Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Sustainable Transportation Policy In Malaysia Environmental Sciences Essay
Climate Change, or Global Warming, is one of the most serious environmental menaces of the twenty-first century. Harmonizing to NST article on Top 10 list Global Warming Cause, Carbon dioxide emanations from firing gasolene for transit responsible for approximately 33 % of emanations. With the population turning at an dismaying rate, the demand for more autos and consumer goods means that we are increasing the usage of fossil fuels for transit and fabrication. The jobs of nursery gas emanations and urban air quality are concentrating attending on sustainable conveyance. There are many definitions on sustainable transit. A sustainable conveyance system as defined by The Centre for Sustainable Transportation ( Gilbert and Tanguay, 2000 ) is as follows: Allows the basic entree and development demands of persons, companies and societies to be met safely and in a mode consistent with human and ecosystem, wellness, and promotes equity within and between consecutive coevalss. Is low-cost, operates reasonably and expeditiously, offers pick of conveyance manner, and supports a competitory economic system, every bit good as balanced regional development. Limits emanations and waste within the planet ââ¬Ës ability to absorb them, uses renewable resources at or below their rates of coevals, and uses non-renewable resources at or below the rates of development of renewable replacements while minimising the impact on the usage of land and the coevals of noise. How can transit go more sustainable? Harmonizing to The Center for Sustainable Transportation system it is defined as: With regard to society, transit systems should: Meet basic human demands for wellness, comfort, and convenience in ways that do non emphasize the societal cloth. Allow and support development at a human graduated table, and supply for a sensible pick of conveyance manners, types of lodging and community, and life manners. Produce no more noise than is acceptable by communities. Be safe for people and their belongings. With regard to the economic system, transit systems should: Provide cost-efficient service and capacity. Be financially low-cost in each coevals. Support vibrant, sustainable economic activity. With regard to the environment, transit systems should: Make usage of land in a manner that has little or no impact on the unity of ecosystems. Use meagerly energy beginnings that are basically non renewable or unlimited. Use other resources that are renewable or unlimited, achieved in portion through the reuse of points and the recycling of stuffs used in vehicles and substructure. Produce no more emanations and waste than can be accommodated by the planet ââ¬Ës renewing ability. Harmonizing to the Center for Sustainable Transportaion besides, there are several barriers to the attainment of sustainable transit. Four of the most of import are these: More than for most other countries of human enterprise, decision-making about transit by authoritiess, corporations, and persons has become locked into manners that reinforce the present unsustainable agreements and tendencies. There is a mentality that accomplishing sustainable transit is excessively dearly-won, hard, and will endanger our quality of life and life style. Combustion of low-priced oil provides more than 99 per cent of the energy for motorised transit and creates many of the environmental jobs that result from transit. Harnessing renewable options will be a major challenge. Mechanisms for placing betterments in sustainable transit, and circulating ensuing success narratives, and good tendencies are unequal. The attempt towards accomplishing sustainable conveyance includes technological betterments of autos and lorries, fuels and substructure. However, utilizing vehicles more expeditiously ( higher burden factor for lorries, and fewer individual tenancy private vehicles ) would be a good start towards a smarter usage of conveyance. Walking and cycling are the ââ¬Ëgreenest ââ¬Ë and most sustainable signifiers of conveyance. However, public conveyance is a cardinal option but it is non having the precedence which it should be. Transport becomes sustainable merely when it does non harm the environment or uses fuel from renewable beginnings such as air current and solar. In footings of human mobility, this means more usage of public conveyance ( including integrated mobility services ) , and non-motorised manners of conveyance like walking and cycling. For motion of goods, rail cargo is more fuel efficient than hauling. The public transit system in Klang Valley includes coachs, commuter Light Rail Transit ( LRT ) , monorail, coachs and taxis. Public conveyance riders are merely every bit inconsiderate as the drivers. Lining up is a practically unknown phenomenon is thwarting and clip consuming 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Whenever a auto is started, sitting idle or driving it is bring forthing emanations that are make fulling our ambiance. These emanations include nitrogen gas ( N2 ) , C dioxide ( CO2 ) , H2O vapor ( H2O ) , C monoxide ( CO ) , hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds ( VOCs ) , and N oxides ( NO and NO2, together called NOx ) . Bryant et al. 2008. Carbon dioxide represents about 80 per centum of the manmade nursery gases blamed for planetary heating. 15 % of the manmade C dioxide ( CO2 ) in the Earth ââ¬Ës ambiance comes from autos, trucks, aeroplanes, trains, and ships. The staying 85 % of atmospheric CO2 comes from industry, edifices and agribusiness. Current tendencies show atmospheric CO2 concentration would duplicate by the terminal of the century ( Jan Fuglestvedt 2008 ) Figure 1: Projected concentration degrees presuming go oning ââ¬Å" concern as usual â⬠behavior ( Beginning: University of Maryland ) Harmonizing ESMAP, Traffic congestion can impact human wellness due to pollution with high degrees of particulates, hydrocarbons, lead and NOx. there are three chief beginnings of particulate air pollution: vehicle fumes, re-suspended route dust, and solid fuels, The Federal Highway Administration has documented the degrees of these emanations and how much of each compound is produced by autos ( see Figure 2 ) . Air Pollutant Proportion from On route Motor Vehicles Note Oxides of Nitrogen ( NOx ) 34 % precursor to groundaÃâ ?level ozone ( smog ) , which amendss the respiratory system and injures workss Volatile Organic Compounds ( VOC ) 34 % precursor to groundaÃâ ?level ozone ( smog ) , which amendss the respiratory system and injures workss Carbon Monoxide ( CO ) 51 % contributes to smog production ; toxicant in high concentrations Particulate Matter ( PM10 ) 10 % does non include dust from paved and unpaved roads, which are the major beginning of particulate affair pollution ( 50 % of the sum ) Carbon Dioxide ( CO2 ) 33 % thought to be primary subscriber to planetary heating Figure 2: Transportation Air Quality: Selected Facts and Figures 2002. Sterba 2009 Harmonizing to analyze on Hybrid Cars ( Michael et. al 2010 ) , their higher monetary value bends consumers off and makes the vehicles a less attractive economic investing. Energy efficient treating techniques need to be developed before the advanced stuffs in loanblends can assist add to their clean image. Widespread alteration to progress intercrossed engineerings is non a executable option in the close hereafter because of both cost and the limited sum of loanblends on the route today. Overall, loanblend engineering has a batch of possible in the distant hereafter, but as for right now they are non a important betterment over today ââ¬Ës internal burning engine. It was recorded that from twelvemonth 2005 to twelvemonth 2009 there were about 42 million vehicles register in Malaysia as shown in Figure 3. Year Car enrollment Public vehicle Commercial Vehicles Entire Year 2005 6,473,261 136500 805157 7,414,918 Year 2006 6,941,996 142038 836579 7,920,613 Year 2007 7,419,643 147050 871234 8,437,927 Year 2008 7,966,525 154524 909243 9,030,292 Year 2009 8,506,080 162309 936222 9,604,611 Entire 37,307,505 742,421 4,358,435 42,408,361 Figure 3: No of vehicles in Malaysia by type To cover with the terrible traffic jobs in Malaysia particularly in Klang Valley the transit contrivers will hold to look to solutions such as utilizing public conveyance and presenting more environmental friendly vehicles. In the 10TH Malaysia Plan, a amount of RM2.8 billion is allocated for bettering urban public transit was chosen as one of six National Key Result Areas ( NKRAs ) , which are priority countries under the Government Transformation Programme. During the 10MP period, connectivity across different manners of public conveyance will be improved through the constitution of multi-modal transportation hubs for services within metropoliss, from suburban countries into metropoliss and for intercity travel. The Strategic Plan is a papers which determines the way of future transit system in Malaysia. Harmonizing to The strategic Plan of The Ministry of Transport ( 2008 ââ¬â 2015 ) , development of conveyance substructure a seamless, integrated, sustainable and competitory to run into the aspirations states is emphasised. One of the program objective is to guarantee that environmental non contaminated by the land conveyance, air and maritime. TERAS 2 The scheme highlighted is to optimise new engineerings in conveyance by advancing the usage of environmentally friendly vehicles and supplying seamless transit system by bettering the park N drive installations at all Stationss of urban conveyance to run into the aim to beef up and supply world-class incorporate conveyance substructure. Park and Ride ( P & A ; R ) system are known as inducement parking system. This installations system consists of auto Parkss with connexions to public conveyance. The user will utilize public transit to go into metropolis and leave their forces vehicles in a auto park. P & A ; R system are by and large located in suburbs of metropolitan countries or on the outer borders of big metropoliss. Many states had utilizing this system such as United Kingdom, United State, Japan and Singapore. Park and Ride was foremost initiated in the United Kingdom ( UK ) in the sixtiess and seventiess that enjoy most success in metropoliss historic in nature and rather little capacity of commanding that balance to their inhibiting urban construction. In a scope of scenes across the UK, nevertheless, some of which really different in size and nature to the earlier host Centres, Park and Ride has later emerged as a major constituent of local conveyance policies. In Malaysia, the authorities starts utilizing Park and Ride system such as Kuala Lumpur, around Klang Valley and Putrajaya Harmonizing to CASE STUDY ON AWARENESS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF PARK AND RIDE AT PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA the consciousness degree for both Putrajaya citizens and visitants is non high plenty to make the mark of the Park and Ride system. This is because, about merely half of the people is utilizing the system while the remainder garbage to utilize the system and make non cognize to us the system. The understanding about the system need to be good explain to the both Putrajaya citizens and besides the visitants. Therefore, the user of Park and Ride may increase and many traffic jobs could cut down. Conference on Environmentally Sustainable Transport ( EST ) provide an illustration of how standards and marks can be linked to important environmental and wellness quality aims. These marks are long-run ââ¬â specific intermediate marks and mileposts should be set to concentrate action. The quantitative mark degrees below are non normative and could be adapted harmonizing to national, regional or local fortunes. What is indispensable for the EST attack, is that mark degrees are set to accomplish environmental and wellness quality aims. Carbon dioxide Climate alteration is prevented by cut downing C dioxide emanations so that atmospheric concentrations of CO2are stabilised at or below their 1990 degrees. Consequently, entire emanations of CO2 from conveyance should non transcend 20 % to 50 % of such emanations in 1990 depending on specific national conditions. Nox Damage from ambient NO2and ozone degrees and N deposition is greatly reduced by meeting WHO Air Quality Guidelines for human wellness and eco-toxicity. This implies that entire emanations of NOxfrom conveyance should non transcend 10 % of such emanations in 1990. VOCs Damage from carcinogenic VOCs and ozone is greatly reduced by meeting WHO Air Quality Guidelines for human wellness and ecosystem protection. Entire emanations of transport-related VOCs should non transcend 10 % of such emanations in 1990 ( less for highly toxic VOCs ) .2 Particulates Harmful ambient air degrees are avoided by cut downing emanations of all right particulates ( particularly those less than 10 micrometers in diameter ) . Depending on local and regional conditions, this may imply a decrease of 55 % to 99 % of all right particulate ( PM10 ) emanations from conveyance, compared with 1990 degrees. Landuse/Landtake Land usage and substructure for the motion, care, and storage of conveyance vehicles is developed in such a manner that local and regional aims for air, H2O, eco-system and biodiversity protection are met. Compared to 1990 degrees, this will probably imply the Restoration and enlargement of green infinites in built-up countries. Noise Noise from conveyance no longer consequences in out-of-door noise degrees that present a wellness concern or serious nuisance. Depending on local and regional conditions, this may imply a decrease of conveyance noise to no more than a upper limit of 55 dubnium ( A ) during the twenty-four hours and 45 dubnium ( A ) at dark and out-of-doorss. Minister of Transport Malaysia in his address reference that ââ¬Å" The conveyance sector has now entered the new epoch of a more ambitious and requires a high committedness from all sides. It is now requires a manner of conveyance and more incorporate services and quality system. In add-on environmental facets should besides be given accent in the planning of all undertakings for the Ministry of guarantee sustainable development. â⬠( Message from DATUK ONG TEE KEAT, Minister of Transport Malaysia ) 3.0 METHODOLOGY This is Life Cycle Analysis academic composing which needs a batch of diaries and article readings, cyberspace surfboarding and cognition. Some articles were from Ministry of Transport, 10th Malaysia Plan and Malayan Strategic Planning to guarantee that suggestion proposed relevant to the way of Malaysia development ( Dasar Pembangunan Negara ) . However, more elaborate surveies should be done to acquire thoughts that can lend to accomplishing the ends. 4.0 Discussion What are the holistic attack toward sustainable transit policy in Malaysia? Several schemes can be developed such as:1. Develop of national transit schemeTransportation system webs are an of import piece of the communications substructure of a state. We are wholly dependent on our transit webs to travel goods and people throughout the state. A national transit scheme such as highlighted in The Strategic Plan would assist Malaysia make a sustainable transit policy. More schemes must emphasis on green engineering.2. Enhance national public transit schemeIn order to cut down the figure of private autos on the route, the authorities must be after their short term and long term schemes for public transit. Peoples must be encouraged to take public conveyance for the motion of goods and people. Long