The importance of listing and conserving historic buildings Essay

The importance of listing and conserving historic buildings - Essay Example The fight to save particular buildings or groups of buildings is not the fancy of some impractical antiquarian. It is part of the battle for the sane use of all our resources. The visible link with the past that old buildings give us is important both as a fascinating insight into history and as an expression of the relative permanence of civilized society. Conservation to the architect and public alike is not a fad, fetter or curse: it is a necessity which should also be seen as a stimulating challenge. The built heritage being an irreplaceable and finite resource deserves dedicated protection for the enjoyment of current and future generations (Maintenance and Repair, n.d.). Buildings possess artistic, technological, cultural and emotive significance not only to individuals but also to the public at large (Maintenance and Repair, n.d.). The loss of buildings of architectural or historic significance is a matter of public interest and is hence considered to be a national threat (Maintenance and Repair, n.d.). Historic buildings following the law of nature are exposed to decay making it certain that certain buildings are facing the risk of falling into disrepair or becoming redundant (Maintenance and Repair, n.d.). However, through proper maintenance such buildings can be made to survive to be witnessed and cherished by many generations (Maintenance and Repair, n.d.). The cost involving regular maintenance and repairs is less (Maintenance and Repair, n.d.). However, constant neglect will only deteriorate the condition (Maintenance and Repair, n.d.). Apathy or deliberate ignorance will only make things out of control and beyond the financial reach of owners (Maintenance and Repair, n.d.). Though modern published figures by the heritage sector indicate more popularity of history and heritage than ever before, some of our most cherished historic buildings at the very heart

Virtual Reality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Virtual Reality - Research Paper Example Virtual reality is turning out to be the topic with many opposing viewpoints. It has become the focal point of discussion among the general public for several reasons. Conceivably, this is mostly because of all the potentials which virtual reality develops (Hoffman, 2004). However, despite the disagreement this new technology has awakened, society should not stay dubious. Virtual reality if used in an optimistic way can bring a large technological development. Military and space technology, the entertainment industry, and the physical sciences contributed to the drive to make advanced computers user friendly. Initially, complex simulators presented low-definition displays through binocular headsets. Addition of position sensors introduced "motion parallax", with depth cues that created the illusion of being within a three-dimensional graphical display. The invention of a `DataGlove, whose movements could be sensed by the computer and then reconstructed in the display, enabled the observer and computer to interact with instructions given by the observer via simple hand movements such as pointing. The overall effect was that the observer experienced a computer-generated artificial or virtual reality (VR), whose credibility depended largely on the agreement between the simulated imagery and the familiar sensible world (Zimmer, 2004). Virtual reality applications are finding their way into the mainstream of society. Initially, the use of VR (virtual reality) was seen as valuable only to scientists and engineers whose highly specialized needs more than overcame the poor quality of the computer generated 3D images. For example, scientists can engage in molecular research by moving within molecules to examine their structures. Doctors and other medical personnel can practice elaborate or dangerous procedures before attempting them on human subjects. With special imaging software, the

Understanding Media Production And Techniques Media Essay

Understanding Media Production And Techniques Media Essay Advertising is like a form of communication, often intended to persuade the viewers or listeners to purchase or consume a product. It crosses numerous platforms from broadcast, print, billboard and online. Video production, or videography, is the art and service of videotaping, editing, and distributing a finished video product. This can include television production, commercial video production, and corporate and event videos. Elements of video production include (1) Pre-Production, (2) Production, and (3) Post Production, and all video productions are organized this way to ensure that the process is a seamless one, and the final-result is as envisioned. Production is the shooting stage of your shoot, which includes cinematography, audio, lights, as well as directing, art and effects. Video production can be used at sporting, school, stage, wedding, church, and similar events to provide recordings of the events. Event video production can also be used to broadcast events live to viewers at home such as a press conference or concert. Video of live events can be sent by microwave or satellite from the event location to a studio in order to be broadcast. Tips for video production The best way to understand video production is to think of it as a process. The process is always the same, whether you are producing a simple video or a intricate one. Here is a description of the process, step-by-step. It can be broken down into three phases. Pre-production Production Post-production Pre-production is probably the most important and the easiest. Even if you want to outsource most of the work, you can (and should) do most of the pre-production yourself. Pre-production includes everything you do before you ever touch the camera. First, think about what you want your finished video to be. Ask yourself these questions. Who is your audience? What does your audience need or want to hear? What does the audience already know? What style of video would appeal to your target audience? What is your budget? What resources do you have readily available? The answer to these questions will determine most everything else. Next, think about what you should actually go and get on video tape. Do you need to interview experts? Do you need footage of specific things that represent your subject? Where and how will you video tape these things? Plan it all out. Make phones calls. Schedule crews, etc. Write out a first draft of your script. Nothing needs to be carved in stone at this point, but a working script will help you collect all your thoughts. A good script should be conversational. Pretend you are explaining the subject matter to a friend. What would you say to them? Write that down and then modify it by using more colourful words and better descriptions. Video scripts are best if they use simple, short sentences. Avoid long, complex words that will be tongue twisters. Read it aloud to test it. Have someone else listen to you and get their reaction. The production phase includes gathering all of your raw materials. All your raw video and audio. This phase probably takes the most work and know-how, especially if you are shooting everything from scratch. Post-production is the phase where you take all your raw materials and assemble them into a finished video. Mostly, post-production means video editing. There are many wonderful computer video editing programs that do a great job. Personally, I use Final Cut by Apple Computers. This is an advanced video editing program that allows you total control over every single aspect of your video. Most beginners would never want to fool with it. A beginner would be much better off with a simple program like Windows Movie maker or iMovie, which are both free. Those programs rely on pre-produced templates that make it much easier and less complex. Sony Vegas Movie Studio is a popular program that is inexpensive and allows more control than the freebie programs but isnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t nearly as complicated as Final Cut. Video editing is also a step-by-step process and I have many free tutorials here on video production tips.com that will help you. So there you have it, a brief description of the process of video production. Audio production The post process in recording acoustic music is often referred to as mixing, as this process happens after recording the musicians. In electronic music the workflow is usually quite different, and in this context the term post processing would typically not refer to the actual mixing process but rather what is applied to the resulting mix-down. With todays increasing amount of music software and musicians creating electronic music in their homes, post production is often done by the musicians themselves. The process typically involves equalization, audio level compression, multi-band audio compression, and limiting. This process somewhat overlaps but should not be mistaken for the term mastering, as post production is usually performed on a per-song basis, whereas mastering is aimed at preparing an entire list of songs for a specific media type. Audio Post Production usually refers to audio that is synchronized with video. This applies to TV, cinema, and commercials. One major aspect of audio post production is the use of ADR, or automatic dialogue replacement. Sometimes the original, or production audio, lacks in performance or quality, and the actor or actors are brought into a sound studio to record some or all of their dialogue from the project. Other elements such as foley, music, and voiceover are also added during post production. Online multimedia production Multimedia is the use of several different media to convey information (text, audio, graphics, animation, video, and interactivity). As multimedia solutions, we understand the solutions that use animation, as a rule, they are developed in Flash. As distinct from static texts (html), multimedia allows to show your product (service) in action, can include audio/video fragments thus making the story about your company more dynamic and attractive and helping it to reach better effect than a static solution could. Research has indicated the following areas are important for new entrants in the creative industries: Client service As a service industry, the client is at the heart of the operation. Some of the most junior roles (such as runners, assistants and receptionists) can be the most customer-facing. As is often said, clients are hard won and easily lost. Transferable skills the ability to apply the same logic and thought processes from one area of advertising to another makes any new entrant more employable. Good numeracy / literacy skills and attention to detail entry level roles are often responsible for a large about of data wrangling. Logging information  as well as monitoring numerical data needs to be accurate in a pressurised environment. Good timekeeping and self organisation good organisation skills are highly sought after in all industries, but particularly in  advertising where deadlines are tight. Speaking and self presentation: these skills relate to client service but are of great importance in  a sector where image is important.

Proposal for a Fitness Center in TI Essay -- Texas Instruments Health

Proposal for a Fitness Center in TI An on-site fitness center for Texas Instruments will prove to be advantageous to the company as well as its employees. Studies show that employees who exercise regularly are more productive, efficient, and pleasant to work with. Texas Instruments has the capability to increase employee retention, recruitment, and revenues by investing in a fitness center through Health Fitness Corporation. Health Fitness Corporation provides on-site fitness centers for numerous prestigious companies such as Best Buy and Federal Express. The positive relationships and results have more than qualified Health Fitness Corporation to provide Texas Instruments with a unique facility, designed to meet all of their personal needs. Among Health Fitness Corporation’s services are state-of-the-art equipment, the latest healthcare products, a knowledgeable staff, specialty classes, and employee incentive programs. The project will be divided into four phases, each with a certain purpose and timeline to achieve a specific goal. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase I (Research and Development) - This four month phase will involve evaluating the needs and desires of Texas Instruments’ employees. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase II (Bidding and Structural Construction) - This five month phase involves choosing the right contractor and building the facility. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase III (Interior Development) - This two month phase will involve renovating the interior of the facility to meet Texas Instruments’ custom desires. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase IV (Trial Period) - This one month process involves staffing the facility and providing training on the exercise equipment. Health Fitness Corporation offers two standard packages. Package A is less expensive to implement, but Package B offers greater revenues. After analyzing Texas Instruments, we believe that Package B will be the most beneficial to the company. Not only will this investment improve the financial status of Texas Instruments, but it will also develop stronger employee relationships. For each dollar Texas Instruments invests in this project, they will realize a greater increase in employee productivity. Many forward-thinking corporations are offering on-site fitness centers to their employees. Texas Instruments must join this trend or their company will be left behind in employee recruitment and retention. Health Fitness Corporation can h... ...ly expanded and is becoming much more than mere fitness centers, but major sources of revenue for companies as well. Health Fitness Corporation has assisted many companies in increasing both recruitment and employee retention. In today’s fast-paced, competitive business world, companies who do not innovate are left behind. Texas Instruments cannot allow these other corporations to gain a competitive advantage. Health Fitness Corporation can provide Texas Instruments with a facility that will not only compete with other companies, but will also offer special programs, products, and training that will separate Texas Instruments from the competition. Health Fitness Corporation looks forward to the commencement of this project and a long and rewarding relationship with Texas Instruments. Works Cited British United Providence Association [online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/exercise.html [2004, April 22] Georgia State University Exercise and Physical Fitness Page [online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  www.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/benefits.html [2004 April, 24] Hoover’s The Business Information Authority [online]. Available:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  www.hoovers.com [2004 April, 18]

