Pizza and Break-even Point Essay

Complete the two sections. a) What are the three techniques utilized for explaining frameworks of conditions? Which strategy do you like to utilize? b) Break-Even Analysis †Systems of Equations Application Problem Suppose an organization delivers and sells pizzas as its item. Its income is the cash creates by selling x number of pizzas. Its expense is the expense of delivering x number of pizzas. Income Function: R(x) = selling cost per pizza(x) Cost Function: C(x) = fixed expense + cost per unit produced(x). The purpose of crossing point on a diagram of each capacity is known as the make back the initial investment point. We can likewise discover the equal the initial investment point utilizing the Substitution Method. Assume Dan’s Pizza Parlor has a fixed expense of $280 and it costs $4 to deliver every pizza. Dan sells each pizza for $12. The Revenue Function is: R(x) = 12x The Cost Function is: C(x) = 280 + 4x The equal the initial investment point happens where the diagrams of C and R cross. Consequently, we can discover this point by fathoming the framework: y =12x y = 280 + 4x. What number of pizzas does Dan need to deliver to equal the initial investment? On the off chance that he surpasses his make back the initial investment point, will he make a benefit or have a misfortune? A) What are the three techniques utilized for unraveling frameworks of conditions? Which technique do you want to utilize? diagramming, replacement, and end. I utilize all there yet I think I use end more. B) C(x) = 280 + 4x r(x)= 12x 12x= 280 + 4x 8x=280 x= 35 R(x) =12(35) =$420 So Dan needs to deliver 35 pizzas to create his earn back the original investment point. He will have a$420 benefit.

Remember the Titans Free Essays

Recollect The Titans The topic of this film is that we should treat everybody with equivalent regard, paying little heed to their skin shading or race, sexual direction, sex, ethnicity, or religion. We ought to acknowledge everybody for what their identity is, instead of attempting to transform them. It additionally shows the incorporation of a bigot America into a socially tolerating society with the assistance of an educator/mentor. We will compose a custom exposition test on Recall the Titans or on the other hand any comparable subject just for you Request Now Boone and Yoast are the two fundamental mentors in Remember the Titans. Boone is the new african-american mentor and his training style is a firm, forceful one, with exclusive standards and extreme method of arriving at these desires. He is frequently observed hollering at his players, however never in a way that could be viewed as impeding. Mentor Yoast then again utilizes encouraging feedback to improve a group. He is never observed shouting, is increasingly inconspicuous in his goals, and despite the fact that he also has a similar exclusive standards like Boone, he is milder in his ways. I accept that Gerry Bertier is a solid head and an extraordinary good example in this film. He is viewed as a solid good example being the skipper of the football crew, an average american elite player. He seems skillful to his adherents in that he is acceptable at driving his group, and is frequently observed shouting at his colleagues when they seem defective. His partners, family, and companions depend on him to convey the group. Gerry has exclusive standards, and needs to have everything be commander, with a lovely sweetheart, an ideal family, incredible companions, school desires and the expectation of winning the title. Gerry is willing to, after some time, acknowledge his kindred african-american colleagues and assumes a key job in helping his loved ones do likewise. He winds up being indivisible from Julius, an african american colleague. A crucial scene in the film is the point at which he tells his previous closest companion and partner that he is no longer permitted to play in the group since he deliberately permitted an african american colleague to be harmed and demonstrates he will no longer remain of prejudice. The scene is the film when Boone takes the young men to the graveyard at 3:30 assumed a key job in integrating the group. It was the site for the Battle of Gettysburg, where men battled for the opportunity and uniformity of african americans. He discloses to them that their families battled for the capacity for whites and blacks to exist together, and they were slowing down them by not doing so themselves. The five phases of group advancement are impeccably appeared in this film. The first, shaping, is appeared towards the start of the film where there are two separate groups, neither needing to consolidate with the other. They are both seen as solid and close-disapproved in their perspectives. At that point there is the raging stage, which is after the groups must join to shape one racially coordinated group, and there is a lot of contention among them, generally for negligible reasons. At that point there is norming, where a significant number of the contentions can be fathomed, the partners have been able to know each other more and can endure one another and a feeling of recharged good faith develops. This level is trailed by performing. They meet up as a group and can perform well during matches, dominate every one of them, and are viewed as companions and colleagues. The last level, suspending is played around Gerry’s auto crash. The group feels grief stricken, and must play the last game without their headliner, and it tests their capacity to meet up, bolster their colleague, and demonstrate how far they’ve come. Gerry’s meaning of family is that family doesn’t simply incorporate your prompt hereditary family members, yet those whom you love and regard. Gerry and Julius have become so a lot together and some of the time just had one another. This idea of family likewise interfaces the topic of the film tolerating assorted variety. Did I get the hang of anything structure viewing Remember the Titans? Totally. From a showing point of view, when I am in a various study hall, I can take the strategies for Boone and Yoast, for example, coordinating different societies of understudies together with the goal that they may find out about one another under the steady gaze of they judge one another, and that occasionally I should be firm and not represent any type of prejudice. From a non-educator point of view, it reminded me how far we’ve come ever, and how ideally one day there will be a comparative film on coordinating and tolerating the gay network as equivalents in light of the fact that the message of regarding EVERYONE as equivalents isn’t as ground-breaking if not every person is really treated as an equivalent. Instructions to refer to Remember the Titans, Essay models Recall the Titans Free Essays Recall the Titans Directed by Boaz Yakin, Remember the Titans investigates bigotry in the network of Alexandria and the battles of managing an incorporated society, school and football crew. Recall the Titans makes obvious that at last the network of Alexandria are the genuine victors after the Titans gain triumph at the Championship and general society figure out how to acknowledge the contrary race and treat them with newly discovered regard. The production of fellowships, their perspectives towards one another and acknowledging openings are altogether positives that originated from the continuous acknowledgment of progress. We will compose a custom paper test on Recall the Titans or then again any comparative point just for you Request Now Characters in the film structure kinships inside the network whether they’re African-American or Caucasian, along these lines to the genuine model set by the Titans’ Championship group. This is seen through Julius Campbell and Gerry Bertier when they are set in a room together on football camp causing disturbance between the two. Julius and Gerry initially meet when they are situated together on the transport and Coach Boone reports â€Å"the individual I make them sit close to is a similar one that you’ll be living with for the length of this camp†. The two characters show their loathe for one another from numerous points of view, the first being on the transport Julius discloses to Gerry he â€Å"can shut-up†, causing more clash between the two. Along with the experience over a banner in their room, it’s clear the two are a long way from companions. In spite of the fact that as the group begins arranging and start to dominate their matches of football this progressions significantly. Gerry tunes in to Julius and talks one of the colleagues, Gerry’s closest companion about his awful hindering for one of the African-American players. This outcomes in Julius and Gerry yelling â€Å"left-side† â€Å"strong side† at one another, being the beginning of a dear fellowship and solidarity. This incredible kinship creates after some time and they before long become so close they call each other â€Å"brother[s]† and Gerry welcomes Julius over to meet his â€Å"mama† which is a serious deal, considering toward the beginning of their companionship Gerry’s mum didn’t concur with it. Sheryl and Nicky become companions after the Titans fill in as a coordinated group and they bit by bit develop to have comparative interests as opposed to being completely contradicted to investing energy with one another. In the start of the film the two young ladies were very surprising, Sheryl not investing any push to â€Å"play dolls† or Nicky declining to play ball since she â€Å"just did [her] nails†. At last they get energized with one another about the Titans series of wins and celebrate by embracing and hopping around together. This shows fellowship shaped in light of the Titans and the team’s triumph. The achievement of the Titans is a positive reflection on the connections framed inside the group, where their union permits the remainder of the Alexandria people group to see the advantages of amalgamation and between racial regard. Decisively the entire town of Alexandria profited and were the victors all things considered, because of the Titans helping structure kinships. In the film, Remember the Titans the town of Alexandria was distraught by being isolated, where not exclusively were the individuals in the network passing up kinships openings, yet additionally business and group openings. They were passing up an alternate, increasingly supportive and merciful lifestyle. A case of this is the business that dismisses Petey and Blue to eat there in light of the fact that they’re African-American. The burger joint passes up a deal at that point, however from the various at least hundred Negro individuals that would buy food there on the off chance that they were acknowledged. In any case, rather they were told â€Å"to head out back and get it from there† as though having an individual with an alternate appearance in their burger joint would influence business deals. â€Å"in Virginia, secondary school football is a method of life,† and all through Remember the Titans the group are huge social pioneers, to the two races; highly contrasting. Particularly after the Titans win the Championship, the crowd sees Alexandria understand that their kin are no different, lastly begin to treat each other with some regard. â€Å"You showed his city how to confide in the spirit of a man, instead of the vibe of him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If Alexandria was as yet isolated the companionships wouldn’t be the equivalent: the Titans probably won't have dominated the Championship match, Coach Yoast could have gotten a spot in the â€Å"Hall of Fame†, Gerry wouldn’t have had the fender bender, they wouldn’t have acknowledged change, and they would at present be as close disapproved, one-sided and biased as they were the year prior to the game. The town demonstrated a genuine change after the Titans won the Northern Regional Championship Game, all the individuals of the town whether they were dark or white were there to cheer and praise the group on their triumph. This was a gigantic change in the perspectives of the township. In spite of the fact that the change was hard, the town is better of being coordinated because of the change after the success on account of the Titans. It is the catastrophes and mix-ups inside Re

