The Color of Innocence Essay Example for Free

The Color of Innocence Essay With regards to The Picture of Dorian Gray, one of the most recognizable and significant themes is that of the shading white and its variations, including, yet not constrained to, pale and lazy. The importance of this shading advances as the novel advances, changing corresponding to Dorians character. While the theme may never genuinely adjust in appearance, it prevails with regards to turning around significance totally, connoting the incredible complexity in Dorians soul between the start of the novel and the end. In the absolute starting point of the novel, as Basil talks about his first experience with Mr. Dark, he takes note of that when their eyes met, I [Basil] felt that I was developing pale (9). The theme comes to mean a kind of hesitant straightforwardness; as though Dorians immaculateness mollifies everything around he comes into contact with. Correspondingly, Lord Henry utilizes the theme while portraying Dorians youth, marking it as his rose-white childhood (21). Soon after, Dorian is portrayed as having the white virtue of childhood (37). In both of these entries, the theme speaks to its most fundamental meaning, that of honesty, especially, the guiltlessness of youth. White gives Dorians appearance a feeling of vivacity. Master Henry depicts Dorians soul as having gone to this white young lady [Sibyl Vane] and bowed in revere before her (57). The theme signifies an energetic immaculateness or imperativeness in Sibyl Vanes soul, in all probability one that is shared by Dorian Gray. Her blamelessness before long develops to fuse guiltless friendship for Dorian, as subsequent to kissing him, She trembled all finished, and shook like a white narcissus (74). The theme has not turned around its importance now; rather, it joins a prudence like youth and guiltlessness, that of affection. Besides, as Sibyl Vane performs in front of an audience, Dorian tells how Her hair grouped round her face like dim leaves around a pale rose (74). The composition in Sibyls face recommends an unadulterated loveliness that encapsulates everything alluring to Dorian. He has utilized the theme in depicting Sibyls youth, blamelessness, enthusiasm, and magnificence, all of which appears to reflect Dorians face and soul, as is apparent in Basils portrayal of him. The themes significance has arrived at the peak of goodness here, connoting characteristics Oscar Wilde holds in most noteworthy regard. Be that as it may, it doesn't involve this situation for long, as the following eventsâ begin a broad bastardization of the hues criticalness. As Sibyl Vane proceeds as Juliet before Basil and Lord Henry, The bends of her throat were the bends of a white lilyyet she was inquisitively drowsy (81). In this presentation Sibyl holds her physical magnificence, yet her imperativeness has gotten away from her. In a solitary sentence the theme spins to a negative undertone, coming to recommend an insipid void where there had recently been such intense life. Sibyl, whose obvious flawlessness and ability once encapsulated the theme, has become to Dorian A trashy rate on-screen character with a pretty face (85). Her baffling appearing, an undeniable differentiation to past exhibitions, prevails in profoundly influencing Dorians meaning of the theme too, as Dorian Gray developed pale as he watched her (81). Afterward, as he repeals his adoration for Sibyl, He looked pleased, pale, and detached (83). A word utilized just pages before to depict the magnificence of a rose has changed in such greatness to be assembled close by such words as pleased and impassive. The theme used in the representation of Sibyls unhindered warmth is currently used to delineate Dorians absence of affection by and large. Profoundly injured by Dorians rant and shout of only aversion for her, The young lady [Sibyl Vane] developed white, and trembled (85). Though Sibyl had recently taken on such a shading and shivered subsequent to imparting her first kiss to Dorian, she does it here because of losing Dorians love. The theme changes from implying energetic enthusiasm to enthusiastic pity and dread. A shading that gave Sibyl motivation to carry on with her life to the fullest rapidly takes her will and pushes her to end her own life. It is spoken to from an exacting perspective too, as Lord Henry depicts the instrument of her demise as having either prussic corrosive or white lead in it (96). Upset by Sibyls inopportune passing, Dorian dreams, Can they feel, I wonder, those white quiet individuals we call the dead? (96). Instead of depicting enthusiasm, or excellence, the theme is related with that of a cadaver. Basil alludes to Sibyl Vanes body comparably, broadcasting, Why, man, there are detestations available for that little white body of hers! (105). In any case, rather than Dorian, Basils utilization of the theme protects the immaculateness of Sibyl Vane, perceiving her honesty as an individual. Just Dorians observations have changed on the importance of the shading; it has become something vile andâ deathly to him, as though the hues significance and essentialness kicked the bucket alongside Sibyl Vane. Master Henry implies that a drawn out relationship with Sibyl Vane would have been vain, and Dorian concurs, saying, I guessed it would,' as he was strolling here and there the room, and looking horrendously pale (97). As Dorians esteem for human life retreats, and his spirit obscures, one would anticipate that his face should diminish too, as it would have built up the lines and shadows joined by such nature. Notwithstanding, this themes undertone, much similar to the pictures appearance, has been compelled to change while Dorian remains the equivalent. Afterward, when Basil demands seeing the appalling picture, Dorian reacts, Basil he stated, looking exceptionally pale, you should not take a gander at it. I dont wish you to' (108). Basil turned pale upon first gathering Dorian, inferring a modest dread of the young men unadulterated job. Here, when Dorians mystery is compromised, when his abhorrent soul is at risk for being uncovered and he shows a comparable response, it turns out to be certain that whatever dread Basil experienced before is entirely different than the dread Dorian is encountering now. Basil became apprehensive out of veneration, while Dorian became apprehensive out of disgrace. While the theme was already equivalent with virtue, it has embraced a vile, calloused importance with Dorian. Further on, Dorian would put his white hands adjacent to the coarse enlarged hands of the image, and grin. He derided the distorted body and the bombing appendages (124). In nineteenth century England, white hands were an indication of privileged, and excellence. In any case, when compared with the horrendous abhorrence of the picture and Dorians soul, they appear to be devilish, and creepy. The theme changes meaning in Dorians eyes, yet in addition in the perusers eyes also. Some time after this, squeezed against the window of the center, similar to a white tissue, he [Dorian Gray] had seen the essence of James Vane watching him (190). Albeit Dorian didn't know about James guarantee to murder him, he comprehends James reason for being there. The theme, completely changed in significance at this point, is an agonizing image of death that Dorian has come to fear. Dorian comes back to the gathering in the wake of seeing James, and As the idea crawled through his mind, he developed pale with dread, and the air appeared to him to have gotten out of nowhere colder (192). Dorians dread of death mirrors James desire for death. The enthusiasm Dorian previously had for what this shading meant hasâ turned into a nefarious dread of all it epitomizes. Dorian Grays static appearance can never really stop the change of his general surroundings, or, all the more significantly, his spirit. The shading white turns into a theme in the novel that mirrors Dorian Gray; its appearance continues as before, yet as the story advances, it starts to pass on a significance significantly less blameless than at an early stage. The juxtaposition between the whiteness of immaculateness right off the bat and the whiteness of death at long last gives the peruser an away from of the development of Dorians soul, and in doing as such, it gives a succinct comprehension of the plot all in all

Pest and Swot Analysis for Expansion of Services to Spain free essay sample

We enjoy extraordinary presenting our glory providing food foundation. dTandoor cooking Management offers extremely customized types of assistance to suit any sort of capacity. Our menu incorporates true culinary manifestations from different pieces of India, Pakistan, Malaysia and other house specialities. We provide food Malaysian dishes, nyonya food, Cakes, mouth-watering sweets and furthermore subject capacities. Exquisite All-India enrichments are used to upgrade the magnificence of the food introduction. Spicing the fervor, a portion of the dishes are set up on the spot, thus guaranteeing the newness of the food served. With the uniquity of our administrations follows adjusting of food in customary copper utensils like Copper Degchi and Pots. Joining further improvement in dTandoor cooking administrations, our division likewise gives its own special Malaysian Hawker Style Concept. The Chefs and Servers, encounters and all around prepared, know about the better purposes of dTandoor benefits by keeping up a top notch proficiency. Our administrations additionally incorporate keeping an eye on its own bar and different pleasantries with phenomenal and point by point discernment. We will compose a custom paper test on Vermin and Swot Analysis for Expansion of Services to Spain or on the other hand any comparable theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page

Research Essay Writing Services

Research Essay Writing ServicesResearch essay writing services provide effective, professional academic writing services. The quality of the written work is of primary importance for every student. In fact, this essay writing service is offered in the market by a number of companies and academic institutions. However, many students are not able to hire them as they think that it is quite expensive.The entire process of essay writing is quite stressful for the students. The professional writing services have highly qualified staffs who have years of experience and expertise in the field. The student will not have to face any stress and tension while he is through with the process of researching and writing the essay. The professional writers use a number of research methods and tools in order to carry out the research work properly.The services are available round the clock and the student can depend on them completely. They can choose any topic for the research. The students also hav e the option of choosing the topic based on their own choice. The assignments are made very simple for the students as well. The student will have to submit the essay only after getting the approval of the editor.The writers do not copy or reproduce any kind of data from the students. Instead, they are consulted with respect to the research work. They will guide the students in order to get the best results from the research.The assignment and the project that the student is going to do will depend upon the time schedule and the budget that the student has. This is so because the research work will be completed according to the schedule that the student has set. The student can move ahead on his work and take it further after being given all the options by the writers.The writers give all the guidance and help that the student needs while writing the essay. This is because the writers are always available for the students when they have questions or comments. The topic will be discu ssed before the writing of the essay begins.The important things that the students will find during the research work are the examples that will be used for the essay. This is to make the research easier. The examples are readily available as it is being researched. The research work is fully discussed with the author before they begin.The writers will then turn over the research work in the form of an essay to the student. The student can move ahead with the research and the details as per the schedule that is made by the writer. The student will not have to worry about the deadline. Instead, the student will know that the deadline is set and he will go ahead with the project.

