 1. 5*10-5 | (1. 25*10-5)/64=1. 95*10-7 |[H2O2]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 8*2=C2*99 C2=0. 016 | | | 249 | 287 | 242 | 262 | 252 | 260 | 259 | 1. 25*10-5 | (1. 25*10-5)/259=4. 83*10-8 |[H2O2]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 8*0. 5=C2*99 C2=4. 0*10-3 | |B2[I-] (i)higher (ii)lower | 78 | — | 78 | 87 | — | — | 81 | 1. 25*10-5 | (1. 25*10-5)/81=1. 54*10-7 |[I2]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 025*20=C2*99 C2=5. 1*10-3 | | | — | 252 | 288 | 261 | — | — | 267 | 1. 25*10-5 | (1. 25*10-5)/267=4. 68*10-8 |[I2]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 025*5=C2*99 C2=1. 26*10-3 | |B3[H30+] (i)higher (ii)lower | 91 | — | 92 | 94 | — | — | 92 | 1. 25*10-5 | (1. 25*10-5)/92=1. 36*10-7 |[H30+]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 36*70=C2*99 C2=0. 55 | | | 206 | 226 | 221 | 207 | — | — | 215 | 1. 25*10-5 | (1. 25*10-5)/215=5. 81*10-8 |[H30+]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 36*17. 5=C2*99 C2=0. 064 | |B4[S2032-] (i)lower (ii)higher | 61 | 67 | 71 | 69 | — | — | 67 | 6. 25*10-6 | (6. 25*10-6)/67=9. 33*10-8 |[S2032-]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 0025*5. 0=C2*99 C2=1. 26*10-4 | | | 230 | 245 | — | 244 | — | — | 240 | 2. 5*10-5 | (2. 5*10-5)/240=1. 04*10-7 |[S2032-]: C1V1= C2V2 0. 0025*20=C2*99 C2=5. 05*10-4 | |B5(Temp) (i)warmer (ii)colder | 65 | 60 | 58 | — | — | — | 61 | 1. 25*10-5 | (1. 25*10-5)/61=2. 05*10-7 | T=450C | | | — | 288 | 310 | 303 | — | — | 300 | 1. 25*10-5 | (1. 25*10-5)/300=4. 17*10-8 | T=150C | |

A Light In August Essays - Television, Light In August, Free Essays

A Light In August Essays - Television, Light In August, Free Essays A Light in August In the novel, A Light in August, William Faulkner introduces us to a wide range of characters of various backgrounds and personalities. Common to all of them is the fact that each is type cast into a certain role in the novel and in society. Lena is the poor, white trash southern girl who serves to weave the story together. Hightower is the fanatic preacher who is the dark, shameful secret of Jefferson. Joanna Burden is the middle-aged maiden from the north who is often accused of being a ?nigger-lover?. And Joe Christmas is the epitome of an outsider. None of them are conventional, everyday people. They are all in some way disjointed from society; they do not fit in with the crowd. That is what makes them intriguing and that is why Faulkner documents their story. Percy Grimm is another such character and he plays a vital role in the novel. He is the one to finally terminate Joe Christmas, who has been suffering his entire life. Grimm is the enforcer, the one man who will uphold American pride at all costs. He also stands for everything in the world that has held Christmas back. He is the prototype of the ruthless enemy who is the source of all of Christmas? struggles. And Christmas can never escape him. He can run, as he has been doing all his life and as he does in his desperate attempt to escape. But he can never hide, as he tries to do at Hightower?s and as he has been hiding his true self from the world he hates so much. Percy Grimm represents the unmerciful society that has restrained and persecuted Joe Christmas; it is only fitting that he should be the one to finally bring him down in the end. Percy Grimm was born into the American south and grew up to be a symbol and backbone of the environment he was raised in. His only regret in life is being born too late. He feels that his sole purpose in life would be to fight in World War I and defend the country to which he is completely and utterly devoted. But the war happened to occur in the time period where ?he should have been a man instead of a child? (Faulkner, p.450). So when he grows to be a man, he joins the National Guard, which is the closest thing to an army he can find. But instead of protecting the country from foreign enemies, his job with the National Guard entails protecting the country from certain things within itself. Joe Christmas and the situation he has created is a direct threat to Percy Grimm and the establishment he represents. Although Grimm?s primary objective is to protect Christmas from hostile crowds, Grimm is imprinted with a sort of primitive and instinctive hatred for who Joe Christmas is, what he is, and what he has done. Grimm sees him as a dangerous, unknown and more importantly ?nigger-blooded? criminal. He had the nerve to violate and savagely murder a white woman who happened to be part of Grimm?s specifically drawn definition of ?American?. He has adopted, adheres to, and enforces the ?belief that the white race is superior to any and all other races and that the American is superior to all other white races and that the American uniform is superior to all men, and that all that would ever be required of him in payment for this belief, this privilege, would be his own life? (Faulkner, p.451). Percy Grimm is a tough, humorless, and forceful individual who commands the respect of others. He is always on some sort of mission involving the preservation of order and he is determined to use all of his resources to accomplish his goal. Grimm is referred to by Faulkner as ?the Player?. His main purpose in the novel is to play the part of the executioner. Christmas does not stand much of a chance. Joe Christmas has always been hampered by a society that shuns him, alienates him, disgraces him and chases him away. Percy Grimm is the human representation of this society. The climactic chase scene between Grimm and Christmas is symbolic of how Christmas has been running from people and places all his life. He was on the road all the time and was never able to settle down in one place for a significant time period. Society never accepted his heritage and personality and so he was always running away from

