Essay about Impact of Deafness on Children - 680 Words

Deafness can occur at birth or become evident later in a person’s life. Deafness is a disability where a person cannot hear anything through their ear canal. Deafness is incorporated importantly with children because if a child has this disability as a younger age than it attributes greatly to how a child can develop with this disability. Some scientists say that deafness can be lead to genetics while others say that trauma events or exposure to loud noise also have a key role to the cause. Deafness as first is assessed by either at birth or can become acquired as stated earlier. Acquired deafness can be damaged to the ear canal through noise or it can be a delayed onset genetic issue (medicine net). Deafness acquired at birth can be†¦show more content†¦The impact on its social development is that the interaction it has with people who are not deaf. The majority of social development deals with gestures (Marschark 92). Gestures deal with how a child can be social wit h other people, for example using hand signal gestures with the thumb and index fingers or body gestures to interact with them. Another example of social development of children is that at a young age children who are deaf develop sounds or proto words to explain something. The impact that deafness has on the cognitive development of children is how language deals with cognition. Language deals with how a person learns cognitively and with learning communication that deaf people are attributed with then their cognitive thinking changes in that they have to think more physically. The cognitive development of a child who is deaf is distinctively different than a child who is not. A child who is deaf may be a step above cognitively than a child who is not, because they have to learn more in order to function with other children their age. The physical development of a child who is deaf has no impact on the child what so ever. The impact that deafness has on a child has greatly more imp ortance to the social and cognitive development of a child. The physical development of a child other than not being able to hear through both ear canals is the only physical disability that it has. The ear canals inside might be different thanShow MoreRelatedHearing Loss and Cochlear Implants1822 Words   |  7 Pagesabout five percent of the world population have disabling hearing loss (Deafness). Disabling hearing loss refers to hearing loss greater than 40 decibels for adults and a hearing loss of greater than 30 decibels for children (Deafness). 40 decibels is equivalent to the tune of a refrigerator humming. Although hearing loss can be mild, moderate, severe, or profound -- there are numerous ways of improving the damaged hearing (Deafness). The most common ways are through hearing aids and cochlear implantsRead MoreDeafness : What It Is?1083 Words   |  5 Pages What is deafness? Deafness is very different to people’s general perception of what it actually is. The most common view is that it is a complete loss of hearing however deafness is defined as the lack or loss of the ability to hear. You can either be born deaf or gradually lose the ability to hear later on in life (Presbycusis). Pre natal or congenital causes of deafness may be due to a specific X chromosome being passed on through generations of familiesRead MoreThe Use of Pre-natal Genetic Diagnosis786 Words   |  3 Pagesinto the world. On the other hand, couples like S.M and C.D, a lesbian couple from the United States contend that PGD and embryo screening should be used to use a deaf sperm donor so they could have a deaf children. My own view is pre-natal genetic diagnosis can be used to prevent a children from being that would have a genetic defect, but should not be allowed to purposely have a disabled child. For those who oppose alteration or destruction of human embryos, pre-natal genetic diagnosis is neverRead MoreDeaf : Deaf And Deaf886 Words   |  4 Pagespossibilities to help deaf children overcome their hearing loss to promote deaf-gain and normalization are the major focus in the 21st century. Deaf Studies introduce technological interventions that give rise to various types of hearing devices. Experts argue the use of technological devices to help deaf children hear if these are possible considering the individual pathological circumstances of the children. Residual hearing of the deaf children is encouraged to be used. If deaf children cannot hear throughRead MoreDeaf : A Cultural Identity849 Words   |  4 PagesDeaf Population There are approximately 35 million people with a range of hearing loss in the United States (Hamill Stein, 2001). Roughly half a million deaf people don’t consider their deafness as a disability or medical disorder. They view their deafness from a cultural perspective. They consider themselves a pride in being deaf. Deaf culture has its own social norms, views, values and historical figures and more on identity formation (Hamill Stein, 2001). With a capital â€Å"D’, this is consideredRead MoreI Feel Like The Film Sound, And Fury880 Words   |  4 Pagesculture in contemporary society. By following two families, the film looks at how the societal pressures and the impacts of the cochlear implant have on deaf families, and deaf culture. For years, deaf individuals have been told they are less than or different, and after years of stigmatization, and ill treatment many people have become part of deaf culture, which does not look at deafness as a disability, but rather a different way of life. For parents, the option of giving their deaf child a cognitiveRead MoreA Comparison Of Interventions For Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss1655 Words   |  7 Pagespresented A or B strengths of evidence addressing the comparison between HA or CI in the pediatric population with prelingual deafness. Level V It was possible to conclude that there was consensus between the authors in that CI conferred greater benefits compared to conventional HA for the acquisition of linguistic and communicative skills in patients with prelingual deafness. Since many measures of analysis were found for pre- and post-operatory hearing outcomes (scales and tests), rendering it difficultRead MoreExplosive Devices and Their Effects on the Government Essay901 Words   |  4 Pagessecurity.†8 Law and order, stability and peaceful environment are obtained in a State when a State is able to establish total control and authority. An IED explosion, or a scare about the presence or probable occurrence of both can have negative impacts and behavioral change in the Civilian population which will lead to collapse in the entire political hierarchy if the situation is not controlled smartly. 8 Richard Moyes, Director of Policy and Research, Landmine Action Injury Patterns and TraumaRead MoreSocial Construction And Disability Models1579 Words   |  7 Pagesand there became more appreciation for deafness. Harlan Lane an author of an article called â€Å"Construction of Deafness† talked about deafness as being linguistic. As a social problem, deafness can be variously construed. The â€Å"deaf world† has a distinct culture and that deafness is constructed differently in that culture than it is in national cultures of hearing peoples. The implications of a shift toward the linguistic minority construction for deaf children and adults is what this article showsRead MoreDeaf : A Common Experience Of Life1590 Words   |  7 PagesIn most societies of today deafness is seen as a defect and a major disability. Helen Keller said, that being deaf it was more difficult than being blind, â€Å"Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people. (Harrington, 2000). Many hearing people, might think of a deaf person as defected, or handicapped, and pity them, but most people in Deaf communities do not think of themself as disabled or handicapped, they embraced the way they are, and turn a physiological difference

The Job Description of A Budgeting Manager Free Essays

One of the most important functions that budgeting accounts for is the planning function1. We will be arguing for the importance of the planning function in the overall budgeting activity and will be arguing for the many ways the budgeting planning function is coordinating with the company’s strategic planning. First of all, the planning function in terms of budgeting refers to the planning activities that the company, starting with the financial department, needs to (1) determine what the company’s long-term strategy is, (2) determine what projects bring most added value to the company and (3) determine what priority these projects should have. We will write a custom essay sample on The Job Description of A Budgeting Manager or any similar topic only for you Order Now Let’s refer to each of these steps in part and determine how they impact the budgeting strategy of a company. The long-term strategy for a company is essential in determining the overall objective of a company. For the long run, this may be increasing the volume of sales or increasing the market share or promoting the company’s image. In any case, these differ in terms of the projects they will imply and the ways they will be affecting the budgeting strategy. For example, increasing sales will perhaps only include increasing spending on advertising and the promotion budget, while promoting the company’s image may include costly promotion campaigns that will have a significant impact on the company’s budgeting management. The second issue is a project portfolio management issue. The economic theory tells us that the resources are always limited, while the needs are not. Applied in this particular case, this means that we are always likely to have a greater number of projects we will wish to perform than the financial resources the company will have at a certain point. This is where the selection issue, corroborated with the budgeting strategy comes in the game. The top management, working with the financial department, will need to establish which are the projects that bring highest added-value to the company and spend the company’s budget on those alone. The selection phase can only come hand in hand with a proper planning of the budgeting activity. On one hand, we have the projects the company wishes to perform, on the other, we have the budgeting restrictions. In terms of budgeting planning, the company and the top management needs to ensure that projects deriving from the current selection will also have sources of financing. An example will properly elucidate this perspective. We will simply take a software project. In the beginning, the primordial activities refer to selecting the working team and creating a project on which work will be done (following the customer’s requirements). On the other hand, while the initial part of the project is strictly related to the programming stage, one mustn’t ignore the fact that, after the project is completed, a tester also needs to be hired in order to test the project’s performances. This means that the initial budgeting scheme will need to be created so as to include several other subsequent factors, factors that are likely to appear at a certain time in the future. Finally, the third phase of the selection phase, correlated with the budgeting procedures, involves deciding on the projects’ priority. This is basically an issue of deciding which of the projects bring added value to the company and to the company’s activities. This means that planning your budgeting policy also needs to consider the future plans in the company. If the company will want to develop different areas into the future, then the budgeting campaign needs to be designed so as to cover any future needs of the company. This is practically what the planning function in terms of budgeting refers to. The argumentation we have previously presented practically comes forth so as to demonstrate the close connection existing between budgeting and budget planning and the company’s overall planning strategies. Indeed, the budgeting policies serve to help the company fulfill its long-term plans and projects, as well as short-termed ones. In this sense, the company planning strategy needs to be fully correlated with the budgeting planning, otherwise there will be no financial support for those plans. Among the management functions we already know about we can also include the budgeting function because, in my opinion, all the others cannot properly function without it. You cannot have a successful planning or organizing within a company without correlating these with the budgeting function, in order to obtain the realistic backup of any project. Budgeting and planning go, in this sense, hand in hand, and you cannot really have one without the other in the company. How to cite The Job Description of A Budgeting Manager, Essays

