A report on the Cultural Afternoon held at the IPBA’s auditorium

Last Thursday on the July 24th, 2003, a Cultural Afternoon was being held at the IPBA's auditorium. It was organised by the MTCP participants and the B. Ed. TESL cohort 1 students. The theme for the Cultural Afternoon is Unity In Diversity. Unity In Diversity is a poem written by the MLCP participant from Papua New Guinea. The afternoon was conducted by two of the B. Ed. TESL students. They conducted the event very well. After that, Mr. Mahmud from Turkey was called upon to recite a prayer. After he had finished reciting the prayer, the event continued with the first performance by the B. Ed. TESL students. They presented a compilation of the Malay Traditional Dance. The dance was choreographed beautifully and the dancers danced gracefully. The special thing about this cultural afternoon was the way the organiser changed the conductors. The next conductors were the participants from Tunisia and Gambia. The way they conducted the afternoon was very interesting. After they had introduced themselves, they called upon participants from Krygystan, Miss Ainur. She sang a song called Mahabbad, which means love. Even though the audience could not understand her, but the message of the song were well interpreted. Then, all the MTCP participants were welcomed to join the conductors on the stage to introduced themselves. All the participants were introducing themselves with different ways. Some of them made some jokes, holding their traditional flag and so on. There were 26 participants that day who has came from different countries such as Zimbabwe, Croatia, Tunisia, Gambia, Bosnia, Thailand and other countries. After that, Mr. Bernard from Bosnia presented his performance by singing a song using his own language. Followed by named and Ameir from Bosnia. They showed and explained about a poster of the Bosnian Movie, which had won oscars award 2000/2. The movie title is ‘No Man's Land' has won the award for Best Foreign Language. After that, they sang a Bosnian folk song. After changing conductors once again, B. Ed. TESL students performed their Kung Fu performances. After the Kung Fu show, a participant from Turkey sang a wonderful song. The audiences gave her big claps because she had sang the song well even without the background music. All the audiences had paid full attention on the stage to see the traditional costumes show from the other countries. All the participants wore their own traditional costumes and did some explanations on the costumes. After watching the colourful fashion show, the audiences were very surprised to watch the Indian dance that was led by our B. Ed. TESL student, Danielli Devi. The dance was noisily merry with energetic dancers and famous Bollywood song played. After that, the Cultural Afternoon continued with the performances by the MTCP participants. The participants from Sri Lanka sang a song. The song also a love song. After that, the East Timur participant did a traditional dance. She wore her traditional costumes and a gong. She knocked the gong using some rhymes and then danced followed the rhyme. It was far different from other MTCP participant's performances. After that, a participant from Turkey also sang a love song. Another interesting performance was from the Thailand participants. They showed and taught us the right way in greeting. Their performance is quite useful for us. After that, the Cambodian participants danced as soon as their song was played. Next performance was from Gambia. He sang his national anthem. The audiences rose up to show respect. The most waiting performance was Para-para Sakura Dance. The B. ED. TESL students performed this dance. They danced gracefully with many astonishing steps. The dancers were very energetic and noisily merry with their red and pink costumes. All the audiences felt refresh after watching this energetic dance. Lastly, before the Cultural Afternoon ended, the participant from Papua New Guinea recited her poem entitled ‘Unity In Diversity'. She very well wrote the poem. The event ended as soon as the conductors declared it was closed.

Kristen Cookie Company Essay

Yes. If Kristen and roommate can only do their own job, the max order(order by order) they can process is 8 orders a night. But if they can cross-training, would 1. Receive order print and reply Roommate 1 minute/order Mix ingredients Kristen 6 minutes /max 3trays Spooning cookies onto tray Kristen 2 minutes/tray Cookies in oven Roommate 10 minutes/tray Cool down cookies Roommate 5 minutes/tray Pack Roommate 2 minutes/tray Accept payment Roommate 1 minute/order 2. (1) Spooning cookies onto tray Cookies in oven (If receive a 2-dozens order) While Kristen is spooning cookies onto tray, the first tray she finished can send to roommate to put into oven. At the mean time, Kristen can spoon the second tray. (2) (If receive a 2-dozens order) While cooling down the first tray of cookies, roommate can put second tray into oven. (3) (If receive a 2-dozens order) After the first tray cool down, can pack directly. At the same time, second tray of cookies should be in the oven. 3. According to the answer of 1st question shown. So, amount of time to process a dozen of cookies is 27minutes (1+6+2+10+5+2+1=27) 4. (1) If Kristen proceed order by order, will be 8 orders of single dozen per night. 4 hours=240 minutes, 240/27=8.88 orders. (2) If Kristen and roommate can proceed different orders at the same time, that is 240minutes/45 minutes = 5.3 5.3x2orders =10.6, 10 orders be able to process more orders. Example shown below for 4hours performance of Kristen and roommate As the chart shown above, 4 hours of cross-training process can almost complete single dozen orders. 6. If Kristen and roommate still process order by order(process one order at one time), buying another oven can only reduce the baking time for 2-dozens order, 2-dozens order(time spend) complete orders in 4 hours one oven 1 + 6 + 2 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 2 + 1 = 37mins 6 two ovens 1 + 6 + 2 + 2 + 10 + 5 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 31mins 7 That’s mean, add another oven can only increase one more 2-dozens order. Therefore, buying another oven is not a good decision. 7. Question 3 is design to work from order to order, that is, Kristen and roommate have to (1) do their own job, and (2) can only process one order at a time. However, in real life, people will try hard to combine orders to save the time of process. 8. Without labor cost, the ingredients’ cost and the package cost are total $0.70. Assume that Kristen and her roommate both receive $10/hour as salary, and receive 15 orders per night. The total cost will be $90.5 per night, and $6.00 per pack of cookie. One pack of fresh cookies (daily made) sold in grocery store is about $3.00-5.00. We can assume that Kristen Cookies Company set their price at $6.00 pack. (Kristen and roommate only earn $10/hour/person as salary) Even though, the cookie Kristen Cookie Company provides is the freshest and most convenience for students. It is very hard to have extra profit. The significant problem that Kristen Cookie Company has is that *The producing process is not efficient. Because they are offering a customization service. If they can limit their product line into fewer categories They can switch their delivery system from â€Å"projects † to â€Å"job shop† .

GM Research 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GM Research 2 - Essay Example Gene flow and outcrosssing does not necessarily signify environmental damage however potential risks of the transgenes escaping and establishing themselves in the natural agro ecosystems (Eastham & sweet, 2002, p10). This inbreeding between the gm cambogia plants and novel species can give rise to new genetic traits which may or may not be beneficial. Till date no proper sourced have indicated that usage of genetically modified Garcinia has had detrimental effects on the human health. However, the fact remains that there is existence of a certain percentage of risks in form of possible allergic reaction and immune responses. Another major risk is that since first generation GM crops such as Garcinia use a antibiotic-resistant marker gene for easier cell selection, when ingested these marker genes from GMO may get incorporated into the human gut fauna and make them resistant to antibiotics thereby rendering the person immune to antibiotic therapeutic treatments in the future (Pretty,2001, p254). Eastham,  K., & Sweet,  J. (2002).  enetically modified organisms (GMOs): The significance of gene flow through pollen transfer  (28). Retrieved from European Environment Agency website: http://www.e-library.lt/resursai/ES/Leidiniai/EEA_issue_reports/GMOsforwww.pdf Pretty,  J. (2001). The rapid emergence of genetic modiï ¬ cation in world agriculture: contested risks and beneï ¬ ts.  Environmental Conservation,  28(3), 248-262. Retrieved from http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/teach/agbio/2004%20materials/1B-STATUS/Environ_Conserv_emergence%20of%20GE%20in%20world%20ag.pdf Wolfenbarger,  L.  L., & Phifer,  P.  R. (2000). e Ecological Risks and BeneÞts of Genetically Engineered Plants.  science,  290, 2088-2092. Retrieved from

Critique of a Public Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Critique of a Public - Speech or Presentation Example The speaker is in white sweater and a dark coat, quite presentable to the crowd. It is cold from where he is, he said. He maintains enough eye contact with his audience. The camera pans back and forth from speaker to audience. The topic is "Why it is not second coming if Christ comes back to earth." It is organized through four general questions giving proofs that Christ was on earth even before he was born a human being. The voice is pleasant enough. He is a known broadcaster, debater, and now becoming a phenomenal blogger on biblical issues. In between takes, he makes a report about his mission in the United States, talking about social issues. He specifies the evil effects leading to genetically modified organisms (GMO) by showing on screen a very big rooster 10 times bigger than the man supposed to be in charge with it. The man carries on his hand a long string attached to the giant rooster. He laughs and laughs. The audience laughs with him. There is clear interaction. He tells a little anecdote. To illustrate that people do not have time for God, he tells about people not sleeping, not even standing up to answer the call of nature, just so one could gamble effectively. For God, however, he says, people think time should be very, very short if possible. The speech purpose is for the weekly spiritual feeding of God's people. It is to make them understand that when Christ comes back, it will not be the second time as he had been here before; he was with God the Father even before the world began. Those who are thinking it will be the second time are those looking at Christ as a mere human being. The speaker flashes on screen the false belief of the Church of Christ that it is the day of judgement when Christ comes back and that the earth will fade away. He uses their publication entitled Pasugo or "Messenger," then he tries to demolish their argument. His assistants amply supply him with audio visual aids. He uses a wide screen for a very large audience (Estimate: 40,000) scattered about the very large convention center in the Philippines. He uses artefacts in the form of documents, audio clips, still pictures, and video footages. As he exposes a false preacher, the false doctrines of the preacher are flashed on the screen as he does his analysis. The presentation style is that of a delivery of lecture with interactive part to check understanding, sandwiched throughout the two-and-a- half-hour session. It is not the usual one way sermon. The conversational type of delivery now and then is backed up with biblical verses flashed on the screen. The speaker asks questions which structures his lecture that is intentionally built for clear understanding. He speaks in a normal tone that is clearly heard with the aid of good acoustics. It is not true that it will be the end of the world when Christ comes, he says. There will still be 1,000 years. The just will rise from the grave, and those are alive who are also just will be caught up in the clouds when Christ comes (Thessalonians 4:16). This is a fulfilment of a prophecy, he says. They will be made priests and will reign for 1,000 years. As presented in Revelations 20:5, some will not resurrect until after 1,000 years. The earth will still be there. It will only be gone after the second death. (John 5:29). Now and then, the main representative reads

