Esperanza Rising Essay

From being born with a silver spoon your mouth and having your world revolve around you to having nothing, can be a life changing experience. In the historical fiction story Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan this exact thing happens to a 12 year old girl named Esperanza. Esperanza’s world is turned upside down when her father is murdered and she and her mom are forced to move to Las Angels. We watch as Esperanza changes from a self important unrespectful child into a mature greatful unpredjidus young adult. When Esperanza’s father, Sixto, dies everything ends up going down hill. When her father was murdered his brothers Tio Luis and Tio Miguel were part of the will, so that meant that they got part of the land. But when Tio Luis asked for Ramona’s hand in marriage they were forced to move to Las Angels. While Esperanza still thinks she’s a princess, she winds up being a pretous stuck up and predjidus to others. When she left she left with one thing and that was the doll she had gotten from her father for her 13th birthday. When Esperanza and her family arrived in Las Angels they started to look for work. When they found work it was for farming and they got a job and started working. When Esperanza tried working she couldn’t because she didn’t know how to do anything on her own. At the end we see Esperanza change because she has been able to feel the earths heartbeat and gave the doll to Isabela.

Marriott Corporation: the Cost of Capital Essay

Dan Cohrs of Marriott Corporation has the important task of determining correct hurdle rates for the entire corporation as well as each individual business segment. These rates are instrumental in determining which future projects to pursue and thus fundamentally important for Marriott’s growth trajectory. This case analysis seeks to examine Marriott’s financial strategy in comparison with its growth goals as well as evaluate a detailed breakdown of Marriott’s cost of capital – both divisionally and as a whole. Financial Strategy and Growth Marriot’s current financial strategy is in line with its overall goal of steady growth. By building and then promptly selling their hotels to limited partners, the company recoups its costs almost immediately. They then run the hotels, taking a 20% cut of the profits in addition to a 3% management fee. This results in fast, stable returns, which is good for continued growth. They may run into issues with overexpansion in the future, but for the time being, their strategy is sound. The other elements of Marriott’s financial strategy are also in line with their overall goals. By seeking projects that would increase shareholder value and repurchasing undervalued shares, they ensure that the value of their equity does not decrease. When coupled with the use of debt in the company’s capital structure, they are creating a good framework for future growth. Cost of Capital – Lodging and Restaurant Divisions We begin with an analysis of hurdle rates for the Lodging and Restaurant divisions, for which public comparable company figures are provided, to back into cost of capital for Contract Services in the next section, for which public comparables are not available. Restaurant D/V D/E ÃŽ ²lev ered ÃŽ ²unlev ered Church’s Chicken 4.0 % 0.04 0.75 0.73 Frisch’s 6.0 % 0.06 0.60 0.58 Collins Foods 10.0 % 0.11 0.13 0.12 Luby’s Cafeterias 1.0 % 0.01 0.64 0.64 McDonald’s 23.0 % 0.30 1.00 0.86 Wendy’s Int. 21.0 % 0.27 1.08 0.94 Rf 8.72 % Market Premium 7.92 % Median ÃŽ ²unlev ered 0.685 Target Debt % 42 % ÃŽ ²lev ered 0.962 Cost of Equity 16.57 % Cost of Debt 10.52 % WACC 12.08 % Lodging D/V D/E ÃŽ ²lev ered ÃŽ ²unlev ered Hilton 14.0 % 0.16 0.88 0.81 Holiday 79.0 % 3.76 1.46 0.47 La Quinta 69.0 % 2.23 0.38 0.17 Ramada 65.0 % 1.86 0.95 0.47 Rf 8.95 % Market Premium 7.92 % Median ÃŽ ²unlev ered 0.468 Target Debt % 74 % ÃŽ ²lev ered 1.213 Cost of Equity 18.56 % Cost of Debt 10.05 % WACC 8.98 % For these two divisions, we found the unlevered beta for each company in the division’s peer set, then relevered the median of this set with respect to Marriott’s target debt percentage of 74% and 42% for Lodging and Restaurant divisions, respectively, as a proxy for Marriott’s Lodging levered beta. The risk-free rates are based on U.S Treasury interest rates: we used the 30-year for Lodging and the 10-year for Restaurant due to the longevity of the assets in each respective division. Lodging assets consist mostly of real estate and have lives spanning decades, while restaurants are more likely to have a life cycle closer to 10 years. The geometric average in 1987 for the spread between the S&P 500 and U.S. Government Bonds at 7.92% is used as the market risk premium in all cases, and the cost of debt is calculated by adding the debt rate premium for each division to each division’s risk free rate. A tax rate of 44.1% is extrapolated by dividing income tax expense by EBT in the historical financials. With the entire infrastructure in place, we can calculate each division’s cost of equity through the CAPM model: Cost of Capital – Contract Services Division Comparable companies are not given for the Contract Services Division, but information about the division can be backsolved using some simple algebra as we are given Marriott’s balance sheet breakdown by segment in Exhibit 2: Since it is given that Marriott’s unlevered beta is .97, its tax rate is 44.1%, and has 60% debt in its capital structure, we can unlever to see that Marriott as an entire firm has an unlevered beta of .79. Assuming that Marriott’s unlevered beta can be calculated as a weighted average of its divisions’ betas based on identifiable assets, we can find Contract Services unlevered beta by solving: Using some algebra, this yields an unlevered beta of 1.55 for Contract Services. Relevering with the 2/3 desired debt-to-equity ratio yields a levered beta of 2.13. This time, we use the 1-day risk-free rate due to the even shorter lifespan of contracts. Cost of Capital – Marriott as a Whole There are several ways to approach Marriott’s cost of capital as an entire firm. One way is to use CAPM to find its cost of equity, long-term interest rates for the cost of debt, and weigh according to its capital structure to find WACC. Under this method, we lever the previously found firm-wide ÃŽ ²U of .79 to the desired 3/2 debt-to-equity ratio to find a cost of equity of 17.12%. Next, we apply the CAPM using the 10-year Treasury for 1987 Assets % of total ÃŽ ²unlev ered Lodging 2777.4 60.6 % 0.47 Contract Services 1237.7 27.0 % Restaurants 567.6 12.4 % 0.68 Total 4582.7 100.0 % Contract Services Rf 6.90 % Market Premium 7.92 % ÃŽ ²unlev ered 1.550 Target Debt % 40 % ÃŽ ²lev ered 2.131 Cost of Equity 23.78 % Cost of Debt 8.30 % WACC 16.12 % the risk-free rate and the one-year arithmetic return for 1987. We use the arithmetic rather than geometric since CAPM is a one-period model. For Marriott’s cost of debt, we add the credit spread of 1.3% to the ten-year Treasury yield of 8.72%. Plugging all these variables into CAPM, we arrive at a WACC of 10.53%. Another method to finding Marriott’s cost of capital is by taking a weighted average of its three segments. Since its three segments have different business models – it may be helpful to see the cost of capital as a mix of its three divisions rather than an aggregate Marriott unit. Weighing each division by the same weights in the Contract Services section, we calculate that WACC is 11.3% A couple of items to note on Marriott’s firm-wide cost of capital are noted here. Marriott’s WACC measures the cost of capital for the whole Marriott Corporation. Marriott has three lines of business –each line of service has its unique cost of deb t and beta, so when valuing investments in those three service lines, we would use their own WACC instead of using Marriott’s WACC. If the firm only uses one hurdle rate for evaluating investment opportunities in each line of business, it may accept or reject some investment project improperly. From the question below we already found that the WACC for lodging and restaurants is not the same. So for example, if just using one hurdle rate, like 10%, to evaluate the project among these two line of service, the lodging service may reject this project while the restaurant service may accept it. Appendix Below are the costs of equity, debt, and capital for all of Marriott as well as its three divisions. Weight WACC Lodging 0.60606 8.98 % Contract Services 0.27008 16.12 % Restaurants 0.12386 12.08 % 11.30 % Contract Marriott Lodging Restaurant Services Cost of Debt 10.02 % 10.05 % 10.52 % 8.30 % Cost of Equity 17.12 % 18.56 % 16.57 % 23.78 % Cost of Capital 10.53 % 8.98 % 12.08 % 16.12 %