Developing Solutions to Sustainability Challenges or Not

Question: Discuss about the Developing Solutions to Sustainability Challenges or Not. Answer: In this essay, it has been analyzed whether system thinking is critical in developing solutions to sustainability challenges or not. Business is all about change. It is about renewal, innovation and developing new methods to develop things. Lam and Law (2016) stated that in present ear, business has become imbued with a strand of ethical behavior and its underlying values. Companies have to take care of both environmental and social issues. At the same time, they have to be concerned about wellbeing of people, cultural diversity and their future generation. Robinson (2012) stated that in order to bring change in the behavior and outlook of doing business ethically, it is required to understand what change is and how change comes. Robinson (2012) had identified five major myths about change. According to Robinson (2012), people will change 1) if the learn the correct facts 2) if we sell the case harder 3) if they feel enough pain 4) if they are shocked into action and 5) if rewards ar e high enough. Robinson (2012) had developed theory of change management named A good enough theory. According to this theory no theory is can work perfect in the complex real life situation. However, a theory can be useful if it provides good ideas, wicked problems, human element and entropy. Sustainability has become an essential part of business in the present era. It can be considered as the long-term commitment of a company to change the way it conducts business. It helps to recognize that a business is a part of complex system and it is interdependent with social, environmental and economic issues (Noori et al. 2015). Awareness and management has significant impact on business sustainability. In this essay shifting to more renewable sources of energy has been selected as the wicked problem related with sustainability. Masini and Menichetti (2013) stated that there are three major dimensions of sustainability can be found in a business they are such as vibrant economy, healthy environment and equitable society. The selected wicked problem belongs to the environmental sustainability of an organization. Importance of this issue and development of appropriate solution to solve this issue has been discussed in this essay. Lam and Law (2016) stated that energy is essential part of life. Without energy, millions of people would leave hungry and cold. It has been found that major source energy is fossil fuels. Industries of most of the developed and developing countries use fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and natural oil. Rodriguez-Ubinas (2014) mentioned that, low cost of converting natural resources to energy is the major reason behind using conventional energy sources by companies. However, in the last decade fossil fuel consumption had been increased by double. Sheth and Sinha (2015) stated that, at this rate the total amount of natural oil will last only 20 more years. In future, it will increase the price oil, which will affect all type of business. According to Tejeda and Ferreira (2014), it will possibly lead to international economic crisis (EIA). There are various ways to convert energy without using fossil fuel such as nuclear energy and geothermal energy. Many countries and industries have striated to shift from traditional energy sources to renewable energy sources. However, they are still not used in full potential. Norgaard (2017) stated that, in order to maintain sustainability of business in future, organizations have to think about shifting fully towards renewable energy sources from traditional sources. It will help them to become prepare for the situation when the supply of fossil fuel will not be adequate. It has been considered as wicked problem for two major reasons. They are such as increased amount of population and growing demand of developing countries. Li et al. (2014) stated that, for the last thirty years, the world population is increasing drastically. It in term increases the amount of energy consumptions. If the population rate keeps increasing as the same pace, fossil fuels will not last more than 20 years. Industries of developing countries are consuming more energy than industrialized countries as they are in the process of development. Doci et al. (2015) stated that, most of the companies of developing countries are still able to reach their peak efficiency rate. Hence, it increased consumption and waste development rate. For this reason, it has become utter necessary to shift towards renewable energy for business operation. The unconventional nature of the issue has made it a wicked problem. In order to solve this wicked problem, it is required to develop systems think ing. Three major questions need to be answered using systems thinking. They are such as 1) what are the major challenges that company might face due to the shift towards renewable energy source 2) what are the major advantages that a company can get from the implementation of renewable energy? Is it worthy enough? and 3) what strategies a company can implement to shift towards renewable energy and achieve sustainability In order to shift from conventional energy sources to non-conventional energy sources, it is required for company to find out what are the major challenges that it has to face during this shifting. These challenges are such as infrastructural issues, lower cost efficiency rate and high cost of maintenance. Stoeglehner et al. (2014) stated that, in most of the case, development renewable resources need huge amount of initial investments on infrastructure. It includes factors of prospecting, permitting and marketing. All these factors increase the price of development of renewable energy. For this reason, Most of the companies are unable to use the renewable energy due to its high price. It can be describe in terms of cost efficiency as well. Figure 1: Cost effective source of energy (Source: Norgaard 2017) It has been found from this graph that for 1 MWh energy, a company has to pay $396 for using Solar photovoltaic energy source, $257 for solar thermal and $ 191 for wind- offshore energy sources (Larcher and Tarascon 2015). All these are non-conventional energy sources. On the other hand, a company has to pay $140 for using natural gas, $130 for using coal and $120 for using hydroelectric power sources to get energy of 1 MWh (Fritsche et al. 2014). All these are traditional or conventional energy source. These figures indicate that it is profitable for any organization to use conventional energy sources rather than non-conventional one. In addition, a company has to make some necessary amendments in order to shift from traditional energy sources to conventional energy sources. It can cost extra money to the company (Hinrichs-Rahlwes 2013). For example, in order to use photovoltaic energy, the company has to install solar plates, which is very costly. In addition, it requires high main tenance. Along with that due to the small amount of energy generation (for one or two factories only), the cost of energy production is high. These are the major challenges that a company might have to face while shifting from conventional energy to renewal energy. Now the second question occurs. The second question is that despite of all challenges why a company should shift towards renewable energy sources. The answer is that, in future when all fossil fuels reach the verge of ending, renewable energy source will become the only option for all countries and all industries (Finn and Fitzpatrick 2014). From the usage rate of fossil fuel, it can be assumed that at the pace fossil fuels will last 50 to 100 years maximum. After that, all companies will be forced to use renewable energy sources. From the above discussion about change, it has been analyzed that this is the condition that will lead company to change. Kaldellis and Kapsali (2013) stated that if all companies do not start to shift towards renewable energy source then in future their sustainability will be lost failure is inevitable. Companies should not ignore the huge potential of renewable energy sources as well. According to European Photovoltaic Industry Association, solar energy h as the ability to provide energy to more than 1 billion people within 2020 (Norgaard 2017). By 2040, solar energy will be able to meet 26% of the total energy demand. In terms of cost efficiency, it can be stated that, although it is lower than conventional energy sources, dramatic increase of efficiency can be observed by increasing the amount production. Hinrichs-Rahlwes (2013) stated that by increasing the production to double, the efficiency of solar photovoltaic cells can be increased by 26%, which is huge increment. There are also some other advantages as well. As solar photovoltaic energy, wind energy and tidal energy are renewable, hence they are sustainable as well. Management of an organization of organizations never has to worry about running out of energy anymore. It can also bring economic benefit. The renewable energy sources produce little or no waste products. Hence, a company does not require to spend huge amount of money for waste disposal anymore. It will save huge amount of money for an organization. It will also have less impact on the environment as well. Overall, it can be stated that shifting towards renewable energy source s can really be a major step of a company towards sustainability. Now, the third and the last question occurred. How or what are the strategies a company to use to shift towards renewable energy sources. Before developing strategies, it is required to remember that one or two companies cannot get much success or profit by implementing renewable energy in their plants. Multiple entities are associated in this course of transformation. They are such as equipment manufacturers, suppliers, bank and other financers, installation providers, maintenance providers, subsidy providers, regulators and validators. They work together, even take help from the government to shift towards sustainable green energy. Six major strategies that companies can take together with government agencies to implement sustainable renewable energy. They are such as 1) assessment of resources 2) reduction of cost 3) development of market channels 3) improving policy and regulatory initiatives 4) arrangement of proper financial instruments for green energy 5) proper human resource development through training in order to use renewable energy properly 6) strengthening government policies related with renewable energy use. A matrix has been given below to show the priorities of every initiative. Figure 2: Priority Matrix (Source: created by author) Now an implementation plan has been given below in another table. Figure 3: Implementation plan (Source: created by author) In conclusion, it can be stated that shifting towards renewable energy has some major issues. These issues can be identified using systems thinking. It can also found that despite of all the challenges, implementation of renewable energy can make a company sustainable. Management of a company never has to think about running out of energy anymore. However, companies need to work together with government to make successful implementation of renewable energy. For that purpose, some strategies have been developed along with appropriate implementation plan. These strategies can make a company successful in long run and make it sustainable. References Doci, G., Vasileiadou, E. and Petersen, A.C., 2015. Exploring the transition potential of renewable energy communities. Futures, 66, pp.85-95. Finn, P. and Fitzpatrick, C., 2014. Demand side management of industrial electricity consumption: promoting the use of renewable energy through real-time pricing. Applied Energy, 113, pp.11-21. Fritsche, U.R., Iriarte, L., Jong, J., Agostini, A. and Scarlat, N., 2014, May. Extending the EU Renewable Energy Directive sustainability criteria to solid bioenergy from forests. In Natural Resources Forum (Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 129-140). Hinrichs-Rahlwes, R., 2013. Renewable energy: Paving the way towards sustainable energy security: Lessons learnt from Germany. Renewable Energy, 49, pp.10-14. Kaldellis, J.K. and Kapsali, M., 2013. Shifting towards offshore wind energyRecent activity and future development. Energy Policy, 53, pp.136-148. Lam, P.T. and Law, A.O., 2016. Crowdfunding for renewable and sustainable energy projects: An exploratory case study approach. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 60, pp.11-20. Larcher, D. and Tarascon, J.M., 2015. Towards greener and more sustainable batteries for electrical energy storage. Nature chemistry, 7(1), pp.19-29. Li, Y., Song, J. and Yang, J., 2014. A review on structure model and energy system design of lithium-ion battery in renewable energy vehicle. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 37, pp.627-633. Masini, A. and Menichetti, E., 2013. Investment decisions in the renewable energy sector: An analysis of non-financial drivers. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 80(3), pp.510-524. Noori, M., Kucukvar, M. and Tatari, O., 2015. Economic inputoutput based sustainability analysis of onshore and offshore wind energy systems. International Journal of Green Energy, 12(9), pp.939-948. Norgaard, R.B., 2017. Sustainability: Growing pains. Nature, 542(7640), pp.162-162. Raza, S.S., Janajreh, I. and Ghenai, C., 2014. Sustainability index approach as a selection criteria for energy storage system of an intermittent renewable energy source. Applied Energy, 136, pp.909-920. Rodriguez-Ubinas, E., Rodriguez, S., Voss, K. and Todorovic, M.S., 2014. Energy efficiency evaluation of zero energy houses. Energy and Buildings, 83, pp.23-35. Sheth, J.N. and Sinha, M., 2015. B2B branding in emerging markets: A sustainability perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 51, pp.79-88. Stoeglehner, G., Baaske, W., Mitter, H., Niemetz, N., Kettl, K.H., Weiss, M., Lancaster, B. and Neugebauer, G., 2014. Sustainability appraisal of residential energy demand and supply-a life cycle approach including heating, electricity, embodied energy and mobility. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 4(1), p.24. Tejeda, J. and Ferreira, S., 2014. Applying systems thinking to analyze wind energy sustainability. Procedia Computer Science, 28, pp.213-220.

The Effects of Pressure on Students to get Good Grades free essay sample

Living in a society like the one we are living today, can be very challenging for students. As the world gets more competitive, students are getting more pressured to achieve their goals in life. Pressure have become one of the known factors to affect a student’s life. Anyone who passed through this stage has felt the same way. Getting good grades has become one of the goals students today are aspiring for. It has been perceived that a good mark from school can place someone to a decent job and make that person stand out from others especially when it comes to interviews and conversations. With such belief, students neglect on the negative effects of the pressure they are encountering because they want to maintain high grades. There are few effects of pressure on students to get good grades such as, extreme stress, cheating during exam, and changing of the attitude. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effects of Pressure on Students to get Good Grades or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Main point 1: Extreme stress All the stress experienced by a student from either parent or peer is considered one of the effects of pressure handed to them because of their want to have good grades. Normally, parents apply pressure upon the student in order to keep up in school and not allow the student to fall behind. However, a problem arises when the parent apply excessive pressure on the student. The effect of such pressure can lead to negative health of students. Students tend to have lack of sleep – without having enough of sleep will cause the students’ body to become sick. Main point 2: Cheating during exam Students tend to cheat during exam when they become mentally and physically exhausted. We have been aware of plagiarism being the cause of many violations done by students. (Ex: can either be for their research paper, thesis paper, or just a simple hw) There are also incidents of cheating in examinations through copying other’s answers and putting them on the test paper, recognizing them as one’s own. These sinful acts are the effects of the belief that good grades can send you off to better jobs and a more secured future. Main point 3: Changing of the attitude This particular outcome is definitely disturbing because values and morals become affected. According to an interview conducted by Palmer (2005) to Ms. Denise Clark Pope, students as she said, â€Å"know that cheating is wrong; they tell me they wish they did not do it†. As the statement goes, honesty, respect, and integrity have all been violated for the sake of possessing a good grade. Conclusion In a nutshell, dealing with all the effects of pressure on maintaining an excellent grade comes with a price. It results in extreme stress, cheating and the worst of all, changing of the attitude. All these made a clear understanding of what learning really is about. It is not a matter of only getting a good grade but rather learning with understanding and receiving the grades that one truly deserves. As for this, students must realize that education is in fact teaching people not only academically, but morally.

