Caribbean Folklore: Le Loupgarou and Ol Higue

Le Loupgarou† and â€Å"Ol Higue† Folklore exists in many cultures throughout the world. Folklore in the form of tales, myths and legends is passed from generation to generation through the oral tradition. Folklore in the Caribbean has been drawn from the rich and diverse backgrounds of our ancestors who came from various parts of the world. Our ancestors brought with them their language, culture, religious beliefs and practices, and their tradition of storytelling.The tales of demons, ghosts, zombies and spirits have been fascinating for the young and old alike, and variations of these stories have been told again and again. â€Å"Le Loupgarou† and â€Å"Ol' Higue† share similar characteristics as they are both based on Caribbean folklore. â€Å"Le Loupgarou† means werewolf or lagahoo. Fittingly, Derek Walcott's poem tells a tale of a man named Le Brun. He sold his soul to the devil and so he changes into a werewolf at night. He is ostracized by the village and lives all alone in a small old house.Similarly, â€Å"Ol' Higue by Mark Mcwatt is a poem about what Caribbean people would call a soucouyant which is in essence, a female vampire that takes off her old skin at night and turns into a fire ball, lurking through the nights to feed on her poor victims. Interestingly enough, the soucouyant is the female counterpart for the lagahoo. The old woman is â€Å"Ol' Higue†, like Le Brun, lives alone in an old house. She almost never comes outside during the day as her feeding is done at night.She doesn't like children and isn't amiable by nature which are also characteristic of Le Brun. Walcott’s poem opens with the line â€Å"A curious tale† suggesting that we, already from the beginning, should be questioning the verity of the story since tale usually is associated with fiction. â€Å"Ol' Higue† doesn't indicate that it is a fictitious story but as Caribbean people, it is easy to come to the conclusion just from the first stanza that she is a soucouyant. â€Å"Le loupgarou† is written in a†¦ [continues] Read full essay

