Nissan Skyline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nissan Skyline - Essay Example In 1954 the two companies were merged together. (http://history.jbskyline.net/). The Nissan Skyline is an intermediate-size automobile range sold in Japan and other countries. It is available in either coupe or sedan body styles, and is sold in North America, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Middle East as the Infiniti G35. The first Skyline under the Prince marque was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L (1482 cc) GA-4 engine producing 60 hp (44 kW). It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 87 mph (140 km/h). The car weighed around 1,300 kg. Prince Skylines were produced as four door sedans and five door station wagons. Apart from the sedan the Skyline also spawned pickup truck and van lines called the "Prince Skyway." The model with quad headlights appeared in 1957, powered by the same 1.5L engine. Its production went on through 1961. After Fuji Precision Industries changed its name to Prince the S50 series was launched. This second generation car soon became one of the most popular cars in Asia. It was powered by the G-1 engine, a 70 hp (52 kW) version of the old GA-4. A 1,862 cm engine was also available, delivering 91 hp. In 1962, this model was restyled as the S21S series (Pinker 1990). New styling for S50 became available in 1963. In 1966 after the merge of Nissan and Prince the S50 came out with Nissan Skyline marking. This model lasted in production through 1967, featuring hand-built Michelotti bodies in elegant coupe and convertible versions. These cars used the 1.9 L (1862 cc) GB-30 engine, producing 83 hp (61 kW). In mid-60s Prince created a racing GT Skyline. It was basically a variation of the S54 featuring the larger 6-cylinder G-7 engine from the Gloria S40, though the engine compartment needed modification to fit that long engine. Prince had high hopes for winning the 2nd Japanese Grand Prix with their new vehicle. Competing against the Porsche 904, the Skyline managed 2nd through to 6th places. After the success of the GT Skyline another version, Prince 2000GT was released to the Japanese market. In February 1969 the first GT-R Skyline came out. Nicknamed the Hakosuka amongst fans, it used the new 2.0 L (1998 cc) S20 I6 engine which produced 160 hp (119 kW), being therefore equal to the top sports cars of the time i.e. Nissan R380 racing car with its GR8 engine. First GT-R's were sedans, but a 2-door coupe version came out in March of 1971. To make the cars as light as possible for racing purposes the designers have stripped them of unnecessary equipment thus showing prominent results on track such as 33 victories of the sedan in less than two years and the 50 victories of the coupe in 1972. This GT-R is said to have been a competitor of Mazda's third rotary engine machine, the RX-3, and it is said that the two cars performed a desperate effort for victory at the circuits. The GT-R was also a favorite of wild street racers who roamed the streets at night at that time. It is claimed that the art of drifting began among Japanese racers when they purposely engaged their emergenc y brakes as a way to counter understeer on their GT-Rs. One of the most famous Japanese drifters was the Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya (http://history.jbskyline.net/). New GT-ES came out with a turbocharged engine, the L20ET, which was the first turbo engine to power a Japanese-manufactured vehicle. Turbo versions had no intercooler and no blowoff valve installed until the R32 powered with the

Development of tourism in Scotland Essay Example for Free

Development of tourism in Scotland Essay For a country to be a successful tourist destination, the normal impression that anybody has is that the country must be easy to access, with modern means of transport and good communication, unlike Scotland. A small country located on the periphery of Europe, Scotland is characteristic of tartans, highlands, mountains, castles and bagpipes etc, and for long, poor accessibility and transportation persisted in the country. Nevertheless, Scotland is among the most successful tourist destinations. Many have tried to bring about development of tourism in the country. The Scotts, in particular, were worried that the country’s inaccurate historic description might taint its image as a tourist destination. But little did they realize that in fact, portraying the country in modern perspective could cause considerable harm to its established image, which attracted a good number of visitors. [Butler, Richard. Tartan Mythology. 1998. p. 122. The traditional tourist image of Scotland. ] Besides the residents, the country saw noteworthy visitors, who contributed, directly or indirectly to its tourism development. The visitors can be distinguished into three groups—those from the field of military and administration, those involved in scientific studies and those who were engaged in works of music, art and literature. All these three groups had different approaches towards development in the country. The group involved in military and administrative activities was not directly related to the development initiative. However, their work involved a lot of traveling within the region. In their journals and writings, the group brought to light the difficulty in traveling in the region and the need for improving the transportation system there. Also, the scientific visitors wrote journals that described the physical features of Scotland and emphasized its historical heritage, which in turn, attracted more visitors. However, the group that comprised authors, and those involved in the works of art and music, was which made a significant impact on the development of Scotland’s tourism. Their approach was the most dominant and certainly the most effective. The works of renowned authors like Scott, Dickens, Wordsworth, just to name a few, described the country as a place with a romantic appeal. They gave vivid accounts of the scenery, the landscapes, the chivalry of the people and the military expeditions, which helped the country to establish a powerful image as a tourist destination. Not to forget one more group that did much to popularize the country—the absentee landlords and their friends. They engaged in sports like shooting and fishing that also made the country very popular and a coveted tourist destination. However, when more and more people started indulging in these sports, they were called off and Scotland remained a limited small tourist spot. [Butler, Richard. Tartan Mythology. 1998. p. 123-125. The traditional tourist image of Scotland. ] The development approaches resulted in improvement in many areas in the country like better communication and transportation facilities, better accommodation arrangements for tourists and the preserving of its natural heritage and culture, the established image of the country. The biggest strength of the development approach in Scotland is the realization that the tourists consider the natural heritage of the country as genuine and they are attracted to it because of its originality, unlike other places that are meretriciously ornamented. Only Development of tourism in Scotland 3 those who tried to fiddle with the traditional image of Scotland and try to portray it modernly reflect a weak approach towards its development. [Butler, Richard. Tartan Mythology. 1998. p. 132-135. The traditional tourist image of Scotland. Yes, the rising participation in adventure activities like skiing and wearing the highland dress, along with the popularity of golf rising significantly, reflect acknowledging of policies to sustain its image. If I were to manage its development, I too would go in for preserving its natural heritage so that visitors could get a real taste of the place. After all, tourists do come to have a bite of the place they visit and their nothing like getting a real taste of it! Reference citations Chapter 7: Butler, Richard: Tartan Mythology. 1998. The traditional tourist image of Scotland, p122-139.

Joan Of Arc Essay -- Biography Biographies Maid of Orleans Essays

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc, first known as Jeanne d'Arc, was born in the village of Domremy, in the Champagne district of northeastern France. She was born on January 6, 1412 and died May 30,1431 at the age of 19. Joan is a French national heroin and a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. She rescued France from defeat during the "Hundred Years War" against England. In honor of her victory she is often called the Maid of Orleans. This is a story of her life. Joan was not a well-educated woman. She had never learned to read or write but was skilled in sewing and spinning. Her deeply religious mother and father, Isabelle and Jacques d'Arc raised her. Joan's father was a small peasant farmer, poor but not needy. Joan was the youngest of a family of five. She grew up herding cattle and sheep and helping in the fields during the harvest. Joan often referred to herself as Jeanne la Pucelle (Joan the Maid.) Joan, like most other children, spent much time praying to the statues of saints that stood around the church in her village. At the age of 13 in the summer of 1425, she began having religious visions and hearing what she believed were voices of saints. They started occuring once a week and as she got older they happened daily. She said the voices told her to always behave, obey her parents, pray, etc. She claimed they were the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret. She was said to be a Clair Voyant, a person who has knowledge of events happening far away or in the futures without using any of the five senses. The visions and voices never left her. Finally, four years later she was convinced that God had chosen her to help King Charles VII clear the English from French land. Joan set out to Vancoulers to ask the military commander Robert Baudricourt, for an escort to visit the king. The commander did not take her seriously at first and laughed. Eventually he gave her what she wanted. At the age of 17 in 1429 Joan left to fulfill her first mission or triumph. King Charles VII had been king for 7 years prior. His main enemies were the English and the Burgundians, who supported the English. Both parties controlled Paris and the northern part of France. His enemies did not accept the King. Charles had never been crowned because where kings were crowned was in enemy territory. Meanwhile the military situation of King Cha... ...sisted that her visions and voices came from God. Charles, whom Joan had helped crown, sent no one to rescue her. Months later Joan was sentenced to death by a French Clergy. She was burned at the stake before a large crowd in a marketplace of Rouen, France on May 30, 1431. Her courageous death had caused many to believe they had witnessed the martyrdom of a Saint. Martyrdom is the extreme suffering of a person because of heretics, or strong opinions. Joan did not receive a Christian Burial. Instead her ashes were thrown into the Seine River. In 1455 her family called for a new trial. In 1456, a mere 25 years later, Pope Calixtus III declared that Joan was innocent in the end. Almost 500 years later in 1909 Pope Pius X beatified her, or proclaimed her to exalt above all others. Which is a step towards canonization, or sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1920, almost 500 years after her death, the Catholic Church canonized Joan, or declared her to be a saint. Her feast day is celebrated the day of her death, May 30. Today many authors write about Joan of Arc. Patriots, people studying the super natural, supporters of women's rights, and many more admire her.

