Functionalism, Conflict, and Internationalism Essay

The three theories I plan to discuss are Functionalism, Conflict, and Internationalism with education. The need for these theories is what actually makes the system in education work, with the teachers, parents, school boards and committees the institution of education continues to function. The first theory is Functionalism and is about the study by Lawrence Kohlberg. It has been forty-three years since Lawrence Kohlberg published his doctoral dissertation characterizing six stages of moral development and fourteen years since his death. During this period, much has been written that has discredited stage theory and the overarching use of justice as a â€Å"first principle† of moral development. Yet Kohlberg’s evolving moral theory continues to be used as a theoretical basis for moral development research and to influence teacher education. While some educators have dismissed Kohlberg’s approach as wooden and â€Å"fossilized,† it continues to be central to what teachers know about, and how they think about, moral development. 2] Indeed, one author suggests that â€Å"every psychology textbook published in the last quarter-century touches upon Kohlberg’s work. â€Å"[3] This consistent message, coupled with continued public talk about character development and moral education in schools, makes it likely that Kohlberg’s stage theory continues to influence classroom practice, consciously and unconsciously, across the United States, Henry, (2001). By exposing the structural-functionalist roots of Kohlberg’s theory, this essay raises concerns about the application of Kohlberg’s ideas in the classroom. Fundamentally, Kohlberg focuses on individual development, a universal conception of justice, and universalizability do not translate well to the institutional-level application that he hoped his Just Community Schools would provide. What Kohlberg failed to realize was that a collection of individuals using a Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism in Education universal conception of justice in consistent ways across situations (morally mature individuals by Kohlberg’s standards) did not necessarily create a moral community. In a moral community, the degree to which individuals have grown along a continuum of moral development should not be of greater importance than the ability of community members to work together to detect and solve moral problems. Henry, (2001) Foundational to the Just Community model was Kohlberg’s belief that schools were important locations for the socialization of children into broader society. School was a child’s first formal introduction into society at large. By going to school â€Å"the child learns to fill the expected public roles of a member of his society† (LKA, 21). Part of the power of schooling was the teaching of lessons necessary for successful life outside of school. In particular, Kohlberg stressed that students needed to gain an increased awareness of themselves in categorical terms. [7] In other words, he and his colleagues claimed that students needed to learn the categorical expectations to which they would be held publicly accountable and that school had an important function to play in teaching these lessons: [T]he child has to learn to be one among a crowd of peers in a classroom that is run by a relative impersonal authority figure who gives orders a power to wield praise and blame. What the child learns about how to handle â€Å"the crowds, the praise, and the power† will, from this point of view, give shape to her public morality: her conception of how one ought to act to get along and even prosper in the public domain (LKA, 21). Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism in Education These statements make it clear that Kohlberg saw schools as important locations for gradually imbuing children with the expectations they would meet as adults, Henry, (2001). While Kohlberg was focused on the individual the theory of functionalism doesn’t work. It works as a whole at a much larger level, the macro level, the institution of the schools. These system need function to run and for student to learn. With this in place there would dis-function children would not be able to learn and through the learning they learn how to enter into society and act accordingly in their roles into adulthood. The theory of Conflict in regards to education they are there, but one that comes to mind is the quality of the education that is given to students today. All the students are not looked at the same, if they come from a poor family or a minority family they are not thought of as equal in intelligence as the white middle to higher class of student. According to Conflict Theory, society is: A struggle for dominance among competing social groups (classes, genders, races, religions, etc. ). When conflict theorists look at society, they see the social domination of subordinate groups through the power, authority, and coercion of dominant groups. In the conflict view, the most powerful members of dominant groups create the rules for success and opportunity in society, often denying subordinate groups such success and opportunities; this ensures that the powerful continue to monopolize power, privilege, and authority. You should note that most conflict theorists oppose this sort of coercion and favor a more equal social order. Some support a complete socioeconomic revolution to socialism (Marx), while others are more reformist, or perhaps do not see all social inequalities stemming from the capitalist system Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism in Educational (they believe we could solve racial, gender, and class inequality without turning to socialism). However, many conflict theorists focus on capitalism as the source of social inequalities. The primary cause of social problems, according to the conflict perspective, is the exploitation and oppression of subordinate groups by dominants. Conflict theorists generally view oppression and inequality as wrong, whereas Structural-Functionalists may see it as necessary for the smooth running and integration of society. Structural-Functionalism and Conflict Theory therefore have different value orientations but can lead to similar insights about inequality (e. g. , they both believe that stereotypes and discrimination benefit dominant groups, but conflict theorists say this should end and most structural-functionalists believe it makes perfect sense that subordinates should be discriminated against, since it serves positive social ends). Conflict theory sees social change as rapid, continuous, and inevitable as groups seek to replace each other in the social hierarchy, McLeod, (2004). In contrast to Structural-Functionalists, who argue that the most talented individuals occupy the highest positions, conflict theorists argue that dominant groups monopolize positions of power, maintaining power from generation to generation and keeping subordinate groups out. Also in contrast to Structural-Functionalists, who argue that the most important positions in society are the best rewarded, conflict theorists argue that dominant groups get inordinate power to define which positions are socially rewarded. Highly-paid positions are not necessarily most important for society, they argue, but keep power in the hands of the privileged and powerful, McLeod, (2004). If conflict theory really see social change coming than that may mean the educators of this country may be starting to focus on the student and their intelligence instead of their financial status or race. Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism in Education The last theory Interactionism theory views society as the product of individuals’ interaction with each other. Through the process of socialization, people learn values, attitudes, and actions that they deem to be correct. People are exposed to a set of reinforcements to maintain or change those views and actions. Learning theory helps explain why people view others in particular ways, such as who is good and who is bad. Our views may have little to do with objective reality. Learning theory may also explain the process in which people come to engage in behaviors that others find problematic, such as embezzling or prostitution. As Sutherland (1940) notes, people learn the motivations, beliefs, and actions to engage in behaviors that some may find problematic. Labeling theory explores how people socially construct reality. People in positions of power and authority have the ability to label an activity as problematic or acceptable; people in lower social positions are less likely to persuade others to stick with their definition of the situation. This is why elites are able to define a situation that benefits them as good, while others may regard it as troublesome. It also helps explain why people in lower classes are more likely to be perceived as the cause of problems, and why elites escape that definition. The reality of any social situation depends on how people define it. For example, when college students drink alcohol, is it partying, is it normal, is it binge drinking, is it alcohol abuse, are they a social drinker, a problem drinker, do they use it or abuse it? We may wish to determine how we will label the alcohol consumption based on when they drink, with whom they drink, how much they drink, what they drink, and what they do when they are drinking. Is the drinking a personal problem, a campus problem, or a social problem? These distinctions areFunctionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism in Education determined arbitrarily through the process of labeling. Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism underlying conditions probably existed for a long time before it was identified as an issue. The disagreement over whether something is a problem, how much of a problem it is, what and who caused it, and how it should be addressed is all a product of social construction created through the process of interaction, Vissing, (2011). I believe that between parents, teachers, students and the communities if they would allow each of themselves to be treated as people, students and human beings the educational process would be easier and more pleasurable experience and a happier and healthier environment. I know that is an impossibility but if were something even a few people would work at it may change the educational field a little bit at a time. To bring these three theories together to have a functional system, bring students in as one instead of the higher class and more social and control the groups of kids and the way they stand against each other there might be a chance to bring our education back on line and educate the students the way they should be educated and ready for the world after high school.

