Business plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Business plan - Research Paper Example Additionally, Qatar is all set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which has generated tremendous publicity and interest about the country among tourists and soccer fans all over the world. The government of Qatar has currently aimed at boosting luxury tourism in the country. It has entered into an arrangement of joint visa with Oman whereby tourists visiting the country of Oman may also tour Qatar with no additional requirements. It also wants to be at the frontier of a very recent trend in luxury tourism in the Middle East – cruise tourism. ... The company Company overview Burj Qatar Cruises is a proposed business venture by four directors that would provide luxury cruising activities in the Gulf region, around the Arab countries of Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It seeks to attract High Net Worth (HNW) individuals from around the world who seek a de-stressing tour experience soaked in luxury. The target market of Burj Qatar Cruises would be upscale tourists from Europe, Asia and the Americas who have an annual income of $80,000 to $90,000. It would also target the young population, senior citizens who have recently retired and are looking for an adventurous experience, rich businessmen and honeymooners. The goal of Burj Qatar Cruises is to be the first one to bank on the Qatar government’s initiative to offer world-class luxury water cruising activity in the Gulf and become a formidable company that has widespread recognition, high brand value and immense customer satisfaction. Water cruising in the Gulf is currently limited to private cruising activity in small vessels called dhows and chartered luxury yachts that are organized by local tour operators and hotels in Qatar as well as other countries of the Middle East such as Dubai and Oman. Burj Qatar Cruises wishes to gain the first mover’s advantage by introducing full-fledged organized cruising in the Gulf in cruise ships that would give a luxurious experience to international tourists from the Americas, Europe and Asia. Company products and services Burj Qatar Cruises would offer top class luxury cruising services to tourists in Qatar. The first cruise ship that will be operational from 2014 would be

The Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle Essay Example for Free

The Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle Essay Which is the better Detective story, The Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle or Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie? Detective stories remain as popular now as they have ever been. The fan base for detective stories is huge. This demand for the genre has contributed to the large number of detective stories being broadcast on T. V. , but the stories almost always originate from books, which have a far deeper history than the T. V series. Conan Doyle started to write his short stories about Sherlock Holmes in the 19th century. They were published in the Strand Magazine and were an immediate success, for the simple reason that there was very little for people to do in their spare time other than read. Holmes fans enjoyed stories that could keep them entertained for a long time. Sherlock Holmes became so popular that when Conan Doyle tried to kill him off there was a public outcry and Conan Doyle was forced to continue writing. In contrast Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie is a more modern story set in the early 1930s. The book is one of many following the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Many different T. V. series and some films have been made based on the books. Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes are alongside others such as Inspector Morse and Miss Marple as the greatest fictional detectives ever. Conan Doyle uses an individual style in his writing using Holmess sidekick Dr. Watson as the narrator in the majority of his stories. This proves to be a good technique as Watsons viewpoint can communicate Holmes brilliance as a detective. This is what happens in the beginning paragraphs of The Speckled Band. Watson says that Holmes makes rapid deductions, as fast as intuitions but always on a logical basis. Doyle wants the reader to see the admiration Dr. Watson bears for Holmes and his abilities. Holmes is an eccentric. He can play the violin beautifully but he is also a drug addict, a crack shot and fearless in a fight. At the start Watson describes the cases he has seen Holmes work on he says he has seen none commonplace which encourages you to read on as you feel guaranteed you will get an interesting story. The readers opinion of Holmes abilities is also raised. Watson says Holmes works for the love of his art rather than for the acquirement of wealth and even Holmes states my profession is my reward, making him seem far more righteous as he solves crime for his interest in the problem and not for financial reasons. Hercule Poirot is similar in this way. He says I have made enough money to satisfy both my needs and my caprices and I only take such cases as interest me. Poirot is a small man with an egg shaped head who does not have the physical energy of Holmes in fact his technique is thinking out the truth. He has a large moustache and a pink pointy nose and looks like the sort of person you can never take seriously. Poirots stories are written in the third person so compliments and admiration about him have to be spoken by other characters, which is not as effective as when the sidekick narrates. Poirot does not have a constant companion; he has new helpers in every book. In Murder on the Orient Express Poirot has two, a doctor and the managing director of the train he is on. They follow the same pattern as Watson with Holmes, never working out the answers before the detective does. This is one of the techniques used to make him seem interesting. Another is to give a snippet of an interesting problem that Poirot has solved at the start of the story which immediately makes the reader trust in his abilities. Both characters have strong points from a writing perspective, but in a story, I think that Sherlock Holmes is the more interesting of the two because of his natural abilities.

William Faulkner’s short novel, The Bear Essay -- Bear

William Faulkner’s short novel, The Bear "The Bear" is a short novel in an anthology that begins in Yoknapatwpha County sometime after the Civil War. The story deals with loyalty, honor, truth, bravery, courage, fear, nature, history and choices. Cleanth Brooks best described this story by saying, "Faulkner's villains do not respect nature and their fear of it has nothing in common with the fear of the Lord or with awe in the presence of the divine." (Brooks 149) In the story, we find a bear that has learned to outwit and survive hunters for years. It wasn't until they took a beast of the wild and tamed it before they could even come close to the bear. They took a beast of nature to kill a beast of nature for their own personal pleasure, for sport...a conversation piece. When looking into the history aspect of the story, think of human actions and how People make radical decisions that may affect the rest of their lives, or even the lives of others, not even giving a second thought to the consequences. This book deals with a radical decision made by one man that changed the lives of many. The author of this story, William Faulkner, was a white southern male born "September 25, 1897, in New Albany, Mississippi. He died July 6, 1962." (Compton's CD) Faulkner had a way with Christianity, but more with the nature of man. He believed that man was nature. We can see how this affects the story with the statement "It was of the men, not white nor black nor red but men, hunters, with the will and hardihood to endure and the humility and skill to survive..."(Faulkner 327) The story begins with Ike and C who are going on a hunting trip to try to catch Old Ben, t... ...ficient utilization of it, or when he ceases to love it and to carry on his contention with it in terms of some sort of code, then he not only risks destroying nature but risks bestializing his own nature. (270) This novel is a wonderful book to read for those who like nature and the wilderness. It is through nature that one can achieve their highest level of love for the world. Although it may be hard to get through a few of the chapters, once you truly understand the meaning of the book, it will stick in your heart forever. Work Cited Brooks, Cleanth. "On the prejudices, predilections, and firm beliefs of William Faulkner." [Baton Rouge] LSU Press, 1987. "Six great modern short novels." New York Dell, 1982. 328 Brooks, Cleanth. William Faulkner The Yoknapatawpha County. London Yale University Press, 1974

An interpretation of Love in Chang-Rae Lee’s “A Gesture Life”

Love, as they say moves in mysterious ways, we can say that it really did in Chang-Rae Lee’s novel â€Å"A Gesture Life.† The novel was basically about the life of Franklin â€Å"Doc† Hata and his reminiscing of his colorful and interesting past to restore his present life. The bulk of the narrative was mostly about how Hata expresses his love for the other characters in the novel. Interestingly, â€Å"A Gesture Life† is certainly not the kind of story that portrays love in a typical manner. It is quite amusing that there are lots of ironies if love was to be discussed in this book . This essay will show the readers that the desire for love in â€Å"A Gesture Life† had ironically hindered the acquisition of love. The novel of Chang-Rae Lee was basically about probably the worst kind of tragedy there is, not being loved by everyone even by oneself. If we are to classify the different forms of love in â€Å"A Gesture Life,† there are lots of technical terms that are always related to the concept of love like agape, pragmatic love, eros, complex chemical reactions and terms like pheromones and dopamine, and lots of scientific terms that few of us comprehends. This essay will only employ types of love that is understandable by all for the purpose of keeping this essay from being too general. This essay will focus on the main character’s love for the other characters and concepts in his life. But the essay will not settle for mere descriptions of the protagonist’s love, it will show the reader how love had been distorted and given meanings by the traumas that the protagonist had suffered during the war. The first kind of love from the novel is the love for acceptance. The protagonist Hata, had been begging (although he didn’t express this explicitly) for acceptance from the people in his life and his neighborhood. Hata was too careful about everything he does in his neighborhood. That is because he doesn’t want to commit mistakes that could get him noticed. He wanted a low-profile life in his neighborhood because he has this assumption that he will be the target of discrimination in the community. But contrary to what Hata is thinking, the citizen’s of his community, Bedley Run, appears to like Hata, but in the way Hata wants them to like him. Hata was treated like an Oriental mascot because the people in Bedley Run seem to like him only for the differences he and most of the people in Bedley Run share. Hata speaks of his love for acceptance in his community, â€Å"†¦my assumption is that once I settle in†¦I will be treated like as people should be treated† (Lee 3).   His assumptions of being accepted was brutally debunked by what had transpired during his stay in Bedley Run, â€Å"It seems to me that people took a weird interest in making me feel that I am unwelcome† (Lee 3) Hata’s love for acceptance didn’t end with his failed attempt with his neighborhood. It appears that Hata’s love for his adopted daughter Sunny, whom he had adopted when he was still in Korea when Sunny was just a child. While Sunny was growing up, she and her father were having endless disputes. In the long run, Sunny ran away from home even when she was just a teenager. Later in the story, Hata will have the chance to make up with her daughter. Sunny went back to Hata and asks for support for she was pregnant. Irritatingly, Hata denied Sunny’s plea for support. Hata had prioritized more his and his family’s reputation more than the well being of her daughter. It appears that even though Hata loves her daughter, his family’s reputation weighs more than the affection of his daughter. This is Hata’s real and unfortunate dilemma. He had stated several times in the narrative that he loves her daughter very much, but still he is quite unable show his love. After this he will contemplate heavily as to why his life is devoid of love, he will contemplate heavily as to why his life is remote to the lives of the ones he dears most. Hata’s weird and unproductive approach to love will backfire at him at the most tragic of scenarios. Hata had accidentally brought his house on fire and he was hurt in the fire and was hospitalized. After that he was caught in a web of nostalgia, he reminisced about the time he served as a paramedic in an army camp in the pacific war. There he had fallen in love with a certain woman whom he calls â€Å"K† who was about the same age as her adopted daughter Sunny. He had loved K as genuinely a man could love a woman. He was even willing to die and kill for K as she had committed murder and Hata was willing to offer help in covering up. But then, just like in the bulk of the story, Hata’s love remains unrequited. K had viewed his love as having ill intentions. K thought that Hata was only after her youth and was only after sex. This tragic memory of Hata had some great effects in later in his life especially the relationships he had, especially with her daughter. In a weird but true manner, Hata’s kind of loves are real and unfortunately remains unrequited. Hata’s situation is what we see everyday happening to real people. That is just the truthfulness that made this story a success. The novel â€Å"A Gesture Life† may have been talking about the tragic life of Hata when it comes to love, but what it was actually talking about is how some people find it very hard to be loved just because they themselves find it hard to love others. In the story, Hata seems to be the kind of person who never knew the feeling of being loved. He has this hunger to be loved by the people around him. This for me is one of the reasons why many people find it easy to empathize with the character of Hata. Work Cited Lee, Chang-Rae. A Gesture Life. CA: Riverhead books. 1999   

