Impact of Advertising on the Youth

Positive Effects Of Advertisement On Kids †¢Advertising makes the kids aware of the new products available in the market. It increases their knowledge about the latest innovations, in the field of technology as well as otherwise. †¢Convincing ads, which center around healthy food products, can help improve the diet of a child, if they are attractive enough. Negative Effects Of Advertisement On Kids †¢Advertisements encourage the children to persuade their parents to purchase the products shown in the commercials, whether useful or not.The little ones tend to get adamant, if they are not bought the product. †¢Children often tend to misinterpret the messages conveyed in commercials. They overlook the positive side and concentrate more on the negatives. †¢Many advertisements in the present times include dangerous stunts, which can be performed only by experts. Even though the commercials broadcast the statutory warnings with the ad, the kids often try to imitate the stunts at home, with fatal results. †¢The flashy advertisements broadcast in television generate impulse shopping in children. Children, after watching the glitter of commercials, often lose the ability to live a life without materialistic joy. †¢The kids usually get more attracted towards the costly branded products, such as jeans and accessories. They disregard the inexpensive, but useful, ones that are not shown in the commercials. †¢Advertisements have an indirect effect on the behavior of children. They might develop temper tantrums, when deprived of the latest toys and clothes that are shown in the commercials. †¢The personal preferences in clothing, toys, food and luxurious of children are altered by the advertisements, to a great extent. Junk foods, such as pizzas, burgers and soft drinks, are heavily promoted during children's TV viewing time. This develops a craving for fatty, sugary and fast foods in kids, thereby affecting their health adversely. Positive Effects of Advertisements on Kids 1) Advertising makes the kids aware of the new products available in the market. It increases their knowledge about the latest innovations, in the field of technology as well as otherwise. 2) Convincing ads, which center around healthy food products, can help improve the diet of a child, if they re attractive enough. Negative Effects Of Advertisement On Kids 1) Advertisements encourage the children to persuade their parents to purchase the products shown in the commercials, whether useful or not. The little ones tend to get adamant, if the product is not bought for them. 2) Children often tend to misinterpret the messages conveyed in commercials. They overlook the positive side and concentrate more on the negatives. 3) Many advertisements in the present times include dangerous stunts, which can be performed only by experts.Even though the commercials broadcast the statutory warnings with the ad, kids often try to imitate the stunts at home , with fatal results. 4) Flashy advertisements broadcast in television generate impulse shopping in children. 5) Children, after watching the glitter of commercials, often lose the ability to live a life without materialistic joy. 6) Kids usually get more attracted towards costly branded products, such as jeans and accessories. They disregard the inexpensive, but useful ones that are not shown in the commercials. ) Advertisements have an indirect effect on the behavior of children. They might develop temper tantrums, when deprived of the latest toys and clothes that are shown in commercials. 8) The personal preferences in clothing, toys, food and luxurious of children are altered by advertisements, to a great extent. 9) Junk foods, such as pizzas, burgers and soft drinks, are heavily promoted during children’s TV viewing time. This develops a craving for fatty, sugary and fast foods in kids, thereby affecting their health adversely.

Principles Ofpersonal Developement in Adult Social Care

UNIT 302PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ADULT SOCIAL CARE SETTINGS 1. 1 Reflective practices are when you review your own actions and experiences in your role, critically and constructively, with the intention of improving the way you conduct yourself The aim being to provide a better service in the future and personal improvement. 1. 2 Reflective practice is important in as much that it enables me to review real life situations I have been in, how I dealt with them, how I felt and the outcome of how I acted towards others all these will enable me to improve personally and improve the service I provide. . 3 Standards that are set, whether by Government or regulatory bodies are the level we should hope to achieve or improve on when conducting reflective practices. 1. 4 Your own values, beliefs and experiences can either work for or against you, it is important in a professional environment to have a balanced and neutral view on all situations. If you can’t take yourself a way from the situation you could for example get yourself in trouble by just not understanding a cultural difference.On a positive side your own personal experience may help to resolve a developing problem. 2. 1 Some people may react badly and see it as a criticism and become resentful, others will see if for what it is and take it on board improving themselves and therefore provide a better level of care. 2. 2 Feedback is a good way to find out how you are performing in your role, it will also indicate where you may need to improve. It can also raise self-esteem and improve staff moral as well as improve the service to the client. . 3 It is important to use feedback positively to improve yourself in your chosen role as the advice given is normally good and helps you see things that you do well and what you may need to do to improve in order to provide a better service to your clients and may well help you to understand better what is expected of you. 3. 1 A personal development pla n will give you an overview of your objectives, what position you are in now, what your strengths are and what areas need to improve to achieve your goals.It should also list who can help you locally, what qualification you may need and how to obtain them (what organisation can help), an action plan with a time scale. 3. 2 Sources of support could be your Matron, senior nurses, colleagues, job centres other support services, the first 3 would probably be on a more regular basis. 3. 3 Others can help you to review the position you are in now and what you may need to do to improve yourself in order to improve your position this could e your matron who can do appraisals, a senior nurse who may do an assessment or it could be an informal view from a colleague who may be able to constructively observe areas of you development. You could also do self- reviewing and assessments. 3. 4 A PDP helps you to map progress to your aims, and keeps track of your progress, it also helps you to reflec t on your achievements with a critical eye and can aid growth in confidence and development.

