Biomass Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biomass Questions - Essay Example However, the technology for such venture is still in its infancy. It will take some more time before breakthrough in technology is achieved for viable energy production for commercial use from plastics and other combustible contents (Plastics and the environment). A herd of 2000 pigs can produce 400 ft3 of waste. This, in turn, can help produce 3120 ft3 of biogas per day. This figure of 3120 ft3 is arrived at assuming each pig produces 0.2 ft3 waste from which 7.8 ft3/day biogas is produced. (The Economics of Biogas in the Hog Industry, p7). The cogen must have the capacity of 1 x 75 kW and 1 x 110 kW to utilize the gas (The Economics of Biogas in the Hog Industry, p13). The landowner will have to cultivate 2500 hectares of land if eucalypt trees are planted and 10,000 hectares of land if short rotation irrigated forestry crops are planted to produce 10 MW power. This figure is arrived at calculating the requirement of 250 hectares of land if eucalypt trees are planted and 1000 hectares of land if short rotation irrigated forestry crops are planted to product 1 MW power. For irrigated forestry crops, the land availability depends on the type of the crops planted. 10,000 hectares of land will be required for forestry crops if the crop in question is Prosopis which is a thorny plant that already grows wild on extensive areas of wasteland and serves as fence (Garry Jacobs, p20). Lecture 2 - Answer 1 It is in the proportion of 10% ethanol to 100% petrol. The equation stems from the simple fact that the proportion of ethanol is about ten percent of the total quantity of petrol. This figure is arrived at on the basis of volume where 10% ethanol is required for 100% petrol. After the mix up, the equation becomes 10% ethanol and 90% petrol. As regards the second part of the question, the answer is based on answer 3 in lecture 1. The quantity of biomass for sugar beet is 100,000 tons for 10 MW power. 10,000 hectares of cereal residues will be sufficient to produce 10 MW power for one year. This figure is arrived at after calculating 10,000 tons of sugar beet for 1 MW power and 1000 hectares of cereal residues for 1 MW power (Garry Jacobs, p20). Answer 2 Australia has plenty of land resource. The issue is basically environmental. Australia consumes much power got from fossil fuel. This is responsible for pollution. Economy and job creation are also factors to consider for production of biomass. The Great Reef Barrier is impacted due to global warming. Hence, it is necessary for Australia to clean up its backyard. Australia also has tremendous reserves of water for use in creation of power. It also has land resource for any land salination requirement. Answer 3 The research for biomass 'crop' is at a nascent stage. Hence it is difficult to pinpoint with conviction any particular plant as the most suitable potential for biodiesel in Australia. The research is going on with several crops or their components such as algae, lignocellulose (woody or fibrous part of plants), wheat stubble, bagasse, plantation residues, urban waste wood and organic wastes (Sustainable biomass production). Of course, there are also sugar beet and cereal residues that are being researched

Education-Strategy Essay Example for Free

Education-Strategy Essay It is a common knowledge in human development that individuals have stark differences especially in their cognitive capacities and behavioral attributes. Education was then established to somehow reconcile this individual diversity hence it is a must for teachers to allot substantial amount of their time to prepare and assess instructional approach and materials that they will employ in classes of heterogeneous populace of students. To effectively facilitate the learning outcomes of students, teachers at every level should map out their objectives for the specified topic of each instructional period. Teachers usually have different strategies in preparing a lesson; some create detailed and meticulously encoded charts while other teachers plainly scrawl down the notes for a particular topic at a discarded piece of pad. Strategies in planning for an instructional approach are immaterial because the most important endeavor is for the teacher to execute wise decisions about the feasibility of their instructional technique to the successful attainment of learner goals. Furthermore, it is an educational requirement that teachers should be well-equipped of the knowledge that they are teaching because specialization of a particular subject matter effectually bolsters the realization of an educator’s designed objective for the improvement of students’ cognitive competence. First and foremost, before a teacher could outline relevant topics for a subject matter and its corresponding intent the teacher must conduct a pre-assessment of the students’ capacity and skills in a class that is needed to be handled; it can be in a form of a diagnostic test or conversational question-and-answer approach. The teacher ideally should not carry out an impersonal treatment to the students since they are not basically identical in aptitude and manners. After carefully assessing the individual needs of the students a teacher then must enterprise in designing a lesson plan that is precisely appropriate for the learners’ demand. In delivering carefully prepared instructional scheme, a teacher must keep in mind the unavoidable nuisance that may hinder the proper execution of the lessons’ objectives. In addressing this kind of problem in the classroom, teachers should make use of rewards and punishments to further reinforce the need to conquer irresponsible learning behaviors and the encouragement of receptiveness to knowledge enhancement. At the end of a specified topic’s timeframe, the teacher then is expected to administer a check-up test. In doing so, a teacher must be aware of the following criteria in designing a test questionnaire; the test must coincide with the intended learning objectives; the test questions should accurately recount the information taught; the test items must quantify relevant ideas and not those that are insignificant; the test items must be able to assess the composite behaviors, the practical abilities or principles-application of the students and not just simply reckoning memory skills; and lastly, the test questionnaire must be clear and simple to avoid confusion. The test should not be purely objective because it cannot measure the reasoning abilities of students. Provide spaces in the test papers that will measure the subjectivity level and argumentative skills of the students. Commonplace negative feedbacks occur every after a test exam is successfully completed. Normal setbacks such as large percentages of failing students occur that extremely pressures teachers because of strict adherence to the set timeframe of lesson plans. In cases of unforeseen problems like this, a teacher must devote time to communicate with the students to inquire the difficulties they have encountered in the entire instructional program. Subsequently, after the appraisal of the factors contributing to the failure of a large portion of students in the examination, the teacher may form study groups that will be evenly comprised of both astute and slow-learners. The teacher then must monitor that the study groups discuss or brainstorm about the previous topics while a new one is being elicited. Afterwards, the teacher may administer another test to evaluate the success of the remedial approach. Works Cited Center for Teaching and Learning. Brigham Young University http://ctl. byu. edu/? page_id=343 Ten Must-Know Facts About Educational Testing. PTA: Every Child, One Voice, 2000-2008 http://www. pta. org/archive_article_details_1117837372328. html

The Treatment Of Youth Gang Members Criminology Essay

The Treatment Of Youth Gang Members Criminology Essay Should Convicted Youth Gang Members Be Treated Like Other Juvenile Delinquents, Including Status Offenders? According to the National Gang Center, there is no single, generally accepted definition of a gang. State and local jurisdictions tend to develop their own definitions. The term street gang is often used interchangeably with youth gang as well as criminal street gang, with the latter explicitly denoting the element of criminal activity found almost universally in gang-related legislation (National Gang Center, 2011). There are different types of gangs, for example: There are Delinquent Youth Gangs which are considered as groups of young individuals, juveniles, who hang out and do everything together. The group will identify themselves with similar clothing, hand signals, or colors. They have engaged in delinquent acts or undesirable behavior such as truancy, status offenses or minor vandalism. Their behavior often warrants the attention of the local law enforcement, residents a nd the school system; but they have not reached the level of committing serious crimes. Traditional Turf Based Gangs are when groups of young people, juveniles and or adults, who have a known name and leader or leaders who identify themselves through clothing, hand signals, and colors. Turf Based Gangs usually associate themselves with a territory, which they defend against rival gang members. These gang members have engaged in such acts as vandalism (graffiti), assault, and in some cases homicide. Then there are the Gain Oriented Gangs which are groups of young people, juveniles and adults. They are similar to the Turf Based Gangs because they also have a known name and a leader or leaders. The individuals within this type of gang repeatedly engage in criminal activities as a group or individually for the sole purpose of economic gain. Gain oriented gang members will engage in offenses such as robbery, theft and the distribution and sale of a controlled substance. Lastly, is the Vi olent/Hate Gangs which are groups of young people, juveniles and adults with a known name and a leader or leaders. The Violent/Hate gang members collectively engage in criminal acts of violence towards groups or individuals, which is considered to be their primary motivation. Geographical turf, material and economical gain is secondary. The offenses that The Violent/Hate gangs commit are serious assaults and homicide. Youth Involvement in Gangs The 2004 National Youth Gang Survey issued data estimating that 41 percent of youth gang members were juveniles and 59 percent were young adults age 18 or older (Snyder and Sickmund, 2006, p.83). The age of membership for Youth Gang members is generally between the ages of 12 and 24 (Hess, 2010, p.200). There are many reasons why youth join gangs. One reason is the socio-economic background of the individual. Other reasons could be for attention, wanting to feel a part of something, peer pressure, financial gain, the feeling of being loved and accepted (something that they may not feel at home), and for protection. Children search for acceptance and attention from gangs who show a false sense of love by giving the child street status and an identity of their own. In return the child shows complete loyalty to the gang to the extent of disowning biological family members. Many parents have no clue that their child is affiliated with a gang. To combat the growing problem of youth gangs parents must become more involved with their childs day to day activities. Parents must educate themselves on the warning signs of gang activity. Parents should have an in-depth discussion of gangs and the harsh realities of living a life as a gang member, for example an extensive criminal record, prison, and death of friends and family. Juvenile Delinquents and Status Offenses A juvenile delinquent is a person who is under age, which is usually below the age of 18, who is found to have committed a crime in states which have declared by law that a minor lacks responsibility and thus may not be sentenced as an adult (Farlex, 2011) . However, the legislatures of several states have reduced the age of a criminal responsibility for serious crimes or for repeat offenders to as low as 14. Status offense is an offense committed by a juvenile that would not be a crime if committed by an adult. Some examples of status offenses are, truancy, running away, curfew violation, incorrigibility or endangering health and morals. Conclusion A convicted youth gang member should not be treated like a status offender or juvenile delinquent. (Hess, 2010, p.200) states belonging to a gang is not illegal in this country; however, many of the activities that gangs participate in are illegal. Gangs commit shootings, assaults, robberies and other violent crimes; engage in extortion and other felonies; traffic in drugs; and generally terrorize neighborhoods. Convicted youth gang members are aware of the crimes they commit and some consider it as a way of life. These crimes are substantially more serious than status offenses or delinquent behavior. I feel that offender based criteria should be the factor which control the decision-making process, be it the decision to directly file or transfer a juvenile offender to adult court for prosecution or the decision as to what sanction should ultimately be imposed if a juvenile offender is convicted. Gangs actively recruit membership in their early-to-mid teens to carry out violent and h einous crimes as a way to prove themselves to gang leaders and to increase their individual standing within the gangs hierarchy. Because many states mandate lesser penalties for violent juvenile offenders than adults, gang leadership often have juvenile gang members perform violent crimes towards others because there is less of an ability to prosecute them. While I strongly believe treatment, rehabilitation, youth gang prevention initiatives and after-school programs are important tools in addressing Americas gang problem, the ability to provide swift enforcement of violent juvenile offenders is necessary to keep our nations communities safe.