Anne of Green Gables Personality and Destiny - 9447 Words

Anne of Green Gables: Personality and Destiny Abstract Anne of Green Gables is the first long novel of famous Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, published in 1908. Its publication lightened the spirit of Canadians of that age, giving a place to Canadian native literature in the literary world. Current studies on Anne’s personality is mainly about Anne’s lunacy, mercuriality, narcissist, rebellion,precocity, imagination,love for nature and life. These personalities are considered fixed and invariable .But there is few studies comprehensively exploring the development of Anne’s personality and destiny as well as their interactions. So this topic is new to us and worthy of thorough study. The thesis will be divided into three†¦show more content†¦From 1895 to 1896, Montgomery studied literature at Dalhousie University, Halifax. Then she returned to Cavendish, Prince Edward Island to take care of her widowed grandmother in 1898. Beginning in 1897, she beg an to have her short stories published in various magazines and newspapers. Montgomery had over 100 stories published from 1897 to 1907 inclusive. In 1908,she had her first novel Anne of Green Gables published and got a immediate success. After her grandmother died in 1911 , she get married with Reverend Ewan MacDonald, a Presbyterian Minister . Lucy Maud Montgomery was a very prolific writer and she published over 500 short stories, many poems, and twenty novels, as well as journals, essays, autobiography and letters. Today, Montgomerys novels, journals, letters, short stories, and poems are still read and studied by general readers and scholars from around the world. Among her most famous writing is the Anne series, consisting of eight books: Anne of Green Gables (1908), Anne of Avonlea (1909), Anne of the Island (1915), Anne’s House of Dreams (1917), Rainbow Valley (1919), Rilla of Ingleside (1920), Anne of Windy Poplars (1936) and Anne of Ingleside (1939).Other series wri tten by Montgomery include the Emily and Pat books, which, while successful, did not reach the same level of public acceptance as the Anne volumes. She also wrote a numberShow MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesmore loosely used to describe coming-of-age films and related works in other genres. Examples[edit] Precursors[edit] Hayy ibn Yaqdhan, by Ibn Tufail (12th century)[18] Parzival, by Wolfram von Eschenbach (early 13th century) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (late 14th century) Lazarillo de Tormes (1554)[19] 17th century[edit] Simplicius Simplicissimus, by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen (1668) The Adventures of Telemachus, by Franà §ois Fà ©nelon (1699) 18th century[edit] The History of

