Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen - 1930 Words

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Jane Austen takes her readers through a series of twist and turns as characters experience attraction, heartbreak, and passion in her timeless novel, Pride and Prejudice. This story impeccably draws the image of a successful novel because the overall influence on the reader is intimate. Moreover, it distinguishes itself as a different novel among the rest; which is why Pride and Prejudice is universally acknowledged to be a classic novel. Classic literature is a work of art that not only embodies a way of thinking, but is also a way that ideas are carried forward. Classic literature inspire emotional responses, no matter the period in which the work was written. This book centers on the obstinate†¦show more content†¦Motifs are frequent arrangements, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to define and inform the text’s major themes. A noticeable motif in this story is courtship. Courtship is friendly and often integrates attention for the purpose of winning a favourable partner or other relationship. Courtship is a reoccurring theme in the story. An example of the motif of courtship is when Elizabeth rejects Mr. Collins’ proposal. Thus, Mr. Collins proposes to Charlotte, who is Elizabeth’s friend that accepts his offer. Charlotte, who greatly fears being single, does not even truly love Mr. Collins yet she accepts his wedding proposal. Charlotte has no romantic ideas that marriage must be based on love. She tells Elizabeth, â€Å"I am not romantic you know†¦ I only ask for a comfortable home† (chapter 22). Charlotte’s character touches upon the fundamental aspects of life regarding whether a person should marry someone who will save them financially or someone who is devoted, and can naturally bring out the best in them. Mr. Collins proposal failed to captivate Elizabeth’s heart and ensure wedded bliss; his proposal is more likely a business offer, and only someone who desires to marry based on the se fundamental aspects would ever accept him. Elizabeth is beautiful, independent woman who does not follow what society expects of her. She is always doing the absurd and is frequently surprising the readers with her wit and intelligence. This is unlike most women during this

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Case Analysis Supply Chain Management at Wal-Mart

CASE ANALYSIS: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AT WAL-MART INTRODUCTION Wal-mart Stores Inc was the world’s largest retailer and was started by Sam Walton in 1962 who named it as â€Å"Wal-Mart Discount City†. However before Wal-mart; Sam Walton owned a number of Ben Franklin Store Chains. Due to this prior experience of owning smaller variety stores and dealing with its franchised supply chain, he learnt various business concepts and also was able to selectively purchase merchandise in bulk from new suppliers and then transport these goods to his stores directly. And then he realized a new trend of discount retailing which was based on driving high volumes of product through low cost retail outlets. He also started a new concept of â€Å"Everyday Low†¦show more content†¦As of now they have largely developed in Canada and Mexico, however when it comes to international markets something is holding back the success found on North American soil. Other constraints currently effecting Wal-Mart’s supply chain is having the compe tition borrowing ideas that have worked so well for them, making the gap smaller and smaller each year in overall market share. WAL-MART SUPPLY CHAIN Wal-Mart was known for its excellent supply chain management. Wal-mart grew in the 1960s to 1980s and benefited from improved road infrastructure and the inability of its competitors to keep up to changes in legislation. The main change was the removal of â€Å"resale price maintenance,† which had prevented retailers from discounting merchandise. A strong and efficient supply chain is the key to distribution and keeping their customers satisfied with the promise of â€Å"Everyday Low Prices.† Things within the supply chain in which Wal-Mart excelled at would include logistics, purchasing, retail decisions, and limiting the overall bullwhip effect of the supply chain. LOGISTICS Logistics is a complex process and involves several functions such as procurement or purchasing, inward transport, receiving, warehousing, stock control, order picking, materials handling, outward transport, physical distribution management, recycling, and returns amp; waste disposal functions.. With Wal-Mart this was started from Walton’s idea of â€Å"discount retailing.† Due toShow MoreRelatedCase Analysis: Supply Chain Management at Wal-Mart1388 Words   |  6 PagesCASE ANALYSIS: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AT WAL-MART INTRODUCTION Wal-mart Stores Inc was the world’s largest retailer and was started by Sam Walton in 1962 who named it as â€Å"Wal-Mart Discount City†. However before Wal-mart; Sam Walton owned a number of Ben Franklin Store Chains. Due to this prior experience of owning smaller variety stores and dealing with its franchised supply chain, he learnt various business concepts and also was able to selectively purchase merchandise in bulk from new suppliersRead MoreWalmart Success in China?1198 Words   |  5 PagesCase Study: Wal-Mart Stores â€Å"Every Day Low Prices† In China Webster University INTB 5000 1 Webster University 2 Wal-Mart Stores â€Å"Every Day Low Prices† In China FACTS: ïÆ'Ëœ ïÆ'Ëœ First opened in Shenzhen on August 12, 1996 As of December 2007 ïÆ'Ëœ ïÆ'Ëœ ïÆ'Ëœ 94 stores in 51 cities Employs 43,000+ associates Serves around 5 million customers per week ïÆ'Ëœ ïÆ'Ëœ ïÆ'Ëœ ïÆ'Ëœ ïÆ'Ëœ ïÆ'Ëœ ïÆ'Ëœ Transition from rural US to metro/urban in China Competitive analysis a core value of the company ï‚ § Shopping 1,500 items andRead MoreSwot Analysis of Wal-Mart and Carrefour952 Words   |  4 PagesSusan Donoho Argosy University SWOT Analysis of Wal-mart and Carrefour SWOT Analysis for Wal-Mart and Carrefour What is a hypermarket? According to Business Dictionary that is an online business definition resource, it is a â€Å"vast self-service warehouse-cum-retail outlet that combines the features of a supermarket, department store, discount store, and specialty store in one location.† A hypermarket may also be called a hyper-mart (Business Dictionary, 2012). The multinational retailers thatRead MoreWalmart: A Strategic Management Case study Financial Perspective959 Words   |  4 PagesPricing Strategy Wal-Mart’s primary competition in US includes department stores of the likes of Target and Kmart. Costco offers competition to Sam Club format of Wal-Mart. In niche small markets, dollar stores are offering strong competition to Wal-Mart. Kroger competes with Neighbor market and supercenters of Wal-Mart especially on the grocery product line. Target competes with Discount stores and supercenter shopping formats of Wal-Mart with Target commanding a small premium on prices as itRead MoreCase Study of Walmart1394 Words   |  6 PagesCASE STUDY Professor: Dr. Mary Flannery Teaching Assistant: Jia-Yuh Chen ECON 136 – Business Strategy February 27, 2006 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS The retail industry is dominated by few retail giants, with Wal-Mart competing in several retail categories. Wal-Mart competes against Kmart and Target in the general merchandise retailing; against Costco in the warehouse club segment; and against Kroger, Albertson’s and Safeway in the supermarket retailing. Competition among retailers centers on pricingRead MoreWal-Marts Supply Chain Practices Essay4494 Words   |  18 PagesSupply Chain Management – Case Analysis Ivey Case Study Supply Chain Management at WalMart For: Dr. Chirag Surti BUSI 2604U Prepared By: Jeremy Abbaterusso 100217118 Supply Chain Management – Case Analysis TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. . 3 Supply Chain†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ .4 Logistics†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. .4 Purchasing and Operations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...6 CPFR and the Bullwhip Effect†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 InformationRead MoreEssay on Development and Analysis of Two Mini Case Studies1267 Words   |  6 PagesDevelopment and Analysis of Two Mini Case Studies This is a SWOT analysis of Target Corporation and K-Mart, to be followed by a cross-case analysis of the two mini cases. The success and failure in these cases is based on volume of sales and recognition of the two companies. Target SWOT Analysis Target is a mass merchandising store based out of Roseville, Minnesota and founded in 1962. Almost 50 years later, Target is still going strong. They have always been in direct competition with theRead MoreEssay on Walmart, Information System1629 Words   |  7 PagesBMAN 21061 Introduction To Management Information System Non-assessed Essay Qï ¼Å¡Large numbers of companies are using their information systems as a strategic tool to improve their competitive advantage. Choose one of these companies (Toyota or Wal-Mart) and prepare an essay of 1500 words on: a) how information systems are used strategically by the company to gain a competitive advantage b) discuss if it is possible for the company to maintain thisRead MoreWalmart Case Analysis11203 Words   |  45 PagesWal-Mart, 2007 Case Analysis International Business Executive Summary 4 Challenges 5 Re-Aligning the Marketing Strategy for Greater Relevancy 5 Figure 1: Wal-Mart Segmentation Strategy 8 Figure 2: Customer Segment Loyalty Analysis 10 Human Resources Lack Compliance and Governance 11 Figure 3: Wal-Mart’s Chain of Command 14 Ethnocentrism Rampant In Global Growth Strategies 15 Competitive Strategies must get Beyond Price Wars 18 Wal-Mart’s Competitors 19 FigureRead MoreWal Mart : A Case Case Study Essay1064 Words   |  5 Pageseek 2 Wal-Mart: A Case Study in Supply Chain    We all are familiar with and buy from Wal-Mart, maybe on a daily basis, Sam Walton, the founder’s focus was on logistics and today Wal-Mart is a leader in the field of supply chain management. The company, however, is not complacent with this label and continues to strive toward excellence and to expect the same from its vendors. The company continues to institute new initiatives. Wal-mart looks for ways to improve its supply chain processes, never

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Development and Training †Essay Free Essays