Jurassic Park :: essays research papers

Jurassic Park From the story many questions arise about the condition of the future. With the introduction of biotechnology, what we all want to know is, will this technology be used for the good of mankind? Will it be used to create faster and easier methods of working? Will it be used to create bio-technological replicas of humans that will be able to do our work for us or will the technology be used too misguidingly and lead to the downfall of humanity? All the questions and more are what plague the minds of scientists when trying to perfect this technology. As we approach the 21st century we need to keep in mind that the condition of the world can only benefit from this technology if used properly. If we corrupt this new science field, and try to play God and create super humans we will be disturbing nature and this will bring about humanities down fall. If this technology is used to replace all human work, we as a people will forget the manual way to work. If we totally rely on computers in t he future we will be making mankind obsolete.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the story, the mathematician Malcolm is the philosophical voice that questions the durability of the park and the accountability of the science used to re-create the dinosaurs. He challenges the ideas of Dr.Wu and end up being right in the end about the animals. He also states that society will turn into an information society and thought will be banished. By this he is saying that if the world of technology continues on the path it is on now, the future will be run and determined by technology. Humans will leave everything to machines and we will have an era where humans, as I stated above will become obsolete. All humans will fall into a lazy phase and we will be in a mechanical era.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early chapters of the book, Malcolm states that the whole Jurassic Park idea will not work because of the Chaos Theory. The Chaos Theory states that first complex systems like weather have an underlying order and second the reverse of that the simple systems can produce complex behavior. I do agree with this theory, especially the second part because simple systems can be predictable to a point, but the slightest change in the system can throw off all predictions by a wide margin.

Original Writing Essay

As she lay there silently on her back, staring deeply into the intricate yet excruciatingly dull pattern on the textured ceiling- as if it were a piece of fine, overpriced artwork, she let her thought processes wander over exhausted terrain. She thought of life, of death, of love, of hate, of god†¦ and everything along the way. What was it all for? She began to scribble a few notes down on a piece of paper in front of her. Her mind began to flutter from one feeling to the next. â€Å"I’m reading all the time of hate and anger and frustration. I’m hearing nothing but the pain of others. I see the agony of all around me. And I have felt it, breathed it, been engulfed by it. I understand the need to vent, to get it all out. But I realise now that I can no longer accept it. Blood is on the minds of millions of innocent children, searching for an answer to this emptiness that harbours our death wish. We hold, in our hand, the power to steal†¦ but nothing is taken without payment. Give and take, live and let live. No harm done, no penalty. Even the most gentle of beings get judged by the monster. This is no dragon, no giant; this is a group, a society, a network. This monster is sacrificing the happiness of the innocent for suicide. This monster is killing off what may be our last chance. Children beaten down and left to bleed and to cry, they are screaming but no one cares, no one sees them. They are irrelevant, theses children are†¦ they are the children of you and yours and people you know. They are outcasts these children are. They are banned from beliefs of any sort of rebellion or belief in other gods. But these children need no god. These children worship themselves. They are good and are portrayed as evil, yet they are shunned and thrown away. Put on display for window shoppers to point and stare and mock. These children are not different, they are not unique. The children are minions banned together to have their freedom. They are slaves to the system. Their innocence is overlooked but ignorant bystanders and administrators. These children are against everything, against god, against the devil, against you, against me. They refuse to worship the nine inch nails of your so called â€Å"Christ†. You will never win! The children will persevere. The children will run free. You will die someday. They will to. They know that in the end we are all alone and you’ve spent your lives convinced that there is always someone looking out for you and your heretic children. These children know better than you. These children know fate. They know yours and you can sense it. They can smell the fear in your shattered voice. They can smell failure. The innocent children have a blood lust and a hit list†¦ I guess this means you will die. Too bad we couldn’t save you from the innocent children†¦ they killed us too. We are locked inside our minds and we are rotting here now† ‘Everything dies’ she thought, but she still hadn’t figured out how to truly live yet. Would her life come to an end before she even knew the answers to all of her questions? It seemed meaningless. Everything seemed that way lately. Her life had become a painful cycle of the same boring events, day after everlasting day. Her friends had begun to slowly detach themselves from her, and it made her question herself. She’d been gone for so long when she moved away, and her world felt wonderful when she had returned to her home, and the people she had taken advantage of before. They’d all seemed glad to see her, and she’d never felt so important. She fell back into her circle of friends and remembered all that she had walked away from. She was happy again, and that was good. One day, it was like the world had shifted suddenly and everything changed. People stopped talking to her. They no longer came by at all odd hours of the night bearing gifts and happy drug-induced smiles. Distancing them. Maybe they all finally came to the conclusion that they hadn’t been missing much after all. People tend to romanticize things to a definite fault, and when they realize they’ve set themselves up for disappointment, they don’t always realize that they themselves are not the only ones being affected by their great epiphany. They sometimes forget the person in the middle of it all, maybe even unintentionally, but without even thinking twice†¦ She asked herself what she possibly could have done to turn them away so suddenly. Was it just her character in general? Were some mindless beings getting rushes of power by spreading dirty lies about her as their new form of narrow-minded offence? Were they sick of her already? The fact that she found herself with so few people left to talk to wasn’t what bothered her. It was the fact that she was entirely oblivious to the cause of all of this landfill that made her question herself over and over again. The more she thought about it, the wider the possibility grew that they had never really enjoyed her company in the first place; it was all a terrible charade. She hated that she could be that person that people associated themselves with for mere lack of anything at all better to do. Was she that person that they all talked about in her absence, like she had seen them do to others in times passed? Did they avoid her when they saw her in the streets? Were they all ‘two-faced’ after all? Again, her reasoning began to shift. She wanted no part in any kind of comradeship with a person too shallow to tell her to ‘go away’ in person. She felt, she knew she was better off by herself. Somehow she felt more at ease in her own company anymore. She’d learned a lot about people in the years prior, and it sickened her to think about what humanity has come down to, how meaningless people have become. She honestly didn’t mind not having friends. Of course friends are wonderful to have, but she had found that she became more herself everyday she spent alone, and she liked that. She had come to the abrupt realization long ago that people really aren’t worth much anymore; definitely not worth wasting your days trying to change or analyze, or even hold a civil open conversation with, for that matter. And again, it all comes back around to the irrelevance of everything. Why had she just wasted her time thinking about these people that she doesn’t even like to surround herself with anymore? Since she’d returned, everything had changed so dramatically. Her friends were not the same people they had been three years ago, and they never would be again. She knew she could do nothing, and had accepted this fact, but it lingered painfully in the back of the bedlam of a mind she possessed. She wished for simpler times. She began to let her mind jump to other things. She’d tired herself of pondering anything even remotely related her connections with other people, and had come to the conclusion that she was indifferent on the matter. She really couldn’t bring herself to care much anymore. If someone desired to speak with her, they’d approach her, and she would listen, but making any sort of an effort to please another person seemed ridiculous to her – Meaningless. The past three hours had been meaningless, and so were the thoughts she had spent that time thinking. And now, so were the people that had provoked these very thoughts.

