Sustainable Housing and Urban Construction

Since the beginning of time, the built environment has been an integral part in providing shelter needs for men, women and children. Maslow (1943) formulated that shelter is a basic requirement of humans. In the future, humans will have to construct sustainable shelter otherwise would they would risk depleting resources for subsequent generations. Construction is an example of a multitasking activity. The lifecycle of construction can be broken into phases. Achieving building sustainability in modern environment requires a better understanding of environmental impacts. Impacts such as climate change, associated costs, as well as utilising benchmarking scale to measure across a whole range of building types and occupancies. This report will discuss building sustainability, the constraints that stake holders of built environment face, and the role of architects in the process of constructing sustainable buildings. Conceptually, sustainability is allowing present generation to meet its needs without depriving later generations of a way to meet theirs. According to Meckler (2004), building sustainability means to â€Å"provide a safe, healthy, comfortable indoor environment while simultaneously limit the reduction of the earth’s natural resources†. Architects, with their unique position within the built environment, are well equipped to meet the challenges of sustainability in the built environment. The building and construction industry possesses a high ability to be innovative (Meckler 2004), and through this innovation that it would create new methods and processes resulting in constructing improved sustainable buildings that can be serve as subsequent year’s benchmark to beat. The construction industry has invested in research and development into sustainability in order to gain a clearer understanding the effect of building on the environment and reducing the impact of buildings on the environment. The common goal is to be â€Å"energy efficient†. Being energy efficient does not equate to being energy sustainable. The energy from the traditional fossil sources cannot be supplied without using further considerable amount of energy in supplying it. The efficiency of the energy lifecycle starting from the raw extraction of resources, preparation, transport, conversion and distribution to application may be up to 20%. To equate this in simple terms is that it takes approximately 5kWh to deliver 1kWh of energy for consumption. So in order to consume 1kWh of energy, the real term consumption is actually 6kWh. Numerous studies internationally have shown that operational energy consumes the main amount of total energy use in buildings during a typical service lifespan of approximately 50 years. This accounts for about 85–95% of total energy use (Thormark, 2005). From a residential perspective, there should be a focus more on the sustainable development of the residential buildings and urban constructions. The fundamental reason new and more energy-efficient technologies continue to be ignored and the technologies that are applied rarely perform as efficiently as they should is because of a lack of accountability for building energy performance in current building design and operation practices. The building and construction industry in Australia has made significant progress forward in the last 5 years to improve their environmental performance. This improvement has been in response to increased attention from local and state government policies regarding to Ecological Sustainable Development (ESD), as well as the availability of holistic environmental rating tools such as the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star rating tools. Architects factor in climatic variables into their thoughts as they design and plan houses, premises and buildings (Alnaser & Flanagan 2007). In hot dry regions such as in the Northern Territory, the built environment should be planned compactly to reduce the amount of surfaces exposed to solar radiation. In warm humid regions such as in Queensland, buildings should be openly spaced to maximize air movement between individual buildings. This would reduce the structure operational energy consumption and maximise Green Star rating. Green building is a tremendous growth area in design, construction and building materials. Green building has gained momentum due to the rise in energy costs and cost of building materials. The happy medium is somewhere between a combination of passive measures through optimal building design and active measures achieved through efficient mechanical system designed to control the indoor climate. These active measures mentioned above include utilizing renewable energy, such as solar energy, wind energy and geothermic energy, improving thermal performance of building structure, utilising daylight and energy efficient lightings, and developing new sustainable building materials (Thormark, 2005). Another aspect of sustainability that is often neglected is social sustainability. Social sustainability can be thought of as qualitative indicators that complement the development process. Some social sustainability objectives are to provide adequate local services and facilities to serve the development, to provide housing to meet the needs of the population, to provide high quality, habitable developments and where possible to preserve local culture and heritage. In any actual development, there is a need for other supporting elements to make it appealing and sustainable. An integral part of the development is to provide high quality energy efficient buildings for community activities such as musicals and outdoor space for open markets. By having such gatherings, the community will get a sense of ownership and will utilise the facility frequently. A salient aspect of sustainable development is to provide a mix of housing structures of all different types (Zhu & Lin, 2003). In order to achieve the objective of providing affordable housing; designs and construction must be of high quality and yet utilises minimal resources. Wherever possible, cultural heritage should be preserved through the reutilising of local valued buildings. If cultural preservation is achieved, the architectural design for the developments will reflect local heritage and use local materials. According to Williams and Dair (2007), there are 9 commonly identifiable barriers to achieving sustainability. Some of these barriers are: 1. Sustainability measure was not considered by stakeholders 2. Sustainability measure was not required by client (includes purchasers, tenants and end users) 3. The sustainability measure cost too much (in some cases the investor would not fund) Unless sustainability is on the agenda of the local planning government, stakeholders are unlikely to voluntarily put sustainability measures on their agenda. Stakeholders were simply bypassing sustainability issues altogether. As with most local government planning policies, there are strict guidelines regarding social objectives, such as meeting housing needs. If a policy is active at the forefront of development then they appeared on stakeholders’ agendas. Many architects have the ability to succeed in achieving a higher star rating for energy efficiency for their built environment projects. They have been doing so for a while. The challenges of sustainability in the future should not be construed as extra attachments to how architects have designed in the past. Architects have the inherent ability to go back to the drawing board and to reinvent the design process to reflect the buildings needed for the future. Architects have a vital role to play. They are a part of key decision making mechanism in the building and construction industry. Going forward, their role will be inextricably linked to producing sustainable outcomes. There are many indicators for sustainable building design (Smith 2001). (a)Identifying possible sources to generate renewable electricity on location, i. e. like Building-Integrating Photovoltaic (BIPV). (b)Minimal usage of fossil fuel energy sources used during the lifetime of the building. (c)Ensuring that building management systems are user friendly simple to operate. (d)Implementing passive or active solar energy while employing heating and cooling systems which are fine tuned to the needs of the occupants with air-conditioning used only in exceptional circumstances. As we progress into the future, the need to provide shelter increases due to population growth. The building structures needed for this growing demand have to be environmentally and socially sustainable. There is a global increase in awareness of the diminishing supply of traditional fossil fuel resources. Fossil fuels make up the core heating and cooling energy consumption presently. In order to achieve sustainability and leave the next generation able to meet their needs, there are short term increased economic costs as the transition from traditional dependent on fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. These barriers have to be overcome and the role of the architect in the overall schema is extremely important. They possess the necessary design skills to adapt to the changing needs and produce sustainable commercial and residential . REFERENCES †¢N. W. Alnaser_, R. Flanagan (2007). The need of sustainable buildings construction in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Building and Environment 42 (2007) 495–506 †¢T. HARTMAN. (2008). A Vision for Energy Performance Integrating performance – monitoring initiatives to improve building sustainability. HPAC Engineering †¢ May 2008 †¢Maslow, A. H, (1943). A THEORY OF HUMAN MOTIVATION, Originally Published in Psychological Review, 50,370-396. 1943 †¢C. McCabe. (2006). Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management. Sustainable building design in Australia. Eco-Architecture: Harmonisation between Architecture and Nature. Vol. 1, pp. 237-245. 7 Jun 2006. †¢M. Meckler. (2004). Achieving Building Sustainability through Innovation Engineered Systems. †¢L. Nervenga. Specifying for Sustainability. Architecture Australia 1904-2006 †¢FS Smith. Architecture in a climate of a change: a guide to sustainable design. UK: Architectural Press, An imprint of Butterworth-Heinemann; 2001. †¢C. Thormark. (2005). The effect of material choice on the total energy need and recycling potential of a building. Building and Environment 41 (2006) 1019–1026 †¢K Williams & C Dair (2007). What Is Stopping Sustainable Building in England? Barriers Experienced by Stakeholders in Delivering Sustainable Developments. Sustainable Development Sust. Dev. 15, 135–147 †¢Yingxin Zhu, Borong Lin (2003). Sustainable housing and urban construction in China. Energy and Buildings 36 (2004) 1287–1297

PhD program Essay

I would like to present my personal statement for consideration for a PhD program at the highly esteemed Brunel University. The Uk is home to the world’s leading universities and is characterized by diversify, tradition, a blend of tradition and sophistication and immense economic advantages. Studying in the Uk will make e competitive and will have a global edge over students from other countries. I choose to pursue the PhD course so as to attain further qualification in my area of expertise s I will exhibit higher competence and knowledge levels. The world is rapidly changing with individual being required to be specialists in their areas of expertise. Specialization means that distinct tasks are assigned to specific individuals. This creates a sense of responsibility and accountability thus increasing staff productivity. It will also improve my career prospects and eventually lead to my qualification for pay. I believe this is a natural human instinct to want to do better socially and is part of the self-actualization process. A postgraduate qualification will present me with the knowledge of improving efficiency in educational planning and administration. There is a lot of debate surrounding the investment in education, with eyebrows being raised on the commitment of educators to the process. It is without a doubt that educators play a central role in any integrated education system and have a powerful impact on the success of students. This is illustrated by comparison of performance of students in institution of varying quality. I choose Brunel University because it has been renowned for over forty years as a center of quality and a leader in education in terms of teaching and research. Brunel lays emphasis ion the development of life skill such as communication, which enables its students to have interpersonal skills that render them successful within personal and professional circles. This is also encourages through the rare quality of student and staff interaction. The fact that Brunel has only one campus encourages interaction and socialization of its diverse student population. This demonstrates its commitment to the development of human values. Brunel University has a reputable academic resource facility that is constantly being updated with the latest resources so as to ensure that its student fraternity is in step with the rest of the world. Technology has also been integrated into the system, as Brunel is aware of the importance of technology to education. For the postgraduate students, Brunel has an especially specially designee program that is customized to suit their individual needs. The fact that research is at the very center of Brunel’s educational approach is very attractive to me. Brunel offers the opportunity for supported research by offering the PhD students two supervisors to assist them through out their program by monitoring and assessing their progress. This assists the students to stay on track and to be able to finish their program in good time. I love my work as a teacher and failure to do so would only spell disaster for my students. I am a very humble, affectionate and pleasant person with a deep sense of commitment, devotion and loyalty to my work and my students. I have excellent organization, leadership and time management skill with an ability to multitask and prioritize competing and demanding deadlines. I am capable of working as an individual or as part of a team. I hope that you will consider me favorably and give me the opportunity to be a part of the Brunel community.