Business Plan For A Business

A well written business plan is recommended to begin any new business or new venture creation. The purpose of a business plan is to describe the business in detail for a variety of purposes. The plan can give direction and add vision to the company, such as growth and arket changes. A good business plan can attract new investors and potential partners or employees. It can also help manage the company as a whole. â€Å"A business plan conveys the organizational structure of your business, including titles†¦ A business plan is a written document or a statement that states the goals of the companies and the progress of how the goals are going to be accomplished. Plan of activities includes the why, what and when questions to come up with a solid plan that will turn into a business (Salman, 2008). Plan of activities serves the following purpose: (1) it acts a directive, plan of activities helps in identifying how far you want to take the business and you achievement at the end, (2) business plan gives†¦ .Analyzing a business that you are interesting in opening By analyzing a business that you are thinking about opening helps you in a number of ways (1) it will show you how to reduce your over all cost, how to better service your customers, It shows you how it works and how you can make improvements. It points out risk that you may encounter. It shows the input, output and activities in the company. It helps you to focus on operation process, management process, don 't forget about the S.W.O.T tools†¦ Your business is unique. It requires a business plan that is tailored to achieve your company 's goals. It entails settling on the perfect blend of advertising, marketing, and public relations channels to adequately promote your goods or services. And it calls for strategies for pricing, funding, and expansion that are uniquely designed for its needs. So why acquire a merchant account that is not specific to your business? Today 's merchant services providers can furnish you with equipment, software†¦ In order for a business to be successful, that business has to have a clearly defined business model and plan. Regardless of the type of business, the purpose of a business model is to provide a clear level of insight of an organization’s goals, mission, and strategy and framework of how the business will function to accomplish those goals. As a member-driven trade association, our focus is dedicated to communicating the value of community pharmacies as the face of neighborhood healthcare. This†¦ Business plan: Business plan is just like a written document of business future. This document generally projects business goals, issues may face your business and plans to solve them and outlines the route a company intends to take to grow revenues (Berry, n.d.). Generally a business plan will include components such as descriptions of the company, product or service, market, forecasts, management team, and financial analysis and containing a projected profit and loss statement (MCKEEVER†¦ Entrepreneurs looking to start-up a business need innovative ideas that translate into opportunity. Perpetuated by a vision of a product or service, entrepreneurs look to revolutionize an industry by satisfying unmet consumer demands in the market. Having an innovative product is what powers a business idea forward. Through careful market research and industry analysis, a solid and well-designed business plan is needed to define what your product is and how it will be profitable. The key to generating†¦ have a business plan, no matter how small or how big. Running a business is very hard and requires a lot of details and having ideas, sort of a rough draft. A business plan serves as a road map and attracts capital through loans and investments. You will never know if your business will succeed or not but having a vision of what your business is going to be gives a good chance. The first step in a business plan is being able to write a business description for your business plan. Your business description†¦ a new business requires a lot of planning, making vital financial decisions and conducting a number of legal activities. The demand of a person time may be much greater than anticipated. With careful planning, an individual would be able to work through some of those challenges they will be faced with. In starting a business, there are numerous steps/stages one must go through. Some of those steps includes (1) Business plan, (2) Choosing a business location, (3) Financing your business (4) Registering†¦ you have a marketing and business plan. I believe no business can or will succeed without a Mission, Objective, Budget, and Marketing Plan. I have witness several businesses from a variety of people fail or not succeed because they fail to develop a Marketing and Business Plan. Without the proper preparation for any business or any product they will face higher chances of lacking its full potential. In addition, there are so many other contributing factors to a business not being successful which†¦

Major League Baseball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Major League Baseball - Essay Example It uses a unique video editing information system as a product differentiation strategy that allows employees to produce highlights in just a few minutes, sending out about 200 highlights a day during the regular season and meeting a wide range of customer needs. The buyer’s volume and importance of the product are evident from its sales levels and demands for the MLBAM (Case Study 2). The product generates around $ 450 million a year in revenues, out of which fifty percent comes from fans with the balance generated from advertising that comes with online content. Supplier power Supplier strength for MLBAM is visible in its strong command and concentration in the online sports content business that has been hugely successful judging from the impressive revenue performance, satisfied users given the amount of information, updates received and convenience. The company has also succeeded in product differentiation because it offers the product in a unique way and targets niche ma rket. It also uses different technological platforms that apply a plug or a battery such as computers, laptops, and mobile phones to send clips of streaming video and text, thus creating utmost convenience informing viewers and fans about what they need to know. The product has capabilities to tap into the base by presenting multiple (camera) angles, on-demand video, and stats. Another aspect of supplier power for MLB is its specialty in providing a large amount of online information that is unavailable anywhere else or on any other device. Further, online content business has become a popular source of information for many users, thus creating immense business viability for suppliers who offer unique products and services with the objective to meet the needs of the different online customers. MLB has identified these needs and perfectly tried to meet them through their product. Increasing customer loyalty To maintain and/or increase customer loyalty, MLBAM should employ strategies that jealously guard its existing market share and also explore ways of expanding the customer base to grow revenue and increase business performance. Product differentiation based on customer segments is one of the strategies the company can use. Though it targets to introduce customized applications for certain models of cell phones, it can expand the scope to cover other handsets and also include other non-phone gadgets such as iPads. The company should also explore the strengths and limitations of its competitors by interrogating the soft spots of alternative products to strengthen its products. Other strategies may include going an extra mile to know its customers better, meet and exceed customer expectations, increase value derived by customers from its products, and endeavor to distinguish between needs and wants. Which of Porter's three generic strategies is MLBAM following? Porter’s generic strategies are: segmentation strategy (focus) for a narrow market scope, diff erentiation strategy for a broad market scope with competitive advantages of uniqueness and competency, cost leadership strategy for a broad market scope with advantages of low cost and competency. MLBAM seems to have adopted the differentiation strategy targeting a broad market but ensuring uniqueness and competency as the selling points. How can MLBAM use efficiency IT metrics and effectiveness IT metrics to improve

Self Efficacy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Self Efficacy - Research Paper Example Before I was incarcerated, I had just finished college and I felt I had my whole life ahead of me, I was supremely confident and proud of my considerable academic achievements. I considered myself an objective person and was always focused on bettering my skills abilities as well as social life, despite the fact that I had several offers from leading companies, I was in view of setting out on my own with my friends to start a company. While I was aware of the fact that being employed was a safer bet, I was determined to start life on my own terms, the challenges of being entrepreneurs seemed like something I could handle and overcome. When faced with challenges, people with law self-efficacy often back down and give up (Bandura, 1993) I was the exact opposite, challenges spurred me into more action and strengthened my resolve. As I said, the world was at my feet, I was determined I would make my first million before my college mates who had gone onto formal employment had paid off th eir collage loans. My two partners shared my optimism, but they often thought me too ambitious, however, within the within two years, they came to appreciate my confidence and I rubbed of them. We designed, created, and sold software and thanks intellectual effort, combined talent as well as several calculated risks, we were had several solid contracts and money was coming in regularly if not comfortably. In a way I believe my high sense of self-worth; propelled by my success slowly turning into arrogance and a feeling of invincibility, what more, I could not bear to loose and would often bend and even break the law. In my quest to land us a contract, I had found out that the main competitor was an old rival from college, working for a competing firm, and decided that I would get it by all means. I started by befriending one of the managers in the firm where we had applied for the contract. I even subtly suggested in one of our private meetings that if my firm got the contract, I wo uld make it worth his while; this was the mistake that brought down my career. Initially he was reluctant and even appeared offended, I thought I might have gone too far but when he agreed to a second meeting, I threw caution to the wind, in my mind, my charm and convincing attitude had won him over. The truth is he had reported my conduct and had received instructions to lead me on, but I was too blind to see this, he talked about how he was having money problems and mentioned he was in the committee dealing with our contract. I took the bait and mentioned a figure, and he agreed, three days later as I handed him the money in a brown envelop in the same restaurant we met on the first day, and I was arrested. Admittedly this was not the first time I had done such a thing, but what I did not know is that the authorities had been investigating me and when the manager reported me, they came in for the kill. Efficacy works both ways; one is not only confident on their abilities and capa city for success indeed while research has often pointed to self-efficacy being related to convectional purists and positive development even criminal traits benefit from the same. I pleaded guilty, and cut a deal with the prosecution to, so my partners would not be involved since they were very ignorant of my activities, my efficacy was still intact, as I blamed no one but myself. However, in prison I had time to think and reflect on my actions and motivation, I realized my arrogance and ambition had been

The Impact of Organisational Learning on the Creation and Coursework

The Impact of Organisational Learning on the Creation and Communication of Knowledge - Coursework Example This essay approves that communication of knowledge within an organization is important due to various reasons. It allows knowledge to be dissipated from the ones that already possess the knowledge to those employees that are new in the organization. When employees retire, their positions are taken up by new recruits. Almost all organizations are concerned about the issue of retention of knowledge within the organization after their valuable and most experienced employees retire. It is crucial that the level of knowledge with which work was done by the previous employees, should not deteriorate on their replacement. This purpose can be fulfilled only if there is smooth flow of knowledge with the organization. This report makes a conclusion that organizational learning refers to the change that occurs in an organization due to the knowledge acquired by the members of the organization through experience gathered with passage of time. Although this is the most common explanation of the term, ‘organizational learning’ is defined in various ways by researchers. These definitions are affected by the mission and vision of the organizations that have been considered for the research and also the perspectives and pre-accumulated views of the scholars. Hence organizational learning has essentially become an interdisciplinary topic. Research on this topic draws elements from a number of fields and also outcome of this research makes extensive contribution to these fields leading to development of these fields, such as, theory of organizational behaviour, sociology and social psychology, cognitive psychology, information systems, engineering, economics, and strategic management. The pape r by Argote and Spektor (2011) provides a theoretical framework that helps to analyze the process of organizational learning and the level of knowledge gained on performance by employees. Purpose of the study The interdisciplinary nature of the study related to organizational learning makes it a topic of interest for research scholars. The paper selected for critical reviewing deals with this topic and presents an elaborate framework of study on organizational learning, covering the variations in the definitions of the term, the existing theory on this topic and analysis of this theory, importance of organizational experience in creating organizational learning and the process of organizational learning that includes creation, retention and transfer of knowledge. This purpose fits the paper very well since it has been published in the journal named Organization Science. This is because the journal aims at bridging the gap that exists between different disciplines and advancing the k nowledge that evolves from this process (Argote and Spektor, 2011). This paper has been presented with the view that the results would stimulate further research in future on this topic. Since it is a broad topic, there is wide scope of future research and researchers might find out new avenues to link the study of this topic with disciplines that have not been studied before with regard to organizational learning. Nature and extent of the issues Studies on â€Å"organizational learning and knowledge† (Argote and Spektor, 2011, p. 1124) are getting diversified due to the inclusion of a wide variety of ways in which knowledge is being created in present times and is being communicated. The authors of â€Å"Organizational learning: From experience to knowledge† have identified the themes that are currently emerging in this field. This paper sets the scope for further research on these themes and develops the platform that would enrich the researchers’ understandin g of the core topic. In this paper, it has been emphasised that creation of new knowledge and its smooth transfer across all levels of the organization is as important as proper retention of knowledge. In this paper transfer of knowledge is used synonymously with the notion of communication of knowledge. Proper learning through experiences is central to organizational prosperity (Taylor and Greve, 2006). It leads to greater understanding of the vision of the organization, fulfilment of the promises it has made towards its shareholders and the society and an overall improvement in organizational practice (Greve, 2003). Communication of knowledge within an organization is important due to various reasons. It