VRIO Framework Guide on Creating Sustainable Competitive Advantages

VRIO Framework Guide on Creating Sustainable Competitive Advantages If you are running an organization or a business, or just thinking about starting it, you must be focusing on your strengths and defining that one thing that will differentiate you from others and help you take the leading position in your industry.Fortunately or unfortunately â€" depends on the perspective, each organization in the world is doing the exact same thing and looking for ways to use its resources in the best possible way and create a competitive advantage.It’s no surprise that many scientists, professors, and researchers devoted themselves to creating the most efficient tools, which can be used in analyzing organization, with the aim of finding the one key resource that will help the company sustain an advantage and therefore stay at the top.There are many frameworks, matrixes, tools, sheets, etc. that can be used for achieving this. For some of them, you must have heard â€" the Ansoff Matrix, the Stakeholder Theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy, and the Balanced Scoreboard an d so on, but the one we will be focusing on now is the VRIO framework.What is VRIO framework, why it is so beneficial, how it is used and what should be your next step if you want to apply it to your organization, is exactly what we will be covering in this article.Get your pen and paper and start taking the notes!WHAT IS THE VRIO FRAMEWORK?The VRIO strategic framework is an internal analysis tool, which helps organizations categorize their resources regarding the certain traits outlined in the framework.This categorization and further analysis allow the organizations to identify their key resources, or in other words their competitive advantages.If you were wondering why VRIO, you should know that there are four dimensions or traits that build up the framework.First letters of those dimensions form the acronym VRIO:ValuableRareInimitableOrganizedBefore we go into the details with each of these traits, we’ll talk more about the tool itself. The VRIO strategic framework was create d in 1991, by the famous Jay B Barney.The interesting fact is that originally, this framework was called the VRIN strategic framework, with N meaning non-substitutable.This has changed later, as scientists have discovered that the risk of a resource being imitated can be measured under the third trait â€" Inimitable, which led to N being replaced with O, as an organized to capture the valued. Not to rush anything but we are certain you are looking forward to getting to the bottom point of this tool so we will highlight only once more how efficient it is.Not only that it is simple to understand, it is also quite easy to use, and if used correctly (which is no science), it can provide an enormous value to the company or organization.Therefore, the VRIO framework became and stayed number one choice for many when it comes to analyzing the internal environment.THE 4 DIMENSIONS OF THE VRIO FRAMEWORKAs mentioned above, the VRIO strategic framework consists of 4 dimensions â€" valuable, rar e, inimitable and organized.1. ValuableThe first dimension of the framework states the question of whether the resource adds the value to the company by enabling it to seize the opportunities or defend against the possible threats.It is important to mention that the resources are also valuable if they, by any means, help the organization increase the perceived customer value. It is usually achieved by increasing the differentiation of the product, especially if it goes together with lowering the price of it.If you get a Yes as an answer to the questions mentioned above, you should consider this resource as a valuable one.On the other hand, if the answer is No, you should be aware that this resource will lead your organization to a competitive disadvantage.Whichever result you get, you should bear one thing in mind â€" you are doing business in a dynamic environment where both market and technology change rapidly, which means that you need to do the analysis often in order to review the value of your resources.It has happened many times throughout history in each industry, that the companies lose their competitive advantage due to not reviewing the value of their resources and keeping them up to date with the external factors.2. RareHow to know if your resources are rare? It is quite simple rare resources are those that can only be acquired by one or very few organizations.All you have to do is ask yourself â€" Can this resource be easily acquired by some other company? If the answer is “No”, it means that you’ve got yourself a rare resource.When analyzing further, it is important to mention that if the resource is both valuable and rare, it will grant your organization a temporary competitive advantage.On the other hand, if you are in a situation where another or even more than one organization or company uses the same resource in a similar way, you will find your organization to be in a competitive parity.This is a result of the fact that companies use the same resources to implement identical strategies, which leads to a situation where no organization can achieve a superior position in the industry.Even if your company or organization finds itself currently in the competitive parity, that doesn’t mean that you should completely neglect the resources that are valuable to you.On the contrary, it means that you should keep them â€" as they are essential for staying in the market, and focus on finding new solutions and creating a unique strategy for penetrating the market.3. InimitableInimitable or costly to imitate is the third dimension of the VRIO strategic framework. It reflects the possibility of the resource to be imitated or substituted by other companies or organizations.When saying imitating, we are referring to various options: buying the resource or a substitute for the resource at a reasonable price or directly duplicating it.If the answer to the question “Can my resources be imitated?” is “No”, it means that your resource is inimitable, at least for now.If your resource is valuable, rare and costly to imitate, it has a high tendency to achieve a sustained competitive advantage.If you were wondering what makes any resource inimitable, Barney has the answer to that question. Barney explains that there are three reasons why any resource can be hard to imitate:i. Historical ConditionsThis category refers to all of the resources that have been created throughout history due to some historical event that happened, and that cannot be repeated today again.In this category, you will also find all resources that take much time to form, meaning you can plan on using them only if you have a long-term strategy you are certain your successors will continue implementing.ii. Causal AmbiguityThis reason depends more on your competition than you, as it represents the inability to identify the key resource that enables a company to have a competitive advantage.The only thing you can do in the situation wh ere this is the reason you have a competitive advantage is to focus on finding the way to keep your key resource a secret from your companies while making sure your customers are able to recognize it.iii. Social ComplexityThis is the most internal category that can exist. This refers to the most important resource any company or organization can have â€" people.You will grant yourself a chance to get a sustained competitive advantage if you have good interpersonal relationships and a healthy culture focused on growth and improvement.This is the hardest resource to get but also almost impossible to imitate.4. OrganizedOrganized or organized to capture the value is the fourth and final dimension of the VRIO strategic framework.If you’re still not certain why this should be a special dimension, consider the fact that no resource, no matter how valuable, rare or inimitable can bring the advantage to the company if it is not organized to capture the value.This means that any company or organization that really wants to create a sustainable competitive advantage should focus on organizing the management systems, policies, processes, organizational culture, and structure in order to be fully capable to achieve and realize the potential of its resources that are valuable, rare and inimitable.Only if this change happens in the company, the company will be able to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.If you realize that you do possess valuable, rare and imitable resources after you finish the VRIO analysis, think about the capacity of your company and its main focus.If you find that the focus wasnt on these key resources, you need to reorganize.In order to use the resources maximally, you need to gather the entire organization around the same idea and same focus.Think about your management systems, processes, and structure, and determine your starting point for change management.HOW TO USE THE VRIO STRATEGIC FRAMEWORKNow that you know that is VRIO strategic fra mework, understand its dimensions and know why it is so valuable, it is time you learn how to use it to improve the overall performance of your company.We’ll go step by step until we cover each point in details.1. Get to Know Your ResourcesThe first step is to do an internal analysis and understand your current state. It is crucial to identify your valuable, rare and inimitable resources.Before starting the analysis, you should be aware that there are two general types of resources tangible and intangible.Tangible resources are all physical things such as land, buildings, and machinery.Just by mentioning them, you can assume that they are easily bought in the market and rarely the reason a company is having a sustainable competitive advantage.But if you look at the intangible resources, such as trademarks, intellectual property, organizational culture, unique way of getting the job done and so on, you will notice that these things are not that easy to acquire, and therefore in al most every case, they make the source of the sustainable competitive advantage.Taking everything into consideration, you should start by analyzing your intangible resources. i. Identifying Valuable ResourcesFor identifying valuable resources it is useful to use other methods and analysis, such as the Value chain and the SWOT analysis.The reason that these methods are useful is the fact that they give you the exact information regarding the most valuable activities in your process, as well as the strengths of your company that help it seize the opportunities and avoid possible threats.Taking everything into consideration, using these additional methods can be multi-beneficial, as you will get a clear insight into the valuable activities and capabilities, as well as the most important strengths that are essential for you.After checking the additional methods, you can go even further into the analysis and ask yourself these questions:Does my company have any strength that my competitio n doesn’t?Is there anything in the process my company does better than my rivals?Did my company win an award (or been nominated) in any category relevant to the business?What is the one thing we do that helps us different from others and increase perceived customer value?Are there any activities that lower the cost production while maintaining the perceived customer value?Is my company’s brand recognized as innovative and customer oriented?Are my employees special in any way?Do we acquire regularly raw materials that are not easy to get?Is there a unique relationship with our suppliers or customers?All these questions should help you identify your valuable resources in the end.ii.  Identifying Rare ResourcesIn order to identify your rare resources, you have to ask yourself some of the following questions:Can my resources be easily acquired in the market by the competitors?Can my resources be acquired by the competitors in any near future?How many rivals that own a resource simil ar to mine there are in my industry?Identifying rare resources shouldnt be too hard, as that is probably something that helps you differentiate yourself from others, which is usually well known to both you and your rivals.iii. Identifying Inimitable ResourcesIts inimitable resources that help you get a chance of winning the sustainable competitive advantage and bringing your company at the top of your industry.In order to identify these resources, you should go through these questions:Is my resource protected by a patent?Is my resource easily duplicated by other companies?Is my resource easily substituted for a reasonable price by other companies?Is my resource socially complex?Is it difficult for my rivals to identify the exact processes, tasks, or other components that form the resource?After going through these questions, you should be able to claim your inimitable resources, which makes you ready for the second step.2.  Check How Organized Your Company IsNow that you are comple tely aware of the strengths of your company, the most valuable, rare and inimitable resources, it is time to get a clear picture of the usage of those resources.In order to realize that, you may ask yourself these questions:Is the structure in my organization organized in a way to maximize the use of the resource?Are there effective management processes in my organization?Do I have effective rewards and recognition system for my employees?Do I reward innovative ideas coming from my employees?Are there suitable management and quality control systems in my company?We advise you to take time and think about all these things.There are many companies in the world that have all the needed resources, but still fail to use them properly, which leads them to failure.Once you realize where your potential lays, you have to shift the entire organization towards it, in order to completely fulfill it.3.  Keep Your Key Resources Only for YourselfOnce you organize your company in a way that it uses maximally the potential it has, you will become the target of all of your competitors.That means, that all of them will be trying to find what’s that special thing that you have that gives you a sustainable competitive advantage, and that leaves you with only one task: protect your resources.For starters, get the entire management aware of the key resource and its importance.Thats a good starting point for you to brainstorm together the ways you could lower the costs and focus on the thing that differentiates you from your rivals.There are even some companies that build on strategies to perceive their resources, finding a way to mask their key contributor.The main for you should be to eliminate any possibility for other companies to imitate what you have and you’ll be good, as long as what you do is what the world needs.4. Keep VRIO Resources Up to DateThis is very important! Remember, you might have a sustainable competitive advantage, but it will last only as long as it is up to date! You have to constantly review your internal strengths in order to maintain the leading place in your industry.It is a well-known fact that the value of each resource in the world changes throughout time, especially nowadays, when we are living in a dynamic environment full of constant changes in technology and market in general.Therefore, keeping your resources up to date and reviewing them constantly must be one of your top priorities.And no matter how hard you try to keep your resources only for yourself, eventually some of your competitors will find a way to get to them.This means that you will no longer have those resources as key ones, and you’ll have to find the new ones.If you want to increase your protection, you can go with the strategy of developing the key resources internally (inside the company), which will make it harder for your competitors to imitate you.However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t review your resources if they are internal.On the contrar y, it is crucial to review them constantly if you want to grant your company a long term success.HOW TO START USING THE VRIO FRAMEWORKNow that you know all of the steps, all you have to do is start.Experience shows that the most effective and efficient way to apply this framework is through using tables for resources’ categorization.You should create a table containing 5 columns, and the number of rows should be equal to the number of different resources your company possesses.After creating a table, name the columns in the following order: Resources, Value, Rare, Imitation, Organization, Competitive advantage.Fill out the rows with all your resources and grade each resource depending on how valuable, rare, costly to imitate and organized to capture the value they are.This way of categorization will give you a clear picture of your resources and the best potential you have. After this, you will be able to reorganize your company and focus on sustainable competitive advantage.If yo u wish to learn more about the tables, you can check the example of Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts and their way of applying the VRIO strategic framework.FINAL WORDAfter getting all the details regarding each aspect of VRIO strategic framework, you should by now be able to understand the concept of this methodology and have the first step planned out in your mind.When you take everything into consideration, it is not difficult at all to learn how to apply this to your company, and once you do apply it, the benefits are more than rewarding.You will be able to understand your companys strengths better and realize what is the key resource that differentiates you from the others.Once you have all of this, all you need to do is to put into work and make things happen. If you want to create a sustainable competitive advantage, the VRIO framework will guide your way.