term schemes need to be after on how people can travel about in the hereafter by utilizing public conveyance as a precedence and make the finish faster, convenient and comfy. The Malayan authorities has stated a end to hold 40 % of the population utilizing public transit in the hereafter. Unfortunately, at a interim we have limited picks for safe, convenient, dependable public transit. For illustration, we have a really limited train to go from North to South. Road accidents which involved express coach are frequently happen in the state. Therefore, task force group which include expertness from relevant field must be formed. This group will come out with the national public transit schemes and besides to advice the stakeholders on how to accomplish the mission3. National public transit sectionPublic transit should non be run as a profitable concern. It must be look as a pick of transit that people can take. Minimum menu should be charge to the people. More subsidies must be given to this section. Peoples will certainly utilize public conveyance if it is convenient and comfy with the low menu. It is clip for the authorities to upgrade the public transit to the first category installations by turn uping more money in this department.Research and development unit must besides organize in this section. This unit will ever make research on new engineerings to upgrade the transit systems or conveyance which environmental friendly like was done in Seoul as an Earth friendly transit metropolis.4. Expanded national railroad webRailway engineering is still the most efficient manner to travel goods and people. Successful rail webs in Europe, Japan, India, China, Taiwan, and shortly in Argentina, show us that the motion of riders by rail is faster, easier, and better than auto or air travel. Thankss to the English Channel Tunnel and the Eurostar High Speed Train, London and Paris are now two hours apart by train. Trains travel more people, avoid congestion on the roads, usage less energy, and are far more appealing than planes or autos. A state like Malaysia should hold a dependable railroad transit web for cargo every bit good as a fast rider railroad web linking all major metropoliss. High Speed rail connexions between Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring capital metropoliss must be explored. Therefore, the full double-tracking and electrification of all rail lines within Malaysia is necessary. In add-on, ternary trailing and the building of extra rail lines should be considered.5. Regional/local public transit authorizationAs we can see in the urban country, there is a more than one public transit company. for illustration in Klang vale, Rapid KL and XXX are the celebrated coach companies. It is suppose to be merely one authorization which responsible for the planning, ordinance and inadvertence of public transit. This local authorization has the responsibility to command the coach systems so that it operates under an effectual an efficient system. This would extinguish unneeded and uneconomical competition and promote stableness and dependability in public transit. 6. Additional, secure support for regional/local public transit Public transit service is of import substructure. It should non be operated like a concern. There should be no ground why a coach company should even seek to run a sustainable concern. All first public transit services do non do money. They in fact lose money, and their extra costs are borne by a combination of authorities financess, bonds, and extra investings. The best manner to construct stable, dependable public transit substructure is to fund it decently and fund it early on. This means capital investing and regular operations subsidies are necessary. No universe category transit bureau should even be trying to retrieve 50 % o more of their grosss from menus paid by riders. Alternatively, they should be having money from public and private investing. Presently the province authorities of Terengganu is be aftering the debut of Rapid Terengganu, a state-level coach service. While any bus service betterments are good intelligence, this intelligence is even better because it shows that the province authorities is committed to bettering public transit through authorities regulated service. One little point, nevertheless. The name ââ¬Å" Rapid â⬠is overused, and possibly should be limited to large metropoliss merely. A state-level service should hold an appropriate name that reflects the service being offered, non a selling tool. I personally like ââ¬Å" Bas Negeri Terengganu â⬠and I think the acronym ââ¬Å" Bantu â⬠( for ââ¬Å" Bas Negeri Terengganu â⬠) would be a really appropriate as the word ââ¬Å" Bantu â⬠reflects the constructs of assisting and back uping each other. 7. Expanded KTM Komuter Service We have to gain that KTM Komuter has the lowest costs and greatest potency for enlargement among all manners of transit. An expanded KTM Komuter service ( that means, higher frequences, longer trains, faster trains, and more lines ) would promote people to utilize rapid theodolite. It merely costs excessively much to construct adequate LRT lines to do a difference in the transit substructure in the Klang Valley. KTM Komuter enlargement programs include new webs in the North and South, extensions from Sentul to Batu Caves, Rasa to Tanjung Malim, and Seremban to Senawang. A program is afoot to reconstruct more than a twelve damaged electric-multiple unit ( EMU ) trains, which would let higher frequence and more dependable service. The authorities must perpetrate to a existent enlargement of KTM Komuter service, intending more lines, adequate trains for five minute frequences, and dependable service. 8. More urban mass-transit lines LRT and mass theodolite should be built in urban countries, instead than suburban or rural countries. The cost of building is increasing daily, and this is why the authorities should be perpetrating to construct lines in urban countries, non suburban or rural countries. There is no ground, for illustration, to construct an LRT from Kuala Lumpur to Klang, when Kuala Lumpur itself still needs at least four more LRT lines ( in add-on to the new Kota Damansara-Cheras line ) . Urban countries need mass theodolite. Urban countries have huge Numberss of people and they have the population denseness to do mass-transit cost effectual. Suburban countries do non necessitate mass theodolite such as LRT lines. They truly need enhanced, frequent and dependable coach service to travel the huge Numberss of people spread out over a broad country. The planned Kota Damansara-Cheras LRT line will go through Kuala Lumpur. The Sentul-Batu Caves extension will alter transit in the northern countries of Kuala Lumpur. However, extra lines are needed in Kuala Lumpur to make the nucleus of a mass-transit web. The authorities should be constructing in urban countries, non the suburban countries. Extensions are for the hereafter. The nucleus of the mass-transit web demands to be built now. 9. Promoting Park and Ride The authorities should implement the user of Park and Ridein urban country. But before that the quality of service of Park and Ride system demand to be improved where more frequent service of the coachs to bring the people from one point to another. Besides improve the service, other schemes to increase the figure of coach user is provide adequate information to the client. Kiosk and information Centre is suited to advise the information about Park and Ride system to the people. Selling and publicity such as image advertisement, new occupant publicity and menu inducements may besides impact the figure of bus user.Malaysians seem to hold an compulsion with LRT and a misinterpretation of traffic congestion. We besides think that traffic jobs can be solved with monolithic undertakings instead than simple solutions. I wo n't tire you with the inside informations of why.LRT is a mass-transit, and it is dearly-won. As stated before, there is no possible manner to construct all of the LRT l ines that are needed to make speedy, dependable, convenient public transit. This means that other rapid theodolite options must be explored. Alternate signifiers of rapid theodolite include rapid ropewaies, and coach rapid theodolite. Even simple things like traffic signal precedence, coach lanes, and traffic monitoring cameras will do a immense difference.Sadly, the bulk of people in Malaysia still cleaving to the belief that traffic visible radiations, reduced figure of lanes, and roundabouts contribute to traffic congestion. The truth is that traffic congestion is caused by holding excessively many autos on the route at the same clip. Fewer autos equal lower congestion.There is hope that the reaching of local public transit governments will do a large difference, spread outing and heightening public transit. Extremist thoughts need to be implemented to cut down the figure of autos on the route. Bus lanes are merely a start but they are easy to implement. Bus Rapid Transit would b e the following measure.A dependable Bus Rapid Transit service running along major roads like Jalan Puchong, Jalan Klang Lama, the Federal Highway, Jalan Ipoh, Jalan Kepong, and others, would besides assist. The authorities must denote a program to put in tram lines, non merely extra LRT lines.10. Decrease in gasoline subsidy and inducements to promote the usage of public transitPetrol subsidies may do the lives of some people easier, but economic sciences say that anytime you fix the monetary value of an point below its natural monetary value, demand will increase and this will finally ensue in deficits of the merchandise. We have seen this happen in Malaysia with cooking oil, sugar, and Diesel fuel. Petrol and wheat may be the following points confronting deficits.The monetary value of gasoline in Malaysia is low ( compared to universe markets ) . Malaysians are driving more and demanding more gasoline. The supply is less and less dependable. Any instability is paid through revenu e enhancements and authorities financess.Other states such as Indonesia ( 2005 ) and Myanmar ( 2007 ) have seen immense additions in the monetary value of fuel after the authorities could no longer afford the subsidies.One manner to cut down the demand for gasoline is to cut down the subsidy ( thereby raising the monetary value at the pumps ) and directing that money into enhanced public conveyance service. The authorities needs to accept that this determination, though unpopular at first, will be in the best involvements of the people.To do their point clear, the authorities should cut down the gasoline subsidy by an sum of RM0.08 per liter, which would take to an increased pump monetary value of RM2.00 per liter. An 8 sen addition in the monetary value of gasoline ( after the election, of class ) would be much easier to accept than a 60 sen hiking in 2 to 3 old ages clip. The authorities should apportion the financess saved towards bettering and heightening public transit.There ar e many simple things that the authorities can make to heighten public transit across the state, and these can be implemented rapidly. An expanded Touch ââ¬ËN ââ¬Ë Go service, subsidies for coach operations, revenue enhancement inducements on the purchase of monthly theodolite base on ballss, and investing in support of public conveyance governments would do a immense difference for Malaysia.DrumheadThe proposals here are comparatively uninteresting and less glamourous than new LRT lines or monorails in every metropolis that asks for one. The fact is that public transit can be interesting and glamourous and inspiring. However, before that can all go on, there must be alterations in the attitude of the authorities and the people.It is good to believe that improved public transit is portion of the solution to traffic congestion in Malaysia. However, many people do non talk out and demand better public transit, and do non really intend to utilize the improved public transit.They a re losing the point. We can merely hold inspiring, glamourous, interesting and effectual public transit if there are alterations at the authorities degree. Once the authorities makes the necessary alterations, creates a national public transit scheme and a National Public Transportation Department, so we will eventually be on path to a great hereafter.a regular user of public conveyance, is profoundly concerned that authorities programs to promote the usage of public conveyance will finally neglect because of hapless planning and deficiency of support from the populace. 5.0 Decision Guaranting advancement towards sustainable development suppose to be a precedence of the Malayan authorities. Transport is a peculiarly ambitious sector. It is indispensable to modern life, but has many inauspicious effects on wellness and environment. Most transport tendencies are unsustainable. More attempt must be put on to develop public conveyance because survey found that utilizing public conveyance can minimise the environmental pollution and impact of wellness to homo. Although there is a batch of bad intelligence -A the good intelligence is it ââ¬Ës non excessively late! We can implement solutions, but we need to move fast and we need our authorities to take the lead.A
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Squash Buchi
The Philippines has lots of different kinds of foods to offer. Eating is one of the most popular hobbies of a Filipino. That is why at every street, there are people selling different kinds of foods. And because of that, it is not surprising that the food industry is one of the most popular business in the Philippines. Most of the Chinese Filipinos are ones who have businesses in the Chinese food and service restaurants. And because of that, Asian cuisine is a very popular dish in our country. In restaurants, they offer a 3-course meal; appetizer, main course, and dessert. And our focus here is one of the more popular Asian desserts; the Buchi or Jian Dui, which is mainly offered on some popular Asian cuisine restaurants.Thus, the Buchi can not only be a popular dessert in restaurants, but it can also be part of a Filipinos daily meals. Even up to this day, Buchi remains to be a popular dessert and this food continues to evolve as new techniques and styles of cooking find their way i nto our country. It is also a guilt-free kind of dessert because it is healthy. And by using new techniques and innovation in this food it can be further improved. And to have that improving taste, we will add another filling in it; a fleshy nutritious vegetable food that is called squash. In this research, we have to make this food not only a simple dessert but to have a new-taste of a healthy Filipino delicacyBackground of the StudyStreet food around Manila consists of mostly fried food. And one of these street foods is what we call ââ¬Å"Buchiâ⬠, it is very similar to the Chinese yum cha sweet sesame seed balls. In our country, these are usually sold stuffed with sweet mung bean paste. Buchi are sticky rice balls filled with sweet bean paste, rolled in sesame seeds and deep fried to form a crunchy crust. Buchi is a type of fried Chinese pastry made from glutinous rice flour. Glutinous rice is known as malagkit and milled glutinous rice is known as known as galapong. It is a simple deep fried sweet dessert or snack treat. Buchi are commonly stuffed with mung bean paste. Mung beans are low in cholesterol and high in soluble dietary fibers.It also contains proteaseà inhibitors. Protease inhibitors slow the replication of certain cancer cells including those found in breast cancer. Protease inhibitors are known to block and prevent formation of tumor cells. In