Current Issue Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Current Issue Analysis - Essay Example And today, according to the official terminology, Indian women continue to belong to the so-called weak groups. In my opinion such misunderstanding of the role of feminism and the importance of the defending of women’s rights takes place because of the lack of support from men’s and boys’ side. Emma Watson, who after she grew up, became not just a â€Å"Harry Potter Girl† but also UN Women Goodwill Ambassador at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 paid attention that fighting for women’s rights too often comes synonymous to men hating. And this has to stop. It is a real problem that women are choosing not to identify themselves as feminists. It is right to make possible for women to make decisions about own body. Women should be afforded the same respect as men. But there is no country in the world, where women may be sure they would receive these rights (Watson, 2014). Some days ago the Dailymail has published some shocking videos of the women being gang raped. The most awful is that the men caught on camera were smiling while carrying out the alleged attacks. And now this movement called #shametherapistcampaign fights against repeated incidents of extreme sexual violence towards Indian women. Sunitha Krishnan through her organisation Prajwala India, a womens rights NGO based in Hyderabad, India released the videos and images of the alleged attackers and in such way her #shametherapistcampaign was born. She got those videos from a concerned man, who â€Å"forwarded her the videos after they were sent to him on the messaging service WhatsApp†. After the campaign was launched on Indian national television, somebody tried to intimidate Mrs Krishnan by throwing rocks into the window of her vehicle (Charlton, 2015). Thus the issue of defending women rights is particularly important for Indian women. They are discriminated from infancy or even earlier, and I can prove this statement with lots of examples. In

Understanding 21st Century Skills in English Language Classrooms Essay Example for Free

Understanding 21st Century Skills in English Language Classrooms Essay In an increasingly complex, demanding and competitive world, students need to go beyond the traditional 3Rs and embrace the 4Cs – communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. This is the view of the 21st century Skills movement which is helping to redefine the goals of general education for today’s world. 21st Century Skills† is commonly refers to a growing global movement for redefining the goals of education, to transform every day teaching and learning practices, and to expand the range of measures that are being implemented for student achievement, all in order to meet the new demands of the 21st Century. In other words the main thrust of this movement is to make learners a productive contributors to upcoming society, for this it is necessary for the teachers to enable the learners to quickly learn the core content of a field of knowledge while also mastering a broad portfolio of essentials in learning, innovation, technology, and careers skills needed for work and life. Through multimodal activities, students will explore key elements of design such as color, shape, size, texture, density, and layout to understand and appreciate how these elements combine to convey the meaning. The demands of 21st century skills compel teachers to learn new technologies and discover ways to integrate them into their classrooms. Students are competing in a global economy, and their ability to think critically and apply knowledge at higher levels requires teachers to evaluate what and how they teach. Students and teachers are using technology to communicate, assemble and analyze information based on the demands of a changing workforce. We are no longer in an educational system that solely trains students to operate technology. Students must be able to critically think and develop the skills for lifelong learning. Teachers are focusing more on developing students’ personal dependability, perseverance, reflection, flexibility and self-discipline using 21st century strategies. Students are gathering and evaluating data, identifying viewpoints, making broad connections, considering alternatives, and making informed decisions. Teachers are creating opportunities for students to interact with each other in authentic learning experiences providing connections that are critical to developing students’ engagement, motivation, and attitudes about learning. Classrooms are beginning to reflect the media environment that students immerse themselves in on a daily basis. Using art and digital media, they will then create their own designs to express meaning for setting, character relationships, and plot. Students will realize how to use design elements to read images and how meaning in picture books is equally conveyed in both words and images. The term â€Å"learning environment† covers not only place and space (e. g. Home, a school, a classroom, a library, an online learning community), but the relationships that create a supportive environment for every child’s development. In the 21st century, learning environments should be seen as the support systems that organize the condition in which humans learn best–systems that accommodate the unique needs of every learner and support the positive human relationships needed for effective learning. Learning environments are the structures, tools and communities that inspire students and educators to attain the knowledge and skills the 21st century demands of us all. Teachers must utilize a variety of methods for the children to build their own understanding through real world applications interactions with their peers in many cooperative group activities. Life is a multimedia event, and the meanings that we secure from life are not simply contained in text; they yield their content through a wide variety of forms. The students need to have a deep understanding for the real world in order to become successful individuals and be more technologically enhanced. Students need to become more globally literate because many jobs are now more focused on those issues. Students need to know more about the world, think outside of the box, develop better people skills, and become smarter about selecting news sources. To do this it is important for teachers to keep up with the times and create a modern curriculum. One of the best ways to achieve global literacy is through communication, collaborative learning, research, and problem solving. Technology helps tremendously in these areas, so it is a great tool to use in the classroom. Not only that, but it will help the students to find more relevance in school as well. Today teachers need to prepare students for the jobs that have to be created, for the new products that have to be invented, and for the new skills required for bringing in creativity and innovation. In today’s classroom, the students have diverse backgrounds, a variety of achievement levels, and different learning styles which will all affect their ability to acquire knowledge. Teachers need to move away from the traditional methods of teaching and bring into the classroom new and innovating approaches to teach the content and lifelong skills. It is important to utilize a variety of techniques for the children to build their own understanding through real world applications and interactions with their peers in group activities. As the proponents of 21st century learning have propounded a set of educational goals, as in the learning framework the experts advocates for the integration of 4 C skills (Communication, Collaboration Critical thinking with problem solving and Creativity,) into the teaching of language skills such as English, reading or language arts, world languages. Teachers can cater to variation in the nature of their students’ aptitude by adopting a flexible teaching approach involving a variety of learning activities. They can also make use of simple learner-training materials designed to make students more aware of their own approaches to learning and to develop awareness of alternative approaches. Studies of good language learners suggest that successful language learning requires a flexible approach to learning. Thus, increasing the range of learning strategies at learners’ disposal is one way in which teachers can help them to learn. Such strategy training needs to foster an understanding that language learning requires both an experiential and an analytical approach. School-based students often tend to adopt an analytical approach to learning, even if this does not accord with their natural aptitude, as this is the kind of approach generally fostered in schools. They may have greater difficulty in adopting the kind of experiential approach required by task-based language teaching. Some learner training, therefore, may be essential if learners are to perform tasks effectively. Using the 21st Century Learning Methods to teach ESL or English as a second language is a natural fit. By using the English language learner’s personal strengths, we can quickly and easily reach them with critical information, in collaboration with structure and grammar while instilling communicative skills with creativity this in turn helps for inculcating. Nowadays, the newest model is the flipped classroom, where the student is required to watch an instructional video or lecture at home and then complete associated tasks or projects in the classroom. While students work through assignments in class, teachers can better identify and target each student’s needs and facilitate differentiated instruction. Another objective of this individualized approach is to empower students to direct their own learning by coming to class prepared to ask questions and problem solve with their peers after viewing the subject matter on their own. Authentic learning learning from real world problems and questions Students become balanced individuals who can function as members of their culture. Classroom activities based on authentic learning foster deep understanding about the subject matter it also guides the students for how does one lead a good life? Involve the community, parents, family, and guest speakers. New standards relate to the concept of performance-based assessment. Connect it to your personal life, make choices with regard to it, and reflect on it. Many schools have adopted standards in which students are asked to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways, including essays, oral presentations and/or a portfolio of student work. Research a thesis, and catalogue and organize his or her information using the internet connected computer in the library media center. This brings perhaps the most important advantage for ELLs.

