Vietnam War 19641975 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Vietnam War 19641975 - Essay Example The Viet Minh finally came to total power in 1975, after thirty four years of struggle and war, when they unified Vietnam as a single independent communist country after driving out the Americans and the French. France ruled almost all of Indochina from late 1800s and World War II. Many French colonists who built their own plantations on peasant land for own gain, experienced growing unrest among Vietnamese peasants. France reacted brutally by further decreasing freedom of speech and assembly by arresting protestors. However, these actions were unsuccessful and unrest continued to increase. Many revolutionaries escaped to China. In 1924, the Vietnamese started to organize under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. Minh created the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930. Throughout the 30s, Minh led Vietnam's growing independence movement from exile in the Soviet Union and China. However, a new enemy became involved. In 1940, Vietnam was invaded by Japan. The next year, Vietminh was formed under the guidance of Minh. Its goal was to gain independence from foreign rule. After Japan was defeated by Allies in 1945, Minh's goal seemed to be fulfilled. On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent nation. In 1956, a free elec... Thinking this could lead to trouble, South Vietnam's president Ngo Dinh Diem, a strong anti-Communist, refused to take part in the election. America thought Ho Chi Minh's popularity might result in a victory for him and also wanted the election to cancel. Eisenhower gave military aid to Diem for a stable reform government in the South. Diem, however, broke his promise. He crushed any opposition and distributed little land. Diem, a Catholic, also restricted Buddhist practices. Buddhist cleric were killed or imprisoned and temples destroyed. Many Buddhists protested by burning themselves to death. By 1957, a Communist rebel known as the Vietcong was organized. They attacked the Diem government by assassinating government officials. Supported by Minh, Vietcong received military arms via network of paths along borders of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia called the Ho Chi Minh Trail. South Vietnam becomes less stabled, but Eisenhower administration did almost nothing. John Kennedy entered the White House in 1961. Criticized for being "soft" on Communism, Kennedy sent more financial aid to Diem's regime and military advisers to train South Vietnamese troops. Meanwhile, Diem's popularity dropped significantly because of corruption and failure to respond to calls for land reform. (Ang, 311) To fight the Vietcong, Diem initiated the strategic hamlet program by moving all villagers to protected areas. Yet, many Vietnamese resented being moved from their home village. In 1950, the United States officially recognized the Saigon government, and to help out, President Truman sent troops over to train the South Vietnamese on how to use U.S. weapons while the French and North Vietnamese were building up their forces. In the spring of 1954, the North Vietnamese attacked a