other studies, Mung beans are a low glycemic index food, which means the beans are a diabetic friendly food. Low glycemic foods promote healthy blood sugar levels. People who eat foods that have a low glycemic index tend to have lower total body fat levels as opposed to those who consume high-glycemic foods, such as white bread and soft drinks. So it is really a Nutritious snack to eat. On the other hand, One cup of cooked calabaza squash flesh provides healthy carbohydrate energy, 2 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of fat within 76 calories if cooked without butter or oil.These squash are ac tually vine fruits that most people use as vegetables in composing their meals. The American Diabetes Association considers winter squash starchy vegetables, with all varieties averaging 18 grams of carbohydrates, of which 6 grams are dietary-fiber carbs. Calabaza and other winter squash have about half the carbs of other starchy vegetables, such as peas and corn. If you are a diabetic or bodybuilder who counts carbohydrates, youââ¬â¢ll still need to monitor your portion size of squash to stay inside your carb boundaries. It contains negligible fat and no measurable cholesterol. One cup of squash contains about 0.2 g of fat. Cutting down on your fat and cholesterol intake is a giant step towards helping reduce your risk of heart disease. It is also particularly high in concentrations of beta carotene and lutein.Dietary lutein helps to prevent the onset of cataracts and macular degeneration, which often leads to blindness. A cup of squash provides about 135 micrograms of beta caro tene and 2,400 micrograms of lutein. And it contains high levels of manganese and vitamin C. Manganese aids in maintaining healthy bone structure, calcium absorption, enzyme creation, and bone building. It also contributes to the mineral density of the spinal column. Vitamin C aids in the production of collagen, which is essential for the building of bone mass, and magnesium is indispensible to the health of joints and bones. Iron, folate, zinc and phosphorous found in squash all contribute to the mineral health of bones, and help fortify against osteoporosis. Therefore, is Calabaza feasible to be used as a substitute for mung bean paste?Statement of the Problem The study will determine the acceptability of developed products using Squash as a Sub-Main Ingredient for the Buchi Filling. Specifically, the following questions were answered.1. What is the optimum level of formulation of Squash as a Sub-Main Ingredient for the Buchi Filling in developed products? 2. What are the sensory attributes of the developed products in terms of the following organoleptic properties:2.1 appearance 2.2 color 2.3 texture 2.4 aroma 2.5 flavor 2.6 general acceptability 3. Is there significant difference in appearance, color, texture, aroma, flavor and general acceptability of the developed products? 4. What is the theoretical nutritional and health contribution of the developed products? 5. What is the direct material cost of the developed products?Hypothesis There is no significant difference in the appearance, color, texture, aroma, flavor and general acceptability of the developed products.Scope of the Study The scope of our study is for the Filipinos who are engaged in eating Filipino snacks especially Buchi and the children who is not fond in eating nutritious foods like squash by providing them a snack which will fit their sweet tastes and at the same time the nutrients their body needs.Significance of the study The significance of this study is to innovate the common Buchi , by using a squash paste as a filling instead of mung bean paste. The main purpose of the researchers is to create a product that will satisfy both adult and children in having a food which is more delicious, sweet and at the same time healthier. This innovation will benefit those childrenââ¬â¢s and adults.Definition of TermsBeta carotene ââ¬â is a vitamin that acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells against oxidation damage. Beta carotene is converted by the body to vitamin A. Cataract ââ¬â is a clouding of the lens inside the eye which leads to a decrease in vision. It is the most common cause of blindness and is conventionally treated with surgery. Collagen ââ¬â is he main structural protein found in animal connective tissue, yielding gelatin when boiled. Folate ââ¬â is a B vitamin that is essential for cell growth and reproduction. Glutinous rice ââ¬â is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose con tent, and is especially sticky when cooked. Glycemic Index or Glycaemic Index, (GI) provides a measure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating a particular type of food. Jian dui ââ¬â is a type of fried Chinese pastry made from glutinous rice flour.The pastry is coated with sesame seeds on the outside and is crisp and chewy. Inside the pastry is a large hollow, caused by the expansion of the dough. The hollow of the pastry is filled with a filling usually consisting of mung bean paste. Lutein provides nutritional support to our eyes and skin ââ¬â the only organs of the body directly exposed to the outside environment. Lutein has been linked to promoting healthy eyes through reducing the risk of macular degeneration. Mung or Moong Bean ââ¬â is the seed of Vigna radiata, native to the Indian subcontinent, and mainly cultivated In India, China, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Burma, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, but also in hot and dry regions of Sou thern Europe and the Southern United States.Protease ââ¬â is an enzyme that breaks down proteins and peptides. Organoleptic properties ââ¬â capable of detecting a sensory stimulus. Hedonic Scale ââ¬â The term Hedonic Scale is used in food science, marketing research and tasting panels where the respondents indicate the extent to which they either like or dislike food. Sensory Attributes ââ¬â To relate to a particular cause or source through the senses.CHAPTER II: Review of Related Literature and Related StudiesHISTORY OF SQUASH Our word ââ¬Å"squashâ⬠came from the Massachuset Indian word askutasquash, meaning ââ¬Å"eaten raw or uncooked.â⬠Although the Indians may have eaten some forms of squash without cooking, today we like our squashes cooked. The late-growing, less symmetrical, odd-shaped, rough or warty kinds, small to medium in size, but with long-keeping qualities and hard rinds, are usually called winter squash. They belong, almost without except ion, to the species Cucurbita maxima or C. moschata.The small, quick-growing forms that are eaten before the rinds and seeds begin to harden are called summer squash and belong to the species C. pepo. Pumpkins also belong to that species, but large, late, smooth, symmetrical forms of C. maxima and C. moschata are sometimes called ââ¬Å"pumpkinsâ⬠regardless of species. The word ââ¬Å"pumpkinâ⬠-improperly pronounced ââ¬Å"punkinâ⬠by most Americans, including myself- is derived from the old French term pompion, meaning eaten when ââ¬Å"cooked by the sun,â⬠or ripe. In modern French, pumpkin is called potiron. (http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu)USES OF SQUASH The uses of Squash are the young shoots, flowers and fruits are used as vegetables, matured can be made into pies and other delicacies, seeds of mature fruits can be boiled in salted water, dried like water-melon seeds, roasted and used as snack food.NUTRITIONAL FACTS ABOUT SQUASH All varieties of squash are rich in carotene. Carotene has been proven to be beneficial at preventing cancer and lung disease. The carotene from squash can also help prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. In the summer months, the health benefits of squash include protecting against the damaging effects of sun exposure and preventing dehydration. The juice from summer squash has also been proven to be just as effective as some varieties of winter squash in preventing cell mutations in the protection against cancer.Since both winter and summer squash varieties are rich in B vitamins, they can also help to reverse many of the damaging effects of stress on the body and further prevent other types of illness. Squash is also a good source of vitamin C, which helps to boost the immuneà system, prevent colds, and help fight allergies. The rinds of many squash are also a good source of fiber, which aids in proper digestion and is a vital element in preventing many types of disease. It i s important if you eat squash to also eat the peel or rind. (http://health.wikinut.com)Economic Production of Squash It is usually grown in home gardens and in commercial scale for its fruits, young shoots, flowers and seeds. In some places, intercropping squash with other crops such as corn, sugarcane, and coconut is practiced. Like other cucurbits, squash is recognized as an important source of vitamins and minerals. For best yield and profit, planting months must be from October to December, and May to July in hilly areas.Land PreparationPlow and harrow the field alternately 2-3 times. Furrow the field at a row spacing of 2 meters. Prepare hills at 1 meter apart. Incorporate organic fertilizer and complete fertilizer thoroughly with the soil at planting.PlantingPlant 2-3 seeds per hill. Remove weak seedlings and leave two plants per hill when the first true leaf has developed.HISTORY OF MUNG BEAN The mungbean, Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek has been grown in India since ancient times . It is still widely grown in southeast Asia, Africa, South America and Australia. It was apparently grown in the United States as early as 1835 as the Chickasaw pea. It is also referred to as green gram, golden gram and chop suey bean. Mungbeans are grown widely for use as a human food (as dry beans or fresh sprouts), but can be used as a green manure crop and as forage for livestock. Virtually all the domestic production of mungbean is in Oklahoma. Fifteen to twenty million pounds of mungbean are consumed annually in the United States and nearly 75 percent of this is imported. (http://www.hort.purdue.edu)NUTRITIONAL FACTS OF MUNG BEANBasic Nutrition FactsMung beans are extremely low in calories, with 1 cup of mature sprouted seeds containing only 31 calories per serving. A serving also contains 1.9 grams of dietary fiber, or 8 percent of your daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Fiber helps you feel full, so mung beans make a good low-calorie snack to ward off hunger pangs i n between meals, particularly if you're watching your weight. A serving of mung beans contains almost no fat at 0.19 grams per serving, only 6 milligrams of sodium and 5 percent of your daily value of iron. Powerful ProteinProtein is a vital part of any healthy diet because the body uses protein to repair and renew cells. As the body breaks down protein, amino acids are left that help the body break down food further. While meat, dairy products and eggs are all high in protein, these sources can also be high in cholesterol, and they aren't an option for people following a vegan diet. Mung beans contain 3.2 grams of protein per 1 cup serving. Interviewed on the â⬠Todayâ⬠show, Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, recommends that you strive for about 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. Considerable Vitamin CA 1-cup serving of mung bean sprouts contains 23 percent daily value of vitamin C based on a 2,000-calorie diet. It's essential to get enough vitamin C in your daily diet because the body does not store it. The vitamin is an antioxidant that helps protect the body against damage from free radicals. It also helps the body produce collagen, necessary for skin, cartilage, ligaments and wound healing. Vitamin C serves a protective function, helping prevent heart disease and high blood pressure. Kick Up the Vitamin KMung beans are rich in vitamin K (Vitamin K is known as the clotting vitamin, because without it blood would not clot. Some studies suggest that it helps maintain strong bones in the elderly.), with a 1-cup size serving of sprouts containing 43 percent daily value. While vitamin K isn't as widely publicized as other vitamins, it's still important. The body stores vitamin K in the liver and fatty tissue, but replenishing through diet is necessary,à particularly if you have liver disease, gallbladder disease, celiac disease or are taking blood thinners. The vitamin helps keep your bones healthy and helps your blood clot normally.http://www.livestrong.comDIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUMPKIN AND SQUASHAccording to some studies and sites the researchers have visited the difference between Pumpkin and Squash is that the Pumpkin is generally used for carving and is always used to design during Halloween because if its very thick skin while the Squash is primarily used in cooking and is eaten raw or cooked.Season Chart for the production of Squash in the PhilippinesCHAPTER III: MethodologyResearch Design The researchers used an experimental design in conducting their research. An experimental design is a study design used to test cause-and-effect relationships between variables. The classic experimental design specifies an experimental group and a control group. The independent variable is administered to the experimental group and not to the control group, and both groups are measured on the same dependent variable. Subsequent experimental desig ns have used more groups and more measurements over longer periods.True experiments must have control, randomization, and manipulation. The researchers have conducted sensory evaluation and randomly selected students from World Citi Colleges to evaluate our finish product which are Lot 1(100% mung beans paste filling), Lot 2 (50% mung bean paste filling, 50% squash paste filling), Lot 3 (60% mung beans paste filling, 40% squash paste filling), Lot 4 (70% mung beans paste filling, 30% squash paste filling)Statistical Treatment of Data Sensory Evaluation The 7 and 9 Hedonic Scale was used to assess the developed bakery products. The 7 ââ¬â Hedonic Scale was used to evaluate the appearance, color, texture and aroma of the developed bakery products while the 9 ââ¬â Hedonic Scale was utilized to assess the flavor and general acceptability of the said product. Statistical TreatmentThe Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) was used to determine significant differences between and among the sensory attributes of the developed bakery products.Experimental Procedures Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour 3/4 cup water 1/8 tsp salt Sweet mung bean paste sesame seeds cooking oilProcedures: 1. Mix the flour, salt and water together in a bowl. Knead together just enough to form into a dough. 2. Divide the ball into small pieces and shape it into a ball then flatten the middle of the dough with your thumb. Spoon 1 tablespoon of sweet red bean paste into the middle of the dough. 3. Wrap the dough around the bean paste. Pinch the edges together to seal and roll it until the shape is round. 4. Roll the shaped dough over the sesame seeds.à 5. Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan. (350 deg F) 6. Fry the balls in batches in the hot oil until golden brown.CHAPTER IV Presentation, Analysis and InterpretationTo ensure the exact measurement of the filling, the researchers used percentage as their measurement.Lot 1 Lot 2 Lot 3 Lot 4 Squash fillings 0% 50% 60% 70% Mung bean filli ngs 100% 50% 40% 30%It can be compared that Squash is richer in vitamins A(80%), and Vitamin C(10%), while mung bean is richer in Calcium(2%), Iron(7%), and in Magnesium(12%). While both of them gives 5 percent of Vitamin B-6.