The Effect of Motivators on the Performance of Real Estate Agents Essay

The Effect of Motivators on the Performance of Real Estate Agents - Essay Example Given the above stated observations, one may surmise that real estate agencies in France have attractive profit-making potentials, insofar as they operate in a market which attracts both domestic and international buyers and investors. While that may be the case, the fact remains that the potential of any real estate agency can only be realised through the efforts of its sales force and its agents. As Davis (2002) explains, the performance of individual real estate agencies is inextricably dependant upon the characteristics, activities and qualities of its sales force with it, therefore, being incumbent upon real estate agency managers to deploy such motivation techniques and strategies as would incite performance (Davis, 2002). As may be deduced from the above, the dissertation proposes to undertake an analysis of the French real estate market and the performance of a select number of real estate agencies therein, with specific focus on the extent to which the deployment of motivation techniques may positively impact agency performance. The importance f the study derives from the fact that it will examine the efficacy of implementing motivation theory as a means of inciting higher sales figures and improving the performance of sales teams. ... Furthermore, while the study shall specifically focus on the mentioned in relation to the French real estate market, the theoretical models that shall be discussed and the recommendation that will be proposed, are applicable to the international real estate market and to those business firms whose performance is inextricably linked to the activities of its sales force. In other words, even though the study is of immediate importance to the French real estate agencies, its value extends beyond that to embrace real estate agency performance per se, irrespective of geographic location, and sales-based organisations and firms. Literature Review Numerous management researchers and scholars have emphasised the importance of motivation strategies as a tool for the maximisation of employee output and productivity (Igalens and Roussel, 1999; .Reinharth and Wahba, 1975; Kim, 1984). Few, if any, have disputed the fact that management's adoption of employee-targeted motivation strategies, especially as pertains to sales personnel, improves both individual employee output and overall firm performance but scholars, have, nevertheless, debated the most effective motivation strategies (Kallenberg, 2000; Wallace, 1995). Silvester et al. (2003) maintain that empirical evidence suggests that the adoption of any of the existent motivation theories and the integration of their incentive guidelines into an organisation's management paradigm positively contributes to organisational performance and maximises employee output. To fortify their argument, the researchers undertake a comparative study of the effect of the implementation of an array of motivation strategies and theories on employee output and performance, maintaining that the study

History of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

History of Art - Essay Example The British Museum is a house of art that houses a wide collection of world art and artefacts free to all visitors. Giovanni Antonio Canaletto drawing of London at around 1751 Image Location: http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps355425_m.jpg The picture shows a favorite eighteenth century view of London from high ground. The cathedral is the tallest building in the drawing, as it is seen high in the sky. The middle ground on the right hand edge of the picture presents a building with its walled forecourt, which the artist calls The Founding Hospital at the north of the tow. These make the landmarks of the town among the mass of smaller buildings surrounded by a number of parish churches. The fact that the drawing served as a model for the engraver explains the careful outlines and the slightly labored appearance of the drawing. Although the artist’s characteristic of penwork is evident in the free drawing of the plants in the foreground, which brings out the liveliness of ske tches and drawings which represented a finished work. The visual evidences the artist presents about London are evident in the drawing. Even the color used represents the period during which the drawing was made. Lucas Van Leyden’s Copperplate Engraving of Christ Presented to the People Image Location: http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps141709_m.jpg The engraving shows a group of people gathering in a crowd, with some holding swords. The picture shows dressing codes of people during the era when Jesus was crucified. The buildings too represent palace buildings of the time. To bring out the presentation of the time, the artist has used linear perspective to create a detailed sequence of space between multifaceted and magnificent buildings (Griffiths 1510). The background of the engraving shows a clear appearance of clouds, which show the sky background of any good work of art. This work of art also shows the characteristics of a good picture in the way the grounds are arran ged. The foreground, middle ground and the back ground all show differentiated arrangement of views. The sizes of the buildings differ according to the grounds. The engraving is clearly a representation of the period brought out by the artist. Thomas Gainsborough‘s watercolor of A cart Passing along a winding road Image Location: http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps219472_m.jpg The image according to its title shows people with a cart journeying on a road with trees depicting a windy weather. These are visually evident characteristics of the image. The artist has used paint to bring out the theme of the picture in the drawing. The watercolor paint used over black chalk heightened with white bodycolor brings the light and shade, which are the most noticeable features in the picture (Royalton-Kisch 1999). The light pool brings illumination to the road, the horses, and gaps appearing between the trees. The picture shows a clear image of nature as the title depicts. The artist b rings out work of landscape artists who can make a good representation of landscape. Wenceslaus Hollar drawing View of The Tower of London Image Location: http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/ps219443_m.jpg The picture, as is visual has a ship in the foreground, in the middle foreground are small boats and at the background is the tower. This drawing was made in pen and brown ink with watercolor over black lead. The foreground shows

Scope, potential and benefits of urban farming and its importance to Research Paper

Scope, potential and benefits of urban farming and its importance to local communities in US - Research Paper Example The food production has been declining; earth has been becoming a hotter place without adequate green cover; the quality of food available for people in general has been decreasing; and as more leisure got created, more and more human beings have been detached from physical labour resulting in lack of exercise and the emergence of new kinds of life style related diseases. These are only a few of the many problems faced by humans as they got distanced from nature and agriculture. The detachment from nature has thus kickstarted a process of decline in quality of life caused by its impact on food security, employment, carbon fixation, oxygen availability, mental happiness, relaxation, physical exercise, peace of mind received from nature, aesthetic appeal, fresh food, food traceability, pollution control, waste utilization, waste water utilization, waste-to-energy conversion, space availability and optimal utilization of available space. Pearson has categorised the benefits of urban far ming into three, namely, â€Å"social, economic, and environmental goods and services† (3). ... It can be said, the north and south represent two growth stages in human civilization but it is more important to note that in Southern cities, urban agriculture â€Å"plays a significant role in providing a measure of food security and income for a rapidly increasing urban population† (2). It has to be remembered that urban farming is not a newly introduced concept to cities but has been existing in all cities as vestiges of rural life until the development bandwagon erased it completely at least from the mega-cities. In this context, this paper envisages finding out the scope, potential and benefits of urban farming for the world in general and the US in particular. This investigation is carried out keeping in mind, urban agriculture is not a monolithic concept but include: Residual, often peri-urban broadacre farmland, small ‘community gardens’, personally managed allotments, home gardens, portions of parks that were previously planted entirely with amenity spe cies, fruit trees along roadside reserves, greenhouses, green roofs and green walls (Pearson, 3). In the backdrop of the huge â€Å"knowledge gap† that exists regarding the potential, methods and benefits of urban farming, this study envisages preparing a knowledge database on different aspects of the same (Pearson, Pearson, and Pearson, 9). Review of Literature The early ideas on urban farming as we know it was initiated during the era of New Deal, when â€Å"homesteads were organized as examples of how the country could benefit from a proliferation of semirural neighborhoods, where part-time farming on inexpensive but desirable land would encourage uplifting social functions and help establish a

Modern Dance and Ballet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Modern Dance and Ballet - Essay Example Therefore, the observation and analysis of this song demonstrates the development of contemporary dance and ballet. Contemporary dance and ballet exemplifies a form of sovereignty and liberty in the movements. Anciently, dance movements were entirely confined in a regular routine. In this case, antique choreographers viewed dance as a repetition of a regular sequence of movements (Dunning, 2). Subsequent generations of dancers criticized the principles that regulated ancient dance. According to the modern dancers, the ancient movements incapacitated originality in art. Therefore, they implemented a new technique that would enhance human fecundity, and that would be freer. Their implementation invented the movements in contemporary ballet. Isadora Duncan and Mary Wigman were amongst the spearheads of the new enactments (Foulkes, 1). This feature is evident in the performances of the song My Immortal. Upon performance of this song, dancers manifest a freer maneuver on stage. Additionally, creativity manifests in the occupation of the stage. In this case, the artiste is not limited to a rigid routin e. The performer takes abrupt, but congruent maneuvers in different spots of the stage. This feature amounts to an ideal stage occupation procedure. Consequently, the artiste captivates the audience to the movements on stage (Horosko, 12). Evidently, this exemplifies a modification from the ancient patterns of regular routines and movements on stage. Gestures are an indispensable aspect in dance. Contemporary ballet pronounced emphasis on the use of gestures in the movements (Brown, 22). This would also be an immense platform for the exploration of creativity in dancing art.