Concepts of Electrical Principles

Concepts of Electrical Principles Everything is made of atoms; in turn atoms consist of a combination of minuscule particles known as neutrons, protons and electrons. The nucleus of an atom consists of protons and neutrons while electrons exist in a cloud surrounding and rotating around the nucleus. The electron and proton are capable of holding an electrical charge; electrons hold negative charges and protons positive charge. We know that like charges repel each other while opposite charges have the opposite effect in attracting one another. If we wish to measure the flow of electrons around a circuit we refer to this as a measure of electrical current. Electric current is represented by the symbol I and is a quantity of charge carriers passing a given point in a circuit. This is calculated as coulomb of charge passing a defined point in one second, which as a unit is given the name ampere abbreviated to A. This can be measured using an instrument called an ammeter which when connected in series with a circuit to measure the current passing through it. For electric current to flow around a circuit there must be a voltage across it. Voltage is a measure of the potential difference (p.d), which acts like electric pressure pushing the current around the circuit. The pressure can be read in a circuit by a voltmeter, which must be applied through the resistance. This happens when there is a deficit of electrons in a conductive material and this is then connected to another material with excess electrons. This is the case in a battery where chemicals allow electrons to flow from the negative terminal that contains an excess of electrons and the positive terminal containing positively charged protons. This happens because opposite charges attract one another. 1.4 Resistance This flow of current faces opposition from resistance; this is a quantity of how much the electrons bump against the particular conductor they are flowing through. Some materials conduct electricity better then others. Materials that have a high resistance conduct electricity less well. Resistance limits the flow of electrons between the positive and negative ends of a circuit. We measure resistance in units called ohms (ÃŽÂ ©). One ohm is defined as the amount of resistance you have in a conductor when applying one volt of electrical pressure creates one amp of current. 1.5 Energy When electrons sit high in there shells surrounding the nucleus they have electrical energy. This energy can be harnessed to do work in various ways, if the electrons bump into atoms this can cause them to move around which creates heat, they create electromagnetic waves as they travel which can use there attraction and repulsion to move things magnetically, and if the electrons move down there electric shells they give up excess energy giving out light in the manner of photons. 1.6 Charge Carriers The sub-atomic particles that carry charge are known as protons and electrons as previously discussed electrons are negatively charges while protons are positively charged. The unit to measure the quantity of electrical charge (Q) is the coulomb (C) where 1 coulomb of charge is equal to charged electrons. If one coulomb of charge passes a point in one second we say this is one ampere of current. We can use our knowledge of math to deduct that if then if we take (I) as the current in amperes and t as the time in seconds then: Electrical Principles/ Kirchhoffs Laws 2.1 Potential Difference The pull created by the difference in charge between the two sides of a circuit is called the potential difference, which is otherwise known as the voltage. Voltage sources that have higher attractive forces are known to have a higher potential difference. The units we use to measure voltage/potential difference is known as the ampere which is explained in section 1.6 as one coulomb of charge passing a given point in one second. 2.2 Ohms Law a) Ohms law relates Voltage, Current and Resistance in the following equation: I = current in amperes V = voltage in volts R = Resistance in Ohms This law states that the current I flowing in a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied to it and inversely proportional to the resistance. b) For a 5m length of wire with a resistance of 600 ohms we can apply this law. If you where to half the length of wire you would half the resistance as there would be half as much material for the electrons to bump into. c) If we where to increase the length of the wire to 8m we can see that the resistance increases as create more material for the electrons to crash into. d) To find the length of the same wire when the resistance is 420 ohms we do the following sum: So we can say that the same wire with a resistance of 420ohms would measure 3.5 meters. 2.3 Resistance Variation If a piece of wire has a cross sectional area of 2mm2 and a resistance of 300 ohms Find the resistance of the same length of wire if the cross sectional area is 5mm2. Given that resistance is inversely proportional to cross sectional area, increasing the cross sectional area increases the flow of electrons, we can calculate this mathematically as such: b) Find the cross sectional area of a wire of the same length and material of resistance 750. 2.04 Calculate the resistance of a 2km length of aluminium overhead power cable if the cross sectional area of the cable is 100mm2. Take the resistivity of aluminium to be 0.03 x 10-6 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦m Show the equation you are using in your answer. We know that and that if we combine these rules we can create the formula . With one more piece of information we will be able to take the material used into account. This is done by including the resistivity of the material into the relationship treating it as a constant of proportionality. We use the symbol à Ã‚  (Greek rho). The final equation will look like this: 2.5 Power If electrical energy (W) = Charge (Q) x Voltage (V) then :- a) Show the equation for power in terms of current( I) and voltage (V). Electrical Energy (W) = Charge (Q) x Voltage (V) W = Q x V Power (P) = Current (I) x Voltage (V) P= V x I b) Using Ohms law explain how power can also be expressed in terms of I and R, and, V and R. P= V2/R P = I2R C) An e.m.f. of 250V is connected across a circuit resistance and the electric current through the circuit resistance is 4A. What is the power dissipated in the circuit? 2.6 a) To discover the potential difference across the winding we use Ohms law as follows: Voltage (V) = Current (I) X Resistance (R) V= 5A X 100ÃŽÂ © V = 500V b) If we wish to find the power dissipated by that same coil we use our equations for power: Power (W) = Voltage (V) X Current (I) P= 500V x 5A P = 2500 Watts 2.7 A 12V battery is connected a load having a resistance of 40ÃŽÂ ©. a) Determine the current flowing in the load. For this we must again use Ohms law rearranged to make I the subject. I = V /R I = 12V / 40ÃŽÂ © I = 0.3 Amps Determine the power consumed by the load. To calculate this we use our power equation again using the figure we just calculated for the current. P = VI P = 12V x 0.3A P = 3.6 watts c) Determine the electrical energy dissipated in 2 minutes. Electrical Energy (W) = Charge (Q) x Volts (V) Current is charge per second and we discovered that this circuit runs 0.3Amps, finding how much energy is dissipated in 2mins first requires changing minutes to seconds. 2mins = 120 seconds W = Q x V W = (120 X 0.3) x 12V W = 432 Watts 2.8 a) Explain what is meant by one unit of electricity with reference to Electrical Charge (Q), Voltage (V) and Time (T). A standard unit of electricity is usually calculated as a Kilowatt-hour (KWh), Which is 1000 watts of electricity dissipated for one hour. SEE MY BOOK ON THIS b) Determine the power dissipated by the element of an electric fire of resistance 20à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ when a current of 10A flows through it. For this situation we are provided with the current at 10A and the resistance at 20à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ therefore we can use our power equation to find how much power is dissipated. P = I2R P = 102 x 20 P = 2000 watts c) If the fire is on for 6 hours determine the energy used and the cost if 1 unit of electricity costs 13p. Firstly we take the power consumption in watts from we determined in question b then apply the following equation to it: Cost per Unit x Watts / 1000 Multiply the per-hour cost by the running time. 26p x 6h =  £1.56p 2.9 Analyse this resistors in series circuit: a) Express V in terms of V1, V2 and V3. VT = V1 + V2 + V3 Voltages in this circuit will each have a different value if the resistances are different but if you add all the values together they should in total equal the supply voltage. b) Express the total circuit resistance (RT) in terms of R1, R2 and R3. Resistances in series always add together. This can be expressed as: RT = R1 + R2 + R3 c) Express in terms of I what the electric current is through the ammeter-A, R1, R2 and R3. In a series circuit the current is the same in any part of the circuit so readings using the ammeter would be the same as any reading taken on each of the resisters R1, R2 or R3. 2.10 A 12V battery is connected across a circuit having three series-connected resistors of resistances 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦, 9à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ and 11à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. a) Determine the electric current through the circuit. As this is a series circuit the current would be the same throughout the circuit, to calculate this we must use ohms law, first we know that resistances add together in a series circuit to give the resistance total. 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ + 9à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ + 11à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ = RT = 24à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ Then we must implement Ohms law: I =V/R I = 12V / 24à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ I = 0.5A b) Determine the p.d. across the 9à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ resistor. Via Ohms law and our previous current calculation, we calculate the voltage across the 9à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ resister. V2 = I x R1 V2 = 0.5 x 9 V2 = 4.5 Volts c) Determine the power dissipated in the 11à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ resistor. P = I2R P3 = 0.52 x 11 P3 = 2.75 W 2.11 Two resistors are connected in series across a 24V supply with a flow of electric current of 3A within the circuit. If one of the resistors has a resistance of 2à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ determine: a) The value of the other resistor. R2 = RT R1 R2 = 8 2 R2 = 6à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ Trusting in Ohms law we can find the value of the other resistor using the values given for total voltage and current and knowing that resistances in series add together to give the resistance total. RT = V/I RT = 24/3 RT = 8à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ b) The p.d. across the 2à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ resistor. Solving this requires Ohms law. V1 = I x R1 V1 = 3A x 2ÃŽÂ © V1 = 6 Volt c) How much energy is used if the circuit is connected for 50 hours. P=VI P=24v x 3 P=72W 50h = 180000s W = Q x V Q (charge) = I (current) x t (time) W =180000 x 72 W = 12960000 Watt/joules 2.12 Analyse the resistors in parallel circuit. a) In terms of V, express the p.d. across R1, R2, and R3. V= I1R1 = I2R2 = I3R3 We see that the voltage is the same across each resistor. b) Express the total load current I in terms of I1, I2, and I3. 2.13 For the circuit shown below, determine: a) The reading on the ammeter, In a purely parallel circuit the voltage will be the same in each branch of the circuit. V=I x R V = I1 x R1 V = 8 x 5 = 40V I = V/R3 I = 40/20 = 2A b) The value of resistor R2. We now have all the values for I, = 11 8 2 = 1A R2 = V/I2 R2 = 40/1 R2 = 40à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ 2.14 Find the value of resistor that can replace the six resistors in this diagram. We know that resistances in series can be added together to give the total resistance, in this example we have a parallel network of resisters in series with 3 more resisters. Treating this parallel network as a single resistance will allow us to calculate the total resistance of the circuit easily. Convert the resistances to conductance: Adding them together gives us the total conductance 0.52G This can then easily be converted to resistance. Now the parallel circuit can be treated as a single resister, we can add all the resistors together and find the total resistance of the circuit giving us the value of a resister we can replace it with. 2.15 Analyse the circuit below and determine: The currents I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, and I6 We can treat the two sets of parallel resisters as single resisters if we first convert them to conductance and then for each add the conductances together then convert back to resistance. For the set of 3 parallel resisters: The Set of two: The three resisters can be added to give our RT We can now add these conductances together giving us our total conductance for the set of two resistors. This can then be converted to a combined resistance easily: We now proceed to do this for the set of three resistors: We now have the equivalent of 3 resistors in series, which we know can be added together to create a single resistance: Now that we know the total resistance for the circuit we can find I1 easily using Ohms law: We must now find the voltages V1, V2 and V3 in order to later find the currents through the network branches. =20V And now V2 Next I will calculate V3 We can check this by adding all of the voltages to see if they equal the total voltage we have been given. This is over by 1.4V but I believe this is due to the compound effects of the rounding bug and that the calculations made are correct. We know that the current through I1 is 5A now we will work out the currents through the branches of the parallel resistances using Ohms law: 2.16 State Kirchoffs first (current) law. Show that the currents I2 and I3 combined are equal to the input current I1 Kirchhoffs Current Law states: The sum of the currents entering a particular point must be zero. So all currents entering a point must equal all the currents flowing from it. Therefore we must now think of the currents flowing from the junction as negative currents. i1  +  i2  +  i3  +  i4  = 0 Observing our circuit we see 11A of current going in, this means that the same amount of current must come out. Therefore To prove this we calculate I1 and I2 using Ohms law I2= V/R I2=10/10 I2= 1A I3= V/R I3=10/1 I3= 10A We can now calculate I1 expecting it to equal our given figure of 11A. I1= I2 + I3 I1=10+1 I1=11A 2.17 Using Kirchhoffs first (current) law, calculate current I1 and I2 in the network below. Kirchhoffs first current law states that the sum of the current entering a point must be zero. Examining the junctions we have 1.2A and 4.5A flowing in and 0.6A and I1 are flowing out. 1.2 +4.5 = I1+0.6 1.2 + 4.5 0.6 = I1 I1= 5.1A For I2 there are three currents flowing in but none flowing out. This must mean that the last value is a negative value. 5.1+3 + I3 = 0 8.1 + I3 =0 I3 = 8.1A 2.18 The potential divider shown below is used as a simple voltage calibrator. Determine the output voltage produced by the circuit: (a) When the output terminals are left open-circuit (i.e. when no load is connected); We can solve this using the Voltage Divider Rule. Connecting a resistor to V-out will create a parallel resistor network. We can use the product over sum formula to find the comparable resistance because there are only two resistors. to 1 dp With this information we can calculate the voltage. V=0.2V 1dp 2.19 A moving coil meter requires a current of 1 mA to provide full-scale deflection. If the meter coil has a resistance of 100à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ and is to be used as a milliammeter reading 5 mA full-scale, determine the value of parallel shunt resistor required. REVIEW ME Make the meter useable over 5ma by adding a resistor to switch the range of the meter like you would on a none autorangeing multimeter. This is done by adding a resistor IN PARALLEL with the meter. 2.20 Two resistors, one of 15 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ and one of 5 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ are connected in parallel. If a current of 2 A is applied to the combination, determine the current flowing in each resistor. As there is only two resistors we can use our product over sum equation to find the total value of resistance the parallel network provides. Using this we are now able to find the voltage. Now we can find the current through each branch, I1: I=V/R I1 = 7.5/15 I1 = 0.5A I2: I=V/R I2 = 7.5/5 I 2= 1.5A 2.21 A switched attenuator comprises five 1 kà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ resistors wired in series across a 5V d.c. supply. If the output voltage is selected by means of a single-pole four-way switch, sketch a circuit and determine the voltage produced for each switch position 1KÃŽÂ © 1KÃŽÂ © 5V Switch 1KÃŽÂ © 1KÃŽÂ © Vout Answer: 1V, 2V, 3V, 4V, 5V 2.22 With the aid of a diagram, briefly explain in your own words Kirchhoffs second law. In an electronic loop the sum of all the voltages around the circuit taking polarity into account will equal zero. For example if you where to travel around a circuit following conventional current taking the voltage at each resistance including the battery and added all of those voltages up including negative voltages the sum would equal zero. We would see that the battery would give the circuit charge a EMF while all of the resistances would dissipate this force. 2.23 Using Kirchhoffs second law, determine the value of e.m.f. (E) in the circuit below. E+5=14 E= 14-5 E=9V 2.24 Using Kirchhoffs laws together with the use of simultaneous equations, determine the current flowing in each branch of the network shown in the circuit below. Here we are presented with essentially two loops of current where readings in the connecting part of the loops will be affected by one another. We will use Kirchoffs laws to solve the problem by first treating the current as two separate loops. We use simultaneous equations to find our two unknowns I1 and I2 . Loop Two E2 = I2r2 + (I1 + I2)R 2 = I2 + 4I1 + 4I2 2 = 4I1 + 5I2 Loop One E1 = I1r1 + (I1 + I2)R 4 = 2I1 + 4I1 + 4I2 4 = 6I1 + 4I2 6I1 = 4 4I2 Substitute I1 into the second loop. Amps As we have obtained I1 we can now work on I2 4 = 6I1 + 4I2 R=I1+I2 2.25 Analyse the circuit shown below and determine the following parameters a) The current in each branch of the circuit. I1 = I2 = 1.233A b) The voltage across the load resistance. 0.426 c) The power dissipated by the load resistor. P= d) Use computer software to verify your results. 26) A temperature sensor is connected into a bridge measuring circuit as shown. If the value of the sensor is 110R at 0oC and it increases by 0.2% for every degree the temperature rises and falls a corresponding amount if the temperature drops. What voltage will be output on the voltmeter when the temperature is :- (a) 25oC (b) 100oC (c) -40oC Build the circuit using Multisim and demonstrate your answer to part (b) is correct. First we will calculate how the changes in temperature will affect the resistance of the sensor: Now we must find the voltage for the left hand side of this wheatstone bridge. V1=3V And now the right hand side of the bridge, this will vary each time as the resistance of the sensor changes. Firstly we will be doing question a) with the sensor representing 115.1ÃŽÂ ©: The reading on the voltmeter will be the difference between those two calculations b) Now we continue the calculations for the second value of resistance for the sensor. With the sensor representing 132ÃŽÂ ©: The reading on the voltmeter will be the difference between those two calculations c) Now we continue the calculations for the third value of resistance for the sensor. With the sensor representing 132ÃŽÂ ©: The reading on the voltmeter will be the difference between those two calculations 2.27 For the Wheatstone Bridge circuit below, what value of R1 will produce a balanced bridge? Using your calculated answer build the circuit in Multisim and demonstrate your answer is correct. 2.28 A 1m long resistive wire of uniform cross section is connected to a 6V source as shown. If a sliding contact is placed 0.35m from one end and connected to an unknown e.m.f. then no current is measured on the ammeter. A) What it the value of the unknown e.m.f.? This can be solved using the voltage division rule.