Does America Have a Foreign Policy by Mark Funkhouser Article

Does America Have a Foreign Policy by Mark Funkhouser - Article Example The fact that the governor intervened with a new solution that was appealing to the people was commendable, though it did not go down well with the Ferguson police department. However, it does point out that governance has to be approached from an open-minded perspective as Governor Jay Nixon did. Working solutions have to be implemented in the short-term period then seek long-term solutions later. Similarly, Feather O’Connor Houston believes that governance has to be approached with transparency and commitment to bring about the much-needed changes. She uses the example of the veteran’s healthcare issues that had not been addressed for a long time. She is right to insist that reforms in the public sector has to be approached with competence so that the results can be timely, convenient and of good high quality. In what appears to be a summary assessment on leadership, Michael Brenner explores the loop side of the Obama administration and ponders to ask whether America does have a foreign policy. The author argues that since Obama took over as the president, there has been no tangible evidence of American foreign policy. The author is right to observe that indecisiveness by the Obama administration on such matters are responsible for the rise of IS and Moscow’s interference on Kiev. Brenner is also right to observe that political advisors should be people with experience, not political campaigners as Obama may have done. Brenner, Michael (2014, October 13).

Applications of Linear Algebra to Electrical Engineering Research Paper

Applications of Linear Algebra to Electrical Engineering - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that matrices are used to find the simplest method of solving complex electrical circuits. A mesh is a loop that has a single current flow path. In the circuits where there are different current paths and different voltages, the simplest method is to utilize the matrices to solve for the currents and voltages. Every electrical network must have three basic quantities current, voltage or potential difference and resistance. There could be impedance or reactance at the place of resistance but the two quantities voltages and current are the constant in every electrical network. Many scientists proposed theories shoe the relation between the voltage or potential difference, current and resistance but ohms law presented the best relation in between the three quantities. The writers ‘Shamieh Cathleen and Gordon McComb’ in the book ‘Electronic for Dummies’ write â€Å"Ohm’s law is a master key, unlocking the secrets to the electronic circuits†. The problem then arose in solving the complex electrical networks, which have more than one resistance, current, and voltages. At every loop, the current is different and at every node, the difference in voltage and current could be seen. To solve the matter the engineers and scientists relied upon utilizing the different mathematical methods and formulas but linear algebra has the right method to solve the complex electrical circuits and electrical networks. Kirchhoff’s laws presented by Gustav Kirchhoff in 1845 relate to the power conservation in the electrical circuits and have vast applications in electrical engineering. As we know the Ohm’s law states that V = IR, it is the simplest estimation to calculate the voltage or current into the circuit if the third variable is known. Kirchhoff’s voltage law states, â€Å"The algebraic sum of the voltages around any closed path in a circuit is identically zero for all time†. In this way, if we consider a mesh in which, there only a single loop, the method that represents the mesh current is used to the determine the current in each of the mesh. If we have a single loop consider the situation, it will be easier to evaluate the unknown quantity but it the circuit consists of several mesh circuits, the will be complex to evaluate an unknown current in different mesh circuits. For this reason, Kirchhoff’s voltage law provided an easier method to apply it to every mesh of the circuit. It should be kept in mind the circuit contains resistances, and if a mesh has a resistor that the other mesh also has, the voltage must be the product of the resistance and the subtraction of analyzed current and other currents.  

Initial writing assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Initial writing assessment - Essay Example quipped for the increasingly interconnected contemporary world, compared to their counterparts who solely learn in their respective countries’ institutions. Despite the numerous opportunities, international students encounter distinctive challenges, which would potentially impede their level of fulfillment and satisfaction. This paper explores opportunities availed by international scholarship, potential challenges encountered by partisan students, and how the scholars can overcome the problems, in order to reap maximum benefits. One of the principal opportunities for international students is the chance to broaden their cosmopolitan experience and to reinforce their cultural sensitivity. This chance stems from the fact that, within an international context, students interact with others from diverse social, national and cultural backgrounds in settings to which they are not accustomed (Ruiz, 2010, p.45). The other vital prospect of international education is that it allows students to explore a wide range of career options that apply to the global job market. International scholars often get prior consideration for exclusive job vacancies, since they are usually associated with attributes like adaptability and global experience. Language proficiency acquired in the global education context cannot be overlooked, as a unique opportunity for involved students. Such linguistic expertise is ascribable to learning globally acknowledged languages such as English and French, which enhance one’s communication ability and increases chances of a student working in equally diverse work environs. Most importantly, international students get a chance to broaden their social and professional networks while growing at a personal level (Ruiz, 2010, p. 45). Even though international education affords students numerous growth opportunities at a personal and professional level, it is not devoid of challenges. A significant challenge faced by scholars that pursue this form of

