Earth Climate Change Paper Essay

Article 1: Man Influenced Event Prothero, Donald R. â€Å"How We Know Global Warming is Real and Human Caused.† Skeptic 17 (2012): 2. This article was written following an opinionated editorial that was published challenging the evidence of human-induced climate change. In this article there are numerous lines of evidence that the author claims leans toward the fact that global climate change is manmade. He states that carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased over the last 200 years. With this evidence compared to ice cores revealing direct measurements over the last 900 year, the increase in temperature stand outs immensely. The temperature increased during the Industrial Revolution, a time period in which humans released massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through deforestation and the burning of large amounts of coal, gas, and oil. A second Reason that he states humans are the reason behind global climate changes is the polar ice caps melting. The polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate and will result in less than half of the Artic covered in ice by the time summer comes around. Also with the polar ice caps melting there is also the melting of glaciers. They are retreating at the highest rates ever documented. With the retreating of these glaciers is the depletion of the freshwater supply. The author rebuts the statements of those who believe climate change is natural by saying that the climate is warmer than other warm phase the Earth has been through. The reason the Earth is going through this period of abnormal warmth is due to the climate not having been exposed to the greenhouse gases previously. He states that the amount of heat that the sun provides has been decreasing since 1940 and that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been thrown off by human’s excess production of it. Article 2: Man Influenced Event Pawlik, Kurt. â€Å"The Psychology of Global Environmental Change: Some Basic Data and an Agenda for Cooperative International Research.† Taylor and Francis. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.. The article is based on global climate change being a man-made event. In the first portion of this paper, existing evidence, mostly from earth and atmospheric sciences, on global climatic changes and the effect of human action is briefly reviewed. The author describes the term â€Å"Global Change† of having different meanings, some more general and others more restricted. Data that is shown in this article reflects the last post-glacial cycle of variations in air temperature and air carbon dioxide concentration in a time scale of 100,000 to 150,000 years, an increase in mean air temperature at the earth’s surface over the last 100 years, and summarizes carbon dioxide concentration measures obtained from the analysis of Antarctic ice cores and at the Mauna Loa Observatory. As described by the author, there are greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide, including methane, nitrous oxide, tropospheric ozone and chlorofluorocarbons. To a large extent, the concentration of these greenhouse gases is due to increased burning of biomass or fossil fuel, and chemical waste from rapidly growing populations, including man. The rapid growth in human world population, its wasteful use of land and of natural resources, and waste from growing industrialization and traffic, are among the primary sources of the human-made global warming. These causes and effects are coincidental with several worldwide changes in human living conditions. These other aspects of global change relate to increasing stratospheric ozone depletion, acid deposition specifically in acid rain, loss of biodiversity, and a sharp increase in human world population. In conclusion of this paper, without suitable intervention, the greenhouse effect as described today will be amplified substantially due to growth in world population, resulting in still increasing rates of emission of organic and industrial waste and substances. Article 3: Man Influenced Event Schiermeier, Quirin. â€Å"At least three-quarters of climate change is man-made† nature.com. 4 December 2011. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=three-quarters-of-climate Quirin Schiermeier stated that at least 74 percent of the global warming occurring on earth is caused by man. During his research, he analyzed the  massive increase in atmospheric Carbon Dioxide concentrations. He also stated that in the past 60 years the earth’s temperature has increased more than 0.5 degree Celsius. He stated that human are increasing the amount of fossil fuels and coal being burned. Schiermeier stated that the CO2 levels were not the ultimate culprit, that the rises in other greenhouse gases are playing a large role in the increasing temperatures on earth. Schiermeier used the optimal fingerprint method to complete his research. This method was used to â€Å"compare observed patterns of surface air temperature over time with the modeled climate response to greenhouse gases, solar radiation and aerosols from volcanoes and other sources†. While claiming only one-quarter of the climate change can be natural he states that he is using a new â€Å"attribution† method when it comes to separating whether or not the changes are man or nature caused. He believes that the increase in CO2 have increased greatly since the pre-industrial period. Article 4: Man Influenced Event Freedman, Andrew â€Å"New Reports Show Impact of Manmade Global Warming† Climate Central. 11 July 2012. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/two-new-reports-underscore-impact-of-manmade-global-warming/ Texas suffered from a drought and a heat wave in 2011. Freedman stated that manmade global warming has â€Å"a probability of many extreme weather and climate events, making heat waves, droughts, and other events more likely to occur within the United States†. He stated that the drought that occurred in Texas also expanded across less than 48 states. The drought affected about 56 percent of the United States. Freedman then stated that the US had its warmest 12 month period and was the warmest year to date in 2011. From peer-reviewed reports the data shows that human activity is evident in the increase of global climate temperatures and other effects in the past. He believes that the world will hit the 400 parts per million of Carbon Dioxide by the year 2016. He stated that the Arctic Circle experienced a record 86 straight days where the temperature did not drop below freezing. He later stated that while Texas is in a drought there are deadly floods occurring in Thailand. The study concluded that, due to manmade global warming, La  Nina-related heat waves are now 20 times more likely to occur in Texas than they were 50 years ago. Article 1: Nature Influenced Event Singer, S. Fred â€Å"Global Warming: Man-Made or Natural?† Hillsdale Edu. 25 October 2012 http://ww.hillsdale.edu/news/imprimis/archive/issue.asp?year=2007&month=08 â€Å"Continental drifts, mountain-building, changes in the Earth’s orbit, volcanic eruptions, and solar variability are all natural processes† says Singer. He also believes that the Sun is affecting fluctuations of solar irradiance, variability of UV portion of solar spectrum, and the variations in the solar wind that modulate the intensity of cosmic rays. He gathered his data from Proxy data which has now made it possible to detect the impact of the Sun on Earth. â€Å"Human activities are not influencing the global climate in a perceptible way. Climate will continue to change, as it always has in the past, warming and cooling on different time scales and for different reasons, regardless of human action. I would also argue that—should it occur—a modest warming would be on the whole beneficial.† Singer argues that nothing the humans are doing at this point in time is really affecting the rate at which the earth is warming or not warming. Singer states that global warming is a problem, but it is a political one. He states the reaction that the government can doing something about climate can cause other problems that can affect the health and well-being or the human race. Article 2: Nature Influenced Event  Lindzen, Richard S. â€Å"Global Warming: The Origin and Nature of the Alleged Scientific Consensus† Cato Institute. 25 October 2012 http://www.cato.org?pubs/regulation/rev15n2/reg15n2g.html. Lindzen believes that the money spent on â€Å"research† is unneeded. Misperceptions coupled by sincere desire to â€Å"save the planet† are distracting people from what Mother Nature is telling us. He believes that the media immediately adopts an idea that is accepted by the public and brings them more money and popularity. He said that the computer models were not accurate in any way and therefore people believe the media and get scared. He states that when the skeptics began to get air time that it  created controversy among the media and the opinions of the people following such media. Scientists began to contest each other and began to prepare speech and other forms of rebuttal. One large problem with education and the media is the way that greenhouse gases are presented and taught at a young age, when in fact the process is far more complicated than the people care to understand. Lindzen claims that while global warming can become a crisis in the future, as a scientist, the human, plant, animal populations would have little to no difficulty adapting to the warmer temperatures and the affects to go along with it. He says that the people have a contorted view of what global warming is and how it really works within the earth. Article 3: Nature Influenced Event  Mandia, Scott A. â€Å"Climate Change: Natural Causes† Sunnysuttolk.edu 2011 http://www2.sunnysunnysuffolk.edu/mandias/global_warming/natural_causes_climate_change.html. Mandia believes that chemical weather can cause cooler climates and can also remove atmospheric carbon. Although volcanoes achieve the exact opposite effect, volcano magma contains carbon and therefore puts carbon back into the atmosphere. Volcanoes can cause a range of different effects the atmosphere and the climate including, gases into the atmosphere, ash into the air, and carbon increase. Volcanoes have the effects of all the human pollution in just one small eruption. Some volcanoes contribute far more than man could ever produce in affecting the atmosphere and the climate of the earth. Mandia believes that the Earth is just going through a climate cycle as it has done multiple times before over the course of history. The Sun has a cycle of its own and that can contribute to the climate on Earth as well. Other aspects of the Earth such as the wobble, the tilt, and the rotation around the sun and its axis affect the global climate to some degree as well. Multiple natural forms like the oceans can also affect the Earth’s temperature. Aspects such as the oceans and the animals on earth can work to heat and cool the earth over an extended period of time and contribute to the overall climate of the earth. Article 4: Nature Influenced   Thompson LG. â€Å"Kilimanjaro Ice Core Records: Evidence of Holocene Climate Change in Tropical Africa† sciencemag.com 18 October 2002 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/298/5593/589.full â€Å"Six ice core from Kilimanjaro provide an approximately 11.7 thousand-year record of Holocene and environmental variability for eastern Africa† says Thompson. The ice cores suggest that the fluctuating lake levels in the cores record multiple droughts during the African Humid Period. The author is in short telling readers that during these thousands of years the Earth cooled and warmed to fill and dry these lakes. The author is trying to show that while the earth does warm it also cools typically with a pattern to go along with it and records to support these patterns. Earth has a cycle and every so often that cycle will start over and the temperatures will fluctuate making the temperature rise and fall. These ices cores are just a small part of what is happening all over the world at any given point in time. The earth’s climate effected very little if any at all by man and the activities that man partakes in on the earth. Man covers a very small portion of the ear th and will never cover enough to majorly affect the climate of the Earth that can change the pattern that it is currently on. My Opinion: The Earth is not a constant in this universe and nothing is constant within that inconsistency. The climate of the Earth has always changed and will always continue to change. The climate of the earth is a very complex area of science and it is something that current scientists may never come to understand. Who is to say that there is an answer to the question that is Global Climate Change? The climate of earth is not an easy topic to discuss even though it is constantly discussed all over the world. Nothing is ever constant in the science of global warming. Scientists are always changing their theories and models to fit the changing opinion that is climate change. Not one specific factor can be used to describe climate change but rather an abundance of theories and ideas that we might have about why the temperatures are changing the way that they are. Not one scientist can say that none of the  research has been disproven by another scientist research in this area of science. Man consumes about 1 percent of the earth in total (Nature Article 4). Man does burn fossil fuels and coal and other materials that release toxins into the air but one natural event in the world can mask almost every mistake that man has made in their entire existence. Man does create pollution without a doubt but not a single human being would be willing to give up their quality of life to completely end the burning of fuels and other harmful chemicals in the earth. Pollution increased during the industrial revolution and has been decreasing since then. Man isn’t perfect and never will be, but the effects that man has on climate change are minimal in comparison to the effects of nature. Humans have no control over the volcanoes, earthquakes, animals, plants and any other events and biotic factors on earth. All of these things contribute to global warming in some way or another. One volcano eruption can release more toxins and cause more damage than most of what man has done in their entire existence (Nature Article 3). Other events can upset the pattern in which the earth rotates and that can lead to changes in the climate. Man can only help and hurt so much in their short existence on earth. The earth will likely outlast any human that will walk on it. People are just going to make the most of what they have at hand and when we are gone a new beginning will occur just as it has done in the past of the present conditions to exist. Nothing is guaranteed in this place we call Earth and that will always continue to be the case. Man cannot change what nature has already set forth for the fate of the population. The earth has a plan and it will be carried out regardless of the influence that man tries to inflict on this plan. Nature has a course and it will run no matter what is put onto the earth and the damage that it inflicts on the earth. Man has little to any influence on the effects of the earth and all of the aspects within it, including climate change. Nothing that man has done or will do can affect the earth more than nature will. Nature holds great contributions to the human race and it is beyond anything that man can accomplish the only thing that can truly hurt nat ure is nature itself.

