ICT History

There has been a general concern in the public about how ICT in the early years was like in terms of the facilitators that were being used by the people so that they could pass information as well as communicate with one another. The effects of these modes of communication such as delayed information and also possibilities in alteration of the message have all been central focus by the public so as to make a remarkable development in the areas where these modes of communication failed. People are geared to developing new technology that will fully replace the information and communicating technology that was used in the early days. The modern technology will see the production of very fast, effective, as well as reliable tools of communication such as telex, telephones, telegram as well as the internet. This are of is important to research on since the knowledge of information and communication is the backbone of technology. Human being are able to continue with life because they communicate to one another so that they can help reach solutions to problems. Business industry which is the chief sustainers of the economy of each country is only able to succeed through ensured constant flow of information. Delayed information in the early years led to so many effects on the people. For example, people could die on their way to medicine men just because of lack of good communication means that could be fast enough to reach these healers who some times could treat a person in his/her home area. The study is timely especially in the advent of stiff growth of information communication technology. The investigation into existence of information and communication technology in early years will provide crucial information and data to decision and policy makers who will in turn use the results to come up with new policies which will trigger the invention of new and fast as well as effective ways of communicating. 1. 3Limitations of the study. The study will be limited in that it shall draw a lot from existing data much of which may not be reliable. It also expected that lack of previous research in the field might also pose challenges to the researcher. In addition, there may be false information from some people who do not have any idea on the modes of communication that were used during the early years. This may lead to unreliable results and hence reluctance in settling for inventions and innovations of more advanced technology. Literature review. During the early days ICT was also used in various ways by the people. Agriculture was the first technology to be adopted by man followed by writing (Pemberton & Shurville 2000p. 56-67). Fire was very much used as a means of communication whereby it was so slow in passing the information to the targeted individuals or groups. Use of smoke, wild creatures like birds and also whistling were among the most used means of passing information. In addition, communication was very much essential among the people and it was affected by songs, dances as well as poetry where information was conveyed through how these activities were performed (Rahtz , 1987p. 1-20)). Drums were also used in passing information and they also facilitated the performance of dances. According to Watts, and Lloyd, (2004p. 103), all humans were hunters and gatherers. This provoked the existence of so many massagers who made the passage of information from one person to another quite easy since most of the people were mobile. People during these days relied so much on local technology like manufacturing of tools as well as weapons, cutting and digging tools such as axes and hoes since they relied heavily on agriculture. These tools were made from iron, bronze or copper metals since they were thought to be resistance to rusting. According to Chambers and Davies (2001p. 12-16)), ship technology was on rise and people used simple constructed ships to cross the oceans and communicate with people of different boundaries and countries. This required one to have knowledge about the currents in the ocean, star maps as well as weather patterns. The growth of early information and communication technology was facilitated by the remarkable revolution of agriculture, which enabled people to begin permanent settlements and stop migrations. Most people also stopped the hunting and gathering activities and settled for agriculture and this saw consolidated efforts in working to improve the Information and communication sector. These early modes of communication were very much unreliable since they were slow. For example, use of people as agents of passing information was very unreliable method because alterations of the content of the message was possible. The messages were also liable to failure to reach their destination or face a lot of mis-reporting. Early information and communication technology was generally poorly developed but as people continued evolving, information and communication technology as well began to expand since people began to do some inventions on this sector. People invest heavily on this area since they saw its importance and the impacts it had to their lives. Early information and communication technology had also many advantages to the people. Through ICT in the early days, people were able to convey important messages that helped them to understand one another other and also helped them to establish good relationships (Riley,1995p. 8-104). It is also through information and communication technology that people were able to learn for example through writing on stones which later developed to more satisfactory learning ways like writing on books. Writing materials also evolved in the same line, from metallic instruments that were used for writing on stones to pencils and biros that are even used in modern s ociety for writing on books. Information and communication in early days have been compared to today’s Information and communication technology and quite remarkable differences have been marked. The modern ICT is actually very appreciated for its satisfaction of people’s needs since it’s the modes of passing the information are very fast. No delays of message failures that may lead to adverse effects of the people. Methodology: The study will interview several individuals whose conducts and addresses will be obtained from the ICT office. A total of 50 randomly selected people will be interviewed. What makes this study unique is that the people who shall answer the survey will be drawn from various states using a randomized sampling approach. The researcher will utilize the survey method in which questionnaires and interviews will be used as data collection instruments. Analysis. Significance tests will be performed on all relationships and only those with statistical significance will be presented here. Qualitative data analysis will be involved and the data gathered in the data collection will be analyzed using statistical software called SPSS in order to arrive at findings. Conclusion. It is very important for people to know where to base their activities or innovations. It is only through this that people are able to know where to begin and what to aim at achieving. This research study will be successful only if the modes of communication that were used in the early days as well as their effects that they had to the people are known. It is through this knowledge that innovations and production of new modes of communication that are fast and effective enough, with more advantageous factors to the people will be invented. These modes are even thought to be more powerful than the telephones, telegrams, computers as well as the Internet. This will really be a tremendous improvement and technology advancement.

“After Auschwitz” by Anne Sexton Essay

In the poem â€Å"After Auschwitz† by Anne Sexton, the speaker talks about her feelings after touring a concentration camp. The speaker writes about what humans are able to do to other humans and how horrible this specific time was. The speakers tone is mostly angry. During the poem, the speaker’s tone becomes more and more angry and dark but at the end of the poem in the last two lines it also turns into a sad tone. These tones are created to confirm the bad things that happened in the concentration camp Auschwitz. Sexton’s use of sentence structure, imagery and detail are key to create this angry, dark and sad tone through the poem. The strongest tone that appears through the poem is an angry tone. One technique Sexton uses to convey this tone is sentence structure. The sentences in this poem are mostly quite short. The poem already begins with the key word in line 1: â€Å"Anger,† From the very beginning of the poem, Anne Sexton is angry. Another examples in line 4 + 5: â€Å"Each day,† â€Å"each Nazi† This is a great example how Sexton uses very short and hard sentences. It sounds just like the speaker spits them out as they would be something gross which tastes bad. It conveys the anger of the speaker and thus the angry tone about how the horrible treatment of humans goes on every day, again and again. Another technique the author uses to convey the tone is imagery. Using that imagery the author makes the reader feel angry and also the reader can feel how the speaker’s anger is getting bigger and bigger until it reaches its pinnacle in lines 26 – 29. As the author writes in line 26: â€Å"Let man never again raise his teacup.†, she is so full of anger, so angry of all humans that it is almost a little bit scary although the tone is derived from something so innocent. She imagines this man sitting on a table or in a chair and drinking a tea and while she imagines that she gets so angry because she can’t believe that a man is sitting there, drinking a tea, doing nothing while somewhere else humans are tortured and die in concentration camps. The speaker thought of all the things in concentration camps through the poem and now she is just so angry that she would like to see the whole human race obliterated. Because of all the anger in it this image is so significant and it totally conveys the tone in the poem. Line 19 + 20: â€Å"And  death looks on with a casual eye, and scratches his anus.† is another really good example of imagery. The speaker imagines the death as a person. She imagines the death being somewhere in the concentration camp, simply standing there bored by the same things that happen every day, scratching his ass and waiting for the next person who dies. The speakers tone in these lines, as well as in lines 9 + 10, is still a little bit angry but it turned into a sad ton too. She feels sad about how people suffer so much pain and torture and everything and how they slowly die. I think this image is significant because it is such a good image that the poem literarily comes alive and you can see the concentration camp with its prisoners as you would stand in it. Detail is the third technique Anne Sexton uses to convey the tone. In the last two lines the tone changes suddenly from the dark and angry tone into a sad tone: â€Å"I beg the lord not to hear.†(line 33). This line is very important to understand the poem. Suddenly the speaker notices that she was thinking to do the same things to all humans as Nazis did to the prisoners in concentration camps. So she feels almost embarrassed and begs the lord not to hear her words. But, wouldn’t everybody else who reads this poem feel the same anger? Certainly this detail is key in expressing the speaker’s feelings on this topic and that’s why the detail is significant. The tone’s effect is that it reminds readers about the terrible treatment of humans in the concentration camp Auschwitz. Readers are moved by it because everybody knows the Nazi time but nobody really wants to remember it. Exactly that is where Sexton created her poem on. She’s one of the small number of poets who wrote a poem on that time. So when people hear, read or see about it they feel angry and sad just like Sexton!The universal idea of this poem is how humans could have ever done such horrible things or how they let could have let them happen. Anne Sexton writes in her poem how people today get away with it. The Holocaust is a vehicle for this poem. It is about anger, although it might sometimes not be justified, and sadness and how, while they are necessary emotion for survival, in the most loathsome and horrific of situations, it must not be the sole rule of one’s life. Sources: Poem: â€Å"After Auschwitz†www.wikipedia.comwww.americaspoets.com