An Evaluation of the Factors Affecting the Online Shopping

Abstract Online shopping has grown rapidly in China over the last decade, yet there are only a few studies in Chinese context. This research focuses on B2C (Business to Customer) and C2C (Customer to Customer) to identify the factors that affect online shopping intention of consumers in both positive and negative aspects. However, there are some differences exist that influence online shopping intention among different countries.As a result, this essay evaluates the determinants of online shopping intention of Chinese consumers by comparing consumers in other countries, which will give an insight for online sellers to develop more competitive strategies in China. Contents Abstract Introduction1 Literature Review3 1. Global consumers6 1. 1 Main factors: price, convenience and risks6 1. 2 Additional factors7 2. Chinese consumers8 2. 1 Main factors: quality, delivery and payment security8 2. 2 Additional factors: social influence9 Conclusion11 Bibliography14 IntroductionThere are a grow ing number of people choosing online shopping and this growing trend has emerged all over the world over the last few decades. Online shopping is defined as â€Å"The act of purchasing products or services over the Internet† (Business dictionary, 2012). Similarly, iResearch (2011) defines it as â€Å"The process of transferring commodities or services from the merchant/seller to individual users (consumers) via the Internet. Such a process is called online shopping if any of its capital flow, logistics, or information flow involves the Internet. Benefiting from the rapid economic growth and the development of the Internet, online shopping has become increasingly prevalent in China. The amount of transactions in online shopping, accounts for 1. 1% in 2008 rising to 3. 3% in 2010 of China’s total retail sales of consumer goods (CNNIC, 2011). Moreover, the latest report illustrates that up to December 2012, the number of net citizens in China reached 513 million, of whic h online shoppers are 194 million and the figure has kept a steady development trend with an increase of 20. % compared to the end of 2011 (CNNIC, 2012). It can be seen that online shopping in China has experienced a robust growth and demonstrates a great potential when compared to mature online shopping markets, such as the USA, UK and Japan. However, the development of China’s online shopping has encountered some obstacles, such as the limitations found within delivery and payment systems (Liu, He, Gao, & Xie, 2008, p. 925 & p. 932).Moreover, most research into online shopping has focused on western countries, but very little research has been done in the Chinese context (Kau, Tang, & Ghose, 2003, p. 140; Liu, et al. , 2008, p. 921; So, Wong, & Sculli, 2005, p. 1225). Therefore, in order to reach its potential and to maintain the steady growth tendency of online shopping market in China, it is important to attempt to comprehend the issues influencing the online purchase int entions of Chinese consumers.Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate factors that signify the differences between online purchase intentions of Chinese and global online shoppers. This paper is structured as follows. The next section reviews the related literature about the issues relating to online shopping. Section 1 will identify which factors are prominent or auxiliary and may affect online shopping intention of global consumers while section 2 will compare Chinese consumers with global consumers and evaluate the significance of the differences.Literature Review The e-commerce industry has developed rapidly worldwide over the last few decades including the online shopping market in China which has experienced steady growth. Much research has tried to identify what the factors are and how they affect the online shopping purchase intention; however, a large proportion of these studies have been concerned about the West while only a few studies have focused on C hinese online shoppers and take into account the cultural impact (Kau, et al. , 2003, p. 140; Liu, et al. , 2008, p. 21; So, et al. , 2005, p. 1225). To allow the reader to better understand the factors affecting online shopping intention in China, this section will offer academic research reviews regarding this subject, including different theories, influential factors, and concerns relating to cultural differences. Since online shopping has become more popular, it has attracted widespread attention. Different models and theories have been adopted by many researchers to identify and examine the factors affecting online shopping intention or behaviours. The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)† have been frequently used (So, et al. , 2005, pp. 1226-1228). Chiu, Chang, Cheng and Fang (2009, p. 761) extended TAM â€Å"by introducing e-service quality dimensions, trust and enjoyment in the development of a theoretical model to study customers’ repurchase intentions of online shopping†. Similarly, Liao and Shi (2009, p. 5) conducted the related research which is also based on the TAM framework, but combined it with â€Å"environmental and social constructs to elucidate consumers’ attitude and behavioural intention to use e-retailing†. A number of studies have extensively discussed the factors influencing online shopping intention over many years. â€Å"Convenience, price savings, extensive information, enjoyment, and broad product selection are considered as major benefits of online shopping† (Fang, Chiu, & Wang, 2011 cited Childers et al. , 2001, p. 82). In addition, another research (Liao & Shi, 2009, p. 28) reveals that social influence, such as online consumer reviews or word of mouth play a significant role in affecting individual behavioural intention to shop online, which is consistent with the result of the research done by Chung and Shin (2 010, p. 473) and Lee, Park and Han (2011, p. 187-188). Moreover, many researchers suggest that â€Å"perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness† of shopping through the Internet are important antecedents of intentions (Chiu, et al. 2009, p. 763; Fang, et al. , 2011, p. 486; So, et al. , 2005, p. 1238). Even though online shopping brings some benefits to consumers which attract them to shop online, some factors have a negative effect on consumers’ purchase decision. For example, poor quality products and underdeveloped payment system; in particular, many researchers demonstrate that trust is a vital factor for online consumers to make purchase decisions. Xu, Zou and Wang (2006, p. 202) also point out that trust is considered to be the most important factor.In contrast, an earlier study suggests that in some countries the most important factor is price while trust is not as important as price (Kim, Xu, & Gupta, 2011 cited in Reibstein, 2002, p. 8). Recently, some res earchers have started paying more attention to the Chinese online shopping market and some comparative studies have been conducted in the context of online shopping in China due to the fast development of the Internet and rapid growth sales in online shopping. Areas covered include China and Japan (Atchariyachanvanich & Okada, 2006) and China and America (Ou, Sia, & Banerjee, 2007).It has been demonstrated that the differences between consumers in China and those in other countries, and namely issues dealing with product quality, logistic infrastructure, payment systems and social influence. This section has reviewed literature about the major theories used in research and some factors that research has suggested including the difference between China and other countries. In the following sections, this research will classify and evaluate the dynamic factors and related issues regarding consumers’ online shopping intentions by comparing China to some other countries. . Global consumers With the increasing intensified competition in online shopping, it is more essential than ever for online retailers to understand the factors affecting consumers’ intention in online shopping, which is critical to success. Therefore, a number of studies focusing on influential factors of online shopping appear in many published conference proceedings and journals. This section will categorize the issues influencing global consumers’ online shopping intentions. 1. 1 Main factors: price, convenience and risksThere are some factors which attract consumers to choose online shopping. Firstly, price has long been considered as a significant predictor when customer making a decision and e-commerce allows consumers to compare the prices across different online shops to find out the cheapest product easily (Kim, et al. , 2011, P. 1). Moreover, compared to traditional retail shops, internet-based shops have a cost advantage; as a result, they are able to offer their p roducts at a cheaper price than are available in traditional shops (Atchariyachanvanich & Okada, 2006, p. 281; Liao & Shi, 2009, p. 27). Secondly, many researchers also point out that as well as price the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are important factors to attract consumers to engage in online shopping (Chiu, et al. , 2009, p. 763; Fang, et al. , 2011, p. 486; So, et al. , 2005, p. 1238). For example, online shopping provides the opportunity for consumers to easily locate shops and products, especially convenient for target-oriented consumers who have already decided what they want to buy. (Fang, et al. , 2011, p. 485).On the other hand, even though online shopping brings some benefits and attracts some consumers, there are those that are aware of the risks involved and so this may lead to them rejecting it. Kau, Tang and Ghose (2003, p. 141) argue that those risks include: lack of security, the possibility of credit card fraud, uncertainty about the quality of p roducts, and return issues when the products are failed to meet consumers’ expectation. Moreover, due to the distances involved with online shopping and the fact that consumers are unable to touch or see the products seems to be an inherent perception of risk in shopping online (Kim, et al. 2011, p. 1; Kuhlmeier & Knight, 2005, p. 463). 1. 2 Additional factors Apart from the major factors mentioned above, some additional factors influence the intention of online shopping as well. First of all, the amount of availability of extensive information and choices in online shops which the traditional stores are unable to compete with. Therefore, the options of products available in conjunction with the very latest information being available are a relatively important attractant to online shopping over the traditional retail store (So, Wong and Sculli, 2005, p. 235). In addition, some other influential factors were identified by Kau, Tang and Ghose (2003, p. 140), Atchariyachanvanic h and Okada (2006, p. 2281) , and Fang, Chiu and Wang (2011, p. 482), such as time saving, time flexibility, real-time marketing offers, sharing other online customer reviews and enjoyment. Furthermore, Kuhlmeier and Knight (2005, p. 463) suggest that the more experience of using internet the more likelihood of the consumer to become an online shopper. 2. Chinese consumersSince neither can the existing knowledge of Chinese consumers’ behaviour on traditional shopping nor the reported findings about online shopping in other countries can be directly applied to the online shopping market in China; therefore, marketing strategies need to be tailored to the specific market (So, et al. , 2005, p. 1225). This section will highlight and address any differing issues influencing online shopping intention of Chinese consumers by conducting a comparison between Chinese consumers and consumers in other countries. 2. 1 Main factors: quality, delivery and payment security Liu, He, Gao and Xie (2008, p. 31) state that Chinese people are quite sensitive to price and like negotiating with sellers to achieve a satisfactory deal. Similarly, Atchariyachanvanich and Okada (2006, p. 2283-2285) believe that the main reason why Japanese and Chinese consumers shop online is for cheaper price; however, they add that cheaper price is not the most important reason affecting Chinese consumers’ online purchase intention, Chinese consumers rank the security of the website and the ability to read previous customers’ reviews at the top. It seems to highlight Chinese online shoppers’ uncertainty whether the products they buy re genuine and have good quality or not. Beside quality of products, delivery as another essential factor was concerned by Chinese consumers. Just as CNNIC (2012) shows in the 29th report that delivery is one of the main aspects causing consumer dissatisfaction of online shopping; more specifically, 12. 3%, 5% and 3. 6% of Chinese consumers were not satisfied due to delayed delivery, lost or damaged products and bad attitude of delivery staff respectively. As a matter of fact, Chinese logistic infrastructure lags behind some countries; particularly in terms of limited choices of delivery companies and long delivery time.In contrast, the US has a mature and efficient distribution network supporting online shopping, because outsourced third parties can provide professional services, such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. (Ou, et al. , 2007, p. 23). Research carried out by Xu, Zou and Wang (2006, p. 206) shows that online payment security is the most important factor which should be strengthened by e-commerce companies because online shoppers pay more attention to it. Additionally, unsound credit card payment system is more likely to cause financial risk and privacy leakage.In the US, using credit card is the most popular way to pay for online shopping, while in China is still cash payment due to the cash-based culture and immature cr edit card payment system (Ou, et al. , 2007, pp. 21-22). This results from the immature Internet technology which to a large extent impedes the development of online payment system in China. Consequently, the financial risk might be caused by underdevelopment online payment system, which is a significant reason leading to a decision to reject online shopping (Zhou, Dai, & Zhang, 2007, pp. 49 & 55). 2. 2 Additional factors: social influenceBased on Hofstede’s cultural model, online consumer behaviour can be predicted by five cultural difference dimensions, one of them is individualism – collectivism, for instance, America and New Zealand belong to individualism while China belongs to collectivism. This, in turn, has led to different online shopping behaviour among consumers belonging to Eastern and Western cultures (Zhou, et al. , 2007, p. 46). Several studies have revealed that people from a collectivist culture should be more easily influenced by people within their s ocial circles (Liao & Shi, 2009, p. 5). Consequently, social influence should not be ignored in the context of online shopping in China. On the one hand, human interaction cannot be fully satisfied in Internet-based shopping; therefore, it may not be easily accepted by Chinese which are more likely to enjoy interacting with others when shopping (So, et al. , 2005, p. 1237). In addition, it is very common in China that one tends to follow if friends or relatives are interested in online shopping (Liao & Shi, 2009, p. 27).Furthermore, online consumer reviews or electronic word of mouth as a specific way of social influence in the context of online shopping plays an important role in affecting online consumers to make purchase decision (Chung & Shin, 2010, p. 473; Lee, et al. , 2011, p. 188). It seems that social influence is an importance factor affecting online shopping intention of Chinese consumers. Conclusion This project reviewed literature regarding online shopping issues firstl y. It then classified some main factors and additional factors which influence global consumers to choose or not choose Internet-based shopping.Specifically, cheaper price and convenience of online shopping have positive effect in affecting global consumers’ online shopping intentions; however, some risks in terms of products, financial and private information are likely to cause the rejection of online shopping. Finally, it acknowledged and assessed the divergent issues affecting Chinese consumers’ online shopping intention with a comparative approach. Chinese consumers are quite different to global ones due to culture difference and deficiencies within payment and delivery sytems.For example, perheaps because of the high rate of counterfeit and inferior products, Chinese online shoppers pay more attention to the product quality than price. Moreover, in China the logistic infrastructure and payment system are less developed and less mature than in other developed coun tries and this brings greater fear to Chinese consumers to conduct online shopping. Additionally, social influence and associated information from previous consumers who express their opinions online about products and sellers are essential for the Chinese online consumers.As noted above, online shop retailers should not simply apply the existing knowledge about global online consumers to Chinese online shoppers, cultural differences must be taken into account, which is critical to their success and will benefit the development of online shopping market in China. (Words: 2507) Bibliography Atchariyachanvanich, K. , & Okada, H. (2006, 17-20 December 2006). A Study on Factors Affecting the Purchasing Process of Online Shopping: A Survey in China & Japan. Paper presented at the the 7th Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Conference, Bangkok, Thailand.Chiu, C. M. , Chang, C. C. , Cheng, H. L. , & Fang, Y. H. (2009). Determinants of customer repurchase intention in online shopping. Online Information Review, 33(4), 761-784. Chung, K. H. , & Shin, J. I. (2010). The antecedents and consequents of relationship quality in internet shopping. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 22(4), 473-491. Fang, Y. H. , Chiu, C. M. , & Wang, E. T. G. (2011). Understanding customers’satisfaction and repurchase intentions : An integration of IS success model, trust and justice. Internet Research, 21(4), 479-503. Kau, A. K. , Tang, Y. C.E. , & Ghose, S. (2003). Typology of online shoppers. Jouranal of Consumer Marketing, 20(2), 139-156. Kim, H. -W. , Xu, Y. J. , & Gupta, S. (2011). Which is more important in Internet shopping, perceived price or trust? Electronic Commerce Research and Applications. Kuhlmeier, D. , & Knight, G. (2005). Antecedents to internet-based purchasing: a multinational study. International Marketing Review, 22(4), 460-473. Lee, J. , Park, D. H. , & Han, I. (2011). The different effects of online consumer reviews on consum ers’purchase intentions depending on trust in online shopping malls.Internet Research, 21(2), 187-206. Liao, Z. Q. , & Shi, X. P. (2009). Consumer perceptions of internet-based e-retailing: an empirical research in Hong Kong. Journal of Services Marketing, 23(1), 24-30. Liu, X. , He, M. Q. , Gao, F. , & Xie, P. H. (2008). An empirical study of online shopping customer satisfaction in China: a holistic perspective. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 36(11), 919-940. Ou, C. X. J. , Sia, C. L. , & Banerjee, P. (2007). WHAT IS HAMPERING ONLINE SHOPPING IN CHINA?Information Technology Management, 18(1), 16-32. So, W. C. M. , Wong, T. N. D. , & Sculli, D. (2005). Factors affecting intentions to purchase via the internet. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 105(9), 1225-1244. Xu, H. J. , Zou, X. W. , & Wang, H. S. (2006). Consumers'attitudes of e-commerce in China. Scholarship and Professional Work – Business, 7(2), 202-207. Zhou, L. , Dai, L. W. , ; Zhang, D. S. (2007). ONLINE SHOPPING ACCEPTANCE MODEL— A CRITICAL SURVEY OF CONSUMER FACTORS IN ONLINE SHOPPING. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 8(1), 41-62.