Compare & Contrast Woodchucks and Traveling Through the Dark Essay

Max Kumin’s , â€Å"Woodchucks† provides an interesting and creative perspective Into the mind state of those influenced by Nazi warfare. What begins as a seemingly Humorous cat and mouse hunt, soon develops into an insatiable lust for blood. However, â€Å" Traveling through the Dark† by William Stafford, presents an innocent soul lost by the unawareness of man and the death of an unborn innocent. Both Kumin’s and Stafford’s descriptive language and overall theme provides the reader with the insight necessary to understand to the speaker’s psychology as they are driven beyond the boundaries of pacifism and genocide. The poem â€Å"Woodchucks† indeed has a rhyme scheme, yet doesn’t conform to conventional forms of rhyme , each stanza seems to follow the order of A, B, C, A, C, B, which may not be apparent to the reader at first, but doesn’t hinder the poem’s effectiveness. The first stanza begins with the speaker describing their failed attempt at eliminating the pests. The first attempt was described as merciful: â€Å"The Knockout bomb bone†. However, the following lines offer a bit of humor to the chase as it seems the woodchuck has outsmarted the speaker as a result of their overconfidence: â€Å"and the case we had against them was airtight, both exits shoehorned shut with puddingstone, but they had a sub-sub-basement out of range†. This first stanza sets the stage for what would appear to be a humorous battle of wit’s between the speaker and the woodchucks. While in â€Å" Traveling through the Dark† consist of no rhyme scheme, and follows a contemplative tone, that comes from the decision of life and death, which sets the moods of the poem include: sadness, despair. The following stanza continues in this vein with the cynical statement, â€Å"Next morning they turned up again, no worse for the cyanide than we for our cigarettes and state-store Scotch, all of us up to scratch†. However, those that follow are slowly indicative of the speaker’s mental deterioration. The statements of the food being eaten by the woodchucks are filled with bitterness as the language begins to resemble that of a killer. â€Å"They brought down the marigolds as a matter of course and then took over the vegetable patch nipping the broccoli shoots, beheading the carrots†. This is especially evident in the reference to the carrots being â€Å"beheaded† which provides an appropriate transition into the next stanza. On the other hand Stafford’s poem uses the use of figurative language, like alliteration, and imagery in order to convey the disheartening emotions that come with being forced to make a life threatening decision. The poem by Stafford, â€Å"Traveling through the Dark† presents readers with an uncomfortable and rather grim instance of the intersection of the natural world and that of man. Technology, in this case cars and the man-made road, are seen as something invasive and harmful in this poem. In order to convey the meaning of the poem â€Å"Traveling through the Dark† by William Stafford uses a conversational style to communicate the theme in the poem of the role of technology in modern life and , more importantly, the theme of man versus nature becomes apparent. Then again Kumin presents a sense of human behavior vs. animal behavior in a way that allows the symbolism of World War II to come through. Through out the poems, both poets not only convey an everyday scene into an underlying theme, by the use of figurative language and the selection of words and phrases. Common themes of the poems are life, death, and conflicting forces lie in each poem. Both poets allow for an underlying theme to be portrayed in a way that reflects on the original scene of the poem.

Exam Study Computer Concepts Essays

Exam Study Computer Concepts Essays Exam Study Computer Concepts Essay Exam Study Computer Concepts Essay Computer Concepts Exam Study for University of LA VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol): Hardware, software, and protocols used to make call over the internet. Convergence: Basically combining devices into one device, Ex) mp3 and cameras on cell phones. That’s convergence. File: A named collection of data. Digital: Discrete Data Super Computer: The fastest and expensive computer Analog Data: Continuous data EBSDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code): A method by which computers represent character data. Machine Code: Program instructions written in binary code that the computer can execute directly. Registers: Area in microprocessors where data or instructions are moved so they can be processed. Word Size: The number of bits a CPU can manipulate at one time. Volatile: A term that describes data that can exist only with a power source. Shareware: They have a trial but once its over, they need to pay for it. Open source software: Software that includes the source data so programmers can modify and edit it. Executable file: File containing instructions that tell a computer how to perform a specific task. Multiuser Operating System: Allows a computer to deal with multiple processing requests. Bootstrap Program: Loads and initializes operating system Incremental Backup: A backup that contains files that changed since the last backup Differential Backup: A copy of all the files that changed since the last full backup HomePNA and HomePLC: HomePNA uses cables and HomePLC uses electricity wires. WIMAX: Fixed wireless internet and range is 30 miles. TCP: Responsible for establishing a data connection between two host and breaking data into packets. Asymmetric internet connection: Downstream differs from upstream. Symmetric Internet connection: both the same