Electric Generator Essay Example for Free

Electric Generator Essay Early 20th century alternator made inBudapest, Hungary, in the power generating hall of a hydroelectric station In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge (usually carried by electrons) to flow through an external electrical circuit. The source of mechanical energy may be a reciprocating or turbine steam engine, water falling through a turbine or waterwheel, aninternal combustion engine, a wind turbine, a hand crank, compressed air, or any other source of mechanical energy. Generators supply almost all of the power for the electric power grids which provide most of the worlds electric power. The reverse conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy is done by an electric motor, and motors and generators have many similarities. Many motors can be mechanically driven to generate electricity and frequently make acceptable generators. History Before the connection between magnetism and electricity was discovered, electrostatic generators were used. They operated on electrostaticprinciples. Such generators generated very high voltage and low current. They operated by using moving electrically charged belts, plates, and disks that carried charge to a high potential electrode. The charge was generated using either of two mechanisms: * Electrostatic induction * The triboelectric effect, where the contact between two insulators leaves them charged. Because of their inefficiency and the difficulty of insulating machines that produced very high voltages, electrostatic generators had low power ratings, and were never used for generation of commercially significant quantities of electric power. The Wimshurst machine and Van de Graaff generator are examples of these machines that have survived. In 1827, Hungarian Anyos Jedlik started experimenting with the electromagnetic rotating devices which he called electromagnetic self-rotors, now called the Jedliks dynamo. In the prototype of the single-pole electric starter (finished between 1852 and 1854) both the stationary and the revolving parts were electromagnetic. He formulated the concept of the dynamo at least 6 years beforeSiemens and Wheatstone but didnt patent it as he thought he wasnt the first to realize this. In essence the concept is that instead of permanent magnets, two electromagnets opposite to each other induce the magnetic field around the rotor. It was also the discovery of the principle of self-excitation.[1] Faraday disk, the first electric generator. The horseshoe-shaped magnet (A) created a magnetic field through the disk (D). When the disk was turned, this induced an electric current radially outward from the center toward the rim. The current flowed out through the sliding spring contact m, through the external circuit, and back into the center of the disk through the axle. In the years of 1831–1832, Michael Faraday discovered the operating principle of electromagnetic generators. The principle, later called Faradays law, is that an electromotive force is generated in an electrical conductor which encircles a varying magnetic flux. He also built the first electromagnetic generator, called the Faraday disk, a type of homopolar generator, using a copper disc rotating between the poles of a horseshoe magnet. It produced a small DC voltage. This design was inefficient, due to self-cancelling counterflows of current in regions that were not under the influence of the magnetic field. While current was induced directly underneath the magnet, the current would circulate backwards in regions that were outside the influence of the magnetic field. This counterflow limited the power output to the pickup wires, and induced waste heating of the copper disc. Later homopolar generators would solve this problem by using an array of magnets arranged around the disc perimeter to maintain a steady field effect in one current-flow direction. Another disadvantage was that the output voltage was very low, due to the single current path through the magnetic flux. Experimenters found that using multiple turns of wire in a coil could produce higher, more useful voltages. Since the output voltage is proportional to the number of turns, generators could be easily designed to produce any desired voltage by varying the number of turns. Wire windings became a basic feature of all subsequent generator designs. Dynamos are no longer used for power generation due to the size and complexity of the commutator needed for high power applications. This large belt-driven high-current dynamo produced 310 amperes at 7 volts, or 2,170 watts, when spinning at 1400 RPM. Dynamo Electric Machine [End View, Partly Section] (U.S. Patent 284,110) The dynamo was the first electrical generator capable of delivering power for industry. The dynamo uses electromagnetic induction to convert mechanical rotation into direct currentthrough the use of a commutator. The first dynamo was built by Hippolyte Pixii in 1832. A dynamo machine consists of a stationary structure, which provides a constant magnetic field, and a set of rotating windings which turn within that field. On small machines the constant magnetic field may be provided by one or more permanent magnets; larger machines have the constant magnetic field provided by one or more electromagnets, which are usually called field coils. Through a series of accidental discoveries, the dynamo became the source of many later inventions, including the DC electric motor, the AC alternator, the AC synchronous motor, and the rotary converter. Alternating current generating systems were known in simple forms from the discovery of the magnetic induction of electric current. The early machines were developed by pioneers such as Michael Faraday and Hippolyte Pixii. Faraday developed the rotating rectangle, whose operation was heteropolar each active conductor passed successively through regions where the magnetic field was in opposite directions.[2] The first public demonstration of a more robust alternator system took place in 1886.[3] Large two-phase alternating current generators were built by a British electrician, J.E.H. Gordon, in 1882. Lord Kelvin andSebastian Ferranti also developed early alternators, producing frequencies between 100 and 300 Hz. In 1891, Nikola Tesla patented a practical high-frequency alternator (which operated around 15 kHz).[4] After 1891, polyphase alternators were introduced to supply currents of multiple differing phases.[5] Later alternators were designed for varying alternating-current frequencies between sixteen and about one hundred hertz, for use with arc lighting, incandescent lighting and electric motors.[6] Large power generation dynamos are now rarely seen due to the now nearly universal use of alternating current for power distribution. Before the adoption of AC, very large direct-current dynamos were the only means of power generation and distribution. AC has come to dominate due to the ability of AC to be easily transformed to and from very high voltages to permit low losses over large distances. Electromagnetic generators Dynamo Main article: Dynamo Dynamo Electric Machine (end view, partly section, U.S. Patent 284,110) A dynamo is an electrical generator that produces direct current with the use of a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundation upon which many other later electric-power conversion devices were based, including the electric motor, the alternating-current alternator, and the rotary converter. Today, the simpler alternator dominates large scale power generation, for efficiency, reliability and cost reasons. A dynamo has the disadvantages of a mechanical commutator. Also, converting alternating to direct current using power rectification devices (vacuum tube or more recently solid state) is effective and usually economic. Alternator Main article: Alternator Without a commutator, a dynamo becomes an alternator, which is a synchronous singly fed generator. Alternators produce alternating current with a frequency that is based on the rotational speed of the rotor and the number of magnetic poles. Automotive alternators produce a varying frequency that changes with engine speed, which is then converted by a rectifier to DC. By comparison, alternators used to feed an electric power grid are generally operated at a speed very close to a specific frequency, for the benefit of AC devices that regulate their speed and performance based on grid frequency. Some devices such as incandescent lamps and ballast-operated fluorescent lamps do not require a constant frequency, but synchronous motors such as in electric wall clocks do require a constant grid frequency. When attached to a larger electric grid with other alternators, an alternator will dynamically interact with the frequency already present on the grid, and operate at a speed that matches the grid frequency. If no driving power is applied, the alternator will continue to spin at a constant speed anyway, driven as a synchronous motor by the grid frequency. It is usually necessary for an alternator to be accelerated up to the correct speed and phase alignment before connecting to the grid, as any mismatch in frequency will cause the alternator to act as a synchronous motor, and suddenly leap to the correct phase alignment as it absorbs a large inrush current from the grid, which may damage the rotor and other equipment. Typical alternators use a rotating field winding excited with direct current, and a stationary (stator) winding that produces alternating current. Since the rotor field only requires a tiny fraction of the power generated by the machine, the brushes for the field contact can be relatively small. In the case of a brushless exciter, no brushes are used at all and the rotor shaft carries rectifiers to excite the main field winding. [edit]Induction generator Main article: induction generator An induction generator or asynchronous generator is a type of AC electrical generator that uses the principles of induction motors to produce power. Induction generators operate by mechanically turning their rotor faster than the synchronous speed, giving negative slip. A regular AC asynchronous motor usually can be used as a generator, without any internal modifications. Induction generators are useful in applications such as minihydro power plants, wind turbines, or in reducing high-pressure gas streams to lower pressure, because they can recover energy with relatively simple controls. To operate an induction generator must be excited with a leading voltage; this is usually done by connection to an electrical grid, or sometimes they are self excited by using phase correcting capacitors. [edit]MHD generator Main article: MHD generator A magnetohydrodynamic generator directly extracts electric power from moving hot gases through a magnetic field, without the use of rotating electromagnetic machinery. MHD generators were originally developed because the output of a plasma MHD generator is a flame, well able to heat the boilers of a steam power plant. The first practical design was the AVCO Mk. 25, developed in 1965. The U.S. government funded substantial development, culminating in a 25 MW demonstration plant in 1987. In the Soviet Union from 1972 until the late 1980s, the MHD plant U 25 was in regular commercial operation on the Moscow power system with a rating of 25 MW, the largest MHD plant rating in the world at that time.[7] MHD generators operated as a topping cycle are currently (2007) less efficient than combined cycle gas turbines. [edit]Other rotating electromagnetic generators Other types of generators, such as the asynchronous or induction singly fed generator, the doubly fed generator, or the brushless wound-rotor doubly fed generator, do not incorporate permanent magnets or field windings that establish a constant magnetic field, and as a result, are seeing success in variable speed constant frequency applications, such as wind turbines or otherrenewable energy technologies. The full output performance of any generator can be optimized with electronic control but only the doubly fed generators or the brushless wound-rotor doubly fed generator incorporate electronic control with power ratings that are substantially less than the power output of the generator under control, a feature which, by itself, offers cost, reliability and efficiency benefits. Homopolar generator Main article: Homopolar generator Faraday disk, the first homopolar generator A homopolar generator is a DC electrical generator comprising an electrically conductive disc or cylinder rotating in a plane perpendicular to a uniform static magnetic field. A potential difference is created between the center of the disc and the rim (or ends of the cylinder), the electrical polaritydepending on the direction of rotation and the orientation of the field. It is also known as a unipolar generator, acyclic generator, disk dynamo, orFaraday disc. The voltage is typically low, on the order of a few volts in the case of small demonstration models, but large research generators can produce hundreds of volts, and some systems have multiple generators in series to produce an even larger voltage.[8] They are unusual in that they can source tremendous electric current, some more than a million amperes, because the homopolar generator can be made to have very low internal resistance. Excitation A small early 1900s 75 KVA direct-driven power station AC alternator, with a separate belt-driven exciter generator. Main article: Excitation (magnetic) An electric generator or electric motor that uses field coils rather than permanent magnets requires a current to be present in the field coils for the device to be able to work. If the field coils are not powered, the rotor in a generator can spin without producing any usable electrical energy, while the rotor of a motor may not spin at all. Smaller generators are sometimes self-excited, which means the field coils are powered by the current produced by the generator itself. The field coils are connected in series or parallel with the armature winding. When the generator first starts to turn, the small amount of remanent magnetism present in the iron core provides a magnetic field to get it started, generating a small current in the armature. This flows through the field coils, creating a larger magnetic field which generates a larger armature current. This bootstrap process continues until the magnetic field in the core levels off due to saturation and the generator reaches a steady state power output. Very large power station generators often utilize a separate smaller generator to excite the field coils of the larger. In the event of a severe widespread power outage where islanding of power stations has occurred, the stations may need to perform a black start to excite the fields of their largest generators, in order to restore customer power service. Electrostatic generator Main article: electrostatic generator A Van de Graaff generator, for class room demonstrations An electrostatic generator, or electrostatic machine, is a mechanical device that produces static electricity, or electricity at high voltage and lowcontinuous current. The knowledge of static electricity dates back to the earliest civilizations, but for millennia it remained merely an interesting and mystifying phenomenon, without a theory to explain its behavior and often confused with magnetism. By the end of the 17th Century, researchers had developed practical means of generating electricity by friction, but the development of electrostatic machines did not begin in earnest until the 18th century, when they became fundamental instruments in the studies about the new science of electricity. Electrostatic generators operate by using manual (or other) power to transform mechanical work into electric energy. Electrostatic generators develop electrostatic charges of opposite signs rendered to two conductors, using only electric forces, and work by using moving plates, drums, or belts to carry electric charge to a high potentialelectrode. The charge is generated by one of two methods: either the triboelectric effect (friction) or electrostatic induction. [edit]Wimshurst machine Main article: Wimshurst machine Wimshurst machine with two Leyden jars.Suppose that the conditions are as in the figure, with the segment A1 positive and the segment B1 negative. Now, as A1 moves to the left and B1 to the right, their potentials will rise on account of the work done in separating them against attraction. When A1 and neighboring sectors comes opposite the segment B2 of the B plate, which is now in contact with the brush Y, they will cause a displacement of electricity along the conductor between Y and Y1 bringing a negative charge, larger than the positive charge in A1 alone, on Y and sending a positive charge to the segment touching Y1. As A1 moves on, it passes near the brush Z and is partially discharged into the external circuit. It then passes on until, on touching the brush X, has a new charge, this time negative, driven into it by induction from B2 and neighboring sectors. As the machine turns, the process causes exponential increases in the voltages on all positions, until sparking occurs limiting the increase.| The Wimshurst influence machine is an electrostatic generator, a machine for generating high voltages developed between 1880 and 1883 by Britishinventor James Wimshurst (1832–1903). It has a distinctive appearance with two large contra-rotating discs mounted in a vertical plane, two crossed bars with metallic brushes, and a spark gap formed by two metal spheres. Van de Graaff generator Main article: Van de Graaff generator A Van de Graaff generator is an electrostatic generator which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high voltages on a hollow metal globe on the top of the stand. It was invented by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff in 1929. The potential difference achieved in modern Van de Graaff generators can reach 5 megavolts. The Van de Graaff generator can be thought of as a constant-current source connected in parallel with a capacitorand a very large electrical resistance, so it can produce a visible electrical discharge to a nearby grounding surface which can potentially cause a spark depending on the voltage.