See topic below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

See topic below - Essay Example State-funded Medicaid costs appear to be an ever-present for state government in all of the fifty states of the United States, but some states seem to have a more difficult time dealing with the escalating costs and the lower revenue. These states have been forced to seek other methods of revenue in order to fund the Medicaid program. Given the scenario that I was the governor of such a state and I was had to find of forms of funding, other than allotting money from other state funded programs, I would seek certain choices. As in the example of what the state of Kansas is doing. "The State of Kansas is currently engaged in wide-ranging privatization efforts for services such as child support collection, foster care and adoption, and mental health services. These efforts, which have garnered substantial media attention in the state, have resulted in part from the governor's explicit agenda to reduce the size of the Kansas government and to shift service production to more efficient private contractors.(3) The terms "privatized" and "down-sized" are common in the vocabulary of current state leaders" (Johnston, and Romzek 383) Kansas has had a successful venture with this privatization and

Law of Property 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Law of Property 1 - Essay Example Jane carried on paying the instalments on the loan. In 2009 Harry became ill and died. Jane has continued to pay the instalments to the friend direct. Under Harry’s will, all his property passes to his widow, Helena. There is ?1,000 still owing on the loan. Helena, as executrix of and sole beneficiary under the will, has applied for a possession order against Jane. Advise Jane. Students are advised not to consider the Land Registration Acts but to answer the question within the syllabus. 2. Augusta had a friend Julius, who was in financial difficulties. Augusta lent Julius ?5,000 " to get himself sorted out". At Augusta's insistence, Julius put the money into a separate bank account and told the bank, to whom he owed money, that the money was a special loan from Augusta. Julius used ?2,000 of the money to pay various debts before he was declared bankrupt. ?3,000 remains in the account. Augusta died leaving a will containing the following provisions: â€Å"To my son Cassius I leave ?20,000 to enjoy as he likes during his lifetime, provided that, at his death, he leaves any of the money that remains to his sister Demeter, The rest of my estate I leave to Gaius and Lucius on trust, so that they may make grants out of the income from this fund to any of the descendants of my illustrious ancestor Tarquin and their families.† Tarquin lived two hundred years ago and is reputed to have had many children both legitimate and illegitimate. Advise Cassius as to his rights and duties over the ?20,000. Advise Augusta’s executors as to whether they will be able to recover the balance of ?3,000 in Julius’ bank account. Advise Gaius and Lucius as to their powers and obligations with the regard to the residue of Augusta’s estate. Question 1 In the above, it is necessary to consider what rights Jane might have over the property. This will involve analysing how proprietary rights over property can be established. Under the Law of Property Act 192 5 the person registered on the deed for the property will be the legal owner of the estate1. This effectively means that Harry would have been the legal owner despite his promise to give the property to Jane if she paid off the loan. The effect of the Will would mean that the house would transfer in ownership to Helena, which would entitle her to dispose of it in any manner she sees fit2. However, this would create unfairness to Jane who has been paying the money owed to Harry and latterly to his friend on the understanding that she would have a right to the property. As there is no written agreement between Jane and Harry, and Harry has not expressly left the property to Jane in his Will, the only rights she might have in relation to the property would be an equitable interest3. As a result of this, Jane might have to rely on the doctrine of implied trusts to be able to claim a share of the property. Implied trusts can exist through statute or as a resulting or constructive trust. The latter 2 trusts exist in equity only and are applied by the courts to rectify any unfairness caused by the denial of legal property rights through the property only being registered in one parties’ name. A resulting trust occurs where there is evidence that the claimant has made payments towards the purchase price of the property but was not included on the register as an owner. Those relying on this principle have to prove that they expended the money in the belief that they would acquire an interest in the property,

Communication with difficult people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Communication with difficult people - Essay Example and harmony in the working relationship, it is important that the interpersonal problems, that give rise to conflicting situation at the workplace, be resolved be done at the earliest. The conflicts in workplace must be resolved early because if left long to fester, the situation can become explosive and critical for the organization and adversely affect the performance outcome. I have had a major interpersonal problem with one of my colleagues. I was a teacher and he was looking after the laboratory. For the practical sessions, I needed his help in preparing chemical solutions with specified concentration so that the children could experiment successfully. I was quite perplexed when I found that the experiment was always successfully concluded when I made the chemical solution but failed when the solution was made by the said colleague! When I discussed the problem with the colleague, he not only refused to thrash out the matter but became aggressive and accused me of harassment. Later, it was found that other colleagues were also facing the same problem with him. Taking matters to the principal just resulted in worsening the relationship with the person. To keep peace, I stopped taking the help of the said lab technician but realized that the problem with the colleague needed to be resolved early for long term better relations. The workplace problems are basically external in nature and may arise due to differences in personal and work ideologies among the workers. For effective communication it was important to identify the situations and issues that are seemingly created by others and which threaten personal and professional goals and desires of a person. Noted authors Hitt et al have asserted that conflicts and workplace problems can usually be contributed to four major factors: lack of understanding; different assessment; self interest and envy; and low tolerance (Hitt el al, 2005). The various aspects of the interactive elements of the organization, work

New Hire Essay Example for Free

New Hire Essay Dear Mr. Hendricks, My name is Brad Johnson and I am writing you today because I understand you are looking for a new mechanic for your racing team. I would like to inform you of my experience in order to prove to you that I am the right fit for the job that you are offering. I have been following your career as the owner of the top NASCAR team for quite some time now and have always dreamed of being involved with such a successful race team. I have looked forward to being a mechanic since my freshman year of high school. I already have a racing background and hope to expand my horizons by becoming involved with NASCAR and Hendricks racing. I am only twenty years old, but I have been racing and wrenching on my own machines and vehicles since I was nine years old. I have paid keen attention to your team’s track record and I know that your engines are some of the most reliable engines out on the track each and every week. I would like to become the head mechanic for Hendricks racing someday in the near future, but as of now I would be perfectly fine with working as an apprentice to gain my experience and hopefully take over the head mechanic position. I have not only gained mechanical experience from working on my own vehicles and machines, but I have also gathered experience from work and school. I took auto shop in high school for two years and at that moment I knew what field I was to enter after high school. I also had a part time job at fabrication shop in Morgan Hill, California. This shop was Pacific Fabrication and I worked as an intern to broaden my knowledge in the automotive field. I learned a lot at this shop and continued to pursue my career in this industry. After working as an internship for a year, I decided to take my knowledge even further by joining the ThinkBig program offered by Caterpillar at Delta College in Stockton, Ca. I have been going to school to earn my Associates degree and also to get training to become a journeyman technician. I was hired by Peterson CAT as an apprentice and have been working with Peterson for over a year now. Thankfully they have put me through school and helped me grow in the field of a dealer service technician. I love what I do but am looking to go further in life by gaining  more experience and working on machines that I truly have a passion for. To be honest, many people discount my credibility as a technician because I am very young still and may not be as experienced as most of your other tech’s that work for you, but what I lack in age and knowledge, I make up for in my willingness to learn and my ability to reach my goals. I hope you consider me for such an opportunity. I could be a beneficial asset to your company. I have always been interested in high power engines and would love to become your next engine builder. I have been racing long enough to understand that the key to winning is having high quality engines that produce great power and outlast those in competition. I believe that with time and training I could continue to produce engines for your team with just as good of a track record. I have a keen attention to detail which is a necessity when building these high output engines. When I am put to a task I do not ever cut corners to complete it. I have always put much effort into what I do. I never do anything half-way. I have always given my best effort when it comes to completing a task. With the recent advancements in technology, more and longer term mechanics are finding it difficult to work on these machines. Almost everything now days are controlled by some type of computer system. Just a few years ago the engines in NASCAR were carbureted and completely mechanical. With recent advancements in technology, these cars have all been updated to electronic fuel injection systems. Now that these engines are controlled and programmed by a computer, many older mechanics are not able to comprehend this new style of tuning and adjusting which may lead to drawbacks in your racing team. I have been trained through Caterpillar to work on these newer style engines which are all controlled by computers. Most of the work we have been taught is to use laptops to program and troubleshoot problems which is a necessity for fine tuning these engines to make the most power while maintaining reliability. All in all I am a hard working young man that is eager to learn. With the right opportunity I will become the master mechanic that the Hendricks racing team needs more than ever now with the recent advances in technology. I recognize that I am young and may not be the most experienced applicant, but with my eagerness to learn, attention to detail, and experience with these new style computer systems, I am sure that I would be a great match for the Hendricks racing  team. My background knowledge and experience with racing gives me the leading edge over those general mechanics who have not received any kind of formal training in this field. I will strive to be the best employee and technician you have ever had, and I will do all I can to continue to represent Hendricks racing as the best racing team in the history of NASCAR. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Brad Johnson