Expectation as a Malaysia Living in a Multi-Cultured Society Essay

Malaysia with a population of 28.3 millions (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2010) is pluralistic and multicultural. The three main ethnic groups constituting the Malays and Bumiputera (67.4%), Chinese (24.6%), Indians (7.3%) have their own unique culture and heritage, such as language, belief system, tradition and religion. The lifestyle patterns of the different groups have direct links to the differences in their values and expectations(Syed Serajul Islam, 2008). Since achieving independence fifty-five years ago, Malaysia has undergone economic transformation in terms of diversification of its agriculturein the 1960s to manufacturing in the 1970s-1980s, and then to technology-based development since the 1990s. These achievements came as a result of the ability of Malaysians, diverse in their culture, to tolerate, and to live and work together in realising the country’s overall goals of growth and prosperity. But then as pointed out by Musa Hitam (2007), nation-building is not just about providing highways, byways and hospitals. It is also about weaving together national values for the citizenry to live by and devising greater missions to galvanize their camaraderie and spirit. Such a vision of weaving together national values is still far from the set goal. For Malaysia up to the present day, except for the 1969 race riot between the Malays and the Chinese, and the 2001 clashes between the Malays and the Indians, race relations have been peaceful unlike what had been experienced in countries with mixed populations such as Nigeria, Rwanda, Bosnia, Thailand, Sudan, and India (Zaid, 2007).The basis for conflict between the ethnic groups stems from identity contestation in the form of language and culture (Shamsul, 2006). In the 1970s, the Malays advocated that the core of the national culture should be that of the Malay. This assimilative approach was unkindly viewed by the Chinese and the Indians. Relationships between the ethnic groups are rather complex, intricate and sensitive, especially when dealing with matters of religion, culture and language. These features are important in identity contestation, a phenomenon created by the British in the context of colonial knowledge and its investigative modalities (Shamsul, 2006). According to Shamsul, it is through the colonial practice of codifying, documenting and representing the social, cultural, economic  and political state in history that modern identities in Malaysia like Malay/Malayness, Chinese/Chineseness and Indian/Indianess have emerged, consolidated and fortified. Realizing the danger of creating distrust among the ethnic groups the government had rescinded the assimilation strategy and sought the policy based on the multicultural model. My expectation as a Malaysian living in the multi-cultured society is every Malaysia residents respect, unite and tolerance with each other although we are different ethnic and having a different cultural background. To push Malaysia and Malaysians to success, we must collaborate in every aspect like education, economic , politics and others. This can be a great advantage for development of Malaysia in global competition as we have different ethnic with different cultural background that we collaborate and creating a better way to work, hence improving our efficiency and productivity compared to other nation that only dominated by single race. In education, my expectation is to have Multicultural Education in every level of school, which mean we have Multicultural Education from kinder garden to university. The crux of having Multicultural Education is achieve its purposes for students, teachers, parents, and administrators of the school system : a) a learning environment that support positive interracial contact; b) a multicultural curriculum; c) positive teacher expectations; d) administrative support; and, e) teacher training workshops (Bennett, 1995). If one of the features is absent, frustration and heightened resentment may occur as backlash behaviors multiply. Besides that, a multicultural curriculum should be considered for several reasons: a) provides alternative points of view relative to information already taught in most educational systems; b) provides ethnic minorities with a sense of being inclusive in history, science etc.; and, c) decreases stereotypes, prejudice, bigotry, and racism in Malaysia and the wo rld. Educational institutions have been dictated too long by attitudes, values, beliefs, and value systems of one race and class of people. The future of our universe is demanding a positive change for all. In Politics, race plays a large role in Malaysian politics, and many Malaysian political parties are ethnically based. The Government’s New Economic Policy (NEP) and the National Development  Policy(NDP) which superseded it, were implemented to advance the standing of Bumiputera Malaysians. The policies provide preferential treatment to Malays over non-Malays in employment, education, scholarships, business, and access to cheaper housing and assisted savings. While improving in the economic position of Malays, it is a source of resentment amongst non-Malays. Prime Minister Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak has claimed to attempt to close racial divides through the 1Malaysia initiative. The origin of race based politics can be traced back to independence of Malaysia from United Kin gdom, who wanted all citizens of Malaysia to be equal upon independence, instead of dominance by Malays. This caused the political parties of the three major races at the time, the UMNO (representing Malays), the MCA (representing Chinese), and the MIC (representing Indians), to join and form the Alliance Party. My expectation for politics is that we should not dividing ourselves into parts based on our race. We should unite as one to make a better Malaysia and provide everyone a fair chance and right to fight for a higher achievement for our country without any discrimination or preferential treatment. For multi-cultured society in economic sector, the economic consequences of ethnic heterogeneity and ethnic diversity have been topics discussed world widely. The relationship between ethnicity and economic development seems to be one of the key topics to an ideal sustainable developing nation. According to Easterly and Levine (1997), high ethnic diversity has a direct negative effect on economic growth. Furthermore, increase of ethnic diversity associated with more corruption(Mauro, 1995), reduces contribution to local public goods(Alesina et al., 1999), diminishing participation in groups and association (Alesina and La Ferraa, 2000) and higher propensity to from jurisdictions to sort into homogenous groups (Alesina et al., 2004). Moreover, greater ethnic heterogeneity decreases both the probability and the amount an individual contributes to a charitable organization (Okten and Osili, 2005). Although these studies showed the bad effect of ethnic diversity in economic sectors, i still expecting for a successful achievement in Malaysia Economy by uniting the three major races, Malay, Chinese and Indian through collaboration, respecting each other and tolerance. Therefore, a leader and a good plan is necessary for us to unite as one to create a better multi-cultured Malaysia! Reference -Abu Bakar Nordin , Norlidah Alias & Saedah Sira (January 2013). The Malaysia Online Journal of Educational Science. National Integration in Multicultural School Setting In Malaysia, volume 1, issue 1. Retrieved April 20th 2013, from http://moj-es.net/volume01-i01.php -Politics of Malaysia. Participation. Retrieved 23rd April 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Malaysia -Albert, C. (February 2011). The Impact of Ethnicity on the Regional Economic Development in Malaysia. Retrieved 23rd April 2013, from http://www.academia.edu/745998/The_Impact_of_Ethnicity_on_Regional_Economic_Development_in_Malaysia Photos that showing the results of multi-cultural society in Malaysia

The concept of patriotism and pseudo-patriotism by Goldsmith and Essay

The concept of patriotism and pseudo-patriotism by Goldsmith and George Orwell - Essay Example According to Goldsmith patriots are individuals who love the very thought of this world and not only their country. A person who denies this fact is simply a pseudo-patriot as he is developing a national prejudice based upon simple borders that have been made by man. As quoted by Goldsmith "Is it not very possible that I may love my own country, without hating the natives of other countries?" (Goldsmith et al 223). Similarly, Orwell has also indirectly pointed out the aspects of patriotism in Marrakech by highlighting the fact that races do not denote the very nature of patriotism that one may think he has. He believes that races create boundaries that are not even justified in the sense of understanding. Pointing out the fact that the Negroes form an important aspect of the army is one point where he highlights the power of the Negroes over the other race. He believes that patriotism roots from within and races should not help define the boundary between these roots. As said by Orwe ll "But there is one thought.....if he calls himself a Socialist) thinks when he sees a black army marching past. "How much longer can we go on kidding these people? How long before they tum their guns in the other direction?".This quote clearly shows that he is advocating the rights of power for the blacks and wants the Whites to understand that no race is below par when compared to the other. He uses techniques through which he explores the life of lower-class individuals and discrimination that exists all around the world.

Individual Conflict Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual Conflict Assessment - Essay Example The essay "Individual Conflict Assessment" talks about the social conflict as a storm using personal example which is best described as disparate. If the interpersonal realm is like weather, the metrological forces in the atmosphere are like the behaviors people engage in to meet their needs and wants.Conflict in my family of origin is best described as disparate. It has been such that the meteorological forces of some have traditionally absorbed the sentiment of others, or that the continued momentum of some behaviors has overrun the momentum of others. Conflict in my family has often been asymmetrical. Personally, I have been feeling very stressed about conflict. I often feel that I am damned if I do and damned if I don’t. If someone takes issue with me and I do not resist, they will often press until they see what they believe to be capitulation. If someone takes issue with me and I object, they will often accuse me of being unruly or rude.Likewise, I often felt much stress ed about conflict within my family of origin. I often felt that my voice was not heard, that I was often framed, and that for me there was no real justice at home. When Mom and Dad were at work, it was survival of the fittest between the siblings present. Some days you were more fit than others, and sometimes you just didn’t have the strength to fight back. Mom and Dad rarely sided with me. I guess the stress comes from the knowledge that sometimes no one will be there to look out for you.

Ashford - BUS311 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ashford - BUS311 - Essay Example The paper will spot the key employment laws and concepts that have some effects on each of the candidate’s employment status. The paper is also going to explain whether there is any explanatory regulatory circumstance, which would influence the decision to end the employment of each of the candidates. Finally, the paper will make a decision on the way each of the candidates can be dealt with in a way that puts the interests of the company at the best grounds In any company doing business in today’s dynamic workplace, the importance of having effective workplace procedures and policies has continued to rise. The driving force for this rise has been the changes seen in the codes of practice, regulation, and legislation. For instance, the recent changes seen in the industrial relations legislation as well as the move by companies to a national system have led to the rise of workplace issues of unfair dismissals, workplace rights, and discrimination. These should be handled by effective policies. Business company law has been set to look into these policies to ensure that both the employer and the employee are protected from any form of workplace injustice. In this paper, we are going to concentrate on the employee protection in the workplace. This is because it is always likely to find employees being handled unfairly in the companies by the employers, and not the other way round. Fortunately, several laws have been enacted under company law to ensure that the employees are treated fairly in the workplace. This research paper is going to use five candidates listed for dismissal in Fast Service Company. These candidates are Carl Hairnes, Brian Carter, Sarah Boyd, Nora Manson, and Jenny Mills. These candidates were listed for dismissal due to different reasons. Carl Hairnes is accused of displaying acts of sexual harassment to fellow employees. He is also a

What Happened During the Negotiation Process of Coast News Case Study

What Happened During the Negotiation Process of Coast News - Case Study Example The paper throws light on negotiation as a method of performing group decisions among the parties who are engaged possessing different choices or likings. Basically, negotiation is a procedure of getting the things done from others that are expected from them particularly in the method of executing various vital decisions. Moreover, negotiation is regarded as a deal in which the engaged parties possess a direct influence upon the final outcome of the negotiation. It requires voluntary approval on behalf of the parties those who are involved in a particular negotiation. It is also considered as a give and take process in which the actual and definite conditions of a transaction are equally agreed. It is the act or technique of bargaining in order to accomplish a commonly satisfactory agreement or objective. The other significant conception of negotiation lies in the peaceful method in which the involved parties find ultimate solutions by themselves and ultimately gain maximum control of their desired result. The negotiation process is also considered as the legal and orderly management procedure by which the governments conduct their relations with other establishments and discuss, adjust as well as manage their disagreements or any differences. In this global financial market, the most significant and crucial matter lies in policymaking. It has been identified that the policy formations are related to various deeds among the parties regarding diverse issues towards communal interests and other related factors along with avoiding increase regarding the internal conflicts among the parties. In this connection, it can be observed that negotiation is a central component of policy-making procedures which determine the different issues that are addressed by the policy makers, finds solutions and required support from the involved parties to confirm that the planned policy-making decisions are sustainable. The conception of negotiation mainly takes place for various r easons. The reasons include such as the initiative taken by the involved parties in order to generate any new aspect and to resolve a problem or a dispute between the involved parties among others. A wide range of perspectives can be used in order to understand different aspects of negotiation such as economic theories and practices, psychology, political science, communication, labor relations and law among others. The same negotiation outcome can also be understood from several different perspectives because the people or the engaged parties in the procedure of negotiation can negotiate many different aspects along with considering the necessity of the fundamental process of negotiation for them who work with other people. However, the several characteristics that are common to all negotiable situations include the presence of the involved parties which may be individuals, groups or organizations among others and conflict of interest between them that is based on the dissimilariti es regarding their different views, opinions and ideas among others along with the methods in order to manage the conflict. Moreover, the characteristics of negotiable situations also include acting as a voluntary process.

