Blue Ridge Case †Activity Based Costing (ABC) Essay

1) Profitability Analysis: Blue Ridge Large Medium Small Total Sales $308,762.00 $183,744.00 $318,024.00 $810,530.00 Manufacturing Costs $112,552.70 $72,164.09 $162,864.09 $347,580.88 Sales and Administration Costs $78,303.47 $50,790.54 $156,805.99 $285,900.00 Total Costs $190,856.16 $122,954.63 $319,670.08 $633,480.88 Cost as % Sales 61.81% 66.92% 100.52% 78.16% Profit $117,905.84 $60,789.37 ($1,646.08) $177,049.12 Profit Margin 38.19% 33.08% -0.52% 21.84% Note: For detailed calculations please reference attached document. 2) Define action steps for Blue Ridge based on the analysis: The above customer profitability analysis indicates that the small customers have a negative profit margin. As this specific customer base accounts for 40% of Blue Ridges total sales volume we recommend the following action steps be taken in order to increase their profitability: * Develop an on line/electronic ordering system for customers in order to eliminate the high costs associated with entering purchase orders by Blue Ridge employees. Currently this represents 14.56% of total costs with 12.23% of total costs allocated to small customers. * Develop an electronic payment system for small customers, where payments are wired directly into Blue Ridges bank account before the order is processed and shipped. Currently credit checks for small customers represent  1% of total costs. * Study the effects on price increases for small customers. Currently, shipping costs for small customers represent 4.14% of the total costs, increasing the price for small customers could help offset the shipping costs. * Conduct a study on small customer orders to help determine if a minimum order requirement can help eliminate the costs associated with shipping without sacrificing the high volume. * Invest in new inking technology in order to help justify increases in prices. The investment should eliminate their customer complaints and increase their demand. * Determine the costs associated with investing in a higher quality towel and align with an appropriate sales strategy. * Determine if advertising costs are being properly allocated. * Study the effects of implementing an incentive program for the independent manufactures who achieve a certain sales volume. 3) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this customer profitability system. Did Blue Ridge define the right activities? Advantages: * The system provides managers with an insight into why differences exist in the operating incomes earned from different customers. * The system enables managers to determine profitability levels (profit contributions) of specific customer groups and highlights the costs assignable to each customer. * The system allocates costs of activities that support individual customer groups to aid in determining cost reduction strategies. * The System focuses on profit rather than turnover. * The system allocates the relevant costs associated with each customer. Disadvantages: * The system may prompt managers to make quick decision such as firing customers, instead of implementing cost cutting initiatives. * The system focuses heavily on the different types of customers rather than on the different products. * The system does not provide detailed information on the order size and frequency for each individual company within their customer group. * The system does not focus on customer behavior such as loyalty and future growth patterns. * The system does not enable managers to determine if price discounting will encourage increased purchases while minimizing profit erosion. In conclusion Blue Ridge defined the right activities; however they might want to consider conducting a product profitability analysis. This will enable them to manage the product mix more efficiently and identify future cost cutting in initiatives. In addition, we fell this would be another valuable exercise in determining weather or not going national would be profitable for Blue Ridge.

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. Essay

What stylistic elements does King use to influence his readers? After reading and analyzing â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† write an essay in which you answer the question and analyze structure and language in his text, providing 3 or more examples to illustrate and clarify your analysis. What conclusion can you draw about the power of this text? 1. Copy and paste the introduction of your essay here. Check your grading feedback from Lesson 8 to see if your instructor suggested any revisions to your introduction. Please make your revisions and type your revised introduction in the space below. INTRODUCTION: Everyone knows Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail but not everyone knows he wrote it because he was tired of being told to be patient and to wait. He wanted those eight white Alabama men that called him an extremist and whom believed the civil rights campaign would cause violence, to know that he was fed up waiting. King would take a stand and fight alongside his brothers and sisters for their rights. Martin Luther King uses strategic support and imagery to influence his readers and help us understand that all the hardships and judgment the blacks faced matter since he’s trying to make us understand the pain and tiredness of segregation and of waiting for nothing to happen. Write 2. Using what you have learned about evidence, explanation, quotations, and paraphrase, write your body paragraphs in the space below. You will need to include at least one of each of the following: a direct quotation introduced with a complete sentence and a colon a direct quotation introduced with a signaling phrase and a comma a direct quotation that is introduced and explained in one sentence a paraphrased example  an embedded quotation IMPORTANT ALERT: Use your outline from the previous lesson (Lesson 9 Organize Your Ideas) to form your body paragraphs. BODY (Minimum of 2 paragraphs – one about the structure of the letter and one about the language of the letter): King uses quotes from other famous people to offer comprehension of the respect those people were given and explaining how those men were  also extremists; â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . .† said by Thomas Jefferson. King uses allusion to talk about how Jefferson mentioned something in his past life of being equal and that our society cannot be divided in half. It goes back to segregation by explaining the people of the world shouldn’t be divided by the color of their skin since according to Jefferson all men were created equal. By stating Jefferson, he makes a point of everybody, including blacks, having the right to share bathrooms, restaurants, and schools. Not one person should suffer the consequences of being different. Abraham Lincoln said that â€Å"This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.† King also used an allusion of Lincoln’s to point out that the nation would not be able to survive being divided by the color of one’s skin. If the government were going to divide the town’s people, to divide them by the content of their actions, than by their skin color. It would be for example, dividing a forest by its predators, and prey. By placing a fence in between the two sections, neither side would survive. King wants us to understand that being divided is toxic to our nation and we need to mix to be able to feel right in the world, like you belong. As mentioned, king uses imagery to help us visualize better what he desires for us to understand like when he says â€Å"†¦when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people †¦Ã¢â‚¬  he uses this to help the readers comprehend why they are fed up of being told to wait, and to stand aside patiently. He mentions how he can see the clouds of inferiority form in her little mind, understanding that they think of the blacks as less of humans. King also describes seeing her unknowingly develop a hatred towards the whites and not knowing that changes her personality. When this happens to his daughter, he wants us to understand that there comes a time when men are exhausted of being in a pool of injustice and having to be told they can’t  do anything about the situation. â€Å"Like a boil that can never be cured†, King states in the end of paragraph 24 of his letter. When he says this, he is giving us an image of a disgusting boil, while comparing injustice and racism to it. King is using a simile to make us believe that just like a person or animal is sick, the people back then were sick and the symptoms were injustice and racism. Just like we tend to those unwell, we have to tend to them. King compares the two and simplifies his thoughts when said that they need to be acknowledged and treated. He is hinting that he wishes of injustice and racism to be treated and vanish, but that it won’t happen if not everybody pitches in. Locate (copy and paste) 3. Within the body paragraphs of your essay, locate and copy and paste the following components. Be sure to include the entire sentence. a. a direct quotation that is introduced with a complete sentence and a colon: King uses quotes from other famous people to offer comprehension of the respect those people were given and explaining how those men were also extremists; â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . .† b. a direct quotation that is introduced with a signaling phrase and a comma: Abraham Lincoln said that â€Å"This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.† c. a direct quotation that is introduced and explained in one sentence: As mentioned, King uses imagery to help us visualize better what he desires for us to understand like when he says â€Å"†¦when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people †¦Ã¢â‚¬  he uses this to help the readers comprehend why they are fed up of being told to wait, and to stand aside patiently. d. a paraphrased example: King also describes seeing her unknowingly develop a hatred towards the whites and not knowing that changes her personality. e. an embedded  quotation:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Like a boil that can never be cured†, King states in the end of paragraph 24 of his letter.

Has globalization transformed the pattern of global poverty and Essay

Has globalization transformed the pattern of global poverty and inequality In what ways - Essay Example Based on the assumption that comparative advantage of nations can offer countries an advantage over others, open markets and liberal trade can result into improved trade as well as capital flows and thus help improve the poverty and achieve economic prosperity. It is generally argued that Globalisation can reduce poverty if nations follow the open liberal policies and focus upon achieving sustained level of trade with developed countries. However, considering the inherent differences between developed as well as developing countries, it is also suggested that whether the distribution of flows generated as a result of Globalisation is fair or not. Inequality is also considered as another important issue regarding Globalisation (Moseley and Gray, 2008). This paper will argue and discuss as to whether Globalisation has actually resulted into transformation of poverty patterns and inequality and if yes, in what ways it achieved both the ends. Globalisation, Poverty and Inequality Globali sation is a relatively diverse term as it not only suggests an integration of ideas, products and economic flows but also signifies an integration of the culture also. ... Globalisation essentially suggests that poor as well as rich countries can actually trade with each other as poor or developing countries are considered as abundant in raw materials as well as cheap labor. Large global organizations, due to their sheer size as well as the improved communication and transportation infrastructure, can actually establish their manufacturing facilities in developing countries and subsequently transport back the finished goods to their own parent countries for subsequent sale. The overall economic logic is based upon the assumption that developing countries not only have the cheap and abundant raw materials but also have the cheap labor. Combining this two, it is assumed that it becomes relatively more cost effective for the global organizations to actually trade with poor countries (Goldin and Reinert, 2007). Poor countries on the other hand allow developed countries to enter into their countries with the assumption that such trade will generate employme nt, improve the level of skills of their workforce and will also result into transfer of technology to them. Apparently, Globalisation promises an equal access to the market for everyone, improve capital flows and ensure development and transfer of technology however, the actual results may suggest a widespread economic divergence between the developed as well as developing countries since the Globalisation forces started to dominate the economic policy making in countries (Kaplinsky, 2005). The overall evidence regarding the impact of Globalisation on poverty as well as inequality is relatively diverse in nature. There are two important cases in point which suggest that

Suleymaniye Mosque istanbul Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Suleymaniye Mosque istanbul - Essay Example The edifice was the 7 years masterpiece work led by the Ottoman engineer, Mimar Sinan in the year 1550 to 1557. Mimar Sinan studied with great interest one of the model edifices, the Hagia Sophia Church. Hagia Sophia Church is the Byzantine church of Divine Wisdom which was used by the Ottomans as prayer house at the onset of occupancy in Turkey (Jackh, 1952; Turkey, 2006). However, the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem constructed in 643 apparently set the primary standards of subsequent Mosque architectures in the Islamic sphere of influence (Hitchcock, Lloyd, Rice, Lynton, Boyd, and Carden, 1963). Departing from the four sided building of the Kaaba which was constructed by Abraham and Ysmael, peace is upon them, the Dome of the Rock Mosque is shape in a rotunda (Hitchcock et al., 1963) on top of the hill. During the Ottoman reign over Turkey, from 1288 to 1923, the organized sultanate took over properties which were left behind by the Byzantine monarchs. A few of these are the buildings with its arts and architecture. The structures as well as the adornments very well portrayed influences not only of Byzantine art but also from the Seljuk Turks. The Seljuks' ruled Turkey from 1071 to the 1300th's. The Seljuks' introduced some arts and architectural designs they must have picked up from Persia and Anatolia. Although some of the structures were refurbished from one set of colonizer to the next, some served as models for the construction of buildings that were called Ottoman Mosques (Hitchcock et al., 1963). Suleymaniye imperial Mosque is one of the legendary architectural model output that exist up to date. The Mosque was named after Suleiman the sultan of the era. The structure was adorned with 4 very prominent external minarets, dome shape roof, the prayer hall, iwan, sahn, and garden (Essential Architecture, Asia-West, 2009). The floor plan reveals a square architectural structure (Hitchcock et al., 1963). Source: Essential Architecture, Asia-West, 2009 Source: Title: World Architecture: An Illustrated History; Publisher