The Best Sex and the City Quotes

The Best Sex and the City Quotes The beloved HBO series Sex and the City (which ran from 1998 to 2004) changed societys view single women everywhere were perceived and showed there was no shame and a lot of empowerment in not having a man. It also delivered a boatload of great one-liners and sassy quotes from each of the shows star characters: Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte. Check out some of the funniest lines uttered by each of the ladies throughout the shows run. The Funniest, Cleverest, and Sassiest Sex and the City Quotes Charlotte: I am so confused. Is he gay or is he straight?Carrie: Well, its not that simple anymore. The real question is, is he a straight gay man or is he a gay straight man?Carrie voiceover: The gay straight man was a new strain of heterosexual male spawned in Manhattan as the result of overexposure to fashion, exotic cuisine, musical theatre and antique furniture.Vaughn: Hey, GQ called.Carrie: Really? They want you to write something?Vaughn: No, they want me to wear something. Its great to be a writer these days. Theres so little writing involved.Carrie: Just dont be photographed in anything sleeveless. No one who went sleeveless ever won a Pulitzer.Carrie: There is no way that the love that I had with Big is the same thing that he has with Natasha.Miranda: Natasha? When did you stop calling her the idiot stick figure with no soul? Samantha: From my experience, honey, if he seems too good to be true he probably is.Miranda, to Carrie, whos listening to an answering machine message from Big: We could analyze this for years and never know, I mean, they still dont know who killed Kennedy.Carrie: Charlotte was thrilled. Anthony was like the pushy Italian mother she never had. Carrie is having trouble driving a stick-shift car.Miranda: Why didnt you just get an automatic?Carrie: I love this car! It goes with my outfit.Carrie: So are you saying theres no way youd go out with a guy who lived with his family?Samantha: Well... maybe Prince William.Carrie: You just caught us a little off guard with the lesbian thing.Samantha: Thats just a label, like Gucci or Versace.Carrie: Or Birkenstock.Samantha on the Hermes Birkin bag: Oh honey, its not so much the style, its what carrying it means!Carrie: It means youre out four thousand bucks.Charlotte: I cant believe you took Ecstasy from a stranger!Samantha: Its not a stranger, it was a friend of my friend Bobbys friend Bobby.Miranda: Oh, well then we know its safe. Will we be going to a rave later?Carrie: Ive spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live? I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes!Carrie: So youre a pessimist, right?Miranda: Have we met? Stanford: Before I tell you, you have to promise not to judge.Carrie: Do I judge?Stanford: We all judge. Thats our hobby. Some people do arts and crafts; we judge.Samantha: All of Manhattan is here.Stanford: Whos watching the island?Carrie: I tried the trapeze yesterday for that piece that Im writing.Charlotte: I could never! I have the most terrible fear of heights.Carrie: Well, I do not. Youve seen my shoes.Carrie, after being told to take off her shoes: But... this is an outfit!Charlotte: Did I ever tell you I was a cheerleader?Miranda: No, because you knew I would mock you endlessly.Charlotte: Big is in town?Carrie: Yeah, hes here for a little heart thing.Miranda: What, is he on the list to get one?Big: So I guess this is what wed be like in our 70s. No sex and board games.Carrie: Aww, youre already thinking about your next birthday?Samantha asks Carrie if the guy she just met (still within earshot) is straight or gaySamantha: Martini straight up or with a twist?Samantha: Besides , theres no such thing as bad publicity. Carrie: Yeah, you would say that youre a publicist.Miranda: gets hit in the head with Nerf ball I just realized... maybe its maturity or the wisdom that comes with age, but the witch in Hansel and Gretel shes very misunderstood. I mean, the woman builds her dream house and these brats come along and start eating it.Miranda: I spoke to a woman with a masters in finance all she wanted to talk about was her Diaper Genie.Carrie brought Miranda along for a double non-dateMiranda: looks at watch I have to go feed my cat.Carrie: voiceover Miranda had invoked our code phrase, honed over years of bad parties, awful dates and phone calls that wouldnt end. Unfortunately, I wasnt ready to accept defeat. out loud I thought you already fed your cat.Miranda: I have to feed it again.Manhattan Guy: Cat people all freaks.Carrie: When did being alone become the modern-day equivalent of being a leper? Will Manhattan restaurants soon be divided up into sections smoking / non-smoking, single / non-sin gle? Charlotte: How can you forget a guy youve slept with?Carrie: Toto, I dont think were in single-digits anymore. ​Trey: Youre learning Chinese?Charlotte: Well, just in case, I want to be able to speak to the baby.

How to Be Your Own Best Editor While Remaining a Writer - Freewrite Store

How to Be Your Own Best Editor While Remaining a Writer - Freewrite Store You’re not a writer! Well, at least for a time. You’re an editor. Today’s guest post is by Marsh Cassady. Marsh has Ph.D in theatre and is a former actor, director, and university professor. He is the author of fifty-seven published books and hundreds of shorter pieces. His plays have been performed in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., including Off-Broadway. You’re not a writer! Well, at least for a time. You’re an editor. For about eight years I was co-publisher of a small press and learned quickly what to look for in query letters, proposals, and in fiction and nonfiction. Yet I thought of myself mainly as a writer. The weird thing was that when I wore my writer’s cap, I didn’t think like an editor anymore, and I found I was just as puzzled as any other writer about what would be acceptable to a publisher. Then one day, it was like the proverbial lightbulb exploded inside my head. Hey, dummy, I told myself, you’ve been an editor for a long time and, in fact, still are. So look at your own work through an editor’s eyes. Seems pretty absurd that it took me so long to realize this and to approach my own writing as if it were a submission to the press or to the literary journal of which I was fiction editor. It’s a matter of roles, a matter of putting on a different cap. Of course, you’re still the same person- at least to a degree. Look at it this way. At work you may be an attorney and at home a mom, two vastly different roles. The same is true with writing and editing, each important but very much different from each other. In your role as an attorney you wouldn’t ground a client for staying out beyond curfew, nor would you threaten to take legal action against your three-year-old. So now is the time to hang up the writer’s cap and assume the role of editor. What being an editor boils down to is being objective. View your own writing as it were done by someone else. Is this person you’re judging a good writer? What makes her or him good? What don’t you like about the style, the organization, the content? One thing that helps is to put away your writing for a few days or a week. When you take it out again, you have some distance between you and your work. You aren’t as emotionally involved with it now, so it’s easier to approach it objectively. The more you can distance yourself from the work, the better. I knew a successful poet once who didn’t believe in revising her work. Whatever she wrote stayed the way she’d first written it. There also used to be a columnist for the San Diego Union Tribune who did the same. But most of us don’t work that way. Most of us have to revise our work at least two or three times- sometimes much more often until it meets our goals. In fact, in one of my books on writing I include an excerpt from my nonfiction that is my eighth revision! And still I continued to revise it extensively with handwritten changes from the top of the page to the bottom. What are the sorts of things should you look for in editing your writing? Is the work interesting? Is the piece something you yourself would like to read? If not, why not? Is it that you don’t like the subject matter? Years ago in the writing workshop I used to lead a man came to the meeting one night and said he was writing a film script. He said he didn’t like the subject matter but thought it would be something that would sell. Nope! He was a good writer but not for this. He finally gave up because it was too much of a chore to continue. Of course, it’s possible to do a good job with a subject you hate, but why do it unless it’s part of your job and you have no choice? Did you make the writing too formal, too dry, too prosaic? It’s important to hook the reader’s attention right away. Did you do that? Assume you’re an editor at a publishing company or magazine. Would you want to read through the entire piece you wrote? When I was a book editor, I knew within a page or two- sometimes less- whether I wanted to publish the book or not. Would you want to publish what you wrote? Was your lead the most effective you can come up with? How does the rest of the piece hold up? If it’s nonfiction, have you included enough specifics- examples or illustrations or anecdotes to support what you say? Is the writing easy to follow? Does it flow well? Are there any bumps, any distractions? If so, what caused them? Maybe you need better transitions. Maybe you just need to explain things a little better- more interestingly, more succinctly. Or maybe you have some extraneous stuff that doesn’t support the central idea. Is the piece well-organized? There are many types of organization, from chronological to spatial to order of importance. Have you chosen a type of organization that fits well with the sort of piece you wrote? Have you considered the organization or just written haphazardly as the ideas come to mind? The latter rarely works for a finished piece- whether a personality profile piece, a column, or a how-to article. You need to follow a particular type of organization that is appropriate for what you’ve written? For instance, you probably wouldn’t choose spatial organization for a novel- though it is possible, with one section taking place in New York, the next in Los Angles, and the third in London. However, within each of these sections you’d probably want to use chronological order and maybe even start the first section earlier in time than the next and the next. And you probably wouldn’t use order of importance in discussing a historical event. Is the writing coherent? No matter what you’re writing, you need to be sure you’ve tied everything together. Each part, in some way, has to relate to the piece as a whole. In fiction this means everything has to be important to the plot and/or theme, either directly or indirectly. All elements need to support the central idea. And generally, the less important a character or a setting, the less space you should give them. However, I did also say â€Å"indirectly.† Don’t throw away a scene that points up the character, for instance or explains the reasons behind characters’ actions. In nonfiction everything also should relate to the central idea. If you’re writing about a candidate’s stance on an issue, you wouldn’t usually talk about his hobby of collecting ceramic mugs from around the world. Is the writing clear? Is the writing easy to follow, or would the reader have to struggle to understand what you mean? Do you use language appropriate to your readers? For instance, you’d use different language for explaining what quarks are to a junior high class than you would to an adult education class.   Is the dialogue natural and appropriate? Does the dialogue reveal character?   Does it help create the proper atmosphere? If the scene is one of tension, does the dialogue reflect this? Does it help the reader understand the sort of universe you’ve created? Does the dialogue advance the plot? All dialogue should have a purpose; each word should be important for one reason or another. Does your dialogue sound natural? Although dialogue resembles everyday speech, it is very much different but still has to appear natural. In conversation we change the subject often and abruptly. We ramble. We use a lot of extra words. Your characters can’t do that, unless it’s to point up a character trait, for instance. Dialogue also has to be appropriate for each character, each of whom speaks in his or her own way. A recent immigrant from Russia would speak much differently than would a surfer dude. A person with a Ph.D. in physics would speak differently than would a short order cook- at least in most cases. When writing dialogue, you need to consider everything important about the character- background, education, present circumstances, personality, and the emotional content of the scene. Is the dialogue easy to follow? Even if your character has an accent, don’t make the writing difficult to follow. Readers today probably wouldn’t be happy to read pieces like Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus stories with lines like: â€Å""One time," said Uncle Remus...way back yander, ’fo’ you wuz bomed, honey, en ’fo’ Mars John er Miss Sally wuz bomed-way back yander ’fo’ enny un us wuz bomed, de animils en de creeturs sorter ’lecshuneer roun’m ’mong deyselves, twel at las’ ’dey 'greed fer ter have ’sembly.† Does any of the writing sound awkward? I’m nearly finished reading a novel by one of my favorite authors, but I was disappointed to see that at several times in the book he used passive voice. So far as I remember, he never did this before. And it yanked me right out of the action. So avoid passive voice. It should be cut.   Oops. What I really mean is: You need to cut it out! You also need to consider if the words you’ve chosen are the best you can come up with, that the work doesn’t sound too stilted, that what you write matches the overall style. An academic piece, for instance, would use a more formal style than a travel article. Check for repetition. Recently, I edited a book for a friend. In one paragraph of four lines I found three instances of the word â€Å"painting.† He objected to my editing out two of them. He said I was ruining his style. Uh, uh, uh! Repeating words or phrases calls attention to itself and detracts from the writing. Of course, this doesn’t apply to so-called invisible words like â€Å"the,† â€Å"an,† â€Å"a,† â€Å"and†, etc. But any time you repeat words like mouse or quark or sweetheart in close proximity to the original, you are risking alienating the reader. An exception, of course, is when you deliberately repeat a word for emphasis. The same, of course, is true of phrases. Unless there’s a good reason, beware of repeating phrases within several paragraphs of each other. Don’t Overwrite. Is there anything extraneous?   If so, cut it.   This is especially true in the matter of research. It’s been said that research is like an iceberg- two-thirds should be hidden beneath the surface. In other words, you should inspire confidence in the reader that you know your subject thoroughly, that you know much more than is included in the article, that you are the expert. On the other hand, you shouldn’t expect the reader to suffer through absolutely everything you’ve learned. Proofreading To many writers this is the most tedious part of getting a manuscript ready for publication, and it’s more complicated by the fact that when proofing our own writing, we often â€Å"see† what we expect to see and not what’s actually there. Also, proofing cannot be rushed. You have to be meticulous in doing it. One trick that can work well is to read the manuscript backward. This does away with expectations of what you think is there because now the material- though it doesn’t make sense- is completely new, and typos and small errors stand out more. For instance: â€Å"more. out stand errors small and typos and new, completely is.† When you do this, it forces you to slow down. Read your writing aloud to yourself or to someone else. When you read the piece aloud, you’ll be surprised at how many typos and other â€Å"pickies† you catch. This is because you’re forced to slow down and concentrate on each word. Thus, the little things that elude you in a silent readthrough now become much more apparent. Finally, if you can, put the manuscript away one more time and then back to it again in a day or a week. Okay, now you’ve done your stint as an editor. Take off the editor’s cap, hang it up, and grab the writer’s cap from the rack. You are not an editor any longer- at least for now. Today you’re a writer. Good luck with the new piece.       Marsh Cassady has Ph.D in theatre and is a former actor, director, and university professor. He is the author of fifty-seven published books and hundreds of shorter pieces. His plays have been performed in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., including Off-Broadway. For about eight years he was co-publisher of a small press and a literary journal. He has also taught creative writing at the University of California, San Diego, and for thirty-five years led all-genre writing workshops.