Proposal on How to Alleviate Delay at 3 Major Intersections in Akure Metropolis - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2907 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/09/12 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? CHAPTER ONE 1. 1 INTRODUCTION The at-grade intersection form over 90% of the road network in the nation’s highway system. It plays an important role in the road network, where traffic flows in different directions converge. It is imperative that where two or more roads meet, there is always a need to make a provision for intersections design in other to channel traffic into different streams. Due to several interaction that takes place between road users and traffic control systems, capacity of intersections are always much lower than that of their approach carriage way. This often results into serious delay due to reduction in capacity. Report shows that the nation’s population has increased seriously from the last census conducted, so also is the population of resident of Akure metropolis. This, however, increased the vehicle ownership and traffic volume in the links has increased dramatically due to continuous high speed growth of her economy, which causes traffic congestions and often results into serious delay of the road users. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Proposal on How to Alleviate Delay at 3 Major Intersections in Akure Metropolis" essay for you Create order The transport infrastructure put in place in the city of Akure hasn’t been able to ameliorate traffic congestion in the city, especially at the city center. The improvement in the income of civil servant and the windfall arising from it to the private sector also has shown that there is rapid rate at which people bought vehicles. This has brought increase in vehicle within the state. With the increasing trend of vehicle, it is certain that the design volume of most intersections wouldn’t be able to cater for the present traffic situation especially during the peak periods of the day. This constitute to the delay experience often at the city’s intersections. Intersections in this country are operated through traffic control signals or by traffic warden, but most intersection within the city of Akure is under the operation on traffic officers. These two forms of control systems are sometimes found to be inadequate and irrelevant during the peak hour of the day, especially when the traffic volume of the approach lane to an intersection is beyond the design traffic volume. Inadequate traffic control system or improper channelization of traffic, however, sometimes creates more problems than they can solve. Today at most intersections, it is understood that unnecessary stops and delays lead to drivers discomfort particularly under extreme traffic condition, thereby increases travel time and fuel consumption rate. This is always as a result of insufficient capacity of these intersections and often led to drivers and pedestrian discomfort. This has caused many road users their precious time, as the adage says â€Å"Time is money†. Civil servant and business executives are sometimes deprived access on time to their offices and businesses due to endless time mostly spent at the nation’s intersection. It has been observed that some intersections within the city, no longer accommodate the increased in volume of traffic especially during the peak period of the day in respect to delays and inadequate capacity experiences at locations such as Cathedral/Ondo road junction, Youth center junction and Owo /Ijapo road junction. It is imperative to know why users experience such delay and at times traffic jam. This, therefore call for a research work to know how the traffic operations and the level of service on these intersection can be improve in other to enhance the standard of living of resident of Akure metropolis. 1. 2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The aim of this study is to evaluate the average delay of three major intersections based on local traffic conditions. The objectives of this study are as follow. 1. To determine the average daily traffic volume of these intersection 2. To estimate the capacity of each intersection 3. To measure the effectiveness of each intersection in other to estimate or determine their level of service 4. To know the existing geometric features and their sizes in relation to capacity. 5. To know the traffic control systems and how it can be improved. 1. 3 JUSTIFICATION OF RESEARCH Since democratic government took place in the nation’s political system. The standard of living of public servant and their private counterpart has improved. The increment in their salary structure has influenced increase in the traffic volume of vehicle within the city of Akure. This makes road users to spend endless time before getting to their various destinations. Despite the relocation of the central market to another location in the city of Akure, some arterial still experiences unbearable delay by road users, this is always as a result of reduction in capacity of the intersection. It prompts for a research work on study of delays on few of these intersections and how it can be alleviated. CHAPTER TWO 2. 1 LITERATURE REVIEW Traffic delays and queues are principal performance measures that enter into the determination of intersection level of service (LOS), in the evaluation of the adequacy of lanes, and in the estimation of fuel consumption and emissions. Since numerous transport authorities decided that an acceptable LOS is one of the basic parameters to be fulfilled in signal control design, the obtained minimum delay being the foremost goal to the traffic engineers. Delays estimation at intersections has been extensively studied in the literature and several methods for estimating vehicle delay at intersections under traffic control system have been widely used. However, it seems that the exploration on the method for estimating the delay is still continuously conducted. This is may be due to the consideration of various variables which could affect the delays. As an example, the 1994 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) stated that the stopped delay can be multiplied by a factor of 1. 3 to obtain an approximate estimate of the total delay. Whereas several studies have found that this factor should be variable rather than just a constant value (Olszewski, 1993; Quiroga and Bullock, 1999; Mousa, 2002). The change of the primary factor for measuring the LOS at signalized intersection from stopped delay (HCM1994) to control delay (HCM1997 and 2000) also depicts the continuing improvement by incorporating current research findings. Dion et al (2004) illustrated five delay models for intersection under traffic control system: deterministic queuing model, shock wave delay model, steady-state stochastic delay model, time-dependent stochastic delay model, and finally, microscopic simulation delay model. The time-dependent stochastic delay model have been proposed over the years and have been incorporated into a number of capacity guides, such as those from the United States (TRB 1994, 1997, 2000), Australia (Akcelik, 1981) and Canada (ITE, 1995). Delay in the realm of signalized intersections is associated with the time lost to a vehicle and/or driver because of the operation of the signal and the geometric and traffic conditions present at the intersection (Click, 2003). While delay in the HCM 2000 context is defined as the difference between the travel time actually experienced and the reference travel time that would result during ideal conditions; in the absence of traffic control, in the absence of geometric delay, in the absence of any incidents, and when there are no other vehicles on the road. There are several different types of delay that can be measured at an intersection, and each serves a different purpose to the transportation engineer. The signalized intersection capacity and LOS estimation procedures are built around the concept of average control delay per vehicle. Control delay is the portion of the total delay attributed to traffic signal operation for signalized intersections (TRB, 2000). Control delay (overall delay) can be categorized into deceleration delay, stopped delay and acceleration delay. Stopped delay is easier to measure, while overall delay reflects better the efficiency of traffic signal operation (Olszewski, 1993). Typically, transportation professionals define stopped delay as the delay incurred when a vehicle is fully immobilized, while the delay incurred by a decelerating or accelerating vehicle is categorized as deceleration and acceleration delay, respectively. Various components of vehicular delay at signalized intersection including control delay used in the HCM (Quiroga and Bullock, 1999). In the 2000 version of the HCM, control delay is comprised of initial deceleration delay, queue move-up time, stopped delay, and final acceleration delay, though in earlier versions it included only stopped delay. Besides the control delay, there is another type of delay which vehicles experienced at intersection under traffic control system. This type of delay is identified as geometric delay. Luttinen and Nevala (2002) define geometric delay as the time lost due to the intersection geometry. Geometric delays may be large for turning movements. Total delay of a vehicle is the sum of control delay and geometric delay. On the other hand, the drivers’ perception and reaction time to the changes of the signal display at the beginning of the green interval and during yellow interval to mechanical constraints and to individual driver behavior also contribute to the traffic delay at signalized intersection. Husch and Albeck (2004) explain that during simulation process using SimTraffic micro simulation software, there are input parameters called as driver parameters. These parameters involve yellow deceleration, yellow reaction time, green reaction time, headways and gap acceptance factor. All these driver parameters depend on driver type. Green reaction time is the amount of time it takes the driver to respond to a signal changing to green. More aggressive drivers will have a shorter reaction time to green lights. This value ranges from 0. 8 to 0. 2 seconds. While headways are the amount of time between vehicles drivers try to maintain. When traveling at 30 ft/s a vehicle with 1-second headway will try to maintain 30ft between it and the leading vehicle. Gap acceptance factor is an adjustment to the approach gap times. This is the gap vehicles will accept at unsignalized intersections, for permitted right turns, and for left turns on red. These values range from 1. 15 to 0. 85 second. The higher values represent more conservative drivers (Husch and Albeck, 2004). 2. 2 DELAY MODEL IN HCM2000 After the release of the Highway Capacity Manual 1994, numerous researches have been undertaken to assess the changes that were made in the delay estimation model with respect to the 1985 version of the manual. Using the 1994 HCM version of the equation, traffic engineers were unable to: a) discriminate between fixed time and actuated control operation; b) evaluate oversaturated intersections or variable-length analysis periods; c) evaluate intersections using variable demand profiles on the intersection approaches; d) consider the filtering and metering effects of upstream signals; and e) fully consider the effects of progression on delay (Troutbeck and Kittelson, 1998). Prevedouros and Koga (1996) compared the 1985 and 1994 delay models using field data. In another research project, Akcelik (1996) extended the 1994 HCM delay progression factor to account for the prediction of queue length, queue clearance time, proportion of stopped vehicles in a queue, and queue move-up rate. Fambro and Rouphail (1997) proposed a generalized delay model that corrected some of the problems found in the 1994 HCM model and that is now the delay model found in the HCM 2000. In the HCM 2000, the average delay per vehicle for a lane group is given by Equations 1 to 4(TRB, 2000). d = d1 ? fpf + d2 + d3 ? r (1) with di=0. 5c [1-gc]2 [1-min(X, 1. 0). C] g (2) d2=900T [(X-1) +v(X-1)2 + 8K I X] cT (3) fpf= (1-P)f p 1-g (4) C Where: d = average overall delay per vehicle (seconds/vehicles), d1 = uniform delay (seconds/vehicles), 2 = incremental, or random, delay (seconds/vehicles), d3 = residual demand delay to account for over-saturation queues that may have existed before the analysis period (seconds/vehicles), PF = adjustment factor for the effect of the q uality of progression in coordinated systems, C = traffic signal cycle time (seconds), g = effective green time for lane group (seconds), X = volume to capacity ratio of lane group, c = capacity of lane group (vehicles/hour), K = incremental delay factor dependent on signal controller setting (0. 50 for pretimed signals; vary between 0. 4 to 0. 50 for actuated controllers), I = upstream filtering/metering adjustment factor (1. 0 for an isolated intersection), T = evaluation time (hours), P = proportion of vehicles arriving during the green interval, fp = progression adjustment factor. In this delay model the residual delay components d3 make use of vehicles instead of passenger car units to quantify traffic flows. The period analysis T is reported in hours instead of minutes, but this change is reflected in the use of a different multiplication factor in each term involving the variable T. In Equation 3, parameters k and I are introduced in the last term of the equation, and this term reduces to 0. 5 and 1. 0 when the values associated with pre-timed traffic signal control at an isolated intersection are used respectively. CHAPTER THREE PROJECT METHODOLOGY 3. 1 STUDY AREA Akure lies within 7 ° 15? north of the Equator and Longitude 5 ° 05? east of the Greenwich Meridian (See Figure 1). The area towards Ado-Ekiti and Idanre are hilly and studded with large granite formation, rising to 410 meters and 496 meters above sea level respectively. Traffic survey and intersection reconnaissance survey will be carried out at three busy intersections in Akure, named Cathedral/Ondo road intersection, Youth center junction and Owo /Ijapo road intersection. 3. 2 TRAFFIC VOLUME STUDIES DATA COLLECTION Traffic volume count for left turning movement, right turning movement and through movement would be conducted on each of the approach lane at the intersection, using one person each for lane. Heavy vehicle would be separated from the light vehicles. This would be done in the AM and PM peak periods, between (7-9) AM, (12-2) PM and (4-6) PM. The volume computed would be used to determine the capacity and volume/capacity ratio. 3. 3 DELAY STUDIES DATA COLLECTION Data on delays will be conducted according to the highway capacity manual, where two observers are sited at one approach of each intersection. The following tasks are performed by the two observers: †¢Observer 1 –Keeps track of the end of standing queues for each cycle by observing the last vehicle in each lane that stops due to the traffic control officer or device. This count includes vehicles that arrive on going but stop or approach within one car length of queued vehicles that have not yet started to move. At intervals between 10 s to 20 s, the number of vehicles in queue is recorded on the field sheet. The regular intervals for these observations should be an integral divisor of the cycle length. Vehicles in queue are those that are included in the queue of stopping vehicles (as defined above) and have not yet exited the intersection. For through vehicles, â€Å"exiting the intersection† occurs when the rear wheels cross the STOP line; for turning vehicles, â€Å"exiting† occurs when the vehicle clears the opposing vehicular or pedestrian flow to which it must yield and begins to accelerate. At the end of the survey period, vehicle-in-queue counts continue until all vehicles that entered the queue during the survey period have exited the intersection. †¢Observer 2 During the entire study period, separate counts are maintained of vehicles arriving during the survey period and of vehicles that stop one or more times during the survey period. Stopping vehicles are counted only once, regardless of how many times they stop. Data collected will be analyzed using the following equations in order to compute the total control delay, and to estimate the level of service. TQ = 0. 9 (Is x ? Viq) VT TQ = average time-in-queue, s/veh Is = time interval between time-in-queue counts ?Viq = sum of all vehicle-in-queue counts during survey period, vehicle VT = total number of vehicles arriving during survey period, vehicle To make adjustment for acceleration/deceleration delay requires that two values be computed: †¢The average number of vehicles stopping per lane, per cycle, and †¢The proportion of vehicles arriving that actually stop group. V SLC = VSTOP Nc x NL FVS = VSTOP VT V SLC = number of vehicles stopping per lane, per cycle, vehicle VSTOP = total count of stopping vehicles, vehicle Nc = number of cycles in the survey NL = number of lanes in the survey lane group FVS = fraction of vehicles stopping The final estimate of control delay can be calculated as follows d = TQ + (FVS x CF) The value of CF is a correction factor that is given at the table below Adjustment Factor for Acceleration/Deceleration Delays Free Flow Speed (mile/h)| | | 7 vehs| 8 – 9 vehs| 20 – 30 vehs| lt; 3737 – 45 45| +5+7+9| +2+4+7| -1+2+5| CONTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH 1. This research can assist traffic engineer and road planner in future intersections design. 2. Guideline on how the quality of movement at intersection can be improved. 3. Traffic volume trend observed can be inferred to any future intersection designs. 4. This can help to generate timing for signal control system. REFRENCES Akcelik, R. (1996), Progression Factor for Queue Length and Other Queue -Related Statistics, Transportation Research Record 1555, 99-104 Dion, F. t al (2004), Comparison of Delay Estimates at Under-Saturated and Over-Saturated Pre-Timed Signalized Intersections, Transportation Research Part B 38 (2004), 99–122. Fambro, D. , and N. Rouphail (1997), Generalized Delay Model for Signalized Intersections and Arterials, Transportation Research Record 1572, 112-121. Mousa, R. M. (2002), Analysis and Modeling of Measured Delays at Isolated Signalized Intersections, Journal of Transportation Engineering Vol. 128 No. 4. Quiroga, C. A. , and Bullock, D. (1999), Measured Control Delay at Signalized Intersections, Journal of Transportation Engineering Vol. 25 No. 4. Olszewski, P. (1993), Overall Delay, Stopped Delay, and Stops at Signalized Intersections, Journal of Transportation Engineering Vol. 119 No. 6. Prevedouros, P. D. , and Koga, C. A. (1996), Comparison of 1985 and 1994 Signalized Intersection Delay Estimates, ITE Journal Vol. 66 No. 7. Troutbeck, R . and Kittelson, W. (1998), An Overview of the 1997 HCM Update, ITE Journal Vol. 68 No. 7. Click, M. (2003), Variables Affecting the Stopped to Control Delay at Signalized Intersection, TRB 2003 Annual Meeting. Akcelik, R. et al (2002), aaSIDRA Traffic Model Reference Guide, Akcelik Associates Pty Ltd, Australia. Husch, D. , and Albeck, J. (2004), SimTraffic Version 6, Trafficware, California. Luttinen, R. , and Nevala, R. (2002), Capacity and Level of Service of Finnish Signalized Intersections, Finnra Reports 25/2002. Transportation Research Board (2000), Highway Capacity Manual 2000, National Research Council, Washington D. C. Wallace, C. E. et al (1998), TRANSYT-7F Version 9, McTrans University of Florida, Florida.