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Ex-Basketball Player by John Updike

Ex-Basketball Player by John Updike Free Online Research Papers The main idea of John Updike’s poem, Ex-Basketball Player is that a young man named Flick who was a really good athlete in high school. However, after high school he became nothing more than a gas station attendant. During high school he was an excellent basketball player. He set records that many kids are still trying to surpass today. During and after high school he never learned a trade, so he wasn’t able to obtain a high paying job where he could move up in life. He just ended up selling gas, checking oil, and fixing flats. Paraphrase: A street goes in front of a high school Curves with paths to a dead end Before it has an opportunity to travel two blocks A shop at a certain place Facing west where two streets conjoin Usually you can see Berth’s helper, Flick Webb Flick towers above gas pumps With five old in each row The hoses hanging down low Two S’s comprise his nose His eyes form an E and an O. One is flat Oblong shaped, with no head Flick was a high-school basketball player He was the best of the team He scored three hundred ninety points in 1946 He set records that lasted. The ball always went in the hoop. One observed him score 38-40 points in a game. He always kept his hands moving He never went to college, but he got a decent gas station job Sometimes, He bounces a tube for entertainment Beside the grease, everyone still remembers the points His appendages are careless on the lug wrench The carelessness doesn’t hurt the lug wrench He is at a diner when not working His hands greasy and clenched while playing pinball As he plays, he smokes and slurps soft drinks He doesn’t speak to the owner He stares at appealing stacks The stacks composed of candy The poem Ex-Basketball Player contains five stanzas and thirty lines. The first stanza describes the ex-basketball player, Flick. It tells how Flick works at â€Å"Berth’s Garage† which doesn’t even have a â€Å"chance to go two blocks† from his old high school. Flick more than likely ended up working at Berth’s Garage because Flick didn’t want to be very far from the place where he had been a hero. Flick doesn’t even own the business, he just simply â€Å"helps Berth out.† The job he was at was taking him nowhere and it was suited for someone with less potential. This poem contains no rhyming. Therefore, it doesn’t contain a rhyme scheme. This poem does not contain a consistent meter. The author uses free verse to write this poem and tell a story. The use of free verse in this poem also allows the author to express his feelings towards the importance of learning a trade and using your potential to make something of yourself. This poem contains specific rhyming devices such as alliteration and onomatopoeia. The alliteration used was in the second and ninth lines. The first use of alliteration was the â€Å"trolley tracks† in the verse â€Å"Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off.† The second use of alliteration was the â€Å"loose and low† in the verse â€Å"Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.† There were uses of onomatopoeia in the fifteenth, seventeenth, twenty-first, and twenty-seventh lines. The words used for onomatopoeia were bucketed, rack, dribbles, and smokes. These uses of sound techniques help enhance the theme by allowing the reader to get a better mindset of the story the poem is telling by reading action terms. The kind of language used in this poem was Colloquial Language. This type of language was a mid range between proper grammar and cursing. The use of this type of language made the main idea of the poem more understandable. It made the main idea more understandable by not using perfect grammar, which helps represent a person who is nothing more than a â€Å"gas station attendant.† This type of language enhances the theme by helping show that a high school basketball star has taken his talent nowhere because a lack of learning a trade. The lack of learning a trade can also be perceived through the use of words that are not used in formal setting. There were similes, metaphors, and personification used in this poem. One of the similes used was â€Å"His hands were like wild birds.† The first four lines can be considered a metaphor, being a comparison to Flick’s life of â€Å"turning a corner and stopping before it has a chance to go further.† The personification used was â€Å"Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.† The use of these figurative language components helps understand the life Flick had been and is living. Updike uses imagery to depict a dim, grimy world of the present and compare it with the brilliant, shining magnificence of Flick’s past. Imagery is initially used in the first two lines of the poem, where Pearl Avenue â€Å"bends with the trolley tracks and stops, cut off.† Those two lines show how Flick’s life has been cut short, just like the road that leads to Berth’s Garage where he works. The train passes by the high school Flick went to, but just like him, it doesn’t go very far beyond. The words â€Å"cut off† are very important in the understanding of Flick’s circumstances. His days of fame came to an abrupt ending with the realization that â€Å"he never learned a trade.† The second stanza used imagery to show that Flick is out of place amongst the â€Å"idiot pumps† with their â€Å"rubber elbows hanging loose and low.† The imagery suggests that these non-living objects are as close as Flick comes to any sort of real contact with others. It is further suggested by the last stanza of the poem, in which he ignores Mae to stare of into â€Å"applauding tiers of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and JuJu Beads.† The reference to one of the pumps as â€Å"more of a football type† also points to the fact that Flick views the world through sports analogies and his past. The fact that there are five pumps, like five men on a basketball court for each team, also suggests that Flick still views life in terms of basketball. These details verify the notion that Flick did not concentrate on anything other than basketball during his formative years. Not relationships with others, not academics, nor a fallback plan. Just basketball. The expression â€Å"idiot† used to describe the pumps also separates Flick from the other basketball players he used to play with and against. Just as he is out of place amongst the pumps, his talent put him out of place amongst his peers. Even though he was admired, Flick was never really a part of the town. His presence was simply ornamental, and continues to be. The theme of this poem is about a high school basketball star that has taken his talent nowhere. If one doesn’t work on their goals, they will never reach their dreams. Also, if you do not reach your goals you can end up living an out of place life. The theme that Flick is not necessarily unhappy, but out of place, carries throughout the poem. The poem says, â€Å"the ball loved Flick† and â€Å"he was the best,† and this allows everyone to see that it is not just Flick who looks upon his past with a sort of admiration and pride. It is the entire city, and he is the local hero. The boy who didn’t exactly make it big, but he made it big enough that he’s remembered. Perhaps the town longs for that hero the same way Flick does. But it is not longing for Flick, specifically. What the town, as shown by the narrator, wants is another hero. Until one comes along, they will live vicariously through Flick’s past. â€Å"As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube, but most of us remember anyway,† the narrator ponders. It’s as though Flick wants to remind the town of his past, but he has no need because the town clings to it just as he does. Flick does not see people, he sees spectators. He does not see gas pumps, he sees opponents, teammates, and athletes. He does not see candy, he sees a high school gymnasium full of admiring fans. And also, the town does not see a person, but the person’s past. It appears to be a very mutual need for recollection. Flick and his fans are a community isolated from reality, and reality is what matters. Flick is not necessarily skilled with the lug wrench, but â€Å"it makes no difference to the lug wrench.† The warmth of memories and â€Å"a gag† are contrasted with the harsh reality that Flick’s path is a permanent one, and in the end, it doesn’t matter how many points he scored or who remembers what. The only thing that matters is the fact that Flick pumps gas. To the townspeople, he is a hero. To the rest of the world, he is nothing, if even that. However, the cold reality does not seem to affect Flick very deeply. The last image one gets is that of Flick staring past a person into â€Å"applauding tiers† of candy. The use of the word â€Å"tiers† plays as almost a joke, suggesting that Flick may be unhappy with his place in life, but he portrays himself as almost carefree by what has happened to him and content to live his life through the glo ry of his past. This poem contained an appropriate title that generated interest and hinted what the poem was about. The subject of this poem did a great job of depicting what the situation was, who is talking, and under what circumstances. The tone of this poem was very neutral by not saying that the life flick is living is good or bad. With the author not putting his opinion into the poem, it can be interpreted in many different ways. There was an excellent choice of words in this poem. The words were very simple, economical, varied and energizing, and the words used didn’t have to be complex to get a point across and paint a good picture. The metaphors, similes and personification used were striking and convincing. The use of the simile â€Å"His hands were like wild birds† did a great job at describing how Flick played basketball, and the use of â€Å"cut off† as imagery did an excellent job at showing how all of Flick’s hopes and dreams came to an end. Research Papers on "Ex-Basketball Player" by John UpdikeThe Hockey GameMind TravelTrailblazing by Eric AndersonStandardized TestingHip-Hop is ArtHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Spring and AutumnNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice

Free Essays on Book Report On The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People

Book Report on â€Å"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People† by Stephen R. Covey Part One: Paradigms and Principles Covey, the author of this book, began studying something called the Pylamon Effect, which studies expectancy theory and self-fulfilling prophecies. He read books as far back as 200 years and realized that as far as history goes, there is a pattern of humans solving their smaller problems, yet leaving the large problems to fester. The â€Å"Character Ethic† shows the principles needed by people to live life and be successful and happy. World War 1 changed the character ethic into the Personality ethic, which dealt with positive mental attitude. This allowed people to view the world and their surroundings differently and make themselves happy. He explains greatness, of which he found two kinds, primary and secondary. Primary is more of a long-term attitude, while secondary is short term. He defines a paradigm as an explanation of something else, and a paradigm shift as when someone views something differently then they would have before, kind of like an epiphany. Covey states that people are not able to change their bad habits immediately, that people only move forward in life step by step, not drastically. The Seven Habits 1. Be Proactive Realize that your problems are your problems, and not blame others. Take action to make right what will help you. It is much better to be a proactive person and take action rather than a reactive person who merely flows and reacts with what the environment throws at him. How a person responds to the experiences in their life is often more important than the experience itself. Covey also talks about the Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence within the Circle of Concern. The Circle of Concern is the things in life that concern us and the circle of influence within the circle of concern is the things we have control over. 2. Begin with the end in mind Lo... Free Essays on Book Report On The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Free Essays on Book Report On The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Book Report on â€Å"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People† by Stephen R. Covey Part One: Paradigms and Principles Covey, the author of this book, began studying something called the Pylamon Effect, which studies expectancy theory and self-fulfilling prophecies. He read books as far back as 200 years and realized that as far as history goes, there is a pattern of humans solving their smaller problems, yet leaving the large problems to fester. The â€Å"Character Ethic† shows the principles needed by people to live life and be successful and happy. World War 1 changed the character ethic into the Personality ethic, which dealt with positive mental attitude. This allowed people to view the world and their surroundings differently and make themselves happy. He explains greatness, of which he found two kinds, primary and secondary. Primary is more of a long-term attitude, while secondary is short term. He defines a paradigm as an explanation of something else, and a paradigm shift as when someone views something differently then they would have before, kind of like an epiphany. Covey states that people are not able to change their bad habits immediately, that people only move forward in life step by step, not drastically. The Seven Habits 1. Be Proactive Realize that your problems are your problems, and not blame others. Take action to make right what will help you. It is much better to be a proactive person and take action rather than a reactive person who merely flows and reacts with what the environment throws at him. How a person responds to the experiences in their life is often more important than the experience itself. Covey also talks about the Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence within the Circle of Concern. The Circle of Concern is the things in life that concern us and the circle of influence within the circle of concern is the things we have control over. 2. Begin with the end in mind Lo...