Themes Of Racism And White Privilege - 939 Words

In Kindred, Octavia Butler uses characters and events to symbolize parts of larger themes of racism and white privilege in the story. Kevin is a symbol of the complicated relationship that white America has with black Americans. Kevin believes that he is not racist, yet his actions betray an unconscious prejudice towards African-Americans. This is evident when Kevin reacts angrily when Dana refuses to type up his writing for him. â€Å"He really had asked me to do some typing for him three times. I’d done it the first time, grudgingly, not telling him how much I hated typing, how I did all but the final drafts of my stories in longhand. That was why I was with a blue-collar agency instead of a white-collar agency. The second time he asked, though, I told him, and I refused. He was annoyed. The third time when I refused again, he was angry.† (Butler 109) Kevin does not see that Dana has a choice whether or not to do this typing for him, and feels entitled to her time and labor. Another instance in which Kevin feels entitled to her time is when they first meet. â€Å"‘Buz told me you were a writer,’ said the voice that I thought had gone away. ‘Look, I can’t count with you talking to me.’ I pulled out a tray full of large screws—twenty-five to a box. ‘Take a break’† (53) Kevin ignores Dana’s request for him to leave her alone, and pesters her. Kevin assumed that he knew what Dana needed to do better than she did, and decided that whatever she wanted did not matter. Though he may haveShow MoreRelatedAlice Mcintyre Talks About How Whites View Racism In Many1222 Words   |  5 Pagestalks about how whites view racism in many different examples and stories of white talk. McIntyre defines white talk throughout the reading, â€Å"Talk that serves to insulate white people from examining their/our individual and collective roles in the perpetuation of racism. It is a result of whites talki ng uncritically with/to other whites all the while, resisting critique and massaging each other’s racist attitude, beliefs, and actions† (McIntyre, 45-46). McIntyre talks about the themes that were discussionsRead MoreRacism In Master Harold And The Boys By Athol Fugard1291 Words   |  6 Pages Institutional racism is a global phenomenon. The never-ending list of disadvantages minorities face on a day to day basis is catastrophic. Nevertheless, one thing that can be done is to improve awareness. Institutional racism should be recognized by those higher in social status since minorities only make up a small percentage of the earth’s population. This limits the amount of control they have, leading to systemic oppression and restricting the number of opportunities people of color have.Read MoreThe And Race Expert Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum1312 Words   |  6 Pagesher most popular publishes. It focus on white and black relations during adolescents. 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Lee Mun Wah uses different variations of visual language and compositions to show certain perspectives on the different characters. Also there is a theme of interlocking hierarchies presented in the film. CertainRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Sister Outsider 1709 Words   |  7 Pagesoverall American system that promotes systems of oppression that correspond with racism. Lorde explores many themes within her writings, but this paper will concentrate on the underlining themes from â€Å"The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism† (Audre Lorde), themes such as the need and use of anger without guilt, oppression vs. oppressed relationship, and the need for a different feminist movement. 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Although such practices might not be intentionally racist, they end up being racist nevertheless as consequence of the systematized and unspokenRead MoreWhite Privilege : Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack1455 Words   |  6 PagesThis purpose of this paper is to synthesize this writer s three key revelations from this semester which are, (1) white privilege, (2) curriculum corruption and inadequate United States history education in K-12 public schools, and (3) United States legislation which disadvantages the minor races as a means for the dominate race to maintain power and control. Thus, this exploration organizes each area of significant course discovery, which a hybrid of class sources and readings relating to eachRead MoreRacism: A Contagious Virus1130 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Racism is a man made illness that has spread upon humans worldwide and to this day, Racism is currently still a contagious virus. Racism is mans gravest threat to man, the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason. The idea of race and superiority has caused major social and economic damage globally; with a fire still burning of hate and ignorance will we ever see a conclusion and closure of hate of our fellow man. In my response paper I will highlight readings that have expanded