Benefits of Technology

Ever since it developed, there has been controversy over whether or not mechanical inventions benefit our lives. Doug Rennie’s article, â€Å"Faxed to the Max†, says â€Å"the timesaving devices we created give us more freedom to do what we want have instead imprisoned us in our own technology. † Although this may be true to some people, everyone has the power to resist technological devices. People can chose to use these tools to enhance their lifestyles, like they can chose to use a hammer or a saw for a project; they don’t necessarily need it, but it would save time and energy.It is the ability to mistreat these inventions that makes some people uneasy towards about using technology in their daily lives. Although it can be abused in many ways, technology used properly is a tool that aids in education, health and communication. Our physical health has benefited greatly from technology. Through inventions like the pacemaker and artificial limbs, a tremend ous amount or people have had better physical conditions. This biological technology is not favourable to all. Some say that it is better for nature to do its work and people should not interfere.The spread of new inventions can soon get out of hand. For example, if we have the ability to clone humans, our lifestyles will change. People will abuse this power by being careless about their health. They believe people think technology can save them in the end, so they can exercise less and eat more unhealthy foods. On the other hand, curative inventions have saved lives and allowed people to lead healthier ones. There can be ways to make technology accessible to only certain people, but there is no reason to stop the usage of these medical products if they can help save lives.An example of one of these products is the pacemaker, invented by Canadian electrical engineer, John Hopps. Because the heart stops beating when it cools, he found that mechanical or electric stimulation could mak e the heart start up again. Since then, many were given healthier lives. Prosthetic limbs have also played a great role in helping the lives of amputees. Artificial limbs with sensors and microchips have recently been designed so that these people can maintain an active lifestyle rather than being confined to wheelchairs. Technology plays a very important role in the communication of people  today.With the touch of a button, the Internet and the cellular telephone can allow us to transmit our message to someone on the other side of the planet. Certain people chose not to use any of these appliances because of the negative consequences. The Internet contains inappropriate sites and some parents don’t want to risk the chance of their child meeting a dangerous stranger in a chat room. People are so used to e-mailing that they don’t know how to send letters anymore. Other antagonists of technological communication believe that the invention of cellular phones is prone to car accidents.Contrariwise, internet has allowed to world to communicate and to easily get in touch with someone. There are parental controls on the Internet and the phone is simply a tool that people can chose not use. In a car accident, it is more of the driver’s responsibility than the cellular phone because the driver chose to use the cellular phone. The Internet is a cheaper and quicker way to communicate. Typing an e-mail and it getting it to the other person takes only a matter of seconds, whereas writing a letter and sending it could take days.Through instant messages and chat rooms on the Internet, a person can converse with another on the other side of the world and save money on their phone bills. Cell phones are convenient devices, especially in emergencies. For instance, if someone was lost in the woods, they can either phone for help or check the map on their cell phone. Cellular phones are also timesaving tools because they can fit in pockets and there is no n eed to find a payphone or carry coins on the street. We can easily abuse the technology around us, but we can just as easily find that the consequences are more beneficial when we use it properly.We should consider the negative effects of technology and find ways to limit them, but we cannot let these issues stop us from the possibilities that the devices can offer. Many of the appliances that scientists created have improved our communication with the world, easier and faster learning, and have even extended the life spans of numerous people. It is wrong to say that everyone has been trapped into being time-sick patients of modern devices. We are simply using these tools to our advantage so we can accomplish the numerous tasks in our lives easier. Without any technology at all, we will be taking a step back from mankind.

Cognitive Effects of Radiation essays

Cognitive Effects of Radiation essays There have been many terrible consequences of the Chernobyl accident, the worst of which has been the suffering and death of millions of Ukrainian people due to radiation exposure. The Physical deterioration of the residents exposed to high amounts of radiation has been extensive and severe, with the rates of cancer and other diseases shooting up by the hundreds of percents. Out of the 100,000 citizens relocated from the Chernobyl plant and the city of Pypiat, Heart and Blood disease has gone up 938% from .74/1000 to 6.94/1000, Endocrine, Digestive and Immunity disease has risen 1350% from 12.67/1000 to 171.11/1000, Respiratory disease has risen 577% from 23.67/1000 to 138.68/1000, and Nervous System disease has risen 500% from 21.25/1000 to 106.28/1000. Other diseases, such as thyroid cancer and birth defects in children, have also risen in sharp increments. One of the most unexplored regions of radiation exposure has been the threat and consequence of cognitive decrements. There has been proven to be many negative factors associated with exposure to radiation, such as fatigue, memory loss and memory retention problems, concentration loss, lack of mental flexibility, stimulus response problems, and recall difficulties. One test that has proven to be very useful in assessing victims of radiation exposure for cognitive deficits is the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Matrices, or the ANAM. This test was created by F.W. Hegee, the director of the Office of Military Performance Assessment Technology, and has proven to be a very useful tool in cognitive assessment. It is a computer program that consists of 27 subtests, and, unlike pencil and paper tests, stores the scores and converts them to useable form right inside of the program without the complication and human error that normally accompanies the transmission of information from raw data to the form of useable data. It is also portable, and can be saved to a ...

Free Essays on Odepus

"An idea is an eye given by God for the seeing of God. Some of these eyes we can not bear to look out of, we blind them as quickly as possible." (Russell Hoban, American novelist) Sometimes the reality of a situation is so harsh that, instead of facing it, people blind themselves to it. In Oedipus Rex, the theme of sightlessness is prevalent throughout the play. Sophocles uses ambiguity to keep from creating biases toward the characters so that, in a sense the audience, as well as the characters, are blind. Fate and blindness go hand in hand in the play. The main character, Oedipus, is a severe victim of fate, ".... damned in his birth, in his marriage damned, damned in the blood he shed with his own hand." The hero Oedipus is tormented by the punishment of a crime that he did not commit. At birth, it was said that he would "†¦lie with [his] mother, breed children from whom all men would turn their eyes; and that [he] should be [his] father’s murderer." This fate is undeserved and makes one question the reasoning behind the fate. The gods seem heartless and cold in their treatment to an innocent man. The aspect of sightlessness is first mentioned in the discussion between a soothsayer and Oedipus to find out the justification for the punishing, "†¦murdering sea," that Thebes has been thrown upon. The city is being punished by the gods for an offense that has been committed by a criminal who does not know his crime. The question of justice arises and is dismissed just as fast because, "...justice is a concept. Muscle is the reality." The action of the gods may not have seemed fair, but, to coin a phrase, "life isn't fair." From his birth, Oedipus was prophesied to a fate worse than death, so his parents then sentenced him to death. He was bound at the ankles and carried off by a shepherd to be killed. The shepherd then felt pity for the baby in his arms and did not wish to kill it so he gave the baby to another she... Free Essays on Odepus Free Essays on Odepus "An idea is an eye given by God for the seeing of God. Some of these eyes we can not bear to look out of, we blind them as quickly as possible." (Russell Hoban, American novelist) Sometimes the reality of a situation is so harsh that, instead of facing it, people blind themselves to it. In Oedipus Rex, the theme of sightlessness is prevalent throughout the play. Sophocles uses ambiguity to keep from creating biases toward the characters so that, in a sense the audience, as well as the characters, are blind. Fate and blindness go hand in hand in the play. The main character, Oedipus, is a severe victim of fate, ".... damned in his birth, in his marriage damned, damned in the blood he shed with his own hand." The hero Oedipus is tormented by the punishment of a crime that he did not commit. At birth, it was said that he would "†¦lie with [his] mother, breed children from whom all men would turn their eyes; and that [he] should be [his] father’s murderer." This fate is undeserved and makes one question the reasoning behind the fate. The gods seem heartless and cold in their treatment to an innocent man. The aspect of sightlessness is first mentioned in the discussion between a soothsayer and Oedipus to find out the justification for the punishing, "†¦murdering sea," that Thebes has been thrown upon. The city is being punished by the gods for an offense that has been committed by a criminal who does not know his crime. The question of justice arises and is dismissed just as fast because, "...justice is a concept. Muscle is the reality." The action of the gods may not have seemed fair, but, to coin a phrase, "life isn't fair." From his birth, Oedipus was prophesied to a fate worse than death, so his parents then sentenced him to death. He was bound at the ankles and carried off by a shepherd to be killed. The shepherd then felt pity for the baby in his arms and did not wish to kill it so he gave the baby to another she...