The People vs. the Profiteers by David Rose Essay

The People vs. the Profiteers by David Rose - Essay Example He works incessantly on the behalf of Americans, based in Orlando. Halliburton would be a company, as well as other private contractors, that are operating in Iraq, somehow using the money of the American tax payers. Grayson is fighting a battle against some of these private contractors, many of which are major companies such as Halliburton, plus an oil company that former Vice President Dick Cheney served as the chief executive officer for several years. However, another enemy that has jumped on board is the United States Department of Justice. While Grayson has worked in several cases where there was fraud, the Department of Justice stepped in his way when it came to trying to expose companies of fraud during the Iraq war. This is a political venture and a scandal. When considering political science in this nature, if the President or any members of his Cabinet, or Dick Cheney were aware of these things that were going on by using American money to operate business, then something should have been done. It was the administration lying to American taxpayers about where their tax money was going. It was not used to fight the war in Iraq, clothe children in the United States, help the poor or the elderly. Instead, it was money to help the rich become richer. Ironically during the war, Halliburton became very valuable with their stock jumping significantly from the start of the war to 2006. The CEO netted at least $30 million in compensation. What a crooked world we live in. As oil enthusiasts, Cheney and George W. Bush, of course they were going to help some of their buddies become more rich by operating in Iraq. One might say that it is rather coincidental that Cheney happened to be a former CEO of one of the companies in question. It seems as if it was no coincidence after all. The money was there and it was secretly slid over to these corporations. The Department of Justice is more than likely trying to step in to try to keep the scandal behind closed doors. It is similar to any other scandal that occurs on a national level that somehow ties to the administration. Nixon's expose with Watergate was one of the major blunders of that administration. This one is on a different scope entirely and affects millions. The article by Rose introduces the audience to one of Grayson's clients, Bud Conyers, just a middle aged man in Oklahoma who just so happened to be an independent contractor working in Iraq. He was a driver for company, Kellogg, Brown and Root, a major construction company. Prior to the war in Iraq, the Pentagon awarded money to restore the Iraqi oil industry and another that provides logistic support services to the American military. When Conyers was asked to repair a refrigerated truck in Baghdad, he found something that is jawdropping. While an engine is required to control the refrigeration from a truck, this one that had been out of operation for a couple of weeks of course would not be keeping anything inside of it cool and there seemed to be a rancid smell coming from it. Upon opening the refrigerated portion of the truck, Conyer saw pieces of a total of 15 dead Iraqis. The bodies had come from a mortuary unit of the United States mortuary sector. While it is not unusual for something like this to happen, it is clearly stated by governmental regulations that once a truck has been used to haul corpses, it can not ever again haul items for human consumption such as food or drink because of the possible diseases that could be

Food Properties Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Food Properties - Assignment Example However, even though the baking chefs love their gluten products, physicians are of the opinion that one needs to avoid gluten products. The reason being the adverse health effects the gluten has on human health. This projects aims to compare the characteristics and sensory evaluation of each bread product and discuss about the advantages and drawbacks of the final products. For the purpose of this project breads will be made using different types of flour- chestnut flour, white rice flour and wheat flour using different proportions of each in the recipes. Gluten is a protein that has a potential of causing health problems. Celiac diseases are a disease of the immune system and intake of gluten initiates an immunological response which leads to damage of the stomach lining (A.D.A.M. Medical Dictionary, 2014). Gluten is also a well known allergen (Guandalini,2007) and it has been seen that children exposed to gluten at an early end become increasingly susceptible to celiac diseases. Chestnut flour is today used as a healthier alternative to other gluten-containing flours. Chestnut flour is derived by grinding dried chestnuts. It has a grayish appearance and a sweet flavor. Chestnuts being low in both calories and fat content are used as an healthier component in many recipes. Chestnut flour is gluten-free flour which means that the breads and other products that are prepared from this flour do not rise and therefore are dislike by many. The spongy texture of bread is lost owing to the absence of gluten which is primarily responsible for making the bread rise. However, this flour has nutritional and health benefits. Firstly, being low in fat content it is much healthier than common flour. Chestnut flour addition to any flour increases fiber and ash content (Jozinovic et al,2012,p26). Chest nut flour contains a large amount of vitamins

Answer the question from the book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answer the question from the book - Essay Example in other instances, most of the IT departments do not have budgets of their own. They, in most cases charge other departments for the services that they provide to them. As such, it becomes hard for the department to project its expenditure levels. Moreover, equipment keeps changing, with the increase in the level of technology and innovation. It makes it difficult to track this whole expenditure record, one that puts into consideration all the expenses including the miscellaneous. 2. To answer the question as to whether IT systems are an expense or an asset, first it is important to understand the difference between an asset and an expense. While an asset is an economic resource, an expense takes away economic resources. Initial investments in IT systems are an asset to an organization like IVK (Austin et al. 54). On the other hand, they are an expense if they became obsolete. It is unfair classifying the systems as expenses, despite their high initial costs. For instance, telephone s were an expense when every department required them. They made communication within the organization easy and simple, and more efficient. They simplified the mode of communication in the organization, and made the daily operations easy. Activities ran smoothly with improved communication. Their contribution to the overall out was overwhelming. These were assets to the organization. However, with the technological advancement in the organizations, there was the introduction of better communication methods such as e-mail. This made telephones obsolete, making them an expense, as the organization had to faze them out indefinitely. This makes them more an expense at the end. 3. IT as a department has little expenses. Because the department provides services to other departments, it is important for the organization to allocate the IT expenses to these departments. On its own, the IT department spends less, as it only require keeping its operations going. The main reason for the establ ishment of IT departments in organizations was to provide technology and communication services to the rest departments. This makes IT the biggest and most interactive department in an organization, as the organization entirely relies on it for these services. Choosing to allocate all IT related expenses to the IT department would leave it with a huge budget. Nonetheless, it is difficult to track all expenses of the IT department. Condensing all the organizational expenses on IT services under the IT department, there would be no track of organizational expenditure on the IT department, and thus poor track of the organizational expenses. 4. The IT should operate just like any other organizational department. Although, due to the sensitivity in operations of the IT department, in most cases, the department runs its operations independently, there should be a limit as to how far this freedom could go. As established by Reuben, it is hard to keep track of all the expenditures in the IT department (Austin et al. 61). On the other hand, there is the need for monitoring of its operations as well as regulation. Therefore, the department should not be independent altogether. There should be a framework regulating the amount IT spends, to make sure it does not overstate its budget. 5. Acquiring new systems is an expensive affair. Therefore, most of the organizations opt to maintain the existing systems, as long as their importance

Failure of Communism in Russia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Failure of Communism in Russia - Essay Example The Russian radicals, the Bolsheviks led by Lenin, shoved out the moderate Mensheviks and imposed a totalitarian, socialist political ideology that completely obliterated capitalism and tsarist authoritarianism (Cohen,1980,p.42). Lenin, with Leon Trotsky as his main Communism engineer, adopted and modified the Communism concepts of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels as contained in The Communist Manifesto. In 1918, the Communist Party of Russia was formalized and in 1919, the Comintern or the Communist International was established to export the Communist ideology throughout the whole world (Wang,1998,p.71). Afterwards, private ownership was abolished and all private properties and industries came under the control of the state. Collectivisation of agriculture, prohibition of opposition and all basic freedoms including freedom of the press and religion and propaganda were the order of the Bolshevik rule and all facets of life whether political, social, economic or cultural were under tight Communism grip. The Stalin Era worsened the people's conditions as the Great Purge was set into motion immolating millions of Russians who threatened in any way Stalin's power and domination (Daniels,1985,p.173). The Russian economy failed to soar and instead plummeted during Khruschev, Brezhnev and Andropov's totalitarian rules. Gorbachev tried to revive an ailing communist government in Russia with his perestroika or rebuilding or reconstruction and glasnost or "being open to the public" but to no avail. The Russian satellites one by one declared their independence and the Iron Curtain was completely rent. Yeltsin was left with no recourse but declare the demise of the Communist Party and the termination of the USSR on December 8, 1991 (Leonard,2006,p.702). Causes of the Failure of Communism In Russia Communism in Russia was doomed right from the start. It cannot claim any legitimacy and any illegitimate government flirts with being eradicated at the most opportune time. The Bolshevik government can never claim to be legitimate right from the outset because it wrested power from the provisional government set up by the Russian Duma by illegitimate means. The Bolsheviks were just "a small, united band of revolutionary fanatics brilliantly led by Lenin" (Rabinowitch,2007,p.ix) who subverted the will of the majority by illegally imposing their own will by "undemocratic methods .i.e. rigged elections, terror, totalitarian state, harassment and threats" (Kehoe, 1988,pp. 25,32). The peasantry, which comprised 80% of the Russian population at that time were neither communists, socialists or of any political color but were

Adaptive Web-site Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adaptive Web-site Design - Essay Example Currently, there are technologies that allow Web programmers to separate the conceptual representation of an application domain from the content of the actual Web-site. One such popular technology is eXtensible Markup Language (XML). XML is a markup language that was designed to transport and store data. It separates the document’s contents from its presentation. This makes it possible to use a single document to contain all the website’s content independent of presentation attributes. Secondly, the XML source document is processed with an eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) file to produce a variety of outputs including HTML pages, rich text formats (RTFs), PDFs and mobile devices. This single source capability decreases errors in content and ensures consistency of format throughout entire Web sites and between formats for multiple devices (Costello et al. 2006). Another technology that promotes adaptive web design is Cascading Style Sheets 3 (CSS3) which supports u se of fluid layouts, flexible media and media queries (Gustafson 2011). CSS is a style sheet language, which like XML, enables the separation of document presentation from document content. CSS3 is the latest standard for Cascading Style Sheets.

