Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Police Corruption - 968 Words

There is much seriousness about the issue of white-collar crime. What is white-collar crime you may ask. White-collar is defined as, ‘a generic term for crimes involving commercial fraud, cheating consumers, swindles, insider trading on the stock market, embezzlement and other forms of dishonest business schemes. The term comes from the out of date assumption that business executives wear white shirts and ties. It also theoretically distinguishes these crimes and criminals from physical crimes, supposedly likely to be committed by blue collar workers.† Many people do not realize how serious white-collar crime is. There are many different forms of white-collar crime, our textbook states, â€Å"white-collar or economic crime includes (1)†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"It isn t hard to explain the growth of corruption. Relative to other opportunities, legitimate or illegitimate, the financial temptations are enormous. Many police officers are demoralized by the scop e of drug trafficking. No matter how diligent an officer may be eradication programs and millions of arrests have done little to stop drugs which are now cheaper, purer, and more available than ever. Given the dangers of their job, the indifference of many citizens and the frequent lack of appreciation are no doubt disheartening. Some police also recognize that their real function is not so much to protect victims from predators but to regulate an illicit market that can t be suppressed and that much of society prefers to keep underground.† Many individuals do not realize how serious and how often this happens in law enforcement departments and how many officers get away with corruption and how much it dishonors their departments. This is why I believe police corruption is the most dangerous form of white-collar crime. As I previously stated, I believe it is important for a community to feel safe and confident in their enforcement officers. So, the corruption of officers will and could cause very serious problems in a community. If the police, the authority of the community are involved in crime then why would the community is going to be involved also. Work Cited 1.Show MoreRelatedThe Corruption Of Police Corruption1484 Words   |  6 Pagesconcerning police officers, police corruption has become a major topic. Police officers seem to be making more questionable and unethical decisions according to the media. With these questionable actions, the idea that police officers are corrupt has been a steadily growing opinion. I will be focusing this literature review on the history of police corruption, mostly in major cities/countries; the nature of police corruption; the ethics involved in law enforcement; causes for police corruption and finallyRead MorePolice Corruption969 Words   |  4 PagesPolice Corruption Second Essay for AJ 101 Krystal Lamas Victor Valley Community College Author Note This paper was prepared for AJ 101 for Mr. Ronald M. Field .M.A. Abstract Police corruption is a complex issue. Police corruption or the abuse of authority by a police officer, acting officially to fulfill personal needs or wants, is a growing problem in the United States today. Things such as an Internal Affairs department, a strong leadership organization, and community support are justRead MorePolice corruption770 Words   |  4 Pagesdefinition of Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial gain, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. One common form of police corruption is taking bribes in exchange for not reporting organized drug or prostitution rings or other illegal activities. Another example is police officers misusing the police code of conductRead MorePolice Corruption3338 Words   |  14 PagesAnalysis of Police Corruption Police corruption is a complex phenomenon, which does not readily submit to simple analysis. It is a problem that has and will continue to affect us all, whether we are civilians or law enforcement officers. Since its beginnings, may aspects of policing have changed; however, one aspect that has remained relatively unchanged is the existence of corruption. An examination of a local newspaper or any police-related publication on any given day will have an articleRead MorePolice Corruption9501 Words   |  39 PagesPolice Corruption: A Perspective View Into the Definition, Cause, Harm Randy Botelho BSLS Capstone, LS498-01 – Unit 9 Professor Odim December 17, 2011 Thesis Statement Corruption in law enforcement is not victimless and creates a negative perception of the United States legal system. Introduction There are few professions in the United States that are entrusted with protecting society’s safety and system of laws that have been established throughout the course of AmericanRead MorePolice Corruption2291 Words   |  10 Pagesand discretion in police work produces great potential for abuse. Police corruption has been a problem in American society since the early days of policing. An ancient natural tendency of human beings is to attempt to placate or win over those in positions of authority over them. This tendency is complicated in today’s materialistic society by greed and by the personal and financial benefit to be derived from evading law. The temptations toward illegality offered to police range from freeRead MorePolice Corruption in Russia1430 Words   |  6 PagesPolice corruption is defined as when police, in exercising or failing to exercise their authority act with primary intention of furthering private or departmental / division advantage. Police corruption is a big problem all around the world especially in Russia. The Russian citizens have always been on alert when it comes to the police because of the bad laws, failure of knowing there right as citizens, and sticking up for there themselves. Russia is 133rd country out of 176 in the corruption perceptionRead MorePolice Corruption2879 Words   |  12 PagesStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy corruption is defined as the abuse of power by a public official for private gain. Police corruption is the abuse of power by a police officer for their own personal gain. Police officers become corrupt mainly for monetary gain because most feel that police officers do not make enough money and they want to make more. Police corruption can be costly to society and it can even violate the rights of society. Police corruption can show favoritism to some and unfairnessRead More Police Corruption in America2871 Words   |  12 Pages Police Corruption in America The missions statement of police agencies usually highlight with pride the maintenance, promotion, and protection of peace, order, safety, and justified law enforcement in communities and the entire nation. Police officers are agents meant to bust crimes and get the bad guys. The police agency that the public use to lean on as the legitimate authority figure to come to the rescue however has created conflicting public perception. The misconduct of some policeRead MoreEssay on Police and Corruption1393 Words   |  6 PagesPolice and Corruption The police. Twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year, this division of our government has a mandate to enforce the criminal law and preserve public peace. Understood in this mandate is an obligation to police everyday life matters that originate in the daily lives and activities of citizens within their community. Police interact in some form with the average citizen more often than any other government official. In society today the police play

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Malaysias Alternative Strategy Essay examples - 1946 Words

[MALAYSIA’S ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY] Introduction The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis drew attention to just how fragile our global economic system can become either when overexposed to foreign market intervention, or when underperformance remains unchecked. Prior to June 1997, The Republic of Korea encountered issues as 10 of its 30 top performing chaebol (Conglomerate) collapsed underneath debt which far exceeded their respective equities. Korean steel production giant Hanbo faced additional stress after amassing a $4.39 billion debt for one new steel mill. Kia Motors fell due to accruing almost $2.1 billion in loans that was awarded on the basis of â€Å"need,† as opposed to independent judgment of credit and cash flow determined by the†¦show more content†¦On 2 July 1997 Thailand had $2,850 billion remaining in international reserves and could no longer protect the baht. That day Marakanond decided to float the baht. Asian Financial Crisis – Neighboring Countries Neighbor South Korea dealt with economic uncertainty leading up to the 1997 currency crisis which plagued Thailand. South Korean chaebols or conglomerates were recording record debt levels between 1996 and 1997. Banking policies enacted by President, or Dictator, Park during the late 80’s constructed an economic environment whereby loans to chaebols were issued on the basis of company need, as opposed to individual judgment on part of the loan issuing authority. In more succinct terms, nationalized banks issues loans to chaebols without verifying whether the company could pay the loan bank, or whether the interest rates were reasonable, or even whether the company’s venture had enough collateral to back it up. In essence, chaebols were tasked with repaying loans that they might not have the appropriate level of capital for. Therefore, on the eve of the Asian Financial Crisis, chaebols such as Hanbo Steel, and others, were closing their doors due to debt burdens incurred without a proper foundation for capital generation. Neighbors to the South, Indonesia and others, suffered from currency, stock, and equity collapses, rather than tangible asset collapse. The currencies of Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and others, took massive hits fromShow MoreRelatedKfc Executive Summary Introduction701 Words   |  3 Pageslarge number of them have become more health conscious. This has opened the door for KFC’s main competitors, such as McDonald’s, to come out with a new range of healthier products, allowing them to mount a greater challenge on KFC Malaysia’s current position as Malaysia’s leading fast food operator. As a response to the advancement made by KFC’s competitors in providing healthier fast food, KFC are to introduce a new set of healthier products that would be mainly targeted at health conscious peopleRead MoreKfc Marketing Research3765 Words   |  16 Pageslarge number of them have become more health conscious. This has opened the door for KFC’s main competitors, such as McDonald’s, to come out with a new range of healthier products, allowing them to mount a greater challenge on KFC Malaysia’s current position as Malaysia’s leading fast food operator. As a response to the advancement made by KFC’s competitors in providing healthier fast food, KFC are to introduce a new set of healthier products that would be mainly targeted at health conscious peopleRead MoreThe Harvest Box Is An Australian Organic Foods Retailer1649 Words   |  7 Pagesreflected in a mere Current Account Balance of A$262M (CEIC, 2016). Whilst both economies seem very similar, Malaysia has less than one third the population of the Philippines (World Bank, 2016). This indicates, as illustrated by Graph 2.1, that Malaysia’s GDP per capita, GDP minus the effect of population, is significantly larger than the Philippines (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2017). Therefore, total economic efficiency and productivity in Malaysia is considerably higher than the Philippines;Read MoreComparative Analysis of the Businesses’ Competitive Traits Essay633 Words   |  3 PagesDelicacies (Malacca) had to face strict competition as there is up to 100 food businesses located on Jonker Street, Malacca. Nowadays, we know that there are many food businesses all over the country in every state. The business used a variety of strategies to compete with their competitors. Pricing, advertising, product variety, and promotions were employed by the business to compete with its competitors. For example, San Shu Gong House of Authentic Delicacies (Malacca) would make a promotion duringRead MoreAirpork Case Study769 Words   |  4 PagesA. Airpork case 1. Why was the Australian Pork industry able to become a major provider of pork to Singapore in spite of having been banned? (An alternative to this question is: give the wise marketing decisions that were made to enable Australian Pork to become a major supplier to Singapore) In 1997 the Singapore authorities banned imported Australian chilled pork, as it did not meet Singapore’s health requirements. However, a collaboration between Singapore government (AgrifoodRead MoreSwot Analysis : Derivatives Market Essay1429 Words   |  6 Pagesexample, we bought stock, we predict the price will go up but we want protect ourselves against the losses if the price plummets, we hedge the risk with a put option. If the price falls, we exercise our put and make back our money. Whatever the hedging strategy, the common denominator is that hedgers are willing to achieve protection against unfavourable price changes by give up the opportunity to benefit from favourable price changes. Speculators hypothesis on the future direction of the market and betRead MoreSWOT Analysis1465 Words   |  6 Pagesfactors (opportunities and threats) of the company. Strength The supports from the Malaysias government for tourism industry become one of the powerful strength for this industry. According to Hamzah (2008), tourism industry gives second highest contributor after Manufacturing industry. According to Asia-Web.com (2012), Langkawi island is one of the most popular holiday destinations. Again, the supports from Malaysias government will create a greater changes for tourism industry in Langkawi IslandRead MoreTakinga a Look at Pizza Hut Changloon859 Words   |  3 Pages Nowadays, pizza lover is everywhere. There are a lot’s of Pizza restaurant such as Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut pizza, Papa John’s pizza and so on. In this assignment we are focusing the marketing strategies of Pizza Hut which is located in Changloon. As we know, Pizza hut still come out with a variety of product such as salad soup, pasta, dessert and so on. In this case, pizza hut need to a lot of employee to complete their services provided for their customer especially in peak hour. But in ChanglonRead MoreProton Case Study2535 Words   |  11 PagesProton Case Writing About Proton Perusahan Otomobil Nasional Berhad (Proton) was established in May 1983 with the idea of creating Malaysia’s national car (Proton, 2011). In July two years later, in collaboration with their Japanese counterparts from Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Malaysia’s first car was produced. Mitsubishi provided Proton with technical assistance and supplied core components such as basic car designs, engines and transmissions (Proton, 2011). Many of the models (past and present)Read MorePest Analysis of Gucci in Malaysia2856 Words   |  12 Pagesthe impact of the unpredictable issues that will rise when Gucci operates in Malaysia by identifying the influential factors that have a strong effect on the business. Political * Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEANS) represents the Malaysia’s main free trade removing all barriers reassuring western companies, including Gucci to make way into starting business in Malaysia. Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in July 2009 was signed by Secretary Clinton to enhance the