Amber Suites Inn Case Analysis Essays

Amber Suites Inn Case Analysis Essays Amber Suites Inn Case Analysis Essay Amber Suites Inn Case Analysis Essay Mene Kude Dr. Dixie Marketing 601 November 17, 2010 Amber Inn Suites, Inc. Strategic issues and Problem Identification The Amber Inns Suites, Inc. is a 250 property hotel chain, struggling with net operating lost since 2002, with fiscal year 2005 projected to be its fifth consecutive unprofitable year. The company has projected lodging revenue of $422. 6 million and a net loss of $15. 7 million for fiscal 2005. Joseph James, the company’s new president and chief executive officer, wants an hour presentation that describes initiatives, expenditures, and outcomes for the past two fiscal years, and a planned initiatives and budgetary needs for fiscal 2006. Mr. James goal for the company is to achieve profitability within two years. To this end, the V. P. of Sales and Marketing and the V. P. of Advertising has to corroborate on resource allocation in their respective budgets. The company would use growth in Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) as a corporate performance measure and a basis for determining senior management executive incentive compensation. It should be noted that EBITDA often disguises the financing effects of operations and allows allot of leeway in what is reported. This analysis looks at marketing strategies that best justify potential budgetary objectives that could lead to profitability. Industry Analysis The U. S. hotel industry recorded revenue of $113. 7 billion and grossed $16. billion in pretax profit in 2004. As of December 31, 2004, there were 4. 4 million hotel rooms in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of all U. S. hotel rooms were affiliated with a brand; the remaining one-third was independently owned and not brand-affiliated. Although companies such as Cendant Corporation, Marriott International, Inc. , Hilton Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotel Group, and Choice Hotels International, Inc leads the industry in having the most hotel rooms in the United States, the hotel industry is highly fragmented, with no one company dominating the arket. Though difficult to compare, hotel industry do have wide range of offerings and recognizable areas of distinctive competencies that allow for differentiated offerings. Generally, the industry can be divided into two main markets, full service hotels, and economic hotels. The full service hotels offer rooms and services that include restaurants for meals, bars and sometimes gymnasiums or spas. They range from luxury to low cost hotels differentiated not only by the facilities but in service levels that are offered. Economy hotels only offer a limited service, providing a room and few additional services such as a dinks machine and ice machine. They are generally lower in price compared to the full service hotels. The market is also divided into leisure travelers who are less price-sensitive and business travelers. The leisure market shows enormous rooms for growth as leisure travelers are only loyal to hotels that meet their respective needs. The September 11th event caused declined in profitability across the industry; while other organization within the industry eventually bounced back and reported profitable operations following improved economic conditions, Amber Inns Suites remain unprofitable. Organization Analysis and Positioning The corporate service mission of Amber Inn Suites, Inc. is to provide principally business travelers with clean and comfortable guest accommodations in convenient locations at reasonable prices. The company is positioned as a limited service hotel between economy hotels and full-service hotels. This positioning in the middle allows it to place its offerings in indirect competition with both full service hotels such as Holiday inn and Ramada inn, and economy hotels such as Red Roof and Motel 6. This positioning gives Amber Inn Suites a strong competitive advantage through differentiation of offering that can be seen as premium by some consumers and cost effective by others. Taking advantage of this competitive advantage will require a greater degree of investment in positioning and education of potential customers of the benefits for the offerings. Amber Inn Suites, Inc positioning has always been highly targeted at the business travelers with 80% of the travelers staying at the chains being business travelers. The business travelers market is more stable, less price sensitive and has less room for growth as full service hotels compete aggressively for their business. Amber Inns Suites locates its properties on premium sites, on major highways close to industrial, office complexes, and shopping centers for the most part in order to carter to its business traveler’s market. This excessive catering to business travelers leaves room for growth with leisure travelers. Overview of Past Performance In 2002 and 2004 guest profile, Average number of nights stayed on most recent visits improved from 2. 4 average nights to 2. 6. There are improvements in the likelihood of customer retention in the extremely likely and very likely category. 2002 sees an average of 81. 6% favorability rate and favorability rate of 84. 5% was recorded for 2004. There is an increase in the average number of occasions a guest stays at Amber Inn, from 9. in 2002 to 10. 8 in 2004. In spite of these increases, 2005 still sees a projected net operating lost. As such Amber Inns Suites have to rethink its strategic and make cost saving decisions like investments in technology so as to reduce direct labor cost. Improvement of energy efficient equipment could also help reduce utility cost. Another area of cut should be corporate employee compensation. Amber Inns Suites have to develop a ba lance that will streamline corporate compensation while retaining good talented employee. Alternatives The three areas that require immediate attention are as follows: First, allocation of media advertising dollars between the pleasure-vacation travelers and the business traveler market. Second, the frontier initiated of fiscal 2005, which have three objectives: (1) to increase overall occupancy in both guest rooms and suites, (2) to attract first-time guests, and (3) to increase the length of stay per visit. Third, use of weekend special as a replacement of the â€Å"free-night stay† promotion used in fiscal 2005. This promotion would be used to increase weekend occupancy that is currently at 60 percent. Marketing Initiatives and Outcomes Access to markets is an important element of the marketing mix. Although there are gradual movement to increase the commitment towards the leisure market, majority of the effort is still aimed at the business traveler. For example, hotels are in areas that are easily accessible by business travelers. The company recognized this and made marketing efforts to attract leisure visitors that are merely looking for a bed on their way to a place of interest. This was the underlying approach used in the â€Å"a place to stay while on the way† campaign that was launched in the Northwest Rockies area, which focused on the leisure market showing couples and families enjoying the amenities offered by Amber Inns as they travels in that area. This was a successful strategy, which lead to increased level of occupancy paving the way to the frontier initiated in fiscal 2005 ‘frontier areas’ of Texas. The 2005 inclusion of the internet marketing facilitated bookings with an estimated 20% increased in travelers making bookings on the internet will lower direct labor cost. Notably, an aggressive marketing strategy will help educate customers to identify their needs while paving ways for increase profitability. It is noted in the case that some business customers are not happy with the families using the hotels. This is regrettable and needs to be addressed. Future plans has to reflect the need of adapting to a new environment of technological innovation and core customer sensitivity, many of whom are loyal with average of about 10 visits a year with 66. 7% booking rate. 2005 Lodging Expenses |Direct Cost/rental room |28. 5 | |Room units |26500 | | Occupancy Rate |65% | | Room used |17225 | |Suite Units |3500 | | Occupancy Rate |75% | | Room used |2625 | |Total Room Used |19850 | |Total Unused Rooms |10150 rooms | 2006 Budget Plan The internet is cost effective and of increasing importance and has to be employed in developing the marketing plan for 2006. Placements of advertisements on web sites that travelers may frequent, effective listing of Amber Inn Suites link with search engines (like Google and Yahoo) and the use of viral and social networking sites should be leveraged. The company should use banner advertisements differentiate Amber Inn Suites focusing on quality and value of their offerings like accommodation for a reasonable price. Such efforts may lead to high retention of the core business market and an increase in the target leisure market. Many leisure travelers tend to travel on the weekend a time when business travelers tend to be at home. As a result, the promotions used to attract the leisure market will be focused in the weekend night, Friday – Sunday, with leisure rates prices that are competitive. Such offer will attract families on the weekends when there are fewer business travelers and will help to increase the occupancy rates of the hotels. The use of television advertising should be changed with the message that is more aligned to the branding and positioning of the hotel chain – a message that may appeal to both the business and the leisure market. The message should reflect quality rooms with a high level of reliability and value as well as good service. The use of increased levels of billboard advertising near the locations of the Inns, with similar message of value and comfort should be employed. Once there is a noticeable increase in occupancy rate, an increase in room prices of $1 or $2 per night during the week, should be considered. The level spent on research should be lower, but needs to be ongoing. My propose budget for 2006 are as followings. |Figure 1b Marketing and Sale Budget | |Sales Budget |2006 |2005 | |Sales reps |4,033,470 |3,841,400 | |Sales and marketing admin 525,210 |500,200 | |Sales Materials |15,965 |15,205 | |Travel |331,013 |315,250 | |Sales and marketing research |20,000 |60,000 | |Total |4,925,658 |4,732,055 | Figure 1a Advertising Budget Advertising Media Budget | | |Media |2006 |2005 | |Magazine |3,300,000 |3,236,240 | |Newspaper |3,800,000 |4,096,965 | |Outdoor |540,000 |519,700 | |Spot television |2,300,000 |2,340,266 | |Cable networks |1,000,000 |1,048,589 | |Radio |260,000 |257,740 | | Internet |1,700,000 |1,000,500 | |Total |12,900,000 |12,500,000 | Financial Performance of Amber Inns and Suites The increases in occupancy rate are counteracted by special offers culminating in a drop of in revenue between 2002 and 2005 projection. The rates for the room are well below the industrial average of $96 a night for business travelers and $89 for leisure traveler. For Amber Inns, the average daily rate has been only $57. 2, which leads to a revenue per available room of only $38. 60. With only a 79% occupancy rate there are a lot of empty rooms and revenue that can be realized with marginal costs; besides, the majority of the overheads are incurred whether the rooms are occupied or not. Increasing in revenues may help lower the overhead burden per room thus decrease contribution margin and increase net operating income. A projection for 2006 is included in the analysis below. Also, investment in technological upgrades will help lower both utility cost and labor cost culmi nating in my proposed 2006 projected income statement below. What is stated below indicates that cost cutting strategy most be employed. This means cutting cost from corporate conpensation expense, direct labor cost via the use of technology, and efficient use of utility as well as energing saving utility equipments upgrade. Amid streamlining cost will be the use of the various low cost promotional tools discussed earlier. Doing all of this wil increase occupancy rate, lower fixed cost over time, lower contribution margin, and bring net operating income above breakeven point. Figure-2 Amber Inn Suites, Inc. Consolidated Statement of Operations | | | | |2006 (proj) |2005 (proj. |2004 |2003 | |Lodging Revenue |$443,798 |$422,625 |$397,980 |$386,429 | |Variable Expense | | | | | |Direct Lodging Expense |$212209 |$211,239 |$194,887 |$192,069 | |Other Lodging Expense |$62462 |62,482 |54,672 |52,271 | |Sales, General Administrative Expense |$45635 |44,941 |39,029 |36,201 | |Total Variable Expenses |$320,306 |318,662 |288,588 |280,541 | |Contribution Margin |$123,492 |$103,963 |$109,392 |$105,888 | |Fixed Expense | | | | | |Depreciation Amortization |68,235 |70,135 |78,044 |69,190 | |Interest Expense |49,020 |49,520 49,786 |50,535 | |Total Fixed Expenses |$117,255 |$119,655 |$127,830 |$119,725 | |Net Operating Income |$6,237 |($15,692) |($18,439) |($13,837) | |Contribution Ration |0. 278261732 |0. 245993493 |0. 274868084 |0. 274016702 | |Dollar sale needed to attain a profit |$421,383. 85 |$486,415. 31 |$465,059. 45 |$436,925. 92 | Net Operating Income = Contribution Margin Total Fixed Expenses ontribution Ratio = Total Contribution Margin / Total Revenue Dollar Sales to break even = Fixed expenses/CM Ration Recommendations As discussed earlier, media advertising dollars should be increased for pleasure travelers. Although their core business is around business travelers, the opportunity for the most growth is with vacation travelers. Based on early projections, Amber Inns Suites will be 7. 9 percent than fiscal 2004 on occupancy rates. During the summer months, when there is increased family travel, the hotels should make an effort to segregate business travelers from families. This should lower the complaints from the business travelers. The frontier strategy should be kept in place. Based on industry reports, less than 30 percent of families stay more than two nights. This is an opportunity to increase a family stay and produce additional revenue when families do the most traveling. Finally, the weekend special should be initiated in fiscal 2006 as discussed in the earlier section. This special would require very little advertising cost and would potentially increase weekend occupancy. Beside, increased promotion for weekend special will have a spill over effect on the business market in that name recognition will be promoted. Also, some of the business travelers who stay may take there family there for a weekend together. Increase occupancy will also decrease contribution margin and sprread the overhead cost leading to net profit.