Frank Lloyd Wright Essay -- Architecture Nature Papers

"...having a good start, not only do I fully intend to be the greatest architect who has yet lived, but fully intend to be the greatest architect who will ever live. Yes, I intend to be the greatest architect of all time." - Frank Lloyd Wright 1867-1959 It appears that from the very beginning, Frank Lloyd Wright was destined by fate or determination to be one of the most celebrated architects of the twentieth century. Not only did Wright possess genius skills in the spatial cognition, his approach to architecture through geometric manipulation demonstrates one aspect of his creativeness. Forever a great businessman, Wright seemed to know how to please his clients and still produce some of the most innovative and ridiculed buildings of the early century. While the United States appeared to be caught up in the Victorian style, Frank Lloyd Wright stepped out in front to face the challenge of creating "American architecture" which would reflect the lives of the rapidly growing population of the Midwest United States. Howard Gardner in his book "Creating Minds" does not make any mention of Frank Lloyd Wright, an innovator who drastically influenced architecture of the twentieth century around the world. CHILDHOOD Born in 1867 Wisconsin, Frank Lincoln Wright grew up in the comfort and influence of a Welsh heritage. The Lloyd-Jones clan, his mother's side of the family, would have great influence on Frank throughout his life. Unitarian in faith, the extended family lived within close proximity to each other thus enabling a strong support system for those born or married into the clan. Great themes within the Lloyd-Jones clan included education, religion, and nature. Wright's family spent many evening listening to William Lincoln... ...FERENCES Boulton, Alexander O. Frank Lloyd Wright: Architect: An Illustrated Biography, Rizzoli International Publications, New York, 1993. Color pictures and text following Wright's personal and professional life. Gill, Brendan, Many Masks: A Life of Frank Lloyd Wright, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1987. Text biography concentrating on Wright's hidden motivations and true personality. Heinz, Thomas A., Frank Lloyd Wright: Architectural Monographs No 18, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1992. Color photographs of the interior/Exterior of restored Wright homes. Lind, Carla, The Wright Style, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1992. Photographs of Wright's works, with text discussing his architectural productions and approaches. Secrest, Meryle, Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York, 1992. Text biography of Wright's work and life.

Value Chain of Tesco

â€Å"To further the analysis of competitive advantage, Michael Porter introduced the value chain as a tool to examine the activities of a business. † As seen in figure 2, â€Å"Porter distinguished a firm’s support activities from its operational or primary activities. †(Book) [pic][pic] Support Activities Firm Infrastructure Human Resource Management Peta Hay, Director of the Tesco Academy, commented: â€Å"We believe it is more important than ever to invest in our people as Tesco continues to expand both geographically and into new business sectors.Tesco has a proven track record of both nurturing internal talent and successfully attracting external senior executives†. (7) Technology Development Procurement Primary Activities Inbound Logistics The overall cost leadership strategic management of Tesco is exhibited in its lean and agile inbound logistics function. Drawing upon Abeysinghe (2010), the company uses its leading market position and economies o f scope as key bargaining powers to achieve low costs from its suppliers.The analysts have also highlighted the constant upgrading of their ordering system, approved vendor lists, and in-store processes to induce effectiveness and efficiency into the company’s inbound logistics operations. Operations Management Tesco has been praised by a number of supply chain management critics for its effective use of IT systems that facilitate the company’s low cost leadership strategy. According to Tesco (2010), the company has invested over ? 76 million in streamlining its operations through their Tesco Digital program, which is a third generation ERP solution for the company. The company has achieved ? 50 million in increased profitability during 2009 alone due to the introduction of this system. This company -wide ERP system has also facilitated the minimisation of stock holdings within the company. Outbound Logistics Tesco holds leadership position in online and offline food r etail segments, which is due to its efficient and effective outbound logistics. Drawing upon Mintel (2010), the company has developed a range of store formats and types, which are strategically placed to achieve maximum customer exposure. These formats include Express, Metro, Superstores, Extra and Homeplus, which are segmented according to the target population.Marketing and Sales Loyalty programs like Tesco Clubcard are being introduced through information technology advances which dissuade the customers from switching over to their competitors. Tesco has introduced its Greener Living Scheme to give consumers advice on environmental issues, including how to reduce food waste and their carbon footprint when preparing meals . Services Tesco has been pursuing a dual strategy of cost leadership and differentiation, which has led to an increased importance placed on customer service.Drawing upon Keynote (2010), this dual strategy is exhibited through the development of self-service kio sks, financial services, focused direct marketing and promotions. In order to put Tesco’s value chain analysis into perspective, it should be noted that despite cost leadership strategy the company has been able to create a high degree of value in comparison with its key competitors. The relative analysis of the value created by the big four supermarket chains, i. e. , Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons has been provided as follows:

Organization Methods

Organizational methods and tone used in Douglas Todd’s â€Å"Beware the Boredom Boom† Douglas Todd’s essay â€Å"Beware the Boredom Boom† is a logically organized piece about the often minimized plague of boredom eating away at society. The topic he is approaching in this essay is one that could be easily dismissed by any serious reader, and so it must be treated carefully and written in such a way that creates interest without over or under dramatizing the problem.I am going to discuss Todd’s organizational methods and tone as they lend to the overall effectiveness of the essay. Todd begins his essay with a couple of brief stories about people in the mall experiencing boredom. This is a solid introduction, as story-telling is pretty much a certain way to spark readers’ interests. Todd then branches into a brief description of boredom over the course of human history, as described by major historical figures.This is where he is building his c ase for boredom as a legitimate topic of academic discussion, and then he finally dives into the content of his essay. â€Å"Boredom is not a subject to be treated tongue-in-cheek. Boredom matters† (pp. 503). Here, with the introduction of his thesis, he is demanding that his readers take the subject seriously, telling them outright that boredom is not a joke and he is not about to treat it casually.He used the device of storytelling to give a light-hearted, interest-sparking appeal to his essay, only to later disallow the topic to be treated in a flippant way at all. This further promotes the reader’s interest by catching him off-guard. Todd really needed to jolt the reader like this in order to force him to take seriously a topic that many understand as being frustrating but benign. Once he has the reader’s attention, Todd is able to start presenting his argument for boredom as a chronic syndrome having an increasingly negative effect on our society.He cites v arious studies and scientific figures as a means of building his case for the deeply-impacting negative effects of boredom, outlining what a truly serious and potentially devastating problem it really is. He also directly addresses the seeming paradox of boredom becoming such a prevalent plague in a society which is constantly bombarded with various forms of stimulation and ever-experience-enhancing advancing technology. â€Å"Plugged in at home and on the street to TV, the Internet, laptops, DVDs, cell phones and MP3s, many young people are becoming merely reactive† (pp.XXX). In fact, through his carefully presented research and thoroughly articulated arguments, Todd is able to effectively show the reader just how it is those very elements are what is causing, promoting, and perpetuating this increasingly threatening downward spiral of aimless boredom. Todd’s organizational method here was highly effective, because he is effectively able to grab the reader’s at tention right from the beginning, and, once he had it, he is able to maintain that attention through his various examples of scientific research, personal testimonies, and direct quotes.This organizational method also succeeded in forcing the reader to take the subject matter seriously, which was Todd’s primary goal. He was also able to succeed in doing this with his writing style and tone. Todd’s tone throughout this piece is slightly humorous while also remaining very serious. His tone can seem light-hearted at times, and his personal voice is ever present in his word choice and sentence construction: â€Å"It was impossible to be bored in hard-scrabble primitive days because the fight for survival kept you forever on your toes† (pp. XXX).However, this light-hearted writing style is yet another device that Todd employs in order to keep his reader’s attention. It is through his witty remarks that the reader is able to more fully understand the points he is making. As in the example stated above, while it does seem like a sarcastic side comment, this is yet another idea that forces the reader to pause and really think about the argument Todd has presented: after a brief reflection, this â€Å"sarcastic† comment makes perfect sense, and seems to succinctly explain how exactly people got to be so terribly bored.Todd’s essay is very effective at treating the â€Å"problem† of boredom in a serious and engaging way. His writing style is clear, concise, and simple. His organization is very structured and creates an appropriate step-by-step approach to the idea of something as common as boredom actually being a social plight. His tone carries the reader through in a way that was helpful and guiding while also being challenging, forcing the reader to really think.