Media: Promoting And Protecting Right To Information

Media: Promoting And Protecting Right To Information Freedom of expression, unrestricted propagation of ideas and ready access to information are essential for the functioning of a democratic government. If people are unaware of what is happening in their society or if the actions of those who rule them are hidden, then they are prevented from taking a significant part in the affairs of the society. Access to information not only facilitates active participation of the people in the democratic governance process, but also promotes openness, transparency and accountability in administration. It is thus a crucial facilitator of good governance, as it reflects and captures Government activities and processes. In the same light, the right of every citizen to access information held by or under the control of public authorities, has been as effective tool for ushering in good governance. The Indian Parliament enacted the Freedom of Information Act, 2002, to promote transparency and accountability in administration. This was subsequently repealed and later a new act, The Right to Information Act, came into force on 12 October 2005. Under the law the Indian citizens are empowered to seek information from a Public Authority, thus making the Government and its functionaries more accountable and responsible. The Act has now been in operation for over three years and has benefited many, including the poor and the underprivileged. The many provisions of the Act mandate a legal-institutional framework for setting out the practical regime of right to information for every citizen to secure access to information under the control of public authorities. Participation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, equity and inclusiveness, effectiveness, efficiency, accountability, strategic vision and consensus-orientation are the major characteristics of good governance. Transparency refers to decisions being taken openly and being enforced according to rules and regulations. It mandates that information should be freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement. It also means that enough information is provided to all the stakeholders and the media, in easily understandable forms to enable their meaningful participation in the decision making processes and criticism of the same. Accountability ensures that public institutions and functionaries are answerable to the people and to their institutional stakeholders i.e. those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be enforced without a regime of transparency. We discussed the factors contributing to good governance. Herein, it is pertinent to mention that a direct relationship exists between right to Information, informed citizenry and good governance. On one hand good governance aims at putting an end to inconsistent government practices and establishing a responsive State, the Right to Information provides citizens the opportunity of being informed of the Governments actions. Public participation in Government, respect for the rule of law, freedom of expression and association, transparency and accountability, legitimacy of Government, and the like, which are the core values of good governance, can be realised only if the right to information is implemented in the right spirit. The role of media organisations assumes considerable importance in realising the objectives of the RTI Act. The media can not only play an important role in monitoring public service delivery by invoking provisions under the RTI Act, but can also facilitate in generating awareness and capacity building on RTI among the community. Thus the media performs an important role in the governance process by acting as a bridge between the community and public agencies. The media can make a real difference to the lives of poor and disadvantaged people and aid in development by making people more aware of their rights and entitlements and enabling them to have access to government programmes, schemes and benefits. Besides people can be made more aware of political issues which would help to stimulate critical thinking and debate. This creates pressure for improved government performance, accountability and quality. The media also helps in drawing attention to institutional failings corruption, fraud, waste, inefficiency, cronyism, nepotism, abuse of power and the like. It fosters exchange of best practices, knowledge resources, access to better technology, and to better choices. A discursive space for citizens to dialogue with other actors in the governance process is also provided by the media. Empowerment, social awareness action and good governance are the three key areas through which the media can make a significant impact on development and poverty reduction. Firstly, the media gives voice to the needs and aspirations of the people and provides them access to relevant information. Thus, it cannot be denied that the media has a definite role to play in the empowerment of citizens. In all its varied forms, media has opened up the potential for new forms of participation. The access to information and accessibility of information has increased with growth of print and electronic media and the Internet. In contemporary times, the media is being used even by the vulnerable and marginalized sections of the society to make their voices heard. Secondly, the media can be effective not only in preserving freedom but also in extending it. The news media plays a decisive role in establishing a discursive space for public deliberations over social issues. The formative influence o f the media on public attitudes, thoughts and perceptions is fundamental to the process of citizen engagement in public dialogue. Giving a voice to the poor also entails giving the poor people adequate opportunities to take initiatives for overcoming their problems. The media, through its role in shaping public awareness and action, can be a critical factor in facilitating sustainable development and poverty reduction. Lastly, a free media is a necessary requisite for good governance. As an information channel between corporations, government, and the populace, the media acts as a watchdog against government malfeasance, while at the same time fosters greater transparency and accountability. The media monitors public service delivery and reports on key issues to the public at large, thereby exerting pressure on public service providers. The media creates the right framework of incentives for good governance, by highlighting institutional failings to guard against as well as institut ional successes for replication. It lets people voice diverse opinions on governance and reform, exposes corruption and malpractices and helps build public consensus to bring about change. The World Association of Newspapers (WAN), the global organisation of the worlds press has long argued that a free and unfettered press is a positive force for accelerated and equitable socio-economic development. It held that the predominance of free and independent press accompanies economic growth and human development. In countries with free press, human development indicators such as school enrolment, teacher-pupil ratio, pupil performance, infant mortality, maternal mortality, nutritional status of women and children etc. tend to fare better than countries with restrictions on press and freedom of information. The work of the Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen has even established a link between active media and the avoidance of disasters like famines. The role of media as a watchdog of the government and the corporate sector, a transmitter of new ideas and information, a voice of the poor, a safeguard against the abuse of power and neglect of the socially vulnerable, and a builder of public consensus to bring about change is pervasive. However, the independence of the media can be fragile and easily compromised. It is clear that to support development, the media needs the right environment in terms of freedoms, capacities, and checks and balances. The Right to Information regime does give the media that critical support. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. The above provision only reiterates the fact that the mass media is the most important vehicle for information, knowledge and communication in a democratic polity. They are pervasive and play a significant role in shaping societies by providing the public sphere of information and debate that enables social and cultural discourse, participation and accountability. Being the most accessible, cost-effective and widespread source of information and platform for expression the media plays a crucial role in building an inclusive Information Society based on knowledge power and its distribution. However to ensure that the potential of the media is truly achieved steps should be taken to protect and extend media freedom and independence, and rights of access to information by actively developing the potential of media to provide information along with a forum for debate on topics of public interest, cultural expression and opportunity to communicate, especially to the poor and marginalised. Strengthening the capacity of media should be facilitated, to promote and help build an Information Society by raising awareness, channelling civil society concerns, debating policies and holding government, private sector and civil society accountable. An RTI regime can enable credible, evidence-based and factual reporting on key issues of public interest. It can enable the media to expose mal-administration, corruption and inefficiency and to propagate stories and instances relating to accountability, transparency, effective administration and good governance. By using the RTI Act, the media can play an important role in highlighting issues related to public service delivery and the efficacy and accountability of public officials. Under the RTI Act, the journalists reporters, like citizens, can: Demand from the Government information pertaining to any of its departments Demand photocopies of Government contracts, payment, estimates, measurements of engineering works etc. Demand from the Government certified samples of material used in the construction of roads, drains, buildings etc. Demand to inspect any public development work that may be still under construction or completed Demand to inspect Government documents construction drawings, records books, registers, quality control reports etc. Demand status of requests or complaints, details of time delays, action taken on Information Commissions decisions etc. The media thus can play a constructive role in the governance process by acting as a catalyzing agent for the implementation of the core provisions of the Act. As the fourth pillar of democracy, the media not only has an important stake in what the RTI Act purports to provide and achieve, but also in entrenching the implementation and enforcement of this significant piece of legislation. Besides, fundamentally the media aids in providing information to the citizens and building awareness among the masses on the Act. Despite the provisions that have been made to access information, citizens resort to media like newspapers, radio, television etc. for day to day information about public authorities and their activities. The media provides a link between the citizens and their government. The medias right to information or right to tell is not a special privilege but rather, an aspect of the publics right to know. It thereby gives voice to the Citizens. As part of the civil society, the media is obligated to articulate the needs and aspirations of the people. Using the Act, the media can highlight key issues faced by the citizens, particularly those faced by the poor and voiceless. The role of the media as a watchdog on behalf of the citizens cannot be ignored. The best service that the media provides to the public, whether in a mature or emerging democracy, is that of a community watchdog. Journalists should see and perform their role keeping in mind public interest. Using RTI, the media can expose corruption and inefficiency. However, in performing a watchdog role and digging out the truth, journalists should be careful in interpreting facts and evidence. The multi-dimensional facets of the importance of the media reiterate that the media plays the role of an honest broker of information for its readers without deliberate bias or favouritism. The media must consider its independence to be its most valuable commercial, editorial and moral asset. Maintaining its independence through professional behaviour and a code of conduct that is subscribed to by all journalists, the media can be a powerful user of the RTI Act and an agent for the empowerment of people through an Information Society. The objective of the Act to usher in a practical regime of right to information cannot be attained without a proactive role played by the media.