“La Grande Odalisque” and Manet’s “Olympia” Essay

This essay is comparing paintings of reclining female nudes thru the history of art. – Ingres’ â€Å"La Grande Odalisque† and Manet’s â€Å"Olympia† a Comparison The reclining female nude has been a recurring image in the history of European art. Each artist through time approaches the subject in a different, individualized way. An earlier example of the reclining nude is Giorgione’s â€Å"Sleeping Venus,† created around 1510(see fig. 1). His nude is painted using the clair obscur method with soft, blurred lines, making her fair skin fade slowly into the dark background. Her eyes are closed, giving an aura of innocence, because she is unaware of being observed. Also, Giorgione seems to be experimenting with background in the painting. When examining the painting as a whole, one does not simply see the reclining figure, but the diverse and unusual background also attracts the eye. The fact that the background is open is a certain indication of classical influence on this Renaissance artist. Later, in 1796, Goya began his version of the reclining nude, â€Å"The Nude Maja†(see fig. 2). This painting was ahead of its time, in the respect that the Spanish society was not ready to view this â€Å"obscene† image. She was considered obscene because of her provocative position of frontal nudity, and because this is the first time a nude has been painted in awareness of the painter; her gaze is focused outward. About thirty years later, in 1814, Ingres paints â€Å"La Grande Odalisque†(see fig. 3). She, like Goya’s â€Å"Maja† was rejected at first by society, but for different reasons. She was not rejected because she was â€Å"obscene,† but because her body was an unnatural shape; her long back does not seem proportional to her small head. One critic of Ingres said, â€Å"She has three vertebrae too many!† Ingres’ nude is also looking out from the painting with awareness, as Goya’s â€Å"Maja† did. However, there was not as much objection to the lack of innocence demonstrated here. Her awareness may have been less of an impact  on Ingres’ society because the body of â€Å"La Grande Odalisque† is painted more modestly; it is facing in, away from the viewer. It was also more accepted in Ingres’ society because it was painted after the shock of Goya’s work. The advancement of time has given Europe a chance to broaden its perspectives, and become more open-minded regarding the strict rules of painting nudes. If Ingres’ style in â€Å"La Grande Odalisque† is examined, one can definitely see classical influence playing a large part. The classical influence is most clear through the solid delineation of the figure. There are no blurred or choppy lines. Classical influence is also shown through the way Ingres paints his nude with very smooth, invisible brush strokes. The skin and textures of fabric seem so real, they are practically photographic. She is painted indoors, but the black background behind the blue curtain denotes openness, as seen in classical works. Even though these obvious classical influences exist, Ingres did not follow the classical masters exactly as other Neo-Classical artists did. The figures’ slight deformation does not coincide with the classical challenge to create the perfect body. Why did Ingres reject the classical style when he shaped the body of his nude? Some critics felt that because of her unusual shape, Ingres must have been following the Mannerists, who with their unnatural ways of painting rejected the normal classic figure. However, it is also believed that Ingres elongated the back and outstretched arm to create a more sensual and erotic shape. His painting may also be considered romantic in subject matter, even though his style is Neo-Classical. Almost fifty years after Ingres painted â€Å"La Grande Odalisque,† Manet created â€Å"Olympia†(see fig. 4). Olympia could be considered the most unconventional nude up to this point. She was painted in 1863, and again, society rejected the reclining figure. Olympia was the first of the nudes to give the viewer the sense of a real person, rather than an idealized figure. This realistic, unconventional portrayal caught the world by surpass. Olympia’s pale skin is totally unattractive when compared with the smooth, well-shadowed skin of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"La Grande Odalisque.† Manet’s figure seems two-dimensional, whereas Ingres’ nude is three-dimensional. This is attributed to the fact that Manet, being reluctant to follow the trends before him, â€Å"refused to create three-dimensionality through modeling forms with lines or gradations of color.† â€Å"Olympia† is proof of this refusal; her body almost seems like a cardboard cut-out. Another notable difference between â€Å"Olympia† and the other nudes is her gaze. She looks out at the viewer, just like â€Å"La Grande Odalisque† and â€Å"The Nude Maja,† but where these nudes had very seductive, enjoyable gazes, Olympia’s stare is very honest and frank. She looks out at the viewer with little interest, and she has no modesty whatsoever. This small change in gaze may seem insignificant, but upon examining the various nudes, one can see that it makes a dramatic difference. Manet’s nude, with her uncaring look, has a modernized feeling to it; it clearly demonstrates how Manet got the title, â€Å"The Father of Modern Art.† Throughout the time span of the four paintings mentioned here, it is obvious that the 19th century was indeed the one most revolutionary for new thought and innovation. Ingres’ work at the beginning of that century has not quite reached that point of change, but Manet’s work in the middle of the century reflects a totally new era of change. His art helped the Victorian society to realize that the roller coaster ride into the twentieth century was to be one of exciting, liberal thought. Even today, the reclining nude is being recreated in a very fascinating way(see fig. 5). By a simple comparison of these four works, it is easy to trace the history of art from its classical stage, to the modern art it is today.

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 146

Discussion - Essay Example form of confessional poetry rich in poetic styles and brought out the sensational part of her life and the real life of many individuals (Burdescu, 2013). Although there are some ethical issues in Anne’s bibliography, Anne’s work can help many people who are in a similar state of depression and on the verge of committing suicide. In fact, the biography has increased the significance of her artwork and many people are interested in reading and understanding her work more than before. The description of Anne’s hard work as she writes a poem after another is quite encouraging to readers and other people as it stresses the value of hard work. Anne turned to writing to avoid killing herself something that is quite interesting to readers and other people in a similar situation. Engaging in something useful helps one to avoid engaging in certain vices, which has led to greater appreciation of her work. Despite the evils of her sexual and alcoholic life, her book won many praises and a national book award in the biography category as it depicted the actual life experiences that many people go through. Anne’s bibliography increased her creative endeavors and influenced many to read her poems appreciating the poetic

Measuring Public Sector Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Measuring Public Sector Performance - Essay Example Then, common models of performance measurement and how they were developed are investigated. Third, the public and private sectors are compared and contrasted to highlight similarities and differences in their functions, goals, and outputs. Fourth, key developments in private and public sector performance measures are reviewed and discussed to highlight the convergence in the efforts of each sector to address stakeholder expectations. The paper concludes with a set of observations that disprove the hypothesis by showing that performance measurement as a basis for financial accountability and management in both the private and public sectors has become more complex and difficult and provide challenges for everyone. Â  Any discussion of organizational performance begins with an understanding of the nature of human organizations and why they exist. Like the human beings who establish them, every organization exists for a purpose, a set of goals or objectives that has to be achieved. By custom and for analytical convenience, organizations are classified based on their main purpose; thus, there are private-sector, public-sector, not-for-profit, institutional, voluntary, and mixed organizations. Table 1 summarises each of these organizational types, their specific purposes, and some basic examples of each. Â  Regardless of the type, an organization can be said to be successful if it meets the purpose(s) for which it is established, and with success comes its continued growth and existence. Otherwise, it would be better for an organization that does not meet its purpose for existing to close down. This is where accounting as a management tool proves its usefulness because it helps provide public sector organizations with the means to measure performance (Jones et al., 2002).

Utilitarianism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Utilitarianism - Assignment Example Utilitarianism extends to political ethics which introduces the problem of tyranny of majority. This is when the majority and powerful people make decisions that are affects the minority. The problem of tyranny of majority is not new as it has occurred in the past history. An example that serves this problem is Slavery of the black people by the majority Whites in the USA. This was a time where decisions were made by the white people as they were the majority natives. The decision made to use black people as slaves was an act against humanity and was morally incorrect. Later, black people like Martin Luther King saw a need to end this slavery and racism that affected his fellow minorities. It was not an easy battle but at the long end equality through democracy was achieve among every America citizen(Barden, 2001). The majority Americans gained from this slavery because the cheap labor boosted its economy. Today, America is the one of the most developed countries in the world. As some would argue slavery was for a good cause, however what about the oppressed slaves? As much as America benefited economically, the Blacks suffered tremendously (Barden, 2001). Therefore, it was not morally right for the majority right to oppress the minority even if the results benefitted the

Michelangelo on the Divine, Universal truth and Beauty Research Paper

Michelangelo on the Divine, Universal truth and Beauty - Research Paper Example elangelo, a renowned artist whose works of early thirteenth century are popular, is a proper example of artists whose works illustrates philosophy behind it. This paper seeks to examine Michelangelo’s works of art on Divine, universal truth and beauty. Michelangelo’s creative work of sculpture in Rome brings about the issue of divine and beauty. We view him presenting the images of the characters in the bible and their actions. We see Adam’s image eating the apple, and besides him there is Eve (Michelangelo 56). Everything that happened in the Garden of Eden is captured by his work. He even goes to the extent of imagining the image of the angel who gave the orders in the Garden of Eden. He further decorates the chapel with beautiful images of Cain and Abel offering their sacrifices and their reactions after the sacrifice. Daniel, Zachariah and Haman are among the characters Michelangelo sculpts in the chapel thus decorating it (Condivi 24). I can imagine the scenery in the chapel accompanied by its divine significance to the ones who see them. The fact that Michelangelo chose to use the characters of the holy bible to do his work signifies some kind of divine connection. The writer of Michelangelo’s biography describes the situation under which Eve sculpted by Michelangelo acts. How she is guilty and fearful of justice and hope for divine mercy. The fact that Michelangelo’s paintings are more beautiful is not something easy. When asked, Michelangelo argue that all the work of paintings is done by his brains and not the hands (Molyneux 78). This implies that Michelangelo frequently prefer to link the philosophical art with his brain. Moreover, he lends himself fully to the source of divine things in his art; the beautiful nature. Each and every thing that is in nature should be looked at with appropriate keenness (Kool 15). It is by observing this nature keenly that Michelangelo came up with such beautiful paint ings. As the saying goes that