Plannng an expedition to an extreme environment

The place that our expedition is going to take is in the region of Norway called Svalbard. To get there we have to take a boat from Norway port and bring our equipments ready for the cold environment. The average temperature is around 5à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C and -12à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C in winter. Equipments I need to bring on the expedition are: A parka is essential in cold weather. It insulates the heat even at a -47 degree Celsius. It is waterproof so the melted snow couldn't get in to your body. Insulator trousers are used to keep our legs warm. It is water proof with fleece lining to keep the heat in because the temperature is really low there. Fleece jumper is essential in this harsh weather condition. It keeps our body temperature in which is great. A woolly jumper is also good to keep heat in. I use this jumper as a spare in case the fleece gets dirty. A long sleeve shirt is to be worn before the jumper to keep me extra warm. Tracksuit bottoms with fleece lining are ideal to put on first before the thermal trousers. It will keep me extra warm. These are essential accessories for parts of our body like hands, neck and head. This faux fur hat keeps most of my body temperature in because the heat is loss through our head. Earmuffs are good to keep my ears warm; scarf is great to prevent coldness to enter my body. Waterproof gloves are used to keep my hands warm and prevent melted ice to get through the material. Thermal socks are there to keep my feet warm and these water proof boots are useful to walk through snow and uneven land. They have thick rubber soles to prevent slipping and provide good friction. Map and compasses are the must have. They will help me to find my way back if I get lost. Water is good because it stop me from being dehydrated. Dry food is ideal in this weather as it is easy to cook and quick. Swiss knives are useful because you never know when you need it. I will need it to open a can or defend myself when I get attacked by a bear. Task 2: Glacier retreat project A: Find maps and photographs of Glaciers on Spitsbergen 1: Label the features you can see 2: How did glacier form and move? 1. Snow is collected over millions of years. The snow flake compressed and fused together, squeezing air and moistures out to create one solid ice block. With the pressure of more snow the firn will eventually over years become glacier ice. 2. Glacier is like a mighty river of ice. It is capable of doing what a river can do such as flow and change in flow rate. In ice, the flow rate is faster in the centre than at the edges and quicker on the surface than at the bottom because the gravity pulls the weigh there greater. That is why some glacier surge forwards than the other. 3. When ice moves it picks up rocks on the way therefore the rock make good cutting tools such as erosion. Erosion by plucking and abrasion make the hollow deeper and bigger. * Plucking is when rocks and stones froze to the bottom of the glacier and being plucked up by the movements of the glacier. * Abrasion happens when the materials rubbed against the bedrock at the bottom and sides of the glacier. They were being pulled down by gravity. This also causes wearing to the landscape. Fine grained debris polishes the bedrock called glacial polish. 4. Some of this debris is deposited at the edge of the corrie, as a moraine, building up the lip. This combined process creates a rounded shape, with a steep back wall, and an armchair shape characteristic of a corrie. 5. When the ice melts, a lake is left in the corrie. This is called a tarn. 3: Why do you think that many people might find them both interesting and enjoyable to look at? I think people find it interesting to look at the glacier because they can find answers to their wonders of how landscape form. It is amazing to see the nature is so powerful which can move and change the land. They can also do some sporting activities such as camping and sledge riding. Furthermore they can compare the difference between places which are affected by glacier retreated and see how much ice have melted. They might find it interesting because they can see how the climate is changing and some responsibilities are down to human. B: Look at the map on page 11 and other evidence that shows how glaciers have retreated on Spitsbergen 1: Using the picture above, the time scale that retreating of glacier has been measured is 103 years. Since 1900 and up until 2003, the resources tell me that the glacier has moved 3 miles from 1983 to 2003. I measure the scale and worked out that 3mile is equivalent to 1 cm. Therefore I can say that from 1900 to 2003, the glacier has moved 16 miles and in the present time, there is a great possibility of it moving further than 16 miles. 2: The ice moves at the rate of 241 metres every year from 1983 to 2003. The map shows the glacier melted the most in 1983 to 2003, the gap between 1900 to 1916 is smaller therefore I can say that less ice receded then. The amount of precipitation on this island is very little; causing ice on Svalbard accumulates snow very slowly. This affects the way the ice movements. 3: The evidence of glacier retreating appears to match with the theory of global warming because the ice is melting very fast as the year goes on. It is because the Earth is affecting by the green house effect. This means that heat and CO2 gas are being trapped in the atmosphere instead of leaving the Earth. They insulate the heat which causing ice to melt. The pollution is increasing which makes the ice melt faster as well. The â€Å"albedo effect† has an important role in climate change. It is used to describe what material can reflect sunlight. The higher the albedo the greater it can reflects the sunlight. The higher the Earth's albedo, the more solar radiation will reflect and the Earth will heat up less. White is a good colour which doesn't absorb the heat. If the ice melts, there will be more heat being trapped and will lead to more global warming because dark colour material tends to absorb heat than the lighter colour. 4: What the likely effects on melting glaciers in the sea around Svalbard Islands? Think about salinity, exposure to erosion and changes in the land/sea level. Salinity: amount of salt dissolved in water. Melting glaciers in the sea around Svalbard Islands effects on a lot of things such as the Thermohaline, living things like polar bear and climate not only on the island but also UK and other countries. Ocean water never rest which means it moves constantly. The complicated patterns are influence by wind, the water's salinity and heat content, bottom of the ocean's structure and the Earth's rotation. One of the biggest oceans current is the Gulf Stream. It transports 150 millions cubic metres per second of warm water from the Gulf of North Mexico across the Atlantic to Svalbard. On the way it mixes with water from other current, exchanging qualities of salinity, temperature, plants and animal. When warm Gulf Stream collides with the cold Atlantic current, it causes the seawater to become extremely dense. It is because warm water has higher mass due to the heat and salty water is heavier than fresh water. The warm water sinks and exporting towards south but some will continue towards Svalbard. When it reaches South Atlantic, it moves east to join the current flows to Indian Ocean and the rest move to Pacific Ocean. There it will heat up and repeat the same cycle. If the ice in Svalbard melts even more, there will be an increase in sea level as well as more fresh water will be added in to the ocean. This fresh water will move down south and affect the Gulf Stream because it will get colder and less salty; this also upset the process of Thermohaline. If the Gulf Stream slow down or shut down completely the climate in Britain would be colder. It would be like Moscow which is on the same latitude. This is called Rapid Climate Change. Britain is warmer than Moscow due to the warm current. If the ice in Svalbard melts even more polar bear will have no where to live and reproduce because these bears rely on ice. They can not swim well enough to catch seals or fish. It will results in shortage of food and could lead to distinction. If the ice in Svalbard melts even more the land will expose more because the glacier would disappear. This will have an impact on people and tourism on this island. The unique site and land on this island will change dramatically. C. Read the Glacial meltdown information sheet. 1: The problem in suggest the reason why the glacier melts because of global warming is that it is not the only reason why. They blame it on human because we consume a lot of fossil fuel can produce toxic gas that harms the environment. Yes they are right partly, but even before we begin to us fossil foil, glacier already started to retreat. This is normal for them. They have different opinions and views but they need to know both side of the evidence. Furthermore, global warming doesn't occur in a short amount of time. It is measured over a long period and find out the changes in pattern of the temperature, ocean life, etc†¦ 2: It is important to know who produce and interpret the evidence of global warming because they could be bias and have different views of the global warming. Some time they can exaggerate. It is good to know all the evidence that global warming caused by human and nature. This statement from Greenpeace is saying that the cause of global warming that makes ice melt is due to human activity such as burning fossil fuels in cars, aeroplane, bus, etc†¦They exaggerated it even though parts of it is down to human activity. The climate change is measured over many years, decades even centuries. Climate change doesn't happen that quickly. This evidence suggests that one of the reasons why glacier retreated faster is because some ice surges forward than the other. This is normal and is due to nature and not human activities. Task 3: Climate change and effects on the food chain A: Find out about phytoplankton that grows in Arctic waters. Phytoplankton – Microscopic plants and plant-like organisms found in massive quantities in the sea. They are known as ‘the ocean's grass'. Algae bloom – A plankton bloom also known as algal bloom, is simply an area where phytoplankton (algae) reproduce very fast that you may find many thousand plant cells per litre of water. The chlorophyll in these plants colour the water green. Zooplankton – Microscopic animals and animal-like organisms found in the sea. 1: Just like any normal plant, phytoplankton needs light, warmth, nutrients, carbon dioxide and water in order to grow and reproduce. The condition and environment around it has to achieve some of the requirements for algae to grow. 2: The Ocean's bottom contains decaying plants and animals which carry nutrients; they are being brought to the surface by currents. Algae bloom occurs when the Sun comes out like in spring because plants need sunlight to develop healthily and gives it the colour green. The phytoplanktons also use the nutrients to produce; this leads to algae bloom as well as the bloom of zooplankton because they have more food to eat. The light and warmth control the multiplication of algae. In winter it is harder for this specie to grow. 3: The growth of phytoplankton is very important to the Arctic food chain because they are the producer. They are food to zooplanktons which they are eaten by fish. Small fishes like Arctic cod are eaten by other predators such as polar bears, whales, seabirds and other fish. If there are less of them then the population of other consumers and predator can decreased. B: Look at page 12 in the High Arctic book. Look at the maps and other information about the growing conditions for plants on land in the Svalbard Islands and the Arctic in general. CAFF stands for The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna. 1:  Land surface: the Arctic tundra made of flat and low land surface. The further north you go the higher the land due to some mountains. The further up north, the land is usually covers in snow and only a few plants can survive, like in Spitsbergen. Plants on land only cover just over 5% of the surface and home to 165 species of plants on Svalbard. Low land and mountain tundra's vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sledges and grasses, mosses and lichens. Scattered trees grow in some tundra. The ecological boundary region between the tundra and the forest is known as the tree line. There are likely no trees and no bushes. Taiga is described to be home to many living organism. Boreal forest refers to the southern part of this biomass. Northern taiga has small-leaves trees like birch, alder, willow and aspen. Nearly all the trees in this kind of forest are fir trees. They grow for just a few weeks and have tough leaves to survive frost, wind and snow. Whereas in southern also known as middle boreal. Trees grow bigger and home to many animals like red squirrel. The further south you go the more trees will grow and more living things are able to survive. Soil: mountain tundra has permanent frozen soil. But judging in the pictures the soil is quite fertile as there are living things growing on it. Snow buttercups, lichens etc†¦ are able to grow and reproduce on this soil. It is moist from the melted snow. Plants can not grow on the glacier because it is too cold to it to survive. Temperature: plants on Spitsbergen can grow at temperature as low as -5à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C. Plants like dwarf shrubs, sledges and grasses, mosses and lichens can survive at this temperature. The temperature increases as you go further south because it is nearer to the sun. the temperature raises after the snow melts so the plants can start growing. Precipitation: the mountain tundra gets less rain than the other part of this Arctic because it is colder and dryer. Places like the taiga have more precipitation because the trees need rain in order to grow big. There are more moisture in the air there than the area around glacier. Growing season: The map shows the length of time that plants need to grow. So in spring, the mountain tundra will have 80 days to grow. These plants are short whereas the middle boreal will have 160 days of growing season because the plants are tall and have loads of leaves. The further south you go the longer the growing season. Colourful wildflowers bloom from the end of June to the end of July. They have to adapt to this every short season. 2. Describe the main characteristics of plants that are found on the land. It is hard for plants to grow in the Arctic. Once the snow melts, the growing season is going to be short. Despite getting the most sunshine in summer, but the harsh weather condition have made the plants adapted to their environment such as Arctic tundra. They have distinctive characteristics such as being small, grow close together and close to the ground. This protects them from the cold temperatures and the strong winds. Some flowering plants covered in fine hair like the Arctic crocus to provide protection from the wind. Flowering plants use all the sunlight they can to produce flowers at very fast speed because they knew growing season is very short. Some plants have cup shaped flowers that face up to the sun, so they can get the sunlight shines directly at the centre of the flower that's why they are so bright. However, other plants have dark colour because they can absorb more heat. Some plants have small roots because only the top layer of the soil thaw and they have small leaves to retain moisture. Because of the short growing season, most tundra plants are perennials and they do not die in the winter. Other living organisms like lichens and mosses can survive on bare rock. They are very short. 3: Plants can be said to be part of a â€Å"fragile† environment is because they can be easily damaged. For example, tracks from a passing vehicle will tear up the fragile insulating tundra, allowing the soil to thaw into scars that may remain for hundreds of years therefore the surface layer is vulnerable to environmental damage. There are also other factors that could stop plants from growing such as colder temperature and shorter growing season. Plants there have already adapted to that low temperature, if it gets any lower there is a likely chance they will not survive. Furthermore, if the sun is not giving them enough sunlight, they wouldn't be able to grow healthily. C: Look at the Arctic food chain on page 13 in the High Arctic book. 1: The Arctic food chain consists of many animals, sea animals, land and sky. The most important producers start in the sea like the phytoplankton. They are food to the zooplankton and from that fishes consume them. Fishes are important because many animals rely and live on them such as seals, killer whales, birds, polar bear etc†¦ Birds like the kittiwake fed on fishes and they are food to Arctic foxes. If it wasn't for the sea animals, the land animals wouldn't be able to survive because they have nothing to eat. The sea environment keeps the food chain balance by providing the right amount food at the right time. Like when a female polar bear gave birth to her cub in December, the algae would bloom after December and make food for the polar bear. Numbers of birds are more than number of fishes. If the fishes do not multiply then it could cause a fall in number of animals. Numbers of whales are shortening due to whale hunting by human and animals. The food chain has interlinking which means a specie consumes more than one type of food. This increases the chance of getting something to eat than some other living organisms. 2: If the ice melts, the number of seals will decrease because they will have no where to mate and rest which will lead to the falling in polar bear's population. However, the number of fishes will increase and population of birds and foxes. It is because they will have fewer predators and more food to eat. Killer whales will be relying on squids and other fishes instead having them as well as seals. Their population will decrease but not greatly. In the future, seals might be hunted for their skin or their fat or it could be the melting of ice which will leave them homeless. 4: After the coal mining industry closed in the 1980s the future of Longyearbyen, a city in Svalbard seems to have no hope. The economy went down hill because there was not enough income and the population was decreasing. The Norwegian government decided that it would create new business opportunities on Svalbard. One of the main activities to be developed was tourism. Svalbard is a very beautiful wilderness, with many rare living organisms, and it's also a part of the Arctic that is easily accessible by plane. Because of the Gulf Stream, the temperature is not as cold compared to other places on the same Northern latitude. Longyearbyen received 25,000 tourists every year and they arrive by plane and another 25,000 visit on a cruise ship. They bring a lot of income to the town by using the facilities such as hotels, going on excursions, buying souvenirs, etc†¦. It's important that the government carefully manage the wilderness so that tourists can still enjoy coming here in the future because the view and places here are exclusive to Svalbard. It is advised not to use modern transport to go around on this island. Tourists can take the aeroplane or cruise ships but if they want to explore this land more it is best to only go with dogs, or on foot, or by skiing. One of the reasons they believe using those environmental friendly transport is because tourist come here from big city to find peace and quite. Silence is a valuable commodity today. If they raced around on snowmobiles, then people wouldn't want to come as much. In addition, motorised vehicles cause damage to the environment. They produce more C02 and destroy landscape. The Government of Norway has set a goal of trying to make Svalbard one of the best managed wildernesses in the world. To achieve this they have put a lot of regulations into force, including the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act. The purpose of this Act is to preserve a virtually untouched environment in Svalbard. Littering is forbidden, you can not pick a flower or even move a stone on the beach.