A comparison between Biolegia PLC and Sleepeasy chain of hotels Essay

A comparison between Biolegia PLC and Sleepeasy chain of hotels - Essay Example This is referred to as organization structure (Schein, 2010). Each and every organization can be structured in its own way depending on how it aims to achieve its set out objectives (Alvenson, 2002). The purpose of the organizational structure is to ensure a standard of operation upon which the organization can rely on as its employees execute their duties (Keyton, 2002). The structure also dictates who is able to participate in what kind of decision making activity thus affecting the organization. This paper aims at looking at two different organizations and their structures. The paper will compare the structures of the two organizations in terms of their approach to team work, their structure and design and lastly the cultures in the organization. Objectives 1. To compare approaches to teamwork by structures of two different organizations 2. To compare organizational structures and designs of two different organizations 3. To compare cultures in two different organizations Comparis on of approaches to teamwork and team working Looking at the two case studies above, it can be revealed that there is a big difference in the way Biogenia Plc and Sleepeasy chain of hotels approaches the issue of teamwork among its employees. In the case of Biogenia, teamwork is encouraged among its employees right away from the time they are recruited into the company to the time they are released into the field to go and represent its interests in various countries. Biogenia employees people of different nationalities to work for them in a particular station as seen by 20 people of different nationalities working for the company and also the team that was sent to develop a pesticide in South Africa. On the other hand, Sleepeasy chain of hotels has been found not have encouraged the spirit of diversity, and in any given hotel, people of the same ethnic group are found to be working there in large numbers. Biogenia employs people who have expertise knowledge in different fields such as Biology, chemistry and Information technology then distribute them to work in different departments within the company. The benefits of this include the fact that employees are able to cope with each other on a personal basis, and hence their experience is brought together for the good of the organization (Frost, 1991). There are also other activities within the organization that serve to ensure that the spirit of teamwork is maintained e.g. going to a gym that has been subsidized by the company and sparing time to have fun when on company like the one in South Africa. The productivity of the company is also enhanced by people who are qualified to do a job that entails different tasks; the firm has been able to bring together different professionals to work for it hence creating a team that is powerful in execution of its duties. Sleepeasy has not keenly embraced the issue of diversity in its recruitment procedures thereby coming up with a team that works towards a common goal h as been difficult. The hotel employs people of the same ethnic group in every country that it operates in and hence streamlining employees with the organization’s goals has been a bit difficult. The company also lacks activities that can encourage a spirit of teamwork among its employees and has gone as far as not being able to recognize trade unions. The operation pattern within the organization encourages a spirit of individualism because each employee is treated as an individual, hence employees do not work as a team in achieving companies goals objectives. The company does not organize meetings of employees on a regular basis like Biogenia to monitor the progress that has been made by each

Business Idea-Franchising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Idea-Franchising - Essay Example Basis of Selection Dammam is suitable for travelling. The city is easily accessible through flights from various parts of the world. The city has its own port which is named as King Abdul Aziz Port. There are several attractive places in Dammam which are: The Heritage Village, Sports Center, King Fadhd Park, Half Moon Beach and Alkhleej Makarim. There are many museums such as The Media External Museum, The Regional Al Dammam Museum, The Saudi Museum and Abdullah Al Asmare Museum. Due to this reason, many tourists are attracted towards this city and opening a clothing store will be beneficial in the city to attract these tourists as well as local people. Market Scenario at Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has shown positive market growth. Their GDP has been registered as 3.9% in the year 2011 compared to 3% in 2010. Saudi Arabia’s non oil sector plays an important role for the good market condition. The government of Saudi Arabia has planned to spend 155 billion Dollars in the year 20 11 for education and infrastructure purposes. Saudi Arabia is one of the preferred destinations for making investment in Middle East and North Africa. Political stability, great possibility for growth in infrastructure sector, oil reserves and production capability are the major factors of good market condition. Investors will be attracted by government’s impressive policy, over the next five years, which aim to invest 1.3 trillion USD in the non oil sector. It will attract both local as well as foreign investors, who are interested in tapping into country’s market growth (Report Buyer, â€Å"Saudi Arabia Business Forecast Report†). Market Scenario at Dammam Dammam became a part of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the year 1932. Dammam remained a remote place until Standard Oil Company of California moved in the city in the year 1935 for searching oil around Dammam area. Dammam’s economy has expanded and created numerous job opportunities as its oil industry ha s been accompanied by massive boom in construction. By the growth of oil-sector, Dammam’s transportation has also improved. The city is served by King Abdul Aziz Port which handles non-oil cargos for eastern and central provinces of the country. The retail market condition at Dammam had developed in the year 2007–2008 and the retail supply had increased by 60%. Dammam represents the third largest market share in retail sector in Saudi Arabia and accounts for 20% (Colliers International, â€Å"Mena Retail Overview†). SWOT Analysis Strengths Since Dammam attract many tourists and as there is only two mega stores in the area, this will create a great opportunity to open clothing store in Dammam. Many of the residents and tourists shop in neighboring Bahrain because of limited number of clothing stores in Dammam. Thus, opening of new clothing store can retain the tourists. China excels in production and export of clothing in the world. China’s clothing indust ry mainly focuses on information, brand and fashion. The price of cotton in Chinese market is also low. Export tax of China on textile clothing is between 0.2% and 0.3% per piece and export taxes are determined by quantities. Therefore, it will be beneficial to import large amount of clothes from China because it can provide good fashionable clothes

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is absolutely relating a message to readers about the ills of slavery but this is a complex matter. On one hand, the only truly good and reliable character who is free of the hypocritical nature that other whit characters are plagued with is Jim who, according to the institution of slavery, is subhuman. Thus, one has to wonder about the presence of satire in Huck Finn. Furthermore, Mark Twain wrote Huck Finn after slavery was made illegal and his choice to set this story in a pre-civil war time when slaves were still held is significant. What truly makes the thesis statement about race and slavery in Huck Finn complex is is that there are several traces of some degree of racism in the novel, including the use of the ‘N’ word. By using the word, the book portrays the atmosphere of the south and slavery at that time. David Bradley, a Mark Twain expert featured in â€Å"Born to Trouble: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, says that, â€Å"The ‘N’ was a word used during that time to call black people. It was a common word† (Born to Trouble). Apart from this, when Aunt Sally hears about an explosion and she asks Huck if anybody was hurt, he responds by saying â€Å"No’m,† â€Å"Killed a slave†(Peter Salwen). These few lines of dialogue say all there is to say about how blacks were viewed at that time; that they are â€Å"nobody†, less than human, with lives that are of little or no value to anyone. The racist attitudes of the south are most evident in the character of Huck Salas 2 Finn himself and how he relates to the runaway slave, Jim. Huck is nothing but a product of his environment and upbringing. Although he reflects the cruelty and injustice of the south towards blacks, he is totally unaware that this is the wrong attitude to take (Fiskin). At first when Huck is unsure how to deal with Jim, he displays attitudes that are a reflection of his times. He plays tricks on Jim and entraps him in a dialogue that makes the latter appear especially foolish, or perhaps, to make Jim painfully aware of his own inferiority. The trick the weighed most heavily on both Huck and Jim is when, after having disappeared from the raft, Huck pretends to have been there all along. The worried Jim insists that he believed Huck had almost drowned, but Huck plays Jim for a fool, tricking him into believing that he had only been dreaming (Twain 186). Jim, in turn, is made to appear as the Negro stereotype of the times: a backward buffoon with his slave dialect and many superstitions (Gregory). It is only much later on that he takes on a more human face as we discover his admirable character, particularly his fierce loyalty to his friend Huck (Born to Trouble). Huck also reflects the white South’s belief that blacks were vastly inferior. In the conversation about King Solomon and the Frenchmen in Chapter 14, Huck ends the conversation by saying to himself: â€Å"I see it warn’t any use wasting words – you can’t learn a n†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ to argue. So I quit† (Twain 104). Seemingly frustrated with the turn of the conversation, Huck ends up being dismissive of the black man’s intellectual capacity, his ability to learn, see reason or think rationally. Again, this points to the white South’s inherent belief that the black man is inferior. Salas 3 Early on this relationship, Huck is also prone to saying things that further show how deeply racist attitudes have been ingrained in him. After the trick he plays on Jim, he is reluctant to apologize to someone society dictates is far beneath him: â€Å"it was fifteen minutes before I could work myself to go and humble myself to a slave† (Twain 107). Jim must also accept the fact that as a black, he is inferior to whites in these times. Friendship doesn’t negate this rule of society; even his good friend Huck is far superior to him. Even as far into the book as Chapter 31, Huck still holds himself accountable to the strict racist rules of his community, where empowering a black man is a â€Å"low-down thing†(Twain 219). However in this course of the tale, Huck’s attitude toward his black companion begins to shift. This is a struggle for him at first, and a reader can get a definite sense of Huck grappling with how society has always forced him to think. For example, although he shows reluctance in apologizing to Jim for his trick, he really does feel like the trash Jim likens him to (Twain 107). Not only does he get over his reluctance and apologizes to Jim, but makes a firm pledge to himself not to â€Å"do him no more mean tricks; and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d knowed it would make him feel that way† (Twain 107). Another instance is when Huck encounters a group of white men looking for runaway slaves. He struggles momentarily about the morality of hiding Jim, still thinking of the latter as a stolen piece of property and not a person. Huck then swings the other way and conceals Jim from the men with a clever ruse (Twain 117). In the end after a long and hard struggle, both Huck and Jim achieve a certain degree of freedom. Not just freedom form â€Å"sivilization† for Huck Salas 4 and slavery for Jim, but freedom from the rigid mindset of the racist South. Huck learns to look at Jim not merely as a Negro, a piece of property or someone inferior and worthless, but as a human being and as a friend.