Monday, December 9, 2019

Accounting Theory with Reference to Synergiz’s Research Publication

Question: Discuss about the Accounting Theory with Reference to Synergizs Research Publication. Answer: Introduction The study is particularly based on a research publication of Synergiz, wherein the financial impacts of the responses of BP P.L.C regarding the oil spill is evaluated. BP is a global energy (gas and oil) company, which operations in the deserts, deep seas as well as retail stations. It provides power and fuel for the purpose of mobility, heat and light to the customers across the world (BP, 2017). The selected article incorporates approaches related to damage valuation and its comparison with the relevantaccounting and reporting needs for better reliability (Houdet Germaneau, 2011). Thus, the objective of this report is to evaluate the responses with respect to the interest theory along with analyzing the role of the regulators or politicians. Furthermore, the motivation of the politicians and regulators are also critically scrutinized, in addition to the consideration of related events of such oil spills in the recent scenario and their impacts. Discussion Interest Theory with Respect to the Article The interest theory under the umbrella of public consist rules and regulations, which were used for the benefits and protection of the public in general (Hantke-Domas, 2003). As per the theory of Government, public interest model integrated voting in the process of decision-making by the authorities. According to which there are three public sectors and public goods such as legal institutions, national defense, welfare, education and services (fire and water protection, sewage disposals). Another sector is economic regulation, which involves economic market regulations including environmental and social regulations on the issues such as child labor, animal cruelty, public decency and working conditions. Particularly, environmental regulations covered the rights of public property (Maloney, 2001). Furthermore, with respect to the Public Interest Theory of the article, the oil spill in the deep water horizon caused significant damage that affected the public directly and indirectly. . This is also termed as BP Oil Spill in the marine ecosystem, and is also is known as the largest oil spill in the entire history of US. This was a matter of great concern and has become one of the most popular topics for debates due to its high intensity and level of damage to the marine environment. BP was the key developer of the particular oil field in which the accident had occurred, for which it was held responsible along with Transocean Ltd and Halliburton, who were constructing and operating in the oil field. Subsequently, BP had to bear cleanup costs as per the regulations of the public interest theory (Houdet Germaneau, 2011). As per the regulations of interest theory of public, the political leaders played a significant role in regulating this theory. Not only in the financial crisis but also in this great concern of oil spill, the politicians encouraged these regulations. This helped in protecting the American values and norms relating to the human health, economic stability and environment safety. In addition, their contribution to make a better energy policy was also found to be prominent. Thus, for regulating the operations of precautionary principles, BP took unnecessary risks in their further activities (Flournoy, Andreen, Bratspies, Doremus, Flatt, Glicksman, Mintz, Rohlf, Sinden, Steinzor, Tomain, Zellmer Goodwin, 2010). The motivation of political regulators was also important because of the fact it was affecting the environment, polluting the ecosystem. The oil spill thereby had long lasting effects, even after of the occurrence of the event. Therefore, the political pressure ensured better env ironmental disclosures by the organizations to the public in order to address such problems in future. In addition, it also focused on creating plans for disasters, which would comply with the theory of disclosures regarding the environment. It was not only the political leaders, but also various agencies were regulating these activities of protection after this massive oil spill, which resulted in enhancing the environmental risks in the minds of the investors as well as general public (Heflin Wallace, 2017). Thus, it can be opined that they were specifically concerned about the health issues that were evident after the spill, which was affecting the public. This factor was thus considered as one of the most essential factors that led the politicians as well as the regulators to implements these regulations. Responding to the Article with Arguments As per the article, there are various arguments that will be highlighted in this section of the study. It was observed that there was a significant need for adequate environmental reporting andaccounting with more reliability post oil spill, which was viewed to be a positive aspect.. However, there are some criticisms that it had not disclosed any details relating to the social and ecosystem damage. In addition, it did not display the underlying calculations and methodologies for its pre-tax charges, which accounted for US$40.9 billion. On the other hand, adequate information could have been utilized to calculate the global costs of such incidents. Another drawback was that the temporary impairment of the ecosystem assets and values were also missing. Therefore, it can be stated that the limited disclosure of BP restricted the stakeholders to understand the actual scenario of the implications of the oil spill in the context of environmental, social and financial aspects (Houdet Germ aneau, 2011). In the contrary, BP made regular claims of its efforts for global warming and related issues before the occurrence of the incident. It further highlighted its achievement for winning Best Greenwash award for the efforts of investing in the renewable energy. These efforts enhanced its social as well as environmental performance (Lyon Maxwell, 2006). However, the damage that it had caused with oil spill incident created a negative impression. Hence, it can be opined that non-disclosure of certain facts and figures post incident was considered to be misleading the public along with its investors and shareholders. Corresponding to the financial disclosures, it can be argued that BP provided the information for green washing rather than accountability and reliability. With respect to all the damages it had resulted in loss of resources and imbalance of the ecosystem, accounted for US $40.9 billion relating to the recovery from the disaster. Thus, corporate reporting was observed to be inadequate in its annual report with respect to the disclosures of information, also failed to reveal the actual loss, which did not comply with anyaccounting standard and accounting systems. This created dissatisfaction among the public and misguided proper environmental accounting from the viewpoint of shareholders and investors (Azad, 2017). However, according to Ismail (2017), there were various companies that had implemented policies, which helped in balancing the economic and social responsibility performances. This was done as a response to the various incidents of oil spills such as the Deepwater Horizon i n 2010, which raised several criticisms regarding the methods of extractions. This was often considered to be risky for the business. As a result of which various companies enhanced their accounting, financial and environmental reporting methods and standards (Ismail, 2017; Babcock, 2012). Recent Events In the recent context, various oil spill events were evident apart from the largest oil spill in the history that is the BP oil spill. Few of them were oil spill in Nigeria in 2010 in which 95,500 tons of oils was spilled in Niger Delta, which is depicted in Figure 1 below. Similar event was also observed in China in the same year with 90,000 tons of wastage. In addition, Venezuela in 2012, also suffered the incident, wherein it resulted 41,000 tons of oil was spilled (Figure 1) (Ismail, 2017). Figure 1: Major Oil Spills since Last Four Decades (Source: Ismail, 2017) It can be interpreted that irrespective of the fact, the recent the volume of oil spill all over the world has been low. However, in the year 2010, oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico was considered as one of the largest oil spills (ABC, 2010). Subsequently, there were two other oil spills incidents in 2010, which was followed by the most recent oil spill in 2012... According to Roser (n.d.), the large and medium sized oil spills have decreased in the recent years. However, between the years 1970-2016, tanker oil spill incidents have resulted in the wastage of 5.73 million tons of oil (Roser, n.d.). Chemical and oil spills in the waters right from collisions to accidents while fuel transfer or explosions as in the BP oil spill have occurred almost every year (NOAA, 2017). Another incident similar to oil spill events were pipeline spills especially in US. It was estimated that nearly 700 barrels of crude oil was spilled from pipelines particularly in North Dakota (RT, 2016). Another exam ple of such incidents was Greek oil spills, which created threats to the marine ecosystem, which was a result of a sunken tanker spill (Euronews, 2017). Additionally, the adverse effects of the Gulf oil spill was evident in the follow up plan in which the workers, who were carrying out clean-up activities were facing health issues (NIH, 2017). Conclusion It can be concluded that irrespective of the facts, the amount of oil spills in the recent years have significantly decreased. However, the adverse effects of already occurred events have not been totally eradicated. In addition, not only human beings but the natural environment and ecosystem as a whole have been massively affected by these disasters, small or big. Thus, it is necessary to have better plans for avoiding such incidents and come up with solutions against the adverse effects. It is therefore the responsibility of the production companies such as BP to have a sense of corporate social responsibility. In addition, it is essential for these companies to provide detailed accounting and financial reports. This would not only make them prepared for such events, but also build trust among the public, so that they can attract more shareholders and investors. Therefore, all the disclosures should be made by the companies irrespective of the intensity of the disasters. So , it wo uld be easier for the government and administrative authorities to take necessary decisions in making and amending accounting and financing policies. References ABC, 2010, Timeline: 20 years of major oil spills, ABC News, viewed 21 September 2017, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-05-03/timeline-20-years-of-major-oil-spills/419898. Azad, M, 2017, BP's financial disclosure is greenwashing rather than accountability, Academia, viewed 21 September 2017, https://www.academia.edu/3498045/BPs_financial_disclosure_is_greenwashing_rather_than_accountability Babcock, H. M, 2012, A risky business: Generation of nuclear power and deepwater drilling for offshore oil and gas, Columbia Journal of Environmental Law, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 63-149. BP, 2017, About BP, BP P.L.C., viewed 21 September 2017,https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp.html Euronews 2017, Greek oil spill spreads: fears grow for marine life, World, viewed 21 September 2017, https://www.euronews.com/2017/09/14/greek-oil-spill-spreads-fears-grow-for-marine-life Flournoy, A, Andreen, W.L, Bratspies, R.M, Doremus, H, Flatt, V.B, Glicksman, R.L, Mintz, J.A, Rohlf, D, Sinden, A, Steinzor, R.I , Tomain, J.P, Zellmer, S Goodwin, J, 2010, Regulatory blowout: How regulatory failures made the BP disaster possible, and how the system can be fixed to avoid a recurrence, Center for Progressive Reform,viewed 21 September 2017, https://escholarship.org/uc/item/06t9s399#page-2 Hantke-Domas, M, 2003, The public interest theory of regulation: Non-Existence or misinterpretation?, European Journal of Law and Economics, vol. 15, pp. 165-194. Heflin, F Wallace, D, 2017, The BP oil spill: Shareholder wealth effects and environmental disclosures, Journal of Business Finance Accounting, vol. 44, no. (3-4), pp. 337-374. Houdet, J Germaneau, C, 2011, The financial impacts of BPs response to the deepwater horizon oil spill, Synergiz Case study 2011-01, pp. 1-5. Ismail, A. H, 2017, Oil and gas companies adopting policies aimed at balancing economic performance with social responsibilities, Environmental Accounting and Reporting, viewed 21 September 2017, https://www.ogfj.com/articles/print/volume-14/issue-3/features/environmental-accounting-and-reporting.html Lyon, T. P Maxwell, J W, 2011, Greenwash: corporate environmental disclosure under threat of audit, Journal of Economics Management Strategy, vol. 20, no. 1, pp.3-41. Maloney, M. T, 2001, 19. The theory of government, A Study In Property Right, pp. 1-5. NIH, 2017, Gulf spill oil dispersants associated with health symptoms in cleanup workers, News Releases, viewed 21 September 2017, https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/gulf-spill-oil-dispersants-associated-health-symptoms-cleanup-workers NOAA 2017, Oil and chemical spills, National Ocean Service, viewed 21 September 2017, https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/spills/ Roser, M, No Date, Oil spills, Our World in Data, viewed 21 September 2017, https://ourworldindata.org/oil-spills/ RT, 2016, Top 5 disasterous pipeline spills of 2016, Autonomous Nonprofit Organization, viewed 21 September 2017, https://www.rt.com/usa/371086-worst-pipeline-accidents-2016/

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Meteorite or Puck Hunt Autonomous Mobile Robot

Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Meteorite or Puck Hunt: Autonomous Mobile Robot specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Introduction The creation of the autonomous mobile robot (AMB) project is the most important branch of the unit, HES 1305 ROBOTICS AND MECHATRONICS PROJECT 2. The plan, design, building, programming, testing, as well as debugging the different components of the project, would involve teams which consist of three members. The purpose of the autonomous mobile robot would be to travel through a maze while avoiding going over the wall of the maze. In addition, the AMB would also be required to look for certain types of â€Å"pucks or meteorites† that would be identified by their colours, in a mission, which is simulated, in Antarctica. As a result of the intricacies of the predicted settings, the AMB would be required to carry and place the meteorites or pucks in their respective base camps; they should not be thrown or rolled on the ground. In addition, the robots would not be allowed to get rid of unwanted pucks from the camps, or destroy other robots. The project is in fact a competition pitting different teams against one another. Each team would provide one robot in the competition area to collect as many meteorites and place them in the specified camps. The teachers and staff of Swinburne University provided all the sensors, LEGO parts, software, and actuators. The Method Of Design Design Philosophy One vital building block of artificial intelligence involves creation of a robot that has the ability to function under diverse and indeterminate environments, while under partial supervision. The Development of the Design Being the first time that we are taking part in this type of competition, we decide to work out a plan that would help us develop the autonomous mobile robot in the given surroundings.Advertising Looking for report on other technology? Let's see if w e can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The most important part of the design involved coming up with a solution that would help the robot grab and flip over the meteorite or puck. After that, we had to go backwards with the intention of building a structure that could support all the equipment, actuators, and sensors, in order to produce a practical robot in the contest atmosphere. Design Process Hardware Part – (Name of Team member who handled this part) Handy board Autonomous robot control is usually attained by means of a Handy Board [Martin 2001]. The Handy Board was found to be a battery-powered and hand-held microcontroller board. It was perfect for both educational and personal robotics projects. It was based on the structure and functions of the Motorola 68HC11 microprocessor. Figure I The Handy Board contained the following parts: Processor: Motorola 68HC11 8-bit microcontroller with 2MHz speed RAM: 32KB battery-backed fixed RAM Scree n: 16Ãâ€"2 character LCD display unit Four 1A motors support 6 Servo motor controllers 9 Analog and 7 Digital inputs 16 Analog and 8 Digital outputs Infrared I/O capabilities Serial interface capacities Sound output 11cm x 8.5cm x 5.25 cm (L x W x H – with LCD screen, expansion board, and battery) Figure IIAdvertising We will write a custom report sample on Meteorite or Puck Hunt: Autonomous Mobile Robot specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Handy Board manages Interactive C (IC). The Interactive C is a custom-made version of ANSI C programming language. Interactive C is the most widely held compiler software that is made use of with the Handy Board. In addition, the Interactive C software is a multi-tasking compiler; it has a user command line that is used for dynamic expression evaluation and compilation (Martin, 2001). The IC is sustained by the Kiss Institute for Practical Robotics (KIPR). The figure above (figure II ), demonstrates the running of the IC compiler on Windows XP. Procedure followed for programming the Handy Board using Interactive C Step 1: The Handy Board was connected to the computer using either the Serial Interface or the USB. Step 2: The wall adapter was then used to supply power to the Handy Board. Step 3: Afterwards, the Interactive C compiler software was launched on the computer. Step 4: The board was then initialized with firmware. This was achieved by holding Handy board in a unique bootstrap download mode and then clicking on the download firmware found on the tools menu of the IC compiler software.Advertising Looking for report on other technology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Step 5: After completion of downloading the firmware, the Handy Board beeped, and the Interactive C welcome message appeared on the LCD screen of the Handy Board. This means that the Interactive C is now ready for use. After finishing configuring the system, we are now ready to write the necessary programs using Interactive C IDE software. Then later, we would compile it, and after that download it on to the Handy Board that will run that program. Sensors Each LEGO kit was supplied with the following sensors: Item Quantity Red LED 1 Blue LED 1 Phototransistor 4 Servo Motor 1 IR(Infra Red) Emitter/Detector 2 Micro switch 4 Combined Lego Motor Gearbox 4 Potentiometer 2 IR Range Finder (Sharp GP2D02) 1 Shaft Encoder 2 Table I Out of all these sensors, our interest and use will be limited to Combined Lego Motor Gearbox, Micro switch, Shaft Encoder, Phototransistor, LEDs, as well as IR Emitter/Detector. LED is the short form of a light-emitting diode. Just lik e the name suggests, an LED is basically a diode that gives off light. The difference between LEDs and other incandescent bulbs: LEDs are different from ordinary incandescent bulbs in the sense that they are short of a filament, which burns out. As a result, they do not get especially hot. They are solely lighted up by the motion of electrons in a semiconducting material. In addition, they could last as long as a typical transistor. Advantages: The use of LEDs endows the user with a number of advantages in comparison to the use of regular incandescent sources of light. Some of these advantages include enhanced robustness, lower consumption of energy, longer lifetime, greater durability, smaller size, improved reliability and faster switching (Jones, Flynn Seiger. 1999; Papert Harel, 1991). How LEDs work? Figure III When an LED is switched on, i.e. forward biased, electrons in the PN Junction are capable of recombining with the holes found within the device. As a result, energy is released in the form of photons. Consequently, the energy gap of the semiconductor has some bearing on the colour of the light, or the wavelength of the radiation. This is to mean that doping has some bearing on the wavelength of the Electromagnetic radiation which will be given off. In general, light-emitting diodes are usually made from substrates of Aluminium-gallium-arsenide (AlGaAs). From Electromagnetic spectrum, the wavelength for red is normally between 620 and 750 nm, while that for blue is between 450 and 475 nm. In other words, Red LED and Blue LED means that their doping components are such that the emitted wavelengths range between 620 and 750 nm, and between 450 and 475 nm in that order. Figure IV LEDs have two major uses; visual indicators and light emitters. As visual indicators, they detect the presence of things. When used as light emitters, they are usually detected by other detectors, such as phototransistors and photodiodes. Interestingly, they can be used as narrow band light sensors. Here, they operate in the reverse-bias mode. They act in response to incident light as opposed to emitting light. Phototransistor: Figure V A phototransistor can be described as a transistor that operates differently from common transistors. Unlike common transistors, whose operation modes are under the control of the applied input voltage, the operation mode of the phototransistor is can be directed by light, or the wavelength of the light. The structure of a phototransistor varies from that of a common transistor, at least in two distinct ways; While the phototransistor has a transparent window that allows light to shine on the junctions, ordinary transistors do not have such windows. An ordinary transistor has more surface area than a phototransistor, hence is able to maximize the area of light capture. When the junction is struck by light photons, there is formation of a base current. As a result, the received power is converted into a collector cur rent by the phototransistor. The phototransistor that comes with the LEGO kit has its peak response at 850 nm and its spectral sensitivity is higher than 30 per cent for light radiation that ranges between 6oo nm and 900 nm. The achievement of different gain and frequency of operation (bandwidth) is dependent on the amplifiers, or circuits, formed with these phototransistors. The positive thing that is exhibited is that the frequency and gain response is reliant on the light and its wavelength. Infra Red (IR) Emitter/Detector: The infrared emitter or detector is a circuit that is created using LEDs and phototransistors (Martin, 1994). The purpose of the IR emitter/detector is either to give off or to detect infrared radiation. An extremely fundamental infra red emitter/detector circuit is shown and described below. Figure VI This custom made circuit has one disadvantage; the use of this custom made circuit means that the ambient infra red light would constrain its detecting devices (Martin, 1994). The IR emitter/Detector that came with the LEGO kit had its peak response at 940 nm, with peak sensitivity for about 880 nm wavelengths. The IR Emitter/Detector has found many uses in robotics; it can be used for colour detection, transmitters, motion detection, obstacle detection, and encoders. Shaft Encoder: Shaft encoders can also be referred to as rotary encoders. In essence, it is an electro-mechanical piece of equipment that translates the total amount of mechanical rotation, or angle, into a corresponding amount of current (Sutton Barto, 1998). As a result, knowledge in relation to the amount of current offers information regarding the amount of rotation of the shaft, or the wheel connected to the shaft. In general, there exists, two kinds of shaft or rotary encoders; Absolute shaft encoders These types of encoders are the ones that provide us with information regarding the complete angle of rotation of the shaft. The digital type of absolute shaft encode rs generates distinctive digital code for each different angle of the shaft. There exist two fundamental kinds of absolute digital rotary encoders. These are optical encoders and mechanical encoders. Incremental shaft encoders These types of rotary encoders are the ones that provide us with information regarding the angles or rotations with regard to their previous states. The angles of rotation that are provided by the shaft encoders are in coded form. The two available and most popular methods used for encoding are Gray encoding and standard binary encoding. It is worth noting that for all advanced jobs, which involve the rotation of the wheel, there must be a feedback mechanism that comes from the wheels. As a result, it is vital that the control program is aware of the extent to which the wheel would rotate to with the intention of either altering the speed of rotation of the different wheels, or simply making sure that the vehicle is motionless and no unknown force is acti ng on it. This is basically the reason why shaft encoders are employed. Micro switch: Figure VII A micro switch can also be referred to by its technical name, miniature snap-action switch. As implied by its name, the micro switch is a switch that calls for a comparatively miniature movement of the actuator button, with the intention of producing a relatively large amount of high velocity motion of the electrical contacts in spite of the speed of actuation. Micro switches are popular and their use is widespread. This is attributed to their relatively low cost, as well as high durability. They undergo more than one million cycles; for heavy duty models, this may go up to ten million cycles. There are many places and gadgets that require micro switches for proper functioning. Some of these areas include machinery, vehicles, industrial controls, appliances, and numerous other areas for control of electrical circuits. Some common but particular areas where micro switches are employed in clude the door interlock systems on microwave ovens, safety and levelling switches in elevators, detection of faults in photocopiers, such as paper jams, and vending machines. Miniature snap-action switches are frequently made use of in tamper switches on gate valves of fire sprinkler systems, in addition to other water piping systems. In this application, it is vital to be conscious of whether valve has been shut, or it is open. Combined Lego Motor Gearbox: Figure VIII There are DC motors that were provided in Lego kit. These motors are great for building robots in view of the fact that they are powerful and compact. They normally rotate at thousands of rotations per minute. Nevertheless, most electric motors are in actual fact lacking in torque. In other words, this can be attributed to the fact that they cannot push incredibly hard. If hooked directly up to the motor’s shaft, we can note that it can hardly rotate the wheel, let alone nudge a whole robot. Despite the fact that they have inadequate torque, what they do have in plenty, is speed. In reality, if the shaft is running freely, it can rotate at a rate of numerous thousands revolutions per minute. As a result, this speed is much faster than what one wants for a robot to drive in any case. Therefore, we could do with gearboxes with the intention of trading some of this unnecessary speed for additional torque. Figure IX The LEGO system is composed of a wide range of gears with varying functions (Brooks, 1986). On the other hand, for universal purposes, 8, 24, and 40-tooth gears can be employed. These are the easiest and most efficient to utilize of the group for the reason that their diameters are selected, such that they can be interlocked with one another at standard LEGO distances. Through gear reductions, one is able to translate speed into torque (or the other way round by application of this technique in reverse). Suppose an 8-tooth gear is employed in turning a 24-tooth gear. Given tha t the smaller gear is required to rotate three times in order to turn the large gear once, the axle with the 8-tooth gear spins faster than the other. As a result of this exchange for this reduction in speed, the axle is now able to apply three times as much torque. Consequently, this generates a gear reduction ratio of 3:1. This implies that we are relinquishing a factor of three of speed and swapping it over for production of three times the torque. Lego parts Figure X Each component of the LEGO has its work cut out for it (Overmars. 2000). A number of those components are available and are simply used to join two parts that are not able to be stick together with one another. A number of other parts, for instance rollers, are supposed to hook up the wheels with a few other parts of the robot with the intention of making the wheels move with mush ease. What is more, a number of parts are large in size, which could be utilized as the base of the robot; therefore, we could place man y parts on. In addition, they could be used to connect parts that are relatively far away in distance from each other. A good number of the components that we employed in the creation of our robot were the thick red bars and long red bars that assisted us in connection between the wheels. Into the bargain, we used the big bars that have a large area to make use of it as the base of our robot. Furthermore, we could include on those big bars with the broad areas handy board, the battery, and a number of small components that could furnish a better look to our robot. In addition, we made use of the linking parts to a large extent that is on grey to join the parts which we experienced a few difficulties in connecting them together. Assembly Part – (Name of team member who did this part) Grabbing Mechanism The hardest part of the whole project was finding a solution to the problem of grabbing flip over the puck. So as to come across a superior and realistic arm, we stumbled upon a possible like way out on the internet (Williamson, 1998). The ultimate form of the grabbing piece of equipment has two motors; the work of one of the motors was to spin the arm, while the other motor had to push the meteorite aside. Chassis The chassis had to have enough strong in order to give support to handy board, batteries, and all the other sensors that the robot needed. Figure XI Sensors (Name of team member who did this part) It is worth noting that sensors are the most significant components of the robot (â€Å"How to Make a Robot – Lesson 7: Using Sensors†, 2011). When robots have them, they are able to feel, look at and make out the disparity in their surroundings. To enable the robot to verify whether there existed a puck or meteorite in the vicinity of the loading area, we employed one blue led as well as one phototransistor. The purpose of the blue LED was to give off a light beam that would be used by the phototransistor. There are cases when the beam light would be broken; this means that a puck or meteorite is in the loading region. After verifying this and finding a puck in the region, the function of the second phototransistor was to verify the colour of the puck. Readings ranged from 50 to 185 for the red puck. On the other hand, readings were larger than 200 for blue puck. The function of the third phototransistor was to rummage around for the base light with the intention of finding a way back to the base. In case the indicated value was less than 10, this showed the correct direction to the base. An infra red (IR) emitter/detector was made use of with the purpose of determining the exact location of the base. In case the indicated value was higher than 236, then the location of the black line and subsequently, the location of the goal area was illustrated. In addition, the Infra red (IR) range finder was employed in the verification of the ultimate position of the goal area. Lastly, the 4 micro switches were used to †Å"feel† the obstacles as the robot moved around. Motors and the Motor drive mechanism As a result of restriction on the available materials and constituent parts of LEGO, the drive mechanism was made to order for two motors. Figure XII The steering mechanism of the robot was very heavy. The robot used big wheels at the front, and small ones at the rear. The option of making use of rear small wheels was attributed to minimising friction, as well as having a good manoeuvrability. The robot created had major strength; it was very robust. The robustness of the robot ensured that it continued to manoeuvre in every environment it was subjected to. Conclusion This project report has covered all the things the team worked on in the hope of producing a successful robot. In addition, the report also looked at the constituent parts that were used to create the robot, and how the team employed them with the aim of building a physically powerful and innovative robot that could not be easi ly damaged or broken. In addition to that, the project report offers a number of concise ideas in relation to the Interactive C (IC) program and the Handy board. The IC program was used to program the robot so that it could be able to perform the mission as the team wanted it to do. I believe that this activity was an extremely interesting experience. The fact that were could be responsible for creation of a robot that could do a fine job by holding a verifying, collecting and putting a puck in its rightful place as the required by the task. The only initial challenge we faced was the manner in which we could thrust the arms of the robot into the exact place, and how the team could make them turn. This was soon overcome and the team successfully completed the task. References Brooks. R.A. (1986) A robust layered control system for a mobile robot. IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation, RA-2:14–23. â€Å"How to Make a Robot – Lesson 7: Using Sensors.† (2011) [WW W] Go Robotics. Availalble from  https://www.robotshop.com/community/blog?page=1 . Jones, J.L., Flynn, A. M. and Seiger, B.A., 1999. Mobile Robots: Inspiration to Implementation. Massachusetts: A K Peters, Ltd. Martin, F.G., 2001. Robotic Explorations: a Hands-on Introduction to Engineering. Massachusetts: Prentice Hall. Martin, F.G.,1994. Circuits to Control: Learning Engineering by Designing LEGO Robots, doctoral dissertation, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Inst. of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. McKerrow, P.J., 1993. Introduction to Robotics. Boston: Addison-Wesley. Overmars, M., 2000. Lego robots tips and tricks. [WWW] Web. Papert S. and Harel, I. eds.,1991. Constructionism. Westport, Conn.: Ablex. Sutton, R.S. and Barto, A.G.,1998. Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press. Williamson, B., 1998. The Lego: FetchBot. [WWW] Freelug. Available from  http://perso.freelug.org/benw/fetchbot/index.html . This report on Meteorite or Puck Hunt: Autonomous Mobile Robot was written and submitted by user 3-D Man to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Outline of the U.S. Economy