Global Intitutions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Intitutions - Research Paper Example Health is also vital for achieving peace and security and hence both individuals and states should fully co-operate towards achieving this means. When there is a lack of health promotion activities and adequate steps taken for disease control then the state becomes more vulnerable to communicable diseases. Promotion of child health and welfare and creating awareness among all the individuals of a state about medical well-being could help in achieving complete health attainment. In order to meet this end it is vital for people to fully extend their cooperation and work together in improving the health of the entire community. In order to meet this end the constitution also calls for the co-operation from the governments of all states to undertake social and medical measures which will ensure a healthy society. The WHO is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland and has offices in more than 150 countries with more than 7000 people working in them. The organization has 6 regional offices in the African region, America, South-East Asia, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific and a Global Service Center in Malaysia. Its staff includes medical doctors, specialists working in public health, scientists, epidemiologists, and staff who have been trained for the purpose of managing administration, finance, and information systems in the various offices. In addition, the centers also include members who have specialized in the field of health statistics, economics and who have experience in carrying out emergency relief operations. Within the framework of the United Nations, the WHO directs and coordinates with other world countries on issues pertaining to international health. The WHO offers leadership positions and entering into partnerships wherever required on critical health issues. They al so play an active role in encouraging research studies and thereby stimulate the creation and transfer of knowledge regarding various health issues. The WHO is

English 101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

English 101 - Essay Example This provided her both with few playmates and multiple teachers, so that she learned to read, write and compute mathematics early and without apparent effort. However, she credits the youngest of her older brothers for the life-giving lessons of how to sit a wild horse on a wild ride in the middle of a battlefield. â€Å"Sometimes, in later yeas, when I found myself suddenly on a strange horse in a trooper’s saddle, flying for life or liberty in front of pursuit, I blessed the baby lessons of the wild gallops among the beautiful colts† (Barton, 1907: 20). After a relatively common childhood for her time period, marked by particular attention to her education thanks to the influence of brothers and sisters, Clara’s first brush with the field of nursing came as she was helping her brother, David Barton, recover from a fall that had him incapacitated for approximately 2 years (Barton, 1907: 79-88). From this experience, the young girl began moving ever closer to the nursing profession. Following the Battle of Bull Run near the beginning of the Civil War, Barton began her work as a nurse, organizing the collection and distribution of necessary medical supplies and gaining permission to ride behind the lines and in the mobile ambulance wagons to provide medical assistance to wounded soldiers on the field. Her tireless efforts earned her the nickname of ‘Angel of the Battlefield’ and she was eventually appointed the superintendent of nurses in 1861. By 1869, though, she was taking her skills to Europe to help in the Franco-Prussian War. It was in Switzerland that she first learned of the European organization already in existence there called the Red Cross. Although an attempt had already been made to establish a branch in the United States well before Barton went to Europe, this was her first time to hear of it and she spent the rest of her time in Europe learning more about it. When

Physical Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Physical Education - Essay Example 3. Experts perceive that physical activities used as punishment and/or behavior management tools is a â€Å"quick fix† that actually might discourage the behavior it is intended to elicit. They have perceived that using negative consequences to change behavior suppresses the undesirable behavior only while the threat of punishment is present. It is not a long-term or permanent fix as it does not teach self-discipline or address the actual behavior problem of the students. Thus, student behavior patterns are not changed. 4. There are several strategies or techniques that could be used to address a behavior issue in a physical education class. Students may be included in establishing expectations and outcomes early in the year, and to review those expectations and outcomes frequently. They can also be included in meaningful discussions about goals and how to reach them. Another is to practice and reward compliance with rules and outcomes. There is also a need to be consistent wi th enforcing behavioral expectations within the learning environment. Also, offer positive feedback and catch students doing things right. It is important not to reinforce negative behavior by drawing attention to it. Students should also be held accountable for their misbehavior.

Essay on the topic of validity in Qualitative research

On the topic of validity in Qualitative research - Essay Example Hence to be able to gain these reliable results triangulation has also been implemented. The benefits of triangulation have been mentioned further in the paper. A paradigm can have various meanings. It refers to â€Å"your basic beliefs† and your approach to the world which affects the way you define your research and how you collect and analyse data (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 47). The research approaches that can be used in studies comprise of a mixture of both the â€Å"phenomenological paradigm† which is also referred to as a â€Å"qualitative† approaches and the â€Å"positivistic paradigm† also known as the â€Å"quantitative† approach (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 47). â€Å"Phenomenological† is based on the word â€Å"phenomenon† which means a fact that happened or an event that was witnessed. With the phenomenological approach the focus is on â€Å"understanding the human behaviour from the participant’s own frame of reference† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 53). As this approach is related to an event within a context of time and place, the aim is to investigate an event by carrying out your own research to â€Å"construct new theory to explain the phenomenon† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, pp. 56-57) or use existing theory. The aim and focus with this approach is â€Å"on the quality and depth of data† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, pp. 56-57). With the positivistic paradigm, the emphasis is on using measurement to find out the relationships between facts and causes of the phenomenon. This is â€Å"an essential element of the research process under this paradigm† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 57). This approach is useful when there is a need to conduct statistical analysis (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 56). A positivistic approach will be used and the researcher will be independent, will not be influenced by the subject of research, and will

Cellular pathology critical review assignment Essay

Cellular pathology critical review assignment - Essay Example ules A and B, which present viral peptides to the cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, thereby avoiding their clearance from the body which leads to establishment of infection and later malignancy. For the in vitro study immortalized human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT, primary bovine PalF cells and NIH 3T3 cell lines which expressed the HPV-16 E5 protein was used and some NIH 3T3 expressed HPV-6 E5. After subsequent culture, suitable immunological assays were carried out to detect the presence and localization of the MHC class I molecules in these cells. While in the control cell lines MHC molecules were localized both in the cell surface and within the GA, in the HPV-16 E5 expressing cells the molecules were found exclusively in the GA. The study also showed that HPV-16 E5 did not affect the synthesis of MHC molecules unlike BPV E5 and that the expression of the E5 protein did no affect the transporter protein responsible for the transport of MHC molecules. To determine the effect of interferon , all the cell lines were treated with interferon ÃŽ ², which resulted in all the cell lines having similar levels of MHC molecules and also the molecules were found on the cell surface in the E5 expressing cell lines thus proving that the inhibition on transport of MHC molecules is reversed upon treatment with interferon. The study also noted that E5 did not down regulate the expression of HLA-C and E, involved in inhibiting NK cell-mediated lysis. The two most striking limitations observed is: the study was carried out in vitro and in vivo reproducibility needs to be ascertained and secondly, the detection of the E5 protein was carried out by RT-PCR rather simpler techniques. The two major strengths include: this is the first paper to show the immune evasion mechanism by the HPV E5 protein and the cell lines used are a good model for understanding the mechanism and finally, the study explores the gene level expressions involved in the down regulation process of the MHC molecules. In

Business strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business strategies - Assignment Example Kohl’s Corporation is regarded to be a rapidly growing department store chain in the United States which offers apparel, valuable accessories for women, men and children, footwear and home furnishing products to its customers. It has been apparent that the corporation generated an amount of revenue in excess of US$13 billion in the year 2006. It performs its business and operational functions in several states of the US. The objective of the corporation is to achieve leadership position in the business market in the US (The New York Times Company). Thesis Statement This paper intends to identify the external trends in order to deal with the changing lifestyle and shopping experience of the consumers. Moreover, the kinds of external information which is required for the corporation to make effective decisions will be taken into consideration. Finally, the significant opportunities as well as the threats of Kohl which can be drawn from the case will also be addressed in the disc ussion. Discussion Question 1 According to the case, it has been viewed that Kohl adopted significant business strategies due to changing lifestyle, fashion and shopping experience of the customers. ... case, the strategic manager of Kohl has to deal with the changing lifestyle and the shopping experience of the customers with the motive of improving its profitability along with accomplishing superior competitive position over its chief business market competitors. In this context, the strategic managers of the corporation would have to identify the target market in order to deal with the aforementioned aspects. It can be pointed out that the primary target market of the corporation were mostly the women aged in between 25 years to 54 years. The other external trends which are important for the strategic managers of Kohl to consider include the price as well as the quality of the products and convenient location of the stores (Coulter 103-104). To keep track of the changing lifestyle and shopping experience of the customers, the business managers of Kohl may visit the location of its different retail outlets that are situated in different states of the US. This particular activity w ould support the corporation to analyze the business trends and preferences of the consumers. Moreover, it is necessary for the strategic managers of Kohl to conduct marketing research within its business market segment in order to maintain the track of the changes. By conducting the market research, the strategic managers of Kohl would be able to obtain frequent feedback from regular customers about their overall shopping experience. By conducting such research, the corporation would be able to analyze the purchasing behavior along with the shopping experiences of the customers at large (Kohl's Illinois, Inc). Discussion Question 2 There are several types of valuable external information which can assist a strategic business manager of an organisation to make significant business

Film and Video Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film and Video - Assignment Example Other developments such as women’s suffrage then the financial boom which ended in a market crash in 1929 leading to the Great Depression made the generation traumatic. Traumatized by the war (with some becoming suicidal due to PSTD), working in odd jobs such as sweatshops and selling newspapers and without diversion due to the Prohibition movement (prohibition of alcohol) made this generation traumatic and perhaps this explains why this generation was called as the Lost Generation. Thus this generation looked for outlet for what they lacked. In economic opportunity due to the sweatshops they are accustomed to, entrepreneurs were born and so was the rise of individualism and spirt of entrepreneurship. Immigrants flocked into the United States to try their luck with the American Dream. So the Lost Generation looked for outlet in their entertainment. Thus their entertainment was described as pure escapism which reflected the generation’s feeling of instability and displacement during their time. Traumatized with war, overworked in factories, stressed and poor, people then looked for escape from their hard life and ugly reality. This explains why John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath were adopted in the big screen as it talked about a family’s â€Å"migration of the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma to the agricultural fields of California†. People were able to relate to this poignant screen as most people shared that kind of life at some point or another. Then Scarlett O’Hara’s Gone With the Wind became popular as it encapsulated the Depression of the Lost Generation. It talked about the girl who endured poverty but still had the courage to say that â€Å"tomorrow is another day†. But what really caught the spirt of the time was the movie The Wizard of Oz. This movie may be a fantasy movie where the main character of Dorothy’s migrated from reality to fantasy, â€Å"as objects signifying permanence (picket fences, cows, and