Spell check poem Topic 3 Wk 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Spell check poem Topic 3 Wk 6 - Essay Example he following words, though existing in the English dictionary, were not used in the proper context, such as revue, sea, threw, no, weigh, tolled and sew. These words, when used in the poem, should have been spelled as follows: review, see, through, know, way, told and so. This poem is therefore an appropriate example of how the spell check application fails to address the grammatical context of words used within the discourse. It effectively checks spelling of words in terms of their existence in the dictionary, but nothing else. Students, particularly, who are expected to adhere to grammatical rules (not only confining the review to spelling) would assume that the work has been evaluated entirely but would fail to capture the essence and accuracy of the context within which words and phrases were used. A spell check option does not catch mistakes in grammar use or selecting the most effective word to achieve the intended message. In some word programs, spelling and grammar checks could capture additional mistakes; but still, the writer should use cognitive skills in analyzing accuracy in contents, contexts, and logical structure. The poem is therefore given to a college student within a course to give the student enhanced understanding that overreliance to software program applications should not be resorted to. Students should be warned that these applications are not ‘know all and do all’ alternatives that would ensure written works to be perfect. These are to be utilized as a means to assist students in making swift and generalized assessments but a closer review and one that needs detailed analysis in structure, content and comprehensiveness of addressing learning objectives still depend on human skills, talents, and abilities. Overall, one’s spell checker in word document programs are useful tools to facilitate assessment and measuring spelling errors. These should not be relied solely to determine if a written literary work is perfect in adhering to

Statutory Interpretation and the Human Rights Act of 1998 Essay

Statutory Interpretation and the Human Rights Act of 1998 - Essay Example According the research findings Mr. Mendoza’s application for statutory tenancy on grounds of discriminatory violation of his Convention Rights under Article 14 and Article 8 on the basis of his sexual orientation, had been allowed in the lower Courts. The European Convention guarantees fundamental human rights, including the right to privacy and freedom of sexual orientation. Any interference by public authorities therefore constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights and the right to privacy. Mr. Mendoza contended that the House of Lords should exercise its interpretative power to read and give effect to Para on statutory rights to make it compatible with Convention rights that guarantee fundamental human rights, including succession rights, which prohibit discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. This essay declares that the Court upheld the decision on Mr. Mendoza’s statutory rights of tenancy, since Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights mandates that â€Å"the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms† in the Convention be secured â€Å"without discrimination.† In the case of Karner v Austria, the European Court held that there had been a violation of Article 14 of the Convention taken with Article 8, since the appellant was discriminated on a tenancy issue on the basis of his sexual orientation. Therefore, applying Parliament legislation under the Rent Act of 1977, discriminatory aspects prohibited under Convention rights were applicable to Mendoza.

The Market Position of Pret a Manger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Market Position of Pret a Manger - Essay Example Prà ªt is the highly admired brand in the UK, and it understands well the main loyalty drivers for its target market, as well as has developed the marketing strategies required to keep it at the top position and have the competitive advantage   From this, we realize that Pret generates twice more revenue from every store compared to Eat and Starbucks. This may be because it gives more food offers as compared to EAT.It also speeds up its sales as shown, compared with Starbucks, the customer's services are somehow low so they can even wait for more than ten minutes before they are served   Prà ªt targets the town centers since its shops are in the urban centers, this targets the middle and upper-class clients. Those who come from the offices and the towers, as well as the businesspersons. Such group demand quality, and variety of goods and products, that Prà ªt is able to deliver instantly. Currently, there are many opportunities for Pret at the city center, where it receives the wealthy tycoons as the target customers.   The case study indicates that the products are tangible and identifiable. Every product can be identified by the description. Therefore, Prà ªt has the unique products that are full of baguettes, coffee, soup, and salad. It also prepares desserts, and Muffins, which are part of the American variety. They also produce noodles and sushi. They also have the options for vegetarians such as roasted vegetables, hummus wraps among others. In the marketing, it produces the foods that are fresh that consist of natural ingredients. They keep their food fresh on the day of selling in the shops. Their packing is also attractive in that the foods cannot be contaminated or be affected.

Reading Music Sheet Notation - Process Analysis Essay

Reading Music Sheet Notation - Process Analysis - Essay Example Music is defined as â€Å"the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity† (Webster, p.781). The tones or notes in music are represented on paper by using a special notation. Although to a novice music notations may look complicated, learning to read music is not as difficult as it appears to be. In fact, one of the most rewarding experiences. Singing and playing your favorite music becomes easier and you can also share your musical ideas with others. The following seven steps will help you read music sheets. The first step is learning the names of notes. For this, you should get hold of a music sheet, preferably a beginner’s sheet. Musical sounds are called notes and these notes are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet, namely; A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Next you will learn about staves and clefs. Each group of five parallel straight lines on th e music sheet is called a stave. A stave has five lines and four spaces in between. The notes are written on the music sheet either on the line or in the space between the lines of a stave. The value of the note depends on the clef which is placed at the beginning of the stave. Treble clef looks like a huge 9 with a colon next to it and the Bass clef resembles an ampersand.

No topic Discussion Question Mgt 380 Dissertation

No topic Discussion Question Mgt 380 - Dissertation Example There are times when the wrong decisions are made and the question of accountability comes into the equation. This is when leaders have to explain how and why they were made, and what recourse has to be made to recuperate losses as well as corporate images. Circumstances that pose immediate danger to life, property, sales revenues however, may lead to other leaders arising from lower level in the ranks to take charge. A building on fire or a company vehicle tied up in an accident traffic accidents and workers are indecisive as top what to do, are also typical examples of situations where participants will be require to make quick decisions. However, in the design of a product, choosing the most economical distribution routes, the location of the best manufacturing sites, as well as who to employ to fill certain positions, require considering alternatives, as well as others, and has to be done by trained and experienced executives. Leaders may also from time reject suggestions that do not conform to their expectations, but may suffer from a lack of cooperation when time comes for execution of the strategic decision that was un-democratically made. Decision making according to Drucker, should rest always with executives or leaders who should strive to maximize the inputs of their respective teams as much as possible. During such process they should make it known that the final responsibility for the decision rests with them, but they value the contribution of every participant, and will consider all options before deciding (Drucker 1974). Question Q 2 Power according to Etzioni, can be either coercive, utilitarian or normative (Tichy & Candwell 2002). The first type of leader uses force to get the job done, while the second uses incentives, especially in a working environment to achieve the same objective. Normative Power occurs when values are employed to appeal to the inner constitution of people to generate commitment and a sense of purpose. The kind of power that I can identify is the normative one, where people are treated with respect, and their opinions valued in any business or social operation. By constantly communicating those attributes people who are so treated, will feel a part of my team and will go the extra mile to help achieve the mutually established goals and objectives. In addition, at times I will employ the utilitarian source of power along with the normative to help my teams motivated. This is because although they will feel important, at times rewards will serve to reinforce those values that have been communicated to them. Having these two sources at my disposal will always lead to people become loyal, committed, disciplined and very flexible in a knowledge base economy that is subjected to changing conditions at times. These are the values that I may be able upon in times of crisis, when team support and innovations becomes extremely important to the maintenance of competitive edge. Discussion Q 3 My favorite and l east favorite bosses were on opposite ends of a continuum, due to the leadership traits that they portrayed. The relationship between my most favored boss and me was an excellent one, and it made the work flow easy, even though at time some of the tasks were challenging. The fact that he was approachable, had an open door policy and

Thumbs Up or Down on Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

Thumbs Up or Down on Shakespeare Essay Shakespeare is famous for variety of good reasons. He is a clever writer who presented his works with depth and purpose. He deserves all the thumbs up he could possibly get. Here are three reasons for those thumbs ups. First, like what I’ve pointed out earlier, his works were cleverly written and very deep in some extent. They point moral lessons that shout the pros and cons of assortment of actions letting the readers to be mindful of the meaning behind each act. In Othello, for example, you would think that it has a racist theme, but if you look closely, you will see that it condones racism. Second, through his works, we had a glimpse to the times that passed long before we were born and also, long before he was born. His Work the Tragedy of Julius Caesar somewhat described the way of life in times of the Roman Empire. This particular work painstakingly explained the mechanism of a long-lost time. Third reason for thumbs up is that his passion in writing can be seen in his works. Passion is hard to translate through words, but it clearly manifested in every play he created. What could better explain the depth of how he portrayed his characters? Although Shakespeare can be described as a genius, he still earned a list of drawbacks. My first reason for his thumbs down is the fact that he had never published any of his works and if isn’t for his friends, we might have lost all of his wonderful works. Because of this, many are convinced that other writers like Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, and Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote some of his stories. Second, most of his plays contain suicidal scenes, and of course, most of his protagonists died; the list includes Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and so on. I once read in some article that because of Shakespeare’s big influence of the way of thinking in the Romantic era, the suicidal incidence increased dramatically. Third, I really like his portrayal of the past but sometimes I find his histories quite dry and difficult to understand; they are really tough going especially for average of the students. I’m totally convinced that Shakespeare deserves all the thumbs up he could possibly get. Although I had pointed out some negatives about him and his works, they do not really weigh much for me. For example, the fact that he didn’t publish any of his works doesn’t prove that he is an incompetent writer. Aristotle and Confucius have the same record, and they’re still famous. Also I love the way Shakespeare used humor inside the Tragedy of Julius Caesar; it proves how witty he was, which is a very plus factor for me. And more importantly, his suicidal themes made his works a lot more controversial but all of these have deeper meaning that made readers look beyond the act. Works Cited â€Å"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.† 1993. The TECH. 6 June 2008 http://shakespeare.mit.edu/works.html.