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Responsibilities of a Team in Managing Resources Assignment

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Imagine you are writing a textbook chapter for criminology students, Essay

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In-house production - Article Example Globalization is both a cause and a result of the modern information revolution. It is driven by dramatic improvements in telecommunications, incredible increases in computing power, and the development of information networks, such as the Internet. These technologies are helping to overcome the barriers of physical distance. With what results' According to its proponents, globalization can be a whirlwind of trade and investment that builds economies and spurs development in even the world's poorest countries. For example, during the 1990's alone, foreign investors have poured one'trillion dollars into developing economies. This phenomenal increase in international investment has made the building of roads, airports, and factories possible in poorer nations. Globalization has indeed been a force that has raised living standards for some across the world. Peter Sutherland, chairman of the Overseas Development Council, says that "until recently, it took at least two generations for living standards to double, but in China, living standards now double every 10 years" (as quoted by Bendor-Samuel, 24). Globalization is perceived as bringing unprecedented opportunities to billions of people. The staggering expansion of world trade has induced a wave of productivity and efficiency and has created new'jobs. Its critics,Its critics, however, counter that globalization can also bring down economies overnight. A few clicks of a computer mouse can devalue a national currency very quickly, washing away the life savings of millions of breadwinners. Ominous words from the mouth of an influential Wall Street analyst can instantly cause a herd of panicked investors to sell their stocks in Asia, creating a huge capital vacuum that could eventually drive millions into poverty. A board of directors can decide to close a plant in Mexico and open up one in Thailand instead-creating jobs in Asia while condemning hundreds of families in Latin America to destitution. Certainly, as governments from different countries try to get into the bandwagon of globalization, outsourcing has been the main focus of many government officials when it comes to the shift of industrial culture that their own countries have to take. However, outsourcing has not been so much of an accepted agreement for everyone, especially for the local workers in the United States. What are the reasons behind this' What really is outsourcing and how does this economic strategy affect the whole working force of the business industries' The Truth behind Outsourcing Strategies Universally, globalization has placed great pressure on working people as governments force down wages and labor standards in an attempt to attract foreign investment with the promise of low costs. While some newly industrialized countries have profited from increased exports as a result of freer global trade, poorer nations have been largely excluded from the feast. Along with this, the economic enthusiasts saw the possibilities of using the low-cost options of taking the skills of other poorer countries in becoming a part of the work force of their growing economies. It all seemed so practical at first; however, some considerations placed some pressures on the matter. True, the skills of the third world communities are

Low-Cost US Airline - Southwest Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Low-Cost US Airline - Southwest - Research Paper Example   This is mainly because of the fact that Southwest airline has adopted various low-cost strategies such as Website reservations and ticketless travel, employee buyout programs, low depreciation costs and administrative expenses, cancellation of flights at profitable routes due to unfilled capacity and use of similar planes at other destinations with temporary higher load factor and other practices etc. Indeed, the company has received the tremendous response in the domestic US market where sales increased considerably because of repeat customers who always enjoy the experience by travelling through Southwest Airlines. The company usually adds 1-2 new cities every year as part of an expansion and sustainable development strategy. After thoroughly reading the case, the researcher has discovered the following three managerial and strategic issues that need to be addressed for betterment and enhancement of Southwest’s business in upcoming years. The first major issue is increasing in oil prices in the international market followed by economic recession after the credit crunch and a debacle of US subprime property mortgage scheme. It is worthwhile to mention that Southwest Airlines would have to face bleak scenario and an extremely challenging business environment in upcoming quarters of 2008 – 2009 because the higher crude oil prices increased inflation followed by the decline in real purchasing power of US consumers. Obviously, this later would lead to production and consumption, thereby resulting in closures of industries. The unemployment would increase, shatter consumer confidence and adversely affect the airline industry for which survival had become the sole priority in 2008. In short, Southwest might not be able to maintain its load factor, average fare revenue per customer and current operating expense structure in 3rd quarter onwards. There is the greater probability that demand for air travel would decrease that might lead to losses to Southwest. An economic recession is an uncontrollable factor because unemployment increases and consumption falls during the recessionary cycle. For instance, the contraction in business activities also reduces the demand for business travelling followed by a steep decline in leisure travelling because of high price elasticity.  Ã‚  

A chance meeting and exciting news Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

A chance meeting and exciting news - Essay Example In addition, there new partnership opportunity offers Per Diem expenses and travel allowances that are paid by the client, meaning that the there will be minimal or even no business expenses that the partners will have to meet at their personal cost. While this opportunity seems to be very promising, there is one major worry though. The fact that the new prospective engineering consulting company has secured a contract for 12 months only poses the danger of the likelihood of a future job and financial crisis, on the event that the contract is not renewed. This would mean that the three partners would be left jobless and without a source of finance to support their lives. Consequently, it is important that a concrete plan is laid down to ensure that the new engineering consulting opportunity goes beyond the single contract that has been secured into a fully-fledged engineering consulting entity that will obtain more contracts from different clients. This way, the future of the new opportunity will be secured, which means that the business opportunity will become sustainable. Therefore, the plan for developing new partnership firm will entail: The opportunity cost analysis assesses the value of the opportunity than an individual has to forego, in order to pick on an alternative opportunity (Lauer, 14). On the other hand, the Cost Benefit Analysis is applied towards assessing the benefits and the costs that the new opportunity has to offer, and then comparing between the costs and the benefits, to determine whether to take the new opportunity or not. Where the costs are more than the benefits, then the new opportunity should not be taken. However, where the benefits of the new opportunity supersede the costs, then the new opportunity can be taken. In this respect, the first stage in the process of developing new partnership firm entails a personal reflection in relation to the question; what is my ultimate goal for my career and

A critical Literature Review of academic support through tutorials for Assignment

