Saturday, August 31, 2019

Controlling Trafficking in Women Essay

Trafficking of human beings, especially women and children, has become a worldwide phenomenon that affects all countries regardless of economic status. It is an illegal commercial trade wherein human beings are coerced to work against their will and are subjected to abusive environments. These services include include prostitution, arranged marriage, begging, domestic servitude, and forced labor. No matter what the country is or what services they are supposed to render, most trafficked women are held against their wishes, abused, and make little or no money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women defines trafficking as â€Å"All acts involved in the recruitment or transportation of a woman, within or across national borders, for work or services, by means of violence or threat of violence, debt bondage, deception or other coercion† (Caldwell). It entails the use of various forms of coercion, fraud, intimidation, and brute force to obtain labor and other services for little no benefit to the person being trafficked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Human Trafficking is not a new practice. This global trafficking business that reaps huge profits for traffickers and their collaborators has been present since the start of civilization. What is new is the sophistication and complexity by which it is carried out. The shocking thing is how this type of trade actually flourishes in this â€Å"time of enlightenment† where the rights of   human beings are given utmost importance. It is a violation of human rights whenever a human being is placed under any conditions against his/her will. This phenomenon of the contemporary era can be regarded as â€Å"the modern day equivalent of slavery† (â€Å"Trafficking in human beings†). It is of the utmost importance that this practice of subjecting people to slave-like conditions be put to a stop.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Women form the majority of human trafficking victims and are the ones most at risk. They are especially vulnerable due to the lack of employment opportunities. Oftentimes, traffickers promise them good jobs and better lives, but they only become prostitutes and sweatshop workers. Agents and brokers arrange their papers and transport, but when they reach their destinations, they discover the real nature of the work. The women often experience rape and other forms of violence and are enslaved   in abusive conditions where a bid for freedom is nearly impossible, even lethal. Extent of the Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Trafficking is a problem of global proportion affecting virtually every country. According to the United Nations, human trafficking generates around 5-7 billion dollars each year (Raymond). It is currently one of the most lucrative types of international crime, only next to arms trafficking and illegal drugs (International Labour Organization). But unlike arms and drug trafficking, the punishment for human trafficking is relatively light in most countries (Raymond).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determining the extent of and getting the exact statistics on human trafficking has proven to be a daunting task due to the illegal and underground nature of the activity. Researchers provide different estimates on the number of individuals being trafficked each year. A US Government report in 2004 estimates a figure of about 600,000-800,000 individuals trafficked annually across borders (â€Å"Trafficking†), the majority of which happening in â€Å"South East Asia, Japan, Russia and Europe† (â€Å"Trafficking in human beings†). The aforementioned figure does not include those who are â€Å"trafficked internally† (â€Å"Trafficking†), and the United Nations reports that up to 4 million people are transported worldwide each year (Raymond). Women make up around 80-90 percent of all human trafficking cases, and majority of them are sexually exploited either through sexual slavery or forced prostitution (â€Å"Trafficking in human beings†). Factors Influencing the Trafficking of Women   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Trafficking of women is a rapidly growing problem and several factors have led to its growth. In order for appropriate measures to take place, these factors should be identified and addressed. In order for the government to counteract its development, a coordinated response from international and regional authorities that addresses the major factors and root causes of the problem should be enacted. In addition to this, prevention measures should be done such as information dissemination, empowerment, and education of women in order to avert possible victimization and re-victimization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the major factors influencing the trafficking of women is the lure of easy profit in prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex (United Nations â€Å"Further Actions†). Researchers and human rights advocates also point out that the demand for women’s bodies from the male population drives trafficking patterns. The male demand for sexual prostitution, coupled by the increasing poverty, drives women into vulnerable situations that are exploited by sex traffickers. For women, unequal labor opportunities, gender discrimination, and other restrictions and gender-based stereotypes have led them to seek employment opportunities in other countries.   Other driving forces include â€Å"discrimination against women; restrictive migration laws; a lack of information about the realities and dangers of trafficking and insufficient penalties against traffickers† (â€Å"Trafficking in human beings†). Prostitution and Sex Trafficking   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Trafficking of women comes in three most common forms: sex tourism, mail-order bride services, and prostitution (Raymond). The link between trafficking and prostitution is a clear one. The demand for commercialized sex is the biggest driving force behind the trafficking industry. It provides the economic incentive for traffickers to perpetrate the exploitation of women. For example, reports show that an increase in human traffic accompanies places where military troops and peacekeeping forces are stationed (CATW International).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prostituted individuals have little or no protection from harm and violence due to their profession. Their bodies, being treated as commodities, are often subject to abuse and debasement. They also often suffer severe physical and mental problems due to injuries caused by such abuse (CATW International). The National Security Presidential Directive on Combating Trafficking in Persons states that â€Å"prostitution and related activities are inherently harmful and dehumanizing, identifying these activities as contributing to the phenomenon of trafficking, and opposing the regulation of prostitution as a legitimate form of work for any human being† (qtd. in Raymond). Anti-Trafficking Legislation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a need for comprehensive legislation and anti-trafficking laws that centers on the victims’ interests and issues. Several laws exist, such as the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (also referred to as the UN Trafficking Protocol) which demands corroborating territories to fight the spread of human trafficking by â€Å"protect[ing] and assisting victims of such trafficking† and â€Å"promot[ing]   cooperation among states in order to meet those objectives† (United Nations â€Å"Protocol†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   United States President Bush signed a Human Trafficking bill this January, renewing the   Trafficking Victims Protection Act. This is the first federal law for the punishment of traffickers and that especially addresses the issue of trafficking (â€Å"Bush Signs†). Also, at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action addressed the trafficking of women in the context of abuse and violence against them (â€Å"Trafficking in Women†) rather than regarding them as criminals or illegal migrants. Many countries around the world are also currently doing modest initiatives to eliminate the human trafficking trade. Criminalization of Purchasing Women for Prostitution and Punishment for Traffickers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One solution being proposed to decrease the traffickers’ incentive of transporting women is the legal prohibition of purchasing sexual services. This is rooted on the idea that prostitution (legalized or not) increases trafficking rates (CATW International). Men who purchase women for sex are major players in the supply-demand chain driving the trafficking industry. In order to decrease demand, those purchasing the service should be penalized (Bortel). This is but a logical extension to the premise that since illegal to provide such services (in many countries, the prostituted women are also punished by law), it must also be illegal to obtain them (Bortel).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another obstacle to the fight against trafficking is that the traffickers are rarely caught or punished, and if they are they are just penalized for the equivalent of a minor crime (Smith). In addition to this, many countries consider victims as illegal aliens, and are deported or penalized, while the traffickers get away scot-free. In the United States law practice, there is an attitude that â€Å"trafficking in women qualifies as a lesser crime than trafficking drugs† (Bortel). In this light, legislation that gives harsher penalties to traffickers must be enacted, including strengthening existing laws that protect the rights and interests of women. Works Cited Bortel, Angela. â€Å"Ending Trafficking in Women: A Victim-Centered Approach to Legislation.† Professionals for Cooperation. Jun. 2001. Moscow State University. Accessed 19 Apr. 2006 . â€Å"Bush Signs Anti-Human Trafficking Bill.† CBS News. 10 Jan. 2006. Associated Press. Accessed 19 Apr. 2006   Ã‚   . Caldwell, Gillion. â€Å"Trafficking Women in the Former U.S.S.R.† The Trafficking of NIS Women   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abroad. Sept. 1997. International League of Human Rights.   Accessed 19 Apr. 2006   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . CATW International. â€Å"Statement by CATW at the United Nations Commission on the Status of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Women.† Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. 5 Mar. 2003. Accessed 19 Apr. 2006   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . International Labour Organization. International Labour Office. â€Å"A global alliance against forced   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   labour.†Ã‚   Global Report under the Follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental   Ã‚  Ã‚   Principles and Rights at Work. Geneva: 11 May 2006. Raymond, Janice G. â€Å"The Ongoing Tragedy of International Slavery and Human Trafficking: An   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overview.† Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. 29 Oct. 2003. Accessed 19 Apr.   Ã‚  Ã‚   2006 Smith, Virginia. â€Å"Trafficking women and children.† Catholic New Times. 20 Mar. 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   LookSmart, Ltd. Accessed 19 Apr. 2006 . â€Å"Trafficking.† Anti-Slavery: Today’s Fight for Tomorrow’s Freedom. Anti-Slavery International.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accessed 19 Apr. 2006   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . â€Å"Trafficking in human beings†. Wikipedia. 11 Apr. 2006. Wikimedia Foundation.   Accessed 19   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apr. 2006 . â€Å"Trafficking in Women.† Women Watch: Information and Resources on Gender Equality and   Ã‚   Empowerment of Women. 22 Nov. – 17 Dec. 2004. United Nations. Accessed 19 Apr.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2006 . United Nations. â€Å"Further actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing Declaration and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Platform for Action,† Women Watch: Information and Resources on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. 16 Nov. 2000. United Nations. Accessed 19 Apr. 2006   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . —. â€Å"Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and   Ã‚  Ã‚   Children.† UN Nations Crime and Justice Information Network. 15 Nov. 2005. United   Ã‚   Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes. Accessed 19 Apr. 2006   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .   