Innovations in the Cell Phone Industry and Sustainability

Innovations in the Cell Phone Industry and Sustainability Abstract Environmental sustainability has been receiving corporate attention in the 21st century. Various industries have been employing different measures on how to ensure environmental safety. The cell phone industry has also entered into this noble initiative in a broad dimension.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Innovations in the Cell Phone Industry and Sustainability specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A polluted environment affects all the stakeholders including customers, suppliers, employees and the entire public. Therefore, firms should adhere to waste management practices in order to make good use of the by-products thereby enhancing environmental conservation techniques. The cell phone industry makes products that are friendly to the environment and develops mobile applications that can help in enhancing environmental sustainability. These innovative products also help in keeping the environment clea n. Innovations in the Cell Phone Industry and Sustainability Environmental sustainability entails making drastic decisions and actions towards protecting the environment. This initiative ensures that the environment is preserved thereby being able to support human life. Currently, this issue has been among the world’s top agendas, from multinational companies to individual levels and from different government departments to media houses. Organizations are instituting measures that will have less negative effects on the environment than before. Since all businesses have to use energy and release waste products, environmental sustainability tries to make these businesses engage in activities that make them sustainable in the present environs (Is Your Cell Phone Sustainable? 2011). In a recent survey on companies’ thinking on climate change, McKinsey and Company (2008) found that the greatest percentage of executives surveyed consider climate change strategically signific ant, and about 60% take it into account in developing and marketing new products.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The cell phone industry has not only been at the fore front in implementing some strategies that will enable them survive in the present atmosphere but also come up with innovative products that can assist in ensuring environmental sustainability. For instance, cell phone industries have tried to shrink their environmental footprints by manufacturing smaller and lighter cell phones (Technology Environmental Sustainability Initiatives n.d.). Smaller gadgets imply the use of less energy in transportation, recycling and reuse, less raw materials extracted and less shipping spaces. Currently, mobile phone manuals are distributed electronically thus reducing paper usage, which are always obtained from trees. From this perspective, cell phone indu stries are using innovation to promote a greener ecosystem. In addition, cell phone industries have made solar powered phones. This innovative idea is reducing overreliance on non-renewable sources of energy like electricity. Apart from the solar powered phones, most of the companies have designed energy efficient mobile phones; these phones take a long time before recharging thus saving money and minimizing gas emissions. This efficiency is seen in the way Nokia has reduced the amount of no-load energy by close to 90%. In 2007, Nokia sent alert into phones in alerting the public to unplug their chargers while, not in use. Nokia boasts of creating all their devices with an environmental mind. An example is the Nokia Lumia 820 (Apps services – Nokia 2013). It has an in-device user guide, packed in a small box made of renewable materials. However, a small printed guide with highlighted usage tips is on Green page while full information is available on nokia.com (Sustainable mo bile products 2013).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Innovations in the Cell Phone Industry and Sustainability specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This phone has maps that help in locating directions for pedestrians and travellers; this innovative idea reduces overreliance on papers. The materials are all recyclable and are free from harmful metals like nickel and mercury. Apple Company has powered all its facilities using renewable sources of energy. This initiative lessens carbon foot print, thereby raising the hopes of approaching a green ecosystem. To add to that, Apple introduced iPhone 3G ships that had PVC free USB cables, headphones and a free display mercury-arsenic (Apple Apple and the Environment 2013). A continuous study into the environmental status report of the phone shows that it has a recyclable aluminium enclosure and an efficient power adapter that outperforms strictest global energy. These were in line with the ENERGY STAR requirement. Clearly, these features reduce environmental impact. Even though a mobile phone is a small electronic gadget that causes a negligible impact to environmental degradation, a total number of 1.6 billion phones that were sold in 2011 cause a significant effect on the quantity of waste per unit. Therefore, this calls for measures on how to minimize waste in the environment. The cell phone industries like Nokia, Motorola, AT T have adopted the initiative of ensuring that they use non-plastic inserts and trays by the end of 2013 (Sustainable Mobile Phone n.d.). These packages such as the phone casing are to be made from less pollutant objects. The organic chemicals that were to be used in making batteries were to be less volatile in order to minimize pollutions.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, the cell phone industry has opted to recycle their products like battery contents and the casings which are environmentally friendly. In designing sustainable products, firms aim at yielding improvement in the environment and increased revenue, as well. Smart phones are made in a way that one is able to communicate with a large group of people at a time; they have cameras and USB cables for transfer of data. Some of its applications that have proved useful to environmental activist are discussed below. The first one is the Visibility App that measures the quality of air. One can use an Android Phone to take a picture of the atmosphere and transmits it to a centralized server to interpret, compare and generate the data (Ganguly 2012). Afterwards, the mobile operator receives a notification that indicates the extent of pollution. This app was the work of the University of South Carolina’s Robotic lab. The next application is the Leaf View Project. This app helps in discovering new species of plants and animals in a crowded environment. After identification, one has to compare it with the central database. Moreover, one can study the consequences of global warming on these species. Since global warming and climate change leads to species extinction; this app will assist in keeping these species within an environment hence helping to approach towards a greener ecosystem. Goods Guide and 3rd Whale are the other applications. They promote a greener and sustainable environment by scanning of sustainable products and businesses in the locality and with the assistance of the GiftRocket application; one can purchase products through phone. The 3rd Whale app uses a GPRS system to locate the businesses and products. There is also the VerdeEnergy and EnergySaver application in the smart phones. These apps help in tracking energy consumption and planning for efficient utilization of energy in homesteads. A controlled energy usage enhances the cleanliness of an environment. The fifth app is the EcoSpeed and GreenMeter; they are used in tracking a vehicle’s fuel efficiency and daily movements. Of much interest is that EcoSpeed app can identify routes that consume less fuel than other routes. Clearly, the apps help to minimize environmental pollution that could have resulted due to excess use of fuel. There is also the Bar code technology that can be used to control illegal felling of trees (Ganguly 2012). In this technology, trees are assigned codes that are fed in the central database. Helveta Company is applying this technology to Forest cutters such that trees that are brought at the company without bar codes are deemed illegal. These smart phone applications, undoubtedly, assist in achieving environmental sustainability. The giant cell phone industry Samsung developed Eco-Design Assessment system in 2004. This assessment technique was to ensure that all Samsung’s products complied with the global environmental regul ations (Eco-Design 2013). In 2009, eco-rating system came in force. In terms of product development there is the Samsung Galaxy Note II; in this smart phone, one can create, edit and store documents. Using the S Pen, one can write and store data; therefore, this technology minimizes the use of papers, wooden pencils and plastic pens. Notably, elimination of these writing materials will help create sustainable and greener ecosystems. The short life span of smart phones is a key challenge to the cell phone industries (Mobile Phones n.d.). This shows that consumers dispose a high number of these products annually thus resulting to immense environmental degradation. These phones have a sizeable amount of minerals like gold and copper, toxic metals like mercury and lead in sizeable amounts. Since a high number of smart phones are disposed within a short time, the small amount of toxic metals multiply thus causing underground water and air pollution. Additionally, cell phone industries fa ce an uphill task of eliminating electromagnetic radiations that mobile phones emit to the environment. Specifically, mobile phones use microwave which is harmful to human health. Some researchers had shown the relationship between biological effects and exposure to mobile phones. The WHO in 2011 also noted that use of mobile phones can cause health risks. Recently, some researchers found out that cell phones can affect the brain and salivary gland tumours. These observations pose immense challenges to the cell phone industries in introducing their products in the market. In addition, another research showed that heavy mobile phone users are over 40% prone to contracting brain cancer (Mobile Phones n.d.). Even though there are still uncertainties on these observations, consumers remain alert on the possible consequences of using large phones like the smart phones. Further, the manufacture and replacement of integrated circuits are the main cause of electronic waste. Cell phone indus tries will have to institute mass education on the health risks of using mobile phones, since there is still no concrete evidence to prove the claimed effects. This initiative will be a costly one, but it will help in altering the perceptions of the public towards purchasing new mobile phones. For instance, iPhones have wide surface area; one can assume that it has more radioactive emission thereby avoiding them. Additionally, these industries ought to carry out numerous researches in order to manufacture greener mobile phones (Johnstone 2013).) Therefore, the mobile devices should have minimal heath risks, long lifespan, be recyclable at the end of life and perform efficiently. App developers are constantly coming up with new apps that are useful as they aid the current activities. These apps are developed in the new sustainable products so that they continue serving their purpose. The cell phone industries should understand the nature of their markets when manufacturing their prod ucts. For instance, they should make the applications look easy to understand so that all customers can buy and find it easy to use. Samsung should carry out more sale promotions on different media about their Galaxy cell phones than before. The same should apply to the Apple Company in advertising their iPhones. Since environmentally friendly products have adverse favourable effects to the environment, these companies should clearly outline the overall benefits of their products to the customers (Mobile phone industry takes baby steps toward sustainability 2009). Markedly, the companies should have a strategy or forecast on how to serve different customers who cannot afford some phones of high prices. The cell phone industry has adopted environmentally friendly approaches that if all industries can replicate, then the environment will remain sustainable for all. From their energy conservation measures like Apple’s use of renewable source of energy to development of environme ntally-friendly batteries that use less energy in the long run, they are working towards a sustainable environment. The industry has also adopted phone recycling mechanisms and targets educating their consumers on these measures. Through innovation, the firms have made tremendous steps towards approaching a greener ecosystem. This is evident from the entire essay. However, the cell phone companies have to develop greener mobile phones with applications which will help in enhancing environmental sustainability. Bibliography Apple Apple and the Environment 2013. Apple. Web. Apps services Nokia 2013. Cell Phones and Smartphones Nokia USA. Web. Eco-Design. 2013. About Samsung. Web. Environment Sustainability n.d., Samsung US. Web. Ganguly, A. 2012. Save the Environment Using Cell Phones. Sustainable-Sphere. Web. Is Your Cell Phone Sustainable? 2011. Sustainable Business, Green Business, Renewable Energy, Organic Green Investing, Green Capital. Web. Johnstone, A. 2013. Mobile Pho nes and Environmental Sustainability. Adam M. Johnston, B.A. | Freelance Writer on Renewable Energy, Technology, Globalization, Soccer, and Video Games. Web. Mobile Phones n.d., UL Environment. Web. Mobile phone industry takes baby steps toward sustainability 2009. English | Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Web. Sustainable Mobile Phone n.d., Lowell Center for Sustainable Production. Web. Sustainable mobile products 2013, January 5. Cell Phones and Smartphones Nokia – USA. Web. Technology Environmental Sustainability Initiatives n.d., ATT Cell Phones, U- verse, Digital TV, DSL Internet, and Phone Service. Web.

Habits and Traits of Cockroaches, the Order Blattodea

Habits and Traits of Cockroaches, the Order Blattodea The order Blattodea includes the cockroaches, insects unfairly reviled the world over. Though some are pests, most cockroach species fill important ecological roles as scavengers that clean up organic waste. The order name comes from blatta, which is Latin for cockroach. Description Cockroaches are ancient insects. Theyve remained almost unchanged for over 200 million years. Roaches run fast on legs adapted for speed, and with 5-segmented tarsi. Cockroaches can also accelerate and turn quickly. Most are nocturnal and spend their days resting deep within tight-fitting cracks or crevices. Roaches have flat, oval bodies, and with a few exceptions are winged. When viewed dorsally, their heads are concealed behind a large pronotum. They have long, slender antennae, and segmented cerci. Cockroaches use chewing mouthparts to scavenge on organic materials. Members of the order Blattodea undergo incomplete or simple metamorphosis, with three stages of development: egg, nymph, and adult. Females encase their eggs in a capsule called an ootheca. Depending on the species, she may place the ootheca in a crevice or other protected place, or carry it with her. Some female cockroaches carry the ootheca internally. Habitat and Distribution Most of the 4,000 species of cockroaches inhabit moist, tropical environments. As a group, however, cockroaches have a wide distribution, from desert to arctic environments. Major Families in the Order Blattidae: Oriental and American cockroachesBlattellidae: German and wood cockroachesPolyphagidae: desert cockroachesBlaberidae: giant cockroaches Cockroaches of Interest The Madeira cockroach (Rhyparobia maderae) can stridulate, an unusual skill for a roach. It also gives off an offensive odor when threatened.The tiny Attaphila fungicola cockroach inhabits an ecological niche – the nests of leaf-cutting ants.Madagascar hissing cockroaches (Grophadorhina portentosa) force air through their spiracles to produce a hissing sound. Theyre a popular pet insect.The giant cave cockroach, Blaberus giganteus, feeds on bat guano among other things.

Strategic Human Resource Management Assignment

Strategic Human Resource Management - Assignment Example HRM assumes strategic importance when there is a need for employee commitment to strategic goals concerning efficiency, quality and innovation. A key policy goal underpinning HRM practice is to "maximize organizational integration" (Guest, 1988), where strategic integration refers to "the ability of the organization to integrate HRM issues into its strategic plans" (Guest, 1989). This paper is meant to contribute to the debate by understanding the genesis, concept, approaches and models of SHRM. The paper takes an analytical approach where emphasis is put on the various models of SHRM and its applicability. American firms in the early 1980s had to face stiff competition from foreign companies, who began to export their products to the USA at lower prices than American companies could offer. The cost advantage stemmed from lower labour costs and made it nearly impossible for American companies to survive. They had to look for more efficient and effective ways to use the resources available to them and stay afloat. The ensuing effort gave rise to the concept of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM). ... It covers macro-organizational concerns relating to structure and culture, organizational effectiveness and performance, matching resources to future business requirements, and the management of change (Hales, 1994). According to Miller (1989), "SHRM encompasses those decisions and actions which concern the management of employees at all levels in the business and which redirect towards creating and sustaining competitive advantage." Wright and Snell (1991) have suggested that in a business, SHRM deals with "those HR activities used to support the firm's competitive strategy." Another way of looking at SHRM is "the pattern of HR deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals" (Wright and McMahan, 1992). Truss and Gratton (1994) define SHRM as "the linking of HRM with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business performance and develop organizational cultures that foster innovation and flexibility." Ghoshal and Bartlett (1997) see SHRM as a radical new approach to organization, management and employee relations and indeed to the relationship between firms and their host societies and to each other. They advocate a strategy towards HR in which employees are developed and made employable and this keeps the employer honest. Differences between Business Strategy and SHRM Business strategy is commonly understood as the long term planning by a firm to link its external environment with the internal capabilities so that a unique position can be attained in the market and firm's value can be improved. Business strategies can be formulated in line with any of the internal factors of an organisation that best utilises its external opportunities. Unlike conventional