Legacy of Qin Shi Huangdi

Legacy of Qin Shi Huangdi Legalism is a belief system that emerged in Ancient China during the era of the Warring States (771-221 B.C.), during which several viewpoints for reestablishing peace within China were competing following societal disorder. It was an approach defined by extreme methods, goals, and strict adherence to law. Under this political philosophy, human nature was perceived as evil and therefore heavy restraints were to be placed on humans. The laws established during this period were meant to be easily understandable, punishments threatening, and rewards prompt so that people decided to do exactly what the government asked of them(Major). Under legalism, a highly efficient and powerful government was believed to be fundamental to maintaining stability. Any disobedience was to be met with harsh punishments to make it less appealing for people to choose to be disobedient, while the well execution of duties by people was to be rewarded to encourage such complying behavior. It was not until Shi Huangdi came to the throne in 246 B.C., did Legalist ideology gain favor and actually be implemented in China. The first emperor used 4 methods to rule and unify China effectively, of which were centralization, standardization, censorship, and human rights abuse. One of these practices, censorship, helped accomplish its goal of unifying China by discouraging the presence of controversy which slows down the integration of society. Censorship is an important indicator for the presence of Legalism and it seems apparent that it has increased from Ancient China in terms of complexity. While Modern China, no longer reflects the extent to which Legalism has been prevalent in Ancient China, it, a country that lacks media freedom, still is imprinted with the main aspects associated with this philosophy. Censorship is the practice of officially examining books, movies, written works, and other objects in order to suppress unacceptable or objectionable parts. The purpose of this is to discourage opinion that may be detrimental to the government and is able to cause debate. In Ancient China, Legalist used censorship to control ideas, actions, and peoples behavior. One way they showed use of it was by ordering a campaign in 213 B.C. for confiscating and burning books in private hands that were harmful toward the government (Major). Another more serious action that illustrates the back-then use of censorship was Huangdis burial of Confucian scholars alive in the capital after learning about their dissent toward his policies. Therefore, censorship allowed individuals that go against the government in any way or caused disputes in society to be easily removed. Without any amount of censorship, people can be easily persuaded by materials used to convey opinion and the government would face difficulty in controlling its citizens. Today, the Great Firewall of China is the technology that the Chinese government uses to block access to material it finds inappropriate on the web (Olesen). Chinese Internet users are restricted with this from having the freedom to view certain search results fully, have discussions on certain topic, and to be able to express any comments freely. According to an academic cooperative, China has the worlds most sophisticated internet filtering system, and the Chinese government is arguably the worlds best at controlling what is people see (Wiseman). This is due to the Chinese governments intolerance of dissent that can be easily found when viewing information on the web. Internet freedom is important because as President Obama stated, the more freely information flows, the stronger the society becomes, because then citizens of countries around the world can hold their own governments accountable (Scherer). The Chinese government would be likely to disagree and apparently would want th eir citizens to be constrained as on the web to lessen their power and influence, to make the government more powerful and dominating over them as during the Legalist era when citizens were represented as powerless, insignificant government workers. Accessing data on sensitive as well as controversial subjects is difficult with the Chinese monitoring all incoming and outgoing traffic on the web. An example of a specialized search engine for China that filters results effectively on such topics is Google China. With this website, when users type in Tiananmen Square, they will receive only the tourist images of the place and not the images of the 1989 protests for democratic reform there that ended up in a violent crackdown by the Chinese government (Wiseman). This reveals how the Chinese government is reluctant to have certain information online because it can be used to persuade them to take blame for something; the government tries to act as if less responsible for an event that we nt wrong when they previously intervened in it. Therefore, China uses propaganda officials who send out teams of commentators to post patriotic messages on websites and online bulletin boards to encourage the spread of nationalist opinion and/or positive feedback by citizens to the government (Edward). This helps show how the government tries to hide information it feels shouldnt be shared with information thats more likely to encourage positive attitude toward the government. Censorship efforts are also seen on television in China, where they are used to limit foreign ideas swaying citizens. Because the news media is not privatized, but managed by the government, the government has more power than citizens and has the ability to force media stations to use only approved news stories rather than any criticizing Chinas government (Haugen). Publishing or broadcasting on television anything that is distasteful to the Chinese government is illegal in the nation and can lead to imprisonment (Haugen). Again, these laws help protect the Chinese government more than the governments citizens, which would have been supported by the Legalists. An example of TV censorship that occurred this month was during President Obamas visit to China. After American officials negotiated to have the Chinese set aside live nationwide broadcast time for the presidents town hall with Chinese student, China still refused to follow their requests, and the event was shown later on TV (S cherer). This gave time for Chinese officials to edit the speech. When the president addressed the world in his inaugural and reached a line in his speech describing communism, the live broadcast in China was cut off and later versions of the speech had this part censored (Edward). Another line edited spoke to countries that imposed censorship policies to prevent criticism of their government. China might have censored such presidential comments to lessen the influence from Western values and to block out any sort of persuasion that might cause its citizens to do actions other cultures support but are unwelcome in China as they break with traditional Chinese values. This suggests China still has a hint of isolationism attitude toward other nations as it did have in the Legalist era and doesnt want to blend in with other countries as blending in would fade away traditional principles. Censorship is used to prevent Chinese citizens from complying with other nations other than China. Although the philosophy of Legalism isnt prevailing as it was in Ancient China, the heavy presence of media censorship on the Internet, television, and on foreign ideas, in China today, reveals that there is still a lasting impact from legalism that can noticed. If there wasnt any presence of Legalism, then, modern Chinese government would have been drastically different as citizens would have much more power than the government. But it isnt in a country that lacks essential media freedom. Bibliography Edward, Jonathan Ansfield. Chinese TV Censors Part of Address by Obama. The New York Times. 22 Jan. 2009. 13 Nov. 2009 . Haugen, David M. China: Opposing Viewpoints. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven, 2006. Major, John S. The Land and People of China. Lippincott, 1989. Olesen, Alexa. Chinese Censors Block Obamas Call to Free Web. Time. 16 Nov. 2009. 19 Nov. 2009 . Scherer, Michael. Could Obama Get Around Chinas Great Firewall? Time. 16 Nov. 2009. 19 Nov. 2009 . Wiseman, Paul. Cracking the Great Firewall of Chinas Web Censorship. USA Today. 23 Apr. 2008. 13 Nov. 2009 .

Pumping Iron: Women and Sports :: Movies Television Film Females Essays

Pumping Iron: Women and Sports Ever since sports has been introduced into our society it has always been gender specific. Today, sports are still gender specific but not as much as before due to the change in social norms. Many people enjoy playing sports. For some it may be the competition, for others it may be for the love of the game. It has been difficult for individuals who enter non-traditional sports for their gender. Women have especially struggled with this matter until the Title 9 was issued. Before Title 9, many women were not allowed to participate in track and other sports that were not considered feminine. During the Victorian Times, women were only allowed to play sports that didn't make them look sweaty, tired or just messy. They had to stick to the norm of being conservative and looking proper. Can you imagine, they had to even wear skirts for baseball and other sports? How can you be comfortable and play well in that kind of an outfit? When it came to tennis, they had to look graceful like a ball erina. The main concern in playing a sport is enjoying it and playing it well. It never had to do anything with being part of a beauty contest. Women were given limitations into what sports they could participate in. However, realistically women were just as good as their counterpart when it came to playing sports in which they were not allowed to play. Being a female and seriously competing in a non-traditional sport is an arduous task. Many individuals question your sexuality, race and class just because you have decided to participate in a non-traditional sport. However, the main fact that is being disregarded here is that everyone has the capability of playing any sport that they want to play. There should not be any boundaries to anything because of gender. It is unfair because there are certain things that are acceptable and unacceptable in society which puts a lot of pressure on people that are into non-traditional sports. The question is, why does being accepted matter so much in society? Why is it so hard to be accepted for something that you want to do? I mean you are not hurting anybody yet you are made to feel guilty for trying to be good in a non-traditional sport. For this essay, I would like to use the movie "Pumping

Descartes “I Think Therefor I Am” Essay

-A statement by the seventeenth-century French philosopher Renà © Descartes â€Å"I think; therefore I am† was the end of the search Descartes conducted for a statement that could not be doubted. In the beginning, Descartes was in the process of figuring out his nature, using reasoning instead of experience. He had to start with a first premise which was indubitable. He found that â€Å"I exist† is something that is certain, and what follows must be certain as well. In the meditator’s search for certainty, he had to discard anything that was false or even open to the slightest doubt. He had to tear away all that was previously known to him, and with a new, stronger foundation, start anew. Descartes had conceded that he has no senses and no body. He also noted that the physical world does not exist, which might also seem to imply his nonexistence. Yet, to have these doubts, he must exist. He found that he could not doubt that he himself existed, as he was the one doing the doubting in the first place. For an evil demon to mislead him in all these insidious ways, he must exist in order to be misled. There must be an â€Å"I† that can doubt, be deceived, and so on. He then formulates the famous cogito argument, saying that he concludes the â€Å"proposition I am, I exist is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind.† He then questions what the â€Å"I† that exists is. He first thought that he had a soul, by means of which he was nourished, moved, could sense and think; and also that he had a body. All these attributes can be doubted, except the fact that he thinks. He can exist if any of the other attributes are not there, but cannot exist if he does not think. Further, he states that he exists as long as he is thinking. The meditator then concludes that in the strict sense, he is only a thing that thinks. In this statement, the Meditator finds his first grip on certainty after the radical skepticism he posited in the first meditation.

What makes art art

Art is any form of self-expression. Art is something that is created that entertains, inspires, educates or makes a person feel something good, bad or unexplainable. Art is whatever the artist does or makes in which they deem to be art whether it is of value or not. There is a wide variety of art, some that people wouldn't imagine as art, but a true artist sees art in every creation. Art is everywhere and in everything I see. Art is not Just a painting, poem, drawing or a ballet. When I think of art I think of something somebody does to release their feelings.Different people express art in various ways. For example, someone who writes a love letter because they are unable to express their feelings through touch or emotion. Is this art? Watching Michael Jordan drive down the court and slam the ball. He was recognized for his unique ways for a reason. So, is this art? Making music, any type of music whether it is appealing to your ears or not. Is this art? All of these things are art to me. Art does not have to be beautiful or make you feel good to be defined as art; it is an expression of emotion.We are all artists in my eyes because we are all able to feel and create. All of life is art to me. When I think about art, its creator and the meaning of the creation I think the content is more Important then the context. I don't necessarily need to understand when and why it was created to form my opinion on whether or not I enjoy it. I like to find my own meaning and form my own opinion without knowing the background of the art. After I form my opinion I do like to research and find the artists meaning to see If I understood their expression without having it outlined.As an example I would like to reference Edward Sinkhole's piece, History as a Planter. Before doing any research on this piece I noticed the feet which I thought represented history and movement, the sign notating war I thought about struggle, and the plant, which I was perplexed until I did a little research. The plant Is a wondering Jew. So I was partially correct. From what I found out doing some light research, this piece of art Is symbolic of the way the artist views the history of the Jewish struggles.Art Is everywhere you look and such a huge part of our everyday, ring to explain a true definition Is almost Impossible or overwhelming. There Is Intentional art and accidental art. There are famous artists and artists as us. Take a look around you, everything you see Is art, and everything you see Is designed by someone. Yes, machines make things for us, but someone designed that piece or even designed that machine used to make that piece. Now, take another look around you. What Isn't art? Of the creation I think the content is more important then the context.I don't research and find the artists meaning to see if I understood their expression without trudge, and the plant, which I was perplexed until I did a little research. The plant is research, this piece of art is symbo lic of the way the artist views the history of the Jewish struggles. Art is everywhere you look and such a huge part of our everyday, trying to explain a true definition is almost impossible or overwhelming. There is intentional art and accidental art. There are famous artists and artists as us. Take a look around you, everything you see is art, and everything you see is designed by you.