Shimabara Rebellion in Japan

Shimabara Rebellion in Japan The Shimabara Rebellion was a peasant revolt against Matsukura Katsuie of the Shimabara Domain and Terasawa Katataka of the Karatsu Domain. Date Fought between December 17, 1637 and April 15, 1638, the Shimabara Rebellion lasted four months. Armies Commanders Shimabara Rebels Amakusa Shiro27,000-37,000 men Tokugawa Shogunate Itakura ShigemasaMatsudaira Nobutsuna125,000-200,000 men Shimabara Rebellion - Campaign Summary Originally the lands of the Christian Arima family, the Shimabara Peninsula was given to the Matsukura clan in 1614. As a result of their former lords religious affiliation, many of the inhabitants of the peninsula were Christian as well. The first of the new lords, Matsukura Shigemasa, sought advancement within the ranks of the Tokugawa Shogunate and aided in the construction of​ Edo Castle and a planned invasion of the Philippines. He also pursued a strict policy of persecution against local Christians. While Christians were persecuted in other areas of Japan, the degree of Matsukuras repression was considered particularly extreme by outsiders such as local Dutch traders. After taking over his new lands, Matsukura constructed a new castle at Shimabara and saw that the Arima clans old seat, Hara Castle, was dismantled. To finance these projects, Matsukura levied heavy taxes on his people. These policies were continued by his son, Matsukura Katsuie. A similar situation developed on the adjacent Amakusa Islands where the Konishi family had been displaced in favor of the Terasawas. In the fall of 1637, the discontented populace as well as local, masterless samurai began to meet in secret to plan an uprising. This broke out in Shimabara and the Amakusa Islands on December 17, following the assassination of the local daikan (tax official) Hayashi Hyà ´zaemon. In the revolts early days, the regions governor and more than thirty noblemen were killed. The ranks of the rebellion quickly swelled as all those living in Shimabara and Amakusa were forced to join the rebel armys ranks. The charismatic 14/16-year old Amakusa Shiro was selected to lead the rebellion. In an effort to snuff out the revolt, the governor of Nagasaki, Terazawa Katataka, dispatched a force of 3,000 samurai to Shimabara. This force was defeated by the rebels on December 27, 1637, with the governor losing all but 200 of his men. Taking the initiative, the rebels laid siege to the Terazawa clans castles at Tomioka and Hondo. These proved unsuccessful as they were forced to abandon both sieges in the face of advancing shogunate armies. Crossing the Ariake Sea to Shimabara, the rebel army laid siege to Shimabara Castle but were unable to take it. Withdrawing to the ruins of Hara Castle, they re-fortified the site using wood taken from their ships. Provisioning Hara with food and ammunition seized from Matsukuras storehouses at Shimabara, the 27,000-37,000 rebels prepared to receive the shogunate armies that were arriving in the area. Led by Itakura Shigemasa, shogunate forces laid siege to Hara Castle in January 1638. Surveying the situation, Itakura requested aid from the Dutch. In response, Nicolas Koekebakker, the head of the trading station at Hirado, sent gunpowder and cannon. Itakura next requested that Koekebakker send a ship to bombard the seaward side of Hara Castle. Arriving in de Ryp (20), Koekebakker and Itakura began an ineffective 15-day bombardment of the rebel position. After being taunted by the rebels, Itakura sent de Ryp back to Hirado. He was later killed in a failed attack on the castle and replaced by Matsudaira Nobutsuna. Seeking to regain the initiative, the rebels launched a major night raid on February 3, which killed 2,000 soldiers from Hizen. Despite this minor victory, the rebels situation worsened as provisions dwindled and more shogunate troops arrived. By April, the 27,000 remaining rebels were facing over 125,000 shogunate warriors. With little choice left, they attempted a break out on April 4, but were unable to get through Matsudairas lines. Prisoners taken during the battle revealed that the rebels food and ammunition were nearly exhausted. Moving forward, shogunate troops attacked on April 12, and succeeded in taking Haras outer defenses. Pushing on, they finally managed to take the castle and end the rebellion three days later. Shimabara Rebellion - Aftermath Having taken the castle, the shogunate troops executed all those rebels who were still alive. This coupled with those who committed suicide prior to the castles fall, meant that the entire 27,000-man garrison (men, women, children) died as a result of the battle. All told, approximately 37,000 rebels and sympathizers were put to death. As the rebellions leader, Amakusa Shiro was beheaded and his head taken back to Nagasaki for display. As the Shimabara Peninsula and the Amakusa Islands were essentially depopulated by the rebellion, new immigrants were brought in from other parts of Japan and the lands divided among a new set of lords. Ignoring the role that over-taxation played in causing the revolt, the shogunate opted to blame it on the Christians. Officially banning the faith, Japanese Christians were forced underground where they remained until the 19th century. In addition, Japan closed itself to the outside world, only allowing a few Dutch merchants to remain.