Facilities Maintenance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Facilities Maintenance - Essay Example The facilities maintenance has to estimate the size and area of the facility and the number of facilities established. The preventive maintenance has to be planned on how to address the immediate requirement and the facilities to be installed to meet the needs in requirement. The facilities components life has to estimate to know the performance factors of the individual components. The facilities maintenance has create a periodical review to estimate the robustness of the components and devices to initiate timely renovation process and to keep the facilities well updated. The facilities are to well set to restore the aftermath affect of any disasters. The renovation time has to be reduced to regulate the operational losses due to the sudden incidents occurring in the work station. The probable scale of effect and the restored systems required are to be estimated and has to placed for immediate requirements. The horizon of the responsibilities spreads to an extent to keep the working environment safe, make the employees feel comfort in executing the profiles. Being informative in case of any suspects and externals dangers and responding in no mean time to decrease the impact of the danger. Keeping the facilities of the campus well updated and regular inspections on their working conditions enhance the performance of the facility like the cooling systems, the security systems, the fire equipment services. The visitors can be a form of treat carriers as we cannot predict the dangerous intention. The persons entering into the campus are to be thoroughly checked and are to be send to the reception area only after the concerned person from company is accompanying him. His luggage has to isolated at the campus entrance with restrictions on certain materials and to kept at separate cloak room facility. The work stations should be located at a distant area away from the visitors lounge. The visitors' information has to be recorded for any further clarifications. The surrounding areas of the campuses are to be monitored to avoid any miscreant entering into the campus. The movements of the road side vehicles should be captured to know the traffic discrepancies and any dangerous moves. The vendors and support staff have to be thoroughly checked before allowing them to their shifts. The surrounding areas are to be kept clean to avoid the hidden explosives and harmful material. The staff is to careful monitored to observe their behavior and their movements in the restricted areas. The accessories should be used with care to avoid mishandling and to avoid explosions. The other entry areas like the back doors, kitchen areas, the stores room areas are to monitored for any doubtful transfer of materials. The parking vehicles are to be carefully

Development task 2... assignment with label sketch - 3

Development task 2... with label sketch - Assignment Example The depth of the concrete has to be greater than 500 millimeter. From ground level, the depth of the concrete must be greater than 1500 millimeter (Cyril, 2003: 110). Since the ground condition has firm clay, therefore there is a need to consider the depth of foundations. Clay exhibits the property to shrink or contract depending on the moisture content present in it (Kenneth, 1993:25). At the same time, if the surrounding area has trees, there is a possibility that the trees would absorb the moisture from the clay and hence, the foundation may experience settlement to a significant level. For this case, it is essential to consider the depth of the foundation. A trench fill foundation is thus ideal for this type of site condition. Research suggests that â€Å"trench fill foundations are quicker to prepare than deep strip foundations. This means that there is less disruption once the building work starts and not as much labour time will be needed. It is less likely that subsidence will occur in cases where there may be changes in the soils substrata† (Mosley & Bungey, 2000, 48). The site has different ground conditions and has different soils. Thus, it has a weak bearing capacity. For this purpose, the ideal foundation would be strip, grid or mat foundation. In this case, the suggested foundation is mat foundation. Because of varying ground conditions, majority of the isolated footings would have large areas and thus, it would become uneconomical (Terzaghi et.al, 2006, 256)l. According to the British Code, â€Å"Where the subsoil is very weak the load needs to be spread over a greater area. This is achieved by casting a slab of concrete over the whole ground area and thickening the slab where walls are to be placed†(Perry & Perry, 2009, 118). The design of any reinforced concrete structure aims at a suitable and economical design and for this purpose, mat foundation is ideal. A mat foundation is often used by designers when isolated footings may

Adam Smith and Karl Marx - Contrasting Views of Capitalism Research Paper

Adam Smith and Karl Marx - Contrasting Views of Capitalism - Research Paper Example Adam Smith was a great believer in individualistic abilities and in an economic system that was not directed but guided by an invisible hand. That was the system of classes- faire. Under classic- faire production and distribution among classes is all automatic. Smith’s idea was that government expenditure should be dominated by military procurements and rest of the expenditures and procurement should be automatic as individuals and institutions were capable of meeting the consumable and other demands. Interestingly, Adam Smith never used the terms lassis- faire and capitalism, though he was aware of the implications of these terms. Adam Smith believed that consumption creates demand and necessity to produce. Production will not take place unless there are raw material and demand for the product. â€Å"Prior to the industrial revolution, production of goods hinged on work completed by human hands. Today machines have replaced much of human capital, but that is not to say that human labour is not currently an important part of a production.† (LT, 2006)i. Even Marx realized that human capital is required to produce, though human capital does not have the capacity to bargain because of their being in surplus Karl Marx is very straightforward in his views on capitalism. He says there are only two classes of the society and these classes are in direct competition with each other. One class is of BOURGEOISIE and the other class is PROLETARIAT. According to Karl Marx, there is no middle class, and the proletariat is the exploited class in capitalism. Proletariat class is a class of labourer who finds work so long as their work increases the capital. There will not be any work when labourer stops adding to the capital under the state of capitalism. Capitalism does not regard proletariat as a class of people, and that is why they are exploited the most just to add to the capital. As per Alan W Erlt (2007) â€Å"Marx saw capitalism not as an institution and not as a result of organic economic laws, but as a phase of in the evolution of modern human society.† (page 314)     