Racism: The Artificial Category of Race Essay examples -- Sociology Ra

Racism: The Artificial Category of Race THESIS: Scientists and other intellectuals recognize the modern concept of "race" as an artificial category that developed over the past five centuries due to encounters with non-European people. Even though people still attempt to organize humans into categories according to their race, these categories have been shown to have no scientific basis. The term "race" is a modern concept. It's definition has adopted radically new meaning over the past few centuries. Currently, the term is used to characterize differences among human groups. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term "race" in 1512 is "a group or class of persons, animals, or things, having some common feature or features." Today, Oxford's definition is quite different: "a local geographic or global human population distinguished by genetically transmitted characteristics and/or any of the major biological definitions of man distinguished by physically evident features, for example, Caucasian, Negroid, and Mongoloid." This definition is a result of regular interaction with non-European people. The Europeans began to explore other lands, thus creating the idea that some people are different than them and should not be under the same category as them. The constant interaction with groups of people who’s lifestyles were very different led Europeans to believe that they were a different "kind" of people. Scientists worked on and created many different ways to classify the different people they found. This unrefined method of categorization was the origin of a new culture-oriented taxonomic system for human beings. The system is based on the "Great Chain of Being," which is a way of classifying things according to... ...ces of Man. New York: The Macmillian Company and Their Distribution, 1925. Holli, Melvin G. "Race, Ethnicity and Urbanization: Selected Essays." Journal of American Ethnic History 16 (1996): 110-125. Myers, Norma. Reconstructing the Black Past: Blacks in Britain 1780-1830. Portland: Frank Cass Press, 1996. Philip, David. Race and Ethnicity. Lansdowne: Citadel Press, 1980. "Race." Oxford English Dictionary. First ed. 1928. "Race." Webster's New World Dictionary. Third ed. 1988. Smedley, Audrey. Race in North America: Origin and Evolution of a Worldview. Boulder: Westview Press, 1999. Takaki, Ronald. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1989. Tobias, Phillip. "The Meaning of Race." Race and Social Difference. Baxtor, Paul, Basil Sansom ed. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd., 1972. 19-43.

Benjamin R. Barber’s “America Skips School” Essay

The scary truth behind Benjamin R. Barber’s â€Å"America Skips School† is shocking. In an attempt to change society, Barber informs us of the hopeless struggle many indignant youths are facing today, and where they will end up tomorrow. He also stresses the responsibility of teachers and how important their roles are, not only for the future of their students but for the future of the nation as well. The stories are real and Americans should quit ignoring the truth and finally make an effort to end the struggle that their predecessors cannot ignore. Our children need us to moderator them by improving education such as raising teachers’ salaries, extending the school year to year-around, or more importantly just taking responsibility. Logically speaking, parents entrust their children’s teachers a role they, the parents, were not trained for. Realistically, not only do teachers baby-sit many of their students, they are weighed down with responsibilities no lawyer or engineer will have to endure. Family and friends and teachers will influence the path a youth takes in life. He provides the fuel (determination) and the directions (knowledge) so the student can reach his destination. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2002-03 Edition, preparing students for the future workforce is the major stimulus generating the changes in education, and teachers provide the tools and environment for their students to develop these skills. These are the kinds of teachers we are looking for, but if we want more highly certified teachers, then there must be a change in the rate of pay because higher salaries lead to more applicants, and more applicants mean more quality teachers. During the summer vacation, most students began to either forget what they’ve learned or how to apply it, that is until school starts up again. But as the level of difficulty gets harder, this process will not work as efficiently. Having an all year-around school gives teachers more time to teach and more time for students to absorb what is being taught. When teachers spend individual time tutoring students it is less likely for those students to fail the course. Of course there is summer school, but in many cases the fee for class during the summer is costly for students who attend  inner-city schools. In today’s society, the majority of families have both adults away from the home while the children are left alone. While the kids are at school, they have the teachers to accompany them, but when they come home, and mom and dad are not there to regulate their activities, then the house is no longer a home but merely a place to come and go. A good connection between the parent and child usually keeps a healthy environment around the house, but outside the house scenarios change as well as the people the child is associating with. It’s another role of the parent to know where his child is at, at all times, who his child’s friends are, and to set a time as to when the kid most come home. Finally, the parent and child should get together and set a schedule up weekly that involves plenty of studying time, playtime and communication within the family. No matter what arguments arise either within the school or home, our children need us. Many kids have to be forced to their studies or to participate in class because they do not think as far ahead in the future as we, the parents and teachers, do. Higher salaries for teachers will lead to a better, qualified faculty, extended school to year-around will theoretically give more time for students to learn and absorb what is being taught in school, and the role of the parents to provide  their child the love and attention he needs as a guide in his road to success, are all of which Barber has emphasized as being important to a better academic system. We have yearned for a system that would work, but we just were not committed enough to do something about it. So until we do something about it, our children, America’s future, will continue to drown in this fast, growing society.

Factors Influencing Customer Loyalty Essay

The financial services and banking facilities industry has seen a growing intensity of competition within the market place over the last decade. A bank is a financial intermediary that accepts deposits and channels those deposits into lending activities, either directly or through capital markets. A bank connects customers with capital deficits to customers with capital surpluses. Banking is generally a highly regulated industry, and government restrictions on financial activities by banks have varied over time and location. Today, CIMB serves close to seven million customers in over 600 locations through over 36,000 staff. Nowadays, financial services and banking facilities has force to pass by intense competition by other bank that growth from inside also outside this country because of the regulation for financial institution to establish was deregulation by government, and causing the adding in growth of the bank in Malaysia. Thus, people also have various banks to choose and directly give the big impact to manager of bank to search the way to enhance the loyalty of current customer from switching to other bank. They are many strategies that have been attempted by managers of the banks to retain customers in order to increase customer loyalty. It is costly than to attract new customer compared to retain the current customers. Thus, many banks have introduced innovative products and services (Alam and Khokhar, 2006) in order to retain current customers. Another strategy is to understand the factors influencing customer loyalty. Figure 1: Graph profit of Agrobank Seri Iskandar branch in April 2009 until April 2010 1. 2. Background of the organization Agrobank is an institution which provides holistic financial services and banking facilities. It give their utmost priority to the needs of their customers by providing attractive products and services such as savings activities, banking services, loan facilities, insurance coverage and advisory services. Agrobank is a Government-linked-Company (GLC) under the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MFI). The bank’s financing of the agricultural sector is driven by a policy set forth by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries. Agrobank is a continuity of the former Bank Pertanian Malaysia which has 40 years of experience in agricultural banking and an excellent track record in shaping and developing successful entrepreneurs. With a wide network of branches throughout Malaysia, they are confident of providing the best services to all. The rebranding of Bank Pertanian Malaysia to Agro Bank was done on 8 April 2008. The move is taken as an initiative to make the bank more competitive by fostering a fresher outlook, and enable it to provide a broader range of services to the market and cater the whole segment of the agriculture industry. An external consultant was deployed to carry out the public relation (PR) and rebranding exercise for Agrobank, penetrate the market and create awareness among the public. The solutions include Agrobanking, Business Banking, and Personal Banking. 1. 3. 1 Agrobanking Loan facility / financing offered under Agrobanking are open to agropreneurs clients carry out primary agricultural activities such as fisheries, forestry, livestock and any other related agro-based industry. Financing utilizing fund from the government and related agencies which is offered at a very competitive and special rate to help stimulate economic growth. This includes; i. Fund for Food (3F loan) ii. Skim Kredit Pengeluaran Makanan (SKPM) iii. Skim Kredit Padi (SKP) iv. The researcher was interested in predicting what the factors influencing customer loyalty toward AgroBank Seri Iskandar. Variables such as satisfaction, switching cost, trust and commitment might all contribute towards customer loyalty. When using multiple regressions in psychology, researchers use the term â€Å"independent variables† to identify those variables that they think will influence some other â€Å"dependent variable†. Thus, in as an example above, satisfaction, switching cost, trust and commitment would emerge as significant predictor variables, which allow researcher to estimate the criterion variable. As have pointed out before, human behavior is inherently noisy and therefore it is not possible to produce totally accurate predictions, but multiple regressions allows researcher to identify a set of predictor variables which together provide a useful estimate of a participant’s likely score on a criterion variable. Multiple regression analysis is done to examine the simultaneous effect of several independent variables on dependent variables. Multiple regression analysis can be used in order to determine whether the independent variables explain a significant variation in the dependent variable which is whether a relationship exists.

JCPenney.com Minicase essays

JCPenney.com Minicase essays 1. The search engine is a very helpful tool that should be implemented by any online retailer. A search engine will allow JCPenneys online shoppers find a product or service being offered. Furthermore, the search engine will allow a shopper to find more information about a product he or she is looking for and therefore help the customer in his purchase decision-making. 2. JCPenneys legacy system helped the company extend and support its business online. In fact, the legacy system has helped JCPenney accomplish its goals in promoting its online business because they were able to leverage on their existing infrastructure and add new features to their web site such as quick payment methods. By doing so, JCPenney saved a great amount of money on the implementation of the new system. 3. The information technology that could help JCPenney promote its business is: Powerful server to allow the online user to access the site 24hrs a day without any interruptions. Real-time inventory software that will allow the JCPenneys inventory to be always up to date. An extranet that will allow business partners to access JCPenneys web site. E-mail that will allow efficient communication within the company and outside partners and customers. Networks that will allow different users to have access to the same information. 4. JCPenneys uses IT infrastructure to attract more online shoppers. By doing so, it will generate more online sales. IT enables JCPenney to get into the e-marketplace and engage into e-commerce transactions. By having IT implemented in its business, JCPenney has created a new sale channel. This new online sale channel will provide extra revenue for the company and reduce some of the companys expenditures. 5. To provide a customer service, JCPenney has implemented the following items on its store front-page: store locator, catalogs, about us ...