When I Saw Him

The first time I recognized him was from across the cafeteria of my old high school. He was decent looking, had nice eyes, and an amazing smile. I had met him at a party a few weeks ago and we had exchanged numbers. My friend told me that Tim had liked me since the beginning of the school year but just never acted upon it. Once I showed interest in him he leaped at the chance and asked me out. On our first date he took me to a lake and brought his guitar with him. With his beautiful voice he started singing a song and playing along just as stunningly.I was so moved by his gesture that I started liking him back. The next few months were magical, but like any ordinary relationship the waters started getting a little rough as we got closer. The summer before he left for college was very difficult. I was getting scared of him leaving me so I got a little too clingy. We also started getting into trouble on more than one occasion. He liked to drink and smoke a little too much and I would g et so angry when he would yell at me for asking him to settle down. He would say I wasn’t his mom.He was right but I did care about him just as much as she did. He started going places without me and our communication got more and more limited. When he finally left for college is when everything fell apart. During month 10 of our relationship he was going to The New Hartford School of music and later on I found out that he also was selling drugs. Tim did all of the drugs he sold and even a few more. He eventually ran into some trouble with a couple of other drug dealers because he owed them a lot of money.His parents bailed him out and he moved back home. I had a feeling that Tim was getting more and more distant as he continued to go to college. He stopped calling altogether, and even when I called him he refused to answer. Texting became difficult because he wouldn’t give me full thoughts or answers. It got to the point where we didn’t talk for a full week bef ore I was finally worn-out and drained from putting up with his shenanigans. I broke up with him because he was so confused and messed up by the drugs that he stopped talking to me for a straight week.I apparently dumped him just in time too because a month after he was home he ended up getting arrested and thrown into jail for a number of felonies. I saw Tim change drastically while we were going out and I did not want to follow the horrible path he was going down. I loved him but he had to get his stuff together. I also found out that he was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. We rushed into things both emotionally and physically way too fast. Now that I should really get to know a person before I agree to be in a relationship with them.It wasn’t just his fault that the relationship fell apart. We both had issues when going into it that we didn’t communicate about. His parents did not like me, but they weren’t the nicest to Tim either. I had many problems of my own being a teenage girl in high school with bullies, school work, and family issues. In order to love someone else, a person has to love him/herself first. Tim and I just had too many problems from the beginning and we needed to focus on ourselves individually before going to fast, but we didn’t. Boy, was that a dumb thing to do.

Android Application Development Fundamentals

Application Fundamentals Quickview †¢ Android applications are composed of one or more application components (activities, services, content providers, and broadcast receivers) †¢ Each component performs a different role in the overall application behavior, and each one can be activated individually (even by other applications) †¢ The manifest file must declare all components in the application and should also declare all application requirements, such as the minimum version of Android required and any hardware configurations required †¢ Non-code application resources (images, strings, layout files, etc. should include alternatives for different device configurations (such as different strings for different languages and different layouts for different screen sizes) In this document 1. Application Components 1. Activating components 2. The Manifest File 1. Declaring components 2. Declaring application requirements 3. Application Resources Android applications are written in the Java programming language. The Android SDK tools compile the code—along with any data and resource files—into an Android package, an archive file with an . apk suffix. All the code in a single . pk file is considered to be one application and is the file that Android-powered devices use to install the application. Once installed on a device, each Android application lives in its own security sandbox: †¢ The Android operating system is a multi-user Linux system in which each application is a different user. †¢ By default, the system assigns each application a unique Linux user ID (the ID is used only by the system and is unknown to the application). The system sets permissions for all the files in an application so that only the user ID assigned to that application can access them. Each process has its own virtual machine (VM), so an application's code runs in isolation from other applications. †¢ By default, every application runs in its o wn Linux process. Android starts the process when any of the application's components need to be executed, then shuts down the process when it's no longer needed or when the system must recover memory for other applications. In this way, the Android system implements the principle of least privilege. That is, each application, by default, has access only to the components that it requires to do its work and no more. This creates a very secure environment in which an application cannot access parts of the system for which it is not given permission. However, there are ways for an application to share data with other applications and for an application to access system services: †¢ It's possible to arrange for two applications to share the same Linux user ID, in which case they are able to access each other's files. To conserve system resources, applications with the same user ID can also arrange to run in the same Linux process and share the same VM (the applications must also be signed with the same certificate). An application can request permission to access device data such as the user's contacts, SMS messages, the mountable storage (SD card), camera, Bluetooth, and more. All application permissions must be granted by the user at install time. That covers the basics regarding how an Android application exists within the system. The rest of this document introduces you to: †¢ The cor e framework components that define your application. †¢ The manifest file in which you declare components and required device features for your application. Resources that are separate from the application code and allow your application to gracefully optimize its behavior for a variety of device configurations. Application Components Application components are the essential building blocks of an Android application. Each component is a different point through which the system can enter your application. Not all components are actual entry points for the user and some depend on each other, but each one exists as its own entity and plays a specific role—each one is a unique building block that helps define your application's overall behavior. There are four different types of application components. Each type serves a distinct purpose and has a distinct lifecycle that defines how the component is created and destroyed. Here are the four types of application components: Activities An activity represents a single screen with a user interface. For example, an email application might have one activity that shows a list of new emails, another activity to compose an email, and another activity for reading emails. Although the activities work together to form a cohesive user experience in the email application, each one is independent of the others. As such, a different application can start any one of these activities (if the email application allows it). For example, a camera application can start the activity in the email application that composes new mail, in order for the user to share a picture. An activity is implemented as a subclass of Activity and you can learn more about it in the Activities developer guide. Services A service is a component that runs in the background to perform long-running operations or to perform work for remote processes. A service does not provide a user interface. For example, a service might play music in the background while the user is in a different application, or it might fetch data over the network without blocking user interaction with an activity. Another component, such as an activity, can start the service and let it run or bind to it in order to interact with it. A service is implemented as a subclass of Service and you can learn more about it in the Services developer guide. Content providers A content provider manages a shared set of application data. You can store the data in the file system, an SQLite database, on the web, or any other persistent storage location your application can access. Through the content provider, other applications can query or even modify the data (if the content provider allows it). For example, the Android system provides a content provider that manages the user's contact information. As such, any application with the proper permissions can query part of the content provider (such as ContactsContract. Data) to read and write information about a particular person. Content providers are also useful for reading and writing data that is private to your application and not shared. For example, the Note Pad sample application uses a content provider to save notes. A content provider is implemented as a subclass of ContentProvider and must implement a standard set of APIs that enable other applications to perform transactions. For more information, see the Content Providers developer guide. Broadcast receivers A broadcast receiver is a component that responds to system-wide broadcast announcements. Many broadcasts originate from the system—for example, a broadcast announcing that the screen has turned off, the battery is low, or a picture was captured. Applications can also initiate broadcasts—for example, to let other applications know that some data has been downloaded to the device and is available for them to use. Although broadcast receivers don't display a user interface, they may create a status bar notification to alert the user when a broadcast event occurs. More commonly, though, a broadcast receiver is just a â€Å"gateway† to other components and is intended to do a very minimal amount of work. For instance, it might initiate a service to perform some work based on the event. A broadcast receiver is implemented as a subclass of BroadcastReceiver and each broadcast is delivered as an Intent object. For more information, see the BroadcastReceiver class. A unique aspect of the Android system design is that any application can start another application’s component. For example, if you want the user to capture a photo with the device camera, there's probably another application that does that and your application can use it, instead of developing an activity to capture a photo yourself. You don't need to incorporate or even link to the code from the camera application. Instead, you can simply start the activity in the camera application that captures a photo. When complete, the photo is even returned to your application so you can use it. To the user, it seems as if the camera is actually a part of your application. When the system starts a component, it starts the process for that application (if it's not already running) and instantiates the classes needed for the component. For xample, if your application starts the activity in the camera application that captures a photo, that activity runs in the process that belongs to the camera application, not in your application's process. Therefore, unlike applications on most other systems, Android applications don't have a single entry point (there's no main() function, for example). Because the system runs each application in a separate process with file permissions that restrict access to other applications, your appl ication cannot directly activate a component from another application. The Android system, however, can. So, to activate a component in another application, you must deliver a message to the system that specifies your intent to start a particular component. The system then activates the component for you. Activating Components Three of the four component types—activities, services, and broadcast receivers—are activated by an asynchronous message called an intent. Intents bind individual components to each other at runtime (you can think of them as the messengers that request an action from other components), whether the component belongs to your application or another. An intent is created with an Intent object, which defines a message to activate either a specific component or a specific type of component—an intent can be either explicit or implicit, respectively. A unique aspect of the Android system design is that any application can start another application’s component. For example, if you want the user to capture a photo with the device camera, there's probably another application that does that and your application can use it, instead of developing an activity to capture a photo yourself. You don't need to incorporate or even link to the code from the camera application. Instead, you can simply start the activity in the camera application that captures a photo. When complete, the photo is even returned to your application so you can use it. To the user, it seems as if the camera is actually a part of your application. When the system starts a component, it starts the process for that application (if it's not already running) and instantiates the classes needed for the component. For example, if your application starts the activity in the camera application that captures a photo, that activity runs in the process that belongs to the camera pplication, not in your application's process. Therefore, unlike applications on most other systems, Android applications don't have a single entry point (there's no main() function, for example). Because the system runs each application in a separate process with file permissions that restrict access to other applications, your application cannot directly activate a component from another application. The Android s ystem, however, can. So, to activate a component in another application, you must deliver a message to the system that specifies your intent to start a particular component. The system then activates the component for you. Activating Components Three of the four component types—activities, services, and broadcast receivers—are activated by an asynchronous message called an intent. Intents bind individual components to each other at runtime (you can think of them as the messengers that request an action from other components), whether the component belongs to your application or another. An intent is created with an Intent object, which defines a message to activate either a specific component or a specific type of component—an intent can be either explicit or implicit, respectively.