Friday, August 30, 2019

Micro and macro market enviroment Essay

In order to correctly identify opportunities and monitor threats, the company must begin with athorough understanding of the marketing environment in which the firm operates. The marketingenvironment consists of all the actors and forces outside marketing that affect the marketingmanagement’s ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target customers.Though these factors and forces may vary depending on the specific company and industrialgroup, they can generally be divided into broad micro environmental and macro environmentalcomponents. For most companies, the micro environmental components are: the company,suppliers, marketing channel firms (intermediaries), customer markets, competitors, and publicswhich combine to make up the company’s value delivery system. The macro environmentalcomponents are thought to be: demographic, economic, natural, technological, political, andcultural forces. The wise marketing manager knows that he or she cannot always affectenvironmental forces. However, smart managers can take a proactive, rather than reactive,approach to the marketing environment. As marketing management collects and processes data on these environments, they must be ever vigilant in their efforts to apply what they learn to developing opportunities and dealing withthreats. Studies have shown that excellent companies not only have a keen sense of customer butan appreciation of the environmental forces swirling around them. By constantly looking at thedynamic changes that are occurring in the aforementioned environments, companies are better prepared to adapt to change, prepare long-range strategy, meet the needs of today’s andtomorrow’s customers, and compete with the intense competition present in the globalmarketplace. All firms are encouraged to adopt an environmental management perspective in thenew millennium.A company’s marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing thataffect marketing management’s ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with itstarget customers.1). Being successful means being able to adapt the marketing mix to trends and changes thisenvironment.2). Changes in the  marketing environment are often quick and unpredictable.3). The marketing environment offers both opportunities and threats.4). The company must use its marketing research and marketing intelligence systems to monitor the changing environment.5). Systematic environmental scanning helps marketers to revise and adapt marketing strategiesto meet new challenges and opportunities in the marketplace. The marketing environment ismade up of a: 1. Micro environmental2. Macro-environment 1. Micro Environmental The microenvironment consists of five components. The first is the organization’s internalenvironment—its several departments and management levels—as it affects marketingmanagement’s decision making. The second component includes the marketing channel firmsthat cooperate to create value: the suppliers and marketing intermediaries (middlemen, physicaldistribution firms, marketing-service agencies, financial intermediaries). The third componentconsists of the five types of markets in which the organization can sell: the consumer, producer,reseller, government, and international markets. The fourth component consists of thecompetitors facing the organization. The fifth component consists of all the publics that have anactual or potential interest in or impact on the organization’s ability to achieve its objectives:financial, media, government, citizen action, and local, general, and internal publics. So themicroenvironment consists of six forces close to the company that affect its ability to serve itscustomers:a. The company itself (including departments). b. Suppliers.c. Marketing channel firms (intermediaries).d. Customer markets.e. Competitors.f. Publics. 1. The Company’s Microenvironment As discussed earlier the company’s microenvironment consists of six forces that affect its abilityto serve its customers. Lets discuss these forces in detail: a. The Company  The first force is the company itself and the role it plays in the microenvironment. This could bedeemed the internal environment.1). Top management is responsible for setting the company’s mission, objectives, broadstrategies, and policies.2). Marketing managers must make decisions  within the parameters established by topmanagement.3). Marketing managers must also work closely with other company departments. Areas such asfinance, R & D, purchasing, manufacturing, and accounting all produce better results whenaligned by common objectives and goals.4). All departments must â€Å"think consumer† if the firm is to be successful. The goal is to providesuperior customer value and satisfaction. b. Suppliers Suppliers are firms and individuals that provide the resources needed by the company and itscompetitors to produce goods and services. They are an important link in the company’s overallcustomer â€Å"value delivery system.†1). One consideration is to watch supply availability (such as supply shortages).2). Another point of concern is the monitoring of price trends of key inputs. Rising supply costsmust be carefully monitored. c. Marketing Intermediaries Marketing intermediaries are firms that help the company to promote, sell, and distribute itsgoods to final buyers.1). Resellers  are distribution channel firms that help the company find customers or make salesto them.2). These include wholesalers and retailers who buy and resell merchandise.3). Resellers often perform important functions more cheaply than the company can performitself. However, seeking and working with resellers is not easy because of the power that somedemand and use. Physical distribution firms help the company to stock and move goods from their points of origin to their destinations. Examples would be warehouses (that store and protect goods beforethey move to the next destination). Marketing service agencies (such as marketing research firms, advertising agencies, mediafirms, etc.) help the company target and promote its products. Financial intermediaries  (such as banks, credit companies, insurance companies, etc.) helpfinance transactions and insure against risks. d. Customers  The company must study its customer markets closely since each market has its own specialcharacteristics. These markets normally include:1). Consumer markets  (individuals and households that buy goods and services for personalconsumption).2). Business markets  (buy goods and services for further processing or for use in their production process).3). Reseller markets  (buy goods and services in order to resell them at a profit).4). Government markets  (agencies that buy goods and services in order to produce publicservices or transfer them to those that need them).5). International markets  (buyers of all types in foreign countries) e. Competitors Every company faces a wide range of competitors. A company must secure a strategic advantageover competitors by positioning their offerings to be successful in the marketplace. No singlecompetitive strategy is best for all companies. f. Publics A public is any group that has an actual or potential interest in or impact on an organization’sability to achieve its objectives. A company should prepare a marketing plan for all of their major publics as well as their customer markets. Generally, publics can be identified as being:1). Financial publics–influence the company’s ability to obtain funds.2). Media publics–carry news, features, and editorial opinion.3). Government publics–take developments into account.4). Citizen-action publics–a company’s decisions are often questioned by consumer organizations.5). Local publics–includes neighborhood residents and community organizations.6). General publics–a company must be concerned about the general public’s attitude toward its products and services.7). Internal publics–workers, managers, volunteers, and the board of directors. 2.MACRO ENVIRONMENT The Company’s Macro environment The company and all of the other actors operate in a larger macro environment of forces thatshape opportunities and pose threats to the company. There are six major forces (outlined below)in the company’s macro environment. There are six major forces (outlined below) in thecompany’s macro environment.a. Demographic. b. Economic.c. Natural.d. Technological.e. Political.f. Cultural. a. Demographic Environment Demography is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race,occupation, and other statistics. It is of major interest to marketers because it involves people and people make up markets. Demographic trends are constantly changing. Some more interestingones are.1). The world’s population (though not all countries) rate is growing at an explosive rate that willsoon exceed food supply and ability to adequately service the population. The greatest danger isin the poorest countries where poverty contributes to the difficulties. Emerging markets such asChina are receiving increased attention from global marketers.2). The most important trend is the changing age structure of the population. The population isaging because of a slowdown in the birth rate (in this country) and life expectancy is increasing.The baby boomers following World War II have produced a huge â€Å"bulge† in our population’sage distribution. The new prime market is the middle age group (in the future it will be the senior citizen group). There are many subdivisions of this group.a). Generation X–this group lies in the shadow of the boomers and lack obvious distinguishingcharacteristics. They are a very cynical group because of all the difficulties that have surroundedand impacted their group. b). Echo boomers (baby boomlets) are the large growing kid and teen market. This group is usedto affluence on the part of their parents (as different from the Gen Xers). One distinguishingcharacteristic is their utter fluency and comfort with computer, digital, and Internet technology(sometimes called Net-Gens).c). Generational marketing is possible, however, caution must be used to avoid generationalalienation. Many in the modern family now â€Å"telecommute†Ã¢â‚¬â€œwork at home or in a remote officeand conduct their business using fax, cell phones, modem, or the Internet In general, the population is becoming better educated. The work force is be-coming more white-collar.Products such as books and education services appeal to groups following this trend. Technicalskills (such as in computers) will be a must in the future. The final demographic trend is theincreasing ethnic and racial diversity of the population. Diversity is a force that must berecognized in the next decade. However, companies must recognize that diversity goes beyond ethnic heritage. One the important markets of the future are that disabled people (a market larger any of our ethnic minority groups). b. Economic Environment The economic environment includes those factors that affect consumer purchasing power andspending patterns. Major economic trends in the United States include:1). Personal consumption (along with personal debt) has gone up (1980s) and the early 1990s brought recession that has caused adjustments both personally and corporately in this country.Today, consumers are more careful shoppers. 2).Value marketing (trying to offer the consumer greater value for their dollar) is a very seriousstrategy in the 1990s. Real income is on the rise again but is being carefully guarded by a value-conscious consumer. 3).Income distribution is still very skewed in the U. S. and all classes have not shared in prosperity. In addition, spending patterns show that food, housing, and transportation stillaccount for the majority of consumer dollars. It is also of note that distribution of income hascreated a â€Å"two-tiered market† where there are those that are affluent and less affluent. Marketersmust carefully monitor economic changes so they will be able to prosper with the trend, notsuffer from it . c. Natural Environment The natural environment involves natural resources that are needed as inputs by marketers or that are affected by marketing activities. During the past two decades environmental concernshave steadily grown. Some trend analysts labeled the specific areas of concern were: 1).Shortages of raw materials. Staples such as air, water, and wood products have been seriously damaged and non-renewablesuch as oil, coal, and various minerals have been seriously depleted during industrial expansion. 2).Increased pollution is a worldwide problem. Industrial damage to the environment is very serious. Far-sightedcompanies are becoming â€Å"environmentally friendly† and are producing environmentally safe andrecyclable or biodegradable goods. The public response to these companies is encouraging.However, lack of adequate funding, especially in third world countries, is a major barrier. 3).Government intervention in natural resource management has caused environmental concerns to be more practical andnecessary in business and industry. Leadership, not punishment, seems to be the best policy for long-term results. Instead of opposing regulation, marketers should help develop solutions to thematerial and energy problems facing the world. 4).Environmentally sustainable strategies. The so-called green movement has encouraged or even demanded that firms produce strategiesthat are not only environmentally friendly but are also environmentally proactive. Firms are beginning to recognize the link between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. d. Technological Environment The technological environment includes forces that create new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities. 1). Technology is perhaps the most dramatic force shaping our destiny 2). New technologies create new markets and opportunities. 3). The following trends are worth watching: a). Faster pace of technological change. Products are being technologically outdated at a rapid pace. b). There seems to be almost unlimited opportunities being developed daily. Consider theexpanding . fields of health care, the space shuttle, robotics, and biogenetic industries. c). The challenge is not only technical but also commercial–to make practical, affordableversions of . . products. d). Increased regulation. Marketers should be aware of the regulations concerning product safety,individual privacy, and other areas that affect technological changes. They must also be alert to . any.possible negative aspects of an innovation that might harm users or arouse opposition. e. Political Environment The political environment includes laws, government agencies, and pressure groups thatinfluence and . limit various organizations and individuals in a given society. Various forms of legislation regulate business. 1). Governments develop public policy to guide commerce–sets of laws and regulations limiting business for the good of society as a whole. 2). Almost every marketing activity is subject to a wide range of laws and regulations. Sometrends in the political environment include: 1). Increasing legislation to: a).Protect companies from each other. b).Protecting consumersfrom unfair business practices. c).Protecting interests of society against unrestrained business behavior. 2). Changing government agency enforcement. New laws and their enforcement will continue or increase. 3). Increased emphasis on ethics and socially responsible actions. Socially responsible firmsactively seek out ways to protect the long-run interests of their consumers and the environment. a). Enlightened companies encourage their managers to look beyond regulation and â€Å"do the rightthing.† b). Recent scandals have increased concern about ethics and social responsibility. c). The boom in e-commerce and Internet marketing has created a new set of social and ethicalissues. Concerns are Privacy, Security, Access by vulnerable or unauthorized groups. f. Cultural Environment The cultural environment is made up of institutions and other forces that affect society’s basicvalues, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors. Certain cultural characteristics can affectmarketing decision-making. Among the most dynamic cultural characteristics are: 1). Persistence of cultural values. People’s core beliefs and values have a high degree of persistence. Core beliefs and values are passed on from parents to children and are reinforced byschools, churches, business, and government. Secondary beliefs and values are more open tochange. 2). Shifts in secondary cultural values. Since secondary cultural values and beliefs are open tochange, marketers want to spot them and be able to capitalize on the change potential. Society’smajor cultural views are expressed in a).People’s views of themselves. People vary in their emphasis on serving themselves versusserving others. In the 1980s, personal ambition and materialism increased dramatically, withsignificant implications for marketing. The leisure industry was a chief beneficiary. b).People’s views of others. Observers have noted a shift from a â€Å"me-society† to a â€Å"we-society.† Consumers are spending more on products and services that will improve their livesrather than their image. c). People’s views of organizations. People are willing to work for large organizations butexpect them to become increasingly socially responsible. Many companies are linkingthemselves to worthwhile causes. Honesty in appeals is a must. d).People’s views of society. This orientation influences consumption patterns. â€Å"Buy American†versus buying abroad is an issue that will continue into the next decade. e).People’s view of nature. There is a growing trend toward people’s feeling of mastery over nature through technology and the belief that nature is bountiful. However, nature is finite. Loveof nature and sports associated with nature are expected to be significant trends in the nextseveral years. f).People’s views of the universe. Studies of the origin of man, religion, and thought-provokingad campaigns are on the rise. Currently, Americans are on a spiritual journey. This will probablytake the form of â€Å"spiritual individualism.