Alcohol Use Disorder

Diagnosis The DSM-IV-TR classifies drug disorders into substance use disorders (substance dependence and abuse) and substance-induced disorders (substance intoxication, substance withdrawal, induced delirium, anxiety, depression, psychosis and mood disorders). Sometimes it is difficult assessing patient’s psychiatric complaints because heavy drinking is associated with alcoholism can co-exist with, contribute to or result from several different psychiatric syndromes. (Shivani, Goldsmith Anthenelli, 2002) In order to improve diagnostic accuracy, distinguishes among alcohol-related psychiatric symptoms and signs, alcohol-induced psychiatric syndromes and independent psychiatric disorders that are commonly associated with alcoholism emerges to be essential. Patients’ gender, family history, and course of illness over time also should be taken into account. Alcohol-related psychiatric symptoms and signs Heavy alcohol consumption directly affects brain function and brain chemical and hormonal systems known to be involved in many common mental disorders thus can manifest itself in a broad range of psychiatric symptoms and signs. (Koob, 2000) And this usually the first problem which brings the patients seek help. The symptoms vary depending on the amount of alcohol used, how long it is used and how recently it was used as well as patient’s vulnerability to experiencing psychiatric symptoms in the setting of consumption. For example, during intoxication, smaller amount alcohol may produce euphoria whereas larger amount may produce more dramatic changes in mood. Alcohol also impairs judgment and aggressive, antisocial behaviours that may mimic certain externalizing disorders such as ASPD. Alcohol-induced psychiatric syndromes The essential feature of alcohol-induced psychiatric syndromes is the presence of prominent and persistent symptoms, which are judged- based on their onset and course as well as on the patient’s history, physical exam, and laboratory findings to be the result of the direct physiological effects of alcohol. Given the broad range of effects of heavy drinking may have on psychological functioning, these alcohol-induced disorders span several categories of mental disorders, including mood, anxiety, psychotic, sleep, sexual, delirious, amnestic and dementia disorders. Alcoholism with comorbid, independent psychiatric disorders Alcoholism is also associated with several psychiatric disorders that develop independently of the alcoholism and may precede alcohol use and abuse. One of the most common of these comorbid conditions is ASPD, and axis II personality disorder marked by a longstanding pattern of irresponsibility and violating the rights of others with alcohol. (Stinson et al. , 2006) Assessment The three major purposes for a comprehensive assessment are to determine a diagnosis, devise a treatment plan and to make appropriate referrals. The assessment should provide a clinical picture of the client’s personal level of functioning, history, presenting problems, family and social context in the client’s life. It is very important that the assessment process requires the gathering of comprehensive, accurate information, for a valid diagnosis and appropriate treatment. – It is vital that the counsellor needs to collect valid and reliable information. Both formal diagnosis, as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA, 1994) and informal diagnosis, if the client has had therapy in the past can be made. – Comprehensive assessment is essential in designing a treatment plan. The more information provided concerning the etiology, functioning level and prognosis of the problem, the better the treatment plan. – Comprehensive assessment also provides information in order to made appropriate referral. The counsellor may decide to provide treatment solely or in conjunction with some other drug treatment specialists. Generally there are three categories of assessment measures: subjective data and physiological data. -Subjective data To collect information of demographics, family and living situations, mployment, education, drinking history (including development of the drinking problem and current drinking) and the effects on the subject’s cognitive, psychosocial, behavioural and physiological functioning. (Aalto Seppa, 2005) For example, some questionnaires focus on problems caused by alcohol consumption, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) (Saunders, Aasland, Babor, de le Fuente, Grant, 1993) There are ones with diaries focussing on the quantification of alcohol consumption, such as quantity-frequency, time-period or time-line follow-back methods. Webb et al. , 1990) More recently, a low level of response (LR) to alcohol (the need for higher amounts to have an effect) is a genetically influenced characteristic that is both found in populations at high risk for future alcoholism and that predicts alcohol related life problems in future. This Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) questionnaire asks for estimate of number of drinks required to produce each of four effects at different times in their lives. Miller, Thomas, Mallin, 2006) In addition, the survey included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C (AUDIT-C), a three-question alcohol screening test adapted from the original AUDIT developed by the World Health Organization for use in primary health care. The AUDIT-C is a simple, reliable screening tool that focuses on the frequency of drinking, quantify consumed on the typical occasion and the frequency of heavy episode drinking. (Bush, Kivlahan, McDonnell, al. , 1998) Again, there is no such perfect measure that SRE was found to be biased and not able to identify high functioning middle-age women. Schuckit, Smith, Danko, Isacescu, 2003) The difficulty with these specific questionnaires is that people who drink alcohol in general tend to neglect or underestimate their alcohol consumption. (Koch et al. , 2004) The accuracy of these measures is based on the patient’s awareness of and willingness to acknowledge his or her pattern and level of alcohol use as well as negative effects of drinking. At least some individuals who drink excessively will fail to do this. (Allen Litten, 2001) – Physiological data Comparing to subjective data, physiological data can overcome the subjectivity, underestimation in particular thus provides more precise and objective information about the drinking issue. It includes general medical and psychiatric history and examination. This is conducted through screening of blood, breath or urine for alcohol used, further on laboratory tests for abnormalities that may be accompanied acute or chronic alcohol use such as gamma-glutamy-transferase (GGT) or mean corpuscular volume (MCV), a measure of the average size of red blood cells. These may also be used during treatment for potential relapse. GGT is the most commonly used biochemical measure of drinking. However, it is not clear how much drinking is actually needed to cause GGT levels to elevate. And MCV tends to miss more alcoholics than GGT as MCV may be elevated by a variety of conditions other than heavy drinking such as non-alcoholic liver disease, smoking, advanced age or use of anticonvulsants etc. Thus applying the usual cut-off points for these tests, GGT turns out to have a low specificity whereas MCV shows a low sensitivity. This may lead to a gross misunderstanding with the patient and unnecessary further testing. Carbohydrate deficient transferring (CDT) has been recently approved as a marker for identification of individuals with alcohol problems as well as an aid in recognizing if alcoholic patients in treatment have relapsed. CDT and GGT appear to validly detect somewhat different groups of people with alcohol problems. GGT may best pick up those with liver damage due to drinking, whereas CDT seems to be related to level of consumption with or without liver damage. It should be kept in mind that biomarkers do not identify women or adolescents with alcohol problems as they do for male or adults in general. (Similarly, self-report screening tests are also generally less able to detect alcohol problems) (Allen Litten, 2001) Previous studies showed that over 80% of internists and family clinicians report that they usually or always ask new outpatients whether they drink alcohol. Less than 20% of primary care physicians routinely use validated self-report alcohol screening instruments (e. g. CAGE questions or AUDIT) Fewer than half ask about maximum alcohol consumption on one occasion. Alcohol biomarker laboratory tests are rarely used. Reasons given by clinicians for not following recommended alcohol screening guidelines range from lack of time, to insufficient knowledge and skills, to pessimistic attitudes about the ultimate benefits of screening. A current study conducted by Miller, et al. , (2004), they found that approximately 60% of clinicians surveyed frequently screen patients for alcohol use with quantity/frequency and CAGE questions. This is comparable to the incidence of screening found in previous studies. (Miller, Ornstein, Nietert, Anton, 2004)Miller, et al. 2006) further found that over 90% of patients were in favour of screening and guidance about alcohol use and very positive about the use of biological alcohol markers. These findings suggest that physicians and clinicians may be convinced that patients are open to alcohol screening and would not be offended by it. Heavy drinkers may have more of a tendency to be embarrassed by such questions but there is no evidence they would be object to screening. The majority of patients would also be willing to receive alcohol biomarker blood tests, if their physicians and clinicians deemed such tests necessary. Alcohol Use Disorder Diagnosis The DSM-IV-TR classifies drug disorders into substance use disorders (substance dependence and abuse) and substance-induced disorders (substance intoxication, substance withdrawal, induced delirium, anxiety, depression, psychosis and mood disorders). Sometimes it is difficult assessing patient’s psychiatric complaints because heavy drinking is associated with alcoholism can co-exist with, contribute to or result from several different psychiatric syndromes. (Shivani, Goldsmith Anthenelli, 2002) In order to improve diagnostic accuracy, distinguishes among alcohol-related psychiatric symptoms and signs, alcohol-induced psychiatric syndromes and independent psychiatric disorders that are commonly associated with alcoholism emerges to be essential. Patients’ gender, family history, and course of illness over time also should be taken into account. Alcohol-related psychiatric symptoms and signs Heavy alcohol consumption directly affects brain function and brain chemical and hormonal systems known to be involved in many common mental disorders thus can manifest itself in a broad range of psychiatric symptoms and signs. (Koob, 2000) And this usually the first problem which brings the patients seek help. The symptoms vary depending on the amount of alcohol used, how long it is used and how recently it was used as well as patient’s vulnerability to experiencing psychiatric symptoms in the setting of consumption. For example, during intoxication, smaller amount alcohol may produce euphoria whereas larger amount may produce more dramatic changes in mood. Alcohol also impairs judgment and aggressive, antisocial behaviours that may mimic certain externalizing disorders such as ASPD. Alcohol-induced psychiatric syndromes The essential feature of alcohol-induced psychiatric syndromes is the presence of prominent and persistent symptoms, which are judged- based on their onset and course as well as on the patient’s history, physical exam, and laboratory findings to be the result of the direct physiological effects of alcohol. Given the broad range of effects of heavy drinking may have on psychological functioning, these alcohol-induced disorders span several categories of mental disorders, including mood, anxiety, psychotic, sleep, sexual, delirious, amnestic and dementia disorders. Alcoholism with comorbid, independent psychiatric disorders Alcoholism is also associated with several psychiatric disorders that develop independently of the alcoholism and may precede alcohol use and abuse. One of the most common of these comorbid conditions is ASPD, and axis II personality disorder marked by a longstanding pattern of irresponsibility and violating the rights of others with alcohol. (Stinson et al. , 2006) Assessment The three major purposes for a comprehensive assessment are to determine a diagnosis, devise a treatment plan and to make appropriate referrals. The assessment should provide a clinical picture of the client’s personal level of functioning, history, presenting problems, family and social context in the client’s life. It is very important that the assessment process requires the gathering of comprehensive, accurate information, for a valid diagnosis and appropriate treatment. – It is vital that the counsellor needs to collect valid and reliable information. Both formal diagnosis, as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA, 1994) and informal diagnosis, if the client has had therapy in the past can be made. – Comprehensive assessment is essential in designing a treatment plan. The more information provided concerning the etiology, functioning level and prognosis of the problem, the better the treatment plan. – Comprehensive assessment also provides information in order to made appropriate referral. The counsellor may decide to provide treatment solely or in conjunction with some other drug treatment specialists. Generally there are three categories of assessment measures: subjective data and physiological data. -Subjective data To collect information of demographics, family and living situations, mployment, education, drinking history (including development of the drinking problem and current drinking) and the effects on the subject’s cognitive, psychosocial, behavioural and physiological functioning. (Aalto Seppa, 2005) For example, some questionnaires focus on problems caused by alcohol consumption, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) (Saunders, Aasland, Babor, de le Fuente, Grant, 1993) There are ones with diaries focussing on the quantification of alcohol consumption, such as quantity-frequency, time-period or time-line follow-back methods. Webb et al. , 1990) More recently, a low level of response (LR) to alcohol (the need for higher amounts to have an effect) is a genetically influenced characteristic that is both found in populations at high risk for future alcoholism and that predicts alcohol related life problems in future. This Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) questionnaire asks for estimate of number of drinks required to produce each of four effects at different times in their lives. Miller, Thomas, Mallin, 2006) In addition, the survey included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C (AUDIT-C), a three-question alcohol screening test adapted from the original AUDIT developed by the World Health Organization for use in primary health care. The AUDIT-C is a simple, reliable screening tool that focuses on the frequency of drinking, quantify consumed on the typical occasion and the frequency of heavy episode drinking. (Bush, Kivlahan, McDonnell, al. , 1998) Again, there is no such perfect measure that SRE was found to be biased and not able to identify high functioning middle-age women. Schuckit, Smith, Danko, Isacescu, 2003) The difficulty with these specific questionnaires is that people who drink alcohol in general tend to neglect or underestimate their alcohol consumption. (Koch et al. , 2004) The accuracy of these measures is based on the patient’s awareness of and willingness to acknowledge his or her pattern and level of alcohol use as well as negative effects of drinking. At least some individuals who drink excessively will fail to do this. (Allen Litten, 2001) – Physiological data Comparing to subjective data, physiological data can overcome the subjectivity, underestimation in particular thus provides more precise and objective information about the drinking issue. It includes general medical and psychiatric history and examination. This is conducted through screening of blood, breath or urine for alcohol used, further on laboratory tests for abnormalities that may be accompanied acute or chronic alcohol use such as gamma-glutamy-transferase (GGT) or mean corpuscular volume (MCV), a measure of the average size of red blood cells. These may also be used during treatment for potential relapse. GGT is the most commonly used biochemical measure of drinking. However, it is not clear how much drinking is actually needed to cause GGT levels to elevate. And MCV tends to miss more alcoholics than GGT as MCV may be elevated by a variety of conditions other than heavy drinking such as non-alcoholic liver disease, smoking, advanced age or use of anticonvulsants etc. Thus applying the usual cut-off points for these tests, GGT turns out to have a low specificity whereas MCV shows a low sensitivity. This may lead to a gross misunderstanding with the patient and unnecessary further testing. Carbohydrate deficient transferring (CDT) has been recently approved as a marker for identification of individuals with alcohol problems as well as an aid in recognizing if alcoholic patients in treatment have relapsed. CDT and GGT appear to validly detect somewhat different groups of people with alcohol problems. GGT may best pick up those with liver damage due to drinking, whereas CDT seems to be related to level of consumption with or without liver damage. It should be kept in mind that biomarkers do not identify women or adolescents with alcohol problems as they do for male or adults in general. (Similarly, self-report screening tests are also generally less able to detect alcohol problems) (Allen Litten, 2001) Previous studies showed that over 80% of internists and family clinicians report that they usually or always ask new outpatients whether they drink alcohol. Less than 20% of primary care physicians routinely use validated self-report alcohol screening instruments (e. g. CAGE questions or AUDIT) Fewer than half ask about maximum alcohol consumption on one occasion. Alcohol biomarker laboratory tests are rarely used. Reasons given by clinicians for not following recommended alcohol screening guidelines range from lack of time, to insufficient knowledge and skills, to pessimistic attitudes about the ultimate benefits of screening. A current study conducted by Miller, et al. , (2004), they found that approximately 60% of clinicians surveyed frequently screen patients for alcohol use with quantity/frequency and CAGE questions. This is comparable to the incidence of screening found in previous studies. (Miller, Ornstein, Nietert, Anton, 2004)Miller, et al. 2006) further found that over 90% of patients were in favour of screening and guidance about alcohol use and very positive about the use of biological alcohol markers. These findings suggest that physicians and clinicians may be convinced that patients are open to alcohol screening and would not be offended by it. Heavy drinkers may have more of a tendency to be embarrassed by such questions but there is no evidence they would be object to screening. The majority of patients would also be willing to receive alcohol biomarker blood tests, if their physicians and clinicians deemed such tests necessary.