A Study On Hard Disk Drive Computer Science Essay

A Study On Hard Disk Drive Computer Science Essay Every desktop computer, laptop and netbook contains a hard-disk drive. The hard-disk drive, better known as the hard drive, is one of the most vital components in a computer. The hard drive stores information for the computer in a non-volatile way, meaning that when the user shuts off the computer, all the information he saved will still be there when he turns the computer back on. Today, hard drives can store an enormous amount of information. We will take a look at how a hard drive operates and saves information. Figure 1 is a picture of a typical hard drive (Hallock). Figure 1: Enclosed hard drive (Hallock) Six basic elements make up the composition of a hard drive: The enclosure, spindle motor, hard drive platters, actuator arm, interface and logic board. The enclosure is simply the outer shell that protects and holds everything together. The four largest and most important properties that will be outlined below are the interface, logic board, hard drive platters, spindle motor, and the read/write to disk. The actuator arm will be referred to and described within these outlined sections (Hallock). Interface A hard drive connects to your computer through a specific type of interface (Bleeping Computer). The hard drive port and the port on the computer where they connect must be the same; otherwise they will not be able to sync up together. Logic Board The logic board performs several significant operations. The logic board is the brain of the hard drive. It tells the computer what the drive is, how big it is, what cable its connected to, and how to access the drive in your operating system. Figure 2 below is a picture of a logic board (Hallock). Another key function of the logic board is the read/write cache process, without this the hard drive would be slow in saving and retrieving files. When a computer is told to open 1,000 megabytes of information, the hard drive passes the information to you as quickly as it is able through the cache process. While the hard drive is loading the first 16MB of the file, the next chunk of data is prepared to roll and is waiting in the cache; when you open the cached chunk of data, another is fed into the cache, and so on until all the information is opened. This is the read portion of the cache process, the reverse of this process occurs to write information (Hallock). This cache process is an integral part of the read/write to disk function that is described in a section below. Hard Drive Platters Platters are the round plates in the Figure 4 below (Bleeping Computer). Platters contain all the information stored on the hard drive. The platters themselves are the most important and complicated component included in a hard drive. Todays platters are thin disks (thus the hard disk name) of glass or aluminum, coated with an ultra-thin layer of a cobalt alloy, which is naturally magnetic. Data is written to sectors which are organized into concentric rings outwards from the spindle called tracks, and all of those are managed into clusters by the file system youve chosen. To write the data, the actuator arm aligns the magnetization of the platter in a pattern recognizable to the hard drives logic board (Hallock). In other words, the actuator arm swings across the platter to find information that the user desires. The Spindle Motor The spindle motor is the most basic moving component in a hard drive. The spindle motor is controlled by the logic board and is responsible for turning the hard disk platters, allowing the hard drive to operate. The faster the spindle spins the faster the read/write capabilities the hard drive has. Below in Figure 3 is a spindle motor stripped of its platters and all other components (PC Guide). Figure 3: Spindle Motor (PC Guide) Read/Write to Disk The read process is when the user requests data from the hard drive and it is transmitted to the computer. The write process is when the user saves information on the hard drive for later use. Here are the steps in the read/write process: The user requests information on the hard drive. The operating system accesses the files and locations via the motherboards hard drive controller. The operating system tells the hard drives logic board that it wants a file. The logic board spins up the platters on the spindle. The actuator arm is moved into position. The logic board reads and amplifies the very weak, isolated magnetic fields that comprise your data. The logic board begins using the actuator to read information from the sectors in the requested cluster. Information is streamed into the hard drive cache. The information is fed from the cache, to the hard drive controller, to you and RAM. The write process is almost the exact opposite, except instead of accessing the platters to find a files location; its accessing the file table to find free clusters for write space (Hallock). Summary Hard drives are the main component in many computer-driven technologies today. There are seven basic parts to a hard drive; the enclosure, spindle, platter, motor, actuator arm, interface and logic board. A hard drive in where all the information is stored on a computer. Hard drives have been a key innovative technology in saving and storing data that has become such an integral part of our society. Works Cited Hallock, Robert. How Hard Drives Work.Icrontic. N.p., 5 June 2007. Web.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10 Mar. 2010. Hard Disk Spindle Motor.The PC Guide. N.p., 17 April 2001. Web.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12 Mar. 2010. How Hard Drives Work.Bleeping Computer. Bleeping Computer ,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12 Nov. 2005. Web. 10 Mar., 2010.

Free College Essays - Siddhartha and Govinda :: Hesse Siddhartha Essays

Siddhartha and Govinda    Siddhartha, written by Herman Heese, is a book about a man’s journey to find his inner self beginning as when he was a child and ending when he was of old age.   Siddhartha, while on this quest, searched for different mentors to teach him what they know, hoping to find truth and balance in and of the universe.   At the end of the novel, Siddhartha reaches the enlightenment through many teachings. Govinda, Siddhartha’s childhood friend, sees Siddhartha many times after they separate while Govinda follows Buddha.   The final time they meet, Siddhartha shares many teachings that he has learned by experience.   One teaching is that in every truth, the opposite is also true.   He also says that a single body in which everything past, present, and future are all one.   Siddhartha holds up a stone in example, showing that one thing, is enfolded in the past, present, and future.   He also stated is that language is only a device, and that wisdom is not incommunicable. This means that through experience, wisdom is attainable, but if you try to teach enlightenment, the meaning will not be fully appreciated by whom it is taught to. These changes in Siddhartha reflect that he has indeed reached enlightenment, the state in which Buddha also achieved.   Enlightenment is a blessed state in which the person goes beyond desire and suffering and attains a state in which the person has attained unbiased wisdom and compassion, or Nirvana.   Siddhartha having the smile of Gotama also conveys this in the book that he has attained Nirvana.   The smile is peaceful and radiant to all that see it.   Siddhartha journey has affected him in many ways.   First to reach Nirvana, he had to endure the pains of life.   First the pains of hunger and strife that he experienced with the Samanas in the forest, and second, the pains that he experienced in love through the loss of his lover Kamala, and the loss of his son Young Siddhartha.

Business Plan :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Business Plan Executive Summary Target Things is a mobile training and safety instruction company; it will utilize the DART Targeting System, a computerized range system incorporating the latest in technology and graphics. It is a 3-D range, which can be used for archery or other weapons type training. This convenient, compact and very affordable Dart digital shooting system comes in three portable cases that can be easily transported in a mid-sized vehicle. One case holds the electronic equipment, another the firearms, and the third case holds the screen/frame. Target Things will specialize in the techniques needed to become proficient with all types of archery and firearm equipment. Also, we will become firearms and archery National certified safety instructors. The electronic equipment package is enclosed in a quick set-up console that sits on the floor. The system comes with your choice of two Dart modified firearms also, over 1000 wildlife scenarios. As a secondary specialty, we will also offer instruction in gun safety and proficiency and National Bowhunter safety education course, which is required to hunt all big game animals in South Dakota and many other states with archery equipment. Introduction Target Things is intended to be a one-stop mobile target range designed to meet the archery and firearms needs of the local community and beyond. It will specialize in personal and family instructional training for the archery and firearm enthusiast while at the same time providing a specialized training operation for use by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks Service, schools, colleges and universities, wildlife organizations, and other local and state organizations. It is very important for customers ¡Ã‚ ¦ wellness and well being. We will be able to deliver this instruction through the use of the DART mobile training and practice system and the professional knowledge of our staff. There is also a child firearm weapons available for use and they would be available for hunters ¡Ã‚ ¦ safety courses and firearms safety. This compact gun is just 30 inches in length and weighs a mere 2 pounds 4 ounces. The Cricket is ideal for young kids and can be easily handled by t hem. Hunter Education on the Dart Target System gives hunter education instructors an exciting new tool for archery and firearms education. Dart's Core Curriculum is available on all Dart Target Systems at Dart Dealers nationwide and on Dart Mobile Systems. Dart's Hunter Education & Bowhunter Education Curriculum:

The Murder of Emmett Till

Clearly, the murder of Emmett Till was a major part of the Civil Rights Movement because it had opened the eyes of citizens who had believed there was no difference living as a person of color than there was living as a white person. The Emmett Till case was about a young boy who was visitings some relatives up in Money, Mississippi. He rode in a car with a few other cousins and family members around his age (14) to Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market, when one of Emmett's relatives had recommended that he attempt to get with the clerk of the store. However after attempting to flirt with her he left unsuccessful and gave her a kiss on her cheek. The clerk then told her husband about the encounter and how she was approached as Emmett made unwilling advances upon the clerk. As Emmett left the store he had bragged about how he â€Å"Got a Date† with the clerk, his relatives were instantly worried for his safety warning him that it was dangerous to make advances on white people, especially women. After being taken to the home in which his relatives lived in, there was commotion at the door, then all of a sudden. The clerks husband and his brother in law had barged into the room where Emmett was sleep and drug him outside and beat him to near death. They had thought of taking him to a hospital and giving them a fake story about how they found him beaten up, but decided he was a lost cause and tied a cinder block to his ankle and dropped what was left of him down the Tallahatchie River to sleep with the fishes. After three days of the kidnapping of Till they had found his body in the Tallahatchie River, the only way they knew it was him was by the ring on his finger, a ring his father had given to him. The news had spread around Till's family quickly, and his mother demanded his body be brought back to chicago so he can be buried properly. She had also requested that the funeral had an open casket to show the 50,000 people that attended the funeral just what those men had done to her son. She had later set up a trial to put the two men who had murdered her boy behind bars, however after hours of the court arguing who did what and who didn't do what, the two men were found not guilty for the murder of 14 year old Emmett Till