Interpersonal Communications in Sweet Home Alabama

In Interpersonal Communications, it is important to understand how stereotyping can affect close relationships. When an individual uses stereotyping in a negative way, this in return negatively affects the relationship. This can lead to major problems in the long run. In Sweet Home Alabama, it is easy to see that false stereotypes lead to judgments reflecting badly on relationships. The clip shown of Sweet Home Alabama starts off with Melanie Carmichael, a fashion designer who is about to have her first runway show.After the runway show she has to go with her boyfriend, Andrew, to an event involving his mother, the mayor of New York City. On the way, Andrew surprises her with an engagement proposal. Although she says yes, she asks to keep it a secret until she can visit her parents. He agrees to let her visit home by herself to break the good news to them, before letting it become a public announcement. This is until his mom notices the engagement ring on Melanie’s finger and freaks out. Pictures of the three of them spread to all of the tabloids saying they’re engaged!She takes the first plane back to Alabama. This is when we find out that she actually has a husband, Jake, who refuses to sign the divorce papers. Although she is determined to get him to sign the papers, he still turns her down. He calls the sheriff and Melanie gets sent to jail where she has to call her parents. Her dad picks her up, and she tells them about the engagement. Melanie’s parents do not seem to approve, as they have not seen her since she left Jake seven years ago. They still think that her and Jake should be together. Many things can lead to a false judgment on another person.One term in particular that often leads to judgment and interpersonal communication problems is stereotyping. Stereotyping is to take a general characteristic of a certain group, and assume that every individual that belongs to that group takes on that characteristic. People stereotype bec ause it simplifies the process of perception. Once you find out that a person belongs to a certain group, it’s easier to just assume they take on the implied characteristics that go with that group to form an easier impression. This often leads to problems, because it â€Å"leads us to form flawed impressions of others† (McCornack, 2010, p. 00). An example of this is the idea that all African Americans are criminals. A person that is stereotypical would see an African American on the street and be scared that they are going to mug them. As you can see, this hurts the process of interpersonal communication. It hurts the process because if someone judges everyone they meet based on a stereotype, it will be hard for them to connect with anyone. It will also be difficult to for interpersonal relationships with others. In one specific scene of Sweet Home Alabama, Melanie has just arrived at Jakes house to ask him to sign the divorce papers.After she says that she needs them signed so that she can get on her way and go home, he refuses. He tells her to go home and see her parents before he even will consider talking about signing the papers. He then goes inside as she replies, â€Å"Jake, you dumb stubborn redneck hick, the only reason you won’t sign these papers is because I want you to! † He exclaims, â€Å"WRONG! The only reason I ain’t signing is because you’ve turned into some hoity toity Yankee bitch, and I’d like nothing more than to piss you off! † Throughout this whole ordeal, the two are making facial expressions depicting anger and annoyance.Also they are extremely verbally aggressive towards each other. In this scene, both Melanie and Jake use stereotypes against each other. Melanie calls Jake a redneck hick, saying that he is stubborn and stupid. This could be considered a stereotype because the label redneck hick is often associated with being stupid and hard headed. In the heat of the moment, she uses this to relieve anger and insult Jake. He then rebuttals by calling her a Yankee bitch and saying she has become hoity toity. People from the north or â€Å"Yankees† often have the reputation of being arrogant and rude.Jake is calling her a hoity toity Yankee bitch because he thinks that since she moved away she has become someone she’s not. Although they used to be in love and married they use these hurtful stereotypes to get their point across. The point of the stereotype usage is to hurt the other and the outcome is anger and even a little hurt. Melanie and Jake’s communication was competent in some areas, while incompetent in others. When it comes to appropriateness, they would both be incompetent. In the situation that they are in, both should be calm and acting like adults.Although many divorces get ugly, initially signing the papers should generally be done in a civilized manner. Instead they both would be considered as having low- self monitors bec ause they are just stating exactly what is on their mind. However, in terms of effectiveness they were both competent in their instrumental goal. Melanie gets it across very clearly that she wants Jake to sign the papers, while he makes it clear that he doesn’t plan on signing them. For the couple’s self-presentational goals they are clear that they do not like each other very much when they begin fighting.Melanie shows that she wants Jake to sign the papers so she can get on with her life. She wants to break the connection between them and she attempts to, but fails at her relational goals when Jake won’t sign the papers. He succeeds at his relational goals in that he does not want to give in and sign the papers ending their marriage. When it comes to ethics, they were both extremely hostile and over exaggerated leading to incompetency in this category of interpersonal communication. In order to have had more competent communication, Melanie should have been ca lm and composed when asking Jake to sign the papers.When he began to refuse, she should have reasoned with him and gotten him to agree without using judgmental words towards each other. As shown in Sweet Home Alabama, stereotyping others can lead to false judgments and even hurt feelings. This portrayed in the scene that I chose to analyze. Melanie and Jake made false stereotypes about each other by calling one another hurtful names that did not apply. This taught me that although it is just easier to assume stereotypes are true, you should not always be so quick to judge. paper 1 grade sheet introduction (4 pts. ) Did you describe the purpose of your paper?Did you mention the concept you will be analyzing? Did you adequately describe what happened in the movie excerpt? introduction4 pts. possible_____ body (28 pts. ) Did you clearly and correctly define and explain the course concept you selected? Was your explanation complete enough for the sake of understanding the later analysis ? course concept explanation7 pts. possible_____ Did you give a concise, yet vivid, description of the relevant scene(s) you selected for analysis? Was your explanation of the communication behaviors accurate and detailed with respect to the relevant verbal and nonverbal messages? cene & communication description7 pts. possible_____ Was your application and analysis of the course concept complete, thorough, and accurate? Did you discuss how the communication impacted relational outcomes between the characters? interpretation & analysis7 pts. possible_____ Was your evaluation of interpersonal communication competence insightful? Did you address appropriateness, effectiveness, and ethics in your analysis? Were your recommendations for improvement specific, accurate, and relevant to course material? IPC competence & recommendations7 pts. possible_____ conclusion (4 pts. Did you do a nice job of summarizing your paper and analysis? Did you explain what you learned from conducting the an alysis? Was your explanation insightful? conclusion4 pts. possible_____ general writing issues (4 pts. ) Is your paper well written? Is it free of typos, spelling errors, and other proofreading mistakes? Is your paper coherent, thorough, complete, and informative? writing4 pts. possible_____ concept approval (-4 points) Did you neglect to secure approval of your chosen concept by your TA’s specified due date? If so, 4 points will be deducted from your grade. TOTAL (out of 40 pts. )_____