College GPA Requirements What Do You Need to Get In

College GPA Requirements What Do You Need to Get In SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips As a high school student, you may bewondering ifyour GPA is high enough to meet the admission standards at your college of choice. Not every college has specific GPA requirements, but it's possible to estimate a cutoff for admission based on statistics from previous classes. In this article, I'll explain howGPA requirements for colleges work and give you the tools to figure out exactly how high your GPA should be to apply successfully to your dream college. Do Many Colleges Have GPA Requirements? There are quite a few colleges that have minimum GPA requirements for applicants. Most of these are suggestions rather than hard limits, but they’re good guidelines to follow if you want to have a strong chance of acceptance. Colleges with minimum GPA requirements tend to be public schools.Since these schools receive larger pools of applicants, it’s much easier for them to sort students by statistics like GPA.The Massachusetts public university system is an example of a group of colleges that imposes minimum GPA requirements on applicants. In this case, students must earn at least a 3.0 weighted GPA for admission. Here are a few additional examples of schools that have minimum GPA requirements: College Name Minimum GPA Requirement University of North Carolina 2.5 (weighted) University of Mississippi 2.0 (unweighted) University of Florida 2.0 (unweighted) Portland State University 3.0 (unweighted) University of Nevada - Reno 3.0 (weighted) Grand Canyon University 3.0 (unweighted) Grand Canyon University Can You Still Get Into a College If You Don't Meet the GPA Requirements? Students who don't meet a college's GPA requirementsare less likely to make it through the initial reviewof applications unless they've done something else outstanding in high school. A college that has minimum GPA requirementsmay admit some students whohave lower grades if they show extreme promise in other areas like athletics, test scores, or extracurricular pursuits. For example, if you're a nationally ranked tennis player and will be a huge asset to the school's team, you could probably get away with a lower GPA than the college requires. This might also apply if you accomplished something unique in high school that not many other students have done, like starting your own successful business. It's possible to circumvent college GPA requirements, but you shouldn’t count on special circumstances to bail you out. Your best bet for admission is to (at the very least) surpass the minimum requirement for admitted students. Don't count on a mutant hybrid of Christian Bale and a hay bale to bail you out either. How High Does Your GPA Have to Be to Get Into College in General? Looking beyond specific schools, you may be wondering how high your GPA should be if you want to end up as a competitive applicant for colleges overall. The national average unweighted GPA for high school students is a 3.0 (a B average), but this is for all students, including those who don’t plan to attend college.Students who do attend college will have slightly higher GPAs on average. If you want a solid chance of getting into a four-year college, the lowest GPA you can get away with is probably around a 2.0 (a C average).Keep in mind that this is only enough for acceptance to the least selective schools in the country, and it’s still risky.For even mildly selective schools (think 60-80 percent acceptance), you should have at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA.Once you start thinking about even more selective colleges (less than 60 percent acceptance), GPA standards are usually around a 3.5 or higher. Notice that I’m specifically talking about unweighted GPAs here.Your school could use weighted GPAs, meaning your GPA would be out of 5.0 instead of 4.0.If this is the case, tread carefully with GPA requirements.A 4.0 weighted GPA and a 4.0 unweighted GPA are not equivalent because a weighted GPA takes course difficulty into account.A 4.0 weighted GPA could mean all Bs in high-level classes or all As in low-level classes while a 4.0 unweighted GPA means all As regardless of class level. If your weighted GPA is higher than a 4.0, that doesn’t mean you’ll be accepted to any college where you apply.Pay attention to your letter grades and your course levels to make sure you’re on track.Challenging yourself in hard classes and earning a few Bs is more impressive to colleges than a transcript full of straight As in courses that were clearly too easy for you. Do your homework while free-climbing a sheer cliff face. It's the only way to show colleges that you're committed. What Are the GPA Requirements for Your College Goals? General statistics are all well and good, but your GPA standards should really be determined by your individual college goals.You may not plan on applying to a college that provides concrete GPA requirements, but you can still estimate what it takes to get into the schools that interest you. The best way to do this is to Google â€Å"[name of college] PrepScholar admission requirements.†The first result should be a link to a page that lists admissions statistics for whatever school you chose.Before you look at the GPA statistics, notice the admissions rate.Any school that has an admission rate below 15% will be a reach no matter what GPA you have, so don’t assume that surpassing the average GPA guarantees you a spot. Let’s use UC Davis as an example.UC Davis has a 41% admission rate.This means it’s probably safe to assume that you have a solid chance of getting in if your GPA is higher than the indicated average.It’s selective, but not in the most selective group of schools (we rate it as â€Å"moderately competitive†).The average GPA at UC Davis is a 3.99 according to the article.That’s almost a perfect 4.0 - but numbers can be deceptive! Since we’re relying on the schools themselves to provide statistics about their average GPAs, the numbers are often skewed high.The 3.99 GPA probably reflects a mixture of weighted and unweighted GPAs. We don’t know for sure whether it’s out of 4.0, 4.5, or 5.0 (or some combination of different scales).This makes things much less clear-cut.There may be some students at UC Davis who had straight A’s throughout high school, but there are probably many others who got As and Bs in high-level classes at high schools that use weighted GPAs.On a weighted GPA scale out of 5.0, someone earning all Bs in high-level classes would still have a 4.0. UC Davis If you see that a school has an average GPA that’s higher than a 3.75, you can assume that you will need to take at least some advancedclasses and earn As and Bs to have a strong chance of being accepted.Unless the school’s admission rate is lower than 20 percent or so, don’t assume that most students have near-perfect grades.At Harvard, for example, the average GPA is a 4.04. This seems only a bit higher than the average at UC Davis, but with a 6 percent admissions rate and an average ACT score of 34, it's clear that Harvard is significantly more competitive. Don’t look at the average GPA as thebe-all-end-all number. It’s more of an estimate since high schools vary so dramatically and colleges calculate GPAs differently. You should also check the actual admissions websites for schools you're interested in to make sure you’re not missing out on any requirements.For University of California schools, the admissions guidelines state that nonresidents (out of state students) should earn at least a 3.4 GPA to be admitted to a UC campus. You will also need to take certain courses to be eligible for admission. UC Davis GPA statistics broken down by range and percent acceptance rate. The majority of admitted students for 2015 had GPAs above a 4.0, which indicates that these numbers are referencing a weighted GPA scale. Source: UC Davis What Should You Do If Your GPA Is too Low for Your School of Choice? If your GPA is lower than average for the schools that interest you, there are a couple of ways you can improve your chances of being accepted. If you're a freshman or sophomore, you still have time left to raise your GPA. Depending on what your specific struggles are, you might try revising your study habits in various ways. Read this article for advice on strategies you can use to improve your grades. If you're already in your junior or senior year, you don't have much (or any) time left to raise your GPA. In this case, you may try to bolster other partsof your application to make up for it. You can often compensate for a slightly below average GPA with higher than average SAT or ACT scores. At UC Davis, the average SAT score is an 1805.This is at the 75th percentile mark for SAT scores nationally, so students in the top 25% of the SAT score range (1800-2400) are most likely to be admitted.A 2100 combined with a 3.6 GPA gives you about the same chances at UC Davis as an 1800 combined with a 4.0 GPA. Beyond standardized test scores, you may also be able to make up for a lower GPA with impressive extracurricular achievements that demonstrate your passions and unique interests. This could include anything from running your own Etsy shop to organizing a Quidditch tournament at your school to building robots in your free time. If you're involved in community service or are a leader of a club, you should highlight these facts on your application. Even if you just had to work a boring part-time job throughout high school, that counts as an extracurricular activity and shows that you are capable of handling real world responsibilities. Make sure your robot doesn't gain sentience and turn against you. The Bottom Line College GPA requirements aren’t everything when it comes to admissions, but they can play a strong role in the decision-making process. To get into any four-year college, your GPA should be at least a 2.0 or higher. If you’re aiming for selective colleges (less than 60% acceptance rate), you should shoot forat least a 3.5. Remember, these estimates aren’t necessarily accurate for every student or every college.Look up admissions requirements for schools that you like to get a better sense of their academic standards.Also, keep in mind that your high school may calculate GPA differently than other schools (especially if it's recorded on a weighted scale).Your 4.0 weighted GPA won’t be as impressive as the 4.0 unweighted GPA of another student at a different high school who took higher level classes than you. Course levels are very important.You can have a GPA that’s slightly lower than a school’s average and still have a chance of getting in if you earned it in by taking the most challengingclasses your high school offers. Always continue to push yourself and work towards higher academic goals if you hope to be admitted to selective colleges. Pay attention to the levels in your application mix. What's Next? Do you have a B average but want to improve even more to get into more selective colleges? Read this article for advice on what you should do based on your current GPA. If you're aiming for the most competitive schools in the country, advanced classes are a must in high school. Find out how many AP classes you should take if you're applying to Ivy League schools. You can also consult this article for general advice on which classes to take in high school. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