Womens Rights :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early 1800s the textile mills of Lowell Massachusetts were a celebrated economic and cultural attraction. Visitors always made sure to pass this place when they visited. Surprisingly most of the workers in the mills were women. The first factory recruited Yankee women from the area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Lowell expanded becoming the nation’s largest textile manufacturing center, the experiences of women operatives changed as well. With the pressure of competition overproduction became a problem, and high profits of the early years declined. Wages were reduced and the pace of work was stepped up. The women did not accept these changes without any protest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1834 and 1836 they went on strike to protest wage cuts. Between 1843 and 1848 they had petition campaigns aimed at reducing the hours of labor in the mills. These women were very close with each other, and they all shared the same values. This made it easy for them to be so strong in their protests. Most of these women working in the Lowell mills were housed in company boarding homes. In 1836 more than seventy-three percent of females employed by the Hamilton Company lived in houses next to the mills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They lived in close quarters which played a role in the growth of the community. These boarding houses were the center of social life for these women after their long work days. They ate together, talked with one another, read books together, and also wrote letters. The community of women operatives developed in a setting where women worked and lived together twenty four hours a day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the women went on strike in 1834 they marched to numerous mills in an effort to induce others to join them. They said they would not go back to work until their demands were met. They wanted the wages they were getting before the reduction, to be received all of them as one, and if they do not have enough money to carry them home they shall be supplied.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first strike was brief and failed. By the next week the women either went back to work or left town. The first strike was important not because is failed or succeeded but because it took place. This showed the women were starting to have a voice in the workplace even if they were not being listened to yet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1836 the women went on strike again.

The History of Montserrat :: Essays Papers

The history of the island of Montserrat has been characterized by instability from the time of its discovery to its present-day status as a Dependent Overseas Territory of Great Britain. With a wide range of concerns regarding the issue of independence, the inhabitants of Montserrat remain unsure of their ability to maintain their own economic development and survive without financial assistance from Britain. The geography of Montserrat has consistently posed a threat to the people of the island, whose lives are largely dependent on the land they inhabit. The first Europeans to spot Montserrat did so on 10 November 1493, as Columbus’ ship sailed from Guadeloupe towards Hispaniola. Though he named the island, Columbus and the Spanish took little interest in Montserrat, and nothing more was written about the island by a European until July 1631. At that time, Amerindians were using the island, though perhaps not living there, and no Europeans had settled Montserrat. However, only two-and-a-half years later, in January 1634, another written account describes Montserrat as having been settled by Irish Catholics (Pulsipher 1986 7). The first settlers of Montserrat were most likely from St. Kitts and arrived there in 1632 (Rogozinski 75). By the 1650s, English and Anglo-Irish landowners formed the wealthy ruling class, and Irish indentured servants formed the bulk of the population (Pulsipher 1986 12). Many of the first Irish Catholic settlers came from Virginia, New England, and the British Isles (Pulsipher 1986 7). Of the white population in 1678, 70% were Irish indentured servants (Rogozinski 76). There were also several hundred African slaves living on Montserrat by 1654 (Pulsipher 1986 12). The British landowners used their servants and slaves to grow cash crops such as tobacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar (Pulsipher 1986 8). By the early 1680s, Montserrat was a â€Å"sugar island,† and by 1700 was shipping 29 million pounds of sugar to England and Wales annually (Pulsipher 1986 12). During this time there were a number of restrictive laws passed by the British government to regulate trade and exporting, particularly for the purpose of eliminating Dutch traders from interfering in their affairs. By the 1650s, the Dutch had established themselves as a source of connection between the Caribbean islands and the rest of the world and went so far as to build a number of warehouses for the protection of market-ready crops on Montserrat (Pulsipher 1986 8). The History of Montserrat :: Essays Papers The history of the island of Montserrat has been characterized by instability from the time of its discovery to its present-day status as a Dependent Overseas Territory of Great Britain. With a wide range of concerns regarding the issue of independence, the inhabitants of Montserrat remain unsure of their ability to maintain their own economic development and survive without financial assistance from Britain. The geography of Montserrat has consistently posed a threat to the people of the island, whose lives are largely dependent on the land they inhabit. The first Europeans to spot Montserrat did so on 10 November 1493, as Columbus’ ship sailed from Guadeloupe towards Hispaniola. Though he named the island, Columbus and the Spanish took little interest in Montserrat, and nothing more was written about the island by a European until July 1631. At that time, Amerindians were using the island, though perhaps not living there, and no Europeans had settled Montserrat. However, only two-and-a-half years later, in January 1634, another written account describes Montserrat as having been settled by Irish Catholics (Pulsipher 1986 7). The first settlers of Montserrat were most likely from St. Kitts and arrived there in 1632 (Rogozinski 75). By the 1650s, English and Anglo-Irish landowners formed the wealthy ruling class, and Irish indentured servants formed the bulk of the population (Pulsipher 1986 12). Many of the first Irish Catholic settlers came from Virginia, New England, and the British Isles (Pulsipher 1986 7). Of the white population in 1678, 70% were Irish indentured servants (Rogozinski 76). There were also several hundred African slaves living on Montserrat by 1654 (Pulsipher 1986 12). The British landowners used their servants and slaves to grow cash crops such as tobacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar (Pulsipher 1986 8). By the early 1680s, Montserrat was a â€Å"sugar island,† and by 1700 was shipping 29 million pounds of sugar to England and Wales annually (Pulsipher 1986 12). During this time there were a number of restrictive laws passed by the British government to regulate trade and exporting, particularly for the purpose of eliminating Dutch traders from interfering in their affairs. By the 1650s, the Dutch had established themselves as a source of connection between the Caribbean islands and the rest of the world and went so far as to build a number of warehouses for the protection of market-ready crops on Montserrat (Pulsipher 1986 8).

US Army Total Quality Management Essay -- essays research papers fc

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION Throughout their military careers military personnel will always face some type of inspection, whether it's internal or external. Today, some units are inspected at least four times a year in supply operations, for example, Command Supply Discipline Program, Command Inspection Program, Command Logistics Review Program, and maybe the Supply Excellence Award. How does the unit prepare for all these inspections? The unit faces many great challenges. There are a lot of steps taken to prepare for inspections. There are many checklists to follow but not enough time and personnel to accomplish these many tasks. There are many subjects areas which, the unit must cover that might be inspected. AR 11-l (Command Logistics Review Program), AR 735-5 (Policies and Procedures for Property Accountability), DA PAM 710-2-l (Using Unit Supply System Manual Procedures), and AR 710-2 (Supply Policy Below the Wholesale Level) are the governing policy documents and should be understood prior to an inspection. There are a lot of non value added procedures and many tasks that overlap, where in some cases the distribution of soldiers is not according to the need of each work place. There are many soldiers assigned to tasks different from what 1 they are supposed to do, which results in no incentive for performing better. In other words, the soldiers consume their energy striving to overcome problems inherent in the supply system instead of trying to maximize the effectiveness of supply operations. A transformation in the supply operations in the units could be achieved by the adoption of a new management philosophy that could help provide greater efficiency. Currently, one of the most advanced philosophies in the managerial field is the Total Quality Management (TQM) concept. But how compatible is the TQM philosophy to the units under the current circumstances? Can the adoption of this concept help the units to overcome their problems? What changes are necessary for a successful implementation? There is a need to examine the applicability of the TQM concept to supply operations. PURPOSE The purpose of this research is to evaluate potential of TQM for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of supply inspections. What is Total Quality Management? Total Quality Management is the process of improving the organization performance at every l... ... commanders and soldiers. For example, if there are areas of the inspection, convert five areas to TQM philosophy. BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Aguayo Rafael, Dr. Demins: _ The American who taught the Japanese about Quality First. Carol Publishing Edition, 1990. Brocka, Bruce and M. Suzanne. Qualitv Manauement: Implementinq the Best Ideas of the Masters. Richard D. Irwin, INC., 1992. Carman, Jamess M. "TQM as a Survival Strategy: the Southern Pacific Experience." California Manaqement Review, Spring 1993. pp. 118-132. Dessler, Gary "Managing Quality and Productivity" Human Resource Manauement Prentice-Hall, Inc., 6th edition, pp. 309-323. B. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS PenDell Pittman and Pat O'Farrel, "Transforming Government: Putting People and Quality First", Coverinq m the Bases: _ _ A 14 Step Guide to TQM Implementation (Sixth Annual National Conference on Federal Quality, July 20-23, 1993). United States Office of Personnel Management, Federal Total Qualitv Manaqement Handbook, (Federal Quality Institute, May 1991). Research report, Total Qualitv Manaqement (TQM), An Overview, Anthony Coppola, Air Force Systems Command, September 1991, p. 7.