The Bucket List movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Bucket List movie - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that when a person reaches the final stage of his life, which according to Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory called Integrity versus Despair, the person starts to reminisce or recall the things that have happened to his or her life in the past. The person tries to reflect back on the accomplishments or the disappointments on his life. These retrospections create different angles of impressions toward the person whether integrity or bitterness, felicity or sorrow and so on and so forth. We say integrity because he was able to fulfil his life’s purpose and was able to spend his lifetime with manifold accomplishments and bitterness in a sense that the person failed to undertake the enterprises that he thought he would have done in the past. Seen this way, he or she develops two senses toward these reflections – contentment and disappointment. In the movie â€Å"The Bucket List†, it was clearly evoked th e nature of human beings as they reach the final stage of their lives, especially on this case, the characters were facing a possible doom due to lung cancer. Erikson predicated that when we become old, we start to become dormant or unproductive and instead, we start to strive for enjoyment by spending the rest of our lives travelling and visiting those places we have never visited before, eating the foods we never had the chance to eat before or just simply doing the things that we never experienced.          In the following passages, I will cite some scenes on the movies and relate them to Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory. As conveyed in the movie, both Carter and Edward were already senior citizens and both of them were lung cancer patients. Carter was black and broke and he was very thin due to his disease. Edward, on the other hand, was an opulent hospital mogul who was confined in treatment facility wherein he shared the same room with Carter. Both of them had unresolved conflicts during the earlier stages of their lives. Carter was not able to fulfil his childhood dreams of becoming a historian while Edward had a very miserable, forlorn life after he was disheartened by the repudiation of her daughter. First scene: As we can recall, Carter wrote a â€Å"bucket list† and there listed the things that he wish to do before he dies but he discarded it after learning that he only had 6 more months to live. If we cogitate on this scene, it suggested a sens e of Wisdom and acceptance. I say Wisdom and acceptance because he had become brave enough to accept that his death was very near. It also suggested that he accepted accountability of all his past actions and was willing to spend the rest of his days in a more significant way: to be able to help. Second scene: Carter went home to his wife and children and there he had wonderful time with his family. Carter had changed his view about his death. He started to appreciate all of the things that happened to him like the establishment of his family. He became a man of integrity and that he felt at least he was a good husband, a father and a grandfather after all when 3 he was not able to fulfil his childhood dream and did not make any improvement on his job as a mechanic. It shows that when a certain person faces his doom, he becomes more valiant. Another scene would be when Edward reconciled with his daughter. In this context, he attempted to reverse the events that had occurred between him and his daughter. He knew that they had conflict and it was part of his bitter past. There was an attempt to align the derailed relationship of Edward and his daughter which aimed for a more meaningful and mirthful life contrary to what he had in

Climate Change and Conceptions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Climate Change and Conceptions - Research Paper Example Life influences climate via its function in the water and carbon cycles as well as such mechanisms, for instance, evapotranspiration, albedo, weathering and cloud formation. Instances of just how life might have altered past climate comprise glaciations 2.3 eons ago caused by the oxygenic photosynthesis evolution. Glaciation 300m centuries ago piloted by lasting burial of putridness-resistant debris of vascular terrestrial plants, thereby, forming coal. Others include the extinction of the thermal maximum Paleocene-Eocene 55m years ago through flourishing sea phytoplankton. The global warming reversal 49m eons ago by eight hundred thousand eons of frozen azolla blooms, as well as global cooling of over the preceding 40m years steered by the enlargement of grass-grazer biotas (Edwards & Miller 82). Sunlight variants in the orbit of the earth steer to changes into the seasonal dispersal of sunlight getting to the World's surface, and in what way it is dispersed throughout the world. There is a precise little alteration to the region-averaged once a year averaged sunlight; nevertheless, there may be resilient changes within the seasonal and geographical distribution. The 3 forms of orbital variants are variants in Globe's eccentricity, alterations within the slant angle of World's axis of revolution, as well as the procession of World's axis. Join together, these yield Milankovitch cycles that have a huge impact on climate, in addition, are noted for their connection to interglacial and glacial periods.

Exotica and feminisim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Exotica and feminisim - Essay Example All the feminist authors and activists are of the view that such type of films showing women mere in supporting roles, as well as exhibiting their body parts as sign of men’s entertainment, are not only humiliating, but also prove the women folk as the lesser creatures or worthless stratum of society, which contain inferior status than men. Before embarking upon the above-described film in details, it would be appropriate to define feminist perspective: Social groups have not only been divided into different classes in respect of socio-economic status and different occupations and professions, but also distribution of the individuals of a society is based on age, ethnicity, race, region, religion and gender too. Social inequalities are found in all fields of life and in all the institutions and organizations existing in a society. In this pretext the Feminist perspective theory came into existence. The idea of division of labor on the basis of gender gave birth to feminism. It was a strong voice against the inequalities between men and women in respect of social status, division of power as well as work and gender discrimination. â€Å"Feminism is†, Macionis submits, â€Å"the advocacy of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism. The first wave of feminism in the United States-began in the 1840s as women opposed to slavery drew parallels between the suppression of African Americans and the o ppression of women.† (2007:353) The theory aimed at seeking equal status for women in every field of human life, where no one could treat them as inferior community on the basis of gender discrimination. The theorists who brought the significance of women’s participation in the social construction programs to the limelight were declared as rebels in the beginning, and then liberals and Marxists subsequently. With the passage of

Empowering Employees on Team Processes Research Paper

Empowering Employees on Team Processes - Research Paper Example However, the range of resolutions the employees can take part in is dependent on the organizational policies. Some of the areas employees may have a voice in include, the working conditions, vocational hours, company policies, the manner in which jobs are to be undertaken, peer reviews as well as how supervisors are appraised. To achieve employee empowerment, the management has to undertake capacity building and the development of the human resources under their control or payroll. In view of this, employees and teams ought to possess the self-belief and capacity to perform assignments and ought to have the opportunities to grow and shine. Performance and employees self-assurance is boosted when they gain additional skills in organizational as well as management issues, and when they obtain fresh skills and expertise. Employees’ empowerment is not a one-day undertaking and it is not straightforward.   Employee empowerment in an organization setting Human resource professiona ls believes that businesses can increase their productivity by empowering their employees. Other human resource scholars put forward that the majority of organizations take part in employees’ empowerment because of its potential to augment organizational innovations and value (Boudrias, Brunet, Morin, Savoie, Plunier, & Cacciatore, 2010). In an organizational setup employee involvement, entails the supervisors supporting immediate workforces in taking part in decisions concerning their vocational responsibilities, and offering them power over their working environment. This strategy is believed to increase workforce enthusiasm and in due course makes them increase their output. However, some researchers have downplayed this hypothesis by arguing that employees empowerment is influenced by many factors other than giving employees control over their work environment. Boudrias, Brunet, Morin, Savoie, Plunier, and Cacciatore, (2010) ascertain that the empowerment of the employee does not take place in an organizational void. This is because the supervisors may endeavor to boost the empowerment of their workforces through awarding the workforces decision-making tasks and offering them the chance to take part, but other organizational system aspects such as procedures governing decision-making, capacity building as well as the reward process may be contradicting to the power given to the employee. Hence, the probability of an empowerment effort by the supervisor to enhance the employees’ empowerment could be conditional to the existence of organizational sustaining features. Therefore, empirical research suggests that effectual empowerment of employees necessitates the creation of an organizational environment distinguished by acknowledgment, support, autonomy support and justice (Boudrias, Brunet, Morin, Savoie, Plunier, & Cacciatore, 2010).  Ã‚  

Computer vision for image quality assessment Essay

Computer vision for image quality assessment - Essay Example Image quality assessment is a significant issue as the modern imaging systems has a tendency to introduce artefacts or distortion in the signal (Wang, & Bovik, 2006). The entire process of capture and development of an image is a result of two steps. The first step is the capturing of image by a photographic process. The ideal photographic process is standardised with reference of a pinhole camera. The pinhole camera is a hardware apparatus, which has light reflected from the intended subject passing through the aperture and falling on the plane of image. In practical applications, the camera approximates the ideal pinhole camera image capture process. Ideally, the developed image should exactly capture the amount of light falling on the each part of the image plane of the camera, whether the image is developed chemically (traditional) or digitally (Modern). The second step consists of the processing of the amount of light falling on the image plane. Ideally, the second step should perfectly measure the amount of light falling on different parts of the image plane and hence reproducing the photograph exactly as per the depicted scene, whether on a paper or in the soft copy. In practice, some amount of distortion takes place in each step mentioned in the previous paragraph. The practical cameras are an approximation of the ideal pinhole camera. Thus, the amount of light falling on the image plane is not exactly as reflected by the depicted scene. Similarly, the processing of the image by the measurement of the amount of light in the different areas of image plane is not perfect. The image storing & transmission process may also distort the quality of image. For example, a digital image, which has been compressed, transmitted and decompressed, would not have same quality as the original. Thus, the measurement of the image quality would be the

Empowering Employees on Team Processes Research Paper

Empowering Employees on Team Processes - Research Paper Example However, the range of resolutions the employees can take part in is dependent on the organizational policies. Some of the areas employees may have a voice in include, the working conditions, vocational hours, company policies, the manner in which jobs are to be undertaken, peer reviews as well as how supervisors are appraised. To achieve employee empowerment, the management has to undertake capacity building and the development of the human resources under their control or payroll. In view of this, employees and teams ought to possess the self-belief and capacity to perform assignments and ought to have the opportunities to grow and shine. Performance and employees self-assurance is boosted when they gain additional skills in organizational as well as management issues, and when they obtain fresh skills and expertise. Employees’ empowerment is not a one-day undertaking and it is not straightforward.   Employee empowerment in an organization setting Human resource professiona ls believes that businesses can increase their productivity by empowering their employees. Other human resource scholars put forward that the majority of organizations take part in employees’ empowerment because of its potential to augment organizational innovations and value (Boudrias, Brunet, Morin, Savoie, Plunier, & Cacciatore, 2010). In an organizational setup employee involvement, entails the supervisors supporting immediate workforces in taking part in decisions concerning their vocational responsibilities, and offering them power over their working environment. This strategy is believed to increase workforce enthusiasm and in due course makes them increase their output. However, some researchers have downplayed this hypothesis by arguing that employees empowerment is influenced by many factors other than giving employees control over their work environment. Boudrias, Brunet, Morin, Savoie, Plunier, and Cacciatore, (2010) ascertain that the empowerment of the employee does not take place in an organizational void. This is because the supervisors may endeavor to boost the empowerment of their workforces through awarding the workforces decision-making tasks and offering them the chance to take part, but other organizational system aspects such as procedures governing decision-making, capacity building as well as the reward process may be contradicting to the power given to the employee. Hence, the probability of an empowerment effort by the supervisor to enhance the employees’ empowerment could be conditional to the existence of organizational sustaining features. Therefore, empirical research suggests that effectual empowerment of employees necessitates the creation of an organizational environment distinguished by acknowledgment, support, autonomy support and justice (Boudrias, Brunet, Morin, Savoie, Plunier, & Cacciatore, 2010).  Ã‚  