Restaurant satisfaction Essay Example for Free

Restaurant satisfaction Essay Restaurant Customer Satisfaction Surveys Can Keep Your Customers Coming Back Keep your customers coming back and recommending your restaurant to others with help from restaurant customer satisfaction surveys. Restaurant customer satisfaction surveys give you quantitative insight into the opinions and attitudes of your customers. You’ll obtain facts about what they want, what they expect, and if they plan to return to your restaurant again. If results show that your restaurant does not meet your customers’ expectations, you’ll know exactly what areas to target for improvement. Whether you own a fast-food restaurant, a dine-in establishment, or a chain of restaurants, Infosurv’s restaurant survey measuring customer satisfaction can provide you with valuable data you can use to make better business decisions. Gauging satisfaction with a restaurant customer survey can tell you about the demographics of your customers as well as give you insight into what they really think about: Food quality Menu selection Menu pricing and value Waiting times Promptness of service Professionalism and friendliness of server(s) Server’s knowledge of menu Decor Restaurant location Overall restaurant experience By assessing the wants and needs of customers – and then acting upon them – restaurants have continually found that satisfaction surveys encourage: Repeat business Positive feelings towards the restaurant because they showed that they cared about customer opinions Increased recommendations by current customers Increased spending within the restaurant Whether you need a restaurant satisfaction survey designed from scratch exclusively for your customers, or have an existing survey that needs to be administered, Infosurv takes extraordinary measures to ensure validity, reliability and bias reduction. Our goal is to help you compose a highly relevant survey instrument that will yield sound and valid conclusions while achieving the maximum survey response rate possible. Learn More About Restaurant Customer Satisfaction Surveys From Infosurv To learn more about restaurant customer satisfaction surveys and the Infosurv Experienceâ„ ¢ please download our brochure. What Makes Customer Satisfaction Research Useful? Capture customer feedback and use the data to set business priorities. Mar. 25, 2008By Marian Singer, partner, FiveTwelve Group Ltd. Much has been written in the last couple of years about the promise of customer satisfaction research (CSR) to improve performance or shorten development cycles for businesses and organizations. This work is particularly germane in North America, where growth in many industrial and commercial markets is peaking and companies are scrambling for competitive advantage. The concept is simple: capture customer feedback and use the data to set business priorities. Customer satisfaction data is routinely gathered to support continuous improvement programs like TQM, ISO and Six Sigma. The answers to the questions How are we doing? and What should we do better? are the building blocks of a customer relationship based on measurable value. Answered correctly, they track improvements in the business relationship and identify areas for improvement. However, translating the answers into meaningful actions is difficult. The issue is not whether or not you are getting information about customer satisfaction; it is whether or not you are using information about customer satisfaction to act differently. Generally, two factors cause weak CSR: uninvolved stakeholders and useless data. Lets explore what makes CSR useful. An engineered products manufacturer had recently been purchased by investors seeing promise in their technological leadership. Research was commissioned to help the new team understand current satisfaction and long term business durability. They were shocked to find that more than 90% of the business was at risk. While sales teams showcased and closed many initial orders, lengthy start-ups, late shipments and poor quality pushed customers away once they had adopted the technology. The manufacturer was, in essence, training customers to prefer the technology on behalf of their competition. Employees were frustrated too. They had heard complaints but hadnt digested the consequences. Out of necessity, they assumed ample supply of new customers to replace the disgruntled ones. The costs associated with lost business hadn? t been clear. The team dove into the research, put answers into context, mined new feedback, and made survey adjustments even while they collected more information. They isolated common themes, asked why, and tested actions steps to recover the business. In the end, improved communication systems solved internal conflicts and kept customers in the loop. Investments in new secondary operations simplified customers processes and improved predictability. With these changes, the manufacturer was able to recover tenuous relationships, improve its pipeline and the satisfaction of its customers and employees in about a year. Today, the company monitors satisfaction routinely, taking care to not only benchmark against previous years performance but to test new ideas and gain a clearer understanding of the feedback it receives informally. So, how to ask the question How are we doing and what should we do better? When a business process like the collection of satisfaction data hardens into concrete steps, it loses flexibility, become sterile and impractical and as a result, can erode value. When data collection is exercise in scoring, ranking, and polling, it blocks inspiration, the creative process, decision-making, relationship-building and new learning that comes from effective listening. Weak CSR: Is a static process: A survey of customer satisfaction done once is a popularity contest. Done over time it can be a tool for decision-making, because it can show progress or setbacks. However, if you ask the same customers the same questions, year after year, eventually they are going to ask you to stop. It is very important to evaluate customer satisfaction routinely, to expose changes, but it is equally important to change it up to test new ideas, show responsiveness and build better relationships over time. Customer satisfaction is dynamic. The CSR process should be too. Ignores Context: Most CSR surveys assign a subjective value to tasks or functions like delivery, development, sales management, or customer service. If, however, the satisfaction score isnt understood in terms of its relative importance to the customer, it is difficult to see impact on business health. For example, a customer might state that their satisfaction with pricing levels is relatively low say a 3 on a 7 point scale. Without context, a natural reaction might be to re-examine pricing policies and those of competitors to look for guidance. If, however, pricing scored low in terms of importance in comparison to lead-time, a supplier would know that improvements in delivery could dampen the need for reactionary discounting. By knowing the context in which attributes are evaluated, suppliers can better allocate efforts, grow sales and save margin. Before asking How we are doing? CSR should first establish the importance of an attribute in order to provide context. Is Quantitatively Biased: CSR surveys are often biased by the preponderance of closed questions like force ranked lists and 1-7 scoring. Learning about low satisfaction with service may be informative, but investing the time to uncover ideas for improvement is what is crucial to improving a customer relationship. To illustrate, a customer with little tolerance for late deliveries may score delivery as important but add that a simple call to reschedule would satisfy. Without this background, a manufacturer might have invested to retool, having overestimated the hazard. Always ask Why? Keys to Success Treat customer satisfaction as philosophy Its counter to think that something as fundamental as listening to customers should be institutionalized, but in these days of consolidation and distant markets, it is absolutely necessary. As the knowledge economy continues to evolve, we see that high performers are distinguished by continuously improving CSR processes that get as much attention from process experts as LEAN or Six Sigma. A good first step is to view CSR not as a project thrown over the wall to the new MBA intern, but instead, as a philosophy of listening and interacting with customers. Design CSR that can flex and learn, like people do Its also counter to think that CSR should be designed to flex with what is known at the moment, but this is actually a sign of effective learning and communication, which are the key ingredients to usefulness. The ability of a research team to make changes along the way depends on whether they see and understand the trends early enough. The important factors determining CSR success are not sample size or repetition, but research transparency and the volume of critical thinking done during the project. Act Small CSR exists because companies are big. The complexities that are introduced when groups enlarge encumber simple activities like listening, thinking and doing. But these are the activities that create value and wealth. To make them simple again, build a great CSR process to do the basic, smart things that entrepreneurs are forced to do. Its Never the Data If you ask How are we doing and what should we do better? tomorrow, the answers that you get will be different than the answers you got yesterday. The most important ingredient to CSR is the action that you take with what you learn, and the ability of the customer to see and feel value from those actions. Marian Singer is a partner at FiveTwelve Group, Ltd. , a research and consulting firm that works to improve way that businesses, investors and member organizations listen to their customers and markets and how they act on what they learn. www. fivetwelvegroup. com http://www. industryweek. com/companies-amp-executives/what-makes-customer-satisfaction-research-useful Customer Satisfaction Survey By F. John Reh We all know customer satisfaction is essential to the survival of our businesses. How do we find out whether our customers are satisfied? The best way to find out whether your customers are satisfied is to ask them. When you conduct a customer satisfaction survey, what you ask the customers is important. How, when , and how often you ask these questions are also important. However, the most important thing about conducting a customer satisfaction survey is what you do with their answers. How You Ask Whether Customers Are Satisfied There are many ways to ask your customers whether or not they are satisfied with your company, your products, and the service they received. You can ask them: Face-to-face As they are about to walk out of your store or office, ask them. Call them on the phone If you have their phone number, and their permission, you can call them after their visit and ask how satisfied they are. Mail them a questionnaire This technique has been used for a long time. The results are predictable. Email them a customer satisfaction survey Be careful to not violate Spam laws Email them an invitation to take a customer satisfaction survey When To Conduct A Customer Satisfaction Survey The best time to conduct a customer satisfaction survey is when the experience is fresh in their minds. If you wait to conduct a survey, the customers response may be less accurate. He may have forgotten some of the details. She may answer about a later event. He may color his answers because of confusion with other visits. She may confuse you with some other company. What To Ask In A Customer Satisfaction Survey There is a school of thought that you only need to ask a single question in a customer satisfaction survey. That question is, will you buy from me again? While it is tempting to reduce your customer satisfaction survey to this supposed essence, you miss a lot of valuable information and you can be easily misled. It is too easy for a customer to answer yes to the will you buy from me again? , whether they mean it or not. You want to ask other questions in a customer satisfaction survey to get closer to the expected behavior and to collect information about what to change and what to keep doing. By all means ask the basic customer satisfaction questions: How satisfied are you with the purchase you made (of a product or service) How satisfied are you with the service you received? How satisfied are you with our company overall? And ask the customer loyalty questions How likely are you to buy from us again? How likely are you to recommend our product/service to others How likely are you to recommend our company to others. Also ask what the customer liked and didnt like about the product, your service, and your company. How Often Should You Conduct A Customer Satisfaction Survey The best answer is often enough to get the most information, but not so often as to upset the customer. In real terms, the frequency with which you conduct a customer satisfaction survey depends on the frequency with which you interact with your customers. My state renews drivers licenses for five-year periods. It would be silly for them to ask me each year what I thought of my last renewal experience. Conversely, if I survey the commuters on my rapid transit system once a year, I will miss important changes in their attitudes that may be driven by seasonal events. What To Do With Answers From A Customer Satisfaction Survey Regardless of how I ask my customers for their feedback, what I ask them in the customer satisfaction survey, and when I survey them, the most important part of the customer satisfaction survey is what I do with their answers. Yes, I need to compile the answers from different customers. I need to look for trends. I should look for differences by region and/or product. However, I most need to act on the information I get from my customers though the survey. I need to fix the things the customers have complained about. I need to investigate their suggestions. I need to improve my company and product in those areas the mean the most to the most of my customers. I need to not change those things that they like. Most importantly I need to give them feedback that their answers were appreciated and are being acted upon. That feedback can be individual responses to the customers if appropriate, or it can simply be fixing the things that they tell you need to be fixed. Whats Next in Customer Satisfaction Surveys?

Advantage And Disadvantages Of Fixed Wings Engineering Essay

Advantage And Disadvantages Of Fixed Wings Engineering Essay Law enforcement agencies have utilized fixed wing and rotor wing aircrafts to help enforce laws since the 1920s. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of fixed wing and rotor wing aircrafts. Take a brief look at some of the missions and technical equipments that are utilized by law enforcement agencies. Look in depth at two of their fix wing aircrafts utilized and how rotor wing aircrafts help save lives and enforce the law. Since 1920, law enforcement agencies have used fixed wing and rotor wing aircrafts to assist in enforcing the law. In 2007, data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics showed that large law enforcement departments provided aerial enforcement in the District of Columbia and 46 states. There were 295 airplanes and 604 helicopters being operated, which flew more than 330,000 missions. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/aullea07.pdf The types of airplane that are in use by law enforcement are Cessna 182, Cessna 206, Pilatus PC-12 Spectres, P-3 Orions, Citations, Learjets, Gulfstream jets, King Air 350s and 200s and some larger airliner-type aircraft. Some of the helicopters are the American Euro-copter EC120/130/145, AStar AS350/355N/350 B2, Dolphin HH-65C, Blackhawk UH-60, Maverick, Raven II R44, Cayuse OH-6 and McDonnell Douglas MD 600. The types of missions these aircrafts conduct are surveillance, drug interdiction, fugitive searches, routine patrol or support, search and rescue , personnel transport, prisoner transport, SWAT operation, traffic enforcement, speed enforcement, homeland security, photographic, medical support and evacuation. Both types of aircrafts have their advantages and disadvantages in airborne law enforcement. http://www.kansas.com/2010/08/01/1427779/aviation-sees-growth-in-law-enforcement.html. The advantages that helicopters have over fixed wings are they can land and take off without the need for run ways. Their airfoil shape rotors are like the wings of an airplane, as the rotor spins, air flow faster over the tops of the blades than underneath, thus creating lift for flight. Their unique rotor design allows for them to takeoff vertically, fly in any direction and hover over an area. Their ability to hover provides coverage for ground units and are able to land in assisting in foot pursuits. Helicopters can be equipped with a winch for the purpose of lowering or picking up personnel or equipments on the ground. It is valuable asset in conducting rescues at sea or on mountains, where there is no place to land. Its size allows for maneuverability around tall structures at lower altitudes. manhttp://library.thinkquest.org/J0112389/helicopters.htm. The helicopters are force multipliers for ground units, because they can monitor the tactical environment, give alerts or observe things which the ground units are unable to detect. Additionally, they can respond and cover ground more quickly than ground units. The flight deck of a helicopter can be equipped with multiple electronic equipments. Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) also know as glass cockpit that provides flight and system information to the crew, Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera allows the crew to see images created from infrared energy, moving map system show their location, satellite phones provide direct communication, digital video downlink gives real time images, night vision goggles can be used in low light situation, loudspeakers for communication or message deliver to the ground, tear gas dispensers help control crowds, police and aviation radios keep the crew in contact with other officers and air traffic controls . The equipments aboard the helicopters are vital in helping enforcing the law as the incident on the 14th of November 2008, when the San Diego Police Department helicopter used the FLIR camera video to help indict a man for beating another man with a crutch in the middle of the street at night. Without the FLIR system they would have not been able to see the incident happening. http://www.policeone.com/police-products/tactical/night-vision/videos/5954944-police-helicopter-catches-bizarre-street-fight-on-flir-camera On the night of 30th January 2013, a 60 year old captain of the Panamanian cargo ship Gray Shark was having a heart attack. The NYPD police responded to the emergency call and conducted a dramatic nighttime helicopter rescue in New York Harbor. The NYPD harbor medical team stabilized the captain before calling in the help of a police helicopter to airlift him off the ship. A basket was lowered from the helicopter to hoist him up and then flew him to Staten Island University Hospital North where he was listed in stable condition. This rescue shows one of the many advantages that a rotor wing aircraft posses. http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/176246/police-helicopter-rescues-ship-captain-who-was-having-a-heart-attack The disadvantages helicopters have are that they cost more to operate and maintain. A fully equipped helicopter can cost from $500,000 to $3 million to purchase and the flying costs ranges from $200 to $400 per hour. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-30- cophelicopters_N.htm Maintenance, fuel, leasing and financing cost are three times then the cost that of operating and maintaining airplanes. Its abilities to fly lower and hover creates noises that are easily detectable. The capacity of passengers that a helicopter can carry is limi ted and varies from type. The Robinson RA-44 can carry 2 to 4 personnel and others like the Blackhawk UH-60 can carry 11 personnel or the Bell UH-1 that can be configured to carry 15 personnel. The general commercial helicopters in the law enforcement agencies have a flight time of two to four hours, with top speed from 50 to 200 knots and an average range of about 200 miles. The operations of fixed wing aircraft have some advantages over rotor wing aircrafts in law enforcement. They can perform a wide range of missions which requires them to stay airborne longer then a rotor wing aircraft is able too. Fix wing aircraft can carry more payloads and engine performances are great then those of rotor wing aircrafts. Aero surveillance, homeland security, speed enforcement and transport of people or gear are mostly the missions perform. http://www.lawofficer.com/article/patrol/fixed-wing-aircraft-law-enforc They are equipped with a variety of high tech equipments just as their rotor wing counterparts. The cabins are pressurized and allow for higher altitude flights, which enables them to conduct surveillance 5,000 ft to 6,000 ft and not be undetected. The costs to maintain and operate a fixed wing aircraft are cheaper than rotor wing aircrafts. On average per flight it cost about $54 for maintenance and $45 for fuel compared to a rotor wing aircraft. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/aullea07.pdf One example of a cost effective fixed wing aircraft is the light sport aircraft. The general cost of the aircraft is between $60,000 and $130,000 to purchase. The cost for fuel and maintenance is only $50 per hour. They can fly at speeds ranging from 35 to 125 knots which makes them an excellent platform for performing a broad range of law enforcement missions. It can carry up to 500 lbs and travel twice as far as a helicopter. http://nij.gov/nij/topics/law-enforcement/operations/aviation/types-of-aircraft.htm One of the best aircraft that the Custom Border Patrol ha s in their inventory is the P-3 AEW Orion airplane. This is a unique aircraft is integration with the E-2 Hawkeye aircraft electronics and radar system, which allows for it to see surface and air contacts 200 NM in all directions. The aircraft has a large fuel capacity of 60,000 lbs that allows for flight time up to 10 to 13 hours on station. It has a maximum range at low altitude is 2,500 NM and at high altitude 3,800 NM and a maximum average cruising speed of 300 to 330 knots. It can carry a crew of 12 to 21 personnel. The normal crew consists of four systems operators, three pilots, two flight engineers and three maintenance crew members. They work closely with the Navy and Coast Guard to coordinate the location of drug smuggling boats or planes. The primary missions are interdiction, over water operations, surveillance and homeland security. The use of this aircraft between the Jacksonville, Florida and the Texas office have contributed to the capture and seizure of 50 metric to ns of drugs worth a roughly about 2 Billion dollars since 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqCtrB_FZvE The DA42 MPP (Multi Purpose Platform) GUARDIAN is a specially designed aircraft to carrying multi-functional aerial surveillance equipments. The advantage of this aircraft is its extremely low operating costs and its abilities to conduct surveillance operations. The investment in this aircraft pays for itself through the saving in fuel cost. It can operate at a wide range from a minimum of 75 knots to a maximum of 152 knots fully equipped. When conducting surveillance the aircraft can fly for up to 12.5 hours with refueling. At 50% power setting its maximum range is more than 1,350NM. Currently there is no other small aircraft that can match the flexibility of the GUARDIAN. The GUARDIANà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s design incorporates hard points located under the fuselage for mounting belly pods and uses a modular attachment approach. The nose section of the aircraft is detachable which allows for mounting nose pods. This aircraft can carry a gyro-stabilized, daylight and thermal video camera, digital aerial cameras and laser scanner, a micro wave up and downlink system with a range of more than 100 NM that provides high quality transfers, satellite downlink beyond line of sight, UHF/VHFradios and a military radios is part of the standard equipment onboard. The GUARDIAN also can operate as an UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) or OPV (Optionally Piloted Vehicle) that provide support abilities for longer operation times and if require to operations in regions that are generally too dangerous for manned aircraft to operate. http://www.diamond- sensing.com/fileadmin/uploads_airborne/files/DA42_MPP_web_v290108.pdf http://www.diamond-sensing.com/index.php?id=da42mppguardian Some of the disadvantages of fix winged aircrafts are that they require a runway to take off and land. It takes more time to assemble and brief the flight crew for the type of mission being flown. Conges tions and traffic on the run way may delay on taking off or landing. Depending on the size of the aircraft the pilot or co-pilot are unable to see the other side of the aircraft. They are unable provide ground assistance as their rotor wing counterparts are capable of doing, such as land and assist in a foot pursuit. Unable to hover or perform orbits like the rotor wing counterparts they cannot monitor the tactical environment very well, thus unable to observe or alert ground units of what they are unaware of. This limits their ability to land on ships or areas where there are no run ways. A major tool used for search and rescue that airplanes are unable to carry is a rescue winch. Both fixed wing and rotor wing aircrafts have their advantages and disadvantages, but they are both very valuable asset in the mission of state and federal law enforcement agencies in protecting homeland security, defending the Nationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s borders, fight against terrorist and enforcing the l aws of the United States.