Comparison of Theoretical Approaches Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparison of Theoretical Approaches - Essay Example e the essential differences between the four approaches to global governance as depicted in both Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of Kelly-Kate Pease’s book International Organizations. With all honesty, Realism focuses on the security of countries and power above everything else. Realism, with an objective of enhancing conflict resolutions, establishes an international system that would guarantee maximum security for every country that cooperates with another one. At the same time, any country that declares war should do so based on self-interest, as opposed to idealism. To promote a given society, individuals should learn the policies that govern the behavior of such a society. In this case, Realism should also enhance policies that would mold rational theory that promote objective laws in a given country. Realism exists to monitor the behavior of given countries, interpret the power of countries, and coordinate the principles of the international system. Moreover, Liberalism acts as a mainstream approach that promotes the behavior of country by focusing on its preferences, as opposed to its capabilities. In this case, Liberalism paves a way for the plurality of a country’s actions in the international system. However, such preferences may vary from country to country due to some difference in economic conditions, environmental factors, and nature of governments. Pease (2006, p59) states that Liberalism abolishes anarchic international system by promoting a variety of opportunities for cooperating and other levels of power. Surely, the theory enhances peace between international organizations through organizational interdependence and cooperation. Besides, Marxism rarely focuses on material and economic aspects of the international system. Instead, the theory describes the international system as coordinated capitalist system with an objective of accumulating capital. Believers of the theory suggest that globalized capitalism enriches organizations in developed

Citizens Advice Service Essay Example for Free

Citizens Advice Service Essay Private sector means that the government does not control the ownership of a business; instead, members of the public control it. Different types of firms make up the private sector. These include sole traders, partnerships, limited companies and Public Limited Companies. Private-sectors firms are usually aiming to make a profit. Sole Trader A sole trader firm is the smallest firm from the category of private sector firms, consisting of only one owner and that owner does business in their own name. That owner has the control of the firm, and with this control, they must finance, organise and develop the firm. A typical example of a sole trader is the local corner shop, selling the essential grocery items. Advantages One main advantage is that these firms require little capital. Another advantage is that there is an incentive to work hard. This is because the firm is owned by one person, meaning that the owner must do most of the work themselves, including promote and finance the business. Therefore, if the owner wants their firm to succeed, they must work hard. If there is only one owner and possibly couple of staff in the firm, there will be regular customers known. With this relationship, customers will return repeatedly to the firm, therefore producing more sales. As there is only one owner, business decisions can be made quickly as there will not be other people interfering. Business decisions are vital for the firm to proceed, so the quicker a decision can be made, the quicker the outcome. This advantages the owner as the outcome can benefit their company. Disadvantages One disadvantage is it can be difficult to raise and find capital meaning that it is hard to start the business and to expand. Another disadvantage is that the sole trader has unlimited liability for all debts and the owner may have to sell personal possessions to meets the debts of their business. Illness is a disadvantage to a sole trader. If the owner is sick, the business may be closed for a time and money is not made to pay expenses that the owner has. Another disadvantage is the long hours may be necessary for the business to succeed. If the owner is not willing and determined to work long hours, the business will not succeed and this may produce debts. With sole traders, the success of the business relies on the skills of the owner. If the owner has no experience of running a business or business skills, this may cause the business to fail. Partnership A partnership firm is one with 2-20 owners and these owners share the responsibly of running the firm together as the control is divided up equally between the partners. An example of a business of the partnership type is a firm of doctors. Advantages As there are a number of people, more capital can be raised as all the partners contribute to the business. Each partner has their own skills and between them, the partners have more skills, ideas and knowledge than a single person does. Partners with different skills can specialise in their own areas and this increases the ranges of service that customers are offered. In a partnership, any problems Passive Voice (consider revising). Another advantage is regular customers will be known and these customers will return repeatedly to the firm, therefore producing more sales that advantage the firm. Disadvantages With partnerships, the partners have unlimited liability for all the debts. This could lead to the partners selling their personal possessions to help pay off the company’s debts. A main disadvantage is when a partner makes a mistake, that mistake affects all the partners and the firm. This is a disadvantage because a mistake can affect the running and the flow of the firm. The profits of the business must be shared. This can be a disadvantage because the partners may think that a person in the partnership should not get the same amount of money because it seems that they have not put as much work into the firm. This then creates conflict and affects the way the firm runs. Private Limited Company (Ltd) A private limited company has one or more owners, with the directors of the company elected by the shareholders. These directors control and have the responsibly of running the firm. An example of a private limited company could be a garage. Advantages There is limited liability as shareholders can lose only the amount they have invested into the firm, no matter how much money that firm owes. Shareholders contribute capital and there is no fixed amount. This is an advantage because as more shareholders invest money, whatever the amount, the more chance the firm is going to success and grow with the money. Private limited companies are protected from takeovers. This is because shares cannot be exchanged to other people unless all the shareholders agree. In addition, the members of the public cannot bring the shares. This is an advantage as this gives the owners of the firm direct control of the business.