B.F. Skinners theory of punishment Essay
When you think of punishment and reward you think of a reaction; but man has come up with theories of why we do the things that we can do. Conditioning and learning is defined as change in behavior, which is resulted by different types of practices and experiences. In this report the main topics will be classical conditioning, operant conditioning, cognitive-social learning, and neuroscience and evolution. Every time we do something good or bad the outcome determines our reactions in future situations. This learning process that is associated between environment stimuli and behavioral responses. Breaking down the rewards system you come along reinforces and reinforcement. Both are good ways to get a conditioned response. First we primary rein forcers, this increases the chance because it satisfies a need for sex, food, and water. Secondary rein forcers increase the probability of a reaction because of value, money, and possessions through learning. Positive reinforcement is a reward that adds stimulus to increase chances of responses. Positive reinforcement would be a paycheck for a job well done. Negative reinforcement is the exact opposite removing or taking away stimulus of the action not occurring again. The two types of conditioning we are covering is classical and operant. Conditioning is learning through repetition of exercises of rewards or punishment to get a response. The pioneer scientist in classical conditioning is Ivan Pavlov. Classical conditioning is also known as a Respondent or Pavlovian conditioning. Classical is also involuntary which is one of the major differences from operant conditioning. Classical conditioning happens when an unrelated response through association with a stimulus that already makes a similar or related response. An example of classical conditioning is for some people when you hear the sound of running water you need to use the bathroom. The other types of conditioning are Operant, also called Instrumental and Skinnerian conditioning. In operant conditioning the punishment, reward, or in other words outcome is important. That adds to the probability that the act will be repeated or not. Operant conditioning is where consequences of aà particular behavior are described on the repetition of that same behavior. B.F. Skinnerââ¬â¢s experiment of operant conditioning was a cat in a puzzle box. The only way the cat could get out was to pull on a rope; at first the cat did it by mistake. As the experiment went on the catââ¬â¢s behavior became more and more purposeful. Soon the cat learned that the door opened immediately for his food. Skinnerââ¬â¢s theory of reward was called positive reinforcement, and his theory of punishment was known as negative reinforcement. Reinforcement always increases the strength of the preceding behavior. Skinner was credited with the law of affect meaning an action will be repeated if it is rewarded. Another type of operant conditioning is called, Extinction. Extinction is a particular behavior that is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing a positive condition or stopping a negative condition. So far this report has broken down stimulus and observable reward and punishment behavior. Overall, some scientists believe the behavior cannot be explained by these theories alone. So next we come to cognitive social theory. Unlike Skinnerââ¬â¢s black box theory, German psychologist Wolfgang Kohler wanted to look deeper inside the box. Kohler believed that solving a complex problem was responding to the stimuli in a trial and error statement. One of his experiments was with using a chimpanzee to try and find his way out of a cage and luring to reach a banana from the ceiling by using itââ¬â¢s insight to grasp the banana. Kohler tried the experiment again with another chimp placing him in the cage with two sticks this time and placing the banana farther then itââ¬â¢s grasp. The chimp lost interest in the banana when it was farther but then realized he could use the two sticks to extend his reach, allowing it (the chimp) to obtain the banana. Kohler called this a, learning insight. To wrap up this report we learned that the different types of conditioning are based on reward and punishment and they all have their own different theories and they are still being tested and experimented today.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Building a customer loyalty scheme via The Three Commitment Components Essay
Building a customer loyalty scheme via The Three Commitment Components model for family-run Thai restaurants in London - Essay Example The latter trend has borne business venturesââ¬â¢ interest in fostering consumer loyalty, which is synonymous with consumer adherence to an establishmentââ¬â¢s products and services, as opposed to shifting to alternative suppliers. Further, adoption of consumer loyalty has seen firms shift from the traditional marketing model that primarily targeted broadening of their consumer bases and enhancing profitability through increased sales volumes, toward marketing for loyalty. The widespread inclination is evident from the increasing number of companies that are opting to formulate, implement, assess and improve loyalty strategies or programmes meant to develop stable relations with customers. This paper seeks to provide insight into how the three commitment component model can be used to formulate loyalty programmes and consequently foster consumersââ¬â¢ loyalty to a family-run Thai restaurant based in London. Customer loyalty will enable the Thai restaurant to attain higher ef ficiency by streamlining operation strategies, providing customersââ¬â¢ with favorite meals or services, and incurring lower expenditure, while using three commitment component model-based programmes. Conventionally, firms utilized a loyalty strategy that sought to attract numerous customers, but not to retain them in the long run. An excellent example of a traditional loyalty model is the behavioural approach, whereby firms take advantage of customersââ¬â¢ buying propensities to build a loyalty program. This translates to creation of slow point redemption of points or rewards by a customer after they use the establishmentââ¬â¢s products or services for a while. Contrastingly, the three commitment component model encompasses three principal loyalty elements, that is, the affective, normative and continuance. The affective aspect represents elements that bind consumers willingly to a service provider. The
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Give each page of a fallacy topic that are related to it Research Paper
Give each page of a fallacy topic that are related to it - Research Paper Example Adolf Hitler once said that people can be easily influenced if you use some psychological formulas in order to persuade them. A formal fallacy, on the other hand, is one which involves an error in the technical arrangement or the structure of an argument. The conclusion of such argument could be true but the argument, itself, is invalid. An ad hominem argument is one in which a person attacks the other party rather than addressing the argument and the question itself. It is an effective way of ignoring the question asked and answering by blaming or criticizing the other party ( Top Ten Logical Fallacies In politics, Web). This is a fallacy not because people claim that the argument is wrong but because the negative characteristics of people making the argument. This is a means through which people try to discredit the argument of the counter party by disclosing their negative traits. This type of a fallacy is highly common among politicians who, rather than commenting on the issue at hand, try to blame the other party in order to create hype especially among the media. This successfully distracts the opponent as well as the audience and media from the question or issue at hand. These personal comments might even affect a voter`s opinion about the opponent`s political position. Ad hominem is further divided into two categories: abusive and circumstantial. Abusive fallacy is when a person comments on the personal character or qualities of the opponent. This is an effective disruption as the opponent tries to defend himself and is distracted from the topic. Circumstantial fallacy is when certain circumstances involving the opponent are brought up in order to divert the attention of the audience or the opponent himself. (Argumentum Ad Hominem, Web). One recent example of this fallacy is when President Obama, during his speech, said that ââ¬Å"Gov. Romney "would ask the middle class to pay more in taxes to
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Arbitration Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Arbitration Law - Essay Example With the rapid strides made by the world financial and business communities, it has become imperative for businesses to have a proven method of resolving business disputes promptly, expeditiously and constructively. When businesses grow and expand it is natural that disputes will arise. In wake of this, parties often favor a private and informal settlement of disputes, in a businesslike fashion that enable them to further their business interests without strangling their business relationship. It is for such occasions that arbitration is designedââ¬âfor prompt, pragmatic and efficient resolution of disputes. Arbitration is essentially a process of dispute resolution inspired by ones free will where a neutral third party renders a final and binding decision after the concerned sides have presented their views. This method is particularly useful in international business transactions where parties are often unfamiliar with foreign legal systems. The parties may reside in a number o f different geographic locations, each subject to quite different laws and legal systems. Matters get much more complicated if their transactions involve activities in other jurisdictions, where they otherwise have no presence or familiarity. With stark deviations from a judicial procedure, arbitration is conducted outside the court system by disinterested arbitrators selected by the concerned parties based on the criteria that best suit the nature of the contract.