Eco

Eco â€Å"Eco-Warriors† is a book that investigates the actions of environmentalists using both historical and philosophical accounts. The author of this book is Rik Scarce a sociologist at Skidmore College and he refers to the several environmental organizations in this book. This paper provides a review of Scarce’s book in the view of the effects that degradation has on the society.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on â€Å"Eco-Warriors† by Rik Scarce specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More â€Å"Eco-Warriors† gives several accounts of how environmental activists act in the course of their spirited defense against the destruction of the earth. In this book’s edition, the author does not add new dimensions to the book but he updated his earlier work on the same topic. The book expounds on the actions of the environmentalists who are not willing to compromise on their philosophy about the ne ed to preserve the environment and the integrity of the ecology. The author hopes to make the actions of the environmental activists who break the law, and are sometimes referred to as domestic terrorists by the government easier to understand. According to the author, it is easy for onlookers to demonize environmental activists but research indicates that their actions are beneficial to the environment. The available evidence shows that ignoring the effects of the environmental degradation could have devastating effects. Therefore, classifying environmental activists as terrorists is unfortunate. It is also evident that the degradation of the environment could continue to put the environmentalists and governments on a collision path. Scarce claims that some of the organizations that continue to berate the environmental activists are responsible for degradation themselves. Consequently, if the uninformed criticisms on environmentalists continue, they will only lead to more degradati on. It is up to the society to understand the role of the environmental activists as well as their actions. This will ensure that the effects of degradation on the society are checked.

Free Essays on How To Succeed In Business By Breaking All The Rules

In How To Succeed In Business By Breaking All The Rules: In How To Succeed In Business By Breaking All The Rules: A Plan for Entrepreneurs by Dan S. Kennedy, Scott DeGarmo, it states â€Å"to succeed in business one must be able to use an unorthodox style, which allows that person to break free from ancient ways of thinking, and be able to use new ideas in developing entrepreneurial and business skills.† One way this will be proven is to look at how positive thinking and motivation hamper people in making tough business decisions. Secondly, this will be proven by examining the education system, and showing that one does not always need a university education to perform in a business environment. Thirdly, this will be proven by looking at the behavioral aspects of an entrepreneur, and how an entrepreneur's thinking pattern is quite unique compared to the average person. Finally, this will be proven by looking at the illusions of management and how managers have to adapt if they want to see results. "Forget just about everything you were told about positive thinking and motivation." Positive thinking and motivation can encumber persons in business if not executed properly. People assume by being positive they are in turn motivating people to work hard and complete tasks without impeding their space. This is not entirely true. There is a joke that many motivational speakers tell, as an illustration of positive thinking: "A guy has tripped and fallen off the roof of a thirty-story building. He is falling toward certain death. Some one yells out the fifteenth-story window, 'how are you doing?' And the falling fellow hollers back, 'Okay so far!'" This joke is not an accurate representation of positive thinking, it illustrates stupidity. This joke has taken positive thinking out of proportion. It is okay to be positive when approaching tough situations, but a constant bombardment of motivational thoughts may in turn im... Free Essays on How To Succeed In Business By Breaking All The Rules Free Essays on How To Succeed In Business By Breaking All The Rules In How To Succeed In Business By Breaking All The Rules: In How To Succeed In Business By Breaking All The Rules: A Plan for Entrepreneurs by Dan S. Kennedy, Scott DeGarmo, it states â€Å"to succeed in business one must be able to use an unorthodox style, which allows that person to break free from ancient ways of thinking, and be able to use new ideas in developing entrepreneurial and business skills.† One way this will be proven is to look at how positive thinking and motivation hamper people in making tough business decisions. Secondly, this will be proven by examining the education system, and showing that one does not always need a university education to perform in a business environment. Thirdly, this will be proven by looking at the behavioral aspects of an entrepreneur, and how an entrepreneur's thinking pattern is quite unique compared to the average person. Finally, this will be proven by looking at the illusions of management and how managers have to adapt if they want to see results. "Forget just about everything you were told about positive thinking and motivation." Positive thinking and motivation can encumber persons in business if not executed properly. People assume by being positive they are in turn motivating people to work hard and complete tasks without impeding their space. This is not entirely true. There is a joke that many motivational speakers tell, as an illustration of positive thinking: "A guy has tripped and fallen off the roof of a thirty-story building. He is falling toward certain death. Some one yells out the fifteenth-story window, 'how are you doing?' And the falling fellow hollers back, 'Okay so far!'" This joke is not an accurate representation of positive thinking, it illustrates stupidity. This joke has taken positive thinking out of proportion. It is okay to be positive when approaching tough situations, but a constant bombardment of motivational thoughts may in turn im...

Earning management and cookie jar Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Earning management and cookie jar - Coursework Example There are various business ethics as well as rules and regulations, which are compulsorily to be followed by every business organization. Many of these rules aim to protect the interest of the customers. Any trade practice that is against the ethics, will lead to legal proceedings and penalties. As per the various sections under the Consumer Protection Act, these entities can be punished if they breach any laws and bring harm to the customers. Earnings management can be defined as â€Å"a purposeful intervention in the external financial reporting process, with the intent of obtaining some private gain†. (Earnings Management Incentive and Techniques, n.d) Instead of doing business in a proper and sincere way, sometimes the management team may be forced to carry out business illegally due to various reasons. This is due to the fact that human beings are always keen on finding shortcuts for every task and, therefore, they always prefer these types of extreme earning management techniques. The common extra earning techniques followed are â€Å"cookie jar reserve technique, big bath techniques, big bet on the future technique, flushing,† (Popular Earning Management Techniques, n.d) stuffing the channel etc. In cookie jar reserve, the accounting rule GAAP is not followed properly. Here the profits made in the current year are used to cover for losses made in some other year, in order to ensure the profitability of the firm by meeting its margin. Big bath is used by companies when stiff competition arises, the company will plan on â€Å"restructuring† (Popular Earning Management Techniques, n.d.) the existing system and policies. Then, instead of recording the cost of such changes made in the organization, this loss is â€Å"reported as a non-recurring charge against income† (Popular Earning Management Techniques, n.d.). This is done for the purpose of maintaining the market

Customer satisfaction towards self-checkouts at supermarkets and self Essay

Customer satisfaction towards self-checkouts at supermarkets and self service trend in the uk business (The case of Tesco ,sain - Essay Example The customer satisfaction therefore, is hugely important for business that provides it with competitive advantage within the industry (Ennis, 2009; Arnould et al., 2004). In the technology driven era, customer has not only become more informed but also significantly influenced by the myriad applications of technology that increase efficient delivery of goals, especially in retail shopping. Indeed, the strategic changes implemented within the operations of supermarket chains like Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury have been designed to enhance the experience of shopping for the customers. The use of information technology in retail shopping is one the major elements of customer satisfaction as it positively contributes in myriad ways. The research would evaluate the extent of customer satisfaction in self-checkout and self-service in supermarkets like Tesco, Asda and Sainsbbury in UK. Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury are three largest grocery retail chains that have significant market share. Accordin g to Lawson (2012) Tesco with 30.8% of market share is till the leaders, followed by Asda (17.6%) and Saisnbury (16.4%). While Tesco and Asda were the first major retailers to introduce self-service and self-checkout in their outlets, Sainsbury has also initiated self-checkout lanes to boost customer satisfaction. ... The special checkout lanes have therefore expedited the process of purchase and provided shoppers with unique experience to quickly shop for items that are needed and checkout without the hassle of standing on long queues on checkout lanes operated manually. This is especially become very convenient for shoppers who have been affected by the recessive economy and can ill afford to waste money on non-essential item. The self-service and self-checkout lanes have therefore increasingly become critical factors for retail shopping within supermarkets (Weijters et al., 2007). 2. Aims The main aim of the study is to evaluate the extent of customer satisfaction in using self-checkout and self-service for grocery shopping in supermarkets: Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury in UK. The automated process has been perceived as important initiatives to improve shopping experience for customers and promote their long term retention. The study would enable the supermarkets to gauge the impact of new technolo gies and provide them with constant motivation to improve and improvise shopping experience. 3. Objectives 3.1 To conduct comprehensive literature review on the impact of self-service and self-checkout on customer satisfaction in shopping. 3.2 Develop questionnaire for 75 shoppers, 25 each from Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury. 3.3 Develop questionnaire for 6 managers, 2 each from Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury 3.4 Prepare interview schedule for 30 shoppers, 10 each from Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury. 4. Literature review In the highly competitive environment of global economy and recessive trend, competing on capabilities has become very important aspect of business paradigms. The firms constantly need to evolve in order to meet the challenges of time. Technology hugely facilitates firms to leverage

Globalization and African Education Research Paper

Globalization and African Education - Research Paper Example The evaluation of the degree of globalization forms the discussion content to this essay. The basic aspects of argument include the changing population development and settlement expansion. Globalization effects attract the world attention as a widely debated issue. This forms significance in the world affairs through spiking passionate critics and cohorts. This paper aims to survey the varying facets and complex matters within globalization. This context also presents the debates on the global economy with translated implications for the contemporary society. Â  Globalization entails about five core primary economic aspects. The economic dimensions include employment, investments, abet, population migration and thoughts. The evaluation of the facts presents a direct connection to the alleviation of global poverty. Globalization also relates to cultural influence and political impacts. The cultural view depicts the developing apprehension between amalgamation and separation. This forms the basis of international relations with relevance to population growth and impact. Economic globalization affects the environment within the population establishment scale. This emerges from rising concentration of the atmospheric pollutants. Higher levels of these pollutants damage ozone layers. The resultant effects result in inconsistent climatic changes and global warming. The developing trade issue point to the changing trends in global status. Recent years depict a change in the gaps between rich countries and poor nations. This assessment builds gr ound from the human progression index. The increasing range in longevity and expansion translate to a gap between capital incomes.