Disobedience - 1134 Words

The Statue of Liberty exists to symbolize America ¡Ã‚ ¯s justice and liberty; although, the unjust system we abide by displays an obvious account of misrepresentation. Civil disobedience has been a recurrent issue in our society because many people oppose unjust laws and actions set upon our country. The government exists to provide good for the people by acknowledging what is in the best interest for the population. They seem to ignore the significant issues that affect us most and would rather invest their time and effort into other trivial predicaments. There is no backbone in history to support the claim that our nation governs and makes decisions through moral reasoning when that should be of the utmost importance. Although civil†¦show more content†¦The government objects to acts of civil disobedience because they believe rules are set, and regardless of the circumstances, they must always be followed. It seems as though the government resolves ethnic issues in a qu ick, swift manner, with the least amount of reside and time loss. It does not appear as though they give much moral thought or genuine consideration when determining a final verdict. Socrates, a renowned philosopher in history, stated that,  ¡Ã‚ °we evaluate justice on the basis of the consequences of being just, and it is obvious that happiness comes from injustice because this produces personal advantages (pleasure) in political, economic, and moral affairs. ¡Ã‚ ± (____________) This is demonstrated every day when we see slavery and discrimination transpiring across America without any effort toward prevention. Socrates also added,  ¡Ã‚ °Injustice gives a person the most profitable life. ¡Ã‚ ± (____________) America ¡Ã‚ ¯s government has the ability to make a difference in these unjust issues and dodge the consequences of a civil disobedience break-out but they choose to remain stagnant because that is the most profitable resolution. Civil disobedience can be justified i n certain circumstances because laws do not always apply equally to every individual. When someone ¡Ã‚ ¯s rights are being harassedShow MoreRelatedcivil disobedience2309 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿IS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE JUSTIFIED? â€Å"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment. 1 â€Å"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. Indeed, it s the only thing that ever has.2 History has shown us through the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. who went against the greater power of their time to fight for injustice. These few respectableRead MoreLessons in Civil Disobedience828 Words   |  4 Pagesits effectiveness, individualism, and past history of the world that has made immense progress. It is important to notice that if civil disobedience was not effective, then it would not be continually used to disobey the law. In The Role of Civil Disobedience in Democracy† by Kayla Starr, she explains why we have the right to participate in civil disobedience. â€Å"The U.S. Bill of Rights asserts that the authority of a government is derived from the consent of the governed, and whenever any form ofRead MoreEssay on Civil Disobedience1397 Words   |  6 Pageshistory, human beings have participated in acts of civil disobedience. However, in the last two centuries the belief and practice of it has been in full swing and has even brought on major historical events, especially concerning equal rights and just laws. Three major firm believers and activists in civil disobedience were Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi. All three of these men participated in acts of civil disobedience but each in his own way and for different reasons. HenryRead Mo reCivil Disobedience Or Obedience?885 Words   |  4 PagesLaKyia Scott Professor Nelson English 1302 09 February 2015 Civil Disobedience or Obedience INTRODUCTION Civil disobedience is defined as the â€Å"refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in government policy or legislation, characterized by nonviolent means†; theories on this topic have been debated for centuries. (American Heritage Dictionary 3rd Edition pg161) Henry David Thoreau was well known for his refusal to participate in the political systems or activities of his era,Read MoreEssay on Civil Disobedience738 Words   |  3 PagesCivil Disobedience Henry Thoreau wrote an essay about it in the 19th century. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached it in the South. Mahatma Gandhi encouraged it in India. Nelson Mandela went to jail for promoting it. The Bible says that Paul, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were all guilty of it. According wikipedia.org, civil disobedience encompasses the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government or of an occupying power without resorting to physical violenceRead MoreCivil Disobedience in America1044 Words   |  4 Pagesincludes: religious beliefs, background, and work ethics. Civil disobedience played a large role in America. Creating protests, riots, and sit-ins, America had many examples of disobedience. In America, we value our rights as citizens and individuals. We have the right to protest as stated in the first amendment of the United States Constitution, which is called Freedom of Speech. According to the Webster Dictionary, civil disobedience is said to be â€Å"the refusal to obey government demands or commandsRead MoreCivil Disobedience, By Thoreau870 Words   |  4 PagesCivil disobedience is the refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in governmental policy or legislation. Thoreau s infamous ideas on Civil Dis obedience, written in 1849, have been monumental in the fight for change. It has helped influence change anywhere from the 1940s fight against Danish resistance, to the 1950s and McCarthyism. Thoreau s words have helped lead the way to freedom. It has made the people of the world think about how they are being governed and how theyRead MoreThoreau On Civil Disobedience1458 Words   |  6 PagesKonstantin Keller Anne Portman Philosophy 2010 4 December 2015 Thoreau on Civil Disobedience In Civil Disobedience, Henry Thoreau asserts that one should prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of law. Thoreau begins his essay by arguing that government is rarely useful and that its power comes merely from the fact that the government is the strongest group, rather than because they hold the most correct viewpoint. He believes that people are obligated to do what they think is right and toRead MoreCivil Disobedience Essay1372 Words   |  6 Pages When should civil disobedience be condoned? Should it be condoned? Civil disobedience is defined as the refusal to obey government laws, in an effort to bring upon a change in governmental policy or legislation. Civil disobedience is not an effort to dissolve the American government, because without government our society would result in chaos. Sometimes, when there is an unjust law and the government wont take the initiative to fix it, the public must act as civil disobedients to bring awarenessRead MoreEssay o n Civil Disobedience1532 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Civil disobedience is the term assigned to actions taken by individuals to sway public opinion about laws that individuals deem unfair or unjust. Actions taken are usually nonviolent, and can include sit-ins, mass demonstrations, picket lines, and marches. Citizens are acting on their consciences, demonstrating highly advanced moral reasoning skills. Generally, these advanced skills fall into Kohlberg’s Six Stages of Moral Development, Stage Five and Six in particular. Characteristics of

Entrepreneurship Simon Cowell free essay sample

Summaries how he or she got started in business and the environmental trend that the business was started to satisfy. Relate your findings to relevant theory on entrepreneurial opportunities and Ideas. (40%) (600 Words) Simon Jewell began his career in the music industry with a Job as a mail room clerk within MME records, a company in which his father, Eric Jewell, was a music industry executive.Although Jewell started at the very bottom of the music industry he has said that this helped attribute to his success as he recalls, in many ways, I was glad that I had started my career on the very low rung of the business, It was there that I earned how to deal with people. (Evangelical. Com 2001) A very Important characteristic to have later in his life. Penthouse Jewell now has found positives with starting at such a low level he wasnt always as optimistic. Knowing that he had little chance at moving up the ladder in his current job he decided to leave and look for better opportunities.As a result Jewell began a Job at an Estate Agents which again he hated and soon left. Through his fathers connections at MME, in 1971 he was offered a job as an assistant to an A ; R (artists and repertoire) man, the start of his A ; R career. Jewell slowly moved up the ranks until he was given the opportunity as a talent scout and from there the title of record producer. Unhappy with his future potential with MME Jewell left and formed E ; S Music, his own Independent music label. They found little success and within a year Jewell returned to MME. He again In 1985 left MME to form another music label called Fanfare. As Like most entrepreneurs experience it isnt always an easy road, penthouse Jewell found more success then with his first venture after five years Fanfare went bankrupt and he was forced to move back with his parents. Consequently, that same year Jewell was hired as an A R consultant for BUM. What followed was huge In his career as he started to sign big artists, Like Westerly, eve and II Doll, who were making hit records and establishing his name within the music industry.Eventually this lead to Jewell creating Coco Records, his current record company, and identifying the trends and opportunity gaps in combining, music and television, that truly made him successful. Essentially, entrepreneurs recognize an opportunely and turn It Into a successful business (Barring, B. R. Ireland, R. D. 2012. Peg. 43). But the key to finding an opportunity in Swells case is observing trends. These trends can be broken into four parts, economic forces, social forces, technological advances and political regulatory changes (Barring, B. R. Ireland, R. D. 2012. Peg. 43). As television has a lot to do with people and their needs, social forces was what Jewell was able to identify when recognizing this opportunity. Pop Stars and after realizing its success decided to develop his own show, Pop Idols. Pop Idols had one difference, in the final rounds of the show the audience was able to vote for the winner. As Jewell knew, the reason why reality television shows are so popular is due to the audiences desire to be famous and applied this trend to his show (Psychologically. Com 2001 ).By adding the component of audience Involvement with voting and auditioning enabled the audience to feel as though normal people like themselves have what it takes to become famous. A common mistake with finding an opportunity is choosing a currently available product e. G Pop Stars and making a new business that is slightly different e. G Pop Idols. This is the case with Jewell but as he identified that the need for the general publics desires to be famous was strong enough and met the four essential characteristics of an opportunity it was successful. He four qualities of an opportunity are, attractive, timely, durable and provides value for the end user (Barring, B. R. ; Ireland, R. D. 2012. P. G. 43). As Jewell had already had first hand experience with the success of Pop Stars he already knew that the opportunity was attractive and durable salons as someone else didnt come in and cause his window of opportunity to shut. Pop Stars was one of the first of its kind and the product was still in the growth stage so timing was not an issue.With the added feature of audience involvement he was able to meet the needs of the audience and add value to the end users. 12) What are the main entrepreneurial characteristics? Discuss these in relation to relevant theories of characteristics of entrepreneurs. (60%) (900 words) Entrepreneurs have been defined as a person who habitually creates and innovates to build something of recognized value around perceived opportunities (Frederick and Curator 2010). Jewell has done Just that throughout his entrepreneurial career Nothing the music industry.Swells company, Coco Productions, was constructed with hose foundations in mind and made successful through Swells ability to recognize and implement opportunities. Especially with the competitiveness of the music and television industry this characteristic remains the most imperative. There are a large number of traits that have been cited as entrepreneurial characteristics. Frederick and Karakul (2010) have found the 17 most repeated characteristics that entrepreneurs share.As we have singled out Swells most Important there are many more of these traits that combine and relate to each one of his successes throughout his life. He first major characteristic that Jewell embodies is self confidence. Entrepreneurs face many obstacles and during these times they maintain their confidence and let those around them know it (Frederick and Curator. 2010. Peg. 44). It was this trait that first enabled Jewell to go beyond the music industry and become a household name. Ledges (Encyclopedia Britannica 1959) is one reason his first show Pop Idols was so popular. His self-confidence in being able to say what is on his mind is the reason behind his own popularity which lead the way to his other successful ventures such as American Idol and X-Factor. This quote from Jewell embodies why he is so popular If youve got a big mouth and youre controversial, youre going to get attention. Creativity is a process marked by fluency, flexibility, and ability to make unusual associations ( Frederick and Curator. 2010. Peg. 44). Jewell and his ability to take an existing service and create a new category ( Barring, B. R. ; Ireland, R. D. 2012. Peg. 5) enabled him to sign successful artists such as One Direction. After One Direction came third in X Factor Jewell immediately signed them to his label. He recognized that by creating a different take to boy bands and introducing young artists to follow the Justine Bibber trend, he was able to fill a gap in the market and meet consumer needs. Throughout Swells career he has had to learn to tolerate failure. The iterative, trial and error nature of becoming a successful entrepreneur makes serious setbacks and disappointment an integral part of the learning process ( Frederick and Curator. 010. Peg. 43). An example of Swells failures happened early in his career. His first two attempts at creating an independent music label left him bankrupt, forcing him to move back in with his parents. It was this factor that forced him to stay committed and persevere. His dedication and determination to succeed enabled him to get past these set backs. Jewell was able to learn from his mistakes and after a long string of successes with the label BUM he was able to overcome these obstacles.Entrepreneurs need to use failing as learning experiences. Adverse times often create alternative opportunities and many entrepreneurs believe they learn more from their early failures than from their early successes (Frederick and Curator. 2010. Peg; 43). Ere final and most important characteristic that Jewell exemplifies is opportunity recognition. Opportunity recognition refers to the process of perceiving the usability of a profitable new business or a new product or service (Barring, B. R. ; Ireland, R. D. 2012. Peg. 55).For an opportunity to be recognized an entrepreneur must share some specific characteristics in order to identify them. Reese characteristics include prior experience, cognitive factors, social networks and creativity (as was described above). I believe the main traits that show how Jewell is so successful in identifying opportunities is prior experience and social networks. An example of how prior experience enabled Jewell to succeed is when he started as Judge on Pop Stars. Once an entrepreneur starts a new venture opportunities become apparent (Barring, B. R. ; Ireland, R. D. 2012. Peg. 55).This is known as the corridor principle where once an entrepreneur starts to head down a road, along the way he is met with corridors which lead to more venture opportunities. Once Jewell had identified the success of Pop Stars he was able to take the business that well over 40 percent of those studied got the idea for their business while Morning as employees in companies of the same industry (Barring, B. R. ; Ireland, R. D. 2012. Peg. 55). Jewell from an early age had already developed a vast social network. Due to his fathers executive position at MME he was exposed to the music industry from a very early age.An important concept that shows how important social networks are in opportunity recognition is the idea of strong-tie and weak-tie relationships. It is the concept that weak-tie relationships such as infrequent interaction and ties between casual acquaintances are more likely to give new business ideas due to the fact that they may not be as like minded and say something that sparks a new idea. This concept may shed some light on why Swells first two ventures werent successful. During this time Jewell had mostly strong-tie relationships being involved with MME for so long.