Queen Elizabeths Use of Imagery and Language in The Doubt of Future Fo

Queen Elizabeth's Use of Imagery and Language in The Doubt of Future Foes Queen Elizabeth persuades her subjects to be faithful and discourages her foes from the pursuit of her throne in the stark imagery of â€Å"The Doubt of Future Foes.† Elizabeth uses the three appeals of successful argument to evoke fear and respect in those that may attempt to challenge her position as Queen. The Queen captivates her audience with solid logical arguments and dramatic threatening language while establishing her credibility as a fearless powerful leader, utilizing the logos, pathos, and ethos methods of persuasion. Queen Elizabeth uses an authoritative courageous voice to evoke emotion in her audience, all the while presenting a solid logical persuasive argument to discourage the encroachment of her territory by power hungry foes. By establishing a stark authoritative tone Elizabeth persuades her audience to obey her, thus effectively employing the pathos method of persuasion. The Queen targets her audience’s emotions in hopes of discouraging any future foes from challenging her position on the throne. Elizabeth speaks to her prideful and ambitious audience of potential rivals from a pedestal making haughty threats and criticisms to breed fear and submission. In the last two lines of the poem Elizabeth makes the most staggering threat of all, â€Å"My rusty sword through rest shall first his edge employ/ To poll their tops that seek such change of gape for future joy.† Although not normally prone to violence, Elizabeth proclaims her thirst for the blood of those that seek to challenge her. The Queen uses courageous, combatant language like that of rusty sword blades and headless enemies, to spawn feelings of fear and frighten her foes into accor... ...ower is futile. The same joy that clouds the mind of eager men turns sour and forces them into repentance. Hollow pride and ambition is short lived and only brings heartache and woe. Elizabeth presents an argument with a logical flow: men covet power, coveting is punishable; men who covet will be punished. The poet uses her intelligence and royal position to express her disgust towards covetous subjects in an argument that displays solid logos, pathos, and ethos aspects. Queen Elizabeth makes harsh emotional appeals through her use of imagery and language. Paired with beautiful poetic language and solid logic is the voice of a powerful queen struggling to cement her position as ruler of her loyal subjects. It is the well-developed, concise arguments and persuasive tools that make â€Å"The Doubt of Future Foes† as harrowing today as it was during Elizabeth’s reign.

Economy :: essays research papers

Economics and Location There are several factors that influence the growth and distribution of a particular regions primary industries. These primary industries, are necessary for an economy to grow. Without a primary industry, which could also be called natural resources, secondary, tertiary and quaternary industries would struggle in a country (excluding Japan etc.). These factors also affect where people live. If you were at a warm place, near the coast, it is a lot more populated, than interior America. This population, affects your labor and markets. With a good geography, cash crops may be able to grow in the region developing a farm industry. There are several factors that affect a region’s natural resources. These factors are landscape features, temperature and precipitation. Landscape features affect the economy. Some landscape features that range all over the United States are tundra and mountains. If you were describe the Arctic Coastal Plain, you would have to mention the permafrost. In t he Pacific ranges and coastal lowlands, the soil is rich and fertile. The soil in a region determine if you’re able to grow cash crops or nothing. The temperature of a region affects the economy. In a place that is warm and humid, certain crops, will be able to grow in that region. The temperature can also affect the settlement patterns of people. Larger populations tend to settle in a place with a high temperature. To get an precise picture of an area’s climate, two temperatures are required. These are the average temperatures of the months January and July. There are three factors that affect the this result. The closer you are to the equator, usually the warmer it is. This is because the sun rays are more concentrated and direct the closer you are to the equator. The more direct the sun’s rays are, the greater heating ability. During the winter, oceans maintain much more heat than land, and release this heat slowly. Land near an ocean, is warmer than land not ne ar an ocean because the ocean retains the heat. When the sun shines, the heat bounces off, but can’t reach the atmosphere. The heat in the air comes from the warm surface, so air closer to the ground is usually warmer. As altitude increases, air temperature decreases. This decline in air temperature is known as the lapse rate. Precipitation can also affect the economy. In a place that is humid, certain crops, will be able to grow in that region.

The Movement of Disease Essays -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Movement of Disease The desire to travel and explore developed among many early civilizations. This mobility provided these cultures with many advantages that have helped to advance their societies. Unfortunately, these movements are also responsible for the transmission of numerous diseases and their resulting adverse effects upon the inhabitants of the Earth. This essay seeks to outline the causes of epidemic diseases, explain their diffusion around the world, and explore why they are more harmful in certain societies. During the First Great Transition, small mobile groups of hunter-gatherers began to adopt sedentary lifestyles. This was facilitated by the development of agriculture and the practice of animal domestication. Although the foundation of agriculture originated in the Mediterranean, it spread to Europe, the near East and eventually the rest of the populated world. With more efficient methods of food production, the population of these groups began to significantly increase. Domesticated animals were not only used as a supplementary food source (meat and milk), but also for providing animal power in labor-intensive activities (such as plowing). The transition to a sedentary lifestyle caused a major decline in health in these growing societies as virulent and lethal diseases began to appear. "The major killers of humanity throughout recent history-smallpox, flu, tuberculosis, malaria, plague, measles, and cholera-are diseases that evolved from diseases of animals, even though most of the microbes responsible for our own epidemic illnesses are paradoxically now almost confined to humans."1 As early farmers began to live closer to and spend more time with livestock and pets, the germs from these animals w... ...s. As trade became a compelling force for the cultural evolution of many societies, they helped to spread diseases over the entire world. Due to an auspicious piece of luck, Europe, with many more domesticated animals and therefore epidemic diseases, was able to develop immunities that the populous of the Americas lacked. Sources: 1. Diamond, Jered. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W.W. Norton. 1997. Pg. 196-197. 2. Chant, Colin. Pre-industrial Cities & Technology. London: Routledge. 1999. Pg. 51. 3. Diamond. Pg. 205. 4. Ehrlich, Paul R. Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect. Washington D.C.: Island Press. 2000. Pg. 268. 5. Ponting, Clive. A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1992. Pg. 224. 6. Ehrlich. Pg. 254 7. Diamond. Pg. 212.