Conservation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Conservation - Research Paper Example Harp seal’s meat poses a great danger to human when consumed. Infected meat by brucella bacteria cause brucellosis disease when human consumes it in improperly cooked manner. A nematode called trichinella is a parasite that is present in harp seal’s meat. This parasite is transferable to human causing trichinosis. Harp seals produce oil that forms part of omega 3 used in the treatment of heart disease condition. In addition, the oil functions in maintaining brain functions, lowering chronic diseases risks and reducing inflammation. Research also shows their importance in lowering risks in cancer and arthritis. The harp seals originated from the northern hemisphere dating back to over 20 million years ago identified through their fossils. Civilization resulted into global warming due to the gases released by the industries, vehicles and other human practices. This has caused the ice sizes, which are vital to harp seal survival to shrink resulting in increased natural mortality rate of the seals. Harp seals have a range of fur types during the development stages. They have white coats at birth that turn to jagged coat that forms silver-white furs with small black spots as they develop. The black spots become larger as they mature and finally forms the harp designed black line (Landau 2010). The males are lager in size while the female are colorful. Bacteria that cause brucellosis are Gram-negative with the dominating species in marine animals being Brucella pinipediae and Brucella cetaceae. The bacteria exhibit inhibition of necrosis allowing it to invade and persists human cells. Bacteria result in brucellosis the cause several neuronal disorders. Trichinosis results from the parasite Trichinella spiralis that cause abdominal discomfort, nausea, fatigue and fever in human beings. In seal oil production, their skins are the major part of target. This oil contains docosapentanoic acid (DPA), docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and

Innovation Portfolio Report(Part2) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Innovation Portfolio Report(Part2) - Coursework Example Now innovation is not only changing the appearance of things, its some thing deep inside the products, organizations and markets. This comparative study is aimed at reflecting innovation portfolio of modern business by discovering different facets of modern business including product management, implementing it as corporate philosophy and exercising the whole process in different geographical markets differently. Business world has evolved from the phase where breaking the mould philosophy was the extreme success of innovation. Innovativeness is boundary less and all business empires try to battle their product, marketing, and market place issues in their own way, i.e., their innovative ways. This report covers the whole discussion and research is in different parts of the text content. Step by step coverage goes in a logical manner i.e., innovation defined, modern philosophy of innovation, and different perspectives of innovation in business world with various variables. Next part of report is grouped in three portions; seemingly separate three parts but discussing the oneness of innovation in three ways for one Business Empire. These three steps are Product innovation, Organization innovation and Geographical or market place innovation. Product selected is Walkman, company is Sony and geographical place is USA. In short the report covers innovative spheres applied by one company in developing product, in organization and it marketing the same product in a different market place. Report, though reflects various innovative approaches, and reviews the whole process from 'Open Innovation' concept. "The creative act is not an act of creation in the sense of the Old Testament. It does not create something out of nothing; it uncovers, selects, re-shuffles, combines, synthesizes already existing facts, ideas, faculties, skills. The more familiar the parts, the more striking the new whole. Man's knowledge of the changes of the tides and the phases of the moon is as old as his observation that apples fall to earth in the ripeness of time. Yet the combination of these and other equally familiar data in Newton's theory of gravity changed mankind's outlook on the world". (Koestler - 1964): Task 1: Case Example: Product, Process or Strategic Innovation: Case Example: In March 2007, Sony extended the Video Walkman brand by launching its first digital, flash-based video Walkman, the NW-A800. Walkman is a very popular Sony brand used to market its portable audio players, and is synonymously used to refer to the original Walkman portable personal stereo player and as a generic term for similar devices from other manufacturers. The original Walkman introduced a change in music listening habits, allowing people to carry their own choice of music with them. The original Walkman was released in 1979 as the Walkman in Japan and Soundabout abroad. The device was created by audio division engineer Nobutoshi Kihara for Sony co-chairman Morita, who wanted to be able to listen to operas during his frequent transpacific plane trips. (Hormby) Morita hated the Walkman name so much that he asked it to be changed. But he was told by junior executives that a promotion campaign had

International and comparative HRM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International and comparative HRM - Assignment Example As argued by Edwards et al. (2001, p.201), the intricate connection between markets and institutions, and the physical benefits of actors ultimately influence the transfer of HR practices within MNCs. This paper will critically evaluate the manner in which host and home country environments interrelate to yield the forces that eventually influence the transfer of HR practices within British MNCs operating in China. This evaluation will consider the cultural, institutional, and organisational barriers or facilitators while citing examples of specific HR practices that are more likely to be adopted in the Chinese national cultural and institutional context. Within the context of increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of nations, businesses have successfully expanded their operations beyond national frontiers thereby leading to the rise of MNCs (Ferner & Quintanilla 1998, p.710). MNCs can simply be understood as corporations that have their headquarters in one state and operations spread out in several other countries as suggested by the word multinational. MNCs are naturally oligopolistic powers that tend to dominate markets while joining forces with other great businesses to gain monopoly. MNCs explore the latest advanced technologies to deliver excellent value products and services across their chains. In most cases, MNCs invest heavily on research and development of new improved technologies for maximum efficiency in chain operations. MNCs have grown significantly in the recent past thereby contributing immensely to the global GDP (Edwards, Marginson & Ferner 2012, p.2). The scope of MNC’s operations has increased further, following the prevalent deregulation of global economies to eliminate barriers to foreign domestic investment. The level of transfer of HRM practices in different types of MNCs varies exceedingly, because they adopt varying strategies to the transfer of HRM practices

Conservation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Conservation - Research Paper Example Harp seal’s meat poses a great danger to human when consumed. Infected meat by brucella bacteria cause brucellosis disease when human consumes it in improperly cooked manner. A nematode called trichinella is a parasite that is present in harp seal’s meat. This parasite is transferable to human causing trichinosis. Harp seals produce oil that forms part of omega 3 used in the treatment of heart disease condition. In addition, the oil functions in maintaining brain functions, lowering chronic diseases risks and reducing inflammation. Research also shows their importance in lowering risks in cancer and arthritis. The harp seals originated from the northern hemisphere dating back to over 20 million years ago identified through their fossils. Civilization resulted into global warming due to the gases released by the industries, vehicles and other human practices. This has caused the ice sizes, which are vital to harp seal survival to shrink resulting in increased natural mortality rate of the seals. Harp seals have a range of fur types during the development stages. They have white coats at birth that turn to jagged coat that forms silver-white furs with small black spots as they develop. The black spots become larger as they mature and finally forms the harp designed black line (Landau 2010). The males are lager in size while the female are colorful. Bacteria that cause brucellosis are Gram-negative with the dominating species in marine animals being Brucella pinipediae and Brucella cetaceae. The bacteria exhibit inhibition of necrosis allowing it to invade and persists human cells. Bacteria result in brucellosis the cause several neuronal disorders. Trichinosis results from the parasite Trichinella spiralis that cause abdominal discomfort, nausea, fatigue and fever in human beings. In seal oil production, their skins are the major part of target. This oil contains docosapentanoic acid (DPA), docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and

International and comparative HRM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International and comparative HRM - Assignment Example As argued by Edwards et al. (2001, p.201), the intricate connection between markets and institutions, and the physical benefits of actors ultimately influence the transfer of HR practices within MNCs. This paper will critically evaluate the manner in which host and home country environments interrelate to yield the forces that eventually influence the transfer of HR practices within British MNCs operating in China. This evaluation will consider the cultural, institutional, and organisational barriers or facilitators while citing examples of specific HR practices that are more likely to be adopted in the Chinese national cultural and institutional context. Within the context of increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of nations, businesses have successfully expanded their operations beyond national frontiers thereby leading to the rise of MNCs (Ferner & Quintanilla 1998, p.710). MNCs can simply be understood as corporations that have their headquarters in one state and operations spread out in several other countries as suggested by the word multinational. MNCs are naturally oligopolistic powers that tend to dominate markets while joining forces with other great businesses to gain monopoly. MNCs explore the latest advanced technologies to deliver excellent value products and services across their chains. In most cases, MNCs invest heavily on research and development of new improved technologies for maximum efficiency in chain operations. MNCs have grown significantly in the recent past thereby contributing immensely to the global GDP (Edwards, Marginson & Ferner 2012, p.2). The scope of MNC’s operations has increased further, following the prevalent deregulation of global economies to eliminate barriers to foreign domestic investment. The level of transfer of HRM practices in different types of MNCs varies exceedingly, because they adopt varying strategies to the transfer of HRM practices