Racial Bias in the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Racial Bias in the Media - Essay Example Some bias is expected. It can not be argued that children's networks have a bias towards showing children, that women's networks show women, and that African American networks show African Americans. As consumers, it is rare to question this phenomenon. But what about networks that are for everyone Is there still a bias in what they show, and who are they biased towards When it comes to mainstream media and news, there is a particular bias towards racial minorities, one that falsely creates stereotypes and undermines the fight for equality. Black men are often portrayed as aggressive, angry, and unwilling to compromise. Latino/Latinas are portrayed as unwilling to learn English, and as drug smugglers. Native Americans are portrayed as lazy, and alcoholics. Asians are portrayed as quiet and hardworking. Are these images real While all stereotypes are based loosely on some reality, the stereotypes created by the media are even more false then those created through actual human interaction. These images are created from the very small representations of minority available in the media, most of which are already negatively slanted to begin with. But how do we know the media is creating these images There is an easy answer. Turn on the television, or open a newspaper. The vast majority of what is being seen is white, heterosexual men. The next most common group White, heterosexual women. They are seen in percentages that far outweigh the actual race percentages in the United States. In a society so passionate about equality, how does racial bias remain so strong in the media Like most forms of equality, racial equality is a long, hard battle. While the need for equality is clear, most people feel a sense of ennui if the battle takes too long. Why keep trying, when the worst battles have already been fought Does the media bias really hurt anyone Yes. Racial bias, and racism, directly affect and hurt everyone. They hurt the people who are being ignored, or being portrayed only negatively, by creating unrealistic stereotypes which they have to fight, and also by limiting the positive role models young children of color have available. Racism affects the media majority, because those same stereotypes create an unnecessary fear and a separate between races. Racism that is so clear affects society, because it limits the exposure of different cultures and groups, making understanding each other and working together for equality that much harder. Racism creates an underlying fear and tension that the United States would be much better without. However, it is important to note that not all racism, at least portrayed racism, is intentional. Even today, what is shown on television and what is read in newspapers is controlled by a very small group of people. White, upper-class, middle aged, heterosexual men. There is no direct attempt to be racist in what they put out in the media, there are no manuals telling them how to be racist. But, like all groups, they are more comfortable with a familiar face. That face is a white man, not a black woman, or an Asian child. Some, however, is intentional. By using racially unequal language, a negative image can be portrayed, only by changing one or two words. Stanford Professor Geoffrey Nunberg points out the difference between using refugee and evacuee during the Katrina crisis. By using

Notes on Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Notes on Nursing - Essay Example Florence Nightingale addresses fundamental issues concerning personal cleanliness by looking at three major issues including poisoning by the skin, ventilation and skin cleanliness, steaming and rubbing the skin. Poisoning by the skin is a crucial ideology because sick people usually relieve themselves through the skin (Nightingale, 2010). A nurse should always understand that the excretion process leaves dirt and infectious particles on the body. As a result, it is necessary to practice high levels of hygiene. It is also important to note that the sick usually feel relieved after cleaning. Consequently, it appears that vital powers have been removed from the patient’s body that empowers them to go through life processes easily. One of the strategies that can be used during the cleaning process is removing dirt using hot water and soap (Nightingale, 2010). It is also important to wash the skin using a large amount of water. The water makes the skin softer. The first rule in the nursing field is keeping the air pure just like the external environment while reducing the chances of chills. It is important for a nurse to ensure that the source of the air is clean. For example, Nightingale indicates that people usually allow air into a patient’s room without thinking about its sources. For example, the air may be coming from other wards, environment next to a sewer or hallways (Nightingale, 2010). Nightingale indicates that with the availability of windows, patients in bed are likely to get fresh air. It is crucial to note that such fresh air do not cause colds. It is also important to limit dependence on fumigations and disinfectants in order to purify the air in a patient’s room. The disinfectants are already mixed with other chemicals that are unlikely to ventilate a patient’s room. It is also important to abolish slope pails in a patient’s room because they limit the chances of maintaining a

Nepotism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nepotism - Essay Example There are several concepts that should be engaged in the analysis while considering the nature of nepotism. To begin with, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the notion of integrity is something that is heavily damaged by the issue in question (McNamee, 2004, p. 87). Indeed, granting positions or preferences to family member can hardly be compatible with integrity of an organization. The next concept that is of great important when it comes to a fair examination of it is the idea of competition. As it has already been noted, people have to fight for their success and should be rewarded accordingly. The practice of nepotism grants a person an advantage that ruins the entire system of competition in the society and does not allow people to advance. Finally, the concept of meritocracy is something that should also be engaged while considering the impact that nepotism has on the society. It certainly would be an ideal situation when people are rewarded according to their mer its, but it is something that the social environment should be moving forward to; however, the practice of nepotism just makes this state of affairs unrealistic and reinforces the inequality among the people. In other words, the very existence of it does not allow the society evolve properly. That is why nepotism might be seen as a direct result of the inertia that has been guiding the process of development of the society for a considerable time. Nevertheless, it is quite obvious that is this practice is not taken care of, it will lead to a dead end. Keeping in mind that people will never want to stop evolution of their civilization, there is no other way but to deal with nepotism. That is why nepotism might be seen as a direct result of the inertia that has been guiding the process of development of the society for a considerable time. Nevertheless, it is quite

Historical accuracies and inaccuracies of the William Wallace From the Essay

Historical accuracies and inaccuracies of the William Wallace From the movie Braveheart - Essay Example The movie portrays the life of William Wallace. The film premiered in July 1995 and became a spontaneous Box office success. As a film, the developers of the film employed specific film production techniques in order to earn it the reception it acquired soon after its release (Brown, 2007). The film portrayed the Scottish warrior in different perspectives often omitting some fundamental features of his life in an attempt of earning the film an appropriate adaptation. As a brave Scottish warrior, William Wallace led the scots against their first war of independence against the oppressive King Edward the first. The producers set the film in an early Scottish society, it is 1920 and King Edward the first invades Scotland soon after the death of Alexandra the third of Scotland. In the invasion, Wallace witnesses the Longshanks commit atrocities in the inversion. He survives the murder to his mother father and brothers and therefore travels to Rome with the help of his uncle Argyle. After several years, Wallace returns to Scotland as a young man and immediately falls in love with his childhood friend, Murron MacClannough. However, the society is different following the application of King Edward’s selfish legislations (McArthur, 2003). Among the most controversial of the legislations is that granting the English Lord the authority to have sexual relations with all the women in the kingdom on the eve of their wedding night. In oorder to avoid the king sleeping with his fiancee, Wallace and Murron marry in secrecy. Later, Wallace rescues Murron from eminent rape by English soldiers. The soldiers arrest and execute Murron in public. In a revenge attack, Wallace attacks and kills English soldiers. The following is a series of conflicts between Wallace and the English authorities as Edward orders his son Edward the second to use every means possible to stop Wallace. Even in death, Wallace maintains a bold personality and refuses to beg for mercy from the English a uthorities. While facing a public execution, the magistrate pleads with Wallace to beg for mercy from the government and therefore have a quick and painless life. Instead of begging for his life, Wallace shouts freedom to the jubilation of the Scottish people who view him as a hero. As the film ends, a setting in the 1934 Scotland, Robert who is now the king of Scotland leads his army into a fight against the English in the memory of Wallace. The war finds the English unprepared and the scots earn their first freedom from the English rule. The developers of the film employ various film production features including both the setting and the plot in order to earn the story relevance from its contemporary audience. In doing this, the developers either omitted or added specific details to both the characters and the actions. In doing so, the producers foster some accuracies and inaccuracies about Wallace’s life and the society in which he lived. Key among the lacking details in t he film is his background. The producers of the film provide a brief recap of his childhood. The film begins with the English inversion of Scotland with the young Wallace witnessing the murder of his parents and the atrocities the English lord commits. Such are scanty details that do not help build an effective understanding of the legendary Sir William Wallace. However, the scanty details are in line with the information known about his family, Wallace came from a less noble family. Historians do not provide a detailed information about his family. Blind Harry in his poem posits that Wallace’s father was known as Sir Malcom of Elderslie. The discovery of a letter written by Wallace himself and contained his seal provides Wallace’