How to Make the Most of Your Entry Level Job

How to Make the Most of Your Entry Level Job It’s no secret that an entry level job probably isn’t the fulfilling job of your dreams, where you get to do something you love while you make bank. These jobs are, by necessity, an experience-building step so that you can make connections, get experience, and bulk up your resume for better opportunities. So while it may feel like a slog when you feel frustrated with menial tasks or with being the most junior person in the office, it’s important to power through. 1. Reasons Not to Waste Your Time2. How to Get the Most Out of an Underwhelming JobReasons Not to Waste Your Entry-Level TimeThough it may not seem like you’re doing Earth-shattering work in your role, you shouldn’t be discouraged, or take the experience for granted as you put in your time in the trenches. Here are 5 reasons why you should be super-proactive during your time as an entry-level employee.1. You don’t want to get stuck.What’s that old saying about those who donâ⠂¬â„¢t learn from history being doomed to repeat it? It’s on you to push yourself to the next level(s) of your career. If you don’t take your time as a lower-level employee seriously and start gathering the tools and resources you need to move on eventually, you could end up staying in this entry-level role for an uncomfortably long time. Years can have a way of sneakily passing on you, and you really don’t want to get five years into your career and be in the same spot where you started. Even if you just started your entry-level job, start thinking about how it may relate to your next2. Your time is valuable.Even when it feels like you’re just punching the clock or keeping a seat warm in case someone needs you for a task, it’s not free time. If you can take meaningful skills and experience from your role, it’s not a matter of just sitting through your days until you get to some magical time threshold. Your days should count, which means you r hours spent at work should count too, no matter what you’re doing.3. You’re doing work that needs to get done.If your role weren’t necessary, wouldn’t the company find other ways to get the work done? You were hired because you bring a certain level of skills and potential, and the company thought you were a good bet to do this work. Remember that, even when it feels suspiciously like you’re doing things that a moderately-trained helper monkey could do. You’re doing tasks that free up others in the company to get their work done- and you shouldn’t discount your importance as a part of that process, no matter how unglamorous that work might be. For example, writer Trent Hamm literally shoveled dirt all day long in his first job. Fun? Nope. A necessary evil for his company’s bottom line? You betcha.  4. It’s not an internship.You’re there to learn, in the sense that you’re just starting out, but youâ€⠄¢re also being paid to perform a function. This change in mindset can be a subtle one (especially if you were the intern a year ago), but it’s important to start thinking of yourself as being on your career path now, not just doing prep work anymore.5. It’s not forever.The day feels long, sure- especially if the projects you enjoy doing are rare and secondary to more tedious tasks. But the beauty of the entry-level job is that at some point, you will have what you need to move on and seize other opportunities. It may take a year or several to build what you need for your next steps, but there is light at the end of that tunnel.Once you start thinking about your entry-level time as a transition period (albeit one without a specific expiration date), it helps you get into the right mindset for making the most of that time.How to Get the Most Out of an Underwhelming JobBut how does one do that, you ask? It’s great to have the mindset of â€Å"I need to take advan tage of my time,† but that can be†¦unclear. Let’s look at some strategies for seizing that work day.Be positive.If you wake up every day and tell yourself how much the day is going to suck, guess what? Your day is going to suck. Instead of thinking about how boring your day will be, or how much you’d rather be doing something (anything) else, come up with three things you want to accomplish at work that day. It doesn’t have to be huge accomplishments- maybe it’s cleaning out a supply cabinet that’s been driving you crazy. Or maybe it’s as simple as having a conversation with a colleague. If you have a set of purposes throughout the day, and you hit those mini-goals, you’ll end your day on a more satisfied note.RELATED:  10 Ways to Stay Positive About Your First Job Out of CollegeSeek out the perks.Does your company offer a discount, or free tickets to local events? Back when I was an editorial assistant with a thankless s et of tasks and even lousier pay, one saving grace was having access to my company’s books for free. And even when I wasn’t interested in the books themselves, it was great to have them as a resource (read: gift/bribe) for friends and family who were. It was a nice perk to have, even when I despised my job some days. Even if it’s just free bagels once a week in the break room, or an employee discount at a store, take advantage. If your entry-level job is like most of ours, the salary isn’t huge, so free/cheap stuff can go a long way. Perks can make it more bearable to go in day after day when you’re not feeling totally engaged in your to-do list.Build your skills.The skills you already have are great- after all, they got you hired in the first place. But will they get you to the next milestone in your career? The answer to that is â€Å"probably not.† No matter where we are in our careers, we can always pick up new skills or spiff up the one s we have. If you’re trying to figure out which skills you should work on, do a little research into what people a little further along on your career path have, by looking at job listings.  RELATED:  13 Skills You Need to Put on Your ResumeYou can start building those skills in a very straightforward way: talk to people! Start conversations with colleagues you don’t know well, especially if you’re an introvert. Take opportunities to make presentations, or speak up in meetings. Learn as much as you can about what your company does, who does it, and what’s involved in those jobs. If your goal is to move beyond your entry-level job at some point, then taking your soft skills to the next level will help you achieve that faster.Don’t mess around.If you have a lot of down time during the day, don’t spend that time messing around on Facebook or playing Yahtzee on your phone. Find little things to do, like organizing. Talk to your boss about ot her things you can do to flesh out your responsibilities. You don’t want to go overboard to the point where you’re feeling overwhelmed, but if you have time to check your personal email, you have time to do other things. Remember: at this point in your career, you’re still looking to establish yourself. Your boss and others at the company will notice if you’re proactive in finding things to take on, rather than doing just the bare minimum required by your job description.Find a mentor.This might be your boss, or someone at the company who used to be in your role. You can ask this person for advice on how to handle challenges at work, or pick their brains on how to move forward in your field. It’s a great way to build relationships and your network, but also those communication skills as well. Plus, it can make you feel less alone if you’re feeling blah or unhappy about your job.Be punctual.That means no slipping through the door, slightly di sheveled, at 9:30 instead of your expected 9:00 start time. That means making sure you’re on time for meetings or scheduled time with coworkers. That means not blaming your commute four days out of five. Regularly showing up late is a very clear way to say â€Å"I don’t really care about this,† and people do notice, even if you don’t get in trouble for it. On the flip side, people also notice if you’re in and ready to go at 9:00, and appreciate it that you’re available when needed. It’s one of those â€Å"low effort, big return† investments in your work day.You will move on eventually, to a different job or a different company when you figure out what your next career step is. But in the meantime, make sure you’re getting everything you can out of this job. It’s important careerwise, but also for your sanity- what’s the point of going through all this if you’re just going to be unhappy? Maximizing yo ur entry-level job is also about maximizing your personal stake in it, and making it work for you.

How to Refer to Monetary Amounts

How to Refer to Monetary Amounts How to Refer to Monetary Amounts How to Refer to Monetary Amounts By Mark Nichol How should references to amounts of money be styled? The key to answering that question is context. Casual, isolated references, as well as approximations, are generally spelled out, as in the examples below: â€Å"I’m just putting in my two cents’ worth.† â€Å"Remember when a candy bar cost twenty-five cents?† â€Å"I have only five dollars in my wallet.† â€Å"She loaned him a thousand dollars.† â€Å"I wouldn’t trade it for a million dollars.† However, in financial contexts- those involving anything from numerous references to salaries of specific athletes in a book about professional sports to pervasive citations in a book about business or economics, use the dollar sign and numerals: â€Å"He was the first professional football player to earn an annual salary of more than $1 million.† Note that for round figures, using a pertinent figure followed by a term for an order of magnitude (such as million) is preferable to numeric notation ($1,000,000), unless the figure is precise, as in â€Å"The charitable event raised $1,567,893.† Generally, however, such precision is unnecessary, and an amount can be expressed with rounded-up approximation: â€Å"The charitable event raised $1.6 million.† (A casual reference can read â€Å"1.6 million dollars.†) In some financial contexts, K is used as a symbol for thousands, as in $125K in place of $125,000. Dollar amounts are always spelled out when they begin a sentence, so if an amount is more or less precise, to avoid a cumbersome expression such as â€Å"One hundred twenty-five thousand dollars is the starting salary,† recast the sentence so that the sentence doesn’t begin with the figure: â€Å"The starting salary is $125,000.† (Beginning a sentence with the spelled-out version is acceptable for an isolated reference in a nonfinancial context but should be avoided when using dollar figures in abundance.) Note that hyphens are employed when a spelled-out number is part of a phrasal adjective (â€Å"The five-million-dollar budget wasn’t enough for their ambitious plans†) but not with the dollar sign and numerals (â€Å"The $5 million budget wasn’t enough for their ambitious plans†). In international contexts, the US dollar or an equivalent amount in another currency is usually indicated as shown in this example: â€Å"The US$6.5 billion aid package was part of the deal.† The cent sign is rarely employed, except in cases such as indication of a printed cost, as on a price tag, in which case â€Å"seventy-nine cents,† for example, would be expressed â€Å"79 ¢.† In financial contexts, however, use a numeral and the word cents, as in the phrase â€Å"79 cents on the dollar.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S35 Genres and Other Varieties of FictionConversational Email

The Use of the Culture in the Expression of Customs of a Society Essay - 7

The Use of the Culture in the Expression of Customs of a Society - Essay Example I have come to know that the change in one walk of life makes an impact on all the other paths at the same time (West). Furthermore, the mythical characterization of the role models also changed as democracy was put into practice. As a matter of fact, the change in the lifestyle can easily be noted in the time of Hellenistic Greek. When I undertook comparison, I marked that different areas of the Greek culture allow understanding that literature was contributed with the newer subjects because every other field of interest was also changing. Through the above comparison of the analysis of the two eras and areas of culture, it came to my knowledge that each area was affected largely by the political changes and the way policy took place. The lifestyle of the Greeks was marginally changed as the democracy was put into practice. As a matter of fact, the change in the lifestyle can easily be noted in the time of Hellenistic Greek. When I undertook comparison, I marked that different areas of the Greek culture allow understanding that literature was contributed with the newer subjects because every other field of interest was also changing.

Titanium Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Titanium - Research Paper Example It can exist in 3 separate forms in nature and numerous alloys have been formed with other metals which only serve to increase its uses. One area where titanium has been found to be of utmost importance is in the medical industry. Medical implants with titanium or titanium alloys incorporated in them have been developed and made use of in the past few decades. This paper will examine the use of titanium in medical implants and its properties that contribute to this success, in particular its property of being non corrosive. 2. General properties of titanium Titanium is a transition metal which is found in the earth’s crust (Balazic et al, 2007). It is the fourth most abundant metal on earth and is found all over the world in volcanic and alluvial deposits. While ores such as rutile and ilmeinite are plentiful, titanium reacts with nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen and is not easy to extract from its ore (Brunette et al, 2001). Extraction involves very expensive methods and a mere 5% of pure titanium is extracted from an ore usually (Brunette et al, 2001). The density of titanium is about half of that of steel though it is as strong as steel (Balazic et al, 2007). ... Metals commonly used to make stable the alpha form include aluminum, tin and oxygen. The beta form can be stabilized using metals like chromium, iron or vanadium. Using mixtures of both of these stabilizers leads to the production of alpha+beta titanium alloys (Brunette et al, 2001). 3. Uses of titanium Titanium has uses in many different fields including aerospace, power generation, automotive, chemical and petrochemical, sporting goods, dental and medical applications (Rack and Qaz, 2006; Sibum, 2003; Wang, 1996 from Balazic et al, 2007). The commercial aspects of titanium were only exploited in the 1940s (Balazic et al, 2007). Starting in the 1960s, titanium was used as a material in medical implants (Balazic et al, 2007). Now, over a 1000 tonnes or 2.2 million pounds of titanium are used in implants all over the world every year (The Titanium Information Group, 2003). Titanium alloys have also been used in the medical industry and there are three main types of alloys which have b een developed: alpha titanium alloys, beta titanium alloys and alpha+beta titanium alloys (Balazic et al, 2007). Of these, it is primarily beta alloys that are used in medical applications (Brunette et al, 2001) Some of the most common alloys that have been used include Titanium-Aluminum-Vanadium and Nickel-Titanium (Nitinol) (Balazic et al, 2007). Some of the main uses in implants are for bone or joint replacements, dental implants, maxillofacial and craniofacial uses, cardiovascular devices and external prostheses (The Titanium Information Group, 2003). It has also been used in medical fasteners and fixation devices (Brunette et al, 2001). 4. Desirable