Malignant Hyperthermia: What You Need to Know

Malignant Hyperthermia: What You Need to Know Ivy O. Corlew, BSN, RN, CNOR Conneaut Medical Center–OR Malignant Hyperthermia: What You Need to Know What is Malignant Hyperthermia or MH Malignant Hyperthermia (MH) is a rare, life threatening, pharmacogenetic disorder characterized by hypermetabolic state of skeletal muscle induced by inhalation anesthetics like halothane, sevoflurane, desflurane and the depolarizing muscle relaxant agent like succinylcholine (Rosenberg et al, 2007).Clinical signs are; Increased end tidal CO2 production which is an early sign, tachycardia, tachypnea, trunk or total body rigidity, masseter (jaw) muscle rigidity after succinylcholine which occurs commonly in children, marked temperature elevation (maybe a late sign), respiratory and metabolic acidosis, myoglobinuria(MHAUS, 2011). If left untreated the patient will experience cardiac arrest, kidney failure, blood coagulation problems, internal hemorrhage, and possibly death (slideshare, 2010) Nursi ng AssessmentNurses taking care of surgical patients must be knowledgeable regarding MH so they can identify clinical signs and symptoms early on, its emergent treatment, and be able to respond promptly and appropriately. Preoperative assessment by nurses are crucial in identifying the patient, who could be at high risk for Malignant Hyperthermia, so MH triggering agents can be avoided during anesthesia. Example of questions to ask to help screen for MH susceptibility are (AORN 2012): 1. Has anyone ever told you that you had a â€Å"bad† reaction to anesthesia? 2. Has anyone ever told you that you or your family member had a problem with anesthesia? . Have you or a family member experienced a high fever while under anesthesia? 4. Has anyone ever told you or a family member they had a difficult time opening your jaw during general anesthetic? 5. Has anyone in your family died unexpectedly in the operating room? 6. Have you or anyone in your family experienced sunstroke or heat stroke resulting in hospitalization? 7. Have you ever noticed dark â€Å"cola-colored† urine after a general anesthetic or after experiencing a heat-related illness? Treating MH Dantrolene IV is the only drug available in the market to treat Malignant Hyperthermia.It is difficult to mix and is time consuming to reconstitute. It comes in yellowish colored powder that when fully mix with non-bacteriostatic sterile water, the color stays the same. The new brand Dantrium IV (dantrolene sodium for injection) mixes in just 20 seconds (MHAUS, 2011). However, this is not what we have stocked in our cart. According to MHAUS (2011), dantrolene suppresses the exaggerated rise in muscle cell calcium that seems to trigger MH by binding to the calcium channel site in muscle that is responsible both for calcium release and, likely, calcium entry into the cell.Dantrolene may cause significant muscle weakness in patients with preexisting muscle disease and should be used with extreme caution in those patients. When used with calcium channel blockers (verapamil or diltiazem), dantrolene may produce life-threatening hyperkalemia and myocardial depression. Once a patient has been successfully treated for 36 hours with intravenous dantrolene, he/she may be switched to oral dantrolene until the CK or Creatine Kinase level is trending down and there is no further evidence of acidosis or hypermetabolism and temperature spikes. A recommended 36 vials be stocked.Treating Malignant Hyperthermia crisis is a complex nature, and it involves several staff members. The first thing to do in the event of suspected MH crisis is to recruit extra staff. The following steps are outline by role (MHAUS, 2011): The surgeon should stop or complete the procedure as soon as possible. The anesthesia provider stops inhalation agents; stops warming blanket; increase minute ventilation; inserts esophageal temp probe; inserts NG tube for lavage as needed; administers dantrolene IV; inserts an arteria l line; draws blood for chemistry, ck, coagulation, ABG.If peaked T waves on ECG, administers calcium then glucose and insulin. If T waves are not peaked and arrhythmia present, injects bicarbonate. The circulating nurse brings in MH cart; mixes dantrolene based on 2. 5 mg/kg with 60 ml of non-bacteriostatic sterile water, repeat dose until the signs are controlled. The circulating nurse should document the event. A second nurse assist in mixing dantrolene and hands syringe to anesthesia provider. A third nurse brings in emergency crash cart; places urinary catheter; assist in drawing blood or with other task.A fourth nurse brings in plastic bags with ice and cold IV fluids; places ice bags on exposed parts like groin, axilla, and neck (without compromising sterility); iced saline lavage of any open body cavities such as the stomach, bladder, or rectum. Cold I. V. fluids are administered using 0. 9% sodium chloride, but Lactated Ringer’s is avoided so that acidosis is not wor sened (Martin, 2009). Stop cooling measures when temperature falls to 38 °C (MHAUS, 2011). A laminated copy of MHAUS dantrolene dosage chart is located on top of MH cart to minimize precious time wasted in calculating dosage per kilogram.As soon as patient is stabilized, transfer patient to ICU or call transfer center for an emergent transfer to UH Case SICU or ED. Knowing your Role All staff involved in the MH crisis response should conduct a debriefing meeting as early as possible. Points to consider including (AORN, 2012): 8. Was the MH cart adequately stocked and immediately available? 9. Were enough staff members available to manage the crisis effectively? 10. When staff members responded, were they familiar with task expected in MH crisis? 11. Was MHAUS appropriately notified? 12. Do staff members have other ideas about planning care for a future MH crisis? 3. Has a root-cause analysis been done (MH is considered a sentinel event)? Staff Competency By using the mannequin as our patient, and mixing the expired dantrolene from MHAUS, perioperative staff did fairly well during the MH mock drill simulation by following thru with the expected roles. MH drill should be held at least quarterly to help perioperative staff practice early recognition of MH crisis and how to act accordingly. MH drill also improve OR (operating room) team coordination and provides opportunities to serve in each of the four roles mentioned (Martin, 2009). PreventionEarly detection of clinical signs and symptoms of MH, knowing your role and a prompt response to this emergent crisis can save your patient’s life. MH crisis prevention is the key and the best treatment you can provide to your patient. Knowledge about MH is a must for nurses taking care of a patient before, during and after operative care. Armed with this knowledge, you can make a difference in your patient’s lives. References AORN (2012). AORN Malignant Hyperthermia Guideline. In Perioperative Standards an d Recommended Practices: For Inpatient and Ambulatory Settings (pp. 5,8-9). Retrieved from http://online. statref. om/titleinfo/fxid-234. html Martin, C. L. (2009). A Practical Guide for Malignant Hyperthermia Management. OR NURSE 2009, 24. Retrieved from www. ORNurseJournal. com Rosenberg, H. , Davis, M. , James, D. , Pollock, N. , & Stowell, K. (2007). Malignant Hyperthermia. ORPHANET JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES. doi:10. 1186/1750-1172-2-21 Malignant Hyperthermia Mock Drill Kit. (2011). Healthcare Professionals. Retrieved from http://www. mhaus. org/healthcare-professionals/#. T6rV3VI2cTY Malignant Hyperthermia (2010, January 28). [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www. slideshare. net/wright958/malignant-hyperthermia-3015604