A critical Literature Review of academic support through tutorials for student nurses - Assignment Example For one thing, the ratio between the teachers and the taught may be overwhelming and secondly, infra-structural and settings may not favour a one to one interfacing between the teachers and the taught. Besides, online tutorials, although convenient may not be readily available and under graduate students may not be conversant with the modalities of online learning, unless trained and guided by seniors, till such time, required degree of proficiency is attained. Therefore, effective academic support from tutors is an integral part of the study in order to achieve a positive result. â€Å"Tutorial, a term often used in the computer related training, refers to an instructional lesson that leads the user through key features and functions of things such as software applications, hardware devices, processes, system designs, and programming languages. The tutorial typically is set up as a series of steps that progress through levels of difficulty and understanding.† (Computer programming software terms, glossary and dictionary-T, 2010). Changes within the educational system cause many students to move out without proceeding for higher education. The components of changing educational systems bring limitations to the students and they find it to be very difficult to meet the requirements during the study. In the area of nursing, it has been found that many of the nursing students are not interested in proceeding with their study because of the current changing educational systems. They are being dropped out of the program after a few years of the diploma level of nursing. One of the solutions that have been established for those who are interested in nursing is to seek help of tutors. â€Å"Students require a higher level of personal and emotional support and â€Å"increasingly both academic and personal tutoring roles are being merged, and academic problems are often a front for an underlying personal issue.† (BMAF annual conference

Internet Banking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Internet Banking - Assignment Example Internet banking is offered today by all leading banks in UK, though the extent of usage and the features offered by the banks vary and is limited. Internet is available at more than 42% of the homes in UK in 2002 (National Statistics, 2002). Internet is now being used by more than 50% of the population in the UK from their home and they are connected reasonably high speeds of connectivity which enables them to make use of any of the currently available service on the net. Internet banking however has not been adopted by about 30% of the customers to a larger extent. While most of the people make use of the internet banking to look up their balances and to see whether the expected credit or debit has taken place. This avoids may be a walk down to the bank or possibly a call to know the status of the account. Most of the banking customers do not use internet banking for money transfers on large scale. Still they believe on old instruments like the cheques or the other standing instruc tions though they are getting implemented using electronic means more and more. It is also true still that most people access internet to access their emails and of course do some shopping. In UK 70% of the people use it for email and for seeking information on products and services; while 60% come in only to do general browsing. The number of people using internet for banking is pretty limited. Paying or purchasing over the internet which would also be using services of the bank is around 38% of the adults. The adult group itself is about 55% of all adults who are in UK who really access the internet. Out of the population this is still a minority since most of the young between 14 and 20 years access the internet much more widely than the rest of the groups. Interactive systems are a fusion of People, Activities, Contexts and Technologies (David Benyon et al, Nov 2004). The usage spread in UK also indicates the design of the internet and the sites thereof, are dependent on the psychology of the human beings using the same. This is naturally, dependent on the age of the user and on the aims of the user. That is why, we find more people using it for emails in the case of adults whereas among the younger lot, we find that the usage is more towards education and other browsing activities. The Interactive systems need to necessarily take care of this variation in interest and should also keep in mind the adult concepts of security which is primary for internet banking exercises. Usage issues in Internet Banking Most of the banking sites are pretty secure at 128 bit encryption. They are also designed in line with the principles of interactive design. Most of the sites do not go beyond the 4 colors doctrine which is recommended for usage in any web site. By using up to a maximum of four colors, the site is easier to read or work on and do not cause any irritation to the user. Internet banking continues to be a query point where people tend to go and check their balances and possible credits or debits only. Transactions are not happening as expected though it is easier to do over the net. Some of the issues that are faced by the customers include: 1. Comfort of use for lay men. Human centered

Objectives Essay Example for Free

Objectives Essay 1. Goal is a Long-term end toward which programs or activities are directed. Goals are general and include no date of completion. Organizations are usually formed with the aim of achieving specific goals. These goals usually determine the direction that the organization will take over the long term and are not always very specific. Goals of organizations operating in the private sector generally revolve around the maximization of profits for the owners. However, some organizations also have other objectives that they may pursue in the short term. Objective is a specific, measurable, intermediate end that is achievable, sometimes measurable, and marks progress towards a goal. Objectives are action-orientated statements demonstrating the means to achieve a goal. Objectives often serve as the principles of setting up policies and evaluating the performance. An effective way to set objectives is to follow the well known acronym SMART. A SMART objective is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time scaled. An objective that follows SMART is more likely to succeed because it is clear (specific) so you know exactly what needs to be achieved. You can tell when it has been achieved (measurable) because you have a way to measure completion. A SMART objective is likely to happen because it is an event that is achievable. Before setting a SMART objective relevant factors such as resources and time were taken into account to ensure that it is realistic. Finally the timescale element provides a deadline which helps people focus on the tasks required to achieve the objective. The timescale element stops people postponing task completion. Policy is generally principles creating the course of action or way in which programs and activities are coordinated to achieve an identified goal or objective, supporting the action of the objectives. Scotia Airways is actually doing well at setting up goals, objectives and policies, it has set up several good goals: 1. Consumer goal is pertaining to the customer, Scotia Airways aims to provide exceptional value for money, unparalleled comfort and convenience to its passengers, every time they are on board; 2. Operational goals are the short-term tactics designed to achieve the company’s long-term strategy. The management team within Scotia have worked meticulously in planning and evaluating their services to ensure that customer focus in the primary driver of business success; 3. Product goals are related to the quality, amount and service. This kind of goal is really important to Scotia Airways because they are doing a lot of work on service. They now offer several value added services. 4. Secondary goals. After the above important goals are achieved in the future, Scotia Airways may have to setup this kind of goal such as ameliorate their relationship between staffs and management estates. The investors in Scotia Airways have set an ambitious program for expansion over the next five years to include long haul destinations, it’s a very important objective for Scotia Airways. Scotia Airways has a wide ranging reward policy. After finishing the supervision of work amounts, in sales apartment employee’s work performance increase an extra by 30% in a period of three months. By this way, Scotia Airways can motivate their staffs greatly. Organization In system theory, an open system is a system which continuously interacts with its environment or surroundings. The interaction can take the form of information, energy, or material transfers into or out of the system boundary, depending on the discipline which defines the concept. An open system is contrasted with the concept of an isolated system which exchanges neither energy, matter, nor information with its environment. The concept of an open system was formalized within a framework that enabled one to interrelate the organism, thermodynamics, and evolutionary theory. This concept was expanded upon with the advent of information theory and subsequently systems theory. Today the concept has its applications in the natural and social sciences. 3. Organizations have a formal structure which is the way that the organization is organized by those with responsibility for managing the organization. They create the formal structures that enable the organization to meet its stated objectives. Such as Marketing Department, Finance Department in Scotia Airways are all formal organizations. Actually Scotia Airways Co. is a formal organization. However, in the course of time an informal structure develops in most organizations which is based on the reality of day-to-day interactions between the members of the organization. This informal structure may be different from that which is set out on paper. Such as Scotia Airways may hold a party and employ some guards just for that party day. 4. Stakeholders are many different individuals or groups who affect or are affected by an organization. Stakeholders have an interest in a particular organization. External stakeholders: A party such as a customer, supplier, or lender that influences and is influenced by an organization but is not a member of it. Customers always enjoy better service. Since Scotia Airways’ major income is from its customers, it should change its service according to its customers’ demands. Internal Stakeholders: Individuals who reside inside the company as board members, executives, managers, employees, and trade unions and who benefit directly from their contributions to the growth of the company. In management estates, administrators always try to come up with better ideas making more profits for their companies and motivate their staffs to work harder. 5. Control often has an emotive connotation and is interpreted in a negative manner to suggest direction or command by the giving of orders. People may be suspicious of control systems and see them as emphasizing punishment, as an indication of authoritarian management and as a means of exerting pressure and maintaining discipline. In my opinion, since Scotia Airways doesn’t have many staffs right now and they are planning to expand their companies, I suggest they separate them into several groups and set up different objectives for each group. It’s also important to enhance motivation for staffs. They can hold some parties and informal organizations increasingly.