Depletion and consequences of mangrove forests

Depletion and consequences of mangrove forests Executive summary Globally, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is recognized to have one of the largest mangrove forest covers in the world, protecting the lands from the viciousness of the open sea, and maintaining its productivity. In an agricultural based economy, a buffer against the sea is all the more important. Given the last few decades, the country has witnessed a startling decrease in the mangrove cover. Due to the felling of trees for its usage for fuel and other such purposes, the costal areas are witnessing a direct attack on the one and only protection it has against salination. Even though the government and various other organizations have initiated programs and projects to counter this growing menace, it seems that unless a massive overhaul is not taken, unless a massive change in the perception of the people is not executed, then we may witness a slow yet torturous destruction of the costal areas. This report explores the phenomenal importance the mangrove forest holds to Pakistan, their spread, species and location, the reasons behind its depletion and projects done to counter the mangrove depletion. Only praying and hoping for a miracle is not enough. We must act; we must do our part to protect our costal areas. For this purpose we have done extensive research from secondary sources of data including environmental journals, articles by activists and environmental researchers. Introduction Pakistan is a country rich in biodiversity. From rivers to the Arabian Sea, from the Indus Dolphin to the Himalayan Bear, we can see that ecology of Pakistan has given the right of life too many species. In the same way, where the land grows conifers and the like, the country was said to have one of the worlds largest mangrove forest. However, global warming, and with it climate change and human activities are adversely effecting the environment. Pakistans coastline stretches from Sindh to Balouchistan and was known as one of the worlds largest mangrove cover. This gives way to a great variety of marine life and was a source of income to the settlers of the coastal communities. They are the home of great biodiversity; however their depletion is resulting in use losses for the ecosystem. Cutting of mangrove forests for fire wood and construction by locals, drying river beds, inflow of pollutant and salination are a few basic reasons for this problem. The Pakistani population, be it elite or poor, all share a common perception, they will not act till the time complete and utter destruction is inevitable. Moreover, where there is a concern or an issue with regard to the environment, the masses display a completely lax attitude. The same is the case with mangrove forests. Now that we are nearly out of time, now that one of the worlds largest mangrove forests are diminishing day by day, the population has had a rude awakening. Pakistans sprawling fishery industry which many locals and businesses depend on may not be there in the next few decades. Let us explore as to the reasons behind this phenomena. Simply put, it is because we have exploited this resource to the extent that it is difficult to make up for what has been done to these forests by man himself. By intruding into the ecosystem through wrong practices they have disturbed the entire cycle of this part of the ecosystem. However, all hope is not yet lost. There are projects being conducted by the WWF and IUCN in coastal areas to make the locals more aware on how to help protect their environment and also by planning more mangrove trees. Being residents of a coastal city and seeing mangrove forests through out our lives, we hold more importance to his topic. Conservation and protection are keys to helping preserve this habitat. Global Deforestation and Causes It is not only Pakistan but globally that mangrove forests are facing a crisis. Some contributing factors are explained here. Population growth is considered as the biggest contributor world wide. Mangroves forests are being continuously reclaimed and converted in to Roads, ports, harbors, industries and urban setups etc. Also, the alternative use of mangrove forests as fish ponds generated high amounts of monetary gains in a very short time. Lack of government attention and overall lack of awareness in most countries has led to serious depletion. In addition, obscure regulations are either too complicated or inadequate to ensure the required conservation. The mangrove management agencies, mostly the local forestry departments, often do not have the adequate manpower and logistics required for the implementation of effective management. Mangroves of Pakistan Pakistan mostly has arid and semi-arid land with less than 250 mm of annual rainfall. The landscape is diverse consisting of high mountain systems, fragile watershed areas, alluvial plains, coastal mangroves, and dune deserts. Forests cover approximately 4.58 million ha (5.7 percent) in Pakistan. Of these, 0.132 million ha (less than 3 percent) are coastal mangrove forests. (Government of Pakistan, 1996) Pakistan is divided into 18 habitat types. Mangrove forests which are classified as one of them occur mainly in the Indus Delta and in a few patches westward along the Balochistan Coast. Mangroves cover approximately 129,000 ha in the Indus Delta and about 3,000 ha on the Balochistan Coast. The Indus Delta supports 97 percent of the total mangrove forest while the three pockets on the Balochistan Coast support the remaining 3 percent. . The Indus Delta is believed to have had as many as eight species, however most of which are now extinct in Pakistan. The Indus Delta is a vast area covering approximately 600,000 ha with a coastline of 250 km, mainly bordering the city of Karachi in the northwest. The Delta is also quite diverse comprising of 17 major creeks, numerous minor creeks, mudflats, and 129,000 ha of mangrove forests. The Indus River that flows through this Delta is the source of fresh water. 95 percent of the mangroves located in the Indus Delta are of the species Avicennia marina. Very small patches of Ceriops roxburghiana (Rhizophora family) and Aegicerias corniculata (Myrinaceal family) are found near the mouth of the Indus at Keti Bunder The 800-km long Balochistan coastline Mangroves occur in relatively protected lagoons and bays. The three pockets of mangroves occur at the following locations: Miani Hor: 95 km from Karachi, the lagoon covers an area of 7,471 ha Kalmat Khor: 315 km from Karachi, the lagoon covers an area of 10,216 ha Gawatar Bay: 515 km from Karachi, the bay covers an area of 26,316 ha Miani Hor is a swampy lagoon on the coast in the Lasbela district where the climate is very arid, with less than 200 mm of rain a year. The sources of fresh water for Miani Hor are the seasonal run-off rivers of Porali and Windor. The nearest river to the other lagoon, Kalmat Khor, is the Basol River, which runs 15 km east of Khor. Gawatar, the third site, is an open bay with a mouth almost as wide as its length. Its freshwater source is the Dasht River, the largest seasonal river of Baluchistan. Sonmiani Bay near Miani Hor houses three main villages -Sonmiani, Damb and Bhira where a total of about 7,000 people live. Almost every family here depends on fishery activities. Sonmiani houses a considerable Hindu community, which lived here for centuries peacefully with the majority Muslims. The Hindu families are not involved in the fishing itself; many of the men, however, are fish traders. Sonmiani originally meant City of Gold. Once, people in this region were so rich they paid their taxes in gold. The prosperity stemmed largely from the abundant fish catches. Also, small amounts of gold were found in the region. Fayyaz Rasool, the young and passionate conservation officer of the WWF mangrove conservation project. The population of the Kalmat area is approximately 2,000. 95% of them are fishermen and belong to Kalmati and Sanghoor clan/tribes. The average monthly income of the majority of the household is about Rs. 3,000/month. Education in the area is very low and only about 5% of the population can read and write while almost all of the womenfolk are illiterate. The human population in and around mangrove forests is about 1.2 million. Nearly 900,000 people reside in the Indus Delta and 300,000 on the Balochistan Coast. The number of households is estimated to be about 140,000 in the Indus Delta and 30,000 on the Balochistan Coast. Over 90 percent of the population is directly or indirectly engaged in fishing. High returns associated with fishing are causing rapid population growth. On average, the population in the coastal areas has been growing at a rate of 6 to 8 percent annually over the last ten years. Migrants from other areas of the country, Bangladesh, and Burma, who come mostly to the Indus Delta, have contributed to this growth. Importance of Mangrove Forests So why are mangrove forests so important to ecology? Well, Mangrove forests are not just a harvesting ground for mosquitoes but it is considered to be an important productive ecological system that serves both the marine life and human beings. Many diverse species of fish, crab, shrimps and mollusk inhabit mangrove forests. Also, coastal birds use the mangrove canopy for nesting, roosting and feeding that further ads up to the vast ecosystem of these forests. A team of researchers have noted that the woody coastline-dwelling plants provide more than 10 percent of essential dissolved organic carbon that is supplied to the global ocean from land (ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2006)). Mangroves serve as nursing grounds for juvenile fish with refuge from large predators. The roots provide these fishes camouflage, as well as food till they do not become of a mature size. Another function of this amazing species is that they are important in protecting the coastal areas from tsunamis. The dense root systems trap sediments coming from rivers creating a wall against high wave events. They even protect these sediments to reach other marine habitats such as coral reefs which need clear water to survive. Mangrove wood is highly valuable as it is resistant to rot and insects. This creates a commercial use for these forests by indigenous coastal communities that rely on this wood to for construction as well as fuel. It also serves medicinal purposes and fodder for their livestock. Mangrove forests, if given the importance, serve as great tourist attractions from its coral reefs and sandy beaches, but surprisingly only few countries have recognized the tourist potential of their mangrove forests. This is where the new awareness of ec-tourism can help. Causes of Mangrove Depletion So far we have discussed the importance of mangroves, the current situation in Pakistan and the importance of mangroves with respect to Pakistan. Now we focus on the causes of depletion of mangroves in Pakistan. One of the major causes of depletion of mangroves in Pakistan is the same as we have seen world wide, that is, the expansion of human civilization that leads to deforestation. We are progressing at a very high rate but that does not mean that we ignore the natural gifts that nature has provided us with. We must learn to live with nature in peace rather than destroying it, that to for our own good. Talking about Pakistan specifically, there is a clear case of mismanagement. This was highlighted in a workshop conducted in Islamabad (3rdJuly 2009) where this issue was raised with regard to the role of government, which was criticized for not protecting mangroves forests in the Sindh coastal area. It was discussed that there is a constant degradation in the mangroves of Sindhs coastal area due to the governments negligence and as no clear strategy was devised for their conservation. It was argued that apart from the lack of surveillance and expansion activities, the conflict of owner ship of such land is also a huge contributor to the present condition. There have been long pending cases of how and to whom to the areas belong, still there is no clear answer and the lands are left unattended. Changes in the expansion of sand dunes, non-flow of fresh water into the sea, and unchecked cutting and sale of mangroves have been contributing to the depletion of mangroves. When this cuttin g is done on a large scale it is usually for the purposes of reclaiming the area into land. Sadly, it is the authorities that are doing this for the government. However it is still unclear whose jurisdiction this falls under, the Karachi Port Trust or some other, and therefore who will administer. The inflow of untreated sewage into the swamps is growing day by day as well and there is no main authority to gauge and administer this. Thus illegal work continues and there is no one to manage it due to lack of coordination amongst the departments. Consequences of Deforestation The mangroves plantations are the breeding grounds for thousands of species which thrive in a combination of saline and freshwater reservoirs. Due to illegal cutting and grazing the mangroves are rapidly vanishing, only four species have been spared out of the original eight. However despite the local externalities, the reduced flow of freshwater is the major reason behind their destruction. The pace of devastation has dramatically increased over the time which is alarming. Obviously, their destruction is directly linked to the low catch of fish and shrimps. At least 10 MAF of freshwater downstream the Kotri barrage is needed to rehabilitate the region if we desire to fish in the same manner. At present, the greatest threat to mangroves worldwide is the farmed shrimp industry. Mangroves are natural nurseries for shrimp, and this industry destroys the mangroves by cutting them in wide swaths to make room for artificial ponds. These ponds are closed off to prevent the shrimp from swimming back to the sea. Without the natural cleansing of the tides, the ponds soon become polluted and laden with chemicals added by the farmers. Although not all farmed shrimp are raised in this environmentally destructive manner, in some countries this type of farming predominates. If current trends persist then entire biodiversity of the area would be lost, also leading to serious social and economic repercussions. Over 90 per cent of the population of Keti Bunder is illiterate and lives well below the poverty line. If the mangrove forest is exhausted not only that area would be vulnerable to cyclones and tsunamis, but also innumerable fishermen would loose their livelihood and their way of life hence its vital for the eco-system without which this fragile habitat would fall victim to extinction. Every monsoon, fishermen suffer damages due to rising sea tides. However, there was no help ever from any official quarters. Most fishermen in the affected creek areas spent the night in boats as many houses were inundated in front of their eyes and their precious belongings were lost, many have shifted to the inland area of Babu Dablu village near the Keti Bunder Town from Chaan and Hajamro creeks a few years ago. Though the coastal area faces a number of problems, the foremost is the lack of drinking water supply. Keti Bunder has no direct line for drinking water while official work on the same continues at a snails pace. Water is brought in through tankers and is sold for Rs1000 to Rs2000 a trip. Landlords buy water; some store it in their tank, which is then supplied to inland and creek areas. Four to five gallons of water is sold at Rs25 to R30. Middlemen, who give credit to fishermen on interest and then continue to exploit them for generations, are also supported by landlords. Keti Bunder fisherman facing sea intrusion which has become faster in recent decades, has swallowed up 28 dehs (settlements) out of the 42 and the population has been displaced thrice. Abject poverty, disease and government apathy have left the people hopeless and almost the entire population has been hooked to gutka. Even women and children are not free of the addiction. Some non-government organizations are doing their bit, but that is too little to improve the lives of thousands of people. What is there to live for? Gutka is a big relief. It helps us to get rid of hunger, pain and the agony and weakness of illness, said another fisherman. About the exploitative tactics of the middlemen, he said these people provided poor fishermen with loans for meeting travel expenses. Things were not that bad when I was young. We used to have a good catch and lived a healthier life. Now, its difficult even to feed children during off season, said Mohammad Hasan, an old man with poor health and eyesight. My eye problem has spread to such an extent that I cant even see now. I went to a doctor in Gharo, but I couldnt continue the treatment since I didnt have money. I spend my entire day sitting on the chair listening to surrounding voices and, at times, reminiscing bygone days. Reforestation of Mangroves In Pakistan there are currently different organizations working towards reducing the negative impact caused by the people on the mangrove ecosystem. Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) is a civil society organization that envisages change. To change the policies and practices of the state and its institutions in Pakistan, regarding the fisheries sector, would highlight sustainable fisheries policy that will empower the fishers and will ensure the preservation of natural resources which are depleting in abundant quantity. Organizations such as the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), WWF, the World Bank, the Forest Department budgets and the National Mangrove Committee of Pakistan are working for the reforestation of mangroves. In addition to that studies on the mangroves are being encouraged. In 1980, the Commission of Ecology of the IUCN created a group to collate existing information on the status of mangroves globally for using it in the management, guidance and conservation of this natural resource. The focus of these programmes is to initiate a development strategy in order to save the mangroves from the hazards of human activities. There is also an emphasis on the availability of alternatives for the villagers who are dependent on these forests for fuel and fodder. About the WWF intervention under the Indus for All Programme, a number of initiatives have been taken with community support. They included setting up of five wind turbines in coastal and inland areas, mangrove plantation, uniting villagers under community-based organizations and provision of boats with water tanks that feed four villages. Medical camps and workshops for awareness-raising had also been held. In 1985, the government initiated a programme for replanting of mangroves. The IUCN- Pakistan, the UNDP/UNESCO, Regional mangrove project, and the Sindh Forest Department were involved in this project. More than 9,000 hectares were planted around the Indus Delta. A survey that gauged the dependence of local people on these mangroves showed that about 100,000 people depended on them. They lacked many facilities and even did not have proper drinking water. In response to the survey the IUCN-Pakistan initiated a mass plantation in the coastal villages. The purpose of the programme was to establish wood lots and to create an alternative source of fuel and fodder for their animals and reduce their dependence on the inter-tidal mangrove. The villagers were given technical support to grow these plants in their own vicinity. The local villagers maintain these plantations at present. Conclusion: It is disappointing to see Pakistan lose such a great gift of nature. However, there is still some time to cope with the damage that has been done. There are projects happening on a small scale but more has to be done, especially from the federal level. Mangrove cover is almost 132,000ha, and the coastal areas are still home to a great number of people, many of them indigenous. In a recent project by the WWF 541,176 mangrove saplings were planted by 300 local fisherman volunteers in one day, they broke the previous record of 447,874 tress planted by India(Posted:16 July 2009,WWF.org ) This was a great initiative taken up by the WWF and formed a healthy competition between the two countries. What was even more interesting about this project and should be followed is that it involved the local people into something that made them involved with their environment and for their benefit and that of the eco system. However, unfortunately the government is still not trying to work on a system to generate the maximum, in a better, more environmentally friendly way. Even though, if this area is looked into and invested in, it could be an even greater industry, with a bigger contribution to the GDP, as well as help in the socio-economic development of the area. The main form of earning in these local indigenous areas is fishing. However, over the last few years this has diminished as the number of fish in the sea has been becoming lesser because of the causes stated above. This is disrupting the lives and livelihood of these people as many are planning to give up this occupation and migrate to the cities for a better livelihood, including the women. It is our duty as contributors to this countrys environment to conserve these forests not just for our selves or our future generations, but also for the marine life that depends heavily on these plantations. Conservation of these mangroves is essential for the increasingly polluting environment of our society and it lies upon the shoulders of both the government and the locals to find ways to sustain this habitat in our country. Citations: http://bcrc.bio.umass.edu/vifishandwildlife/Education/FactSheet/PDF_Docs/28Mangroves.pdf http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/02/060227123154.htm http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/coasts/mangroves/mangrove_importance/ http://www.wwfpak.org/pdf/tp_vdp_kalmat.pdf http://www.wwfpak.org/pdf/forest_mangrove_rcpakistan.pdf http://assets.panda.org/downloads/pakistan.pdf http://www.pff.org.pk/ http://www.pakissan.com/english/news/newsDetail.php?newsid=8189 http://www.fao.org/forestry/docrep/wfcxi/PUBLI/V6/T386E/1-3.HTM http://www.wwfpak.org/foreverindus/pdf/newsnevents/inpress/dawn220109.pdf http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/04/local11.htm http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/freshwater_news/?170461/WWF-rewards-Pakistan-for-tree-planting-world-record_sc=1