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Formal and Informal Management of Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Formal and Informal Management of Risks - Essay Example There can be a positive news though as some of what had appeared as risks would turn out as actually opportunities. Thus, monitoring on how the risks would unfold is a must. Investors can use indicators in monitoring risks. Price, price change, price change over time, the speed of price change and price movements in relation to a price reference like the price of the stock or equity, a year ago, two years ago, three years ago, or based on the equity’s average price over a period of history. All these are indicators or variables from which indicators can be developed or devised to put up a monitoring system in how risks may be developed and transform into serious threats or even opportunities. The monitoring system, for example, may identify what indicators or variables to monitor as well as the schedule in which the monitoring should take place. Meanwhile, Wood et al. focused on the management of risk as an element of risk governance and internal control. The Wood et al. persp ective only emphasize that the management of risks must be considered as an everyday task of management. In this  way, however, life is also a management of risks. In living we are confronted with many risks: risk of bankruptcy with a major change in the prices of equity, hurricane, typhoon, drought, tsunami, earthquake, heat wave, climate change and the like. Some of the risks are particularly important in some periods and some become less important in a particular period. Our lives have informally developed a monitoring system for these.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

ON WHAT BASIS DOES A MULTINATIONAL FIRM CHOOSE PEOPLE FOR Essay

ON WHAT BASIS DOES A MULTINATIONAL FIRM CHOOSE PEOPLE FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENT IDENTIFY, AND DISCUSS AT LEAST TWO - Essay Example ves acquainted with the ever changing role of Information Technology and the like within the business quarters as well as learn for their own betterment the different mechanisms through which they can make use of the business processes and management activities in a steady and quick manner. This means that they must align themselves with the advanced technological applications and that too in a quick way because the corporate world of present times is on the move. Thus the training needs are very much required within any organization since the same would ensure that all the employees understand what they are doing and there are as such no hiccups in the office place so to speak. (Cappelli, 1999) More than anything else, the workers must know what the end goal for the business is like and on what parameters success is measured as far as the top management of the organization is concerned. There must be unison in their working mechanisms so that they are all on the same wavelength no m atter how trying or tough the circumstances turn out to be. One of the most essential training programs is to make sure that all the employees learn to make use of the Information Technology tools and methodologies that are in line with the present day regimes. This would guarantee them success right away since they would all be on the same level as far as understanding of the IT world is concerned. Then they must be trained about the different sales force mechanisms like Sales Force Automation (SFA) methodologies and the like. If the workers hail from the procurement and business development side, then there should be training in the Just In Time (JIT) and Business Development Re-engineering modules. (Taylor, 1999) In an office place, there are certain instances when it is best to choose different people for the various jobs that are assigned in the working environment. This holds true for the rationale that a single person cannot and will not be able to do his work as well as the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

PDA Slim Part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PDA Slim Part 2 - Essay Example The strategy chosen implied decreasing the price of the X5, raising the X6 price and raising the X7 product price. The X5 product is entering the latter part of its growth phase thus a 10% price decrease was used, the X6 was increased by 10%, while the X7 price was increased by 20%. The reason for the greater increase in the X7 product was that the product shown negative profitability thus the price had to be increased enough to turn the product line into a profitable one. Based on the original information no product would be discontinued. The allocation of R&D budget strategy is based on giving more money to product with the greatest potential and under saturated markets. Allocation of R&D budget for each of the products was: X5 =15%, X6=50%, X7=35%. Tbe result for the first round was a total profit of 328.2 million. Both the X5, and X5 profits did very well with over 150 million of income each. The X7 profits were -$3.3 million. The X5 product more than double in total revenues, with profitability going up The market saturation of this product went up to 53%. The strategy seemed to work wonders as far as drastically increasing the revenue stream from this product. The X6 product market saturation went up to 33%, while its revenue growth went down 18%. The profitability of the product improved by 7%. The performance of the X7 product was lackluster. Its overall revenues went up a moderate 8%, while its profitability improved by still remained at a -6% level implying an unprofitable operation. The second round followed the same exact strategy with the same weighted distribution. The results from the first round seem very good, thus I continue with the formula. The results were not what I expected. The major problem was that the 10% decrease to the X5 handeld caused an accelerated movement in the product life cycle. The price movement caused the market saturation to reach 98%. The

Monday, August 26, 2019

Compare or Contrast two buildings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Compare or Contrast two buildings - Essay Example B. Ariel Rios Federal Building’s sweeping facade. III. Subtle Artistic Design. A. U.S General Services Administration Building’s Indiana limestone facing. B. Ariel Rios Federal Building’s limestone clad. Outline Page Neo-Classical Architecture Thesis: U.S General Services Administration Building and Ariel Rios Federal Building showcase massive architecture, uncluttered appearance, and subtle artistic design comparing two samples of America’s Neo-Classical architecture. I. Massive Architecture defines U.S General Services Administration Building’s E-shaped configuration, and Ariel Rios Federal Building’s semicircular facade reflecting Neo-Classical architecture. A. U.S General Services Administration Building’s E-shaped configuration encompasses large courtyards promoting free airflow. B. Ariel Rios Federal Building’s Semi-circular facade entails monumental columns and dentils supporting the building. II. Uncluttered Appearance e laborates U.S General Services Administration Building’s organized flat and long facade and Ariel Rios Federal Building’s sweeping facade detailing the building’s commanding presence. A. ... A. U.S General Services Administration Building’s Indiana limestone facing covering the whole of the building’s exterior. B. Ariel Rios Federal Building’s limestone clad enables sculptures and carvings to be curved onto the exterior. Essay Neo-Classical Architecture Introduction Neo Classical architecture is an architectural style derived from classical Greece and Rome; though a common style in American Capitols, it derives from Andrea Palladio, an Italian architect. Neoclassical architecture focuses more on the walls than the sculptural volumes because it focuses more on having a commanding presence. Its planar features are usually autonomous and individually articulated features. Though some of these buildings are known to have domed roofs, not all of have this feature; some have flat and horizontal roofs. For example, U.S General Services Administration Building and Ariel Rios Federal Buildings showcase massive architecture, uncluttered appearance, and subtle artistic design comparing two samples of America’s Neo-Classical architecture. Massive Architecture defines U.S General Services Administration Building’s E-shaped configuration, and Ariel Rios Federal Building’s semicircular facade reflecting Neo-Classical architecture. For example, U.S General Services Administration Building’s E-shaped configuration encompasses large courtyards promoting free airflow. The E-shaped configuration allows for natural lighting because of the amount of glass covering the wall surface. The E-shaped configuration allows for cooling breezes in the offices because the open spaces allow for free flow of air in the courtyards. The natural lighting enters the building because the wall surface on the street

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Genetics - Its History, Advantages and Future Research Paper

Genetics - Its History, Advantages and Future - Research Paper Example Genetics and the studies which investigate the genome of living organisms are important in the investigation of populations in reference to their distribution. It is thus through genetics that we are able to define the existence of racial differences and the patterns which describe the behavior of each population (Betz-Zall 109). Genetics has enabled scientists to come up with medicine for the therapy of various conditions which affect human beings and animals. For example studies on bacteria and viruses in relation to their genotypic expression illustrate the move towards making medical realities possible (Coates, John and Andy 18). It is thus through studies in genetics that the life of animals and human beings is conserved. Additionally, the study of genetics enables the achievement of preservation of the plant kingdom. This is made possible through the enhancement of genotypic makeup of plants which is geared towards the enhancement of the ability of plants to survive in various environments (Geck 153). The history of genetics is demonstrated by the application of genetics in the improvement of human, animal and plant life through cross breeding techniques. The work of Gregor Mendel defines the future of genetics by illustrating how the genotypes of organisms are passed from the parents to the offspring (Betz-Zall 109). It is thus through future studies of the genotypes of living organisms that the changes in the populations of the world is to be defined and determined (Mark, Hon and Roger 58). The blending of genes to come up with a unique living organism is a historic feature of genetics which has been used to cause changes in the offspring. These changes are aimed at ensuring that the genotypic and phenotypic structures of living organisms are designed to enhance their survival within the competitive environment (Coates, John and Andy 19). Nonetheless, the studies which enhance the feature of living organisms are procedural in addition to contextually lo ng lasting through the results are beneficial to the enhancement of life of human beings, plants and animals (Mark, Hon and Roger 67). Reproduction is a concept of genetics which illustrates the role of genes in the perpetuation of the offspring. It is through the combination of the male and female genes that the existence of a population is made possible (Betz-Zall 109). The study of these genes therefore plays a leading role in ensuring that the life and existence of life is not extinct. Additionally, the human and animal genome and the related studies ensure that the existence of life is achieved through improvement of the previous genotypic and phenotypic expressions. More importantly, the conviction of nurture within the nature of life as expressed through genes is achieved through genetics and the related studies (Geck 153). Nurture explains that in addition to the role of genes in the living of organisms, the environment also plays a role. It is in this sense that it is under stood that the level into which genes contribute to the expression of living organisms is also influenced by external factors within the environment (Mark, Hon and Roger 65). The significance genes are further demonstrated by the diversity which is expressed within the human, plant and animal kingdoms (Coates, John and