Effective training plans teach employees the skills ND behaviors that help the organization achieve their defined goals. Struck is the number one specialty coffee retailer serving millions of people in 16,000 locations in 50 countries (Struck, 2010). Struck employees go through vigorous training to ensure that each cup of coffee Is brewed to perfection. We will write a custom essay sample on Development and Training – Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now While Struck may have a well-trained staff, errors can be made, and additional training may be needed. The needs assessment is the process of evaluating the organization, individual employees, and employees’ tasks to determine what kind of training, if any, is necessary. An organizational analysis of Struck shows that It Is an organization that concentrates on serving a niche market and needs to continually update its workforce on specialized skill sets. Effective training objectives have three components and should include the following measurable performance standards: 1 A statement of what the employee Is expected to do, the performance or outcome. . A statement of the quality or level of performance that Is acceptable. 3. A statement of the conditions under which the trainee is expected to apply what he or she learned. Data gathered from the organization, and task analysis will help identify raining materials needed to develop an effective training program. Struck Is a successful company not only because it serves a great cup of coffee but also because the company has devel oped a great culture with a leading training program for its managers and employees. One of the first things that a new employee at Struck learns is that all employees are called partners. Struck calls their employees partners because they openly value and respect each partner and acknowledge that their success would not be possible without the contributions they make on a daily basis. Partners are coached on the Star Skills, three guidelines for on-the-job interpersonal relations: (1 ) maintain and enhance self-esteem, (2) listen and acknowledge, and (3) ask for help (Struck, 2010). Struck has numerous proprietary processes and recipes so they do not often contract or outsource their training. Most of the training partners receive is hands-on and provided by experienced partners and the management team at the store. The bulk of a new partners training Is spent on proper beverage preparation. This training Involves such satellites as grinding the beans, steaming milk, learning to pull perfect shot of espresso, remembering the correct amount of shots and syrup pumps the different FIFO Arles require, Ana practice, practice, practice on making ten core coffee Diverges. Struck sets drink standards to be memorized and followed. Milk must be steamed to at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit but never more than 170 degrees unless the customer requests it to be hotter. Always pull a perfect espresso shot if the shot is shorter than 18 seconds or longer than 23 seconds it must be tossed out. Always have fresh coffee a new pot is to be brewed every 20 minutes. If a customer is satisfied with his or her experience or beverage partners are empowered to compensate them with a Struck coupon for a free drink (Thompson Strickland, 1999). Additional lessons are provided on how to clean the milk wand on the espresso machine and how to calibrate the espresso machines for the perfect grind. The amount of information that a new partner has to process can oftentimes be overwhelming so to help out they are provided with laminated recipe cards for all the drinks on the menu and a pocket-sized green apron book that covers the star skills and fits perfectly their green apron, online training for the cash register and loneliness standards, and the support of all the other partners on the floor. The training received by partners can seem intense but the teamwork and culture created leaves customers with such great impressions the often return Just for the enjoyable experience As the staff becomes seasoned, some of the training gets forgotten and mistakes happen. â€Å"In its campaign to revive the intimate, friendly feel of a neighborhood coffee shop, Struck orchestrated the closing of 7,100 of its American stores at precisely 5:30 p. M. Or a three-hour retraining session for employees† (Grumman, 2008, Para. 2). The training objective is primarily focused on recipe consistency so Struck decided their plan would be more effective by incorporating in-house expertise as part of the training medium. The program will combine the presentation and hands-on training methods where employees receive information individually, and in a group sessions to have the opportunity to actively practice the specific skills being taught. The group sessions allow employees to discuss new techniques to improve the taste and texture of drinks as well as share best practices for maintaining beverage consistency while adhering to the standards or espresso shots and milk quality. Refresher training is an excellent tool to keep seasoned staff trained on the basics and to reduce the amount of errors made. This type of training is very informal and can be done at the store as opposed to in a classroom. An on-the-spot correction is a type of refresher training that can be done relatively quickly. If an employee makes an error making a cup of coffee, he or she can be given refresher training immediately. Managers will have to ensure that this training is not done to demean the employee, but to re-inform him or her of the proper steps. Another on-the-spot correction that can be made is with customer service. Each employee is given four hours of customer service training before entering a store. Sometimes, the basics can be forgotten, and human nature can override training on any given day. In this case, managers can pull an employee aside and remind him on how important customer satisfaction is to Struck. Again, this is not meant to embarrass the employee, but simply to retrain the basics. It is important that refresher training be done at the store and not in a different location. On-the-spot corrections cannot be trained in a classroom because it loses its efficiency. This training needs to happen immediately (or a few hours) after an error NAS occurred so ten employees can learn ten proper steps quickly Ana prevent Torture errors of that nature. It is also important to note that employees learn better in their own environment and would be able to use their refresher training immediately. Once the training needs and objectives are identified, training materials are created, and the training medium is agreed upon the next step is implementation of the training process. The way people learn is an important factor to consider in the implementation process of any training program. Learning objectives must be communicated clearly and presented distinctly so that trainees link the subject matter to their Jobs and the organization’s goals. Multiple delivery techniques can be used to train employees such as traditional presentations or lectures that are given in classroom settings, the use of computer-based training (CB) on-line, internships or work-study mentoring programs, simulation training, or hands on-the-Job training (JOT) techniques. The training context or physical environment should mirror the work environment. Training sessions and materials should use familiar terms, concepts, and examples. Any of the techniques Struck selects is dependent on their training objective, the materials covered, and the timeshare in which the employee is expected to develop the learned traits. When the course objectives call for presenting information on a specific topic to many trainees, classroom instruction is one of the least expensive and least time-consuming ways to accomplish the goal. The refresher training program Struck developed is centered primarily on JOT techniques and is expected to be more effective because the trainers will enhance heir lectures with Job-related examples and trainees have opportunities for hands- on learning. The on-site instructors or facilitators are available to answer questions and give immediate corrective feedback. Evaluation is an integral part of the training and development process. Evaluation tools help to determine the effectiveness of the training programs and materials that employees receive. Evidence suggests that because of insufficient budget or time, lack of expertise, blind trust in training solutions or lack of methods and tools, the evaluations are often inconsistent or missing (Ma, 2006). At Struck it is all about the customer experience customer satisfaction is how Struck evaluates the effectiveness of their training processes. They have implemented a few processes to get feedback from their customers these include secret shoppers, customer comment cards, customer care phone number, and online surveys that print on random customer receipts throughout the day. All of the information is gathered together and sent directly to the store management, the management to assess the training needs for their store then uses the comments and feedback provided. The first order of good service in the food industry is employee knowledge. Employees should know about the organizational goals, the products, and their preparations as well as the ability to share that knowledge with customers. If an employee does not know or understand what they are talking about they cannot sell or serve effectively (Turning, 2000). Struck offers a dizzying array of coffee drinks and expects their employees to be fully versed in how to make the drinks consistently because this is the foundation of the Struck concept. How to cite Development and Training – Essay, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Competency Statement 1 free essay sample

The goals in my classroom are to achieve the objective of safety by providing the children with safe environment and equipped children to explore without any injuries. Another goal is to promote healthy habits. Another one is to promote a good age appropriate learning environment. †¢Competency Goal 1 healthy learning environment Functional Area 1: Learning Environment: One of my goals is to maintain a safe environment for the children in my care to play and explore in. This is an important goal for me to have because without a safe environment there is. The space should be attractive and have a home like feeling that reflects various cultures and diversity. For parents, emergency plans, important phone numbers and resource information should be up a t all times. One should have a balance of quiet and active centers, wet and dry centers, cooperative and solitary play centers and a schedule with a balance of inside and outside play †¢Competency Goal 2 Functional Area 2: Safe. We will write a custom essay sample on Competency Statement 1 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Candidate provides a safe environment to prevent and reduce injuries. To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment my number one goal is to keep my children safe while they are in my care. I always make sure that I am aware of the entire possible situation that involves an injury. †¢Competency Goal 3 Functional Area 3: Healthy. Candidate provides an environment that promotes healthy and prevents illness, and teaches children about good nutrition and practices that promotes. By modeling and teaching best practices of washing hands often, exercise, eating healthy foods and snacks. By providing healthy meals to promote good health this helps the children on the long run from being overweight and obese. We try to plan our meals by using the USDA Food Pyramid and we provide water at any time of day and at meals also. We also encourage the parents to give their children a variety.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Affirmative Action Essays (4013 words) - Social Inequality

Affirmative Action If one is to discuss and problem solve an issue, he or she must first know what the issue is truly about. Affirmative action is defined as the equal opportunities given to women, minorities, and small groups so they will have the same tools, education, and allotment to achieve their goals in life. Since affirmative action came about, debate arises daily about if it is truly equal and fair. Was it a word made as a cushion to the people so they will feel equal? Another interpretation is did this word actually make the white male group less important and unequal to the minority group, doing more harm to others than good. Affirmative action is not used unequally in the world, but in actuality if it was not for it these people would have nothing. Julie A. Mertus supports the need for opportunities given to women in the work force. In the work force today many women are overlooked and pushed aside because of their gender. Many of the big wigs in businesses today feel that a woman is inferior to a man's intelligence of work skill trades. A woman can simply not handle the stress on the body or the mind thinking dilemmas in which a man can supposedly accomplish. Affirmative action however has allowed the women a chance to display their skills but what the debate arises is, because of the gifts given by affirmative action is this good for the world of today. Mertus gives an example of a German landscaper that was excluded from his promotion due to his company's quota requirements. The company's quota requirements stated that if a man and a woman are applying for the same promotion and there is a tie, the woman will be given the job if less than half holding the job are women. Another example given is that of a male teacher who did not receive his promotions due to the same law. In both situations the quota requirement that affirmative action laws made for the work field, the woman was chosen. The debate by most individuals is that I lost my job or pay increase because of affirmative action. They feel that this law is unfair, taking away more gifts that I can give to myself or my family. Also, in that women are not capable of doing this type of work. The true idea of affirmative action is giving the lesser people of the world what our country promotes. In the constitution everyone is equal and is to be given the proper chances in life. Affirmative action simply, allows this so that the people in charge cannot disregard someone, a woman, because they simply do not like it. What is not seen by the people losing the extra money is that maybe she can actually do a better job than they can. She will give more to the world thus helping all of humanity and would not have had this chance if it was not for affirmative action. Also, the people who had nothing in life now feel a worth and are able to give more to the ones they love. This is the good that is unseen by most, that would not be possible if not for affirmative action being put into effect in the world. Ethan Watters shows his opinion on that affirmative action is providing an unfair advantage over one race to another. People throughout the world scream to be treated as the constitution states, " To be treated as equals." Watters proves his misconception of the right that having affirmative action play a part into the work force is giving unfair advantages. He states that minorities say they need this to be seen as an equal in a interview for a job. This right although allows them to have lower scores than another employee but still be able to obtain the position. Isn't this hurting the company thus hurting the world. For the employee hired is not right for the job then how is this equal treatment when the worst person is chosen for the job is not the best, but only because of a right is hired. The author asks how could a law promote equal treatment for minorities but at the same time take away from majorities. Another situation in which affirmative action will play a part in is the physical work load, both body and mind. Women cannot produce the same amount of body power for a job in which a