Customers Switching Behavior Essay Example for Free

Customers Switching Behavior Essay Relationships and individuals bank switching behavior Abstract We examine the role of relationships between individuals and their banks in determining bank switching behavior. Using data from a survey questionnaire from a random sample of bank customers in the United States, we find that the variables measuring the various dimensions of a relationship significantly lower an individuals propensity to switch banks. These include the duration of an individuals relationship with her bank, whether or not she has had problems with her bank in the past, and aspects of the quality of the service relationship. An innovation of the current paper lies in incorporating finance/economic aspects of relationship with the various dimensions of service quality relationship collectively as determinants of an individuals propensity to switch banks. The attributes capturing whether or not an individual feels that her bank is responsive, is empathetic and is reliable to her needs, are all significantly negatively correlated with her propensity to switch banks. Our results demonstrate just how relationships may help in limiting bank switching behavior and deliver a strong message to banks about the importance of relationships in retaining loyal customers. Our findings also underscore the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate disciplines to better understand the behavior and decision making of individuals and their banks. Author Keywords: Bank switching; Relationships

Glaxosmithkline Marketing Analysis

Glaxosmithkline Marketing Analysis Jump to: GSK PESTLE | SWOT | Pfizters SWOT | SMART Objectives | Environmental SMART Objectives | Financial SMART Objectives | Strategic Priorities | Marketing Mix GlaxoSmithKline is a UK based pharmaceutical, biological and healthcare company. It is the worlds second largest pharmaceutical company. Glaxo Wellcome, which is formed from the merger of Glaxo Laboratories and Burroughs Wellcome Company, together with the SmithKline Beecham and they have form the GlaxoSmithKline. In the year 2000, GlaxoSmithKline have the name and known as GSK. GSK had employs around 110,000 workers in 117 countries, and is including over 40,000 that participate in sales and marketing. There are few global headquarters which is separated in GSK House in Brebtfort, London, United Kingdom and United States. The London and New York stock exchanges have listed the GSK Company in their list. Some well known brands such as Ribena (beverage), Panadol Zantac (anti-ulcer), Zavirax (anti-viral), (pain relief) and Augmentin (antibiotic) which is selling by them. Mission statement: The GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) global quest is to improve the quality of human life by guiding people to do more, to let them feel better, and also live longer. Besides that, the GSK has to undertake the entrepreneurial spirit of enthusiasm. It is inspired by the constant search for the pursuit of innovation.  GlaxoSmithKline attention to performance also made their complete realization and each and every citizen, as a global leader in world-class and unparalleled passion for the success of awareness contribute to the sense of urgency.  In addition, two have been entered into by the diversity of life and set statements declaration statements. Diversity Statement: GlaxoSmithKline provides an employee with respect and dignity for all working towards the environment diverse workforce.  With different backgrounds, cultures and world views of the labour force to help it understand the different patients, but also the needs of customers.  GlaxoSmithKline in the right positions to ensure that they do the best to provide genuine equality of opportunity best work.  It can monitor and manage the level and then around the world, the report by the UK ethnic and gender diversity on the data, to ensure compliance with the commitment to diversity. Life Statement: GSK committed to the hope that all workers can do their best work.  The way they do, not only to meet the business, but for your own personal needs and need it. That is why they attach so much importance to flexible working.  GlaxoSmithKline is to support flexible working arrangements, as long as it can make a better life for employees, while ensuring that business needs are met.  Flexible work policies, applicable to all staff, and it covers several modes of operation, for example, like home work, part-time jobs, annual hours, but also long-time work.  In addition, the types of flexible working options are particularly attractive to parents and caregivers.  However, the reduction or re-allocation of time or home-working arrangements can also support peoples religious observances.  It is there along with all other interests and responsibilities outside the workplace of the host. GSK Values and Behaviours Health care market in the past decade there is a need to change our business model into a more customer-centric, innovative how we perform as a collective organization, will determine our success.  To the external environment with increasingly complex and effective changes in speed index, GlaxoSmithKline need to establish an internal learning culture by GlaxoSmithKline reflect the values and behaviour. Summary of 2009 financial information As a 2nd largest pharmaceutical company, GSK financial should be doing well in their financial to maintain the images and reputation of the company. Well, to increase its market competitiveness, GSK need to have stable profits to run the research and future development. According to the table above we can understand the financial summary of GSK in year 2005 to year 2009. First we can see that the total revenue in year 2005 to 2009 is performing well. But the total revenue of year 2005 and 2006 is remaining the same while in year 2007 is decreasing and it increase back when year 2008 and 2009 as well. The total revenue amount of year 2005 is  £21660 million and 2006 is  £23225 million. The years 2005 to year 2006 it has 7.23% increase in the company. And by the year 2007 it decrease to amount of  £22716 million, which is reducing about  £509 million, about 2.192% decrease compare to year 2006. In the year 2008 it increases  £1636 million back to amount of  £24352 million, which the percentage is 7.202%. And in between year 2008 to 2009 it increase  £4016 million to amount of  £28368 million which the percentage is 16.491%. PESTLE Technological advancements, tighter regulatory-compliance overheads, rafts of patent expiries and volatile investor confidence have made the modern pharmaceutical industry an increasingly tough and competitive environment. Below is an analysis of the structure of the pharmaceutical industry using the PESTLE which mean political, economic, social and technological, and legal environment. (P)olitical: Over the years, the industry has witnessed increased political attention due to the increased the recognition of the economic importance of healthcare as a component of social welfare. Political interest has also been generated because of the increasing social and financial burden of healthcare. Examples are the UKs National Health Service debate and Medicare in the US. (E)conomic: In the decade to 2003 the pharmaceutical industry witnessed high value mergers and acquisitions 7 with a projected stock value growth rate of 10.5% (2003-2010) and Health Care. Growth rate of 12.5% (2003-2010), the audited value of the global pharmaceutical market is estimated to reach a huge 500 billion dollars by 2004. Only information technology has a higher expected growth rate of 12.6%. Majority of pharmaceutical sales originate in the US, EU and Japanese markets. Nine geographic markets account for over 80% of global pharmaceutical sales these are, US, Japan, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Canada, Brazil and Spain. Of these markets, the US is the fastest growing market and since 1995 it has accounted for close to 60% of global sales. In 2000 alone the US market grew by 16% to $133 billion dollars making it a key strategic market for pharmaceuticals. (S)ocial: Good health is an important personal and social requirement and the unique role pharmaceutical firms play in meeting societys need for popular wellbeing cannot be underestimated. In recent times, the impact of various global epidemics likes SARS, AIDS etc has also attracted popular and media attention to the industry. The effect of the intense media and political attention has resulted in increasing industry efforts to create and maintain good government-industry-society communications. (T)echnological: A modern scientific and technological advance in science is forcing industry players to adapt ever faster to the evolving environments in which they participate. Scientific advancements have also increased the need for increased spending on research and development in order to encourage innovation. (L)egal Environment: Pharmaceutical industry is a highly regulated industry and compliance enforcement. Therefore there are a huge laws, regulations and compliance with the industry indirectly absorbed.  This tends to limit its activity, and in recent years, the Government has begun to require regulation of the industry cost of the proposal, in order to avoid obstacles, embedded in the external market, global challenges, in the face of innovation. Market share Direct Competitor Comparison Competitor situation One of the main competitors of GSK is Pfizer. Pfizer Inc. is a U.S. listed global biopharmaceutical company.  Founded in 1849, the company is headquartered in New York City, in Groton research, based in Connecticut.  It is engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and global human and animal prescription drug market, currently sells the second-largest pharmaceutical company. Its main products include devices for blood, high blood pressure and cardiovascular events Caduet Pfizers Lipitor cholesterol levels.  Pfizer and its subsidiaries employ approximately 116,500 people worldwide.  The company is among the world top 500, ranking No. 40 in 2010, and the most recent dollar price of 68.0bn acquisition of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company. In 2009, Pfizer reported revenues of 50.0bn and an  operating profit  of  £12.1bn and  £7.8bn was invested in RD. GlaxoSmithKline SWOT (S)trengths Reputation management   large market share   large highly skilled work force     Globally positioned   2nd largest in the pharmaceutical industry (W)eaknesses No online presence Inconsistency of attractive promotions High dependency on only several products Strong focus on UK market (O)pportunities New drug development Organic growth Licensing (T)hreats Rising drug cost Drug side effect competition SWOT stands for strength, weakness, opportunity and threats The rationale for conducting a SWOT analysis before proceeding to the development of the strategic plan is to know whether the organizations plan is a good fit for its internal and external situation or not. An organizations internal situation is defined by its strengths and weaknesses. An organizations external situation is defined by its opportunities and threats that exist in the business environment Pfizer SWOT analysis (S)trengths Strong sales and marketing infrastructure Strong RD departments Marketing strength in major geographical and therapeutic areas (W)eaknesses Very limited penetration of biologics market Discontinuation of products in the latter stages of development Co-marketing agreements can limit Pfizers global presence (O)pportunities Funding available to facilitate product Biologic market expansion Emergence of integrated global markets and globalisation for new products Strengths, providing Pfizer with strong products and therefore revenue growth (T)hreats which is Lipitor, due to lose patent exclusivity in 2011 Further large scale MA activity could further decline Pfizers profitability An increase in the number of safety issues surrounding Viagra Economic downturn influencing consumers purchasing power For the price of the microprocessor produce by Intel and AMD, the difference of the performance actually not very big there is just a small different of the performance, but AMD able to sell their product with a cheapest price compare to Intel but at the same AMD having a very big problem which is their product quality is not that stable, it might not be long lasting compare to Intel and Intel having a partnership with Microsoft company and this is another advantage that the buyers of Intel processor would not need to purchase operating system for their computer compare to AMD which the buyers need to purchase another operating system from Microsoft or Mac by themselves. The opportunities of Intel actually is the dominance of the market share in the market, they having a lots of different customer around the world unlike AMD which only having a little section of the market share while they lost a little of the customer will having a difficulty of the company operating due to the lack of financial power, but at the same time AMD having a growth on the market share and they might grab some of the market share due to the unstable demand of the market towards microprocessor and while they grab the market share will lead to the loss of Intel market share in microprocessor market. Smart objectives Objective for branding and promotional Specific Increase more healthy drinks like Horlicks and Ribena that has no artificial colour, flavour and sweetener Having more outlet to sell the healthy product in hypermarket Create more advertisement about GSK healthy drinks product Measurable sells more than 120 million bottles of drinks each year by the year 2013, become one of the largest healthy drinks company in market Achievable Services developed and developing countries to improve peoples quality of life enabling people to do more to improve the quality of life of people Realistic provide the good service and the high quality of product increase public trust and to let consumers feel that it is worth and they are willing to buy the product Timely In 3 years time, recognize by community as providing the healthy product company Environmental Objective for growth Specific Become the environmental friendly company Have more advertisement about recycle and educate the consumer and make resources available for them. Measurable Having 0% of industrial waste Producing 100% recycle product from company Achievable Let public and user know more about recycle product Research and develop more recycle and reuse product Realistic Become one of the best and largest product recycle company in the world Timely In year 2012, company are fully environmental friendly Financial Specific Increase and improve the sales in UK Having an improvement in total revenue and profit of the company Measurable Increase 5% of sales compare to the previous year Achievable Producing new product to influence and increase the purchasing of consumers of our product Realistic Facing so many competitors, product packaging and convenient of having the product, good services should be there to attract customers. So, an increment of 5% in revenue should not be a problem. Timely In year 2012, increase the sales and revenue by 5% and remain increase 5% year by year. GSK is focused on delivering three strategic priorities to transform into a company that delivers more growth that has less risk and an improved long-term financial performance. To be a successful and sustainable business, GSK also fulfils the social responsibilities. By doing this GSK is seen like more responsive, more flexible and more open. Three Strategic priorities The first priority of GSK is growing a diversified global business. GSK diversifying its business to create a balanced product portfolio, in the same time move away from reliance on traditional like white pill or western markets. Besides that, GSK also investing in key growth areas such as Emerging Markets, Japan, Vaccines and the Consumer Healthcare business. Next, the second priority is delivering more products of value. It aims to sustain in an industry leading pipeline of products, this is to ensuring that they demonstrate value for healthcare providers. The RD strategy is built around to focusing on the best science which diversifying through externalisation of research and also improving the returns on investment. The last priority is simplifying the operating model. GSK is a large and complex organisation which is transforming the operating model to reduce the complexities, to improve efficiency and also reducing the costs. The marketing mix strategy which need 4P (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) to make the market decision, actually is the best strategy to be used on the company in the industry. Marketing Mix Product Horlicks is considered one of GSKs main brands in the health food segment. Due to slow profit made in health products of Horlicks, the company has come up with strategies to push the flagship of the brand. Horlicks has previously target old people as a nourishment health drink for, but now they are re-launching its brand and targeting children in the market. GSK is expecting Horlicks to have an increase in turnover of health food sector. Horlicks has relaunched new products that are now available in the market such as Chocolate, Creamy Vanilla and Honey Buzz varieties in package that not only tickles the taste bud of children but also providing nutrients for the health and growth of children such as Vitamin A, Proteins, Carbohydrate and so on. A fresh new image for  Horlicks Price Horlick has white and brown drinks, where the white drink is for entire family and the brown drink focuses on children. White drink has a faster growth rate and this has added the benefits of enhancing the healthy image of Horlicks. This does not mean the target market of children has left unattended. Horlicks now positioned as a nourishment drink targeting children of age group between 8-14. Children nowadays have huge influence on things that family members buy, and therefore Horlicks prefer children to purchase their health drinks. Horlicks has also come up with products that that target kids between one and three. Place In UK, Horlicks already is a very famous product which able to found in every hypermarket, mini market in UK. Other than that, it also can be found in all the convenience stores. Besides that, the main wholesalers distribute products, so small shops within easy reach of local grain through the cash and carry. Promotion In order to increase consumer awareness of the brand of Horlicks, GSK can promote the product through TV advertisement, radio advertisement. Besides that, it also can advertise in the cinema before a movie or having a banner on the internet. On the other hand, we can also having free gift of Horlicks product by giving through the radio when the audience answer one question about Horlicks.