Literary Analysis Of Everyday Use By Alice Walker - 771 Words

Most readers see what is shown on the surface, but do not go deeper between the lines. There are two different ways readers can interpret â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker. The first one being Dee/Wangero comes home as a new person with a new attitude. Dee’s mother sees her as a person who,†...washed us in a river of make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t need to know.†Ã‚ ¬ (Walker 53). The other way the short story could be read is Mama shares the story in her point of view, which is not necessarily the truth. Although Dee can come off disrespectful, Dee cares for her heritage and shows this by taking many pictures upon her arrival and wanting the quilt and churn top. Dee does not care about where she came from. She is not†¦show more content†¦Nancy Tuten says it best when Mama stands up for Maggie,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦metaphorically, she gives Maggie her voice.† This just shows how discourteous Dee is. Although the reader is blind with the disrespect Dee is portrayed of having, the whole story is in Mama’s words and thoughts. Mama portrayed Dee to be making fun of her heritage and being disrespectful, when really that is what Mama thinks. In the beginning of the story Dee was taking pictures of the house. Mama might have thought she would show her friends these pictures to speak negatively about, but Dee might have loved what the house looked like and wanted to show it off. By reading Susan Farrell’s re-evaluation, Farrell makes me realize that Mama is disappointed in herself. Mama is jealous of Dee because Dee is secretly what Mama would like to be. Farrell point out to the reader that Dee could be the sweetest person in the world and care so much about her family and heritage, but the reader would never know because the reader just sees what Mama sees. The reader assumes Dee is thinking exactly what Mama is thinking, and that may not be the case. In the end, Mama sh ows some of the same traits she admired about Dee. While eating dinner Dee shows much interest in the benches made by hand and the churn and top made by her Uncle Bobby. Then Dee becomes attracted to the quilts in the other room. Even though there are multipleShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of Everyday Use By Alice Walker1083 Words   |  5 PagesUse (Literary analysis on Everyday Use by Alice Walker) Everyday many people use the same things such as phones, cars, sinks, washer, refrigerators, and etc. In 100 years would you can future ancestors still have those things but only use them as decoration or use them still no matter how old they are because that is what they are made for? Everyday Use by Alice walker is a story of an African American family that had two daughter that live a very different reality. Maggie being scarred from aRead MoreSame Theme, Different Development in of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker’s The Legacy and Everyday Use690 Words   |  3 PagesTwo major literary works of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker’s The Legacy and Everyday Use, both of them have the common that is the theme of the story carries â€Å"the heritage† issue but the focus of it is different. In The Legacy, the focus of the heritage was a relic diary of Angela for her husband. Implicitly, we can conclude that the heritage was meant to be recognition of Angela to her h usband. While the focus in Everyday Use, the focus of the heritage was the quilts, and in the final story weRead MoreAnalysis Of Walker s Everyday Use863 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† The short story â€Å"Everyday Use,† by Alice Walker, contains multiple different literary elements. History and heritage play a key role in the development and conclusion of this rather intriguing story. Although history and heritage are important, the driving factors of this story are the literary elements. In particular the elements of symbols, characterization, and point of view in this story are significant. The use of symbols in this short story provide a deeperRead MoreThe Usability of Symbolism in Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay1230 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism is a technique that author’s uses to bring out the main importance of an object, but more emphasized details are being extracted in the usage of it. Alice Walker uses quilts, for example, to symbolize a â€Å"bond between women† (Spark Notes) a relationship between women, that would get passed down from generation to generation. In this story, symbolism plays a big role that makes this more attracted to the reader’s eyes. The characters such as the following: Mama Johnson, Dee, and Maggie allRead MoreSymbolic References in Everyday Use by Alice Walker1848 Words   |  8 PagesSymbolism is the taking of an object big or small, and giving it something to stand for. It could be your everyday math symbols for addition, subtraction, division, and etc. Although math symbols are perfect examples of symbolism, there’s also objects that can be more than what they are. For example animals, Lions are known to be symbolized as strength, aggression, and assertiveness. Birds like doves are symbolized as love and peace. Colors are also held symbolically, for instance the color blackRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Alice Walker s Everyday Use2414 Words   |  10 PagesTulsi Rizal Prof. Mary Huffer Eng122 24 April 2016 Critical Analysis of Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† Alice Walker, most revered African American writer of the present time was born on 9th February 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia. She started her career as a social worker/activist, followed by teaching and and being a writer. She has won many awards for her fantastic social and literary works. Everyday use† was published in 1973, when African Americans were struggling to revive their original African cultureRead MoreAlice Malsenior6001 Words   |  25 PagesAlice Walker: Peeling an Essence As an African- American novelist, short–story writer, essayist, poet, critic, and editor, Alice Walker’s plethora of literary works examines many aspects of African American life as well as historical issues that are further developed by Walker’s unique point of view. Writers like Alice Walker make it possible to bring words and emotions to voices and events that are often silenced. Far from the traditional image of the artist, she has sought what amounts to aRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Alice Walker s The Color Purple1489 Words   |  6 PagesSisterhood and Feminism: A Literary Analysis of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple Behind every beautiful thing, there s some kind of pain. The color purple represents royalty and nobility, which can be use to describe the personality of Celie and Nettie and their value of life. Purple is created by combining a strong warm with a strong cool color. The one color contain two completely opposite colors which repre sent price of royalty and nobility. The Color Purple using epistolary style to describeRead MoreOpression and Inequality2595 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Å"Racism, Oppression, and Inequality within The Welcome Table and Country Lovers† In this paper I will analyze the similarities and differences between Country Lovers written in 1975 by Nadine Gordimer, and The Welcome Table written in 1970 by Alice Walker. The overall theme and concept between The Welcome Table and Country Lovers are racism, oppression, and inequality which I analyze with critical thought and precision. Before I can begin to draw any conclusion as to comparing and contrastingRead MoreA Literary Analysis Of Still Alice3068 Words   |  13 Pagesï » ¿A Literary Analysis of Still Alice Still Alice (Genova, 2009) is a captivating debut novel about a 50-year-old woman’s sudden decline into early onset Alzheimer’s disease. The book is written by first time author Lisa Genova, who holds a PH.D in neuroscience from Harvard University. She’s also an online columnist for the national Alzheimer’s association. Her other books include Left Neglected and Love Anthony. She lives with her husband and two children in Cape Cod. The theme of the book is related