Monday, November 25, 2019

Violent Video Games Essays

Violent Video Games Essays Violent Video Games Essay Violent Video Games Essay Out of all of the pros and cons of violent video games, some cons could actually be avoided by parents looking at game ratings that are provided by a system called ESRB. According to the Best Buy Geek Squad, ESRB is a non-profit, self-regulatory organization established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). ESRB rates games so that they go to the person of a certain maturity as well as age. Sadly, some parents do not care of what games they buy for their children.On the first survey made by the best buy geek squad, 53% of the parents said that they never allow their children to play m-rated games. On a second survey made in a different place, 37% of parents said that they sometimes allow their children to play m-rated games, and in another place, 82% of all parents say they generally allow their children to play m-rated video games. This proves that many parents do not check the ESRB ratings and might be in danger of giving the wrong game to kids.This can be threatening to society. Even though this may sound like kids are the ones of the issue, only 31% of gamers are under the age of 18 and a full 25% are over age 50 (Entertainment Consumer’s Association). This either means that either ESRB should try to enforce their rating a little more or the parents should be more careful and look at the game ratings before they actually buy the game. This can make this world a better place.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Global Management and the digital Divide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Management and the digital Divide - Essay Example With the onset of globalization, companies are preferring crowdsourcing as a way to innovate and outsource. Starting from big companies such as Kraft Foods to sole proprietorships, organizations are accessing software platforms to gather ideas and labour from an unidentified group of people who can collectively finish a task. Crowdsourcing produces excellent results more quickly and at a relatively lower cost than in-house substitutes (CIO update, 2012). It is used in context of a variety of activities such as product development, advertising and promotion, and marketing research (Fuller, Hutter and Fries, 2012). A complimentary definition of crowdourcing has been given by Gupta and Sharma (2013) who explained that crowdsourcing is an amalgamation of two terms â€Å"crowd† and â€Å"outsourcing†. It is the act of outsourcing tasks, which are performed by contractor or a staff, to an undefined large group of people or crowd. A large number of separate individuals make a small contribution that helps to accomplish the large outcome (Kaganer, et al., 2013). Crowdsourcing is also associated with a certain degree of risk. Organizations face numerous intellectual property and confidentiality risks while carrying out a crowdsourced project. This is particularly because crowdsourcing draws from the common public. The statistical actuality is that a crowdsourced project simply could receive submissions that contain infringing material. In addition to the contravening risks are the augmented contractual compulsions and insurance coverage issues (Lieberstein, Tucker and Yankovsky, 2012). On the other hand there is digital divide which refers to the gap between households, individuals and businesses and geographic areas at dissimilar socio-economic stages with a view to both their chances to access information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their use of the Internet for a broad assortment of activities (Tavani, 2003). The following sections will in volve an in depth explanation of how crowd sourcing works. In addition to that, issues such as digital inclusion, globalisation implications, employment issues, the scope for innovation and entrepreneurial activity and the ability to access finance will be discussed. A brief discussion will also be presented regarding a crowd sourcing project that can be developed followed by a synopsis of the overall finding. 2. Concept of crowdsourcing The concept of crowdsourcing is based on the idea of dividing certain tedious tasks among a large number of individuals or obtaining other services such as getting solutions to different queries or issues through crowd-voting or fundraising by making petition to a large number of people for financial contribution. In the modern business world, the process of globalization is facilitating the process of crowdsourcing (Gassmann, Daiber and Enkel, 2011). Since with globalization, existing gaps between companies or communities are reducing virtually, ga ining the attention of a large crowd is gradually becoming more feasible, than it was five decades ago. Rapid advancement of technology is responsible for such developments. It leads to invention of better methods of communication and makes process of knowledge transfer faster. This leads to faster business development (Zupic, 2013). The most remarkable benefit of outsourcing is that it allows the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Department of Maritime and Logistics Management Essay

Department of Maritime and Logistics Management - Essay Example The industry has become saturated due to several negative external environmental impacts. Therefore, it is important for the new comers to understand the appropriate demand for the air service before developing a new business. Discussion This part of the essay will determine the key factors that need to understand before deciding the demand for a new airline business. Moreover, the study will identify the implications for the operation of an airline regarding the mixed passenger and freight model. Answer 1 It is important for a newly developed organization to do a market survey to understand several business factors. Knowledge about market competition will help the organization to develop an effective business plan. Moreover, the organization needs to review effective internal resources and capability of the organization. Defining Idea, gathering information about market competition, effective resources, customer demand and feasibility assessment will help the organization to move fo rward. Global airline industry has become highly saturated due to intense competition and several political and economical challenges. Recent financial crisis and global economic recession affected the global economic environment. Low purchasing power, limited disposable income of people and negative economic growth rate are the major consequences of this economic slowdown. People are trying to save more rather than consuming products and services due to this economic distress. Therefore, it is important for the organization to utilize the resources in such a way that can reduce the business operation cost. Effective operation cost reduction can help the organization to implement competitive pricing strategy. Effective competitive pricing strategy will help the organization to achieve potential competitive advantages. Airline industry is considered as the service industry. People always expect better service against their air ticket fare. Now-a-day, the global airlines are trying to implement CRM strategies in order to satisfy the needs of customer. Slowly and gradually, effective customer relationship management will help the organization to develop a potential target customer base (Winsveen, 2012, p.13). Therefore, the major objective of the organization would be providing effective in-flight customer service against low competitive ticket price. Employees are considered as the strongest asset in a service providing organization. Skilled and trained pilots, flight attainders and air hostesses are considered as the major competitive strength of an airline organization. Effective organizational and work place culture need to be adopted by the organization to develop an effective workforce. The organization should focus on employment benefits of the employees in order to increase the motivation level of the employees (Bowhill, 2008, p.333). Highly motivated employees will try to perform more effectively. Low turn around time and high frequency of flights increa se the core competency of the airlines. The organization needs to provide effective training and development programme to increase the skills of the employees. Effective turnaround time management will enhance effective customer relationship management. Therefore, the organization needs to treat their employees and vendors as their own family members. Then only they can achieve effective competiti

Monday, November 18, 2019

Ladybug Cell Phones, Phase I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ladybug Cell Phones, Phase I - Essay Example Market opportunity analysis is also effective in determining the cost implication of whichever direction the company opts to adopt in its market strategies. Companies require help in determining whether they have necessary tools available to them to facilitate the provision of adequate services to their consumers. In essence, the analysis of market opportunity ensures that an organization finds out its most cost effective return on investment. This allows the organization to operate and participate in markets that provide the highest possible value of return on investment. This ultimately ensures short and long term business profitability and sustainability. The consumption of cell phones is continuing to grow exponentially within the senior citizens market both within the country, as well as across the globe. The market for cell phones across the globe continues to increase as the world shifts from the traditional to modern systems. This includes ways of performing functions such as communicating through letters to a new technologically advanced system of operation. Technological advancements continue to occur in the world pushing people to adopt the latest and trendiest ways of communicating and keeping in touch. Senior citizens have not been left behind in their need to maintain communication with their families and friends. Ladybug will particularly appeal to the senior citizens who seek easy ways of maintaining communication with their friends and families. It will also appeal to customers who seek cell phones that entail the least amount of technological difficulties. Notably, senior citizens prefer cell phones, which encompass as little hustle as possible, particularly with regard to the ease of use and cost implications. Evidently, senior citizens are not trend setters thus do not appreciate high product costs in light of noteworthy cell phone features. On the contrary,

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The impact of bioinformatics on microbiology