Essay --

MEDIATION ANALYSIS ESSAY – 1994-95 MAJOR BASEBALL LEAGUE STRIKE MSgt ANGELA SANDERS AIR FORCE SENIOR NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER ACADEMY DECEMBER 2, 2014 INSTRUCTOR: SMSgt THOMAS HOLMES How could baseball team owners lose $580 million in revenue and baseball players lose $230 million in salary pay in one year? The 1994-95 Major Baseball League 232 day strike lead to millions of dollars lost and millions of fans frustrated by what they say was an act of war. The mediation between Major League Baseball team owners and baseball players was ineffective in delivering a bargaining agreement that would protect the players from being used by the owners for the benefit of their businesses. First, I will provide some background information about the baseball strike followed by cross cultural competence factors and how they affected the event. Next, we will look at the negotiation factors that will include the TIPO model and negotiation strategies. Finally, I will give some highlights and effects of the mediation process. Now, let's look at one of the most famous baseball strikes of all times. The 1994-95 baseball strike was the fourth strike in 22 years and has been known as the worst strike in sports history. The major impact was approximately 948 games canceled along with the World Series resulting in millions of dollars lost. Team owners proposed a salary cap agreement to the players due to difficult financial situations the league was experiencing. The owners said that teams needed to share broadcasting revenues to make it equal amongst the teams to prevent market clubs from falling. This meant that smaller teams would not lose their bigger players to teams that c... ...iation factors. We learned that the selfishness of one person or group of people can have a major ripple effect on other things. Sometimes not fast forwarding and looking into the future of effects are not realize until it actually takes place. Unfortunately, in this situation that is exactly what happened and effected an entire nation. REFERENCES Source A 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. (2013, November 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:14, November 29, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1994%E2%80%9395_Major_League_Baseball_strike&oldid=580905114 Source B Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services. (2013, November 29). In Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, Collective Bargaining. Retrieved 11:08, November 29, 2013 from http://www.fmcs.gov/internet/searchResults.asp?categoryID=81

College Athletes Deserve To Be Paid Essay examples -- Essays Papers

College Athletes Deserve To Be Paid College athletics are some of the biggest and most popular events in the country today. There are many people that make significant amounts of money from college athletics. However, the athletes themselves do not make any money from playing. If college athletes were paid it would solve a lot of the problems that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) faces every year as well as improve play and make college athletics stronger. Throughout the past few years, the NCAA, which was previously viewed as the top basketball organization other than the NBA, has taken a backseat to the professional leagues of Europe. In the 2001 NBA draft of the first eight people selected only two of them had ever played a day of college basketball. The main difference between the players of the European leagues and NCAA athletes is that professional European players are paid. These European leagues, that have produced some of the top young players in the world the past few years, have players as young as 14 years old playing in them. Paying their athletes would bring the NCAA to a level even with European leagues and close the gap with the NBA. Today major college athletes are required to work all year for their sport. The season does not start with preseason practice and end when their last game is played, athletes train 365 days a year for their sport. Their main purpose upon coming to college is to play basketball. What normal college student would devote more than 20 hours per week all year outside of school at something that they did not get paid for? The NCAA has a strict policy that no athletes are to receive any kind of payment or... ...was the most widely followed sports in the world. The NCAA and especially it’s basketball has seen a sharp decline in the number of athletes that go to the professional level, as well as the number of people that follow the sport. Paying its athletes would not immediately fix the problem but it is the first step in the right direction. Times have changed since giving an athlete a scholarship for four years would be all that they wanted or the best offer that they could get at that time. Now some college athletes are world famous and they know that there are offers that are better for them and their families out there besides staying in college for four years. The NCAA is a great organization, but all the great organizations over time have adapted with the times to keep them on top and at the forefront of the competition. The NCAA needs to do a little bit of updating.

How to Avoid Plagiarism Essay -- Plagiarism Essays

Plagiarism, conventionally defined as literary theft, is the stealing and replication of the original ideas of another person without requesting for consent or crediting the author of a recorded or authored work (Heath 4). It may take several forms, for example, presenting an idea as original even though it has been derived from an existing source, or even neglecting to put quotation marks when quoting a sentence from borrowed work. In as much as plagiarism is widely regarded as a bad practice, it is at times committed unintentionally. As a result, there is an anti-plagiarism policy in several academic institutions and heavy penalties are imposed on individuals involved in plagiarism. In my own view, failure to acknowledge or recognize the author of the original work is a dishonorable practice. Students who plagiarize published work are seen to be too lazy to do their own research work and properly grasp the concepts they are researching. Others are used to waiting till the last hour to start their work, increasing the chances of copying information. Most students perceive reading and research as a waste of time and consider some new information to be extremely difficult to understand (Heath 5). Teachers and lecturers who entertain plagiarism produce students with outstanding grades but very poor knowledge and understanding in their field of study (Bhanot, Fallows 173). Plagiarism normally makes an individual loose reliability and integrity in the eyes of the administration, hence getting leadership positions or institutional scholarships are out of the question. Plagiarism is seen as a severe contravention of normal scholarly conduct, necessitating colleges and universities in the US and UK to establish eit... ... of the tools are commercialized while others are offered for free to researchers. In order to properly learn more about plagiarism, it is important to appreciate the process of distribution and creation of ideas in the university. All knowledge is developed from preceding knowledge. As we read, revise, execute, research, and collect perspectives, we are building on other people’s thoughts. While drawing on other peoples thoughts and ideas, we manage to develop our own. In this base therefore, students should not shy away from using the work of others. Instead, they should learn how to avoid plagiarism. Works Cited Lin, Tan (2009). HEATH. Zasterle. Bhanot, Rakesh., Fallows, Stephen. Quality Issues in ICT-based Higher Education (SEDA Series) Routledge, 2005. Marsh, Bill. Plagiarism: Alchemy and Remedy in Higher Education. Albany, SUNY Press, 2007.

Do not lose family in times of unemployment and finalcial loss

The financial crisis emotional support hotline set up by volunteer organizations with government funding received more than 1,000 calls for help in its first two weeks of service. Social problems caused by the global financial tsunami have continued to surface. Hong kong people have to understand that the adversity is a global phenomenon. Further, no matter how desperate the situation is today, there will be sunshine after rain. Other than money and wealth, there is much to admire and treasure around us. The brunt of the financial tsunami has been borne by investors who suffered great losses in the stock and financial derivative markets. Of them, Lehman mini-bond investors aroused most concern, although the losses suffered by people who brought stocks during the peak of the hang seng index last year have been no less than that suffered by the lehman mini-bond investors. On Monday, the HIS fell 1600 points, losing 15 trillion in market value over last year's high. It involved the capital of many small investors. Even citizens who have not directly traded in stocks but who hold mandatory provident funds and childern's educational funds will find that their wealth has diminished considerably. At the beginning of the financial storm, small investors suffered losses and they still had hopes of regaining their money. But the stock market continued to fall. Until the financial tsunami this month, the HIS had dropped more than 60 percent from its historical high. Many of the stocks fell drastically. Even the traditionally strong good quality stocks suffered the same fate. Some small investors began to call it a bottomless abyss. They no longer wanted to regain their money. And they also didn't want to continue to lose money, or lose a little more. Unfortunately, as they pull themselves out of the market, they are paying for their expensive lessons. In the 70s, the HSI dropped by more than 90 percent, from 1700 points to a little over 100 points, turning stocks into wall paper. The fall made some small investors commit suicide. Although the current financial tsunami is not as severe, it has been an in the number of people emotionally disturbed by their financial losses. Those who called the hotline for help include the middle class and owners of small-and medium-sized enterprises. Some have even lost the savings of their family members. These pesple are neither professional speculators nor gamblers, and yet the effects of the financial crisis have spread to them, causing family and social troubles. Sign of life after destruction Sign of life after destruction Compared to the SARS period five years ago, the current crisis has hit the middle class much harder than it has the grassroots. The spate of closures caused by the shrinking market and the credit crunch in banking under the financial tsunami has created unemployment, which will in future affect people. When credit freezes up at the year end, enterprises will find the rest of the year especially hard to pass. If the conditions worsened with rising unemployment and shrinking job opportunities, everything can go wrong for the poor couple. Family disputes and violence may rise.