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Zoo Paper Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Zoo Paper Analysis - Essay Example I think that you should have expounded it more instead of jumping right away to your thesis. As suggested in the Argument Lecture, the thesis sentence should not be placed in the beginning of the essay; instead a good argument should come at the end of the sentence. In your paper, you immediately stated your thesis statement at the second paragraph stating, â€Å"It is morally wrong to keep wild animals in captivity†. In fact, you already hinted at it already at the first paragraph when you said, â€Å"No amount of replication, no matter how convincing, is enough to make up for denying these creatures their freedom.† You also expressed, â€Å"The argument is simple: The fact that we are stronger or smarter than animals does not give us the right to ambush and exploit them solely for the purposes of our own entertainment.† Since your audience is adversarial, it is not right for you to impose your belief to them at the start of your essay. You should have establish ed your points of argument first before stating your thesis statement. You failed to take note of the point in the Argument Lecture which said that in a great argument, the thesis is never explicitly stated. A positive point of your paper is that you were able to use cause and affect language in your essay. An example of this is when you said that â€Å"most animals in captivity cannot go back in the wild†. The cause here is the captivity which resulted to an effect of not being able to go back in the wild. Another cause and effect statement which you presented is that because of inbreeding in zoos, the offspring is often weakened. Your essay also stated a very good Point of Agreement in the third paragraph when you stated, â€Å"We humans take our own freedom quite seriously.† I would commend this statement because indeed your audience will agree to it because it is a given fact. It does not even mention anything about your desire to abolish zoos. In the same paragrap h you also stated a Point of Disagreement, â€Å"But too many of us apparently feel no obligation to grant that same right to animals†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The third paragraph is a good example of AGREEMENT  --> DISAGREEMENT. Reading the whole paper though, I think that you lack statements of Agreements. You concentrated more on Points of Disagreement. Maybe you should add more Points of Agreement so as not to intimidate your audience especially at the start of the paper. Another point which I want to mention and remind you is that â€Å"an argument is not a debate†. You did not have to present both sides of the argument like what you did in discussing about the case Jackie, the dolphin. As I was reading through your paper, I got confused as to what argument you were really presenting. Especially in the last four paragraphs of your essay, I was beginning to think that what you were fighting for was about the preservation of endangered species. You deviated from your previous argum ent about zoos being abolished. You jumped to a new topic about the destruction of the natural habitats of animals. There are now so many issues being presented so much so that you are already confusing your audience on what you really want them to do. Is it to abolish zoos, protect the ecosystem or is it the preservation of endangered species? Maybe you should have written another argumentative essay on these topics and just concentrate on the abolition of zoos in your essay. It is hard to persuade your audience if you confuse them with too many issues. Based on the above comments, the grade that I will give you is F because you failed to follow some of the basic guidelines which was presented in the Argument Lecture. Because of that, I cannot give you a high grade since from the start of your essay you have been out

Friday, August 23, 2019

Genre analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Genre analysis - Essay Example At the same time it has made my reflexes so much better, I can feel the difference for myself. Earlier, I was really slow and my reflexes were extremely slow but thanks to the game, I have become much faster now. My hand-eye coordination has also improved tremendously. In addition to this playing online has helped me a lot, I have made so many friends and I constantly play against them to see how good I really am. We also meet outside and spend time together. I became excessively involved and that was when I asked myself some really important questions? Questions like what is the future on gaming and how can I benefit from it? I am investing so much time into it what will I get out of it? These were some extremely important questions that I asked myself and it was very important for me to ask myself these questions and I am delighted I asked these questions just at the right time. â€Å"To narrow my analysis I stumbled upon the Virgin Gaming website.† (Virgin Gaming) The Virgin Gaming website has been developed by the Virgin group and it provides an ideal platform for gamers to grow and develop. I also came across twitch TV website. The Twitch TV website allows gamers to stream gaming videos and attract audience. That was when I started believing that one can make a career out of gaming and I started working towards it. There are so many gamers who have made a career out of gaming and this is certainly possible. So many of them have already been immensely successful. Twitch TV is similar to Youtube and they pay content producers for involving more and more people, this is very similar to Youtube partner program. The audience can contribute greatly, they can chip in with their comments and the types of series they would want to see and the content producers can produce exactly what is required and demanded by the audience. Virgin Gaming is a different ball game altogether. It involves competitive game

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Project risk management of south africa's 2010 world cup challenge Essay

Project risk management of south africa's 2010 world cup challenge - Essay Example These negativities pose a great risk in hosting such a mega event. This country has never got such a chance to propagate its plus points at any previous time in history so it should focus on appropriate planning of strategies and successful management of risks. The political risks are high, as the opposition would always scrutinize each and every effort and actions of the ruling party. Organizing such a big event without any political upheaval is nearly impossible. Reports have already started coming which state that opposition feels that spending so much of money in a gala event is not required when South Africa has other burning issues like poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment to deal with. Each and every issue related to world cup is taking a political angle. There are a section of people who believe that showing so much of interest in this event should not be the priority of the government, instead the focus should be in the overall development of the country. This viewpoint has the risk of further aggravating the political tensions as the opposition may try to project this viewpoint of a small section of society into the opinion of the masses. This entire hullabaloo will negatively impact the feelings of those who are pro FIFA w orld cup in South Africa and give a chance to the opposition in creating a situation that might pose a threat to the hosting and staging of the sports event. All other controversial issues of the South African politics will also come in the fore thus distracting the ruling party’s enthusiasm and focus towards the event. Hence political unrest in the backdrop of this gala event is a major threat to this project. Other major controversies like power shortage in the country and underdeveloped broadcast infrastructure would be greatly emphasized by the opposition which would pose a threat to the South Africa’s image to the entire world. There is a risk from a section of

Illinois and Audience Essay Example for Free

Illinois and Audience Essay In the start of President Obama’s speech, he starts out by using the term Anaphora†Hello, Colorado! (Applause.) Thank you! Are you fired up? Are you ready to go? (Applause.) Are you fired up?† This helps him to get the audience ready for his speech, and it creates a good atmosphere which also helps him to make a great speech In his speech Barak Obama uses a lot of pathos laden phrases to help him engage his audience and persuade them to agree with him. We see this in his speech when he introduces some good friends â€Å"Weve got some good friends here today. Youve got your outstanding governor, John Hickenlooper†¦And all of you are here, which makes me excited.†This is an example of pathos because, Barak Obama appeals to the audience emotions by referring to other important political people who is from Denver, and by finishing up his sentence by saying that the audience makes him exited. By evoking this sentiment in his audience, Obama manages to get the audience going, and ready to hear more of what Obama has to say. Which is a very important why to start off, because then he knows that the audience is listing to him. We also see this in his speech when he starts to talk about Romney’s politics† It turns out its not a five-point plan Governor Romney has got, its a one-point plan†¦ And weve been working for four years to clean up this mess that these policies left behind.†This is an example of pathos because, when Obama talks about Governor Romney’s politics he tries to connect to the audience emotion, and he also tries to convince them that his politics is the right one. Obama thereby achieves to get his audience to agree with him, when he criticizes Governor Romney’s politics. He succeeds in doing it, when he tells about that Romney has a five point plan, when it’s only a one which they already tried before Obama took of fice. And that plan took America into the worst economic crises since the Great Depression. In his speech Obama uses logos by appealing to the audience sense. We see this in his speech when he talks about voting† Don’t boo vote. (Applause.) Vote. That’s the way to show your opinion, is to vote† This is a clear example of logos because he clearly appeals to the sense of the audience. By appealing to the sense of the audience, Obama succeeds in getting his message out; that it is important that you vote, instead of just complaining about the other parties view. He is telling that the only way you can get your opinion out, is to vote. A little later in Obama’s speech, he appeals to the audience sense again, we see this in his speech when he talks about the symptoms of romnesia, and tells what the cure is.†But, Denver, I want you to know this: If you feel any symptoms coming on†¦ There’s a cure, Colorado, as long as you vote. (Applause.) Ther e’s a cure.† This is an example of logos because; Obama is again appealing to the audience sense that they need to vote for him. By appealing to the audience Obama achieves, to make sure that they know that he is the cure for Romnesia. By the word Romnesia, Obama uses the term pun; this helps him to create a negative feeling of the work, when you compare it to his own healthcare package â€Å"Obamacare†, with this term he also uses a pun just in a positive way, which creates a good feeling about the word. But the most important part of this quote is, that he makes sure that the audience, see him as the cure. You can say that he is using logos and pathos in this quote, because he is also trying to reach out after the audience emotions. During president Obama’s speech he uses a lot of different terms, the two I have concentrated about is pathos and logos. I find these two terms very important, because it helps him construct a good flowing speech, while he also gets the audience or the ones watching it in TV to agree with him, that’s how he uses pathos. For the once who isn’t sure of what they are going to vote or if they are going to vote, here he uses logos to reach out to the sense audience and tries to help them decide on voting for him.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