Nike Brand equity Essay

Nike Corporation was incorporated in 1968. In their thirty-four year history, Nike has primarily been in the business of designing, developing, and marketing athletic footwear, attire, equipment and accessories, Ð ° lot of companies go out on a limb when it comes to business decision or management strategies with Nike Corporation. Nike is Ð ° powerful company. Nike Corporation is a well managed company in Ð ° striking industry, the company has a strong brand image, and they are effectively capturing the value shaped from their savings. Modern superior ways to make products are significant in today’s Apparel companies, both to be efficient and to be able to make hi-tech products. Nike is dependent upon high technology in their effort to stay ahead of their competitors and create products. These technologies are found within computers, used to create, design and develop the products and machines that actually make the shoes. Besides these main areas of technology such a large corporation also uses a lot of diverse technology such as accepting programs on computers, intranet within the headquarters and not to forget Web page technology for their web page. They have Ð ° extremely developed Web site used for marketing and sales purposes. (Carty 2001 34-47)Nike primarily competes in the footwear industry, a subset of the consumer cyclical sector. The major competitors of Nike are Reebok and Adidas, but any company that sells athletic and leisure footwear, apparel, or sports equipment could be considered Ð ° contestant too. Competition within the footwear industry can be very strong and change quickly due to rapidly changing customer preferences and technology. With an active industry such as Nike, it can be challenging to sustain a competitive advantage. Nike positioned itself in an industry where are virtually no substitute products. Runners, walkers, basketball players, football players, and virtually every person that moves by foot needs footwear. Since people are beginning to become more concerned with their health, active lifestyles are becoming more common. Strong rivalry still exists between Nike, Adidas and Reebok, but the competitive environment does not present a threat to the industry’s feasibility. Within the value chain in the footwear industry, there are only certain areas where profits can be extracted. Nike is keenly aware that this fact, therefore contract out portions of the business that  they do not want to be as intimately involved. According to Bigelow (1997) Nike took on the new trend aggressively and imposed a management strategy that targeted on building its brand name, differentiation of its product, intense marketing and creating new markets and exploiting its potential. (Miller 2002 311-31)Market positionNike is an industry leader in developing innovative new products. One of the powers of Nike Corporation is its brand name recognition, because Nike has been around so long, the brand is Ð ° recognized and respected both internationally and locally. Nike has effectively marketed their products and in addition understands the importance of Ð ° quality product. They are continually improving their shoes through new technologies that are developed by their research teams. Nike’s important sustainable competitive advantage is their intangible assets, such as brand image and organizational culture. Everybody knows that Nike Corporation is Ð ° competitive company. Strength of Nike is their brand loyalty, Nike has consistently produced quality products that appeal to its consumers, and Nike carries a wide arrangement of products with Ð ° large amount of options for personal preference. Strong international presence is an advantage for Nike Corporation, in the U.S sales continue to slack off or the economy continues to worsen, they have their international investment that consistently turns into a profit. Nike is the number one footwear manufacturer in terms of international rivalry in the market; with the distribution centres. Research and growth organization of Nike is one of the company strength, which has the ability to keep the company’s pipeline full in pioneering new products. The companies also have manufacturing contracts with manufacturers in countries that do not have as many requirements for conditions of work environment and others that increase costs. Also because of the process is labour concentrated, the manufacturing tak es place where labour is cheap. Nike is trying to increase their international presence. On-line store is an important factor in the presence of Nike Corporation; the company believes it is vital to run on-line operation. (Peters 2005 3-6)Nike despite popular belief the very good thing about them is that the company is aware of their social responsibility, and donated million of cash and products to different charitable organizations. In addition to their contributions they have also  developed Ð ° labour practices department, which pays close attention to Ð ° labour practice of third world countries in which it produces. Even though they are charitable organization they have not forgotten to be environmentally aware, with the introduction of Ð ° environmental concern showing consumers that they have a heart. Because of the Nike growth they are an advantageous position in the market. This can also be attributed to their market share leadership, wide product selection, and stronger name recognition. (Peters 2005 3-6)Brand loyaltyBrand faithfulness is the major succes s of any company and Nike has managed faithfulness with the customers now for Ð ° long. There are some factors which played important role for Nike brand loyalty are:The Social Factors -The age structure of population affects the lifestyle of sports. There would be higher chances of Ð ° purchasing trainer shoes in the market, if the age groups were younger. The catchments area of class and income-structure as trainers are relatively expensive to purchase. Sports have become a widespread interest for the pursuit of physical health development. It is why Ð ° mass market for training shoes products to serve the new-found past-time after World War One. It has become Ð ° global consumer product even they were perceived as a youth fashion item worn by film stars and famous athletics. The low wage labour is also a social issue in Vietnam. The Technological Factors – This forms the physical environment as Ð ° availability of equipments affects the business organization. Their products and technologies must be up-to-date in order to research new innovative marketing s trategy. The design of Ð ° training shoe is acknowledge being crucial to its commercial success. The shoe’s style and technology are most likely to influence purchasers. For example, Nike’s 1977 introduction of its Air sole, which contained pockets of pressurized inert gas, established an industry benchmark. They have â€Å"Design to Fit soles† for Ð ° every individual foot. They make money with digital technology taking advantage of new technologies and their potential to cut costs (Moore’s Law). (Carr 1998 10)Economic Factors – Analyzing their pricing strategy for Ð ° lower class population, the number of potential manufacturing countries and cost of labour, purchasing quantities, information about customer demand, competitors, competitor strategies, shopping patterns and the economic environment has help Nike to analyze today’s world. The training shoe manufacturing has shifted their financial investment from South Korea  and Taiwan, now considered to be higher-cost production locations, to lower-cost ones such as Indonesia, Thail and and China. The trend has been for trainer companies to continue to use the same Korean and Taiwanese manufacturers, who have set up and manage production plants in the new geographic locations. They are also able to profit from beneficial trade and tariff agreements, wherever they exist. (Bigelow 2006 87-90) Political Factors – Such as capitalism and democracy of the state influence their organization. For example, the labour in third world countries causes Ð ° criticism against Nike. But since they have been exposed, Nike has been trying to fix this horrible problem they created. They have been sending people to upgrade the standards and have had routine checks on their plants all over the globe for Ð ° crack down on child labour. A short time ago, the CEO of Nike, Phil Knight, was quoted as saying, â€Å"Nike has zero tolerance for under-age labour.† So, it is good to know they are at least trying to clean up the mess they have made. Recently, Nike has been making an attempt to help the environment. They have done many things like building an environmentally safe factory in Europe and used their own sustainable manufacturing system. This system â€Å"strives to use Ð ° minimum amount of resources, at 100% efficiency with zero waste.† Also Nike created the Air to Earth Program. It is Ð ° program that is designed to make learning about the environment safe and entertaining for children. They have also taken into considerations of the regulations and legislation for future likely developments. The inter-relations and interdependency activities of the environment affected the Nike organizations. Their business affects the economic, technology, political and social factors (STEP) which these four factors affect their businesses as well. For Nike to make Ð ° profit, they must maintain high margins whilst expanding sales. These can only be done with a more selective distribution system that maintains margin. (Carr 1998 10)Brand awarenessBuyers in the athletic footwear industry enjoy a great deal of power. Consumers have shown again and again that they will simply wait until prices reach Ð ° level they feel is reasonable before making a purchase. Nearly 40% of all shoe purchases are made through discount stores. Also, consumers are able to make informed decisions about a purchase through utilization of Internet websites. The bargaining power of retailers is also Ð ° problem for footwear manufacturers. In recent years, retailers have begun  to hold fewer inventories, forcing manufacturers to pay for increased inventory levels on their end. Manufacturers must also make sure that retailers are selling the product in accordance with the desired image of the shoe. Nike has recently experienced a disagreement with their largest retailer Foot Locker due to pricing disagreements. As Ð ° result, Foot Locker significantly reduced its high end purchases from Nike and Nike decided to shift their high end product sales elsewhere. (Mokhiber, Weissman, 1997, 9)Brand associationWhilst looking at the different trends and styles of present day athletic footwear, we can further our research within the product and look at the different customer groups that our three companies focus their attention towards. We are primarily looking at the three different companies and the rules of style that may apply to a specific customer group for this product. In some cases, the customer group that they are focusing on may greatly impact the demand for the product because of different influences whether it is there income level, influence of childhood, or even there changing preference of Ð ° specific product. Footwear is classified within many different categories, which makes the research of specific athletic footwear more difficult. For example, we are focusing on the companies of Nike, Adidas, and Reebok, and all of these companies make numerous styles of shoe lines. They range from golf cleats to soccer cleats to cross-country shoes. So when trying to determine the main customer groups, each line of shoes is basically broken down within the group that the specific product is directed towards. So when looking at the different types of customer groups within the athletic footwear industry, some of the key customer demographic trend are broken up into different generations of tastes in style. (Teremenko 2003 207-249) The industry of footwear can be broken up into three main customer groups, which are the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. These customer groups do not have much in common except for their love of shoes and the different tastes in the new fashion trends of footwear. These three generations are broken down as follows: Baby Boomers are from ages 35-53, Generation Y are consumers from 4-21, and Generation X is consumers from 22-32. As we develop ideas about the main customer groups within the footwear industry we can conclude that the Baby Boomers account for 31% of the population, which is equal to about 81 million consumers. Generation Y is the second largest group that accounts  for 28% of the population which represents about 75 million consumers. The smallest customer group is Generation X, they comprise about 17% of the population, which equals about 46 million consumers. collected information from many consumer surveys rates Nike high among the consumers of Generati on Y and X. Nike has become more appealing among younger consumers and has shifted away from the Generation of the Baby Boomers. (Teremenko 2003 207-249)Proprietary assetsIn fiscal 2005, NIKE met their financial goals. The revenues grew 12% to 13.7Billion, net income grew 28% to 1.2 billion and NIKE delivered diluted earnings per share of $4.48, Ð ° 28% increase versus fiscal 2004. The gross margin percentage increase 44.5%. The return on invested capital has improved and free cash flow from operations has increased. They continue to return cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Cash provided by operations was $1.6 billion in 2005 compared to $1.5 billion in 2004. There has been an improvement in cash management of accounts receivables and timing of inventory receipts and vendor payments. (Teremenko 2003 207-249)Perceptions of qualityOpportunities include that Nike is not Ð ° fashion brand; their main selling point is the quality of their manufacturing. However true this is, people–particularly youth–are greatly concerned with fashion. Whilst the sneakers are made well, and help you run faster, jump higher, and so on, they have to look good. This is an importa nt opportunity since styles will change faster than the sneakers will wear out, hence forcing consumers to purchase more sneakers. Also, since Nike is as far into the apparel industry as its footwear market competitors, it has great opportunity to expand on this into accessories (ex: sunglasses). The road is open as to where Nike can bring their apparel ideas. Lastly, since Nike is a global company, there are many areas they can expand into. China is a newer market for them and there is opportunity to establish the same brand recognition there, and in similar countries, as they have in the U.S. overall Nike remain itself high in quality compare to Reebok and other competitors. And it seems to be continued in future after seeing the fresh and strong marketing approaches by Nike. Nike has loyal customer market with brand aware customers, which will drive Nike on a successful future. (Anonymous 2006, 30-31)ThreatsCompetition is always a threat to a competitive company both domestically and internationally. The rivalry is very fierce with many  companies competing for sales. Lots of money is spent on marketing and promotions through diverse channels in order to converse to the young demographic group of consumers who spend the most money on their products. Development has also slowed in the athletic footwear industry, however new markets are emerging with high growth rates. Nike currently dominates the market, but Nike competitors pose a potential risk to the company’s reputation If Nike cannot stay one step ahead of their competitors in terms of product design and customer satisfaction the corporation could flounder. Another threat is the maturing market in athletic shoes. There is also rising adverse demographic change in the marketplace relating to brand image and promotions that Nike is unable to overcome. (Egan 1999 66-70)ConclusionMarketing on-line or E-commerce is really an opportunity for every company, if of course they will do it correctly. Consumers are using the Internet more and more to purchase their goods and service. In stipulations of the Nike Corporation’s Information Technology safety, the company or let’s say in any business organization, their IT is always at risks for the reason that some bad element had their own bad elements and are always trying to get some very sensitive and important information to suit their best interests. The company should invest for the company’s safety measures in terms of their information technology. Several company not only the Nike Corporation should be give an attention to these issues. The problem might be very costly for it needs some money to develop its security, but the results of it would be very promising and indeed very helpful. On the other hand, their marketing mix, mission statements as the company’s marketing strategies are extremely important because this will propel the company because customers would be informed that Nike is serious in making innovations not only on their products, but also on their service. This will create a good impression not only on the customers or consumers, but also on the sports apparel market. This will result to a successful marketing strategy employed by Nike. (Enderle et all 2000, 11-19) References Anonymous, â€Å"Adidas stands its ground on Salomon merges: 2006, Corporate Finance, 30-31. Bigelow, B. The human lives behind the labels: 2006, the global sweatshop, Nike, and the race to the bottom. Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 92, 87-90. Carr, Robert. SGB: Sporting Goods Business: 1998, Vol. 31 Issue 8, p10, 1/2p. Carty, Victoria. â€Å"The Internet and Grassroots Politics: 2001, Nike, the Athletic Apparel Industry and the Anti-sweatshop Campaign†, George Mason University pp. 34-47Dworkin, A. â€Å"Nike prepares to step into e-commerce with acquisition of online firm: 1999, The OregonianEgan, T. â€Å"The swoon of the swoosh: 1999, New York Times Magazine. pp. 66-70Enderle, Kim, Dan Hirsch, Lisa Micka, Brian Saving, Sheetal Shah, and Tatiana Szerwinski (2000). Strategic Analysis of Nike, Inc. ISS 395, De Paul University. Chicago Illinois, 11-19. Miller, K. â€Å"A Framework for Integrated Risk Management in International Business†: 2002, Journal of International Business Studies, 23(2), 311-331Mokhiber, Russell; Weissman, Robert. Multinational Monitor: 1997, Vol. 18 Issue 12, p9, 10p, 5bw. Peters, J. â€Å"Business policy in action: 2005, Management Decision, p. 3Teremenko, Victoria Dizik. DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal: Fall2003, Vol. 2 Issue 1, p207-249, 43p.