Reflections on Social Work Essay

Social work is a profession that requires commitment to improving the lives of others as well as the community around you. As a social worker, the NASW Code of Ethics which states the mission you have as a social a social work professional. The mission â€Å"is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.† (NASW, 2008). By following these ethics, social workers are leading by example and showing that they have respect for not only their responsibilities as a social worker but more importantly, their clients. The Code of Ethics contains four major sections that make it up as a whole. The most important part of the Code may very well be the six core values: 1. Service, 2. Social justice, 3. Dignity and worth of a person, 4.Importance of human relationships, 5. Integrity, and 6. Competence. These six values outline the essence of what it means to be a social worker. By demonstrating these values through your actions as a social worker, you are showing compassion, trustworthiness, and integrity. These are just a few of the key characteristics that are essential to this profession. Although it can be hard at times, you must keep a non-biased attitude towards your clients’ situation in order to handle a situation in the most professional manner possible. Social work unique from other helping professions in that you are not only improving the life of a client, group, or family, but working hand in hand with the community around you. It is important to embrace these values in order to successfully improve the welfare of everyone involved in your profession. From a young age I believe that I have always had a passion for helping others. Helping professions also run in my family; my mother is a preschool teacher and one of the most compassionate women I know. My father has a business degree but he has surprisingly been my biggest inspiration to pursue a career in social work. In his spare time, my father is a very active member of our church and does everything he can to help with fundraisers and goes into the city every month to feed the homeless. He is also a member of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Baltimore and even won â€Å"Big Brother of the Year.† He is selfless and puts in time for these things even  with his busy career. He has encouraged me to make the most of my college years and to pursue a degree that makes me happy, not necessarily one that paid the most. In high school, at the time, I thought that my calling was to be a veterinarian and help animals. I began my college career at a small school in Pennsylvania but soon after figured out that the school and the path to being a veterinarian was not for me. When I transferred to Shepherd, I switched my major to elementary education. After the first semester, I had a chance to job shadow and take an education course but again I did not feel this major was quite the right fit. I thought long and hard about what major I could pursue that would fulfill my passion for working with children as well as help them. That is when I realized that social work was the perfect match for me. Over the past few summers, I have worked at a YMCA summer camp as a counselor. In my position, I worked with the age group of five and six year olds. However, my job went deeper than just simply supervising kids and planning activities. An aspect of my job that I never thought would affect me were the parents. Every day when the kids would get dropped off at camp I would get a chance to speak with the parents and also get a small feel for what this child’s life was like at home. It fascinated me that by just the parents I could get a glimpse of why a child behaved the way they did. It really got me thinking about how I could positively impact the lives of these children by simply making their summer at this camp a wonderful experience. It occurred to me that some of these children do not get to spend any time with their parents because they work all day every day and this is why they are at camp. It made me sad for these kids but at the same time motivated me to be the best counselor possible. As a social worker, I hope to have a profession that involves helping children; being a school guidance counselor, a therapist, or p ossibly even being a social worker in the pediatric ward of a hospital. Social work will be a good fit for me as a helping profession because I believe I have a passion for seeing and helping people improve. Some important characteristics I possess that will help me reach my potential in this profession are good listening skills, integrity towards others, compassion, and most importantly willingness to help others. A key aspect that sets social work apart from other helping professions is putting other people before yourself. This is not say that you should completely disregard your own feelings and more importantly gut feelings  about a situation, but you must be willing to put your biases aside in order to fully assist your clients. I have always been good at listening to others when they are having problems and just need a shoulder to lean on. I think that listening is extremely important, maybe even more important than giving advice. Sometimes you do not need to give your opinion or advice, but by simply listening, you are helping someone take that weight of what they were feeling off of their shoulders. Some expectations that I have of the social work profession that it will not a lways be easy and that there is potential for emotional burnout and stress. Some reservations that I have about being a social worker is that I may become too emotionally involved with a client’s situation. I know it is important to stay as impartial as possible and stay focused on helping your client in the best way you know how. It is also important to have a good relationship with your clients but at the same time you need to remain professional and unbiased. Since I want to have a job that involves working with children, it may be difficult at times to not get emotionally connected. It is harder with children because they are helpless in their living and family situations. For example, if a child is being abused at home it might be hard to not get upset and want to reach out and help that child. You are helping the child but you must do it in a way that is looking out for the child’s best interest and without getting too emotionally and personally involved. A practice setting that I would be attracted to working in would be a school or a ho spital setting. Working in a school setting, I could work face to face and individually with children as well as even groups and classrooms of children. Being a guidance counselor or just a school social worker in general, I could educate children as well as help them with their individual problems. In a hospital setting I would want to work in a pediatric setting. Working in this setting would allow me to help children who are recovering or going through traumatic sicknesses. Being able to help children who are probably scared in the hospital, I would be able to help them alongside with their families to make the experience of being in a hospital as painless as possible. A setting that does not appeal to me would be working with the geriatric population. I have visited nursing homes a handful of times to see relatives that were sick or no longer able to take care of themselves and I do not like the atmosphere. The thought of growing old and death are things that I  am not very comfortable with. However I think it is important to keep my options open and maybe later on I will develop more interest in this area after taking more social work courses. An aspect of social work that appeals to me is that no matter what work setting you are in, you are able to work alongside other professions as well to reach a common goal. Although this was only an introduction course and a small glimpse into the social work profession, I can see that that there are endless possibilities with a social work degree. It opened my eyes to so many career options that I never even knew about before and even sparked new interests. I hope that one day I have a fulfilling and rewarding career as a social worker and make a difference in the world, even if it is small.

The power of play: learning what comes naturally Essay

Depth research has been carried out on the correlation between play and its positive benefits on early childhood learning, growth and development. It has been established that there is a positive connection between creative language and play and the social development of a child. Play has emotional benefits on a child such as enjoyment, relaxation, fun, love of life, tension reduction and self expression. Developmental benefits of play include cognitive development where imagination, creativity, problem solving, mastery of concepts and perspective taking improves. Socially the child grows which can be seen through co-operation, sharing, turn-taking, conflict resolution and leadership skills development. The language of the kid also develops that is in terms of communication skills, vocabulary and narration. This paper goes further to illustrate how play affects learning. ( p.66-67) In our case we will have a sharp in-depth look at two chapters, the first one being; Authoring books, plays and identities in writing workshops. Key practice: Approximated writing. The second chapter we shall look at is the discourse of creative expression. The first chapter mostly handles introduction to writing to kids where they are taken through a workshop where they mainly engaged in writing. The climax of it is when the kid finally authors a book and has a chance to sit on the authors chair and read the book to the class and to be admired and questioned at the end of the writing workshop. The rationale behind choosing this chapter on developing writing is that written communication is a very key skill communication skill and anyone should care being an expert in communicating really well through writing. It is thus a privilege and great pleasure learning how a kid or an individual at large develops this skill and also to reflect and see how probably we did begin at it or ought to begin at. Approximated writing is the key arguments in this chapter which symbolizes or represents a range of ways in which children can deliberate within their inner self between their personally invented forms of language understanding and the culturally determined rules for language. Approximated writing is close to the real writing language which embraces errors, incorrect spellings. It is used by children to formulate meaningful messages through their use of their emerging mastery of the language. The kids initiated their own writing projects and as they wrote they designed and illustrated images and prints for puppet plays, pages for kids-printed books, cards to relatives and friends, storyboards and journals. Graphophonic conventions such as using alphabetic symbols like â€Å"tuk† to represent the word took, putting bigger spaces between words, placing marks on words and organizing them in a pattern. Authoring in the workshop happened when the kids wrote, drew, told and dramatiz ed the texts they had written down. Finally in regard to authoring the kids connected texts for the kids-produced books that they presented to the others through reading aloud from the author`s chair or even short plays that were acted for the class and videotaped. A number of realizations came from these workshops or activity that was centred on kids literacy. The first one being that children are capable writers who are able to actively create and co-create meaning and such activities can be very instrumental in bringing out their literacy proficiency this is so because it is in such that they are challenged to explore all genres of written communication and also get a chance to freely air their ideas through their conversations and writings. The idea of getting a chance to sit on the author`s chair, present the book to the class, to be questioned and admired at the end of the writing workshop motivated the kids to really come up with a well-illustrated book. The methodology used in this chapter or writing workshop to teach the children how to write is something really great and enjoyable both for them and their instructor As a wrap up I can comfortably state that it is a matter of fact that children learn through play and exposure to plays enable them to develop their intellectual, social and emotional skills. Plays should thus be a part and parcel of a child`s life so that the child may grow and develop holistically failure to which the development of the child will be hindered. References Brock, A. (2009). Perspectives on play: learning for life. Harlow, England: Pearson/Longman. Elkind, D. (2009). The power of play: learning what comes naturally. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Lifelong ;. Gordon, I. J., Guinagh, B., & Jester, R. E. (2009). Child learning through child play; learning activities for two and three year olds. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Marzollo, J., & Lloyd, J. (2011). Learning through play ([1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row. Silberg, J. (2009). Learning games: exploring the senses through play. Beltsville, Md.: Gryphon House. Tizard, B., & Hughes, M. (2010). Young children learning (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.. Tizard, B., & Hughes, M. (2010). Young children learning (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.. Wood, E. (2013). Play, learning and the early childhood curriculum (3rd ed.). London: SAGE. Source document