Information and operation management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Information and operation management - Essay Example Thus, the core operations of JLR are performed in automobile manufacturing and assembly plants, whereas are developed, produced and assembled vehicle parts. These operations are performed at three vehicle manufacturing plants and two design and engineering centres. In addition to design and manufacturing operations, the company performs many other operations across business functions, such as supply chain management, financial management, HR management, IT management, inbound and outbound logistics, distribution, marketing and sales, CSR, customer service, etc. Production operations management related to planning and management of key production manufacturing activities. In case of JLR these activities include everything from the moment of transforming available raw materials (input) to ready products (outputs). Quality of the products produced is one of the most critical factors in production operations. As the company’s management is focused on sustainable production and operations, it is worth to mention that in addition to managing manufacturing process, the company manages the environmental impact caused in result of JLR’s operations. In addition to the above mentioned activities of production operations management at JLR, the company aims to develop new products and find new sustainable product solutions. Therefore, the key objectives of production operations management at JLR include the following: ensuring the availability of development and manufacturing capacity, product design and manufacturing, tests, assembly, co ntrol and improvement of the quality level of the final product, etc. Supply chain management implies different functions and activities from those defined in production operations. Supply chain includes the following main activities: materials management, inventory management, scheduling and releasing, logistics, order management,

Philopsphy paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philopsphy - Term Paper Example This paper applies these two theories of ethics on particular concrete cases. The cases are, keeping/breaking a promise, abortion, and Euthanasia. As sources of information, two books are used: Practical Ethics, by Peter Singer, and Ground Work of the Metaphysics of Morals, by Emmanuel Kant. Before applying the two ethical theories to the above cases, it is important to first give an overview of each of the theories. To begin with, the utilitarian theory of ethics is an end based theory. In other words, in determining the morality of an action, the proponents of utilitarian theory will focus on the end result of the action, and if the end product of the action will result in greater good to the majority of people, i.e. if the action will maximize happiness for the majority, then the action is a morally right action (Singer, 3). On the contrary, if the action diminishes happiness, or makes the majority of people to suffer, then the action is morally wrong. Deontological theory of Ethi cs on the other hand is based on the law or the duty ( Kant, 13-15). This means that an action is regarded as being morally right if it is done in accordance with the requirements of the law, or in fulfilment of one’s obligation. ... tological theory of Ethics, the main question that we should ask ourselves is whether or not the act of breaking or keeping the promise is in line with our obligations or the law. Emmanuel Kant, one of the main proponents of deontological theory of Ethics argues, in his famous categorical imperative, that before taking an action, we should ask ourselves whether we would wish our manner of acting to be made into a universal law applicable to all similar cases (Kant, 18). Kant, therefore, is of the view that we have the obligation to treat others as we would like to be treated. In this sense, breaking a promise that we have made is morally wrong because we would also not like somebody who has promised us something to fail to keep their promise. We should always keep our promises since we have an obligation to fulfil what we have promised to do. A utilitarian on the other hand would base their judgement on the consequence or the end result of either breaking or keeping ones promise. If the action will maximize the interests of the majority, then the action is morally right, and on the contrary, if the action will result in diminishing happiness to the majority of people, then the act is morally wrong. On this basis, a utilitarian wouldn’t give a definitive answer on whether the act of keeping or breaking a promise is intrinsically wrong or right. A utilitarian will conclude that the morality of the action of either keeping or breaking a promise will greatly depend on the particular circumstance at hand. If the circumstance is such that keeping or breaking a promise will lead to greater happiness for the majority, then the action is morally right and if the action will lead to suffering of the majority of people, then the action is morally wrong. Abortion The main