Philosophy of Educative Assessment Essay -- essays research papers

Philosophy of Assessment Assessment of students is a crucial part of their education. It is one thing to be able, with some degree of confidence, to say that 'Johnny knows x' but it is quite another to be able to say 'Sarah can x'. It is clear that assessment at its core is involved in the measuring of something and that if I expect students to reach above a certain level of 'something' then I must clearly communicate that to them. The backwards design that we are familiar with goes someway towards achieving this goal. The notion that we state at the outset our expectations for student learning and then design activities to achieve that stated goal appears to be common sense. However, the tendency for teachers to rely upon pre-existing testing materials and adjust their high expectations to either teach to the test or adopt a less ?radical? approach is tempting. I think that new teachers are so overwhelmed with the day to day business of running a classroom that assessment, perhaps the most vital and under examined area in education, takes a back seat pretty quickly. A frustrating aspect of modern education is the concept of differentiation. It is often presented in the sense that each student learns differently, has different strengths and weaknesses and accordingly should be afforded assessment opportunities that allow them the best chance of success. That approach is daunting to new teachers because the intimation is that individualized assessment is preferable and with one hundred and six students of different grade levels and their own relative areas of skill, individualized assessment appears too hard a challenge. I have begun to examine my own assessment with a view to finding ways to improve it and improve ... ...stances students find among themselves, the absolutes are the text and the definitions available in the Oxford English Dictionary. The variable of teacher interpretation is also reduced because the student uses evidence form the text to prove their assertions. In addition to which, I contend that the explication meets the criteria for an educative assessment in that it allows for the academic growth of the student as the result of the features of the passage that are illuminated. Students see different things in the same text and express their findings differently but the value of their findings is the measure to take. The goal of educative assessment appears to turn ?traditional? assessment on its ear. The notion that the assessment is teaching something is a challenge to many teachers, particularly teachers with a vested interest in producing test scores.

Financial Crisis: Theoretical and Historical Perspective an Article by

LITERATURE REVIEW There are too many studies about crisis because crisis are experiencing anywhere and anytime in the world. I have scanned many articles about types of crisis and examples of them. There are too many article but I can’t found any containing two of them together. There are too many research resources but they are very scattered. Almost all of them are post graduate level. They are hard to understand as a sudent at the graduate level. There is a sample article by Gà ¼ven Delice. Title of article is Financial Crisis: Theoretical and historical perspective. In this article Delice mentioned definition of the financial crisis, types of financial crisis, financial crisis models and historical process but all of them are theoretical. There is no experienced example about types of crisis. If we look at another article by Ahmet Turgut we can see almost same things. Again there is no experienced example about types of crisis. He mentioned types of financial crisis, indicators of financial crisis. All of these are theoretical. I am planning to do a project which include both theory and experienced examples. TYPES OF CRISIS There are many factors in Economy. Therefore, inherently there are many reasons for occurrence of crises. After Second World War, national and international financial markets integration process bring with case of financial crisis. Especially since 1990 this case was rise rapidly. In this project I am going to try to explain this reasons so types of crises. I am going to mention 4 types of them; †¢ Currency Crisis, †¢ Banking Crisis, †¢ External Debt Crisis, †¢ Systematic Financial Crisis. Before starting to explain types of financial crisis I want to mention four important factor that cause financial crisis a... ...u ve Ä °ktisat Dergisi. 20. 35 – 46. - Chan, K. S., Dang, Q. T. (2012) 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, Financial Linkages, and the Monetary Policy of Japan. 20. 1-17. - Burnside, C. , Einchenbaum, M. , Rebelo, S. (1998) Prospective Deficits and the Asian Currency Crisis. National Bureau of Economic Research - Boasson, V. (2012) The 2007 – 2009 Global Financial Crisis: A research Synthesis. Sigillum Universitatis Islandiae. - Glick, R., Hutchison, M. (2011) Currency Crises. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Working Papers. - Havranek, T. , Rusnak, M. , Smidkova, K. , Vasicek, B. (2012) Leading Indicators of crisis Incidence, Evidence From Developed Countries. European Central Bank Working Paper Series. 1486. - Kramp, R. S. (2010) The Great Depression. Library Juice Press. - Bernstein. M. (1987) The Great Depression: Delayed Recovery and Economic Change in America.

Essay --

There is 317,327,804 million citizens in the United States as of 8:05pm on January 6th, 2014 (U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base). 37.4% of the United States population lives in the South, 23.5% live in the West, 21.4% in the Midwest and the final 17.7% live in the Northeast (U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base). Given the fact that the United States is the best country in the world, it is also one of the biggest. 82.3% of the population live a long way from the White House. Before the 1950s, and the development of the internet and media, it was more difficult to influence a political party to focus on certain issues from thousands of miles away. Those citizens didn't have the technological advancements that modern America have such as T.V., E-mail, and even Twitter. Newspapers were only a sufficient way of getting news a crossed the country. The average population in the 1940s that are significantly far from the White House was 75% (U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base). With the creation of linkage institutions in America, that 75% was provided the link they strived for to voice their opinion and play their part. The United States is run under democracy and a democracy depends for its very livelihood on the consequential contacts between the government and the people. The Founding Fathers of the United States destined for the members of Congress to provide the link between government and the citizens. On of the founders, James Madison explains that public views are enhanced and refined â€Å"by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country..." (Federalist #10). â€Å"In our Modern American Government, each House member represents almos... ...r office, public officials' activities, and the public service announcement of the day through television, newspapers, radio, and the Internet. The media's power to shape the American mind has often been criticized, but it also allows people to give feedback to the government† (Steve Jobs). Being able to have free media and paid media, the press is able to swing voters by informing them what issues are important at any given time. While there is a wide spread belief that they media is bias to either the right of the left, it should be less of a concern to the public because the media is largely unsuccessful in shaping opinion but it also allows people to give feedback to the government. Equally, the media is affected by the government, who is able to use the media as a political instrument by furthering the political views of whatever power is currently in office.