Comparison of the constraining factors of local employment Essay

Comparison of the constraining factors of local employment law(national law) between USA and UK - Essay Example UK, like the other economies in the world, has also suffered an economic decline because of the economic crisis, much more due to its exposure in the financial sector. (CIA world Factbook). Because of this, the country was pressed into a recession in the middle of 2008. Labor has been affected because unemployment rate stepped up to 7.9% in 2010 as against 7.6 %in 2009. As shown in table below, the year 2011 has the highest unemployment rate in UK since 2003. Fig. 1. Unemployment rate in UK Source: CIA World Factbook, cited in Index Mundi Political environment Workers in UK are protected by the employment law. UK implements a national minimum wage amount of ?6.08 per hour to workers above 21, while ?4.98 is paid to workers with ages 18-20. Wage rate is much lower to 16-17 that is ?3.68S and for apprentice rate is ?2.60.how below are the entitlement of workers under this law. Working hours in UK should not exceed 48 hours, but there are instances that exempt certain class of workers f rom this. Doctors, domestic servants, police and army personnel and those engaged in emergency work are exempted in48 hours rule. All workers are entitled to holiday pay of 5.6 weeks paid annual leave, sick leave, of 5.5 times, rest breaks and overtime pay. These privileges are stipulated in an employment contract that has a term expiry. Sunday is a work day in UK (direct.gov.) Immigration rules. All foreign workers eager to work in UK must obtain a working permit. To qualify, applicant must qualify in the points based system for immigration for work based categories. Investors, entrepreneurs and exceptionally talented person, called as high-value migrants should pass the point system, and they are welcome to UK without the need for job offers. Other qualifications to work in UK are being a skilled worker, temporary worker, domestic worker, or representative of an overseas firm, broadcasting firm or a newspaper organization (UK Border Agency) Demographics Population of UK as of 2011 is 62,678,362. Age structure of working group is divided into 15-64 age bracket with male having 20,979,000 and female 20,500,000. With a labor force of 31.45 million part of this belong to women labor (CIA World Factbook, 2011). The constraint for employment is found to be the gender gap of pay that becomes barriers to women working in occupations traditionally done by men. According to Facts Fawcett society, the gender pay gap is estimated at 15.5% that could be worth L15 to L23 billion. The study of this society showed that 64% of lowest paid workers are women, and many of them are doing part-time work which is paid lower than the hourly rate work. 2. United States Economy The United States has a market oriented economy wherein businesses, organizations and individuals are allowed to make their own decisions while the federal government buys goods and services in the marketplace. US enjoy flexibility in management as compared to other countries and they can expand capital plant, develop new products and lay off surplus workers. Economic The economic crisis is one of the major constraints in local employment in the US labor market because as shown in the chart below, the unemployment rate has continued to rise up to 9.7% in 2010. Source: Bureau of Labor & Statistics.

Turnover Calculations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Turnover Calculations - Essay Example It also informs the HR professionals that turnover can be a good aspect at times when it applies to non-performing employees since the important thing is employee productivity. Such data also helps HR professionals and their respective organizations to realize that employee turnover brings with it other related costs which include separation costs, vacancy costs, replacement costs, training costs, and indirect costs. In reducing employee turnover rates, HR professionals need to employee effective employee retention practices. Retention is not about offering the best salary packages to employees. One effective retention strategy is the building of positive work relationships within an organization. These include relationships between employees and the organization’s management, as well as relations between the employees themselves. The management includes the supervisors, managers, top-level managers, and the management board. Each of these levels of management has to ensure that they build a cohesive workplace where each worker feels part of the organization. For example, a supervisor can build positive work relationships by being nondiscriminatory and fair, allowing work-family balancing, enabling work flexibility, and providing feedback that appreciates a worker’s performance and efforts. This can create a positive work environment that in turn aids

Comparison of the constraining factors of local employment Essay

Comparison of the constraining factors of local employment law(national law) between USA and UK - Essay Example UK, like the other economies in the world, has also suffered an economic decline because of the economic crisis, much more due to its exposure in the financial sector. (CIA world Factbook). Because of this, the country was pressed into a recession in the middle of 2008. Labor has been affected because unemployment rate stepped up to 7.9% in 2010 as against 7.6 %in 2009. As shown in table below, the year 2011 has the highest unemployment rate in UK since 2003. Fig. 1. Unemployment rate in UK Source: CIA World Factbook, cited in Index Mundi Political environment Workers in UK are protected by the employment law. UK implements a national minimum wage amount of ?6.08 per hour to workers above 21, while ?4.98 is paid to workers with ages 18-20. Wage rate is much lower to 16-17 that is ?3.68S and for apprentice rate is ?2.60.how below are the entitlement of workers under this law. Working hours in UK should not exceed 48 hours, but there are instances that exempt certain class of workers f rom this. Doctors, domestic servants, police and army personnel and those engaged in emergency work are exempted in48 hours rule. All workers are entitled to holiday pay of 5.6 weeks paid annual leave, sick leave, of 5.5 times, rest breaks and overtime pay. These privileges are stipulated in an employment contract that has a term expiry. Sunday is a work day in UK (direct.gov.) Immigration rules. All foreign workers eager to work in UK must obtain a working permit. To qualify, applicant must qualify in the points based system for immigration for work based categories. Investors, entrepreneurs and exceptionally talented person, called as high-value migrants should pass the point system, and they are welcome to UK without the need for job offers. Other qualifications to work in UK are being a skilled worker, temporary worker, domestic worker, or representative of an overseas firm, broadcasting firm or a newspaper organization (UK Border Agency) Demographics Population of UK as of 2011 is 62,678,362. Age structure of working group is divided into 15-64 age bracket with male having 20,979,000 and female 20,500,000. With a labor force of 31.45 million part of this belong to women labor (CIA World Factbook, 2011). The constraint for employment is found to be the gender gap of pay that becomes barriers to women working in occupations traditionally done by men. According to Facts Fawcett society, the gender pay gap is estimated at 15.5% that could be worth L15 to L23 billion. The study of this society showed that 64% of lowest paid workers are women, and many of them are doing part-time work which is paid lower than the hourly rate work. 2. United States Economy The United States has a market oriented economy wherein businesses, organizations and individuals are allowed to make their own decisions while the federal government buys goods and services in the marketplace. US enjoy flexibility in management as compared to other countries and they can expand capital plant, develop new products and lay off surplus workers. Economic The economic crisis is one of the major constraints in local employment in the US labor market because as shown in the chart below, the unemployment rate has continued to rise up to 9.7% in 2010. Source: Bureau of Labor & Statistics.