Outline of the U.S. Economy This free online textbook is an adaptation of the book Outline of the U.S. Economy by Conte and Carr and has been adapted with permission from the U.S. Department of State. CHAPTER 1: Continuity and Change The American Economy at the End of the 20th CenturyFree Enterprise and the Role of Government in America CHAPTER 2: How the U.S. Economy Works Americas Capitalist EconomyBasic Ingredients of the U.S. EconomyManagers in the American WorkforceA Mixed Economy: The Role of the MarketGovernments Role in the EconomyRegulation and Control in the U.S. EconomyDirect Services and Direct Assistance in the U.S. EconomyPoverty and Inequality in the United StatesThe Growth of Government in the United States CHAPTER 3: The U.S. Economy - A Brief History The Early Years of the United StatesColonization of the United StatesThe Birth of the United States: The New Nations EconomyAmerican Economic Growth: Movement South and WestwardAmerican Industrial GrowthEconomic Growth: Inventions, Development, and TycoonsAmerican Economic Growth in the 20th CenturyGovernment Involvement in the American EconomyThe Post War Economy: 1945-1960Years of Change: The 1960s and 1970sStagflation in the 1970sThe Economy in the 1980sEconomic Recovery in the 1980sThe 1990s and BeyondGlobal Economic Integration CHAPTER 4: Small Business and the Corporation The History of Small BusinessSmall Business in the United StatesSmall Business Structure in the United StatesFranchisingCorporations in the United StatesOwnership of CorporationsHow Corporations Raise CapitalMonopolies, Mergers, and RestructuringMergers in the 1980s and 1990sThe Use of Joint Ventures CHAPTER 5: Stocks, Commodities, and Markets Introduction to Capital MarketsThe Stock ExchangesA Nation of InvestorsHow Stock Prices Are DeterminedMarket StrategiesCommodities and Other FuturesThe Regulators of Security MarketsBlack Monday and the Long Bull Market CHAPTER 6: The Role of Government in the Economy Government and the EconomyLaissez-faire Versus Government InterventionGrowth of Government Intervention in the EconomyFederal Efforts to Control MonopolyAntitrust Cases Since World War IIDeregulating TransportationDeregulating TelecommunicationsDeregulation: The Special Case of BankingBanking and the New DealSavings and Loan BailoutsLessons Learned From The Savings and Loan CrisisProtecting the EnvironmentGovernment Regulation: Whats Next? CHAPTER 7: Monetary and Fiscal Policy Introduction to Monetary and Fiscal PolicyFiscal Policy: Budget and TaxesThe Income TaxHow High Should Taxes Be?Fiscal Policy and Economic StabilizationFiscal Policy in the 1960s and 1970sFiscal Policy in the 1980s and 1990sMoney in the U.S. EconomyBank Reserves and the Discount RateMonetary Policy and Fiscal StabilizationThe Growing Importance of Monetary PolicyA New Economy?New Technologies in the New EconomyAn Aging Workforce CHAPTER 8: American Agriculture: Its Changing Significance Agriculture and the EconomyEarly Farm Policy in the United StatesFarm Policy of the 20th CenturyFarming Post World-War IIFarming in the 1980s and 1990sFarm Policies and World TradeFarming As Big Business CHAPTER 9: Labor in America: The Workers Role American Labor HistoryLabor Standards in AmericaPensions in the United StatesUnemployment Insurance in the United StatesThe Labor Movements Early YearsThe Great Depression and LaborPost-War Victories for LaborThe 1980s and 1990s: The End of Paternalism in LaborThe New American Work ForceDiversity in the WorkplaceLabor Cost-Cutting in the 1990sThe Decline of Union Power CHAPTER 10: Foreign Trade and Global Economic Policies An Introduction to Foreign TradeMounting Trade Deficits in the United StatesFrom Protectionism to Liberalized TradeAmerican Trade Principles and PracticeTrade Under the Clinton AdministrationMultilateralism, Regionalism, and BilateralismCurrent U.S. Trade AgendaTrade with Canada, Mexico, and ChinaThe U.S. Trade DeficitHistory of the U.S. Trade DeficitThe American Dollar and the World EconomyThe Bretton Woods SystemThe Global EconomyDevelopment Assistance CHAPTER 11: Beyond Economics Reviewing the American Economic SystemHow Fast Should the Economy Grow?

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Correcting a Run-On Sentence With a Period or Semicolon

Correcting a Run-On Sentence With a Period or Semicolon The simplest way to correct a run-on sentence (also known as a fused sentence) is with a mark of punctuation- a period or semicolon. Correcting a Run-on Sentence With a Period To make two separate sentences out of a run-on, put a period at the end of the first main clause and begin the second main clause with a capital letter: Run-on SentenceMerdine is a skilled carpenter she single-handedly built a two-story log cabin.CorrectedMerdine is a skilled carpenter . She single-handedly built a two-story log cabin. Inserting a period at the end of the first main clause is often the best way to correct a long run-on sentence. Correcting a Run-on Sentence With a Semicolon Another way to separate two main clauses is with a semicolon: Run-on SentenceMerdine is a skilled carpenter she single-handedly built a two-story log cabin.CorrectedMerdine is a skilled carpenter ; she single-handedly built a two-story log cabin. Be careful not to overwork the semicolon. The mark is most often used between two main clauses that are closely related in meaning and grammatical form. Adding a Conjunctive Adverb Although a period or semicolon will correct a run-on sentence, a mark of punctuation alone wont explain how the second main clause relates to the first one. To make this relationship clear, you can follow the period or semicolon with a conjunctive adverbthat is, a transitional expression that introduces a main clause. The common conjunctive adverbs show that you are continuing a thought (furthermore, moreover), offering a contrast (however, nonetheless, still), or showing a result (accordingly, consequently, then, therefore, thus). Unlike coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs dont join main clauses; however, they do guide your readers by linking ideas: I loathed my job more than I loved the paycheck; consequently, I quit work and returned to college.After three days of rain, I was tempted to abandon the hike. Nevertheless, on the fourth day I took bearings from my compass and set out due west toward Cedar Bay. Remember that a conjunctive adverb between two main clauses should be preceded by a semicolon or period. It is usually followed by a comma. This exercise will give you practice in applying the guidelines on page one of  Correcting a Run-on Sentence With a Period or Semicolon. To view the exercise without ads, click on the printer icon near the top of this page. Instructions: Use either a period or a semicolon to correct each of the run-on sentences below. A jump rope is the ultimate aerobic exercise it provides a top-notch daily workout.My teacher never missed a day of school I think even the flu and the common cold were afraid of that lady.Experience is not what happens to you it is what you do with what happens to you.A low blood-sugar level signals  hunger a higher one tells the brain that you dont need to eat.A lobotomy is a fairly simple operation however amateurs should not attempt it.Fifty years ago, parents were apt to have several children nowadays children are apt to have several parents.Humor is a rubber sword it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.Black magic is meant to harm or destroy white magic is intended to benefit an individual or the community.Carefully open the can of soup empty the contents of the can into a saucepan and stir gently.Its not enough to hear opportunity knock you must let him in, make friends, and work together with him.Boy bands should be exploded from a great height theyre just pret ty people singing music written by others. Happiness is the key to success if you love what you are doing, you will be successful.It is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent that survives it is the one that is the most adaptable to change.Courage is doing what youre afraid to do there can be no courage unless youre scared.During a boat trip in 1862, Charles Dodgson began telling a story about an adventure in a world full of peculiar creatures the place was called Wonderland. Answers A jump rope is the ultimate aerobic exercise. It  [or  ;  it] provides a top-notch daily workout.My teacher never missed a day of school. I  [or  ;  I] think even the flu and the common cold were afraid of that lady.Experience is not what happens to you. It  [or  ;  it] is what you do with what happens to you.A low blood-sugar level signals hunger.  A  [or  ;  A] higher one tells the brain that you dont need to eat.A lobotomy is a fairly simple operation. However,  [or  ;  however,] amateurs should not attempt it.Fifty years ago, parents were apt to have several children. Nowadays  [or  ;  nowadays] children are apt to have several parents.Humor is a rubber sword. It  [or  ;  it] allows you to make a point without drawing blood.Black magic is meant to harm or destroy. White  [or  ;  white] magic is intended to benefit an individual or the community.Carefully open the can of soup. Empty  [or  ;  empty] the contents of the can int o a saucepan and stir gently.Its not enough to hear opportunity knock. You  [or  ;  you] must let him in, make friends, and work together with him. Boy bands should be exploded from a great height. Theyre  [or  ;  theyre] just pretty people singing music written by others.Happiness is the key to success. If  [or  ;  if] you love what you are doing, you will be successful.It is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent that survives. It  [or  ;  it] is the one that is the most adaptable to change.Courage is doing what youre afraid to do. There  [or  ;  there] can be no courage unless youre scared.During a boat trip in 1862, Charles Dodgson began telling a story about an adventure in a world full of peculiar creatures. The  [or  ;  the] place was called Wonderland.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Hospitality service and facilities management Essay