To improve a manual system

To improve a manual system Introduction Our project is to improve a manual system to an automated system, so we selected a local bookshop which had limited number of functions so its going to be easier for our project. The scope of the project is to analyze the need for a bookshop system, and to find advantages to formulate an effective computerized bookshop system that will eliminate the existing problems. In this process of analyzing, information were obtained from the staff as well as the customers Proposed system is expected to have simplified Bookshop system that will eliminate the difficulties and disadvantages of not having a system. The system is also expected to satisfy both the customers as well as the staff members in having efficient and effective Bookshop System. Systems Request Summery The Manager of the Book Shop requested us to design and implement an automated IT system to replace their current manual system. He wanted a very effective and efficient system which they expect more profits from this investment to the IT system. He wanted a system which is really user friendly because he didnt want the staff members to be unhappy with working in the new system. Findings As we visited the Book Shop and spoke with the staff members and the customers we found out the followings as main points for the design and what they expect us to do; Most of the staff members had a normal knowledge of computing. Staff has a fear that they might not be combatable with the new IT system. Customers have to wait long to search for books and billing. Recommendations We recommend the shop to have a complex system which will cover all the areas but the simple user interface so that any user can use the system easily. Use barcode system for the book. There for the customers wating time can be reduse. Keep a backup data of the users daily. In case of some thing happen to the system. Use camers in side the library. If some users doing damages to propety esily can identified. Create a Computer area for the users. To acess to the internet and to search the books. Time and Cost Estimation As we estimated the total program will take around 75 days to be developed. We are planning to finish the project within 72 days, but we kept 5 days extra incase of emergency. As the book shop isnt a company which is not gaining huge profits they wanted us to stick to a smaller budget. After our main analysis we decided to complete the project for 385,000 LKR. Expected outcomes By using automated system we hope to overcome these disadvantages of the manual system. In manual system all the things in the system have to do manually. So it causes to make lot of mistakes. Then using automated system we cam over come these things. Using automated system make this advantages to the system. Can keep full information about whole sellers who providing books and stationery items. In the manual system we have to keep information about whole sellers in books or some times that are not wrote some where and keep that in mind of the owner/manager. Then they forget or loosing papers, however they lost information about whole sale vendors. And other thing is all the vendors are not giving items at same prize. Some are cheaper than others. So buying cheep items can make more profit. With large number of whole sale vendors, it hard to compare and choose vendor to buy items for sale. In automated system it is easy because all the information of whole sale vendors is in one place and analyst it briefly. Not only the price but also we have to care about quality of items. Other wise if our customers not satisfy with goods our sales will do down. So we have to care about quality also. In this system can keep history of whole sale vendors can we can build confidence about goods they give to us. And if we have recode of who is the vendor provide each item if we feel something wrong while selling that we can change or complain about that. From that we can keep confidence between us and costumers. Can keep information about stock. When selling items it must to have enough stocks. If it doesnt has cant continuing selling process. And if doesnt have the item what customer want confidence between customer and shop will break. Then keeping stock details are the best way to avoid these disadvantages. And currently they are replacing lot of items once at a month. Then some are finished sooner some are not finish in that month, so that method is not very good. And it need more space for stock. By using a automated system it is easy to keep stock details. Manager can see easily what item is getting finish and he can replace it. Then space needed will be less. Keeping stock space less will allow the manager to add more stock when he needs according to the type of goods. Can keep reservations. If customer needs to reserve book it can reserve on the system then it can keep on stork till customer buy it. It helps to enhance confident of the customer. On the system it is vary easy to do it. Can keep information about customers. Customers are the main thin. Then keeping customers information is vary important. In manual system doesnt have method to keep customers information. When give special gift or discount to customers it is vary use full. Help to observe sales. Observing sales is useful to control businesses. Like controlling stocks, getting people to work, investing more for each item etc.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Conversion of Waste to Energy