The Profitability of Advertising on Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Profitability of Advertising on Media - Essay Example Putting an advert on radio will also depend on the radio station used, time, and the length of the advert. For WHOU FM the prices of putting a 30 seconds advert during the morning hours is 50$ per advert. The price is relatively highly due to the fact that most people in the US usually listen to the radio during the morning hours as they drive or ride to their places of work. Therefore, a company is likely to get more audience during this period of time as opposed to other periods during the day such as mid morning and afternoon (Katz 123). However, it should be noted that the rates get high again during the evening because his is the time when people are riding back to their homes, thus getting a chance of listening to the radio again.Prices of magazines depend on whether on is using a national magazine or local ones. The type of readers also affects the pricing. For a company to put an advert on VOGUE, they will have to pay $250,000 if they want a full-page advert. The price is hig h because of the fact that VOGUE is a national magazine. Furthermore, VOGUE is a women’s fashion magazine meaning that many women are likely to read it. However, the type of product or service being advertised will highly determine whether advertising on this magazine will be worth the cost. This is because this magazine will only be read by women who are interested in knowing what things are happening in the world of fashion (Peitz and Valletti 952). An automobile advert might be out of place for this magazine.

Old Testament Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Old Testament - Essay Example Marvin Pope’s article on Euphemism elaborates the degree to which this played a role in both the New and the Old Testament. The article espouses the biblical usages of euphemism and dysphemism in a detailed manner, concluding with a note on the way the languages have grown from the biblical days. Kiyoshi K Sacon writes about the Japanese scholarship of the Old Testament with specific information on the early growth of Christianity in the Far East. Any reader would certainly know about the dedication of the early day post-apostolate period and how tough it had been to spread the religion in a land that was not particularly conducive for it. Though there are two articles on Sorcery and magic, the one by Joanne Kuemmerlin-McLean on Magic: Old Testament talks about the details of punishments and crimes of magic. Numerous articles address specific interest areas and common topics such as Jesus and spread of Christianity. The Anchor Bible Commentary Series has been taken for the current work. This book is a study of various books on the bible and bible classics; the commentaries of various scholars are included in the book. Edited by and guided by W F Albright and edited later by Freedman. This comprises of three basic units and every unit has a large number of volumes specifically addressing the books of interest. The first of the series comprises of volumes that cover the Hebrew Bible. The second set of books cover the New Testament and finally, the third set covers the Intertestamental Books. Though there are a huge number of books on every one of these classifications, a number of authors have contributed to cover all the major topics in these books. In the Old Testament, I chose the two volume commentary on Book of Proverbs, author: Michael V Fox. The first volume covers Proverbs 1-9, in this new translation and commentary. In page 79, the author talks of the Proverbs have, having stemmed

Localisation the workplace in UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Localisation the workplace in UAE - Essay Example In the later section of this paper, the case study of of Emiratization in practice is presented to identify the issues in the implementation of Emiratization (employing UAE nationals) programmes. The findings of the study demonstrate some of the complexities in implementing Emiratization. The complexities that were identified in implementing Emirazatization were management commitment, quantitative evaluation methods, resistance to change and the role of expatriates in implementing Emiratization programmes. The implication of the research also identified areas for future research. The areas were identified in the study that needs future research are; Political leaders in the Middle East knew that their dependence on expatriate workforce has has serious long-term political, economic and social consequences (Al-Lamki, 1998). Such, the region has implemented nationalization strategies to employ nationals(citizens) instead of foreigners/expatriates. This initiative has various names in the region such as Omanization, Saudization and Emiratization. These nationalization strategies attempts to integrate HRM policies and practices in the change management practices (going to nationalization from employing expatriates to a local national) (Mellahi and Wood, 2001).is a topic in HR literature which lacks research at present (Hallier, 1993; Palthe and Kosseck, 2003; Mendenhall et al., 2003; Ruona and Gibson, 2004; Sheehan, 2005). At the outset nationalization strategies seemed to be associated with globalization, economic growth and reform, and competitiveness (Al-Dosary, 2004; Looney, 2004; Mellahi and Wood, 2002). Thus, nationalization strategies is an international issue albeith Middle Eastern leaders have implemented nationalization policies that are specific to their own countries. This initiative however is not exclusive to Middle East. Similar parallel programs can be seen in countries such as Malaysia (Ahmad et al., 2003), Zimbabwe, South

Discuss the relationship between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Essay

Discuss the relationship between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - Essay Example 476 - 1453). In form and style, medieval art had normally been confined to subjects of chiefly religious worth, especially as Christianity struggled to cope during the Dark Ages due to barbarian invasions and the fall of the Roman Empire. At the time, the western civilization merely hoped for salvation from havoc and crises through the Roman Catholic Church and this event serves to justify how and why the advent of medieval art, which is Christian art by nature, owed most of its substance to the themes that speak of religious influence (Medieval Art). As Roman Catholic Church portrayed a principal role in addressing the issues of hostility and brutality of men, the art history of the Middle Ages was inevitably led to depict the essence of Christianity in attempting to resolve the outcome of turmoil thereof. Faith and objects of Scripture, thus, became central to the core content of the medieval art which includes illuminated manuscripts, fresco and panel paintings, embroidery and tap estry art, mosaic, and tessera. Bronze art, ceramic art, as well as metalwork by silversmiths and goldsmiths account for the significant part of the identity and shape of the medieval art whose artists were highly disposed to create pietistic structures such as those inspired by biblical images. The period further consisted of schemes which brought about models of scriptural beings that were designed via architectures of Romanesque and of Gothic fashion. ‘Renaissance Art’, on the other hand, emerged the time when people of Europe were enlightened by the principle of humanism after all the unfortunate occurrences in the Middle Ages. It blossomed to embody the later historical art period which is characterized by new technique and invention toward a form or style meant to express ample departure from medieval art. Based on the world history, in general, Renaissance (14th – 17th century) pertains to the era of Enlightenment otherwise understood as the Golden Age or the great span in which European nations gradually learned to leave behind brutish human ways and engage in higher order of intellect as human beings capable of developing a moral society. Human endeavors in the West brought in a number of very indispensable discoveries that sustained the foundation and richness of knowledge in literature, philosophy, and science though religion took on paths toward reform and under these circumstances was the later historical art period given birth. With Renaissance art, Greco-Roman paintings and sculptures resurfaced to exhibit an artistic evolution that defied former conventions. While the medieval art focused on the symbolist approach of painting and sculpting animal and mythological figures in muted color, the Renaissance art replaced the idea of symbolism with the realization that a human subject of art in three dimensions would promote the value of man in the realm of intelligent existence and journey of change. Artists of the Renaissance add ed volume to the work and refined details which the artists of the Middle Ages overlooked especially in the aspect of designating visual elements appropriately so as to convey more of nature, sentiment, and thought through the art piece. Apparently, the humanist perspective of art in the Renaissance was adapted to in the course of enlightening men about the power of the

The Role Of Stakeholders In Passing The Proposed Amendment 1 Assignment

The Role Of Stakeholders In Passing The Proposed Amendment 1 - Assignment Example Due to the dynamic nature of the world politics, the intended role of politicians voted by voters as slowly narrowed to self-centered interests. It is evident that majority of the politicians across the world, become active when discussing issues affecting their welfare, for instance, an increment of allowances (Gowing, & Arnold, 1974). On the other hand, they remain reluctant in passing proposed amendments in other sectors such as nursing. This is in contradiction with the noble calling to serve the subjects. This calls for stakeholders from all fronts including the nurses to participate actively or passively in the splendid role of spearheading passing of proposed amendment. It is notable that the stakeholders can participate in policy change through lobbyist’s influence (Bristol, 2004). The activists have the capacity to sway the subjects to vote for or against a policy; however, this depends on the past record in telling the truth in their bid to make their opinion superio r.In conclusion, it is a fundamental role for relevant stakeholders to participate in passing the proposed amendment because; the political class may ignore an important policy because of self-interest. It is notable that, the participation of the stakeholders creates a platform, which is irresistible in addressing key issues. This platform saves time in passing proposed amendment of critical importance to the large society, which involves subjects from all professional and unprofessional fronts.