Analysis & Discussion about gold Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis & Discussion about gold - Essay Example People value gold and perceive it to a sign of purity and success. It is a metal used for jewelry, as investments and also as monetary exchange. Gold jewelers are considered to be the most successful business as they deal in something that has only seen appreciation in value most of the time. The value of gold is quoted in financial news and it fluctuates on daily basis. The gold rates are quoted for price in dollars for gold bullion which is the raw form of the metal. All countries publish gold prices in their respective currency on daily basis. Analysts link the value to the international gold rates quoted in the global markets. The market generally shows an upward trend of the gold prices but its fluctuations are based on the demand and supply of the metal itself. The sudden surge in the gold price is attributed to the shortage of this metal as compared to its demand. But some analysts argue that gold hoarders have led to artificial price hike at times. Although international laws and regulations keep a check on the gold prices and monitor its trading in a prudent manner. Gold was used as reserve currency for many decades. The use of gold coins and issuance of money equivalent to the gold reserve has been a very common in the past. In the second half of the nineteenth century an international gold standard was established. â€Å"The gold standard was created by the free market, the citizenry, and it operates to manage the supply of paper currency under self adjusting market system.† (Lewis 103) The use of gold as a monetary exchange was abolished and replaced by fiat currencies in the 20th century. Before currencies were convertible into gold but the declining gold reserves and the increasing international trading required currency interchange and thus currencies were made legal tenders by the government and were used for transaction and reserve purposes. â€Å"The price of a thing at any moment is determined by the quantity of money which has to be given for it, but ‘the quantity of money’ is a magnitude, which is in part determined by the nature of the unit of account employed.† (Gregory 4) The price of currencies previously was linked with gold and the purchasing power of the currency would be maintained in terms of gold. The same amount of currency, irrespective o f its metallic weight, whether it is a coin or a note, would be convertible to the same amount of gold. Thus the purchasing power in terms of the value of gold would be same and this determined the value of currency as well as the gold prices. But the scarcity of gold mines and deposits around the world has lead government to remove the gold and currency purchasing power equation and has made the paper currency a legal tender for all the transactions. The same amount of currency will have the same purchasing power or not cannot be guaranteed in the fiat - legal tender currency system. The gold has now become a commodity of exchange rather than i ts previous function of maintaining currencies purchasing power. â€Å"In today’s government controlled fiat money system, gold has lost its monetary function. However, gold has remained a kind of ultimate means of payment, protecting investors against financial crises and inflation.† (Belke & Polleit 13) People buy gold jewels, gold bars and gold coins from the investment point of view. The investment options may differ for

Effective Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Effective Project Management - Essay Example Effective projects are based on time management which ensures that certain activities are undertaken and can be altered to reduce the overload on critical resources. This approach is called resource leveling and, whilst it enables resources to be used more effectively, it may result in the project taking longer to complete if it is necessary to reschedule activities that are on the critical path. Ford and General Motors follow this approach in production and operational management in order to ensure high level of productivity. Resource leveling directs to schedule flows through batch working and demand dependent oriented systems in order to maximize the output. This approach emphasizes the desirability of ensuring a steady flow through the system like balanced flow, rather than seeking to keep all resources busy. Samsung follows time -boxed scheduling method (Spinner, 1998). The advantage of this approach is that its production activities are rescheduled to take account of float with in non-critical activities, the overall completion date would not be affected. Thus, Samsung's executives admit that this technique is salubrious because it requires project workers to understand thoroughly the steps that needed to be taken to implement their projects. Shiseido, the forth world leader in cosmetics industry, uses critical chain scheduling in order to produce their deliverables faster than ever. The advantage of the approaches mentioned above is that they allow the companies to meet customer expectations and ensure on time delivery. While users insist that a deliverable be produced in an impossibly short time frame, they are reluctant to drop any desired features in order to make the time frame realistic (Bateman and Snell 2004). Money Many companies with excellent products have gone out of business simply because they ran out of cash and financial resources. Cash shortages can result if accounts receivable are not collected promptly, if a key customer disappears, if money is tied up in equipment, or if financial reserves are limited. Similarly, a company will not stay in business long unless it achieves profits. There are countless ways for companies to fail to achieve their profit objectives. For instance, Shiseido, running in-house projects, does not estimate the cost of its internal staff working on the project, but does estimate the cost of contractors and suppliers. The problem is that the company does not have systems in place to allow it to accurately track and record the time people spend on individual projects. Samsung calculates the actual cost per unit of time. This approach allows company to ensure normal modes of working and availability. Ford calculates the efficiency levels for each resource. It pay s a special attention to capital and revenue expenditure budgets (Fleetham, 1989).. Plans reduced to specific figures show where money is going or where physical input and output have taken place. General Motors widely uses MRP II which generates a forecast of demand and a manufacturing plan is developed to meet those demands. This plan drives the issue of works orders (www.gm.com). Effective projects need effective management of financial resources to make plans effective, within the budget limits. The budgets are also used as checks on the actual results of a business (Burkun 2005).

MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MARKETING - Essay Example Discussion Political: there are heavy regulations that have to be followed in order to contribute the operations. These regulations could be in relation to pensions and the change equal opportunities to employees regarding the age of cabin crew and pilots. Compliance to Political regulations would be needed in order to function. These regulations monitor the expansion of businesses operations and its impacts. Political factors also encompass the increased security due to the international security conditions. The terrorist attacks of the past have an impact over the way Airlines functions. British airways would need to have more security in order to comply with the political safety measures and to ensure customer satisfaction. Economical: there is a global economic crisis and most countries of the world are going through recession in the economy. This economic crisis can lead to reduction in sales. When expanding the business, this could be a consideration as during recession it is m ost feasible for companies to try and cut costs to keep up with the declining economy. Moreover, due to the condition of the economy, many people may be switching to cheaper modes of travel. When there is economic downfall, the currency rates are affected. Pound weaken especially against the euro, this decline in the exchange rates makes UK airlines vulnerable. There is a rise in the oil prices due to the middle ease unrest, these fluctuation in the price of oil and petrol affect the exchange rates and consequently the cost base of British Airways. Also, as fuel prices increase, the costs rise and this makes it hard to deliver competitive advantage. Moreover, there has been a considerable decline in the spending of average UK population. This makes the airlines vulnerable to competition. (Milmo, 2011) Social: According to the national statistics, the UK has an aging population, this is an advantage for British Airways as the older generation seems to indulge more in leisure activiti es and has more time to travel. The unemployment rate is increasing in the UK which means that there is more workers supply than the demand. This increase in the rate of unemployment gives the company bargaining power over the employees. Technological: with the passage of time and the advancement of information technology, the use of internet for buying and selling has been on a constant rise. Online presence is necessary for every business especially airlines and travel agencies. Recent studies reveal that there would be an increase in the use of price comparison sites by the consumers which means that the bargaining power of the consumer would increase as they would be comparing the prices of the airlines and competition would also increase. The internet usage and purchases have increased online bookings and ticket reservations. The trend of purchasing airline tickets over the internet has become widespread. With these trends it is imperative for British Airways to expand its virt ual presence and keep up tp date with the advancements in technology, whilst maintaining a physical presence for the consumers that do not use the internet. As majority of the consumers are now moving to buying tickets over the internet, due to this change, market research could be conducted through email questionnaires and online reviews. With concise and straightforward questionnaires, a sample from the target market can be analyzed. Surveys can also be conducted thro

Describes the three higher issues of accountability,globalization, and Research Paper

Describes the three higher issues of accountability,globalization, and technology that will most significantly impact higher edu - Research Paper Example Raby, R.& Valeau, E. (2009) Community College Models: Globalization and Higher Education Reform. New York: Springer. This book focuses on community colleges and how they are affected by globalization. In the part that is summarized in the literature review, the authors look at how community colleges can help with humanitarian concerns. It also looks at the neo-liberal model, which means that colleges are looked at like a commodity, and the implications of this in the global world. They also look at the â€Å"global paradox† (p. 23), which means that the needs of the local grow greater as the polity and the economy grows larger. Technology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 Cook, J., White, S., Sharples, M., Sclater, N. & Davis, H. (2007) The design of learning technologies. In Contemporary Perspectives in E-Lea rning Research: Themes, Methods and Impact on Practice. Ed. Grainne Conole and Martin Oliver. New York: Routledge. This article examines new learning technologies, focusing on technologies that encourage students to learn interactively. These technologies include interactive games, and virtual worlds. Also looks at how students may be encouraged to create their own technology. Accountability†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..10 Burke, J. (2005) The many faces of accountability. In Achieving Accountability in Higher Education. Ed. Joseph C. Burke and Associates. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. In this article, Burke looks at what educational accountability means. He focuses on the different types of accountability, which means that universities are accountable to different stakeholders. He also looks at what the changing landsc ape – increasing tuition and enrollments and exploding state needs – means for accountability in higher education. Zumeta, W. (2005) Accountability and the private sector: State and federal perspectives. In Achieving Accountability in Higher Education. Ed. Joseph C. Burke and Associates. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. In this article, the author looks at how state and federal stakeholders view higher education accountability. Erwin, T. (2005) Standardized testing and accountability: Finding the way and the will. In Achieving Accountability in Higher Education. Ed. Joseph C. Burke and Associates. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. This article looks at the push for standardized testing in higher education, and looks at why educators are opposed to the idea. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..13 Applicationâ₠¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦15 Introduction In higher education today, there are a variety of challenges that educators and college and university leaders must face. One of these challenges is that the world has become increasingly globalized. The implications for the institutions of higher learning are that students must become multi-cultural, and they also must have the skills which are needed in a changing world. These skills are also constantly changing, as there are paradigm shifts in what is necessary to

MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MARKETING - Essay Example Discussion Political: there are heavy regulations that have to be followed in order to contribute the operations. These regulations could be in relation to pensions and the change equal opportunities to employees regarding the age of cabin crew and pilots. Compliance to Political regulations would be needed in order to function. These regulations monitor the expansion of businesses operations and its impacts. Political factors also encompass the increased security due to the international security conditions. The terrorist attacks of the past have an impact over the way Airlines functions. British airways would need to have more security in order to comply with the political safety measures and to ensure customer satisfaction. Economical: there is a global economic crisis and most countries of the world are going through recession in the economy. This economic crisis can lead to reduction in sales. When expanding the business, this could be a consideration as during recession it is m ost feasible for companies to try and cut costs to keep up with the declining economy. Moreover, due to the condition of the economy, many people may be switching to cheaper modes of travel. When there is economic downfall, the currency rates are affected. Pound weaken especially against the euro, this decline in the exchange rates makes UK airlines vulnerable. There is a rise in the oil prices due to the middle ease unrest, these fluctuation in the price of oil and petrol affect the exchange rates and consequently the cost base of British Airways. Also, as fuel prices increase, the costs rise and this makes it hard to deliver competitive advantage. Moreover, there has been a considerable decline in the spending of average UK population. This makes the airlines vulnerable to competition. (Milmo, 2011) Social: According to the national statistics, the UK has an aging population, this is an advantage for British Airways as the older generation seems to indulge more in leisure activiti es and has more time to travel. The unemployment rate is increasing in the UK which means that there is more workers supply than the demand. This increase in the rate of unemployment gives the company bargaining power over the employees. Technological: with the passage of time and the advancement of information technology, the use of internet for buying and selling has been on a constant rise. Online presence is necessary for every business especially airlines and travel agencies. Recent studies reveal that there would be an increase in the use of price comparison sites by the consumers which means that the bargaining power of the consumer would increase as they would be comparing the prices of the airlines and competition would also increase. The internet usage and purchases have increased online bookings and ticket reservations. The trend of purchasing airline tickets over the internet has become widespread. With these trends it is imperative for British Airways to expand its virt ual presence and keep up tp date with the advancements in technology, whilst maintaining a physical presence for the consumers that do not use the internet. As majority of the consumers are now moving to buying tickets over the internet, due to this change, market research could be conducted through email questionnaires and online reviews. With concise and straightforward questionnaires, a sample from the target market can be analyzed. Surveys can also be conducted thro

Operations Management Essay Example for Free

Operations Management Essay 1. Discuss how just-in-time manufacturing might affect a Job Shop (Consider both positive and negative impacts on both internal and external operations). Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing may affect a Job Shop both positively and negatively. The most important affect is that it improves the performance of job shop production. JIT also eliminates waste and/or decreases work in progress (WIP) in that same sense. JIT allows for products that are produced to fulfill an immediate demand for them. JIT emphasizes on quality. Quality is very important in JIT manufacturing because it decreases or eliminates costs and increases profits by producing high quality products the first time around. JIT allows for quality products to be transformed from raw materials into finished goods as expediently and efficiently as possible without delay. Some of the negative affects are unskilled or untrained workers. They may not make quality products because they are not trained properly or often. It may affect external operations by promoting competitive bidding between vendors to provide needed inventory. Sometimes this can cause friction between long-standing vendors and the company when they’re out bid by another vendor. It can tarnish the business relationship. 2. You operate a dairy farm, raising cows for the production of raw milk products. Briefly identify the levels of vertical integration that you would anticipate being possible for such an operation (include both backward and forward integration in your response). Operating a dairy farm, raising cows, would be a very challenging business to conduct. The competition for market share is outrageous. One level of vertical integration that I would anticipate is to possibly setup my own distribution center. I would face some challenges because I’d have to hire workers with this type of expertise, along with the knowledge of farming. Though I’d have to invest more capital and purchase or allot warehousing space for the added inventory, in the long run it would be much more economically beneficial to my farming business. I would become my own distributor, thus passing these savings to my customers, while gaining market share. Another level of vertical integration would be that I’d purchase more land to have grass to feed my cows, instead of purchasing feed from a feed company. That type of integration is called forward integration. 3. Discuss the concept of the â€Å"Process Spectrum†. Use examples where appropriate. The Process Spectrum is made up of five major types of manufacturing processes that a company may use to get to an end product, or a finished good or service. The continuous flow process is characterized by the flow of material. During this process, the material hardly ever stops, but moves constantly from one process to another. Using the continuous flow process, the time to transform raw material into a finished project can be easily estimated. The Job Shop process is the most flexible of the processes. Unlike the continuous flow process, the Job Shop process it group’s similar equipment together. This most often allows for products to flow from one machine to a different type of machine and back to a previous type of machine, if needed, unlike the continuous flow process. This process fulfills an outside customer’s order by an agreed-upon date and whatever quantity ordered. The batch flow process is most similar to the job shop process, in that the equipment is grouped by function rather than product. Unlike the job shop process, it produces products in an established lot size that move into an inventory from which further production or final customer orders are filled. The Line Flow process mostly resembles a moving assembly line, such as in the auto industry. In contrast to the continuous flow, the line flow is more flexible, less automated, and more labor/worker driven. The hybrid process is where the first part of the flow of materials resembles the batch flow process, while the latter part resembles a line or continuous flow process. In a hybrid process, on process separates the inventory by parts or semi-finished inventory, to be passed to the other process for assembly or finishing. 4. Compare and contrast the â€Å"Worker Paced Line Flow Process† and the â€Å"Machine Paced Line Flow Process† as relates to capital use, process speed, pacing, and materials requirements. In comparing and contrasting the â€Å"Worker Paced Line Flow† and â€Å"Machine Paced Line Flow† processes in reference to capital use, it is fairly cheap to manufacture and or service the customer base in the worker paced line flow than the machine paced line flow. Though the equipment is specially designed to produce the quality products of the company, the difference in capital use is greater in the machine paced line flow because the operations are most likely larger in size than the worker paced line flow process. In a worker paced line flow, the process of making raw material into a finished product is increasingly fast, such as in a fast food restaurant. The customers expect to be served in a decent time frame and expect their food to be fresh, hot, and in good or great quality. The product flow depends on the immediate demand. The greater the customer base, the greater the need to produce products and in a faster pace. However, it is still dependent upon the pace of the workers and their pace is monitored and adjusted by management as deemed fit for customer demand. In a machine flow process, the process of speed is fast. This is based upon the speed of the machine producing the product. However, machines can be set to achieve a set goal by management. In reference to materials requirements, in a worker paced line the amount of material or inventory needed or required is closely estimated by the amount of sales. In a machine paced line flow process, the amount is not known for certain until a production plan is established. 5. Briefly discuss the concept of the â€Å"cost of quality†. Consider both positive and negative costs associated with a typical quality program in a manufacturing facility. My understanding of the term â€Å"Quality is Free† is to make the product to specifications the first time, as to avoid the costs associated with correcting all of the defects. Poor quality could lead to poor customer relations, which is bad because most businesses are advertised through â€Å"word of mouth†. To scrap means to start over from the beginning. That’s not good because you’ve made the product twice at twice the cost. Costs can be mitigated when the products are inspected and tested to detect defects at different stages of WIP, before rolling out to the market. This is a good process to have in place. Ensuring workers are properly trained and cross-trained is a good preventative measure to have in place. The more processes a worker can perform, the more productive the company can be.