Exploring Community Health Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Exploring Community Health Nursing - Assignment Example On the other hand, the concept of health is broadly defines as a state of well being that results from the harmonious interactions of the body, soul and the mind. Therefore the term community health is defined by meeting the particular needs and wants of a community by identifying the problems they face and managing the interactions within the community (Cradduck, 2000). The community health nurses are generally primary health care providers in various places often working in an expanded role in conjunction with other medical care professionals. In addition to homecare, public and community health care service, community health nurses provide treatment and emergency care services, x-rays and crisis management within the community. Their main purpose is to provide community health promotion services in a specific community in accordance with the philosophy and objectives of the authority and to promote the prevention of diseases, maintain health and the overall health as well as wellb eing of the community. This paper therefore seeks to have an insight on the nature, scope and role of community health nursing, and an analysis of the impact of Public Health Care and the Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards. Community health nurses play a pivotal role in the community as far as health provision is concerned. They may extend these services to within the health centre, schools, community halls or in patient homes, especially the elderly and are intended to provide a healthy way of living whilst reducing the incidences of death and diseases significantly. Community health nursing services may be provided either on an individual basis or a multi disciplinary team. Mostly they work in cross boundary teams to effectively provide sufficient health care to the society. They work with individuals, families, populations, groups, systems and/or society, with the focus being the health of a person or community and from which motivations nursing actions flow. The nursing standards of practice are applied in different settings where people work, live, play, learn and even worship (Warren et al, 2012). This involves working with a diverse array of people who have different backgrounds. For example, they may work with children (infants, school age and adolescents), children with long term disabilities, families, pregnant women, elderly people whose health is deteriorating, individuals with chronic diseases, disadvantages individuals or groups as well as community organizations such as schools, churches and social services agencies. Community health nurses therefore need to have a broad perspective of the roles they play within the community as regards health provision and promotion. In order to perform their tasks in the most professional way CHN need to posses some characteristics and attributes that are useful especially in the field. These attributes assist the nurses to identify and manage any health hazards while containing problems that are exis tent. Therefore they need to be very flexible and be highly adaptable to the different environments. This is because the environments keep changing as well as the pandemics that strike. This calls for nurses with physical and emotional stamina, good communication skills, problem solving skills as well as critical thinking abilities (Goottschalk, 2000). Another characteristic that is crucial is the ability to motivate as well as supervise

Conclusion of Online Contracts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Conclusion of Online Contracts - Research Paper Example According to Deeksha Bhana and others, â€Å"an offer is an invitation by one party to create obligations with another party, which obligations will become legally binding upon the acceptance by the other party† . An offer must respect several legal requirements in order to be valid:  According to Deeksha Bhana and others, â€Å"an offer is an invitation by one party to create obligations with another party, which obligations will become legally binding upon the acceptance by the other party† . An offer must respect several legal requirements in order to be valid:  1. the offer must be made with animus contrahendi2. the offer must be complete, certain or at least ascertainable3. the offer must be communicated   to the offeree. In the online community, however, things are not so simple. Very often, these requirements are confusing or not observed by the participants, which further leads to serious legal issues. The author will analyze these legal requirements and e xplain them and the possibility of avoiding confusion at this moment.  This chapter will also analyze the concept of unilateral contract and the possibility of revocation of an offer.   1.2. Invitation to treat invitation to treat represents â€Å"an expression of willingness to negotiate. A person making an invitation to treat does not intend to be bound as soon as it is accepted by the person to whom the statement is addressed.†   Therefore, the main difference between an invitation to treat and an offer consists in their binding power. The paper will describe all the differences between these two concepts and analyze some possible situations that might occur due to the ambiguity of these two notions.  The main question that the author intends to answer in this part of the paper is: Is it an offer or an invitation to treat? In the answer to this question, the author will address to the concept of online advertisement and other important notions. This chapter will also analyze the concept of unilateral contracts and the possibility of revocation of an offer.  

Public Officials and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Officials and Morality - Essay Example In the United Stated elected officials are required to be loyal to the constitution, run an office with high integrity and moral ethics. Auditors check the performance of these officials and ensure that they hold exemplary behavior and serve in a collective interest. For example, William Boss who served the House of Representatives in US in 1873 was convicted for allegedly stealing public funds. Corruption is a vice that is commonly practiced by the public officials. Tim Mahoney a democrat from Florida was charged for sexually harassing a female staff that cost his sit in the next election. William Jefferson form Louisiana also lost his job after the investigations revealed he had received bribes from a century man. These officials lost integrity and trust from the public and could no longer hold office. George w bush a retired American president is up to date criticized for sending troops to Iraq to counter terrorism. The Americans lost many soldiers in the war. The scientistâ€℠¢s embryonic research is gaining support from many leaders across the globe including the American president Barack Obama and the sitting Italian president. The research involves obtaining stem cells from a human embryo and the umbilical cord blood to invent future cures. Religious leaders have questioned the morality behind the research and many see it as dehumanizing.The catholic pope Benedict XVI has as well criticized President Barack Obama for lifting the ban on abortion.Abortion involves termination of pregnancy that leaves the fetus dead.

Project Report 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project Report 3 - Essay Example It began in December 2007 and lasted 18 months which was the longest recession since World War 2. By observing the U.S Gross Domestic Production (GDP) and the employment data, we can conclude that the current state of the U.S economy is recovering from the recession. The GDP is an important variable because GDP represents the total dollar value of all goods and services which being produced in the period time. The GDP is also related to the real income, employment and industry production. These reasons are why GDP is an important indicator to a country’s economy state. By looking at the Quarter-to-Quarter growth in real GDP graph (Bureau of Economic Analysis) the GDP in the last two quarters of 2008 and the first two quarters of 2009 are negative. Especially the last quarter in 2008, the GDP is down by 9% which means the economy of U.S had dropped 9% in the over the last quarter of 2008. However, from the third quarter of 2009 the GDP had grown back to positive and it stayed p ositive from 2010 to 2012. By using the previous data we can conclude that the recession is over and the U.S economy is recovering now. The other important variable is the employment data. ... mic Analysis), we can easily tell the number of employees dropped from 127,383,000 to 121,078,000 during 2008 to 2009 which means there are about 6,000,000 people lost their job during 2008 to 2009. In 2011, the number of equivalent of employees bounced back to 121,757,000 which is a good sign for U.S economy. There are many factors which can cause the economic recession. The most common reason is the declining in GDP growth and it brings the high unemployment rate, inflation and other economic problems. The latest recession in 2008 is because of the bubble burst in housing price. In 2006 the housing price in U.S peaked too high and the price started falling since 2007. The homeowners and the people who invested in real estate were facing a huge loss. Comparing the current GDP to the GDP before recession, we can realize that the GDP before recession is slightly lower than the current GDP. Therefore, U.S economy is recovered from the recession which was started from 2008. However, by observing the gross domestic investment data (Bureau of Economic Analysis table 5.2.3), the gross domestic investment in 2011 is still lower than 2004 to 2008. We can assume that the U.S economy is not fully recovered because people cannot have that much money to invest comparing to the time before the recession. We compared the recession between 2001 and 2008. These two recessions are interesting because they are really close to us, and most of us should remember how it was, and what was happening at that time. There were few main reasons that why the U.S. economy was slipping into recession in 2001. One of the most memorable reasons was the terrorist attack; the terrorist attack bringing down a $10.2 trillion dollar economy is dramatic. Another main cause of 2001 recession was the crash

Public Officials and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Officials and Morality - Essay Example In the United Stated elected officials are required to be loyal to the constitution, run an office with high integrity and moral ethics. Auditors check the performance of these officials and ensure that they hold exemplary behavior and serve in a collective interest. For example, William Boss who served the House of Representatives in US in 1873 was convicted for allegedly stealing public funds. Corruption is a vice that is commonly practiced by the public officials. Tim Mahoney a democrat from Florida was charged for sexually harassing a female staff that cost his sit in the next election. William Jefferson form Louisiana also lost his job after the investigations revealed he had received bribes from a century man. These officials lost integrity and trust from the public and could no longer hold office. George w bush a retired American president is up to date criticized for sending troops to Iraq to counter terrorism. The Americans lost many soldiers in the war. The scientistâ€℠¢s embryonic research is gaining support from many leaders across the globe including the American president Barack Obama and the sitting Italian president. The research involves obtaining stem cells from a human embryo and the umbilical cord blood to invent future cures. Religious leaders have questioned the morality behind the research and many see it as dehumanizing.The catholic pope Benedict XVI has as well criticized President Barack Obama for lifting the ban on abortion.Abortion involves termination of pregnancy that leaves the fetus dead.

Lorenzo The Magnificent Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lorenzo The Magnificent - Research Paper Example I believe this to be a possibility because of the many works of art, sculpture and architecture that are being made during this period. Much of this beauty only exists because it was commissioned by the wealthy ruling families of Italy. People such as myself, Lorenzo Medici, commission artwork not only to promote culture and the arts in my city, but also to show off the material wealth my family commands. The types of works I commission demonstrate the recent advancements that have taken place in architecture and art as well as convey a sense of the impression I wish to make upon my neighbors and associates. Having been raised in a family already strongly committed to the arts, I hope to one day be remembered as one of art’s finest patrons but remain somewhat fearful that it is other areas of my life history will focus upon. The physical world I knew while growing up went a long way toward fostering my love of the arts, but it also helped shape my personality in other ways. In our Florentine society, it is necessary for princes who can afford it to build huge residential palaces, villas, fortresses, governmental buildings, churches and convents that we can then fill with statuary, paintings, sculptures, brilliantly performed original pieces of music and other fine works of art. This is how we demonstrate our status in our very class-conscious society. â€Å"Art historians bury the why – and hence the sociology – by their excessive emphasis on questions of form and style. Most of the great building projects of the Italian Renaissance †¦ had behind them the urge to exhibit now: to exhibit an identity, to show the power or piety of the man and his family dynasty, and to carve out a space in the city that would belong to that name, that individual and dynasty, for all times† (Marti nes, 1979: 236). These sentiments applied equally to other commissioned works of art as well. At three stories tall, the family’s Medici Palace in