Hospitality service and facilities management - Essay Example There are several methods of promotions, and some of the most widely used are personal selling, advertising, and sales promotion (Stanton, 1975,p. 468). In the case of Our Sandwich Store, we will be using sales promotion that employs several activities to provide incentives to customers in order to stimulate immediate sales. A sales promotion as defined in the Business Dictionary is an activity designed to stimulate sales through â€Å"contests, demonstrations, discounts, exhibitions or trade shows, games, give aways, poit-of-sale displays and merchandising, special offers, etc.† Aside from this, Lake, L. (2011) said that focusing on the target market will help the company strengthen the brand’s competitiveness. So in order to arrive at the correct strategy of promotion, it is necessary to make an analysis of the existing conditions of the business to answer the following questions as suggested by Lake (2011) Who is your target market Where is your target market located ? What do they think about your current brand? What would you like them to think about your brand? Who else is competing for their loyalty and devotion? Are you targeting business or consumer sectors? How will you attract them to your products or services? Target market description First, let us define the target market of the business. Target markets of Our Sandwich Store are students, teachers and office staff. Because of this preoccupation, the target customers are located in the campus, universities and vicinities around the school. These are the customers who find fast food set up convenient for a quick snack, lunch or dinner. Patrick Noone, in a sandwich consumer trend report (2010), as shown in the chart below, said that some of the reasons of consumers for buying sandwiches are that, along with hunger satisfaction, they put importance on health and portability of the food. More consumers prefer sandwiches to go at lunch and prefer a light and healthy meal at lunch. This mean s that lunch sandwiches are routinely purchased by target markets for lunch than for dinner food. However, for dinner, consumers prefer quality and a bigger portion size, even if the sandwich commands a higher price. Source: Noone, Patrick. Sandwich Consumer Trend Report (2010) Competition of Our Sandwich Store is cafe bars, pubs, and supermarkets which are also located around the vicinity of a university or campus. One of the cafe bars that I have checked at the internet, the Napoleon House cafe opens from 11:00 a.m.to 1l:00 p.m. that serves local sandwiches, soups, salads, and jambalayas. The cafe’ offers classical music and a unique ambiance for a sit down lunch or dinner (Napoleon House Cafe, n.d.). The second competition is a pub house. My idea of a pub house, as I have seen in the internet site, like the Market Pub house, is a place that offers family and friends cozy dining, although it serves juicy burgers, saucy wings, fresh salads and wraps and hearty sandwiches . A pub house normally opens 5:00 pm till midnight. The third competition is a supermarket. Of course, we know how a supermarket operates where there are stand in corners and fast food stores offering snack foods that include sandwiches. We are targeting here consumer sectors that are composed of students, tutors and office staffs. Normally, our target market observes school hours and office hours that usually begins from 7:00 a.m. to

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Patriarchal and Hierarchical Development of Western Civilization Research Paper

The Patriarchal and Hierarchical Development of Western Civilization - Research Paper Example The earliest human civilizations emerged in the great river deltas of the world, where the land was fertile, water was plentiful, and the rivers provided a means of easy transport. It was the ability to create food surpluses, store them and transport them around the local area that prompted early societies to give up a nomadic hunter gatherer lifestyle, and develop solid buildings for permanent residence. This created the leisure time for experimentation and the practical need for the development of technologies. In Mesopotamia the first writing tablets appear to have been made, and they record many lists and commercial details relating to the trade in basic goods. The famous Epic of Gilgamesh tells the story of a famous ruler who started out behaving badly towards his subjects, and particularly women. He has a lot of power, partly because of his status as heir to the throne of Uruk, but partly also because â€Å"Two thirds of him is god, one-third of him is human† (Tablet 1). He is descended from a goddess, and the story tells of his interactions with both human and godly characters. Goddesses play a big part in the plot, since it is the goddess Aruru who creates the special friend Enkidu for Gilgamesh, and the goddess Ishtar openly taunts him and tries to tempt him into a relationship with her. Gilgamesh is at the mercy of these divine figures, and they largely determine the course of his life. Gilgamesh refuses the advances of Ishtar, showing great strength of character, but in the course of the epic he comes to learn the lessons that his mother and the other goddesses have made every effort to teach him: love for others is of much greater worth than riches, fame and power. The power of the female to bring forth life, and the danger of amorous entanglements, remain key motifs in the story, and they serve to tame the faults of the male, and to counterbalance his arrogance and immaturity. The ruler Gilgamesh at the end of the epic reflects on the massiv e architecture of his city’s walls which encloses the well-ordered community that thrives under the care of the goddess Ishtar: â€Å"is not even (the core of) the brick structure of kiln-fired brick, †¦ one league city, one league palm gardens, one league lowlands, the open area of the Ishtar temple, three leagues, and the open area of Uruk it encloses† (tablet XI). The moral of the tale is that he finally accepts that he must settle down as an administrator in a settled urban community, rather than a wanderer in search of amorous or other adventure. In contrast to this the female characters in The Iliad, which dates from more than a thousand years later, are little more than goods to be passed from one powerful male hero to another, sometimes more or less willingly in matrimony, and sometimes as the spoils of war. In The Iliad notions of power are very much the main theme (Sherman, 2003, p. 47) The women like Helen of Troy are trophies, and their function is mor e symbolic than as an active participant in society. Homer stresses the heroic deeds of the warriors, and his western society values possessions, cities, and conquering other peoples. The patriarchal line of descent is stressed through the frequent repetition of lists of names and titles such as this: â€Å"After Diomede same the Atreidae/Agamemnon and Menelaus and then/the two named Aias, jacketed with brawn/then came Idomeneus and his

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Botanical gardens Essay Example for Free

Botanical gardens Essay Last summer, my two friends rekindled an idea we had for a long time of going for a short excursion to a nearby lake where we would camp for three days. First we informed our parents of our intentions which they supported without any objection. We intended to use this opportunity to help in bonding our relationship even more. After this approval, we did a good budget of all the things that we required for the three days of our camping. After drawing the budget, we sourced for the required money most of which came from our pocket savings with a little help from our parents. We chose to set our camping dates within a weekend as these are the days when most of us had free time. After an informative consultation, we also found out that the camp is only open during the weekends so as to give the camping ground vegetation enough time to regenerate. When the day came, we all set off during the morning so that we could get to our destination in time. This also gave us an opportunity to select the best site to set our camps before other people could take up the available sites. After setting our tents, we embarked on a trip along the shores of the lake and the adjacent flower and botanical gardens. We spent the second day canoeing and swimming as well as participating in some of conservational activities that are a mandatory practice for every camper. By the dawn of the third day, we could not believe that the day had come for us to pack our belongings and head back home. The camping experience proved to be a worthy exercise by providing a refreshing moment in our life.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Big Experience on the Golf Course :: essays research papers

The Big Experience On the Golf Course   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Golf is a big experience for me in the first place. Three reasons why this certain tournament was such an experience was because I was the leader of our team. It was for pride against the other players we were playing, and it just was not for the pride it was also for the money and that played a big role in it also. Golf has brought me a long way like going to college and the way I look at certain things now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being the captain of our team was a big privilege but it also made me very nervous. I knew that I had to do my part and carry our team because they were counting on me more than anybody else. This was the first time I was ever the leader of the group or the captain as most people call it. Before we started I had a lot of bad thoughts rushing through my head like what if you don’t play good or your team mates get mad because you don’t hit a good shot or that I am not as good as they think I am. This was really a lot of pressure to me, believe it or not. We stepped on the first tee and all my teammates teed off and it was my turn. I teed my ball up took a deep breathe, stepped up to the ball and hit it straight down the middle. My teammates told me â€Å"great shot Dell.† That really relaxed me and I played so good. I was on my game all day long and nothing was going to get my way, not even a tree. I just felt like I could not do anything wrong that day. I kind of felt like I was a machine because everything was just so nice and smooth like a routine would be. Anybody that plays golf on a regular basis knows what I am talking about whenever I say â€Å"my swing just felt so good and smooth.† My teammates were really impressed with my skills. After we were through they were bragging to all the other teams about how good I was and how far I could hit a golf ball. That made me feel good and that I did everything that I could to help out my team. They were really a great team The Big Experience on the Golf Course :: essays research papers The Big Experience On the Golf Course   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Golf is a big experience for me in the first place. Three reasons why this certain tournament was such an experience was because I was the leader of our team. It was for pride against the other players we were playing, and it just was not for the pride it was also for the money and that played a big role in it also. Golf has brought me a long way like going to college and the way I look at certain things now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being the captain of our team was a big privilege but it also made me very nervous. I knew that I had to do my part and carry our team because they were counting on me more than anybody else. This was the first time I was ever the leader of the group or the captain as most people call it. Before we started I had a lot of bad thoughts rushing through my head like what if you don’t play good or your team mates get mad because you don’t hit a good shot or that I am not as good as they think I am. This was really a lot of pressure to me, believe it or not. We stepped on the first tee and all my teammates teed off and it was my turn. I teed my ball up took a deep breathe, stepped up to the ball and hit it straight down the middle. My teammates told me â€Å"great shot Dell.† That really relaxed me and I played so good. I was on my game all day long and nothing was going to get my way, not even a tree. I just felt like I could not do anything wrong that day. I kind of felt like I was a machine because everything was just so nice and smooth like a routine would be. Anybody that plays golf on a regular basis knows what I am talking about whenever I say â€Å"my swing just felt so good and smooth.† My teammates were really impressed with my skills. After we were through they were bragging to all the other teams about how good I was and how far I could hit a golf ball. That made me feel good and that I did everything that I could to help out my team. They were really a great team

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Consumerism & marketing Essay