Ethical Arguments Of Electronic Surveillance Information Technology Essay

Ethical Arguments Of Electronic Surveillance Information Technology Essay 1.1 Introduction In his dystopian masterpiece, 1984, George Orwell portrays a society in which government surveillance has become all too pervasive with nightmarish consequences. Even though Orwell never envisioned the advent of the internet and how it has become part of our daily lives, he understood the dangers of a culture of surveillance and much of what he wrote has become startlingly true. Indeed governments have moved on from traditional spying to electronic surveillance, thanks to the internet and other electronic forms of communication. Corporations too have jumped on the surveillance bandwagon, though for different purposes. This has led to ethical concerns, as illustrated in the case of the research firm Phorm. 1.2 Ethical Concerns that Could Arise Phorm is a company in the United Kingdom that developed software that allows it to monitor users online activities without their consent. This has legal ramifications as allowing such activities has caused the European Commission to investigate the UK for breaching rules pertaining to consent to interception of online transactions. However, the issue has an ethical dimension as well. Phorm has tried to justify its actions citing the benefits to customers and the companies involved. However, is it morally and ethically right for a corporation, no matter how innocent its purpose, to secretly monitor the activities of internet users without their consent? Do the advantages, both in financial and non- financial terms warrant this seeming violation of basic human rights? These are some of the ethical dilemmas posed by this case and they will be critically examined in this report. 1.3 Ethical Arguments in Support of Electronic Surveillance Corporate surveillance is a new form of surveillance by companies of people and groups. The aim is to collect data for marketing purpose which is used by the corporation itself or as in the case of Phorm, sold to third party corporations or the government (Brooks and Dunn, 2010). From the companys perspective, this is an excellent form of business intelligence as the data collected can be used to refine marketing strategies to reach the target audience. Direct marketing also employs online corporate surveillance as evidenced by Google and Yahoo (New York Times, 2007). Governments also make use of corporate surveillance data to monitor the activities of users and collect information to do profiling. The U.S. government has used this approach more often in recent years to track down terrorists, and this may be good in a sense. The ethical argument in support of this type of initiative is that it benefits various stakeholders. Electronic surveillance can improve marketing activities and this leads to more revenue which in turn benefit shareholders and the employees of the corporation that uses the services of electronic surveillance company data. Supposedly, when shareholder and employee wealth is maximized, it elevates the standard of living and thus, benefits society as a whole. True, customers are literally spied on but there is no physical damage done. Most customers are oblivious and what they do not know would not harm them. In fact, such improved marketing could even help them make better decisions when buying products and services since they will receive advertisements on things that interest them. These are some of the arguments that are used to support electronic surveillance by corporations. 1.4 Ethical Arguments Against this Type of Initiative To answer why corporate electronic surveillance is unethical and unjustifiable, we need to frame it in ethical terms. Let us look at it from the theory of consequentialism. Consequentialists are intent on maximizing the utility produced by a decision (Ermann et al, 1990). For them, the rightness of an act depends on its consequences. Consequentialism holds that an act is morally right if and only if that act maximizes the net good. In other words, an act and therefore a decision is ethical if its favourable consequences outweigh its negative consequences. Moreover, some believe that only the act that maximizes the net benefit of favourable minus the negative consequences is morally right or ethical. Philosophers also debate what consequences should be counted, how they should be counted and who deserves to be included in the set of affected stakeholders that should be considered (Brooks and Dunn, 2010). Therefore, corporate electronic surveillance is morally wrong because it does not maximize the net good. True, it may improve sales slightly if done in secret but if customers are aware that they are being spied on, they will feel violated and alienate the company altogether. Other potential customers may shy away from the company as well. In the end, such a move could seriously backfire and negatively impact shareholders. The net disadvantages dramatically outweigh the advantages. It is also illegal since such activities constitute a breach of international laws on internet privacy. Deontology is different from consequentialism in that deontologists focus on the obligations or duties motivating a decision or actions that on the consequences of the action (MacKinnon, 1998). Deontological ethics takes the position that rightness depends on the respect shown for duty, and the rights and fairness that those duties reflect. Consequently, a deontological approach raises issues relating to duties, rights and justice considerations and teaches students to use moral standards, principles and rules as a guide to making the best ethical decisions (Caroll, 1991). Deontological reasoning is largely based on the thinking of Immanuel Kant. He argued that a rational person making a decision about what would be good to do, would consider what action would be good for all members of society to do. Such an act would improve the well-being of the decision maker and the well-being of society as well. Kant began to search for an overriding principle that would guide all action an imperative that everybody should follow without exception, which could therefore be considered universal or categorical (Brooks and Dunn, 2010). His search led to what is known as Kants Categorical Imperative, which is a dominant principle or rule for deontologists. Kants principal indicates that there is a duty or imperative to always act in such a way that you can also will the maxim of your action should become a universal law (MacKinnon, 1998). This means that if you cannot will that everyone follow the same decision rule, your rule is not a moral one. As a universal principle, everyone should follow it. Moreover, the Golden Rule do unto others as you would have them do unto you would readily qualify as a universal principal (Forrester and Morrision, 1990). Using the same approach could yield a universal respect for human rights and for fair treatment of all. This can be best achieved by adopting the position that one must fulfil obligations or duties that respect moral or human rights and legal or contract rights (Flaherty, 1989). Furthermore, it can only he achieved if individuals act with enlightened self-interest rather than pure self-interest. Under enlightened self-interest, the interests of individuals are taken into account in decisions (Verschoor, 1988). They are not simply ignored or overridden. Individuals are considered ends rather than used as means to achieve an end or objective. Actions based on duty, rights and justice considerations are particularly important to professionals, directors and executives who are exp ected to fulfil the obligations of a fiduciary (Wartick and Cochran, 1985). In classical management, it has been repeatedly argued that the only fiduciary duty management owes is to the shareholders of a corporation. Thus, if activities are disadvantageous to customers, it does not matter. However, such thinking has gradually gone out of favour as corporations now realize the importance of embracing all their stakeholders (Freeman, 1984). Hence, electronic surveillance would be deemed enlightened self-interest in the old way of thinking but it is now regarded as pure self-interest. Companies that spy on customers are violating their privacy and show them no respect, which is a breach of duty of care . Electronic surveillance also goes against the Golden Rule so there is no deontological basis in support of electronic surveillance. From the above discussion, it is obvious that the arguments against electronic surveillance far outweigh those in support of it. For every argument in support, there are a few against it. Hence, corporations should stop it and use other methods that are more respectable, ethical and legal to gather marketing data. 1.5 Conclusion The ethical arguments in support of corporate electronic surveillance are scant and specious. At best, it leads to improved sales and happy shareholders but it severely undermines the basic principle of respecting the privacy of others. The right to privacy is a right to be free from certain intrusions. It is highly intrusive to have all of ones online activities monitored and used to create a database about the users likes and preferences, especially when the user is an unwilling party. From all ethical perspectives, whether utilitarian, deontological consequentialism, there is little or no basis in support of such activities. Task Two 2.1 Introduction To Phorm, its monitoring software may be a legitimate form of business. However, as a software developer, it must abide by the professional code of conduct regarding professional responsibility. The question here is whether there is a conflict of interest between its business activities and its professional responsibilities. 2.2 Conflicts with software developers professional responsibilities Software developing and engineering is a profession. As such, it has professional associations which like all other professional associations have their own code of conduct regarding professional responsibility. This is done to safeguard the reputation of the profession and to maintain the highest standards of ethics. Among the professional associations for software developers are AMC, IEEE, APEGBC and the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP). To be a member of these associations, one must abide by the respective code of ethics and professional responsibility. Failure to do so would result in suspension or revocation of license to practice the profession. The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice states that software developers should be committed to making the design, analysis, development, testing and maintenance of software a respected and beneficial profession and that all engineers should adhere to eight basic principles. Principle 6 relates to professional responsibility. This clearly stipulates that software developers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession that is consistent with the public interest. Among other things, a software developer should not promote their own interest at the expense of the profession, client or employer (6.05), obey all laws governing their work, unless in exceptional circumstances, compliance is inconsistent with the public interest (6.06) and avoid associations with businesses and organizations which are in conflict with this code (6.10). Based on this principle alone, Phorm has made many breaches of professional ethics. Monitoring software such as the one developed by Phorm goes against this professional responsibility code. In fact, this action goes against the interest of customers since it monitors their online activities without their knowledge. Similarly, such an action is inconsistent with public interest as it is morally, ethically and legally wrong for companies to do surveillance on the public without their knowledge (Flaherty, 1989). Phorm should know better than to conduct business that is in conflict with a professional code of conduct. Even though its software developers may not be members of this specific professional organization, they are sure to be members of other organizations which would have similar guidelines. Phorms actions also conflict with principle one of this code which concerns the public. It states that software engineers should act consistently with the public interest. According to paragraph 1.03, software developers should approve software only if they have a well-founded belief that it is safe, meets specifications, passes appropriate tests and does not diminish the quality of life, diminish privacy or harm the environment. Phorms monitoring software diminishes individual privacy. According to Warren and Brandies (1890), privacy can be defined as a right to be left alone. It is widely regarded that privacy is a basic human right. Phorms case is a good illustration of the problems concerning internet privacy. This is because while most agree that internet privacy must be protected, there is debate on the extent it should be protected. Should privacy protection be accorded to email usage or to websites visited as well? Privacy protection is a vital part of democracy but many countries in the world, most noticeably China, are not democracies and therefore have no qualms about seriously undermining internet privacy. Nevertheless, such arguments are mainly about the rights of governments to monitor the activities of citizens for the greater good, for instance protection against terrorism. However, in terms of corporate surveillance, laws and professional codes explicitly prohibit it. 2.3 Suitability of an established code of computer ethics or an ethical decision making model There are many professional codes of ethics such as the one mentioned in the previous section that helps professionals make ethical decisions. The problem is that they are general and not company specific. Also, some employees in a corporation are not members of a professional organization and therefore do not feel obliged to follow the guidelines stipulated by these organizations. For example, software developers may be against developing monitoring software, but if the CEO compels them to do so, they have little choice but to follow orders or leave the organization. To overcome this problem, each corporation should have its own code of ethics and ethical decision making model to make the right choice. A decision making model must be designed to enhance ethical reasoning by providing insights into the identification and analysis of key issues to be considered and questions or challenges to be raised and approaches to combining and applying decision relevant factors into practical action (Brook and Dunn, 2010). A decision or action is considered ethical or right if it conforms to certain standards. One standard alone is insufficient to ensure an ethical decision. Consequently, an ethical decision making framework should be designed so that decisions or actions are compared against four standards for a comprehensive assessment of ethical behaviour. The ethical decision making model assesses the ethicality of a decision or action by examining the consequences or well-offness created in terms of net benefits or costs, rights and duties affected, fairness involved and motivation or virtues expected (Paine, 1994). The first three of these considerations consequentialism, deontology and justice are examined by focusing on the impacts of a decision on shareholders and other affected stakeholders, an approach known as stakeholder impact analysis (Caroll, 1991). The fourth consideration, the motivation of the decision maker is known as virtue ethics (Pastin, 1986). It provides insights likely to be helpful when assessing current and future governance problems as part of a normal risk management exercise. All four considerations must be examined thoroughly and appropriate ethical values must be applied in the decision and its implementation if a decision or action is to be defensible ethically. There are three steps for making an ethical decision (Velasquez, 1992). Step one is identifying the facts and all stakeholder groups and interests likely to be affected. Step two is to rank the stakeholders and their interest, identifying the most important and weighing them more than other issues in the analysis. The final step is to assess the impact of the proposed action on each stakeholder group interests with regard to their well-being, fairness of treatment and other rights, including virtue expectations, using a comprehensive framework of questions and making sure that the common pitfalls do not enter into the analysis. These pitfalls include conforming to an unethical corporate culture, misinterpreting public expectations and focusing on short term profits and shareholder only impacts (Paine, 1994). It may be helpful to organize an ethical decision analysis using the seven steps outlined by the American Accounting Association (1993) (Cited in Brooke and Dunn, 2010). One, determine the facts such as what, who, when, where and how. Two, define the ethical issues. Three, identify major principles, rules and values. Four, specify the alternatives. Five, compare values and alternatives and see if a clear decision emerges. Six, asses the consequences and finally make the decision. 2.4 Conclusion The development and implementation of involuntary electronic monitoring, such as done by Phorm conflicts with software developers professional responsibilities. This is because no professional association of software developers would ever sanction the creation of software that violates the privacy of users and goes against the best interest of society. To overcome such a situation, each IT organization must have its own corporate code of ethics. This should compliment the professional code of ethics of software developers and serve to ensure the highest ethical standards. Yet it is not enough for a company to create a good ethics policy. Implementation is the hard part and high ethical conduct must flow from top to bottom and there must be zero tolerance for breach of professional ethics. It is only by instituting such strict policies that activities like monitoring users internet usage can be curbed.