Category Specific Impairments in Recognition and Naming

Category Specific Impairments in Recognition and Naming Category specific impairments in recognition and naming: fact or not? - Question: What’s black and white and looks like a horse? Answer: Hmmmmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..a black and white horse? Question: What do you call a guy who can’t tell the difference between an apple and a barn? Answer: Uhhhh.†¦ what’s the name for a thing with two legs, two arms and a head and, well, they look familiar†¦ they are, like, everywhere†¦ oh, I give up†¦ - Introduction to a Both Sides of an Issue In the above riddles the answers may seem strikingly obvious almost anyone. That is, anyone except what is termed â€Å"semantic impairments† in which there is a marked disability of the individual to pair up the meaning of what they see (visual semantic disorders), hear (auditory semantic disorders) or even touch (tactile semantic disorders) with the ability to identify the object. This represents essentially a disconnection between what a person knows and what they can readily express. As there are numerous specific documented cases such as those studied in Capitani, Laiacona, Mahon Caramazza’s review of 79 patients for the purpose of assessing the ‘division’ line of the impairment with regards to specific semantic categories such as â€Å"animate/living† and â€Å"inanimate/artifact†-type items (Capitani, Laiacona, Mahon, Caramazza 2003, p.213). In a different setting, Tyler and Moss present the interesting case of â€Å"DrO†, a 61-year old male who suffered particular deficits with regard to abstract words (i.e., love, hope, trust vs. concrete words such as bird, cup, etc.) following a cerebro-vascular incident. This study thoroughly details a number of testing procedures to compare his abilities to a group of peers as well as significant data in regards to his perceptual acuities such as hearing and vision. In their investigation, these utilize DrO as a literal test bed against the various theories regarding ‘traditional’ category-specific deficit disorders and the way that words and ideas might be encoded into memory. In the end, though DrO looks like a â€Å"classic† case of category-specific deficit, the researcher conclude that it is more likely to due an auditory ‘input’ problem in which they endorse the model proposed by Plaut Shallice in which concrete words are posited to ha ve greater semantic features, that is, they are easier to ‘grab on to’, and thus typically evidence faster recall and recognition (Tyler Moss, 1997, p. 315). Though it seems clear that cases exist which exhibit the phenomena of category-specific disorders, as the above example of the case of DrO indicates, things may not always be what they seem as it is not necessarily the memory that is at fault but more likely the ‘connections’ that allow one to have full mastery of the information stored in one’s own brain. In Support of Category Specific Disorders†¦ To begin, one must understand that the brain is essentially a storage bin of some sort for intangible inputs and outputs. The real trick of the matter is to know the nature of the bins†¦ specifically, how are they divided and how do they function? What is the hierarchy or taxonomy of stored sensory information? Are experiences broken down into the different sensory components? Is it stored chronologically? Most of these eclipse the current state of knowledge yet, by carefully observing the output, an idea can be formed about how the system might work. It is by these means that the idea of a category-specific impairment came to be when researchers noted, in ‘normal’ subjects, a difference in picture identification between natural objects and other artifacts suggesting that memories were stored or accessed according to some categorical hierarchy (Humphreys, Price Riddoch, 1999, p.118). Issues such as these manifest themselves in the classic ‘naming difficultyâ €™ tests such as the patient who was presented with a picture of celery and responded, â€Å"†¦it is green and you have it as a main course†¦ I dip it in salt†. This type of response, in which the subject demonstrated extensive knowledge about the object, was heard numerous times as the issue of category-specific impairment certainly seemed to be a logical explanation that fit the theory of memory in which data is separated and stored in logical â€Å"bins† to retrieve on cue later (Humphreys, Price Riddoch, 1999, p.122). Operating under the assumption that such a disorder exists, one interesting aspect that the categories while logically infinite seem to limit themselves to a comparatively very few key groups: biological categories (possibly subdivided into ‘animals’), food (often fruits vegetables) and artifact-type items with musical instruments a popular sub-category (Capitani, et al. 2003, pp. 225, 235-244). In terms of the type of impairment reflecting the proposed model, the most frequently occurring impairment has exhibits a disability to retrieve information related to the properties of an object or its associative knowledge of the item in a given category (Capitani, et al. 2003, pp. 228-229). One potential rationale for the division of categories is the within-category similarity of items. For example, categories such as â€Å"musical instruments† or â€Å"animals† have a greater perceived degree of within group similarity than categories such as â€Å"jewelryâ⠂¬  or â€Å"beverages†. Accordingly, this same justification can be utilized to rationalize the breakdown of particularly large heterogeneous categories such as â€Å"animate/living† (Sartori Lombardi, 2004, pp. 441-442, 446). Additional insights are provided when one observes impairments in items that have both â€Å"functional† and â€Å"perceptual† qualities such as would be the case in which deficits were observed in both musical instruments and living objects, thus defying the heretofore idea that deficits were limited to semantic ‘categories’. Based upon these findings, it has been hypothesized that the perspective of perceptual attributes are primary memory sorting parameters and then category-specific attributes (i.e., living vs. non-living) play a potential secondary role (Devline et al. 1998, pp. 77-78). Also, the idea that categories such as â€Å"living things† are stored/recalled by perceptual attributes while inanimate objects are stored/recalled by â€Å"functional† attributes, thereby establishing a fit for perceptual and functional priorities (Berndt, 2003 , p. 101). A popular understanding of the brain is that functions are laid out ‘topographically’ such that differing item attributes are focused in different physical locations in the cortex. Though it may seem overly simplistic, there is research to support a topographical model as evidenced by imaging studies that have demonstrated a different location of activity for living versus non-living items (Humphreys Riddoch, 2003, p. 263). Consistent with the topographical view is the â€Å"sensory/functional theory† one of the early hypothesis on how memory ‘works’ with regard to category-specific impairments. According to this theory, experiential data is organized in the brain by sensory modality and, secondly, that the primary differentiation in stimuli is determined by its sensory or perceptual properties and by its functional attributes (Caramazza Shelton, 1998, p. 4). Despite some support, a problem with these models occurs in the cases of non-focal, widely distributed legions such as those produced by Alzheimer’s or Herpes simplex encephalitis patients have produced the same type of category-specific deficit as would be expected with a highly localized lesion (Devline et al. 1998, p. 78). In attempting to explain cases from this theoretical perspective, category-specific disorder cases similar to DrO in which the problem was believed to be an ‘input’ or ‘processing’ failure, a key factor is that the impairment should not be mode-specific in that the issue should reside at the â€Å"semantic† node from which all inputs and outputs pass. That being the case, for a case to be a ‘real’ category-specific disorder, the problem should be isolated to instances in which the stimulus is presented not just in a solely audible or visual form (Caramazza Shelton, 1998, p. 13). Explaining Things Based on the existence of category-specific disorder, Humphreys and Riddoch began to seek to postulate a model that would explain the myriad complexities of both normal and deviate cases. Extending from the information presented previously on the division of categories, researchers suggest that perceptual and functional memory associations are recalled by correlated perceptual features. For example, â€Å"has a trunk† is likely to be highly correlated with an elephant whereas â€Å"has four legs†, while quite accurate, does not exude the same strength as the previous descriptor (Sartori Lombardi, 2004, p. 439; Humphreys Riddoch, 2003, p.265). This model is referred to as the â€Å"distributed semantics† model as a consequence of the features of memory being stored in numerous ‘places’. Taking this model a step further, Humphrey and Riddoch proffer the Hierarchical Interactive Theory (HIT) the allows the use of a flexible (but fairly standard) metho d of categorization by individual. In this model, there is a hierarch of processing levels that include, â€Å"the structural description system through to the semantic representations [functional attributes]†¦ or names†. With such a structure, one the means by which it differs from the distributed semantics or other models is that is acknowledges ‘up-front’ that processing can occur at level rather than a fixed ‘processing spot’ (Humphreys Riddoch, 2003, pp.266-267). In summary, though memory is, at best, only a partially understood concept, the existence of disorders such as category-specific impairments provide researchers with both a challenge and the key to solving a portion of the puzzle. By understanding the dynamics of what can happen when the system is ‘working right’, one has the opportunity observe the differences. Works Consulted Capatani, E., Laiacona, M., Mahon, B. Caramazza,A. (2003). What are the Facts of Semantic Category-Specific Deficits? A Critical Review of the Clinical Evidence. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 20 (3,4,5,6), 213-261. Caramazza, A. Shelton, J. (1998). Domain-Specific Knowledge Systems in the Brain: The Animate-Inanimate Distinction. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 10 (1), 1-34. Devlin, J., Gonnerman, L., Andersen., E., Seidenberg, M. (1998). Category-Spefic Semantic Deficits in Focal and Widespread Brain Damage: A Computational Account. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 10 (1), 77-94. Humphreys, G., Riddoch, M. (2003). A Case Series Analysis of â€Å"Category-Specific† Deficits of Living Things: The HIT Account. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 20 (3,4,5,6), 263-306. Humphreys, G., Price, C. Riddoch, M. (1999). From Objects to Names: A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach. Psychological Research, (62), pp. 118-130. Sartori, G. Lombardi, L. (2004). Semantic Relevance and Semantic Disorders. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 16 (3), 439-452. Sloan-Berndt, R. (2003). Lexical-Semantic Aspects of Language Disorders. In K. Heilman E. Valenstein (Eds.), Clinical Neuroscience, 4th Edition. (pp. 92-107). New York, New York: Oxford University Press. Tyler, L. Moss, H. (1997). Imageability and Category-specificity. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 14 (2), 293-318.