The difference between needing and wanting has changed. In the past people bought products because they needed them; however by time, wanting has become the new needing. Purchasing â€Å"new goods and services with little attention to their true need, products origin, durability or the environmental consequences of manufacture and disposal† has become the new way of consuming. We do not consider why we are buying a certain product or a certain service because we feel that we need it. From a producing world we have shifted into a consumerist world. It is not about the culture, nor the tendencies of personality. With globalization and marketing people have forgotten what it is to buy what you need instead of what you think you need. The goal of marketers both local and international is to come up with marketing strategies through researches that would draw more customers to consume their services and products. According to Marken (n. d), â€Å"Consumerism has changed the rules of the game and produced the need for new strategies. By using the new rules to your advantage, you’re sure to end up on the winning side. † Marketing has taken over everything. Companies that had failed to develop effective marketing strategies end up losing to more successful businesses. To be able to construct a marketing strategy that will be helpful in their undertaking, they have to bear in mind the needs and wants of their target market. In a global context, more extensive researches are conducted to satisfy the needs of the market. It is not only the companies that have to adapt. Consumers also adapt to the changes in the market by responding to the offers. Consciously or not, the consumers had been manipulated to want the newest products in the hope that they will have a better life. Marketing has raised consumerism to what it is now, and has affected every one–male, female and even young kids. People in this country acquire goods even just for the sake of acquiring goods. This culture of consumerism, many people claim, will lead to the demise of the American society – both as they use up limited resources and abuse the capacities of their minds and body. But no matter how needed a change in the pattern of lifestyle and values may be, such will not easily take place. Consumerism is a historical phenomenon, its dynamics embedded with a number of social factors and historical events. In fact, it is social development in American society, both materially and ideologically, that gave rise to consumerism. The 1920s is usually identified as the dawn of consumerism. By this time, the industrial revolution had reached its fruitful stage, and mass production, mass distribution, and thus mass consumption are easily imagined and implemented. Indeed, that was what the owners of large industries and corporations set out to achieve. In order to do these, they designed new systems to control the full processes of production from the raw materials to the finished product. Together with the material reality that faced America in the 1920s was the marketing tool found in psychology. Advertisement campaigns are the core of this decade, shaping the mentality into one, which seek fulfillment in consumption and glorified it. The public was enticed to buy for the sake of buying more than anything else. The advertisements offered whatever one needed, wanted or just lacked. Perhaps there can be no clearer situation that demonstrated the power of advertising than during World War II. Even at a time when the nation was actually being frugal, living with recycling and rationing, advertisers worked hard to maintain the same level of consumerism. During the World War II, Americans supported their government by helping the nation economize, either by growing food in their own garden or by recycling resources for other productions. During the war even though there was not much to sell or not much available sources to buy anything, advertisers would still work on their campaigns. As everyone waited for the war to end, there came the excitement after the war. As the war ended, people were ready to forget and get back to their lives as consumers. New products were introduced during this era like aerosol spray cans or nylon. Such new products caught the attention of the consumer and created a cycle; newer products increased the willingness to buy more. One important factor that facilitated the continuity of consumerism well into the middle of the 20th century was the strategic targeting of women as main consumers. When the war ended, the family became a central part of society again, and women were pushed once more into the homes to become the dutiful wife and mother, integral to rebuilding a healthy and thriving society. The domestic role that woman had for years, and the baby boom after the war were great reasons to create new products and reasons to buy them. The increase in pregnancies and births after the war resulted in the focus of advertisers and producers. New baby products from toys to food, from clothes to books were introduced to the market. And mothers were pressured to have the best and be role models. With men as the ones who earned, women were the one who spent the money; and they spent it according to their role against men. Aside from consuming products for becoming the ideal mothers were the products for being the ideal wife and ideal housekeeper or the ideal woman. Since the early 1920’s consumerism has shifted with the help of marketing and mass production. Women who bought only their necessary needs, like cloths to make their own clothing, or meat that would be enough for the day for the whole family, went into buying the brand that stood ahead. Instead of making clothes for themselves, or having it made for them, people started to buy mass produced clothes from stores. As the quantity of items displayed in stores increased, the competition began. And there came the marketing department. The distinctions of branding, the ad campaigns, the photo shoots and the change in the concepts of beauty, need, and want are all what advertisers and marketers did. Changing one’s perception is not easy, but it is done everyday. Women who were just wives or mothers were now woman standing against their husbands or fathers. They had the opportunity to relieve themselves from their duties and add a little for their own. Now they had the opportunity to buy what they wanted or thought they needed. They had choices for kitchen appliances or furniture designs. Each magazine they bought had suggestions for fashion, make-up and hair, or for their family members. And each suggestion had one thing in common, the fact that it has to be purchased.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Coca Cola Share A Coke This Summer

However, in reality the Coca Cola Company has a wider target market because the product is addressed to everyone and everywhere. Usually the consumers (both males and females)who use the product are between 12 and 32 years old. Second, in the video we can see that the consumers are buying the product, this shows the reputation of the trademark in the mind of the consumers and a few seconds later we can see more people buying Coca-Cola in massive amounts which reflects the power, the preference and the loyalty that the consumers have to the Coca-Cola brand.In the video, after the consumers brought the product we can see them having fun, having barbecues, having arties and playing on the street with their friends, in that moment Coca-Cola is telling us the viewers that the purpose of this video is not only to show the popularity of the brand but also that the company is not just about selling goods to the consumers but also selling events ( Examples: World cup and the Olympics) and exp eriences ( Examples: Walt Disney magic kingdom and music/sports camps) to the consumers.Coca-Cola is the number one company of soft drinks around the world, the margin between it and its is competitors is huge, so the reason that Coca-Cola peps doing the advertising is not to increase their sales, but to remind people that Coca-Cola is here, is number one and the consumers should drink Coke once in a while(Hardball Peter, 2014) . Like this advertising and many others, Coca-Cola focus on the principle of sharing; not only sharing with families and friends but also sharing happiness, moments and experience. This attitude of sharing IS key competitive advantage against their competitors which only focus on sales.Finally, the video is showing a strategy to put their consumers names on the tootles. The purpose of this idea is to create an individualized or personalized product for the customers for the summer of 2014 because in summer, is the perfect time to be with other people and shar e moments of happiness with everyone. According to the senior vice president Stuart Kerosene the message of this advertising is to drink a coke with your name on it and offering the event to another person makes these minutes much more â€Å"extraordinary† (Money Jay, 2014).Another strategy for the development of this commercial was the flexibility to low the consumers to promote the brand across social media. Jennifer Whelan group director of Coca Cola North America says â€Å"It's about statement toward oneself, individual narrating and staying associated with companions. ‘Share a Coke' takes advantage of those passions†. She also adds that â€Å"At the point when teenagers see that the iconic.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

How did the quality assurance milestones of 1911-2001 change industry

How did the quality assurance milestones of 1911-2001 change industry How did the quality assurance milestones of 1911-2001 change industry practices in the United States? How did the quality assurance milestones of 1911-2001 change industry practices in the United States? There was a time when only one highly skilled craftsman would plan and execute a specific product. Traditional views of quality management would wait to inspect products after they were made. However, milestones have changed industry practices in the United States. Many changes in quality assurance began with Frederick Taylor, also known as the father of scientific management, (Goetsch & Davis, 2013). Taylor basically eliminated the practice of just one skilled craftsman by separating planning and execution. This led to quality engineering in the 1920s which meant that quality assurance relied on statistics and charts. Reliability engineering was introduced in the 1950s and 1960 and this concept tried to maintain quality throughout the design and production process versus inspecting a product after it was produced. World War II also became a major milestone in the United States that affected quality. The U.S. was more focused on quantity and deadlines than quality. However, Japanese companies became very concerned with producing quality products and had gained a reputation as being leaders in producing quality products (Goetsch & Davis, 2013). Western companies realized at this time, that quality was a very important concept especially in a global market. During this time, around the 1940s, W. Edwards Deming also demonstrated the importance of statistical quality control. Although Demings idea of the Fourteen Points and the Seven Deadly Diseases were not adopted by the United States at first, the United States finally did acknowledge Demings concepts around the 1980s. Joseph M. Juran also contributed to the milestones of quality assurance in the United States by introducing the Three Basic Steps to Progress, Ten Steps to Quality Improvement, The Pareto Principle, and the Juran Trilogy. His philosophy was to find ways to continue to improve quality. He also developed the 80/20 rule which suggests that 80 percent of the issues come from 20 percent of the problems (SUO, 2012). Phillip B. Crosby was an advocate for zero-defects. Crosby had his own quality consulting firm until 2001 when he passed away. He also recognized for his Quality Vaccine and Crosbys Fourteen Steps to Quality Improvement. According to our notes, the milestones set by these visionary leaders of quality management have not only been instruments in the development of quality in the United States, but they have had a remarkable impact on the evolution of quality management internationally (SUO, 2012). Which quality leader do you think had the greatest impact during this timeframe? Explain your answer in real-life examples. Although all the leaders mentioned had an impact on quality assurance, I think that Joseph Juran had the greatest impact during this timeframe. Many companies still resort to Jurans book, the Quality Control Handbook, as a reference for quality and performance improvement (www.juran.com). His theories evolved into the Lean and Six Sigma that is used by manufacturing companies like Xerox. What, according to you, are the accomplishments of quality leader W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran? What are the differences in the methods and techniques suggested by them? I believe that Demings biggest accomplishments were that he was not only concerned with the quality of products or services; he was also concerned with developing better ways for people to work together. His philosophy of continuous improvement included that of the individual as well as organizations. Deming felt that focus should be given to one person but to the group as a whole. Jurans accomplishment was the 80/20 principle which managers still rely on today. The theory is that 80 percent of outcomes are based on 20 percent of events. The difference between Deming and Juran is that Deming believed that no one person was at fault for product defects. Whereas Juran, believed that organizations should eliminate the few sources that cause the majority of the problems (Goetsch & Davis, 2013). References: Goetsch, D.L. Bookshelf.} Retrieved from http:// myeclassonline. South University Online (2012). BUS4101: Quality Management: Week 1: Total Quality. Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Difference Between Celsius and Centigrade

Difference Between Celsius and Centigrade Depending on how old you are, you might read 38 °C as 38 degrees Celsius or 38 degrees centigrade. Why are there two names for  °C and whats the difference? Heres the answer: Celsius and centigrade are two names for essentially the same temperature scale (with slight differences). The centigrade scale is divided into degrees based on dividing the temperature between which water freezes and boils into 100 equal gradients or degrees. The word centigrade comes from centi- for 100 and grade for gradients. The centigrade scale was introduced in 1744 and remained the primary scale of temperature until 1948. In 1948 the CGPM (Conference General des Poids et Measures) decided to standardize several units of measurement, including the temperature scale. Since the grade was in use as a unit (including the centigrade), a new name was chosen for the temperature scale: Celsius. Key Takeaways: Celsius vs. Centigrade The Celsius scale is a type of centigrade scale.A centigrade scale has 100 degrees between the freezing and boiling points of water.The original Celsius scale actually had a boiling point of 0 degrees and freezing point of 100 degrees. It ran in the opposite direction of the modern scale! The Celsius scale remains a centigrade scale in which there are 100 degrees from the freezing point (0 °C) and boiling point (100 °C) of water, though the size of the degree has been more precisely defined. A degree Celsius (or a Kelvin) is what you get when divide the thermodynamic range between absolute zero and the triple point of a specific type of water into 273.16 equal parts. There is a 0.01 °C difference between the triple point of water and the freezing point of water at standard pressure. Interesting Facts About Celsius and Centigrade The temperature scale created by Anders Celsius in 1742 was actually the reverse of the modern Celsius scale. Celsius original scale had water boil at 0 degrees and freeze at 100 degrees. Jean-Pierre Christin independently proposed at a temperature scale with zero at the freezing point of water and 100 was the boiling point (1743). Celsius original scale was reversed by Carolus Linnaeus in 1744, the year in which Celsius died. The centigrade scale was confusing because centigrade was also the Spanish and French term for a unit of angular measurement equal to 1/100 of a right angle. When the scale was extended from 0 to 100 degrees for temperature, centigrade was more properly hectograde. The public was largely unaffected by the confusion. Even though the degree Celsius was adopted by international committees in 1948, weather forecasts issued by the BBC continued to use degrees centigrade until February 1985!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Transition in Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Transition in Care - Essay Example A number of challenges shall also be taken under account regarding the ethical and legal issues in the health care settings (Christian et al., 2006). Pain management techniques and community care setting are illustrated in the paper to develop understanding of the patient’s health, furthermore it shall discuss the obstacles and challenged faced in the application and implementation of health care management for adolescences. It is an integral function of nursing to understand the condition of a patient as an individual to address their health needs (Abu-Saad, 1981). This means that the nursing practitioners will have to assess social experiences and needs of the patients (Begum & Johnson, 2010). The need for doing this is because it presents a case in front of the health care professional that will help them formulate a strategy for their treatment. According to the study Begum and Johnson (2010), Young people have specific and different health need (Begum & Johnson, 2010). In addition, their environment plays a major role in the development and overcoming the process of injury (Dumont et al., 2012). Looking at the case of Kelly, it comes to our understanding that she is a young girl who is spending her days in an acute adult hospital ward. This is serving as a great challenge for Kelly in her process of recovery that may lead to delay healing, trauma, cognitive abilities (academic performance), and res toring herself as an athlete (Dumont et al., 2012). In the case of it shall be noted that Kelly has been accommodated in a general ward, where she has different people belonging from different ages (Begum & Johnson, 2010). Briere and Lanktree (2011) argue that the services offered to adolescence in wards and home does not address their special need (Briere & Lanktree, 2011). They required psychological and special health care services to enhance their recovery. Therefore, Kelly shall be accommodated in the adolescence wards or with the people who are