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychologists view human behavior and psychological traits as a result of evolutionary adaptation in response to reproductive needs – much like the concept of natural selection applied to reproduction, or sexual selection. Drawing from this perspective, evolutionary psychologists and professionals seek to explain the differences between male and female dating and mating rituals and sexual attitudes and how they have evolved throughout the centuries.For example, researchers employ the evolutionary perspective to discuss the differences in male and female promiscuity, aggressiveness, dominance, dating patterns, and the development of sexual attitudes – differences which seem to become less apparent in modern times than the more traditional sexual values expressed throughout history. Evolutionary psychologists would propose that differences between male and female promiscuity are a result of the evolving need to ensure reproduction.While traditional female sex ual attitudes and values are evolving and females are increasingly becoming more comfortable in expressing sexual aggression or dominance in modern times, these traditional differences may be explained from the standpoint of adaptation to reproductive demands as well. Women are more limited in reproductive opportunity than men, having a limited number of eggs and a limited amount of time in which to reproduce optimally, while men have a much more unlimited reproductive opportunity with hundreds of thousands of available sperm and a many more reproductively-viable years than women.Evolutionary psychologists would propose that the differences in sexual attitudes and behaviors among men and women are directly attributable to these reproductive differences as evidenced by the innate desire of men for sexual promiscuity, as compared to the highly selective manner of reproductive behavior among women.While the evolution of social attitudes towards female sexuality has produced an acceptan ce of evolving sexual behavior among women, evolutionary professionals propose that the innate differences between men and women with regard to parenting style, romantic behavior, preferences in sexual partners, and the extent to which looks and personality play a role in mating selection, are a result of evolutionary adaptations.Evolutionary psychology would propose that male and female sexual behavior is centered on the innate need to optimize reproductive opportunity – men being visually stimulated and aggressive in order to ensure a fertile mate and reproductive opportunity, while women express nurturance and attraction towards partners who can provide, ensuring survival of the family unit. These sexual and mating differences, according to evolutionary psychology, ensure the passing on of ones’ genes.

Christopher McCandless Essay

Christopher Johnson McCandless (February 12, 1968 – August 1992) was an American hiker who adopted the alias Alexander Supertramp and ventured into the Alaskan wilderness in April 1992 with little food and equipment, hoping to live simply for a time in solitude. Almost four months later, McCandless’s remains were found, weighing only 67 pounds (30 kg). It has recently been speculated that Chris had developed lathyrism, caused by his consumption of seeds from a flowering plant in the legume family which contain the neurotoxin ODAP. McCandless’s resulting paralysis would have caused a gradual inability to move, hunt or forage and this could have led to his death from starvation.[1] His death occurred in a converted bus used as a backcountry shelter, near Lake Wentitika in Denali National Park and Preserve. In January 1993, Jon Krakauer published McCandless’ story in that month’s issue of Outside magazine. Inspired by the details of McCandless’s story, Krakauer wrote and published Into the Wild in 1996 about McCandless’ travels. The book was adapted into a film by Sean Penn in 2007 with Emile Hirsch portraying McCandless. That same year, McCandless’s story also became the subject of Ron Lamothe’s documentary The Call of the Wild. A full-length article on McCandless also appeared in the February 8, 1993 issue of the The New Yorker magazine.[2] Earlier years[edit] Christopher McCandless was born in El Segundo, California, the first of two children to Walter â€Å"Walt† McCandless and Wilhelmina â€Å"Billie† Johnson. Chris had one younger sister, Carine. In 1976, the family settled in Annandale, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., after his father was employed as an antenna specialist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). His mother worked as a secretary at Hughes Aircraft and later assisted her husband with his successful home-based consulting company in Annandale. Walt and Billie often fought and sometimes contemplated divorce.[citation needed] Chris and Carine had six half-siblings living in California from Walt’s first marriage. Walt was not yet divorced from his first wife when Chris and Carine were born; however, Chris did not discover his father’s affair until a summer trip to Southern California[3] in 1986. This discovery caused him to hold a lot of bitterness towards his father, and could have been a factor in his views about society. At school, teachers noticed McCandless was unusually strong-willed.[citation needed][who?] In  adolescence he coupled this with intense idealism and physical endurance. In high school, he served as captain of the cross-country team, urging teammates to treat running as a spiritual exercise in which they were â€Å"running against the forces of darkness †¦ all the evil in the world, all the hatred.†[4] On June 2, 1986, McCandless graduated from W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia. On June 10, McCandless embarked on one of his first major adventures in which he traveled throughout the country in his Datsun B-210, arriving at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, two days prior to the beginning of fall classes. His upper middle class background and academic success were drivers for his contempt of what he saw as the empty materialism of society. McCandless was strongly influenced by Jack London, Leo Tolstoy, W. H. Davies and Henry David Thoreau. In his junior year, he declined membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society, on the basis that honors and titles were irrelevant. McCandless graduated from Emory on May 12, 1990, with a Bache lor’s degree, double majoring in history and anthropology. He envisioned separating from organized society for a Thoreauvian period of solitary contemplation. Travels[edit] In May 1990, Christopher McCandless donated the remaining $24,000, given to him by a family friend for his law degree, to Oxfam International, a hunger prevention charity. Towards the end of June, he began traveling under the name â€Å"Alexander† McCandless until later adopting the last name of â€Å"Supertramp† (Krakauer notes the connection with Welsh author W. H. Davies and his 1908 autobiography The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp). Most people he encountered regarded him as intelligent and one who loved to read. By the end of the summer, McCandless made his way through Arizona, California and South Dakota, where he worked at a grain elevator in Carthage. He survived a flash flood, but allowed his car to wash out (although it suffered little permanent damage and was later reused by the local police force as an undercover vehicle) and disposed of his license plate.[citation needed] In 1991, McCandless paddled a canoe down remote stretches of the Colorado River to the Gulf of California. He crossed the border to Mexico and, having gotten lost in many dead-end canals, was towed by duckhunters to the sea, where he stayed for some time. He took pride in surviving with a minimum of gear and funds, and generally made little preparation. Alaskan Odyssey[edit] For years, McCandless dreamed of an â€Å"Alaskan Odyssey† wherein he would live off the land of the Alaskan wilderness, far away from civilization, and â€Å"find himself†[citation needed]. He kept a journal describing his physical and spiritual progress as he faced the forces of nature. In April 1992, McCandless hitchhiked from Enderlin, North Dakota, to Fairbanks, Alaska. He was last seen alive on April 28, 1992, by Jim Gallien, a local, who gave him a ride from Fairbanks to the head of the Stampede Trail. Gallien was concerned about â€Å"Alex†, who had minimal supplies (not even a compass) and no experience surviving in the Alaskan bush. Gallien repeatedly tried to persuade Alex to defer his trip, and even offered to drive him to Anchorage to buy suitable equipment and supplies. However, McCandless ignored Gallien’s warnings, refusing all assistance except for a pair of Wellington rubber boots, two tuna melt sandwiches, and a bag of corn chips. Gallie n allowed Chris to wander off with the belief that he would head back towards the highway within a few days as his eventual hunger set in. After hiking along the snow-covered Stampede Trail, McCandless found an abandoned bus (about 40 miles (64 km) west of Healy) used as a hunting shelter and parked on an overgrown section of the trail near Denali National Park, and began to live off the land. He had 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of rice, a Remington semi-automatic rifle with 400 rounds of .22LR hollowpoint ammunition, several books including one on local plant life, and some camping equipment. He assumed he could forage for plant food and hunt game. For the next thirty days or so, McCandless poached porcupines, squirrels, and birds, such as ptarmigans and Canada geese. On June 9, 1992, he managed to kill a moose; however, he failed to preserve the meat properly, and within days it spoiled and was covered with maggots. His journal contains entries covering a total of 112 days. These entries range from ecstatic to grim with McCandless’ changing fortunes. In July, after living in the bus for three months, he decided to leave, but found the trail back blocked by the Teklanika River, which was then considerably higher and swifter than when he crossed in April. Unknown to McCandless, there was a hand-operated tram that crossed the river only 1⠁„4 of a mile away from where he h ad previously crossed. In the 2007 documentary The Call of the Wild, evidence is presented that McCandless had a map at his disposal, which should have helped him find  another route to safety.[5] McCandless lived in the bus for a total of 113 days. At some point during that time, presumably very near the end, he posted an S.O.S. note calling on anyone passing by to help him because he was injured and too weak. The full note read: â€Å" Attention Possible Visitors. S.O.S. I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out. I am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of God, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?[6] † Death[edit] On August 12, 1992, McCandless wrote what are apparently his final words in his journal: â€Å"Beautiful Blueberries.† He tore the final page from Louis L’Amour’s memoir, Education of a Wandering Man, which contains an excerpt from a Robinson Jeffers poem titled â€Å"Wise Men in Their Bad Hours†: Death’s a fierce meadowlark: but to die having madeSomething more equal to centuriesThan muscle and bone, is mostly to shed weakness.The mountains are dead stone, the peopleAdmire or hate their stature, their insolent quietness,The mountains are not softened or troubledAnd a few dead men’s thoughts have the same temper. His body was found in his sleeping bag inside the bus by Butch Killian, a local hunter, on September 6, 1992.[7] McCandless had been dead for more than two weeks and weighed an estimated 30 kilograms (66 lb). His official, undisputed cause of death was starvation. Krakauer suggests two factors may have contributed to McCandlessâ€⠄¢s death. First, he was running the risk of a phenomenon known as â€Å"rabbit starvation† due to increased activity, compared with the leanness of the game he was hunting.[8] Krakauer also speculates that McCandless might have ingested toxic seeds (Hedysarum alpinum or Hedysarum mackenzii) or a mold that grows on them (Rhizoctonia leguminicola produces the toxic alkaloid swainsonine). However, an article in Men’s Journal stated that extensive laboratory testing showed there was no toxin present in McCandless’s food supplies. Dr. Thomas Clausen, the chair of the chemistry and biochemistry department at UAF said â€Å"I tore that plant apart. There were no toxins. No alkaloids. I’d eat it myself.†[9] Analysis of the wild sweet peas, given as the cause of Chris’s death in Sean Penn’s film, turned up no toxic compounds and there is not a single account in modern medical literature of anyone being poisoned by this  species of plant.[5] As one journalist put it: â€Å"He didn’t find a way out of the bush, couldn’t catch enough food to survive, and simply starved to death.†[9] However, the possibility of death through the consumption of the mold, which grew on the seeds in the damp bags which McCandless stored them in, was considered a suitable explanation by Krakauer.[3] Subsequently the academic Ronald Ha milton made the link between the symptoms described by Chris and the poisoning of Jewish prisoners in the Nazi concentration camp in Vapniarca. He put forward the proposal that Chris McCandless died of lathyrism caused by ODAP poisoning from Hedysarum alpinum seeds which hadn’t been picked up by the previous studies as they were searching for alkaloid instead of toxic protein. The protein would be relatively harmless to a well-fed person on a normal diet, but toxic to someone who was malnourished, physically stressed, and on an irregular and insufficient diet, as McCandless was. Subsequent tests revealed ODAP was indeed present in the seeds. [10][11] Criticism[edit] McCandless has been a polarizing figure ever since his story first broke following his death, along with Krakauer’s Outside article on him in January 1993. While Krakauer and many readers have a largely sympathetic view of McCandless,[12] others, particularly Alaskans, have expressed negative views about McCandless and those who romanticize his fate.[13] The most charitable view among McCandless’s detractors is that his behavior showed a profound lack of common sense. He chose not to bring a compass, something that most people in the same situation would have considered essential. McCandless was also completely unaware that a hand-operated tram crossed the otherwise impassable river 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from where he attempted to cross. Had McCandless known this, he could easily have saved his own life.[4] There has been some speculation (particularly in details given in the Lamothe documentary) that he vandalised survival cabins and supplies in the area. However, Ken K ehrer, chief ranger for Denali National Park, denied that McCandless was considered a vandalism suspect by the National Park Service.[14] His venture into a wilderness area alone, without adequate planning, experience, preparation, or supplies, without notifying anyone and lacking emergency communication equipment, was contrary to every principle of outdoor survival and, in the eyes of many experienced outdoor  enthusiasts, nearly certain to end in misfortune. Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote: When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasn’t even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail without even a map of the area. If he [had] had a good map he could have walked out of his predicament [†¦ ] Essentially, Chris McCandless committed suicide.[13] Sherry Simpson, writing in the Anchorage Press, described her trip to the bus with a friend, and their reaction upon reading the comments that tourists had left lauding McCandless as an insightful, Thoreau-like figure: Among my friends and acquaintances, the story of Christopher McCandless makes great after-dinner conversation. Much of the time I agree with the â€Å"he had a death wish† camp because I don’t know how else to reconcile what we know of his ordeal. Now and then I venture into the â€Å"what a dumb–† territor y, tempered by brief alliances with the â€Å"he was just another romantic boy on an all-American quest† partisans. Mostly I’m puzzled by the way he’s emerged as a hero.[15] Jon Krakauer defends McCandless, claiming that what critics point to as arrogance was merely McCandless’s desire for â€Å"being the first to explore a blank spot on the map.† Krakauer continues that â€Å"In 1992, however, there were no more blank spots on the map—not in Alaska, not anywhere. But Chris, with his idiosyncratic logic, came up with an elegant solution to this dilemma: He simply got rid of the map. In his own mind, if nowhere else, the terra would thereby remain incognita.†[16] Others have pointed out that a map of the area (although apparently not including the location of the hand-powered tram) was found among McCandless’s belongings, and refute the accusations that he intentionally discarded this map.[17]