The Attitudes toward the role of women from a religious standpoint Research Paper

The Attitudes toward the role of women from a religious standpoint - Research Paper Example This alludes to the fact that women in Buddhist Asia were, from quite early on, treated much better than their counterparts in other parts of Asia. Most observations on Buddhist women in the late 19th and early 20th century are made by Europeans who found themselves in Asia around this period. The most remarkable feature about Buddhist women to these early writers was their privilege. Sir Charles Bell a British Political Representative in Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim, wrote in 1928 that travelling to Tibet from India and China presents the visitor with an impression that Tibetan women are not kept in isolation as their Indian counterparts. In fact, the Tibetan women mingle with the opposite sex and are consequently at ease with men (Dewaraja 4). The most important thing to note is that the statement women in the world is a reference to European women at that time in history. These women are still struggling to walk shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. In Buddhism, subordination of women is given a religious sanction. According to the Law of Karma, one’s actions in the past will determine one’s position of wealth, power, talent and even sex in future births. One is reborn a woman because of one’s bad Karma. Because of such religious laws, attitudes towards women are not easily changed. Today women in Buddhism much like their predecessors 100 years ago struggle with such challenges. At the forefront of this campaign is Sakyadhita or daughters of Buddha. This is a global network of Buddhist women aimed at improving their status through conferences, dinners and discussion groups. At the turn of the 20th century, the attitude towards the role of women in Christianity was much like that in Buddhism as observed by European Asian settlers. However, women in Christianity during this period were associated with education.

Discuss the relationship between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Essay

Discuss the relationship between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - Essay Example 476 - 1453). In form and style, medieval art had normally been confined to subjects of chiefly religious worth, especially as Christianity struggled to cope during the Dark Ages due to barbarian invasions and the fall of the Roman Empire. At the time, the western civilization merely hoped for salvation from havoc and crises through the Roman Catholic Church and this event serves to justify how and why the advent of medieval art, which is Christian art by nature, owed most of its substance to the themes that speak of religious influence (Medieval Art). As Roman Catholic Church portrayed a principal role in addressing the issues of hostility and brutality of men, the art history of the Middle Ages was inevitably led to depict the essence of Christianity in attempting to resolve the outcome of turmoil thereof. Faith and objects of Scripture, thus, became central to the core content of the medieval art which includes illuminated manuscripts, fresco and panel paintings, embroidery and tap estry art, mosaic, and tessera. Bronze art, ceramic art, as well as metalwork by silversmiths and goldsmiths account for the significant part of the identity and shape of the medieval art whose artists were highly disposed to create pietistic structures such as those inspired by biblical images. The period further consisted of schemes which brought about models of scriptural beings that were designed via architectures of Romanesque and of Gothic fashion. ‘Renaissance Art’, on the other hand, emerged the time when people of Europe were enlightened by the principle of humanism after all the unfortunate occurrences in the Middle Ages. It blossomed to embody the later historical art period which is characterized by new technique and invention toward a form or style meant to express ample departure from medieval art. Based on the world history, in general, Renaissance (14th – 17th century) pertains to the era of Enlightenment otherwise understood as the Golden Age or the great span in which European nations gradually learned to leave behind brutish human ways and engage in higher order of intellect as human beings capable of developing a moral society. Human endeavors in the West brought in a number of very indispensable discoveries that sustained the foundation and richness of knowledge in literature, philosophy, and science though religion took on paths toward reform and under these circumstances was the later historical art period given birth. With Renaissance art, Greco-Roman paintings and sculptures resurfaced to exhibit an artistic evolution that defied former conventions. While the medieval art focused on the symbolist approach of painting and sculpting animal and mythological figures in muted color, the Renaissance art replaced the idea of symbolism with the realization that a human subject of art in three dimensions would promote the value of man in the realm of intelligent existence and journey of change. Artists of the Renaissance add ed volume to the work and refined details which the artists of the Middle Ages overlooked especially in the aspect of designating visual elements appropriately so as to convey more of nature, sentiment, and thought through the art piece. Apparently, the humanist perspective of art in the Renaissance was adapted to in the course of enlightening men about the power of the

The Attitudes toward the role of women from a religious standpoint Research Paper

The Attitudes toward the role of women from a religious standpoint - Research Paper Example This alludes to the fact that women in Buddhist Asia were, from quite early on, treated much better than their counterparts in other parts of Asia. Most observations on Buddhist women in the late 19th and early 20th century are made by Europeans who found themselves in Asia around this period. The most remarkable feature about Buddhist women to these early writers was their privilege. Sir Charles Bell a British Political Representative in Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim, wrote in 1928 that travelling to Tibet from India and China presents the visitor with an impression that Tibetan women are not kept in isolation as their Indian counterparts. In fact, the Tibetan women mingle with the opposite sex and are consequently at ease with men (Dewaraja 4). The most important thing to note is that the statement women in the world is a reference to European women at that time in history. These women are still struggling to walk shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. In Buddhism, subordination of women is given a religious sanction. According to the Law of Karma, one’s actions in the past will determine one’s position of wealth, power, talent and even sex in future births. One is reborn a woman because of one’s bad Karma. Because of such religious laws, attitudes towards women are not easily changed. Today women in Buddhism much like their predecessors 100 years ago struggle with such challenges. At the forefront of this campaign is Sakyadhita or daughters of Buddha. This is a global network of Buddhist women aimed at improving their status through conferences, dinners and discussion groups. At the turn of the 20th century, the attitude towards the role of women in Christianity was much like that in Buddhism as observed by European Asian settlers. However, women in Christianity during this period were associated with education.

The Travel Expense Billing Controversy Essay Example for Free

The Travel Expense Billing Controversy Essay Neal A. Roberts, an employee of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found out that his employer was earning millions of dollars a year by way of a billing method that he thought was doubtful. PwC had been collecting large rebates on airline tickets and other travel expenses being charged as expenses to clients of the firm. These rebates were not being returned to the firm’s clients in the form of savings, but the firm was keeping these rebates for it. This was working, because the firm would bill the clients for the full price of airline tickets and other travel-related expense, but privately, the firm negotiated discounts and rebates that they then got at the end of the year based upon total amounts spent. The clients did not know anything of the back-end discounts and rebates the firm was getting; therefore, they were being charged more than the firm’s true out-of-pocket expenses for the items. In October 2001, the firm finally stopped taking airline rebates completely. The company started structuring all discounts as front-end price reductions that would be passed on to the clients. In the professional environment, there are two main areas in which ethical behavior is required. The first point concerns the behavior of the employee at work, in dealing with colleagues, with supervisors and subordinates and also with customers, the second point concerns the behavior of the company itself against its customers, its employees and all others who may are concerned from company. Also you have to distinguish between descriptive and normative ethics. Descriptive ethics is concerned with describing, characterizing, and studying the morality of a people, an organization, a culture, or a society. [†¦] It focuses on â€Å"what is† the prevailing set of ethical standards in the business community, specific organizations, or on the part of specific managers. [†¦] Normative ethics is concerned with supplying and justifying a coherent moral system of thinking and judging. [†¦] It deals more with â€Å"what ought to be† or â€Å"what ought not to be† in terms of business practices. Carroll, Buchholtz, 2008:242,243) So it’s rather impossible for a large company such as PwC to adhere to all these ethical values. These values can be quickly lost in the general public, because everywhere, they are trying to make money and advance the business, whether this ethical behavior is observed or ignored. Neal A. Roberts was constantly trying to uncover the corrupt business of the company, because he has a higher ethical consciousness and does not want PwC to get away with its wrong behavior. Identify the ethical issues in this case. There are three ethical issues in this case. Firstly the cheating on customers out of discounts. The firm PwC earns millions of dollars on rebates, which are not being returned to the clients in form of savings, but rather, the firm was keeping these rebates for themselves. The second ethical issue is that PwC is giving false information to the firm’s clients, by telling them a wrong amount for the airline tickets and other travel expenses. The last ethical issue is the cover-up of the firm’s corrupt activity. The company PwC does not tell their clients and their employees about the firm’s illegal behavior. All these ethical issues belong to the organizational level (or firm level). â€Å"[†¦] These issues may carry consequences for the company’s reputation and success in the community and also for the kind of ethical environment or culture that will prevail on a day-to-day basis at the office. In addition, how the issue is handled may have serious organizational consequences† (Carroll, Buchholtz, 2008:289,290). [A] survey conducted by the Ethics Resource Center reveal what managers and employees are up against. † There you can see, that 19 percent of the asked employees mentioned â€Å"lying to employees, customers, vendors, or the public† (Carroll, Buchholtz, 2008:290) is one of the most â€Å"questionable practices that employees today face in their work lives† (Carroll, Buchholtz, 2008:291). Who are the stakeholders and what are their stake s? The Stakeholders in case 14 are the customers, the federal government, the company PwC, the partners in business and the employees. The customer’s stakes are to get the right service for the money they paid, to get good quality and to be treated honest and fair. But in this case the customers are not getting the rebates that they should be rewarded. Furthermore the stakes of the federal government are that the company PwC can pay the taxes and acts legally and ethically. However, the federal government was not only lied to about speculations and regulations, but they were also lied to as the customers themselves. Moreover the stakes of PwC are that they can keep on the market with the other companies, that their employees are motivated nd make a good work, that their company is creditworthy, so in other words liquidity is given, that they have many customers and good conditions for suppliers. The stakes of the partners in business are that they want to know how the competitive company PwC is in the market and how big their market shares are. But the other businesses are getting tarnished. At last the emplo yee’s stakes are to work in a nice working atmosphere, to get fair wages and also to be treated honest and fair. What is your appraisal of the ethics of the travel expense billing practices described in the case? What are the ethical arguments for and against them? My appraisal of the ethics of the travel expense billing practices described in the case is what the company PwC did is wrong, because it is not right and fair. They violate consumer rights, employee rights and shareholder rights by offending against the main ethical principles, such as the â€Å"Respect for Persons†, the â€Å"Principle of Beneficence† and the â€Å"Principle of Justice†. In this connection ‘Respect for Persons’ means that individuals should be treated as autonomous agents and that persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection. Further the ‘Principle of Beneficence’ indicates that â€Å"persons are treated in an ethical manner not only by respecting their decisions and protecting them from harm, but also by making efforts to secure their well-being. [†¦ ]Two general rules have been formulated as complementary expressions of beneficent actions in this sense: (1) do not harm and (2) maximize possible benefits and minimize possible harms. As with all hard cases, the different claims covered by the principle of beneficence may come into conflict and force difficult choices. † Moreover the ‘Principle of Justice’ says that â€Å"[†¦] equals ought to be treated equally. † (http://www. stmarys-ca. edu/institutional-review-board/basic-ethical-principles) The company’s behavior meets the basic level of the CSR pyramid, which says â€Å"be profitable†, but on the other side it goes against legal, ethical and philantropical responsibilities. [†¦] In most decisionmaking situations, ethics, economics, and law become the central expectations that must be considered and balanced against each other in the quest to make wise decisions† (Carroll, Buchholtz, 2008:249), but in this case, the company does not obey this rule. PwC only refers to the ethical basis â€Å"be profitable† and ignores the other responsibilities, which makes the whole behavior of the firm illegal and not ethical.