Intuition and Decision-Making Essay

This paper basically talks about intuition and leadership and takes into account the intuitive decision making that the leaders take into account while making decisions where adequate knowledge is not available or where there are time constraints. There are a lot of arguments regarding this intuitive decision making by leaders where some people argue that it should not be like that as they may turn out to be wrong and others hold to the fact that at times intuitions lead to the right decision as leaders have this ability to analyze all the available information and make the decision on it along with using their past experience and expertise. The paper will first start by defining what actually intuition is and what makes leaders to promote or prevent decision making using intuitions. Then the paper will take a leaders point of view regarding decision making and how they bring in account all the available information to come up with a decision. In the end, the report will compare decisions made on intuitions with the decisions made upon logical reasoning in order to give a better knowledge to the readers regarding the two concepts and terminologies. Defining Intuition Starting with the report, we all know what decision making is, however, it will be helpful for us to know what exactly intuitions are on which leaders tend to make their decisions on. Intuitions are basically the ability of a person to actually judge or perceive an appropriate outcome without using reasoning and adequate information for that. The word is actually derived from a Latin word that means to â€Å"look inside† and that is exactly what we are talking about in this report. While using intuitions, leaders are able to look into the matters, problems or situations without even making an effort to gather or probe into the matter or its complexities (Aqor, 1986). With intuition, leaders actually tend to break into the thickness of the surface reality through their gutt-feeling, a feeling from inside that may be based on their past experience, a fear based interpretation or the actual leadership quality in their personality. What promotes or prevent leaders from using intuitions Moving on, as we have realized that intuitions are feelings, emotions or responses that are based on your own abilities, thus, it is not always true that they are right, they can also be wrong. A leader may be good in doing so in a lot number of instances but still, he is not sure whether his next intuitive decision will actually lead to the same positive results. Every important matter has its own requirements to mitigate risks and probing into complexities, thus for that purpose leaders do need appropriate information in order to come up with their decisions. However, many leaders fear this because of the fact that there personal bias in shape of their previous good or bad experience to a similar problem can actually influence their decision to a great extent. This personal bias or personal judgment that we are talking about is basically based on personal abilities or past experiences and has very less to do with analyzing the current information that is available (Williams, 2001). Thus, leaders do fear with their intuitive decision making that it can actually make them make a wrong decision. On the other hand, there are instances, where leaders have to take charge of the matter and make decisions on just a small amount of information or at times no information. These are situations where there time and resource constraints and decisions have to be taken. There, the best thing a leader can do to save time and resources in gathering all the relevant information and risk factors is to use intuitive decision making approach. A leader is a qualified team member who is chosen because of his ability to look at things with a broader and a next level thought process, thus team members also tend to conform with their this ability and promote them to take such decision. An example of such decisions can be taken as sales predictions after a natural calamity or a sudden fall in the stock market. Although, the demand would fall due to these circumstances, but it might be the other way round for a leader who is looking at the matter with a different approach using his intuitive decision making ability. Role of decision-making to a leader’s position Moreover, a leader is the person who is actually held responsible for all the actions of his team. His team basically conforms to his decisions and relies on his orders and directions because they also accept him as more capable in decision making and his abilities to solve problems and handle situations. Thus, with all this responsibility, a leader has to make sure that his decisions are correct and the best interest of the project and the team he is looking after. Any false decision can cost him and his team a failure of project. When we talk in management terms, we see that one thing that is always argued is the fact that decisions made upon inadequate information are mostly wrong. However, when we look into the practical world of leaders, can we say that leaders always have the right amount of information at the right time and at the right place? Obviously not is the answer to this question because of the fact that if all information would have been made available to the team, then there was no need of a leader to make decisions. In that case just a checker or manager would have done the job of a leader (Aqor, 1986). But, when we look at the decision making role of a leader, he has to make a large number of decisions everyday for which he might not have all the information and which won’t allow him much time to think upon them otherwise he will have to compromise all other important things that he and his team has to complete. A leader, as we have already discussed is chosen because of his special abilities, and this intuitive decision making skills is a part of them. Although on the surface we might say that while intuitively making decisions, a leader does not takes into account all the information, but he is actually thinking with a different angle and approach using his abilities that other team members cannot(Bealer,1998). Difference between decisions made with logical reasoning and decisions made with intuition In the last part of this report we will now discuss the difference between logical decision making and intuitive decision making. Logical decision making involves a high level of reasoning and data that is analyzed in order to come up with a decision. this approach is mostly advocated by most of the critics because of the fact that through this type of decision making, a leader tends to take into account and mitigate a large number of threats and risks which he might not through intuitive decision making. However, this type of a decision making approach may require more time and resources to come up with the decision (Williams, 2001). Also these decisions are mostly based on the theoretical knowledge and proven facts. For example, as we have seen in a number of stock markets that when people with logical reasoning were un-holding their stocks with losses, there were some others as well who were actually earning by using their intuitive knowledge. On the other hand, as we have discussed above that while making intuitive decisions, a leader might not take much time to make those decisions as they are usually made in circumstances where there are time constraints. Moreover, a leader uses his abilities to reconcile his past experiences and trends to come up with the decision rather than core number, figures and theoretical knowledge only.  Another major difference between the two is that both the types of decisions can actually go in the opposite directions as well as we have already discussed above in the stock market example(Giannini & Rhodes,1978). Conclusion Thus, the report will conclude the discussion with an argument that no one can actually say whether intuitive decision making is good or bad. It all depends on the situation. Yes, it is true that when there is adequate time and resources, the leader should also take into account the other approaches as well but in constraints of time, a leader may take these decisions depending on his abilities. Also we cannot also say which one of the two types of decision making is good or bad for the project because it again depends on the situation that the organization is in. however, as we know that intuitive decision making involves personal bias of leaders as well and may also reflect their personality traits such as risk taker or risk averse, it is recommended that whenever possible, a leader should take into account the logical reasoning approach and compare it with his intuitive perspective before taking any decision as it might make him realize a number of risks that he may have ignored in the first thought.

Characterization in and Then There Were None

Katherine Quimbayo Set 6 September 16, 2010 Characterization in And Than There Were None Agatha Christie uses characterization to show the evil side of human nature, in her mystery novel And Then There Were None, through three important characters, which include Vera Claythorne, Philip Lombard, and Justice Wargrave. Christie shows characterization through Vera by making her a Dynamic character. Vera changes through the course of the work by influence of the life threatening situation that is going on around her.Furthermore, Vera changes from a proper and polite woman, to a woman who will do anything to survive. â€Å"Vera Claythorne, tired by some recent strenuous term at school, thought to herself-‘Being a games mistress in a third-class school isn’t much of a catch†¦ If only I could get a job at some decent school. ’† This quote shows Vera’s hardworking and stringent personality, its shows that Vera is a proper and educated woman (4). â€Å"à ¢â‚¬ ¦ That is was Vera Claythorne. That she shot Lombard, took the revolver back to the house, toppled the marble block onto Blore and then-hanged herself. The following quotation explains Vera’s endurance toward the end of the novel (258). Both of theses quotes symbolize Vera’s dynamic nature changing from a polite woman to someone determined to survive. In Christie’s novel she also shows the evil side of human nature in Philip Lombard.Christie shows characterization in Lombard by making him a round character. In the novel Lombard is depicted as a chivalrous and aplomb character, although toward the end of the book his chivalrousness turns out to be one of his weaknesses and causes him a fatal end. Philip Lombard, that upon a date in February, 1932, you were guilty of the death of twenty-one men, members of an East African tribe. † This quote explains how Lombard is brought to Indian Island therefore showing more insight about his character than any of t he other guests. This quote also symbolizes that although Lombard is a courteous person he is also complex and contradictory in the fact that he is charming but is also capable of murder (43). â€Å"Automatically Vera pressed the trigger†¦.. Lombards leaping body stayed poised in mid-spring, then crashed heavily to the ground. This passage enlightens the fact that Lombards old-fashioned attitude and courtesy toward women, and not believing that women are capable of murder enables Vera to steal Lombards gun and kill him (240).Not only does Christie intertwine characterization in her novel to show the evil side of human nature in Vera and Lombard, but also in Justice Wargrave. Wargraves character in this novel is portrayed as a flat personality. In this novel Christie does not speak much about Wargrave, she only reveals one or two personality traits. In the corner of a first-class smoking carriage, Mr. Justice Wargrave, lately retired from the bench, puffed at a cigar and ran an interested eye through the political news in the Times. † This passage shows only a few characteristics about the identity of Wargrave, it shows that he is a wealthy man being able to ride in a first-class carriage, and it also shows that he is an ex officio (1). â€Å"Only Mr. Justice Wargrave and Miss Brent seemed comparatively unmoved. † This passage also enlightens the fact that Christie made Wargrave is a flat character.In this novel it does not show Wargrave to participate in many group discussion nor does it show his fear in this situation. In applying this characterization to Wargrave it allows the other characters to take no account of Wargrave to be responsible for the murders of the other guests (44). In conclusion, to show the evil side of human nature Christie uses different characterization for each of the characters, some of which include, Vera Claythorne, Philip Lombard, and Justice Wargrave.During the course of the novel all three characters start to s lightly show the evil side of human nature, whether it be for survival, or for revenge. In the case of Vera Claythorne, she shows a dynamic character in changing from a proper, well educated woman to someone who thrives for survival. Philip Lombard is portrayed as a round character, in the fact that Christie makes the reader aware of a variety of Lombards traits, one of which includes Lombards courtesy towards women, which in the end turns out to be a weakness and the cause of death.The last character that shows evil in human nature is Justice Wargrave, who is portrayed as a flat character. Christie only portrays the character to be a wealthy man, which allows this character to be quintessential to the plot and the story line in being the murderer. In epitome, these three characters show that even though people may seem pleasant and courteous, they will do anything to survive.