The impact of bioinformatics on microbiology Bioinformatics can be described as a merging of information technology and molecular biology, where the former is used to solve problems in biology (Altman, 1998) which involves the analysis and organisation of biological data (Perez-Iratxeta et al., 2007). It is a relatively recent discipline with its roots in the construction of molecular sequence databases between the late 1960s and early 1970s on early computers by organisations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States (Smith, 1990). With the foundation of large integrated databases such as GenBank in 1982 (Smith, 1990) along with major advances in computer technology and the development of a variety of biochemical wet-lab (laboratory bench-work) techniques that allow rapid generation and analysis of genomic and proteomic data (Bansal, 2005), bioinformatics has become an important recognised field of its own in the last twenty-odd years in particular. It has had a major impact on all fields of biology, and has revolutionised some of the manners in which microbiological research is carried out. As the discipline of bioinformatics has evolved, the areas of research in which it is used have split into a number of fields including genomics, proteomics, systematics (Bull et al., 2000). Various methods of modelling cell behaviour and using data to research and develop new types of anti-microbial drugs and other agents are also a significant topic (Bansal, 2005). In the next sections each of these fields along with their impact on microbiology will be discussed. Genomics involves the analysis of all the expressed and non-expressed genes otherwise known as the genome, of an organism. Genomics data is generated via sequencing of genomes. Aspects of this data can then be analysed via bioinformatic methods allowing insights into which genes are expressed and prediction of gene location and function (Perez-Iratxeta et al., 2007), some applications of this knowledge include the development of antimicrobial agents and/or drugs and optimising production by microbes that are used in industry. Comparative genomics is where two genomes are sequenced and compared with each other whereas metagenomics involves the comparison of the genomes of a community of bacteria and thus is of use in microbial ecology studies. An example of the manner in which bioinformatics has affected microbiological research in particular, can be seen in the method known as shotgun sequencing that was invented to carry out the first whole genome sequencing of a bacterial strain, n amely H. influenzae Rd (Fleischmann et al., 1995). In brief, this method involves random fragmentation of the chromosome in to small sections of DNA that are then sequenced and assembled. The assembly of the contiguous DNA fragments is carried out via the use of various software programs such as Autoassembler (Fleischmann et al., 1995). This method was much more rapid than previous sequencing methods which lacked this semi-automation. The ability of techniques such as this to be partially carried out in silico has allowed the sequencing of 1049 more bacterial genomes since 1995 according to the Genomes online database (GOLD). The further integration of computational methods and genomics has enabled the development of new high throughput methods such as pyrosequencing (Tettelin Feldblyum, 2009), which serve to increase the speed and volume in which new genomes are sequenced. Informatics is then used to carry out the task of analysing this vast amount of data. Nucleotide sequences ar e uploaded onto databases such as EMBL, DDBJ or GenBank which now had over ten billion nucleotides of sequence data in 2001, (Roos, 2001) and has still been growing at an exponential rate. Programs that enable analysis of this data include those that are based on Hidden Markov Model statistics such as GLIMMER(Gene Locator and Interpolated Markov ModellER),(Tettelin Feldblyum, 2009). These programs have the ability to predict open reading frames (ORFs) in nucleotide sequences, i.e. protein coding regions on mRNA, by locating conserved regions of sequences. Automated search programs generally search for features such as a start and a triplet of stop codons, as well as accounting for codon bias-where in a particular organism there will be a bias for a certain codon when coding for certain amino acids- Guanine-Cytosine content is also a considered factor since a GC content of more that 50% on a sequence can indicate an ORF large enough to potentially encode a functional gene (Zavala et al., 2005). Comparative genomics is a method that allows confirmation of functionality of predicted ORFs (Chakravarti et al., 2000). It involves carrying out a search for similarities between the predicted ORF and other sequenced and annotated genes on an online database, if a result showing high similarity is attained it is likely that the two sequences are homologous, meaning they are evolutionarily linked and potentially have a similar function. Software tools such as BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) and FASTA allow rapid searches of these online databases to be carried out (Chakravarti et al., 2000). These programs can be used to search for protein-protein, nucleotide-nucleotide, protein-translated nucleotide as well as various other alignments. Alignments that can be searched for can be classified as local or global, which are short sections between sequences that are highly similar or the best alignment between entire sequences, these programmes can also accommodate insertions, deletions, substitutions and deletions in sequences when aligning them. However there are also various drawbacks involved with these methods; including the fact that genes can be incorrectly annotated on databases, or homologous genes may simply have not been sequenced and uploaded yet. In these cases wet-lab analysis must be carried out for identification and annotation of potential genes. These methods can include inactivation of a predicted gene and testing whether there is any change in the phenotype of the cell. An example of the use of genomics in the analysis of pathogenic bacteria is the comparative analysis that was carried out of the genome sequences of three Bordetella strains, namely; B. pertussis, B. parapertussis and B. bronchiseptica (Parkhill et al., 2003). In this study, the genomes of the three pathogens were sequenced and compared. When comparing the operons of the three strains it was found that only the operon of B. bronchiseptica -the most virulent of the three strains- was fully operational and not containing and pseudogenes or mutations. Proteomics involves the study of proteins and involves aspects such as modelling, visualisation and comparison of proteins to determine their structures, interactions functions and investigate the levels of protein synthesis and gene expression (Cash, 2000) The area of proteomics is key in the research of microbial pathogenesis (Cash, 2003) which is enabled by a range of powerful analysis and protein modelling software as well as expansive proteomic databases. The proteome is all the proteins encoded by the genome of a particular strain (Cash, 2000). Similarly to genomics, there are a variety of proteome databases that all have slight differences, however Prosite, Swiss-Prot and TrEMBL are three of the largest ones (Biron et al., 2006), also, the universal protein database UniProt is an attempt to combine various databases in one (Bairoch et al., 2004). These databases include basic data on the proteins such as their sequence and taxonomic (their source organism) information, as well as details of their function, their various domains, sites (binding sites etc.), of any modifications they undergo post-translation, sequence homology to other proteins and their 3D structure (Bairoch Apweiler, 2000). A proteins structure can be useful for predicting its function. One example where protein structure was used to produce vaccines was the study carried out by Bian et al. where a modelling program known as TEPITOPE was used to identify antigenic epitopes which need to be recognised by T-cells in order to carry out immune response (Bian et al., 2003). Bacterial systematics is another area on which computational techniques have had a significant impact. It has allowed analysis of bacterial evolution, interaction and development within a community or ecosystem (Dawyndt Dedeurwaerdere, 2007). This knowledge can then be applied to areas such as ecological and industrial research. An example of where computer assisted bacterial systematics has been used in industrial microbiology is referred to by Zhu and others, where various methods of improving the productivity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were explored (Zhu et al., 2009). One particular study involved the study of the interactions between two LAB strains: S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus with the use of various bioinformatic methods. This study revealed that the presence of one strain in a medium would be advantageous for the other strain due to the gaining of amino acids and purine via various interactions. The examples given here represent only a small sample of the major impact computational/bioinformatic methods have had on all areas of microbiological research. It is likely that bioinformatics will continue to grow in importance and relevance to the field of microbiology in the future with the development of better software tools and improvement and growth of online databases. Altman, R. (1998). Bioinformatics in support of molecular medicine. Proc AMIA Symp, 53-61. Bairoch, A. Apweiler, R. (2000). The SWISS-PROT protein sequence database and its supplement TrEMBL in 2000. Nucleic Acids Res 28, 45-48. Bairoch, A., Boeckmann, B., Ferro, S. Gasteiger, E. (2004). Swiss-Prot: juggling between evolution and stability. Brief Bioinform 5, 39-55. Bansal, A. (2005). Bioinformatics in microbial biotechnologya mini review. Microb Cell Fact 4, 19. Bian, H., Reidhaar-Olson, J. Hammer, J. (2003). The use of bioinformatics for identifying class II-restricted T-cell epitopes. Methods 29, 299-309. Biron, D., Brun, C., Lefevre, T., Lebarbenchon, C., Loxdale, H., Chevenet, F., Brizard, J. Thomas, F. (2006). The pitfalls of proteomics experiments without the correct use of bioinformatics tools. Proteomics 6, 5577-5596. Bull, A., Ward, A. Goodfellow, M. (2000). Search and discovery strategies for biotechnology: the paradigm shift. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 64, 573-606. Cash, P. (2000). Proteomics in medical microbiology. Electrophoresis 21, 1187-1201. Cash, P. (2003). Proteomics of bacterial pathogens. Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 83, 93-115. Chakravarti, D. N., Fiske, M. J., Fletcher, L. D. Zagursky, R. J. (2000). Application of genomics and proteomics for identification of bacterial gene products as potential vaccine candidates. Vaccine 19, 601-612. Dawyndt, P. Dedeurwaerdere, T. (2007). Exploring and exploiting microbiological commons: contributions of bioinformatics and intellectual property rights in sharing biological information. Int Soc Sci J. Fleischmann, R., Adams, M., White, O. other authors (1995). Whole-genome random sequencing and assembly of Haemophilus influenzae Rd. Science 269, 496-512. Parkhill, J., Sebaihia, M., Preston, A. other authors (2003). Comparative analysis of the genome sequences of Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica. Nat Genet 35, 32-40. Perez-Iratxeta, C., Andrade-Navarro, M. A. Wren, J. D. (2007). Evolving research trends in bioinformatics. Brief Bioinform 8, 88-95. Roos, D. (2001). Computational biology. Bioinformaticstrying to swim in a sea of data. Science 291, 1260-1261. Smith, T. (1990). The history of the genetic sequence databases. Genomics 6, 701-707. Tettelin, H. Feldblyum, T. (2009). Bacterial genome sequencing. Methods Mol Biol 551, 231-247. Zavala, A., Naya, H., Romero, H., Sabbia, V., Piovani, R. Musto, H. (2005). Genomic GC content prediction in prokaryotes from a sample of genes. Gene 357, 137-143. Zhu, Y., Zhang, Y. Li, Y. (2009). Understanding the industrial application potential of lactic acid bacteria through genomics. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 83, 597-610.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Slavery in the Caribbean Essay -- Caribbean History