Contrasting programs and policies related to poverty Research Paper

Contrasting programs and policies related to poverty - Research Paper Example On the other hand, it can be apparently observed that America is still undergoing through a tough phase in tackling its poverty level, which fluctuates on a constant basis (The World Bank Group, 2014). With this concern, the research paper would describe the programs along with the policies associated with poverty that adopt and implement by the countries i.e. the US and China. Moreover, a comparison would also be taken into concern regarding the same in the discussion of the research paper. Prior to contrasting the programs along with the policies associated with poverty between China and the US, a detailed description of these programs as well as policies of both the nations has been provided hereunder. Since the year 1980, the Chinese government has shown significant improvement in declining the poverty rates. The projected poverty rate in China in the year 1980 was estimated 84%, which came down to 13% by the year 2012. The reason contributed in making this terrific improvement is the rise particularly in GDP rates. This can be justified as that the GDP rate rose from 1.89% in the year 1980 to 11.57% in the year 2012, which further resulted towards increase in per capita income by nearly about 30 folds from $205 to $6064 in recent times (The Economic Times, 2013). However, despite the significant success in uplifting the critical concern of poverty, China in the current scenario, is still facing certain issues relating to poverty. In this regard, the increase in the inequality levels and the concentration of the left over poverty populaces in the rural areas are becoming critical concern for the Chinese government (The World Bank Group, 2014). As a corrective measure, China along with ‘The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)’ has concentrated their efforts on two vital aspects. One of these is the pilot projects that will be brought under superior technical

Sanctification Based on Calvins Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sanctification Based on Calvins Theology - Essay Example The first part will try to define morality while the succeeding section will tackle about the different meanings attributed to sanctification, giving emphasis on what is taught by Calvinism. In light of this, the issue that links sanctification with morality will be examined through a discussion on the definition of morality. This paper will conclude with its findings. In the strictest sense, morality refers to "which is innately regarded as right or wrong (Morality 2006)." There isn't a concise meaning associated with morality as it often refers to set of judgments and principles shared by individuals in within the same culture, religion, and philosophical concepts which separates and identifies actions which are right or wrong, acceptable and unacceptable. The concept of morality is often used by groups to regulate the functioning of their circle by setting a specific standard by which their members are subjected. In other words, the concept of morality serves as a regulating factor in maintaining the harmony in a group. We can see a problem of morality given this definition. We can see that morality varies from culture to culture, religion to religion, and sometimes even from individual to individual. Some actions are considered acceptable by a culture, while others see the same action as immoral. Examples of these are abortion, white lie, and euthanasia. Some groups and individuals consider these as permissible while others question the morality of such actions. Calvin's Theology John Calvin is one of the most famous theologian and ecclesiastical statesman. Through his revolutionary beliefs and teachings, he became the major French Protestant Reformer and was dubbed as the "most important figure in the second generation of the Protestant Reformation." His ideas of Christianity are found in his famous work Institutio Christianae Religionis (Institutes of the Christian Religion). John Calvin laid out the foundation of Calvinism which is one of the major factors that influenced the formation of the modern world (John Calvin 2002). One of the most important doctrines contained in Calvin's theology is the doctrine of original sin which is adopted from the Augustinian teachings. This doctrine supports the idea that the whole mankind has fallen before God when Adam and Eve fell prey to the temptation in the Garden of Eden. The sin committed by the first man is denoted as the original sin. At that point, sin entered the heart of men and everyone born on this earth has the original sin. Sin is what separates man from his creator. Therefore, the fall of man in the Garden of Eden makes man a slave of sin and every human being has an inclination to commit sin (The Teachings of John Calvin 2000). Institutes of the Christian Religion states that: When the will is enchained as the slave of sin, it cannot make a movement towards goodness, far less steadily pursue it. (2.3.5) Man alone has no power to save himself from sin. Even though his freewill was not removed from him, he cannot resist the urge to commit sin. However, God's great love and compassion for mankind made a remedy for this situation. Through the Son of God Jesus Christ, man was freed from the burden of sin. Calvin refers to this process as justification. Through this justification, man's original sin is forgiven. John Calvin also put forward that another

Environment Coursework Essay Example for Free

Environment Coursework Essay CO2 (Carbon dioxide) is a compound composed of two carbons and one oxygen, It is a colorless and odorless gas produced both naturally and through human activities like the burning of gasoline, coal, oil, and wood. People exhale or breathe out Carbon dioxide which releases it into the air. Carbon dioxide are higher in areas with heavier industrial activities due to many factors. Factors such as the number of people present the amount of outdoor fresh air entering the area and whether combustion by-products are contaminating the indoor. are just a few of the many carbon dioxide releasers. Carbon Dioxide is a gas used by plants during photosynthesis for the production of sugars which may either be re-consumed in respiration or used as raw materials to produce polysaccharides such as starch and cellulose, proteins and other organic compounds needed for plant growth and development. Plants role is photosynthesis is extremely important because it remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and uses it to produce oxygen. Deforestation cuts down many plants, trees and forest and reduces the trees available to absorb the carbon dioxide from our planet. CO (Carbon Monoxide) is a molecule that contains one carbon atom covalently bonded to one oxygen atom and is produced from partial oxidation of carbon compounds such as in internal combustion engines. Carbon monoxide burning in air with a characteristic blue flame will produce carbon dioxide. It is extremely toxic but plays a useful role in modern technology. Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colorless, odorless and tasteless, yet highly toxic gas. Its molecules consist of one carbon atom covalently bonded to one oxygen atom. It is the simplest oxocarbon, and can be viewed as the anhydride of formic acid. There are two covalent bonds and a coordinate covalent bond between the oxygen and carbon atoms. In urban areas, carbon monoxide reacts photochemically with aldehydes to produce a peroxy radical which reacts with nitrogen oxide to increase ratio of NO2 to NO, thus reducing the quality of NO to available to react with ozone. It is a constituent of tobacco smoking. Through natural processes in the atmosphere, it is eventually oxidized to carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide concentrations are both short-lived in the atmosphere and spatially variable. CH4 is known as methane, a chemical compound that is also the simplest alkane and the principal component of natural gas. Methane is known to be a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential of 72 averaged over a period of 20 years. Methane is oxidized in the atmosphere thus, producing carbon dioxide and water. The Earths crust contains huge amounts of methane. Large amounts of methane are produced anaerobically by methanogenesis. Other sources include mud volcanoes, which are connected with deep geological faults, and livestock, primarily cows. Methane is used for electrical generations by being burned as a fuel in a gas turbine or steam boiler. Methane is also used as a vehicle fuel in the form of compressed natural gas and is claimed to be more environmentally friendly that fossil fuels such as gasoline and petroleum. Answer 2: Area =1000 1000 x 0. 625 gallon/inch x 0. 3 inch = 187. 5 gallons/ Rain = 0. 3 inches 0. 625 gallon/inch Answer 3: Ecosystem services are fundamental to human life. They not only help promote economic benefits but offer the protection of human health and safety. One ecosystem service essential for human life is fresh water. Fresh water is a source of supply that does not have technological substitute for at this time. There may be some water purification processes but it does not replace the need for replenishment of fresh water. The key to maintaining water purification services is to protect and restore the ecosystems that provide these services. The economic cost of this service is priceless in terms of money. Answer 4: Biogeochemical cycles are often disrupted by human activities such as cultivation of land to grow annual crops disrupts the nutrient balance in the soil. This results in the nutrients being removed from the area as the plants are being shipped off for food and the straw is removed for other purposes. Plant material then breaks down and farmers replenish the removed nutrients by adding fertilizer to the soil further disrupting the biogeochemical cycle. Logging is another way that disrupts biological chemical by reducing the amount of oxygen in the air and allow gave room for the buildup of carbon monoxide. When logging occurs, what happen is that millions of trees and plants are removed from the earths atmosphere making them unable to convert the carbon monoxide in the air into oxygen, thus, allowing carbon monoxide build up as well as reducing the overall amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. In order to help stop this disruption, we must find a way to protect the few natural land that we have left from the destruction of farming and logging by not being wasteful of the resources that are available to us and to make it a responsibility to recycling paper product as a part of our lifestyle. References: Raven, Peter H. , Johnson, George B. (2002). Biology. Boston. McGraw Hill.