A Modern Day Liberal Arts Program

If there is one major lesson that we can learn living in this world, it is the fact of impermanence of everything. The world is constantly in a flux, forever fluid, as well as the reality that humanity must face in his day to day battle to live a decent, comfortable life. Everything is changing. If we would borrow a cliche to describe it, the appropriate one is time is achanging. And during this time when a lot of changes are taking place, there is the importance and need that the programs in our colleges to keep abreast with these changes.Failure to do so will only lead to another failure which is a shortcoming in educating our students to prepare then to face the realities of the outside world. In the case of Liberal Arts Programs, the issue stated above is more than appropriate. Lest we forget, Liberal Arts was founded by scholars whose aim is to maximize and develop the intellectual capacity of its students. The word Liberal in latin means libera which means free. The goal of lib eral arts then is to free its student from the bondage of ignorance.This is the reason why in the basic curriculum in any liberal arts program subjects like language, literature, philosophy and mathematics are included. The reason for this is to enhance the higher faculty of its students and nurture their ability to be well-verse with the outside world and at the same time of the possibilities of what role they will play in society. The role of Liberal Arts program in general under a setting of a democratic system is the fulfillment of every man’s intellectual potential for growth and development.Understanding that the democratic system bestows on man his rights for equality, liberty and freedom, the part played by Liberal Arts colleges towards these goals is to empower the individual to exercise these innate rights given to him by the form of this political setup. Through the programs offered by Liberal Arts, an individual is given the right tools to have the capacity to thi nk and express his ideas that is beneficial in his pursuit of personal development and progress.The result of the process then is that it uplifts the spirit of the person as an individual and simultaneously shapes him to be a productive participant in the society that he will be a part of. At the same time the effect of this on the society at large is the encouragement on the whole organization to advance in its ability to think. Advancement in the way the society think will bring an outcome where the society can find resolution to the challenges it faces in the fast changing world.Nevertheless, the question that lingers in the face of an ever-changing world is: Is the curriculum offered by Liberal Arts programs enough to keep students prepared to realize their potential once they leave the confine of campus life? The answer to this is very obvious. Though the basic curriculum that is included in the program gives the student the basic skills in cerebral endeavor and basic knowledge to participate effectively in society, there is still the need for it to be flexible and open to other disciplines to make it relevant to the changing world.In today’s changing terrain of realities, there are two points that students of this Liberal Arts Program will have to deal with in order to grow and be equipped with the right tools for them to function and participate in the outside world. One is communication and the other one is technology. Why communication and technology. On a cursory look the two seems wide apart. The first one is almost intangible while the latter is concrete and definite. One may even conclude that technology is far from the aim and mission of any liberal arts curriculum.Yet, on a closer look the two complement with each other. There is a need to master the basics of communication thorough which technology will be used as the tool to convey it. What then are the benefits of program for the student and to the society at large? One, the vision whi ch the program has set for each student is for him to be an all-around person who can participate in the outside world with right tools to keep at pace with the changing world, especially in this age of Information Revolution.As for the society at large, the benefit it can derive from this program is the actualization of everything that was taught in liberal arts classroom to be performed by its student in the outside world. Society can sow the fruits of labor of every student of the program. In a gist, this Liberal Arts Program will aim on what Knoblauch says about the uses of literacy, that it never stands alone, that it is always used for something – â€Å"for professional competence in the technological world, for civic responsibility and the preservation of heritage, for personal growth and self fulfillment, for social and political change† (220).Communication The main goal as to the focus of the program towards communication is obviously the intent of propagating literacy among young people. If we follow what Hirsch said in his study, the literacy rate in United States is only around 66% (2). It is therefore right to conclude that that there are basically one third of the population of the country who are illiterate. The program then will aim at equipping the students with skills that can make them speak well, write well and understand how to convey and relay their thoughts and ideas to others and to the society they are part of. How can these ends be met through the program?In the program under the light of communication, a curriculum which will include subjects on right speech and writing will be designed. These issues can be addressed by the inclusion of speech subjects with the objective of training the students in the right manner of being an effective communicator. Speech. There are already in some Liberal Arts programs that include this subject of speech in their curriculum. In this program the same will be applied but with a new phi losophy in treating the subject so that the maximum potential of the student can be reached as soon as possible in the course of the program.The approach would be the utilization of 95% of the class hours in the honing and speech practices to be given to the students. The pattern of teaching then would be breathing exercises during the start of the class. After this and throughout the long duration of the semester, the students will be called to present a prepared speech in front of the class, a speech with the duration of five minutes. This will happen throughout the course. Applying this method of teaching how to speak properly in front of an audience will develop at the same time the confidence of the student to fight stage fright.Meanwhile, the final examination for the course will be an extemporaneous speech by which each student, gaining already the confidence to stand in front of an audience, will be taught the experience of speaking their minds out in a comprehensible and st ructured format. The grading for this course will be unlike in any other speech subject. Since the usual gauge of the instructor in this case is lumping the whole class into one and giving the highest grade to the one who stand out among the rest, this will not be the system for this subject.Since the instructor is observing and sitting at the back of the classroom most of the time, he will grade each student according to his progress in the curriculum. Since a semester is long enough for a student to take several times to stand in front of the class to speak, the basis whether the student passes the subject is whether he has improved in his speaking skills. Writing. It is well known that in every Liberal Arts program there entails an intensive training for writing.It is even said that without focus on this aspect of such a program is a sure doom for the whole curriculum altogether. Writing is the most difficult form of communication since it takes a lot of practice and discipline i n order to put what one has in mind into written words. Many have tried to design different approaches on how to address this and how to imbue it as a college experience for students. There are a hundred methods applied to teach writing in school and so far there are only a handful or a small percentage of those who are taught who came out as good writer.In this program concerning writing, there will only be two types of writing skills that will be given priority and importance. One is essay writing and the second one is creative writing. Essay Writing. As I have said there are many approaches tried on this subject to attain the goal that the students gain the skill of writing well. There are many colleges which tried to start-up the writing development of student by applying the formula of instructing their students to put their ideas into writing. But in this program, the approach will be different.Part of the syllabus will be for each student to write different kinds of essays. T hese are assignments that will be scheduled for the students to submit to the professor during the course of the semester. This scheme is only the tip of the iceberg in teaching the students how to write. First, to let the student feel the words and see how his ideas are transformed into written texts, part of the daily activity of the students in this subject is the creation of what you called a â€Å"morning page† paper.This paper will be written continuously for half an hour with the instruction to the student to write everything he thinks or sees or smells or anything that comes to his mind during that session. Grammar, systax, punctuation and sentences structure in this activity are not considered. There are no right tenses here or correct English. The point of the exercise is to make the student flex his writing muscles. Another part of the activity that will be included in this course is the creation of a journal by every student.It must be clear to the student that to learn how to write one must practice it as regular as possible. And there is no regular activity that will force to the student to write by keeping a journal. Creative Writing. As part of the growth of the student a creative writing class will be designed to encourage him to use his creativity in expressing himself. They say the most difficult kind of writing is the creative one. So why then torture these students of the program to undergo a rigorous writing training that would make their nose bleed?The answer to this question is the simple learning process that the brain adjusts to the difficulty of the task and keeps at par with it. The analogy that I will use for this case is the simple game of playing chess against a computer. If the player would start at the most difficult and professional level of the chess game, it is of course expected that the a notice player will lose hundreds of times. Yet, at the same time this failure to beat the computer in a chess game will give the player hints and samples of how to play the game decisively.Sooner or later the player will adapt to the playing style of the computer and will experience his first win. Used to playing with the highest level the computer can offer, the player then will find it easy to play the lower level skill of the computer. Applied in the case of writing and considering that creative writing is the most difficult style of writing, if the student learns to use his language to write a creative piece, it is conclusive to say that any form of writing then will be easy on his part since he has already mastered the most difficult one.It is like sparring out with a heavyweight then fighting a featherweight will then be easy. This course will take two semesters to complete, during the Fall and Spring semester. Part of the activities here will be on the sport story writing exercises, several sessions of rewriting a previous written assignment. And for the final examination of the students, a short story that runs in 15 pages will be submitted to the professor for evaluation on the progress of the student. Also, as part of the curriculum, the students will be given reading list for the two semesters.This reading list will be novels of classic and contemporary writers of fiction. The genre for the novels does not matter. It may be a pulp fiction, speculative fiction, modernist novels or any other types. From this list the students will choose which they wanted to read for their development in writing a short story. There are three objectives by which this course is chosen and included in the curriculum. First is for the student to learn how to handle his language, second is for him to express himself creatively and the third is for him to write better.Technology Since one of the changes that are fast shaping the terrain of reality and the human society at large is the advent of the Information Revolution, it is appropriate that the curriculum being offered by Liberal Arts includes c ourses that will enhance the ability of the students to keep abreast with this innovation in technology. Right now, the role played by information technology has encroached on almost every aspect of everyday lives of the modern man.Since the core objective of any Liberal Arts program is to free the students from the bondage of ignorance and prepare him with the realities of the outside world, inclusion of technology in the curriculum is not at all unexpected. Instead, it is totally anticipated to be the course of action of every program. One of the subjects that will fall under this category of technology in the curriculum of this specific Liberal Arts Program is the basic introduction on computer technology. Most colleges have incorporated in their curriculum the use of computer to their students, like how to use word processor, spreadsheets and slide presentation.But this approach under the light of the fast integration of information technology in the lives of the modern man is a lready passe if not outdated altogether. Teaching a student how to use the computer right now is like teaching him how to operate his television set. It is already given that young people who are going into colleges are well adept with the use of computer. The role that the Liberal Arts Program will take is to push the knowledge of the student beyond from what is already known about information technology.The program then will include in its curriculum basic knowledge on computer hardware like repair and troubleshooting. Included also in the curriculum is the study of how to use the most popular software as of the present time. I said present time since this subject in computer software should be flexible to change at any given time to adjust to the fast pace innovations in information technology. Applying the popular Moore’s Law that the rate of progress of technology is rapid (ebrary Inc, 28) in this equation is appropriate.Computers are expected to perform calculations tha t doubles every two years, it must be anticipated that what is useful now will be passe and outdate in a couple of years. Grading System There have been many debates regarding the best grading system that ought to be applied in gauging the intellectual progress of every student. In this program, the grading system that will be followed by the instructors and the professors will sit on the foundation that the best gauge of intellectual capacity and development of the student is the progress he shows in the class and in the array of activities designed in the curriculum.It must be understood that the maturity of learning capacity of each student varies from each other considering students are different in their intellectual levels. The role that instructors and professors in the program then will be demanding and laborious since the process and discernment of what grade should get will be on their total evaluation of the student’s progress in their subjects. This grading system will be applied principally in the two major concerns of this program: communication and technology. This kind of grading system is specifically appropriate to be applied in the speech and writing classes.Since these skills take time to be developed, it will be proper if the grading system is according to the progress that the student is making in the course. Take as an example the subject of writing essays. Though everybody in the class is taking the subject for the first time, some may have already an experience in writing that can give them an edge in earning a higher grade. To give each student the chance to get a good grade on the subject, each will be graded according to the development and how fast the student has instilled in himself the craft of writing.Moreover, grading each student according to his progress will put the focus of on imbuing the skill rather than merely getting a high mark for the course. The advantage of this grading scheme is the fact that the priority o f the student is how to improve his skills in the art of writing. When the goal of the course is focused on the improvement of the student in learning the craft rather than merely getting a good grade, the effect or result of this is the continuance of learning experience even if the course is already over.Since the student is oriented towards the goal of improving his skills and not just on the temporary and limited goal of earning a good mark, the writing experience is expected to continue until the student is already out of the campus. Knowing for a fact that writing better and effectively per se cannot be taught in a single or couple of semester, one of the main goal then of the course is for the student to continue putting effort to hone his skills in the endeavor of writing until his older and professional years.Though this scheme somewhat will be applied sparingly in the course of subjects concerning technology. Since the subjects are more concrete and mechanic in nature, the progress alone of the student in the curriculum will not suffice to gauge his effort in trying to learn the course. Conclusion The objective of any Liberal Arts program is to bring to freedom from ignorance each student that will take the course. At the same time, the program is designed with the primary goal of giving the student tools with which to face and participate in the outside world of the campus.These tools take the forms of skills like effective speech and deftness in writing craft and knowledge in the new technology abundant in the present age of ours. These skills will help the student be a better player and participant in the society once he is already outside the campus. The good about the program is that it complements the setup in a democratic society where each individual is given his right to pursue equality, liberty and freedom from ignorance. The curriculum that this program will focus on will be communication and technology since these two disciplines also com plement each other.Skills in speech and writing will be given the great emphasis while technology through the instruction of how computer works will also be given an importance. The grading system also by which the student will be evaluated will sit on the foundation of looking on the progress of the student rather than meeting the expectation of the instructor or professor. The advantage of this grading scheme is the re-alignment of priority for the student to look at the curriculum as a means to enhance his skills rather than merely getting high marks.Another point of this is the fact that the skills and discipline that the student may imbue on the whole program will be continued to be practiced even if he is already outside the boundary of the campus. Work Cited ebrary, Inc. Computer Science: Reflections on the Field, Reflections from the Field. Washington, DC, National Academies Press, 2004 Knoblauch, C. H. â€Å"Literacy and the Politics of Education†. Composing Knowledg e. Ed:Rolf Norgaard. Boston, New York. Bedford/St. Martin, 2007. pp. (198-209). Hirsch, E. D. â€Å"Cultural Literacy†. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987 Annotated Bibliographyebrary, Inc. Computer Science: Reflections on the Field, Reflections from the Field. Washington, DC, National Academies Press, 2004 This book basically tackled the progress in information technology. In the paper, there is a need for it to be cited since the discussion is the fast pace development in this modern technology. The importance of the idea is to present that the reasoning of the writer in saying that there should be flexibility in the creation of curriculum concerning computer literacy. Knoblauch, C. H. â€Å"Literacy and the Politics of Education†. Composing Knowledge. Ed:Rolf Norgaard.Boston, New York. Bedford/St. Martin, 2007. pp. (198-209). The underlying argument for the reason of the use of what Knoblauch said is to present the fact that literacy has its used in society. Sin ce literacy is one of the objectives of Liberal Arts, it is important to cite his text to show what will be the function of being a literate in society. Hirsch, E. D. â€Å"Cultural Literacy†. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987 The function of the information given by Hirsh in his book is to present the problem that is besetting the American population. There is a need for what the author said