Slavery in the Caribbean The beginning of slavery in the Caribbean can be traced back to the emergence of piracy in the 16th and 17th centuries. This eventually led to the promotion of slave trading and sugar plantations. While enslaved on the sugar plantations, slaves were treated very poorly. Plantation owners treated their slaves so poorly that most were undernourished and diseased. Slaves were even forced to work on their "spare" time to provide for their own needs. Needless to say, slaves encountered cruel punishment that we can’t even comprehend. The slaves however, continually resisted white supremacy causing much tension between the two social classes. Despite this, a new social class was emerging, the free coloureds. This confused matters even worse and made for a bigger separation between white and slave. Eventually however, emancipation of slavery finally occurred in 1834. The first display of piracy was by John Hawkins who made a 60% profit on the first slaves he sold. This eventually led to the promotion of slave trading and sugar plantations. By the 17th century, over 50% of slaves coming into the New World were being led to the Caribbean. This led to the emergence of the sugar plantations, which drastically changed the lives of everyone in the Caribbean. A slave society certainly emerged, as there was always a need for more slaves. The slave turnover ratio was tremendous as many died because of disease etc†¦ It became somewhat ridiculous because sugar production required many more slaves and not much more of a profit than cotton plantations. Slaves were treated quite harshly and in an unfair manner and therefore the whole plantation system was degrading. There are many horrors that occurred on the plant... ...here there was going to be a slave insurrection. The emancipation of the slaves in the 19th century changed their title, yet they were still undermined. Emancipation started in 1834 when Britain started to "legally abolish slavery" (Knight, 167). In 1886, Cuba had freed its slaves and finally the whole slave society in the Caribbean had been abolished. However, once these new societies emerged, social tensions still existed among the settlers and colonists. Nonetheless, slave systems were emancipated for political and economical reasons. Economically, sugar plantations were declining in production and the rum became scarcer. Politically, hopes and pride began to grow in the Caribbean thus leading to a natural separation with their mother countries. However, the disintegration of the slave trade occurred inevitably and certainly was not caused by slave uprisings.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Descriptive Essays vs. Narrative Essays Essay

Many people have different preferences on what type of writing style they think is more superior to another, I believe descriptive writing to be more excellent writing style then narrative. I can tell you that there are a few similarities and a few differences between the two. I prefer Descriptive essays, rather than narrative essays. In my belief, it’s that the descriptive essays are more effective when an author is trying to convey a story or get a message across than narratives. Descriptive essays keep the reader engaged throughout the story. It provides the reader with more in depth details, and it allows the reader to better envision the picture that the author is trying to paint. Descriptive and narrative essays have a few traits in common. Typically both almost make you feel as if you are present with the author. They both usually tell you of an event that the author went thru or a message the author wants you to receive. Whether you are reading the Personal Narrative or Descriptive Essay both are very creative form of writing. The difference between a narrative essay and descriptive essay is that the narrative essay is more catered to someone’s point of view in order to tell a story, whereas the descriptive essay describes a person or the place or an event by using vivid images. The writer describes a behavior or personality or uses our sense of smell, touch, sound, taste. Descriptive essays show a reader and do not tell them. Descriptive essays give a lot of details for instance, would you prefer to read an essay with a sentence like, â€Å"the girl ran down the street† or â€Å"the young girl ran down the street wearing light blue shorts and a white top, as her blonde hair blew in the wind†. The second sentence would catch a reader’s attention more than the first. This is a example as to why I believe descriptive essays are better than narrative essay, because they paint a better picture. â€Å"On Christmas Eve I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu. She was pulling black veins out of the backs of fleshy prawns. The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food: A slimy rock cod with bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil. Tofu, which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges.  A bowl soaking dried fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings, so they resembled bicycle tires.† Tan, A. (2013). This is an excerpt from the descriptive essay Fish Cheeks. When we as a writer provide our readers with such descriptive details you can almost picture yourself in that kitchen, and I became engaged from this point on. It is easy for the reader to get wrapped up in the story when the author is using descriptive language to paint a vivid picture. The audience can visualize the food, and the way it looks. Narratives are more direct and straight to the point, and that can cause a lot of readers to get lost or disengaged. A descriptive essay takes the dialogue to a different height by the details given by the author allowing us as a reader the ability to share the authors experiences by explaining and to show us rather than just telling us. When giving more details, the reader obtains more of the story. When reading the article I Want a Wife (Brady, 1971), the author gives a brief description of their friend who had recently become divorced and was now looking for a new wife. The author goes into explain how she also, would like a new wife. She then explains the â€Å"duties† her new wife would complete for her. The new wife would be preparing meals and keeping a clean home. Here comes my issue with this narrative, I am left wondering about this woman’s story. I want to know who she is. Is this description of her own marriage? What is her husband like? Is she not happy? Does she like being a wife? Narrative essay focus more on the information, and again telling the reader the story from the point to point they may use different forms of dialogue to convey this message to the audience. The author may use intriguing humor or tell the story first hand in first person to try to make the reader interested. The benefit of writing a story that contains many details is that it also allows the reader to visualize and feel the emotions that the author is trying to convey. The descriptive language presented in Fish Cheeks; the reader is able to visualize them as a fourteen year old who describes a Christmas Eve dinner when she as fourteen, how she felt when the boy she had a crush on, who, was also a minister’s son and his family had been invited to have a traditional Chinese dinner with her family. Her being afraid of what he would think of her and her culture, and of how she just wanted to fit in: When she finds out he is invited to dinner, she cries because she fears what he might think of her and her families Chinese  Christmas celebrations. Her fears came to life just as her mother brought out the steamed fish, with its eyeballs still on. Also, her father added to her worries by poking the fish’s cheeks and announcing that it was her favorite. When everyone left Amy’s mother handed her a gift a mini skirt, and told Amy that she could look like an American girl on the outside, but she would remain a Chinese girl on the inside , saying to Amy â€Å"Your only shame is to have shame.† It was a lesson that she would understand many years later. When Amy describes, this all I can visualize every piece of her story. In conclusion, by the author providing descriptive language and more in depth details to captivate and engage their audience, and by also allowing the reader to become wrapped up in the moments and emotions being depicted and painted throughout the story and providing a more engaging experience for the reader, this means to me that a descriptive essay is more beneficial than a narrative essay. A descriptive essay has a larger and long lasting impression and impact on the reader, and the audience walks away as if they just lived the story or event described themselves. It not only has that but, also the message that the author was trying to convey been instilled into the reader to remember forever. References Tan, A. (2013). Fish cheeks. Retrieved from http://redroom.com/member/amy-tan/writing/fish-cheeks Brady, J. (1971). I want a wife. Retrieved from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/everythingsanargument4e/content/cat_020/Brady_I_Want_a_Wife.pdf

Friday, November 8, 2019

Comprehensive Review of the Star Math Online Assessment

Comprehensive Review of the Star Math Online Assessment STAR Math is an online assessment program developed by Renaissance Learning for students in grades one through 12. The program assesses 49 sets of math skills in 11 domains for grades one through eight and  44 sets of math skills in 21 domains for grades nine through 12 to determine a student’s overall math achievement. Areas Covered The first- through eighth-grade domains include counting and cardinality, ratios and proportional relationships, operations and algebraic thinking, the number system, geometry, measurement and data, expressions and equations, numbers and operations in base 10, fractions, statistics and probability, and functions. The 21 ninth- through 12th-grade domains are similar but much more intensive and rigorous. There are 558 total grade-specific skills that STAR Math tests. The program is designed to provide teachers with individual student data quickly and accurately. It typically takes a student 15 to 20 minutes to complete an assessment, and reports are available immediately. The test begins with three practice questions designed to ensure that the student knows how to use the system. The test itself consists of 34 math questions varying by grade level across those four domains.   Features If you have Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, or any of the other STAR assessments, you only have to complete the setup one time. Adding students and building classes is quick and easy. You can add a class of 20 students and have them ready to be assessed in about 15 minutes. STAR Math provides teachers with the appropriate library that each student should be enrolled in for the Accelerated Math program. Students who work in the Accelerated Math program should see significant growth in the STAR Math score. Using the Program The STAR Math assessment can be given on any computer or tablet. Students have two choices when answering the multiple-choice style questions. They can use their mouse and click on the correct choice, or they can use the A, B, C, D keys that correlate to the correct answer. Students are not locked into their answer until they click Next or push the Enter key. Each question is on a three-minute timer. When a student has 15 seconds remaining, a small clock will begin to flash at the top of the screen indicating that time is about to expire for that question.   The program includes a screening-and-progress monitor tool that allows teachers to set goals and monitor a student’s progress throughout the year. This feature allows teachers to decide quickly and accurately whether they need to change their approach with a particular student or continue doing what they are doing. STAR Math has an extensive assessment bank that allows students to be tested multiple times without seeing the same question. In addition, the program adapts to the students as they answer questions. If a student is performing well, the questions will increasingly become more difficult. If he is struggling, the questions will become easier. The program will eventually zero in on the student’s correct level. Reports STAR Math provides teachers with several reports designed to assist in targeting which students need intervention and areas where they need assistance, including a: A diagnostic report, which provides information such as the student’s grade equivalent, percentile rank, percentile range, normal curve equivalent, and recommended Accelerated Math library. It also provides tips to maximize that students math growth. In addition, it details where a student is specifically in meeting both enumeration and computational objectives.Growth report, which shows the improvement of a group of students over a specific period of time. This report can cover a few weeks or months to several years.Screening report, which provides teachers with a graph that details whether students are above or below their benchmark as they are assessed throughout the year.Summary report, which provides teachers with whole-group test results for a specific test date or range, which helps to compare multiple students at one time. Relevant Terminology The assessment includes several important terms to know: The scaled score is figured based on the difficulty of the questions as well of the number of questions that were correct. STAR Math uses a scale range of 0 to 1,400. This score can be used to compare students to each other as well as themselves over time. The percentile rank allows students to be compared to other students nationally who are in the same grade. For example, a student who scores in the 54th percentile ranked higher than 53 percent of students in her grade but lower than 45 percent. The grade equivalent represents how a student performs compared to other students nationally. For example, a fourth-grade student who scores a grade equivalent of 7.6 scores as well as a student who is in the seventh grade and sixth month. The normal curve equivalent is a norm-referenced score that is useful for making comparisons between two different standardized tests. Ranges for this scale are from 1 to 99. The recommended Accelerated Math library provides the teacher with the specific grade level that the student should be enrolled in for Accelerated Math. This is specific to the student based on her performance on the STAR Math assessment.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Coppin State University Admission Requirements, Tuition