DDC Technologies for Energy Management

DDC Technologies for Energy Management Introduction Ever since the energy crisis, when digital controls (then called EMCS for energy management and control systems) were unceremoniously ushered into widespread use for HVAC control, the industry has tried to make them look and act like the pneumatic controls they have superseded. Only occasionally are some of the profoundly expanded opportunities available with digital controls applied effectively. Furthermore, terms like reset schedule and direct acting, relevant only to pneumatic systems, are still commonly employed in what is now the digital controls era. While the process of transition to digital control technologies tolerates this mixed bag, a multitude of new demands are requiring our industry to move ahead and realize the full potential of digital control technologies. Building occupants are demanding more comfortable and higher quality environments. Building owners continue to press for greater economies in construction, operation, and maintenance. Finally, a variety of pressures are upon us to provide more precise control and documentation that standards for temperature, ventilation, and indoor air quality are being met. In this article, I will discuss how DDC technologies permit a new flexibility in the traditional rules concerning the need for linear signals and responses with input and output devices. When properly applied, this new flexibility can reduce the cost of DDC technologies. Next month, I will show how, by combining these fundamentals with emerging inter manufacturer controls integration, designers can achieve new horizons in performance and energy efficiency. HVAC Control System A HVAC control system is a computerized system for climate control in buildings. HVAC stands for humidity, ventilation , air-conditioning. Often, these integrate fire, security, and lighting controls into one system. These systems typically use one or more central controllers to command and monitor the remote terminal unit controllers, and they communicate with one or more personal computers that are used as the operator interface. These control systems are typically used on large commercial and industrial buildings to allow central control of many HVAC units around the building(s). The latest systems use the building ethernet for communications between central controllers, and allow operator access from a web browser. Direct Digital Control Central controllers and most terminal unit controllers are programmable, meaning the direct digital control program code may be customized for the intended use. The program features include time schedules, setpoints, controllers, logic, timers, trend logs, and alarms. The unit controllers typically have analog and digital inputs, that allow measurement of the variable (temperature, humidity, or pressure) and analog and digital outputs for control of the medium (hot/cold water and/or steam). Digital inputs are typically (dry) contacts from a control device, and analog inputs are typically a voltage or current measurement from a variable (temperature, humidity, velocity, or pressure) sensing device. Digital outputs are typically relay contacts used to start and stop equipment, and analog outputs are typically voltage or current signals to control the movement of the medium (air/water/steam) control devices.(Valves/dampers/motor speed) It was only natural that the first HVAC controllers would be pneumatic, as the engineers understood fluid control. Thus mechanical engineers could use their experience with the properties of steam and air to control the flow of heated or cooled air. To this day, there is pneumatic HVAC equipment in operation, which can be a century old, in some buildings, such as schools and offices. After the control of air flow and temperature was standardized, the use of electromechanical relays in ladder logic, to switch dampers became standardized. Eventually, the relays became electronic switches, as transistors eventually could handle greater current loads. By 1985, pneumatic control could no longer compete with this new technology. By the year 2000, computerized controllers were common. Today, some of these controllers can even be accessed by web browsers, which need no longer be in the same building as the HVAC equipment. This allows some economies of scale, as a single operations center can easily monitor thousands of buildings. Why Linear Devices? When pneumatic controls dominated our industry, building owners paid a high price for modulati n g l o o p p e r for m a n c e and stability. One of the prices paid was the requirement that input and output devices be linear with respect to the system variable they sensed or controlled. This need for linear response was essential to match the limited control capabilities of pneumatic controllers. A number of rules and conventions were established within our industry that made achieving this linear response requirement easier. Among these were the development of the equal percentage valve, which included the seemingly backwards rule of thumb that called for sizing control valves smaller than the pipe size. Similarly, mechanical sensing devices were constructed to provide linear change in control air pressure over their entire sensing range. While these conventions and rules of thumb served the days of pneumatics, they now need to be rethought. Requiring what I call external linearization in digital control designs adds costs in two ways. Linear devices are often more expensive than nonlinear devices that may offer improved levels of performance in DDC applications. Further, linear output conventions, such as designing a high pressure drop through valves or dampers, carry a substantial continuous operating energy penalty. By developing new rules and conventions, the knowledgeable designer can produce designs that have lower first and operating costs and may operate more reliably as well. Linear Devices in the DDC Era The need for linear response in modulating control loops has not been eliminated by the introduction of digital controls. While digital controls offer improved modulating control capabilities, including proportional/integral/derivative (PID) controllers, these control loops continue to be based on the principle of linear response, at least over certain ranges. However, in most typical applications, digital controls can easily internally linearize both input signals and output control functions. Internal Linearization of Inputs One way to reduce the cost of some DDC configurations is to permit nonlinear input devices and use the DDC system for scaling to achieve the correct reading over the range required for the application. I continue to see DDC specifications that limit the selection of input devices to those that provide a linear signal to the DDC system over a wide range of values. Except in special cases, this is an unnecessary requirement that adds costs and may cause other problems. Consider temperature sensors. Fig. 1 shows a resistance curve for an inexpensive thermistor type temperature sensor that may be employed for room temperature sensing. Thermistors are excellent choices for HVAC applications. They are inexpensive, have excellent accuracy and very low hysteresis, and respond quickly to temperature changes. Furthermore, at temperatures normally involved in HVAC applications, thermistors have excellent long-term stability (some care should be taken in choosing thermistors when temperature may rise above 240 F). Finally, because thermistors are typically high resistance (10,000 ohms is typical), they are not affected by variations in wiring distances. However, some designers continue to exclude thermistors because the input signal is not linear with temperature over wide temperature ranges. Instead, low impedance RTD type sensors are often specified. This type of sensor typically requires an electric circuit at the sensor that linearizes and transmits the signal in a way that it will not be affected by wiring resistance (usually a current loop signal is used). Employing low resistance RTD sensors with additional electronics presents a number of potential problems in DDC applications. First is the matter of accuracy. While the RTD sensors themselves provide excellent accuracy, it is not uncommon to find end-toend accuracies (I use end-to-end as the comparison of the value read by a precision thermometer at the device compared with the actual reading at the DDC system operators terminal) out of tolerance. Calibration of the current loop input may be more difficult than that of a simple resistance type thermistor. Other potential problems with RTDs range from the additional electronics (usually located at the device) that may complicate reliability issues all the way to how the Sensor curve 2 Nonlinear sensor resistance curve. The sensor performance curve is a smooth curve over the sensors operating pressure. The DDC linearized curve is a series of straight lines that closely approximates the sensors performance sensor and electronics are configured, which on occasion has been found to affect adversely the sensor signal. Table functions that are now readily available with DDC products can be employed to scale thermistors and other nonlinear devices over a wide range of values. Fig. 2 shows how a DDC system can linearize a continuous, nonlinear sensor input curve with a table function. A number of straight line curves are established in the table function to approximate closely the nonlinear function of the device. As long as simple, inexpensive devices can meet the repeatability, hysteresis, and stability requirements for an HVAC application, such devices should not be rejected because their signals are not linear. Requirement of Linear Output Once it is understood that input devices need not be linear, it is not a great leap to recognize that the response from output devices controlled by analog outputs similarly need not be linear. However, the issues here are more complex and more ingrained in the rules of thumb that engineers frequently apply automatically, so some indepth discussion is required. Because of the pneumatic background, valve design manuals commonly stress the need to select coil/valve combinations for which equal increments in valve position will effect equal increments in heat transfer of a typical heating or cooling coil throughout the stroke of the valve actuator. Fig. 3 shows how traditional design practice seeks to linearize the overall performance of valve and cooling coil. Carefully selecting a coil and valve combination can provide nearly linear performance over the entire range of load possibilities. Such selection is done because it is assumed that the valve will be operated by a controller with a fixed proportional gain. Though this design principle is still widely employed, it is no longer applicable in many modern HVAC applications. In VAV cooling coil applications, the variations of air flow and air/chilled water temperature characteristics act to change dynamically the heat transfer characteristics of the valve/coil arrangement as these parameters change. This makes it very difficult to select a valve/coil combination that will be linear through the variety of conditions that may accompany its operation. The higher performance of DDC systems permits designers much greater flexibility in the design of modulating controls without establishing static (and therefore unrealistic) design criteria. Fig. 4 shows a valve and coil combination that does not provide a linear response of valve position to coil capacity. However, modern DDC systems permit scaling tables to be applied to analog outputs as well as the inputs. Output scaling permits an inherently nonlinear device combination to respond in a linear fashion to signals from the DDC system. In this example, the valve and coil combination provides about 70 percent of the design cooling capacity at about 20 percent valve travel. The DDC output to the valve can be adjusted with the scaling table to position the valve at 20 percent travel at a 70 percent output signal from the DDC system. The scaling factor allows standard PID control to operate the valve effectively because of a software linearization of the valve/coil combination. However, the chilled water flow and heat transfer performance assumed for Fig. 4 is valid only for constant load-side flows and inlet temperatures and for constant chilled water supply temperatures. Whether inherent in the system design or for optimization reasons, rarely in real HVAC applications do these other variables remain constant as control loops operate. As previously discussed, the issue of linear output combinations has therefore been only weakly resolved in the past by attempting to linearize components at one set of system conditions. Obtaining good control over wide ranges of system conditions can be resolved far more completely and effectively with the higher performance capabilities of DDC systems. The proportional, integral, and derivative gains can be tied to algorithms that adjust their values as the variables such as load-side flow, temperatures, and chilled water temperature change. Even more impressive is the emergence of self-tuning controllers. These controllers continually re-establish the various gains associated with a control loop to provide continuously precise control without hunting. The benefits of self-tuning are especially important because variables beyond the immediate control loop can have profound and widely varying effects on each control loop. Self-tuning features are becoming widely available with DDC systems and are enormously effective in adjusting control loops to continue stable operation as other system variables change. Controllability As previously discussed, selecting equipment for linear response should not be an overriding consideration for designers in this era of digital controls. However, this does not mean designers can be imprecise in their designs or in the selection of control loop components. The issue of controllability is one that will continue to play a prominent role both in the design of systems and the selection of individual components. Controllability remains largely a sizing issue. If a valve is oversized for given conditions such that the smallest increment possible from the control loop will substantially overshoot the desired control conditions, the loop has become uncontrollable. This is a problem that typically emerges during periods of low load. Fully understanding the issue of controllability and applying DDC capabilities correctly allows designers to solve such problems and at the same time vastly improve the efficiency and performance of these systems. Selecting a control valve with a lower pressure drop will reduce the pumping power required to meet the load conditions. Traditional practice strongly condemns the idea of employing large valves with lower pressure drops because of the nonlinear response and the lack of controllability at low loads. Fig. 5 illustrates the dilemma. The valve/coil combination with Valve A may be selected according to traditional design practice because it is reasonably controllable at low loads. The vertical axis intercept represents the smallest incremental cooling transfer possible as the valve is cracked open. Note that it is small-only about 10 percent of the design maximum cooling rate. The coil combination with Valve B has a much lower pressure drop because Valve B is a larger size valve. While valve/coil Combination B would require less pumping power, the Y-axis intercept is much higher than that for Combination A. Traditional design criteria typically declare Valve B unsuitable for the application because it is uncontrollable at lower loads and the valve position/ cooling capacity relationship is nonlinear. But when it is