Mergers and Acquisitions †The life of Hewlett †Packard Essay Example for Free

Mergers and Acquisitions – The life of Hewlett – Packard Essay The first big customer of HP was Walt Disney Studios. The company purchased eight oscillators from HP for their movie Fantasia. These oscillators were purchased in order to develop an innovative sound system for the movie. HP has incorporated profit sharing and social commitment in the company through its values and corporate objectives that have been with the company since 1957, these principles guide them to be focused and committed to the company and were founded by the co founders and are being followed to this day. Through trust, team work, innovation and integrity the company has been successful in making enough profits to finance their growth as well as keep all the stakeholders satisfied. They respect customer loyalty and the role of employees and there fore their contribution in the company. They look for opportunities and grow but not at the stake of society, they serve as an asset to the society and country where ever they are doing business. Dave Packard used a management technique that was incorporated into HP’s corporate culture. He called it â€Å"managing by walking around† which later came to be known as â€Å"management by Objectives† which had employee involvement, recognition and communication for better management and achievement of organizational goals. The company went public in the year 1957 and Bill and Dave have always given respect and appreciation for the employee’s efforts. Therefore after going public they gave the stock grants to the employees automatically who have been serving for at least six months in the company. This meant that the employees were given shares of the company, which will give them some form of ownership in the company and motivate them more for the performance and growth. The first acquisition of the company took place in the year 1958 of a high quality graphic producer company. The name of the company was F.L. Moseley Company of Pasadena, California. This acquisition was not seen as a threat to its flexibility because this gave opportunity to HP to enter into plotters market which was a needed for the company’s printer business. And to counter the problem of growing business the company had practiced decentralization of business divisions which will be responsible for their own products. Bill was looking for opportunities internationally for Hp to enter foreign markets and he found some in Europe after the Treaty of Rome and also the European Common market in the year 1957. These paved way for starting operation of Hp in the European markets and as Bill visited Europe he found it a viable decision and the company became global in the year 1959. The first joint venture of the company was in Asia with a Japanese company named Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard (YHP) in the year 1963. The CEO identified the factors that lead to major acquisitions by HP till the year 2005. HP was performing well in the industry. Its revenue and profits were rising and which made it attractive for the investor’s point of view as the company’s stock value also rose. The company was able to achieve cost control and pay bonuses to the employees at the same time. The company had a strong financial position with an impressive figure of $6.8 billion as an increase in revenue growth. The company wanted to achieve cost competitiveness. The company made some changes in the number of workers and their retirement programmes. The company consists of a team of dedicated workforce which is willing to put in their maximum efforts to enhance the value and performance. Moreover the company wanted to evolve in the bigger markets. The company had cash and potential to prosper in sales, they had no burden of operational debt. They have a strong customer base with a brand loyalty from them. All these led to the successful acquisitions of the company. The merger and acquisitions that took place between HP and other companies around the globe made HP a much stronger company in terms of market share as well as sales growth and innovation and created value for the company. The deal with Compaq was seen as an opportunity to grow into the IT sector in the world.   One of the long term goals of the company is to become the world’s largest computer company. All these mergers and takeovers were taken in order to reduce the competition, increase market share, share expertise which can be used to produce further products. The deal between Compaq and HP was seen as a success in the industry after five years of the deal. Compaq was its strong competitive at the same time one of the largest PC makers. The two companies by integrating have took forward the company’s profits and sales to another level altogether. The merger took place at the right time when both the companies were lacking the production of key products. But after the deal both the companies were able to fill in the gap that they had while operating independently. They were committed to the infrastructure software which helped the company go into the management layer from the commodity hardware. The company was at a stronger position to compete with the global service providers. The deal was able to increase the revenue and profits for the company being in the competitive environment of the industry.

Maxis Business Level Strategy

Maxis Business Level Strategy Business model is plan or diagram for how it competes, uses its resources, structures its relationship, interfaces with the customers, and creates value to sustain itself on the basis of the profits its generates. It had included all the activities that define how a firm competes in the marketplace. Core strategy Mission statement Maxis missions are to be simple, trustworthy and creative. Maxis want everything they do is simple for everyone; it must be straightforward and easy to understand by their customers. Maxis believe that trust between customers and it is the key to successful relationship. All good relationships are built on trust which inspires confidence, and, assurance, conviction and reliance. Creativity is important and defines them; this is how Maxis differentiate from their competition. (Maxis is about life enablement, www.maxis.com.my, ND) Product/Market Scope Maxiss market scopes are telecommunication and networking sectors. They are the mobile communications service provider and recently they are also providing wireless broadband services. Their services include prepaid call plans, monthly subscription plans, international roaming, MMS, WAP, Resident Fixed Line services and the recent one Broadband internet plans. Maxis also are offering VSAT services and Blackberry based mobile services for their business customers.(Maxis website, 2010) Basis differentiation The basis differentiation of Maxis are based on the calling plans and pricing structure to appeal to different customer segments. The value-added services in Hotlink Prepaid had make Maxis differentiate from other competitors such as ring-tones, background ring tones, Voice SMS, fb2me, tweet2me, voice portal and etc. (Hotlink easy menu, 2010) Strategic resources Core Competencies What serve as core competencies for Maxis are customer service and their strong brand name. Maxis always emphasize on what can be done best to their customers and provide their best customer services as after the subscription of their plans. To enhance the customer satisfaction, Maxis had announced there are 70 Maxis Authorized service agents outlet are available in customer concentration are in Malaysia opens (Maxis Authorised Service Agents Outlets to Enhance Customer Satisfaction, www.maxis.com.my, 7th July 2001) and continue increasing in the following year. The outlets provide real time services similar to Maxis Centers such as customer registration, payment, IDD and Direct Debit application, and reinstatement of mobile line. With the availability if the shops that strategically located, Maxis clients can look forward to extended service hours, weekend services and easier access. There are more over than RM 500 000 are used for dealers and staff training annually to ensure the best possible service to Maxis customers. This is a part of Maxis core strategies to enhance the value in their existing relationships with key dealers. Maxis had established a strong brand name since 1995 for their wide coverage of signal and reliability. Strategic Assets There are several strategic assets owned by Maxis which let them continue to leading among the mobile service providers. Firstly, Ananda Krishnan, the founder of Maxis communications owned a satellite tv- Astro in Malaysia. It is the ASEAN leading satellite TV that always plays the important role in promoting the plans and services by Maxis. Moreover, Maxis have the huge database of customers information and can be used to make adjustment in their plans, packages and their marketing strategies base on the poll SMS that sent to the subscribers. In addition, one of the most valuable assets Maxis owned is their highly qualified and experienced staffs, such as, the executive director and chief executive officer of Maxis, Sandi Dap. Before he joined Maxis in 2007, he had been served as deputy managing director of Vodafone Essar Limited, one of the largest mobile operators in India since 1994. Jean Pascal is a Chief operating officer, he has 20 years of experience, of which he spent 13 yea rs with France Telecom group in France and Orange in UK. Others like Rossaba Annizah, Mark Dioguardi, Matthew Willsher, Mohamed Fitri and many more (Maxis senior management webpage, 2010). Partnership network Suppliers Maxis main suppliers are consist of SIM card suppliers and broadband wireless thumb drive suppliers. Other partnership network like strategic alliance such as Nokia, Apple and Blackberry are supplying Maxis theirs products to cope with Maxiss various kind of plans and packages. Other Key Relationships Many companies in diverse range of industries such as telecommunications, media and broadcasting, leisure, power generation, property development and management are directly or indirectly controlled or connected with Usaha Tegas, which is owned by Ananda Krishnan. As such, many of these companies and other related parties also subscribe to Maxis Mobiles mobile service and Maxis Broadband s fixed line services due to the relationship with Ananda Krishnan. Customer Interface Target Market Maxis has good customer interface which enable their service reach their customer easily and successfully. Maxis target their market on the telecommunication and networkings consumers market. For the target customer like students maxis come out with Maxis Youth Club. By using this service students can get a lot of benefits. On of them is Point Rewards; under this service students need to collect points as much as they can which enable them to get free talking time. If students top up twice in a week, they will get 100 points which equal anent RM 1.00 of free talking time. Besides that, students also can enjoy free calls to any maxis numbers on their birthdates. Apart from that, maxis also come out with service called subliners for the specific group of people who love to talk with their loved ones or couples everyday for a longer time of period. The subliners need to register their name under the mainliner. By doing this the subliners can enjoy less price. For the specific group of p eople who like to use internet, the maxis come out with broadband services. Maxis has four types of broadband plan which are 1.5GB,3 GB,6 GB and 12 GB. Fulfillment and Support Maxis communication companys service and product reaches it customers. For example, customers of maxis can go to maxis center to get some help like lost the SIM cards, problem of the deduct balance of prepare and postpaid, and the unclear of the new maxis plan package. Besides this, maxis center was build on city to make customers easy to pay the fees of postpaid and internet fees. (Find a Maxis Centre or MEPs, www.maxis .com.my, ND) Pricing structure Maxis are focus on aggressive pricing strategies to compete with other service providers. Apart from that, maxis also has different price depending on their target market. For the students under Youth Club service they can enjoy sending SMS only for 1sen per SMS. They also can enjoy free calls to any maxis numbers from 6pm to 6am.For the target market like line users, the subliners who register their name under main liners only need to pay RM 30 per month compare to RM 80 which is the actual rate for line users. Maxis offer the cheapest broadband services which only need to pay RM48 for 1.5GB. (Wireless Broadband, www.maxis.com.my, ND)

Essay --

With the fuel crisis that is happening in the world today it is now more important than ever to begin the look towards alternative fuel sources. One smart step for the US would be to wean the country slowly off of the gasoline fix and to look into alternative fuels to replace the â€Å"never coming back† fossil fuels. It turns out that Ethanol as a hybrid fuel proves to be a notable candidate for this gasoline intervention, per say. Now the United States is currently looking to subsidize fossil fuel alternatives. However, before considering ethanol production as a governmental subsidy, using large amounts of hard earned tax payer money, there has to be many alternative factors that come into play such as making sure the pros out weight the cons as far as environmental benefits and performance output and not to mention looking at the entire matter from an economic or investment perspective. First we need to consider what the ethanol we are talking about actually is and how can we obtain it. When we say ethanol production we are referring to the use of ethanol as a hybrid fuel for automobiles. What hybrid fuels means is that instead of running a car solely off of ethanol or gasoline alone, ethanol is actually blended in with standard fuel grade gasoline to create the ethanol fuel hybrid. Ethanol is derived from alcohol; it is a grain alcohol that is typically broken down from corn, although it can be obtained by other means such as Brazilian sugar cane, wheat, barley and potatoes (West). The way ethanol is created, according to Larry West in an article titled How is Ethanol made, is by fermenting plant sugars from photosynthesis, treating them with enzymes followed by then inserting tiny microbes to feed on the sugar that will finally b... ...self to not be such a good place for hard earned taxpayer money. It shows great signs of reducing of automobile pollution, decreased foreign oil dependency as well as steps towards being a greener society. On the reverse, the implicated price would be significantly higher, at a starting price of $3.95 per gallon, the induced miles per gallon in FFVs takes a huge hit and are the miles per gallon are significantly lower which would lead to an even higher estimated cost for consumers. Not to mention the production of corn ethanol draws a net negative energy loss due to ethanol’s weak energy output. This all meaning that more money goes in to get less energy out. Over all, ethanol is a great idea in the mindset of moving towards a greener society and becoming self-sustainable as a country, but proves to be a negative investment choice as far as a government subsidy.