Charles Darwin and Herbert Spe essays

Charles Darwin and Herbert Spe essays Charles Darwin, a British naturalist, revolutionized biology with his theory of evolution through the process of natural selection. Herbert Spencer was the major philosopher of biological and social evolution. Spencer's work significantly influenced 19th century developments in biology, psychology, sociology and anthropology. While Darwin was influential in the fields of natural history and geology, his theory of evolution created great controversy. He changed the way people thought about the role of humans in the natural world. Although these two men made advancement in the theory of evolution they had contrasting views regarding anthropological study. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who first solidly established the theory of organic evolution, in his work, The Origin of Species. Darwin was born in Shresbury, Shropshire on February 12, 1809. His grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was a famous English scientist and poet. In 1825 the young Darwin went to Edinburgh University to become a doctor. The same year, however, he transferred to Christ's College in Cambridge in order to become a clergyman. During this time he befriended a man of science, John Steven Henslow. It was Henslow who recommended him for the unpaid position of naturalist on the H.M.S. Darwin set sail on December 27, 1831 to study the Pacific coast of South America and the Pacific Islands. His other duty was to set up navigation stations in the area. He also studied the geology and biology of these areas. Upon his return in 1839, Darwin married his cousin, Emma Wedgewood, and was admitted to the Royal Society. He moved to Downe, Kent in 1842, and was plagued by ill health until his death. He apparently transmitted Trypanosomiastis from frequent bug bites in the Pacific. Darwin died on April 19, 1882 and was buried In The Origin of Species, Darwin presented his idea that species evolve from more primit...

What to Add to Christmas Tree Water

What to Add to Christmas Tree Water Youve done the difficult work of selecting a fresh Christmas tree and delivering it to your home. Now what? To keep your tree looking healthy through the holidays, youll need to make sure it gets plenty of water. As for treating that water, though, most experts say there is no reason to add anything- plain tap water will do. What the Experts Say While many additives are available for Christmas tree water, most experts- including the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA)- say there is no reason to use them. In the words of Dr. Gary Chastagner of Washington State University: Your best bet is just plain tap water added to the Christmas tree stand. It doesnt have to be distilled water or mineral water or anything like that. So the next time someone tells you to add ketchup or something more bizarre to your Christmas tree stand, dont believe it. Still, other scientists say there are additives that will increase both fire resistance and needle retention. One such additive- Plantabbs Prolong Tree Preservative- claims to increase water absorption and prevent drying. Another product- Miracle-Gro Christmas Tree Preserve- claims to deliver important nutrients and reduce bacterial growth. If youre worried about your tree being a fire risk, you may want to give one of these products a shot. Just remember that they are no substitute for adequate watering. Proper Watering The best way to keep your tree fresh is to make sure it gets plenty of moisture. This starts with using a tree stand with an adequate water capacity. The ideal stand is one that holds a quart of water for each inch of the stem diameter. That means that if your tree trunk has an eight-inch diameter, youll want a stand that holds at least two gallons of water. If the stand is too small, your tree will soak up the water more quickly than you can likely replenish it, leaving your tree dried out. Make sure, as well, to use a tree stand that is large enough to accommodate the trunk of your tree without having to trim down the sides. If your tree is more than a day old you may want to saw a one-inch cookie off the trees trunk bottom. Even a small sliver shaved off the trunk will help. This freshens the trunk and allows water to be quickly taken up to the needles for continued freshness. Make sure to cut in a straight line perpendicular to the trunk, as an uneven slice can make it more difficult for the tree to absorb water. Place your tree in a cool, dry place away from fireplaces, radiators, and other heat sources. Too much heat will cause the tree to quickly lose moisture and dry out. Check the level of the water each day to make sure it stays above the base of the trunk. Make sure to check the needles as well. If they seem dry and brittle, the tree has dried out and may be a fire hazard, in which case it should be taken outside and thrown away.

How to Make and Use Homemade Ant Bait Traps

How to Make and Use Homemade Ant Bait Traps To get rid of ants for good, you need to use a treatment that kills the entire colony, including the queen back in the nest. Dont waste your time squishing the ants on your counters because as long as the colony is actively nesting nearby, more ants will appear. Ant baits, whether homemade or commercial, are the treatment of choice for eliminating kitchen infestations. Ant-killing bait combines a desirable ant food with a pesticide. Worker ants carry the food back to the nest, where the pesticide works on the entire colony. You can make an effective ant killer using boric acid, a low toxicity pesticide available in hardware stores and pharmacies. Identify the Ants Before you make and use homemade ant bait, youll need to confirm which type of ants you have. Ants that youd find in your kitchen usually fall into one of two groups: sugar ants or grease ants.   From an entomological perspective, theres really no such thing as sugar ants. People use the term sugar ants to describe any number of ants that happen to like sweets. Depending on where you live, your sugar ants may actually be Argentine ants, odorous house ants, pavement ants, or some other kind of ants. Grease ants, also referred to as protein-loving ants, prefer proteins or fats over sugars. This doesnt mean they wont eat sweets, but theyre more interested in food with some protein content in it. Grease ants include little black ants, big-headed ants, and pavement ants, among others. To determine which kind of ants you have, do a taste test. Put a teaspoon of jelly and a teaspoon of peanut butter  in the area where you see the most ant traffic. Tape down a piece of waxed paper, or use a paper plate, and apply the bait on the paper or plate to avoid smearing jelly or peanut butter onto your counters or floor. Next, determine which type of baits the ants prefer. If they went for jelly, make a sugar ant bait. Ants that prefer peanut butter will respond to a protein-based bait. Now youre ready to make your homemade ant bait. Ingredients: Break Out the Borax Whether you have sugar or grease ants, boric acid is an effective, minimally toxic pesticide that you can use to create effective ant-killing bate. Both boric acid and sodium borate salts are derived from the element boron, which occurs naturally in soil, water, and rocks. Boric acid is a low-toxicity pesticide, but that does not mean its nontoxic. Virtually any substance can be harmful or fatal if used improperly. Read the label carefully, and follow any directions or cautionary information on the boric acid package. You can purchase boric acid at your local pharmacy or hardware store. Its commonly used as an antiseptic or mixed with water for use as an eyewash. To create a homemade ant killer, youll need to purchase borax in a powder or granule form. How to Make Homemade Ant Killer Use either of the following methods, depending on what kind of ants you have: Sugar ant bait recipe:  Mix 2 tablespoons of mint jelly with about  ¼ teaspoon of boric acid powder. Research suggests that mint jelly is the best sugar ant lure, but you can also try another jelly flavor if you dont have mint jelly in your fridge. Grease ant bait recipe:  Mix 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of honey, and about  ½ teaspoon of boric acid powder. Protein-loving ants respond best to a bait made of both protein and sugar. Use and Application Place your ant bait in an area where you see ants the most. You want the bait to be somewhere along their regular travel path. Use masking tape to secure a square of waxed paper or cardboard, and place the ant-killing mixture on it. If you chose a good location and prepared the right kind of bait, youll probably find ants swarming around the bait within a few hours. If you dont, try moving the bait to a different location. How It Works Boric acid works primarily as a stomach toxin on ants. The worker ants will carry the bait food, loaded with boric acid, back to the nest. There, the ants in the colony will ingest it and die. The boric acid seems to interfere with the ants metabolism, although scientists arent exactly sure how it does so. Sodium borate salts affect an insects exoskeleton, causing the insect to desiccate. Tips and Warnings Keep children and pets away from the ant bait mixture. Although boric acid has low toxicity, you dont want your dog or cat licking up the bait, nor should you allow children to come in contact with it. Store the boric acid and any extra bait mixture where children and pets cannot access it. You will need to replace the bait regularly with a fresh batch, as the ants wont be interested in jelly or peanut butter once it dries up. Continue putting out bait until you no longer see ants. Sources Ant Baits: A Least Toxic Control, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, accessed May 1, 2012Boric Acid (Technical Fact Sheet), National Pesticide Information CenterMaking Your Own Ant Bait, Michigan State University Extension (General Fact Sheet)Boric Acid, National Pesticide Information Center (PDF)Sugar Ants, Washington State University Extension

What I believe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What I believe - Essay Example However, let me affirm that no one comes to this world with any ruthless behavior, but we all acquire it from friends, peers, and the environment. I know that not all of you agree with this statement and this is the reason why I am here to elucidate on this matter. I am going to give you enough reasons to believe that everyone is kind they are born so that any skeptical person can understand the basis of my belief. In essence, the world is a very corrupt place to live in, especially for those who have no principles or loose morals. I vividly remember that when I was a young child, I did not know many of the evil things such as fighting, gossiping, and stealing but after a while, I encountered my friends doing the same. It means that people come into the world with empty and open mind but again, it all de pends on how you handle various issues and situations that come around. I assure you that everyone who portrays any outrageous behavior such as a child who beats up other children, do so because of the circumstances under which they were brought up. Certainly, you might have come across people who are well-mannered form their childhood and those who managed to change their behaviors to the better. The only inference that you can draw from such scenarios is that unkindness is an acquired and not an innate character. Neither is unkindness a personality that a person can claim to be a definition of who they are. In this respect, it is worth noting that all the bad character that you see people exhibiting are acquired and not inherent. I say this with a lot of emphasis because you have seen many people giving excuses that they behave the way they do because they were born that way. To be honest they simply acquired such behaviors from their respective environments. Before I conclude my speech, allow me to high light some of the factors that