Family Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Family Law - Essay Example Maria and Homer are not married and in order to apply for a protective order Part IV of the FLA Maria will have to come within the definition of â€Å"associated persons† as prescribed by the FLA (A Diduck., & F Kaganas., 2006). Section 62 of the FLA defines â€Å"associated persons† and section 62(3) expressly includes cohabitants within the definition of â€Å"associated persons†. Furthermore, section 62(1) (a) of the FLA defines â€Å"cohabitants† as being â€Å"a man and woman who, although not married to each other, are living together as husband and wife†, which is ultimately a question of fact (S Gore., 2007). If we apply this by analogy to Maria’s position, although Maria theoretically had a separate bedroom and in practice financially contributed to the bills and food, she did not pay rent as a lodger. Moreover, Maria and Homer had been dating for just over a year, had a sexual relationship, frequently slept together and shared a social life as a couple. As such, the factual circumstances clearly operate in Maria’s favour to indicate that she and Homer were both â€Å"cohabitants† for the purpose of falling under the FLA definition of â€Å"associated persons,† which leads us to consider the potential protective remedies available to Maria against Homer under the FLA. It is important to note at the outset that if Maria decides to seek relief under Part IV of the FLA, she can do so in as little as two days and in emergency situations, Section 45(1) of the FLA enables courts to make a non-molestation or occupation order without notice. At this stage, Homer would have no opportunity to reply to Maria’s application, however he would have an opportunity as soon â€Å"just and convenient† at a full hearing (Section 45(3)). Such ex-parte applications are determined with regard to the circumstances of the case, including an assessment of the risk of

Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B Dubois Essay Example for Free

Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B Dubois Essay Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois were two famous African American leaders during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were both activists and wanted blacks to have an education; they also wanted to end discrimination towards blacks. These leaders both wrote great speeches which clearly specified what they thought was right for African Americans. Even though Washington and Dubois focused on the same social, political and economic issues, they strongly disagreed on strategies of achieving their goal of equality. The first African American leader that changed America forever was Booker T. Washington. Booker T. was one of Americas greatest African American leaders who believed that blacks deserved to be equal. Booker T. mainly focused on education, he wanted blacks to concentrate on their education and not equality. He believed that if blacks mainly focused on getting equality, than blacks are wasting their time because racism and hatred will always be a part of everyday life from now and even in the future for all different kinds of races, cultures and religious beliefs. Booker T. wanted blacks to have something called Industrial Education, and this certain type of education provided the skills needed for jobs that were available to the majority of African Americans. Since he was mainly focusing on blacks in the south, he wanted blacks to  master and be advanced at agriculture and farming skills. Booker T. stated  that overtime, whites will see that blacks have responsibility and commitment of being an American citizen. This will earn respect and equality from whites and accepted as citizens of the United States of America. Booker T. Washington was recognized as being a great speaker. He gave many motivational speeches to black people saying not to let whites control them because as American citizens you are free to do whatever you want. He told blacks to think positive and stop hiding from people that are trying to put you down in society and defend yourself on what you think is right. He told white people that you are underestimating blacks for what they could accomplish in society; you are being disrespectful to blacks just because of their skin color. The second African American leader that changed America forever was W.E.B Dubois. He focused on the exact opposite things that of Booker T. Washington. Dubois was also mainly focused on education as Booker T. Washington was, but he believed that blacks should be book smart and be as well educated as a white person, this was called the gradualist political strategy. Dubois realized that Booker T. Washington was accommodating white interests in his speech called the Atlanta Compromise, this made many people shocked on how Washington was basically saying that you can treat blacks as unequals and discriminate us as long as we get a decent education. Dubois and his supporters responded to this speech by establishing the Niagara Movement. The Niagara Movement was a group of African-American civil rights activists including W.E.B Dubois; they wrote a speech that demanded for equality and to cease discrimination. The speech claims that as American citizens, we have rights and by not giving these rights to us, you have made no accomplishment on what you founded this land for. Dubois does not believe in violence but believes that sacrifices had to be made in order to get African Americans to be seen as equals. He labels his speech in numbers from one through five and in each request; he explained each of his demands in a very  aggressive tone. He sought for an immediate change and will not be satisfied by the little changes that will be made over time. Both Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois both had great arguments and philosophies for trying to get African Americans to have futures of being seen as equals, but I felt like Booker T. Washington made more sense at the time. Booker T. understood that blacks would never be seen as equals and he accepted it. Booker T. preached that being equal is not all that important but as time goes by, we will get accepted in to this nation as equals. He said this to blacks because he didnt want blacks lose faith on ever being seen as equals but instead, blacks started focusing on themselves and lived their daily lives without anyone putting the down in society. There are still many people that are racist but now they have learned to accept it and carry on with their lives. Booker T. Washingtons theory will always be a part of our nation and other countries all around the world. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois were two famous African American leaders during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were both believed that blacks deserved equal rights as being an American citizen. These leaders both wrote great speeches which clearly specified what they thought was right for African Americans.

The World Of LSD :: essays research papers fc

A Guide to the â€Å"Not So† Wonderful World of LSD Discovery of LSD LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) come from a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. Albert Hofmann, working at Sandoz, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, produced LSD for the first time in 1938. He was hoping that it could be used to stimulate circulation and respiration, though this idea failed. Hofmann forgot about the new found drug, and didn’t use it for five years. In 1943 he accidentally ingested LSD and experienced some effects of the drug, such as visual distortion, dizziness and restlessness. He experienced the drug again, though this time not on accident. Forms of LSD LSD can come in many different forms. Three more common forms are paper blotter, liquid, & gelatin. Paper blotter, the most common form of all, comes divided into  ¼" squares called tabs. These tabs usually have between 30 - 100 ug of LSD. These papers are made by taking a sheet of absorbent paper, usually decorated, and soaking it with a dilution of LSD. All the dilutions are not the same, for the can vary greatly from batch to batch, LSD 2 and there is no way of telling exactly how much LSD is on it. Liquid LSD is usually water based, though it can be based with other solvents. A single drop of liquid LSD could be up to 50 times stronger the regular paper blotter because it is more than the normal dose. It is not all that common for people to sell liquid LSD because there is no way to be sure of it’s potency. It is usually stored in small dropper bottles. Gelatin LSD, also known as "window panes", is made by mixing liquid LSD with gelatin. It has to be formed into small, thin squares after that. A single gelatin tab usually has around 50 - 150 ug of LSD. This method of making LSD is generally better because it protects the LSD from being exposed to the air and sun, which can break down the drug. Cost of LSD When LSD is sold as paper blotter, the price usually ranges from 3 - 10 dollars per hit, though it can be more expensive depending on where it is sold. Being sold from friend to friend it is usually less, but places such as raves will sell it for more. Less common LSD will go for more money then blotter paper will.

Stonehenge :: essays research papers fc

Stonehenge, the most famous Neolithic monument, had a great significance to the ancient people of England. The monument, which is located in the Salisbury Plain, was built and reconstructed many times starting in about 3200 BC to about 1650 BC. The stones that were used to construct the monument weighed anywhere from 25 to 50 tons apiece, in some cases the stones had to be dragged to the plain from up to 20 miles away.(Marvin Perry,19) Stonehenge went through three major phases, the first of which was when the ancient people created a bank of chalk and a ditch, inside the bank there was 56 pits. The second phase was when 82 blocks of bluestone, about 4 tons each, were brought to the site. Using the bluestone the ancient people made a double circle in the bank and they formed an avenue leading to the River Avon. The third phase was the ancient people removed the bluestone and replaced it with sandstone, weighing 25 to 50 tons each.(Stonehenge,1) The main reason for Stonehenge being bu ilt by the ancient people of England was as a calendar because they needed a way of keeping track of important dates. The ancient people of England didn't have a formal calendar like today's society does. For this reason they had to rely on other ways of keeping track of the time during the year. In this particular case the ancient people of England used the Stonehenge for record keeping. "In 1964 the American astronomer Gerald S. Hawkins reported findings obtained by supplying a computer with measurements taken at Stonehenge together with astronomical information based on celestial positions in 1500 BC when Stonehenge was in use."(Encarta, 1) Hawkins believed that the ancient people were able to gather information about the sun and the moon, with accuracy. He believed that Stonehenge was used to predict the seasons by examining the position of the sun and moon to the earth. Stonehenge's axis is pointed in the direction of the sunrise at the summer and winter solstices, for this reason some scientists believed that ancient people were able to predict eclipses of the sun and moon by their p osition in relation to the monument. The ancient people of England had many religious beliefs that they followed and believed in. They also probably had religious holidays that they had some kind of ceremony for. Some people believe that they used Stonehenge to determine what time of the year it was and to figure out what religious ceremonies were coming up.

Historical Movie Review: Troy

Although the movie focuses more on the war and not so much on the Greek gods we still know why the war is started. The movie takes place in 1250 B. C. E. During the Bronze Age. After Paris, a Trojan prince, convinces Helen, the Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband Menelaus and come back with him to Troy a war is started. When Menelaus finds out his wife has been taken by Trojan he asks his brother Agamemnon to help him get his wife back. Agamemnon wants power so he decides to help his brother. They take 1,000 ships and 50,000 Greeks to Troy to complete their task.With Achilles† help the Greeks are able to fight the Trojan that have not once been conquered. But they are stopped by Hector who is the Prince of Troy and the conflicts begin. One of the overall errors the movie had was the costumes. The equipments the Greeks are shown having such as the large round shields and Achilles' helmet are from the Classical period. They used costumes from the 5-4th centuries BC. The time pe riod when the epic poem was set is earlier and in that time period the Greeks used small bowl-shaped helmets and light leather shields in the shape of the number eight.Also the umbrella used to shelter Paris and Helen during the parade in troy is modern, and we know this because of the metal spokes that were probably not invented yet. The necklaces worn by the actors have modern clasps and the women's airings have French hooks that most Bronze Age Jewelry didn't have. Later on when King Prima is showing Paris the sword of Troy we see a close-up view of the blade and it looks like steel or polished iron like a lot of the weapons in the movie. But in the Trojan War we are still in the Bronze Age and iron weapons wouldn't have been available yet.There were other mistakes the directors made such as the change of hair style for Helen when she is going back to the ships. Then when Patrols fights Hector in Achilles' armor, Hector stabs him in the chest which would leave a wound UT when Ach illes goes to fight Hector in the same armor no marks are see. Along with the errors of costumes there are errors in geography and the setting of the movie. In the scene where the Achaean fleet is seen villagers from the countryside begin to come into the city. Among the animals being lead there are llamas.It is geographically incorrect because llamas are from South America and they did not exist in Troy. More than once the sun is seen rising over the sea but that is not accurate because the sun rises in the east and the sea around Troy is in the north and west. Then the boy who is sent to find Achilles refers to Vagarious as the Thessalonians because he is from Thessaly but Thessalonians are people from the Greek city of Thessalonians which was settled 1000 years after the battle of Troy. Therefore the boy shouldn't have known or used the term Thessalonians.There are many historical events that the film Troy captures. It is amazing how many scenes the director got right but there a re also many historical inaccuracies in the movie. When the Greek leaders are lining up to offer gifts to Agamemnon, one of them is carrying a red-figured vase. Red-figure pottery which was made of red clay with a black glaze was not made until the 5th century which was later. Then iron weapons were first used by the Philistines around 11000 BC which was a couple of years after the Trojan War making it impossible for the Trojan to have used this type of â€Å"new technology' in the war.Overall I thought Troy was a very exciting and engaging movie. I usually don't watch action or thriller movies but this one actually seemed interesting. I like learning about Greek gods and Greek mythology and this movie incorporated some of it. I got to see a different side of it. I liked the way each warrior was represented and the different attitudes each were given. I didn't like the fact that they didn't add a title bit more of the Greek gods themselves and the story behind it.Each actor played their role to the fullest in my opinion. I could connect with each one and they allowed for an moving emotional experience. I was sad at times and happy at others. When Achilles goes to fight the movie got a little slow with all their talking beforehand. Et movie flowed together well and I understood the plot. The scenes leading up to the climax and after the climax were both good quality not like other movies where the falling action becomes vague and uninteresting. I would recommend this movie to a lot of people.