A Passage to India by Forster Essay Example for Free

‘A Passage to India’ by Forster Essay ? â€Å"By close analysis of the structure and language of chapter one discuss how Forster expresses his overall concerns within the novel as a whole via this initial description of the Indian landscape.† Through chapter one of ‘A Passage to India’ Forster does far more than introduce the small town of Chandrapore. In this initial section of the novel the construction of the text reflects the tiered Indian society that becomes the basis for Forster’s deeper exploration of mankind and human behaviour. In addition, the ominous significance of the Marabar Caves within the novel is prefigured via the mysterious imagery used to describe them. This is contrasted by the more optimistic language which is used to describe the ‘overarching sky’ that unifies all men and points towards a hope for the future of peaceful co-existence. At the beginning of the chapter the reader is first introduced to the Muslim aspect of Chandrapore, the lowest tier of the Indian society but perhaps the most resilient. Here what Adela will later refer to as the ‘Real India’ is depicted. Through vivid imagery the area appears akin to a wasteland devoid of any significance. Even the holy river Ganges is described as â€Å"Trailing for a couple of miles†¦scarcely distinguishable from the rubbish it deposits so freely.† It is negative language such as this that creates a compounding sense of desolation about the ‘Real India.’ This of course is entirely necessary in order for Forster to create and convey the contrast between the Indian and English cultures which he believes to be incompatible in this context. Graphic and harsh language permeates the whole of this first section of the chapter creating a highly effective image of the squalor in which the Mohammedan Indians are condemned to live by their English rulers. The streets are â€Å"Mean† the â€Å"Temples ineffective† and the â€Å"Filth† of alleyways deters all but the invited guest.† By describing their quarter in such a way Forster makes the Muslim Indian seem almost sub-human to his readers, this of course, is how they are viewed by the English. They are remarked upon as â€Å"Low† but also as â€Å"Indestructible.† Despite their apparent lack of sophistication, the way in which, â€Å"The general outline of the town persists† comes to reflect the similar way in which the Muslim culture, although suppressed by the English, is based upon strong foundations of religious devotion and an inextinguishable spirit. Forster describes them as â€Å"Swelling here†¦shrinking there† and by doing so creates a very evocative image which captures perfectly the way in which the Indian race move ‘en-mass’ and in harmony, united in their angst to recapture their homeland. As Forster remarks, â€Å"Inland the prospect alters† and the Eurasian, Anglo-India described in the second section of the passage could not present a more stark contrast to that of Islamic Chandrapore. Here the houses belonging to the Eurasians â€Å"Stand on high ground† an important symbol which reflects the way in which the English believe themselves to be above the Indian race both morally and intellectually. It is this attitude of ignorance and racial superiority which will be developed and scathingly criticised by Forster as the novel progresses. Indeed it could be argued that humanity’s unwillingness to understand one another is the underlying theme behind the whole text and that in reality Adela and Mrs. Moore’s passage to India is in fact a deeper analogy for a more complex passage of mankind towards understanding itself. On a second rise of land lies the â€Å"Little civil station.† As the focal point for Eurasian society it is remarked that, â€Å"From here†¦Chandrapore appears to be a totally different place.† This observation encapsulates the way in which the station and its social club both seem to be isolated from the rest of India. Immersed in a fantasy world of British high society the station itself is described as, â€Å"Provoking no emotion† and â€Å"Sensibly planned.† This epitomises the logical mindset of the English, which deeply contrasts that of the spiritual Indian and highlights how even at a simple level of human understanding harmony is not possible between the two cultures creating the â€Å"Muddle† which is colonial India. Britain’s attitude of imposing herself upon other nations, typical of this time period before partition, is something heavily attacked by Forster. Throughout the text he is seen to criticise England replicated in India because to him this is unnatural and false. During the entirety of this second section of the passage Forster adopts a tone of negativity towards the English. Their section of Chandrapore is described as, â€Å"Sharing nothing with the rest of the city except the overarching sky† conveying the way in which they consciously isolate themselves from the Indians. In the overall context of the novel this image becomes very important. As gradually relations between the two races come to deteriorate the sky comes to be the only unifying element between Indian and Englishman. Further more, the way in which the image is echoed throughout the text seems to suggest the existence of a more powerful presence beyond man both physically and in terms of significance within the universe. It is Forster’s belief that ultimately the petty quarrels of man are meaningless in such a vast entity. The final section of the chapter is used by Forster to expand on the concept of the overarching sky. It is described as having a â€Å"Persistent blue core† the stars â€Å"Hanging like lamps from the immense vault† which is the sky and it is elevated imagery such as this which comes to symbolise a hope for the future of mankind. In contrast to the â€Å"muddle† and â€Å"misunderstanding† which covers India and the rest of the earth, the sky instead represents an element which unifies all men. Its persistence represents a hope that one day all the problems of man explored within the novel will pale into insignificance. It could be argued the description of the sky evokes an atmosphere akin to that of the Hindu religion. Forster remarks, â€Å"The sky settles everything† and indeed to Godbole and his fellow Hindus this is to a certain degree true. The unanswerable questions, the answers to which are sought by both Muslim and Christian are left to be pondered by Godbole. He seeks to answer questions about his own spiritual existence and the natural world around him. As a result his passage within the novel becomes one of progression as opposed one to of retreat as is experienced by Aziz and Fielding. The Chapter ends with a final short image of the mysterious Marabar caves. All around â€Å"League after league the earth lies flat,† yet in the south, â€Å"A group of fists and fingers are thrust up through the soil.† These fingers are the ‘Marabar hills’ and seem to point mysteriously towards the heavens above. The way in which they seem to separate themselves from their earthly surroundings suggests an equally unearthly presence about them. This of course will be proved true by the supernatural and inexplicable violation which Adela experiences within their walls. Dark and devoid of humanity they represent an aspect of India that the logical English will never be able to conquer. Therefore it is possible to conclude that the first Chapter of ‘A Passage to India’ can be regarded as a template for the novel as a whole. Almost all of Forster’s overall concerns are indicated by its content and it is clear that the varied description of the Indian landscape comes to symbolise differences between those who inhabit the land. This disjointed construction of society will only increase as the novel progresses ultimately leading to the personal retreat of the novel’s two main characters, Aziz and Fielding whom are unable to stand out as individuals and trapped within the confines of their own cultures. It will be only the deeply spiritual Godbole who is shown to have made any real progress via his own ‘Passage to India’ and of course Mrs. Moore, who despite her death becomes a symbol for hope by the way in which she is revered as a Hindu Goddess. â€Å"A Passage to India† – E.M. Forster Classic notes – www.classicnotes.com ‘A Passage to India’ by Forster. (2017, Jul 10).

The Art Of The Rapanui Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Art Of The Rapanui - Essay Example Art has for a lengthy time, been used to make political statements among the Rapanui. The art of the Rapanui, in particular, the statues of Moai, are the last part of the ancient history of these people and because of this, they still have a special impact on then Rapanui. When the Spanish colonized the Easter Islands, they discovered the importance of these statues to the Rapanui and in order to make a political statement, these giant statues were toppled from their pedestals, to show that the Spanish were dominant on the islands. While this may have been the case, these statues have come to be recognized as a unique part of the Rapanui heritage and attempts have been made by the Chilean government, which governs the islands, to restore them. The Rapanui have made these statues their rallying point when agitating for political independence from Chile, which they consider an oppressive colonizer (Romero). A similar political statement was made in the past by the English in a bid to e stablish their dominance over the Scottish people. The English, after defeating the Scots in battle, took the important Stone of Scone, which was an essential part of the Scottish coronation ritual, from Scotland to England ("Stone of Scone due Back in Scotland Today" 5). This was used as a symbol of English dominance of the Scots, but in this instance, it does not seem to have worked since Scotland came to regain its independence later.  

Parental Involvement in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Parental Involvement in Education - Essay Example The question is not whether parental involvement is a benefit to a student's educational experience as previous studies have often indicated. The measure of parental involvement is not the time spent or the test scores of the student, but is contextual to the student, the parents, and the school environment. The question is important primarily for parents to measure and assess their activity in relation to their child's school environment. The parent who spends additional time working with the student's homework or participating in school activities may be spending time that is counterproductive to their goal. Homework may prove to be frustrating for the parent. The student may resent the parent's intrusion into what they perceive as their private life. Parents require a measure of what parental involvement is beneficial and what aspect of it may be detrimental. Parental involvement in education needs to be viewed from the various aspects of age, motivation, and pattern of involvement. Crosnoe (2001) studied 692 freshmen and sophomore students of a mixed and diverse ethnic population (p. 214). The study was conducted by questionnaire by inquiring about the amount of time spent with the parents on homework and the parent's involvement with school activities (pp. 215-216). Crosnoe (2001) found that college preparatory students experienced an initially high amount of parental involvement, but was diminished as they progressed in school (p. 221). Crosnoe (2001) further noted that general and remedial students had a level of parental involvement that stabilized or increased over time (p. 221) This confirms the findings of Watkins (1997) when he reports, "Parents in this study were more likely to be involved when their children displayed low achievement". Parental involvement may be out of necessity to correct problems rather than an indicator of positive reinforcement for the student. The Watkins (1997) study was conducted on a group of 303 students with a racial mix of 64% white and 33% black. The parents were above average educated with 43% having at least a two-year degree. Watkins (1997) observed that there were patterns of involvement that differentiated the student's achievement. Watkins (1997) contends that parents become involved for one of four reasons. Involvement may be at the request of the teacher or due to low grades. They may also become involved because they want to raise the child's grades or they feel they are more equipped than other parents to elevate the child's learning. Watkins (1997) noted this effect was highest among minority parents and well educated whites. Similar to Watkin's (1997) findings were the results of a study by Domina (2005) The Domina (2005) study found that, "[...] after school and family background and child's prior academic achievement are controlled, the effect of each of these involvement activities on children's academic achievement is negative or nonsignificant (p. 245). The effect of the parental background also is highlighted in the Van Voorhis (2003) study evaluated middle school students to evaluate parental involvement effect on science students. The study examined the effect of parental help with homework. Van Voorhis (2003) found many negative effects of parental involvement (p.325). Parents may become frustrated or supply inappropriate

Increasing or Restricting Andragogy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Increasing or Restricting Andragogy - Essay Example This paper outlines that we have to take into account both the objective semantics of the term as well as try and locate it within a specific twentieth century educational context. The term ‘adult education’ is a comparatively new one, coined much after it was actually in practice. It is a result of many years of evolutions, and its meaning, even now is far from simple and monolithic. Even as early as in 1927, Hall-Quest conceded the difficulties in defining the term. One of the biggest problems related to the definition of ‘adult education’ is, whether it refers to a set of methodologies by which ‘adults’ can be taught, or is it a holistic term that includes the general endeavor of educating adults in a specific way as well as a detailed study of government adaptation and subsequent implementation of policies that target the adults specifically as the subject of educational instruction. Theorists like Alan Rogers have defined adult education as a process ‘whereby anyone over 16 (or whatever) are treated as adults – capable, experienced, responsible and balanced people’. Such a definition has two major problems; first ‘adult education’ becomes synonymous with ‘andragogy’ thus affecting the semantic rigor of the term.  