Building Maintenance Review for University

Building Maintenance Review for University Strategy As Plymouth University strives to distinguish its legacy through excellence in facility offerings, the maintenance of such structures becomes an essential part of the strategy. Refurbishment has already been undertaken across the campus in the past five years, as major additions and facelifts have offered dimension and expanded capabilities for an expanding student and faculty body. Ultimately in the preservation of this legacy, a proactive revision to campus maintenance is needed, one which will ensure that the lifecycle costs of the multiple structures are limited and appropriate. Reactionary maintenance programmes dramatically detract from such principles; therefore, by following the programmed outlined herein, officials will effectively navigate the broad spectrum of repair and maintenance projects which will develop in the coming decades. Exemplary of campus revisions in the past several years, perhaps the most noticeable addition has been that of the Roland Levinsky building. A remarkable new structure boasting 12,711m2 of spatial area and housing an expanded Faculty of the Arts, this building is representative of all that the university plans for the future of the campus faà §ade and its legacy. These developments include meritorious architecture, active facility management, and long term preservation techniques as structural retention among both new and historic participants becomes an essential part of the long term process. Supplemental rehabilitations and expansions have included the Rolle Building development and the Nacy Astor building programme. A combined total area of over 11,000 m2, these two structures represent a campus evolution which retains history while at the same time, boasts a progressive vision. Incorporating new student housing and offers substantial revisions to common areas, sports facilities, and office space, the maintenance of such facilities will become a pivotal role in the university reputation for quality and consistency. To define appropriate and effective maintenance strategies, it become essential to identify the structural frailties which will be encountered over the coming years. A case study conducted of homes in the Midlands area determined that the predominant cause of structural deterioration is underground movement and shifting, while material defects and superstructure decay fill in the remaining sources.[1] Recognising that such variables are essential to maintenance of a building’s lifecycle directs the maintenance programme towards structural components, specifically those of the super and substructures and their material integrity. In considering that maintaining only such areas would not fully integrate the much broader aesthetic and range of functional components within university buildings, there are other factors which must be considered as well. Similar surveys and studies have identified inadequacy defects within the structure itself which stem from roofing failure (42.9%), walls and column deficiencies (21.2%), lintel failure (18.5), and beam and joist overloading (17.5%).[2] These components broaden the scope of maintenance operations; however, recognition of their frailties and the potential for system-wide failure given component collapse enables maintenance crews to seriously consider structural deviance and proactively reform and refurbish according to the prescribed strategy. Determining which areas will offer the greatest challenge and thereby warrant the most attention becomes a more difficult task. Material defects are also of considerable concern when designing a maintenance programme, as deterioration stemming from biological, chemical, and physical attack can substantially reduce the longevity of a structure and dramatically increase long term maintenance costs.[3] Understanding that while new structures may incorporate the most advanced materials and construction techniques, recognition of material failure, could highlight additional system deviance such as elemental concerns that undermine functional operation of the building. Similarly, within historic campus structures, the potential for material deterioration is substantially higher, detracting from longevity and reducing functionality without proactive initiatives. Perhaps the most substantial concern given the prevalence of inclement weather, identifying key seepage points and wet areas will assist maintenance crews in stopping problems before they increase in both cost and severity. The maintenance cost of wet areas within a building’s substructure can extract between 35 and 50% of a building’s annual maintenance cost, in spite of their limited area occupation (10% in most cases).[4] Within the structural elements which are contained in wet areas, studies have demonstrated that there are three main causes of system failure, highlighting water leakages, corrosion of pipes, and the spalling of concrete as substantial modes of foundation decay.[5] From this perspective, regular maintenance and constant evaluation of wet area structures will also be an essential part of the maintenance programme. The team involved in such initiatives must be one of substantial talent, including abilities directly related to those concerns which will most occupy their time, including routine building maintenance, minor construction, repair, and general upkeep. An in-house team whose number is dictated by the scope of the short term maintenance programme should be able to assume the role of daily operator in terms of duties such as light bulb replacement, leak management in pipe couplings, plumbing blockage, door hinge failure, minor boiler issues, tap washer changes, sign erection, and a host of other duties. Along these lines, internal team members must be coached in awareness faculties, ensuring that they can recognise and act when presented with system frailties or structural deviance. Such identification should include slipped tiling, dampness and wet areas, unnatural ageing, rot or mould, cracking, discolouration, and many other signs that the integrity of each building is being negativel y affected by some element. These in house participants should also be versed in decoration and design principles, enabling their participation in an ongoing aesthetic awareness programme where they adjust and alter the decorum to suit university objectives. In spite of the high costs associated with emergency repairs, the best maintenance programme cannot prevent their incidence; therefore maintenance contracts must be designed to ensure cost effectiveness while at the same time encourage a rapid response time. Such partnerships should entail a specific cost basis dependent on the required task, and revolve around a long term relationship in which the maintenance contractors become familiar with the university. A twenty-four hour guideline should be in place for response rates; however, given a major system failure such as a boiler break or plumbing backup, emergency teams must be immediately available. The maintenance programme will entail a rotation of short, medium, and long term tasks, each assigned to either an in-house participant or contracted to an external maintenance team. As these responsibilities happen at regular intervals, long term contracts can remain in place on a specific rotation to ensure that participants are acting proactively and in accordance with the programme needs, not reaction based hiring. Teams should be qualified according to skill set and appropriateness for the stage of the maintenance programme, ensuring that contractor responsibilities do not exceed their scope of normal operation. As structural and systematic problems are identified during the regular review periods and daily operations, maintenance teams must recognise the severity of the damage or wear on the structure and inform a supervisory team of their findings. From this control position, the team will either instruct on internal repair or will hire out the duty to an outside firm. Managin g costs through the maintenance chain will ensure that the university meets their long term cost objectives and yet remains active in the scope of their building maintenance. Maintenance Policy Review To develop an effective maintenance programme, the university must adopt a perspective of preventative maintenance, one which while often perceived as costly in the short term, will dramatically reduce the systematic failure in the long term. Holmes and Droop (1982) recognised that periodic maintenance is most often directed according to budget instead of aligning with the needs of the building in question.[6] As university expenditure expectations are oftentimes maligned with real working scenarios, the determination of a predictive budget and maintenance policy will enable referral and discussion to be directed towards a proactive scenario. The reality is that instead of developing a systematic maintenance framework, decision makers will often choose to weigh budgeting concerns against the severity of the needed service prior to attempting any form of work.[7] Maintenance of a university campus is not about severity or reactionist tendencies. Instead, the maintenance of school faci lities must be directed towards a long term focus of preservation and conservation, ensuring that sustainability is an ultimate objective. The following charts detail the short, medium, and long term focus through which maintenance projects will directly reduce the overall cost basis for renovation and repair over the life of school structures. The representative building is the Reynolds Building, although this plan could be repositioned for any of the many structures on campus with minimal adjustment. In spite of the fact that the costing data is only a general estimate, it places into perspective just how overwhelming major projects can be. Therefore, following a set maintenance plan and integrating professional labour to ensure its validity will enable the university to reduce costs and adequately maintain their diverse structural offering. It should be noted that all three sections contain a complete interior and exterior survey during which any potential problems are identified long before they become emergency repairs. Such analyses should be performed by a licensed surveyor and entail differing levels of comprehensiveness according to the length of time in between reviews. This process is essential to the preventative maintenance scheme of the university, as in spite of other review, the educated perspective of the surveyor could catch concerns before they escalate into much larger challenges. The relatively low cost of this process would be escalated if problems were found; however, the overall long term savings due to a proactive methodology is substantial Short Term Costs The following chart details the short term maintenance costs which will enhance the overall operations of university buildings while at the same time ensure that major systems are checked and repaired prior to major collapse. For the purpose of this plan, short term can be considered a one to two year variable in which the repetition of action is essential to preventative techniques. Each of these segments will not individually contribute to costly renovations; however, when considered as a unit, the cost basis for rehabilitating a distressed structure would be substantial and should be avoided at all costs. Primary Systems Maintenance To begin to exploit the systems which most influence the structural security and stability of a building, a composite of form and function must be evaluated and long term costs prohibited. The key systems within the university building structures include heating and cooling systems, gutters and down pipes and fire protection tools. Aligning these systems around a schedule of regular repair will elongate the life of these instrumental participants and ensure that building stability is upheld. The consideration within this model for gutters and down pipes as essential modes of preservation is directly due to the nature of groundwater seepage and runoff. In order to ensure a long lifecycle for each structure, the water diversion systems must be intimately linked to a maintenance schedule. By cleaning on a 6 month frequency, maintenance technicians are ensuring that any foreign debris that might have filled those units, particularly during the Autumn season, is removed prior to more wet and rain-filled weather. Secondly, ensuring that heating and cooling systems operate at maximum efficiency over their lifecycle assists the university budget on many levels. First and foremost, efficiency measures reduce the overall energy costs associated with maintaining an appropriate temperature within the structure. As global concern regarding energy usage continues to overwhelm headlines and Parliamentary initiatives, complying with social and political expectations places the university at the forefront of ‘green’ supporters. Alternately, when considering the costs of unit replacement in