Coppin State University Admission Requirements, Tuition Coppin State University Admissions Overview: To apply, students will need to send in a completed application, high school transcripts, and scores from either the SAT or ACT. A campus visit and tour are not required, but are strongly encouraged. Students interested in Coppin State should check out the schools website, and are welcome to contact the admissions office with any questions. Will You Get In? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In  with this free tool from Cappex Admissions Data (2016): Coppin State University Acceptance Rate: 40%Test Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 380 / 450SAT Math: 380 / 460SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanACT Composite: 15  / 18ACT English: 15 / 20ACT Math: 15  / 18What these ACT numbers mean Coppin State University Description: Coppin State University occupies a 52-acre urban campus in West Baltimore, Maryland. The university has easy access to public transportation and the rest of the city. Undergraduates can choose from 53 Bachelors degree programs. Academics at Coppin are supported by a strong 14 to 1 student / faculty ratio. Coppin is a historically black university and part of the University System of Maryland. The majority of Coppin students come from the greater Baltimore area, and the university is heavily involved in the local community. In 1998 Coppin became the only university in the country to manage a public school when it took over Rosemont Elementary School. Coppin also operates a community medical clinic. On the athletic front, the Coppin State Eagles compete in the NCAA Division I  Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference  (MEAC). Popular sports include basketball, softball, bowling, tennis, track and field, and cross country. Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 2,939  (2,507 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 23% Male / 77% Female75% Full-time Costs (2016 - 17): Tuition and Fees: $7,438  (in-state); $13,168 (in-state)Books: $800 (why so much?)Room and Board: $9,752Other Expenses: $3,386Total Cost: $21,376  (in-state); $27,106 (out-of-state) Coppin State University Financial Aid (2015- 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 92%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 86%Loans: 65%Average Amount of AidGrants: $9,473Loans: $5,906 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:  Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Nursing, PsychologyWhat major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Transfer, Graduation and Retention Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 61%Transfer Out Rate: 23%4-Year Graduation Rate: 6%6-Year Graduation Rate: 17% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs: Mens Sports:  Baseball, Tennis, Track and Field, Basketball, Cross CountryWomens Sports:  Bowling, Softball, Cross Country, Volleyball, Tennis, Track and Field, Basketball Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like Coppin State, You May Also Like These Schools: Towson University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphForstburg State University: Profile  Clark Atlanta University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphMorgan State University: Profile  Temple University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNorth Carolina Central University: Profile  Virginia Union University: Profile  Norfolk State University: Profile  Delware State University: Profile  Hampton University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph

Monday, November 4, 2019

Here's a Wise investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Here's a Wise investment - Essay Example Many experts added that they would go out of their way to help such needy students, as they add to the campuses and are very rare. College days are exciting in August and September when students sign up for courses. The trouble comes in spring, at the end of 1st or 2nd year when their scholarships expire. Parents can’t afford to pay tuition bills. Some say that parents didn’t save enough, some say they chose expensive four-year schools when community colleges were just as good, while others say that they didn’t do enough of research. The real problem is people don’t know how to go about scholarships, loans, grants, etc. And that readily available money is left untouched. Mathews also states that several illegal immigrants work their way out through college. There are students who deny themselves little luxuries such as movies and restaurant meals so that they can save for their education. Unfortunately, research shows that they earn less and are more likel y to drop out. Today, getting into a college and earning a degree is a monetary issue. Several students with a will to study don’t have a way to pay for it. So to help them, we have to invest more money in those students. But, where will all those funds come from? How could we help the young people to complete college, the ones who are going to be paying for our Social Security and Medicare. Well, there are many possible ways in which we could help the young students to complete their education. The first and foremost is to educate them about the following means of availability of funds. Scholarships are the chief form of monetary aid available to students who

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Code of Ethics as a Leader Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Code of Ethics as a Leader - Coursework Example It is therefore upon my shoulders as the leader of the organization, to ensure that they stray as little as possible or prevent their straying from their sworn ethics code. The Code of Ethics that I developed directly addresses the issues of the senior resident's right to privacy and protection of their private information because I specifically stated in the manual that the caregivers shall be held liable for any and all proven violations of the resident-caregiver privacy agreement as set forth in the Code of Ethics that they signed. The use of the CCTV camera on the premises is a solution that I felt would solve the problem of senior abuse and privacy violation because the caregivers on my payroll know that they are constantly being watched and therefore, must adhere to the code at all times. They know that they will have to justify any violations that they shall be questioned about once it is caught on tape. As far as I am concerned, the CCTV solution ensures that there shall be n o violations of the Code of Ethics and the caregivers will never try to abuse their authority nor steal vital personal information because they know they cannot get away with it and they will be held liable for any and all their actions pertaining to the violations concerned. I firmly believe that in order to me to become an effective leader, I must lead by example. This means that I should become the living embodiment of our company Code of Ethics. I should always strive to be faultless as a leader and treat all the residents and their family members with the utmost of respect while also showing the employees that they are a tremendously valuable asset to the company by treating them with respect and equality with my position whenever possible. As the leader of the company, it is my job to make sure that they do their job right every time. The video footage will help me spot the errors in the employee actions and allow me to have an opportunity to call them in for a discussion of t he problem so that I can also show them an example of how I would do the job, allowing them to voice their opinion in the process and defend their actions without taking it out on their resident wards. I realize that I am creating a tall order for me to adhere to but the fact is that the employees who think about straying from the Code of Ethics normally thinks twice about doing so or regrets having done so once they see their leader adhering to the code regardless of the difficulty certain situations pose for him. It is going to be very important for me to create a happy work team at the residence because happy employees will treat their patients in the proper manner. Therefore, I must do my best to keep up their morale while on the job. This won't be so hard to do. It could be as simple as just giving them a free lunch once in a while or offering incentives to model employees at the end of every fiscal year. More importantly, I must ingrain the company Code of Ethics until it beco mes a mantra to them that they eventually work into their everyday lives out of the office simply because, it is the right thing to do. I plan to do this by holding seminars pertaining to various topics concerning patient rights and resident treatment. By keeping the employees abreast of the latest trends in senior citizen care so that they will constantly grow as a caregiver and understand the continuously changing demands of their

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Personal Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Personal Philosophy - Essay Example It is an imperative effort to ensure a keen and meticulous understanding of the behaviour and inclinations of infants and toddlers in order to come up with more effective and profound methods and approaches of providing learning and care to infants and toddlers. This piece of article shall present a personal philosophy that will concentrate more on the different topics related to infant and toddler learning and care. It shall provide relatively intended recommendations on how to improve the existing methods of training up infants and toddlers. This shall discuss on the manifold factors that affect and influence the learning process and care involving infants and toddlers. Also, an elaboration on child’s important participation in carrying out the steps drawn out from the personal philosophy will be provided as well. It is my ardent belief that early childhood development learning and care should be provided at places wherein these young individuals will be given the ability to hook up with the world and would trigger their earliest possible environmental consciousness that will help them to grow and improve their learning process. It is highly important that while infants and toddlers need to make a connection with the natural world most on their own, it is likewise important to make sure that training centers for infants and toddlers should provide an environment that is safe, amicable and full of love and care. They should be exposed in an environment where they can feel that they are loved and cared. The eventual or future personality and attitude of our children is heavily contingent to how they were trained when they were still young. Seen this way, it would be a significant step to employ a type of teaching that would help them develop their self-confidence that will surely help them beco me active learners. It is my