Marion Sparg

Marion sparg Marion Sparg was one of the few white women to join Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the African National Congress during South Africa's apartheid era. A Sunday Times journalist, she was prompted into action after 32 ANC members and 19 civilians were killed by the South African Defence Force in an attack on Maseru, Lesotho.She would spend the years between 1981 and 1986 in exile where she received training in guerrilla warfare and worked in the ANC's Communication Department on a publication named Voice of Women and thereafter joined the Special Operations Division of Umkhonto We Sizwe In 1986 she was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment on charges of treason, arson and attempted arson. Pleading guilty to all charges, she admitted planting and exploding limpet mines at Johannesburg's notorious police headquarters, John Vorster Square, and also at Cambridge Police Station in East LondonFollowing the unbanning of the ANC, she was released in 1991 at the same time a s fellow treason prisoners Damian de Lange and Iain Robertson, shortly after which she was nominated to the ANC delegation that participated in an early round of CODESA, the multiparty negotiations that led to South Africa's first multi-racial elections in 1994. In the same year, at the age of 34, she was appointed deputy executive director of the Constitutional Assembly, the body that would draft South Africa's groundbreaking 1996 constitution. 1996 she was appointed Town Clerk of the Eastern Metropolitan sub-structure of the Lekoa- Vaal-metropole. [7] Three years later she became the Secretary to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and in 2000 joined the office of Bulelani Ngcuka where she became Chief Executive Officer of the National Prosecuting Authority and the accounting officer of the Directorate of Special Operations, commonly known as the Scorpions.In 2003, amidst a public spat between the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Jacob Zuma, South Africa's then-disgra ced deputy president, anonymous letters were sent to the Public Service Commission (PSC) accusing Sparg, her deputy Beryl Simelane and integrity unit head Dipuo Mvelase (also Deputy Chairperson of the South African Communist Party) of tender-rigging, corruption and nepotism. The Commission found no criminal wrongdoing and referred the matter to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development – the parent body of the NPA.The Department head instituted 30 charges against the three women. South Africa's Financial Mail would describe the allegations as ‘bizarre' after the charges were withdrawn at the formal disciplinary hearing, only to be reinstated two days later. They would be officially dropped in early 2007. In June 2007 she resigned from the NPA to take up employment in the private sector. Marion has since joined Draftfcb Social Marketing, a division of Draftfcb SA.

How to Improve public Schools Essay

Since the 17th century, American public schools have provided its children with a wonderful opportunity of receiving a free education that ensures a general understanding of various subjects such as mathematics and literature giving generation after generation the foundation of knowledge. Public schools have made several positive leaps since its begging from teaching only males students to teaching all genders, as well as becoming desegregated in 1969. Public schools provide a peace of mind for parents who desire the best for their children because they provide state certified teachers, free transportation, extra-curricular and after school programs, and are accountable to the state (web). Most notably, public high schools prepare students for life after school and provides a foundation for further education; however, behind all the wonderful aspects of public schools there are certain disadvantages that can hinder the academic progress of a student. Parents as well as students should be aware of these disadvantages that include: underfunded schools may not have certain materials or may have to cut some programs and too much emphasis on standardized test that creates a lot of stress on students and hinders their learning environment. Considering such disadvantages, parents and students may wonder â€Å"how can we solve this dilemma?† Nationalizing public school funding and giving less class and standardized test in order to allow students to focus on learning the curriculum are both steps and proposals that have the potential to settle the troublesome disadvantages of public schools. Different schools in different regions and states receive a wide range of funding which creates a conflict where some schools are underfunded while other are prosperous. The schools that are underfunded may not acquire certain materials that are essential for the course which hurt the process of learning for many students. Some schools are so underfunded that they result to eliminating certain courses or programs. Nearly half of the funding for public schools in the United States are provided though local taxes, generating large differences in funding between wealthy and impoverished communities. There have been efforts make public school funding more equitable yet have only provoked controversy. Some people, such as Eric Hanushek, argue that although different schools receive different amount of funding, the amount of money spent is not â€Å"systematically related to student  achievement,† therefore the wide range of public school funding is not an issue. On the other hand, people such as reviewers Rob Greenwald, Larry Hedges, and Richard Laine believer that â€Å"school resources are systematically related to student achievement,† and therefore school funding is educationally important. Although public schools in the Unites States are funded from federal, state and local sources, the funds from local property taxes generates large funding differences. A logical proposal to solve this problem would to nationalize public school funding therefore every public school depending on its level ( elementary, middle/junior, high, academy, etc.) would receive the same amount of funding which would eliminate the differences of funding for different regions. Some parents may argue that their local property taxes are higher than others and so it should go towards the funding for their child’s public school funding; however, if school funding is nationalized and standardized then each school regardless the location would receive enough funding to secure an adequate education for all children. Also, funds from local property taxes could be used to better individual communities such as building parks or community buildings as well as providing better roads instead of funding public schools. Federal taxes may rise due to nationalizing public school funding however it is for a good cause which is providing all students of America with an equal opportunity to a great education; however this proposal will be difficult to enact because it requires to federal approval and may take time to become a law. Many petitions will have to be made along with thousands of signatures so there would be a lot of support required to enact nationalizing public school funding yet if accomplished it would set a strong foundation for knowledge throughout the nation. With the creation of the No Child Left Behind act endorsed by president Bush, there has been a increasing emphasis on standardized testing for public schools that has ultimately hindered the learning environment by narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, and reducing the love of learning which helps drive students out of school specifically high school students. In several classes, the curriculum is taught based on the maximum potential for students to pass standardized test. This has created a sort of teach to pass instead of teach to learn class routine amongst several teachers. Consequently, several students miss out on valuable information due to the  narrowed curriculum by eliminating lessons not needed to pass a certain standardized test. The pressure put of students nowadays ,especially in high schools, can be extremely overwhelming and be a driving factor for several dropouts. Of course students do not decided to dropout of school solely on the large emphasis on standardized testing yet it is difficult to argue that it does not put a lot of stress on students who are already struggling to pass. The alarming emphasis on high-stakes standardized testing has become apparent to students,parents, as well as legislation and so there have been events that occurred with the purpose to lessen the emphasis of testing. For example, the Senate Education Committee passed a bill that â€Å"eliminated the use of scores on standardized †¦test,† that would determine if tens of thousands of schools were to be considered failing or not. Although this is a remarkable step to lessening the power set by standardized test scores it does not solve the problem of the collateral damage in public schools caused by too much testing. Indeed, tests are important to determine if a student is learning and not simply sitting in class daydreaming of irrelevant things; furthermore, students should worry about test and strive to make good grades on them. The problem with testing is not its existence but its intensity and worthiness. In the average class, test scores are worth much more compared to class work and homework. This places a huge stress on students to past test therefore they focus only on test scores instead of learning the material and applying what they have learned to real life situations. Standardized test are important in determining the progress of individual students and schools and therefore should not be eliminated however states should set a minimum of high-stake standardized test. For example there should be a maximum of one end of instruction test for important subjects and extra test that are not directly relevant to the curriculum such as benchmark tests should be eliminated. The specifics of such a policy should be left to be determined by the states due to the difficulty to enforce it as a federal policy. To make a state law that put a minimum on standardized test would require some time, petitions, and convincing for certain people but the final accomplishment would bring less stress to students and promote a better learning environment. State school boards should also divide the percentage of value of homework, classwork, participation grades, as well as class test equally. This would allow  student to focus on the important of turning in homework, participating in class, and test equally as opposed to stressing when a test is coming for it could considerably harm their grade in the class. Lessening the emphasis of test both standardized and class test would allow students to focus on the material being taught as well as allow teachers to improve the curriculum to provide the best possible educational for their students. Students can greatly benefit from the previous feasible proposals if they were to be enforced. By passing a federal law that endorses a nationalized federal funding of public schools as opposed to leaving half of public school funding to local property taxes, all American public schools would receive an equal amount of funding to use for the arts, after school programs, academic technology, or school renovations that all promote a heather and more engaging learning environment for all students. Although the process to get a bill that would enforce a fully federal funding of all public school passed by congress would take time and a lot of effort, it would provide equality for all public schools regardless of reputation or location giving students an equal opportunity. Placing a minimum on the amount of standardized test required by public schools within each state as well as making the value of class tests towards a students overall grade equal to homework and classwork would lessen the stress brought on my too much emphasis on testing which would allow students to focus on their eduction instead of simply passing the test. Such a policy would require several petitions and time to figure out what tests are more essential and which test could be eliminated; however, it would greatly reduce the stress of school making it more pleasing and allow teachers to provide the best possible education to their students. These policies can help improve the American public school system by allowing each student to take advantage of a learning based eduction that provides the knowledge needed to succeed and make a positive impact on our ever changing world.