Mob Mentality in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

The critic Kenny Williams states that the Colonel Sherburn scene inThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark twain, â€Å"allow[s] a brief platform for Twain to express his own contempt for mobs in an era known for such activities and lawlessness. † This draws the attention to other scenes Twain uses to show his contempt for activities in society. In his novel Mark Twain uses characters and scenes to show his disdain for zealot faith, corrupt human nature, and blind adherence to law. In the beginning of the novel, Mark Twain shows his disdain for the blind faith of religion through Huck’s confusion. For example, when Huck states; â€Å"I says to myself, if a body can get anything they pray for, why don’t Deacon Winn get back the money he lost on pork? Why can’t the widow get back her silver snuffbox that was stole? Why can’t Miss Watson fat up? No, says I to myself, there ain’t nothing in it,† (14) he cannot comprehend how the answers to prayers can be selective. Twain uses Huck to show his own opposition towards the blind faith people put in prayer, when they rarely receive what it is they are praying for. Twain also shows his distaste for the gullibility of religious people. In chapter twenty, when the King and Huck visit a church, the King pretends that he is a pirate, who after hearing this sermon is now reformed, and will try to convince his fellow pirates to follow in his footsteps. The people of the church believe his story with no hesitation and even go as far as to take up a collection for his quest to reform the other pirates. â€Å"And then he busted in to tears, and so did everybody else. Then somebody sings out ‘Take up a collection for him, take up a collection! ’ †¦ So the King went all through the crowd with his hat, swabbing his eyes, and blessing the people and praising them and thanking them for being so good to the poor pirates away off there;†¦ and he was invited to stay a week; and everybody wanted him to live in their houses, and said they’d think it was an honor† (Twain 155-156). In this situation, Twain is satirizing the gullibility of religion and its haphazard impact on a mob. The people in this church are easily able to give money to pirates, who are known for being crooks and liars, inviting them to stay in their homes as an honor. Thus, Twain shows his disdain for religious beliefs by satirizing their blind faith and gullibility. Throughout the novel, Twain shows his contempt for corrupt human nature. Although these instances are often satirized and exaggerated, the message is still the same. For instance, when the King and the Duke first start to lie about being the dead Peter Wilks’ brothers to obtain his money, Huck says, â€Å"It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race,† (191). In this instance Twain is utilizing Huck to show his aversion to the way people lie and cheat, and how a couple of people can make a bad name for all of us. Another example is when Jim sells the King and Duke out to the townspeople and they are carried on a pole, tarred and feathered. Although Huck, has tried to escape the King and Dukes several occasions and has witnessed the cruelties put on others and lies they tell, he does not think that they deserve similar treatment. In fact, he says, â€Å"Human beings can be awful cruel to one another,† (269). Through Huck, Twain is voicing his opposition to how people treat one another, whether they deserve it or not. Thus Twain is using his novel to voice his enmity for the cruelty in human nature. Twain also shows his aversion to the lack of free thought in humans. The highly satirical character, Tom, is the best example of people actions being the result of other peoples thoughts. Tom often comes up with crazy plans that that follow a uniform procedure because the books he has read say so. â€Å"Why blame it all, we’ve got to do it. Don’t I tell you it’s in the books? Do you want to go to doing different from what’s in the books, and get things all muddled up? †(12). Even though Tom has no idea what some rules of the books are, he does them anyway, because that is what he believes he is supposed to do; and if he does not go by the book he believes things will go wrong. Through Tom, Twain shows peoples adherence to rules, because they follow the doctrine with which they were taught. In Twain’s novel Huck steals chickens from people, because his father told him it was a good deed. Even though he knows it is wrong, Huck steals because â€Å"Pap always said, take a chicken when you get a chance, because if you don’t want him yourself you can easy find someone that does, and a good deed ain’t ever forgot,† (77). Thus Twain shows his objection of the lack of originality of thought in society in his book. Mark Twain disagreed with many things in the world, and he used The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to voice his frustration. Although often exaggerated and satirical, through the main and secondary characters, Twain pokes fun at the gullibility of people towards religion, cruelty, and followers. In conclusion, these instances show how the mindlessness of the mob mentality is a result of the credulousness of the religious, malice of humans, and the habitues of the world.

Prada Case Essay

From the financial point of view, the Italian luxury brand- Prada, which was known for its design innovation, can’t claim itself successful. Although it has the ability to keep its revenue over 1.5 billion euros for three consecutive years, it also contains more than 1 billion euros of debt maturing within 12 months sitting on its balance sheet. One of the best solutions for Prada to solve this problem is to raise capital in the stock market, which we could refer as IPO. Given the current market conditions, listing in Hong Kong might appears to be the best choice after all. But, before we go further in details about the pros and cons about listing in Hong Kong, we should first discuss the reasons why we choose IPO over Debt and Strategic partnership. Compare to issuing debt, an IPO will not add any more burden to the company’s balance sheet, which for Prada, was already showed a sign of insolvency and over leveraged. Another issue is that no firms in this industry have ever raised money in US bond market. Although â€Å"dim sum bond† – a Chinese Yuan denominated bonds issued in Hong Kong could be the best alternative to this situation, however, the short life and the exchange risk it involved are its most disadvantages. How about sale some portion of the firm to the private equity firms to raise capital? For this deal, it seems that they will not only offer a sizeable premium to the family, but also to offer some important positions on the board too. But, compare to IPO, it will not increase Prada’s publicity through this method. And also, an IPO in Hong Kong will give the company more opportunity to expand their Asia market, especially in China and Japan. Choosing a Strategic Partnership would be just like giving that huge potential profit away. So, the next question is how do we actually apply the IPO strategy?

Describe how the information you obtain from your information systems Article

Describe how the information you obtain from your information systems provides you with decision support in your role as a nurse - Article Example EHRs help me in evidence based treatment. Also, EHRs are very quick, as there is no need for any paper-work for documenting and sharing of the information and images (Williams, 2010; National Institutes of Health National Center for Research Resources, 2006), and thus, they help me in decision-making without having to go through the manual process. So, the incorporation of EHR technology in my hospital has reduced the documentation time significantly. I use EHRs as tools for continuity of care and for collaborative performance of healthcare providers and other nurses (Iakovidis, 1998). EHRs also make the â€Å"oncology community contribute fully to the development of an efficient national health care system that is based upon evidence-based medicine and responsive to the needs of all constituents† (Ambinder, 2005), and enable the patients to actively participate in the functioning of EHRs along with their physicians. In short, I find that the decision-making is made easy since EHRs have modernized the way patients’ data is stored. Iakovidis, I. (1998). From electronic medical record to personal health records: present situation and trends in European Union in the area of electronic healthcare records. Stud Health Technol Inform, 52, pp. 18-22. National Institutes of Health National Center for Research Resources. (2006). History of EHRs. Electronic Health Records Overview. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/publications/informatics/ehr.pdf Williams, KR. (2010). Electronic health records reduce costs while improving patient care. EzineArticles.com. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from

Global Performance of German and France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Performance of German and France - Essay Example It is hard to say whether the impact has been positive or negative because there is lot of gap and difference between the status in the middle and upper and lower middle and low classes of business. Globalization has widened this gap to the extent that they look un-breach able. Whichever way you look at this transformation it is obvious that globalization is an economical aspect. And it is good that it is; the onset of globalization has kick-started a movement of liberalization of independent thought process, which due to the heightened global interconnectivity may prove more successful than it ever was in any of the past socio-economic and cultural revolutions and in this respect these two countries, France and Germany, cannot be overlooked. (Dos, 441-442) Globalization is a big word today and one that has changed the way we look at and understand things around us. What is actually globalization? What do we understand by this word? Globalization is simply the predisposition of the economy through business, knowledge through technology and thought through philosophy to spread globally. Globalization can also mean the process by which this happens. This term is almost synonymous with intertwining of markets and economies without any consideration for physical border or legal restraints and it general it is well applicable for France and Germany. (Fletcher, 188)... The downside is that globalization seems to profit the rich more and the poor less, thus widening the gap further. It is true that globalization actually means the broadening of global linkages, while also impacting upon the social and cultural dimensions of the global society, hence propagating a one-world-citizenship which has one economy, one culture and one social order. Ecumenically globalization's definition would be complete with the above classifications. But there are many inroads in the understanding of the term. This is the process with which the poor countries can think of modernization and global competition, enhanced living standards, and work opportunities; on the other hand this very same process is the one which can destroy economies by sudden influx of foreign capital, can destroy marginalized workers livelihood and destabilize national banks. Hence, globalization literally is like a coin - with two very separate sides and much of it is realized in France and German y. However it should be mentioned that France is much well placed in terms of economy in this context when compared to Germany. At the same note it can be mentioned that the economic equilibrium in the international level is changing very quickly with the affects of financial flows and increasing trade. It is globalization that forces us to re evaluate the position of Europe along with major countries like France and Germany in the world market. This new wave of economy has given enough impetuous that positions held about three years ago are certainly to be changed. As it is these two countries are not doing in a very favourable mode in the international economic sector and domestically these two countries are witnessing rising inequalities with industrial instability as

Analyzing Gender Differences in Spontaneous Speech Research Proposal

Analyzing Gender Differences in Spontaneous Speech - Research Proposal Example From the time they are born, baby girls are considered fragile and they are exposed to delicate language and handled very gently. Boys, on the other hand, are exposed to strong tones and power-filled language and are handled less gently as they are tossed in the air and held upright from a younger age to demonstrate their power and strength (Rasquinha & Mouly, 2005) This study attempts to investigate gender differences in choice of topics to talk about and linguistic differences in verbal expressions. Its significance lies in the fact that understanding gender differences and accepting them as natural to the person will help others understand where the speaker is coming from. To understand gender differences in communication better, it is important to actively analyze how men and women express themselves linguistically and explain the differences between the two if any. Background of the Research Problem Most miscommunication problems between men and women stem from the fact that they are wired differently. According to Rasquinha and Mouly (2005), women are more prone to communicating verbally with a language of connection and intimacy. This means that they use more of their emotions when speaking. On the other hand, men are more prone to communicating with a language of status and independence. This means they use more of their logical reasoning and less of their emotions. Sometimes, conflicts arise when issues pertaining to interpretations of certain topics and gender differences come into play.