Novating design team to a contractor

Novating design team to a contractor Synopsis Clients within the Construction Industry prefer to use the JCT Design Build Contract rather than other traditional procurements methods. Novation is a process that allows Clients to oversee the early stages of design development of a project and then transfer the responsibility for the design to a Contractor after the contract has been awarded. By transferring the responsibility to the Contractor through novation the Client takes minimum risk contractually while retaining an influence on project design from the initial stages. This process transfers maximum risk to the Contractor as he becomes responsible for all future design of a project and all past design completed up to the point of a contract being awarded, this includes any design errors. Both Contractors and Designers must work together closely on any design and build project, but particularly when novation has taken place. For a project to be profitable and be completed on time it is essential that there is a good working relationship between Contractor and Designer. Research to establish if the process of novation has an adverse affect on the working relationship between Contractor and Designer was conducted. The aims were to identify factors that may affect the working relationship of the two parties and to understand the opinions of both Contractors and Designers about what affect novation has on their working relationship. The objectives of the research were to highlight specific problems within the process of novation and recommend improvements to industry. To achieve this research in the form of a literature review, questionnaires and an interview with Contractors and a Designer was performed. The report recommendations are aimed at Clients to hold more pre-contract meetings with Contractors not just Designers, and understand the criteria a Contractor follows when appointing a Designer to ensure compatibility between parties when in Design and Build contract together. Acknowledgements I would like to express gratitude to the following people and organisations for their time, knowledge and support in assisting the in the successful completion of this research project: My final year Supervisor Dr Ron Craig of the Civil and Building Engineering Dept of Loughborough University, for constructive criticism and guidance throughout the process of developing the dissertation. HBG UK Ltd for using a lot of Commercial Managers, Design Co-ordinators, Legal Correspondents and Personnels time in completing the literature review and aiding in the data collection. The Commercial Manager of the second Contracting Company questioned The Architect questioned for his experience and opinions of the process of novation. Mr Andrew Moss for proof reading the final draft of this report and suggesting possible alterations. Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction to Subject The Design and Build form of J.C.T contract (please see chapter 4.0) has become more popular with construction Clients that employ Contractors to construct new buildings and/or renovate existing structures. The Authors research has shown that the percentage of contracts tendered for under a Design and Build form of J.C.T has increased over the last five years. In conjunction with this the traditional form of JCT contract has decreased in popularity with Clients. In many cases the designs which make up part of the contract between the Client and Contractor, under JCT Design and Build, are completed by a Design Team on behalf of the Client before the contract between the Client and Contractor is made. To ensure that the Contractor who successfully tenders for a project retains the Design Consultant that the Client employed prior to the contract being made it is sometimes necessary for a Client to novate (please see chapter 5) the design team across to the Contractor. The purpose of this report is to investigate into the problems, if any, with the process of novating a design team to a Contractor from the Client and suggest solutions. This report will also detail the affects on the working relationship between the Contractor and the Designer, and how novation either aids or hinders the working relationship 1.1.1 Aims of Chapter One To introduce the Dissertation subject area. The reasons behind the investigation of this Dissertation. To outline the work carried out and a description of the contents of the Dissertation. Detail a well constructed hypothesis that the investigation will either prove or disprove. To outline a guide to the report, and introduce each individual chapter. To detail the aims of the report and the objective that must be achieved to meet the aims. 1.2 Rationale behind I nvestigation The interest into the investigation of Are there always problems with novating a design team to a contractor? came about after the Authors industrial placement. While working on site for a Contractor on a J.C.T. Design and Build contract where the design team was novated it became apparent to the Author that there were many differences of opinions between the Designers and the Contracting Company. The main items of debate and disagreement between the Contractor and the Design Team were the Clients requirements. In the Authors experience there was a large difference of opinion of how design changes and/or variations should be treated between the Design Team and the Contractor. Whilst profit-driven Contractor seemed to always look for the cheapest and most cost effective way of bridging any design problem; where as the Design Team gave the impression that they were more concerned about the aesthetics of the design and the Clients design opinions rather than the buildability and cost. Many design variations that were requested by the Client, or those forced upon the Contractor were not always as the Contractor had specified to the Design Team. The Contractor felt that his time was wasted by the Consultant not designing elements as originally specified. The working relationship between the Contractor and the Designer seemed to deteriorate from the project start date, until beyond the design completion stage. After the Author had asked other members within the Contracting Company about the novation of a Designer to the Contractor it became apparent that the relationship between Contractor and Designer was similarly affected on other projects. The Author had discussions with the Client of the project he was placed on. The Client stated that more building work was being undertaken using the J.C.T. Design and Build form of contract as this reduces the risk to the client and/or the person funding the project. The Author found that under Design and Build more risk was placed on the Contractor, and that management techniques had to change to appropriately manage higher risk projects. He also realised that as more contracts were being made under the Design and Build form of contract with the Designers being novated to work for the contractor a greater knowledge of the subject area would be beneficial to the Author in the management of Design and Build contracts. 1.2.1 Originality of Thought The Author had discussions with his Supervisor before commencing the research about the subject matter. A hypothesis was agreed upon that gave the Author scope to research areas of the process of novation in design and build contracting that have not previously been discussed in an undergraduates research project for the Supervisor. The process of novation being used in the design and build contract has recently become popular with Clients. The aim of the research is to establish if Contractors and Designers have not yet fully adapted to the change and improvements in the working relationship between the parties must be made to ensure that they remain competitive and profitable. 1.3 Subject Definition Novation is a process in which [1]a contract between party A and party C is turned into a new contract between party B and party C. This process can only be achieved if all three parties agree that novation can take place. A Deed of Novation[2] is commonly used to terminate a contract between parties A and B, and then create a new contract between parties A and C. There are standard legal documents, blank deeds of novation, which are available as downloads from the internet, for example at (www.citysolicitors.org.uk/legal_activities as of 28/03/06). A deed of novation has been used for many years before it became popular with Clients in the construction design and build context. It is used in the sale of manufacturing companies, where components made are used by other larger companies. For example, the purchase of a windscreen wiper company by a new owner whilst retaining the commitment to an existing customer car manufacturer. Novation has many other wider applications other than construction; Porsche in their latest brochure[3] offer a novated lease for their new motor cars. In this case an Employee of a company (the lessee) signs a lease agreement with Porsche (the lessor). A Deed of Novation, then supplied by Porsche, is signed by Porsche, the Employee and the Employer. This then transfers the responsibility for the payment to the Employer. Novation is used in a construction context where the relationship between two parties has developed over time and the introduction of a third or new party is necessary. There then needs to be provision to contractually protect the existing parties in the relationship. 1.4 Report Intention The intention of this report is to investigate how the working relationship between the Contractor and the Designer novated to the Contractor from the Client could be improved to their mutual benefit, and to the benefit of the Client. However, the report may show that there is no improvement to be made, and that the process of novation as it presently stands is adequate. 1.4.1 Aims To identify clearly factors that may affect the relationship between the Contractor and the Designer under novation To discover any adverse characteristics that may cause a poor working relationship between the Contractor and the Designer To clearly understand the opinions of Designers and Contractors that has been involved with novation To understand the attitudes of Designers and Contractors towards novation To clearly understand the definition of novation and the context in which it is used within the construction industry To identify any differences in attitudes between Contracting Companies towards novation under a J.C.T. Design and Build contract To understand why Clients now prefer to use the Design and Build form of contract rather than the Traditional contracts they favoured to use To identify why Clients within construction novate the Design Team across to the Contractor 1.4.2 Objectives To highlight specific problems within the process of novation that requires improving To investigate how the process of novation may differ between contracts and/or with varying Clients To identify differences between the Contractors and Designers opinion of novation under the J.C.T. Design and Build Contract To highlight areas within construction where it is necessary to use novation in Design and Build contracts To advise the Contracting Companies of the most economic way of managing a Design Team that has been novated by a Client To identify if a Contractor and Designer have a better working relationship, i.e. have a greater understanding of each others objectives and needs, under a traditional contract rather than novation under a Design and Build Contract 1.4.3 Hypothesis The working relationship between Contractor and Designer is adversely affected by Novation. 1.5 Overview of Research Methodology The methodology of the research for this project will take the form of the following; please see the methodology in chapter three for a detailed discussion on the report methods used: A review of past and current literature concerning the background of novation within the construction industry. A review of specific literature concerning the working relationship of a Contractor and Designer. Discuss the definition of novation within construction, and where it is most commonly used in the industry. Design a questionnaire to send out to a selected Contractor and a Designer. Design an interview format and questions for a specific Contracting Company to answer on the subject of novation. Design an interview format and questions following the results of the previous interview to issue a separate questionnaire to a different Contracting Company to analyse company differences. Analyse results gathered in the interview to form a conclusion about the effect of novation in construction. Make suggestions or recommendations to the industry and Clients within the construction industry. 1.6 Overview of Main Conclusions The Authors completed research shows that there are ten factors that could adversely affect the working relationship between a Contractor and a Designer under a novation agreement. The Author found through analysing an interview and questionnaires completed by two Contractors and an Architect that the reasons for novation having an adverse influence on the working relationship of a Contractor and Designer were that: The time allowed for Contractor to Tender is not increased The loyalty of Designer to Client remains evident after novation to the Contractor There is usually a large distance between the Designers head office and the project Insufficient design fees are allocated at the tender stage There is an increased risk of error in design There could have been a previously poor working relationship between the parties The Designer may be inappropriate for the project The performance of the Designer is not consistent throughout the process of completing the design Novation is usually late or rushed from the Client There is an increased probability of conflict between the two parties The Author found that many of these factors were specific problems which could be attributed to the process of novation under a design and build project. Therefore, the results support the hypothesis of the research. However, additional research is required if the hypothesis is to be proven to be correct. 