The traditional British seaside resort is in the danger of extinction

What do I think of as the traditional British seaside resort? Crowded beaches, with screaming children, buckets and spades, candy floss and donkey rides. A holiday by the sea has been a traditional break from the bustling city life since the 1840's, before which it was exclusive to the middle and upper classes. People could escape from their working lives- to experience the fresh air and relaxed atmosphere in places such as Bournemouth and Brighton. Blackpool also was a definite traditional seaside resort. After the railway arrived in 1846, Blackpool became an easily accessible destination only an hour or so from the smoggy cities such as Manchester and Bolton. With the arrival of cars and coaches Blackpool became even more thriving; by 1980 it was attracting over a million visitors every year. The 11km of white sandy beach was one attraction along with the famous tower, the pleasure beach and the piers. Another resort which shared this huge popularity, even with the royals, was Southend on Sea. From the 1800's onwards it was a popular destination for the tourists, with the beach, the amusement arcades and the longest pleasure pier in the world. It's within close proximity to London, and with the railway being built in 1854 it became even more accessible, throughout the 20th centaury its popularity continued with working and middle class day trippers and in the 1960's and 1970's the bank holiday invasions began. However these two resorts, along with many others have been hit by decline over the last few decades. They have been overtaken by tourists moving further from home. Cheap package holidays to destinations in the sun have proved too much of a temptation and today as many Britons take their main holiday abroad as do within Britain. The general public are choosing more adventurous holidays, further a field, they are much more aware of the possibilities they have through advertising and travel agencies. Also today's wealthier population have taken to spending their money to pamper themselves, which so often involves lounging in the guaranteed sunshine of the Mediterranean or some other foreign destination. The number of visitors spending time and money at Blackpool has fallen dramatically over the last 30 years. Families have stopped visiting and the tourists are falling into the ranks of â€Å"clubbers† and old age pensioners. The clubbers are bringing with them disruption, noise, violence, drugs and a general feeling of unrest and disturbance, this in turn is deterring the old age pensioners visiting, who are trying to find some peace and quiet and enjoy romantic strolls along the shore. This has caused the halt of the cash flowing into the area, so hotels are downgrading to hostels and restaurants are being replaced with fast-food joints. The beach has become littered and not desirable for children to play on. The social status of Southend on Sea has plummeted noticeably through the ages; the once fashionable resort has changed to the tacky stereotypical seaside resort. With the influx of Mods and Rockers â€Å"coming off the trains and having to have their shoe laces and belts confiscated by the police to restrict the violence†. Since the decline of the resort it has also become the â€Å"dumping ground† for refugees. Southend has an estimate of 6-7000 Kosovan refugees and 3-4000 Londoners sent down by social services. The reputation of the refugees has led to a further decline and an even more dramatic drop in visitors. The only visitors it now receives are the occasional day trippers- conceding to only do day trips as they don't like â€Å"the sound of the place at night†. However, the seaside resort is not in total decline, over the last few years the government has made a stand and the regeneration process is underway in many areas. They are attempting to bring the resorts back onto their feet. â€Å"We have turned our backs on our heritage in a lot of these places, and many fell into decay. But now, people are rediscovering the rich history associated with the seaside holiday resorts† (Steve Hayler, of Canterbury Church university college) Local towns, local councils and businesses are cleaning up beaches, improving facilities and rejuvenating traditional attractions. This year a record number of the UK's beaches were awarded the â€Å"blue flag† for meeting exacting standards of cleanliness and management demanded by the European clean-up scheme. 7 beaches made the grade, compared to 41 last year. Hopefully this is attracting people back to the beaches. Some areas are taking more drastic measures e. g. Newquay and Bournemouth with the prospect of building an artificial reef that would guarantee bigger waves. This would boost the already booming trend of surfers flocking to the beaches to catch the waves. This year an expected 100,000 are expected to turn up at the annual â€Å"Rip Curl Newquay Boardmasters festival†. Blackpool is considering a complete change in image. To transform the Lancashire town into a British version of Las Vegas. â€Å"We see huge opportunity; we want to see a year-round resort with year-round jobs that can be the centre of a larger regenerated Blackpool† (Alan Cazill the economic development officer at Blackpool Council). However some resorts are taking the more conventional route, just trying to improve on what they've got. For example Brighton's west pier ravaged by fire, was for decades a ghostly remnant of the past slowly falling into the sea. As part of the refurbishment, the underwater supports have been shored up and the decaying pier is floodlit at night. True the â€Å"Traditional† British seaside resort may be in danger of extinction, but in no way is the new and different seaside resort dying out its only just getting started. Despite the lure of foreign climate and the growth of cheap package holidays, this year for the first time in long time Britons are choosing once more for the pebbly shores close to home. The number of people heading for the seaside for four nights or more- 30 million a year- is the same as in 1965. Some 110 million day-trippers also make for the coast each year. In conclusion: has the British seaside resort come to the end of the line? Do people only want the guaranteed sun found in Europe and other countries? Or do people look for more in a beach holiday. Seaside may never return to how they were, but that does not mean they will die out, they may return in a brand new regenerated new fashion.

Steve Bennett joined a company called Intuit

This paper deals with issues relating to a newly hired CEO of an existing company. The CEO incorporates his own ideas and systems into that company to change the flow of productivity. His implementations had successes and failures. It is important to note the criticism as such in order to best determine what he could have put into place. In January of 2000, an individual by the name of Steve Bennett joined a company called Intuit. Intuit is responsible for the Quicken software, and Bennett served as the company’s president and chief executive officer.There were several factors leading to the success of Intuit. First and foremost, Bennett was not without experience. He spent the past twenty-three years at General Electric and was benefited by the already in-place expertise that Intuit’s already in-place expertise. Bennett’s goal was to have the leaders at all levels of Intuit make decisions that benefited the whole company. However, twenty-four months after his ac ceptance into the company as CEO, Intuit was still struggling with this new concept and the steps Bennett implemented to reach that concept.Several tense moments developed between existing managers. One of the steps was that managers were now expected to concentrate on their own work but also on the work and development of the entire organization. In doing this, the managers were expected remain accomplished. Bennett felt that roles were unclear and not clean cut. There seemed to be no cross organizational procedures in place and he aimed to fix that. It wasn’t long before his intentions became confusing, as the primary focus and responsibility of the managers was convoluted.What formed as a result was a staggering chasm between the two parties. Chaos ensued, as employees were left to weed through new changes, more rules and altered procedures. Many employees made the choice to leave. Others were asked to leave. While it is evident that Bennett initially had a shortcoming in bringing the company together, he was able to write job descriptions and performance objectives for all his direct reports. Nonetheless, the corporate structure of Intuit was weak upon his arrival.Bennett believed in shared vision and collaborative functioning, a concept utilized successfully by other executives and praised in the business. In response to the article All the Wrong Moves, for example, critic Christopher McCormick, praises an executive for â€Å"asking the right questions of the experts in his organization†¦that would lead to more cross-functional collaboration. As a result of collaboration and analysis, Bennett was able determine key players in the organization and was also able to bring in new personnel, reshape the budget and set a new pattern for the future.Critics have argued that Bennett came in too fast and upturned the applecart too swiftly. Perhaps his changes were too liberal for an otherwise conservative operation. Or, as Hauke Moje stated in his All the Wrong Moves critique, it is necessary to â€Å"install firm management rules and build trust within the company. † However, there is no doubt that, as a result of the restructure, the company’s performance has indeed increased and numbers multiplied. Those who survived the initial turnover wave and stayed with the company were rewarded for their patience and assistance.It is necessary to state that Steve Bennett had the expertise to make real changes as well as expectations of success. While this forced some into insecurity about their jobs, Bennett was persistent. He was, as a result, successful in under-layering and transforming Intuit into a collaborative company. He didn’t surrender, even when the road looked bleak. References: Steve Bennett, CEO Intuit – webpage Harvard Business School†¦. Intuit, Inc. Transforming an Entrepreneurial Company into a Collaborative Organization Garvin, David (2006). All the Wrong Moves. Harvard Business Journal.