Internal Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Internal Control - Essay Example Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act states that all annual financial reports must include an internal control report stating that management is responsible for an adequate internal control structure and an assessment by management of the effectiveness of the control structure (Sarbanes-oxley-101, 2015). The creation of SOX established new standards for internal controls that corporations must abide to, while at the same time ensuring that upper management became accountable for the actions of the company. The new internal control requirements must be monitored by upper management including the CEO and CFO who must personally sign the report making them liable in case these internal controls fail (Kmpg, 2004). This raises their accountability by 100% in comparison with the past. The act also requires a statement from the public company that audited the financial statement that it has issued an attestation report on managements assessment of the internal control of the company (Sec, 2008). Peavler, R. (2015). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Enron Scandal – Why are they Important. Retrieved January 6, 2015 from http://bizfinance.about.com/od/smallbusinessfinancefaqs/a/sarbanes-oxley-act-and-enron-scandal.htm Sec.gov (2008). Final Rule: Managements Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and Certification of Disclosure in Exchange Act Periodic Reports. Retrieved January 6, 2015 from

Peer review for a resume Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Peer review for a resume - Essay Example The appearance of the resume can be improved by increasing the using a line spacing of 1.5 and increasing the font to 12 so that the white space can be reduced and make it easier to read and find the important information. The action verbs used effectively show and demonstrate what the writer did in regards to employment descriptions but he fails to state the results of his actions. Additionally, the writer uses the same verbs repeatedly; there are numerous synonyms to the verbs used by the writer that could have been used so that the wordings do not recur in the resume. The writer should also have considered using verbs like attained, balanced, compiled and communicated among others. According to Markel’s criteria, the writer should have stated his education before stating the employment history and this should have been done in a manner that is clear and honest. However, the education section was done in a comprehensive manner that included clearly stating the grades that the writer acquired. In the employment history section, the writer should have stated the equipment that he had to operate, the funds that he controlled if any as well as the documents, clients and personnel he might have been responsible for. From this resume, it is highly likely that the references section will catch the eye of the employer since the writer provides referees who work at the same place but does not provide a referee from his first place of employment. It is likely that the employer will want to know why there are no references from his or her previous employment. The cover letter is clearly addressed and the introduction is short and precise as it states plainly the manner in which the writer became aware of the position being applied for. In the introduction, the writer also states that position that was advertised but it would have been relatively clearer if he had provided a subject with the position

Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology Essay Example for Free

Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology Essay The advantages of stun guns and patrol car video surveillance are a critical tool in law enforcement. Officers are given the option of Tasers, which are extremely effective when pursuing an offender that might have had the upper hand to fight for a long time, resulting in the officer gaining injuries. Currently, patrol car video is a necessity as video records will enhance an officers credibility, corroborate identities, and statement issues, and can be used as evidence in court. However, critical to law enforcement; stun guns should be used as a last resort. Let us examine some of the issues that contain some validity to arguments for the continue use of these tools within law enforcement. One may argue that a Taser (stun gun) causes muscle contractions and renders a person helpless while being temporarily paralyzed. Lee (2007) addressed this to be true, but law enforcement has maximized training programs so that suspects and officers lives are not in jeopardy. In addition, when a stun gun is used there is a permanent record and the video surveillance is automatically recorded when an officer takes the safety off the weapon (Lee, 2007). Consequently, the stun gun is used by law enforcement specifically for self-defense, and as a result, Lee (2007) mentions there have been hundreds of arrests that would have been involved in most serious outcomes, such as a suspect or officers demise. Read more:  Essay About Technology Advantages and Disadvantages As much as of 1,500 lives a year are taken by accidents with firearms in the United States (Tennenbaum, A. N., Moore, A. M. (1993). However, guns have been converted into less-lethal weapons such as Tasers. In fact, the Taser gun also known as a stun gun has the capacity of 50,000 volts that are connected to electrodes, and this nonlethal weapon resembles a gun in its composition and has varying degrees of power. Tennenbaum, A. N., Moore, A. M. (1993) noted that there are available nonlethal weapon technologies, which give citizens options and no deadly force of traditional guns. The stun gun is an alternative weapon that can be operated by an officer with proper training and is a nonlethal weapon. One must be capable of using a stun gun to subdue or neutralize a suspect so that no harm will occur to ones body. After all, not every person has the same body structure, so  therefore the stun gun can be more dangerous depending on the individual. Example, someone with a heart defibrillator can die from a stun gun (Lee, 2007). However, with the proper training, an officer has the knowledge of reducing or increasing power on the stun gun, and the main idea here is that the Taser will immediately stop an individual in his tracks by setting the Taser to a specific level for the offender. One may argue that stun guns may promptly fall into the hands of criminals who will use them for criminal acts. Although, there is no arguing over this point, nevertheless with these weapons such as stun guns, the consequences will not be deadly for either the officer or the offender. Suppose some others may say that nonlethal weapons are unrealistic but interesting. After all, one knows an advance of technological knowledge is essential in law enforcement. For example, when Tasers are used in the muscular areas, the offenders nervous system is shut down for up to 30 seconds. As a result, the officer is safe from harm. Finally, an officer now has efficient time to confine or restrain the suspect. Hence, no one gets hurt. Law enforcement wants to prevent any misuse. An individuals background is nationally run through to verify his credit card information, age, and identification. Finally, there is a check for any felony convictions, not to mention terrorist watch lists. If any information pertaining to felonies show up, the individual will be turned away. When one uses a patrol car and it is equipped with video surveillance, he is being protected in many ways because video does not lie. Whether the officer is acting inappropriately or the suspect is acting hostile the video will prove to be the most critical evidence. Tennenbaum, A. N., Moore, A. M. (1993) assures surveillance systems are great additions to police cars. They protect both sides, and if one thinks about it, he would rather be stunned than shot. The most distinct video surveillance brings the highest quality to agencies. They are easy to use and they have the technology to transfer, gather, and retrieve evidence. In fact, the video is shared with court officials and the prosecution while maintaining the integrity of the original video. There are no negative factors in having patrol car video surveillance. This tool is capable of functional requirements and meeting legislative mandates. Typically, patrol car surveillance systems tend to use analog tape technologies, which can be copied and transferred. However, overall performance in these surveillance systems is limited. In conclusion, the overall success with law enforcement and the violence out there today are critical tools for an officers self-defense. In addition, Taser and video surveillance are the most chosen tools in law enforcement. Furthermore, when the Taser is used properly and efficiently, it will deter the most hostile offenders, whereas most nonlethal weapons will not having the necessary means. Meanwhile video surveillance can help an officers defense or a suspects guilt in court as it is a permanent video record of an incident. Moreover, video surveillance is never bias, the truth is right in front of you. References Lee, Harry. (2007, February 19). JPSO Tasers Have Proven To Be A Near-Perfect Non-Lethal Weapon That Stuns. Sheriffs Weekly Journal, 27(31), 36, 1/3. Retrieved May 28, 2008, fromhttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=f5hAN=24245269site=ehost-liveTennenbaum, A. N., Moore, A. M. (1993). Non-Lethal Weapons: Alternatives To Deadly Force. The Futurist, 27(5), 20. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 479634).