The 2011 earthquake in Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The 2011 earthquake in Japan - Essay Example The 2011 Earthquake in Japan. Cause of the Earthquake. In March11, 2011, a destructive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale struck Japan. The epicenter of the quake was near the East coast of Honshu, which was at a depth of 24.4 kilometers. According to Aislinn (2011), the movement along the two main plate boundaries caused the earthquake. Honshu Island is situated at the junction of three continental plates, the Pacific, Philippine, and Eurasian Sea plates. Earthquakes are generated by the tectonic plates that build up the surface of earth through bending, snagging, or breaking of these plates as they move past one another. Alexandra notes that thrust faulting caused the March 2011 earthquake; in thrust faulting, rocks positioned in the lower layer of the earth’s crust get pushed above the overlying layers. These faults occurred on or near the interface plate boundary between the North America and Pacific plates (Alexandra, 2011). This occurred near or along the boun dary where the Pacific Plate moves under Japan. The rate of convergence in the Pacific Plate’s border near Japan is much higher than in other zones. The Pacific plate thrusts beneath Japan at the Japan Trench, and plunges to the west underneath Eurasia; these plates are rocky and they creep past each other at a slow rate. The Pacific plate moves at a velocity of 3.2 inches per year westwards towards the North America plate. As the two plates shift past one another, they release seismic pressure and energy which cause earthquakes (Aislinn, 2011). Japan is situated in a place known as the Ring of Fire; this place experiences most active volcanoes. The Pacific Basin, which holds Japan, has oceanic trenches and experiences volcanoes around it. These volcanoes and oceanic trenches contribute to occurrence of earthquakes in Japan. Damages of the Earthquake. Alexandra (2011) notes that earthquakes that occur under the sea floor unleash tsunamis; these tsunamis are more devastating t han the earthquake itself. Violent movement of the earth’s crust displaces enormous quantities of water; these waves are known as tsunamis. Massive fires, generated by the earthquake, were blazing out of control leading to death, injuries, and the destruction of property. The quake left hundreds of people injured, dead or missing; it killed over 9,000 people. Tsunami wave destroyed power lines and swept homes, cars, ships, boats, trains, and massive islands of debris out to the ocean. Over four million buildings in Tokyo and its suburbs had no power after the quake. Reports indicated cases of landslides and collapse of buildings in several locations along the 2,100 kilometer stretch of coastline. Muddy water waves flowed over farmland near Sendai carrying buildings. Burst of gas pipes led to burning of houses and destruction of properties. Runways of the Sendai airport became inundated with trucks, buses, cars, and thick mud. Debris blocked the roads, and the communications s ystems, including the destruction of telephone lines. There was the suspension of train services in Tokyo and northeastern Japan, which serves around ten million people a day. The quake destroyed nuclear facilities located north of Tokyo. The government of Japan estimated the damage of the quake at $309 billion which was much higher compared to damage caused by the Hurricane Katrina in America. Effects of the Earthquak

Team Project Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Team Project Report - Essay Example One very important reason why Mt.Gravatt Club provides various sports facilities is the recent change in Family Life System. People are now extremely concerned about health and the way it can be sustained with help of sporting and recreations as well as a way to entertainment. Sports means most to Australians than almost any other country’s people (Conway, 2009) and therefore sports always has greater business opportunities as well. Australian Bureau Of Statistics (2005, p. 403) reported that Australia is internationally recognized as a nation being very much involved in Sport. Most Australians believe in benefits associated with sports and recreation, including enjoyment, social interaction, health, personal achievement, national pride and community involvement etc. In Australia, Sports Industry’s revenue has been recorded as $5900.6 million, with 3.4 % revenue growth and this shows increasing trend towards sports in the country. According to the statistics, there are 6133 Sports Enterprises that provide 49,900 employment opportunities (ibisworld, 2011). Reports show that both males and females are increasingly attracted to various sports activities. Young and school children are major groups among Mt.Gravatt’s customers. in order them to get improved in sports and recreation activities and to make them more aware of various sports activities, Mt.Gravatt has planned and already started various programs including Grass Root Course, Junior Development Program, Sports Development, Sponsorship etc (mtgravatthawks.org, 2011). When it comes to the need for sports and recreation, it is basically a life need. By considering how people recently perceive the importance of sports, it can be perhaps reckoned to be a basic need in the ‘need hierarchy’ as detailed by Abraham Maslow. It can be understood from the total expenditure for the Sports equipment in Australia during 2003-2004, which was estimated as 357 617.4 million. Impacts of Spo rts Facility Development on Stakeholders When Mt.Gravatt Club designs and develops its facilities, sports arrangements and all other services to its people, it will consequently have many positive impacts on its major stakeholders- customers, employees and management, and relatively very few negative impacts on them like time consumption, spending, accident and injuries. As compared to vast opportunities and health and other benefits, these negative impacts are of meager significance to be debated on. The management of Mt.Gravatt can have greater influence and social reward from communities that it represents, and the employees and others who come to help sportsmen will be more likely to involved in a service job as well as good entertainment. The major stakeholders are no doubt its people or customers who come from around 5 kms from Mansfield, mainly from nearby areas like Wishart, Carindale, Burbank etc. For these customers, Mt.Gravatt Club will be an amazing experience for rejoic e, entertainment and more importantly for their long-term health benefits. As Waddington (2000, p. 34) argued, the widely accepted view that ‘sport is good for health’ might be the very basic reason why people extensively fund for sport. Perhaps, many people within

Sustainable Green Buildings Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sustainable Green Buildings - Research Proposal Example Additionally, congestion of buildings is a major phenomenon in the modern construction industry, as well as inefficient use of land especially in the urban areas. Completed modern structures are responsible for increased energy consumption, loss of productive agricultural land and soil erosion as a result of runoff. Communities living in these areas are exposed to increased stress resulting from congestion and polluted sewer systems. Indeed, little can be fancied about the modern buildings. The increased negativity in the building industry has prompted leaders in the business to seek measures to curb the problem. Buildings which are environmentally friendly that efficiently and sustainably use natural resources have been researched on. This new concept is referred to as green building, which seeks to solve the problems encountered by the construction business. Structures constructed in this manner are referred to as Sustainable Green Buildings RATIONALE FOR THE RESEARCH This paper lo oks at the concept of Sustainable Green Buildings, their advantages over the modern form of buildings, products used in construction of sustainable green buildings and how sustainable they are. It will seek to find how people perceive the idea and understand how many people are willing to invest in them. LITERATURE REVIEW Definition of Sustainable Green Buildings Sinha (93) defines green building as the effective and efficient use of materials and products which is directed at reducing the overall environmental impact of the building. Sustainable green buildings refer to housing and architectural structures that are constructed using environmental friendly and resources that ensure efficiency throughout the lifecycle of the building. Successful buildings should be durable, economical, offer comfort and fit for the intended use. The life cycle of a building begins at the sitting design, construction, operation and maintenance of the building, renovation and demolition of a structure. In sustainable buildings, the undertaking of all these processes is expected to be an environmental friendly exercise (Bauer et al. 7). To successfully achieve this, the various teams involved in all stages of the lifecycle of a building should be engaged. Different teams involved in the various stages in the construction of a building include the architectural team, structural designers, contractors, engineers and the client. Designers of green buildings built the concept on minimum disturbance of the topology and the landscape, use of non-toxic materials that are recycled and equally environmental friendly and those that use renewable energy sources. The efficiency use of water is emphasized, while natural sources of green energy such as solar and wind power are being exploited (Furr 56). Materials used in Construction of Sustainable Green Buildings Green products used in the construction industry necessarily do not have to be 100% green. Wood that has been treated with different toxic chemicals to make it durable cannot be referred to as a green product since it has health hazards among the people (Robeznieks 10). Different considerations are made when a product is classified as either green or not. Products that have been salvaged or recycled, such as the agricultural products are regarded as green products as it is economical to recycle products than producing new ones. Products which

Pursue MS in Computational Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pursue MS in Computational Finance - Essay Example However the biggest revelation that I experienced was when I came across the concepts of finance, economics and banking during my under graduation. I began to realize the true importance of numbers. That was when I began comprehending the magnitude of services that mathematics could provide. I immediately realized that a domain that blends mathematics and finance was my future. Even before I completed my Class X, I had achieved a high level of proficiency in various nuances of mathematics, much advanced than required by convention. I spent vast amounts of time identifying the roles that mathematics plays in everyday life. Of the various applications with their pith as numbers, I was most fascinated by Finance and its related domains. Consequently, I took up Finance as my major subject for my under-graduation at Georgia State University. The subjects that I learnt during my undergraduate course have taught me the art of formal and logical thinking. My passion for finance only escalated from day one of my under-graduation. Some of my favorite subjects were Mathematics, Finance, Economics and Risk Management. I took several interesting courses in finance and completed all the required credits successfully.