The value of cross-cultural studies Essay Example for Free

The value of cross-cultural studies Essay A cross-cultural study examines human behavior by comparing members of at least two different societies. Comparing two groups that differ only in terms of culture allows researchers the opportunity to determine whether certain traits, behaviors, and practices are culturally bound. In addition to differentiating contextual factors, like socioeconomic status and education, from cultural factors, cross-cultural studies can also test hypotheses posed about a certain way of life. Cross-cultural studies also answer questions of variations. Do traits like intelligence or self-esteem differ across different countries? Every culture cherishes its strengths and absorbs its weaknesses. Cross-cultural studies allow scientists and researchers to define the unique personalities of the world’s countries. A recent study by Fiori, Antonucci, and Akiyama (2008) is an example of a cross-cultural study that sought to answer the question of whether social relationships among the elderly differed between older Americans compared to older Japanese citizens. This research utilized archival data gathered for another study over a decade ago. Face-to-face interviews were conducted for approximately 60 minutes to determine how many, what quality, and what type of relationships elderly participants experienced. Different types of social networks were determined and labeled, including such types as family-focused, friend focused, and various types of restricted relationships (Fiori, Antonucci, Akiyama, 2008). All participants also consented to the disclosure of a number of health variables, including time of death. A statistical analysis examined the association between social networks and morbidity. One of the aims of this cross-cultural investigation sought to identify societal differences in social relationships. Fiori and colleagues concluded some types of relationships described by the elderly are shared by both the Japanese and American cultures. These include family-centered and friend-centered. Other types of social networks are unique to that country, like the married/distal label attached to the Japanese tendency to experience the companionship of marriage with little social contact with others. Social networks labeled â€Å"diverse† were exceptionally common in the United States but rarely observed in Japan. Elderly Americans also experienced two distinct barriers to social relationships, structural restrictions and functional restrictions. Older adults who live far from family members and may be socially isolated experience structurally restricted socially networks. A functionally restricted social network includes proximal family members or contacts but these relationships fail to meet the emotional and social needs of the older individual. In addition to exploring cultural differences between the social networks of the elderly in Japan and the United States, this study also identified differences in associations to health and survival related to these relationships. Americans who reported functionally restricted relationships were at a much greater risk for depressive symptoms and a number of negative health adversities. Those with structurally restricted relationships, however, demonstrated higher and faster rates of morbidity compared to participants who experienced other social network types. Interestingly, Japanese participants showed no difference in health variables or survival associated with social networks. The information garnered from this study can be applied to working with the elderly population. The need to consider social networks and cultural factors is clearly established. Future research can expand these findings to develop interventions to target negative or nonexistent social relationships among the elderly. Longitudinal research is needed to draw a causal connection between social networks and health, but the importance of these variables has certainly been emphasized by this study. References Fiori, K. L. , Antonucci, T. C. , Akiyama, H. (2008). Profiles of social relations among older adults: A cross-cultural approach. Ageing and Society, 28, 203-231.

The Electronic Electrical Engineering Engineering Essay

The Electronic Electrical Engineering Engineering Essay Electronic electrical engineering incorporated with mechanical system has a big impact in a variety of field, such as biomedical, underwater vehicle, safety and security, space and etc. Before we actually start discussing the benefits and advantages that electronic and electrical engineering gives us in our everyday life, lets have some insights of the history of electronic engineering. Electronic engineering as a profession sprang from technological improvements in the  telegraph  industry in the late 1800s and the  radio  and the  telephone  industries in the early 1900s. People were attracted to radio by the technical fascination it inspired, first in receiving and then in transmitting. Many who went into broadcasting in the 1920s were only amateurs in the period before  World War I. The modern discipline of electronic engineering was to a large extent born out of telephone, radio, and  television  equipment development and the large amount of electronic systems development during  World War II  of  radar,  sonar, communication systems, and advanced munitions and weapon systems. In the interwar years, the subject was known as  radio engineering  and it was only in the late 1950s that the term  electronic engineering  started to emerge. In underwater, electronic and electrical engineering is doing a paramount job in the development of underwater vehicle technology, such as submarine, remotely operated underwater vehicle, and more significantly, automated underwater vehicle. An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is a robotic device that is driven through the water by a propulsion system, controlled and piloted by an onboard computer, and maneuverable in three dimensions. This level of control, under most environmental conditions, permits the vehicle to follow precise preprogrammed trajectories wherever and whenever required. Sensors on board the AUV sample the ocean as the AUV moves through it, providing the ability to make both spatial and time series measurements. Sensor data collected by an AUV is automatically geospatially and temporally referenced and normally of superior quality. Multiple vehicle surveys increase productivity, can insure adequate temporal and spatial sampling, and provide a means of investigat ing the coherence of the ocean in time and space. The fact that an AUV is normally moving does not prevent it from also serving as a Lagrangian, or quasi Eulerian, platform. This mode of operation may be achieved by programming the vehicle to stop thrusting and float passively at a specific depth or density layer in the sea, or to actively loiter near a desired location. AUVs may also be programmed to swim at a constant pressure or altitude or to vary their depth and/or heading as they move through the water, so that undulating sea saw survey patterns covering both vertical and/or horizontal swaths may be formed. AUVs are also well suited to perform long linear transects, sea sawing through the water as they go, or traveling at a constant pressure. They also provide a highly productive means of performing seafloor surveys using acoustic or optical imaging systems. When compared to other Lagrangian platforms, AUVs become the tools of choice as the need for control and sensor power increases. The AUVs advantage in this area is achieved at the expense of endurance, which for an AUV is typically on the order of 8- 50 hours. Most vehicles can vary their velocity between 0.5 and 2.5 m/s. The optimum speed and the corresponding greatest range of the vehicle occur when its hotel load (all required power except propulsion) is twice the propulsive load. For most vehicles, this occurs at a velocity near 1.5 m/s. The degree of autonomy of the robot presents an interesting dichotomy. Total autonomy does not provide the user with any feedback on the vehicles progress or health, nor does it provide a means of controlling or redirecting the vehicle during a mission. It does, however, free the user to perform other tasks, thereby greatly reducing operational costs, as long as the vehicle and the operator meet at their duly appointed times at the end of the mission. For some missions, total autonomy may be the only choice; in other cases when the vehicle is performing a routine mission, it may be the preferable mode of operation. Bidirectional acoustic, radio frequency, and satellite based communications systems offer the capability to monitor and redirect AUV missions worldwide from a ship or from land. For this reason, semi-autonomous operations offer distinct advantages over fully autonomous operations. In the outset of development of AUV, AUVs have been used for a limited number of tasks dictated by the technology available. With the development of more advanced processing capabilities and high yield power supplies, AUVs are now being used for more and more tasks with roles and missions constantly evolving. Its application covers a variety of field, such as in commercial, military, research, as well as hobby. In the commercial side, the oil and gas industry employs AUVs to sketch out detailed maps of the seafloor before they start building subsea infrastructure; pipelines and subsea completions can be installed in the most cost effective manner with minimum disruption to the environment. The AUV allows survey companies to conduct precise surveys or areas where traditional bathymetric surveys would be less effective or too costly. Also, post-lay pipe surveys are now possible. Whereas in the military field, AUV does play an important role as a typical military mission for an AUV is t o map an area to determine if there are any mines, or to monitor a protected area (such as a harbor) for new unidentified objects. AUVs are also employed in anti-submarine warfare, to aid in the detection of manned submarines. Apart from that, scientists use AUVs to study lakes, the ocean, and the ocean floor. A variety of sensors can be affixed to AUVs to measure the concentration of various elements or compounds, the absorption or reflection of light, and the presence of microscopic life. Sensors, the primarily oceanographic tools, AUVs carry sensors to navigate autonomously and map features of the ocean. Typical sensors used by AUV include  compasses, depth sensor, side scan and other sonar, magnetometers,  thermistors  and conductivity probes.  One of the most conspicuous contributions of electrical and electronic engineering incorporated with mechanical system is the navigation of AUV. AUVs can navigate using an  underwater acoustic positioning system. An  Underwater Acoustic Positioning System  is a system for the tracking and navigation of underwater vehicles or divers by means of acoustic distance and/or direction measurements, and subsequent position triangulation. Underwater Acoustic Positioning Systems are commonly used in a wide variety of underwater work, including oil and gas exploration,  ocean sciences, salvage operations,  marine archeology, law enforcement and military activities. Basically, there are three broad types or classes that can be categorized in underwater acoustic positioning system. The first one is Long Baseline (LBL) Systems:  Long baseline systems, use a sea-floor baseline transponder network. The transponders are typically mounted in the corners of the operations site. LBL systems yield very high accuracy of generally better than 1 m and sometimes as good as 0.01m along with very robust positions. This is due to the fact that the transponders are installed in the reference frame of the work site itself (i.e. on the sea floor), the wide transponder spacing results in an ideal geometry for position computations, and the LBL system operates without an acoustic path to the (potentially distant) sea surface. Acoustic positioning systems measure positions relative to a framework of  baseline stations, which must be deployed prior to operations. In the case of a  long baseline (LBL)  system, a set of three or more baseline transponders are de ployed on the sea floor. The location of the baseline transponders either  relative to each other  or in global  must then be measured precisely. Some systems assist this task with an automated  acoustic self-survey, and in other cases  GPS  is used to establish the position of each baseline transponder as it is deployed or after deployment. When a surface reference such as a support ship is available,  ultra-short baseline  (USBL) or  short-baseline (SBL)  positioning is used to calculate where the subsea vehicle is relative to the known (GPS) position of the surface craft by means of acoustic range and bearing measurements. USBL systems and the related super short baseline (SSBL) systems rely on a small (ex. 230  mm across), tightly which is installed either on the side or in some cases on the bottom of a surface vessel. Unlike LBL and SBL systems, which determine position by measuring multiple distances, the USBL transducer array is used to measure the target  distance  from the transducer pole by using signal run time, and the target  direction  by measuring the  phase shift  of the reply signal as seen by the individual elements of the transducer array. The combination of distance and direction fixes the position of the tracked target relative to the surface vessel. Additional sensors including GPS, a gyro or electronic compass and a vertical reference unit are then used to compensate for the changing position and orientation (pitch, roll, and bearing) of the surface vessel and its transducer pole. USBL systems offer the advantage of not requiring a sea floor transponder array. The disadvantage is that positioning accuracy and robustness is not as good as for LBL systems. The reason is that the fixed angle resolved by a USBL system translates to a larger position error at greater distance. Also, the multiple sensors needed for the USBL transducer pole position and orientation compensation each introduce additional errors. Finally, the non-uniformity of the underwater acoustic environment cause signal refractions and reflections that have a greater impact on USBL positioning than is the case for the LBL geometry integrated transducer array that is typically mounted on the bottom end of a strong, rigid transducer pole. In the other hand short baseline systems use a baseline consisting of three or more individual sonar transducers that are connected by wire to a central control box. Accuracy depends on transducer spacing and mounting method. When a wider spacing is employed as when working from a large working barge or when operating from a dock or other fixed platform, the performance can be similar to LBL systems. When operating from a small boat where transducer spacing is tight, accuracy is reduced. Like USBL systems, SBL systems are frequently mounted on boats and ships, but specialized modes of deployment are common too. For example, the  Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution  uses a SBL system to position the  Jason  deep-ocean ROV relative to its associated MEDEA depressor weight with a reported accuracy of 9  cm. Besides, GPS Intelligent Buoys (GIB) is also employed in AUV navigation; the systems are inverted LBL devices where the transducers are replaced by floating buoys, self-po sitioned by GPS. The tracked position is calculated in real time at the surface from the Time-Of-Arrival (TOAs) of the acoustic signals sent by the underwater device, and acquired by the buoys. Such configuration allows fast, calibration-free deployment with accuracy similar to LBL systems. At the opposite of LBL, SBL or USBL systems, GIB systems use one-way acoustic signals from the emitter to the buoys, making it less sensible to surface or wall reflections. GIB systems are used to track AUVs, torpedoes, or divers, may be used to localize airplanes black-boxes, and may be used to determine the impact coordinates of inert or live weapons for weapon testing and training purposes. In recent years, several trends in underwater acoustic positioning have emerged. One is the introduction of compound systems such the combination of LBL and USBL in a so-called LUSBL configuration to enhance performance. These systems are generally used in the offshore oil gas sector and other high-end applications. Another trend is the introduction of compact, task optimized systems for a variety of specialized purposes. For example the California Department of Fish and Game  commissioned a system, which continually measures the opening area and geometry of a fish sampling net during a trawl. That information helps the department improve the accuracy of their fish stock assessments in the  Sacramento River Delta. Hundreds of different AUVs have been designed over the past 50 or so years, but only a few companies sell vehicles in any significant numbers. Vehicles range in size from man portable lightweight AUVs to large diameter vehicles of over 10 meters length. Once popular amongst the military and commercial sectors, the smaller vehicles are now losing popularity. It has been widely accepted by commercial organizations that to achieve the ranges and endurances required to optimize the efficiencies of operating AUVs a larger vehicle is required. However, smaller, lightweight and less expensive AUVs are still common as a budget option for universities. Some manufacturers have benefited from domestic government sponsorship including Bluefin and Kongsberg. The market is effectively split into three areas: scientific (including universities and research agencies), commercial offshore (oil and gas etc.) and military application (mine countermeasures, battle space preparation). The majority of these roles utilizes a similar design and operates in a cruise mode. They collect data while following a preplanned route at speeds between 1 and 4 knots. Commercially available AUVs include various designs such as the small REMUS 100 AUV developed by  Wood Holes Oceanographic Institution in the US. Most AUVs follow the traditional torpedo shape as this is seen as the best compromise between size, usable volume, hydrodynamic efficiency and ease of handling. There are some vehicles that make use of a modular design, enabling components to be changed easily by the operators.   The market is evolving and designs are now following commercial requirements rather than being purely developmental. The next stage is likely to be a hybrid AUV/ROV that is capable of surveys and light intervention tasks. This requires more control and the ability to hover. Again, the market will be driven by financial requirements and the aim to save money and expensive ship time. Today, while most AUVs are capable of unsupervised missions most operators remain within range of acoustic telemetry systems in order to maintain a close watch on their investment. This is not always possible. For example, Canada has recently taken delivery of two AUVs (ISE Explorers) to survey the sea floor underneath the Arctic ice in support of their claim under Article 76 of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea. Also, ultra-low-power, long-range variants such as  underwater gliders  are becoming capable of operating unattended for weeks or months in littoral and open ocean areas, per iodically relaying data by satellite to shore, before returning to be picked up.