Facebook Usage in Business

Introduction Information Technology (IT) is becoming a fundamental requirement for people with desires to align with the modern world. It has been established in a multidimensional perspective that incorporates a variety of fields. These advances in IT are facilitated by mass media, cloud and mobile computing, business analytic, and social media among others (Voss, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Facebook Usage in Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apparently, the development of IT will continue integrating, advancing and producing quality outcomes. Social media are among the most developing areas in IT. It has contributed significantly to socialization, information dispersion, advertisement, sales, and business development among others. Consequently, this analysis report will pay particulate attention to social media (Facebook) that have enabled business development. Facebook Description F acebook is a social network that allows interaction of signed users. It was implemented by Mark Zuckerberg in the year two thousand and four (Decarie, 2010). The initial target was to enable students’ interaction in universities. However, the development of the network assumed a broad dimension that facilitated global interactions. A person registers for free and meets friends from various backgrounds for interaction. It allows users to post ideas, comment, request friendship, create pages, and chat among others. It has managed to collect users throughout the globe since 2004. Furthermore, Facebook has brought people together for communication and interaction. They allow businesses to advertise their products and services through a section referred to as the business page. Facebook has a patent that allows partnership with other profit making organizations. This depicts that there are opportunities to develop businesses through this popular network. In fact, most businesses h ave identified the opportunities and applied them for developmental purposes. Current Capabilities Popularity of Facebook has managed to bring people together and allow business activities. These services are being offered for free to users. Consequently, it can unite many people regardless of social class and distance between them. The large number of people logging into Facebook facilitates the advertisement and announcement through social sites. Consequently, it can collect worldwide data and information to display the prevailing issues. It is potential of accessing the globe and retrieving information in a fast manner. For instance, the arising issues about violence appear in Facebook within minutes. People post current issues freely without the necessity of confirmation.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the recent Boston bombing, people were able to distrib ute the threats and suspicious activities throughout the globe. Consequently, people understood conversely about the exact occurrences at the place of bombing. Finally, it has the capacity to restrict information meant for specified people. Facebook can prevent people to access confidential information. This could be facilitated by the request of the posting user. Strengths Marketing is an area that relies on advertisements facilitated partly by the social media (Waters et al, 2009). Facebook accommodates more than one billion users worldwide. This epic tally enhances mass operation especially where many ideas area required at once. The visits made to the website facilitate sales of goods and services. In fact, Facebook redirects to partner businesses for selling reasons. The trust created by Facebook facilitates sales and development of other businesses. For instance, Facebook can influence the income of key businesses such as Safaricom. The distribution of Facebook throughout the globe allows fast and efficient spread of information. In the United States, it is apparent that politics rely on Facebook. Also, many other civilized nations are applying Facebook to disseminate political ambitions. Facebook has achieved a criterion to facilitate business competition. Price advertisement is the most prevailing factor of this competition. This allows people to buy products after comparing prices and qualities. Finally, Facebook can facilitate mass survey for research activities. Weaknesses However, it must be noted that Facebook is not liable for individual posts. The accuracy of information posted on Facebook might be misleading. Therefore, conciseness of information posted on this site relies on the posting party. For instance, if a company claim to offer products at cheap prices, the definition of cheap would be on the hands of the buyer and the company. Facebook is facing competition from other social medias such as Twitter and Google plus. Also, accessing Faceb ook requires the user to pay the server. Additionally, since Facebook is not a search engine, people might prefer to join the advanced Google plus media. People can try to make fake Facebook pages with similar appearances to confuse users and hark their sites. Another, unexceptional weakness involves wastage of time. If students and children do not manage Facebook appropriately, it could consume their time and arrest the prioritized activities. Near-Term Expansion The development of Facebook is mitigating many loops about new opportunities and techniques (Mangold Faulds, 2009). For instance, there are developments that were made recently about the Facebook Exchange. This development is expected to integrate marketing through Facebook. It is targeted that a company/business will have signed customers. The customers will be able to buy products from this page.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Facebook Usage in Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The development of Facebook Exchange is being tested and will be available after some time. The expansion of Facebook does not rely solely on the website. The headquarters have targeted to employ 1000 new workers to operate on the site. This implies that there are additional infrastructure and facilities required for this expansion. The number of new registrations is increasing in a geometric manner. Consequently, there will be an expansion of the members signed to the site. Adoption to Safaricom Safaricom limited is a Kenyan company that runs a variety of profit making activities. The company has been providing mobile networks since 1997. It has managed to establish shops and integrate its services in many dimensions. Safaricom’s profits are related partially to social media including Facebook. Advertisements Advertisements allow Safaricom to reach customers worldwide. Customers and other people are granted the opportunity to a ccess information. Safaricom has a Facebook page that allows people to check for the offer on call rates, data bundles and products. This familiarity allows people to identify the opportunities that could arise from Safaricom. It increases the income due to increment of purchases performed. The page shows the popularity of Safaricom limited due to the comments made on their Facebook wall and credible attitude designated by the ‘likes’ (Kirk, 2010). The page allows customers to ask questions through a messaging systems and receive adequate reply. In some instances, the advertisements include direction and privacy policies to enlighten customers about their operations. In product advertisements, Safaricom assesses customer and announces their appealing product to people. For instance, there were advertisements made about phones. Ideos were the most selling phone brands for 2 years in Kenya. The popularity of this product arose due advertisement through social and msass me dia. Socialization This aspect mitigates Safaricom to apply the most sociable sites that can unite people. Apparently, the integrity and trust of Safaricom lies squarely on interactions with Kenyans. Facebook offers Safaricom the opportunity to integrate its ideas with people. In fact, people from all over the globe could access Facebook and its services without going to the headquarters. The interactions allow them to present their services, such as study mode, to customers. Also, open channel for socialization allows the potential customers to integrate their abilities explicitly and gain attraction from Safaricom services. This is because there are other existing companies offering similar services to the country. These companies include Zain, Yu and Orange. This field of competition has been described explicitly under the section of competition in a following paragraph.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Competition Facebook has created a desire for many companies, including those competing with Safaricom, to engage in social media (Lerner, 2011). Consequently, a business that disregards the social media is assumed odd. This influences the income and popularity of the business. It could have influenced Safaricom to create a page showing how people are attracted to its services. Otherwise, the comments that customers provide are critical for modifications and expansions (Dickson Eckman, 2008). Safaricom manages to post its financial analysis to the social media. This depicts their apparent strategies in conducting business. Ideologies Facebook allows Safaricom to evaluate customers throughout the globe. The fast and easy services allow customers to provide comments about how they perceive Safaricom services. This facilitates modifications of their services and cautiousness when operating. For instances, it was established recently that there was a crying need for clients to share da ta bundles. This arose from the continued comments and complaints about internet sharing. Therefore, it can be identified that Facebook played a vital role of determining the needs of people. Other forums allow Safaricom to post questionnaires that can be answered by well-wishers through Facebook. Additionally, there are questions that Facebook creates to facilitate rating of business services. Safaricom services have been rated to lay the bases and trust in services and products. However, Facebook has shown the areas that Safaricom needs to modify when providing services to customers. For instance, what if the support center did not cater for customers conveniently? Individuals have been fired from jobs due to their disrespect on customers through call and Facebook support centers. Browsing Safaricom makes profits when people buy airtime to browse and chat on Facebook. Active users must ensure that they have data bundles to maintain the Facebook account online. Therefore, users buy airtime and raise the income of Safaricom. In Kenya, the development of these social sites triggered Safaricom to develop a daily internet bundle. The daily bundles vary from five to twenty Kenyan shillings. Additionally, this development triggers Kenyans to buy phones that can browse Facebook. Consequently, Safaricom developed shops to sell phones, laptops, modems, and electronic accessories among others. Therefore, it could be concluded that Facebook has led to the development of Safaricom through browsing charges. Messaging Facebook Safaricom has integrated the use of Facebook through messaging. Individuals without browsing devices can use Facebook through sending messages. These messages are sent from the Safaricom network. Therefore, charges are incurred to cater for the services being offered by Safaricom. This messaging Facebook allows the use of Facebook to every person owning a phone. In Kenya, 70% of the total country population own phones that can reply to messages. Cons equently, Safaricom’s income from messaging services is increased due to the increased number of Facebook users. Security Facebook and Safaricom have a mutual share of identity. Irregularities identified under browsing of unidentified individuals are established and defined under the Safaricom customer databases. For instance, if a person uses Facebook to cyberbully another individual, Safaricom provides records of all customer registered to use the internet. Consequently, Facebook and Safaricom can assist each other to eradicate illegal activities. Facebook users comply with the companies policies that disregard illegal activities. The registered name must represent a real person (Kim, Choi, 2007). Therefore, Safaricom allows registration of customers to the website through Facebook account. This simplifies the process of signing up to a Safaricom account. When customers increase, it is expected that profits will rise proportionally. The relationship between Safaricom and F acebook achieves attainment of trust due to their high rating. Privacy Facebook privacy keeps Safaricom confident when posting and serving customers through its channel. The privacy allows Safaricom to secure the contents of customers and their activities. Customers are, therefore, confident when sharing through the website. They are aware that their private issues will not be accessed by third parties. Legal activities require companies to provide the exact requirements and services offered. These policies are signed to ensure that a court of law can be involved in cases of dispute. It is, therefore, promising when both Safaricom and Facebook have a privacy policy to protect customers. In case a customer is offended by the companies, the legal necessities can isolate the mistakes and charge the party concerned. This makes Safaricom and Facebook trustworthy to the customers. This development boosts Safaricom when operating and serving the customers appropriately. Suggestions and Com ments This area has valid and practical implications to the development of Safaricom limited. They gather information from Kenyans and other people from the globe to develop the business. Safaricom remains updated about the occurrences of every day. This allows abrupt response before customers are lost. Otherwise, if customers remain dissatisfied without any responsive measure towards the dissatisfaction, other businesses will join the market. The suggestions allow Safaricom to evaluate the mood of people and determine the best strategies of fixing issues in accordance to the suggestions. Attraction becomes evident when a need is addressed. Customers appreciate that their voice matters to the business operations. Facebook facilitates this assessment at a fast rate and on a wide area. The media can manage to collect ideas from a million people in different countries. Conclusion Advancements of information technology are prevalent and exposed throughout the globe (Kaplan Haenlein, 20 10). This growth has been facilitated significantly by social media. Facebook has dispersed well throughout the world. It could be used to develop businesses and trigger other developments in information technology. The growth of Facebook could assume a bigger dimension than the one that we experience today. However, it is through determination and desires to test/apply ideas that these establishments become successful. Developers and other liberal minded people should establish bases to allow prosperity of businesses such as Safaricom. Also, businesses should recognize Facebook and design strategies to develop it towards their advantage. References Decarie, C. (2010). Facebook: Challenges and Opportunities for Business Communication Students. Business Communication Quarterly, 73(4), 449-452. Dickson, M. A., Eckman, M. (2008). Media Portrayal Of Voluntary Public Reporting About Corporate Social Responsibility Performance: Does Coverage Encourage Or Discourage Ethical Management? Jo urnal of Business Ethics, 83(4), 725-743. Kaplan, A. M., Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681309001232?via%3Dihub Kim, S. W., Choi, C. J. (2007). Habits, Self-Control and Social Conventions: The Role of Global Media and Corporations. Journal of Business Ethics, 76(2), 147-154. Kirk, H. (2010). How Social Media Are Changing The Face Of Business. Leader to Leader, 2010(57), 59-60. Lerner, T. (2011). Friends in Online Places: Business and Social Media. Strategic Direction, 27(10), 19-22. Mangold, W. G., Faulds, D. J. (2009). Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix. Business Horizons, 52(4), 357-365. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681309000329?via%3Dihub Voss, C. (2011). Social-Media-Tipps Den Vertrieb. Sales Business, 20(9), 32-34. Waters, R. D., Burnett, E., La mm, A., Lucas, J. (2009). Engaging stakeholders through social networking: How nonprofit organizations are using Facebook. Public Relations Review, 35(2), 102-106. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0363811109000046?via%3Dihub This research paper on Facebook Usage in Business was written and submitted by user Hazel George to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