comparison with the minor costs of unit overhaul and monitoring, the potential for unforeseen budgeting problems is very prevalent. Through preventative maintenance on these units which includes a cleaning of the ducts and system components in addition to oiling the motor and replacing belts, the university will ensure that systems operate at extreme efficiency. This maintenance should be done in accordan ce with season frequencies, including the Winter and Summer seasons during which units will be taxed to their maximum capacity. Secondary Systems Maintenance Within the scope of this maintenance schedule, there are other systems which are essential for appropriate functioning of building operations as well as those, that if not well maintained, can cause higher long term costs for the university. Lighting, weather proofing, and drainage are all within this category, and although their functions can easily be considered a primary concern to daily campus life, their long term impact on the university budget is limited in the scope of material costs and lifecycle. Lighting replacement and repair is an essential step to ensuring that daily operations are performed in an attractive and well supplied environment, encouraging patrons to continue their use of university facilities. When replacing bulbs within a regular cycle, maintenance crews are identifying any faults within the lighting system which could turn into critical electrical failure at a later date. Similarly, the replacement of bulbs enables the most efficient and environmentally friendly units to be placed into rotation at regular intervals. This expected maintenance will need to be altered according to technological advances and lifecycle. Within the whole life cost cycle of a structure, the potential for inclement weather and more importantly, the failure of structural systems to prevent penetration by this weather, can dramatically reduce the longevity and efficiency of a building. Therefore, checking the weather stripping and ensuring that all door and window seals function appropriately ensures that time sensitive erosion and wear on the structure does not occur. This maintenance also ensures that the crew evaluates a variety of key entry and exit points for rodent or insect incursions and eliminates the potential for such future problems. Finally, within the secondary modes of short term maintenance, drainage systems are an oft ignored reactive form of maintenance which, when properly maintained, can substantially contribute to structure longevity and limit the propensity for future problems. Ensuring that the proper flow of waste waters away from the building is regular and consistent eliminates the costly reactive calls to plumbing contractors after emergency situations have dictated refurbishment. Similarly, proactive evaluation of this system offers plumbers the opportunity to note any potential cracks, fissures, or weak points within the piping system and ensure that all drive mechanisms are appropriately synced for efficient operation. Short Term Maintenance Item Description Frequency Additional Equipment Anticip. Cost Notes Gutters Cleaning and debris removal 6 Months (After Autumn/Spring) Scaffolding  £270.00 Price Includes Scaffolding Down Pipes Cleaning and debris removal 6 Months (After Autumn/Spring) Scaffolding Included in Gutter Cost Price Includes Scaffolding Fire Equipment System evaluation, recharge, and certification 3 Months (Seasonal) Replacement Extingusihers  £180.00 Price includes system certification Heating System System evaluation, vent cleaning and tubing refurbish (As Needed) 6 Months (Prior to Winter and After Summer) Ladder, Replacement Parts  £240.00 Price includes cleaning Fire/Smoke Alarms Check batteries, test function, and replace if needed 3 Months (Seasonal) Replacement alarm  £115.00 Indicates replacement Cooling System System Evaluation, recharge, system cleaning (6 Months Prior to Summer and After Winter) Ladder, Replacement Parts  £310.00 Includes Recharge Lighting Light bulb replacement, system overhaul as needed Monthly as Needed, 6 months for major systems Ladder, Replacement Bulbs, Replacement Housing  £85.00 Includes Replacement of bulbs at 6 month interval Weather proofing Reapply stripping to interior and exterior door and window seals Anuual (Prior to Winter) Weather Stripping, Sealant  £110.00 Includes replacement throughout building Windows Cleaned, debris removed, function certified 3 Months (Seasonal) Ladder, Scaffolding  £270.00 Includes Cleaning and scaffolding rental Drainage Analysis All drains inspected for free flow action and plumbing repaired as needed Annual (Prior to Summer) Snaking system, chemical unblock system  £320.00 Includes Cleaning of problem areas Interior Eval Full analysis of problem areas and survey of interior Annual (Prior to Spring) Ladder  £180.00 Full inspection Exterior Eval Full analysis of problem areas and survey of exterior (Includes ground variance and nearby incidences) Annual (After Autum) Ladder  £180.00 Full inspection TOTAL ANNUAL COST  £2,260.00 Medium Term The medium term responsibilities offer an ideal time frame for replacement and refurbishment that includes more substantial, and generally, more costly repairs than those attempted in the short term. The expectation remains that any problem which arises during routine inspections must be dealt with according to the needs of the university, not the maintenance schedule or proposed budget. Through adherence to this strategy throughout the whole life costing of the structure, quality will be maintained and the overall lifecycle costs will be reduced. Primary Systems Maintenance The primary systems evaluated during the medium term are directly related to the essential operations of the structure, including those systems which can debilitate and detract from the consistent workings of the building, including the boiler, the electrical system, and the gutter system. Recognising that the replacement of these systems at the medium term interval will substantially improve cost savings over emergency repair and expensive maintenance projects is a priority for committee members. The boiler replacement is most likely one of the most expensive, but most rewarding measures to be taken at the medium term interval. Given that the average life-span of a boiler could potentially last longer than the ten year period listed here, the maintenance team must be able to recognise the characteristics of a well-functioning or suffering unit and offer advice regarding its condition during standard evaluations before and after this period. Replacement is highly recommended at the ten year mark because this essential systems component could substantially increase costs of a disaster repair in the event of its failure. Analysis of the electrical system will be included within the survey report conducted at the short-term intervals and expanded into the full spectrum 10 year evaluation in the medium term. Those systems which are deemed faulty during this period should be replaced immediately, as malfunctioning electrical systems can become an unanticipated fire hazard. Replacing the electrical system at ten year intervals ensures that the insulation efficacy is maintained and that updated wiring is installed for new technology to function properly. Finally, within the primary systems, the gutter and down pipe components become an essential mode of structural preservation, as the water transport away from the building limits the amount of erosion and decay over a lengthy period of time. At the ten year period, however, the prediction is that most of the system will have begun to demonstrate signs of wear, specifically around the hardware and jointing sections of the unit. Repair teams should undergo substantial overhaul to replace mounting brackets and pipe couplings as well as replacing any sections of the system which are cracking or developing holes due to exposure to the elements. Secondary Systems Maintenance The medium term secondary systems are represented by those that both enhance the standard operations of the structure and offer the most cost versus value refurbishment within the maintenance system. Although primary systems are deemed essential components, the high visibility of the secondary systems ensures that they are of an essential nature to the continued functioning of the structure. The building decoration, and in essence, the prescribed character of the interior structure is a maintenance project that requires substantial investment and vision. External contractors participating in the decoration revision every six years should replace drapes and visible accessories, alter furniture to match the expected period representation, and dramatically alter any additional components which add to the building aesthetics. The cost in this plan is a best case scenario cost and will have to be updated according to the broad range of needs. Aligned with redecoration, the repair and replacement of both internal and external finishes dramatically improves the user perception of the building, supporting operations and ensuring that during this activity that walls and beams are in good repair. While the costs in these sections are an estimate, paint quality must be chosen of a high enough grade to endure elements and use over the coming decade, and of a colouring that matches the prescribed decoration aesthetics of the contractors’ vision. Finally, within the medium term, updating carpet and repairing the flooring become enhancement variables which ensure both function and aesthetics are aligned throughout the building. Although the wear lifecycle of both of these systems may offer a longer term operation, by replacing these components within the medium interval sustains the overall appearance of the building as well as identifies any underfoot rot or decay which could cause substantial problems later in the building lifecycle. These costs are only estimates, and depending on the quality or installation costs, the replacement of these elements could be substantially higher. Medium Term Maintenance Item Description Frequency Additional Equipment Anticip. Cost Notes Decoration All interior and exterior decorative features cleaned or retouched as needed, application of desired new features 6 Years Added moulding and New decoration features  £1,400.00 Includes interior design revision Interior Wall Finish Paint or stain alteration throughout interior of structure 8 Years New Paint colours  £2,800.00 Includes new paint for all surfaces Exterior Wall Finish Paint or stain alteration throughout exterior of structure 8 Years New Paint colours  £3,200.00 Includes new paint for all surfaces Gutters Gutters repaired or replaced as needed 10 Years Remove and Replace hardware  £1,100.00 Includes hardware replacement and repair to system Boiler Boiler system cleaned, repaired, or replaced 10 Years New Boiler System  £2,200.00 Replacement of Boiler System Heating System System Features and couplings replaced, vent system replaced 10 Years New vent system  £2,700.00 Includes labour and cost of new venting system Flooring All Flooring examined for structural soundness and replaced as needed 7 Years New Flooring  £1,700.00 Includes New Flooring Carpeting All carpeting examined for fraying and stains and replaced as needed 7 Years Replacement Carpet  £1,400.00 Includes New Carpeting Interior Eval Full analysis of problem areas and survey of interior 10 Years Structural Modifications  £240.00 Includes in-depth survey only Exterior Eval Full analysis of problem areas and survey of exterior (Includes ground variance and nearby incidences) 10 Years Structural Modifications  £240.00 Includes in-depth survey only Electrical Eval Explore electrical system and replace any frayed wiring or non-working areas 8 Years New Wiring system  £1,700.00 Includes cost of new wiring system Roofing Repatch Patch and fill areas demonstrating extensive wear or lack of structural stability 5 years Roofing shingles or covering  £400.00 Includes labour and new shingles Damp proofing Analyse all areas for wet seepage, fill and fix problem areas 7 Years Mastic replacement and filling  £700.00 Includes replacement of all mastic and fillings Drainage Clear Drains cleaned and pumped through ensuring proper rate of flow 4 years Pressurised Cleaning  £350.00 Complete system cleaning and pumping TOTAL MEDIUM TERM COSTS  £20,130.00 Long Term As the building lifecycle reaches the long term variables of the maintenance plan, substantial wear and repair throughout the passage of time will have altered many of the structural variables within the system. From this perspective, an according chart of timelines must be maintained to identify when particular items have been replaced prior to the lifecycle prediction. Overall, the long term costs will be substantially higher than either the short or medium term; however, the replacement of major systems offers an improved structural integrity and preserves the structure for many more decades of use. Primary Systems Maintenance As with the other timeline components,