Groupon Analysis

1. Research process As the secondary data on evaluation of customers in Vietnam with regard to groupon are not available, the method to be used in this study is almost research employing a combination of qualitative and quantitive approaches. Problems de? nition Quantitive research Research design Qualitative research Questionnaire online survey Sampling Fieldwork Data analysis Managerial implications Figure : the stages of customers evaluation research Normally the starting point of any research process is the research problem and research objectives.The next stage is to design plans of getting information of both quantitive and qualitative ? gures. Then the the objectives transform in to questionnaire. In the survey both quantitive and qualitative questions are used. Multiple choices with scale measure is used on the other hand question with open answers are use to identify the quantitive problems. Information to be obtained should be determined prior to the building of questionnai re. Table 1 shows how information is to be collected. Each variable have 5 question to determine. Variables Reliability! Who to ask Customer!What to get How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s reliability ! How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s responsibility!! How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s assurance! How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s empathy! ! How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s tangibles! Responsibility Customer Assurance Customer Empathy! Customer! Tangibles Customer! The next step after questionnaires were designed and sampled, ? eldwork was executed that involved the completion and return of questionnaire. Data analysis can start after the returned questionnaire were checked.Finally, the research process ends with the most important part that is the managerial implications. 2. Quantitative study The purpose of the quantitative study is to identify the relat ionship between 5 factors reliability, responsibility, assurance, empathy and tangibles and the quality of groupon companies’s services. The details about sampling, data collection and data analysis methods are described in the next part. a. Sampling †¢ Sample size: a sample of 390 people was drawn from residents living or working in some districts in Hanoi and some part of districts 1 Ho Chi Minh city. 90 people answered some question to classify in 3 groups which are the people have used groupon service, the people never use groupon service but they know about it and the people never use groupon and do not know anything about it. As expected, 50 percents of people who were asked to do survey are student because large number of people who use groupon to buy product and services is low income people; 30 percents of that is white collar worker the reason is that they have to work with computer and internet in plenty hours in a day and they want to buy product with low cos t lso and the last group of people the survey focusing on is housewives which is have 20 percents in total sample. Sample should include both women and men, belonging to 5 groups of age (from 18 years old to over 55 years old). †¢ Selection criteria: the selection criteria for those participating in the study were age (between 18 and over 55 years old), income ( at least more than 1 million Vietnam dong per month), ability to use computer and the internet ( because almost all groupon companies are working base on internet environment).In addition, respondents should not be acquaintances of each other because they can share the same attitude about some services and companies. b. Data collection The questionnaire consists of 25 questions to determine 25 items which belong to 5 factors. These factors were developed from the study model Serqual . The Likert ? ve-point scale was used for those items that aimed to measure consumer’s evaluation and felling. †¢ Factors 1: r eliability have 5 questions which were designed to explore customer’s belief †¢ Factors 2: responsibility was aimed to ? d out the felling of customers about responsibility of the companies whether they can respond the requirement of customer immediately or with some delays. This factor was determined by 5 questions †¢ Factor 3: Assurance is the factor which have 5 question to measure the security of the companies’s service. †¢ Factor 4: empathy use 5 question to explore if the staff of companies try to help and understand customer or not. †¢ Factor 5: tangible have 5 question to determine like the last 4 factor. Those question use to evaluate the appearance of the companies such as the website, voucher or uniforms of staffs.Every question uses multiple choices with ? ve-point scale from 1-5 which mean terrible, poor, average, very good and excellent. The questionnaire was translate into Vietnamese and pre-test on 5 respondents to ensure the correct understanding and the ease of answering. Pretest results were satis? ed. The questionnaire were distributed to 730 persons in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city via online survey which is designed by Google and send by email, direct message and social networking(Facebook, Twitter). (Appendix Phu luc bang hoi )Of 730 person sent survey 390 returned result, of which 163 were usable (163 respondents use groupon as the media to shopping). The valid questionnaire must (1) not having more than ? ve missing values; (2) not selecting all â€Å"1† or all â€Å"5† for all questions. The distribution of questionnaires and the collections of returned ones were carried out from 8th October to 20th October 2012. c. Data analysis Answers from the respondents were reviewed for completion and usefulness. Accepted questionnaire were coded and the raw data input in the SPSS package version 20 for Mac.The reliability of measurement scales was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha value. A scal e is reliable if the alpha is higher than 0. 6. Descriptive analysis is used to describe the variables in term of frequency. Due to the small size sample, subgroup analysis is not meaningful. Analysis variance (ANOVA) or cross tabulation results therefore were not used. The lis of codi? ed variables is shown in Appendix phu luc cac bien Factor analysis was used to reduce the number of variables and to identify the underlying common dimensions.Factor scores were then analyzed using multiple regressions, through linear relationships between a dependent variable and various independent variables (predictors) were determined. 3. Results 3. 1 Sample pro? le Groupon-buying discount products or services online are consumed by a large number of population due to the development of the internet past 10 years. Sample includes 46 men and 117 women, aged from 18 to over 18 years old with the majority being the age group of 18-24 years old. Of 162 respondents 20. 2% using groupon for their work, 64. 4% using for their personal purpose and 15. % using groupon to buy products and services for both purposes which are personal and work. More than 60% of people who are asked have a low income which is less than 5 million Vietnam dong per month, it can be reasonable when most of groupon customer have a low income and it may explain that price is very importance when they decide to buy somethine. And a large number of the respondents are student which are a young generation. They can easily using internet and modern way of shopping. Figure : Gender distribution Figure : Purpose distribution 15% 28% 20% 72% 64% Man Women Personal WorkPersonal and work Figure : Age distribution Figure : Monthly income 1% 7% 13% 16% 11% 12% 79% 9million 5-9 million other 61% 18-24 25-29 30-40 40-50 Figure : Job distribution 150 100 50 0 Student New employee Employee Housewife Other Table show the demographic characteristics of the sample with regards to gender, age, income, job and voucher’s value. Table : Summary samples’s characteristic Percentage (n=162) Female Gender Male 18-24 25-29 Age 30-40 40-50 less than 5 million 5-9 million Monthly income more than 9 million other Student New employee Jobs Employee Housewife Other 1. 500. 000 11% 16% 69. % 12. 3% 15. 3% 1. 8% 0. 6% 17. 8% 69. 9% 9. 2% 1. 8% 1. 2% 7% 1% 61% 12% 28% 79% 13% 72% 3. 2 Descriptive analysis In the study, ? ve factors were used to measure customer evaluation and felling. For the statistical purpose all variables were described in term of frequencies (percentage) and average values (means). Finding related to customer’s evaluation and felling are summarized in tables. a. ! How customers trust groupon companies services in Vietnam, those thing can show up by some factors such as the quality of products what companies guaranteed and the punctuation of delivery. Consequently, the result will show how customer believe in companies and their goods. Groupon companies always sale all product w ith a very cheap price so this factor explore how is the customer’s belief. Table : Customer’s belief in groupon companies Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 2. The customer’s belief in discount price 3. The customer’s thinking of products and services qualities 4. Delivery’s punctuation 5. Customer care staffs’s knowledge 6. Customer care staffs’s respond 22. 6% 21. 5% 17. 8% 19. 6% 22. 7% Very good/ excellent 30. 7% 31. 3% 55. % 42. 9% 34. 7% Average value (means) 3. 08 3. 10 3. 53 3. 29 3. 21 As can be seen that customer belief indicator is more than 3 but still below than 4. The respondents accepted and trust those companies. b. How customers evaluate the responsibility of Vietnamese groupon companies: Online shopping is very different from traditional shopping because clients can pay money and have goods or services immediately so that responsibility is a very important factor to rate ? rms’s qualities. It can be seen that customer evaluate ? rm’s after sale service is poor .It is probably due to many groupon companies in Vietnam think that responsibility which is taking care customers after they had bought products and service belong to suppliers, they only have to sale goods. It may lead to 47,9% of respondent thinks ? rm’s responsibilities are terrible and poor. Table : Response to companies’s responsibility Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 7. Staffs's enthusiasm 8. Companies solve your problems actively 9. Hotline for customer care 10. Recheck customer’s information to ensure fast and correct delivery 11. After sales services 16. 6% 26. % 31. 3% 23. 9% 47. 9% Very good/ excellent 40. 5% 27. 6% 33. 8% 44. 1% 19. 6% Average value (means) 3. 28 3. 08 3. 06 3. 29 2. 60 From the table it can be concluded that ? rm’s responsibility is acceptable but they some aspects are poor for instance hotline and after sales services. c. How customer rate companies’s assura nce: Not as tradition transactions, online shopping should have a more secure transaction. Most of payments for groupon company are electronic payment which have many potential risk. As the result keep customers’s personal and payment data is very essential.Vietnamese people do not care much about security but in the modern life but when credit card, online wallet etc†¦ are becoming more popular everyday it has to be a factor to evaluate service qualities Table : Customer evaluation of transaction assurance Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 12. Trading process is quick and exactly 13. Privacy of transaction 14. Company always keep clients's data safe 15. Contrasts are sensible and clear 16. Reputation of companies 22. 1% 10. 4% 17. 2% 11. 7% 14. 7% Very good/ excellent 44. 1% 56. 4% 52. 5% 55. 2% 40. 5% Average value (means) 3. 33 3. 9 3. 54 3. 60 3. 29 Every items belonging to assurance factor are shown on the table. It is believed that respondents rate this factor pret ty good. d. How companies and their staff empathize customers: This factor was designed to uncover customer’s felling about companies’s empathy. There is an idiom that â€Å"customers are always right† so that communication between sellers and their customers is very importance . Those 5 questions explore how respondent think about staff attitude and empathy. Table : Customers’s evaluation of companies’s empathy Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 17.Staffs’s behavior and attitude 18. Companies's staff pay attention of customers's private requirement 19. Customer always feel convenient and satisfied of services 20. Company makes improvement after client’s complain 21. Clients don’t have to wait for a long time to user service 14. 1% 27. 6% 21. 5% 31. 3% 21. 5% Very good/ excellent 46. 7% 35. 6% 33. 1% 20. 9% 41. 1% Average value (means) 3. 37 3. 09 3. 14 2. 88 3. 31 The table show that customer’s evaluative criteria is une ven, some items have a high value some is quite low.Respondents evaluate that improvements of company after their complain are poor, 31. 3% think that it terrible and poor. e. How is the tangibles of companies: Although almost all groupon companies do not impress their customer by a fancy shop or building but there are some aspects to evaluate their tangibles such as their vouchers and websites whether they are beautiful or ease of recognizing. Respondents think that about these 2 things groupon companies do well and they probably appreciate that. However there is a aspect having a low evaluation by respondents which is staffs’s uniform.It can be a result of companies category which is online company because of that they do not think staff’s uniform is the serious problem. Table : Customers’s evaluation of companies’s Tangibles Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 22. Transaction place 23. Vouchers design 24. Website designed 25. Staff uniform 26. Transporte rs have transportations to deliver products to clients quickly and safe. 19% 11. 6% 8. 6% 33. 2% 16. 6% Very good/ excellent 45. 4% 59. 5% 64. 4% 24% 46. 6% Average value (means) 3. 42 3. 66 3. 74 2. 85 3. 41 4. 3 Factors in? encing groupon services quality a. Evaluation of the measuring scales In the reliability analysis, items that have total-item correlation smaller than 0. 6 were removed from the scales but in this sample there is no variable was eliminated. All items were tested for reliability. The resulting Cronbach alpha of each scale is presented in Table . Table : Alpha values Codi? ed variables Reli1-Reli5 Res1-Res5 Assu1-Assu5 Emp1-Emp5 Tan1-Tan5 Number of items 5 5 5 5 5 Alpha value 0. 804 0. 831 0. 863 0. 826 0. 856 Measurement Scale Reliability!Responsibility Assurance Empathy! Tangibles b. Factor analysis Twenty four variables were submitted for factor analysis. The extraction method used was Principal Axis Factoring, accepting all Eigen values which are higher than 1. The rotation method was Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization; rotation was coverged in 9 iteration. The factor analysis resulted in e Component 1 Tan1 Tan2 Emp5 Tan5 Tan3 Tan4 Assu3 Assu2 Assu4 Emp1 Assu5 Emp4 Res5 Res3 Emp3 Emp2 Res4 Reli5 Res1 Reli4 Res2 Reli2 Reli1 Reli3 Assu1 Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. a. Rotation converged in 9 iterations. 2 0. 767 0. 760 0. 742 0. 714 0. 699 0. 561 0. 803 0. 771 0. 732 0. 552 0. 542 3 4 5 0. 521 0. 708 0. 609 0. 580 0. 550 0. 502 0. 524 0. 772 0. 754 0. 723 0. 564 0. 784 0. 746 0. 549 Eigen values and variance of each factor are indicated in Appendix Ph? l? c Eigen. The factor correlation matrix (Appendix Ph? l? c ma tr? n tuong quan) illustrates that the correlation between factors is insignificant (correlation coefficient are smaller than 0. ). This is an underlying assumption required for multiple regression. For those variables that load on two factors, the higher loa d on two factors, the factor with higher value is selected. However if loading difference is not significant (that is not more than 0. 3) the variable will not be used for multiple regression (Tan4 and Emp2). Table Nr :Factor nomination Factor name Transaction place Vouchers design Clients don’t have to wait for a long time to user service 1 Tangibles Having transportations to deliver quickly and safe.Website designed Staff uniform Company always keep clients's data safe Privacy of transaction 2 Assurance Contrasts are sensible and clear Staffs’s behavior and attitude Reputation of companies Company makes improvement after client’s complain After sales services 3 Responsibility Hotline for customer care Customer’s convenience and satisfaction of services Attention of customers's private requirement Customer care staffs’s respond Staffs's enthusiasm 4 Staff quality Customer care staffs’s knowledge Companies solve your problems actively Factor componentNr Factor name Factor component The customer’s thinking of products and services qualities 5 Reliability The customer’s belief in discount price Delivery’s punctuation The above 5 factors were considered independent variables in the multiple regression model and the dependent variable was â€Å"Quality of groupon service†. Multiple regression results are presented in the next section. c.Multiple regression Multiple regression is use to identify the relationship between the dependent variable and many independents variables. The multiple regression model has the following form: Y= ? + ? 1X1 + ? 2X2 + ? 3X3 + ? 4X4 +†¦.. + ? nXn The relationship between the dependent variable â€Å"Quality of groupon service† and the factors identified through the above factor analysis is determined using multiple regression. Table shows the variance of this analysis. Tab