Maus :: essays research papers

Maus is one of the most famous of recent graphic novels. Winner of the prestigious Pulitzer prize for literature, it's the harrowing true story of a Jewish holocaust survivor, retold to his son decades later. The story has two main threads. The first is the true story of Holocaust survivor Vladek Spiegelman's experiences as a young Jewish man during the horrors leading up to and including his confinement in Auschwitz. The second intertwining story is about Vladek as an old man, recounting his history to his son Art, the author of the book, and the complicated relationship between the two of them. It's a difficult process for both father and son, as Vladek tries to make sense of his twighlight years, indelibly marked by his experiences and a slave to the processes he had to resort to in order to make it through. On this level, it's also about Art, as he comes to terms with what his father went through, while still finding the more irritating aspects of his father's personality difficult to live with. Maus uses anthropomorphic characters, using different species of animal to represent the different characters' race or nationality - Jews are mice, Germans are cats, Americans are dogs and the Polish are pigs. This doesn't always quite work, though Spiegleman is acutely aware of this as he struggles with whether or not to make his French wife, converted to Judaism before they got married, into a mouse or some other species. Please don't instantly dismiss this as childish nonsense though - it owes more to Animal Farm than Mickey Mouse. It's a sad tale, as although Vladek survives the Holocaust, the shadow of the great swathe of humanity that was butchered by the Nazi killing factories hangs over the entire book. It is also haunted by the ghosts of Vladek's first wife Anja and their son Richieu; the former surviving Auchwitz but eventually committing suicide, the latter not making it out of Poland. This book, originally a two volume work is now available in an excellent 'complete' edition in the UK, which binds both chilling volumes into one and is an excellent way for new readers to get hold of this classic work of literature.

Christian Mission to Muslims :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since September 11, the Muslim communities have been under siege by the media and the entire world. We have seen how the miss conceptions of Muslims have spread all over the media. As a Christian I begin to think that they should be treated as normal people. â€Å"When a radical fundamentalist, start a sect with ideas that differ from what the Muslim religion stands for, we begin to stereotype all the Muslims as the same. But when a Christian begins a killing spree a cross the nation, know one stereotypes all the Christians as one.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a Seventh Day Adventists Christian, I believe that we as a church body, we have to reach this people with compassion and understanding, because not all of them are evil like they are shown to be. I believe that ignorance is the root of hatred, an as Christians, we should be like Jesus, understand them, and cater to their needs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be able to understand the Muslim mind we have to learn their background and how their religion was develop. Is hard to learn when you already have preconceived prejudices about Muslims, but that’s when we have to pray to God for wisdom, understanding, and an open mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Islam originated in the seventh century A.D. During this time, Islamic scholars were very fluent in the areas of physics, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, geography and medicine. Muhammed (570-632 A.D.) was the founder of Islam. He became an orphaned at the age of six, when he became a teenager he decided to join the merchants who traded goods from town to town along the caravan routes. He became a master trader for a businesswoman, then married the woman who was a widow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Muhammed was a man with a lot of spiritual insight, but he became depressed by the commercial greed and the excess of polytheism around him, he spent most of the time in seclusion and meditation. Muslims believe that while Muhammed was meditating in a cave, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him. The vision came to him first in 610 A.D. and thereafter at intervals over the next 22 years, revealing the word of Allah. Muhammed is believed to have been illiterate, for that reasons he dictated the visions to his companions who wrote them down. Then 30n years later the writings were compiled in the Koran. The Koran is the Muslims most holy book. Christian Mission to Muslims :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since September 11, the Muslim communities have been under siege by the media and the entire world. We have seen how the miss conceptions of Muslims have spread all over the media. As a Christian I begin to think that they should be treated as normal people. â€Å"When a radical fundamentalist, start a sect with ideas that differ from what the Muslim religion stands for, we begin to stereotype all the Muslims as the same. But when a Christian begins a killing spree a cross the nation, know one stereotypes all the Christians as one.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a Seventh Day Adventists Christian, I believe that we as a church body, we have to reach this people with compassion and understanding, because not all of them are evil like they are shown to be. I believe that ignorance is the root of hatred, an as Christians, we should be like Jesus, understand them, and cater to their needs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be able to understand the Muslim mind we have to learn their background and how their religion was develop. Is hard to learn when you already have preconceived prejudices about Muslims, but that’s when we have to pray to God for wisdom, understanding, and an open mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Islam originated in the seventh century A.D. During this time, Islamic scholars were very fluent in the areas of physics, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, geography and medicine. Muhammed (570-632 A.D.) was the founder of Islam. He became an orphaned at the age of six, when he became a teenager he decided to join the merchants who traded goods from town to town along the caravan routes. He became a master trader for a businesswoman, then married the woman who was a widow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Muhammed was a man with a lot of spiritual insight, but he became depressed by the commercial greed and the excess of polytheism around him, he spent most of the time in seclusion and meditation. Muslims believe that while Muhammed was meditating in a cave, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him. The vision came to him first in 610 A.D. and thereafter at intervals over the next 22 years, revealing the word of Allah. Muhammed is believed to have been illiterate, for that reasons he dictated the visions to his companions who wrote them down. Then 30n years later the writings were compiled in the Koran. The Koran is the Muslims most holy book.