Native Americans in Texas Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Native Americans in Texas - Research Paper Example It is believed that these tribes came from Asia, thus crossing borders to occupy the Northern parts of America. The main tribes which occupied this area are the Apache and the Comanche people. Other than these two tribes, Texas also held many other different communities. This paper seeks to discuss the Native American in Texas and their diverse ways of live, as well as their, characteristics. The most ancient Texan groups comprised of nomadic activity as a main culturalactivity. According Elonera’s records made on Native Americans in Texas, about ten thousand years ago, these groups comprised of few people per holding who practiced hunting activities as a source of food. These people held the Plainviewand Folsom cultures in the present New Mexico regions.2 This is according to studies made in the area. The findings reported weapon points which had knives and scrappers as well as fire places. Some of their characteristics include the art of hunting in groups by the use of weapons such as spears during hunting. These ancient spear heads and weapons were made from carved stone. The hunters used large blocks of stone or flint tomake cores, whereby they selected large pieces of blades to make their spear tips. This art of chipping stone was common amongst the Clovis and Folsom hunters. The tips made by each group are named according to the group which made them, such as Clovis points. As found in most ancient groups, the males did the hunting tasks while the women fended their young ones. The women also did other tasks such as gathering and collecting food and sometimes the minor wild animals.3 They also assisted in preparation of hide and skin for other uses as well as prepare and cook food for their families. These groups practicedthese hunting and gathering activities in well-organized schedules.However,this highly depended on the seasonal trends during the year. These groups comprised of archaens who lived and

Balance Score Card Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Balance Score Card - Essay Example of the management in terms of implementation of the strategy balance scorecard is often used by the management to analyze whether the objectives have been properly implemented or not. Balanced score card is the most popular tool of performance management. Balanced scorecard helps the manager in keeping a track on the progress of the activities and matching them with the desired level. In this project the balance scorecard of the Coca-Cola Company has been made on the basis of the four different perspective and objectives of each perspective. Different types of metrics have also been used to let in building the balanced scorecard. Performance management is very important for every company. It enables the management to assess the performance of the company and also helps the company to analyze the loop holes or the room for improvement. It helps the management to identify the direction in which the organization is moving. It helps the organization to perform better by enabling the organization. The performance management is done on the basis of various tools of performance management system. The performance management system helps the organization to plan control and measure the performance of activities of the organization beforehand. The different performance management system used for performance management are balanced scorecard, activity based management, quality management, economic value added etc. among the various performance management system the most popular methods are balance scorecard, activity based management and economic value added. Activity based management is done by analyzing those activit ies which adds value to the organization. This is done on the basis of activity based costing. It mainly focuses on reducing the cost and increasing the value received by the customers. The economic value added method enables the organization to analyze the overall performance of the organization. In this method the financial measures are used to measure the

Health Economics and Financing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Economics and Financing - Coursework Example In 1960, the government spent $4553 million on health insurance while the private sector accounted for $1855 million as expenditure. The level of expenditure increased year by year and for 2012, the level of government spending on healthcare was $770,087 million. The private sector expenditure was $29,761 million for the same period. The governments (federal, state and local) are the biggest investors in healthcare in the United States. The data in the tables indicate that the government spends the highest amount of funds in paying for healthcare. This means that the governments are the biggest sponsors of the healthcare than the private sector. The government paid more for healthcare than the private sector (Mooney, 2003). The private sector plays an essential role in the healthcare expenditure. In essence, though the government in the United States is more involved and pays the biggest role in paying for healthcare, the private sector plays a major role in the same. The government alone cannot satisfy all the healthcare needs of the citizens and therefore the private sector comes in to provide and help the government in paying for healthcare. The trends for prescription drugs indicate a decreasing trend as compared to that of for hospitals. Comparing year 2011 and 2012, the prescription drug spending slowed down. It grew by 0.4 percent only in 2012 as compared to the previous 2.5 percent growth in 2011. The rate of use of prescription drug reduced and people preferred hospitals prescriptions. This indicates a growing confidence in hospital services and increased use of hospital services by the citizens (Cutler, 2003). The slow in the trend of prescription drug is an opposite of the previous years where citizens preferred the prescription drugs than for hospitals. With the increased government payment of healthcare, citizens now prefer hospitals than drug prescription. In these data, the

Manufacturing Process Essay Example for Free

Manufacturing Process Essay Tool post spanner For making adjustments to the tools Chuck key Used for tightening or loosening the bolts on the chuck Parting tool To remove finished parts. Procedure †¢We took a mild steel round 25*80 mm long piece and set it in the chuck with the required length by the use of chuck key. †¢Then marked the job as per given measurements with the help of steel rule and calipers. †¢Did the steps and cut edges with the help of side cutting tool. †¢Repeated the procedure 1 to 4 for mild steel round 25*50mm †¢Went to drilling process, and made 10 mm of diameter for mild steel 25*80. Did the free and plane operations and finish the job as per given sketch. Calculations required The calculations are for both turning and drilling. turning N = speed in revolutions/minute (RPM) k = speed (V) and part diameter (Di ) V = needed cutting speed D1= is largest part diameter drilling Drill speed k is a Constant D is Diameter of the drill V is the cutting speed ? Pictures: Discussion Majorly the two processes that were involved in our experiment were turning and drilling. The machine used was a manual lathe machine. Overheating of the tool and the work piece proved to be the basis of many errors seen within the finished work piece. other problems during the processes were creating of long chips which had to be cut in order for the experiment to go on further. Breaking of the tool was also experienced. Conclusion The machine used was a manual lathe machine in which most of the processes had to be worked out and supervised by a trained professional . the major errors in this experiment are caused by the mistakes of the handler. The rotation of the work piece, which is handled by the supervisor, must be precise and constant; otherwise the problems which arrive are the breaking of the tool and the creation of long chips. to rectify this error the use of automated lathe machine can be done. In this day and age automated lathe machines are the way to go because manual lathe needs hours and hours of supervision and in the end the product is not even as accurate as a product that can be used by a consumer. A better coolant and a cooling method can also be used to reduce the heat which can lead to inaccuracy.