Mobile Knowledge Management Systems and Policies Free Essays

The terms knowledge and knowledge management are such broad topics that there have no common definitions. Knowledge is something that is believed and reliable, as distinguished from information which is a set of data   arranged in   meaningful patterns. Knowledge is information combined with experience, and reflection,   integrating thinking and feeling. We will write a custom essay sample on Mobile Knowledge Management: Systems and Policies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Knowledge management refers to a set of practices to capture and disseminate know-how among organizations around the world (Denning, 1998) for reuse, learning and creating awareness across organizations (Wikipedia) . It is easier and faster to transfer information than knowledge from one individual to another.(Denning, 1998). Among the benefits of knowledge management practices are : increased ability to capture knowledge from outside organization and integrate knowledge from departments within the organization; improved skills and knowledge of workers; increased ability to adapt services to clients; define and provide new services to clients; improved worker efficiency and productivity; alleviated the impacts of worker departures (Pratt,   2006). Knowledge management particularly semantic web documents has been applied in integrating ecoinformatics resources and environmental data (Parr, et al., 2006). This was done using the tool ELVIS (Ecosystem Location Visualization and Information System) to construct food webs (Parr, et al., 2006). Other applications were in data warehousing of student data in higher education (Palmer, 2006) and knowledge management design team-based engineering (Reiner, 2006). The latter demonstrated the use of design history as a source of   insight for team design process. It proposed a modeling framework for collaborative and distributed knowledge management for design teams (Reiner, 2006) Advances in computer and information technologies have greatly enhanced knowledge management. Palmer (2006) employed e-mail and the web to get participants to access a questionnaire on improving data quality in a data warehousing   in a higher education setting . The use of metadata and end-user involvement were positively correlated with obtaining high-quality data in data warehousing. Today, mobility and transportability are the emerging as important considerations for sharing information and knowledge. With mobile phones and hand-held computers using wireless technologies, people are no longer tied down to work in a physical office with rigid working hours but can do things in the comfort of their homes or elsewhere in a virtual office. With the ease of sharing knowledge, abuses and infringement of intellectual properties were also made easier. Regulations within the organization and the national government in general are needed to safeguard the companies against these potential abuses. Policies are also needed for security and privacy and can   determine the success or failure of a web service (Bonatti, et al. 2006). Roman et al. (2006) proposed a   combined WSMO (Web Service Modeling Ontology) and WS-policy framework consisting of a set of specifications with heavy industrial backing. This framework combines a conceptual model (Web Service Modeling Ontology), a formal syntax and language (Web Service Modeling Language) and an execution environment (Web Service Execution Environment) (Roman et al., 2006). 2.   Complete Problem Statement and Goal The trend in knowledge management is headed towards the same direction as mobile entertainment. Entertainment equipment has gone down to the size of the i-pod and portability of the DVD complete with small screens and sound system. Although some of the features of the big system are conveniently packed into the miniature system, there will always be a trade-off between the capabilities of the big system and the portable small system. This proposed research will look at the plight of the small system, the size of the mobile phone or hand-held computers that rely on wireless technology. The goals are to optimize its use for the different knowledge management processes, and identify policies to safeguard its misuse especially the threat on knowledge security of the organization. The goals will be measured in terms of the number of process that the handheld devices can handle   compare with the host computer, number of times communications breakdown and their causes, frequency of security breakdown through the use of the mobile devices. Research question: â€Å"To what extent will mobile systems, the size of mobile phones and hand-held calculators, be utilized in knowledge management?† Hypotheses: Downsizing/outsourcing will be the trend in business which will require mobile systems for communication and knowledge management. Mobile systems will become more sophisticated and powerful to be able to perform tasks that are currently done by bigger systems. Security   systems of company knowledge (data) will evolve along with the development of mobile systems 3.   Relevance and significance More and more companies continue to invest in wireless e-mail, personal productivity applications, inventory management and sales automation. More than half   of 250 IT executives surveyed in October 2003 recognize the importance of wireless technologies in their organization’s overall goals and improve user satisfaction (Ware, 2004). Most common wireless devices include a combination of mobile phones (with or without web browsers/email), laptop computers with wireless modem   and PDA’s with wireless connectivity   and pocket PC’s (Ware, 2004). Among the different wireless applications that companies will continue to support in the future, email access tops the list followed by calendar/scheduling, web access, personal productivity (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation softwares), text messaging, real time inventory management, factory floor, transactions, global positioning system (GPS), human resources, finance/accounting, decision support, CRM, sales automation, wireless e-commerce, and procurement   (Ware, 2004). Overall 60% of those surveyed were positive that their wireless investment already paid for itself (Ware, 2004). The greatest benefits came from increased productivity, streamlined processes/greater efficiencies and improved user satisfaction (Ware, 2004). The challenges to wireless technologies are security, user support, privacy and budget restrictions (Ware, 2004). Downsizing can cut down the cost of doing knowledge management. Downsizing can be done through physical reduction in the size of the hardware (equipment), software that can be run on a hand-held computer or mobile phone set, or a networking system whereby the host computer does the data analysis and the final results downloadable to the mobile phones. Government and company policies are needed to safeguard against misuse, industrial espionage and other information security issues. 4.   Approach For Hypothesis No. 1: This will be a time series analysis, with years as independent variable, and numbers of companies undergoing downsizing/outsourcing and mobile devices as dependent variables. A survey will be done on the   internet and from published news reports such as CIO Reports regarding number of businesses which had undergone downsizing or outsourcing of their operations, during the past decade. This will be correlated with the number of mobile devices used by different companies during the same period. The time series plot of the data will show the trends in downsizing and/or outsourcing and number of mobile devices through the years. The years will be the independent variable while the number of companies and mobile devices will be the dependent variables. A correlation between the two dependent variables will be made. A significant positive correlation   and increasing trends in the graphs will support Hypothesis No.1. For Hypotheses No. 2 and 3: This study will identify two companies of different sizes (large and small in terms of facilities, number of staff, type and volume of business) that have a host computer, a local area network (either wired or WIFI) and broadband internet access, and staff who have their own or office-issued hand-held computers or mobile phones with wireless internet capabilities through the years. Questionnaires will be prepared and key management officers and office staff will be interviewed. Information to be gathered will include the company profile, the knowledge management system in place including softwares and consulting firms, knowledge management applications most frequently used, access security levels issued to different classes of office staff. The staff will be asked to enumerate the processes they could do or would want to do using their mobile units, from simple text messaging to internet browsing that help in the overall decision-making process in the company. The capabilities of their host computer will be tabulated side by side with the capabilities of their most common mobile device (brand, model, year acquired). Capabilities will be measured in terms of available memory and the number of tasks the device is capable of performing. This is again a time series data with year as independent variable and the number of features or tasks performed by the host computer and the mobile systems will be the dependent variables. If hypothesis no. 2 is correct we would expect an increasing number of tasks that can be performed by the mobile system. For hypothesis No. 3, the dependent variable will the frequency   of data security   breakdowns and the independent variable will the years the company has been in operation. Another indicator will be the number of regulations formulated to curb security problems (dependent variable) through the years. Company management will be asked regarding existing company policies, code of ethics, data security and standard operational procedures through the years from the time the company was established. They will be asked how frequent did they suffer breakdown in data security through their mobile devices through the years. They will also be asked to comment on the ideal design for their computer hardwares and softwares and features for the mobile equipment.   They will also be asked to comment of what kinds of government support and regulations are needed to curb piracy and infringement of their intellectual properties. This research will need the following resources: interviewers to interview at least three key company officers, two staff per office department (e.g. human resources, procurement, marketing, operations, etc.); a knowledge management or IT specialist to evaluate   knowledge management software system and how the ordinary staff can access to it using their mobile equipment. References: Bonatti, P.A., Ding, L., Finin, T. and Olmedilla, D. 2006. Proceedings of the 2nd International Semantic Web Policy Workshop (SWPW’06). 5th International Semantic Web Conference (ISWC). Athens, Georgia, USA. Nov. 5, 2006. Denning, S. What is knowledge management? Background paper to the World Development Report 1998. from Palmer, H. 2006. A data warehouse methodology and model for student data in higher education. PhD dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. UMI Number 3218332. 202pp. Parr, C.S., Parafiynyk, A., Sachs, J., Pan, R., Han, L., Ding, L., Finin, T., Wang, D. 2006. Using the semantic web to integrate ecoinformatics resources. American Association for Artficial Intelligence (www.aaai.org). Reiner, K.A. 2006. A framework for knowledge capture and a study of development metrics in collaborative engineering design. PhD Dissertation. Stanford University. UMI Microform 3219361.   258 p. Roman, D., Kopecky, J., Toma, I. and Fensel, D. 2006. Aligning WSMO and WS-Policy. Proceedings of the 2nd International Semantic Web Policy Workshop (SWPW’06). 5th International Semantic Web Conference (ISWC). Athens, Georgia, USA. Nov. 5, 2006. Ware, L.C. 2004. The payoff of wireless IT investments. CIO Research Reports. From Wikipedia. Knowledge management. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_management How to cite Mobile Knowledge Management: Systems and Policies, Essay examples