Conversion of Waste to Energy This section of the report focuses on waste to energy which is one of the most popular methods used to manage municipal solid waste around the world. Through waste to energy, trash has become a useful material because we are able to convert it to heat. The combustion of trash at a waste to energy facility produce ash, heat and flue gas. From the ash, metals are recovered and recycled. The flue gas is cleaned then it is released into the atmosphere through the chimney. The heat produced is used to generate electricity that powers the plant and nearby buildings. A waste to energy plant in the community helps to increase recycling rate which is beneficial for the city. There are more advantages to waste to energy than disadvantages, therefore it is essential that the city utilizes waste to energy has a way of managing municipal solid waste. 4.1.1. Introduction The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in New York City has changed over the past decade from ocean and street dumping, to unregulated incineration, to current and export landfilling practices (Sylvan, 2011). The NYC Department of Sanitation, which is in charge of managing NYC waste collaborates with the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Sims Multi Recycling Recovery Facility, and GreeNYC to manage the citys waste through recycling, waste reduction, and composting and organic waste diversion (Cohen et al., 2015). In 2006, to efficiently manage the citys waste, the city Council approved the Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) which was created under the administrator of former Mayor Bloomberg (Cohen et al., 2015). The purpose of this plan was to establish a dependable, economical, and sustainable system for managing the citys waste (Cohen et al., 2015). This plan was eventually integrated into the sustainability planning under the PlaNYC, New York Citys compr ehensive sustainability plan in 2011 (Cohen et al., 2015). Under the new plan, in 2012, Former Mayor Bloomberg announced that the city would solicit plans to build a waste to energy facility near or within New York City (Rizzo et al., 2012). Waste to energy (WTE) technology is a process where trash is converted to heat/electricity. The most common waste to energy technology use around the world is mass burn, where trash is combusted to produce energy (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). However, the plan to build a WTE facility was eventually archived due to misconceptions surrounding WTE (Rizzo et al., 2012). 4.1.1.1 Background on the Problem Incinerators are not new to New York City. In the 20th century, there were thirty-two municipal and 17,000 apartment house refuse incinerator in the city (Walsh et al., 2001). In 1935, New York City was forced to stop ocean dumping, which was the waste disposal method for the city at that time, after a federal lawsuit was filed by New Jersey coastal cities (Cohen et al., 2015). This led the city to rely on incinerators and landfill to dispose of its waste (Cohen et al., 2015). However, in 1952, citys officials reported that apartment house refuse incinerators were responsible for 30% of the citys air pollution (Walsh, 2002). The report on air pollution caused by incinerators in the 1950s led to the limits on incinerator usage based on environmental grounds (Walsh, 2002). In 1970, after the Federal Clean Air act was enacted, the city was forced to shut down incinerators plant that did not meet the emissions guidelines (WastedNYC, 2015). The emission guidelines led to the closure of th e citys four oldest municipal incinerators by 1971, and by mid- 1970s thousands of residential incinerators were closed down (Walsh, 2002). In 1989, City Council committee passes a bill to ban incinerators in the city in the next four years (WastedNYC, 2015; Dunlap, 1989). This bill led to the decline of both residential and municipal incinerators, and by 1994 there were no more incinerator plants in New York City (Walsh, 2002; Rizzo et al., 2012). 4.1.1.2. Purpose of the Paper The burning of garbage and WTE are related because they both involve the combustion of trash. However, WTE is not just about burning trash but it is used to produce energy. The purpose of this paper is to outline how WTE plants work as well as the benefit the city stands to gain if it builds its own WTE facility. The city currently sends approximately 10% of its MSW to WTE plants in Hempstead, Long Island and Essex County, New Jersey (Cohen 2015, Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). If the city were to build its owns plant, it would save money from not spending on the transportation of waste and the use of other states landfills or WTE facilities. WTE has the ability to improve New York Citys current waste disposal practices (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). 4.1.2. Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Process 4.1.2.1. How Incineration Works Figure 4.1.1: Schematic Diagram of the MSW incineration process (Lam et al., 2010). The incineration process of MSW is separated into three main parts: combustion, energy recovery and air pollution control (Lam et al., 2010). The crane in the machine (upper left, Fig.4.1.1) is used to feed solid waste into the furnace of the machine continually for combustion (Lam et al., 2010). The combustion of the waste in the furnace is enhanced by following the three Ts guideline, which are temperature, turbulence and time (Lam et al., 2010). High temperature increases burnout of the waste, while increasing turbulence reveals more waste surface and also increases burnout. (Lam et al., 2010). A longer resident time for the flue gas and waste also increases burnout (Lam et al., 2010). The temperature for incineration should be at least 850 oC with a residence time of 2 minutes (Lam et al., 2010). Air supply must be sufficient during the process to ensure complete combustion of waste and to inhibit the formation of carbon monoxide and dioxins (Lam et al., 2010). For the energy recovery process of the system, heat is generated from the waste and it is used to produce steam in the boiler (Lam et al., 2010). The steam is then used to drives the turbine to generate electricity (Lam et al., 2010). Air pollution was a major problem for old incinerators in the 20th century. However, modern incinerators are equipped with advanced pollution control systems which are designed to reduce pollution and ensure that the system is in compliance with environmental standards (Lam et al., 2010). To neutralize acidic gases such as hydrogen chloride and sulfur oxides, fine atomized slurry or lime powder is spray into the hot exhaust gas using a dry/wet scrubber (Lam et al., 2010). Also in the system, an activated carbon column is used to adsorb the heavy metals and organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the exhaust gas (Lam et al., 2010). The bag filter install in the system acts to filter and remove dust particles and fine particulates from the combustion (Lam et al., 2016). 4.1.2.2. The Product of Incineration of Waste After the combustion of the waste three products are produced, the products are flue gas, heat and ash (Lam et al., 2016). 4.1.2.2.1. Flue gas The flue gas produced from the combustion contains air pollutant (Zaman, 2010) (See table 4.1.3). Therefore, before the flue gas is release through the chimney, the filtering system makes sure the gas is clean to be released into the atmosphere (Zaman, 2010). 4.1.2.2.2. Heat The heat produced is used to generate electricity. The facilities use the electricity generated to operate the plant and sell the excess energy (Chambers, 2016; Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). At most facilities, for every ton of waste combusted, 550 to 650 Kilowatt/hour (KWh) of electricity is generated for sale (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). This is the way that WTE facilities are able to earn more income for the plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). 4.1.2.2.3. Ash There are two types of ash produced from the combustion, bottom ash (BA) and fly ash (FA) (Lam et al., 2016). The ash is 90 percent smaller than the original volume of the waste combusted (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). From the ash, WTE facilities are able to extract recyclable ferrous and non-ferrous metals (Chambers, 2016; Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Then the ashes are landfilled (Chambers, 2016). Before the ashes are landfilled, the facilities test the ashes to make sure that the ashes are not hazardous to the environment (Chambers, 2016). However, in some Asian and European countries that uses WTE, the ashes are not landfilled but rather utilized for other purposes such as cement and concrete production, road pavement, glass ceramics and ceramic production, adsorbent for dyes and agriculture (Lam et al., 2010; Pà ©rez-Villarejo et al., 2012). Application of MSW ashes Type Application Composition % Country BA Aggregate in concrete up to 50% France BA Aggregate in concrete replace up to 15% of cement Slovenia BA Road base Spain BA Adsorbent for dyes India BA Concrete Italy Mixed Ash Cement clinker up to 50% Portugal Mixed Ash Cement clinker 44% Japan Mixed Ash Cement clinker 15% Taiwan Mixed Ash Aggregate in concrete Spain FA Concrete 50% France FA Eco cement 50% Japan FA Ceramic tile China FA Glass ceramic Korea FA Blended cement up to 45% UK Table 4.1.1: The uses of MSW Ash in different countries. The BA represents Bottom Ash, the FA represents Fly Ash and the Mixed Ash represents the mixture of both BA and FA (Modified after Lam et al., 2010). Table 4.1.2: Research projects on MSW ash as road construction materials in the U.S. BA represents Bottom Ash and combined ash represents both Bottom Ash and Fly Ash (Modified after An et al., 2014). WTE facilities in the United States(U.S.) such as Covanta have been lobbying to recycle the ash instead of landfilling it, but these attempts have been unsuccessful so far (Chambers, 2016). The facilities have been lobbying for both federal and state regulation that would allow the usage of ash in the country (Chambers, 2016). Several studies conducted in the U.S. has proved that ash can be used in the U.S. as part of road construction (An et al., 2014) (see table 4.1.2). Despite the research showing that ash is usable in the U.S. no regulation has been passed to allow the usage of ash (An et al., 2014). Recycling of ash would be beneficiary because it would help eliminate landfills. Therefore, it is essential that these facilities continue to lobby for the recycling of ash. 4.1.3. Misconception about Waste to Energy Opposition to waste to energy plant in the city is rooted in two misconceptions (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). One of the misconceptions is that a waste to energy plant would displace recycling programs in the city (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). This has been proven to be false based on places that use waste to energy as part of their waste management program (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). High reliance on WTE is in fact correlated with high recycling rate (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). For example, in Austria where WTE facilities are used, 70 percent of its MSW is either recycled or composed while the remaining 30 percent is sent to WTE plants (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Meanwhile, in the U.S., studies have shown that states that do not rely heavily on WTE to manage their waste have a recycling rate below 20 percent while states that rely heavily on WTE has recycling rates above 20 percent. (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). For example, Connecticut, which is one of the leading states in reliance on WTE, sends 63 percent of its waste to WTE plants and recycle d 26 percent of its waste (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). As of 2015, the recycling rate for the city was 16%, which is lower than the recycling rate for Connecticut (Szendro, 2015). This demonstrates that having a WTE plant in the city would not displace recycling but rather help us recycle better. The other misconception about WTE is that it causes air pollution which would affect the health of the resident that would who live around the plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). In the 20th century there was a problem with incineration due to the fact that it causes air pollution. However, modern incinerators are equipped with systems that reduce the amount of pollutants released from the plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Also tight rule and regulations have led to the reduction of pollutant from WTE plants (Chambers, 2016). Under the federal Clean Air Act, WTE facilities must abide by the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rules, which apply to eight different air pollutants (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Every five years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updates the MACT, which result in the update of pollution control in WTE facilities to meet the new EPA limits (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). In 2012, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) examined eight air pollutants at the states municipal waste combustion plants and found that most pollutant had declined by 30 to 60 percent from 1996 to 2010 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). *Toxic equivalent (sum of substance amounts multiplied by toxicity equivalency). Table 4.1.3. Emission from US WTE facilities Pre- versus Post MACT (Modified after EPA, 2016). Table 4.1.4. Average emission of 87 US WTE facilities (Lumber et al., 2006 as citied in Psomopoulos et al., 2009). WTE facilities in the US emit pollutants that are below that of the EPA Standard (Chambers, 2016, Psomopoulos et al., 2009) (see table 4.1.4). Numerous studies have shown that modern combustion plants pose no significant health risks (Citizen Budget commission., 2012). For example, a study in Germany, found near new WTE facilities the dioxin levels are only 1 to 2 percent of the level considered harmful to human health (Citizen Budget Commission., 2012). Another example, in Montgomery County WTE facility a health risk assessment found that even in the worst case scenario a nearby farmer has a one in three million chance of increase health risk from exposure to the facility(Budget Citizen Commission., 2012). This shows that WTE plants have no effect on human health and the idea that WTE plants in the city would affect the health of New Yorkers is false. 4.1.4. Benefit of Waste to Energy 4.1.4.1. Energy production and reduction in Greenhouse gases At WTE plants, combustion of 1 metric ton of MSW generates approximately 600 kWh of electricity thus preventing the mining of 0.25 ton of U.S. coal or importing one barrel of oil for electricity (Psomopolous et al., 2009). This lead to the displacement of energy produced at local facilities (Citizen Budget Commission., 2013). For example, the EPA calculated that for a ton of wasted combusted in the Middle Atlantic region prevent about 0.56 metric tons of emission from local utilities (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The EPA also estimated that for every ton of waste combusted, 0.04 tons of carbon dioxide from metal recovery is saved (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). WTE is the only alternative to landfilling of non-recyclable wastes, where the decomposing waste releases methane into the atmosphere (Psomopoulos et al., 2009). Which means that the city practice of hauling waste to other states landfill is increasing the citys carbon footprint. Disposing of the citys garbage to local WTE would decrease the citys carbon foot print (Citizen Budget Commission., 2012). 4.1.4.2. Source of Renewable Energy Figure 4.1.2. Sources of U.S. electricity generation in 2015 (Modified after EIA, 2016). The combustible materials in MSW consist of 82% biomass (paper, food, yard wastes etc.), and 18% petroleum chemical wastes (Psomopolous et al., 2009). Therefore, MSW is considered a renewable source of energy and it is included by the U.S. Department of Energy in the biomass fuel category of renewable energy source (Psomopolous et al., 2009). In 2015, renewable energy generated 13% of the energy produced in the U.S. (EIA, 2016). The electricity produced by WTE facilities in the U.S. is 3% of the renewable energy generated in 2015, which is less than the amount of electricity generated by other renewable energy sources such as wind (35% of renewable energy generated), and solar (5% of renewable energy generated) (EIA, 2016) (see Figure 4.1.2). However, compare to wind and solar energy, the electricity generated by waste is consistent because the availability of these resources is stable, while the amount of electricity generated by the wind and solar energy depend on daily and seasona l weather, and this make the sources unreliable. (EIA, 2016). This shows that even though waste is not generating a lot of energy, it is a stable energy resource. 4.1.4.3. Recycling Having a WTE plant in the city would increase the citys recycling rate. WTE plant in the city would burn only non-recyclable material, which means that New Yorkers have the responsibility of sorting out their garbage before it is taken to the WTE plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). 4.1.4.4. Free Amenities The people who live near the WTE plant might be entitled to free amenities. For example, the Toshima Incinerator plant in Tokyo has a swimming pool and an affordable fitness center located within the plant (Harden, 2008). These amenities are accessible to the people who live in community where the plant is located (Harden, 2008). Another example, is the Hiroshima Naka Citys Incinerator plant in Japan, which is also known as the museum of garbage (Harden, 2008). The end of one of Hiroshimas main boulevards, overlooks the citys harbor, but the building has entirely blocked residents access to the water(Bernstein,2004). Therefore, the architect of the building decided to continue the boulevard, in form of a raised, glass-enclosed walkway (Bernstein, 2004). Beginning where the pavement ends, a 400-foot walkway slips was put through the building, ending in a new waterfront park. Residents can walk through the slip to get access to the waterfront park (Bernstein, 2004). The beautiful archi tecture of the plant has made it a tourist attraction center in Hiroshima (Bernstein, 2004). This proves that WTE plants can be multifunctional. If the city decides to build its own WTE plants it can make it attractive to the community by including free amenities. 4.1.5. Economic Analysis In 2012, the average price of sending our waste to distant landfill was $95 per ton and it was estimated that the price would increase to $140 per ton in 2016 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Meanwhile sending our waste to WTE facilities in Newark, New Jersey, and Hempstead, Long Island cost the city $66 and $77 per ton, respectively (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The prices for sending our waste to distant landfill and WTE facilities is expected to increase in the coming years (Citizen Budget Commission, 2016). In comparison, the projected tipping fees of new plants are much lower than sending our waste out of the city (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) estimated that the tipping fee at a new WTE plant that process 900,000 tons of waste per year would cost about $108 per ton in 2019, which is cheaper than the $140 per ton in 2016 for landfill (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Therefore, it would be beneficiary for the city to build its own plants. A full detail on economic analysis regarding WTE can be found in section 4.4 of this report. 4.1.6. Recommendation The use of a WTE plant located in the city or near the city offers both economic and environmental benefits compared to sending our waste out of the City (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Different factors are involved in estimating the economic benefits from the use of citys own WTE facility (citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The Key factors for the estimation are the future price of transporting waste to landfills, and the time it would take to plan, design and construct a plant (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Therefore, the cost of WTE would be compared to the amount the City would be paying to export its waste in 2022 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). It is estimated that in 2022 the City would be paying $170 per ton to export to landfill (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). It would cost the City $750 million to finance a 3,000-ton per day WTE plant and capital funding, cost of operations and net of electricity sales for the plant would be approximate $109 million in 2022 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2016). It is assumed that the plant would be able to process 985, 500 tons of waste annually at a cost of $111 per ton if it operates all year round with 90 percent availability, (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). This would save the City $59 for every ton sent to the new plant instead of being transported to landfill (Citizen Budget Commission,2016). Using this estimate, taxpayers would save approximately $119 million if the city diverts two million tons from landfill to WTE plant in 2022 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). This would lead to a reduction in the cost for disposing MSW in the City from $526 million to $408 million, a 23 percent drop in 2022 (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). The diversion of two million tons of waste from landfills to WTE woul d not only save the city money but also reduce greenhouse gas emission (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). Greenhouse gas emission due to this diversion is expected to decrease by 35 percent, which is equivalent to the reduction of carbon dioxide from 679,000 to 439,000 metric tons (Citizen Budget Commission, 2012). A Full detail on recommendations for the city regarding WTE can be found in section 4.4. of this report 4.1.7. Conclusion The use of WTE facilities has proven to be one of the best ways of managing MSW. WTE helps lower greenhouse gases and provides energy and material recovery. WTE also help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for electricity, which leads to the reduction of greenhouse gas. WTE would also help increase the recycling rate of the city. Building WTE plant within NYC might be a problem due to the misconceptions surrounding WTE facilities. When people hear WTE, they think back to the old incinerators that were used in the 20th century in NYC. Therefore, it is essential for New York City to develop programs that would educate New Yorkers about the benefit of having WTE in the city and the differences between modern incinerators and the incinerators from 20th century. WTE has more benefits for the city than any effect it might have on the environment. References An, J., Kim, J., Golestani, B., Tasneem, K. M., Al Muhit, B. A., Nam, B. H., Behzadan, A. H. (2014). Evaluating the use of waste-to-energy bottom ash as road construction materials. University of Central Florida: Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering. Accessed: December 8, 2016: http://www.fdot.gov/research/completed_proj/summary_smo/fdot-bdk78-977-20-rpt.pdf Bernstein, F.A. (2004). Beauty in Garbage: Naka Incinerator Plant by Yoshio Taniguchi. Arch News Now. Accessed November 26. 2016: http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/Feature152.htm Chambers, T (2016). Interviewed by me. Facility manager of Covanta Huntington LP. Kings Park, NY. Citizens Budget Commission (2012). Taxes In, Garbage Out: The Need for Better Solid Waste Disposal Policies in New York City. Citizens Budget Commission New York. Accessed October 6, 2016: http://www.cbcny.org/sites/default/files/REPORT_SolidWaste_053312012.pdf Cohen, C., Martinez, H., and Schroder, A. (2015). Waste Management Practices in New York City, Hong Kong and Beijing. Columbia University. Accessed October 5, 2016: http://www.columbia.edu/~sc32/documents/ALEP%20Waste%20Managent%20FINAL.pdf Dunlap, D.W. (1989). Panel Votes Bill to Ban Incinerators. New York Times. Accessed November 28, 2016: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/23/nyregion/panel-votes-bill-to-ban-incinerators.html EIA (2016). Energy in Brief: How much U.S. electricity is generated from renewable energy. Energy Information Administration. Accessed December 6, 2016: https://www.eia.gov/energy_in_brief/article/renewable_electricity.cfm EPA (2016). Energy Recovery from Waste: Air Emissions from MSW Combustion Facilities. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed December 8, 2016: https://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/web/html/airem.html Harden, B. (2008). Japan Stanches Stench of Mass Incinerators. Washington Post. Accessed November 28, 2016: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/11/17/AR2008111702968.html Lam, C. H., Ip, A. W., Barford, J. P., and McKay, G. (2010). Use of incineration MSW ash: a review. Sustainability, 2(7), 1943-1968. Pà ©rez-Villarejo, L., Eliche-Quesada, D., Iglesias-Godino, F. J., Martà ­nez-Garcà ­a, C., Corpas-Iglesias, F. A. (2012). Recycling of ash from biomass incinerator in clay matrix to produce ceramic bricks. Journal of environmental management, 95, S349-S354. Psomopoulos, C. S., Bourka, A., Themelis, N. J. (2009). Waste-to-energy: A review of the status and benefits in USA. Waste management, 29(5), 1718-1724. Rizzo, C., Plum, M.K. (2012). Waste-to -Energy Facilities in New York City: Challenges and Opportunities. Accessed October 2, 2016: http://www.clm.com/publication.cfm?ID=370 Sylvan, D. (2011). Municipal Solid Waste in New York City: An Economic and Environmental Analysis of Disposal Options. New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF). Accessed October 6, 2016: http://nylcvef.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Solid-Waste-Background-Paper.pdf Szendro, B. (2015). New York City Makes Small Improvement in Recycling Rate: Despite improvements, Department of Sanitation falls short of its goal. New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV). Accessed November 15, 2016: http://nylcv.org/news/new-york-city-makes-small-improvement-in-recycling-rates Walsh, D. C., Chillrud, S. N., Simpson, H. J., Bopp, R. F. (2001). Refuse incinerator particulate emissions and combustion residues for New York City during the 20th century. Environmental science technology, 35(12), 2441-2447 Walsh, D. C. (2002). Peer Reviewed: The Evolution of Refuse Incineration. Environmental science technology, 36(15), 316A-322A. WastedNYC (2015). History of Incineration in New York City. WastedNYC. Accessed November 28, 2016: https://wastednyc.wordpress.com/local-incineration/incinerators-in-inwood/