Humanitarian Intervention Essay Example for Free

Humanitarian Intervention Essay By way of analogy, one should think of the world as a large neighborhood where people live and go about their business. Naturally, whenever one would ask for help, they would approach their neighbor for it and it is up to the latter to render that help or not if it is within their capacity to provide that help. The issue here now is what if help is not asked for and yet a neighbor sees trouble. Would he let them be or get involved to address the issue? Viewing it from a bigger picture, the world stage also faces this kind of problem. There are states that also face a similar situation. The challenge now is, should other states intervene even if they are not â€Å"invited? † This is the dilemma facing members of the international community today and even the United Nations, supposedly the first line of defense and the court of last resort of states that are in danger of becoming failed states or where political instability is too much for national governments to handle on their own or they became repressive towards their own people that the latter have nowhere else to turn to. There are some states that want to intervene in the affairs of other states precisely for this reason, which is primarily to help, nothing more. But this would present a dilemma. Which is more important or carries more weight, (international) human rights, or (national) sovereignty? Is there a distinction between â€Å"humanitarian intervention† and imperialism? What could be well-meaning intervention to help the poor and oppressed people of a particular country could be viewed as an invasion or an encroachment or violation of sovereignty and thereby earn the condemnation of the rest of the international community. The issue now is if the intervention undertaken is legitimate. Legitimacy of actions is not definite and is subjective, depending on how one views it. The Following are cases of humanitarian interventions conducted in the past and how did the international community react to it: East Pakistan (Bangladesh) – 1971: When British India became independent from Britain in 1947, it had adverse consequences, independence also led to the partition of India which saw the creation of a separate Muslim state of Pakistan. Pakistan, in turn, was divided into West Pakistan, where the seat of government is situated and East Pakistan, located along Indias eastern border. These two states are separated by India. Furthermore, despite carrying the same name â€Å"Pakistan,† these two states are culturally different despite being Muslim, those in the east speak Bengali, a language that is related to that of the Indians. The east Pakistanis did not feel any cultural affinity with those from the west and they feel marginalized. Because of this â€Å"cold† treatment from the west, they began batting for autonomy led by the Awami League of Sheik Mujibur Rahman. The leaders in the west saw it as an act of secession and moved swiftly to suppress it through military intervention. What happened next was a virtual civil war as the East Pakistanis, or Bengalis resisted the West Pakistanis, seeing them more as invaders and the latter responded with severe repression that saw countless atrocities being committed. The matter was brought up the United Nations (UN) where the actions of Pakistan was condemned yet no severe action was taken as the UN Security Council was divided with the United States and China backing up Pakistan and the Soviet Union on Indias side. The partiality of the superpowers prevented any punitive measures taken against Pakistan. India had been covertly supporting Bengali resistance served as the latters staging area for attacks against Pakistani occupiers. This led Pakistan to believe India joined the battle and the Third India-Pakistan War broke out. Eventually, Indian forces prevailed. India’s victory also assured the independence of East Pakistan which was renamed Bangladesh (Wheeler, 2000, pp. 63-64). Somalia (1992-1993): UN involvement in this East African nation stemmed from the famine that has nearly devastated Somalia. This was further exacerbated by the increasing anarchy brought about by the lack of a central government and with competing warlords vying for control as civil war broke out in 1991. The UN organized a peacekeeping mission called United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM) calling for the establishment of a security force of 50 UN troops in Somalia to monitor the ceasefire. Despite the UNs efforts, the ceasefire was ignored by the warlords, especially Mohammed Farid Aidid. Fighting continued and further intensified, jeopardizing UN relief efforts as they were targeted for attacks as well. The harassment of UN personnel prompted the intervention of the United States in what became Operation Restore Hope to ensure the continuation of the relief efforts and what makes American presence different was that it was authorized to utilize all necessary means to ensure the protection of the relief efforts which it initially did, conducting proactive military operations against militias until October on 1993, following the â€Å"Blackhawk Down† incident in October of 1993, the Clinton Administration, in a knee-jerk reaction to the casualties incurred (18 US soldiers killed and one captured), ordered the pull out of US forces from Somalia (Wheeler, 2000, pp. 172-176). The absence of American military muscle also led to the pull out of UN forces from the region as well and Somalia is still what it was 10 years ago where lawlessness still prevailed and this was further evidenced by the proliferation of pirates along the Indian Ocean which used Somalia as the base of operations owing to the lawlessness there. Rwanda (1993-1994): In the case of Rwanda, ethic conflict broke out between the Hutus and Tutsis. The UN intervened through the creation of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) on October of 1993 to oversee the peace efforts in the region. The biggest contributing countries along with Belgium were Ghana, Tunisia, Bangladesh, and Canada. In the latter part of 1993, both Hutus and Tutsis appeared to be honoring the Arusha Accords, and reaffirmed such commitment to creating a new, broad-based transitional government by the end of the year. However, things went sour following the downing of the aircraft carrying Rwandan President Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntarayima of Burundi. It inflamed hatred and a killing spree ensured. Among the first targets of the genocide were Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and 10 Belgian members of UNAMIR after handing over their weapons to Rwandan government troops. In a knee-jerk reaction similar to what the Clinton Administration did following the international embarrassment the United States suffered in Somalia in 1993, Belgium pulled out its troops from UNAMIR and other contingents followed suit. UNAMIR was left with 270 soldiers supported by less than 200 local authorities. The UNAMIR did the best it could with what forces remained. As individuals and as a group, members of the UNAMIR forces did manage to save the lives of thousands of Tutsis in and around Kigali and the few areas of UN control. Despite their best efforts, to the eyes of the world, they appeared to be apathetic or indifferent, standing idly by as Hutus were murdering Tutsis on a larger scale. The French deployed troops following the outbreak of the genocide yet it was for the purpose of evacuating their embassy as well as several members of the late president’s cabinet (Wheeler, 2000, p. 219). The genocide eventually abated with the arrival of a multi-national force from several African states. Yugoslavia (1995-Present): Following the collapse of the communist regime in Yugoslavia, age-old ethnic hatreds reemerged as pre-World War I states began to come back into existence as the nation Josip Broz Tito once ruled disintegrated. This was very apparent in the hatred towards the local Muslim population, particularly by the (Bosnian) Serbs. There were eight UN PKOs in the former Yugoslavia and they were made up of over 20 member states. Despite signing a truce, the civil war resumed and it was the Bosnian Muslims, and later the Kosovars who bore the brunt of Serb brutality which was presided over by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and Serbian leader Radovan Karadic. They invoked nationalism to inflame the passions of the Serbs who then proceeded to conduct â€Å"ethnic cleansing† which was underscored by the massacre at Srebrenica in 1995 which was supposed to be a UN â€Å"safe area† and this happened after Serb forces drove a UN peacekeeping contingent out when the latter could not defend themselves against a larger Serb force and had to pull out. In retaliation, there were some peacekeepers even held hostage by the Bosnian Muslims and used as human shields to force the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into attacking the Serbs. Seeing the ineffectiveness of the UN PKO, NATO began to intervene to add more political muscle starting with air strikes to bring the Serbs back to the negotiating table and eventually deploying troops to enforce the peace in the troubled region as a â€Å"stabilization force† and took it upon themselves to go after Serbian war criminals (Wheeler, 2000, p. 16). Analysis: Upon close analysis, all these situation involved humanitarian intervention which called for the deployment of a military force to make humanitarian relief efforts possible. Among the given cases, it would be nearly impossible to determine which is the least justified. If there needs to be one, it would have to be India’s intervention in Pakistan’s civil war which became its war against Pakistan as well. It would be least justified if it is seen from a legal perspective. India was interfering in what seemed to be an internal dispute between Pakistan. Beyond the legal however, one has to take into consideration that India is flanked on both side by East (Bangladesh) and West Pakistan and strategically she would be in peril considering that her relationship with Pakistan is anything but cordial and as such would rather the face one opponent instead of two. Secondly, the Bengalis were closer to them than the Pakistanis despite being Muslim. Somalia, as well as Rwanda’ would turn out the ones that badly need humanitarian intervention. Given the utter lawlessness and chaos that has visited the country, it appears that the Somalis and Rwandans could not seem to address their problems and this thereby necessitates humanitarian intervention given the fact its people are suffering from famine and genocide respectively. Aid could not get through to them since there is virtually no government there to bring order and it is the warlords who are in charge and they care about is power. After seeing the UN as weak in enforcing its will, the United States, under the first Bush Administration, took the lead in bringing order back into Somalia but unfortunately the Clinton Administration took a different approach especially after the â€Å"Blackhawk Down† incident. Instead of following through to bring Aidid to justice, they decided to pull out. The same thing can be said in Rwanda as well, especially after the murder of the Belgian peacekeepers. Putting them together, the west appeared to be somewhat unwilling to make sacrifices to help address the problems of the Somalis and Rwandans, especially after the deaths of their people. It is as though they felt Africans were not worth saving or dying for and this has sent a wrong message – the west is unwilling to sacrifice for Africans and this also contains racist undertones and has placed a sense of embarrassment to the west for their apparent apathy or â€Å"cowardice† towards Africa. Yugoslavia proved to be the application of the lessons learned from Somalia and Rwanda as the Serbs went on an â€Å"ethnic cleansing† spree, killing Muslims. When news of the atrocities became known throughout the world, they took a stand and finally acted upon it with the deployment of NATO forces to enforce the peace but at the same time, operate with rules of engagement that would enable them to defend themselves appropriately while carrying out this vital mission. Wheeler’s point is that moral considerations should be taken into account. It can be inferred in his work that human life is the most precious thing on the planet and these are wasted or sacrificed needlessly by their own people and government for the sake of power or out of spite. Governments are supposed to look out for their citizens and if they cannot do this, who can the people turn to? This is a symptom of a failed state and it should be the moral responsibility of the international community to help restore order. The problem with laws, both national and international is that it is not perfect. Just because things are put into law does not mean it is perfect and explicit. Laws are inherently implicit as loopholes will be found and used to get around it and this is what prevents humanitarian interventions from taking place or condemn those who do intervene. Nevertheless, Wheeler presents a valid point in emphasizing the moral factor which he feels, as well as most of the world probably feels as well that as a (global) community, â€Å"neighbors† should look out for each other as well because what may seem an internal matter might someday move to their doorstep someday. This has to be addressed the soonest to preserve the peace and order in the community.