The USA PATRIOT Act and issues of privacy Essay Example Essay Example

The USA PATRIOT Act and issues of privacy Essay Example Paper The USA PATRIOT Act and issues of privacy Essay Introduction The twentieth century has been a transformational period for human societies. As the process of industrialization advanced during this period, more people moved away from rural to urban settings. As a result major cities became overpopulated and towns expanded into cities. The meaning of ‘public space’ got expanded and redefined during this process. And when millions of people share limited geographical space, individual privacy becomes a problem. The problem is essentially twofold: firstly, it is challenging for government agencies to protect the privacy rights of its citizens and secondly, the city dwellers are faced with threats to their privacy by criminals and fraudsters. It is in this backdrop that we must study the issue of privacy in the United States today. As the most advanced nation in the world, the urban spaces in the United States are the nerve centers for global commerce and politics. A loss of privacy in the form of loss of confidential information can ha ve far-reaching negative consequences for individuals/corporations/governments involved. In the last two decades, the issue of privacy has taken a new dimension, with the advent of electronic communication. The growth of the Internet has posed new challenges to administrators of privacy and so far these challenges are not properly met. There is plenty of commercial activity that takes place in the Internet, thereby raising the stakes of proper security measures. An FBI report indicates that phishing scams are occurring more frequently on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Orkut. Viruses, decoy messages and hacked personal accounts are employed to acquire private data of a user, which is later abused for various purposes. For example, The USA PATRIOT Act and issues of privacy Essay Body Paragraphs â€Å"Messages, which generally masquerade as warnings related to service agreements or other notifications, contain malicious code that covertly installs software on victims’ PCs, letting thieves steal account names and passwords. The thieves then use the accounts to distribute messages to friends of the victim, requesting large sums of money and spreading the malicious code even further†. (Schiller, 2009) In the light of discovering such scams in the world of social networking, the FBI has notified Internet users to strengthen their privacy settings and also take precautionary measures such as â€Å"disabling options such as photo sharing when possible, and carefully scrutinizing links before deciding to click on them, regardless of their apparent source† (Schiller, 2009). Already, in the few years that social networking sites have taken root, more than three thousand cases of account hacking have occurred. But the security risks posed by social networks are no t so great as to warrant governmental intrusion as under the PATRIOT Act. For example, in a survey conducted recently on young people, most â€Å"expressed a fair amount of confidence about their knowledge of and control of their personal privacy on Facebook; most expressed trust with the privacy controls Facebook affords user† (Shade, 2008). The participants are well aware of the risks involved and the requisite precautionary measures to be taken. In other words, the youth of today who dominate the online social networking scene are careful about protecting their privacy. There are some minor concerns though on â€Å"how other users (friends’ or peers) treat their personal information (such as tagging photos without their knowledge or permission) are often an irritant and matter of concern. Further, increasing tensions over parental access to Facebook (either through parental attempts to monitor their child’s personal profile or parents becoming Facebook users themselves) and how youth will negotiate personal revelations that future university admissions officers, potential employers, etc., could have access to, are yet another challenge. (Shade, 2008)† But none of the above concerns should bring the realm of the Internet under the purview of the PATRIOT Act. The logic employed by the drafters of counter-terrorist legislation such as the PATRIOT Act is that the Internet has also been a conduit for anti-social activities like planning for terrorist attacks. There is evidence that some of the terror networks in the Middle East and Asia have used the Internet to plan terror attacks. This puts pressure on governments to sometimes act intrusively and breach privacy laws in order to provide security to its citizens. Hence the governing authorities are faced with a dilemma: they are required to respect privacy rights of its citizens while also expected to provide them security from terror attacks. Often times, it is difficult to provide b oth and the government ends up compromising on the privacy rights, for it perceives the terror threat to be much graver. This is typically what happened with the drafting and passing of the USA PATRIOT act in 2001. Hence, while the PATRIOT Act offered more security, it compromised on the privacy rights of American citizens, making it highly controversial. But behind the official rhetoric, the truth remains that the Bush Administration acted opportunistically in the wake of September 11, 2001, to impose restrictions and take away civil liberties of American citizens. At the time of its proposal, the public opinion was not unfavorable to the legislation, as the general public was gripped in an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. But seen retrospectively and when studied in detail, the PATRIOT Act translates into one grand reactionary scheme to take away hard-won civilian rights. Under the guise of improving national security, the USA PATRIOT Act has added new powers to the executive br anch of government, while decreasing judicial oversight. Of all the measured incorporated by it, the ones pertaining to privacy and due process of law are the most controversial. For example, â€Å"The Act severely curtails the right to privacy at several turns, including broadening the grounds for increased surveillance and wiretap authority, sneak-and-peek searches, tracking Internet usage, and accessing private records. As a result of the USA PATRIOT Act, more than 1,200 immigrants in the United States were taken into custody and detained for an extended period without being charged with committing a terrorist act.† (Abdolian Takooshian, 2003) What is worse, the Obama Administration has not only continued with surveillance programs initiated by George Bush, but has tried to make it immune from legal challenges. For example, â€Å"The Obama Administration goes two steps further than Bush did, and claims that the US PATRIOT Act also renders the U.S. immune from suit under the two remaining key federal surveillance laws: the Wiretap Act and the Stored Communications Act. Essentially, the Obama Administration has claimed that the government cannot be held accountable for illegal surveillance under any federal statutes.† (Jones, 2009) One of the strongest arguments for retracting the PATRIOT Act is that it has proven ineffective in reducing terror threat both within and without the United States. In the nine years since its enactment, the country and the world are no closer to preventing terrorist acts as they were previously. The terror strikes in London, Madrid and Bali will serve as testaments to this observation. The worsening situation in Iraq and Afghanistan will further validate this argument. An empirical study of the last nine years shows that the provisions for electronic monitoring of citizens and unnecessary intrusion into their private lines have done very little to reduce the threat of terror. If anything, some of the draconian provi sions under the PATRIOT Act have only increased disgruntlement among citizens by intruding on their privacy. Further, it has alienated innocent foreign tourists. (Jones, 2009) In order for the Obama Administration to not repeat mistakes made before, a study of the United States history is essential. During the Second World War, a similar situation arose when Japan was at war with the United States. At that time, many Japanese Americans were rounded up and detained in make-shift jails, on grounds that they ‘could’ be Japanese spies, and that their loyalties are questionable. This authoritarian measure met with such widespread condemnation that even the then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill vehemently and passionately expressed his displeasure. He stated that detaining civilians without legitimate arrest warrants was a grave breach of basic human rights. Applying the analogy to the present situation, the harassment felt by Muslim Americans (especially those from t he Middle East) in the guise of ‘random’ interviews, frisks, surveillance and outright detainment without warrant also comprises a breach of basic human rights. â€Å"From a constitutional perspective, the certification and mandatory detention of suspected immigrants in the USA PATRIOT Act should give pause. In particular, there is good reason to believe that the provisions do not comport with the procedural due process required by the Fifth Amendment. Without an opportunity to hear the charges against him and to contest them in a true adversarial proceeding, a wholly innocent person may well find himself deprived of liberty on unfounded allegations of terrorism. Accusations of terrorism do not justify procedural injustice. Furthermore, widespread reports of individuals wrongfully detained by the Justice Department since September 11 suggest the frequency of mistaken suspicion and government error in the terrorism probe. Truncated procedures only increase the risk of s uch deprivations.† (Abdolian Takooshian, 2003) We will write a custom essay sample on The USA PATRIOT Act and issues of privacy Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The USA PATRIOT Act and issues of privacy Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The USA PATRIOT Act and issues of privacy Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