Sandin v. Conner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sandin v. Conner - Essay Example In said action, the District Court granted the officials summary judgement, which was however reversed by the Court of Appeals. The CA ruled that Conner had a liberty interest to be free from disciplinary segregation, for which reason there was a question of fact whether he had been denied due process, under Wolff v. McDonnell (418 US 539). 1. According to the decision in Wolff, states may in certain circumstances create liberty interests that are protected by the Due Process Clause. Those interests, however, will mostly be in the nature of freedom from restraint, in the sense that the punishment imposes an atypical and significant hardship on the inmate in relation to the ordinary and usual conditions of prison life. 3. The punitive measure taken against Conner, which is disciplinary segregation, is not the atypical, significant hardship in which a State might conceivably create a liberty interest. Aside from the fact that Conner’s record was subsequently expunged, segregation was administered as a usual condition of prison life, not more burdensome than similar measures imposed upon inmates in administrative segregation and protective custody. Conner’s discipline did not exceed similar but totally discretionary confinement, in either duration or degree of restriction. This writer agrees with the decision. It is true that prisoners do not shed all constitutional rights at the prison gate, (Wolff, 418 U.S. at 555), but it must be remembered that â€Å"lawful incarceration brings about the necessary withdrawal or limitation of many privileges and rights, a retraction justified by the considerations underlying our penal system† (Price v. Johnston, 334 U.S. 266, 285 (1948)). The court has determined that while the case involves a punitive measure imposed on Conner, it is not a â€Å"dramatic departure† from the basic conditions of his sentence. Within bounds of reason and where abuse is absent, the

Mechanism for leading and managing change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mechanism for leading and managing change - Essay Example t be evidence of improvements in or an intention to improve the effectiveness of the client system.† In this regard, organizational development is the comprehensive change made within the corporation as well as the follow through to see that it is enacted effectively. The client represents the aspect of the corporate system that is experiencing the organizational development, a process that is enacted by the organizational development leaders. This essay considers these aspects of organizational development in relation to mechanism for leading and managing change within the Apple Corporation. When considering these factors of change with regards to the Apple Corporation it’s important to consider the corporate structure and leadership model that is currently in existence at the company. Apple, Inc. is vertically integrated in regards to their business model, with their hardware and pre-installed software. The company follows a traditional corporate model with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) leading the organization, followed by the directors, executives, and a variety of lower level employees. They select candidates from the campuses of the various educational institutes of repute or higher through the website of the company and the department of human resource of the company. The company is divided into five distinct management divisions that function in conjunction to develop products; in addition there are four distinct departments that function to promote these newly developed products, as well as advance the already established Apple, Inc. merchandise. The bu siness contract with Apple, Inc is primarily based upon ‘Short Term Purchase Agreement Request’ that remains valid for six months and becomes due for further renewal. Since the company’s inception there have been significant and frequent levels of organizational development, with various times throughout the 1980s witnessing drastic shifts in corporate differentiation, and in the late 1980s

Three ideas(devote one paragragh to each idea) how you might use the Assignment

Three ideas(devote one paragragh to each idea) how you might use the content of our Planning & Evaluation in the future as an adminstrator - Assignment Example The book offers guidance on the importance of project planning in organizations (Sylvia & Sylvia, 2012). Project planning is important if an organization has to achieve its goals and objectives. Project planning help to identify priorities in terms of projects, and which projects should be prioritized for funding. Non-governmental organizations participate in many projects that are aimed at helping the society. Before an NGO participates in a given project, it ensures that it has enough resources that will fund the project. The book offers important information on how planning can be done. Project planning must be consultative with the involvement of all the stakeholders. Consultation helps to come up with the best ways to implement a project to avoid impediments that may face the project. The book offers information about cost-benefit analysis. Cost–benefit analysis is a systematic process used to calculate and compare costs and benefits of a project or decision (Sylvia & Sylvia, 2012).The analysis serves to decide if the investment is sound and provides a basis of comparing projects. As an administrator in a non-governmental organization, I would be able to use cost-benefit analysis to know if a project that my organization intends to undertake has any benefit to the community. An organization can do many projects, but not all of them accrue the same benefits. Cost-benefit analysis will help to determine a project that has a long lasting benefit to the people. As an administrator, I will use cost benefit analysis to establish the amount of money that my organization will pipe into a given project. The analysis will assist to identify the benefits that my organization will get because of investing in a particular project. In my administration role, I will be able to budget for the activities of the organization. Budgeting is critical in order to utilize

Vampires Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vampires - Research Proposal Example I also participated in class debates where we discussed vampires with my classmates and tutor. I have also witnessed people who claim to be vampires. These experiences have not been able to address the origin and creation of vampires in details. As such, this research will teach me about the characteristics of real and psychic vampires as well as the origin and the process of creating a vampire. To achieve this, I am counting on my instructor and classmates’ support. Indeed, I am sure that my instructor has significant information about this topic having researched and taught this topic for a long time. Moreover, through the continued discussions about this topic, my classmates may have subtle information about vampires. Nevertheless, the information from my classmates will require undergoing verification. The topic about vampires is very general and addressing it will require huge resources and a lot of time. As such there was need to limit the research to the creation of vampires. To ensure that I use limited time on my research topic, I will seek resource materials that detail the origin and creation of vampires. I will also establish the risks that may limit the accuracy and relevance of my research. I will plan my research well and establish the relevant sources of information. I will also limit my research to real and modern vampires. I will rely on research reports from my professor, instructor, and the vampires’ museum. Ultimately, I will keep close consultations with my instructor for guidance and verification of my data. Ideally, vampires from different regions may have different characteristics. As such, I will limit my topic geographically by narrowing my research to vampires found in America. Nevertheless, various circumstances limit my research on this topic. Inde ed, it may be difficult to distinguish

Three ideas(devote one paragragh to each idea) how you might use the Assignment

Three ideas(devote one paragragh to each idea) how you might use the content of our Planning & Evaluation in the future as an adminstrator - Assignment Example The book offers guidance on the importance of project planning in organizations (Sylvia & Sylvia, 2012). Project planning is important if an organization has to achieve its goals and objectives. Project planning help to identify priorities in terms of projects, and which projects should be prioritized for funding. Non-governmental organizations participate in many projects that are aimed at helping the society. Before an NGO participates in a given project, it ensures that it has enough resources that will fund the project. The book offers important information on how planning can be done. Project planning must be consultative with the involvement of all the stakeholders. Consultation helps to come up with the best ways to implement a project to avoid impediments that may face the project. The book offers information about cost-benefit analysis. Cost–benefit analysis is a systematic process used to calculate and compare costs and benefits of a project or decision (Sylvia & Sylvia, 2012).The analysis serves to decide if the investment is sound and provides a basis of comparing projects. As an administrator in a non-governmental organization, I would be able to use cost-benefit analysis to know if a project that my organization intends to undertake has any benefit to the community. An organization can do many projects, but not all of them accrue the same benefits. Cost-benefit analysis will help to determine a project that has a long lasting benefit to the people. As an administrator, I will use cost benefit analysis to establish the amount of money that my organization will pipe into a given project. The analysis will assist to identify the benefits that my organization will get because of investing in a particular project. In my administration role, I will be able to budget for the activities of the organization. Budgeting is critical in order to utilize

Annotated Bibliography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Annotated Bibliography - Assignment Example Keywords: diversity, race, gender discrimination, Hispanics Shore, L. M., Chung-Herrera, B. G., Dean, M. A., Ehrhart, K. H., & Jung, D. I. (2009). Diversity in organizations: Where are we now and where are we going? Human Resource Management Review, 117–133. In this article, the authors attempt to provide a comprehensive account for the drivers behind diversity and its outcomes. Several dimensions of diversity have been identified including that pertaining to age, race, ethnicity, gender, culture and disability). Each of these dimensions has been examined in the article along with studying the common theme across all these dimensions. On the basis of these dimensions, the authors provide an integrated approach to understanding diversity. The authors possess sufficient academic qualifications (some with teaching experiences) that has enabled them undertake a coherent and comprehensive analysis of literature pertaining to diversity. By virtue of this study they have come to conc lude that diversity ought to be viewed more positively as opposed to the negative connotation attached with it. The very mention of diversity sparks attention towards something that is not normal. In other words, pointing towards preferential treatment of specific races, gender, age etc. is in itself a discriminatory practice. The authors have, therefore, managed to point out the limitations of previous studies by referring to specific suggestions in the form of a model for diversity. Although the model has not been empirically tested (which is its biggest weakness) it does provide a strong basis on which researchers could conduct experiments and demonstrate empirical results. Hence, this could prove to be a significant contribution in the way in which diversity is perceived, thereby marking a paradigm shift. Podsiadlowski, A., Groschke, D., Kogler, M., Springer, C., & Zee, K. v. (2013). Managing a culturally diverse workforce: Diversity perspectives. International Journal of Interc ultural Relations,159-175. In this article, the authors conduct two studies for the analysis of the approach organizations take to the management of diversity. Primary data obtained from interviews showed insights into the management of culturally diverse employees. The authors suggest the adoption of a â€Å"specific† approach linked with the initiatives to tackle diversity in organizations. Furthermore, the use of Diversity Perception Questionnaire has been suggested to account for the gap between the actual and expected diversity management outcomes. Although the authors tend to be knowledgeable and credible in terms of their analysis, there are limitations to this study. Since the study is based on Austrian organizations it is difficult to generalize its results and suggestions for global practice. The influence of organizational culture in diversity management was not explored which questions the comprehensiveness of the study. Bielby, W. T. (2000). Minimizing workplace gender and racial bias. Contemporary Sociology, 120-129. The author in this article attempts to provide the basis or justification for diversity management by defining the nature and extent of gender and racial bias in organizations. The cognitive basis for stereotyping is discussed along with a criticism on the organizational practices that sustain this bias. Finally, the approaches to counter this discriminatory behavior are described with EEO