Techniques in Immunocytochemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Techniques in Immunocytochemistry - Essay Example After that, both slides were incubated in a medium containing diaminobenzidine (DAB). The sections were mounted with a minimal volume of the aqua mount and were then visualized under a light microscope. The tissue that was incubated with primary antibody was given a blue nucleus with a brown colored background; this indicates the presence of the target antigen (Griffins, 2011). Immunocytochemistry is a common laboratory technique that makes use of antibodies to target specific antigens in a cell via specific epitopes (an epitope is the part of an antigen that is recognized by antibodies). These bound antibodies can then be detected by using many different methods. The antigen is bound by a primary antibody, which is then amplified by use of a secondary antibody. The secondary antibody can be an enzyme that is conjugated. Immunocytochemistry binds antibodies that are specific reagents and allow unique detection of proteins and molecules. It is a valuable tool for the determination of cellular content from individual cells (Gillian et al., 2011). The tissue sections of the cardiac myosin were cut and fixed in acetone. After this, the slides were unwrapped and each slide was placed in a plastic petri-dish. The two plastic Petri-dishes were labeled; one was the control and the other the antibody. A piece of paper was put underneath each slide to form a humidity chamber. The tissue sections were blocked by adding two drops. A PBS buffer containing three percent BSA was introduced and then the tissue incubated at room temperature for five minutes. After that, the excess medium was tipped and the zone around the tissue section was wiped dry with paper toweling.  

The Sodor Oil Terminal

The Sodor Oil Terminal Introduction The Sodor Oil Terminal project was undertaken by a team of students as a case study in project management. The purpose of the exercise was to organize and plan the project as part of a project team, and deal with events arising during the project life, utilizing techniques and tools learned during the study of project management. Management of the Project Team Team Selection The team selection for the project was left to individuals, who had to form themselves into teams based on personal choice and internal acceptance. In an educational setting random group selection is very common but not realistic as it does not consider the diversity of skills among the students (Blowers 2003). In terms of skill sets the team forming in this project was random in that there was no comparison before a team was selected, merely a choice of friends or acquaintances. This would seem to be negative and, as Blowers (2003) pointed out, totally unrealistic in the business world, where teams of high skill-set individuals would be chosen to give a project the highest possible chance of success. However, the team selection was not as random as it first seemed, as four members of the team had worked together before, and although it was not acknowledged formally, were aware of each individuals skills and working methods. This proved to be a positive feature in the project development. There were an additional two members of the group who were known only to one of the core four, and this also proved to be significant during the course of the project. Team Development Tabaka (2006) paraphrasing Tuckman and Jensen (1977) stated that in the forming stage the team members must acquaint themselves with each other and judge their own and others role in the team. This stage was already accomplished in the team which formed for the Sodor project. Four out of six members had already worked with each other in previous projects and knew each others capabilities. The two extra members were unknown, did not turn up initially, and showed no enthusiasm for participating in the project tasks. They were therefore largely ignored in terms of expectations of the other team members. The second stage according to Tuckman and Jensen is storming where team members try to exert power over one another, and jockey for position within the group. This stage was also already completed within the core team at the start of the project, and the team had already surpassed Tuckman and Jensens norming stage, with the trust having been built up in previous team encounters, and the ability to work together successfully having already been achieved. The team was therefore ready for Tuckman and Jensenss performing stage. Unfortunately the two outsiders to the team never achieved a real measure of trust within the team, so they remained outsiders for the rest of the project, but were allowed to contribute in a small way whenever they expressed a desire. Team Project Management In the initial stages of the Sodor project tasks, most of the project team was missing for the meetings. This would seem to be a very unfortunate and negative feature for the progression of the project. Ericksen and Dyer (2004) maintained that most of the successful project teams they had studied had had a very decisive launch, with solid project management, direction and clarification right at the beginning, as opposed to the teams who had procrastinated and lacked direction. As there was no-one else to take the position, the one team member present in the initial stages of the Sodor project took on the responsibility of project manager, at least for that stage of the project. The team member had to act alone at the start of the project and was able to be decisive and act with direction precisely because there was no-one else to interfere, and no negotiations to be performed, and the project was able to progress. As the team was already normed it was able to move into the performing stage. The reaction of the other team members was approval that the team member had shown the responsibility to take on the task. There was also an underlying understanding that the other team members would accept future responsibilities. This understanding was formulated into an informal contract of work within the team, more out of conformance to the project guidelines than from the need within the team. Throughout the course of the rest of the project the other team members fulfilled their roles as had been agreed in the contract of works. It was decided that the areas of relevance within the project would each have an individual largely responsible for that particular area. The areas of relevance chosen were planning, costing, procurements, and configuration or change management. The four core members of the group accepted responsibility for an area each with little consultation between members, with the two outside members agreeing to assist whenever needed. This seemingly discrete allocation of tasks would have been a negative feature in some teams but was suitable for the character of the team members, all being highly motivated and goal oriented individuals, but also having a high level of trust in their other team members to deliver. There was an element of informal skills measurement in the allocation of the tasks, done on a purely experiential basis rather than empirical evi dence. Tenenberg (2008) questioned whether people who are highly individual can be encouraged into more collaborative behaviour in order to make teamwork more effective. He quoted Cain et al. (1996) and stated that software development should be regarded as essentially social and that the social side of the activity needs to be addressed the same principle could be applied to any projects which are team-based. Tenenberg (2008) stated that teams have in common a set of collective action problems which require teamwork to be solved. One of those problems mentioned is that of dealing with people who do not contribute to the teams efforts. The Sodor project team did not address this problem at all, largely because the team worked as co-operative individuals rather than a team, and those who did not co-operate were simply ignored and their potential workload absorbed by the co-operating members. Akgun et al. (2007) also postulated team processes as a way to improve the chances of a projects success, and put forward the idea of group potency a belief held by team members that they can be effective. Although the Sodor team worked largely as individuals there was a genuine trust among the main members and a genuine belief in the potency factor which may have been mistaken. Summary The team did not behave as a traditional team with a high level of interaction and decision making but rather as a set of co-operating individuals. It did, however, go through the traditional Tuckman and Jensen (1977) stages of development, albeit before the Sodor project began, and also displayed some of the characteristics of a team as defined by Katzenbach and Smith (1993) complementary team members with common goals and approaches who were willing to be held accountable to the other team members. Evaluation of the Project General frameworks of project management can be found from many sources. Gannon (1994) suggested that project management should consist of six functions planning, organizing, executing, monitoring, reporting and controlling. Prodomos and Macaulay (1996) proposed four main activities planning, monitoring, co-ordinating, and reviewing. The Sodor project will be evaluated using the categories of planning, and monitoring and control. The Gantt charts and cost schedules from this section can be found in the Appendix attached. Planning the Project Prodomos and Macaulay (1996) cited Jordan and Machesky (1990) and proposed that the planning stage was the foundation for the other project activities. Dvir et al. (2003) reported that a belief amongst project management professionals (supported by the Project Management Institutes Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge hereinafter referred to as the PMBOK) is that planning is an essential activity which cannot guarantee success, but without which a project will most certainly fail. This belief was reflected in the Sodor case study where half of the activities were on planning the project. Activity Planning Initially, the Sodor project was presented as a textual case study, providing information to construct a work breakdown structure. Andersen (1996) argued that in a real situation activity planning cannot be completed when it is most useful, i.e. at the start of the project, because all of the activities cannot be known then. The Sodor projects activities were identified and provided, so a work breakdown structure could be constructed by the project leader. Other categorizations of the work and different breakdowns were possible but the project team was happy with the project managers decisions. Project Planning Hughes (1995) suggested a Step Wise guide for software projects with details of the stages a project planning team must complete to achieve an effective project plan. PRINCE2 a methodology advocated and required by the UK government also prescribes stages of project development including planning, which reflects the PMBOK areas of Scope, Time and Cost Management. (Siegelaub 2004). Scope management was outside the brief of the Sodor project team as it was provided in the project information. Clear objectives and methods were also provided and no feasibility study was necessary. Therefore the first main planning activity of the Sodor team was in time and cost management to produce a Gantt chart and estimated costs schedule based on the work breakdown structure and provided task precedences to calculate an estimated project end date and project cost. The next stage in planning was to choose vendors.The vendor selection process was carried out by one member of the team acting as project manager. This was where the rest of the team should have had more input, as two important issues in project management would arise which had implications later risk management and quality management. Risk Management The PMBOK devotes a whole knowledge area to risk management and PRINCE2 identifies risk as one of its components. The PMBOK suggests four phases of risk management identification, quantification, response and ultimately control. The Sodor project was totally dependent on third party vendors for both the supply of materials and construction. The biggest identifiable risk for the project would be the failure of a supplier or contractor to deliver on time. This would be particularly relevant to the tasks within the project which were on the critical path in the original estimated plan. Therefore the vendor selection for these tasks should have been carefully considered. Risk is usually quantified as a function of the risks occurrence probability and occurrence impact. (Williams 1996). The probability is a difficult judgement to make but the team was supplied with ratings which were based on how reliable the vendor was. The impact was the penalty cost for late project delivery. The contractors for the two critical tasks of jetty design and construction, and the installation of piping equipment were only rated 2. This proved to cause problems later. Methods of risk management include trying to reduce the risk (Gannon 1994). Of course, reducing the risk by choosing higher rated vendors would have had a cost and would have to have been judged to be cost effective. This was partly taken into account in the vendor selection policy, but should have warranted more attention from the project team. Another way of dealing with the risk in a real situation would have been to deflect it (Gannon 1994) by transferring it to the vendors. Penalty clauses could have been inserted into their contracts for overrunning the quoted task durations. The Sodor project team were not able to do this, so reduction of the risk was the only option available. Quality Management The PMBOK also devotes a whole knowledge area to quality management, so it is obviously an important area for project managers to consider. In the Sodor project the quality of the vendors was the greatest area for consideration. The only indicator of this was the rating provided, which was used in the vendor selection. In a real world situation vendors could have been required to conform to International Organization for Standardization quality standards such as ISO 9001:2008 dealing with Quality Management Systems Requirements, but this was not an option for the project team. After the completion of the planning phase with vendor selection, a final baseline plan and costings were produced. In order to adjust the project end date to conform to the required schedule it was decided to pay overtime to the painting contractor. At this point cash flow should also have been considered by delaying the times for the purchase of materials until necessary but it was not, a potentially huge mistake in the commercial world. Monitoring and Control Gannon (1994) stated that project performance can be measured by the comparison of actual progress to the original planned progress at any stage in the project. The slippages in the Sodor project at 25 weeks were entered into the project Gantt chart and it was found that as a result of slippage in critical path activities the project would overrun by 4 weeks compared to the baseline, and penalties would apply. The project team had 3 choices accept the penalties, reduce the length of an activity on the critical path by paying overtime (known as the time-cost tradeoff problem, (Liberatore and Pollack-Johnson 2006)), or reconsider the precedence requirements (Liberatore and Pollack-Johnson 2006). It was found that paying overtime to the painting contractor to reduce the project duration by 4 weeks was less than the potential penalties and less complicated than reconsidering the precedence requirements. Further problems at the 25 April 2001 stage were caused by the vendor selection for the jetty erection. For the same reasons as above it was decided to pay for overtime on the jetty erection thereby reducing the critical path back in line with the required completion date. By the project closeout it was found that as a result of a reduction in a critical path activity the project completed 2 weeks early and earned bonuses. Summary The project was a success if the criteria was to complete the project in time. But more careful selection of vendors could have also cut the costs of the project the choice of the pipe installation vendor in particular could have produced substantial bonuses. The complete exclusion of any consideration for cash flow was also a major mistake. In the real commercial world, projects can fail because of cash flow problems, so this should have been recognized. Conclusion The Sodor Oil Terminal project was a success in terms of completion of the project within the required time. Pinto and Slevin (1988) measure success simply by achieving the projects time and costs schedule, accompanied by an adequate performance. This approach, however, ignores the factors of commercial success in the marketplace, and how the future of the organization as a whole has been affected by the project, factors recognized by Shenhar et al. (1997). The Sodor project could have been completed within a smaller budget, with greater commercial success and larger profits for future investment in the organization if greater attention had been paid in the areas of vendor selection in terms of risk management. The financial pressure of the large project on the organization could have been offset by greater attention to costings in terms of cash flow optimization. These negative conclusions can be directly attributed to the project teams lack of real teamwork in not questioning each others actions enough or discussing relevant issues.