Typhus: Infectious Disease and South America

Pandemics are disease that spread over a country or the world. Typhus is an example of a pandemic. Typhus is a bacterial disease that is spread by lice and fleas. Brill Zinsser is the discoverer of the disease and typhus is also known as â€Å"Brill Zinsser Disease†. Two types of most common typhus are endemic and murine. Endemic typhus is usually seen in places with cold temperature, endemic typhus are sometimes called â€Å"jail fever† or â€Å"camp fever† because typhus killed hundreds of thousands of people of prisoners in the Nazi concentration camp in World War II.The other type of typhus is murine. Murine typhus is mostly seen during summer or fall. It mostly occurs in southern part of U. S and areas around the equator because the temperature is hot. Typhus is first recorded typhus epidemic was the Plague of Athens in 420 B. C. This epidemic killed a lot of people because so many people were infected. It had killed thousands of people during the Plague of Athens because of typhus. It was spreading throughout places because of the infected rat and mice. It was later spread to South America afterward.Some of the symptoms of typhus are backache, headache, muscle pain, and it also causes a red rash at the center of the chest few hours after infection. It also causes low blood pressure. There are also ways to prevent getting typhus. One way is to avoid areas with fleas and lice, another way is to just be clean, and use insecticide to kill lice. If people really have lice, they can boil their clothes for around 5 days to kill lice. There are few antibiotics treatments for typhus, doxycycline, tetracycline, and Chloramphenicol, which is the less common.Typhus had impacted society in many ways. It had changed many things in the society. Typhus had killed a lot of people throughout the history. It also led to many development of medicine. The medicines are still used in the society today to cure other disease. Since typhus mostly occur in pla ces that have poor hygiene and dirty areas, now people aware more about their cleanness. This makes people keep their houses, areas clean so they can prevent typhus from affecting them.