Importance of Effective Staffing Processes

Importance of Effective Staffing Processes Going global was considered to be a great achievement few years ago, but today, it is part of a companys survival strategy and rather an essential element to de-risk the business from a single country shock. Going global has become an increasingly important business strategy because of that most businesses face challenges of localized economic policies and competition. The advances in information technology and telecommunication that scholars consider it as second revolution have caused tremendous changes in global business and increased the volume of trade between nations. Multinational companies have been playing major role in the process of moving goods and services around the globe. When companies go global and operate in different countries, policies relating to employee hiring, training, compensating and maintaining are largely affected and human resource managers are required to have a global perspective of business to effectively formulate and implement human resource policie s. This piece of research paper addresses the importance of effective staffing process for a company when operates in other countries and explains main elements of international human resource management in relation to hiring, training and compensating the employees. This paper explains main modes of global staffing in relation to managing expatriates and analyzes various selection factors for global operation. Need for effective Staffing for Global Operation In recent days, managers of large multinationals have been realizing the significance of human resource practices to ensure the profitability and competitive advantages of their business. Human resource management has become more involved in helping international organizations and these organizations necessarily require to develop global strategies with major focus to hire, manage and retain best employees in order to ensure competitive advantages. As Briscoe, Schuler and Claus (2008) stated that the impact of a companys international activity on human resource varies according to various factors like stages of internationalization, the global nature of the particular industry and specific choice of the firm etc (p. 29). Large companies that have been operating in its home country often suddenly become global and as a result its existing human resources start working in different conditions with no previous experiences in international operation. Likewise, companies need to hire, train maintain and retain talented employees to be able to work in multinational conditions. Stahl and Bjà ¶rkman (2006) stressed that global staffing has become a critical issue in international management for the following reasons:- There has been growing awareness that the success of international business mainly depend on recruiting the qualified senior and other managers. Staffing is more complex in international contexts, The performance of expatriates has become a problem and empirical evidences have shown that poor performance of expatriates in international firms are more costly in both human and financial terms. Global staffing has become important due to the need for MNCs to develop multicultural international workforce (p. 141). Staffing for Global Operation In global staffing, companies need to choose from various types of global staff members and need to have specific approaches and strategies to global staffing. Global staff members are selected from among three different types: expatriates, host-country people and third-country nationals. Expatriate is a person who belongs to the country in which the organization is headquartered and not a citizen of the country in which the company operates. A host-country national is a citizen of the country in which the subsidiary company is located. A third-country national is a citizen of a country, but works in another country and employed by an organization headquartered in a third country (Mondy, 2008, p. 150). As Deresky (2011) pointed, a firms managerial staffing in other countries, depending on its stage of internationalization, and situational factors falls in to one or more of the basic four staffing modes, namely ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric and global approaches (p. 329). Each staffing modes present different and unique HR management challenges as well as opportunities. More specifically, when an organization uses citizens of different countries for its staffing, different tax laws and other significant HR-related factors may apply and therefore it highly recommended that HR professionals need to be knowledgeable about the laws and customs of each country that its workforce belong to. The four different modes of international staffing are detailed below: Ethnocentric approach When companies hire expatriates to staff their high-level foreign positions, it uses ethnocentric approach. The company focuses on using home-country nationals to staff most of its senior managerial positions for its global operation. The basic perception of this approach is that home-office perspectives and issues are likely to take precedence over local perspectives and issues and therefore these expatriates will be more effective in representing the views of home-office (Steers and Nardon, 2006, p. 277). Deresky (2011) emphasized that ethnocentric approach is more likely to be used when an organization is at its internationalization stage or at strategic expansion. It is used mainly for filling the key managerial positions with people from headquarters, who are known to be parent-country nationals (p. 329). In the ethnocentric organization, home based policy, practice and even employees are viewed as superior and same time foreigners are often viewed as second class citizens. This approach is very appropriate when the company is in its early stage of setting up foreign subsidiary and there is greater need for control (Scullion, 2006, p. 18). Parent-country nationals are well familiar with companys specific goals, policies, technology and operation and they now the procedures to get things done from the headquarters. It is one of the major advantages of ethnocentric approach. More over, this approach is normally used when a company faces inadequate local-skilled managers. This approach is a strategy to fill this gap and develop international managerial skills (Deresky, 2011, p. 329). This approach requires relatively little effort by headquarters to monitor and recruit home country people for filling higher managerial positions. This approach provides quite broad experience for home country managers in relation to improving their long term career. This approach has many disadvantages as well. It may inhibit the opportunities and development of the talent of local managers as they have less up-ward mobility and this causes decrease to their loyalty to the subsidiary (Deresky, 2011, p. 329). More over, employee commitment to the organization may be negatively impacted as local managers feel they are trapped under a glass ceiling and with less chances of moving to the top of the firms managerial positions (Steers and Nardon, 2006, p. 277). Expatriates in foreign countries have been found to be less effective as well (Deresky, 2011, p. 329). Polycentric Approach A polycentric approach staffing policy and management philosophy oriented toward staffing positions with local talent. A polycentric-oriented firm staffs its foreign subsidiaries with host country nationals and its home office with parent-country nationals (Gary, p. 379). Deresky (2011) noted that polycentric approach, in which local managers from host-country nationals are hired to fill important positions in their own country, is more applicable when implementing a multinational strategy (p. 329). As these managers are normally familiar with local culture, competitive demands of the local market, the major foreign subsidiary is usually some what independent. Local managers are its major advantages. The major advantages of this approach includes a strong familiarity of business operation and management with local social custom and culture, language fluency and costs that are relatively less than in an expatriate assignment. There wont be foreign adjustment problem for an employee or his dependent family members. Though it is a multinational country, the heavy use of host-country nationals throughout the countries it operates from top management to lower positions can significantly win the support and confidence of local government and people because they see that its operation is benefiting its people (Vance, Charles and Paik, 2010, p. 173). This approach is good in those countries that have a policy and legal requirement that a firms employees must be comprised of a specific proportion of its citizens (Deresky, 2011, p. 329). When a firm takes polycentric approach, it is found that the business faces difficulty in coordinating activities and goals between subsidiary and parent company. another disadvantage is that the managers ion headquarters of the multinational companies will not gain necessary overseas experience required for higher positions in the firm (Deresky, 2011, p. 330). Regiocentric Approach With regiocentric approach, a firms recruitment for its international operation is done on a regional basis (Deresky, 2011, p. 331) and the managers are selected on the basis of the best in the region with international transfers that are restricted to regions (Scullion, 2006, p. 23). Bogardus (2004) stressed that regiocentric approach takes a somewhat larger operational view than that of polycentric approach as it covers a trade region like European Union and allowing managers to move between business units in various countries of the same region (p. 235). In this staffing approach, a mix of Parent-country nationals, host-country nationals and third-country nationals can be used depending on the specific needs of the company. The regiocentric approach has recently become more popular as many multinational companies are choosing to organize in regional basis. One of the main advantages of this approach is that it reduces the need for costly duplication of support services (Scullion, 2006, p. 23). Wood (2009) argued that most multinational companies regiocentric rather than truly international and majority of their sales and operations are concentrated on the region (p. 300). When it comes to the corporate level, the regiocentric approach is may be limiting as ethnocentric approach as multinational companies are failing to understand the features of the regions outside of their home-region. The regional structure may also lead to the mergence of silo-mentalities as regional managers will be trying to hold and protect their top talent within the region rather than allowing them to develop outside their region (Wood, 2009, p. 300). Geo-centric Approach- Global Approach The geo-centric or global approach to staffing is method by which the firm seeks to place best-qualified person in to each position regardless of the country they belong to. The business thus focuses on building an international management team and its members are free to move in to the geographic area (Bogardus, 2004, p. 235). As Peng (2008) noted, the geocentric approach can be said to be Color-blind because the color of the passport of the manager doesnt matter. This approach focuses on finding the most appropriate and efficient managers from Parent, or Host or Third country nationals (p. 440). In geocentric approach, the firm requires to consider various important factors like cost, foreign business practice and cultural variations. The global staffing approach considers best managers and they are recruited within or outside of the company. Their nationality is never considered. The main advantages of geocentric approach include its provision of greater pool of qualified managers and this in turn helps develop global executive base. When third-country nationals are staffed, they cause bringing more cultural flexibility and are likely to be skillful in more than one language than parent-country nationals. One of the main advantages is that the company can reduce its expenses by recruiting managers and employees from a country where normal pay is relatively less than some other countries (Deresky, 2011, p. 330). Selection Process for Global Assignments Cultural Adjustments Cultural awareness Cultural adaptability Diversity acceptance Global experiences Personal Characteristics Emotional stability Ambiguity tolerance Risk taking Stress coping Organizational Requirements Organizational knowledge Technical abilities Job-related skills Communication skills Language capabilities Non-verbal awareness Coaching and listening Conflict-resolution skill Personal/family concerns Personal life demands Family considerations Financial economic concerns Career development Selection factors for Global Employees Source: Mathis and Jackson, 2007, p. 250 The selection process for an international operation must provide real pictures of the working conditions to which the employees are to be sent. In international staffing, the HR managers thus require to prepare a comprehensive analysis of the job to be done in relation to the skills and talents of the employees to be recruited and selected. Some of the more significant factors to be considered in analyzing the suitability of an employee for a given task or job are his ability, personal characters, communication, ethical and moral perspectives etc. The multicultural perception of the managers or employees to be selected are also highly important. The figure above depicts main factors to be considered in selecting global staffs. Mathis and Jackson (2007) emphasized that cultural adjustments, personal characteristics, organizational requirements, communication skills and personal or family concerns are key competencies for successful global employees (250). Many companies in recent days focus on pre-employment screening to ensure their knowledge in the specified area and to know their experience in the same field. Training and development for expatriates Expatriation alone may not yield success, but they are to be trained and developed. Employees at all levels and at all field almost require training to improve their knowledge and enhance their work-experiences. When it comes to international staffing, training is more critical element to the organizational success. Expatriates inevitably experience unique cross-cultural encounters that they were probably not prepared by any pre-departure training. Pre-departure training helps expatriates foresee various cross-cultural encounters and prepare accordingly (Kà ¼hlmann, 2001, p. 12). Expatriate-managers and employees are found to have multiple relationships and they require to maintain relationships like family relation, internal relation, relation with host government, relation with headquarter, local and global relation etc. Because of these factors, it is important that expatriates need to be trained with cultural training, language instruction and getting accustomed with every-day life (Deresky, 2011, p. 337). Cross Cultural Training Cross-cultural training is perhaps more complicated than language or instructional training. The cross-cultural training is aimed at helping the expatriates improve their skills and ease adjustments to the new cultures and customs by making them able to reduce culture-shock. Some expatriates experience anxiety and despair about their un-knowingness of behaving to an unfamiliar culture. This culture-shock can be overcome with the help of cross-cultural training. Mead (2005) detailed that a cross-cultural training aims to teach a) what values are important within other culture, b) how that particular culture is being reflected in history, politics and economics and c) how such cultural values can be expressed in behaviour and attitudes (p. 400). The expatriates who attended cross-cultural training will be able to improve their social relationship, management styles, managing structures, strategic planning and management skills, knowledge in newer technology use etc. Conclusion This piece of research work has highlighted the importance of global staffing and analyzed four basic modes of internal staffing, namely ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric and geocentric. Advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches are detailed. This paper has addressed basic factors that can determine how successful are international employees and are required to be considered in selecting international employees. training and development, especially with cross-cultural training are more critical factors when it comes to the employee-development of the expatriates. This paper has highlighted the importance of training and development to the expatriate employees and managers.