The Self-confidence of Jane in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essay

In the Webster's online dictionary, self-confidence is defined as confidence in oneself and in one's powers and abilities. A famous quote by Jim Loehr says, "With confidence, you can reach truly amazing heights; Without confidence, even the simplest accomplishments are beyond your grasp." Confidence in yourself does not come without effort. One must believe in themselves, and not let someone change their beliefs. In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Jane shows self-confidence throughout the novel, by possessing a sense of self-worth, dignity, and a trust in God. At the beginning of the novel while Jane is living under her aunt, Mrs. Reed, she is treated disrespectfully and cruelly. She accuses Jane of being deceitful and a troublesome girl in front of Mr. Brocklehurst, the master of Lowood School. Jane is so hurt by this accusation that she cannot stop herself from defending her well being, and she stands up to her aunt. She knows she is being treated disrespectful and has much more self-worth than ...

What is Information Society?

INTRODUCTIONThese days, like the headway in a personal computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, and communication technology, the noteworthiness of data is frequently growing. The sharing and move of information in the all-inclusive scale are getting far more straightforward and the relationship among individuals is getting rather expanded in light of the fact that the reliably developing of new correspondence advancements. In an information society, particularly the information advancement, the techniques for media transmission and other electronic contraptions as said are used broadly. Also, the alterations in correspondence advances expect a gigantic part in social life and make new open entryways in the field of preparing. Data and correspondence innovation or known as ICT has transformed into a central bit of the general day by day presence of youths and grown-ups (Lydia, 2014). Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatApps, and YouTube are the sorts of social media that go about as a most recent device for a quick and successful medium in appropriating and getting data (Manoj, 2017). The procedure of correspondence, for example, sharing data or learning knowledge should be possible effectively inside a couple of moments with the rise of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and so on (Trisha, 2012). Consequently, social media can interface individuals around the globe independent of contrasts and topographical limits. In Malaysia, the procedure of globalization has prompted the improvement of correspondence innovation quickly. This development will bring many changes to an individual, society, organization, and country. Recently, a statistic demonstrates that the number of social network users in Malaysia has increased from 2014 to 2022. In 2022, it is estimated that there will be around 20.42 million social network users in the country, up from 18.62 million in 2017 (Statista, 2018).BACKGROUND OF THE STUDYAccording to MCMC (2017), there were around 21.9 million social media users in 2016, of that 97.3% guaranteed that they claimed a Facebook account. Ownership of Instagram account (56.1%), YouTube (45.3%), Twitter (26.6%), LinkedIn (9.1%) and Tumblr (4.8%) saw an increase when contrasted with earlier year. Unexpectedly, YouTube has ranked at second as social media with the most user viewing website in Malaysia. YouTube is a video sharing service that enables users to watch recordings posted by other users and upload video of their own. The administration was begun as an autonomous site in 2005 and was procured by Google in 2006. The video that have been transferred to YouTube may show up on the YouTube website and can likewise be posted on other websites, however, the documents are facilitated on the YouTube server (TechTerms, 2009). One of the reasons why YouTube is so widely used is that YouTube included User Generated Content (UGC) features. According to Jose (2016), User Generated Content (UGC) is defined as any type of content that has been created and put out there by unpaid contributor or using a better term, fans. It is able to refer to photos, video, testimonials, tweets, blog post, and everything's in between and is the act of customers selling an emblem rather than the logo itself. People are actually capable of creating their own content material and take part in all types of applications together with WeBlogs, social networking, and online journalism. A few customers create online content on each day basis. They proportion their reviews and evaluations approximately everything; from product reviews, services and infant recommendation to boyfriend issues, homework, makeup and game tutorials. Frequently beginning as an interest, developing online content on a personal WeBlog or channel can become a fulltime process. By way of developing content material on a day by day basis, large communities are built up with lots of unswerving fans. New fans and subscribers are gained every day. YouTube is one of the most famous structures on which creators share their content. With one single video, it's miles possible to attain millions of people. Based on the research by Wilma (2016), the impact YouTubers have on the behavior of young adults is increasingly unparalleled. They are seen as function fashions and frequently recognized in the streets with the aid of their lovers. But, out of doors this online global, YouTubers are simply as normal as most of the people. Parents regularly do not recognize approximately the net behavior of their youngsters and the YouTubers that youngsters suggest. This results in puzzling moments when fans enthusiastically apprehend their favored YouTuber even as other humans do no longer understand who this unique YouTuber is.PROBLEM STATEMENTIn today's society, the lives of young people are indispensable to the Internet. It is the information and communications channel used. In the past, the use of the Internet only relied on a computer, now the Internet can be accessed using a smartphone that only has wireless Internet software. According to Muhamad (2017), Internet users in Malaysia are increas ing every year from 24.2 million people in 2015 to 24.5 million people in 2016 and the figure is expected to jump further in 2017. The increase in usage statistics was derived from Internet Users Review conducted by the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia where people were able to use the internet for four hours a day and 15.5% of consumers were teenagers under the age of 19 years. According to Bassridja (2009), teenager level is from 12-18 years old. According to Minderjeet (2016), Malaysians invest twofold the energy viewing YouTube than some other country on earth. The study completed a year ago demonstrated 92 for each penny of Malaysians effectively peruse their smartphones while staring at the television. â€Å"It likewise demonstrates they cherish YouTube,† said Sajith amid board talks on â€Å"So who watches YouTube in Malaysia ?†, here today. Malaysians matured somewhere in the range of 16 and 34 years of age watch the most YouTube recordings on a month premise. The review met 1,000 Malaysians matured 16 to 64 years on their YouTube seeing propensities crosswise over portable and work area gadgets; thinking about their favored survey times, session lengths, content classes and sharing propensities. (Minderjeet, 2016). According to Raja (2011), in the era of globalization, the use of the Internet can often change the patterns and lifestyles of teens. The use of long online media over the hours creates an addiction to users. Users are more fun, complacent, and negligent in their own world. They will be angry and being mad when they cannot serve online social media. This symptom will be felt to users who are too addicted to online media especially on YouTube. In a study commissioned by Defy Media, 63% of respondents matured between 13-24 said that they would attempt a brand or an item suggested by a YouTube content maker, though just 48% specified the same about a motion picture or TV star. In 2014, Variety charged a study asking U.S. adolescents matured 13-18 to decide the greatest influencers. In particular, they were requested to rank 20 prevalent identities in light of agreeability, credibility and other criteria, which the respondents regarded as parts of their general impact. In the last positioning, prevalent YouTubers possessed the main five spots with customary famous people like Jennifer Lawrence and Katy Perry agreeing to bring down positions. In 2015, the magazine appointed this examination once more. However, the outcomes have ended up being the same as the best six spots going to famous YouTube stars (Andrew, 2017). Hence, the many facilities available on the Internet provide many side effects to teenagers today. Obsessed teens with the use of online media are less focused on the lessons because their lessons are disrupted because there is no time to review. Additionally, the addiction to online media use also affects personal health and education, and even the country has also had a huge impact due to the unhealthy symptoms of app addiction that exists today. (Muhamad, 2017). In view of that, researchers have conducted a study to identify what influence YouTubers have on the teenager. The examination explores what changes in conduct happen, how young people relate to YouTubers and how YouTubers think about their impact on youngsters. Also, the meetings explore whether the life of a YouTuber truly is as excellent as it looks in their recordings and whether young people know how genuine everything in their recordings is. Along these lines, the examination question of this exploration is as following: â€Å"What job do YouTubers play in the life of their high school watchers and how do YouTubers evaluate their own particular impacts and encounters?†RESEARCH QUESTIONTo carry out the research on the impact of YouTubers in the lives of young viewers and how the YouTubers assess their impact and experience among the teenagers in Johor Bahru. There are several questions that formed to use as the guideline of the research. What role do YouTubers play in the life of their teenager's view? How do YouTubers assess their own influences and experiences?OBJECTIVEIn this study, there are some objectives to carry out on the roles of YouTubers and the influences of them among the teenagers in Johor Bahru.To identify YouTuber's role in the life of their teenager's view.To understand how YouTubers assess their own influences and experience.SCOPE AND LIMITATIONSThis study aims to see the phenomenon of the influences of YouTubers around teenagers in Johor Bahru. The study is focusing on teenagers who are studying, working and married that from 13 to 20 years old. This study also focusing on the teenagers who are specifically from Johor Bahru. They are multiracial teenagers with different lifestyles and backgrounds. Examples, the teenagers that selected for this study is 12 people where 3 of them are studying in secondary school, 3 of them are studying in high schools, 3 of them is from university or college, 1 of them is already working after SPM examination and another 2 informants is housewife. Besides, this study also focusing on the importance of the role of YouTubers in today's youth society. To make clear about teenagers view's on YouTuber. Consequently, the main focus of this study is on the influences of YouTubers among teenagers.SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDYIn conducting this study, there are some goals and preferred lines that are intended to benefit the purpose and to be a source of reference to society as well as to future studies. In general, this study is intended to study the influence of YouTubers among teenagers especially the age range is between 13 to 20 years old in Johor Bahru. The study also aims to examine today's issue for teenagers who are affected by YouTubers can be conta ined. In addition, the findings of this study have also brings benefited to parents. Through this study, the parents could know more about the behavior of their teenagers which influence by YouTubers and have a lot of information to advise the teenagers who are especially trapped in the influence of YouTubers on social media. The findings of this study are also expected to assist academicians to further explore factors and methods to address job status destabilization in society as well as to assist the school in particular to take appropriate action regarding this phenomenon.OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONIn this study, some terms in the appropriate context will be used for interpretation.YOUTUBERSResearchers have used the term YouTubers where the word YouTubers is familiar with among teenagers. In this research, the term YouTubers is referred to a person who uploads, produces, or appears in videos on the video-sharing website YouTube. Besides, YouTubers also know as someone who uploads YouTube videos, particularly someone who has somewhat of a fan base. Although it can mean anyone on YouTube, in this research, it specifically means someone who makes videos and already has their own channel or company.TEENAGERSIn addition, the term teenagers are also frequently used by researchers in this study. Teenagers are the transitions between children beginning with physical and mental maturity, between 13 and 20 years of age, as young adulthood. The teenagers at this stage will experience changes in their own bodies, they will develop their minds more openly, quickly attracted and easily emotionally aroused. Teenagers used in this context are teens who are involved in addicted to watching YouTube as well as teenagers who fall in admiration of Youtubers especially teenager secondary school, high school, university students and teenagers that is working after taking SPM examination.SOCIAL MEDIASocial media is a computer program that provides the function for people to communicate and exchange information on the Internet. It is also an Internet-based application g roup that builds on the basis of ideology and technology. Social media serves as a medium to connect through applications such as Facebook, Wechat, Whatapps and so on. Social media such as Youtube help teens to access YouTubers videos without restrictions. To understand more easily, it is necessary to know the media's intentions first. Media is one of the means of communication, for example, magazines, newspapers, and even radio. Generally, social media is an online medium with the use of the Internet and make people feel easy and convenient to communicate through social networks.