The Relic Short Story Essay Example for Free

The Relic Short Story Essay â€Å"Come here child†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the old man said to me. It was getting late and I had to go home, but there was something in his voice that beckoned me to take notice. I stopped in my tracks. There in the middle of the empty sidewalk where I was walking along.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Come.. come†¦ I have something important for you to see.† The old man had messy long hair that have all turned gray and he wore clothes that seemed like rags. His face was wrinkled and dirty but his eyes glimmered of a certain youth that seemed so out of place. I walked towards him, without   clear idea of why I was doing so.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I was about to ask him what he wanted when he answered my question for me. It seemed like he knew what I was thinking. This added both to my wonder and terror of what I was experiencing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"I have something for you..† the old man began, â€Å"It is a relic of sorts and it tells of a great story that happened a long time ago†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He reached behind him and produced a book, thick with dust and visibly out of shape. From my point of view, it seemed to be hardbound, but at that time I could not make out the title. He stretched his hand with the book clasped between his fingers. I tried to reach it but when as my hand was closing upon it, the old man suddenly pulled the book back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"This book has a terrible, terrible secret!† he gasped, â€Å"It has been passed on from one owner to the next and on every owner, the book imparts its terrible secret when you’ve read till the end.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"W-what’s at the end?† I managed to ask.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"What’s at the end?!?† the old man chuckled, I could see that his teeth were rotting and the putrid smell of his breath reached my nostrils, â€Å"Child, you must find that out for yourself, but I warn you†¦ you must never, NEVER skip the pages. You have to read the entire book page after page. Learn its contents thoroughly before you arrive at the end.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Y-yes I underst-and.† I stuttered again, probably due to all the confusion that the experience created.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"How much do you have on you?† the old man suddenly asked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"What?† I answered with my own startled question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"How much do you have on you, child?† the old man raised his voice and I cringed at its sound, â€Å"Do you think that this book is free? Hah!†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"W-well, how much is it?† I asked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Just answer my question!† came the old man’s response.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"I surveyed my pockets and was surprised to see a hundred dollar bill. Then I remembered that the money was my salary for 4 weeks of doing odd jobs for our neighbors. I thought for a while and then reluctantly handed him my money. The old man snatched it from my hand and then pushed the book to my face.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Take it!† he ordered, â€Å"Take it and begone!!!†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And so I took the book and went home bewildered at what had happened. The days followed and I began reading what I have acquired. The story within it was interesting to say the least and I was eager to find out its ending. However, I was mindful about the old man’s warning and so I did not skip to the last page. I read the book whenever I had the chance and after roughly a week, I was almost at its end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When the time came for me to turn the last page, I prepared myself well and made sure that I could handle whatever it was. I turned the last page, hoping that the book would be merciful, a hope that was shattered to a million pieces by what I saw.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was terrible†¦ terrible†¦. Joey’s 2nd hand bookshop sale price! $5   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Noooooo†¦.. The end.