Eco-city

Eco-city The concept of eco-city is sometimes regarded as a utopian concept that is not possible to achieve in totality in the real world. Write an essay to present your understanding and evaluation of the concept, using appropriate examples for illustration. The next new wave in city planning is Eco-City in response to global climate changes crisis. It is a relatively new concept, combining together ideas from several disciplines such as urban design, urban planning, transportation, health, housing, energy, economic development, natural habitats, public participation, and social justice (Register 1994). In simple word, Eco-city is settlement where it allows the citizen to live and work using minimum resources. In the past, most of the cities are small and within walk able distance till 1800. But the advent of industrial revolution changed all that, along with the many changes it bought about. The harnessing of steam engine make it possible for people and thing to move fast, that city which once was capable of handling itself could no longer sustain. The cities become crowded and that the living conditions become deplorable. So, the people moved to the suburbs. But along with the growth of suburban town and cities, the roads need to rebuild, housing needs increases along with consumptions of natural resources. Although the Industrial Revolution is extremely beneficial for the human and it had other consequences which are detrimental to the environment in the longer term. In physical terms, the revolution included a dramatic switch from the reliance on organic materials and energy sources to inorganic sources-that is, from wood and thatch for construction to bricks and iron; from human, water, wind, and animal power to fossil fuels(White, R.R.,2001, Sustainable Development in Urban Areas: An Overview). At the same time, Industrial revolution brought about population growth as people live longer. People become wealthier and they required more throughput and created more waste. Economist Herman Daly describes this transformation as increasing throughput of the materials, energy, and water that people now required for their daily needs (Daly and Cobb 1990). This caused accumulation of waste in the water, on the land, and in the air at very alarming rate. The natures of waste stream from human activities become complex and problematical due to chemical industry. Human and animals waste which are once broken down naturally by river became sewers. Everywhere rubbish dumps soon grew into vast nondegradable materials that soon fill many areas becoming a major feature of city in many parts of the world. The challenges from urbanization are becoming nightmare as more people are expected to move into city putting pressure on resources. Ecocity originated in 1975 when Richard register and few friends founded Urban Ecology in Berkeley, California, as Non-profit organisation to make built our cities in balance with nature. According to Register (1994), the purpose of urban ecology was to build in Berkeley a slow street which is to have many trees along road, solar green houses, energy ordinance, establish good and efficient public transport, promoting pedestrainization as alternative to automobile, holding regular conference meeting with different stake holder. But it was until the publications of Registers visionary new book called Eco-city Berkeley in 1987, that the urban ecology gained momentum (Roseland, 2001). And the organisations new journal called The Urban Ecologist. The organisation held First International Eco-City Conference, in Berkeley in 1990 and ever since it held conference every year inviting people from around the world to discuss urban problems and to submit proposal for designing our cities based on ecological principles.[1] In 1992, David Engwicht, an Australian community activist, published Towards an Eco-City, in which he talks about how city planners and engineers have virtually eliminated effective human interaction by buildings more roads, shopping malls, gutting communities and increasing dense traffic. For Engwicht, a city is a place for inventions of maximizing exchanging and having minimized travel distance. The book was later reissued in North America as Reclaiming Our Cities and Towns (1993). Engwicht talks about how city planners and engineers have eliminated effective human exchange by building more roads, taking commerce out of the cities into strip malls, gutting communities, and increasing traffic fatalities. A city is an invention for maximizing exchange and minimizing travel (Engwicht, 1993). He advocates eco-city where there is transaction of all sorts of goods, money, ideas, emotions, genetic material, etc and where people move freely via foot, bicycles, and mass transit and interact freely without fear of traffic and pollutions. But it was until the 1960s, the use of fossil fuels, chemically controlled agriculture, deforestation and depletion of marine resources was thought to be not in dangers. In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission), released a summary report called our Common Future which cause widespread concerns on world deepening environmental degradation(WCED 1987). And this pushed sustainable development on the forefront. Various industries and sector are also going for sustainable development. The issue of sustainable planning is also a concern for planner, urban designer, construction industries, development authority and the population at large. Register, Engwicht and Urban Ecology certainly deserve credit for popularizing the term eco-city in the last decade, but the eco-city concept is strongly influenced by other movements as well(Roseland, 2001). The mission of Urban Ecology is to create ecological cities based on the following 10 principles (Urban Ecology 1996b): 1. Revise land-use priorities to create compact, diverse, green, safe, pleasant, and vital mixed-use communities near transit nodes and other transportation facilities. 2. Revise transportation priorities to favor foot, bicycle, cart, and transit over autos, and to emphasize access by proximity. 3. Restore damaged urban environments, especially creeks, shore lines, ridgelines, and wetlands. 4. Create decent, affordable, safe, convenient, and racially and economically mixed housing. 5. Nurture social justice and create improved opportunities for women, people of color, and the disabled. 6. Support local agriculture, urban greening projects, and community gardening. 7. Promote recycling, innovative appropriate technology, and resource conservation while reducing pollution and hazardous wastes. 8. Work with businesses to support ecologically sound economic activity while discouraging pollution, waste, and the use and production of hazardous materials. 9. Promote voluntary simplicity and discourage excessive consumption of material goods. 10. Increase awareness of the local environment and bioregion through activist and educational projects that increase public awareness of ecological sustainability issues. The practical application of these principles has not been really encouraging for many years until literature that promotes the ideas began to appear. It appears in different terminology as per the oreintations of the authors. The Authors include Designers, Practitioners, Visionaries and Activists, and the terminology includes everything from neotraditional town planning, pedestrian pockets, reurbanization, post-industrial suburbs, sustainable cities, green cities and eco-communities. The Designers category includes architects, planners, consultants, and related professionals whose main focus in on the costs of sprawl and sustainability by design. The activists are most parts, writers, community activists and environmentalists who placed emphasis on community change within the context of society toward a more sustainable way from anti-ecological ways. The practitioners and visionaries are between the above two. The Practitioners represent politicians, local government professionals (staff from development authority, environmental management, etc) whose emphasis is more public sectors decision-makers. The Visionaries category includes agriculturists, economists, architects, planning theorists, and appropriate technologists. Visionaries literature is often directed toward professionals, academics, and other citizens concerned with issues such as energy conservation, appropriate technology, and community economic development. Although, the authors orientation has discernible differences in analysis, emphasis, and strategy between the variations as shown in table-1, the eco-city theme is can encompass any and all of them. Orientation Focus Means Designers Architects, plan- New develop- Reducing sprawl; design to ners, consultants, ments encourage the revival of and related profes- public life (e.g., townscapes, sionals streetscapes, malls and squares) Practitioners Politicians, local Existing settle- Local initiatives to create government profes- ments, munici- local sustainable develop- sionals, citizens and community organizations palities ment action strategies Visionaries Agriculturists, Communities of Reducing resource waste; economists, archi- association and energy efficiency, stressing tects, planning the- of interest, as passive solar heating and orists, and well as of place cooling; encouraging local appropriate tech- food production and reli- nologists ance on local resources; fostering creation of on-site jobs and neighborhood stores to revitalize communities and eliminate wasteful commuting Activists Writers and com- Human-scale, Decentralized, grass roots, munity activists sustainable set- cooperative development who consider them- tlements based selves bioregional- on ecological bal- ists, social ance, commu- ecologists, and vari- nity self-reliance, ous other kinds of and participa- environmentalists tory democracy TABLE 1 Comparisons of the Literature Catagories Citizen organizations and municipal officials in cities and towns around the world have recently started experimenting on this eco-city concept to meet the social and environmental challenges (Roseland 1997, 1998). Chattanooga and the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S., Ottawa, Hamilton-Wentworth, and Greater Toronto in Canada, and Curitiba in Brazil are some of the earliest cities where this concept has been successfully applied. Curitiba, a small Brazilian city, is one of the most sustainable cities in the world. It has received international recognition for its integrated transportation and land-use planning, and for its waste management programs. The citys success is due to strong leadership-city officials who focused on simple, flexible, and affordable solutions that can be done at the local level and adapted to changing conditions. Throughout the project, the government promoted a strong sense of public participation by looking at city problems, talk to the people, discuss the main issues, and only then reach for the pen (Rabinovitch 1996). Jonas Rabinovitch, adviser to Curitiba Mayor Jaime Lerner, believes the lesson to be learned from Curitiba is that creativity can substitute for financial resources (Rabinovitch 1996). Emboldened by the success of the above projects, Designer and local government are planning for massive overhaul of traditional way of city planning. They are looking at a way to plan new cities incorporating the entire above concept. China, one of the world most populous countries in the world, faced massive environmental problem. It has emerged as major industrial power but at a great cost. The environment degradation are so severe that it is a cause for concern in china and could have international repercussions. Since pollution know no boundaries. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides produce by Chinas coal-fired power plants fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo. Suspended particulate over Los Angeles city originates in China, according to the Journal of Geophysical Research ( The New York Times.) The Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC) hired Arup in 2005, to design a city which would exclusively use sustainable energy (solar panels, wind turbines and bio-fuels), self-sufficient and reduce energy consumption by 66% in comparision to Shanghai. The eco-city of Dongtan, which is be located on the island of Chongming, not far from Shanghai will be one of the world largest eco-city to provide housing for 500,000 people from rural areas. The Dongtan city will cover about 8,800 hectares which is roughly equal to the size of Manhattan Island. Dongtan will have ecological footprint of 2.2 ha per person by means of a combination of behaviour change and energy efficiency which is very close to limit of sustainability of 1.9 ha set forth by World Wide Fund for Nature. China is also partnering with Singapore to build eco-city in Tianjin based on three harmonies principles which are people-people, people-environment and people-economy. The 30-square-kilometer site is a wasted land and water scarcity area which will be built over a period of 15 years at a cost of around 50 billion yuan (S$10 billion). The criteria for selection of site are that it should be wasted land and water scarce area. First, restoring the jiyun river will be top priority for propose new city of 350,000. Renewable energy like solar and wind power, rainwater harvesting, wastewater treatment and desalination of sea water are some of the proposal. United Arab Emirates has planned to build the worlds most sustainable city, called Masdar City, initiatives of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company. It is an ambitious project which will cost $22 billion to build a new, zero-emissions city for 50,000 residents in Abu Dhabi. The project is launched in 2007 and is designed by world renowned British firm Foster + Partners, and received widespread coverage in the mainstream press. The propose new city will have new university, the Headquarters for Abu Dhabis Future Energy Company, special economic zones and an Innovation Center. According to the designer, Masdar eco-city is to be constructed in an energy efficient two-stage phase that depend on large photovoltaic power plant to meet energy needs, which later becomes the site for the citys second phas.. The city is a car free, with a maximum walking distance of 200m to the nearest transport link and amenities. The streets are compact to encourage walking and are complemented by a personalised rapid transport system. Due to it compactness, the walkway and streets are shaded creating a pedestrian-friendly environment. The city will have wind, photovoltaic farms, research fields and plantations, so that it is entirely self-sustaining. Masdar City will be built in seven phases, the first of which is the Masdar Institute, which is set to be completed in 2010. The citys phases will be progressively built over the next decade with the first phase reaching completion in 2013(Foster and Partner). The idea of a city without any waste, landfill, car, self contained or without any carbon emission seem very desirable for a city but for some sceptic it a utopian dream which will never materialise. Sceptics are questioning whether totally designing a new city is possible incorporating all the eco-city concepts due to time and cost involved. They are concern that it might just be a strategy used to shield from environmental criticism while countries like China and UAE continue to grow along the same unsustainable path. Countries like China and UAE are in a position to fund such kind of projects and if it is successful it will create a precedent for other parts of the world as well. Unfortunately, Dongtan eco-city never materialise. Although, Chinese President Hu Juntao and shanghai major has shown keen interest in the project, the first phase of construction which is to be ready for Shanghai expo 2010 has not even started. The Dongtan eco-city in spite of being a government endeavour has failed to materialise. The mayor of shanghai is caught in corruption charges too. As for Masdar eco-city, work has already started for phase 1 as seen from fig 2 below. However, sceptics are concern that it might be just an isolated green in the desert where the rest of UAE proceed in the same line of big ecological footprint which is even bigger than United State. They are also apprehensive about the embodied energy used in buildings and infrastructure which are very high. The heavy dependent on technology for personal rapid transport and infrastructure is another issues. Since the technology for personal rapid transport is not fully developed and co-ordinating infrastructure with different agencies is difficult.