integrated with a high-performance control system that can adjust both the chilled water temperature and the loop head pressure, will linearity and controllability of Combination B really be a problem? System Dynamics To see how this question can be answered, consider the graphs in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 shows the operation curves for valve/coil Combination B at a number of different approach (chilled water supply less air temperature leaving coil) temperature conditions. It is clear that increasing the chilled water temperature relative to the leaving air temperature markedly improves the controllability at low loads. Similarly, Fig. 7 illustrates that the decrease in pressure across the valve/coil combination also improves the controllability at low loads. Designers can use these relationships to reduce substantially the problem of controllability. At periods of uniform low loads, the DDC system can reduce the head pressure across a valve and increase the chilled water temperature to improve controllability. If all valves on a common chilled water loop experience similar decreases in load concurrently, as is typical in many HVAC applications, this parameter adjustment is a great help in improving controllability at low loads. It is apparent from the two figures that larger rangeability and low load controllability are achieved by controlling the chilled water temperature for load adjustment. Raising the chilled water temperature provides a bonus of chiller efficiency increases, but chilled water adjustment reduces pumping savings because a higher chilled water temperature increases the water flow necessary to meet loads. Additionally, under certain circumstances dehumidification requirements may limit the permissible chilled water adjustment. Exploiting the integrated control capabilities of DDC systems and controlling chilled water temperature and hydronic loop pressure in coordination with the control valves allows valve/coil Combination B to perform very well in many HVAC applications. Next month we will focus on the level of integration required to make valve/coil Configuration B operate effectively. We will discuss integrating the operation of the various equipment involved in providing comfort, possible now through the industry moves to provide communication bridges among manufacturers. By concentrating on selecting the most costeffective input/output devices and by utilizing the emerging communications pathways between equipment from various suppliers, we will see that new horizons of performance and energy efficiency can be attained with simple and economical controls configurations. Designers must exploit the benefits of higher performing DDC systems to develop an understanding of the fundamentals of interfacing hardware points to DDC systems. In so doing, a more in-depth look into total system operation must be evaluated before solutions are selected. Simply following traditional rules of thumb regarding linear input and output devices is a poor design practice in this digital controls era. DDC and Small and Medium Size Buildings The control of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems is changing as a result of applying direct digital control (DDC) techniques to HVAC control. This report outlines the main features of DDC compared with conventional pneumatic control and shows that, for small-to-medium-size buildings, the DDC system can pay for itself within two years, after which it affects net savings over pneumatic systems. Comparison between Pneumatic Control and DDC Direct digital control of HVAC systems is the direct monitoring of every system input (temperature, flow, pressure) and direct control of every system output (position, onlaff) from a central controller which is a single computer or combination of computers. DDC is a simple concept, but its significance is not obvious until it is compared with traditional forms of HVAC control. Traditionally, the control of HVAC systems was based on independent pneumatic controllers, which used compressed air t o operate the dampers and valve actuators t o control space condition such as temperature, humidity and fresh-air circulation. One building would have several such systems, which were controlled independently. For example, an air-handling system composed of two fans, three dampers and three valves (Figure 1) would be controlled by local pneumatic controllers which operated as independent units. Each controller had a simple task: to maintain a constant set point (for example, supply air temperature) by monitoring and controlling a very l i m i t e d number of variables connected to it by means of compressed air lines whose pressures represented the values of the variables. The control was adjusted mechanically by a technician in the field, and, as calibration of the pneumatic components was rarely carried out, these systems often did not control the building efficient ly. Because the pneumatic controllers were purely electromechanical devices, their sophistication and accuracy of control were extremely limited. A later variant (of pneumatic control) also employed pneumatic centrals, but w i t h the addition of a computer system. This computes system monitored some additional points (for example, space temperatures) and either calculated new set points for each pneumatic controller or allowed an operator at a computer terminal to transmit manual set points to the pneumatic controllers. Although this newer variant aided the building manager by providing more information about building conditions and performance, overall effective control of the building was still compromised by the local pneumatic controllers. Each controlled point was still operated by a pneumatic controller with very limited sophistication and virtually no flexibility. These limitations became more important as ways to manage energy became more sophisticated, Some WAC system, such as variable air volume (VAV) systems, required an accuracy of control not attainable in most cases by pneumatic controllers. As a result, building energy managers were frustrated by their inability to improve the control strategies without rebuilding the pneumatic control system for each change. DDC has solved both problems;. Instead of independent local pneumatic controllers, DDC uses control or monitoring points, each connected to a computer (or interconnected computers) which reads the value of each input and transmits commands to each output (Figure 2). The control strategies are implemented by computer programs, which can be changed by the operator at will. Also, each strategy has available to it the value of every system input instead of a very l i m i t e d local set. In short, under the DDC concept, the entire building operates as one integrated system rather than as independent srrrall systems. Four main results accrue: Control can be as simple or sophisticated as desired, and can be changed easily; The system is more reliable because fewer electromechanical components are needed; Control is more accurate because of the inherent greater accuracy of DDC electronic components; and Energy is saved because an overall strategy eliminates energy waste resulting from simultaneous heating and cooling, which usually occurs in pneumatic systems. The ability of DDC to accommodate virtually any control strategy has had a dramatic impact on mechanical design. Some new mechanical systems can operate in many different modes, depending on external conditions, space temperatures, season, condition of storage tanks, and utility-pricing structures. DDC allows such systems to be operated continuously in their optimum modes, a standard which simply cannot be attained by ordinary pneumatic systems or even pneumatic systems with computer monitoring. Consequently, mechanical designers are now free to d e s i g n the best energy system for a particular building with the assurance that whatever control strategies they specify can be carried out. Each loop at the remote processors can activate itself independent of the others; however, the most efficient use of energy is achieved by controlling all the loops through the central processor. Scheduling air-conditioning and heating loads and selectively dropping electrical loads if the total building power approaches the demand limit are two common energy optimization features available. Other features, such as optimal stop/start, which calculates the optimum starting and stopping times of heating/cooling units to prepare spaces for occupancy without wasting energy, are also used as part of an over-all strategy. Most of these optimization routines do not require any additional hardware since they are implemented by simply adding programs that sense existing inputs and change the strategy for controlling existing output actuators. The building owner or manager who uses DDC effectively needs feedback to evaluate his strategies for optimizing building performance. DDC simplifies this process because it continually monitors each input directly and has storage capacity to keep files of the historical data thus obtained. These historical data can be plotted in color on a TV screen or summarized and printed in report format for management review. The most advanced DDC systems (Figure 3) include a generalized report generator which can produce nee types of reports at any time rather than limit the user to the reports engaged when the system was procured* This feature of DDC i s particularly important since the owners power to change his energy strategy generally creates a need for new reports on energy-sensitive areas identified by continued use of the system. An ancillary benefit is the ability of the DDG system to include facilities other than WAC. With little increase in cost, factors such as control of security and lighting can be added to the system, thereby enabling greater energy savings and eliminating the need to purchase separate systems for badge reading and door-lock control. There is no doubt that DDC offers more effective energy management than conventional controls but, until very recently, its application to HVAC installations has been limited to large building complexes. Many small- and medium size building installations do not use DDC mainly because of its high cost. In the following sections a typical small building is analyzed and DDC is compared with pneumatic control on a cost and payback basis. Small Building Systems The cost of an HVAC controls Installation is generally related to the number of points t o be monitored or controlled, where each point is defined as an analog or digital input (e.g., temperature sensor, fan status switch) or analog or digital output (e.g. damper position or pump on/off control. Each building system, such as air handling, domestic hot water, or chilled water, includes a certain number of points. A recent study which included detailed analysis of a series of building HVAC system, showed that a small- to medium-size building of about 37,175 m2 (400,000 sq. ft .) would contain about 180 points, of which 35% would be analog inputs, 19% analog outputs, 25% digital inputs and 21% digital outputs. Although different building configurations and mechanical designs would affect the distribution of point types, the total number of points for a building of this size would usually be close to 180. Designing a DDC System Given the building layout and the number of points in HVAC equipment, the single greatest design trade-off is that between centralization and distribution of computer power. At the fully centralized extreme a single central computer controls all functions directly and all points are wired to it. At the other extreme (fully distributed), a smaller central computer is connected t o a myriad of other small computers, each of which is wired to 10 to 20 nearby points, In this second instance the central machine presides aver the whole system and controls the points through the intermediary of the remote processors. Each remote processor can control a single HVAC system (e.g. air-handling unit, chiller) independently. A median approach is to employ a moderate number of remote units each of which is wired to 50 t o 120 points. Although all these approaches utilize the benefits of DDC, the three levels of centralization/distribution involve three factors that must be weighed against one another. The first factor is the cost of computer hardware. The fully-centralized approach employs a single processor, which is the least expensive since it combines all the computing power in one place w i t h one enclosure and no duplication of functions. The fully-distributed approach requires the heaviest capital cost for computer hardware. The second factor is electrical installation cost. The fully distributed arrangement yields the lowest installation cost because each remote processor can be located very close to its points and thus wiring runs are short. The fully-centralized arrangement may be quite expensive unless all points are in one mechanical room. The median arrangement (Figure 4) may be the most economical over-all because four remote processors can be used, one in a penthouse, one in some other logical location such as a basement mechanical room, and others on various floors of the building. The third factor is reliability. The fully-centralized scheme is most sensitive to failure since failure of the single computer causes the entire system to fail. Although the system can be made to fail safely, a system failure is inconvenient. The fully-distributed scheme is least sensitive since any component computer can fail while still leaving all the others running, but, as previously mentioned, the cost of the computing equipment is highest. A median approach for small buildings makes good sense; a compromise on all factors is established by designing a system consisting of a central computer and four remote units. Cost Analysis: DDC versus Pneumatic Control The installed cost of DDC systems has traditionally been higher than for pneumatic sys tens, especially in small installations, where the cost of the DDC control processor is spread over fewer points. The cost of a pneumatic system tends to rise linearly with the number of points, as a large system requires more independent local controllers, whereas with DDC a central processor is required even for system with very few points. However, the rapidly falling cost of computing hardware has eroded the historical price difference between DDC and pneumatic installations. For a specific building of 37,175 m2 (400,000 sq. ft.), the installed cost of a pneumatic system is about 75% of the cost of a DDC system Although the initial cost of a DDC system is higher than for a pneumatic system, it can be recovered in a surprisingly short time . It is realistic to assume that a DDC system will yield a 10X% energy saving over and above conventional pneumatic control, due simply to its more accurate a nd sophisticated control, and t o its ability to provide the building owner with information about building performance and areas where energy should be better controlled. Features such as load shed and flexible scheduling alone will produce large energy savings, and these savings will increase as the owner becomes more familiar with the operation of the building. If we assume yearly maintenance costs of $12,000 and $10,000 for the DDC and pneumatic systems respectively, and an energy usage of 322 equivalent kWh/m2/yr. (30 kWh/sq.ft./yr.) at $0.0275 per kWh for both systems, it will take 1.4 years more for the DDC to pay for itself than it will for the pneumatic system when used in the building under consideration. After that time the DDC system will save money compared with the pneumatic controls. Another simple calculation shows that for a three-year payback the DDC energy saving need be only 5.7%, an e