An in-Depth Analysis Essay

Volume 5, September 2010 The International Journal of Research and Review 51 An In-depth Analysis of the Entrepreneurship Education in the Philippines: An Initiative Towards the Development of a Framework for a Professional Teaching Competency Program for Entrepreneurship Educators Maria Luisa B. Gatchalian Miriam College Abstract This research paper is a descriptive study, which aims to identify the training needs of entrepreneurship educators and practices in entrepreneurship education in the Philippines. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and one-on-one interviews are conducted using structured and unstructured interview guides, which revealed the respondents’ answers, thought patterns, expressions and insights on an array of questions pertaining to entrepreneurship education in the Philippines. The result shows that students assign the highest importance to the personal qualities of entrepreneurship educators (e. g. human and motivating, etc. ) and teaching methodology and delivery (e. g. innovative and interactive) among other qualities (e. g. educational attainment). Entrepreneurship educators ascribe most importance on personalized, experience and project-based learning. However, they assert that this teaching practice should be complemented by a manageable class size, program support facilities and teaching skills enhancement (e. g. , mentoring, etc. ) among others. The school administrators play an important role in setting the direction and progression of the entrepreneurship program in their respective institutions against the background of numerous challenges in managing resources to support its needs. This study highlights that entrepreneurship education in tertiary level is best achieved through a well-designed curriculum, effective teaching model grounded on personalized and experience-based learning, and strong institutional support. Keywords: teaching and learning needs, entrepreneurship education, and tertiary level. Introduction Entrepreneurship education is a recent trend in new course development as against the traditional courses that have gained formal recognition in higher-level institutions. Entrepreneurship courses are now finding their way into formal education as subjects or full degree courses in the tertiary level. Unlike traditional business courses, which have developed and evolved over many decades in universities all over the world in conjunction with active practicing business operations, formal entrepreneurship teaching in the tertiary level is a relatively young course. Professional development of entrepreneurship educators, however, is not as institutionalized as the development of teachers for traditional business courses. MBAs and PhDs in general business and in management fill the faculty rooms of colleges and universities, but educators who hold masters and doctorate degrees in entrepreneurship are rare. Even teaching information and resources are not well known or are not available in many schools, making it difficult for budding entrepreneurs to find the sources they need. Entrepreneurship education is, by nature, highly experiential and interactive. Course requirements are mostly output and result oriented,  © 2010 Time Taylor International ? ISSN 2094-1420 Volume 5, September 2010 The International Journal of Research and Review 52 prototype development, hands-on training and other practical applications that require mentoring and close monitoring of students’ progress at each developmental stage. Teaching college teens to become entrepreneurs takes a different set of skills, insights or sensitivity and teaching approaches to connect, motivate and engage them to. The uniqueness of the student needs and the course requirements entails specific teaching skills to match both. One of the perceived tools to address and match these needs is to first conduct an assessment of the qualities, competencies, methods and techniques and other factors that are important to students, educators, and school administrators. There are new challenges of the learning dynamics of emerging youth in the 21st century. Among them are the uses and matching of modern communication technologies with appropriate teaching methodologies, which the new generation is well adapted to but a good number of educators are not. These are only a few examples of the specialized skills and knowledge that are needed to upgrade entrepreneurship training in the tertiary level. Likewise, course management and its administration are also faced more than ever, with challenges and limitations that behoove everyone to deal creatively with. The study is grounded on the premise that if the educational system is to breed entrepreneurs as the future economic movers, it is but appropriate that the learning source, or the educators should be well equipped and sensitive to their needs and learning dynamics who are ? nolonger-children but not-yet adults.? In the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has pushed the formal integration of entrepreneurship education pursuant to Republic Act No. 7722 as embodied in Memorandum Order No. 17 (CMO # 17) Series of 2005 – Curriculum Requirement for Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship (BS Entrepreneurship). This document contains the new academic and developmental thrusts of the Entrepreneurship Programs and Courses in the Tertiary Level. It is also important to note that based on the CHED directory in the National Capital Region, there has been an increase in colleges and universities offering business and entrepreneurship courses. Some have indicated the integration of entrepreneurship in their schools, as a full course leading to a degree, a track, or as a major subject. There are already concerted efforts in the government and the private sector to advance entrepreneurship education as a long-term solution to economic advancement. It follows then that the future offering of the course on entrepreneurship will increase, and programs will take on a newer form as it evolves and develops over time. One of the concrete efforts to meet these new challenges is the formation of Entrepreneurship Educators of the Philippines (ENEDA). The main thrust of the organization is to assist all its members in accessing or actually developing for their immediate use all the relevant knowledge and skills needed in teaching college students to become  © 2010 Time Taylor International ? ISSN 2094-1420

Exploratory Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exploratory Narrative - Essay Example They even use hidden cameras to see pin numbers as they are typed in by cardholders and then later on they steal wallets and withdraw cash from ATM machines (Safdar). The ease of robbing others is making this crime popular amongst individuals with criminal minds and intentions. This crime is on the rise and the loss of wealth can be significant if this crime goes undetected. I therefore strongly feel that we can all become the next target of such criminals. I feel that this crime must be stopped by card issuing companies by changing the design of information storage on cards, which is possible if they use small chips for storing information. Moreover, on individual basis we can take certain precautions to prevent criminals from getting access to our private information. When using the cash machine I will surely look out for any signs of glue, hidden cameras, and even cover my hand when I type in my pin code. Only this way I can avoid being robbed and loose my hard earned

Nestle Corporate Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nestle Corporate Strategy - Case Study Example (Porter, 1985:15) Nestle's growth strategy is what porter called as focused differentiation variant. Nestle's strategic business units concentrate on market entry in emerging markets to achieve sustainable growth. They analyze potential host countries; anticipate the shift in the competitive forces and exploits change by creating appropriate strategies. In this way, the company establishes itself and defends its position by capitalizing on its strengths and capabilities. The product based SBUs The regional organization of Nestle, on the other hand, aims to penetrate the market and establish its presence by promoting several products. They achieve this by maintaining manufacturing facilities in the host country as well as importing other goods produced from another country. Differentiation provides Nestle insulation against competition through brand loyalty by customers. Through this local strategy, the company earns remarkable returns on capital employed and creates a defensible market position. A strong coordination between the R&D, product development and marketing departments helps local Nestle firms achieve sustainable profitability and increase market share. Hill mentions in his book that brand management is one of the most important aspects of companies doing international business. Product recognition while entering a new market is considered to be one of the most important strategic strengths of a company. Many researchers have tried to extrapolate this view resulting in the one-brand one-world school of marketing. According to this view the best strategy for a company is to go in to a new product segment or market with an already established brand name. This is considered to be one of the most fundamental principles of international brand management. However, the success of Nestle and its branding strategy are a contrast to this popular belief. Nestle prefers its brands to be local and people regional, with only the technology being a common global factor. The company has pored billions of dollars into local acquisitions like Ralston Purina pet products in US. Nestle complete portfolio consists of a staggering 8,500 brands that are organized by geographical status and role. Together these brands create a hierarchy of brands in which each product is associated with at least two bands at different levels in the hierarchy (Kapfere, 2008:413). The geographical criterion allowed three groups of brands to be distinguished - international, regional and local brands. These brands fulfill different functions and roles depending on the customers and represent the principal families of brand architecture (Mhlbacher, Leihs and Dahringer, 2006:482). Nestl's brand strategy is organized into two categories: The corporate brand - Nestle has formulated a basket of corporate brands under the umbrella of Nestle itself and others often acquired like Blackwell, Friskies and Buitono. The corporate brands are there to give the image of a company that is a reliable specialist in some area. The product ranges like Nescafe and individual product brands like Kitkat and Crunch (Mazur and Hogg, 1998, 133-134) To control the branding of the products, Nestle maintains a tight control from the centre on the policy towards the strategic

Nobel memorial prize for economics 2009 elinor ostom Research Paper

Nobel memorial prize for economics 2009 elinor ostom - Research Paper Example In the context of the current global economic crisis that has been brought about due to a paradigm that celebrates unlimited growth and rampant misuse of the world’s resources, Ostrom’s work takes on a significance that goes beyond theory and if applied to the real world of ecosystems and how we can manage with the resources that have been bequeathed to us by nature, her work is indeed laudatory. Ostrom’s work is especially relevant when one considers the fact that our planet is in the throes of an ecological crisis due to climate change arising out of burning fossil fuels and that we as a species have used up most of the finite resources like oil, minerals etc. Hence, Ostrom’s pioneering work in the field of managing common pool resources can be said to be especially relevant for the times that we live in. To quote from a website that analyzed her work in the area of self governance and usage of common pool resources, â€Å"In general there are two main governance structures that are widely accepted in the literature; market or government oriented solutions. The eminent free-rider problem thwart social optimality when individuals do not coordinate their actions and cooperation cannot be accomplished internally. Ostrom argues against both of the external mechanisms and, through her extensive fieldwork, shows that self-governance is possible where communities develop their ruling systems to manage common pool resources. Her findings clearly indicate that rules imposed or dictated have little legitimacy and would be violated. On the contrary, when there is consensus on the governing principles or internal enforcement apparatuses people tend to obey them. This presentation aims to delve into more details of her criticisms of standard economic governance theories. Then, her contributions to collective decision making and her

Tracing the development of painting Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tracing the development of painting - Term Paper Example The essay "Tracing the development of painting" discovers the development of painting. The chronological discussion of painting styles proves the difference in visual characteristics but with a number of similarities and are related to each other in some way or other. This painting style was originated around 1600s and influenced the following centuries. Besides, this form of painting style is rich and deep in color, and the intense usage of light and shadow. The exponents of Baroque style made use of the most exact moment or the dramatic point of events arouse emotionality in the minds of viewers. One of the best examples for Baroque as a painting style is The Deposition by Caravaggio. Neoclassicism dominated the European art from 18th century to 19th century. Neoclassicism was basically a reaction against Rococo style in European Art. As a painting style, Neoclassicism gave due importance to Roman and Greek art. Its influence is not limited to the sphere of painting, but it extends to other forms of art like literature and architecture. One of the best examples for Neoclassicism as a painting style is The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David. Realism originated in Europe, especially in France, in 1850s. Besides, it was a movement against Romanticism. Realism was totally against the emotionalism projected by Romanticism, and was in favor of the ideology of Objective Realism. So, truth and accuracy were the fundamental principles of Realism in painting. In short, realism gave due importance.... Impressionism: Impressionism originated in Paris, as an Art movement in 19th century. The name Impressionism is originated from Claude Monet’s art work, namely ‘Impression, Sunrise’. The usage of thin brushstrokes, perfect lighting, usage of ordinary subjects, and strange visual angles are some of its main characteristics. One of the best examples for Impressionism is The Abduction of Egypt by Shwidkiy Andrey (see appendix -4). Post-Impressionism: Post-Impressionism was developed in France during 1880s. Roger Fry, the renowned British Art critic was behind the creation of the term Post-Impressionism. Post-Impressionism was an extension of Impressionism, but rejected the limitations of Impressionism. The exponents of Post-Impressionism gave more importance to geometric forms. The usage of unnatural color in paintings is one of the most important features of Post-Impressionism. One of the best examples for Post-Impressionism is Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh (See ap pendix – 5). Cubism: Cubism transformed the scenario of painting in Europe and deeply influenced other forms of art like sculpture and music. The basic element of Cubism is to break down the object, analyze it, and to re- assemble the same. This helps the painter to present the art work with difference in subject matter. The usage of random angles is the most important aspect of cubism. One of the best examples for Cubism is Guernica by Pablo Picasso (see appendix-7). Geometric abstraction: Geometric abstraction is based on abstract art. Besides, it is based on non-objective and two dimensional models. It rejects exaggeration and illusionistic modes of painting and makes use of canvas as

Internal and External Factor Analyses of the Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Essay

Internal and External Factor Analyses of the Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Inc - Essay Example The first section will present a brief profile of the company. The next section will then tackle the opportunities and threats faced by the company which will lay the foundation for the external factor analysis. Lastly, the paper will look at the internal functioning of Vermont Teddy Bear Co, Inc., through its strengths and weaknesses. The paper will also present summaries of the internal and external factor analyses. Vermont Teddy Bear Co, Inc. began in the streets of Burlington, Vermont in 1981. Its founder, John Sortino began this business by "selling hand sewn teddy bears out of a pushcart." His venture marked the foundation of a business which is basically involved in the conceptualization, manufacture, and marketing of teddy bears. The company is known for its products which are manufactured by Americans using local inputs. Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Inc., however, has begun utilizing imported materials to lower the costs of production and boost profitability. The major business line of the company is the marketing of bears through a program called Bear-Grams which delivers the company's products to customers who can order online or through phone. Bear-Gram was originally advertised through radio stations and orders were taken for special occasions like birthdays, Valentine's Day, and others. The company has latter diversified in the retail of its products. Expansion also meant opening up retail outlets in lucrative areas in the United States. This expansion aimed to promote Vermont Teddy Bear as a national brand. Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Inc.'s performance peaked during 1994 but slipped off due to managerial problems and constraints (The Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Inc 1994). External Factor Analysis External factor analysis is lifted from the opportunities and threats faced by Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Inc. Opportunities include market developments, competitors' vulnerabilities, lifestyle or industry trends, technology development and innovation and a lot more which poses an opportunity which can enable the company to grab a larger portion in the market, maximize shareholders' value, or boost profitability. On the other hand, threats can be political events, drop in market demand, and other obstacles faced by a business entity. Table 1 is a summary of the external factor analysis conducted on Vermont Teddy Bears Co., Inc. Opportunities abound for Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Inc. The boom in the collectible market posts a bright prospect for the company this means a larger customer base which can be serviced by Vermont. The collectible industry is estimated to be a $9.2 billion industry with the plush collectibles segment cornering a $441 million share (Calta, 1995). In the past five years, there has been a growing preference for the upscale bear, the limited editions, and the artist-designed bears (Leccese, 1998). Companies in the teddy bear industry can take advantage of this trend by expanding their product lines in response to this growth. Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Inc. as one of the most prominent players in the teddy bear industry is in a very advantageous position to grab this opportunity. Manufacture of bears to suit the changing needs of customers can be pursued. Market diversification strategies can also be undertaken by the company both in the United Sta