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

America Experience in Nineteenth Century Essay Example for Free

America Experience in Nineteenth Century Essay During the half of nineteenth century in America, it really brought in experience to the recently happenings. Throughout this period, more individuals were trying so hard to carve out their own versions of the American dream and create their own definition on citizenship. Despite the obvious diversity of experience, most historians such as, Andrew Carnegie, Mary Church Tyrell and minor individuals argue that the mentioned experience shared commonalities are the foundation of American experience.                  Andrew Carnegie tries too hard to explain the gospel of wealth whereby he states that the rich and the poor can be tied together in harmonious relationship by proper administration of wealth. He says that the contrast between millionaires and cottage laborers currently measures change that has come with civilization. This change in wealth approves to be so beneficial and essential for the progress of the race in refinements of civilization that a house is the household for all. There is no bias in the change in the wealth since today the world obtains commodities at excellent quality prices in which the poor and the rich can enjoy with no prejudice (Andrew 23).                There is a great indifference lynching on the side of the church due to barbarism at homes (Mary 178). She pledges to the forei.gn missionary work that they should inaugurate crusades against barbarism at homes that has conformed hundreds of people into savage. This context is contrary rebellious to biblical teachings since only ignorance and lawlessness to date has led to people criticizing the effort put forth by the churches in the Negro’s behalf.                     During the times, there were wars and fight that took over so as they could get lands to settle in. they fought with the Indians, took over their properties such as, horses and cattle, and carried them away (Chief Joseph 187). The Indians were left homeless and some lost their lives during the wall. The author always prayed that the white men would live as brethren and that the case today. During the times, America was so strong and worked together for a certain goal and that is why they won the battle against the Indians.                     During the century, people in America slept in a ranch and ate cook shack most of the time. During the round up, and occasional other spells, people slept in the open and ate their chuck when squatted on their haunches around the check wagon. Besides feeding on beef and beans, they played wild games whenever the cooky took the notation or one of the waddies would decide to diverge the meat deal by going out and shooting some games (Sheldon 37).                From the past, women have been held responsible for the health of the community a function that is now represented by the health department. Certainly, the military conception to educate children so as they are equipped with kindergartens andare given a decent place for play, these things have traditionally in the hands of women (Jane 64). Most of the departments in modern cities can be traced as women’s traditional activities for example; home cleanliness and wholesome was in the hands of women but recently is represented by Bureau of Teenagers House Inspection                   Chinese people were given an appeal from the American citizens, on the pedestal fund of the Bartholdi Statue of Liberty. Chinese never believed in liberty since they had a lot of hardship while the other nationalities were free (American Missionary 290). This showed inhuman since other countries enjoyed liberty but Chinese did not. Chinese loved and adored liberty but they could not allow the ones denying it to them liberty invite them to a graven image and bow to it. In assumption, from the understanding about the America experience, I concur with the shared idea since most of the history can be approved by the recently happenings. References Andrew Carnegie, Gospel of Wealth, c. 1889 Chief Joseph Speech before Congress, Washington DC, 187 Mary Church Terrell, Lynching from a Negros Point of View, North American Review, 178, (1904): 853-68. Sheldon F. Gauthier. Reprinted in Jim Lanning and Judy Lanning, eds. Texas Cowboys: Jane Addams, Women and Public Housekeeping, 1913 American Missionary, Vol. 39 (October 1885), p. 290 Source document

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Coastal Squeeze Of Salt Marshes Environmental Sciences Essay

Coastal Squeeze Of Salt Marshes Environmental Sciences Essay Coastal squeeze of salt marshes refers to any situation in which the coastal margin, which is the area buffering land and sea is squeezed between the fixed boundary of the land, and the rising sea level. Numerous studies regarding rising sea level exist, though there is only a select few that directly address the problem of coastal squeeze on tidal marshes. Past 200 years has seen an accelerated and unprecedented loss of natural wetlands due to direct and indirect human activity. A reported 50% or salt marshes are lost or degraded worldwide (MEA 2005, UNEP 2006). Despite ongoing restoration efforts around the world, the overall demands for more housing and associated development activities will lead to more loss of active wetlands. An increasing population, coupled with agricultural development and advances in technology have an ever greater impact on wetlands. Humans have been utilizing wetlands and their resources since the onset of organized civilization. Documented use of salt marshes for ecosystem services date back to the Neolithic in some areas (Knotterus 2005), and the origin of civilization is said to be the Mesopotamian tidal marshes, or the Fertile Crescent. (Sanlaville 2002) Nevertheless, wetlands have been undergoing mass degradation worldwide, with losses in the United States beginning with the arrival of early settlers in the late 16th century. Studies show that the United States has lost 54% of its original 87 million hectares of wetland, and that number is continually dwindling. (Tiner 1984) This loss of wetlands can only be expected to get worse with rising sea level which will drown and squeeze out many coastal marshes. Current predictions expect sea level to rise by 40cm by 2080, producing massive impacts on coastal wetland. Human Use The enclosure of coastal land, namely salt marshes, has been a way of artificially creating productive land for many centuries. Beginning with the colonization of the United States by Dutch and English settlers in the late 17th century, salt marshes were used by humans for a variety of uses, their primary use being grazing of livestock, and harvesting of salt hay to be used as livestock feed and fodder. Salt marshes during this period of time were often artificially diked, filled, planted and tilled to create an alterable and ideal landscape for agricultural use. This widespread drainage was most prevalent in the southern colonies of the United States. As the industrial revolution began in the 19th century, agriculture began to move across the US via Westward Expansion, and an increasing immigrant population and the need for urban expansion yielded a new population which had little connection to the land. In this time period, salt marshes were increasingly converted to usable space, such as housing and industrial factories. (Bromberg- Gedan Sillman 2009) The public perception of salt marshes shifted from that of a fertile agricultural land, to a menace to health and life, a trackless wasteland that must be converted to a usable landscape. In this time period, a large portion of the United States salt marshes were converted into other types of environments, often urbanized. It was not until the late 1960s that the value of salt marshes was recognized again by the United States public and governmental population, and these concerns have deepend over time as repeated environmental and economic disasters validate the predictions of the 60s and 70s. Scientific perspectives towards wetland science are shifting to contain: a wider recognition of the consequences of wetland degradation, opportunities for wetlands to deliver improvements through integrated development, a focus through the conservation movement, and more recognition of ecosystem services within policy frameworks. (Maltby, 2009) The concept of wise use of wetlands, enacted through the Ramsar Convention of 1970, was a major leap forward in the preservation of coastal wetlands, with its regulations and goals still being used in coastal policy today. (Maltby 2009) Though human society has made leaps and bounds in the preservation of salt marshes, the current rate of loss is estimated at 1-2% per year worldwide. (Butler, 2010) The diked coastal floodplain of the US is about 50,000 km in size, much of which would have been coastal wetlands, and while restoration efforts are in place, it is not enough to counteract the loss worldwide. Models suggest that future coastal wetland loss through sea level rise will reach 5-20% of current wetlands by 2080, while urban development will continue to pressure wetlands. The global biodiversity outlook suggests that this coastal squeeze may cause coastal wetland systems to be reduced to narrow fringes by 2100, or lost entirely. (Figure 1) http://www.beachapedia.org/images/d/db/Global_warming_graphic3.gif Figure 1: Anticipated future changes to salt marshes as sea level rises. (Titus 1991) The Importance of salt marshes To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to sea, is to have the knowledge of things that are nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.- Rachel Carson, Under the Sea Wind, 1941 National academy of Sciences defines wetlands as: ecosystems that depend on constant or recurrent, shallow inundation or saturation at or near the surface of the substrate. The minimum essential characteristics of a wetland are recurrent, sustained inundation or saturated at or near the surface and the presence of physical, chemical, and biological features reflective of recurrent, sustained inundation or saturation. Common diagnostic features of wetlands are hydric soils, and hydrophytic vegetation. These features will not be present where specific physio-chemical, biotic, or anthropogenic factors have removed them or prevented their development. (Natural Resource Council, 1995) Technically, wetlands can occur in any area in which precipitation is larger than losses from evaporation and drainage, but are dependent on how humans choose to use them. Since the colonization of the United States, wetlands have been steadily decreasing. Wetland occur over a wide range of environments, from the arctic to the tropics, from coastal areas to secluded intercontinental areas. The total wetland area on earth has been estimated to be approximately 6% of its total land surface at a minimum, as many countries do not have comprehensive inventories of identified wetlands. (Mitsch and Gosselink, 2000) In North America, specifically the USA and Canada, there is an estimated 14.2 million hectares of wetlands (Scott and Jones 1995). The wetlands of the United States span the entire east coast, and are also incredibly extensive along the Gulf of Mexico, but less common on the steeper, rockier Pacific coast. This paper will focus on the salt marshes of the Eastern United States, namely New England. Complex interactions take place within these ecosystems, in which the biotic and abiotic world are fully linked. The interactions that take place within these environments provide the basis for the delivery of goods and services from these ecosystems. The provision of these services, however, is reliant on the maintenance and protection of these ecosystems. Benefits from ecological processes that occur in wetlands are not always obvious, and for this reason, they tend to be ignored by humans when decisions are made to alter wetlands. As stated in The Wetlands Handbook, Wetland functions are the result of ecological processes that are necessary for the self-maintenance of the ecosystems, and occur without human intervention. (Maltby 2009) Wetlands protect and maintain water quality by providing a filter for sediments and excess nutrients, essentially purifying water in connected water resources, such as oceans, lakes, and rivers, which are used by humans for recreational activities, and drinking water. Nutrients, toxins, and sediments enter the wetland environment via runoff, which in urban areas can contain very high levels of toxic materials which could contaminate the water supply, if not for filtration via marshes and wetlands. Scientists have estimated that wetlands may remove between 70% and 90% of the worlds entering nitrogen (Reilly 1991, Gilliam 1994), in addition to the removal of pathogens, toxic metals such as lead and copper, surface water pollutants, and other nutrients such as phosphorus. Salt marshes alone sequester more carbon in their soils than any other temperate biome partially due to the unique microbes that live in these environments, sequestering roughly 771 Billion tons, the same amount that i s currently in our atmosphere. In addition to this, they contribute 1% or more to the annual global loss of fixed nitrogen via microbially mediated denitrification. (Schuster Watson 2007) The hydrology of a particular wetland environment controls every factor of the ecosystem, including nutrient cycling, biogeochemical processes, species biodiversity, and filtration. (Maltby 2009) Coastal Wetlands are not only an interface between land and sea, but also an interface between groundwater, surface water, and atmospheric moisture. Wetlands process key ecosystem elements such as nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus, and thus are the basis of ecosystem functioning and balance. It is this balance that maintains the supply of wetland products and service that are valuable to humans and other species alike. However, like many environments, this balance is fragile, and the removal or addition of one key element could alter the way the entire ecosystem functions. Salt marshes provide many valuable ecosystem services which must be preserved. (Table 1) Salt marshes act as natural filters that purify water entering the estuary (Mitsch and Gosselink 2008). As water passes through marshes, it slows due to friction of grasses. Suspended sediments are then deposited on the marsh surface, facilitating nutrient uptake, and filtering the water. This filtration is very valuable to human drinking water, as displayed In Louisiana, where treatment of wastewater attained capitalized cost savings of $785 to $15,000/acre compared to municipal treatment. (Breaux 1995) Marshes are an important storm buffer, and provide many resources such as fish, sand, gravel, hay, and shellfish to humans. Table 1 Values of ecosystem services of tidal marshes Ecosystem service Examples of human benefits Average value (Adj. 2007 $a haà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 yearà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1) Disturbance regulation Storm protection and shoreline protection $2824 Waste treatment Nutrient removal and transformation $9565 Habitat/refugia Fish and shrimp nurseries $280 Food production Fishing, hunting, gathering, aquaculture $421 aw materials Fur trapping $136 Recreation Hunting, fishing, birdwatching $1171 TOTAL $14,397 Table 1: Estimated monetary value of ecosystem services marshes provide on an annual basis (Gedan Bromwell, 2009) Dollar values were adjusted for inflation from original data, presented in 1994 dollars (Costanza et al. 1997). The adjustment was done with the U.S. Department of Labor Inflation Calculator, which uses the Consumer Price Index to correct values through time. Please see Costanza et al. (1997) for valuation methods and note that this valuation method is not universally accepted by economists, see Bockstael et al. (2000) Coastal Squeeze in Marshes Coastal squeeze, as defined by the Environment Agency of England is The reduction of intertidal (mean low water spring tide to mean high water spring tide) habitat as a consequence of sea level rise and the action of flood defenses. If sea levels rise without flood defenses in place, the inter-tidal area is able to gradually move inland over time and there is no net loss of habitat. With defenses or other constraints present, the movement inland of the high water line is impeded, but the low waterline moves shoreward, which leads to a loss of the inter-tidal delta. (Figure 2) (Black and Veatch, 2006) It occurs when landward conversion is not able to take place. Landward conversion takes place when the lower limits of salt marsh habitats are eroded, and the eroded sediments are re-deposited further landwards. This process is often referred to as habitat rollover. http://www.eloisegroup.org/themes/climatechange/images/coastal_squeeze.jpg Figure 2: Illustration of the process of coastal squeeze due to seawalls. (Pontee 2011) Causes of Coastal Squeeze There are many different driving factors of coastal squeeze, including sea level rise, waves, storm activity, sediment supply, and sediment mobility. Coastal erosion is the main factor in coastal squeeze, as it would not be able to occur if it were not for sea level rise and the resulting need for a migration of the salt marsh landscape. Natural causes of coastal squeeze are loss of the total wetland area by coastal erosion and inundation, change in forest or beach structure via natural disasters or erosion, migration rather than overall loss, and the accretion of new beach or land. There are also a number of anthropogenic causes of erosion, which tend to be more localized than natural causes. Oftentimes, the erosion is caused by sand and gravel extraction from beaches, the construction of piers or breakwaters, which interrupt sediment transport, and the construction of floodwalls and ditches, which prevent coastal retreat. (Pontee 2011) . Examples of anthropogenic coastal defenses i nclude seawalls, which are large concrete structures, bulkheads, which are retaining walls made of wood (not only do they block landward migration, but also often release toxins into the water), and revetment, which is a sloping structure of rocks which decreases the shallow water refuge of an intertidal zone. (Butler 2007) While the width of coastal environments varies natural on an annual, or even a month to month basis, the result of anthropogenic coastal squeeze are typically long term, if restoration actions are not taken. Relation to Climate Change Climate change can affect salt marshes in a number of different ways, namely through sea level rise, particularly when sea walls prevent marsh vegetation from moving upward and inland. With predicted rates of sea level rise, coastal accretion may very well fail to keep pace with this accelerated rise if a critical threshold is crossed, and marsh vegetation is drowned. (Kirwan and Guntenspergen 2009) However, sea level rise does not always lead to the loss of marsh areas, because some marshes experience a process called vertical accretion, in which sediments accumulate vertically, helping the marsh to maintain their elevation with the respect to sea-level where the supply of sediment is sufficient. This is only possible, however, in areas in which the sediment is available. In areas where the sediment supply is more limited, marshes are more susceptible to coastal squeeze, which may lead to their eventual drowning. Vertical Accretion is not always good, however, because after a certai n height, marshes will no longer be regularly inundated by the tide, and this accretion will form a natural barrier. (Temmerman et al 2004) Rising levels of Co2 may affect salt marsh plants and limit their response to coastal squeeze, and temperature change could potentially alter the geographical distribution of salt marshes in temperate and arctic latitudes. (Chapman 1977) However, temperature may change too quickly for many marshes to migrate and adjust. Recent evidence suggests that hurricane intensity and frequency is also anticipated to increase with climate change, causing higher rates of erosion in tidal marshes, increasing the rate of coastal squeeze. (IPCC 2007) Case Studies Abbots hall: Abbots hall Farm is located within the Blackwater Estuary of Essex, England. It consists of farmland, dry grassland, salt tolerant grassland, and existing marsh areas. The main factor in the increasing problem of coastal squeeze in this area was the 3.8km of sea wall along the north bank of the Salcott Channel, a main marsh creek. The saltmarsh was on the seaward side of this wall, thus subjecting it to coastal squeeze by limiting it migration landwards. However, the Coastal Realignment project breached the wall in many areas, so as to provide area for new saltmarsh to form inland. While wall still remains at the ends of the farm as property markers, the resulting intermittent, unrestricted areas of marsh now have the potential to remain healthy and viable in the future. While this is an improvement, the Essex coastline still contains over 400 miles of sea wall, built to enclose saltings to improve grazing. Though these are not expected to be taken down in the near futur e, the loss of wetlands may prompt a dire need to do just so. (Figure 3) Figure 3: Rising seas causing a narrowing shoreline on the Blackwater Estuary, Essex (Doody, 2004) The Gulf coast Region of the United States, which includes vast marshes such as the Florida Everglades, is experiencing some of the highest wetland loss rates in the United States, largely because of human interference. The Everglades region of Florida contains a wide array of wetland environments, including sawgrass prairies, salt marshes, tree islands, and mangrove forests. The Southern Florida Project for Flood Control and Other Purposes of 1948 created many canals, floodgates, and levees to reduce flood risks to agriculture, transportation, and urban development. However, they interfered with natural hydrological processes in the area, and in return, actually reduced their natural capacity to mitigate flooding. (Robert Twilley 2007) Future Expectations and Conclusions Global climate change is expected to affect can and atmospheric circulation, sea level rise, the intensity of hurricanes, the magnitude of precipitation, and sea surface and air temperatures. (IPCC 2007) Under normal conditions, salt marshes adjust to these conditions, but under the increased pressures of population rise and urbanization, combined with the ever quickening rate of climate change, salt marshes may not be able to adapt fast enough to the changes occurring around them. The future hydrology of salt marshes will all depend on these factors. In the case of a widespread depletion of salt marshes, we can anticipate the effects to worsen globally.