Pros and Cons for Outsourcing

The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing services in the US By Berend Schoute (1713035), student of the VU university Amsterdam. INTRODUCTION Hillary Clinton, â€Å"I don't know what reality the Bush administration is living in, but it's certainly not the reality I represent, from one end of New York to the other. † This response came on the statement of the head of U. S. President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, Gregory Mankiw. He said: â€Å"outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade,† which makes it â€Å"a good thing. † In the last decade most economists are a proponents of offshoring services outside of the US.They say that the benefits of outsourcing exceed the disadvantages. The main discussion is more likely a political one. It shows that a lot of citizens are pursuing protectionism to prevent any problems for American workers. THEORY Outsourcing occurs when a company fragmentizes a production process and sends this to another outsi de company. When companies are outsourcing to other countries/continents, it is also known as offshoring. A survey held by Lewin and Peeters (2006) showed that 90 of the 650 companies that are listed on the US Forbes Global 2000 are offshoring major business functions at that time.This outcome says that many major companies are interested in outsourcing jobs. Further outcomes mentioned that overall IT-functions (66% of the survey participants) are mostly shipped elsewhere, followed by Finance/accounting functions (60%). The most attractive destination for offshoring is India, where 60% of the functions of companies participated in the survey is to be offshored to. (Lewin and Peeters,2006) There are multiple arguments for offshoring jobs to another country. Some of these reasons can be examined by simply looking at the numbers, but most of them are abstract and difficult to catch.We speak of an omitted variable bias when a model that you create misses some important causal variables. The model can give you some positive results, but it isn’t reliable. This problem can occur in every survey, so the investigators need to be careful with the outcomes. The main argument for outsourcing is clearly labor cost reduction. The differences in wages are very large between the developing countries and the US. For example, an IT-specialist is paid $ 60 per hour on average in the US, where India pays this worker only $ 6 per hour.Although these cost benefits trough labor are substantial, extra costs incur when setting up the new offshore location. After taking all costs in account, there still is a cost reduction of 45 to 55 % (Mckinsey Global institute,2003). This cost reduction can cause a higher productivity because the domestic firm can focus on other important operations. Drezner (2003) said: ‘Thanks to outsourcing, U. S. firms save money and become more profitable, benefiting shareholders and increasing returns on investment. Foreign facilities boost deman d for U. S. roducts, such as computers and telecommunications equipment, necessary for their outsourced function. And U. S. labor can be reallocated to more competitive, better-paying jobs’. This statement is fully supported by most economists. The commodification process allows the spread of the benefits of IT-outsourcing even further, making the growth and the competitive advantage even greater (Drezner, 2003). A simple explanation of the advantage can be given by looking at the Heckscher-Ohlin model. This model simply suggests that countries that are capital abundant will export capital intensive products vice versa.For example it explains the fact that India focuses on labor intensive products because this abundance causes a competitive advantage caused by relatively low wages. In reality it’s off course more difficult, because the underlying assumptions are hardly realistic: 1. factors of production are perfectly mobile and 2. no difference in level of technology across countries. Drezner(2003) explained this by the following statement: ‘The logic underlying an open economy is that if the economy sheds jobs in uncompetitive sectors, employment in competitive sectors will grow.If hitech industries are no longer competitive, where will new jobs be created? ’ This previous theoretical introduction didn’t made the discussion between the pros and cons yet clear. It simply shoes some arguments of a proponent and a opponent. We still need hard evidence from both parties to give a good view on the truth. PROS VIEW Opponents of outsourcing are talking about the fact that American workers are losing their jobs cause of the labor movements. This is off course a fact, but what are the actual numbers ? The Mckinsey Global institute (2003) notes that in the upcoming 5 years , the growth was going to be around 30-40%.Forrester Research predicts that the total outsourced jobs will be around 3,3 million in 2015. According to projections, the hardest hit sectors will be financial services and information technology (IT). In one May 2003 survey of chief information officers, 68 percent of IT executives said that their offshore contracts would grow in the subsequent year (Mckinsey Global institute,2003). Therefore, at first sight the perception of the opponents is really sustainable. The total growth in the last two years (2002-2003) was really good, the productivity growth was even greater.The overall job growth have been really alarming. This indicates that the opponents are right in their perception. Controversially, if you unpack the numbers, you will find that 90% of all jobs in the US require geographic proximity. So these jobs were untouched anyway. The Forrester prediction of 3,3 million is spread over 15 years which means 220 thousand extra outsources jobs per year. Nowadays employment in the United States is about 130 million, and with approximately 22 million new jobs to be added till 2010, means that the ef fect of offshoring is less than 0,2% of American workers (Drezner,2003).Another argument of the proponents is that the net change in the outflow of workers against the inflow is negative. So the difference between insourcing workers because of foreign companies coming to the US and outsourcing is getting smaller. An important argument pro outsourcing is the fact that it increases the productivity of a company. The question we need to ask ourselves is can we confirm this increase with empirical evidence. Amiti & Wei (2006) investigated this question and have found some nice figures. In their survey hey tried to analyze whether there are any benefits of outsourcing in the productivity of a company. To prevent an omitted variable bias, they needed to find a valid instrument for service offshoring. In their regression model they used the number of internet hosts in the countries that supply the largest shares of services to the US. These outcomes reflect the changes in new technologies that would only affect US productivity through their effect on offshoring. Their empirical outcome was that there is a positive effect on productivity through outsourcing. CONSThe American citizens who are pursuing protectionism to prevent any problems for American workers. They say that they lose jobs because of outsourcing. This off course is true, but it’s important to look at the percentage that is reemployed. This number is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tells us that 69% of the workers that lost their job due to offshoring, eventually is reemployed. In the previous, I only talked about low-skilled jobs outsourced to other countries. Nowadays a new trend is unfolding with the outsourcing of high value added jobs to ‘developing’ countries.For example radiologists who can be replaced by cheaper Indian radiologists that constantly are able to screen material that was send to them by US hospitals. The exact numbers aren’t clear because this trend recently came up. The debate about the high skilled outsourcing should focus on consolidating strength of the US in higher value added knowledge services where investment in human capital will be decisive. Until there is no empirical evidence of a negative effect of this kind of outsourcing, the US must focus on the quality of their higher value added knowledge services (Rudiger, K. 2007). There are also a couple of other disadvantages that come up when outsourcing services overseas. These disadvantages have been used by the opponents of outsourcing. A first struggle can be that a newcomer can find itself a unreliable supplier, which puts his work aside when finding a better paying partner or a supplier loses the workers who finds better paying jobs. In reality a supplier loses around 15 to 20 % of it’s workers each year (Weidenbaum, 2003). Other hidden costs or disruptions can be for example bad infrastructure, a lot of power blackouts and extra transportation cos ts.Weidenbaum also states ‘overseas managers often do not understand the American business environment: our customers, lingo, traditions, and high-quality control and expectations for prompt delivery of goods and performance of services’. These disadvantages can be prevented by good outsourcing preparation. CONCLUSION In the beginning of this essay I discussed the US protectionism to offshoring jobs. When looking at all the studies it came clear that offshoring brings substantially benefits to the economy of the US (and the world).In this essay we saw that firms can reduce costs up to 55 % of the particular department. Because of the cost reduction and productivity growth, the US can improve its output and competitive advantages against other countries. The disadvantages do not outweigh all the advantages of outsourcing discussed in this essay. When the politicians focus on the flexibility and quality of the economy they can create a win-win situation for the US. In the upcoming years next studies need to be about whether any skill group (high value added services in particular) is relatively more affected. REFERENCES Amiti & Wei. 2006). Service Offshoring and Productivity: Evidence from the United States. NBER Working Paper no. 11926. Drezner, D. (2004). The outsourcing bogeyman. Foreign Affairs. Mckinsey Global institute. (2003). Offshoring: Is It a Win-Win Game? † Weidenbaum. (2003). Outsourcing: Pros and cons. Business Horizons (2005) 48, 311—315 Lewin and Peeters (2006). â€Å"Offshoring work: Business hype or the onset of fundamental transformation? † Long Range Planning, 39(3): 221–239. Rudiger, K. (2007). Offshoring, a threat for the UK’s knowledge jobs? A working paper prepared for the Knowledge Economy Programme.

Nursing Field Argument

14 September 2012 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to inform those who may be unaware of the problem of low nurse to patient ratios and how to correct it. Many patients suffer due to understaffed nurses. Not only does the patient suffer, the nurse does as well. A patient faces a higher chance of having pneumonia and it being unnoticed and untreated, due to the fact that a nurse has so many patients to care for all at once. Quite a few nurses become burnt out due to working an abundant amount of hours at a time, even become dissatisfied with working as a nurse. You can read also Coronary Artery Disease Nursing Care PlanIn order to prevent low patient to nurse ratios there should be maximum of four patients to one nurse. The issue of low nurse to patient ratios needs to be corrected in order to prevent chaos in the nursing field. Low Nurse to Patient Ratios Correction A recent issue in the nursing field has become extremely prevalent in the past decade. Low nurse to patient ratios have been linked to putting patients in danger. Not only do the low ratios affect the patient, they have added stress up on the nurse as well. An abundant amount of Nurses become burnt out.Working long hours filled with hard labor have caused nurses to become fatigue and overworked. Nurses no longer want to work in the nursing field any more due to circumstances. This issue needs to be corrected in order to prevent putting patients and nurses as well in danger. Low nurse to patient ratios can be corrected by having a maximum of 4 patients at once. This number of pa tients is ethical and is not costly. When a nurse has a large amount of patients things that can be easily noticed go unnoticed. If there is a low nurse to patient ratio, a nurse may very well overlook little signs that can lead to a diagnosis.Due to low nurse to patient ratios a patient faces a higher chance of obtaining pneumonia. Once the patient has pneumonia in many cases it goes undetected. As a result of the viral infection not being detected is goes untreated. An increase in nurse patient ratio shows a 9. 5 percent decrease in the odds of a patient getting pneumonia (Stanton). If a nurse had more time with a single patient the viral infection could be easily recognized and treated. A patient dying under the care of a nurse is a very big issue. As an effect of low staffed urses an abundant amount of patients face a seven percent increase in the probability of dying within 30 days of admission to a hospital (â€Å"Hospital Nurse †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). They also are up against a sev en percent chance of a nurse failing to rescue (â€Å"Hospital Nurse†¦ †). Not only does the low nurse to patient ratios affect the patient but the nurse as well. A nurse’s day is full of tedious tasks. A nurse works extremely hard during the time they are on the floor working. After working extremely hard for a 12 hour shift with multiple patients a person is over worked.As a result of doing this day after day, a person becomes burnt out. Forty-three percent of nurses had high burnout scores (Schwenk). Other than a nurse becoming burnt out, a nurse may also become dissatisfied with the nursing field. A nurse is typically passing out medications and providing direct care a patient, but in most cases ends up going outside of the responsibilities described in their job description. A nurse ends up performing duties of those that are to be done by a certified nursing assistant or licensed practical nurse due to the fact that there is a high amount of patients all at once.Since the nurse is doing many other jobs they ultimately feel as though they no longer want to work as a nurse. With each additional patient, a nurse faces a 15 percent increase in the chances of becoming dissatisfied as working as a nurse. Forty-three percent of nurses had low job-satisfaction scores (Schwenk). To prevent nurses from becoming dissatisfied with this field, there needs to be a law mandating that a nurse is to only have 4 patients to care for. In each and every facility where a nurse is employed, the mandatory nurse to patient ratio should be four patients to one nurse.This ratio is reasonably cost efficient. According to research done by Thomas Schwenk, if the amount of patients were to be increased, from four patients to one nurse, to any number up to eight patients would result in five deaths per one thousand patients. The ratio of four patients to one nurse is an ethical ratio. Once a minimum of four patients to one nurse is mandated in all states of America, patients will no longer have to worry about receiving adequate health care. Nurses will no longer become dissatisfied as working as a nurse.When the number of patients a nurse has is lowered, a nurse will only complete what it is that a nurse is required to do, instead of performing the duties of a nursing assistant. A nurse will not be burnt out after a shift, due to the fact that they will only be responsible for giving care to four patients. Works Cited Aiken LH, Clarke SP, Sloane DM, Sochalski J, Silber JH. â€Å"Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job Dissatisfaction. † JAMA, 30 October 2002. Web. 1 September 2012. Stanton M. A. , Mark. †Hospital Nurse Staffing and Quality of Care. † Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Web. 1 September 2012. Schwenk MD, Thomas. â€Å"Low Nurse Staffing Ratios, Patient Safety, and Nurse Burnout. † Journal Watch Specialties, 8 November 2002. Web. 7 September 2012. Annotated Bibliogra phy Aiken LH, Clarke SP, Sloane DM, Sochalski J, Silber JH. â€Å"Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job Dissatisfaction. † JAMA, 30 October 2002. Web. 1 September 2012. The article basically discusses low patient to nurse ratios. This problem has become extremely prevalent in the past decade. It goes into detail on how it affects the nurse and patient as well.Research done by the authors of this article show that each additional patient a nurse has brings on a 23 percent increase in the odds of a burn out and 15 percent increase in job dissatisfaction. In many cases the nurse becomes burnt out, due to all of the work and time put in. As an effect of low staffed nurses an abundant amount of patients face a seven percent increase in the probability of dying within 30 days of admission to a hospital. They also are up against a seven percent chance of a nurse failing to rescue. Stanton M. A. , Mark. †Hospital Nurse Staffing and Quality of Car e. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Web. 1 September 2012. This article written by Mark Stanton goes into fixing the low patient to nurse ratios and as well some of the effects. The article goes over nurses becoming burnt out and dissatisfied with working as a nurse. Studies done by the AHRQ brings the effect of low staffed nurses and the higher chances of patients getting pneumonia. An increase in RN patient ratio shows a 9. 5 percent decrease in getting pneumonia. If a nurse had more time with a single patient it could be easily recognized and treated. Welton PhD RN, John. Mandatory Hospital Nurse to Patient Staffing Ratios: Time to Take a Different Approach. † The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 30 September 2007. Web. 1 September 2012. This article discusses an alternative way to help with low nurse to patient ratios. Instead of having a mandatory nurse to patient staffing ratio, simply charge patients based on the care they were given. It goes into arguing the alternative solution. The option is cost efficient. This option decreases the chances of a nurse becoming burnt out because a nurse does not work as many hours. It also rules out the chances of job dissatisfaction.