General Cable Company (GCC) SWOT Analysis

General Cable Company (GCC) SWOT Analysis Overview This section of the paper analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats faced by General Cable. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are identified and evaluated to determine the ways to capitalize, improve, or avoid these factors to strengthen General Cable as a company. Each of the categories is explained in details to see how it will impact the business or give it a competitive advantage. Below is the SWOT diagram. Strengths Geographically diversified  (may also pose as a weakness) Wide product breadth Lean efficient operation Weaknesses 1. Geographically diversified Political instability Volatile foreign currency exchange 2. Excessive debt dependency 3. Over dependence on one key supplier Opportunities Expansion into emerging markets Strong growth Government support of alternative energy Demand for greater communication bandwidth and global connectivity Threats Volatile commodity market Stringent regulations Litigations Strengths Geographically Diversified GCC operates in three geographical segments namely North America, Europe and North Africa, and the Rest of World (ROW). The biggest markets and contributors of income are the United States and Spain markets. With the focus of long term growth however, it is predicted that there will be increasing population and wealth emerge from the developing countries so GCC has been focusing on diversifying geographically.1 The recession in the United States and slow market in Spain proved that diversifying geographically has been an excellent move. Earlier this year, GCC acquired a major stake of Phoenix Power Cables, a cable manufacturer in Durban, South Africa as one of the moves to further diversify its market and increase its business and presence in Sub-Saharan Africa. 2 GCC is also increasing its presence in its Rest of World (ROW) market by strategic acquisition of local companies and/or building manufacturing plant. This wide international presence allows GCC to have several sources of revenue and globalize GCC as a brand in different parts of the world. It also allows GCC to not depend on a certain geographic markets and helps reduce business risks considerably by spreading its revenue sources. With a successful track record of overseas acquisition, combined with their technical know-how and expertise in the business, GCC is poised to leverage itself as a major global player amidst the ever changing business world. Even though geographic diversification is considered as a strength for GCC, this can also posed a weakness for the company. Detailed discussion of this is presented in the next section. Wide Product Breadth GCC has the broadest product offering in the industry. It offers wide variety of copper, aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable products which are sold to different markets and industries. These products are used not only in the cable industry but in other industries as well, such as, communication, construction, transportation, and oil and gas companies. The wire and cable industry is highly competitive and by providing a wide variety of products is a competitive strength for GCC. This diversified product offering helps reducing the impact of market volatility in one particular product segment and provides economic stability. Lean Efficient Operation GCC is a one of the leaders in the wire and cable industry and it strives very hard to be as lean and as productive as possible to give it a competitive edge. As an ongoing effort to reduce waste and costs, GCC spends considerable time and resources to educate its employees on how to reduce waste and cost and provide them with Lean Six Sigma manufacturing cost containment training. Talk about from the financial paper. Operating income and gross profit were up in 2008 and GCC attributed some of these achievements to improved efficiency as a result of continued Lean manufacturing initiatives. With a leaner and more efficient operation than the industry, GCC possesses a competitive edge. It allows them to profit more from the operation with its lower cost structure or sell the products at a lower price than the competitors but still making the same amount of profit. Weaknesses Geographically Diversified As mentioned earlier in the section, geographic diversification is a competitive strength for GCC. However, it is also a weakness for GCC. Geographically diversified means GCC operates in various parts of the world and exposed to different government rules and regulation, political instability in each country, as well as volatile foreign currency. GCC has a significant investment in Thailand and is therefore subject to the political instability there. In late 2006, Thailands elected government was overthrown which created a lot of unrest and instability in the nation. This inevitably posed as a problem for GCC to smoothly operate in Thailand and may negatively impact the financial health of Thailands operation. Volatile foreign exchange rates can pose as an advantage or disadvantage. Favorable year-over-year foreign currency translation is a benefit while unfavorable translation means a loss that GCC has to bear and report in the financial statement. For example, Venezuelan government recently decided to devalue its currency for non-essential goods from 4.30 Bolivars to each US Dollar to 2.15 which means that $40-$45 million USD will need to be written off from the balance sheet.3 All of these factors may have negative impact on General Cables financial numbers as it influences sales, growth and net profit. Unfavorable foreign currency and political instability are some of the factors associated with having a global presence. GCC has to find ways to overcome these weaknesses by constantly monitoring current and prospective rules and regulations in each country and assess the likelihood and impact of them on GCC. Foreign exchange futures can also be used to lessen the impact of volatile foreign exchange rates. Excessive Debt Dependency As mentioned in the earlier portion of the paper, GCC is highly leveraged by debt and this may potentially have an adverse effect on GCCs financial position. Talk about paper. GCC competitive edge may be limited as it may be harder for GCC to obtain further financing due to the significant amount of debt it possesses. Net income may also be adversely affected when business is bad and cash flow is limited and there is a significant amount of debt repayments to be made. Over Dependence On One Key Supplier More than 90% of General Cable 2008 copper rod purchase was supplied by one key supplier. This posed as a high risk for General Cable if this key supplier fails or for any reason, fail to supply GCC with adequate material. GCC did not have any long term purchase agreements with this key supplier and it is extremely hard to find another key supplier that can supply raw materials in such a short notice. Any unanticipated problems and interruptions with this supplier could have a material adverse effect on GCC. Be it natural catastrophes such as hurricanes and earthquakes or the suppliers own financial and company problem, all of this will have a negative impact on GCCs operation and financial performance. To shield itself from this weakness, GCC has to identify new prospective supplier. GCC needs a supplier who is reliable, reputable, and has the ability to supply massive amount of raw material at the right time and price. However it seems that GCC is reluctant to do so, based on the statement in the 2008 annual report that identifying and accessing alternative suppliers may increase their costs. The likelihood that this key supplier will be problematic should be minimal considering that GCC has outweighed the benefits and cost of identifying new supplier. Opportunities Expansion Into The Emerging Markets As there are massive growth and wealth coming from the emerging markets, GCC has been trying to expand further into these emerging markets and leverage their 150 years of technical expertise and One Company approach. China and India are one the largest emerging markets right now and GCC has considerable investment and presence in both of these countries. Its expansion strategies include acquisition and building manufacturing facilities. GCC recently acquired a local specialty cable manufacturer as it plans to reach out to the Chinese automotive and industrial markets.4In 2007, GCC started its expansion in India by entering a joint venture with a local firm to leverage itself in the construction cables industry for the Indian market.5 GCC is vigorously expanding worldwide by leveraging opportunities in the emerging markets from building new world cup stadium in south Africa for the world cup to reaching into the local markets in China and India. These projects, along with the recent acquisition and expansion in other emerging markets, further GCCs strategy to expand globally into economies that are building their energy infrastructure. This creates an opportunity for the company to increase its sales and brand presence by providing energy and electrical infrastructure cables in these emerging markets. The opportunity in the emerging markets will also help strengthen GCC as a company as it presents more revenue sources and also helps reduce business risks considerably by spreading its revenue sources. Strong Growth Government Support In Alternative Energy With the ever increasing desire for energy independence and environmental concern, alternative energy such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power is poised to grow rapidly. General Cable is one of the leading cable companies that support alternative energy by creating products that provide solutions in the alternative energy sectors. In 2008, more than $400 million of industrial and energy cable is sold to the terrestrial wind farm market globally and this number will continue to climb in the future.1 Alternative energy such as biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, and wind provided 11.37% of domestic U.S. energy production in June 2009. This is a gain from the half of 2007 where alternative energy represents only 9.89% of the domestic energy production.6 The government support in the alternative energy movement is also an excellent opportunities for GCC. The economic stimulus package passed by congress supports renewable alternative energy and this will enhance investments and thus increase demands for GCC products. Both strong growth and government support for alternative energy allows GCC to capitalize on this opportunity to further enhance its market position and financial performance. Demand For Greater Communication Bandwidth And Global Connectivity As the demand for bandwidth increases to support the increasing need for global connectivity and communication, the demand for GCC products will inevitably surge. An article from ‘IT News Africa states that the demand for international connectivity has been much higher than anticipated, which proves there is a definite need for all the international cables global high-speed.7 Internet users will also increase as the emerging markets become more wealthy and require faster connection. This increase in demand is an opportunity that GCC has to capitalize on. Successfully capitalizing on this opportunity will have a positive impact for GCCs financial performance and reputation. GCC has taken considerable steps to take advantage of this increase in demand. It invested in multi-billion dollar of submarine optic communications markets, the medium for faster global connectivity. It is also in a stage to acquire a patent for a newly introduced product which will be used in networking cable technology spectrum. Threats Volatile Commodity Market GCC transforms basic raw materials such as copper, aluminum, petrochemicals and steel into highly engineered wire and cable products. Raw materials account for approximately 75% of the conversion cost which means that fluctuation in raw materials prices may adversely affect GCC cost of sales and in turn, its competitive pricing. The price of copper and aluminum, in recent months, has been extremely volatile. Another issue with the commodity market is that big increase in the prices will substantially decrease demand for wire and cable products and ultimately, will have a negative impact on GCC financial performance. GCC has been involved in numerous commodity hedging programs to shield itself from volatile copper and other raw material prices. However, due to the nature of the financial hedging, it is still no guarantee that they will always be able to protect themselves from the volatility. Stringent Regulations Operating in the wire and cable industry as well as having worldwide operation exposed GCC to numerous complex rules and regulations. The regulations range from import and export rules, individual government policies on the industry, environmental laws, to electronic or telecommunication rules. All of these factors are threats that may materially impact GCCs growth strategy, performance, and reputation. It is noted, however, that GCC is doing its best to ensure that the employees, subsidiaries, contractors, and agents comply with the rules and regulations. Litigations By the end of 2008, GCC and its subsidiaries have been involved in 34,730 lawsuits, 1,275 out of the lawsuits are pending non-maritime asbestos cases.1 These litigation claims are worth millions of dollars combine. If GCC is found guilty in any of the lawsuits and subjected to hefty monetary fines and payments, it will materially impact GCC operation and financial performance. However, GCC has been fighting these lawsuits for the past 20 years and therefore have the experience in defending itself against these lawsuits. In the past 20 years, GCC has had no cases proceed to verdict from those lawsuits and in many cases, was dismissed as a defendant. However, there is no guarantee in the foreseeable future that GCC will always have the upper hand in the lawsuits. Therefore the litigations faced by GCC is considered as a considerable threat. Conclusion GCCs global presence and lean operation put it at a competitive advantage in the industry. It allows GCC to have a wide spread of income source and avoid that economy cyclicality when one country is in recession. As it was discussed in previous section, however, global presence is also a weakness for GCC. Exposure to political instability and fluctuations in the foreign exchange market may have adverse effect on GCCs operation and financial performance. Wide product breadth is also another strength in that it helps reducing the impact of market volatility in one particular product segment and provides economic stability. In order to remain competitive in the industry, GCC has to not only maintain its strengths that give it a competitive advantage, but it also needs to capitalize on the opportunities available to the firm. The strong support and growth for alternative energy as well as increasing demand for greater bandwidth and connectivity are some of the opportunities that GCC has already capitalized on and will continue to do so. However, the rising raw material prices and volatility in the commodity market could pressurize the companys profit margins, thus posing a threat to the firm. Litigations that GCC is involved in is also a threat to the firms operation and financial performance if and when it is found guilty. It is crucial for GCC to continually analyze and assess its SWOT factors to see how it is going to impact the company. Doing so allows GCC to capitalize on its strengths and opportunities as well as take appropriate measure to decrease the likelihood of the threats and weakness from occurring. Annual report. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MzMxNTkwfENoaWxkSUQ9MzEzNzYyfFR5cGU9MQ==t=1 http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2010/01/18/daily10.html?ana=yfcpc http://investor.generalcable.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=81254p=irol-newsArticleID=1374797highlight= http://www.generalcable.com.cn/ http://www.nema.org/media/ind/20070419b.cfm http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/09/power-politics-growth-in-renewable-energy-outpaces-nuclear-fossil-fuels.html http://www.itnewsafrica.com/?p=3921

Essay --

Globalization is the tendency of businesses, technologies, or philosophies to spread throughout the world or the process of making it all happen. The global economy is known as a globularity every now and then. The advantages and disadvantages of globalization have been heavily examined and all of them vary. People who favor it say that it helps developing nations catch up to industrialized nations very quickly through increased employment and technological advances. On the opposite side people say that It makes nations sovereignty weak and allows the rich to ship domestic jobs overseas where labor is much cheaper. The quick spreading of McDonalds restaurants all over the world is a perfect example of globalization. The fact that they adapt their to suit local taste is an example of globalization. Mcdonalds has turned into the symbol of American social force and the embodiment of the Americanization of whatever is left of the planet. The message of globalized Mcdonalds is "If you con sume like us, you are set to be like us." When actually by consuming like Americans individuals far and wide are just being enlivened to look increasingly like American's as to corpulence. However yet, Mcdonald's, for example numerous American organizations, have persuaded themselves that notwithstanding its blemishes, American society is unrivaled and in this manner its impact is just gainful to other, "lesser" Glocalization is the concept that in a global market a product or service is more likely to succeed when it is done because of the locality or culture in which it is sold. The term is a combination of globalization and localization. The international fast food chain McDonalds uses glocalization by changing their menus to appeal to local place... ...nvergence of broad communications from bigger countries as a critical variable in contrarily influencing more diminutive countries, in which the national personality of more diminutive countries is decreased or lost because of media homogeneity characteristic in broad communications from the bigger nations. In connection to McDonald’s media, the plugs and publicizing push the staple "quick sustenance" method for living. On the other hand, for most societies, this is pushing a development far from a family arranged eating to singular feasting. While American society keeps tabs on consuming as a need, most different societies view feasting as a social experience with religion assuming a critical part in its practice. McDonald’s promoting's push of American society pushes independence and freedom upon societies that generally support congruity and family orientation.