Friday, October 25, 2019

America: Myth Of Equality Essay -- essays research papers

America: Myth of Equality To many, the Unites States serves as the ideal model of democracy for the modern world. Yet, how truly worthy is America of this status? Although it has been said that, â€Å"Equality is as American as baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie,† one must be extremely critical when analyzing such a statement. By taking a historical perspective to the question of how â€Å"equal† American equality actually is, it is simple to recognize how problematic the â€Å"Land of the Free† mentality can be. The early America’s most prominent thinkers have been sensationalized and given credit for developing a free and equal system. However, one can recognize that their manner of thinking was far from this idea of â€Å"all men are created equal† by critical examination of their literature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When analyzing equality, a sociological and legal approach must be made. In the case of the United States, the sociological stratification, or division of power, of minority groups had adversely affected the development of the legal system. Especially in the 1600s and 1700s, legal and social equality of those not of the Caucasian persuasion, the less fortunate, and of the female gender was almost nonexistent. This inequality is a direct result of the early American society’s ranking system. Equality was not perceived in the minds of such individuals as John Winthrop, John Adams, and James Madison, and as a result, their significant accomplishments towards the development of the American system have tainted the institution itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the earliest American social groups was the 17th Century Puritans. This society had an extremely unique and strict manner of thinking that was entirely based on inequality. This is clearly represented by the writings of the Puritan leader John Winthrop. In â€Å"A Model of Christian Charity,† Winthrop outlines the societal rationale, and in turn, the disparity of equality in his society. The gist of the Puritan way of life is that, by the grace of God, certain individuals were empowered with the ability to be enlightened and the capability of achieving much within the society itself. However, by the same reasoning, some individuals were also destined to take the lesser roles in society, and as a result, had no power to move up within the ranks because of this inescapable predetermination. Thi... ...the initial American system. The factions that Madison concerns himself with were the population’s majority, otherwise known as the lesser classes. As a result, the establishment of division of power and checks and balances clauses would give the populace a lesser chance of gaining much authority over the already established aristocracy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If this is the case, why is America perceived to be relatively fair and equal today? Fortunately the early American politicians did develop framework to allow the Constitution to evolve, and combined with the political movements in both minority and women’s rights of the end of this century, much of this unjust stigma has been eliminated from the system. Still, racial discrepancies in the courts occur more frequently then not, and the social makeup of American politicians continues to follow a predetermined â€Å"mold.† Is this a direct result of the discrepancies formed in the earlier stages of American history? It is hard for anyone to tell. What is indisputable is that the Declaration of Independence’s statement, â€Å"All men are created equal,† was far from the truth during early American history. Word Count: 1,323