In depth analysis about article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

In depth analysis about article - Essay Example Despite known contribution of free trade towards economic growth, competitiveness, peace and reduced product rates, the writer has surfaced some serious social and environmental concerns attached to the issue. Arguments thus presented are thought provoking and the ills of free-trade and global integration are discussed at length which were not considered initially at appropriate levels. Social implication of globalization through free-trade are numerous and devastating. Relying too much on the global supplies usually discourages the local grower and manufacturers and thereby results in reduced self reliance which by no means is a good social indicator. Competition in some cases may also force a firm to accept the child labor to reduce costs. A country with strict legislation on social security and child labor find it hard to compete with other lenient countries on these issues. Developed countries have many strict labor protection laws which results in increased internalized costs an d further demolish the chances of a true competition. Therefore, to maintain the competition it is important to lessen the differences of internalize cost among the nations through strict enforcement of social security and child labor laws. The other solution is the imposition of compensatory tariffs on goods from low standard countries.

Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership - Term Paper Example There has to be an individual in which the team can place its complete confidence and on whose instructions, they can work irrespective of their individualistic differences for the greater cause i.e. the achievement of the goal. That individual is leader. Leadership is manifested in the thinking and ideology of the leader. For some reason, the leader is superior to the followers. â€Å"Plato proposed that leadership requires a special talent, and only those few who possess such talent should be trained toward its proper utilization. Having rigorously developed this talent, the philosopher-kings, the guardians, should rule† (Cawthon, 2002, p. 10). This superiority may come from greater experience, knowledge, skills, or some other quality that is of great value and significance in the achievement of the goal that the leader and the followers are mutually interested in achieving. In the absence of leadership, the team becomes just a crowd or a bunch of people with conflicting vie ws and ideas. They might have all the skills required to achieve the goal, but their skills cannot be put to the right use without proper leadership. There are certain skills that are extremely important for an individual to attain to be effective as a leader. Some of these skills include; knowing where to draw the line between the leader and the followers, maintaining integrity as a leader, carrying out negotiation effectively, the ability to constantly motivate the followers, and emotional intelligence. A leader has to distinguish himself from the followers in order to retain his status as a leader. If he does not know where to draw the line while interacting with the followers, he may practically weaken his role as a leader even if he theoretically is supposedly a leader. This skill is more in-born than taught. It requires right decision-making while dealing with the followers. The leader should know how to interpret his strategy for the followers, how much information to give to the followers, to what extent can the followers be involved in the decision making, and where the relationship between the leader and the followers transforms from casual to strictly professional. This line is difficult to draw particularly in the social networking age of today where the leader and the followers come at the same level being friends at the social networking websites. Leadership is a full time job. One cannot be a leader just at the workplace and not be a leader outside the premises of the workplace. What an individual does elsewhere sends messages and signals to the followers about the philosophy, ideology, and character of their leader. Followers tend to judge the leaders from their dealing with others in everyday life and not just at work. This makes maintaining integrity as a leader difficult since one is prone to making mistakes as a human being. No individual can succeed as a leader without having sound negotiation skills. The most important skill that makes an individual an effective leader, in my opinion, is the negotiation skill. In the present age, a leader faces many challenges with respect to negotiation that are embedded not only in the differences of views, personality traits, and cultures of the leader and the followers but also in the limits on language competences while working in a culturally diverse environment. Cultural diversity is one of the most fundamental features of the workplace in the contemporary age. In order to understand the followers

COMPARE TWO POTENTIAL RIVER OR SEA FRONT DEVELOPMENTS FOR ONE CITY Assignment

COMPARE TWO POTENTIAL RIVER OR SEA FRONT DEVELOPMENTS FOR ONE CITY WITH THE INTENTION OF ATTRACTING TOURISTS - Assignment Example West Pier was Brighton's second pier, connecting The 1823 Royal Suspension Chain Pier and was considered one of only two Grade I documented piers in the UK, apart from Clevedon Pier (Royal Town Planning Institute 1900). The necessity to restore glory has seen Brighton i360 conception. The i360 is a designed 183-metre (600Â  ft) watching tower constructed within the seafront of Brighton, next to the West Pier. Strategy and plan were submitted in June 2006 and were accepted by Brighton and Hove City committee on 11 October 2006 with building projected to commence in 2007. The comparison is drawn in that while Brighton and Hove's i360 seafront observing tower develops the West Pier strategies to be reassessed. 2. Background Due to adversity of weather pattern that has been limiting tourism industry or limiting tourist to particular seasons. The building of i360 would cut the barriers and allow tourism throughout the year. This would be possible due to an aerodynamic pod, heated in wint er, air-conditioned in the summer and accommodating more than 200 persons at a time. This is an opportunity to allow growth in Brighton and Hove after the fall of West Pier (Best 1974). A conservation team searched for new concepts to salvage Brighton and Hove’s deteriorated West Pier. The West Pier Trust drew up a brief for architectures to submit new plans to save the construction on Brighton’s sea front. At the trust’s yearly general conference, Chairman Glynn Jones supposed a successful strategy must harmonize the proposed i360 watching tower had to be constructed and become successful (Leo 2013). 3. Presentation of options Presentation choices involve assessment why the tower building would be recommendable as a tourist site. In this section, the concept of view is put under consideration and the new pier compared with the old one. 3.1. The Observation Tower An observation tower is a construction applied to view events from an extensive reserve and to gener ate a full 360 degree variety of vision. These structures are typically at least 20 metres (65.6Â  ft) high and constructed of iron, stone, and wood. Many contemporary towers are also utilized as restaurants, TV towers, or churches. At 175 metres tall and incorporated with an observation pod approximately 141 metres, the i360 will be Britain's uppermost observation tower remote of London – higher compared to the London Eye (Else 2013). At about four metres broad, the i360 has a willowy, elegant plan. Located on the edge of the Grade II* Regency Square, this structure will make an optimistic benefit to the Regency Square Conservation region, adding optical interest and improving its appearance and character. At the base of the pier will be a shop and hospitality structure and a restaurant and cafe serving for up to 400 persons. Intended to use as little power as necessary over its existence, the Brighton i360 is not merely a great experience for tourists, but will avail socia l and ecological benefits to Brighton & Hove. The observation tower will be a stylish 21st