buy custom Expository Essay on Skepticism

buy custom Expository Essay on Skepticism Expository Essay on Skepticism Scepticism describes the tendency of an individual to doubt or disbelieve some knowledge or facts. It is a popular misconception by people that sceptics are people who disbelieve things (Dunning, 2014). More so, the common word sceptical supports this misconception. As a result, being sceptical has been wrongly accepted as being negative about things. However, the main concept of the word scepticism and its forms will be discussed in this paper. The true scepticism has no relationship with disbelief, doubt or negativity (Dunning, 2014). It refers to the process of applying critical thinking and reasoning in order to determine the validity. It means trying to find a supported conclusion, and not trying to justify a preconceived idea or conclusion. Scepticism is the application of critical thinking to different subjects in order to derive a supported conclusion. Scepticism is an extraordinary power that has a positive influence on the world. This is all about redirecting attention, influencing, and avoiding worthless superstitions towards ideas and projects that are believed to be of a significant benefit to humanity, and to the world at large. Scepticism is divided into two main forms called the Kantian scepticism and Cartesian one. The Cartesian scepticism is an imaginary philosophy that consents to the Cartesian paradox, while more imaginary philosophy that consents to the Kantian paradox is referred to as the Kantian Sceptic. However, based on these concepts, scepticism does not only refer to a particular philosophical position, but rather to a broad dialectical space in which philosophers who occupy a range of opposed positions engage themselves. They do this in a search for a stable way in which they can answer sceptical questions in the affirmative, instead of answering in the negative manner. Also, the same is applied to the relationship between being concerned with the Kantian Sceptical problem as being a Kantian Sceptic. These forms of scepticism give rise to the two varieties of philosophical problems as a result of trying to address the two forms of scepticism. However, the most familiar method to formulate the contrast between them is that of knowledge versus the conditions of knowledge. Differences between the Two Types of Scepticism There are a lot of ways to reveal this difference, but it will be revealed in three possible ways discussed below: 1. Possibility versus Actuality/Reality- In this perspective, Kantian scepticism brings within the scope of its worry that experience has the requisite unit of as much as being able to do something. Thus, it brings about the importance of the word possible, which relates to the level of importance attached to experience and possibility. On the contrary, the Cartesian scepticism does not value the possibility of experience, and it only has to do with the question of actuality. Therefore, according to Cartesian formulations, the importance of the word real is based on whether things appear as they really seem to be (Conant, 2012). 2. Being so versus being so- According to this distinction, Cartesian scepticism brings to notice, the question about the truthfulness of ones experience, while the Kantian scepticism questions the intelligibility of ones experience. It is associated with the question of how to know that things are as they seem; hence, it focuses on an inferential step from the appearance of things to their reality. On the other hand, Kantian problematic is based on the question: how can things seem to be as much in a certain way? However, it focuses on the sort of unity that must be characterized by a play of presentations (Conant, 2012). 3. Truth versus objective support- In this context, a Cartesian sceptic always wants to know which of his thoughts are true, which of his experiences are truthful, as well as the transition from a sensory experience to a judgement, and from a thought to its true value. Thus, the Cartesian problematic is based on inquiries into the grounds of truth (Conant, 2012). On the contrary, the Kantian sceptic deprives us of the resource we need in order to enjoy an experience such as dreaming or waking. However, it tends to inquire into the grounds of the possibility of enjoying an experience and entertain a thought-consent (Conant, 2012). Five Applications of Cartesian Scepticism Scepticism about Perception The Cartesian scepticism tries to relate the things that happen in ones senses and the things that are happening in the outside world. People are sometimes faced with the questions of how to know that things are as their senses present them. There are no features or marks that make it possible for one to conclusively distinguish dreaming state from being awake. Therefore, the gap that the Cartesian sceptics try to bridge is from their own minds to the outer world. However, the outer world lies behind the veil of perception (Conant, 2012). Scepticism about Language The Cartesian scepticism tries to know the correctness of the interpretation of things, either utterance, text, or sign-post (Conant, 2012). For example, when one sees a sign-post, it might be unclear what it really means; hence the observer tries to interpret the sign which might be right or wrong. There is always a need for people to understand things that are being communicated to them. In order to understand a sign or utterance, one must be able to interpret it, and the interpretation can be right or wrong. Therefore, the Cartesian scepticism seeks to fill the gap of understanding the meaning of a particular sign or utterance and its actual meaning (Conant, 2012). Scepticism about Intentional Actions Cartesian scepticism tends to look into the actions of people and their intentions or the motives behind such actions. For example, a person might decide to say a word that could be offensive to someone else without really having the intention to offend that person. However, in such a case, there is a need to understand the intentions of such a person in relation to the offense perceived by the other person, which is sometimes difficult to distinguish. Therefore, the Cartesian Scepticism tries to bridge the gap between mere actions and the intentions behind such actions (Conant, 2012). Scepticism about Art Cartesian scepticism about art has to do with human actions in relation to art. For example, while working at home one accidentally turned a can of paint which splashed over a wooden board, creating a pattern of splatter on the board. From one perspective, this seems to be the waste of paint and wooden board, and from another it could be assumed as an intentional artistic design. So, if taken to an art gallery, it might be indistinguishable for a similar artwork in the gallery. However, the Cartesian scepticism is aimed at bridging the gap between the mere physical appearance of the art work and its status as a locus of aesthetic value (Conant, 2012). Scepticism about Other Minds Cartesian scepticism about other minds focuses on the processes going on in peoples minds in relation to other peoples actions. This could be the question of people convincingly pretending to be passing through or doing something indistinguishable from the case of others passing through such things. For example, a person might be pretending to feel severe pain, but an observer might find it difficult to know that the person is actually feeling such pain. There is no mark or feature that conclusively distinguishes someone pretending to be in a particular state from being in another state. Therefore, the application of the Cartesian scepticism is to bridge outer bodily movement of others with ones inner state (Conant, 2012). Five Applications of Kantian Scepticism Scepticism about Perception The Kantian scepticism focuses on the problem of how the sense must be in order to be able to furnish testimony. Sometimes people are faced with challenges of perceiving things just the way they are, how their experience can be as intelligibly as an external world (Conant, 2012). An outer object that is impinging on the sense would appear as a mere transaction in nature, providing anyone with a reason to believe anything. However, the paradox in this form of scepticism is based on how a mystery that impinges on the senses could as much appear to be revelatory to the world (Conant, 2012). Therefore, the Kantian scepticism seeks to overcome the gap between sensory consciousness and sensory blindness (Conant, 2012). Kantian scepticism and the Philosophy of Language In this case, Kantian scepticism deals with the way a sequence of signs, utterances or noise can be related to its actual meaning. Signs and utterances are considered mere physical entities which are devoid of any semantic content; hence, how could the meanings derive from these entities. However, the Kantian scepticism seeks to overcome the gap between meaningless sequences of signs and utterances or noise in order to determine thoughtful expressions. This is done form semantic concatenation of sound or scratches made to a legible field of intelligible meanings (Conant, 2012). Kantian scepticism and the Problem of Intentional Actions Kantian scepticism attempts to define how mere body movement or physiological events could express the intentions. It determines the internal relation between actions in the natural world and those that happen in the mind (Conant, 2012). However, this form of scepticism seeks to overcome the gap in the movements of tissues, limbs and muscles in order to determine the expressions of human will. Kantian scepticism and the Philosophy of Art This application of scepticism deals with ways in which mere configurations that result in some artistic phenomena can become structures of aesthetic significance and value. In other words, it determines how mere configurations of sound and matter can be things that are supposed to possess the features that can be discovered in the works of art. Nevertheless, the Kantian scepticism seeks to overcome the gap between aesthetic appreciations and criticism and aesthetically inert constellations of sound and matter (Conant, 2012). Kantian scepticism and the Problem of Other Minds This application of Kantian scepticism is based on how the human body seems to express the mental state of a person. It is related to the way a particular state of the human body can be of such significance as attributed to it, considering someone in pain, angry or happy. However, it is aimed at overcoming the gap between the inexpressive physical entity and the animated field of human expression. In conclusion, Scepticism generally refers to the tendency of an individual to doubt or disbelieve some knowledge or facts. It is a popular misconception by people that sceptics are those people who disbelieve things. True scepticism has no relationship to disbelief, doubt or negativity. It refers to the process of applying critical thinking and reasoning in order to determine validity of something. However, there are two main forms of scepticism called the Cartesian and Kantian scepticism. The Cartesian sceptic is an imaginary philosopher who acquiesces in the Cartesian paradox while the more imaginary philosopher, the Kantian Sceptic acquiesces in the Kantian paradox. Nevertheless, the main differences between these forms of scepticism and their applications have been discussed in this paper. References Conant, J. (2012). Two varieties of skepticism. University of Chicago. Dunning, B. (2014). What is skepticism? Skeptoid. At EliteWritings.com you can order custom written essay