Research Methods For Hospitality And Holiday Business Managers Tourism Essay

Research Methods For Hospitality And Holiday Business Managers Tourism Essay I am writing essay on Research methods for hospitality and tourism managers. The aim of this research is to enhance and refine a capability for critical thinking about hospitality and tourism related managerial problems. Research is depending on size of the organization. Research is the very important for any organization at is offers a measure of control and autonomy over any company. It gives opportunity to confirm clarity, pursue, or even discover new aspects of company. It is the combination of reasoning and experience and must be regarded as the most successful approach to the discovery of truth. Definition of research, It is active, diligent and systematic process of inquiry in order to discover, interpret or revise facts, events, behaviours or theories, or to make practical applications with the help of such facts, laws or theories. The term research is also used to describe the collection of information about the subject. (wordiq.com). according to Oxford Concise Dictionary Research is the case study of particular topic. It is the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources, in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions or in other words research is an endeavour to discover new or collate old facts etc by the scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation (Oxford Concise Dictionary). Business research helpful to finding out who are your customer and what are the basic needs. Research is the review or synthesizes existing knowledge. Research helps to investigate existing situation and problems and provide solutions for problems. Its explore and analyse more general issues. Research methods used to collect customer satisfaction may be questionnaires, interviews or seminars. Nowadays business research is the keypad of any development plan for and any organisation. It is a increasingly popular way for companies to train and educate their managers and other employees in a vast array of different fields. Research is the imperative for the company to know what type of products and services would be profitable to introduce in the market. Also with respects to its existing products in the market, good market research enables a company to know if it has been able to satisfy customer needs and whether any changes need to be made in packaging delivery or product itself. This enables a company to formulate a viable marketing plan or measure the success of its existing plan. (morebusiness.com) Types of research:- The word research is used to describe a number of similar and often overlapping activities involving a search for information in other word research is process of collecting data, information and fact for the advancement of knowledge. (Webs.uidaho.edu). There are mainly two types of research and secondary research Primary research: It is the process of the collection of data that does not already exist. This is done with the various forms like questionnaires, direct observation and telephone interviews etc. There are two basic approaches to data collections using primary methods. Qualitative research : Qualitative research is seeks out the why, not the how of its topic through the analysis of unstructured information things like interview, transcripts, emails, notes, feedback, photos ,Forms and videos. Qualitative research is used to gain inside into peoples attitudes, behaviours, value system, caserns, motivations aspirations, culture or lifestyle. Its used to inform business decisions, policy information, communication and research. Focus groups in depth interviews, contained analysis ethnography, evaluation and semiotics are among the many formal approaches that are used but qualitative research involves the analysis of any unstructured material including customer feedback forms, reports and media clips. (qsrinternational.com) The methods of collecting qualitative data are Individual interview Focus group Observation Advantages of qualitative research Qualitative research produces more in depth, comprehensive information Uses subjective information and participant observation to describe the context or natural settings of the variables under consideration as well as the interaction of the different variables in the context. Its seeks the wide understanding of the entire situation. Disadvantages of Qualitative research The very subjective of the enquiry leads to difficulties in establishing the reliability and validity of the approaches and information. It is very difficult to prevent a detect researcher induced bias. Its scope is limited due to the in depth, comprehensive data gathering approaches required. (okstate.edu) Quantitative research: According to the Aliaga and Gunderson (2002), quantities research is explain phenomena by collecting numerical data that are analysed using mathematically based methods (in particular statistics). This methods investigates why and how of decision making not only where, what, when. Quantities research has an ability to provide complex textual descriptions of how people experience given a research issue Advantages of Quantitative research: In Quantitative research its seeks to explore phenomena, it is design in an excellent way of finalising results and poring and disproving hypothesis, a structure has not change for centuries. After statistical analysis of the results comprehensive answer is reach and result can be legitimately discussed and published. It is a useful for tasting gain by the series of a Quantitative experiment, leading to a final answer and narrowing down of possible directions for follow up research to take. Disadvantages Quantitative experiments can be difficult and expensive and require a lot of tie to perform. Quantitative studies usually require extensive statistical analysis, which can be difficult. Limited outcomes to only those outlined in the original research proposal due to closed type question and the structured format (experiment-resources.com). Hospitality industry is evergreen industry in the world and its growing rapidly. In recent years because of globalization in this industry there are lots of challenges and competition. To survive in this competition this industry adopts some research, like market research. Market research is the systematic, objective collection and analysis of data about target market, competition and environment with the goal being increased understanding of them. Through the market research process manager can take data a variety of related and non- related facts. And create useful information to guide the managers decision. Marketing research is not an activity conducted only once, it is a ongoing study. The information gain through marketing research is information that can guide managers in most important strategic business decision. Some benefits of market research are. Market research guide to communication with current and potential customer. Its helps to identify opportunities in the market place. Market research minimizes the risk of doing business. If uncovers and identifies potential problems. It creates benchmarks and helps to track progress and its also helps to evacuate success. (sallbusinessnotes.com) Business research:- business research programme are an increasingly popular way for companies to train and educate their managers and staff. Business research education can pertain to economics, business strategy and ethics in facts, anything related to modern business and trade. In short business research provides the needed information that guides managers to make informed decisions to successfully deal with problems. Benefits of business research are, Business research provides well educated and informed staff means that operations will run very smoothly. With this research senior managers will be able to drive a workforce on using effective motivational techniques With the help of business research it is possible to find the edge over the global competition. (content4reprint.com) Research helps to stay in competitive and build customer loyalty. Research also boost the sales and increase business profitability. It enhances the brand and gain a reputation as an innovative business. Business research help to find out the opportunities and threats. History:- Marriott has founded by J.Willard Marriott 1927, when he and his wife opened a root beer stand in Washington D.C. the Marriott quickly noticed that soft drinks sold in large amount during Washingtons long hot summer but that business needed a boost during the cooler months. They added the first Mexican food in that area, were added to their counter menu. The Marriott called their restaurant the hot Shoppe. In 1928 the Marriott opened their third restaurant, which offered curb side service. Hot Shoppe remains popular in the Washington area through the great depression. In 1937 Marriott branched out from the restaurant business for the first time, pioneering in-flight catering with boxed launch for eastern, American and capital airlines flights from Washingtons old Hoover airport. In 1940 Marriott opened five new restaurants. In 1964 Marriott handed the presidency to his son, Mr. Bill Marriott. Hot Shoppe Inc. over the next few years, the company continued to open hotels and restaurant s. Today Marriott international is leading company with more than 3000 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. (fundinguniverse.com) Marriott International continuously increasing their business and opening new hotels, inns, restaurants and resorts to attract customers by using new ideas and new strategies. Like recently Marriott International opened their new Ihilani resort spa on the island of Oahu, which offering service and treatments that are uniquely part of the Hawaiian tradition and lifestyle. Ihilani spa is very famous and received numerous awards. (Marriott.co.uk). Marriott according to the place, religion and wishes they making their business for building their brand it is essential to consideration of operating environment. Alternative pricing method, introducing new strategies, environmental analysis is the most essential factor to build up company brand. Marriott International is mainly focused on employees because they said, with employment rates holding at records high levels, recruiting and retaining employee is the greatest challenge facing hospitality industry today. Mr Marriott said the companys human capital strategy focused on five principles to generate even greater value for employees and the company (hotelonline.com). The mission of this strategy is to keep employee on the job, employees satisfaction is main purpose of this strategy. Because of employees satisfaction customer gets good experience and customers feel like home. This strategy has ability to convert the economy from raw materials and machines to minds and attitude. Like when the employee is satisfied on his job and making family environment which helps to give good service and customer satisfaction. Research for marketing and sales plan in Marriott international Marriott international is the one of the top lodging industry in world. The company have some 3400 operated and franchised properties in more than 65 countries. Vision of the Marriott Company is to be the worlds lodging leader. It is grounded in his intense focus. On taking care of the guests, extensive operational knowledge, and development of the highly skilled and diverse workforce. I am going to do research on marketing and sales plan in Marriott International based on following questions. Describes the products or services of Marriott will provide? What are the core products or services? What are specialities of Marriott? Marriott international has more than 3000 operated or franchised lodging properties in more than 3400 lodging properties in 60 countries and territories. Marriott international operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, The Autograph Collection, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyards, Tower Place suites, Fairfield suits, Fairfields Inn, Spring Hill suites and Bulgari Brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott vacation club, The Ritz-Carlton destination club and grand residences by Marriotts brands, licenses and manages whole ownership residential brands, including the Ritz Carlton Residences, JW Marriott residences and Marriott residences, operates Marriott Executive apartments, provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott Execute division and operates conference centre. (news.marriott.com)

A Look Into Kingston :: essays papers

A Look Into Kingston Kingston has been the home to many famous reggae artists. Why do so many artists come from Kingston? Does it say something about the message of the music and or the conditions in Kingston that also encompasses trench town? Background of Kingston Kingston is located on the southern side of the island of Jamaica and is protected from the strong northeast trade winds by the vast Blue Mountain ranges. The city of Kingston stretches for more than 50 mi including 10-mi long harbor. This makes for a diverse community of fisherman as well as street vendors and many unemployed people. Kingston is the largest and one of the most diverse cities in the English-speaking Caribbean. More than half a million people populate Kingston of different decent ranging from African, Asian, European, and Middle Eastern roots. The city's tremendous growth during the 20th century has produced severe overcrowding, persistent unemployment, and violent crime. Poverty has devastated Jamaica's black majority and nowhere is this more apparent than in the ghettos of Kingston. European colonialism set up a society of racial stratification and current residents of Kingston have to deal with historic tensions between the city's black and brown residents. Kingston of today is a direct result of the organized racial and cultural segregation that began more than 300 years ago, when Jamaica was a British colony. Many of the social and political changes that have swept Jamaica since 1692 have occurred first in Kingston, often in reaction to organized political protests. The history of Kingston itself represents the legacy of slavery and the efforts by black and brown Jamaicans to find freedom and equality in a nation haunted by what's left of colonialism. Kingston was founded in the summer of 1692, after a large earthquake destroyed the coastal city of Port Royal. From the beginning Kingston was run by Jamaica's white elite, mostly sugar planters from England. The city was created to serve the social and economic interests of white planters. Residential segregation in the form of a color-class system, beginning in 1692, served to reinforce cultural separation. (Henriques, 32) During the first half of the 18th century Kingston saw an influx of Jewish merchants, white sugar planters, African slaves, and a small amount of free blacks in the colored community. Kingston served as a trading post for the Transatlantic Slave Trade and this was one of their main trades.