Digitization of Library Materials

The Usage of Information Communication Technology in Science and Technology Information Networks in Sri Lanka R. P. R. N. Premarathna No. 361/1, Manel Watta Road, Bollegala Gonewala (w. p. ), Tel. 0714307681, Email. ranjan. [email  protected] com A number of cooperative programmes including exchange of information can be seen among member libraries of the Science & Technology information networks in Sri Lanka. At present most of information networks in other countries engage in their cooperative activities by using Information Communication Technology (ICT).This research attempts measure the impact of Information Communication Technology for cooperative activities of information networks among science and technology information networks in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Scientific and Technical Information Network (SLSTINET), Agricultural Information Network (AGRINET), and Health Literature Library and Information Service (HELLIS) have been selected for the research. These networks properly carry on library cooperative activities. The aim of the study is to find out whether they use information communication technology to do their cooperative activities.Data has been collected from these three networks and their member libraries by sending questionnaires. Questionnaires were sent to 60 out of 120 member libraries of SLSTINET, 25 out of 30 member libraries of AGRINET and 12 out of 19 member libraries of HELLIS. Data analysis has been done by calculating mode, mean and representation of percentage values. Data has been presented by using table and diagram. It was found that the Usage of Information Communication Technology can be seen in some house keeping function (a computerized catalogue, creating data bases, internet searching, CD ROMs searching and using emails) of the networks.It is used in cooperative programmes like contributing to union catalogue and ULIST, current awareness service through the email and providing access to online journals also. Some member libr aries in networks do not have computer hardware and software facilities. Lack of allocating financial provisions and lack of attention of mother organizations, have affected the use of information communication technology. It was found that up to a satisfactory level ICT is being used in science and technology information networks in Sri Lanka. Keywords: ICT; Information Technology; Information Network; cooperative programmes; AGRINET; HELLIS; SLSTINET

Sneaking Out: a Personal Memoir

It wasn’t the first time I had felt that crisp breeze hit my face. I closed the door behind me hoping my parents wouldn’t hear it squeak as it sealed off my family room. I took a deep breath in letting the adrenaline run through me, and letting out the anxiety of getting caught. What would happen if they had? I have only been grounded once my whole life and that was when I was five years old. I’m not saying there wouldn’t be any repercussions but nothing more severe than a warning to be careful, but neither parent would say â€Å"You are forbidden to sneak out of this house. I hoped my dogs hadn’t woken from their snoring slumber. I imagined Lincoln clamoring down the stairs, his collar jingling, to investigate the disturbance.It didn’t matter the consequences, my parents knew I was a responsible young adult. I heard Drew’s mustang coming down the street and I stepped off the old deck. The anticipation of getting away with this mischi evous act was enough to propel me over the fence. Drew and Randall were waiting in the cul-de-sac, the car’s engine purring me from the side yard and into the backseat. â€Å"Will your parents wake up? Drew asked, I replied with a shake of my head no, and he drove the speed limit back to his house. Even though it was just a mile down the road I was too scared to walk there in the dark by myself. I let the wind hit my face and the music hit my mind and enjoyed the presence of two guys who don’t care when I wear my glasses, men’s boxers, and look like a wreck. Drew’s garage was open as we pulled into the driveway, with three chairs lined up waiting for us. Drew and Randall smoked their cigarettes and talked about fast cars, races, and other automotive topics.I pretend I’m listening, but I tuned them out the moment my legs stuck to the black leather. Yes, I liked spending time with them, and that’s why I always called them up, but sneaking out had become so much more for me. Sneaking out was sitting in a garage and just letting my mind wander. It was Nothing crazy like TPing someone’s house, drinking, or a chance for me to be a crazy rebel. It was more than just â€Å"fun†, it was that adrenaline rush, the anticipation of getting caught, and a retreat for my over worked mind.On this particular night Randall and Drew were hungry for some â€Å"4th meal. † I being a Taco Bell virgin just went along for the ride. We drove along, and after seeing the fast food restaurants down Main Street, my tummy started rumbling. We pulled into Taco Bell’s drive through. The boys were anticipating some greasy delicious food. By this point I was too. I was advised to go with something original. I chose to get two soft tacos with lettuce. It was one of the best life decisions I had made. The juicy meat and melted cheese had my taste buds yearning for more.Randall and Drew will forever be credited for taking my Ta co Bell virginity. None of us wanted to go to sleep after our glorious food rendezvous. Instead we went to a local park to relive our childhood moments on the swings and playground. Drew pulled in, and I dashed to my favorite swing. It was the best because it was in the middle, never squeaked and I always thought it was longer than the others, giving me the most height. I realized now that it was the same length, but somehow I always flew higher.The swings, like sitting in the garage and driving around, let the world fall away. I pumped my legs harder and harder all three of us making the swing set jump a little out of the ground. I threw off my sandals allowing the wind between my toes. When it came to hopping off the swing, I landed farthest away from the play- set. After we relished our memories, we all calmly swung and talked about cars and the girls in their lives. They asked for my advice on what a romantic date would be and about boys in my life, I said â€Å"nothing, really . That was one component of my life that I didn’t want to think about didn’t matter. After about an hour and a few cop look – a – likes we headed back home. Drew dropped me off, and asked, â€Å"Do you want to come again tomorrow? † I answered sarcastically, â€Å"Is that even a real question? † As I snaked back through my side yard I relived the past few hours over and over again in my head. I relished the moments of laughter, complete confusion, and successfully not getting caught.After many nights like that one I realized that â€Å"sneaking out† has a negative reputation. Yes, some teens decide to do stupid things that could end very badly. But, why did they sneak out in the first place? They, like me, wanted to escape, wanted to feel that adrenaline pumping through their veins and the wind in their hair. Now in college, I don’t really have to sneak, but just go. Though â€Å"the guys† aren’t here with me, and there are no swings or cars to drive, walking around seems to satisfy any craving for private reflecting.Sometimes I walk with another person, other times it’s just me. It’s not necessarily, what I’m doing or who I’m with as long as I get to reflect on my life and let myself de- stress and relax. Then again, that’s all sneaking out has ever really been, not a rebellious act, but a therapeutic session. subject of the paper is your personal memory, not anyone else’s not about anything else, it is only about you sneaking out how you felt, why, who with. Self: this is not about history, this is about story. Extraordinary not boring. Smithmag. net/sixwords