Army Crew Team Case Analysis Essay

Colonel Stas Preczewski, better known as Coach P., was the coach of the Army Crew Team for the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was responsible for managing two teams of rowers for the 2000 meter race. They were the Varsity and Junior Varsity (JV) teams and consisted of eight rowers per crew. The 2000 meter races are considered to be very rigorous and could also be compared to playing two basketball games. Because rowing can be so exhausting, the sport requires a lot of endurance and strength to be successful. It is also important to focus on the psychological aspects of this sport. According to a survey that was done by the U.S. Olympic Committee, coaches with at least four years’ experience felt that psychological aspects should be focused on as part of coaching a successful and winning crew. Teamwork was considered essential for all of the rowers. If a rower only thought about his technique, it could potentially slow the entire boat down because the team wou ld no longer be synchronized. All crew members must also have trust in one another. The Army Crew Team of 2001-2002 had gone through extensive training year-round to prepare for the National Championships that are held in spring. In winter they spend time building strength by lifting weights and perfecting technique by practicing on the Ergometer, or ‘erg,’ which is a measuring tool for rowers to determine individual technique and endurance. In the spring they went on a retreat to Atlanta where ultimately Coach P. would determine the members who would fulfill the Varsity and JV teams. Coach P. determined the teams by using a system referred to as ‘seat racing,’ the same method that is used in selecting rowers for the Olympics. He determined the members of the Varsity team by taking the top eight scores for individual strength, with the exception of two men. One was more self-absorbed and was only concerned with his own success, and the other did not have a strong technique. After he chose the teams, they raced each other and the Varsity team won, which confirmed his evaluation. Immediately when they got back to training on the Hudson River, the Varsity team was unhappy because they did not beat the JV team by a greater margin at the retreat, and Coach P. thought that they were just striving for excellence. However, throughout the spring, the JV team was consistently beating the Varsity team. Coach P. was concerned with this and did more testing, which revealed that the Varsity team was stronger and  had more endurance then the JV team. He could not figure out why this was the case. He, along with his assistant, determined that there were many more team disrupters on the Varsity team, and there were no team disrupters on the JV team. They then brought in members from the Center for Enhanced Performance, who could help with building team and individual performance. The JV team took well to this and employed the techniques for building new attitudes and confidence, but the Varsity did not seem to do this and felt that any positive display towards one another was too ‘touchy feely.’ The JV team continued to beat the Varsity team. After each race the Varsity team would heavily critique one another on an individual level. The JV team only focused on displaying inspirational sayings such as â€Å"we will succeed together, we will fail together.† The Varsity team and Coach P. were looking for answers. Problem The Varsity team was not winning races because they did not know how to work well with each other and work as a team. This is something that the JV team was able to do very effectively. It has been proven through many findings in research that people perform better if they exhibit teamwork (Chieh-Wen, Yi-Fan & MingChia, 2010). When a team works together, it enhances the quality of the work and instills trust and satisfaction in the team members (Chieh-Wen, Yi-Fan & MingChia, 2010). It was very apparent that the Varsity team was not happy with the outcomes of any of their races, including the first race they had against the JV team. Throughout the season the Varsity team was not working well together, which translated into poor performance. Trust is also very important for effective teamwork. Welch and Welch (2011) state in the article â€Å"How to Build a Winning Team† that when a winning team â€Å"is infused with trust, people play to their better angles. They share ideas freely (p. 2).† Clearly the Varsity team had opinions about each other, however, they were not encouraged to state their problems directly to each other, they were to direct the questions to Coach P. Each of the members of the Varsity team were selected because of their strength and endurance, so most of them thought that they were the best, and it almost seems as if they did not trust that any of the other teammates were as good. This could also be explained when Coach P. examined both the JV and Varsity  teams strengths and weaknesses and determined that the Varsity team consisted of many team disrupters, or people that either talk too much or criticize others during practice. The article called â€Å"Nurturing Interpersonal Trust in Knowledge-Sharing Networks† (2003) also talks about two dimensions of trust. One dimension is benevolence, or the idea that people feel that they are being cared about and have an interest in their well-being and the other is competence, which is that the person has relevant expertise and can be depended on to know information (Abrams, Cross, Lesser, and Levin). These are two important aspects to teamwork that are clearly an issue impacting the Varsity team. The Varsity team also felt that at one point in the season Coach P. was trying to create a rivalry between the two teams which is why they had to row against each other in practice so often. A member of the Varsity team felt that it was unnerving that they had to compete against the JV team, almost like making them off of their game. They had no clear direction as to where the team was going, no proper leadership to direct them. â€Å"In groups that had high levels of collaborative behavior, the team leaders clearly made a significant difference (Gratton, Erickson p. 106, 2007).† It is important to have leadership and direction. The Varsity team did not have any members who did this nor did they feel that their coach was always supportive. The problem lies with the lack of teamwork within the Varsity team. They did not have proper leadership or trust to be able to be a winning team. The Varsity team continues to be beaten by the JV team due to the lack of teamwork. Being in synch is what rowing is all about, and they are not able to do this. The dictionary defines teamwork as â€Å"cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interest of a common cause.† Solutions Coach P. must determine what to do with the Varsity team and he is faced with three options. The first option would be to switch the Varsity and JV boats. Second, he could switch individual members from each boat. Finally, he could keep everything as is, and try to increase the Varsity boat’s  performance so that they start to win. Each option will be evaluated based on several criteria. The ultimate goal of Coach P. and all of the team members is to develop a winning team. Each option must be evaluated on whether the chosen team will maximize its performance and win races. Also is there enough time to make the changes necessary to win? Timing is important because there were only four days until the National Championships. Can there be a positive relationship between team members with each option? The important aspect to focus on is whether or not the relationships can maintain or be mended. Having positive relationships are directly related to the importance of teamwork and whether or not positive teamwork will happen at all. The first option to be evaluated is the possibility of switching the Varsity and JV boats. The team members on the JV team were assigned to that boat because their performance, individually, was not as good as the members who were initially chosen for the Varsity team. With the exception of two members on the JV team, they consisted of members who were not nearly as strong, had less endurance and were also technically not as good as the Varsity team. It would be fairly easy to make this adjustment so timing would not be an issue since and could be easily done within four days. Will the relationship between both of the boats change if the boats were switched? There is a possibility that the JV teams relationship would change because they initially thought that they had nothing to lose being on the JV team. If they were to be named the new Varsity team, personalities could change because of the increased stress level since they no longer will have the ‘nothing to lose’ feeling. Even one of the members from the JV team were not chosen for the Varsity team initially because of his focus was on individual performance, and he was also critical of others, and these reactions could be reignited if the switch was made. Coach P. could switch individual team members between boats. Based on documented results, Coach P. specifically chose the Varsity boat due to their strength and endurance. Since there were a few members that were also very strong on the JV team, the switch could still keep the performance at a high level. The rower that struggled with technique could maybe improve on  performance if he were with other members that were just as strong. Being in synch is something that is extremely important in rowing, and if a team is not able to do this, they will not be successful. Timing could be an issue with this option since they only have four days to learn how to work with one another. Trust could be a problem as well since they have not worked with each other on a consistent basis. Because of the short amount of time that they have to work with one another, it can also have a negative effect on the relationship of the team. Psychological factors are important to the success of any rowing team and they could be compromised, especially the original members of the Varsity team. They will feel even more beat down. Coach P. has already tested this option and the JV team members had a difficult time getting along with the Varsity members. Finally, Coach P. could not make any adjustment between the JV and Varsity teams and try to focus on getting the Varsity team to work with one another. The members of the Varsity team were evaluated at the Atlanta retreat by Coach P. and he determined that they were the strongest, had the most endurance, and had the best technique. This is the reason that they were chosen for the Varsity team in the first place, so the performance potential is definitely present in each of the Varsity team members. Timing is something that could be an issue because it might be questioned as to how can the Varsity team learn to work with each other in four days if they were unable to work well as a team up until then? Four days is a very short time frame to develop trust in one another. This is also important in determining whether or not the relationship could be mended. Coach P. has already tried to work on building a more positive relationship that would enhance performance when he brought in a person from the Center for Enhanced Performance to specifically work on building their confidence in one another. When Coach P. initially selected the teams, he did not see that there were ‘team disrupters’ even though he did see that in members that he did not select for the Varsity team and purposely put them on the JV team. This shows that there may be potential in mending the relationships, if Coach P.’s initial analyses were correct. Recommendations and Plan of Action Coach P. should keep the Varsity team as-is and try to build on the  teamwork. The main reason is because in his initial analysis at the Atlanta retreat he had determined that they are in fact the strongest, have the most endurance and technically are the best rowers out of the sixteen men. If he were to switch the boats, it is almost like settling for second best since he knows that they are not the best performers. The relationships are also something that could be of issue in the other two options. It is unknown that the relationship will maintain if the JV team boat were switched, and it was clear that if individual team members were switched that they did not work well with each other through the initial tests that done by Coach P. Coach P. needs to realize that he needs to stand in front of his team to help influence them to perform better and find ways so that they can work well together. â€Å"Research findings demonstrate that perceived team support significantly influenc es teamwork behavior and trust (Cheih-Wen, Yi-Fang &Ming-Cha, 2010).† Since they do not have trust in their coach at all times, based on discussions that they had when they were pinning their failures on their coach, how can they develop trust in one another? Coach P. has put a lot of pressure on them to be a winning team. Along with that pressure, comes more criticism. Coach P. asked that each of the team members only go to him when they have negative things to say about another team member and the Varsity team would email him on a consistent basis. Open and honest communication is extremely important when building trust with one another and if Coach P. is only asking his team to come to him with negative comments, this is not endorsing an open and honest line of communication (Byrne 1999). It does not seem that the Varsity team was able to build any personal connections. Learning what one another has in common on a personal level rather than just a competitive level could help with building that trust (Abrams, Cross, Lesser & Levin 2003). If Coach P. would help with facilitating more personal relationships, they may learn to work well together, even possibly quickly. The process of teamwork â€Å"requires spending time together as a team and making that time enjoyable. By coaching, training together, establishing common goals†¦and having fun together† teams can accomplish a lot together (Byrne, 1999). They need to find something that is fun to do rather than just concentrate on the seriousness of competition. Personal connections  can help develop a care for one another and also more approachable when there are more serious issues that are needed to be discussed (Abrams, Cross, Lesser and Levin, 2003). If the Varsity team is able to laugh together, they will be able to communicate on a more positive level and develop teamwork. In the future, Coach P. should focus developing personal connections with his team earlier on. They will develop trust and positive teamwork that will translate onto the water where they can be more in synch. Conclusion The Varsity Army Crew team did not know how to work well together as a team albeit they were great performers individually. They were not able to beat the JV team, who exhibited a great amount of teamwork even though they were not as strong performers individually. The varsity team was too critical of one another and had no personal connection. After evaluating several options as to what Coach P. should do days before the National Championships, it was determined that he should try to work things out with the Varsity team so that they could work together more cohesively. If they are able to work together as a team, their outstanding strength, endurance and technique should translate to success as a winning team.