Community Health Strategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community Health Strategies - Research Paper Example Several studies suggest that low birth weight and very low birth weight among the new born babies increases their risk of developing certain chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, type II diabetes, and heart disease once the infant reaches the adulthood stage. (Valsmakis et al., 2006; Barker, 1993) Basically, the development of such diseases is primarily caused by poor metabolic function. Specifically in Duval County, the number of adolescents with sexually transmitted diseases has reached a total of 3,875 per 100,000 individuals (Filipowicz, Harmon, & Livinghood, 2007). Another major health concern in Duval County Teen pregnancy or pregnancy between the age brackets of 15 – 24 year old (ibid). In line with this two major health concerns, the relationship between responsible sexual behavior and the effect of sexually transmitted infections with preterm birth will be thoroughly examined and discussed. In the process of going through the main discussion, the vulnerable population affected by preterm birth in relation to sexually transmitted diseases will be provided followed by describing and applying the concept of Watson’s Theory of Human Caring in the role of community health nurses when addressing this particular community health problem. Prior to conclusion, some of the recommended health nursing intervention priorities and teaching strategies in caring for the patients will be identified. Aside from having limited access to health care system, women who are infected with sexually transmitted disease may tend to limit their visit to medical doctors or physician. Because of the absence of prenatal check-up, pregnant women who are infected with sexually transmitted disease may end up not having sufficient prenatal care. One of the main reasons for having a preterm birth is due to lack of prenatal care. For this reason, I have personally

Meal evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Meal evaluation - Essay Example It is generally originates from a plant or animal and contains essential nutrients such as fats, proteins, vitamins carbohydrates, or minerals. It can simply be said as the substance that is ingested by an organism or assimilated by the organism's cells in the effort to maintain life, produce energy, and/or stimulate growth. Human body runs on the food and a balanced mixture of many other foods that enables a smooth running of the body. It is very important to eat healthy foods as it helps improve body functions, body growth, and provides protection from sickness. Everyone, from any age, child to an adult, needs healthy eating habit for better and longer life. Though, most people are usually aware of the importance of healthy eating, yet only a few tend to follow such. Almost many tend to realize the importance of these only when they fall sick. The Importance of Healthy eating Nutrients from the food provide the cells with the fuels to run the body. A human body lacking proper nutri ents is vulnerable to disease more causing viruses and bacteria’s. The energy required for the performance of body functions, both mental and physical, can come from the fat already preserve in the body. The imbalance that is caused by disrupted fat level in body can either just lead to obesity or even malnutrition, both of which is more or like dangerous for the body. A human body suffering from such has a high chance of attracting many diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart dysfunction, osteoporosis and many others. Therefore, it’s important to eat healthy and Amazon restaurant takes care of such, inclusive in its venue are foods with healthy ingredients. Examples of Healthy Dishes served at Amazon Restaurant Few of the healthy dishes include (Exotic Menu in Amazon Restaurant) 1. Arroz com lentilha (healthy ingredients include boiled rice, butter onions etc) 2. Rizoto de Frango (healthy ingredients include olives, chicken, cheese, peas, corn, herbs etc) 3. Carioca Beans (healthy ingredients include red beans, cassava flour, bacon, parsley served with boiled rice) Health Issues these days (actual examples) Health Issues Health issues are caused by eating food or of drinking beverages that are contaminated with bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Such harmful chemicals can cause food borne illnesses if such have contaminated food during the harvesting or it’s processing. Food borne illnesses have symptoms that range from upset stomach to the more serious symptoms, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, including dehydration. (Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases) In the United Kingdom year 2000 the individual bacteria involved there were as follows: Salmonella20. 9% , Campylobacter jejuni 77.3 % Escherichia coli O157:H7 1.4%, and all the others less than 0.1% (Food Standards Agency) Food safety is the increasingly grave public health issue. Governments just all over the world are deepening their efforts to promote health and food safety. In the UK serious outbreaks of food borne illness since year 1970s prompted key changes in UK food safety law. These efforts are just in response to the ever increasing food safety problems and rising consumer concerns. Actual Examples: 1. The global incidence of food borne disease is very difficult to quantify, but in 2005 alone 1.8 million people died from diarrheal diseases. A greater proportion of such can be attributed to the contamination of food and the