Monday, August 19, 2019

Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn †Freedom :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn – Freedom In the novel The Adventures Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a theme of freedom is portrayed. Freedom takes on a different perspective for each character in the novel. In Jim, the runaway slave, and Huck's, the mischievous boy, journey, they obtain freedom. Jim's hunt for freedom is an escape from the clutches of slavery, while Huck's is a flight from the civilized world. Their hunting for freedom is for one reason, for their happiness. This is shown throughout the novel in Jim's desire of escaping slavery and Huck's wish for being uncivilized. From the beginning of the novel, Jim lives his life as a slave. He is fairly content until one day, when he overhears his owner, Mrs. Watson, talking about selling him to New Orleans. Jim becomes terrified and runs from Mrs. Watson. From that point on in the novel, Jim turns into a runaway slave. His journey with Huck down the Mississippi river begins with only the fear of being caught as a runaway slave. Later in the journey, Jim starts to yearn for freedom from slavery. This is manifested in this quote when Huck describes Jim's reactions about being free in Cairo, "Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom" (97). Jim's excitement is also demonstrated in more actions about Cairo as Huck describes more, "Jim was fidgeting up and down past me. We neither of us could keep still. Every time he danced around and says, "Dah's Cairo!"" (97) Jim's excitement for freedom is obvious. Slavery sets social chains on Jim's life and hinders his happin ess and his goals in life. The only way Jim can achieve his happiness is through freedom. Freedom for Jim means escape from slavery and a release from the social chains. Huck makes a clear point about his perspective about living in the Widow's civilized home when he states, "But it was rough living in a house all the time...and so when I couldn't stand it no longer, I lit out. I got into my old rags, and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied" (1). Huck keeps this outlook on being restricted throughout the novel.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Blending of Past, Present, and Future in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death Salesman essays

Blending of Past, Present, and Future in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚   The most significant and challenging aspect to Death of a Salesman is its structure. In reading and watching the play it may appear at first that Miller is relying on the tried but true "flashback" technique in dramatizing the events of the play. In reality, Miller is actually attempting something much different. He is actually trying to fuse the past, present, and future into, what David Biele has aptly termed, a "constant state of NOW." It's not too unlike the Buddhist notion of living in the "eternal present" - meaning, whether we are conscious of it or not, everything that happens, happens now. If you are remember something in the past you are remembering it now. If you are dreaming of something in the future you are doing in now. Miller describes that state as this: I've never been able to make time real for myself. I can't remember whether something happened two weeks ago or three years ago. Or when I was in England the last time. The calendar doesn't seem to exist in my head. It all melts together. It always has. It's probably a form of insanity. I thought I would try to write that way - simply melt the days, the months and the years, because I really do believe that we move through the world carrying the past and that it's always alive in the back of our head. We are making constant references between what we see now and what we saw then, between what we hear now and what we heard then ... one asks a policeman for directions: as one listens, the hairs sticking out of his nose become important, reminding one of a father, brother, son with the same feature, and one's conflict with him or one's friendship come to mind, and this all over a period of seconds while objectively taking note of how to get to where one wants to go. The play then becomes an attempt to dramatize the way, to Miller at least, that the mind actually works. In fact, he originally thought of calling the play, "The Inside of His Head." He wanted the resulting form to "carry the whole freight of a man's life," moving the play forward not chronologically, in a "narrow discreet line, but as a phalanx, all of its elements moving together simultaneously.