Gynecomastia :: science

Gynecomastia Definition Gynecomastia is a common disease of the male breast where there is a benign glandular enlargement of that breast at some time in the male's life. It usually consists of the appearance of a flat pad of glandular tissue beneath a nipple which becomes tender at the same time. The development may be unilateral or bilateral. There is rarely a continued growth of the breast tissue; ordinarily the process is of brief duration and stops short of the production of permanent enlargement of the breast. Causes A great number of patients who suffer from this disease have a disturbance in the proper ratio of androgen and estrogen levels. The normal ratio of the two hormones in plasma is approximately 100:1. "The etiology of gynecomastia in patients with a known documented cause appears to be related to increased estrogen stimulation, decreased testosterone levels, or some alteration of the estrogens and androgen so that the androgen-estrogen ratio is decreased"(Williams 373). From this information it was discovered that there is also a lower ratio of weaker adrenal androgens (delta 4-androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone) found in youths with this disease. It was once believed that there was an imbalance in the ratios of testosterone to estrogen or estradiol, but this is now know to be untrue. There are three areas the can be attributed to the cause of gynecomastia: physiologic, pathologic and pharmacologic. "Enlargement of the male breast can be a normal physiologic phenomenon at certain stages of life or the result of several pathologic states."(Isselbacher, 2037) In the case of physiologic gynecomastia the disease can occur in a newborn baby, at puberty or at any time in a man's life. In the newborn, transient enlargement of the breast is due to the action of maternal and/or placental estrogens. The enlargement usually disappears within a few weeks. Adolescent gynecomastia is common during puberty with the onset at the median age of 14. It is often asymmetrical and frequently tender. It regresses so that by the age of 20 only a small number of men have palpable vestiges of gynecomastia in one or both the breasts. Gynecomastia of aging also occurs in otherwise healthy men. Forty percent or more of aged men have gynecomastia. One explanation is the increase in age in the conversion of androgens to estrogens in extra- glandular tissues. Drug therapy and abnormal liver functioning can also be causes of gynecomastia in older men.