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Historical topics since 1500s Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Historical topics since 1500s - Assignment Example They were devoted, loyal and keen followers of the law. The force was created by Sultan Murad in 1383 (Rice, 1999). Devshirme. This was a Turkish term referring to blood tax. During this period, the Ottoman empire sent the military to abduct young guys. They were then converted to Islam. The ablest were trained for military and civil war. The age of the recruit was from 7 to 10 years (Menage, 1966). Mamluks. This is an Arabic word meaning property. It may also mean the slave of the king or white slave. It is, therefore, an Arabic designation of slaves. This dynasty lasted from 1250-1517. Mamluks had a special status in relation to the ordinary slaves and were considered to be real lords with status above freeborn Muslims. Oyo. This was a Yoruba kingdom or kingdom. It covered parts of Benin and Nigeria. In modern day, it is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria, and its capital is at Ibadan. It is the 14th largest state. It contains a number of natural features, and the climate is equatorial with relatively high humidity. Marco Polo. This was a Venetian merchant .his travels are recorded in livres des Merveilles. he was born in Venice hence Venetian nationality. He was born in 1254 and died in 1324. His book was highly publicized and introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China (Polo, 1854). Battle of Lepanto . This was a battle between Islamists and Christians. This fight took place in 1571 on 7th October. It was a naval engagement and it was between the Christians and the ottoman. The Islam were defeated at the end and more than 50000 casualties were reported. Enclosure. An enclosure is an area that is sealed off. Economic history defines compound as the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay. The appropriation of land can be done through a fence or other methods such as enclosing through a stone wall or such. St. Petersburg. This is the second largest

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Caligua Roman Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Caligua Roman Empire - Essay Example While most likely not intended to last a lifetime, the name stuck and most of history remembers him under this name. His reign only lasted from 37 to 41 A.D., ending bloody as many of the reigns of Emperors of Rome would end. For most of Caligula’s young life, he was not in Rome. He spent his time on the campaigns of his father, his childhood outside of the socialization of the center of his homeland’s culture. In addition, his father, according to writings by the historian Tacitus, was well known for disobeying orders from Tiberius, delaying his return to Rome and taking his army where he desired, thus instilling in Caligula an â€Å"apparent disregard for prioritizing State interests over personal ones†, a point that became clearly a part of Caligula’s reign (Adams 34). Germanicus’ predilection towards the Hellenistic culture also influenced the young Caligula, many of those aesthetics appearing during his reign. Hellenistic culture was a fusion of Greek, Middle Eastern and Eastern cultures which was sometimes interpreted for its decadence, as much as for its classical philosophies, as described by Green as being â€Å"bourgeois, decadent, and materialistic (7). Germa nicus was popular, however, and when he died in 19 A.D. there was an enormous amount of grief among the Roman citizens (Adams 98). Caligula returned home to Rome with his mother and siblings after the death of his father. While the time of his youth does not specifically suggest that he was intended to be the heir of Tiberius, his later experiences before the death of the Emperor make it clear that he was then considered his heir. During his teen years, Caligula bore witness to a plot by praetorian Sejanus in which his mother and elder brothers were arrested and eventually killed. Caligula, now in line for leading the empire, did not fall under Sejanus as the plot was uncovered and he was arrested and put to death by Tiberius in 31 A.D (Burns 53). Shortly after, Caligula was made the official heir of Tiberius and would ascend to wear the laurels at a very young age. Caligula became emperor of Rome on 18 March 37 AD at the age of twenty-four. At first his reign seemed like a break from the austere and conservative reign of Tiberius, but soon the senate became unhappy with his excesses. In the first year of his re ign, Caligula put an end to the paranoia of the trials of treason and the public executions quieted for a time. Tiberius had been a dark and troubled ruler in his later years, creating an atmosphere of fear and treachery. However, from what ever cause, Caligula was falling into deeper and darker madness which manifested in all kinds of debaucheries and blood sport. He had his two greatest supporters, the praetorian prefect Macro who had helped him in holding his inheritance as Emperor and another great supporter, Tiberius Gemellus put to death (Adams 152). His excesses fell into categories of shameful behavior, some of which have been highly influential in characterizing ancient Rome as a time of great debauchery. It is said that he had incestuous relationships with his sisters, having a great love affair with his sister Drusilla who is thought to have been his true love. While he exiled two of his sisters on islands, Drusilla was made his heir (Tinsley 245). It is also hinted at th at he had made part of his palace

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Effects of Internet Online Booking in Travel Agencies