Reaction Paper on Acculturation and Alcohol Treatment in Ethnic Minority Populations: Assessment Issues and Implications

In the article Acculturation and Alcohol Treatment in Ethnic Minority Populations: Assessment Issues and Implications, the authors research the impact of acculturation on the drinking behavior of minorities, specifically older Latino veterans versus older White veterans. In the article, acculturation is defined as â€Å" the exchange of cultural features from the continuous firsthand contact of one group to another. † The authors conducted a study that looked at the relationship between the level of acculturation and the level of alcohol use among older White and Latino male veterans. The subjects were 55yrs of age or older there were 18 White male veterans and 24 Latino male veterans. The authors hypothesized that the higher the levels of acculturation among Latino veterans would correlate to higher levels of drinking behavior. The hypothesis was backed up with the results; drinking behavior was correlated with acculturation levels. In Latino veterans higher past drinking behavior was associated with lower social affiliation with their own group. The concept of acculturation is something that is new to me. I can imagine though that it could have a profound impact on the lives of minority individuals. In reading the article, it was linked to higher levels of substance abuse in minorities as well as stress and psychological disorders; which in many minorities go undetected and/or untreated. This is a concept that I feel should be studied more. This article deals with older subjects, but I think the impact of acculturation needs to be studied in younger minorities, males and females. I hope to have the opportunity to look into the concept, theories, and potential impacts of acculturation more thoroughly as I continue my tenure here at USC. This article stresses, just as much of the material I have read in this class and my other classes, that as mental health workers and social workers we must mind our clients cultures and the impact of their culture on their behavior. With the idea of acculturation now added, as a social worker I need be mindful of the potential set backs minority clients may be experiencing by trying to fit in to the mainstream culture.

Going Green in Hospitality

Hospitality Studies Report GOING GREEN IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Word count: 1328 ? Introduction3 Benefits3 Are there actually disadvantage of staying the same? 3 The definite advantages of changing3 What people think4 Are there side effects? 4 Knowledge aquired4 Financial5 Conclusion5 Bibliography6 ? Introduction The effects of global warming continue generating intense debate among businesses that see it as a major threat to their operations.In this regard the global community is seeking partnerships with governments and other stakeholders to formulate policy guidelines that will act as means of ensuring that they adopt green technology in their operations to counter this threat. Failure to do this will result to irreversible decline in profits, deterioration of people’s health through emergence of killer diseases like skin cancer and closure of businesses. Benefits The hospitality industry has not been left out in adopting green technologies in their operations to ensure they slay this global phenomenon.In doing this they have realized the immense benefits that come with the green technology in almost all areas of their industry. The use of renewable power like solar energy, wind power and bio fuels reduces the energy costs incurred in the hospitality industry a great deal. Due to their nature of operations they require power throughout; when preparing food, entertaining guests and also when cleaning. This therefore means they incur huge electricity bills through out and this can be reduced by the adaptation of green technology.Installation of solar panels or wind power can reduce these expenses in a great way and this can increase their profits and enable investment in other projects like expansion. Are there actually disadvantage of staying the same? The use of green technology reduces the pollution of the environment. The damage that is usually done to the environment when hotels use petroleum products is very catastrophic. They use the product o n large quantities especially in cooking.Diesel products for instance emit a lot of hydrocarbons into the air that cause global warming, which is known to hamper marine life and make some species of the marine bio diversity extinct. This affects the product range available for offer to their clients. They also poison most fish species which make them unfit for human consumption. These diesel emissions are also known to be carcinogenic and cause a lot of cancer related ailments that pose a very great danger to the workers in the industry and to the whole world at large.However all this can be avoided if the industry adopts green technology. There are no side effects of using green energy since they are environmentally friendly and they use ecologically friendly resources. The definite advantages of changing The industry has also come alive to the fact that ecotourism is a major attraction to many people who want to conserve the world we live in. (Hotelinteractive. com. 2008) People a ppreciate and value those involved in environmental conservation and most like being associated with them.Many organizations and governments prefer holding their meetings and conferences in venues that are accredited by environmental conservation agencies as compliant to set green standards. The hospitality industry being a major player in this field does not want to be left behind. This is because those who comply and champion these interests will attract wide clientele and this will be a major boost to their businesses. Many players in the industry have sought to comply with the set standards to ensure they remain competitive in the industry.The industry has therefore invested heavily in imparting the required knowledge and skills to its staff and other stakeholders to ensure best practices. They are then seeking certification from recognized regulatory institutions that also continuously monitor their progress through regular visits and checks. What people think The adoption of g reen technology by the hospitality industry improves the public image and the perceptions that people have towards the industry. â€Å"Going green is no longer a request, but rather a demand. † ( Nowpublic. com. 008) The world today is doing everything to combat global warming which is seen as a major threat to future earnings of almost each sector in the global economy. This will also attract a lot of customers to those who will be seen to be compliant. The hospitality industry is therefore viewed as one of the environmentally sensitive industries and this places it strategically on the global arena of attaining sustainable development. Are there side effects? The players in the hospitality industry must embrace the use of renewable sources of energy like wind power and solar energy.Such installations will ensure minimal environmental pollution and also availability throughout. This is because the sources such as sun and wind are naturally available and apart from installati on costs and routine maintenance there are no other major associated costs. The electricity bills and the costs of running stand-by generators will be done away with and profits will increase both in the short and in the long run. Knowledge aquired The industry players should also minimize the amount of wastes that is usually dumped. This can be done through recycling most of these wastes.For example , a hotel can recycle waste paper into scratch pads, the cartridges used by printers and fax machines can be refilled when empty instead of being dumped, they can also install soap and shampoo dispensers in their facilities to reduce the waste from small plastic bottles, they can also replace toxic and hazardous cleaning agents with good friendlier biodegradable cleaners, they can also donate reusable dishes and other cutlery to charities instead of dumping and also they should install recyclable bins in all areas for collection of waste cans and plastics.When these measures are underta ken, the industry will enjoy the enormous benefits associated with the green technology. The industry players should also invest heavily in the provision of skills and knowledge to the stakeholders who must be involved in the attainment of desired objectives. The stakeholders are mainly their workers, customers and also their suppliers. They should organize workshops and seminars to educate them on the necessity of adopting the green technology.When they fully understand the benefits they will commit to observe and adhere to the standards set in the industry and this will ensure attainment of desired results.? Financial The adoption of the above measures will nonetheless be an uphill task to most of the players in the hospitality industry. Most of these measures like installing and maintaining solar and wind energy systems require huge budgets and skilled workers. Most of the players in the industry are midlevel enterprises that lack the financial ability to manage such capital-inte nsive projects.Also those who carry out these projects may take a long time to recover and return to profitability. Nonetheless the hotels will save BIG money in the end. Conclusion The green technology should be implemented by all the industries not only the hospitality industry. This will enhance the realization of the aspired results which will guarantee the global population of a better environment to live in. This is because global warming is a major threat to all industries regardless of the area of specialization. Failure by the industry players to implement these policies will be threatening the same businesses they rely on. Reference List Patrice A Kelly (2008) So you want to go green [Internet] Available from: http://www. hotelinteractive. com/article. aspx? articleid=12180 [Accessed 2 May, 2012] Commonwealth of Pennsylvania †¢ Department of environmental protection (Unknown) Fact Sheet [Internet] Available from: http://www. google. com/url? sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sourc e=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CCsQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfohouse. p2ric. org%2Fr ef%2F03%2F02592. pdf&ei=mcWiT6X9HMTsOdbgmd0I&usg=AFQjCNGbSE_1baXV5YwYwqMxCkhfrYUsUg [Accessed 30 April, 2012]Ursula Tillmann (2008) Hotels going â€Å"Green† demanded by guests [Internet] Available from: http://www. nowpublic. com/environment/hotels-going-green-demanded-guests [Accessed 2 May, 2012] Roza Gazsi (2011) Hotels going green – So much more than a pleasant stay [Internet] Available from: http://www. ecowizer. com/2011/03/hotels-going-green-so-much-more-than-a-pleasant-stay/ [Accessed 3 May, 2012] Epa. gov (2011) Why go green [Internet] Available from: http://www. epa. gov/region2/p2/hospitality/why/index. html [Accessed 3 May, 2012] Bibliorgaphy Gogreencleaning. bravehost. om (Unknown) Go green! Cleaning products [Online Image] Available from: http://www. google. com/imgres? um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org. mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=657&tbm=isch&tbnid=xEbt0DfSpFO7FM:&imgre furl=http://www. gogreencleaning. bravehost. com/&docid=TTradC0z9xRMaM&imgurl=http://gogreencleaning. bravehost. com/myPictures/gogreen. jpg&w=390&h=448&ei=TdiiT8mXPMGfOufoqdMI&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1032&vpy=93&dur=1870&hovh=241&hovw=209&tx=161&ty=150&sig=111890973347592325663&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=101&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:158 [Accessed 3 May, 2012 ]