Business environment facing lafarge cement of UK

Business environment facing lafarge cement of UK Introduction Lafarge has been a major player in the UK construction sector since entering the British market in 1987 acquiring Redland in 1997 and Blue Circle in 2001. Today, Lafarge is the market-leader in cement and holds top-ranking positions in aggregates, concrete and plasterboard. Lafarge has three sister companies in Britain Lafarge Cement UK, Lafarge Aggregates Concrete UK and Lafarge Plasterboard UK. Lafarge is passionate about customer care and proud of its active approach to sustainability and safety (Lafarge.co.uk 2009). This piece of work will explore the business environment facing Lafarge and establish a few strategic priorities going into the future. A Summary Statement of Findings This summary statement of findings analyses the UK construction industry, which is a major sector in the UK economy. The industry has a high political and social profile due to it key role in providing housing, its impact on the environment and its part as a major employer. It accounts for approximately 10% of the UK GDP and provides for over half its fixed capital investment. The industry experienced rapid growth in the 1980s but a recession in the early 1990s had severe repercussions resulting in its output plummeting, as show is Appendix . However, the volume of work already in progress cushioned the impact. The output of the UK construction industry increased from 55 million in the mid 1980s to an excess of  £110 million by 2007; a remarkable increase in real terms when considering the relative low levels of inflation. However, this increase all changed in 2008 as problems in the US sub-prime mortgage market triggered a catastrophic crash in the US banking sector, which in turn created problems in UK financial markets. This triggered a huge recession in the UK which sent the output of the UK Construction industry to fall 1.1% in 2008. The downside of the economic recession hit construction industry the hardest. This is as this industry runs on credit, more than others, and a credit squeeze affected it badly. Moreover, from the other side customers we re trying to spend as little as possible, squeezing the margins that construction companies were working on. Lafarges performance within the UK business environment during 2008 saw a decline as discussed in Appendix ?. This decline was caused by the recession that hit the UK market in early 2008; the construction sector shrank at its fastest pace since records began. This reduced government and public spending which had a major impact on Lafarge as less government spending meant less money went on the new infrastructure schemes which reduced Lafarge Contracting sales which in turn reduced material sales This had a big effect on Lafarge UK figures as they seen an immense slump in 2008 figures compared to what they were in 2007. A Review and Analysis into the Business Environment of the UK Construction Industry Business environment at Lafarge UK The best method to discover the happenings of a business environment around a company is to undertake a PESTEL analysis. By undertaking a PESTEL analysis it will help one to understand the environment within which Lafarge works better. Looking at the construction industry in general, some of the political issues surrounding them are: Political factors * The UK government is clearly pushing for more affordable housing within the country and this includes both public sector and private sector housing. So it can be said that good or decent housing needs to the people of the country is quite an important political issue. * The Government is involved with housing projects through private finance initiatives and public private partnerships, as these tend to be key aspects of housing projects involving financing, building and operating for these projects. This level of government involvement does mean that it has political implications like selecting projects or choosing partners as well as financial implications. * The UK construction industry is very large in terms of employment, revenue generation and importance to the economy. This high profile nature of the company means the Government usually takes its concerns very seriously and cannot afford to not be empathetic towards the industry. * The constantly spiralling prices of housing within the country points to the need of having affordable housing. Affordable housing schemes means more houses will be built and thus definitely have an impact on all parts of the construction industry including that of Lafarge. * The problem with a high profile industry is that it brings about a lot of regulations with it, thus needs like planning permission and so cause a lot of delay in projects involving a lot of debate and to some extent bureaucracy. Economic Factors  · The construction industry has a more than  £100 bn turnover and this making it one of the largest sectors of the country. This clearly specifies scope for Lafarge, especially as it has the reach and resources to be a big player within the industry.  · The downside of the economic recession has hit construction industry the hardest. This is as this industry runs on credit, more than others, and a credit squeeze affected it badly. Moreover, from the other side customers were trying to spend as little as possible, squeezing the margins that construction companies were working on. Although the economy is recovering but coming out of a long recession, the industry will take time to reach its pre recession levels.  · One of the implications of being part of the construction industrys that the Government is tightening the environmental norms all the time thus it adds to the financial burden of the company as they have to deal with directives, clauses and other pieces of legislation. Social Factors  · There is some skill shortage within the construction industry hence an effort is being made by all companies to hire young, talented people. This can affect Lafarge as they will need to invest time and money into the training of these individuals but as a long-term investment it is good for the company.  · The changes in society have been bringing about a change in the housing needs for people and fast. As more people are living alone, marrying later and old people living longer, distinct changes in housing pattern can be seen. This will increase the need for single occupancy housing thus this needs to be thought of by all constituents of the construction industry.  · With the ever increasing need for sustainable development, housing projects are affecting nearby retail, commercial and public buildings too. This again changes the way the industry functions or will do in the future. Technological Factors  · Regulations regarding buildings continue to add towards bettering energy efficiency and putting demand on other such technological factors in relation to buildings. This again adds to the financial burden of the companies like Lafarge and a major investment in RD results due to this.  · New and improved building materials are also a major research within the industry. The need of the hour is to come up with materials that are sustainable, good for the environment but still functional. Hence work is being carried out to satisfy the next generation of demands.  · Methods that are being used within the industry to build houses are giving rise to new methods of assembly and modulation. New improvements include developing structured insulated panels that provide thermally insulated sheet materials. For further information, Appendix offers a further review and analysis into the business environment of the UK construction industry. Lafarge does operate within the larger construction industry sector; however this section will explore the building materials sector, which is Lafarges core operating territory. This section will look at the environment for that particular sector. Sector overview As hinted in the last section that construction industry is undergoing a lot many changes and the building materials sector is no different. As emerging markets become urbanized and their demand for materials grows, so does the need to align to these markets. Within the more developed economies, environment and sustainability have become major points and as people gain awareness, companies like Lafarge will need to take those demands into consideration. Some of the key strategic directions taken by Lafarge are: Expansion of emerging markets There has been a thorough realignment in favour of emerging economies both in Europe and abroad. Around the world, cement production is growing at 5% each year which means that every year 100 million tones of cement is being consumed. Reports show that 70% of world demand is going to come from these sectors hence Lafarge will need to make itself a leading player in these markets. Lafarges current strategy in this regard is quite good, as it has acquired a lot of Cement companies in every region around the world. In fact including Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, this region contributes to 37% of its turnover and nearly half of its cement turnover. Lafarge is without doubt moving towards a strategy of more value creation. To elaborate, its programs are creating nearly 50 million tonnes of additional cement capacity by 2012. This is in addition to the aggregates and gypsum business. Reducing costs There are a lot of general costs associated with the manufacture of building products and can be broken down as follows: Energy accounts for 33% of the cost of producing cement, Raw materials (more than 50% of which are cement) represent 75% of the cost of ready-mix concrete Delivery expenses account for approximately 20% of the cost, raw materials (primarily gypsum and paper) represent 40% of the cost of plasterboard, energy, raw materials and labour represent 50% of the cost of producing aggregates. Lafarge will need to reduce all costs associated with material manufacture, especially considering the economic crisis in general. It has already started a program that reduces costs by à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬200 million by the start of 2010 and over a period of three years, a cost cutting of nearly à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬400 million. (see appendix ?) This is in addition to the cost cutting exercise over 2006-08 of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬400 million. It has also put a cap on expenditure at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2 billion for 2009. These new financial initiatives have completely set Lafarge in a new strategic direction. Cost cutting will definitely improving the companys financial health and enable it to operate on better margins. Reducing environmental footprint of Lafarge operations If one looks at the industry in general there is a lot of waste production along with pollution, dust and other harmful ingredients in the atmosphere. Those materials that are waste derived are actively needed by the cement industry. These are used as replacement for fossil fuel and other raw materials. This measure is only taken forward if the materials can be safe to use and are of high technical quality. Along with all of this if the regulatory norms are met then these materials can be used and are a boon for the industry. The entire industry is now using over 1.4 million tonnes of waste this way and a major contributor in helping the UK government to meet its environmental targets. Coming back to Lafarge, it has been trying to reduce CO2 it produces and emits in accordance to the regulations set by governments all around the world. The current strategy of Lafarge is to improving its material making processes including modernizing plants. It also is rapidly propagating the use of alternative fuels for its production. Another important step taken by the company is moving towards sustainable construction. Building or construction of any sort does lead to consumption of huge swathes of energy and nearly 40% of all CO2 can be attributed to it. Lafarge is working hard at making better buildings using better materials and processes. Lafarge is looking at changing the lifecycle of making building products and incorporating using recyclable materials and renewable energy in order to reduce pollution. Evaluating the future impact of the UK business environment on Lafarge Some important themes have emerged from the previous sections of this piece of work that will help one to recommend future strategies to Lafarge. As far as strategic direction goes Lafarge has to align the company in two directions: First, it needs to keep investing in the emerging markets by strategically acquiring cement companies or starting Greenfield projects if needed. Its taking over of Orascom cement clearly shows that organic growth is important for the company and needs to continue in the same vein. (see appendix ?) Second, innovation via investment in RD is crucial for its long-term benefit. As companies and people grow more aware of the issues surrounding the environment, recyclable and sustainable practices, including materials processes, production needs to be incorporated. This will require a lot of effort and investment as well as a new way of thinking. Other than these main priorities the company can look at other strategic priorities for its operations. These include reducing costs further to enhance the value of the company. Lean operations within this sector will it streamline its operations. In addition, Health safety remains a big area to improve on and such activities will definitely strengthen its position in the market. Conclusion This piece of work looked at the construction industry in the UK and Lafarge materials in particular, to understand the way in which its business environment affects its operations. The work conducted a PESTEL analysis to understand the main challenges facing the construction industry in general. It then went on to conduct a sector overview of the building materials industry, where Lafarge truly operates. One also explored the strategic initiatives started by Lafarge. Finally, based on the current and future trends recommendations were made on Lafarges future strategy. REFERENCES: * Accountancy Ireland (2006), February, Vol. 38, No.1 * Anonymous Contract Journal (2006), September, ABI/INFORM Trade Industry Contract Journal, February, Vol. 442, No. 6664 * Druker, J. and White, G. (1995), Misunderstood and undervalued? Personnel management in construction, Human Resource Management Journal, 5:3, pp. 77-91. * Hollinshead, G., Nicholls, P. and Tailby, S. (1999), Employee Relations, Financial Times/Pitman, London. * Lafarge (2009). www.lafarge..co.uk [Online].[Accessed 12th Januray 2010]. * Mineral Products Association(2008). Performance 2008: A sector plan report from the cement industry. * Oxley R., Poskitt J. (1996), Management Techniques Applied to Construction Industry, Blackwell Publishing, Fifth Edition. Identifying and applying suitable business performance measures to Lafarge Lafarge had an average current ratio in 2007 in relation to its market but this decreased in 2008. Lafarges low current ratio indicates that it barely has sufficient assets available to pay its liabilities. There are many things Lafarge could do to raise there current ratio which are increasing its current assets from loans or other borrowings with a maturity of more than one year, convert non-current assets into current assets or putting profits back into the business could help. Lafarges debtor ratio represents a longer then average duration in obtaining payment for its debts owed compared to that of rival company Aggregate Industries Ltd. This indicates a struggle to obtain payment for work completed, or highlights a need to offer costly credit terms to compete with its rivals. Imposing stricter credit controls can help reduce Lafarges debtor days and improve cash flow. Alternatively, creditor ratio suggests Lafarge are paying there creditors to promptly the creditor ratio is below the market average and Lafarge are not taking advantage of the free cash flow the creditors offer. This could cause working capital issues. Lafarges weak working capital results over the past two year indicate they do not have the liquidity to meet outstanding obligations. Lafarges cash outflow is quicker than its cash inflow. However the debt to equity ratio suggests otherwise. Lafarge has no long term debt indicating strong financial strength as they can always take up debt in future to fund potential projects. A strong interest cover over 2007/2008 indicate that Lafarge has enough equity to pay its loan interest and meet its legal obligations. A zero dividend yield indicates that Lafarges shares have not matured over the past two years. Potential share holders may be discouraged by this. Its strong acid test ratio proves that current assets are not dependable on inventory-which shows strong financial integrity. A negative return on capitally employed questions Lafarges performance, although they have a strong equity base they are still making a loss. Its declining trading profit margin solidifies this by suggesting a potential loss of competitive advantage. A healthy year on year performance in return on equity indicates a strong level of profitability, high market valuation and utilization of its invested capital. A steady low dividend figure along with stable profit levels indicate a good record of using its retained earnings to generate future growth and profits. For further information, Appendix offer a complete evaluation, as well as the subsequent results of Lafarges business performance.