What is Economics? Essay -- Defining Economics

Many people think that economics is about money. Well, to some extent this is true. Economics has a lot to do with money: with how much money people are paid; how much they spend: what it costs to buy various items; how much money firms earn; how much money there is in total in the economy. But despite the large number of areas in which our lives are concerned with money, economics is more than just the study of money. It is concerned with:  · The production of goods and services: how much the economy produces; what particular combination of goods and services; how much each firm produces; what techniques of production they use; how many people they employ.  · The consumption of goods and services: how much the population as a whole spends (and how much it saves); what the pattern of consumption is in the economy; how much people buy of particular items; what particular individuals choose to buy; how people’s consumption is affected by prices, advertising, fashion and other factors. In 1932 Professor Lionel Robbins defined economics as â€Å" the science, which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.† Economics is simply the study of how society decides what, how and for whom to produce. In answering the questions what, how and for whom to produce, economics explains how scarce resources are allocated between competing claims on their use. The central economic problem is the problem of scarcity. ..

Who Inspires Me

Who Inspires Me? Seth has inspired me since the day we met. He is an amazing person and he has influenced me in a great way. He is sweet, loving, and caring. Seth is the kind of person that cares about everyone. He puts everyone before himself. Like the time I came home from school and I was really upset because something had happened. When I called Seth and told him what had happened he got really mad but, he hid the fact that he hid the fact that he was mad so I wouldn’t get upset. Seth loves everyone. The day we first met he came up and hugged me like I have known him my entire life. Seth doesn’t let the bad times get to him. He has had to deal with a lot of bad stuff in his life, but he still wakes up every morning with a smile on his face. Seth makes the best of everything. Seth knows how it feels to be upset because it is an often feeling for him, but even though he is upset h will put a smile on his face and act like nothing is wrong because he lives every day as if it were his last. Seth is an extremely funny person. He can make you laugh at the worst of times. Seth always has good advice. He always knows what to say to make you feel better. When I am around Seth it is nearly impossible for me to be upset. These are the reasons why in my eyes Seth is the most amazing boyfriend, brother, and friend. He is one of the most influential people in mylife.

Children Don’t Need To Learn More Languages Essay

With technology progress advances communication between foreign countries. Nowadays everybody has to know english, because it’s some kind of international language. And it’s recommended to know some other languages: french, german, chineese as example. But our children don’t need to learn more languages in the future. Why? We will find the answer from the text below. Some people say: â€Å"_Those who know many languages live as many lives as the languages they know_†. It’s obvious that it’s silly to argue with this statement. It’s really necessary, because language is the soul of intellect. But people are very slothful. And we know, that progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things. Nowadays we have electronic dictionaries in our smartphones, some of them have voice recognition. Who could imagine that ten years ago? And who can imagine, what will we have in ten years? I will try. Everybody has installed dictionary in his gadget: phone, PC, Tablet PC, even in clocks. And this dictionary can translate all languages, even unimportant, like languages of small african villages. All the devices have voice recognition, so you don’t need type text. And they can translate not only words, but phrases, sentences and even texts. But people learn languages, because you don’t use dictionary while having conversation. Though in other 10 years mankind will get rid of this problem. Everybody will have small ear-device, which will translate all the words, all the languages, all the accents. People will just hear some echo of people, and the main thing – they will hear the translation instantly. Nowadays such devises are used on international meetings, political conventions. But they are far from perfect, there are  still little mistakes, so programmers need some time to do ideal ear-translator. There are a lot of words, which have several meanings. As example phrasal verbs: â€Å"call†, â€Å"run†. Or such words like ‘break†, â€Å"like†. How computer will distinguish such words? Computers become better and better, their power and capacity increases every day. Nowadays computers can analyse information and change it’s own algorithm. In the near future such computers will be open to general use. And computer will see, what words people use, and use the most appropriate words. Somebody can say, that computer is just a programm, script. And you must have intellect and mind to translate languages, that computer will never replace human. But who could imagine robots, playing the piano and violin? Who could imagine planes without pilots and cars without drivers? Artificial Intelligence becomes more intelligent, more smart. So electronic dictionaries are really possible to supplant interpreters. However US author Elbert Hubbard said: _†One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man†_, that’s why there will be several linguistic scientists who will translate books, but all the world will use digital translators. But there is another scenario of world evolution. Nowadays all international political meetings are held in english, a lot of computer programms are written in english. There are several companies in Moscow and some other big russian cities, where all the stuff speaks on english. New generation use english more and more often. Sometimes it seems, that they know english better, than russian. So, english becomes international language. In this way, do we need other languages? Of course, people will speak their native language, and english will be the secondary one, for international communication. It will be enough to have a good command of just two languages (three or four in some countries like Austria). So we can draw a conclusion: thanks to technological progress we and our children have no need to learn more languages in the future. We will learn  only two languages, our native and international one. Everything else computers will assume.

Is There Nowhere Else Where We Can Meet ?

The story begins with a clever prophetic metaphor, ‘reversal of elements' where the white sky is blackened by smoke. This speaks of the role reversal that is about to take place between the races of the boy and the girl. It warns us that there is going to be meeting and it won't be a particularly pleasant one. The title itself incurs thoughts of a romantic meeting, similar to the title of a Hollywood film. This gives the reader a clue that there is a sexual theme in this story.II)an initiation story1) Little red riding hood : journey/ hostile nature / sexual threat / big bad wolf Particular attention should be drawn to smells, they play vital role inthis story. e.g. the strong smell of old sweat burned at her nostrils, a filthy rag,a dusty green scent, he was clean, unhuman, the smell of him choked her.2) A regression process : turning into an idiot (absence of speech)3) Balance and imbalanceViolence is contained by fear.III) (south-african white) girl meets (black) boy : a tale of racial, spacial, sexual, social segregation :1) Irrational instinctive reaction on the girl's part2) Sense of place/displacement3) Fear of the UnknownThe story gets complicated with every minute, the heroine sees some red eyes, she does not knowwhether they belong to a dog or to a person. These red eyes evoke fear andsome interest, her hurt starts beating faster and faster. The author on purpose did not give any names because she wanted to generalize thatsituation and foreground some oppositions: white and black ( racial  context ), educated – uneducated, civilization – veld.

Intro to Disaster (SLP) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intro to Disaster (SLP) - Essay Example In CRED (2010), earthquakes are the most frequent disaster to occur in Japan and the most economically damaging, followed by storm and flood. Japan and the Three Natural Phenomena As mentioned, Japan is prone to seismic activities, storm and floods due to their geological and geographic locations, which is also heightened by global warming. Following the earthquake, is a possibility of tsunami generation in the coastal areas of Japan. In 1993, â€Å"only 239 people died when a 30 m high tsunami smashed† in Hokkaido (Bird & Lubkowski, 2005, p. 271). This is due to the experience and knowledge of the residents. Although not all earthquakes can cause tsunamis, it is still imperative for people to have precautionary measures of a possible tsunami. This is necessary in terms of a needed time for self-evacuation, just as what happened to December 26 event. Unlike the July 17, 2006 tsunami of Java, Indonesia, the number of deaths in Japanese tsunamis is not so high. Johnson (2006) co ntends that â€Å"immediate assistance is crucial when natural disasters strike,† but precaution is a better way of addressing help. In other words, tsunami disaster prevention solves the problem before it occurs.