2 Most Common Luxury Hotel Grammar Errors

2 Most Common Luxury Hotel Grammar Errors In July I wrote an article about phrasal verbs in response to a card in my hotel room that referred to an option to â€Å"workout† (one word – improper) instead of â€Å"work out† (2 words – proper) in the comfort of your own room. Since then I have discovered that the Hilton Garden Inn is not the only hotel to make this error.   While considering a possible stay at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore, I found this sentence: â€Å"For those who choose to workout in the privacy of their spacious guestroom, we offer YogaAwayTM.† The Hyatt’s advertising team made the exact same error as the Hilton’s.   Coincidence? Hotel Helter Skelter Here’s a strange thing:   Just for fun, I Googled â€Å"Hyatt workout† and discovered that the Hyatt is not consistent across its websites.   The Sarasota Hyatt Regency offers: â€Å"If you choose to work out in the privacy of your own hotel room or suite at Hyatt Regency Sarasota, we offer YogaAwayâ„ ¢.† Sarasota got it right! I wonder who is responsible for this mismatched spelling?   Why is Hyatt messaging not consistent between Baltimore and Sarasota?   I’ve always thought the draw of a hotel chain is the reassurance that you will get the same consistent service no matter where in the world you go.   The discrepancies on the Hyatt’s websites make me think perhaps their other amenities are not consistent either. More then [sic] words†¦ In the meantime, I have ventured on to yet another institution of hospitality:   a Marriott resort in Palm Desert, California.   Marriott evidently cares about energy conservation and therefore put out the following request: â€Å"In an effort to conserve water and energy, would you please consider using your towel more then once.† I don’t know about you, but my grammar checker even caught this one!   The correct statement would have been: â€Å"In an effort to conserve water and energy, would you please consider using your towel more than once.† There are some other grammatical issues with this sentence, but I’ll let them be for now.   Do you see the other issue here?   If you do, please share in the comments. I recall seeing a similar message in another hotel †¦ I’m not sure which one, but I believe the word â€Å"than† was properly used or I probably would have blogged about it. Wouldn’t it be nice if hotels could all get their grammar as straight and smooth as their bed sheets? Judging a book by its blunders? And by the way, even though this Marriott is a resort-level establishment, a level â€Å"6† which is pretty high in the Marriott pecking order, the round piece on the top of my bathroom sink drain was detached when I got to the room, and there was a stray peanut hiding under my very expensive flat screen TV.   Maybe grammar blunders really are an indication of deeper quality and performance issues? What do you think?   Have you found a hotel grammar blunder of late?   What would you suggest to these institutions that would keep them consistent and grammatically correct?   And how much do you judge a service provider based on the consistency and correctness of its message? Category:Grammar Writing TipsBy Brenda BernsteinDecember 12, 2011 5 Comments Stephanie Clark says: December 13, 2011 at 7:46 am Seems to me that this hotel is asking a question and forgot to reinforce that with the appropriate punctuation: a question mark! Your blog, Brenda, echoes my main bug-a-boo, which is that too many think they write well, and too few value good composition. Its true, too, as youve pointed out, that once weve discovered this inattention to detail and lack of sophistication in the writing, our brains begin to make leaps to other possible inconsistencies! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: December 15, 2011 at 1:33 am Thanks Stephanie. What boggles my mind is how there can be such inconsistencies between institutions that are theoretically branding themselves as the same chain. How does this happen? Log in to Reply Betsy Neidel says: December 13, 2011 at 7:57 am Spelling errors drive me crazy and give me the feeling that quality is substandard, but I am also realizing that formal grammar and spelling seem to be less important THAN they were when I went through school. Log in to Reply Penelope J. says: December 13, 2011 at 4:16 pm Excellent catches, but sadly, examples such as these seem to have become more the norm than the exception. The current tidal wave of grammar and spelling errors in websites, blogs, articles, books, newscasts, advertisements, and public messages is an unfortunate indication of the deteriorating standards of literacy and education in this country. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: December 15, 2011 at 1:31 am Thanks for your catch Larry. Note however that I pointed out there were additional issues with the sentence. The punctuation is only one of them, and in actuality the question period at the end of the sentence is not incorrect. Heres the guideline from https://www.whitesmoke.com/question-mark-usage: Using question marks for indicating requests 1. Use a question mark with a mild command or polite request instead of a period that would make the request more demanding. Would you take these reports down to accounting? [Polite request – It would be nice if you do.] Would you take these reports down to accounting. [Directive order – Take these reports]] I believe it could be argued that the statement at hand is more directive than questioning. The opposite could of course also be argued. Do you see the other problem with the sentence? Log in to Reply

Causes of Mass Wasting and Landslides

Causes of Mass Wasting and Landslides Mass wasting, sometimes called mass movement, is the downward movement by gravity of rock, regolith (loose, weathered rock) and/or soil on the sloped top layers of the Earth’s surface. It is a significant part of the process of erosion because it moves material from high elevations to lower elevations. It can be triggered by natural events like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and flooding, but gravity is its driving force. Although gravity is the driving force of mass wasting, it is impacted mainly by the slope material’s strength and cohesiveness as well as the amount of friction acting on the material. If friction, cohesion, and strength (collectively known as the resisting forces) are high in a given area, mass wasting is less likely to occur because the gravitational force does not exceed the resisting force. The angle of repose also plays a role in whether a slope will fail or not. This is the maximum angle at which loose material becomes stable, usually 25Â °-40Â °, and is caused by a balance between gravity and the resisting force. If, for example, a slope is extremely steep and the gravitational force is greater than that of the resisting force, the angle of repose has not been met and the slope is likely to fail. The point at which mass movement does occur is called the shear-failure point. Types of Mass Wasting Once the force of gravity on a mass of rock or soil reaches the shear-failure point, it can fall, slide, flow or creep down a slope. These are the four types of mass wasting and are determined by the speed of the material’s movement downslope as well as the amount of moisture found in the material. Falls and Avalanches The first type of mass wasting is a rockfall or avalanche. A rockfall is a large amount of rock that falls independently from a slope or cliff and forms an irregular pile of rock, called a talus slope, at the base of the slope. Rockfalls are fast moving, dry types of mass movements. An avalanche, also called a debris avalanche, is a mass of falling rock, but also includes soil and other debris. Like a rockfall, an avalanche moves quickly but because of the presence of soil and debris, they are sometimes moister than a rockfall. Landslides Landslides are another type of mass wasting. They are sudden, fast movements of a cohesive mass of soil, rock or regolith. Landslides occur in two types- the first of which is a translational slide. These involve movement along a flat surface parallel to the angle of the slope in a stepped-liked pattern, with no rotation. The second type of landslide is called a rotational slide and is the movement of surface material along a concave surface. Both types of landslides can be moist, but they are not normally saturated with water. Flow Flows, like rockfalls and landslides, are fast moving types of mass wasting. They are different however because the material within them is normally saturated with moisture. Mudflows, for example, are a type of flow that can occur quickly after heavy precipitation saturates a surface. Earthflows are another type of flow that occur in this category, but unlike mudflows, they are not usually saturated with moisture and move somewhat slower. Creep The final and slowest moving type of mass wasting is called soil creep. These are gradual but persistent movements of dry surface soil. In this type of movement, soil particles are lifted and moved by cycles of moistness and dryness, temperature variations and grazing livestock. Freeze and thaw cycles in soil moisture also contribute to creep through frost heaving. When soil moisture freezes, it causes soil particles to expand out. When it melts though, the soil particles move back down vertically, causing the slope to become unstable. Mass Wasting and Permafrost In addition to falls, landslides, flows and creep, mass wasting processes also contribute to the erosion of landscapes in areas prone to permafrost. Because drainage is often poor in these areas, moisture collects in soil. During the winter, this moisture freezes, causing ground ice to develop. In the summer, the ground ice thaws and saturates the soil. Once saturated, the layer of soil then flows as a mass from higher elevations to lower elevations, through a mass wasting process called solifluction. Humans and Mass Wasting Although most mass wasting processes occur via natural phenomena like earthquakes, human activities like surface mining or the building of a highway or shopping malls can also contribute to mass wasting. Human-induced mass wasting is called scarification and can have the same impacts on a landscape as natural occurrences. Whether human-induced or natural though, mass wasting plays a significant role on the erosion landscapes all over the world and different mass wasting events have caused damage in cities as well. On March 27, 1964, for example, an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 9.2 near Anchorage, Alaska caused almost 100 mass wasting events like landslides and debris avalanches throughout the state that impacted cities as well as more remote, rural regions. Today, scientists use their knowledge of local geology and provide extensive monitoring of ground movement to better plan cities and aid in reducing the impacts of mass wasting in populated areas.