Misery Essay examples -- Essays Papers

Misery STORYMAP 1. Sidewinder Colorado- Paul Sheldon, a novelist that has been writing a series about a character named Misery Chastain. Got in a car wreck on the icy streets in sidewinder. He got in the accident from being drunk because of the celebration he had after completing the series. Paul shatters both of his legs, dislocates his pelvis and crushes one of his knees. There he rolls off the side of the road and is knocked un-conscious. This is very important to the character because this makes him very vulnerable to his â€Å"number one fan† Anne Wilkes who holds him in her house and won’t let him go. The event starts the conflict of the story. 2. Farmhouse- In the secluded, snowy forest Paul Sheldon wakes up in a house after receiving CPR. Anne Wilkes is an ex-nurse with all kinds of medicines and painkillers that she gives to Paul for his legs. She is crazy and gives him pills with soapy water out of a wash bucket. Anne is helping Paul so he can write her novels about the ended series of misery. She obviously didn’t want it to end. This is important because Anne Wilkes is saving Paul’s life but won’t let him go. So this is a major problem he has to face in the story. He needs to escape and get to a real hospital or anywhere else but there. 3. Outside- This is outside the house where Anne goes everyday to do her daily chores which are to feed the animals and do lawn work. This is important for Paul because when she is gone he can think about how t...

Political Morality Essay -- essays research papers

In Webster's dictionary, morality is defined as "principles of right and wrong in conduct; ethics." The principles of morality have countless times evolved over the ages. In earlier times, death was an easy penalty for many crimes. These crimes today are considered minor and are penalized with a slap on the hand. Is this considered wrong? Who is the correct authority to consult on what is right or wrong? In today's society, two major factors concern how the way members of society act and behave. The first is our national government. Members of our government in positions of authority decide everything in our lives in the form of laws which determine our behavior. One of the most important documents written by our government is the Declaration of Independence. The monarchy was taking away power from the colonists and putting more demands on. In return, the colonists declared their freedom from their tyrant. In this document, it states, "All men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The great men who wrote this down had a strong sense of morals. They believed that men were given rights by God that no one could take away. This is essential to the issue of morality because it determines the rights- that are agreed upon all- are wrong. This brings us to religion. Religion is a major contributor ...

Sura light

Light Sura The Sura I have chosen to analyse for my assignment is the ‘Light Sura'. The reason I chose this Sura is that it deals with many social issues that are still very evident in Islamic life today. It gives a very detailed view of what God expected of its followers throughout the Sura and what punishment would be handed to them if they did something unwilling to Gods orders. Throughout the Sura a strong message is sent to the believers of Islam. A woman is used as an example of someone who has sinned n a terrible and unlawful way and this is described throughout the text.In my analysis of the Sura I am going to use key verses that give a clear indication of what the passage is about and what clear messages is sent down from god. This is a medinan Sura that relates to the social values in the Islamic world. One of the main themes of this Sura is evolved around many regulations and laws of the Muslim community such as, marriage, obedience, modesty and the main on which is highlighted throughout this passage adultery. Muhammad's wife Aisha was falsely ccused of adultery which was associated as a huge crime in the Islamic world.Punishment was very harsh on anyone found guilty of these crimes, however these strict ways also sent a message to the Islamic community that believers should never step out of line. This is clearly highlighted in verse 24:2, â€Å"The adulterer and the adulteress scourge ye each one of them (with) a hundred stripes. And let not pity for the twain withhold you from obedience to Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of believers witness their punishmentl†.I think this punishment uggests that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah and although Aisha is an honourable woman and Muhammad's wife, she is still punished the same. It is important in the eyes of Allah and the prophets that women are honourable and they are making an example of it in this Sura. It's very clear that this Sura focuses on the social values in the community and another example of this is shown in verse 24:32, â€Å"Marry off the single among you and those of your male and female slaves who are (fit for marriage). If they are poor god, God will provide for them from his bounty:Gods bounty is infinite and he is all knowing2†³. It is Muhammad's Job to preach these messages to the Islamic community in the hope that followers will listen to Gods message. Through that verse the message is clear that god wants men and woman to marry, but through marriage comes stability and maturity. It is evident that he wants people to marry so they aren't idle all the time and so they won't cause trouble in the community. Simarily in verse 24:33, â€Å"those who are unable to marry should keep chaste until God gives them enough out of his bounty.If any of your slaves wish to pay for their freedom, make a contract with them, and give them some of the wealth that God has given you. Do not force your slave girls into pros titution, when they themselves wish to remain honourable, in your quest for short term gains of this world, although, if they are forced, God will be forgiving and merciful to them3†³. This verse relates a lot to the career of Muhammad from when he grew up in Mecca. During this time, tribes had a lot of slaves working for them and they were usually mistreated.Prostitution was a way tor young woman getting through lite as they could not get married. Muhammad sends a strong message in this text as he tries to preach to the owners of the slaves that it is against Gods teachings that this sort of behaviour should happen in this religion. This is a very smart message from Allah as it encourages people to marry and decreases the chances of trouble and violence by the Islamic followers. Muhammad is Allah's messenger and it is shown throughout the passage that he wants to keep the community together by reinforcing the values rom the place (Mecca) they came from.Muhammad was born and ra ised in Mecca but moved to Medina. This sura relates a lot to the career of Muhammad as he brought followers to Medina when he moved. These were the people who emigrated in God's way. At that time there were a lot of tribal wars happening due to divisions imposed by leaders. Muhammad was part of the Banu Hashim tribe and according to (Cook, 2000) â€Å"the rival tribe Banu Abd Shams imposed a boycott which the pagans for some two or three years refused intermarriage or commercial dealings with the BanuHashim's until such time as they came to their senses in the matter of Muhammad4†³. However many members of these groups converted to Muhammad's religion. It is important to note that in this sura, the message is very clear to Muhammad's converts that there are laws to follow if you want to be part of the religion. I think it shows that Muhammad's past is evident in this passage by his teaching. Another important piece of information highlighted throughout the Sura is to do with the one God phenomenon. It is repeated time and time throughout the Sura that â€Å"God is of all nowing and doing†.This is important to the career of Muhammad as he had to preach this to his followers on a daily basis that there is one God and he is all knowing of your good and wrong doings. This small but clever piece of writing made sure that the message of this Sura was clearly shown, as Muhammad's followers would realise that God can see all your wrong doings which would permit them from thinking of committing a wrong deed as writing at the end of the Sura, verse 24: 64, â€Å"God has full knowledge of everything5†.It is very clear from above that the career of Muhammad is evident throughout the Sura by the teachings relating back to the prophets past. In this Sura, Muhammad is preaching about how to become a good Islamic follower and the punishments that will happen if followers lean away from the laws.

Comprehensive Proposal for the Development of an Early Childhood Education Program