Current Trends in Nursing Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current Trends in Nursing Practice - Essay Example The Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) Medicare creates a shared savings program which will enable us to form an Accountable Care Organization which is legally recognized. This will enable us to coordinate our activities while providing Medicare free-for-services. In addition, an incentive given by the new law will play a significant role in motivating me to reach for more people and offer the necessary attention to all people who need our help irrespective of their location (CCH Incorporated, 2010). Therefore, through personal satisfaction, the Act will play a major role in creating a serene working environment and changing my attitude towards the nursing practices. This will enable me to be more satisfied with my work. Previously, there was no legislation that recognized a group of providers who were willing to offer free services to the members of public. Therefore, the inclusion of this aspect will be of great benefit in motivating me to bring together other like-minded nurses in order to make changes in the lives of the less fortunate in the society (United States,

People should be vegetarian when possible to avoid animal cruelty Essay

People should be vegetarian when possible to avoid animal cruelty - Essay Example But most of moral grounds for refusal of meat are untenable, so the main idea of this work is to refute some moral basis of vegetarianism. On the traditional position, justification of vegetarianism was in terms of animal welfare, happiness, rights and so on. In recent years another type of justification has been given: vegetarianism has been justified in terms of human suffering, rights etc. What seems to be absent in recent vegetarian arguments, is any consideration of animals. Moral vegetarianism has been constructed as a view that there is a prima facie duty not to eat meat or animal products, but this duty cannot be absolute one, as there are certain situations when it can be overruled. For instance, in the situations when killing animals and eating them is the only way to survive, the animal life will be less valuable anyway. (Martin, 14) Supporters of vegetarianism justify the need for this phenomenon, using arguments of the major world religions. They argue that some religions prescribe care for animals. For example, Judaism asserts that man is given the power to dispose the whole world, as on the top of the hierarchy the human is, and below are the inanimate environment, flora and fauna. Each subsequent stage exists due to absorption of the lower. Each of the lower can grow to higher, becoming a part of him. The grass grows from land, cow eats grass, people eat cows. Thus, the food is not just the destruction of the lower, but a step to development for it. Moreover, we all live in a â€Å"dog eats dog† world and eating meat is an inevitability of society. Another argument of meat-eating enemies is the question "Who are you to kill an animal for own profit?". With all the compassion to animals, it borders with unreasonable extreme of putting the animal on one level with a man. History proves that the one, who begins to treat the animal as

Emergency Response and Promoting Safety Research Paper

Emergency Response and Promoting Safety - Research Paper Example An emergency action plan is crucial because it reduces the number of casualties of a particular emergency. In this case, the severity of injuries is also reduced considerably. The plan also enhances swift evacuation of people and property, which is under threat. The response to an emergency helps calm down an overwrought situation to avoid further havoc. The innovative methods used to keep workers safe and healthy includes training on the response to emergencies. The other method used is continuous evaluation of the emergency plan instituted to grasp the strategies applied during the emergencies. The company can also offer to train the employees on the usage of workplace machines and equipment to reduce the probability of an accident. The methods are useful in a construction company in the sense that they ensure that they enable the employees to take precautions while working. According to Goetsch (2010), a construction company is prone to many risks including falling objects. The methods will ensure that the employees are aware of the guidelines for emergencies and the response actions required. The training carried out ensures that the team promptly responds to an emergency. Training also equips the workforce with proficient skills on safety and health standards. Safety in a construction company is important because machines do most of the construction activities. For that reason, there are high chances of machine accidents owing to power failure, machine faultiness, and employee carelessness. Incentive programs can be employed in a construction company in a bid to promote the safety of the employees (Goetsch, 2010). Incentive programs ensure that employees who complete their tasks without any injury receive rewards. The initiative will ensure that all construction employees work towards minimizing accidents.  

Waging Nonviolent Struggle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Waging Nonviolent Struggle - Essay Example initial protest rally of more than a thousand people before the building of which housed the communist party’s core committee(Sharp, Gene, &Paulson 103). Then this Latvians presented a solid resistance on the conscription by pretending to not speak Russian and by removing or even replacing avenue signs, signposts, house numbers, as well as place name tablets to be able to confuse the army. This generated a move by the Latvian Supreme court on June 20, 1991 to create nonviolent safeguard center to arrange nonviolent resistance so that you can protect Latvia next to a rumored attack from Moscow, the nonviolent mobility encouraged people to set up small centers of amount of resistance in each of their cities (Sharp, Gene, &Paulson 103). With everyone happy to resist employing nonviolence, the pressure on the Baltic Says and in Moscow. In a planned nonviolent strategy, laying the actual groundwork is fundamentally important. Working upon laying groundwork for nonviolent movements is determined by defining ambitions and aims, choosing tactic and practices, making mishap plans in addition to training. The withdrawal of consent, cooperation in addition to submission can challenge the system as this affects the actual opponent’s options for power. How critically the flashbacks does so will vary with the products the types of the action, the amounts of the activists, and their persistent in the face of repression (Sharp, Gene, &Paulson 103). To balance out repression entails using different degrees of pressure for example, control of communication and information, internal pressure, and confiscation in addition to exceptional

Understanding the experiences of special education students who did Dissertation

Understanding the experiences of special education students who did not complete high school - Dissertation Example The purpose of this qualitative case study is to identify the common experiences of special education students who decide to drop-out of high school and the common factors that contribute to the decision to drop-out of high school. The case study will be comprised of male and female special education high school students who dropped out of school at Ridgeville High School (pseudonym for a Virginia high school) during their third and fourth years in the school years 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. The sample population will consist of students between the ages of 16-20. The sampling size will be 15 although 33 students will be initially contacted. The study will be a phenomenological study and will therefore be conducted by virtue of semi-structured interviews designed to identify the common experiences of students who dropped out of school close to graduation. The results of the semi-structured interview will be compared and analysed by virtue of a qualitative data analysis. The results wil l be coded and categorized generally using a phenomenological reductionism method. Once the data are collated and sorted and commonalities are identified, all possible conclusions will be analysed so that a final conclusion can be drawn. Using information from interviews with recent dropouts from Ridgeville High School, in conjunction with findings from current literature, this study will contribute to the development of recommendations for more effective dropout prevention programs for special education students. Descriptors: Achievement gap Disability Drop-out Drop-out prevention IDEA 2004 Dropping out IEP Inclusion NCLB QDA Special Education Student Engagement ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii CHAPTER ONE 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Background 2 Problem Statement 12 Purpose of the Study 15 Research Questions 15 Scope of the Study 16 Limitations and Delimitations 17 Definition of Terms 19 Research Plan 21 CHAPTER TWO 24 LITERATURE REVIEW 2 4 Introduction 24 Overview 25 Institutional reasons for dropping out 38 School belonging and dropout rates 44 Special education services and dropout rates 47 Exit exams 49 Inclusion: Does it reduce dropout rates? 54 Teachers and inclusion 64 Dropout prevention programs 71 IEP programming 74 Transition programming 76 Programs attending to social and academic elements of student lives: Finn’s participation-identification model of school engagement-belonging 79 School belonging and engagement and special education 91 Case studies of best practice school engagement programs that have improved the retention level of special education students in high school 98 Conclusion 102 CHAPTER THREE 104 METHODOLOGY 104 Introduction 104 Research Questions 105 Design 106 Active Observation 112 Intensive Interview 113 Data Collection Procedures 116 In-depth Interviews 117 The Researcher’s Role 120 Qualitative Data Analysis 120 The Coding Process

Fredricksons various models of ethnic and racial relations Essay

Fredricksons various models of ethnic and racial relations - Essay Example Stephen Cruz from the story by Terkel is a Mexican American young man whom is brought up by his father to be a hardworking and honest man, and in the process ends up acquiring education that qualifies him to work in big corporations. Initially when he is employed, he thinks that it is because of his qualification but later on, he realizes that he and other employees for the minority groups are only employed mainly for purposes of giving the company a good image and making it money.   This evidently shows and proves the ethnic hierarchy that Fredrickson identifies as one of the ethnic and racial relations. For Stephen Cruz, who was taught and brought up by his father to work hard in whatever he does and avoid taking things that he does not deserve, is seen in the story being told to fall in the line and learn the way of doing business as the dominant and powerful group does.   The Civil Acts of 1964 is used in this story to signify the way policies and legislations are used to ass imilate minority groups. Fredrickson’s one way assimilation methods is apparently used in this story as the minorities are being accepted and employed to and by the dominant group, but they still play a subordinate role and are not allowed to fully enjoy the freedoms nor fulfill their American dream (Fredrickson, 335). As Stephen Cruz rises up through the corporate ladder slowly with his sheer hard work, he continues to discover that maybe the American dream he is working on is not meant for him.(Fredrickson, 335).... This evidently shows and proves the ethnic hierarchy that Fredrickson identifies as one of the ethnic and racial relations. For Stephen Cruz, who was taught and brought up by his father to work hard in whatever he does and avoid taking things that he does not deserve, is seen in the story being told to fall in the line and learn the way of doing business as the dominant and powerful group does. The Civil Acts of 1964 is used in this story to signify the way policies and legislations are used to assimilate minority groups. Fredrickson’s one way assimilation methods is apparently used in this story as the minorities are being accepted and employed to and by the dominant group, but they still play a subordinate role and are not allowed to fully enjoy the freedoms nor fulfill their American dream (Fredrickson, 335). As Stephen Cruz rises up through the corporate ladder slowly with his sheer hard work, he continues to discover that maybe the American dream he is working on is not m eant for him. This is because he discovers that the dream and the relations between the minority-weak and dominant-powerful, are to the advantage of the later. This relation is described by Fredrickson as group separatism. Although the method of doing so might not be as direct as it may be perceived to be, through taking advantages of various legislations and policies to their (dominant group), can be seen as a way to separate the dominant and the minority. The dominant and powerful in America continue to get stronger and wealthy and the expense of the minority. This separates the two groups even further and no equally is presented. Lastly, another