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 194

Assignment Example lps in advicing the dest way to use these devices and on the other hand, it gives some kind of products that are very hard to use in this type of connectivity. Amazon.com is an American International electronis commerce company, the largest in the world online retailer founded by Jeffrey P. Bezos in 1994. MIS and IT look similar while they are not. MIS majors in business problems like marketing and accounting while IT focuses on the better understanding of technology (Laudon, Kenneth and Jane p. 6). When you walk out of the store, the radio waves are picked up by the coiled metal aerial in the label.The chip modifies the waves incoming and sends them back again by transmitting a unique identifier code as the receiver picks up the identifier code then sounds the alarm and so you can caught when you try stealing at the store using RFID. Critical path in a project is simply all errands that determine the end date in your project schedule. In case one of the errands is late by even a day , then the project will have to be extended by a day. Social Engineering Attack refers to the psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or even divulging very confidential

Levi Strauss Signature Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Levi Strauss Signature - Case Study Example Levi’s brand is not as elastic as he put it because it has only been targeting a certain group in the market, for example, it could not design women jeans and younger people. The elasticity is low and this has overstretched the name of the brand with the introduction of the signature line (Levis Strauss & Co, 2011). 4. Develop the â€Å"brand schema† that you think existed for the overall Levis brand before and after the introduction of the Signature line (i.e., an associative network map of links and nodes). What are the marketing implications of the differences? The Levi’s Eco is a new product launched in 2006 and the difference with the rest is that it is made of organic cotton and sells at 30-68 dollars. The six environmental activism segments attracted to this type of jeans would be women in blue collar jobs, young children below 10 years, men aged above 55, I do not think that Levi’s Eco helps the brand with younger customers because young people do not prefer organic cotton clothes. They also feel that they are too warm for their bodies and are for old people. I think that Levi’s Strauss Signature may survive in the market as it is of a lower priced and designed in a way that taps the mass market. The Signature line also has styles for the entire family. The other advantage is selling at mass merchandisers, for example, in Wal-Mart where most people shop, therefore, easier access.  