Jack Ma (Ma, Yun), “Alibaba” of China’s E-Commerce Business

Alibaba Group, even only with 12years history, is one of the biggest e-commerce platforms for small businesses in the world. Its business includes: Alibaba. com, which is for small firms to find customers and suppliers without going through middlemen, has 57million users, nearly in every country. Another marketplace, Taobao. com, is for individuals buying goods from each other; it has 300million customers and $29 billion-worth of goods. Also, China Yahoo! , One of China's leading Internet portals, was acquired by Alibaba in 2005 as part of its strategic partnership with Yahoo! Inc. In 2010, the revenue of Alibaba Group increased by 49% and with 47% profit increase compared to 2009. It had been named by Forbes as one of the best B2B platforms in the world for 5 years. Jack Ma (Ma, Yun), the founder of Alibaba, is the key to lead the success of Alibaba. Ma was chosen by the World Economic Forum as a â€Å"Young Global Leader† in 2001; He was named one of the â€Å"25 Most Powerful Businesspeople in Asia† by Fortune in 2005. He shows his charisma always, in front of his employees, and also be admired by all youngsters in China who dream to found their own companies. Jack Ma reveals his transformational leadership from the set-up stage. By envisioning his vision and the desirable future, even though without any promises of return, he built up an 18-â€Å"Arhats† team to start this â€Å"new concept† business in China. After developing B2B business, Jack Ma has created and grasped big opportunities in these 12 years in C2C platform, online payment system, loan service, etc†¦huge investments didn’t give him and his team any chances to retreat, with the high expectations ; inspirational motivations, his team has gained successes of almost all strategic business plans. But recently in Feb, 2010, Alibaba admitted that it had granted â€Å"gold† global suppliers (a mark of supposed integrity) to 2,236 dealers who it says subsequently defrauded buyers globally in 2009 and 2010. The top two executives at Alibaba. com have resigned to accept responsibility. In the statement from Alibaba, an internal investigation had found that about 100 sales staff and â€Å"a number of supervisors and sales managers† were â€Å"directly responsible in either intentionally or negligently allowing the fraudsters to evade† various controls. Conclusion of the investigation report is: Excessive pursuit of performance makes the sales/managers to obtain short-term economic interests by any means, leading to the persistence of fraud. Jack Ma expressed his pity to lost 2 good leaders, especially when they were not personally involved in the fraud for any direct benefits. But Alibaba should be holding on the ethical principles, customer first value. Jack Ma emphasized that Ethics is the baseline when pursuing for performance. Although CEO or Alibaba. com – David Wei had lead to 4 years big increases, he still chose to agree his resignation. However, it shows that as the company is getting bigger, Jack Ma met difficulty to drive his own values ; principles to the whole organization sustainably, if just by personal influence. As a big company already, should be Alibaba directed and managed by one people, or managed based on effective systems are more important at this stage? The origin of the fraud was: the performance evaluation system in B2B team(Alibaba. com) relies on Sales KPI too much. If Ma wants to get company’s value ; principles back, review and re-design would be necessary. As an individual, Ma can’t influence over 22,000 employees directly. When getting to mature stage of Alibaba, Ma’s leadership needs to be more focusing on build up the suitable systems to motivate employees in the right direction. This also reflects in another area, assessing ; selecting the right leaders and the systems to develop talents. In the past 4 years, Ma changed 3 people for CEO for Yahoo(China) from hiring externally. Furthermore, he is still the one who leads the business direction/strategy on his own. In stead of challenging the followers to get them developing fast enough to lead the business, Jack Ma preferred to hire CEO out of Alibaba in the past few years. but still, what’s getting better is, we can see recently, he started to put his followers into bigger ; leading roles to lead the business directly as they are getting more mature. Jack Ma ; Alibaba Group is facing fierce competitions from the threat of new entrants-some big internet companies in China. Let’s talk a look whether Ma’s leadership will help Alibaba group achieve it’s â€Å"Big Taobao† strategy, and go forward in the future. References: 1. Alibaba, China's king of e-commerce, http://www.economist.com/node/17800299 2. Alibaba and the 2236 thieves, http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/02/online-fraud_scandal_china 3. www.alibaba.com 4. http://baike.baidu.com/view/2296.htm

Acc 230 Final Starbucks Financial Analysis Paper

Starbucks Financial Analysis Author Axia College of University of Phoenix Starbucks Financial Analysis Starbucks Coffee originated in 1971 as a coffee and tea cafe opening in a small neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (Starbucks Corporation, 2010). Starbucks continued its service for Seattle residents for a decade when the new director of retail operations and marketing, Howard Shultz, decided to make some beneficial changes to the company. After two years of employment Howard Shultz decided to expand Starbucks outside of the Seattle area. In 1987 Starbucks was entering in the coffee market and the few numbers of Starbucks were now becoming a corporation (Starbucks Corporation, 2010). Fast forwarding to current times, Starbucks is now located across America and has branched out into international territory. Starbucks now ranges from selling coffees, teas, food, and coffee accessories to having its name brand coffees being sold in grocery stores. Statement of Earnings Starbucks Corporations 2009 fiscal year ended on September 28, 2009 (Starbucks Corporation, 2010). In comparison with the 2008 Statement of Earnings, Starbucks Corporation has experienced an increase in net earnings totaling $390 million in 2009 (Starbucks Corporation, 2010). This is still significantly lower than the 2007 net earnings of $672 million dropping $360 million over the course of one year. The company was however able to increase the cost of goods sold. Compared to the 2008 gross profit margin when Starbucks experienced a large increase, in 2009 Starbucks experienced a decline by 2. 25% (Starbucks Corporation, 2010). In the 2009 fiscal year the Statement of Earnings depicts a depreciation and amortization expenses decreased and operating income and operating margin decrease. The decrease in sales which Starbucks reported in 2008 is cause for the decrease in operating income and operating margin in the 2009 fiscal year. Since the 2008 fiscal year, 2009 has brought on a 4% decrease in the net profit margin for Starbucks (Starbucks Corporation, 2010). Balance Sheet In the 2009 fiscal year, Starbucks Corporation states a slight decrease in ash on hand though the net receivables show an increase. A comparison of the 2008 and 2009 inventory depicts a decline in 2009 that suggests Starbucks Corporation is not making inventory purchases prior to selling the current on-hand inventory. The current economic struggles have forced Starbucks Corporation to make some adjustments in the financial strengths of the company and close some coffee shops throughout the 2009 fiscal year, appearing as a decrease to the current assets of Starbucks Corporations. The decrease in the current assets and fixed assets of Starbucks Corporation the total assets for the 2009 fiscal year have increased by $300 million (Starbucks Corporation, 2010). Statement of Cash Flow The Statement of Cash Flow for the 2009 fiscal year depicts a $70 million decrease in cash flow (Starbucks Corporation, 2010). Starbucks Corporation did however increase its invested cash flow by $115 million in 2009 (Starbucks Corporation, 2010). An analysis of the Statement of Cash Flow for the 2009 fiscal year of Starbucks Corporation shows that Starbucks Corporation has been attempting to reduce its current operating expenses and cash flow. Ratio Comparisons Within the coffee industry Starbucks Corporations has grown from a small shop to a leading coffee distributor, proving to have financial strength and determination to continue growth. With the weakening economy the continued success of Starbucks Corporation is being threatened by the high cost of coffee and the decreased spending of consumers. Coffee is now being purchased based on cost, not quality. The financial strengths of Starbucks Corporation is being tested against its limits with the decline in premium coffee sales while Starbucks continues to push to stay on top of competition. Compared to competition in the coffee market Starbucks is displaying a higher debt to equity ratio of 0. 15 compared to the industry at 0. 13. Starbucks Corporation and the coffee industry competition remain similar at a 1. 5 current ratio for Starbucks and a 1. current ratio for the industry (MSN Money Market, 2010). The quick ratio within the coffee industry currently sits at 1. 3 while Starbucks Corporation holds strong at a 1. 2 quick ratio (MSN Money Central, 2010). Starbucks Corporation depicts a leverage ratio in comparison to the competition showing a 1. 7 leverage ratio for both Starbucks and the industry (MSN Money Central, 2010). Starbucks Corporation is also remaining steady with a lower than industry book value to share ratio o f 4. 95 compared to 6. 33 (MSN Money Central, 2010). Industry Comparison An industry analysis can provide Starbucks with a view on the competitive advantages the company has over companies with similar products. Through the analysis, Starbucks can develop an effective strategic plan. The benefits of the industry analysis include knowing â€Å"the underlying forces at work in the industry; the overall attractiveness of the industry, and the critical factors that determine the company’s success within the industry† (Encyclopedia for Business, 2010). A United States competitor of Starbucks is Peet’s Coffee and Tea. In 2010, Peet’s reported gross revenue of $168,494, drastically lower than that of Starbucks. Starbuck’s has the advantage of more locations and a lower per store operating cost of 63. 86 compared to Peet’s at 121. 83 per store. Starbuck’s has managed to run each Starbucks location at a fraction of the cost for Peet’s Coffee and Tea. Based on this information, it is apparent that Starbucks has a competitive advantage over Peet’s Coffee and Tea and continues to be a strong competitor in the industry. In conclusion, Starbucks Corporation has managed to remain financially strong regardless of the slight impact the struggling economy has had on the corporation. Success over competition remains to be on top and the current inventions of new and unique coffee, tea, and Starbucks environments has continued to result in the success of Starbucks Coffee not seen by other competitors. The growth and strengthening of the current economic situation will allow Starbucks Corporation to expand the financial growth and strengths of the company and continue to remain at the top of the market regardless of the lower cost and quality coffee sold by the competition. Starbucks Corporation offers unique goods and services which allows the company to remain ahead of the market. References Encyclopedia for Business. (2010). Industry Analysis. Retrieved from http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/small/Inc-Mail/Industry-Analysis. html MSN Money Central. (2010). Starbucks Corporation: Key Ratios. Retrieved on November 11, 2010 from http://moneycentral. msn. com/investor/invsub/results/compare. asp? Page=FinancialConditionSymbol=SBUX Starbucks Corporation. (2010). Fiscal 2009 Annual Report. Retrieved from http://media. corporate-ir. net/media_files/irol/99/99518/SBUX_AR. pdf Yahoo Finance. (2010). Peet’s Coffee Tea, Inc. Retrieved from http://finance. yahoo. com/q/is? s=PEET+Income+Statementannual