Epic of Beowulf Essay - Depiction of Anglo-Saxon Society in Beowulf

The Depiction of Anglo-Saxon Society in Beowulf The Old-English or Anglo-Saxon era extends from about 450 to 1066. The Germanic tribes from the Continent who overran England in the fifth century, after the Roman withdrawal, brought with them a language that is the basis of modern English, a specific poetic tradition, and a relatively advanced society. All of these qualities and spirit are exemplified in the eighth-century epic poem Beowulf. To begin with, much of the Old English poetry was probably intended to be chanted, with harp accompaniment, by the Anglo-Saxon scop. In Beowulf, the scop entertains warriors at Heorot, also known as The Hall of Hart. Often masculine and strong, but also mournful in spirit, the stories emphasize the sorrow and ultimate futility of man's lot and his helplessness before the power of fate. Beowulf, composed in 750 A.D., was originally handed down in the same oral tradition. In 1000 A.D. the epic poem was preserved by monastic copyists in a written manuscript. In addition, Beowulf reflects Anglo-Saxon poetic traits. The poetry is composed without rhyme, in a characteristic line, or verse, of four stressed syllables alternating with an indeterminate number of unstressed ones. This line strikes strangely on ears habituated to the usual modern pattern, in which the rhythmical unity, theoretically consists of a constant number of unaccented syllables that always precede or follow any stressed syllable. Another unfamiliar but equally striking feature in the formal character of Old English poetry is struct... ...ure of pagan or idolatry worshipping and Christianity are evident in Beowulf. For example, Christianity is displayed in a paraphrase of Genesis in which "A skillful bard sang the ancient story/ Of man's creation" (lines 88-89). On the other hand, pagan beliefs are obvious in the description of the Geats as "Boar-heads glittered on glistening helmets" (line 298). Although the Anglo-Saxons were leaning toward Christianity, they still had skeletons in the closet. Beowulf functions as a historical document to depict a collage of Germanic societies. It represents a relatively advanced eighth-century Anglo-Saxon nation recently converted to Christianity that looks on its Scandinavian past with pride. Beowulf also reflects a society with an elevated understanding of the values of civilization.

Charles Lindbergh :: History

Charles Lindbergh Charles Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902, in his grandfather's house in Detroit. The son of a lawyer and U.S. congressman, he grew up on a small farm in Minnesota (Lindbergh Biography, ONL). As a child, Lindbergh showed remarkable mechanical ability. He could understand every part of his motorcycle and car as he grew older. After graduating high school, Lindbergh worked on the family farm for two years before enrolling in the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study Engineering (Charles Lindbergh biography, ONL). But, after two years, Lindbergh found something else that excited him. He was more interested in the expanding field of aviation (Lindbergh Biography, ONL). He left college to attend the Lincoln Flight School in Nebraska. Once graduated, he spent the next few years performing daredevil stunts at county fairs and carnivals as a barnstormer (Charles Lindbergh biography, ONL). In 1924, on advice from his father, Lindbergh enlisted in the United States Army to be trained as an Army Service Reserve pilot. A year later, he graduated first in his class and was hired by the Robertson Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis as an airmail pilot. Gaining a reputation for being a cautious and capable pilot, he flew the mail between St. Louis and Chicago (Lindbergh Biography, ONL). During the course of his job, Lindbergh heard of the famed Orteig Prize. In 1919, Raymond Orteig, the owner of Brevoort and Lafayette hotels in New York City, made an offer to "flying buffs". Orteig offered a prize of $25,000 to the first aviator to fly nonstop from Paris to New York or New York to Paris. Before 1926, no one had even attempted the feat. But, as aviation technology developed, the challenge began appearing possible (Spirit of St. Louis, ONL). Before becoming an airmail pilot, Lindbergh hadn't even heard of the Orteig Prize, but he immediately became interested (Lindbergh Biography, ONL). In 1927, Lindbergh obtained a financial backing of $15,000 from a group of St. Louis businessmen, and he set out to find a plane. Hearing of Lindbergh's search for a plane, the Ryan Airlines Corporation in California offered to build him a plane for $6000 (Lindbergh Biography, ONL). Working with chief engineer and designer Donald Hall of Ryan Airlines, Lindbergh designed "The Spirit of St. Louis". Lindbergh and Hall designed the airplane specifically for "getting to Paris". In order to cut down on weight, any item considered to heavy or unnecessary was left out including a radio, parachute, gas gauges, and navigation lights.

Positive Psychology and Kindness

Assessment 1 – Personal Reflection and Sharing / Celebrating with others Happy people become happier through kindness intervention. The relationship between the character strength of kindness and subjective happiness, and the effects of a counting kindnesses intervention on subjective happiness Happy people to perform on their motivation, recognition and enactment of kind behaviors. They have more happy memories in daily life in terms of both quantity and quality. Subjective happiness was increased simply by counting one's own acts of kindness for one week.Happy people became more kind and grateful through the counting kindnesses intervention. Compared with less happy people, happy people have better social relationships and more pleasant everyday lives. For example, very happy people have highly satisfying relationships with friends, romantic partners, and family members and that, compared to their less happy peers, they report more positive events and emotions in their daily lives relative to negative ones. Happy people are more extraverted, more agreeable, and less neurotic.Some studies have shown that subjective happiness is one of the key factors in subjective well-being and overall satisfaction with life. Therefore I expected that in addition to the strength of gratitude, the strength of kindness would also play an important role in increasing subjective happiness. Gratitude is an important human strengths that contributes to subjective happiness, especially appreciative of the contribution of others to their happiness. I suggest that grateful persons would further be characterized by the appreciation of life's simple pleasures.These imply reciprocal relationships among gratitude, subjective happiness, and good social relationships. Consequently, compared with unhappy people, happy people report close and satisfying relationships and feel more gratitude in their lives. Gratitude when people receive kindness form other people, kindness entails enact ing kind behavior toward other people. In personal mindset, how to act of kindness can be expressed in countless ways? A warm hello said to a stranger, giving money to those in need, allowing cars to merge into traffic†¦ all of these are acts of kindness.Kindness may be best expressed as a state of mind. With the holiday season over, and many of us feeling the effects of a far-reaching world disaster, understanding how kindness can help is very important. People you help can see the direct result of your actions, and people who witness your gestures can be touched by what you do. From giving money and time, to the way in which you communicate with friends, family, and co-workers, the ripple effect of kindness is far-reaching.It is easy to think that kindness is only a â€Å"one-way street†, but kindness can go both ways. Giving, in and of itself, can be a great reward, but how is the giver affected? The giver can be rewarded in many areas, both psychologically and physic ally. It would be impossible to list every way that kindness can be shown or given. Being attuned to situations where you can help almost becomes a â€Å"state of mind† or â€Å"attitude† that you can live by. Start by making a list of areas where you can help.This may include giving to a helping organization, such as a local homeless shelter, food-bank, or a national/ international organization. With the natural disaster in the Far East dominating what we see on the evening news, perhaps you could start by identifying national or international organizations that could use your financial donations. You can even look to your community for places that could use your donations or volunteer time, such as visiting patients in a nursing home or hospital ward.Or, for some of this writer's favorites: start with the everyday little things that offer surprises and make people in your nearby community wonder what simple yet amazing acts of kindness are running amok and to get you started, I have listed some ideas below * Pay for the person's order behind you in the drive-through line. * Make eye contact with the person who rings up your groceries and really look at them when you say, â€Å"Have a really great evening. Thank you†. * Compliment at least 2 people every day. * Contrast someone being well mannered and kind, with someone being rude. Send someone a hand written note of thanks * Buy a lottery or Charitable organizations ticket for a stranger. * Give a compliment about your waiter or waitress to his or her manager. * Stop and help someone replace their flat tyre on high-speed road. * Let someone jump the queue at the bank. * Let someone jump the wallets or valuables at the police office. * Treat a friend to the movies for no reason. * Give up your seat for someone, not just an elderly person and pregnancy women. * Talk to a homeless person and have a â€Å"normal† conversation. * Pick up some rubbish in the road which would otherwise b e lying around. Compliment a work colleague for their excellence. * Tell all your family members how much your appreciate them. * Leave a copy of an interesting book on a train. * Buy an inspirational book for a friend. * Send a thank you note to a person who has helped you in the past. * Smile a lot. Kindness is contagious – and as part of Personal Socially Responsibility you might want to consider carrying out random acts of kindness on a daily basis. It is truly a win/win/win situation. The person you are being kind to benefits through your help. You feel good for having helped someone.And the world is a better place through your kindness. Never underestimate the impact of a single act of kindness. I still remember, after many years, the time someone stopped and helped me after my car had broken down in high-speed road. Since then, I have stopped on the road myself and helped stranded motorists a number of times. All because of that single act of kindness by a stranger. Th e implications of kindness are far reaching. Showing kindness even on a small level is a great start. Also, it is important to carry out your acts of kindness without expecting anything in return has its own rewards. 1013 words