Measurement Software in Construction

Measurement Software in Construction 3.1 Introduction The use of measurement software in construction industry has focused on measurement and BQ since these two have been the predominant core activities of work. However, as we are aware today, the use of computers can be applied to many different situations. This chapter will review the application and features of measurement software in local construction companies. The common application functions of measurement software such as measurement, cost estimation, tender document preparation, BQ preparation and the like will briefly described in the first sub-chapter. In addition, case studies of measurement software currently available in market whether local or foreign will be conducted in this chapter. This chapter will also provide the key features or modules of the Microsoft Office Excel 2007, CATO Suite, BinaLink, Buildsoft, WinQS, PriMus-DCF and PriMus REVOLUTION in more details. The positive or negative impacts of measurement software on local construction industry will be explained and carried out by few survey analyses additionally. A summary of this chapter will be presented in the last section. Questionnaire will be drafted based on this chapter to meet the last two objectives of the research which are the extent of measurement software application and the resulted impacts from it in local construction companies. 3.2 Application and Features of Measurement Software in Local Construction Companies Measurement software were created and developed to serves the roles and responsibilities of QS profession in a construction companies with lesser time and higher accuracy. Application functions of measurement software enable to perform the following: Measurement Measurement is the main activity that any quantity surveyor engages in during the stage of tender preparation. Curren (1987) advocates that computer can measure quantities automatically and is more accurate compared to measurement done manually (cited by Lim and Ong, 2008). This goes to show the use of computers is vital to the quantity surveyor as it helps in reducing the time needed for taking-off quantities. Cost Estimation Ahuja and Campbell (1988) defined that cost estimation is prediction of probable cost incurred for a proposed construction project. It is a technical process and has been described as both an art and also science. Estimating is usually carried out by quantity surveyor or estimator on behalf of contractor with the attempt to forecast the tender sum to be included in the BQ before submitting the tender. The purpose of the cost estimation is to obtain the expected cost of a project in varying degrees of accuracy at different phases of project. Cost estimating software will enhance the accuracy while estimating the building cost and examine the implication of initial cost design. BQ Preparation Computer systems are used to facilitate this process by automatically reducing double keying work and thus saving a huge amount of time. In term of BQ production, Microsoft Excel is widely used for doing taking off and preparation of BQ. Traditional spreadsheet measurement sheet have the ability to reduce the burden of timesing and squaring as well as checking of this two steps (Hamid and Chong, n.d.). BQ production involves a long and tedious process. Nigel (1978) has listed out eight major steps in producing a BQ as below: Measurement of Quantities Timesing and Squaring Checking of Timesing and Squaring Abstracting Checking of Abstracting Preparation and Checking of Draft BQ Preparation of BQ and Checking Final BQ Tender Documents Preparation The phase of preparation of the tender documents is extremely important, as it determines the terms of the tender procedure as well as the terms for execution of the contract. Kovari (n.d.) noted that seven documents will be provided in tender documents preparation and the format of it can be saved into the memory of the computers as shown below: Advertisement for Bids (Notice to Contractors or Invitation to Bid) Draft Contract which included type of contract, general provisions or general conditions and special provisions or special provisions. Statements of Work, Services and Technical Specifications BQ Schedule of Execution Bidding Schedule Approved Drawings Project Cost Control Cost control starts at inception, when guide prices or indicative costs will be required through the stage when an early price estimate is prepared and the tender process undertaken by the contractors through the final completion and agreements of the final account for the project. The architect or engineer will want to consider alternative solutions that meet the clients overall aims and objectives during the various stages of design. The quantity surveyor will offer cost advice for the comparative design solutions of the alternative materials to be used and also advice on the cost implications of the design morphology and procurement. Cost control does not stop at tender stage but continues up to the agreement of the final account and the issue of the final certificate for the works. Hence, cash flow estimating software enables quantity surveyor record and calculates the date driven accurately and faster. It is also providing a better monitoring on the building process (Ashworth an d Hogg, eds, 2007). Valuation In practice, the contract normally is to be paid by employed a sum on account as the construction work proceeds. Before the Architect issuing a certificate, quantity surveyor has to prepare an interim valuation (Lian, 2009). Interim valuation can be carried out by using the BQ programme as database usually. The main items to be considered when valuing the words area as following: Preliminaries Main Contractors Works Variation Unfixed Materials and Goods Statutory Fees and Charges Nominated Sub-Contractors Works Nominated Suppliers Goods Fluctuation in Costs of Labour, Materials Retention Final Account Preparation According to Ashworth and Hogg (eds, 2007), the majority of construction projects result in a final cost that is different to that agreed by the client and contractor at commencement of the construction works. The calculation and agreement of this final construction cost, the final account is usually of the utmost importance to both the employer and contractor. Therefore, parties to the contract need to ensure that the final account incorporates a fair valuation of the works carried out. Within lump sum contract arrangements the price agreed by the client at commencement will normally require adjustment for several matters including variations, provisional measurements, provisional sums, fluctuations, and claims. Thus, quantity application software will sort, store and analyse the capability and score the goal of time saving. 3.3 Case Studies of Measurement Software Available in Market Anything and everything can be computerised nowadays. It is inevitable that the complex task of measuring quantities off drawings or taking-off has now progressed into the digital realm. ICT is becoming a strategic asset for any organisation to deliver business improvement in the AEC industry. Hence, QS firms are encouraged to use the computer to perform traditional tasks. The following are some measurement software currently used in the market. 3.3.1 Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Microsoft Corporation is a software company based in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft is ranked 15th in the worlds top 500 companies and its operating software has driven 93% of the worlds desktop computers since 1991. Microsoft Office software encompassing a suite of e-mail, word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation tools dominates 90% of the market and brings in $9 billion annually as a third of the companys revenue (Corporate Watch UK, 2004). Graduate School (2010) stated that Microsoft Office Excel is a software application that offers three distinct processes for managing data such as spreadsheet, database or graphing. The primary feature, spreadsheet is a number crunching tool allowing for sophisticated calculations such as budgets, finances, inventories or any task that is numerically oriented. The database and graphing functions allow for selecting, retrieving, viewing and charting data that is contained within the spreadsheet mode. According Microsoft Corporation (2010), Microsoft Office Excel 2007 is a powerful and widely used tool that helps people analyses information to make more informed decisions. There are the top 10 ways in which Office Excel 2007 can help users create spreadsheets and analyse, share and manage information more effectively as shown below: Office Excel 2007 features the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface to help users find powerful tools when users need them. Import, organise and explore massive data sets within significantly expanded spreadsheets. Use the completely redesigned charting engine in Office Excel 2007 to communicate users analysis in professional-looking charts. Enjoy improve and powerful support for working with tables. Create and work with interactive PivotTable views with ease. See important trends and find exceptions in users data. Use office Excel 2007 and Excel Services to help share spreadsheets more securely with others. Help ensure users or users organisation work with the most current business information. Reduce the size of spreadsheets and improve damaged file recovery at the same time. Extend users business intelligence investments because Office Excel 2007 provides full support for Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. 3.3.2 CATO Suite Causeway Technologies was established in 1998 to provide its customers throughout the United Kingdom with a range of competitive software products and services. It is a fast growing organisation currently employing in the region of 200 people and is the leading software developer for the construction industry. From feasibility through to final account, cost management professionals are faced with ever tighter deadlines in which to deliver accurate cost information (Causeway Technologies Ltd., 2008). The CATO Suite has been developed with the close participation of the profession and provides powerful support to the QS professional. The introduction of CATO Enterprise is an opportunity to implement a step change in their business processes effectively to provide their staff with a QS desktop. The creation of BQ and cost plans in a controlled environment providing information can be relied upon and used to build a database for future projects and importantly reports produced in a consistent manor for clients (Causeway Technologies Ltd., 2008). 14 types of modules of the CATO Suite provide an affordable solution that can be managed and adapted to company requirements are (Brochure of CATO Suite): CATO Full Contract CATO Management Contracts CATO Quickest CATO CADMeasure CATO Earthworks CATO Cost Planning CATO Cashflow CATO Document Register CATO Procurement CATO E-Tendering CATP Project Controls CATO Cost Management CATO Whole Life Costing CATO Rates CADMeasure is a multi-purpose measurement tool that enables users to measure from electronic drawings with unprecedented accuracy. It provides an easy to use CAD based on-screen professional measurement facility, ideal for all types of measurement from the most sophisticated 3-dimensional building object model to the simplest sketch (Brochure of CADMeasure). The features of CADMeasure are: Easy to use through familiar pull down menus, toolbars and dialogues. Local or network versions available with concurrent licensing. Access to all non-editing AutoCAD commands during measurement session. Comprehensive on-line help system. Full Audit trail with automatically annotated drawing record. Suitable for a range of different users including those involved with property, construction, manufacturing, medical and retail sectors. Ability to store and record complete measurement history in line with design changes. Dynamic link between measurement and drawing content. Available both as a standalone solution and for use with existing installations of AutoDesk products including AutoCAD, MAP 3D and Architectural Desktop. Drawing integrity retained. Improved measurement integrity via new XML file format. Supports remote software development for effective multi-user implementation and updates. 3.3.3 BinaLink Bina Link Solutions Sdn. Bhd. is a company formed by Malaysians who are familiar with local standards and procedures with the objective of providing IT solutions to the construction industry. The company founded by experienced personnel of the construction of the construction and IT industry. The company staffs have vast experience working in consultants and contractors environments. They involved themselves in the rapid advancement of computer development and usage in the construction industry in the last two decades. The development of the companys programme is carried out by dynamic and knowledgeable staffs that are conversant with the latest in IT (Bina Link Solutions Sdn. Bhd., 2006). According to brochure of BinaLink, there are 9 types of modules are: BinaLink BQ Module Binalink Tender Module Binalink CAD Measure Binalink Tender Comparison Module Binalink E-Tender Binalink Preliminaries Binalink Worksheets Binalink Progress Payment Module Binalink Final Account Module The BinaLink BQ Module is an exciting innovative system especially developed for use as a superior tool for the preparation of BQ and construction costing. It is developed by Malaysian experts on a familiar Microsoft Windows platform to suit a standalone or networking environment. In addition, it will be unique local working methods and cost effective system (Brochure of BinaLink). The key features of BinaLink BQ Module are: Standard BQ Libraries Mutiple Column BQ up to 3 columns Lump Sum Bills Project Summary Reports Direct Measurement Method 2 Dimensional Worksheet Measurement Formula Worksheet Measurement Rebar Worksheet Measurement Flagging Reports for Sub-total Quantities Resource Reports Built-up Rates with resources, price and resource databases Mark-up Reports Gross Floor Area Measurement for Elemental Cost Analysis CAD Measurement Facilities with Direct Linking to Worksheet (Optional) 3.3.4 Buildsoft Buildsoft is an Australian company with its head office in Sydney. Buildsoft was established in 1985 to develop and market computer software for the building and construction industry. The company staffed by an enthusiastic team with many years of practical experience in the building industry. In Australia, its products became the industry standard and now exported to 20 countries. The company have a select network of accredited overseas distributors and over 5000 worldwide users. Because of this, Universities and TAFE colleges in Australia as well as selected Universities throughout Asia and the United Kingdom are teaching its products as the accepted standard (Builsoft, 2009). Products available are: Offsider Estimating Global Estimating Subbies Comparison On-Screen/Digitizer Take-off Digitizer Board Scale-Link USB Maths Mate Buildsoft Global Estimating is an estimating programme that has been tailored for commercial use in the building and construction industry. BQ or detailed Estimates and Cost Plans will be produced. It designed primarily for use by commercial building contractors and professional quantity surveyors. It is also including features which allow it to be used in other industries where estimating is required. The main features of Buildsoft Global Estimating System are: BQ Composite Rates Libraries for Description Rates Tendering Function Multi-level Mark-up Function Estimating Functions Job Analysis Cost Analysis Quality Analysis Measurement Calculation Sheet Interim Valuation/Progress Claim Tender Comparison System SCP Module Buildsoft Take Off System (BTOS) CAD Measurement Module Buildsoft Online Tendering System (BOLTS) 3.3.5 WinQS Advanced Cost Engineering (AEC) Solutions cc was formed in June 1996. It is involved in the system design, the marketing and the support of the WinQS system which, over ten years has grown to be the most widely used QS system and had more than 3000 licensed systems installed in Southern Africa as well as internationally nowadays. The WinQS software is constantly being upgraded and new modules written to provide solutions for quantity surveyors and contractors. WinQS provides a complete QS system with on-screen take-off dimension, It provides an ease on pricing due to multiple sets of price may be stored for each project and be copied, multiplied and select for use in Bills production, estimating, valuation and others. The system features of WinQS will be shown in Table 3 (WinQS, n.d.). WinQS is a complete QS system for: The Production of BQ Documents The Production of Estimates Documents The Calculation of Monthly Valuations The Cost Analysis of a Project Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC) 2000 Certificate Module Contract Price Adjustment Calculations Tender Analysis Financial Review Costs Reports Table 3: The system features of WinQS (WinQS, n.d.) 3.3.6 PriMus-DCF and PriMus REVOLUTION ACCA is the Italian leader in the Building Industry Software. ACCA is a reference point in the field now to covering an unparalleled range of solutions and distributing the programs which are the standard for the industry. Founded in 1989, ACCA grew rapidly thanks to its products, well-known for their usability and their strongly innovative inspiration. This company is ISO 9001:2008 quality management system certified. Therefore, the company structure will ensure to improve constantly the processes and activities meeting customers needs and satisfaction (ACCA software, n.d.). PriMus-DCF is the BQ software for working directly with Internet Explorer. It is more transparent, closer to your natural and ordinary way of working and thinking, and therefore easy to manage with the What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) philosophy. The Document Computation Format (DCF) standard introduces a revolution in the building software world undertaking the basic data sharing concept. Users can easily transmit BQ and estimates documents and everything in users document will be contained in one unique file, no heavier database structures but just a small size compressed file. With PriMus-DCF, everybody can open a DCF document and work on it freely (ACCA software, n.d.). According to ACCA software (n.d.), PriMus REVOLUTION allows integrated development and processing of all estimating or project management documents, updated with the latest regulatory guidelines with the automatic generation of: BQ (forecasts, resulting costs, work variation surveys, final accounting, quantity estimates, requests for proposal, labour incidence estimate, etc.) Measurement Book Accounting Register Cost Summary Work Progress Statement Payment Certificate Steel Reinforcement Bars Requirements Book Price Lists Comparison Table (for work variation surveys, comparison of work progress statements, comparison of multiple design assumptions or proposals, etc.) Weekly Lists of Workers, Equipment and Costs Forms (completion of works, beginning of works, suspensions, resumptions, execution, etc.) History Management 3.4 Impacts of Measurement Software on Local Construction Industry According to the conducted survey of Lim and Ong (2008), the measurement software is still not widely use or fully utilised in measuring quantities for preparation of BQ or other extent usages in local construction industry although most of the companies have it. Based on the feedback from the survey, the common problems associated with measurement software are: The use of such software requires learning and remembering many procedures Lack of flexibility Need to train new staff to use the software Using measurement software to take-off quantity requires the taker-off to perform transferring of raw quantities from one software into another either digitally or manually to produce the quantities in the BQ format as compared to the manual method. Newer technology is being developed that allows seamless transfer of quantities from measurement software to the customised software for the preparation of BQ. However, not all measurement software has the complete package of measuring and BQ production software. Most of the companies which using the measurement software would need to spend money and time to train existing and new staff to use the software before it can be utilised efficiently. The need of training also indicates that the education of quantity surveyors has not focus on this skill, as it has never been required. Nevertheless, a change to the education curriculum is necessary to produce QS graduates that are skilled in using measurement software now. The survey also noted that it is difficult to check the measured quantities if the measurement is done by using measurement software if compared with the manual method. In fact, only staffs that are skilled in using it would be able to check the quantities easily. Besides, the survey also attempted to find out the advantages of measurement software as the following: Higher accuracy Ease in editing the measurement Increase speed of measurement Easy to measure Reduction of Workforce Most of the companies agreed that utilising measurement software in measurement of quantities produces high accuracy. Measurement of quantities directly from digital format drawings removes the need to reproduce drawings on paper. Wheeler (1992) stated that reproduction of drawing on paper will reduce the accuracy of the drawings and measurement scaled from paper will further erode the accuracy (cited by Lim and Ong, 2008). There is also eliminated to mistakes due to human error in reading the dimension off scale rule and recording the dimension on paper or spreadsheet file. Measurement software allows for easy digital editing of quantities measured. This is because it contained function such as block, entity area, copy, paste, delete and undo as any other software that facilitate the editing process. In addition, application of measurement software will increases the speed in measuring quantities as compared to manual method. This is due to the ability of the software to generate quantities. Memory of computer also enables a program of instruction saved and turns it into fully automatic, it then simplifying the works. Finally, workforce required to measure quantities could be reduced with the use of measurement software. Most QS firms have reduced the number of technical assistants specialising only in measurement of quantities in common practice. With the use of technology, the measurement work is now easier and faster but the skill needed has also evolved to a higher level consequently. 3.5 Summary This chapter is about the current application and features of measurement software and its impact on the construction industry. Due to many business processes are now almost completely computerised and the tendency is toward a greater computerisation of the remaining processes, there might be a market in the use of measurement software for QS to carry out the works such as measurement, taking-off, BQ production, etc. more efficiently and speedily. This research also found that Microsoft Office Excel 2007, CATO Suite, BinaLink, and Buildsoft are the common and popular measurement software have been used in local market. Although there are vary measurement software provided in the market and adopted in construction companies, this research found that QS appears to be one of the few professions that have not been profoundly transformed by the application of the technological advancement offered by digital revolution especially in a developing economy like Malaysia. The biggest impact of measuring software on QS practice had been on improving the speed and efficiency of professional services. Information flows in construction would increasingly be made electronically and a wide range of measurement, estimating and costing procedures also would be done through the use of software packages.