Time Travel Essay Example for Free

Time Travel Essay The urge to hug a departed loved one again or prevent atrocities are among the compelling reasons that keep the notion of time travel alive in the minds of many. While the idea makes for great fiction, some scientists now say traveling to the past is impossible. There are a handful of scenarios that theorists have suggested for how one might travel to the past, said Brian Greene, author of the bestseller, â€Å"The Elegant Universe† and a physicist at Columbia University. â€Å"And almost all of them, if you look at them closely, brush up right at the edge of physics as we understand it. Most of us think that almost all of them can be ruled out. † The fourth dimension In physics, time is described as a dimension much like length, width, and height. When you travel from your house to the grocery store, you’re traveling through a direction in space, making headway in all the spatial dimensions—length, width and height. But you’re also traveling forward in time, the fourth dimension. â€Å"Space and time are tangled together in a sort of a four-dimensional fabric called space-time,† said Charles Liu, an astrophysicist with the City University of New York, College of Staten Island and co-author of the book â€Å"One Universe: At Home In The Cosmos. † Space-time, Liu explains, can be thought of as a piece of spandex with four dimensions. â€Å"When something that has mass—you and I, an object, a planet, or any star—sits in that piece of four-dimensional spandex, it causes it to create a dimple,† he said. â€Å"That dimple is a manifestation of space-time bending to accommodate this mass. † The bending of space-time causes objects to move on a curved path and that curvature of space is what we know as gravity. Mathematically one can go backwards or forwards in the three spatial dimensions. But time doesn’t share this multi-directional freedom. â€Å"In this four-dimensional space-time, you’re only able to move forward in time,† Liu told LiveScience. * Video: Can You Time Travel? Tunneling to the past A handful of proposals exist for time travel. The most developed of these approaches involves a wormhole—a hypothetical tunnel connecting two regions of space-time. The regions bridged could be two completely different universes or two parts of one universe. Matter can travel through either mouth of the wormhole to reach a destination on the other side. â€Å"Wormholes are the future, wormholes are the past,† said Michio Kaku, author of â€Å"Hyperspace† and â€Å"Parallel Worlds† and a physicist at the City University of New York. â€Å"But we have to be very careful. The gasoline necessary to energize a time machine is far beyond anything that we can assemble with today’s technology. † To punch a hole into the fabric of space-time, Kaku explained, would require the energy of a star or negative energy, an exotic entity with an energy of less than nothing. Greene, an expert on string theory—which views matter in a minimum of 10 dimensions and tries to bridge the gap between particle physics and natures fundamental forces, questioned this scenario. â€Å"Many people who study the subject doubt that that approach has any chance of working,† Greene said in an interview . â€Å"But the basic idea if you’re very, very optimistic is that if you fiddle with the wormhole openings, you can make it not only a shortcut from a point in space to another point in space, but a shortcut from one moment in time to another moment in time. † Cosmic strings Another popular theory for potential time travelers involves something called cosmic strings—narrow tubes of energy stretched across the entire length of the ever-expanding universe. These skinny regions, leftover from the early cosmos, are predicted to contain huge amounts of mass and therefore could warp the space-time around them. Cosmic strings are either infinite or they’re in loops, with no ends, said J. Richard Gott, author of â€Å"Time Travel in Einsteins Universe† and an astrophysicist at Princeton University. â€Å"So they are either like spaghetti or SpaghettiO’s. † The approach of two such strings parallel to each other, said Gott, will bend space-time so vigorously and in such a particular configuration that might make time travel possible, in theory. â€Å"This is a project that a super civilization might attempt,† Gott told LiveScience. â€Å"It’s far beyond what we can do. We’re a civilization that’s not even controlling the energy resources of our planet. † Impossible, for now Mathematically, you can certainly say something is traveling to the past, Liu said. â€Å"But it is not possible for you and me to travel backward in time,† he said. | However, some scientists believe that traveling to the past is, in fact, theoretically possible, though impractical. Maybe if there were a theory of everything, one could solve all of Einstein’s equations through a wormhole, and see whether time travel is really possible, Kaku said. â€Å"But that would require a technology far more advanced than anything we can muster, he said. Don’t expect any young inventor to announce tomorrow in a press release that he or she has invented a time machine in their basement. † For now, the only definitive part of travel in the fourth dimension is that we’re stepping further into the future with each passing moment. So for those hoping to see Earth a million years from now, scientists have good news. â€Å"If you want to know what the Earth is like one million years from now, I’ll tell you how to do that,† said Greene, a consultant for â€Å"Deja Vu,† a recent movie that dealt with time travel. â€Å"Build a spaceship. Go near the speed of light for a length of time—that I could calculate. Come back to Earth, and when you step out of your ship you will have aged perhaps one year while the Earth would have aged one million years. You would have traveled to Earth’s future. † Source 2 Time Slips / Time Travel 0digg 1 comment A time slip is an alleged paranormal phenomenon in which a person, or group of people, travel through time through supernatural (rather than technological) means. As with all paranormal phenomena, the objective reality of such experiences is disputed. One of the best-known, and earliest, examples of a time slip was reported by two English women, Charlotte Anne Moberly (16 September 1846 – 7 May 1937) and Eleanor Jourdain (1863–1924), the principal and vice-principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford, who believed they slipped back in time in the gardens of the Petit Trianon at Versailles from the summer of 1901 to the period of the French Revolution. On August 10, 1901 Moberly and Jourdain were visiting the Palace of Versailles. They decided to go in search of the Petit Trianon. While walking through the grounds they both were impressed by a feeling of oppressive gloom. They claimed to have encountered, and interacted with, a number of people in old fashioned attire whom they later assumed to have been members of the court of Marie Antoinette and to have seen a figure that may have been Marie Antoinette herself on the day in 1792 when she learned that the mob had stormed the Tuileries Palace. Source 3, 4, 5 . http://www. youtube. com/watch? feature=player_embeddedv=FdWXMD4rOGQ#! http://www. youtube. com/watch? feature=player_embeddedv=rqQV_UzVQks http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=X02WMNoHSm8 Source 6 The Big Question: Is time travel possible, and is there any chance that it will ever take place? By Steve Connor, Science Editor Friday 08 February 2008 Why are we asking this now? Two Russian mathematicians have suggested that the giant atom-smasher being built at the European centre for nuclear research, Cern, near Geneva, could create the conditions where it might be possible to travel backwards or forwards in time. In essence, Irina Arefeva and Igor Volovich believe that the Large Hadron Collider at Cern, which is due to be switched on this year for the first time, might create tiny wormholes in space which could allow some form of limited time travel. If true, this would mark the first time in human history that a time machine has been created. If travelling back in time is possible at all, it should in theory be only possible to travel back to the point when the first time machine was created and so this would mean that time travellers from the future would be able to visit us. As an article in this weeks New Scientist suggests, this year – 2008 – could become year zero for time travel. Is this really a serious proposition? The New Scientist article points out that there are many practical problems and theoretical paradoxes to time travel. Nevertheless, the slim possibility remains that we will see visitors from the future in the next year, says the magazine says, rather provocatively. It has to be said that few scientists accept the idea that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will create the conditions thought to be necessary for time travel. The LHC is designed to probe the mysterious forces that exist at the level of sub-atomic particles, and as such will answer many important questions, such as the true nature of gravity. It is not designed as a time machine. In any case, if the LHC became a time machine by accident, the device would exist only at the sub-atomic level so we are not talking about a machine like Dr Whos Tardis, which is able to carry people forwards and backwards from the future. What do the experts say about the idea of time travel? The theoretical possibility is widely debated, but everyone agrees that the practical problems are so immense that it is, in all likelihood, never going to happen. Brian Cox, a Cern researcher at the University of Manchester, points out that even if the laws of physics do not prohibit time travel, that doesnt mean to say its going to happen, certainly in terms of travelling back in time. Saying that the laws of physics as we know them permit travel into the past is the same as saying that, to paraphrase Bertrand Russell, they permit a teapot to be in orbit around Venus, Dr Cox says. Its possible, but not likely. Time travel into the future is absolutely possible, in fact time passes at a different rate in orbit than it does on the ground, and this has to be taken into consideration in order for satellite navigation systems to work. But time travel into the past, although technically allowed in Einsteins theory, will in the opinion of most physicists be ruled out when, and if, we develop a better understanding of the fundamental laws of physics – and thats what the LHC is all about. Why is the possibility of time travel even considered? It comes down to the general theory of relativity devised by Albert Einstein in 1905. It is the best theory we have so far on the nature of space and time and it was Einstein who first formulated the mathematical equations that related both time and space in the form of an entity called space-time. Those equations and the theory itself do not prohibit the idea of time travel, although there have been many attempts since Einstein to prove that travelling back in time is impossible. Is there anything to support the theory? Lots of science fiction writers have had fun with time travel, going back to H. G. Wells, whose book The Time Machine was published in 1895 – 10 years before Einsteins general theory of relativity. Interestingly, it was another attempt at science fiction that revived the modern interest in time travel. When Carl Sagan, the American astronomer, was writing his 1986 novel Contact, he wanted a semi-plausible way of getting round the problem of not being able to travel faster than the speed of light – which would break a fundamental rule of physics. He needed his characters to travel through vast distances in space, so he asked his cosmologist friend Kip Thorne to come up with a possible way of doing it without travelling faster than light. Thorne suggested that by manipulating black holes it might be possible to create a wormhole through space-time that would allow someone to travel from one part of the Universe to another in an instant. He later realised that this could also in theory be used to travel back in time. It was just a theory of course, and no one has come close to solving the practical problem of manipulating black holes and creating wormholes, but the idea seemed to be sound. It spawned a lot of subsequent interest in wormholes and time travel, hence the latest idea by the two Russian mathematicians. Apart from the practicalities, whats to stop time travel? The biggest theoretical problem is known as the time-travel paradox. If someone travels back in time and does something to prevent their own existence, then how can time travel be possible? The classic example is the time traveller who kills his grandfather before his own father is conceived. Cosmologists, renowned for their imaginative ingenuity, have come up with a way round this paradox. They have suggested that there is not one universe but many – so many that every possible outcome of any event actually takes place. In this multiple universe, or multiverse model, a woman who goes back in time to murder her own granny can get way with it because in the universe next door the granny lives to have the daughter who becomes the murderers mother. Where does this leave the time machine in Geneva? The science writer and physicist John Gribbin, who explains these things better than most, points to a saying in physics: anything that is not forbidden is compulsory. So they expect time machines to exist. The snag is that the kind of accidental time tunnel that could be produced by the LHC in Geneva would be a tiny wormhole far smaller than an atom, so nothing would be able to go through it. So there wont be any visitors from the future turning up in Geneva just yet. Id take it all with a pinch of salt, but it certainly isnt completely crazy. So, not completely crazy, just a bit crazy. So will we one day be able to travel into the future? Yes * There is nothing in the laws of physics to prohibit it, and events in Geneva are pointing the way and could be a first step * In physics, so the saying goes, if nothing is prohibited, it must happen at some point * All we need to do is to work out how to manipulate black holes and wormholes, and away we go No * The practical problems with time travel are too immense to solve, and even if you could, who would want to? * You might travel back in time and kill one of your grandparents by accident. Then where would you be? * If time travel is possible, why are we still waiting to welcome our first visitors from the future? Source 7 Time Travelers By Stephen Wagner, About. com Guide Where and to what date would you go if you could travel through time? Its a question people have long enjoyed contemplating the possibilities are so fraught with wonder and excitement. Would you watch the pyramids of Egypt being build? Join the spectacle of a gladiatorial battle at the Roman Coliseum? Catch a glimpse of real dinosaurs? Or would you prefer to see what the future holds for humankind? Such fantasies have fueled the success of such stories as H. G. Welles The Time Machine, the Back to the Future movies, favorite episodes of Star Trek and countless science fiction novels. And although some scientists think that it might be at least theoretically possible to travel through time, no one (as far as we know) has devised a sure-fire way to make it happen. But thats not to say that people havent reported traveling through time. There are many fascinating anecdotes from those who say they seem to have quite unexpectedly visited if only briefly another time and, sometimes, another place. These events, often called time slippages, seem to occur randomly and spontaneously. Those who experience these events are often bewildered and confused by what they see and hear, and afterward are at a complete loss to explain them. Here are some interesting cases that will keep you wondering: FLIGHT INTO THE FUTURE In 1935, Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard of the British Royal Air Force had a harrowing experience in his Hawker Hart biplane. Goddard was a Wing Commander at the time and while on a flight from Edinburgh, Scotland to his home base in Andover, England, he decided to fly over an abandoned airfield at Drem, not far from Edinburgh. The useless airfield was overgrown with foliage, the hangars were falling apart and cows grazed where planes were once parked. Goddard then continued his flight to Andover, but encountered a bizarre storm. In the high winds of the storms strange brown-yellow clouds, he lost control of his plane, which began to spiral toward the ground. Narrowly averting a crash, Goddard found that his plane was heading back toward Drem. As he approached the old airfield, the storm suddenly vanished and Goddards plane was now flying in brilliant sunshine. This time, as he flew over the Drem airfield, it looked completely different. The hangars looked like new. There were four airplanes on the ground: three were familiar biplanes, but painted in an unfamiliar yellow; the fourth was a monoplane, which the RAF had none of in 1935. The mechanics were dressed in blue overalls, which Goddard thought odd since all RAF mechanics dressed in brown overalls. Strange, too, that none of the mechanics seemed to notice him fly over. Leaving the area, he again encountered the storm, but managed to make his way back to Andover. It wasnt until 1939 that that the RAF began to paint their planes yellow, enlisted a monoplane of the type that Goddard saw, and the mechanics uniforms were switched to blue. Had Goddard somehow flown four years into the future, then returned to his own time? CAUGHT IN A TEMPORAL VORTEX Dr. Raul Rios Centeno, a medical doctor and an investigator of the paranormal, recounted to author Scott Corrales a story told to him by one of his patients, a 30-year-old woman, who came to him with a serious case of hemiplegia the total paralysis of one side of her body. I was at a campground in the vicinity of Markahuasi, she told him. Markahuasi is the famous stone forest located about 35 miles east of Lima, Peru. I went out exploring late at night with some friends. Oddly enough, we heard the strains of music and noticed a small torch-lit stone cabin. I was able to see people dancing inside, but upon getting closer I felt a sudden sensation of cold which I paid little attention to, and I stuck my head through an open door. It was then that I saw the occupants were clad in 17th century fashion. I tried to enter the room, but one of my girlfriends pulled me out. It was at that moment that half of the womans body became paralyzed. Was it because the womans friend pulled her out of the stone cabin when she was half entered into it? Was half her body caught in some temporal vortex or dimensional doorway? Dr. Centeno reported that an EEG was able to show that the left hemisphere of the brain did not show signs of normal functioning, as well as an abnormal amount of electric waves. (See Dimensions Beyond Our Own for more details on this story. ) Source 8 How Time Travel Works by Kevin Bonsor and Robert Lamb Stuff You Should Know From millennium-skipping Victorians to phone booth-hopping teenagers, the term time travel often summons our most fantastic visions of what it means to move through the fourth dimension. But of course you dont need a time machine or a fancy wormhole to jaunt through the years. As youve probably noticed, were all constantly engaged in the act of time travel. At its most basic level, time is the rate of change in the universe and like it or not, we are constantly undergoing change. We age, the planets move around the sun, and things fall apart. We measure the passage of time in seconds, minutes, hours and years, but this doesnt mean time flows at a constant rate. Just as the water in a river rushes or slows depending on the size of the channel, time flows at different rates in different places. In other words, time is relative. But what causes this fluctuation along our one-way trek from the cradle to the grave? It all comes down to the relationship between time and space. Human beings frolic about in the three spatial dimensions of length, width and depth. Time joins the party as that most crucial fourth dimension. Time cant exist without space, and space cant exist without time. The two exist as one: the space-time continuum. Any event that occurs in the universe has to involve both space and time. In this article, well look at the real-life, everyday methods of time travel in our universe, as well as some of the more far-fetched methods of dancing through the fourth dimension. Source 9 Is Time Travel Possible? Analysis by Robert Lamb Thu Apr 22, 2010 06:14 PM ET Its not glamorous, but its time travel. (Michael Dunning/Photographers Choice/Getty Images) From summer blockbusters to sensational science headlines, modern culture is constantly inundated with tales of time travel. But when you boil down the physics involved, is it possible to travel through time? To answer this question, I tracked down theoretical physicist and cosmologist Paul Davies, author of How to Build a Time Machine. SLIDE SHOW: What are the favored time travel methods as used in science fiction? We are all time travelers The short answer is that time travel into the future is not only possible, its been done, and weve known about it for over a century, says Davies. The reason that the public doesn’t seem to know about it is because the amount of time travel involved is so pitifully small that it doesnt make for a Doctor Who style adventure. A phenomenon called time dilation is the key here. Time passes more slowly the closer you approach the speed of light an unbreakable cosmic speed limit. As such, the hands of a clock in a speeding train would move more slowly than those in a stationary clock. The difference would not be humanly noticeable, but when the train pulled back into the station, the two clocks would be off by billionths of a second. If such a train could attain 99. 999 percent light speed, only 1 year would pass onboard for every 223 years back at the train station. But speed isnt the only factor that affects time. On a much smaller scale, mass also influences time. Time slows down the closer you are to the center of a massive object. Time runs a little bit faster in space than it does down on Earth, Davies says. It runs a little faster on the roof than it does in the basement, and thats a measurable effect. A clock aboard an orbiting satellite experiences time dilation due to both the speed of its orbit and its greater distance from the center of Earths gravity. Both gravity and speed can give you a means of jumping ahead, Davies says. So in principle, if you had enough money, you could get to the year 3000 in as short a time as you like one year, one month, whatever it takes. It is only a question of money and engineering. Forward, not back? Time travel into the future is an established and fundamental aspect of Albert Einsteins theory of relativity. Scientists have tested and retested this in both experimental and practical settings. But what about time travel in the opposite direction? Going back in to the past is a whole different kettle of fish. Davies says. Theres nothing in Einsteins theory, which is the best theory that we have about the nature of time, which precludes it. Theres nothing in even his general theory of relativity, published in 1915, which precludes travel back into the past, but many scientists are deeply uneasy about it because of all the well-known paradoxes that it unleashes. For instance, imagine going back in time and killing your own mother. Then shed never give birth to you, and just how would you have been able to travel back in time to commit matricide in the first place? Wormholes as spacetime shortcuts Davies surmises that, given our current understanding of the nature of time and physics, time travel into the past simply isnt possible. But the universe is full of mysteries, and one of them the hypothetical wormhole might just permit such a journey. This is a little bit like a tunnel or shortcut between two distant points, Davies says, So for example, if I had a wormhole here in my hotel room and I jumped through it I wouldnt come out on Pennsylvania Avenue, Id maybe come out near the other side of the galaxy. Source 10 Scientists have theorized that such a shortcut through time and space could be turned into a time machine. If a worm hole could exist and could be traversable, then it would provide a means of going back in time, Davies says. So it all hinges on whether stable wormholes are a reality or if theres some aspect of physics not relativity, because theres nothing wrong from that point of view but some other aspect of physics might intercede and prevent the wormhole from forming. Thats an open question. World-famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has proposed that wormholes occurring at a quantum level could theoretically provide a foothold for time travel, but University of California at Santa Barbara physicist Andrew Cleland urges caution on that front. Im an experimentalist, and physics is ultimately an experimental science, Cleland says. Any predictions that are made based on mathematics or on philosophical or intellectual speculation have to pass the test of experiment, and I am certainly not aware of any experiment that demonstrated the possibility of traveling backward in time. Cause and effect Cleland also points out that the fundamental principle of causality stands in the way of travel into the past. The entire universe, as we understand it, is beholden to this rule. Something occurs first and the outcome of that occurrence happens afterward, Cleland says, and there has never to my knowledge been an experiment that came out different from that. I am not aware of any experimental tests of quantum mechanics that have shown any violation of causality, in spite of the fact that many experiments could reveal such a violation. Still, in the same way that time dilation isnt flashy enough to seem like time travel into the future, the public often overlooks a very common means of traveling into the past. In a sense, astronomers are always traveling backward in time, but it is in a way that most people are not so excited about, Cleland says. When we measure the cosmic microwave background, were looking back more than 10 billion years in time. Thats how long it took for the light to reach us. A number of questions about time travel remain unanswered. Will time tourists from the future ever show up to help us out? Well just have to wait and see. But if they come here using a wormhole time machine, well have to build one first. After all, you couldnt cross a bridge if only one side had been completed, right? Theoretically, it would take more than 100 years to create a 100-years time difference between the two ends of a wormhole, Davies says, so theres no way that our descendants could come back and tell us were wrong about this.