Transportation In Malaysian Context

Transportation In Malaysian Context Unlike most other Asian cities, driving is the main mode of commuting in Kuala Lumpur. Hence, every part of the city is well connected by highways. As the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur has a comprehensive road network that leads to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia. Public transport in Kuala Lumpur and the rest of the Klang Valley covers a variety of transport modes such as bus, rail and taxi. Based on the article Prasarana to buy trains worth RM1.2bil by The Star in 2006, despite efforts to promote usage of public transportation, utilisation rates are low as only 16 percent of the population used public transportation. Rail transport in Kuala Lumpur encompasses light rail, rapid transit, monorail and commuter rail. Kuala Lumpur is served by three separate rail systems which meet in the city and extend towards other parts of the Klang Valley, namely RapidKL Light Rail Transit, KL Monorail, and KTM Komuter. These lines have underground, elevated or at-grade stations around the city. The main rapid transit hub is KL Sentral which facilitates as an interchange station for the rail systems. RapidKL is the operator of two light rail lines in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley, namely Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line which connect Kuala Lumpur to its satellite city, Petaling Jaya. The issue of what transport system in Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Petaling Jaya has today is, people are too lazy. They are lazy to walk so they decided to park their car as close as they can to their destination. They are lazy to find car parks so they park at road shoulders, causing congestion to the drivers and also an obstacle for pedestrians and cyclists. They are lazy to walk a few miles to the nearest LRT station to go to city centre and opt to go there by car instead, despite the massive traffic especially during early morning and late evening. But they are okay with it. Because no matter how they said they hate the traffic, they would still go out using their cars, and put up hours on the road, wasting precious times. So why would these people, simply put up with the traffic that they hate so much and deceiving the fact that they have the multi-million Ringgit worth of PUTRA LRT, which is one of the most advanced rapid transit systems in the world, and at the time of construction was the worlds longest driverless metro. Because if they travel with LRT, it may not stop approximately at their destination. Theres this term, faced by the LRT users, which are called first mile and last mile. And Malaysian hates this. So they prefer to sit in their little air-conditioned steel boxes which move slower than a bike during peak hours. Because of peoples love for their cars, finding a solution to the question of access to these buildings, to avoid being surrounded by a sea of parked cars, is therefore an important part of the problem. According to Brian Richards in his book Future Transport in the cities (1960), he summed up the approaches that being used towards dealing with traffic problems in the cities by the authorities. These approaches are: There is a serious and effective grass roots opposition in most countries to more urban road-building on the basis that more roads mean more traffic. Within residential areas there has been the development of traffic calming and town yards. Controls on parking within city centres has effectively reduced and controlled the amount of traffic entering cities. Planning laws are banning more out of town shopping centres or random car-oriented developments. Public transport has been maintained and improved, without which any of the other measures would be effective. Although these measures were introduced, there are problems with the continuing growth of cars, the political strength of car lobby and the desire for people to own and use their own cars. In this selfish world, people love their cars. It gives them a retreat from the real world which partly accounts for their popularity. It provides them with a degree of comfort and privacy for the user, which public transportation did not have. It allows the user to go straight to their destination without having the hassle to change stations or switch mediums like public transportations do. As a result, these cars caused the most problems to city life. It is now that alternative ways must be sought to provide transportation systems that are good enough for people to opt out for it and leave their cars for major trips like going back to their kampung and road trips. Another reason that makes people opt for cars is the lack connectivity of LRT in Petaling Jaya area. Realising the problem, the Government of Malaysia is now working on a Malaysia Rapid Transit project. The proposal was announced in June 2010 and was approved by the government of Malaysia in December 2010. The newly-launched Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) will oversee and coordinate the entire MRT development in terms of cost and viability, alignment and integration, and will play the role of regulator once the project is completed. National infrastructure company, Syarikat Prasarana Negara would ultimately own and operate the MRT. A First Class Land Public Transport System Contributes to Social and Economic Development Historical data in Malaysia and around the world indicates a correlation between GDP and mobility growth increased population, employment and economic activity always translate into higher mobility requirements. In this context, a first class land public transport system is especially important given our immediate aims as outlined in the ETP: 6 per cent annual growth and 3.3 million new jobs by 2020. Travel vehicle demand grew from 13 million trips per day in 1991 to 40 million in 2010. Projections point towards this trend continuing in Malaysia, with the figure expected to reach a staggering 133 million in 2030.With urbanization expected to reach 70 per cent by 2020, there is a need to enable an efficient and smooth flow of people, which in turn also enables the growth of new urban areas through increased connectivity. Beyond satisfying a growing demand, land public transport plays a catalytic role in accelerating and shaping economic growth. Provision of effective public transport services has the potential of opening up new growth clusters, enhancing the attractiveness of existing clusters, and driving urban revitalization. And there are other positive spill-over effects of increased economic activity built upon an advanced land public transport network it yields employment and business opportunities in local economies by having synergies with other industries like advertisement, retail and property development. Malaysia has seen a surge in ownership of cars and motorcycles across the country, which is an indication of our countrys increased prosperity, but although private vehicles contribute to the mobility solution, sustainable and inclusive social and economic development cannot be overly dependent on private vehicles. As a general rule, public transportation is more affordable and mitigate traffic congestion as well as the attendant pollution problems caused by private vehicles on the road. All this puts tremendous pressure on the land public transport system to meet the mobility and connectivity requirements closely linked to the social and economic development agenda. Public Transport Masterplan which was being proposed recently. MY Rapid Transit (MRT) is a proposed three-line Mass Rapid Transit system in the Klang Valley. The MRT will be integrated with the LRT, Monorail, KTM Komuter and intra/ intercity buses and will help alleviate traffic congestion by increasing the number of people using public transport in the city centre. When operational, the system targets to carry 400,000 commuters daily. In 2020, it is estimated that the population in the Klang Valley will grow from the current 6 million to 10 million. This means that if every single trip is on private transport, the roads in the Klang Valley will be in gridlock. An effective public transport system is the only solution to this as it can move people in masses and it has an optimal usage of space to carry the same number of people. Rail-based public transport, such as the MRT, LRT or commuter train, always forms the backbone of a citys public transport system as it can carry large numbers of people and can move people quickly because it is not hindered by road traffic. Klang Valley currently has a shortage of rail-based public transport coverage compared with most public transport-oriented cities. It has less than 20km per million population. Public transport-oriented cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong and London have more than 40km of rail per million population. With the MRT, it will boost the rail-based public transport coverage in Klang Valley significantly. The first line of this project is the Sungai Buloh Kajang Line (SBK Line), which stretches 51km and have 31 stations. The line will pass through the city centre and will serve densely populated suburban areas including Kota Damansara, Mutiara Damansara, Bandar Utama, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Bukit Damansara, Cheras, Bandar Tun Hussein Onn and Balakong, with a total catchment population of 1.2 million people. Out of the 31 stations, 16 stations will be equipped with Park and Ride facilities: Sungai Buloh Maluri Pusat Bandar Damansara Kota Damansara Taman Bukit Mewah Bandar Tun Hussein Onn Taman Industri Sungai Buloh Plaza Phoenix Taman Koperasi Taman Tun Dr Ismail Taman Suntex Saujana Impian Seksyen 16 Taman Cuepacs Kajang Works on the MRT SBK line has begun in July 2011 and is expected to be completed by 2017. The Klang Valley MRT will not only significantly increase the current inadequate rail network but will also serve to integrate the existing rail networks and expectantly alleviate the severe traffic congestion in the Greater KL metropolitan area. The new MRT system is to radically improve and transform Kuala Lumpurs poor and sorely inadequate public transportation coverage and to propel the Greater Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area to be on par with that of a developed city. The new lines will increase Greater Kuala Lumpurs rapid rail network from 15 km per million people in 2010 to 40 km per million people once completed. The proposal also envisages a fivefold increase in rail ridership, in line with the governments target for public transport usage in the Klang Valley of 40% by 2020 from 18% in 2009. The Red Line will go from Damansara in the northwest to Serdang in the southeast of Kuala Lumpur, While the Green Line will be from Kepong in the northeast to Cheras in the southwest. Bot h lines will pass through the city of Kuala Lumpur and converge at the Dataran Perdana (Kuala Lumpur International Financial District) near Jalan Tun Razak. The underground MRT Line 2 looping around the city of Kuala Lumpur will serve an important role to tie-up and integrate the currently disjointed LRT and monorail lines. Under the Greater KL/ Klang Valley Land Public Transport Master Plan draft, MRT 2 would cater for orbital movements around Kuala Lumpur, provide linkages to existing areas such as the Mid Valley, Mont Kiara, Sentul Timur and Ampang, as well as proposed major developments identified in the DBKL City Plan such as Matrade. The master plan draft says the circle line would be developed in at least two phases The first, comprising 29km with 22 stations would be the western and southern sections linking Ampang with Mid Valley, Matrade and Sentul. The second phase (12km with 8 stations) would link Ampang with Sentul Timur, completing the northeastern sector of the circle line. The master plan also says MRT 3 or the north-south (NS) line would cater for a north-west corridor of the Greater Klang Valley, linking developing areas such as Sungai Buloh, Kepong and Selayang with the eastern half of the city centre (including Kampung Baru and Kuala Lumpur International Financial District), which was forecast to be overloaded in the future. Sustainably Enhancing Connectivity Public transport has an important role to play in Malaysias aspirations to develop holistically and sustainably. As populations in urban centres get denser, the problems of congestion and pollution will rise. Proper planning of public transport and land-use are essential to mitigate the ill-effects of population growth in urban areas and to make city-life a pleasant, healthy and environmentally sustainable one. Under the Final Draft of Malaysias National Land Public Transport Masterplan, chapter 3.7 ABOUT BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE states that policy 3.7.1 is to promote healthy living. One of the indirect benefits of using land public transport systems is that they indirectly promote healthier lifestyles. This is because when the public transportation hubs are well connected, the first and last miles of a public transport users journey are typically travelled by foot, rather than in a car or on a motorcycle. The stretch between the public transport station and the users origin or destination is crucial to reduce the barrier of using public transport in the first place. †¢ Pedestrian facilities improvement to bus stops and railway stations will be encouraged as part of the local authority development plans. Walking structures should be defined around transit stops to increase the convenience of those locations. To enhance the accessibility of KLà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s public transport network, a target has been set of having 75 per cent of the population live within 400 meters of a public transport stop. In addition to ensuring ease of access to the major transport nodes for pedestrians, fitting in cyclist-friendly infrastructure such as bicycle parking facilities and bicycle lanes will make it easier and more attractive for people to ride to the stations or interchanges. It will also increase the catchment area of these bus interchanges or rail stations as people living further away would not be put off by having to walk a distance to take public transport. policy 3.7.1 : Final Draft of Malaysiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s National Land Public Transport Masterplan First, lets take Singapore as a reference in terms of public transportation usage and connectivity. It is easy to take Singapore as a reference to this study because of its climate is the same as Malaysia and taking Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Petaling Jaya as a place of study, it is almost similar to Singapore in terms of urbanization. Then again, how did Singapore able to encourage their people to use their public transportation? Although the approach of Singaporean government is not through cycling, however, it is still beneficial to review their integrated transport system and compare with our own transportation system. In terms of connectivity, public transportation in Singapore is highly connected all over its main town to its suburbs. Since Singapore is a small town with a high density of population, it is possible to do so. Furthermore, because of its size, it is possible to enforce restrictions on private car ownership this, curbing congestion and pollution. To own a car, one must pay duty one and a half times the market value and bid for a Singapore Certificate of Entitlement which comes in very limited numbers. Therefore, according to Singapores department of statistics, only 1 very 10 people own a car. Within the absence of private cars, Singaporeans seems to live normally and manage their time effectively, to catch up with the public transportations schedule. Singaporeans usually travels either by bus, taxis, trains, or maybe a combination and some of them might cycle. Although according to Tan Mike Tze in a chapter of the book THE JOURNEY: Singapores Land Transportation Story (2005), he says Singaporeans does not like the idea of pedal-powered bicycle as it is