Friday, July 26, 2019
Gender Role and Behavior Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Gender Role and Behavior - Case Study Example This interview has been guided by the theories laid out by Devor and aims to provide a succinct analysis of an increasingly relevant phenomenon. The aim of the research undertaken is to explore the ways in which gender is understood and explained by people today. Unlike sex, gender is artificially imposed and although based upon biological differences between men and women, gender is socially constructed. As a social construct, gender roles, behaviors, attitudes and expectations are created by society and enforced by social norms. The funny thing about gender is that we are led to believe that it is innate and something that we are born with. As Aaron Devor so eloquently points out in his groundbreaking and incredibly illuminating essay, "Gender Role, Behavior and Attitudes", gender is created, acquired and constructed by the greater society at large. Sex has a biological basis and is predetermined at birth. Gender, on the other hand, is a social construction and gender roles and expectations are unique to each and every society. ... Accordingly, a qualitative analysis suits the parameters of this project best. This project will be the result of extensive research and the bulk of the data explored will be obtained through scholarly analysis of gender theory as well as a comprehensive literature review of all current scholarly information on the subject. Although primarily qualitative in nature, if quantitative data is available, this information has been integrated into the overall analysis. To this end, scholarly journals websites and the latest books on the subject will be utilized. This research intends to undertake data collection through extensive research and coding of relevant information. An in-depth interview will take place to understand peoples' perspectives on the social construction of gender today. In addition to scholarly research on the subject, this researcher has sought out primary documents from a variety of actors, both at home and abroad. Through an in-depth interview I aim to provide a comprehensive analysis of the issues at hand. Our interview structure will be followed by survey research in the form of a questionnaire, in order to form generalizations. Validity will be obtained through the interview process and while generalisability may be a challenges due to the limited scope of the interview, the findings may have wider implications. In order to provide findings which are applicable in the modern world, the interview will be structured in a complete manner which will be formal and professional. Accordingly, the interview questions will not be leading, nor offensive and will not affect the respondent in any negative way. In order to ensure the
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Financial Reporting Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Financial Reporting - Case Study Example In a brief history of the cases, Enron, On October 16, 2001 Enron declared to SEC a net loss of $ 618 million for the third quarter effectively reducing share holder equity by $ 1.2 billion. SEC opened enquiry the very next day and called for details from Enron officials who in turn notified their Auditor Arthur Andersen. Pursuant to this, Andersen had his team destroy Enron-related documents. As a result, Enron, Andersen and his lead partner Duncan were convicted of obstruction of justice. Enron's Chief Financial officer faced indictment on 98 counts of fraud and related offences. Besides Enron is now bankrupt, and civil and criminal investigations continue to examine Enron's complex accounting practices and byzantine financial schemes. (Brickey) Close on the heels of Enron episode, WorldCom's fraud surfaced dwarfing the former. Both the cases involved accounting frauds with the companies managements' sole aim of keeping the share prices higher in spite of huge losses which they covered by manipulation of accounts. But for the whistle blowers from both the corporations, the frauds would not have come to light though bubble would have ultimately burst by the operation of economics. But more money would have been swindled, more would have fled the scene had it not been for the whistle blowers who had little protection prior to Sarbanes -Oxley enactment. Sherron Watkins, a Vice-President at Enron who discovered accounting fraud disclosed it to its Chairman Ken Lay in five memos detailing Enron's off-book partnerships, special purpose entities and urged him to disclose a ccounting irregularities. Though he agreed to engage a law firm to conduct preliminary investigation, he appointed the firm of Vinson & Elkins in spite of Watkins' advice not to engage them as they were also party to structure some of the questionable deals. And the law firm not surprisingly gave clean chit to the questioned transactions. Watkins preferred to depose before congressional hearings probing the Enron's affairs. Similarly Cynthia Cooper, Vice-President, Internal Auditing, WorldCom exposed a larger accounting in her corporation when she came to know of a sample fraudulent transfer of $ 400 million from Reserve account to inflate the corporation's earnings. Here again Arthur Anderson was the Auditor for the corporation. While he tried to convince her by insisting no abnormality, the CFO Scot Sullivan literally tried to silence her. (Ripley Amanda) She therefore independently conducted inspection of account books and found that the management had capitalised operating expen ditures and converted a $662 million loss into a fictitious $2.4 billion profit.CFO Sullivan learnt of her attempts to unearth such manipulations and warned of her dismissal if she did not stop. "After going to the audit committee, she and her audit team remained hopeful that they could find something they might have missed that would explain the unorthodox accounting. But Cooper's hopes were dashed when she confronted WorldCom Controller David Meyers, who conceded that the entries could not be justified. " (Brickey) The charges against Andersen were that he had knowledge of accounting irregularities at Enron, and fraud relating special purpose entities used by Enron, that he hired an out-side law firm in anticipation of
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Secular Organizations and Sacred Places Paper Research
Secular Organizations and Sacred Places - Research Paper Example National Park Service, 2011). These four American Presidents had played an important role in the creation of the democratic nation of the United States of America. This contemporary monument is admired and respected by all people holding democratic and secular beliefs. On the other hand, the Sphinx of Egypt was built nearly 6000 years ago during the reign of King Khafre (Guardianââ¬â¢s Sphinx, n.d.). Due to the artistic beauty and the message of love radiated by the gigantic sculpture, the Sphinx is popular among the tourists who respect democracy and secularism. The Sphinx has the body of a lion and the divine head of a king or God, which shows the combination of strength and intellect in the mythical creature (Guardianââ¬â¢s Sphinx, n.d.). Significance Mount Rushmore represents freedom, unification, and democracy that have been given to the American citizens by the great American Presidents (South Dakota Mount Rushmore Information, 2011). Since the busts of the American Presi dents are carved on the top of the mountain, the head is shown to be the most sacred part of the sculpture. It was the vision, planning, and successful implementation by the American Presidents who had emphasized freedom and democracy for the unified country.
Market Success and Entry Strategy Research Paper
Market Success and Entry Strategy - Research Paper Example The first and foremost step is the analysis of the market size and demand. The market according to the various segments are divided and categorized. For example, for an automobile market, the division of the market can be as according to the taste, demand and preference of the consumers. The consumers in one group of consumers are different from the other group and each represents a separate entity. The characteristics or the dimensions on which a market size is determined are geographic, cultural, social, economic and psychological factors. The market potential of a new consumer product is tested. The acceptance level of the product would decide the money that product will make in the market. There are various factors, which affect segmentation in a consumer market. Geographic is one such factor, where a country is segmented on basis region, city, urban, rural and climate. Demographically market is segmented on the basis of age, family size, gender, household income, life stage, occ upation, education, religion, race, generation and social class. Further, segmentation can be done on the basis of lifestyle and personality traits. On an individual level market can be segmented on the basis of attitude, belief and perception of products, product awareness and usage pattern. Market success analysis In any country the buying or the purchasing power is depends mostly on the infrastructure, currency, quality of the product and employment level. In mostly all agricultural based society, the production of a commodity, information to other available resources is very less. The resources like the labors, professionals or the working class has a major impact on the success of any foreign company in any country. In India the distribution of labor forces is unequal. Most of the professionals reside in the urban areas. Hangout Plaza is a fast food chain of restaurant. It offers mostly burgers, chicken pizzas, which will not be accepted by the rural population. In India, the c ost of labor is low. In order for the company to be able to market their product smoothly they should employ the local population. The skilled, unskilled labors can be deployed to gain the confidence of the locals and to get the work done at a cheaper rate. The regulations and the duties imposed by the government also play a major part in shaping the business of a company in the international market. The Government's red tape policies are often a hindrance for any foreign company. In India, the government is quite liberal in allowing the foreign companies to enter. India has many U.S. base hotels which are operating since a long time (FAO, 1997). Ã The political, economic and social factor poses a serious problem risk for any new company in the global market. For Hangout Plaza, there are many competition threats from many other fast food chains of hotels. Since there is no clear-cut strategy to decide and ascertain which strategy can be useful for assessing the competition threat s, the need to understand and calculate the same becomes more tedious and tough.Ã Ã
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Space, the amazing universe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Space, the amazing universe - Essay Example The universe is a phenomenon made up of various forces that combine to ensure the existence of life. There are four major forces that support the existence of life on earth. The earth is believed to be spherical. As a result, the earthââ¬â¢s state of motion is important as it promotes a balance in energy distribution and light (Phelan, 33). Human beings need the sun for survival. The sun is steadily positioned thus the need for the earth to rotate in order for all sections of the globe to receive sunlight. The sun is important in life existence as it is a key element in the manufacture of food for plants thus passing the energy down to human beings and animals. According to scientific principles, the four inertial forces of the earth work together to support life and an increase or deduction of forces might distort the normal life operations. The earth is spherical and exists in a state of motion. Therefore, living things on earth require forces in order to remain intact and move freely on earth (Phelan, 54). Albert Einsteinââ¬â¢s principle of equivalence explains the relationship between the four forces and the sustenance of life. The four forces act in equal magnitude I order to maintain balance of the globe. This can be related to Newtonââ¬â¢s concept of a moving car and a passenger. In order for a passenger to stay in an accelerating car, forces must be applied on him or her. In the same way, in order for the earth to remain in its shape as well as its rotation on its axis.
Monday, July 22, 2019
My Hobby Essay Example for Free
My Hobby Essay Vegetable gardening as my favorite hobby Deepa George WGU February 20, 2013 Vegetable gardening as my favorite hobby Hobby is an entertaining activity which provides pleasure and recreation. It is a way of escaping from the stress and the monotony of oneââ¬â¢s daily round of duties. Therefore, hobby is essential for the proper enjoyment of life. My favorite hobby is vegetable gardening because it provides me sense of pride, peace, and relaxation, promote healthy life style and save money on groceries. You should start gardening as your hobby because it provides you relaxation, keeps you physically healthy, and save money on grocery bills. First of all, a vegetable garden is an easy and effective way to provide a sense of pride and relaxation. I am fortunate to have a spacious backyard for the gardening. I have vegetables and crops such as peas, lettuce, greens, cabbages, root crops, squash, beans, corn, melons, cucumber, eggplant, pepper, and herbs in my garden in different seasons. Research shows that gardening promotes mental health by relieving stress and promoting a sense of accomplishment. Spending some time in the garden ease stress, keep you limber and improve your mood. Vegetable gardening is a wonderful pastime the whole family can enjoy. Allowing children to be involved in the gardening help them to develop an understanding of nature, sense of responsibility, and pride. Kids are more likely to taste vegetables they grow themselves. My five year old son is proud about our vegetable garden. He helps us with watering the plants, caring for the crop and harvesting the produce. He was extremely reluctant to eat fruits and vegetables buying from the market, but now he does not want to miss anything coming from our garden. When your daughter Sara was in my house, she enjoyed peeking under leaves in search of ripe fruits and vegetables. Hence, I am sure that she will be so happy to have her own garden. Growing your own food, build a sense of pride and satisfaction. Watching a seed sprout in front of your eyes to become food on your plate is gratifying. The commitment for garden rewards you with a feeling that you have brought something to life. It is truly exciting to go to your backyard and get a juicy, ripened tomato for a salad. Now the weather is turning warm and favorable for planting. You should make a vegetable garden with your favorite vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers and jalapeno peppers. The stores like Lowes, Home depot, and local seed stores have varieties of seeds with planting instructions. I will help you with picking out plants, preparing raised beds and containers, and fertilization of plants. I would like you to enjoy the sense of pride, accomplishment and relaxation by gardening which brings you close to nature. Secondly, planting vegetable gardening keeps you and your family healthy. It provides fresh fruits and vegetables right at your fingertips. Everybody is seriously concerned about the safety of the food available in the market. When you grow your own food carefully and organically, you do not have to worry about the contamination of the vegetables. When they grow in your backyard, you are not able to resist them, and their vitamin content will be at the highest level as you eat them straight from the garden. Thus, gardening is a simple and an easy way to promote good eating habits. Furthermore, gardening is a good outdoor exercise. Planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting require a lot of physical activity. Tending vegetable garden burns calories and uses muscles. Studies have shown that one can burn 200 to 500 calories per hour by working in the vegetable garden. The activities in the garden will give you sufficient physical exercise to keep you physically healthy and mentally alert. Finally, you will save money on groceries when you begin to stock your kitchen with fresh produce from backyard. It will help you to save money on gas you use to get to the store. To save money, you should plant smart and grow the food you like to eat. Make sure you grow a lot of vegetables that you use regularly. Since you like the salad, you should plant plenty of salad greens to save money. You can preserve the produce and enjoy the goodness of fruits and vegetables long after the harvest is over. There are four common ways to preserve foods: canning, freezing, drying, and pickling. Last year, I preserved beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrot and sweet corn and used for the rest of the year. You can share the extra vegetables with your friends, or sell in the fresh vegetable market. Every year I donate extra vegetables to a food pantry, and it helped me to take the tax deduction for non-cash distributions. You can save the seeds from the best produces, and use for next year. Gardening is an investment that offers a good return. For example, I have spent two dollar for one packet of green bean seeds. Once I cover the cost of soil, fertilizers, and water, I got a return of around seventy five dollars. I suggest you to start gardening as your hobby that produces positive economic return. Conclusively, vegetable gardening provides relaxation by getting a person outside and exposing to natural air. Planning a garden and caring for the garden help the person to stay healthy and save money. For all these reasons, I encourage you to choose vegetable gardening as your hobby.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
The Multifaceted Topic of Free College