Commercialism in Schools Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Commercialism in Schools - Research Paper Example addition, it is only natural to want to have more and if schools could gain by developing partnerships with commerce, they wanted to try to get the extras to give more to the school and students. Thus, the trends for commercialism in schools continued to present an increase, despite much debate and criticism. State legislatures and school supervisors did eventually present some rules designed to ensure that commercial partnerships in which schools engaged remained within ethical limits to ensure that no harm to students ensued. However, commercialism in schools is open to creativity and some even go so far as to recommend commercial partnerships for schools. This essay presents a discussion about the commercialism in schools phenomenon and concludes that it is possible for schools to enter into healthy partnerships with commerce that benefit everyone. Commercialism in educational institutions is not something that is new and it had been commonly found and routinely accepted in schools in the United States of America from times prior to the early 1990s (Washington Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1991). The previously cited report suggests that state legislatures within the United States of America had been concerned about the phenomenon since the early 1990s and tried to examine the impact of commercialism in schools on students and their education. However, according to (Molnar, 2006), the commercialism phenomenon in schools in the United States of America, Canada and in other parts of the world had taken an aggressive turn since then, prior to declining somewhat towards the end of the year 2006. Researchers suggested that a chronic shortage of funds for schools was the reason for commercialism in schools. Larson (2002) suggests that despite the concerns expressed by the state legislatures in the United States of America, businesses had been increasingly making inroads into the classrooms of the underfunded schools in the country.

Statistical Methods Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Statistical Methods - Math Problem Example 4. Given data: , Sxx = 27100, Syy = 280.1 and Sxy = 2665 Cxx = Sxx - n = 27100 - 10(51.82) = 267.6 Cyy = Syy - n= 280.1 - 10(5.12) = 20 Cxy = Sxy - n= 2665 - 10 (51.8) (5.1) = 23.2 The slope a of the fitted regression line Y on X is a = Intercept b = = 5.1 - (0.0867) (51.8) = 0.6091 Estimate S for the standard deviation of the model s = = 5. H0: A = 0 Vs H1: A 0 where A is the slope of the fitted line Y on X. Test statistic: Under H0, tn - 2 distribution where a is the sample slope parameter, A is the population slope parameter, s is the sample estimate for the standard deviation. The results from Q4 are a = 0.0867, s = 1.4495 and Cxx = 267.6 and A = 0. Test statistic: Pr {-2.306 t8 2.306} = 0.95. The value 0.9786 is contained in this interval and hence we have insufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis. The p-value is 0.3 which is higher than 0.05. Hence we can conclude that the population slope parameter A = 0. 6. The Fitted line is y = ax* + b where 'a' is the slope and 'b' is the intercept. From previous questions we have the results a = 0.0867 and 0.6091 At x* = 44, the value of the line is y = 0.0867(44) + 0.6091 = 4.424 At x* = 52, the value of the line is y = 0.0867(52) + 0.6091 = 5.118 At x* = 54, the value of the line is y = 0.0867(54) + 0.6091 = 5.291 The 95% confidence interval for mean of Y is given by the formula where a = 0.0867, b = 0.6091, x* = 44, 52 and 54, = 51.8, n = 10, s = 1.4995, Cxx = 267.6 and t8,0.025 = 2.306 At x* = 44, the confidence interval is 4.4239 1.9784 (2.4455, 6.4023) At x* = 52, the confidence interval is 5.1175 1.09428 (4.023, 6.21178) At x* = 54, the confidence... The value 0.9786 is contained in this interval and hence we have insufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis. The p-value is 0.3 which is higher than 0.05. Hence we can conclude that the population slope parameter A = 0. The tabulated value for t32 distribution at upper 5% significance level is 1.694. Since our test statistic value is higher than this value, we reject H0 at 10% significance level. The tabulated value for t32 distribution at upper 2.5% significance level is 2.037. The test statistic is lower than this. Hence we accept H0 at 5% level of significance. The estimated p-value should be between (0.05, 0.1) excluding the upper and lower limits. The result is statistically significant and we can conclude there is a difference in the mean profit outputs. Since we can only say that the means are not equal and cannot say about which is larger, we recommend carrying out one-sided test and then choosing about which course is best. This is reasonable as the sum of n-1 values of a sample gives the other value of the statistic and there is dependence between the n terms and so the degrees of freedom of sample size n are n - 1. As we infer about 2 samples it is reasonable to use 2(n-1) as degrees of freedom when the sample sizes and variances are equal.

Space shuttle columbia failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Space shuttle columbia failure - Essay Example The velocity of the shuttle was 17,321 mph, while its actual weight depended on the payload and the other consumables on board. The thermo protection system of the space shuttle comprised of service coverage with high and low temperature reusable surface insulation tiles (Perkins, 86). The other areas such as the bay doors, fuselage and wings were covered with white silicone-rubber painted Nomex, which served as the insulation system (Christensen, 377). However, during the subsequent upgrade of the orbiter, the initial insulation tile and the silicone-rubber were replaced with Fibrous Insulation Blankets, which were found to be more flexible and appropriate for the orbiter surface insulation (Christensen, 377). The space shuttle was the first of its kind in many aspects. The space shuttle Columbia was the first spacecraft that was a reusable spacecraft and it was the first spacecraft that could carry large satellites both to and from the orbit (NASA, n.p.). The space shuttle Columbia comprised of three major components; the orbiter where the crew on board were housed, two solid rocket boosters which provided the shuttle with lift during the first two minutes, and a large external tank that fueled the main engines (NASA, n.p.). The Shuttle was 184 feet long, while its orbiter was 122 feet long, with a wing span of 78 feet and a height of the 57 feet, measured while standing on the runway (NASA, n.p.). On the day of the actual landing of the space shuttle Columbia, within the last few minutes of its landing, the shuttle entered the Earth’s atmosphere from the orbit. The incidence occurred when the spacecraft was approaching its Kennedy Space Center which was its targeted landing destination (Howell, n.p.). However, at 9.00 a.m. EST, an abnormal reading showed up on the NASA mission control center, starting with the loss of the

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Case Study Example Businesses such as Easy car, Easy cafà ©, Easyvalue.com etc. besides the airline business Easy jet are examples of the above mentioned growth strategy. Similarly, the group has also adopted effective pricing strategies to attract its existing customers towards its current products. In addition, the group has also made necessary innovations in its existing products to improve the quality as well as has developed new products to reap higher profits and observe growth in its businesses. Conglomerate refers to a group of companies acquired or owned by a business group, a person or an organization. Easy group is quite truly a genuine conglomerate because it owns several businesses such as Easy internet cafà ©, Easy car, Easy jet, online and hotel ventures and has now plans to add new ones such as Easy cinema in the group’s business portfolio to increase annual revenues of the group. Yes, I would recommend Easy Group to enter in Cinema industry and apply its effective business model. Also, easy group has ability to compete in tough market conditions and has been successful in its past ventures. Thirdly, easy group has a solid business plan with very few weak points for its cinema Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 24 Case Study Example The other issue seeks to implore on whether there is life beyond Earth, and lastly, the program seeks to understand the future of life on Earth. Astrobiology is the common denominator in all NASA space science activities. It bridges research in astrophysics, heliophysics and earth science. To further understand the principle interests of astrobiology, this discourse will look at the discipline in line with the three established issues. This is in recognition of the fact that the credibility and relevance of astrobiology lies in its pursuit to answer the fundamental questions of our origin, establishing our identity, and whether man is alone in the cosmos. Scientists seem to still not come up with a clear definition of what life is; they are still not clear on what being alive means. In perhaps the simplest way, life on Earth swaps energy and material with the environment. The common characteristics of life being that life forms grow, excrete, reproduce and are made up of genes stored in DNA and RNA structures and passed on to the next generation. Life also changes. These changes result due to alterations in the environment. However, life also alters the environment. Finally, it is clear that life is based on the chemistry of carbon and needs liquid water. An extremely constrained layer exists near the surface of Earth; this layer contains life in abundance as evidenced by microorganisms, plants, and animals. Unfortunately, this layer represents the only identified area that supports life in the entire Universe. Everyone by now acknowledges that the laws and concepts of chemistry and physics are in action all over the cosmos. This has led to constant enquiries on whether there is anything like general biology. More critically, there have been unending inquiries on life beyond Earth. Advanced science has been able to reveal that there exist other surfaces beyond Earth which are represented by planets orbiting the Sun. In the past 15

Can fossil fuel energy placed by nuclear energy Essay

Can fossil fuel energy placed by nuclear energy - Essay Example With this argument in mind, does this mean that nuclear energy is better than fossil fuel? The answer is a big NO. Nuclear energy is not a long term solution, nor is it a permanent answer for long term, safe energy source and I will analyze this based on safety, financial, environmental, and social impact of running nuclear power plants. According to World Nuclear Association (www.world-nuclear.org), nuclear power financially speaking is cost competitive with other forms of energy. This means that compared with gas and coal, nuclear power is cost competitive, unless of course there is direct access to low cost fossil fuel. Technically, because nuclear power would only rely on very little amount of uranium to produce tons of energy, there is the assumption that it is indeed cost efficient, especially in terms of long term solution. But think again, WNA is amenable that putting up a nuclear power plant has a â€Å"relatively high capital costs and the need to internalize all waste dis posal and decommissioning costs.† Ergo, though there is financial savings in the energy production itself, the costs goes on operations and maintenance of the plant. But there is more than just the financial economics of running nuclear power plant. A big issue is the health and safety risk.