Dialogue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dialogue - Essay Example Seventh floor. Sixth. Fifth. Fourth. Third. The door opened. I said to myself â€Å"This is it†. As I walked towards the hallway, I felt conscious. It seems that everyone was looking at me although the truth is – they were all busy with their work. I stood in front of Room 305. I was about to knock on the door when it was opened by an elderly man who is actually the police inspector. His gray suit revealed his position and demeanor. He was gentle-looking but something about him revealed a tough character. He asked , â€Å" Where were you that night when the laptops were stolen?†He was searching me for any clues that might reveal my secrets. The ring on his finger showed that he belonged to a secret society. â€Å" I was at home entertaining friends†. Obviously, it was a lie. However, I can easily ask my friends to cover for me and testify that they were with me that fateful night. I added, â€Å"One of my close friends celebrated his birthday at my place. Besides, at that time of the night, I am usually home relaxing on any given weekday.† I was trying to evaluate what I have said. Was there any clue that I was defensive? I hope not. He was suspicious of what I said. â€Å" You mean to say you do not spend overtime?† Apparently, he was not satisfied with my previous statements. â€Å"It is highly unlikely that you don’t stay late in the office since you are a busy man in a busy department.† A mixed feeling of fear and guilt was inside my chest. I could hear my heart beating loud. Nevertheless, I defended myself by saying† Am I not allowed to relax after work?†. I knew it was an indirect answer. Suddenly, the room was getting

Analytical reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analytical reading - Essay Example Huang argues that Pomeranz and other scholars who write about the Chinese and European economies do from the point of view of their own countries and not from the point of view of the region in question. This is known as a lack of ethnocentricity in political science. What this means is that the political scientists resort to bias in favor of their own regions and also lack what is known as perceiving the world through the eyes of the inhabitants who are specific to the region in question. This apparent blindness towards the subject area is the lack of ethnocentric bias and this means that the scholars do not judge the subject material from the point of view of the subjects themselves. Huang is even handed when he points out studies by Chinese scholars fare no better when it comes to discourse on the European region and hence it is by no means settled that there is anything specific about claims made by both European and Chinese scholars. Hence, the criticism that Huang levels at Pomeranz is borne out by the lack of objectivity in Pomeranz’s analysis about the Chinese economy in the 18th century. Huang and Pomeranz contrast the differing ways in which the Chinese and European peasants went about their occupations by listing the differences that range from simple dietary practices to differences in clothing and other facets of agrarian life. Pomeranz quotes extensively from the data on the food habits of the peasants that include their calorie intake and other parameters that proved the premise that the Chinese were no worse when it came to food intake than their European counterparts. He further compares the non-grain intake with the consumption of meat and comes to the premise that the Chinese fared badly on this count due to the fact that they were pastoral in nature as compared to the meat eating Europeans. Whereas Huang

Should We Continue To Commemorate Wars? :: essays research papers

Should we continue to commemorate wars? Discuss with reference to specific examples. Throughout the course of this essay I will be discussing whether or not we should continue to commemorate wars, I will be mainly referring to Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday as my examples because these are the biggest commemorations for any of the wars in British history. Among all of the ceremonies and silences that occur throughout the year, there is still a tendency for people to forget what they are commemorating and remembering. When we commemorate wars, for example on remembrance weekend, we are remembering tens of thousands of people who died defending the country against evil; we also remember the people who these people loved and the loss that they encountered. We commemorate Armistice Day because it is 80 years to the day since World War One ended and the two-minute silence is to commemorate this. The silence, says the Royal British Legion, is "to remember the brave men and women who fought so courageously and with such sacrifice to secure the freedom which you and I enjoy today". On Remembrance Sunday there is another two minutes silence at eleven o’clock. The poppies worn and laid are a mark of respect for those who have died in wars everywhere in our name. Also a march past by veterans from wars symbolises the suffering and pain that goes on everywhere today and that is endured by some many. Commemoration is a time to reflect on the fact that our entire way of life is predicated on the sacrifices and courage of those that came before us and fought for our respective nations. It takes more courage than most of us can imagine risking ones life for an intangible goal such as victory for a nation. It has long been held that we should honour our past soldiers, to that honour I say that we should add thanks and deference. I think that commemorations should be an opportunity for all people but especially the young to thank and be grateful for the service of the forces and civilians during both the world wars. The sacrifices made and that are still having to be lived with by some should never be forgotten These commemorations means to me a time when the memories of those soldiers who gave their lives for the causes of peace are appreciated by people who have benefited from this.

The population of humans, on earth, has always been dependant on the availability of resources

The population of humans, on earth, has always been dependant on the availability of resources. We are not in equilibrium with the ecosystems and once these resources run out, so will our time on earth. These models try to explain how long we have left, and why this is the case. The main reason that these models are only valuable for explaining the ‘past', and not predicting the ‘future' is that there are to many variables, such as war and famine, that they do not take into account. The models all show a pattern that keeps repeating, in the case of Malthus, the population is limited by ‘food supply'. But this isn't always the case, as explained by Esther Boserup's model, which explains that ‘nature is the mother of invention'. This means that the population increases, and may exceed the food supply, but then inventions and technological advances create ways to accommodate this problem. The ‘Club of Rome' model, which explains Malthusian principles, also takes into consideration resources, such as water. This model illustrates that the population will increase and the amount of resources will decrease. Population will exceed the resources and continue to increase for some time, and then it will decrease very dramatically. Read this Ch. 22 Respiratory System Unfortunately, these models cannot predict extreme circumstances, such as war and famine. These events play a huge part in population growth, as did the events of World War II, after which there was a large ‘baby-boom' and the population of UK increased dramatically. War can also alter population the other way. A country's population could also decrease due to war, by refugees moving out, and also the loss inhabitants in combat. Famine also causes emigration to other, more prosperous countries, but also leads to a decrease in population due to death rates increasing. These type of events are impossible to predict, but still play a huge part in the way population stands against the resources available. The development of LEDCs has also not been taken into account by Malthus' and Club of Rome's models. Boserup, on the other hand, for foresaw these actions, to an extent as she explained that when the population starts overwhelming the natural resources, we find methods to revert the situation (i.e. development). With LEDCs developing populations will stop increasing so dramatically which will release the strain on our resources. With the introduction of contraception to LEDCs, the birth rates are starting to decrease, and this means that there will be less people requiring the valuable resources, such as water. Malthus and Club of Rome also missed the concept of rapid development. For example, the Industrial Revolution in the 17th and 18th century, had a huge impact on the amount of resources available, which is yet another example of Boserup's theory being closer to the truth than the others'. The UK had problems with the amount of resources at their disposal so they found a way to obtain more in the form of technical advances and inventions. This was not the only revolution that disrupted the theories of Malthus and Club of Rome, though. The agricultural revolution in 1798, created a surplus of food available to the population and therefore, the resources was not limited to the countries inhabitants, another example of Boserup's theory. The introduction of renewable energy, such as HEP, has also thrown Malthus' model, as well as Club of Rome's because it has created a resource that will not run out. This is another indicator that Boserup had the right idea that humans will think of a solution every time that resource-levels become low. All in all, both Malthus' and Club of Rome's models were much better at explaining the past than predicting the future as they do not take into account so many variables. Boserup's model, although not perfect, is a more accurate prediction of what is yet to come, as her theory that ‘nature is the mother of invention', is true, to some extent, when humans are concerned. Her model takes into account the fact that people change when their lives are under too much pressure. LEDCs are starting to develop due to the realization that if they don't, they will have serious problems.

The Consumption Of Crude Oil - 1684 Words

When a family migrates to another city or country, it could be an interesting or frustrating life experience, but at least their lives are not endangered. When humankind migrates to another planet, it might be a wonderful trip to start a new life. However, we also know that it is a trip full of risks and challenges, and a trip that might result in the loss of numerous lives. Some scientists argue that the Earth will soon be unsuitable to inhabit because the Earth is being heavily polluted and the natural resources are being excessively consumed. For instance, air pollution, which is caused by car exhaust or fumes from factories, damages the Earth s atmosphere, being responsible for the decline in the number of many species. Now, the consumption of crude oil is around 90 million barrels per day worldwide and it is certain that the consumption at such a rapid rate is not sustainable. That explains why some scientists and experts advocate migration to another planet which is ideal for l iving. However, it is far more practical for people to continue living on the Earth by prioritizing saving the Earth. It is a mission impossible to find another planet that is as suitable to inhabit as the Earth. Even if scientists find it, the eventual migration of the whole human race to such a planet is also a tremendous challenge. Although it might be beneficial to colonize on other planets by establishing a number of stations on another planet as the first step, the drawbacks of movingShow MoreRelatedThe Link Between Supply And Demand Of Crude Oil Essay1386 Words   |  6 Pagesspecialize in bulk commodity transportation, and crude oil refers to major liquid bulk cargo type. Demand of downstream users and supply in upstream sector impacts the work of shipping companies. The aim of the report is to examine the link between supply and demand of crude oil. 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