1.7 Guide to the Report Chapter One: Introduction This section introduces the study and outlines the hypothesis, aim and objectives of the research. It indicates the origin of the Authors interest in the subject, why the hypothesis was chosen, and describes the methodology that was followed. Chapter Two: Literature Review This section examines the literature research conducted by the Author. It is an investigation into the definition of novation, and describes where it is used within the construction industry. This section details the current view of the contractor in a novation agreement. Chapter Three: Methodology This section of the report describes the methodology which was used to conduct this research. It shows how the information was collected. It also includes the topics covered within the interview and the design of questionnaires that were employed. Chapter Four: Design and Build Contracts This section describes the forms of J.C.T. contract used and highlights the advantages and disadvantages to the Design and Build form of JCT contract. It provides an introduction into Design and Build and details the differences between the Employers Requirements and Contractors Proposals that are a key feature of the Design and Build contract. Chapter Five: Novation This section of the report describes in detail the uses of novation within a construction context. It gives a definition to the process of novation as used in a Design and Build situation. This chapter details the conflict of interest the Contractor and the Designers tend to experience due to novation. It illustrates the problems that may arise in the design, payment of design fees and the varying levels of the Consultants performance. Chapter Six:Analysis This section of the report is the analysis of the questionnaires sent to Clients within the building industry and their Project Managers and the Designers. It analyses the interviews conducted with the contractors and additional information gathered. Chapter Seven: Conclusion This section of the report presents the Authors conclusions based upon the findings within the analysis chapter of the report. It suggests solutions to the aims and objectives set out in the introduction, criticises the hypothesis around the report was based and highlights the possibility for further research. Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction The literature review is a comprehensive analysis of all relevant articles, books and publications to this research project. Derek Swetnam[4] describes the literature review as a report; That is central to the dissertation and in all styles of work it has a number of functions: It shows that you have read widely around your chosen topic It demonstrates your critical understanding of the theory It acknowledges that work of others It informs and modifies your own research The Literature review in this chapter is broken down into eight sub-headings. The chapter talks about the description of novation, then goes on to describe where novation is used today both in and outside the construction industry. The literature review describes the process of a Designer being novated to a Contractor. The final section of this chapter discusses and analyses in what way the literature which is reviewed is relevant to the Authors research project. 2.1.1 General Aims To break down the causes of the problem highlighted in the hypothesis into logical stages. To collect and analyse previous research and literature to further investigate the subject area of this project. To research any previously made recommendations. Make recommendations which have been concluded from a detailed literature review. 2.2 Aim of This Literature Review What is the description of Novation and in what context was it used before in construction? Where is Novation used today outside of construction and what is its main purpose? What other uses are there of Novation within construction other than a Designer being novated to a Contractor? When did Novation of a Designer to Contractor become popular with Clients in the construction industry? Have there been problems with the novation of a Design team to a Contractor in the past? When is Novation practical in construction contracts? What are the risks to the Contractor in the novation process? 2.3 Contents of Literature Review 2.3.1 Description of Novation David Janssens[5] stated that: Occasionally, an Employer may stipulate that the successful Contractor is to engage one or more of the Employers consultants to complete the design and detailing of the project in the post-contract stage. Such consultants are employed by Contractors under novation agreements, i.e. a novation agreement is a new agreement in substitution of a previous agreement between the Consultant and the Employer. Novation exists when an agreement or contract between two parties is going to be broken and a third party enters to take the place the agreed or contract role of the party which is leaving the agreement or contract. Novation can also exist when a third party enters into an agreement or contract without any other party leaving. Jeremy Hackett[6] stated that: Novation is a legal concept, formally providing for the re-employment of a Consultant by the Contractor, as part of the contract agreement between the Employer and Contractor. Should the Contractor merely choose to re-employ the same individuals who have previously sat the other side of the interview table from himself that would not be novation, but its effect would be very similar. 2.3.2 Uses for Novation. Novation is not only used within the construction industry, the use of novation in law is much more commonly used in the buying and selling of manufacturing companies. In this context a novation agreement maybe drawn up by lawyers of a manufacturing company which intends to sell to buyer whilst still retaining the same business clientele. In this instance a customer of the business being sold would be novated across to the new buyer of the business, this ensures that the customer can always source what ever item the new buyer manufactures. Ann Arbor[7] Stated that: A hospital in Texas is taking electronic commerce beyond purchase orders and usage reports to adoption of digital contract management. The sooner hospitals are able to sign up to participate in new contracts, the sooner they are able to access contract pricing. Using the enhanced form management program, materials managers can submit forms online where suppliers can approve them, also online. In this example a hospital in Texas is using the agreement of novation over the internet to sign up for new contracts much faster than it was able to previously. This has benefited materials managers the most as they are able to source cheaper or higher quality materials from differing suppliers and simply transfer the agreement they have with one supplier to another using novation. 2.3.3 Alternative uses of Novation within construction. The section above discusses how different forms of novation are implemented in areas other than the construction industry. However, within the realms of construction there are many more uses for the novation agreement to be used. The use of novation within construction has only been commonly used during the past decade or so, the main reason for this is the introduction of the JCT Design and Build Contract which made the novation of Designer to the Contractor much easier for the Client. Before the introduction of Design and Build Contract novation was present in the same format it exists today in other industries as mentioned above. If during the construction process a Client was unable to fund any further necessary works and there was a willing buyer to stand in for the Client, it may be in the interest of the entering party to continue to use the existing Contractor. The easiest and least time consuming way to do this would be using the Novation agreement. The second way in which novation occurred in a construction context before the introduction of the Design and Build Contract was if the Contractor was suffering from financial issues or the relationship between himself and the Client has been irreparably affected in someway. If a situation like this occurred it was beneficial for the Client to take on board a new Contractor through a novation agreement. This removed the necessity for the remaining works to be re-tendered, and the likelihood that the Client would have to pay an excess for the works to be completed. 2.3.4 When did novation become popular with Clients Jim Smith[8] stated that: The choice of a procurement method is probably the single most important decision the client makes, other than the decision to build. The various procurement methods can be described, as defined by Masterman (2002), under these three distinct categories: Separated and co-operative. Integrated. Management orientated. In the last few years and particularly within the past decade the procurement methods for contractors have been moving away from the more traditional contracts as described above. The change to a procurement method which uses the second and third categories above has largely been Client-driven; the main reason for this is that the Contractor has to accept a high level of risk if he is to tender successfully for a project. As more design development has been shifted across to the Contractor it is becoming easier and more cost effective for the Client to shift higher levels of risk to the Contractors. The Design and Build contract and all its variations have expanded considerably to accommodate a Clients needs in recent times. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) [9] in 2000 stated that: Design and build and its variations have expanded considerably in the last decade. It has increased dramatically in the 1990s going from a 10 percent share during the 1980s up to a 35 percent share of the construction procurement market, with management contracting declining to a 10 percent share. Chan stated[10] that: 21% of private Clients in the UK use the Design and Build system, of which 42% commonly use Design-Novate and Construct for their projects. Design-Novate and Construct has also been widely adopted in Australia and Hong Kong. David Jaggar[11] Stated that: The major advantages of design and build are that all the risks, both financial and period for completion, are transferred to the design and build contractor, with the client only dealing with one organisation, so eliminating the complexities and frustrations of dealing with a range of separate organisations. The approach also overcomes the problem of the separation of design and construction, so saving overall time and allowing the design to reflect improved buildability in the construction solution. The argument against this is that a Contractor may be taking a higher percentage of higher risk projects. However, as a Client is off loading a lot more risk than what was traditionally not possible in the past they are able to fund much more projects and engage a lot more designers. The result of this is that the Contractor has more work to tender for and a much higher chance of winning projects as more tenders will be processed. 2.3.5 Issues arising from using Novation in construction. Jim Smith[12] stated that: There is considerable debate as to the merits and demerits of the approach and it is fair to say that many design professionals were unhappy about the approach, not least because there was a reduction in their own influence and independence. However, a valid view put forward, which undoubtedly design and build suffered from in the 1980s, was that the quality of the final building was often inferior and the role of design was devalued, as the design and build contractors shaped the design to suit their particular methods of construction. More recent views from clients noted above indicate that they were satisfied with the quality of their completed design build projects. The Design Manager of a Contracting Company plays a critical role in the development of design to determine a contract value for a project. The role involves being able to balance cost and quality and time constraints within a framework. This is an essential skill for all Design Managers or Project Co-ordinators. The Design Manager will work closely with the Commercial Manager at the tender stage of a Design and Build contract when novation of the Design team is being used by the Client. It is crucial that both managers work together to reduce the amount of design and financial risk the contractor will have to carry through the contract period if the tender submission is to be successful. Allinson[13] states that: The developments in the construction industry, the continuing specialisation of professions and the rising application of alternative procurement methods have all contributed to the gap between design and management, but they have also emphasised the need for a design professional with management and technological skills. The management of the process should ensure a successful and deliverable project When Design and Build contracts first became widely used by Clients in the 1990s Contractors tended to manage the building works in the same way they managed traditional contracts. Here a Project Manager was responsible for the development of the construction and concluding the outstanding design issues as well as resolving any building sites day-to-day issues. Project Managers were supported by a number of other managers such as Services Engineers, Site Management and Quantity Surveyors. Jim Smith[14] states that: However, a single reporting source on all aspects of design and cost has not always benefited the client, contractor or the project. Projects have been organised in a very flat structure with numerous lines of responsibility reporting directly to the project manager. The larger projects would have over half a dozen separate factions directly beneath the project manager, including the above stated managers, structure coordinators, documentation managers, tendering coordinators, contract administration, project administration and occupation health safety and rehabilitation (OHSR). In practice, this structure has proved to be an inefficient and ineffective form of management on many projects.