The Maya Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Maya were a dominating society of Mesoamerica, rich in culture, community, and art. While life may not be completely interpretable yet, much in known about how these societies were constructed, and how their religion dominated their lives. Much is generally made of their massive stonework, their ceremonial complexes, and ritual sacrifices, but their small jade, ceramic, and stone sculpture deserves as much attention as the works of much larger size have received.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Maya, inhabiting southern Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Belize, began to settle in communities around 1500 b.c. By A.D. 200, these communities had grown into large cities with expansive areas of temples, pyramids, ball courts, and plazas.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pre classic Maya sculpture developed under the geographic expansion of the inhabitants into a variety of ecosystems, inspiring technical and artistic change. The highland inhabitants may have been earlier in initiating stone sculpture.2 Figure 8, an anthropomorphic mushroom figure found in Guatemala may have been a symbol of fertility, judging by its shape’s connotation. Other regional sculpture includes figurines with swollen bellies, accentuated sexual regions, and even pregnant animal depictions. This could be because of the association of maternity and fertility with nature and Mother Earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Classic Period of the Maya began to develop around A.D. 250 and flourished through A.D. 900. Around that time was the start of the Post Classic Period, which was conquered by the Spanish in the early 16th century.3 The information about the classification of these cultures is not strong in that it may be considered inappropriate to call certain periods Classic, Pre Classic, Post Classic, etc. because the rise and fall of Mayan cities was an overlapping sensation, and the establishment of a certain style would appear at many different times throughout the domination of the culture. For classification of the purposes of this paper, however, the division of the culture is used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Small Mayan sculpture has been discovered at a variety of locations. An Early Classic jade piece, 4 1/4† tall, of the Bird-Monster God (fig. 9), was found at Copan, Honduras. This tiny, sculpted piece of a deity features human hands and feet, with the figure seated cro... ...assic Maya Art and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Architecture.† In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard F. Townsend, 159-169. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1992. Miller, Mary Ellen. The Art of Mesoamerica from Olmec to Aztec, 2nd ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  London: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Reilly III, F. Kent. â€Å"Art, Ritual, and Rulership in the Olmec World.† In The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica, eds. Michael E. Smith and Marilyn   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Masson, 369-399. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. Valdes, Juan Antonio. â€Å"The Beginnings of Preclassic Maya Art and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Architecture.† In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard F. Townsend, 147-57. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1992. The Maya Essay -- essays research papers fc The Maya were a dominating society of Mesoamerica, rich in culture, community, and art. While life may not be completely interpretable yet, much in known about how these societies were constructed, and how their religion dominated their lives. Much is generally made of their massive stonework, their ceremonial complexes, and ritual sacrifices, but their small jade, ceramic, and stone sculpture deserves as much attention as the works of much larger size have received.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Maya, inhabiting southern Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Belize, began to settle in communities around 1500 b.c. By A.D. 200, these communities had grown into large cities with expansive areas of temples, pyramids, ball courts, and plazas.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pre classic Maya sculpture developed under the geographic expansion of the inhabitants into a variety of ecosystems, inspiring technical and artistic change. The highland inhabitants may have been earlier in initiating stone sculpture.2 Figure 8, an anthropomorphic mushroom figure found in Guatemala may have been a symbol of fertility, judging by its shape’s connotation. Other regional sculpture includes figurines with swollen bellies, accentuated sexual regions, and even pregnant animal depictions. This could be because of the association of maternity and fertility with nature and Mother Earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Classic Period of the Maya began to develop around A.D. 250 and flourished through A.D. 900. Around that time was the start of the Post Classic Period, which was conquered by the Spanish in the early 16th century.3 The information about the classification of these cultures is not strong in that it may be considered inappropriate to call certain periods Classic, Pre Classic, Post Classic, etc. because the rise and fall of Mayan cities was an overlapping sensation, and the establishment of a certain style would appear at many different times throughout the domination of the culture. For classification of the purposes of this paper, however, the division of the culture is used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Small Mayan sculpture has been discovered at a variety of locations. An Early Classic jade piece, 4 1/4† tall, of the Bird-Monster God (fig. 9), was found at Copan, Honduras. This tiny, sculpted piece of a deity features human hands and feet, with the figure seated cro... ...assic Maya Art and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Architecture.† In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard F. Townsend, 159-169. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1992. Miller, Mary Ellen. The Art of Mesoamerica from Olmec to Aztec, 2nd ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  London: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Reilly III, F. Kent. â€Å"Art, Ritual, and Rulership in the Olmec World.† In The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica, eds. Michael E. Smith and Marilyn   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Masson, 369-399. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. Valdes, Juan Antonio. â€Å"The Beginnings of Preclassic Maya Art and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Architecture.† In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard F. Townsend, 147-57. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1992.

Challenges Ahead for Venture Capital Financing in India

Venture Capital is money provided by professionals who invest and manage young rapidly growing companies that have the potential to develop into significant economic contributors. According to SEBI regulations, venture capital fund means a fund established in the form of a company or trust, which raises money through loans, donations, issue of securities or units and makes or proposes, to make investments in accordance with these regulations. The funds so collected are available for investment in potentially highly profitable enterprises at a high risk of loss. A Venture Capitalist is an individual or a company who provides. Investment Capital, Management Expertise, Networking & marketing support while funding and running highly innovative & prospective areas of products as well as services. Thus, the investments made by Venture Capitalists generally involves – – Financing new and rapidly growing companies. – Purchasing equity securities. – Taking higher risk in expectation of higher rewards. – Having a long frame of time period, generally of more than 5 – 6 years. – Actively working with the company's management to devise strategies pertaining to the overall functioning of the project. – Networking and marketing of the product /service being offered. In an attempt to bring together highly influential Indians living across the United States, a networking society named IND US Entrepreneurs or TiE was set up in 1992. The aim was to get the Indian community together and to foster entrepreneurs for wealth creation. A core group of 10 – 15 individuals worked hard to establish the organisation. The group (TiE) has now over 600 members with 20 offices spread across the United States. Some of the famous personalities belonging to this group are Vinod Dham (father of the Pentium Chip), Prabhu Goel, K.B. Chandrashekhar (Head of $ 200 mn. Exodus Communications, a fibre optic network carrying 30% of all Internet content traffic hosting websites like Yahoo, Hotmail and Amazon.) Venture Capital Financing : It generally involves start up financing to help technically sound, globally competitive and potential projects to compete in the international markets with the high quality and reasonable cost aspects. The growth of South East Asian economies especially Hongkong, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia along with India has been due to the large pool of Venture Capital funds from domestic / offshore arenas. Venture Capitalists draw their investment funds from a pool of money raised from public and private investors. These funds are deployed generally as equity capital (ordinary and preference shares) and some times as subordinated debt which is a semi secured investment in the company (through debenture) ranking below the secured lenders that often requires periodic repayment. Today, a VC deal can involve common equity, convertible preferred equity and subordinated debt in different proportions. The Venture Capital funding varies across the different stages of growth of a firm. The various stages are : 1. Pre seed Stage : Here, a relatively small amount of capital is provided to an entrepreneur to conceive and market a potential idea having good future prospects. The funded work also involves product development to some extent. 2. Seed Stage : Financing is provided to complete product development and commence initial marketing formalities. 3. Early Stage / First Stage : Finance is provided to companies to initiate commercial manufacturing and sales. 4. Second Stage : In the Second Stage of Financing working capital is provided for the expansion of the company in terms of growing accounts receivable and inventory. 5. Third Stage : Funds provided for major expansion of a company having increasing sales volume. This stage is met when the firm crosses the break even point. 6. Bridge / Mezzanine Financing or Later Stage Financing : Bridge / Mezzanine Financing or Later Stage Financing is financing a company just before its IPO (Initial Public Offer). Often, bridge finance is structured so that it can be repaid, from the proceeds of a public offering. There are basically four key elements in financing of ventures which are studied in depth by the venture capitalists. These are : 1. Management : The strength, expertise & unity of the key people on the board brings significant credibility to the company. The members are to be mature, experienced possessing working knowledge of business and capable of taking potentially high risks. 2. Potential for Capital Gain : An above average rate of return of about 30 – 40% is required by venture capitalists. The rate of return also depends upon the stage of the business cycle where funds are being deployed. Earlier the stage, higher is the risk and hence the return. 3. Realistic Financial Requirement and Projections : The venture capitalist requires a realistic view about the present health of the organisation as well as future projections regarding scope, nature and performance of the company in terms of scale of operations, operating profit and further costs related to product development through Research & Development. 4. Owner's Financial Stake : The financial resources owned & committed by the entrepreneur/ owner in the business including the funds invested by family, friends and relatives, play a very important role in increasing the viability of the business. It is an important avenue where the venture capitalist keeps an open eye. Problems of Venture Capital Financing : VCF is in its nascent stages in India. The emerging scenario of global competitiveness has put an immense pressure on the industrial sector to improve the quality level with minimisation of cost of products by making use of latest technological skills. The implication is to obtain adequate financing along with the necessary hi-tech equipments to produce an innovative product which can succeed and grow in the present market condition. Unfortunately, our country lacks on both fronts. The necessary capital can be obtained from the venture capital firms who expect an above average rate of return on the investment. The financing firms expect a sound, experienced, mature and capable management team of the company being financed. Since the innovative project involves a higher risk, there is an expectation of higher returns from the project. The payback period is also generally high (5 – 7 years).