Fathers and Sons in Hamlet Essay -- Shakespeare Hamlet

Fathers and Sons in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamlet's father, Old King Hamlet who he looked up to was recently killed, and his mother married his uncle within a month. He receives a visit from the ghost of his father which urges him to "revenge [Claudius'] foul and most unnatural murder" (I, v, 32) of Old Hamlet. It is only logical that under these circumstances, Hamlet would be under great duress, and it would not be abnormal for him to express grief. Fortnibra and Laertes also have to deal with the avenging their fathers' death. Fortinbras and Laertes are parallel characters to Hamlet, and they provide critical points on which to compare the actions and emotions of Hamlet throughout the play. They are also important in Hamlet, as they are imperative to the plot of the play and the final resolution. Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras are three young men who are placed in similar circumstances, that is, to get revenge for their fathers' deaths. The way they each come to terms with their grief and how they rise to the call of vengeance is one of the main contrasts between the three. Hamlet is the Renaissance man who is well rounded in all areas. He has a tremendous acting abilities, and he is a scholar who analyzes everything and is very philosophical, as was shown in his assessment of life in the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy. Hamlet's philosophical side is also brought to light in the prayer scene. At this point he has the opportunity to kill Claudius while he is attempting to repent. However, Hamlet does not take that chance because he desires kill Claudius "when he is drunk asleep, or in his rage/ Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed," so that "his soul will be as damn'd and black/ As hell, wher... ...nalyzed and executed as he planned. Fortinbras ability to act upon reason and not emotion is one of the most significant differences he has with Hamlet. Hamlet and Laertes represent the extremes of action. Fortinbras therefore, is the midpoint of the two extremes; his ability to reason and the act upon the reason has resulted in his possession of both lands and throne as he set out to avenge. Works Cited Adelman, Janet. 1985. 'Male Bonding in Shakespeare's Comedies.' In Shakespeare's Rough Magic: Renaissance Essays in Honor of C.L. Barber, edited by Peter Erickson and Coppà ©lia Kahn. Cranbury and London: Associated University Presses, 73-103. Boklund, Gunnar. "Hamlet." Essays on Shakespeare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965.   Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. T. J. B. Spencer. New York: Penguin, 1996.   

Extending High School Essay

I don’t think high school should be extended to five years. Many students can barely make it past the first couple years. If high school is extended, then there will be an increase in the number of student dropouts. There will be a decrease in the number of high school graduates. Many students don’t like school, so an additional year may just be too much. Eventually, they will decide to drop out. More conflict will arise for those students who do not get along well with others. Most students think of school as a chore and not a privilege. They are desperate to get out of school. Adding another year will only discourage them in continuing their education. They will begin to feel like school will get them nowhere because they have been there for so long. Educationally speaking, there is little academic reason to extend high school. Increasing the time will only decrease the difficulty of the courses and not prepare students for college classes. Most middle schools do a great job in keeping students that want to excel in their studies get a head start for high school. In most districts, students who excel academically, and need less time in high school, have opportunities to take college level classes before graduating. If a student did not do well in high school, and decides to go back and receive his/her diploma, he/she can take remedial classes at a community college. They can then get a better job or begin their college education. Socially speaking, the school would then be a mix of students between the ages of fourteen and nineteen years of age. Social issues will arise between the younger and the older students because of the age difference between the groups. High school performs an important social role in guiding students through their teenage years. At eighteen years of age, a person is already an adult and should be socialized with adults, such as other college students or fellow employees. In conclusion, high school should continue to be four years. This extension will only make high school dull and unbearable for many students. It does  not matter how many years a student stays in high school. It is the quality of learning and the students’ own will to succeed.

NTUC Management Restructuring

NTUC Chief Lim Boon Heng has urged the management of companies undergoing restructuring to take union leaders into confidence, so that the legitimate concerns of workers can be addressed in good time. Citing the restructuring of the Public Utilities Board as an example, he said the exercise was carried out smoothly because of the close cooperation between the management and the union. Speaking at the first triennial delegates conference of the Union of Power and Gas Employees (UPAGE), Mr Lim said that companies responded to challenges in various ways – some through restructuring to meet new market demands, and others through mergers. For wokers, these changes can be unsettling, and restructuring sometimes leads to retrenchments. But in the case of Singapore Power's restructuring, the NTUC Chief noted that the PUB management had taken the company's union leaders into confidence even before the news was made public; it showed that openess between management and union was the better policy. â€Å"When management are open with the union leaders, the legitimate concerns of workers can be addressed, leading to a smooth transition,† Mr Lim said. Unfortunately for us, there are many management that adopt a different approach, informing the union only at the last moment, giving union leaders little time to respond and no time to address workers concerns. † Mr Lim also announced that the union's present general secretary, Nithinandhan, would now become its executive secretary, so that he could represent workers from all unions formed under Singapore Power or its subsidiary companies. We made some changes to our constitution handing the powers to the executive secretary to deal with all collective agreements, and to negotiate on behalf of major grievances with management and be the main person corresponding with all employers and external agencies and work out policies for all branches on industrial relations,† Mr Nithinandhan said. He said the union's relations with the management had been excellent and plans were underway for joint committees on training and workplace environment to better look into the needs of workers.