Comprehensive proposal for the development of an early childhood education program Do you realize how important the first few years of your child’s life are? We at Lighthouse Learning Academy understand how important these years are. The early years are when the foundation for your child’s life is being implemented. That is why at Lighthouse Learning Academy we provide programs from ages 6 weeks through 12 years old. Our Early Care program services infants from 6 weeks through 24 months. This program is designed to make sure that each child’s physical and developmental needs are met.Daily schedules are adjusted to meet each child’s sleeping and eating patterns. At the appropriate time, toddlers are introduced to different concepts and skills that will help them as they prepare to move to the next program. Our Preschool program serves children from the age of 2 through 5 years of age. Each age group will be divided into classrooms. Once the child is 4 years of age (by September 1st), he/she will enter our stated funded Pre-K program. Each class will use a theme based curriculum designed to introduce concepts and skills based on each child’s age and development.Daily schedules will be designed with a balance of teacher-directed and child-directed activities. Lighthouse Learning Academy understands that we serve a community that works various and long hours. We gladly provide before and after school care for families that require assistance. During the after school program we provide various activities and projects to enhance life skills as well as, an established time for children to do homework and tutoring is also available if your child needs help.Transportation services are available to and from local elementary schools. Lighthouse Learning Academy hopes to make getting to and from work less strenuous for working parents by providing the operating hours of 5:30 am to 6:30 pm. Being that we set out to service our community, t he vision of Lighthouse Learning Academy is to make it possible for all children, youth, and families to reach their potential in a safe, nurturing, and affordable environment.Our mission at Lighthouse Learning Academy is to afford children with the premier quality early care and education, to serve as an accommodating system and source for families, strengthening the communities that we serve, and to work interchangeable with other networks and services to make certain that high quality preschool education remains safe and affordable for all families. We believe that from infancy, and through the school years, we are helping to chart a successful outcome for our children.We work with parents from pregnancy to make sure that their children are placed in a compassionate, encouraging, and nurturing environment. We offer a curriculum that focuses on all of the developmental domains, and an age specific method that helps children move forward from one milestone to the next in a way that has been confirmed to establish a strong basis for lifelong learning. We believe that there is a vital link between these values and the ongoing commitment of our staff.Therefore, our staff is encouraged and supported as they further their educational understanding of early childhood education. Lighthouse Learning Academy staff members serve as coaches and mentors to each other; enabling them to share ideas, experiences, and up to the minute knowledge of new research, policies and best practices. In addition, we provide on going skill set training for staff through meetings, newsletters, and state specified trainings.We do our best to provide parents with resources pertaining to high quality health and dental care, as well as nutrition, cognitively stimulating home environments, access to services, strong social connections, and safety precautions for children. New parents, or parents that are new to our neighborhoods, can rely on us for information and support during life’s transitions. Lighthouse Learning Academy is one of the strongest advocates for children and families in the area that we serve. We are aware of the responsibilities that we have to our families and children to be a voice for affordable, high quality preschool services.We take pride in working with local support agencies, legislatures, and school systems to provide safe, strong, and constant services for children from birth through the school years. We take pride in our parents, our staff, and the valuable chance that we have to be a part of your child’s development. The influence that we can have as partners for children is beyond measure. At Lighthouse Learning Academy we think that all children have a right to respect, in spite of their skill levels.We provide an environment that is safe yet thought-provoking, and a curriculum that challenges them through creativity and learning through play. Consequently, our program supports the following philosophy about children and th eir growth: 1. Each child has a unique learning style, learns at a different pace, by different methods and at different ages of maturation. 2. A positive attitude develops in children, who can fulfill their goals, complete tasks on their own, and work with others and receive positive feelings from others. 3.Children learn self-discipline through understanding, commitment, and reinforcement. 4. Children gain their independence by being allowed to do things for themselves as they are capable of, but keeping in mind new skills. In a safe, caring, respectful environment, children have the greatest chance to grow and develop. Such a setting should be the basis of all childcare programs. We, as educators, should do our best to create an environment that is rewarding, inspiring and supporting of all possible learning and growing opportunities.An encouraging learning environment is provided through a well design physical environment, the instructional materials, equipment, relationships es tablished between everyone, and daily routines. It is in this environment that each child's growth takes place. The basis for creating learning environments that promotes growth comes from the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC's) philosophy of child development and learning that contains developmentally appropriate practice.A developmentally appropriate learning environment: (1) Provides learning centers that encourage mixing of multiple content areas, the library should contain a variety of books such as big books, picture books, books with words for teacher to read, books covering a wide range of topics, headsets with audiotapes; in blocks there will be large unit blocks, hollow blocks, different types of vehicles, pencil, paper and books related to construction. 2) Provides both active and quiet activities, the library should be an area for children wanting to read alone or quietly listen to a book read by the teacher or enjoy music through head sets; while the block area promotes lots of movement to complete projects. (3)Provides materials that encourage awareness and knowledge of diversity through books about different cultures, as well as dolls of different races, and musical instruments from a variety of cultures. (4) Ensures that children have easy access to materials. 5) Makes sure that there are plenty of materials available. (6) Offers children the chances for isolated and group play in view of an adult. (7) Makes sure that there is adequate space for individual, small- and large-group experiences, both inside and outside. (8) Displays classroom materials and children’s art at children's eye level. (9) Promotes literacy in the environment through a variety of sources for print and audio. The infant room through the 4 year old room will be comprised of teachers that are highly qualified.This program employs qualified persons who are 18 years of age or older, who have been taught in Early Childhood Educati on, and who show the personal characteristics for working with children†¦. Employees working with school-age children have been trained in early childhood, child development, or a related field. The amount of schooling will vary depending on the level of responsibility of the position. Employees of a large group of children should have at least a CDA or an associate degree in Early Childhood Education. The Pre-K classrooms will have a Lead Teacher and an Assistant Teacher.The Lead Teacher will be required to possess a two- or four-year degree in the early childhood field. All assistant teachers must possess at least a CDA. Teaching is full of many responsibilities, roles, and challenges. As an early childhood educator, you will be required to wear many hats. As a teacher, you should be prepared to be flexible. It is important to remember that your job description may change if you are needed in other areas to fill in. Early childhood teachers assist learning by providing activi ties and materials that children find appealing.By supplying a developmentally appropriate environment, interesting materials, and time to explore, and play, children find learning easy and fun! Teachers have to communicate with many people throughout the day, ranging from parents to administrators, as well as the children. Early childhood teachers must be ready to communicate with all of these people. You should feel at ease opening up, asking questions, and sharing your experiences. Paperwork, lesson planning, preparing materials and the environment, require teachers to have strong management skills.Managing a classroom requires organizational skills, and commitment. There are many balloons floating in the air and it is your task to keep them up! Discipline is the guidance, encouragement, and support that adults use to influence children. Appropriate discipline helps children learn how to interact and develop self-control. The staff at Lighthouse Learning Academy understands these concepts and uses the following discipline strategies: First and most importantly, the staff creates a positive and safe environment in which all competencies can be fostered and where there is little opportunity for misbehavior.Secondly, teachers always model appropriate behavior, both verbal and non-verbal, including body language. Teachers set limits, which reflect realistic expectations for the age and development of each child. When there is conflict between children, teachers will utilize Dan Gartrell’s Five Finger Formula. The five finger formula involves five steps. The first step is to cool everyone down. No one can negotiate when they are upset. The second step involves having everyone involved to agree what the conflict is about. Thirdly, you would want to involve everyone in coming up with possible solutions to the problem.Fourth, you would want every to agree on the solution. And finally, you must try out the solution that everyone agreed upon. This technique te aches children how to solve problems on their own. If these strategies are not successful, a child may be removed from the group and guided to a quite area with an independent activity. If your child continues to have problems, we will contact you. We will do our best to work with you to correct the behavior issues. If there is still no change in the behavior, a short suspension may be used at the judgment of the director.If a child is not adapting or benefiting from our program, we reserve the right to disenroll the child from the program, also at the discretion of the programs director. Communication between the parent and the caregiver is important to having a successful child care arrangement. After an adjustment period, your child should be able to make the move from home to child care fairly easily. The staff will be providing support to you by discussing your child's progress and will recognize the parent as the primary caregiver.A tour of the center is a vital part of the or ientation process. It is at this time when you will meet the staff members that will be responsible for educating your child as well as view the classroom environment. We suggest that you bring your child along so that, he/she can become familiar with the teacher and the classroom. A tour can be arranged at anytime, just call to set up a scheduled time or just drop in. Our staff welcomes you with open arms. Lighthouse Learning Academy will distribute monthly newsletters so that you will be aware of what is happening with our program.The newsletter will inform you of the themes that will be introduced to your child each month. It will also detail ways in which you can assist the program, as well as upcoming events. Teachers may opt to send home either weekly or a monthly newsletter, keeping you aware of the happenings in the classroom. Through newsletters we are able to keep you updated of the programs effort to make sure that your child’s light shines. Assessment is the metho d of collecting data about children in order to determine where they are developmentally and to make decisions about their education.Teachers obtain useful data about children's skills, and progress by observing, documenting, and reviewing children's work over time. Ongoing assessment that happens in the context of classroom activities can provide an accurate and fair picture of the children's abilities and progress. The purposes for assessment in programs for young children are: instructional planning and communicating with parents. This helps to determine, what are the child's strengths, needs, and learning processes, as well as how is this child doing, and how will this child's instruction and guidance be planned?Another purpose is identification of children with special needs. This allows for assessing whether the child's needs can be met in the program and if not, how does this program need to be adapted, or what program is required? The third purpose is program evaluation and accountability. This assessment allows for assessing whether the program, as now implemented, is meeting its goals and objectives? One of the assessment techniques that we use is the student portfolio. The portfolio is a system for the collection of the child’s work.Work samples are products of children's work that mirrors situations in the learning environment, rather than manufactured instructional situations. The collection of work samples along with the recorded observations of children's interactions and comments shows the child’s progress over time and in a variety of settings. The key to the use of information collected through this approach is the teacher's knowledge of child development and skill as an observer. Parent conferences will provide you with the opportunity to discuss and learn about your child’s portfolio and how it is used in assessing your child’s development.Observations will also be used as an assessment tool. Observations can be an assessment tool used while a child is playing usually in his/her natural environment. The observer is able to see the interactions between the children as well as noting speech and language, and motor skills. Lighthouse Learning Academy wants to make sure that your child will receive the individualized attention that they deserve, so we have established groupings of children for care which comply with the following staff ratios for every age group.For infants to one and a half year olds, the teacher-child ratio will be 3 to 6 infants for 1 teacher. There is a maximum of twelve infants in one room. If there are more than six infants, another teacher will be placed in the classroom. For one year olds that are walking, the ratio will be 1 teacher to 8 children, with a limit not to exceed sixteen children. For two year olds, the ratio will be 1 teacher to every ten toddlers, with no more than twenty in the classroom. For the three year old classroom, the ratio will be 1 teacher for e very 15 children, with no more than thirty.And in the four year old room as well as the pre-k program, the ratio is 1 teacher to eighteen children. In the pre-k program there are always two teachers. Children may be mixed in age groups only during early morning arrivals and late afternoon times of departure. When mixing age groups, you must go by the staff: child ratio and group size based upon the age of the youngest child in the group. During rest time the staff: child ratio may be doubled the number of children as long as there is one staff member in the classroom. Lighthouse Learning Academy prides itself on providing a safe learning environment for your child.But we know that accidents and injuries will occur. If an accident occurs at our center, we will follow the following guidelines depending on the severity of the injury. First and foremost, our staff and teachers are trained to apply first aid to minor injuries such as cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The director will report t o you at the end of the day or during the day based on the nature of the injury. If your child is seriously injured and it requires medical attention, you will be notified immediately and emergency personnel will be contacted.In cases where you child has to be taken to the emergency room, we require you to sign an authorization form so that we may act during your absence. This form is provided in your enrollment package.References Decker, C. A. , Decker, J. R. , Freeman, N. K. , ; Knopf, H. T. (2009). Planning and administering early childhood programs (9th ed. ). Columbus: Pearson. Gartrell, Dan. Guidance Matters. March 2006, retrieved on October 16, 2010 from http://www. naeyc. org/files/yc/file/200603/GuidanceBTJ. pdf