Book Report on Pigeons at Daybreak Essay Example for Free

Book Report on Pigeons at Daybreak Essay The story entitled â€Å"Pigeons at Daybreak† by Anita Desai of India is a representation of love and acceptance. Mr. Basu is the man who is unable to perform his task on his own because of the different illnesses that developed into his body. Otima, the wife of Mr. Basu has the selfless love towards him. She takes care of her husband despite of all the problems and complications that emerged in their situation. Otima used to read the newspaper for Mr. Basu. Because Mr. Basu could not able to read the newspaper due to poor eyesight, Otima produced deeper patience and love for her husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the time when their house had no electricity due to electric problems, the two went to the terrace and decided to stay there until the electricity comes back but when the electricity went back, Mr. Basu refused to go back inside the house for it was the time of preparation of leaving. Mr. Basu accepted the fact that his life will soon vanish and become part of heaven. The pigeons in the terrace where Mr. Basu died symbolize his spirit and his journey in the next life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story is simple yet attackable. Its tragic situation brought life to the whole story. Then, with a swirl and flutter of feathers, a flock of pigeons hurtled upwards and spread out against the dome of the sky – opalescent, sunlit, like small pearls (Desai 228). This ending part of the story compressed the entire claim of the story. It means that the ending of the story signifies life as its wondrous creation but soon will end because every one of us will leave the world in beauty and a new journey will begin. Desai, A. (date). Pigeons at Daybreak. pp.220-228 Book Report on Pigeons at Daybreak. (2017, Feb 26). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Report On Product Costing For Dumbellow Ltd Essay

Report On Product Costing For Dumbellow Ltd - Essay Example Furthermore, the production manager considered re-organization of production activities and also the use of a cheaper component of product Z. though all these proposals are viable; they have various shortcomings which may outweigh their expected benefit. In addition, a comparison of marginal costing and full costing (absorption costing) is dealt with in this report. The advantages of using marginal costing instead of full costing, in decision making, are discussed. In conclusion, the shortcomings of the analyses of various proposals examined in this report are identified. Recommendations on the best way to handle the case of product Z are also discussed at the end of this report. Key strategies that were recommended include reorganization of the production processes and the termination of the product. 2.0 Background Information Dumbellow Ltd is a manufacturing company that produces three industrial valves which are incorporated into equipment used in the Oil and Gas industry. The boa rd of Directors of the company is meeting on 3rd of October to discuss the draft budget for the following year, a few months before the start of that calendar and financial year. They are concerned about two issues; the deterioration of product Z in terms of its profitability in the present period and the financial year and the failure of the company to make a total profit of at least ?400k to meet their required 20% return on capital. Owing to the dissatisfaction of the board, the managers of Dumbellow Ltd raised varying proposals on ways to boost the profitability of the company. These diverse views prompted the formation of a group of five members with an objective of writing this report and making recommendations to the board on the most optimal course of action (Lewis, 2001). 3.0 Marginal Costing and Absorption Costing Marginal costing, unlike full costing, focuses on the additional costs of producing one ore more units of a product or service. Under this method, the cost of ma terials and labour are the only components which make up the marginal cost. Other costs such as rent and taxes are considered fixed since they will have been covered. For this reason, marginal cost is easier to compute and thus preferable for quick decision making. Besides saving on time, marginal costing it helps in the generation of additional profit. Every organization aims at maximizing profits which in turn facilitates growth of the business organization. One of the ways of maximizing profits is through reduction or minimization of costs, mostly the costs of production. Dumbellow ltd, for example, through marginal costing can utilize the spare capacity available to produce more of their products. In this case, fixed costs will not be considered since they are already paid; only labour and material costs matters. This enables managers to see quick means of generating extra profit. However, if full costing is used by the company to access the cost of producing extra units, it wil l be found unprofitable or t result in negligible profits because of fixed costs included and it will require a lo of time (Elliot & Elliot, 2004). Marginal costing brings about better performances but significant risk is experienced. Businesses using full costing sets their prices by ensuring that all costs are covered and a profit margin is also included. This calculated profit

The Pillars of Policing Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

The Pillars of Policing - Dissertation Example Through the use of the first pillar of helping to create a safe and secured environment the police department focuses on activities like tracking criminals, curbing criminal and vandalistic activities in the region and efficiently dealing with incidents of significant criticality. The second pillar of policing helps Sussex Police in making them better visible and approachable by the general public. Through this pillar the police department of Sussex endeavors to closely knit their activities with different communities to perform in a proactive manner. This practice also helps the police department to retrieve quality information and responses from the people which thereby helps them in curbing crimes. The third pillar is used by the police force to make efficient and optimal use of the human and financial resources of the police organization to effectively track down the criminal operations of the region. (Three Pillars, n.d.). The police force of Scotland operates on the basis of fi ve basic principles to promote a safer region for the citizens to dwell in. These operational principles or the pillars of Scotland police consist of acts like safeguarding the society from criminal activities, breaking the network of drug trafficking, reassuring the general people that they are safe through the conducting of patrolling operations, prioritizing the safety of the road environment for the driving and daily commuters, and finally helping the police force to become increasingly advanced and trained to handle complexities. (Central Scotland Police, n.d.). Similarly the community policing activities of United Kingdom are also based on eight operational pillars which can be enumerated as follows. The first operational pillar of community policing is to reduce the rate of criminal activities and the rate of disorderliness in the region. Secondly the actions of the police must be conducted of, by and for the general public and not for the sake of meeting operational guidelin es. Public approval for police operations is highly essential for reducing the former’s conflicts with the administration. Thirdly following the above context the police administration of a region must reflect a high amount of honor for the citizens of a country in desiring them to abide by the rule of the land. Fourthly the police administration of a country must endeavor to minimize the use force on making the people abide by the rules of the land physical torture affects the cooperative mechanism of the society with the administration. The fifth operational pillar of community policing states however justifies the use of force when all other arbitration mechanisms fail to reduce public tension. Sixthly more specifically the police system in the society must visualize itself as a key force in restoring safety and harmony in the community and thus be socially accountable. Seventhly the operational pillar also holds that the police system must not augment its potential throug h judicial involvement but must depend on its own actions. Finally in the eighth position the operational pillar holds that measurement of true efficiency of the police force is done on by observing the rate of absence of crime and social disorder and not merely the police’s actions related to such. (Special Feature: Historical Perspective, n.d.). The paper in this context draws a comparison of the police actions of United Kingdom with that of United States. The Police system in United

Fundamental concepts of managerial economics Assignment - 1

Fundamental concepts of managerial economics - Assignment Example Changes in the price (P) of the good or service will result only in movement along the demand curve, whereas changes in any of the other demand determinants in the demand function (PS, PC, Y, A, AC, N, CP, PE, and so on) shift the demand curve. When two goods are substitutes, such as Chevy-volt and Toyota Prius, an increase in the price of Chevy-volt, results in an increase in the quantity demanded of Toyota Prius, holding other factors constant, such as the price of Toyota Prius, other prices, income, and so on, or vice versa. The price of a gallon of regular octane gasoline skyrocketed from $3.00 per gallon to $4.10. The previous summer, when gas prices had hovered around $3 per gallon, Americans had cut back only slightly on non-essential driving. In the summer of 2008, with regular gasoline at $4.10 per gallon, not only summer driving vacations but urban commuting itself changed in extraordinary ways. Overall, customer demand by the typical two-person urban household shrank from 16 gallons per week to 11.5 gallons. Faced with $4.10 per gallon gasoline, as ExxonMobil and Shell sought to recover their extraordinary input costs for crude, American consumers decided to vacate their SUVs, join carpools, and ride the buses and trains to work. Urban mass transit system ridership shot up 20 percent in a matter of months. Other Americans purchased fuel efficient hybrids like the Toyota Prius. Several determinants of demand and supply were identified as possible explanations for the spike in gasoline’s equilibrium market price. This therefore lead to the decreases in the demand for SUVs to a point that the Enterprise Rental Car Co. charged various models of rental cars such as SUVs at $37 on one-day return while the subcompacts were charged at $41 on one-day return. This therefore led to the decline in the equilibrium price of SUVs. Cash flows of Investment A have a larger coefficient of variation (0.80) than do cash flows of Investment B (0.50); therefore,