richard pryor v. sinbad :: essays research papers

A Comparison of: Richard Pryor and Sinbad   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Question; Is it what you accomplish that makes one great, or how you accomplish it. Richard Pryor and David Adkins or â€Å"Sinbad† are two of the most notorious comedians in American culture, but the lives they lived were on extreme ends of the spectrum. They both started out in or were kind of pushed into comedy when their real hopes and dreams fell short. Both of them served their country in the army for two years, and then jumped on the comedy circuit, traveling the country to play small gigs. Their struggle to become famous was similar in that they both worked extremely hard to get where they wanted to be. Their upbringing was altogether different though.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sinbad grew up as the son of a minister in Benton Harbor, MI and went to a respectable high school where he excelled in basketball. He attained a scholarship to the University of Denver in hopes that it would open up some doors for him but he was cut off when he suffered a career ending knee injury. In 1983, he embarked on his self-subsidized â€Å"Poverty Tour† of comedy clubs across the U.S. His career started to take off, when he made several appearances on the talent show â€Å"Star Search†. He then landed a few small parts on T.V. show’s eventually catching the eye of Bill Cosby who put him on his new show â€Å"A Different World† in which he played a kind dorm director at an all black college. This led him into a few starring and co-starring roles in major motion pictures and made the name Sinbad, a household name across the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If I were to describe Sinbad’s style of comedy, I would have to say it to be much different than that of Richard Pryor. Sinbad’s humor is more family oriented. His homegrown humor is comparable to Bill Cosby, and his good hearted party nature is similar to Sammy Davis Jr. He is one who, like Pryor, has used his fame to help bring people together in a positive environment, such as his â€Å"Share the Dream† tour of historically black colleges and â€Å"The Sinbad Soul Festival† which performs all over the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard Pryor’s life on the other hand has been more dramatic than a Greek tragedy. His accomplishments in life are in total opposition with all of the tribulations that he faced to achieve them, beginning with his childhood.

Racial Profiling in America Essay -- Black Lives Matter Essays

On February 4, 1999, Amadou Diallo, an unarmed 22 year-old immigrant from New Guinea, West Africa, was shot and killed in the narrow vestibule of the apartment building where he lived. Four white officers, Sean Carroll, Kenneth Boss, Edward McMellon and Richard Murphy fired 41 bullets, hitting Diallo 19 times. All four were members of the New York City Police Department's Street Crimes Unit, which, under the slogan, "We Own the Night," used aggressive "stop and frisk" tactics against African- Americans at a rate double that group's population percentage. A report on the unit by the state attorney general found that blacks were stopped at a rate 10 times that of whites, and that 35 percent of those stops lacked reasonable suspicion to detain or had reports insufficiently filled out to make a determination. Thousands attended Diallo's funeral. Demonstrations were held almost daily, along with the arrests of over 1,200 people in planned civil disobedience. In a trial that was moved out of the community where Diallo lived and to Albany in upstate New York, the four officers who killed Diallo were acquitted of all charges. (â€Å"Persistence† 21) Racial Profiling is any police or private security practice in which a person is treated as a suspect because of his or her race, ethnicity, nationality or religion. This occurs when police investigate, stop, frisk, search or use force against a person based on such characteristics instead of evidence of a person's criminal behavior. It often involves the stopping and searching of people of color for traffic violations, known as â€Å"DWB† or â€Å"driving while black or brown.† (Meeks 17) After 9/11, racial profiling has become widely accepted as an appropriate form of crime prevention. People were s... ... as far back as any of us can remember. Racial profiling stems from racism, and fear of people who are different, ethnically and culturally, than the person making the judgments. Sadly, it spreads even further than that, and clouds the judgment of the people who are in positions of authority, even when they come from the same ethnic background. Racism, classism, sexism and all the other –isms combine to create trends such as these, which affect more than just the person being judged; it affects their families, friends, neighborhoods, communities, etc. Like all other issues that deal with the problem of –isms, the only way to change the dominant perception is to change the way people are programmed throughout life and their experiences. Until that day, no legislation or rule is going to change the way people feel about the minority, or perceived lower class, group.

Bond Case Analysis Essay

Summary of Facts Gilda Sears who is enrolled in an Investments class has picked a project on bond price theorems. The two main theorems that she decided to illustrate dealt with coupon rate and term-to-maturity and how these factors influence the price. Thus she included 2 bonds with the same rating and term with a different coupon rate, as well as two bonds with the same rating and coupon rate with different terms. She thought that if the bond markets were efficient, bonds with similar characteristics would be priced so that there would be little difference in the YTM. Besides S&P, she also looked at Moody’s for additional information. There was an increase in the interest rates over 1984-1986 and hence observed the actual YTM at different point in time. Three periods were selected: November 1, 1984, 1985, and 1986. The theorem states that YTM and price, as well as coupon rate and price, should have an inverse relationship, while bond duration and price should have a direct relationship. ** Please refer to Annexure 1 for a summary on the Factual Numbers in the case. Problems The following are the problems of the case: Q1: Using the prices given, calculate the percentage price changes for the three periods for the Boston Edison and American Brand bonds and explain the difference between the changes. Q2: Using the prices given, calculate the percentage price changes for the three periods for the AT&T and Batimore Gas bonds and explain the difference between the changes. Q3: Also, assuming there is a significant decline in interest rates, which of the four bonds would provide the largest potential capital gain? Analysis and Solution ** Please Refer to Annexure 2 for Solution to I and II I. Boston Edison and American Brand * The two bonds have the same rating and maturity dates, but different coupon rates. * American Brand has a higher coupon rate (5.87%) than Boston Edison (4.25%) * The percentage change in the bond prices is inversely related to the YTM and the Coupon Rate. * The difference in the price increase was more significant in the second and the third period. * While the two bonds had comparable percentage price increase in the first period (1985 to 1986), the difference became much more significant in the subsequent periods, where the bond with a lower coupon rate was much higher. * Hence, this is in sync with the Bond Price Theorem. II. AT&T and Baltimore Gas and Electric * The two bonds have the same rating and coupon rates, but different maturity dates. * AT&T has a longer term (2/15/01) than Baltimore Gas and Electric (12/15/98) * The percent increase in price was much more significant in the first period, where the bond with the longer YTM had almost doubled the bond with the shorter YTM. * The percent decline in interest rate was also slightly greater for the bond with a longer maturity date, as longer maturity makes bond price more sensitive to interest rates. III. Largest potential capital gain ** Please Refer to Annexure 3 for Solution to III * I calculated the duration of the bond to make a selection of the bond with the potential capital gain in the advent of a decline in the interest  rates. * Though shorter duration minimizes the risk of actively trading in bonds, bonds with longer durations are less susceptible to fluctuation. * Hence, among the 4 bonds, AT&T is the one with the maximum duration and hence will entail a larger potential gain.