Ethical Argument Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ethical Argument - Research Paper Example Finally, too much testing is compromising the emotional health of students, causing them severe anxiety and interfering with the learning process. With these elements to consider, too much testing is not an effective method of learning and major changes must be implemented soon in order to promote better learning and outcomes among students. Testing Anxiety in Schools Introduction Testing is one of the ways by which schools evaluate and assess the efficacy of the learning process among students. The process of testing includes short quizzes and long periodic examinations with varying states of intensity and duration. These tests naturally cause moments of anxiety among students who often have to go through moments of stress with each test. The stress also often lasts from the time the tests are announced to the time the results are released. In between these tests, these students also have to endure the constant strain of studying, of doing projects, finishing homework, and the possi bility of unannounced tests. The age and the maturity of students in dealing with these school demands do not seem to be a major concern among some educators. In recent years, concerns about too much testing and too much homework have been pointed out by parents, teachers, and by students themselves. They also point out that too much testing is causing much anxiety among students, often compromising their learning and emotional development. Not everyone shares their concerns however, with other parents and educators arguing that testing is an essential part of the learning process and that the number of testing is sufficient for effective learning. Based on these contrasting arguments, this paper shall discuss the thesis: Too much testing in schools is compromising the students’ learning and emotional development. This essay will first provide a literature review on the development of this issue. Secondly, it will present the supporting ideas for this argument. Each reason or argument shall be presented in ascending order based on strength. Thirdly, possible arguments and arguments to these supporting arguments will also be discussed and rebutted. Finally, this paper shall end with a conclusion, further reiterating the main arguments of the paper and providing a clear answer and support for the current position in this thesis. Literature review A Los Angeles Times (2011) editorial discussed that the federal policy No Child Left Behind has become a very rigid policy because it emphasizes the need to carry out standardized tests for English and Math. This article also pointed out how the tests do not focus on the essential learning processes which students can apply in their lives. In effect, these tests do nothing more than cause anxiety to students, and do not contribute significantly to the overall academic development of students (Los Angeles Times, 2011). In a study by Barton (1999), the author discussed that there are some negative trends in the Ame rican educational testing system. This trend has been on the proliferation of standardized testing, which has increased in number and frequency. Barton (1999) emphasized that increase in standardized testing has made the educational process and system quantitative in approach. However, the schools and the learners are short-changed in terms of the information which students need in order to claim

Ultrasound is simply sound Essay Example for Free

Ultrasound is simply sound Essay Ultrasound is simply sound pitched above human hearing. Ultrasound is the part of the sonic spectrum which ranges from about 20 kHz to 10 MHz and can be roughly subdivided in three main regions: (A) low frequency, high power ultrasound (20-100 kHz), (B) high frequency, medium power ultrasound (100 kHz-1 MHz), (C) and high frequency, low power ultrasound (1-10 MHz). The frequency level is inversely proportional to the power output. High power, low frequency ultrasound does alter the state of the medium and is the type of ultrasound typically used for sonochmical applications. Table A shows the application of ultrasound (1). 2. 3. 2 Theory Two theories exist to explain the chemical effects due to cavitation: hot-spot theory (2) and the electrical theory (3 4). Hot spot theory has been experimentally shown that the cavitational collapse creates drastic conditions inside the medium for an extremely short time: temperatures of 2000-5000 K and pressures up to 1800 atm inside the collapsing cavity. A remarkable event during the cavitation collapse is the emission light under certain conditions (sonoluminescence). Furthermore, the collapse causes a couple of strong physical effects outside the bubble: shear forces, jets and shock waves. The electrical theory postulates that an electrical charge is created on the surface of a cavitation bubble, forming enormous electrical field gradients across the bubble which are capable of bond breakage upon collapse. 2. 3. 3 Sonochemistry in Aqueous Solution The reactive species formed during the sonolysis of water are similar to those observed radiolysis (Table B). Among the most extensively studies species are OH radical and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), produced by the thermolysis of water molecules in the gas phase of the bubble, and recombination of the resulting free radicals H2O2 is formed in the cooler interfacial area of the cavitation bubble (5). 2. 3. 3. 1 Kinetic Analysis The chemical transformation which occur during sonolysis may occur in several different regions of the cavitation bubble (Fig C). Three regions of sonochemical activity in sonicated systems (6). Attack by oxidizing species such as hydroxyl radical (OH) or oxygen atom or thermolysis of chemical bonds within the substrate can occur in either the gas phase or interfacial region. OH is most concentrated in the gas phase of the cavitation bubble. It is presumed that aromatic substrates are attacked by addition of OH whereas non-aromatic molecules are attach by hydrogen atom abstraction (7) due to much stronger C-H bond in aromatic system. 2. 3. 4 Acoustic cavitation Bubble collapse in liquids results in an enormous concentration of energy from the conversion of the kinetic energy of liquid motion into heating of the contents of the bubble. The high local temperatures and pressures, combined with extraordinarily rapid cooling, provide a unique means for driving chemical reactions under extreme conditions. The origin of sonochemical effects in liquids is the phenomenon of acoustic cavitation. Ultrasonic waves traveling through a solution impose upon the liquid a sinusoidal pressure variation, alternately compressing the liquid molecules or pulling them apart by overcoming the intermolecular forces. As an ultrasonic frequency of 20 kHz, the liquid will be compressed and rarefied each second. Therefore, the distance among the molecules vary as the molecules oscillate around their mean position. If the intensity of ultrasound in a liquid is increased, a point is reached at which the intramolecular forces are not able to hold the molecular structure intact. Consequently, it breaks down and a cavity is formed. This cavity is called cavitation bubble as this process is called cavitation and the point where it starts cavitation threshold. A bubble responds to the sound field in the liquid by expanding and contracting, i. e. it is excited by a time-varying pressure (1 4). Two forms of cavitation are known: stable and transient. Stable cavities oscillate for several acoustic cycles before collapsing, or never collapse at all. Transient cavities, conversely, exist for only a few acoustic cycles (10). 2. 3. 5 Sonoluminescence (SL) During the acoustic cavitations, the emission of light was referred by the SL. During the underwater exposure of photographic plates, it was first observed, when these plates were irradiated with ultrasound in the solutions (11). Generally, the Hot Spot theory explains the origin of the sono-luminescence and sono-chemistry, which is widely accepted by the scholars. It simplifies the expansion of potential energy of a bubble, when it is concerntrated into the core of a heated gas, and which makes the implosion of that bubble. Sono-luminescence has been divided into two forms; single-bubble SL (12 13) and the multi-bubble SL (14), through which the information is gathered regarding the conditions during the implosion of the cavitation bubbles. Commonly, shock waves are the usually proposed mechanisms that are used in the SL during the implosion of the bubbles. Through this, the bubbles are converged at the center by these mechanisms (15). Hydroxyl radical is another mentioned that is being used in the SL, which produces the emission from the chemical species during their excited state (16). However, small changes in bulk parameters can bring significant influences in the nature of the emissions. The moment, at which the air bubbles glow in the water was observed by the first researchers and was then, known as the multiple-bubble sono-luminescence (MBSL). However, it is advised to observe this glowing condition in a darkened room due to the fainting characteristic of these bubbles. In 1990, two researchers; Crum and Gaitan observed the SBSL in its perfect conditions (17). Placing of a single bubble of gas was done in the liquid, in order to create SBSL. In this regard, an air bubble was injected in the liquid, which created the SBSL. Normally, the bubble was arisen after in the center of the cylindrical flask after its injection. However, the sound waves were bombarded that kept it in its place. Nowadays, elaborate setups are available and practiced by the researchers in their labs. Sono-luminescence requires around 100 decibels of sound waves, which can cause deafness in a normal person. Another factor that is imperative for the SL is the frequency of sound, which a human hearing cannot reach in its range. During the acoustic cavitations, the SL referred the release of light waves. Sono-luminescence is divided into two forms; single-bubble SL (12 13) and the multi-bubble SL (14), through which the information is gathered about the conditions during the implosion of the air bubbles. Commonly, shock waves are the regularly proposed methods that are used in the SL during this process. Through this, the bubbles meet at the center by these methods (15). The moment, at which the air bubbles glow in the water was observed by the first researchers and was then, known as the multiple-bubble sono-luminescence (MBSL). In 1990, two researchers; Crum and Gaitan observed the SBSL in its perfect conditions (17). A single bubble of gas was placed in the liquid to create SBSL. In this regard, an air bubble was inserted in the liquid, which created the SBSL. Sono-luminescence requires around 100 decibels of sound waves, which can also cause deafness in a normal person. 2. 3. 6 Heterogeneous systems: liquid liquid interface Ultrasound forms very fine emulsions in systems with two immiscible liquids, which is very beneficial when working with biphasic systems or phase transfer catalyzed. When very fine emulsions are formed, the surface area available for reaction between the two phases is significantly increased, enhance the mass transfer in the interfacial region, thus increasing the rate of the reaction. Ultrasound cavitation creates reactive intermediates that shorten the reaction time (18). 2. 3. 7 Ultrasonic System Types Generally 3 types: Ultrasonic bath, Probe system and Planar Transducers. 2. 3. 7. 1 Ultrasonic Bath Ultrasonic bath: originally manufactured for cleaning purposes (1). Fig Y shows the bath that has transducers attached to the bottom. The reaction vessel is typically immersed in the coupling fluid contained in the bath. When indirect sonication is used, the ultrasonic power which reaches the reaction vessel is relatively low as compare to other ultrasonic systems, such as a probe. In addition, obtaining reproducible results may be difficult because the amount of power reaching the reaction mixture is highly dependent upon the placement of the sample in the bath. 2. 3. 7. 2 Probe System Probe systems are being more frequently used for sonochemical research in the laboratory. This may be because manufactures are aware that this type of research is increasing and are providing equipment to meet the demand (19). Probe sytems are capable of delivering large amounts of power directly to the reaction mixture which can be regulated b varying the amplitude delivered to the transducer. Disadvantages in using a probe system include erosion and pitting of the probe tip, which may contaminate the reaction solution. Figure Z shows the probe type sonoreactor. 2. 9. 7. 3 Planar transducers This type of setup is typically made in the laboratory and consists of a planar transducer connected to a vessel which contains either the reaction mixture (direct sonication) or a coupling fluid (indirect sonication) into which the reaction vessel is immersed. Planar transducers capable of delivering higher powers than ultrasonic bath systems (1). However, they are difficult to scale-up.