Effects of Internet Online Booking in Travel Agencies Can High Street Travel Agencies Survive  With Online Travel Agencies? Contents (Jump to) Chapter 2 Literature Review Chapter 3 – Methodology Chapter 4 Findings and Analysis 4.1 UK Travel Industry, Current Analysis 4.2 Composition of Travel The travel industry represents the classic example of firms operating as agents between the seller and buyers as represented by the multitude of offers that are present in the industry. The foundation for this process was established in the pre-computer era that utilized direct reservation systems. This mode inculcated the industry and became the accepted operational norm as airlines had an exterior sales force as represented by these independent operations, and customers had a means to wade through the difficult maze of airline flight possibilities. The advent of the internet brought a new variable into the scenario whereby it provided consumers with a choice as a result of the capabilities of this medium to collect and display flight availability, schedules and pricing through search engine compiling. Transaction costs were lowered as a result of economies of scale and 24 hour availability, with the heart of the process fueled by utilizing consumers to conduct the work in finding b argains. This examination will seek to equate whether the traditional travel agencies known as High Street, representing brick and mortar operations in the industry parlance, can survive the onslaught to their business as represented by online travel agencies. The travel industry represents a phenomenon that we are all familiar with in terms of verbiage, however, the definitive meanings as represented by specific words may not be as clear as one would think. In order to provide the necessary verbal underpinnings for this analysis of ‘if High Street Travel Agencies can survive with online Travel Agencies’, a definition of terms seems in order. Travel represents a word that emanates from ‘travailen’ in Middle English, which means to toil, and has its roots in the French word ‘travailler (Wikipedia, 2007). It, travel, is defined as (American Heritage Dictionary, 2007) 1. being transported â€Å"†¦ from one place to another †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as represented by either a trip or journey, and, 2. the process and or time entailed in moving a person from a particular location to another. Travel can be further explained as tourism, which is the visiting of family and or friends, the process of commuting as represent ed by traveling to either work or other functions, the act of migration in moving one’s local or as a constant series of moves as illustrated by nomadic peoples, and as pilgrimages for religious reasons (Wikipedia, 2007). In the context of this examination, travel shall be defined by the transport of individuals for pleasure, tourism, business and personal reasons. A travel agency â€Å"†¦offers its services in the capacity of an agent †¦Ã¢â‚¬  and provides â€Å"†¦ travel and tourism related services to the public †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as achieved through the agency’s arrangements and agreements with â€Å"†¦ airlines, cruise lines, hotels and other suppliers of travel related services† (Department of the Treasury, 2002). Travel agencies â€Å"†¦ may contract directly †¦Ã¢â‚¬  with the aforementioned companies or through what is termed a â€Å"†¦ coordinating body such as the Airlines Reporting Corporation †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as well as other such agencies or bodies (Department of the Treasury, 2002). In addition to the aforementioned services, travel agencies may offer varied financial related services such as traveler’s checks and trip insurance. An important segment of the travel industry is represented by tourism, which Hermann Von Schullard, Austrian economist, stated is the â€Å" †¦ sum total of operators †¦ which directly relate to the entry †¦ stay and movement of foreigners †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (MedLibrary.org, 2007). The introduction of internet based online travel information, booking and ticketing systems introduced a new variable into the market which allows consumers to research ticket prices, schedules and related aspects at discounted prices as a result of the lower commissioning fees online services charge airlines for acting in their capacity as middlemen. This phenomenon caught on with the public and market share increasingly shifted in favor of online travel services as lower prices, instant access and no frill airlines captured their imagination. High Street travel agencies are thus caught in a battle for survival as a result, however there are market variables that indicate the penetration rates of online travel agencies has been slowing, but massive damage has already been done. If High Street travel agencies are to survive, they will have to capitalize upon inherent facets of customer attitudes and preferences as well as what their service type offers that can not be duplicated by c omputerized access that does not offer human problem solving skills for complex travel related problems that exist in varied circumstances. Chapter 2 Literature Review The rapid pace of changes and developments in the travel industry as a result of travel packages, consumer attitudes, economic variables, utilization histories with varied forms of booking methodologies and related aspects rendered the examination of the subject matter as contemporary. The research methodology deemed best suited to this study was ‘descriptive’ in that it is based upon the use of data, information, facts and associated resources to reveal the way things are. To this end, this examination relied heavily on Internet sources to provide the aforementioned. The definitions utilized herein to provide a basis for understanding of travel agencies as represented by the statement provided by United States Department of the Treasury was used as it represented a definition honed from a governmental classification of an industry sector which represented the culmination of intensive study to arrive at its meaning in a universal sense that is applicable. This same approach was utilized to conduct data and survey research which entailed the collection of information from the Tourism Society of England, the International Air Transport Association, ITB Berlin and IPK International, Internet World Stats and other sources. In conducting the research on the question as to whether High Street travel agencies can survive with online travel agencies, the first aspect that was noted is that the various travel and tourism books offered information on each sector from a dated perspective that did not take into account new developments, many of which appeared in 2005 through 2006 as new travel packages and the a new travel sector, cruises, emerged as an industry force. The preceding contention is supported by the data uncovered by surveys conducted by Travel Weekly in the United Kingdom that asked respondents in the travel agency sector direct questions regarding their impression and view of their industry. Such a source represents more viable research that was conducted during 2006, offers a more comprehensive base of industry information on how things actually are as it asked the experts in the field of study, travel agents themselves. Their responses on what they viewed as the emerging segment of most importance, cruises, which also represents their most viable revenue stream is data which was not found in the numerous research studies conducted by the World Trade Organization, PricewaterHouseCoopers, Accenture and World Stats. These sources were extremely valuable in providing supporting data on trends, patterns and other facets of the travel and tourism sector, however, information from industry insiders in the High Street sector represented t he foundation for the question being examined. ITB Berlin and IPK International offered invaluable information concerning the breakdown of consumer utilization of travel agency sectors, as did PriceWaterHouseCoopers and Internet World Stats. Accenture’s research gave depth to the previous information as it provided data on how and what consumers do in the process of seeking travel services. Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model provided the means to correlate all of the indicated data and survey information into a concise summary of High Street and online travel agency competitive points to hone in on the variables and factors that the prior sources offered. Chapter 3 Methodology In examining the context of whether High Street travel agencies can survive with online travel agencies it was determined that the research would have to delve into the nuances of the travel and tourism sector to determine the following: Components of the industry from an historical perspective Key aspects of varied consumer attitudes, preferences, trends and views Travel industry product components, trends, developments and projections Trend of High Street and online travel agency market share progressions Relationships and importance of differing travel segment components in both sectors in relationship to their inherent strengths and weaknesses as applied against each service model Variables and factors at work, along with developing trends that might have a bearing on the examination To accomplish the foregoing the methodology selected entailed the utilization of secondary research of a limited historical nature to provide background information to understand the context of the industry sectors and their changing relationships. The preceding was accomplished through the use of books and journals along with statistical information. Since changes in any industry occur quickly the reliance upon books and journals for contemporary developments was deemed as inappropriate and inconclusive. Therefore, to determine the present status of both sectors, the research and operative methodology centered upon the analysis of data as well as trends and inherent characteristics. To accomplish the preceding quantitative research was determined as the methodology as it â€Å"†¦ generates new information about the world †¦Ã¢â‚¬  by virtue of (University of North Carolina, 2007): Objectivity, whereby the potential for bias that could potentially affect and or influence the outcome is kept to a minimum through the collection of varying points of view from a number of differing sources. Rigorous, in that the researcch process utilizes data to uncover obvious as well as obsure information, with attention to accuracy and detail as underlying precepts. Systematic, in that the conduct of research seeks coherent data and information in order to equate the true undercurrents of what is the case as opposed to what appears to be the case in the study and analysis. The subject under examination represents a puzzle that is ruled by the governing question (International Research Network, 2007). The preceding helped to determine the reseach process, the identification of the sources of data as well as information, and the methodologies to be utilized. Kravitz (2006) states that there are differing types of research which can be used in a study. The one selected for this examination included descriptive along with quantitative as it entails the collection of information and trends through the review of data, surveys and examination of varied sources. Kravitz (2006) indicates that this research type is best at describing the way things are, and that the review of prior research aids in the process, along with contempory information. Chapter 4 Findings and Analysis 4.1 UK Travel Industry, Current Analysis As of 2002 there were 3,181 travel agencies in the United Kingdom, representing a growth rate of minus 17.2% that generated $11, 659 billion in sales (International Air Transport Association, 2002). Globally, the travel industry generates in excess of one trillion USD annually and is the largest industrial sector (Vogel, 2006, pp. 50-59). The Tourism Society of England indicates that domestically this segment of the industry generates 75 billion pounds in a highly fragmented industry (Tourism Society, 2007). In polls conducted by Travel Weekly, the British based industry travel magazine, travel agents were asked their views on a number of areas (Travel Weekly, 2007). 47% indicated that cruises would represent the biggest growth area in travel in 2007, followed by long haul trips at 32%, and domestic breaks at 21% (Travel Weekly, 2007). The implications of the preceding seemingly bode well for travel agencies in that these types of trips consumers seek the aid of professionals to aid them with arrangements, features, pricing and the varied packages that are available, which can be quite extensive. Travel agents indicated that they were worried, however regarding the state of the travel industry entering 2007, registering 61%, with 26% indicating confidence and 13% checking indifference as their response (Travel Weekly, 2007). Travel agent responses provide a valuable insight as to how they feel concerning various aspects and as the most up to date informational source such is being utiliz ed to provide a gauge on the prospects of High Street travel agencies and their battle for market share with online travel agencies. A significant response to the polls in this regard can be found in what travel agents thought about the price wars lowering High Street fares. 36% indicated that they believed that such would end up in lower prices, while 42% replied no, with 21% indicating probably (Travel Weekly, 2007). With respect to the dollar to pound exchange rate that has increased in favor of the pound, travel agents indicated that they felt Christmas shoppers would benefit the most, 51%, followed by New York City retailers at 23%, High Street travel agencies, 15%, and online retailers and airlines at 11% (Travel Weekly, 2007). The preceding represents an indication of travel agent’s attitudes toward High Street travel agencies that mirrors their responses concerning their battle for market share. This view was also confirmed by travel agent responses to if there is any future for independent High Street travel agents. 54% stated that they felt there would always be room for independent agents, with 27% indicating the affirmative but as part of a larger buying group, and 19% stating that they would not be able to compete against the larger companies (Travel Weekly, 2007). When asked about the importance of cruises to their industry, travel agents responded in the following fashion. 53% indicated that this area is growing in importance, with 21% stating that it represents the one area that they make money (Travel Weekly, 2007). 17% indicated that this segment is too complex and that they do not sell cruise packages, and 9% stated that cruise business is vital to their business only if they sell these via self packaging (Travel Weekly, 2007). Given that 47% indicated that the cruise business will enjoy the largest segment of growth in the industry in 2007, that seemingly indicates that High Street travel agencies are factoring in this segment as an important revenue stream. The utilization of the Internet as a booking method has seen high growth in Europe, mostly in flights as well as accommodations (ITB Berlin and IPK International, 2006, p. 13). The foregoing represents an approximated one/third of all outbound trips and also entails online booking for some segments of an individual’s trip as represented by hotel and vehicle reservations (ITB Berlin and IPK International, 2006, p. 13). ITB Berlin and IPK International (2006, p. 13) reports that the utilization of the internet is primarily the mode used for airline ticket purchases, with accommodations second, however, vehicle reservations leads both categories as a percentage of sales of the total. Table 1- Travel Bookings in Europe, January Through August 2006 (as a percentage of pre-bookings in total travel) (ITB Berlin and IPK International, 2006, p. 13) Total Internet Accommodations 78% 37% Flight 63% 38% Travel insurance 23% 6% Bus/coach 15% 2% Rental car 15% 10% Ferry 9% 7% Train 7% 4% Others 5% 3% Interestingly, travel agents utilize the internet as a source of information and the use of tour operators in placing their rates and packages online represents a key reason for the preceding (ITB Berlin and IPK International, 2006, p. 13). Consumers utilize the Internet for a large percentage of their travel arrangements, especially in the area of airline, accommodation and auto rental, as shown by the following: Table 2 – Information Sources Used by European Outbound Travelers, January through August 2006 (ITB Berlin and IPK International, 2006, p. 14) Source % share Internet 45 Travel agency 20 Friends/relatives 17 Travel guide 8 Travel brochure 7 Newspaper 3 Tourist office 2 TV 2 Others 5 The preceding seemingly indicates that incursions by Internet based booking in the cruise travel segment is going to remain low as a result of the complexities encountered in making selections and wading through the complex data and choices. As the main revenue source and growth area for High Street travel agencies, consolidation of the services offered in this area represents a strong foundation to be built upon. The consumer climate in the United Kingdom exceeds the confidence of travel agencies with respect to their outlooks. Travel Weekly’s (2007) poll in this segment indicated that 26% of them were confident, while ITB Berlin and IPK International (2006, p. 18) found that the United Kingdom and Spain are at the top of its consumer confidence survey as well as percentage of household consumption. Termed as a willingness to buy, said factor represents increased demand in the UK during 2007, and as the United Kingdom’s placement in this category has consistently been at the top, bodes well for the continued growth forecast in the industry. The growth in eCommerce has shifted the manner and way individuals utilize travel services. Originating in a paper on packet switching by Leonard Kleinrock of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1961, the theoretical underpinnings of Klienrocks work set the stage for the ARANET which was the distant forerunning to the internet (Internet Society, 2007). That beginning has reshaped the manner of global commerce, information availabilities, and created an entirely new set of industry classifications. One such manifestation is illustrated in the travel industry. The ability to search large quantities of data easily and instantly through varied online web sites, and travel agencies without any sales or pressure tactics makes the internet a technology that is ideally suited to the travel industry. In this medium consumers can search and explore at their leisure at any time reviewing all manner of destinations, travel times, pricing and comparative offers. This used to be the exclu sive domain of travel agencies, the search for fares, times, routes, seating, destinations and packages, through information networks that were unavailable to the public. Consumers do not have to queue at call centers, telephone or take a trip to High Street travel agencies, they can simply click online and search easy to find categories from their Internet browser. Online travel agents are able to offer 24 hour access to information that consumers can access and compare at any time, representing a boon to locating the best prices, dates, deals, destinations and packages. The online travel industry is just a decade old, however the impact of online agencies has been tremendous (Economist, 2005). The benefit of the Internet to consumers and travel providers such as airlines, hotels, car rentals and associated sectors is that it saves administrative costs enabling them to offer lower fares and rates (Economist, 2005). There are 37,600,000 internet users in the United Kingdom estimated for 2006 against a population of 60,000,000 people representing a 62.5% penetration rate with user growth rising by 144% between the period 2000 and 2006 (Internet World Stats, 2007a). The UK ranks 6th globally in the total number of Internet users (Internet World Stats, 2007b), and ranks 20th on terms of penetration rate (Internet World Stats, 2007c). Table 3 – Top 20 Countries with the Highest Number of Internet Users (Internet World Stats, 2007b) Rank Country Internet Users Population (2006 est.) Internet Penetration 1 United States 209,024,921 299,093,237 69.9% 2 China 123,000,000 1,306,724,067 9.4% 3 Japan 86,300,000 128,389,000 67.2% 4 Germany 50,616,207 82,515,988 61.3% 5 India 40,000,000 1,112,225,812 3.6% 6 United Kingdom 37,600,000 60,139,274 62.5% 7 Korea (South) 33,900,000 50,633,265 67.0% Table 4 Top 20 Countries with the Highest Number of Internet Users (Internet World Stats, 2007c) Rank Country Penetration (% Population) Internet Users Latest Data Population (2006 Est.) 1 Iceland 86.8% 258,000 297,072 2 New Zealand 76.3% 3,200,000 4,195,729 3 Sweden 74.9% 6,800,000 9,076,757 4 Portugal 74.1% 7,782,760 10,501,051 5 Australia 70.7% 14,663,622 20,750,052 6 Falkland Islands 70.4% 1,900 2,699 7 Denmark 69.4% 3,762,500 5,425,373 8 United States 69.3% 207,161,706 299,093,237 19 Netherlands 65.9% 10,806,328 16,386,216 20 United Kingdom 62.5% 37,600,000 60,139,274 The significance of these figures is that online travel agencies effectively are accessible to 62.5% of the UK population, which becomes more imposing when one considers that 16.7 million United Kingdom residents traveled outside of the country during 2006 (National Statistics, 2007). The utilization of travel outside the UK is utilized as internal country travel represents means generally using short air trips, train, car and coach for brief trips and stays and does not factor into the type of business profile utilized to a high percentage by High Street travel agencies. The impact of the Internet has caused a dramatic decrease in the number of brick and mortar travel agency locations in the United Kingdom as a result of shifting consumer booking patterns. During 2005, the intrusion of the Internet into the brick and mortar travel agency business caused 28 travel agency companies to fail, not to mention the numerous closing of the offices of the larger chains (m-travel.com, 2005). I n 2005, the number of brick and mortar travel agencies totaled 6,124, down considerably from the 7,513 in 1989 (m-travel.com, 2005). The good news is that cruise ship travel is up substantially, and the travel / tourism industry has been experiencing solid growth. However, the cruise ship segment is the sector of the industry that has shown the most dramatic gains. Lines such as Carnival, Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean have either ordered or put into service over 30 ships in a few years representing a tremendous capital investment (Prestige Travel Systems, 2007). The lure of cruise ships lies in their first class accommodations and immersing passengers into a totally contained package of luxury, gourmet meals, on ship shops, athletics, movies, entertainment, restaurants all while cruising to destinations. Carrying in the area of 4,000 passengers, with 10 to 15 decks, the typical cruise ship boosts in the area of 10 restaurants, 250 waiters, and most are the same size or larger than the Queen Mary 2 (Guardian Unlimited, 2006). Industry executives in the cruise ship sector report that projections in cruise ship travel forecast it to increase in 2007 (Cruise Critic, 2006). The growth of this segment is good news to brick and mortar travel agencies as airline travel booking has been and is shifting to the online sector. The airline travel segment as a result of the Internet, and user penetration in the UK, 62.5%, has seen an increase in online bookings to the point where it now registers 53%, according to a survey conducted by Accenture (2005). The Report stated that 63% of respondents have booked hotels online, and that nearly two-thirds of those responding to the survey indicating that they expect to increase their use of low cost airlines where price is the primary consideration (Accenture, 2005). One of the key facets uncovered is that consumers are highly price sensitive and that since the 2003 survey it was noted that there has been a significant shift to online bookings from a live agent (Accenture, 2005). Table 5 – Primary Method of Booking Business Travel (Accenture, 2005) Online 53% Phone with a live agent 27% In person 12% Other 8% Table 6 – Internet Use for Flight Arrangements (Accenture, 2005) Research flight times and availability 79% Purchase airline tickets 66% Update and or change reservations 28% Specify personal flight preferences 26% Airline check in 22% Access account history or receipts online 19% None of the above 12% Other 2% Table 7 – Personal Travel Preferences, Airline Type (Accenture, 2005) Major network carriers 48% Low cost airlines 46% Not applicable 5% Other 1% The foregoing indicates a high do it yourself mode in airline bookings whereby the comparisons are rather straight forward. Features incorporated into online sites such as arranging your own seating has proved to be extremely popular, as has the printing of boarding passes and tickets (Economist, 2005). In fact, many online travel agencies are offering more than simply travel tickets and accommodations. Some have gifts shopping, hotel ranking sites, comments from other travelers, tickets to events and more, all in the effort to make the experience personable and get consumers to either remain on the site longer or return (Economist, 2005). As indicated under Table 6 Internet Use for Flight Arrangements, 79% of Internet users utilize online sites to research flight times and availability, while 66% actually purchase tickets. Naturally the more comfortable one