The Multifaceted Topic of Free College In a world where blue-collar jobs are considered unappealing by many, an increasing amount of individuals have begun to choose to attend college in the hopes of achieving prestigious positions in the white-collar industry. Unfortunately, however, ones decision to further their education at post-secondary school can have one rather drastic unforeseen consequence: thousands of dollars worth of debt. As a result of this growing epidemic plaguing college students around the nation, rallying cries for free higher education have begun to spring up throughout the country. But, for as many logical, thought-out arguments that exist in support of free college, there are just as many against it. In fact, as highlighted in Dissent Magazines special issue titled Arguments on the Left, in which three different authors share their differing viewpoints regarding free higher education, this debate is anything but simple and is more complex than individuals would both hope and imagine. As a result, on e can only conclude that the idea of free college, while idealistic and tempting, is not completely beneficial nor easily achieved, especially after taking these three articles and their varying arguments into consideration. The first of the three articles, Tressie McMillan Cottoms Why Free College is Necessary, takes a die-hard stance on the supportive side of the free college debate. Believing that higher education should be free regardless of what it can and cannot achieve, Cottom preaches the words and ideas that every college student that has ever faced debt wants to hear. However, while Cottoms argument surely makes sense from the humanitarian side of things, it fails to delve into where the funds are going to come from. Logically speaking, funds from either the state or government that would help students attend college for free would come from the taxpayers own wallets. In a country that is already in a large amount of debt, with public institutions and services often taking the brunt of cutbacks, increasing the amount taxpayers have to contribute in order to provide students with a free college education shouldnt necessarily be a top priority. Additionally, Cottom states, An educational justice policy must include institutions of higher education but cannot only include institutions of higher education (Cottom). Unfortunately, this adds even more burden to an already overwhelming financial undertaking. According to this logic, this notion of free education must expand beyond the boundaries of college and into the realm of trade schools as well, which only increases the cost that cannot easily be paid. Furthermore, Cottom also points out that, à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦free college would likely benefit only an outlying group of students who are currently shut out of higher education because of cost (Cottom). While I wholeheartedly believe that everyone who wants to learn should, regardless of their economic standing, looking at the situation from this point of view can cause one to question the validity of the whole endeavor. That is, what way does it make sense to undertake such a huge financial burden if free college wont necessarily benefit everyone? Much like Cottoms argument, Mike Konczals article titled, Generation Debt, also approaches the topic of free higher education from a rather positive stance. Konczal proclaims that education is a right that every human should have access to, and insists that the government be the ones responsible for providing the service. However, instead of insinuating that higher education be provided for free, Konczal points out that part of the root of the problem regarding student debt in particular is the fact that there has been large-scale disinvestment from and privatization of post-secondary education. Arguing that, Higher educationà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦shouldnt be left to a handful of private schools, where administrators pursue their own objectives independent of public need, or to the market, which is only interested in how much it can profit at any given time (Konczal), he exposes the fact that colleges and universities around the nation are run more like businesses than anything else. In doin g this, students are placed at a disadvantage because they are merely pawns, often attending schools that exist not for the betterment of our nations citizens, but to exploit as much money as possible from the unsuspecting and undeserving. Only worsening the situation is the fact that, à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦public disinvestment in the states has been paired with generous tax cuts for rich individuals and corporations (Konczal). Combined with the money-making machine that is higher education, the fact that states have chosen to side with the rich and powerful instead of standing with their own constituents only ensures that the rich will get richer and the poor, poorer. Furthermore, as stated by Konczal, National conversations on higher education are often dominated by a few elite schools, so they ignore the promise of mobility offered by the state system (Konczal). As a result of this, community college is often frowned upon and deemed obscure, despite the fact that attending a two year sc hool can save students thousands of dollars. In addition to falling into the trap of capitalist-oriented colleges, many students also choose not to attend community college simply because it is not prestigious, thus further sentencing themselves into debt. The final article, Matt Bruenigs The Case against Free College, takes a rather different approach than the previous two articles when it comes to the free college debate. Overall, Bruenig argues that students already receive various forms of assistance for college in the form of grants, loans, and subsidies, which, in his opinion, is already giving more than what students should expect. In addition to this, Bruenig also articulates that providing even more than what is currently offered, or even making college free, would simply bring more inequality than social justice. Specifically, this is due to the fact that, à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦only around 20 percent of children from the poorest 2 percent of families in the country attend college. For the richest 2 percent of families, the same number is around 90 percent (Bruenig). So, providing a free college education to current college students would only continue to put those who are lower in the economic ranks at a disadvantage. Much like how Tressie McMillan Cottom admitted that free college would only benefit those who are currently excluded from higher education due to their economic standing, providing a free college education would only keep more money in the pockets of the rich. As a result, Bruenig states that, à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦making college free for everyone would almost certainly mean giving far more money to students from richer families than from poorer ones (Bruenig). Sure, providing free college education would give deprived students an opportunity to continue their education, but would do little in the long run when it comes to trying to reach a more egalitarian society. Once again, what are the benefits of free college education if it has the potential to only worsen the inequalities within American society and benefits only a small percentage of individuals? As a current college student, I could only hope and dream that a plan may arise in the near future that would eliminate or drastically cut college expenses, namely tuition. However, after reviewing the three articles in Dissent Magazines special issue titled Arguments on the Left, it has become clear that free college is not as beneficial or easily obtained as one would hope. While this notion of free college is tempting to say the least, it is certainly not feasible without a redesigned tax system, complete overhaul of higher education institutions and their intentions, and careful consideration regarding just who would be benefitting the most from free higher education. As it currently stands, free college will only benefit a small percentage of individuals, failing to address the capitalist nature of universities nationwide, while also acting as yet another way for the rich to keep hold of their wealth. However, it also must be stated that we must not give up hope and abandon the idea altogether. Although the cons currently outweigh the pros, there will one day be a way to implement a free college education system that benefits everyone without continuing to make the rich richer. As a nation, we must work towards that day together, implementing a foolproof plan to become a more egalitarian society without continuing to put thousands of young individuals into debt with the help of our current college system. Works Cited Bruenig, Matt. The Case against Free College. Dissent Magazine, Fall 2015, dissentmagazine.org/article/matt-bruenig-left-case-against-free-college. Accessed 28 Feb. 2017. Cottom, Tressie McMillan. Why Free College is Necessary. Dissent Magazine, Fall 2015, dissentmagazine.org/article/tressie-mcmillan-cottom-why-free-college-necessary. Accessed 28 Feb. 2017. Konczal, Mike. Generation Debt. Dissent Magazine, Fall 2015, dissentmagazine.org/article/mike-konczal-generation-debt-free-college-argument. Accessed 28 Feb. 2017.
University International Students
University International Students Introduction Studying at the university requires adjustment so that the student can effectively function and pursue his chosen field of study. Ones academic life, gaining access to educational materials, and interaction with classmates and professors are all important factors in the adjustment process. Yet, they are not the only factors that should be taken into account. This adjustment process becomes even more important for international students. They have to adjust to the culture of the location of their university, they have to take into account the language, the social norms, the idioms and metaphors being used by the society that the university belongs to. If they fail to adjust in the social context, their education might not be maximized, and, worse, they might not be able to understand a lot of things in their schooling. This essay takes a look in the adjustment process that international students have to face, particularly their context and their learning styles. It discusses how context and learning style affects their adjustment process. In doing so, this essay presents several theories and principles regarding the learning process. Furthermore, it presents several recommendations on how international students could better adjust in the university. More than just a theoretical presentation, this essay also takes into account the personal experiences of the author and will deal with some of the challenges being faced by international students in the university. This understanding is very important so that the international students, and other university students and professors would come to better strategies in helping international students cope with the university life and all its rigors and demands. University Culture and the International Student The university promotes scholarly studies and the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. In addition to this, the application of this body of knowledge in the society is also taken into account. Because of the process of globalization, university culture is also being internationalized in the sense that the university is being integrated into the global processes defining the world at this time (Bartell, 2003). Given this internationalization of universities, international students necessarily come to the fore. In a study conducted by Neville, students at the university who have previously enrolled expressed fear that they may not do well in the university because of the pressures of family, society, and of the economic side of their schooling. As an international student, I have also experienced some of these challenges. Since I am far away from my family, I feel homesick at times, unable to focus on my studies. It takes courage and resolve in order for me to truly pursue my university education. Yet, because of the importance of my university education and the interactions with others, I painstakingly work towards improving myself in pursuing my education. International Students and Speaking English Another challenge that international students face is the issue of language. Since English is recognized internationally as the language of the university, international students have to learn this language so that they can converse fluently and intelligently with classmates and professors. For international students who are already fluent in this language, they have surmounted an important barrier. Yet, those who have not done yet, they need to work more in learning English, otherwise, they will fail to interact and converse with others, which is an important part of university life. Universities therefore need to help international students who speak English as a second language in improving their English skills. This is the only way for them to truly make the connections that will help them complete their university education. Speech and language laboratories could be established and part of the learning processes of international students. This way, they will be able to interact better and have more opportunities in improving their English language skills. As an international student who entered the university, I experienced a kind of culture shock because the university promotes a culture of literacy (Nevile, 1996). Although I was already a bit fluent with the English, I was not a prolific writer. So I had to attend some writing workshops and tutorial sessions so I could improve the way that I write in the English language. With this process, I was able to improve some of the things that I faced. In addition to this, I also talked with other international students regarding the struggles that they face and the difficulties that they are having. In the process, I managed to have a support group that could easily help me deal with homesickness and other difficulties of being an international student. The interactions with other international students helped me become more prepared in dealing with the rigors of university life. Maximizing Adjustment to the University For international students who want to make the most out of the university, there are several tips that could be followed. For one, improving English skills is a must. It might take more time and effort to do so, yet, it is of utmost important that English skills become excellent. International students should also form support groups that could help them deal with homesickness and other challenges of being in a foreign society. The emotional support given by others makes a lot of difference in the adjustment process. Lastly, international students should be able to maximize all available resources at their disposal through consistent and persistent studying and pursuit of knowledge. This is the best way to deal with the adjustment process. Conclusion This essay has looked at the experiences of international students in adjusting at a university. Universities do have a culture of literacy, which the international student may not be prepared for. As such, they need to double their efforts in learning, in interacting and talking with othersââ¬âfriends, professors, classmates, and other international studentsââ¬âand gaining access to all forms of educational resources. By establishing support groups and mentoring relationships, international students could do well in their university education and prepare them for excellent work even beyond the university. Through this, they could contribute better to their society and their world. Reference Bartell, M. (2003). Internationalization of universities: A university culture-based framework. Higher Education, 45 (1), 43-70. Nevile, M. (1996). Literacy Culture Shock: Developing Academic Literacy at the University. The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 19 (1), 38-51.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Life and Health Plan Essay -- Personal Narrative Health
I am in pretty good health right now where I am at in life. My family does not have a history of anything that can be described that could be foreseen as a problem. What I can talk about is a generalized health maintenance and plan for staying healthy that should be easy to follow and quite rewarding. I will talk about eating disorders specifically so as to adhere to the instruction of the assignment. Eating disorders are some of the top concerns with any person that has health concerns regarding food. To make sure that someone can be successful in achieving a healthy body it is important to set goals that you can adhere to. One goal that is very important to me is easily to live a long and productive life. This can be considered a physical exercise goal in the sense that without exercise you can not really expect the same rewarding health as you would with regular exercise. As another goal that would help in maintaining health I would like to set monthly targets for weight and physical fitness that are realistic and obtainable. By setting a personal target weight you can compare your weight once a week and see an accurate model of what is happening with your diet and exercise plan. Developing an exercise plan that keeps you motivated and makes the time spent fun and rewarding is important to ensure the best results from any plan. On the nutritional side of a goal oriented approach to health the best idea is the simplest. By watching your caloric intake and serving sizes you can c ut out a large amount of the fat causing nutrients as well as high sodium and other things that could potentially jeopardize your health plan. In order to achieve your goals you must keep to your plan easy to follow and keep it fun and motivated ... ..., December 31). Dripping With Sweat . Retrieved June 8, 2008, from Firstpath.com Web site: http://www.firstpath.com/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=firstpath/story.html?article=1219 Lawlor, Debbie (2001, March 31). The effectiveness of exercise as an intervention in the management of depression: systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials. Retrieved June 8, 2008, from BMJ Web site: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/322/7289/763 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, (2007, Dec 7). Food and Nutrition. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/NU99999 Swenson, Jim (2006 October). Ask a Scientist. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Argonne National Labrotory Web site: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/aas.htm med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_fluids_sma.htm
Friday, July 19, 2019
Art Exhibition Review: Valerie Andrianoff Essay -- Valerie Andrianoff
The Gallery presented a set of bronze sculptures made by a French artist called Valerie Andrianoff. Valââ¬â¢s works of art can be perceived as a search for balance and stability as the heading of this exhibition has already suggested ââ¬Å"The Balance of Lifeâ⬠(Byrs-Lasquier, n.d.). In the following, a few of her works will be selected to illustrate what kind of ideas she is trying to express and how I feel about these sculptures. Most of the human figures created by Val are small. We can rarely see their facial expression. Most of the people may find them not beautiful, but through the figures and their body movements, artistââ¬â¢s idea of presenting balance really achieves. Like the two Small Round Table (Fig. 1 & 2), the figure is slim and slender who tries to balance the body in a whirling or rotating table, echoing the name of this exhibition The Balance of Life. It seems that these two works of art try to show people in this fast changing and spinning world have to take the first step to seek the equilibrium when finding their own role. The movements of the two figures are also like touching a water surface and make it swirls, creating a special visual effect that is pleasant to look at. The images of circle appear quite frequently in Valââ¬â¢s bronze sculptures. For instance, Loneliness (Fig. 3) shows a human being surrounds by a number of circles that give an impression to resemble our round-shaped world. This work of art looks as if the person is in his own mental world with no other people present. As the name of this work suggests, this person is probably in a state of loneliness and meditates in this revolving world. Loneliness too creates a sense of balance when putting a small and slim figure on a strip of circle. Running In A... ...he human beings. Sometimes leaving the reality and trying to meditate or think of our roles in the real world may be another kind of psychotherapy to help us to achieve a balance in our life. Works Cited Byrs-Lasquier, P. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://www.sculptureval.com/index.shtml Fichner-Rathus, L. (1998). Understanding Art (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice Hall. Winckelmann, J. (1764). The History of Ancient Art. In L. Eitner (Ed.), Neoclassicism and Romanticism 1750-1850 (pp. 16-19). New York: Harper & Row. Fine Arts Interactive Visual Archive [Image] (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://finearts.hku.hk/faiva/slides/imagepop/3871 Wellington Gallery [Image] (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://www.wellingtongallery.com.hk/exhibitions/ http://www.wellingtongallery.com.hk/artists/of/the/month/
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Tesco: Assessing the change implications of Tescoââ¬â¢s Rapid International Business process.