Alcohol Vignette

Tom has been arrested twice for Driving Under the Influence or DUI of alcohol, and in his most recent arrest, he has also been charged with assault of a law enforcement officer which is specifically a display of seemingly violent behavior since assault involves physical attack or onslaught.Tom’s blood alcohol level or BAL taken when he was arrested was 0.18 which was identified as the blood level for illegal intoxication (Hamilton, 2007). Aside from Tom’s BAL as indicator of his intoxication, he also admitted to forgetting what had transpired, his pupils were dilated, his speech was mildly impaired, and he displayed lethargic behavior. Assessing Tom’s situation was taken under the context of his claim that the case only happens during social gatherings with family and friends, not motivated by problems and such.Considering the circumstances presented, I would have to say that Tom is an alcohol abuser based on the guidelines set by The Diagnostic and Statistical M anual of Mental Disorders IV. An alcohol abuser is described as an individual who drinks alcohol in a manner that is harmful or hazardous to one’s health. (Buddy, 2008)Since Tom’s memory, speech, and physical functioning was affected by his high levels of alcohol intake, he fits into the category of an alcohol abuser. Another characteristic established and attributed to alcohol abusers include the non-dependence on alcohol.Alcohol abusers do not show strong cravings or dependence toward drinking. (â€Å"What is Alcohol Abuse?,† 2003) Basing it on Tom’s claim of having been drinking only after the holidays and during social gatherings, it clearly reveals that he does not exhibit strong cravings and dependence toward alcohol intoxication.Other characteristics of alcohol abusers that might be exhibited during a year-round observation includes recurrent apprehension for being caught due to reasons pertaining to alcohol, and other offenses that are fueled by a lcohol intoxication (ex. assault, etc.), and drinking without control or setting limitations despite having legal problems (ex. DUI arrests, etc.) in the past that were related to alcohol intoxication. (â€Å"What is Alcohol Abuse?,† 2003)Aside from the standards or guidelines that determines between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, there are other standards established over the years that are used to categorize drinking patterns or problems – specifically, Type I and Type II alcoholism, and Type A and B alcoholism.Type I alcoholism is attributed to alcoholism for both the male and female populations that occurs in the latter ages of life with noticeably less serious effects or implications, specifically with actions or behaviors that are related to anti-social behavior or misdemeanor. Type II alcoholism on the other hand, is isolated to the male population that starts at an early age with serious effects and implications, particularly when it comes to the display of anti-social behavior or misdemeanor. (Johnson, 1996)Type A and Type B alcoholism are based on standards or guidelines that relate the magnitude or gravity of alcoholism to an individuals childhood background, time of use, dependence on alcohol, use of illegal drugs, and the efficiency of treatment.Alcoholics under Type A are those who started drinking in the latter part of their lives, with no known or minor emotional or psychological problems in their childhood, lesser dependence on alcohol and problems or issues that are related to intoxication. On the other hand, alcoholics under Type B are those who have experienced emotional or psychological problems in their younger years, have family members who are also alcoholic, greatly dependent on alcohol, and more alcohol-related problems. (Babor, et. al., 1992)Based on the above descriptions of Type I and Type II, and Type A and Type B alcoholism, Tom is more likely to be categorized as an alcohol abuser under Type II and Type B in progress.This is supported by the fact that Tom is starting to follow a pattern of alcoholism that leads him to become publicly arrested for being illegally intoxicated. Moreover, Tom has already displayed violent behavior towards a law enforcement officer, which he claims he does not recall. Since he was already arrested in the past for a DUI, and he was arrested again for the same offense, he refuses to acknowledge his drinking problem and the harmful effects that it poses to his health and safety as well as the safety of other people.2. Tom mentioned that he does not remember anything that happened while he was intoxicated, which obviously means that his being drunk is affecting his memory. Moreover, he displays mild speech impairment as well as lethargic behavior or demeanor.The implications of such admissions and overt behavior lead to the conjecture that there is something wrong with Tom, particularly the functioning of his Central Nervous System or CNS. The CNS is composed o f an individual’s brain, spinal column, and nerves or neurons. In general, drinking alcohol of any amount affects the CNS. However, it is the amount of alcohol which determines how strong or overpowering its effect would be to the physical and cognitive functioning of a human being.   (Dunlap, N.D.)Naturally, when an individual drinks too much alcohol, its effects would also be greater on the functioning of his CNS. Since the CNS is capable of handling the senses and the impulses which governs an individual’s thoughts and actions. As an individual continues to drink alcohol, the CNS also continues to depreciate causing irreversible or irreparable damage to an individual’s CNS functioning.Apparently, the content of alcohol which goes directly to an individual’s CNS, blocks out the circulation of oxygen to and from the brain which causes a temporary blackout blurring or blocking one’s memory. Once the alcohol dissipates from the body, the circulati on of oxygen in the brain normalizes, as well as an individual’s memory. This means that once an individual becomes a habitual drinker, his memory as governed by the functioning of his brain, and his impulses or senses as managed by his nerves and neurons, become permanently damaged by alcohol. (Dunlap, N.D.)The kind of behavior displayed by Tom is clear signs of CNS impairments or disabilities caused by his intake of alcohol. For instance, Cerebellar Atrophy is a condition associated to a part of the brain called the cerebellum, wherein an individual’s intake of alcohol causes an imbalance or disturbance in one’s muscle coordination. Cerebellar Atrophy will affect an individual’s balance as well as walking movements.This particular CNS condition explains why Tom’s actions or movements are lethargic or sluggish since he had trouble balancing, walking, or moving at a normal pace. Another condition related to alcohol and the CNS is the Korsakoff†™s Amnesic Syndrome. This particular syndrome has something to do with an individual’s memory. If an individual develops high dependency on alcohol and takes in alcohol that is more than the amount of normal intake, contracting Korsakoff’s Amnesic Syndrome will lead to losses in short-term memory. (â€Å"Alcohol Related Brain Impairment,† 2008)One factor which affects the length of time by which alcohol lingers inside the body, therefore, shortening or prolonging the harmful and incapacitating effects of alcohol to an individuals CNS is his metabolism. Metabolism is a process that occurs within the body which converts substances and other chemical compounds that are readily excreted from the human body.The process constitutes the contribution of the liver in the oxidization process which normalizes the amount of oxygen in the blood stream, including the brain. If the oxidization process is normal, then the rate of an individual’s return to consciousness is normal.However, the rate of the oxidization process as well as the metabolizing enzymes found in the liver is greatly affected by alcohol. Large amounts of alcohol intake will lead to the damage of an individual’s liver which will consequently influence metabolism rate, making it difficult for the liver to dissipate alcohol from the human body prolonging the effects of alcohol to an individual’s brain functioning. (â€Å"Alcohol and The Human Body,† N.D.)Since the effect of Tom’s alcohol intake was observable prior to his arrest which motivated a DUI charge until the time that he was apprehended, displaying bouts of memory loss, speech impairment, and lethargy, this means that the rate of his metabolism is not capable of flushing out alcohol from his system and normalizing his bodily functions through immediate oxidization.From this, we learn that Tom is an alcoholic who have been drinking alcohol either for a long time or in large amounts which is en ough to interfere with his metabolism.Tom’s stated case or situation and gathered information pertaining to the simultaneous intake of certain drugs such as Marijuana, Valium and other types of downers, and alcohol will be used to identify whether he used downers along with alcohol or not. Again, observable behaviors that may be utilized to answer such inquiry include his sudden loss of short-term memory, the dilation of his pupils, mild speech impairment, and lethargic behavior or demeanor.First, we need to understand the results or effects of drinking downers along with alcohol, differentiating it from the symptoms of alcoholism alone. Downers or depressants are intended for decreasing brain functioning or activity within the individual’s CNS in order to ease anxieties, worries, tensions, stresses, and such.Downers or depressants are appropriately prescribed for individuals who need to calm down as a means of moderating psychological tension. Since the intake of alco hol seems to display similarities to the effects of downers, the intake of alcohol and downers or depressants at the same time magnifies the effects or results of each when taken separately.

Strategic Management Meredith Belbin Research Paper

Strategic Management Meredith Belbin - Research Paper Example The Team Role theory sprung from the research done by Meredith. It sought to understand human behavior, by studying individual’s affinity to behave in a certain manner, and their contribution in relating with others. This defined way, gave the theory a meaning. In addition, it helped understand one’s behavior and the behavior of fellow team members (Larson & LaFasto 2006; Adair 2007). Meredith outlined nine team roles. A completer has an attitude to plan ahead, and ensure that targeted goals are attained. A coordinator is composed even in the face of controversy, whereas an implementer works with the interests of the company and not his own. A monitor evaluates proposals with a detached mind (Parker 2004; Rees 2001). A plant is an intellect that solves difficult problems, whereas, a resource investigator is always in a position to relate to people and explore things associated with outsiders. A shaper considers all possible means, to solve a problem and leaves out the unnecessary ones. A specialist provides rare expertise and skills, whereas a team worker promotes team spirit (Gardenswartz 2003; Belbin 2006). Meredith Belbin is a British researcher, born in the year 1926. He obtained a first and second degree at Clare College, Cambridge, in Classics and later Psychology. He worked as a researcher upon completion of his doctorate at Cranfield College. Later, he became the chairman of the Industrial Training Research Unit (Carr 2001). He and three other scholars, Bill Hartston, Jeanne Fisher and Roger Mottram, began a seven year task. They held three games a year, and each game constituted eight teams. In each meeting, they observed and recorded the contribution of each team. Belbin established Belbin Associates, with an aim to publish and promote his research in the year 1988 (Belbin 2003; Maginn 2007). The theory is of immense importance, because it helps understand individuals own behavior and