Abolishing Welfare will NOT Reduce Teenage Pregnancy :: essays research papers

Abolishing Welfare will NOT Reduce Teenage Pregnancy Robert J. Samuelson, a freelance writer for â€Å"Newsweek† magazine believes that the present welfare system needs to be abolished for certain age groups, and that as a result, teenage pregnancy is on the rise. Either this writer is desperate or he just does not care what he writes about. I believe that Samuelson’s article displays non conclusive data for his facts, financial flaws, and severe racial issues, but what really infuriate me is that he believes that abolishing welfare is the solution to eliminating teenage pregnancy and â€Å"Newsweek† magazine really printed this article.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Samuelson focuses on the black family from the beginning of his article by giving statistics that are non conclusive. He states that â€Å"A young black child now has only a one-in-five chance of growing up with two parents.†(43) How does he know this? He is not giving any supporting information on this at all to make me believe that it is accurate and factual information. Nevertheless, in making comparisons, he should have given the chances for whites and supported his research better. I am not saying that this information is incorrect, but what I am implying is that I could have believed it if I would have been able to see it for myself. Samuelson also used information from Leon Dash, a black reporter for the â€Å"Washington Post† in his article. First of all, Dash is a black man giving his insight on living in the black community for a year to understand teenage pregnancy. Samuelson is a white man viewing Dash’s conclusion in his own words to make his story look good. This is irrelevant and Samuelson should have gone to live in the black community to do his own research instead of giving his overall conclusion on Dash’s research. Samuelson believes that financial hardship is basically the problem, but of course I disagree. He states â€Å"In 1991, median family income for black married couples was $33,000; for a single mother, median income was $11,400.†(43) This is another case of not having supporting information as well as non comparisons to white’s income. Yes, you do need money to provide for your family, but does not having a lot of money really mean that your kids will be unsuccessful? No, money does not dictate how successful kids are. Let’s look at my family for example: my mother was a single parent and she did not have a lot of money, but my brother and I are very successful.

Banking Sector Essay -- Financial System, Bank Runs

Traditionally, the existence of bank runs was a very frequent phenomenon in Europe during the 19th century. It was mostly seen in the emerging countries where the boeotian level was low. Kaminsky and Reinhard introduced a new concept in the banking sector called twin crises. The twin crises concept started since 1980 and occurs when both currency and banking crises take place simultaneously. This harmful phenomenon anticipated a significant recession after the 1933 when the Federal Reserve System imposed the concept of Deposit Insurance in the US. In the same directions all governments around the world tried to find ways to prevent crises. Several schemes like the Suspension of convertibility and penalty on short-term deposits followed the implementation of Deposit Insurance scheme. As a result of the establishment of these new schemes, policy makers and bankers focused their attention and criticism on the recent concept of moral hazard that came into surface during the savings and loan crisis of 1980. In order to begin analyzing the macroeconomic concept of bank runs I have to mention that there are literally two general views. The first group of economists such as Diamond and Dybvig (1983), Chang and Velasco (2001) and Cooper and Ross (1998) supports that bank runs are self-fulfilling prophecies, unconnected to the real economy of the country. Under this view, if agents do not expect a bank run to take place, the risk-sharing mechanism of the banking sector operates beneficially and an efficient allocation of resources is achieved. On the other hand, if the agents believe that a bank run will occur then they will all have the tendency to run and withdraw their money as soon as possible to avoid losing them. The second appr... ...mplementing the 5 regulatory policies as I mentioned above at the end of the first part of this paper. The Diamond and Dybvig model clearly explains why these five policies were introduced. Firstly, the suspension of convertibility was introduced in order for events like the example of the bad equilibrium be avoided and keeping the bank alive. On the same line was introduced the tax on short-term deposits as well in order to disencourage depositors to withdraw their money early. In addition, the FCDI scheme was implemented in order to remove the fear of a bank run from the investors to eliminate the occurrence of panic within the financial market. Furthermore, the ICDI scheme was introduced to eliminate the concept of moral hazard that is caused by FCDI. Finally, the capital requirement scheme was established in order to keep the banks more liquid and solvent.

Herrick: Delight In Disorder Shows Delight In Life Essay -- essays res

The lively figures of speech in Herrick’s â€Å"Delight in Disorder† show his sensual delight in the little things in life. The oxymorons, animations, images, and paradox in this poem display the author’s enjoyment of true uniqueness. The animations in â€Å"Delight in Disorder† show how the speaker sees the clothing as having a will of it’s own that makes the outfit more â€Å"bewitch[ing]† (13). For example, the author cites a â€Å"tempestuous petticoat† and a â€Å"careless shoestring† as things that cause the woman’s dress to be unique and intriguing (9, 10). Through his use of the animation â€Å"tempestuous petticoat†, the author shows the reader that the petticoat not only flows freely and wildly, but the woman is also free and wild (9). The â€Å"careless shoestring† shows the how the disarray of the woman and her...