Executive summary Change is inevitable in any organization that aspires to grow. As an organization, Tesco has diversified its operations and extended into new markets in various countries such as China, Japan among others. However, its largest market base is still in the United Kingdom. This paper discusses the implications that the companyââ¬â¢s rapid internationalization has had on its operations. Penetration into new and undiscovered markets which seem unattractive to many retailers and selling for low prices is the key strategy employed by this organization in its expansion process. They are able to charge these low prices due to the numerous benefits of economies of scale they enjoy due to mass production and sale. This strategy however, does not lack challenges just like any other strategy employed by other organizations. For instance, the competitors in the new markets can also reduce their prices thereby limiting the market to new entrants such as Tesco. This is especially so in large emerging markets such as China and Japan. This paper also addresses the need for change and factors that have contributed to change at Tesco. There are a number of reasons why change is important. For instance, in order to ensure it remains competitive, some aspects of the organization have to change. The factors which drive change in this organization include political factors, social factors, technological factors, economic factors and even its objectives as an organization. The change process in this organization receives support from all the levels of the organization and the goals and vision are clearly communicated to the members. This is evidenced by its exemplary performance. Despite the numerous challenges faced in the change process, it has remained afloat and the benefits of the change are evident through its continued expansion. This paper exhaustively explores the change process at Tesco, analyzes the situation and makes suggestions that the company can use in implementation of the change. Introduction Tesco is a general merchandising retail chain and an international grocery store. Founded in 1919, it has grown over the years and is currently operating in over 12 countries globally with a total of 530,000 employees. In 2012, it had ?3.03 billion in profits and ?59.4 billion in turnover. Most of its revenue (65%) comes from the United Kingdom. However, other places such as Asia, United States and Europe also are responsible for a large portion of its revenue (Tesco, 2012). It operates under different brand names, which include Superstore, Express Extra and Metro. It sells about 40,000 food items in its superstores, clothes and other nonfood items. It also owns petrol stations and offers personal finance services such as life insurance. Its expansion has placed it at a top position globally and currently is ranked as the largest retailer in Britain and as the third largest retailer globally (Lowe et al., 2012). The own-label products of the company are grouped into three segments na mely: the value level, normal level and finest level products. Despite the extensive development of the retailing and nonfood services, Tesco has undertaken huge investments internationally in a bid to ensure its continued growth. To ensure efficiency in operations and costs in its international operations, it has incorporated IT solutions to facilitate business processes (Miozzo et al., 2012). This paper provides an in-depth analysis of Tescoââ¬â¢s rapid internationalization. Situation and Culture Every organization has its own culture which either serves to identify its employees and customers or serves to ensure efficient running and cohesive relationships among the employees (Maitah, 2010). Tescoââ¬â¢s culture is distinctive through its numerous corporate social activities. These demonstrate its ideologies and values such as honesty, responsibility and fairness. This sense of social responsibility drove the organization into stating up supermarkets in areas where other supermarkets would not go into due to their native nature. At Tesco, there are string bonds among the staff and customers. This has been quite instrumental in contributing to wards employee job satisfaction and offering services that are satisfactory to customers. These relationships have ensured efficient operations within the organization due to the social groups formed (Tesco PLC, 2014). There are shared values upheld by the staff thereby ensuring a reduction in conflicts among them. This also encourages loyalty of the staff to the organization thereby ensuring its good performance is sustained. Lastly it helps them get a better understanding of the customersââ¬â¢ needs (Tesco PLC, 2014). Tesco has a flexible work environment, which ensures an increase in employee participation in various roles and decisions and also enhances their adaptability to possible changes within the organization. An inflexible work environment would in most cases lead to resistance from the employees, thereby limiting their productivity and innovation. In the long run, it will affect the performance of the organization (Tseng, 2011). The management practice undertaken by the organization tends to be in line with theory Y assumptions. In this theory, the management believes that the employees view their work as normal and will aim at obtaining additional responsibilities in their places of work (Russ, 2011). Given the right conditions, these managers believe that workers will be self-driven and work efficiently. Therefore, there will be joint decision making in regards to setting of objectives and development of strategies required to achieve these goals. Also these managers will delegate most duties and promote team work (Lowe et al., 2012). Even though the managers at Tesco have incorporated some of these propositions in the daily management of the organizations activities, it may not entirely lead to efficiency. This is because of the extensive number of the subordinates one manger supervises making it difficult to use the approach (Be nfari, 2013). Also, tasks allocated to the subordinates do not need specialized skills hence continued supervision by the managers is required in order for them to issue direction and ensure continuity in a bid to achieve the set goals of the firm (Inman et al., 2014 ). Drivers of change and the organizations stage in the change process There is always need for change in any organization, which is usually propelled by a variety of factors, which is also the case at Tesco. This section outlines the different factors that have contributed to the need for change at Tesco. It also addresses the stage of change in which the company currently is. One of these is the changing political environment. New legislations come up every day and therefore it needs to conform to these standards in order to avoid any legal suits against them. Legal suits may affect its cash flows as a majority of people may claim compensation. Issues also such as political instability may affect the operations of the organization (Lowe et al., 2012). Economic factors are also responsible for the changes. Factors such as economic crisis and fall in demand for goods may affect the cash flows adversely as sales will slump. This therefore poses a need for diversification of its operations hence a presenting a need for change (Benn et al., 2014). As the c ompany expands its operations, it manages this risk because when the risk is high in a certain market, there is another market with stable economic conditions (Polak et al., 2011). Social factors also contribute to this. Customer loyalty is a key social factor needed to ensure growth and sustainability of any business (Mahatma et al., 2013). For instance, news that the beef burgers from Tesco had horsemeat adversely affected the image of the organization and lowered the customer loyalty (The Guardian, 2013). This therefore drives for change as it has to ensure those who were affected are compensated and that corrective action is taken so no such occurrences are experienced in the future. Changes in the marketing strategies therefore are needed in order to restore the customer base (Anderson & Swaminathan, 2011). It can also be argued that technological factors are responsible for these changes (Hitt & Tambe, 2012). Due to Tescoââ¬â¢s extensive operations all over the world, it needs to adopt new technological advancements in order to ensure efficiency in its operations such as production and marketing. Issues such as social media marketing through twitter and Facebook should be considered in order to ensure they meet their target audience (Tuten & Solomon, 2012). Online shopping channels should also be enhanced further (Plunkett, 2009). At present, Tesco has undertaken numerous steps towards the change process. It has diversified its operations in order to prevent losses due to economic factors in one area. For instance it produces products such as petroleum and food products, both of which have inelastic demand (Tesco PLC, 2014). It complies with both the legal and ethical requirements especially in regards to food products and also compensates affected individuals in order to avoid law suits which could harm its operations. Also, the organization has undertaken numerous technological advancements in its operations in order to ensure its operations are well managed and that their customers are served efficiently (de Kervenoael et al., 2011). With reference to the j-curve model, there are stages which an organization goes through in the change process (Grabenwarter & Weidig, 2005). These include: â⬠¢ Plateau: At this level there are minimal disruptions in the organization. â⬠¢ Cliff: This stage is characterized by a lot of anxiety and uncertainties surrounding the new process. â⬠¢ Valley: At this point, production is low and there are a lot of frustrations in the work place. It is the most critical part as it determines whether the change will be taken to completion. â⬠¢ Ascent Stage: At this stage, the benefits from the development are reaped. There are no challenges at this point and the limited challenges faced can be easily resolved. â⬠¢ Mountaintop: This is the final stage. Here, both productivity and performance have been improved. According to the j curve model, Tesco is at the ascent stage. This is because some of the benefits from the internationalization strategy are already being ripped by t he company (Lowe et al., 2012). Whether there is a strategy for this planned change or is it a response to a problem. For Tesco, the changes are both in form of a prior vision and as a response to changes in the issues in the market. Tesco has two key strategies which it employs in a bid to achieve its goals. These are: ââ¬Å"How Tesco sells for lessâ⬠- Tescoââ¬Ës goal is to sell large volumes of a wide range of products and services. In order to achieve this, they make use of the economies of scale benefits derived from producing and selling in bulk. This therefore implies that it can lower its prices hence sell its products globally at competitive prices (Tesco PLC, 2014). ââ¬Å"Steering wheelâ⬠ââ¬âthis is related to its primary areas of concern. These are operations, people, financial and customers. Of all the four areas of concern, the customers are the most important. Tesco therefore, has ensured that the relationship between them is cordial and built on a t rust basis thereby securing their loyalty. It has ensured it provides quality products at very low prices and also that there is professionalism in service delivery to the customers (Bather & Tucker, 2011). The increase in competition in Tescoââ¬â¢s major markets is the main problem that has also led it to implement the internationalization strategy. With companies like Wal-Mart and Carrefour also struggling for the market share in the UK and other main markets, Tesco has had to consider expanding to other regions where there is less competition (Ryu & Simpson, 2011). Exploration of the problem to be addressed Whereas Tesco has successfully established itself in the many countries and is generally performing well, there are several problems it faces that ought to be addressed. This will improve the companyââ¬â¢s performance and give it an edge over its main competitors in the market. These issues are discussed hereunder. Over dependence on the UK market Despite its extensive expansion to other market areas globally, its profits still largely depend on the UK market. About 73.8% and 65% of its profits in 2003 and 2009 respectively came from its UK market (Palmer, 2012). Even though this is not a problem in the short run, it may affect its operations in the long run if its competitors such as the Morrisonââ¬â¢s group expand their operations and market share (Benn et al., 2014). Debt International expansion is expensive hence requires heavy cash flows used for marketing and investment purposes. Therefore, Tesco requires huge cash flows and these are raised through borrowing (Randall & Seth, 2011). The repayment of these debts has further been worsened by the economic downturn and has become expensive overtime. Its aggressive expansion activities reduce the cash available for financing other activities in the organization (Benn et al., 2014). Acquisitions Due to its large size, and