The Airline Industry :: essays research papers

The topic in which I chose to do a scrapbook on was â€Å"How the government affects the airline industry in Canada†. Specifically I chose articles that related to the aftermaths of the September 11th tragedy. This event affected airlines in an enormous manner. Many airlines were facing economical problems and in turned asked the government for assistance. As a result, Canada 3000, which was Canada’s second largest airline carrier filed for bankruptcy protection on October 11th. Air Canada was also faced with many hard to make decisions. They turned to the Canadian government and asked for financial assistance. The Problem Solving Method will be examined to determine how the government came to the decision of actually granting Air Canada some assistance. Problem Solving Method 1. Decide on the "Issue" (Define it carefully to avoid arguments later.) The issue that is being discussed in whether or not the government should help Air Canada out financially. As can be seen in the articles presented in the scrapbook, it is known that the government controls many of the operations at Air Canada. 2. Examine various points of view and the opinions they have.  · Your own In my opinion, I think that the Canadian government should help Air Canada with financial assistance. I believe that if the government wants to have control over their fare prices, whether or not they can open a discount airline, and the amount of workers they are able to hire, that they have an obligation to the airline to help them out in these types of situations.  · Those of key groups or individuals (stakeholders) a) Air Canada Union Representatives – This group feels that the government should be active in financial aid relief. During the events after September 11th, the union stated in many national papers, that they felt that they deserved the same amount of support and relief that the US government was giving their airlines. b) The Canadian Government – The government had essentially three choices: i) They could help the airline. ii) They could do nothing and let the airline claim bankruptcy. iii) They could buy back into Air Canada. With the first choice, the government has to allocate some of their resources to the airline. The second option was not feasible for the government to partake in because of the fact that Canadian citizens would be loosing the biggest airline carrier. The third option, which the government did consider, involved two options. The government could either buy a minority of the shares or they could buy the entire operation and that would result in Air Canada becoming a crown corporation.

The Horizons of Theory: Jameson, Marxism, and Poststructuralism Essay

The Horizons of Theory: Jameson, Marxism, and Poststructuralism Fredric Jameson's The Political Unconscious is a work which crosses theories' boundaries, which walks (or polices?) Marxism's border on poststructuralism. It may easily be read as a refutation of poststructuralism, or as an embrace of it; as a flight from Marxism (though under its own banner), or as its theoretical redemption – this is not a contradiction (we might read Jameson as replying), but a dialectical, productive exploration of the tension between these philosophies. Indeed, Jameson's exposition of his Marxist hermeneutic may be taken as a reply (from within a discourse he perceives as Marxism) to the poststructuralisms of Jacques Derrida and Gilles Deleuze, and as a conversation with the structural Marxism he calls "Althusserian"; but Jameson attempts to reconcile these views with the Marxist tradition. We may read The Political Unconscious as positing a mode of reading which is acceptable to – or which subsumes – both a "demystifying" Marxism and the ap oria or irreducible contradiction of deconstruction; but in so doing, as Jameson perhaps realizes, the text is drawn into the clear contradictions between these theories, and only partially resolves (or evades) them. The central thesis of The Political Unconscious is the presence of History as the "untranscendable" or "absolute horizon of all reading and all interpretation" (17). We may immediately note that this "untranscendable presence" apparently contradicts deconstruction's mistrust of all presences within and behind texts, to say nothing of Derrida's derisive references to "transcendence." To look for History in the text, to find the hidden meaning of History through it, would evidently not be a sa... ...rificing the individual text to a broader structural analysis – "that a Marxist cultural study can hope to play its part in political praxis, which remains, of course, what Marxism is all about" (299). It is revealing (from a Marxist standpoint) that this final aside marks the only reference to concrete political involvement in the volume; perhaps more tellingly, The Political Unconscious treats this sacrifice of the traditional, individualistic literary text as a price which, however unfortunately, must be paid (in order to satisfy the demands of Marxism). But as a reconciliation of the poststructuralist, anti-transcendent insistence on specificity with some of the theoretical imperatives of Marxist cultural thought, The Political Unconscious remains a breakthrough; and as a proposal of a newly political, poststructuralist historicism, it is undeniably persuasive.

Changes, Changes and More Changes!

Changes, Changes, and More Changes Hudson County Community College isn't a perfect school, but there are a lot of things that they have room to improve on. I honestly don't have many complaints about this school, I feel alright about it, I am not impressed but I am also not outraged by anything. Even though I don't have many complaints about this school it doesn't mean that I don't feel that they have things that they should improve on.The biggest problem I have with this school is the service at the main desk, then it would be the student lounge area, and last but not least the parking situation. These are all very important things to me, and these are things they should really fix. To begin, the issue of parking isn't a big deal to me personally, but I've heard so many students and professors speak and complain about it that I think it's high time something was done to fix the problem.For example, this is a college, which means that students ranging from seventeen years of age and higher, come to this school seeking a higher education. Most of these students have cars, but, this school doesn't provide any parking for these students. So that means, that they must circle around the block about three times on a good day and about ten times on a bad day, until they find parking. Do you believe that's fair? This causes students to be late for class and to miss important parts of the lecture.Now, on the other hand, teachers do have a parking area, but the parking is about ten blocks away, this of course isn't a problem if it's seventy to eighty degrees outside, but when the weather is cold, do you really think that people want to get out of their warm cars just to go out into the blistering cold, or when it's 100 plus degrees outside, do you think people want to come out of their comfortably cool cars, and sweat in the New Jersey summer heat? Secondly, the lounge are.It literally is just a lounge area, with some vending machines thrown in. Imagine yourself a studen t who has been in class since, let's say ten in the morning, and you haven't had a good 45 minute break in hours, and you're starving, so you walk down to the trusty student lounge and what do you find? You find a room with some chairs and a couple of vending machines, and not the cool kind of vending machines, that serve sandwiches or soups, but the kind that serve junk food. What would be your reaction to this? How would you feel in that instant?Of course, now you don't have time to run down to the deli and buy yourself some lunch, because everything is so far away and you just wasted a good ten minutes coming down to the student lounge and staring at the vending machines in outrage. So what are you going to do? You are either not going to buy anything, or you're going to settle for some chips and a sugar filled soda, a snack that is sure to make you crash in about twenty minutes. I honestly don't see how this is fair, if you want student's to do well in school, then you have to p rovide them with an environment where they can achieve success.Having to work through hunger and fatigue isn't going to help them succeed. This school really needs a cafeteria, where students can go and eat something healthy and filling, not just a place where they can go and eat some sugar and sit for a couple of minutes. Lastly, the issue with the main desk. I'm not sure if those ladies know what their exact job is, but I'm sure that it's not talking non-stop. I'm not saying anything bad about them, because they are extremely nice and friendly, but if they could be nice and friendly and do their job, now that would be super.I remember how my friend's cousin, was having the biggest problem with finishing his financial aid paper work last year, it literally took him a year to finish fixing them, his little brother who was a year behind him in school, finished High School and started College before he did. That's embarrassing. The fact that it took so long, the fact that he had to co ntinue coming in to bring the same papers in almost every week, and the fact that he would get attitude and poor service every time, speaks lowly about the people working in those desks.I also had a problem like this, it didn't take a whole year for me to fix my issues, but I did have to come in a bunch of times for the same problem, and to hand in papers that were later on not going to be useful in anyway. To the students of this college it is important that those women and men do their jobs, we need them, they fill up our papers, they send them to where they need to be sent, and they are supposed to make things easier for us, not the opposite, so to see that those people cause so much trouble for the students makes me think that this school has one major flaw, and this flaw can be easily dealt with.All they need to do is fire them and hire people who are more competent†¦ or if that's too extreme give them a class where they learn exactly what their job description is, since i t seems that they have forgotten it, or maybe never learned what it was. Changing some of this school biggest problems is sure to make this school become a place where other people would want to come and experience it, nobody wants to have a hard time at the main desk, or starve to death, or be late to class while looking for parking.The faster we solve these issue the faster we can start calling this establishment great, because as of now this is just a place where people come to pass the time and to get a taste of what college is like. This school isn't perfect, but it's imperfections really make people take a second thought to coming here, so the quicker we fix these problems, the quicker we can fill up the school with a lot of happy students and professors.