too hot and humid, the traffic is dangerous to the cyclist and so on. Also, generally bicycles are used by construction workers, say some. In the book, Tan Mike Tze has this thought where he wants people to imagine a world where everybody goes to work by bicycles or walking or public transportation and their companies are encouraging it by providing showers and changing room facilities allow people to freshen up before starting their work. A world with dedicated lanes and protected side road reserves for the bicycles. A world where the roads are dominated by cyclists and pedestrians and cars have to give way to them. Imagine the health benefits, environmental friendliness and sheer graciousness in such a world. In Petaling Jaya, there are already bicycle paths and bicycle parkings at bus stops, being integrated as part of a residential areas streetscape in Damansara Jaya. Although not many people have come to know about these facilities, it is actually a part of Petaling Jayas Green City big plan, where they are trying to decrease the carbon footprints produced and reduce the use of private motorised vehicles on the road. The bicycle path in Damansara Jaya is the pioneer project which tries to communicates urban parks within the Petaling Jaya area. Even though it was meant for recreation, it indirectly helps the cyclist to safely commute within that area. Children can now cycle to school without having their parents to worry about their safety on the road, thus, reducing the number of cars on the road during 7.00 am to 7.30 am and 2.00pm to 3.30pm. It is a very good example set up by the Petaling Jaya Municipalities on how to manage traffic in urban areas. Singapores transport planners have occasionally toyed with this idea. The Registry of Vehicles stopped registering bicycles in 1981, but a 1955 estimate reckoned Singaporean owned about 240 bicycles per 1000 population. This puts Singapore sixth in a table with other developed countries, a table inevitably topped by the developing worlds most devoted cyclist, in Holland, with its 550 bicycles per 1000 people. But ownership does not equate with usage, of course. Most bicycles use in Singapore is recreational, and often the bikes belong to a child or teenagers but not working adults. There already is a good network of recreational bike paths in parkland areas. But only 1% of Singaporean trips were made on bicycles in 1995, way below the most other countries. In many admittedly cooler European countries, up to 50% of rail travellers and perhaps 20% of bus travellers may arrive at the station or terminus on a bicycle. There certainly are valid safety concerns, given the current configuration of Singapores roads; while only 1% trips were made by bicycle, the percentage of road accident casualties for cyclists is disproportionately large, at about 4%. But these conditions could be changed. The cyclist could be protected via dedicated lanes or paths among other strategies. Road planners, of course, panic that they are already short enough of land for road-building, without sacrificing any more for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬-frills such as bicycle lanes. For engineers, all the glamour lies in rail. To some extent, this mindset can be seen in the 1996 White Paper A World Class Land Transport System. In this report, bicycles are relegated to a brief paragraph at the back, under the general heading Supporting Measures. The provision of more facilities for bicycles would encourage short trips of about 3km within housing estates, and possibly to the nearest MRT stations as well. It is the strength of this lobby to create future demand that ultimately will determine whether the planners really embrace the bicycle. The Land Transport Authority, had provided some 869 bicycles at 38 MRT stations by 1997, but it seems significant that bicycles did not feature in the LTA annual report after that, and that a search of the current LTA website under bicycle- does not yield any information. How much friendlier and nicer our roads and public spaces would it be if more of us paddled around on bicycles instead of sitting high and aloof in our four-wheeled steel boxes. It will require a national cycling strategy integrated into the national transport, health and environmental policy. The such master plan will provide for necessary infrastructure such as traffic signs and bicycle parkings, redesign roads and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾traffic calmingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ measures in built up areas and school zones to slow down motor traffic. It will require some changes to the law, most importantly, it will require safety education and training for all road users. Chin Yih Ling, Singaporeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s Today Newspaper, 17 January 2005 According to existing cyclists, cycling in early in the morning and late afternoon hours could be much more comfortable than walking as they can feel the breeze during riding the bike and the temperature of the surrounding is quite cool. It would extend the catchment of the LRT stations of more than 45% walking, thus making cycling a better option than walking. In Malaysia, people are allowed to take motorcycle license as early at the age of 16 and car license at the age of 18. Malaysia has cheap petrols, subsidized by the government, lots of highways and wide roads to occupy the needs of urban transportation. Therefore, people here cant seem to find a reason to not own a car or ride one. Thus, the existence of bicycle is forgotten. Even kids are demanding to be sent and invited back home by cars. Bicycles in Kuala Lumpur city centre and Petaling Jaya are now merely for recreations, where people brought their bicycle by cars, to the urban parks, and ride it there for the sake of heal th benefits they claim. There are even peoples, who strived the congested roads every day after work, for the sake of riding a stationary bicycle at the gym, also, for the health benefits. Figure 2.1.3 Copenhagen, Denmark, Mao showing 300km of cycle paths provided beside all existing regional roads and distributor streets, used by 30% of commuters daily. New cycle routes are being built, aimed at increasing the length of average cycle trips from 5 to 15km. For those who arent cycling, the idea of having a dedicated bike path would make them think as if it was a waste of space and resources. But looking things at a bigger picture, having dedicated bicycle paths would encourage more people to cycle as it ensures the cyclists safety on the road. When more people cycles, the dependency on private cars lessens thus, reducing the number of cars on the road, and releasing the traffics pressure, especially during peak hour. With just a few millions spent on providing bicycle-oriented facilities such as painting the paths and providing bicycle parking, and give 1.5 metre minimum from the existing roads to these bike paths instead of spending billions on building more highways and flyovers the government could save billions more and able to spend it to increase the performance of existing public transportations such as increasing the number of coaches to the train to allow more people to enjoy the ride, increasing the number of trains and platforms to allow more frequent trips and better connectivity to places throughout the city. 2.2 Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur is the federal capital of Malaysia. The city covers an area of 243KM ² and has an estimated population of 1.6 million as of 2012. At 1999, the administrative centre of Malaysia was shifted to Putrajaya as an approach to release the population pressure of Kuala Lumpur. Started as a tin mining town, Kuala Lumpur evolves rapidly as among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the country, in terms of population and economy Malaysia. After the big flood swept through the town following a fire that had engulfed it earlier in 1881, Kapitan Yap Ah Loy restructured the building layout of the city into new brick buildings with clay tiles inspired by shophouses in southern China, characterised by five foot ways as well as skilled Chinese carpentry work. This resulted in a distinct eclectic shop house architecture typical of this region. A railway line increased accessibility into the growing town. As the development intensified in the 1890s, Kapitan Yap Ah Loy spent a sum of $20,000 to expand road access in the city significantly, linking up tin mines with the city, these roads include the main arterial roads of Ampang Road, Pudu Road and Petaling Street. Climate and weather Protected by the Titiwangsa Mountains in the east and Indonesias Sumatra Island in the west, Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya has a tropical rainforest climate which is hot and humid all year round. Average temperatures tend to remain constant between 31 and 33  °C and typically receives minimum 2,600 mm of rain annually. Flooding is a frequent occurrence in both cities whenever there is a heavy downpour, especially in the city centre and downstream areas. Dust particles from forest fires from nearby Sumatra sometimes cast a haze over the region. It is a major source of pollution in the city together with open burning, emission from motor vehicles and construction works. 2.3 Petaling Jaya Petaling Jaya is a city in Selangor originally developed as a satellite township for Kuala Lumpur, comprising mostly residential and some industrial areas. It is located in the Petaling district with First developed by the British on the former 486 hectares Effingham Estate,as an answer to the problem of overpopulation in Kuala Lumpur in 1952 and has since witnessed a dramatic growth in terms of population size and geographical importance. The migration from Kuala Lumpur to the Petaling area had indeed started before the town was officially named in 1953 as Petaling Jaya. The satellite town began to take shape in 1952 when 800 houses were built and another 200 under construction. By the end of 1957, there were well over 3,200 houses in Petaling Jaya, along with more than 100 shops and 28 operating factories. The year also saw the opening of the first phase of the Federal Highway (Lebuhraya Persekutuan) which divided Petaling Jaya into two. Linking Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Port Klang, it enhanced PJs reputation as a strategically located town, particularly in the eyes of industrialists and the affluent searching for prime residential land. Transportation facilities and infrastructure are well developed in Petaling Jaya. Bus services were initially provided by Sri Jaya between the early 1950s until the early 1990s. The mid-eighties saw the introduction of minibuses. The introduction of the IntraKota bus system by DRB-Hicom saw the replacement of Sri Jaya and the minibus by the early 1990s. At the same time, some of the Petaling Jaya-Kuala Lumpur bus routes were also serviced by Metrobus. The introduction of the Putra LRT service in 1998 saw the addition of the Putraline feeder bus services. The combination of Putraline and Putra LRT brought a relief to many Petaling Jaya residents especially those who had had to rely on public transportation. In 2006 RapidKL took over the operations of IntraKota as well as both Star and Putra LRT. Today, public transportation is provided by RapidKL in the form of buses as well as the KL Light Rail Transit System Kelana Jaya Line, which extends slightly into Petaling Jaya. There are five Kelana Jaya Line stations in Petaling Jaya.Petaling Jaya has three access points to the national highway system North-South Expressway via Kota Damansara, Damansara, and Subang. Internally, highways such as the Damansara-Puchong Expressway, Sprint Expressway and the Federal Highway also exist. There are plans for extensions to the existing Klang Valley light rail transit network with a new 30 km line from Kota Damansara in the northern part of Petaling Jaya to Cheras (southern Kuala Lumpur) with stops in Mutiara Damansara and Taman Tun Dr Ismail, to name a few. The extension line which would connect to Subang Jaya, the Kelana Jaya Line, will start operation on April 2011 and expected to be completed in 2013. 2.4 Cycling In The City Before the economy of Malaysia blooms and the first national car, Proton Saga, was launched in July 1985 by Malaysias then Prime Minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad, cars is a luxury to many, and cycle is the most common medium of transportation. Peoples daily travel distances were shorter and the city is more friendly towards people, rather than machines. People in those days treated cycling as part of their utility, rather than a hobby. Utility or transportational cycling generally involves travelling short and medium distances, which involves a few kilometres and not more, often in an urban environment. It includes commuting to work, school or university, going shopping and running errands, as well as heading out to see friends and family or for other social activities. It also includes economic activity such as the delivering of goods or services. In big cities, the bicycle courier has been often a familiar feature, and freight bicycles are capable of competing with trucks and vans particularly where many small deliveries are required, especially in congested areas. In Yokohama, Japan, bicycle also being used as a medium of public transportation through services called Velotaxi. Similar to the old days rickshaw, Velotaxi provides environmental friendly transport to its user and is actually one of the main tourist attractions in the city. Utility cycling is believed to have several social and economic benefits. According to a report by the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Cycling in Netherlandsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬-, policies that encourage utility cycling have been proposed and implemented for reasons including: Improved public health Individual health and employers profits A reduction in traffic congestion and air pollution Improvements in road traffic safety Improved quality of life Improved mobility and social inclusiveness Benefits to child development In the Chinese city of Beijing alone, there are an estimated four million bicycles in use based on article à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢China ends bicycle kingdom as embracing cars, China Daily on 11th November 2004, which stated it has been estimated that in the early-1980s there were approximately 500 million cyclists in China). While in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢A Study on Measures to Promote Bicycle Usage in Japan Department of Civil Engineering, Utsunomiya University, as of the year 2000, there were an estimated 80 million bicycles in Japan, accounting for 17% of commuter trips, and also, in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Cycling in Netherlandsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- report, stated in the Netherlands, 27% of all trips are made by bicycle. Figure 2.4.3 A common type bicycle in Japan where it comes with front and rear-mounted child seats. Source: Authors own Factors That Influence Levels of Utility Cycling According to a book by Grà ©gory Vandenbulcke-Plasschaert, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Spatial Analysis of Bicycle Use and Accident Risks for Cyclistsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬-, many different factors combine to influence levels of utility cycling.In developing economies, a large amount of utility cycling may be seen simply because the bicycle is the most affordable form of vehicular transport available to many people. In richer countries, where people can have the choice of a mixture of transport types, a complex interplay of other factors influences the level of bicycle usage. Factors affecting cycling levels may include: Quality of infrastructure, such as the availability of bike path, safe parkings,etc. Retail policy Marketing the public image of cycling Integration with other transport modes Cycle training Terrain condition which influences bikeability Distance to destin