wide range of products, Tesco can easily take over other firms, especially in the United Kingdom. However, there is a risk posed by it turning into a serial acquirer since these actions will lower its quality, brand visibility and even earnings. This therefore should be addressed and a different expansion strategy considered (Johnson & Turner, 2010). Aggressive expansion into large markets such as China and Japan may lead to a decline in returns due to reasons such as the existing economic conditions in these markets, reactions by competitors and failure of the companyââ¬â¢s strategy (Benn et al., 2014). The key players and what each player may lose or win The key players here include: â⬠¢ Competitors- these are most likely to lose their market share due to an increase in Tescoââ¬â¢s market share. Some of its competitors include ASDA, Carrefour S.A, Safeway Inc. and the Royal Dutch (Palmer, 2012). â⬠¢ Government- the governments in various cou ntries where Tesco operates would most likely gain additional revenue from the taxes paid in by Tesco (Johnson & Turner, 2010). â⬠¢ Customers- the consumers will benefit due to quality products at cheap prices since this is the main aim of Tesco. As the company seeks to gain a larger market share, it will be beneficial to clients (Anderson & Swaminathan, 2011). Articulation of the vision to the members or the organization As an organization, Tesco has a clear mission and vision. With a massive workforce of 597, 784 employees (as of 2013) there are strategies that are put in place to ensure that every one is at par with the organizationââ¬â¢s mission and vision (Tesco PLC, 2014). The vision of Tesco is to be valued by the customers they serve, the communities in which they operate, colleagues and the shareholders. The organization seeks to transform lives through innovative products and inspire future generations. In all the 12 countries where Tesco operates, the company is va lued and appreciated. The people are served in the best regard and they are loyal clients. This is a clear indication that the vision of the company has been articulated by the members of the organization (Taylor, 2014). The level of support within the organization at each level For the change process to be efficiently implemented in an organization, it is vital for all parties to be equally involved. This will reduce resistance and facilitate an easy transition from the state prior to the change to the state after (Kotter, 2007). Generally, there is extensive support from the various levels in the organization at Tesco. For instance, the top level management makes decisions in regards to the possible areas of expansion. There have been minimal or no reports of resistance to internationalization at Tesco (Taylor, 2014). This means that as the company implements these strategies, it takes all the necessary measures to ensure that all the parties that are likely to be affected are well informed of the need for the change and the process that will be undertaken in the change process (Benn et al., 2014). Other levels in the organization, including the middle and lower levels, are also supportive of the changes (Taylor, 2014). Other key players to be consulted Apart from the parties within the organization, it is also vital for the companyââ¬â¢s management to ensure that it consults other external stakeholders that are likely to be affected by the change (Kotter, 2007). There are different groups that need to be consulted. One of these groups comprises of the companyââ¬â¢s creditors. These are the financers who facilitate the change process. Hence, their approval is needed because they need to certify that the expansion is profitable and that their funds will not be put in risky businesses (Bennett & Bush, 2013). Shareholders also have to be consulted. These are the owners of the business hence their interests must be factored in any decision making process. Their consent must be given before the expansion is undertaken. The governments of the home country and the target country into which the company intends to expand (Liguori, 2012). Before entering into any new markets, there are legislations set which must be observed. Compliance with these laws is needed before they can set up their operations in any country. Recommendations for forming or not forming a coalition It would be optimal for Tesco to form further coalitions with other organizations. This is because it will benefit in a number of ways. For instance, there will be an acquisition of additional skills from the company with which it is partnering. This also applies to other tangible and in tangible resources that might have cost the company a lot to acquire (Hogg et al., 2012). The potential market for Tesco will increase at a faster rate. By forming merger with companies that have already established themselves in the market, Tesco will automatically inherit the market share of the other companies. This is as opposed to a situation where the company could have entered the market on its own (Matsushima et al., 2013). Another advantage is that there will be improved information access and sharing, especially information about the markets being targeted (Hogg et al., 2012). Whereas there are benefits that the company can get by entering coalitions with other companies in expanding its op erations, there are also several limitations that it can be exposed to as a result of this. For instance, there can be conflicts in terms of how profits are shared among the companies involved (Matsushima et al., 2013). As a result of varying organizational cultures and structures, entering coalitions can also limit employee productivity as employees as there will be a conflict in the way they operate. This challenge is usually mostly felt in the early stages of the coalition (Benn et al., 2014). Recommendations on useful tools for managing change at the organization Generally, it is difficult for any organization and its employees to adjust to change. It is therefore recommended that an organization uses a model as this will give the leaders a guideline on how to effect this change and make it acceptable (Boje et al., 2012). There are several models that have been suggested by researchers to help in change management. One of these is Kotterââ¬â¢s eight-step model, which is summa rized in detail in the table below (Kotter, 2007). By following the steps that have been suggested by Kotter above, there is a high likelihood of succeeding in the change process. However, critics have faulted the model for being mechanistic and assuming that all organization can chronologically follow these steps. It fails to acknowledge that organizations differ (Liguori, 2012). Additional advice It is important to see to it that there is e continued success in operations of the organization. Presently, Tesco has greatly diversified its operations. Though it can be seen as a good strategy for business in terms of spreading risk, it can choose to focus and specialize in a few of them. The expansion of the nonfood operations offers a greater potential than the others and hence it can choose to concentrate in this area due to the extensive demand for these products. This however, can be adversely affected by the economic environment. Therefore, an extensive assessment of potential risk factors should be made before investments in this unit are undertaken. Of importance is to note that sales here are generated by the consumer confidence levels and ratings. At present, these are quite low. There is also an increase in the demand for organic and natural product in the United Kingdom. Tesco therefore should take advantage of this opportunity to conform to these lifestyle changes and develop products in order to tap into these new markets. This would be more efficient if Tesco could lower the costs of production in order to ensure that the product prices are not so high and hence are available to the consumers. In conclusion, Tesco can penetrate into new markets such as the United States through its current penetration strategy into undiscovered markets as this has been effective in the past and still is. This is because the current retailers are not willing to delve into these markets. This would also require an extensive risk assessment especially in regards to transportation and supply as this would affect the cash flows .hence, it would be effective to use a clustered approach in development of stores instead of placing them indiscriminately. If it can penetrate the fresh foods market in the United states then they will continue to be successful as the demand for food is relatively inelastic and will not be adversely affected in case of economic downturns. References Anderson, R.E. & Swaminathan, S., 2011. Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty in E-Markets: A PLS Path Modeling Approach. The Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 19(2), pp.221 ââ¬â 234. Bather, A. & Tucker, R., 2011. Legitimacy Theory and a Compliance Analysis of Tescoââ¬â¢s 2008 Business Review. International Review of Business Research, 7(2), pp.137-56. Benfari, R.C., 2013. Understanding and Changing Your Management Style: Assessments and Tools for Self-development. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Benn, S., Dunphy, D. & Griffiths, A., 2014. Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Londin: Routledge. Bennett, J.L. & Bush, ?.W., 2013. Coaching for Change. New Jersey: Routledge. Boje, D., Burnes, B?. & Hassard, ?J., 2012. The Routledge Companion to Organizational Change. New York: Routledge. de Kervenoael, R., Canning, C., Palmer, M. & Hallsworth, A., 2011. Challenging market conventions: Supermarket diversification and consumer resistance in childrenââ¬â¢s apparel purchases. Journal of fashion marketing and management, 15(4), pp.464-85. Grabenwarter, U. & Weidig, T?., 2005. Exposed to the J-Curve: Understanding and Managing Private Equity Fund Investments. London: Euromoney Books. Hitt, L.M. & Tambe, P., 2012. The Productivity of Information Technology Investments: New Evidence from IT Labor Data. Information Systems Research, 4(1), pp.234-57. Hogg, M.A., Van Knippenberg, D. & Rast, D.E., 2012. Intergroup leadership in organizations: Leading across group and organizational boundaries. Academy of Management Review, 37(2), pp.232-55. Inman, M., Oââ¬â¢Sullivan, ?N. & Murton, A?., 2014. Unlocking Human Resource Management. New Jersey: Routledge. Johnson, D. & Turner, ?C., 2010. International Business: Themes and Issues in the Modern Global Economy. New Jersey: Routledge. Kotter, J.P., 2007. Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review, pp.1-10. Liguori, M., 2012. The supremacy of the sequence: key elements and dimensions in the process of change. Organization Studies, 33(4), pp.507-39. Lowe, M., George, G. & Alexy, O., 2012. Organizational identity and capability development in internationalization: transference, splicing and enhanced imitation in Tescoââ¬â¢s US market entry. Journal of Economic Geography, 12(5), pp.1021-54. Mahatma, I.G., Bakti, Y. & Sumaedi, S., 2013. An analysis of library customer loyalty: The role of service quality and customer satisfaction, a case study in Indonesia. Library Management, 34(6/7), pp.397-414. Maitah, M., 2010. How Culture Affects your Business. [Online] Available at: http://www.maitah.com/wp-content/How%20culture%20affects%20your%20business.pdf [Accessed 17 May 2014]. Matsushima, N., Sato, Y. & Yamamoto, K., 2013. Horizontal Mergers, Firm Heterogeneity, and R&D Investments. The BE Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 13(2), pp.959-90. Miozzo, M., Yamin, M. & Ghauri, P.N., 2012. Strategy and structure of service multinationals and their impact on linkages with local firms. The Service Industries Journa, 32(7), pp.1171-91. Palmer, A., 2012. Introduction to Marketing: Theory and Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Plunkett, J.W., 2009. Plunkettââ¬â¢s E-Commerce and Internet Business Almanac 2009. Texas: Plunkett Research. Polak, P., Robertson, D.C. & Lind, M., 2011. The New Role of the Corporate Treasurer: Emerging Trends in Response to the Financial Crisis. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, (78). Randall, G. & Seth, A?., 2011. The Grocers: The Rise and Rise of Supermarket Chains. New York: Kogan Page. Russ, T.L., 2011. Theory X/Y assumptions as predictors of managersââ¬â¢ propensity for participative decision making. Management Decision, 49(5), pp.823-36. Ryu, J.S. & Simpson, J.J., 2011. Retail internationalization: Lessons fromâ⬠Big Threeâ⬠global retailersââ¬â¢ failure cases. Journal of Business & Retail Management Research, 6(1). Taylor, M., 2014. The Success of Tescoââ¬â¢s International Expansion. Munich: GRIN Verlag. Tesco PLC, 2014. About Us. [Online] Available at: http://www.tescoplc.com/ [Accessed 11 5l 2014]. Tesco, 2012. Annual Review and summary Financial Statement 2012. London: Tesco PLC. The Guardian, 2013. How the horsemeat scandal unfolded ââ¬â timeline. The Guardian, 15 February. Tseng, S.-M., 2011. The effects of hierarchical culture on knowledge management processes. Management Research Review, 34(5), pp.595-608. Tuten, T.L. & Solomon, M.R., 2012. Social Media Marketing. New York: Prentice
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)